Correlacion en el crecimiento ponderal de los órganos endocrinos en fetos humanos japoneses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shigeo Daikoku

1964-01-01

Full Text Available Using the data of ponderal growth of the hypophysis, thyroid, adrenals, thyrnus, testes and ovaries of thirty specimens from each of both sexes of Japanese human fetuses from the third to the tenth fetal month, the correlation coefficients of the ponderal growth for each paired organ system following their development were examined. From the obtained results it seems to be concluded as follows: 1 All the correlation coefficients for the paired endocrine organ system showed high correlation values. These dates were highly significant (P

Subtalar Coalition: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

CG Chua

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Subtalar coalition is an uncommon condition that usually manifests in early adolescence(1. Frequently, this condition is missed. Delayed diagnosis may result in osteoarthritis requiring triple arthrodesis. Here, we report two patients with subtalar coalition. The first patient is a 12 year old boy who presented with right ankle pain for one year and was treated with excision of the coalition and bone wax insertion at the excision site. We followed up the patient for two years and the result was excellent with full range of movement of his right ankle and subtalar joint attained within two months. He returned to athletic activity by six months and was discharged with no complications after two years. The second patient is a 15 year old girl who presented with bilateral ankle pain and swelling for three years and was treated with excision of the coalition and subtalar interpositional arthroplasty bilaterally. She defaulted follow up after seven months as she was very satisfied with the result. We wish to highlight this condition which may be misdiagnosed as flexible flat foot or ankle sprain.

Home-made and commercial complementary meals in German infants: results of the DONALD study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hilbig, A; Foterek, K; Kersting, M; Alexy, U

2015-12-01

Infant complementary food can be home-made or bought as ready-to-eat commercial products. The nutrient composition of commercial products is regularised in a European Commission guideline, whereas the preparation of home-made complementary meals is the responsibility of caregivers. In the present study, the composition of commercial and home-made complementary meals as eaten by healthy German infants was compared. Of 8226 complementary meals (74% commercial and 26% home-made) recorded in 1083, 3-day weighed dietary records from 396 participants (6-12 months old) of the German DONALD (DOrtmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed) study were analysed. Median energy density (kcal 100 g(-1)) was highest in commercial and home-made cereal-milk meals (89 kcal 100 g(-1)). In home-made savoury and cereal-fruit meals, the energy density was significantly higher compared to their commercial counterparts. Median protein contents were highest in savoury and cereal-milk meals (>2.5 g 100 g(-1)) and dairy-fruit meals (2-4 g 100 g(-1)). Added sugars were found in less than a quarter of meals. Highest median sodium contents were found not only in commercial savoury meals (median 38 mg 100 g(-1)) and vegetable meals (32 mg 100 g(-1)), but also in home-made cereal-milk meals (36 mg 100 g(-1)). Both median fat and iron contents were higher in home-made meals compared to commercial savoury and cereal-fruit meals. With the exception of the higher sodium content in commercial savoury meals for older infants, the lower fat content in commercial savoury and cereal-fruit meals, and the added sugar content in some commercial dairy-fruit meals, a comparison of commercial and home-made complementary meals did not reveal any serious inadequacy. © 2015 The British Dietetic Association Ltd.

Coalitions to engineer the climate

Science.gov (United States)

Moreno-Cruz, J. B.; Ricke, K.; Caldeira, K.

2012-12-01

Solar geoengineering is the deliberate reduction of the amount of incoming solar radiation absorbed by Earth's climate system with the aim of reducing impacts of anthropogenic climate change. The international politics of solar geoengineering differ markedly from those of greenhouse-gas emissions reductions. A central question is who will decide whether and how much solar geoengineering will be deployed. It is unlikely that a single small actor could implement and sustain global-scale geoengineering that harms much of the world without intervention from harmed world powers. Thus, in practice, some minimum amount of aggregate power would be needed to successfully impose will upon the rest of the world. Here we formulate a series of games, calibrated with physical and economic models of climate change, to evaluate how international coalitions to implement geoengineering may form. In the scenarios examined, climate models are assumed to correctly predict the future and damage is parameterized in terms of regional temperature and precipitation changes only, and do not consider other, possibly formidable, risks. The coalitions set the "global thermostat" to maximize benefit to coalition members. As a result, non-members would be better off under a global optimum solution, but would be worse off with no geoengineering at all. Nonetheless, it appears unlikely that solar geoengineering could be implemented by actors who are perceived in advance to be harming the interests of a majority of the world's powers.; Comparison of results under a globally optimal versus >50% military-spending power coalition over 6 decades of solar geoengineering implementation. (a) shows how the amount of solar geoengineering (in units of stratospheric aerosol optical depth, AOD) implemented by a Power Proportionate Distribution coalition under a military-spending-weighted power scheme (dotted), compared to the amount that minimizes net global damages (thick grey) (the population and GDP

Organophosphate acetylcholine esterase inhibitor poisoning from a home-made shampoo.

Science.gov (United States)

Sadaka, Yair; Broides, Arnon; Tzion, Raffi Lev; Lifshitz, Matitiahu

2011-07-01

Organophosphate acetylcholine esterase inhibitor poisoning is a major health problem in children. We report an unusual cause of organophosphate acetylcholine esterase inhibitor poisoning. Two children were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit due to organophosphate acetylcholine esterase inhibitor poisoning after exposure from a home-made shampoo that was used for the treatment of head lice. Owing to no obvious source of poisoning, the diagnosis of organophosphate acetylcholine esterase inhibitor poisoning in one of these patients was delayed. Both patients had an uneventful recovery. Organophosphate acetylcholine esterase inhibitor poisoning from home-made shampoo is possible. In cases where the mode of poisoning is unclear, direct questioning about the use of home-made shampoo is warranted, in these cases the skin and particularly the scalp should be rinsed thoroughly as soon as possible.

Evaluation of Feeding Practice and the Use of Home-made and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Background: Oral Rehydration Therapy, which includes the use of home-made, food-based fluids helps to prevent diarrhoeal dehydration. Information on the knowledge of the use of these home-made food-based fluids appears scanty, hence the need to evaluate the current status of maternal knowledge on the use of these ...

Wind energy aggregation: A coalitional game approach

KAUST Repository

Baeyens, E.

2011-12-01

In this paper we explore the extent to which a group of N wind power producers can exploit the statistical benefits of aggregation and quantity risk sharing by forming a willing coalition to pool their variable power to jointly offer their aggregate power output as single entity into a forward energy market. We prove that wind power generators will always improve their expected profit when they aggregate their generated power and use tools from coalitional game theory to design fair sharing mechanisms to allocate the payoff among the coalition participants. We show that the corresponding coalitional game is super-additive and has a nonempty core. Hence, there always exists a mechanism for profit-sharing that makes the coalition stable. However, the game is not convex and the celebrated Shapley value may not belong to the core of the game. An allocation mechanism that minimizes the worst-case dissatisfaction is proposed. © 2011 IEEE.

The paradoxes and promise of community coalitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Chavis, D M

2001-04-01

Community coalitions, as they are currently applied, are unique organizations whose ability to promote community change is different from other types of community organizations. This article explores those differences and elaborates how community coalitions can use those differences to transform conflict into greater capacity, equity, and justice. Concerns are also raised in this article about how community coalitions can intentionally and unintentionally protect the status quo and contain the empowerment of grassroots leadership and those of marginalized groups. There is a need for more theory, research, and discourse on how community coalitions can transform conflict into social change and how they can increase the power of grassroots and other citizen-lead organizations.

Purification of antibody against Ara h 2 by a homemade immunoaffinity chromatography column.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Zhihua; Li, Kun; Zhan, Shaode; Tong, Ping; Li, Xin; Yang, Anshu; Chen, Hongbing

2017-09-14

Antibodies are used extensively in numerous applications both in vivo and in vitro. To purify anti-Ara h 2 polyclonal antibody, a homemade immunoaffinity chromatography (IAC) column method was established. The properties of homemade column were compared with those of the mAb affinity protein G (MPG) agarose high flow, a commercially available column successfully used in capturing polyclonal antibodies. During antibody purification from rabbits' antiserum against Ara h 2, the column capacity, recovery, and purification factor were characterized for IAC and MPG. The homemade IAC could separate the corresponding antibody with higher specificity and lower cost but with lower recovery and column capacity than those of MPG. Thus, the homemade IAC is a specific, inexpensive, and suitable method that can be used for various laboratory purifications.

Incentives and stability of international climate coalitions: An integrated assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bosetti, Valentina; Carraro, Carlo; De Cian, Enrica; Massetti, Emanuele; Tavoni, Massimo

2013-01-01

This paper analyses the incentives to participate in an international climate agreement and the stability of the resulting climate coalition using the integrated assessment model WITCH. Coalition stability is assessed under alternative assumptions concerning the pure rate of time preference, the aggregation of social welfare, and the severity of climate damages. The profitability, stability, and strong potential internal stability of a number of coalitions, those potentially effective in reducing GHG emissions, is explored in the paper. The main conclusion is that only the grand coalition, i.e. a coalition where all world regions cooperate to reduce emissions, can maintain GHG concentration below 550 ppm CO 2 -eq. However, this coalition is not internally stable, even when allowing for monetary transfers across world regions. Nonetheless, the paper also shows that strongly potentially internally stable coalitions exist, though of smaller size, which can mitigate global warming and limit GHG concentrations to 600 ppm CO 2 -eq. - Highlights: ► We analyse climate coalitions with an integrated assessment model. ► Coalitions’ profitability and stability is analysed under alternative assumptions. ► Effective coalitions should include larger emitters (such as India and China). ► A coalition that achieves 550 ppm CO 2 -eq is not internally stable. ► A stable coalition can achieve around 518 ppme in 2050 and 600 ppme in 2100

Immunization Action Coalition

Science.gov (United States)

... IAC | Contact | A-Z Index | Donate | Shop | SUBSCRIBE Immunization Action Coalition Favorites ACIP Recommendations Package Inserts Additional Immunization Resources Photos Adult Vaccination Screening Checklists Ask the ...

International Clean Energy Coalition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Erin Skootsky; Matt Gardner; Bevan Flansburgh

2010-09-28

In 2003, the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) and National Energy Technology Laboratories (NETL) collaboratively established the International Clean Energy Coalition (ICEC). The coalition consisting of energy policy-makers, technologists, and financial institutions was designed to assist developing countries in forming and supporting local approaches to greenhouse gas mitigation within the energy sector. ICEC's work focused on capacity building and clean energy deployment in countries that rely heavily on fossil-based electric generation. Under ICEC, the coalition formed a steering committee consisting of NARUC members and held a series of meetings to develop and manage the workplan and define successful outcomes for the projects. ICEC identified India as a target country for their work and completed a country assessment that helped ICEC build a framework for discussion with Indian energy decisionmakers including two follow-on in-country workshops. As of the conclusion of the project in 2010, ICEC had also conducted outreach activities conducted during United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Ninth Conference of Parties (COP 9) and COP 10. The broad goal of this project was to develop a coalition of decision-makers, technologists, and financial institutions to assist developing countries in implementing affordable, effective and resource appropriate technology and policy strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Project goals were met through international forums, a country assessment, and in-country workshops. This project focused on countries that rely heavily on fossil-based electric generation.

Coparenting and toddler's interactive styles in family coalitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Fivaz-Depeursinge, Elisabeth; Lopes, Francesco; Python, Maryline; Favez, Nicolas

2009-12-01

The current study examined the coparenting and toddler's interactive styles in family coalitions. According to structural family theory, boundaries between generations are clear in alliances, but disturbed in coalitions: the parents look to the child to regulate their conflictual relationship and the child attempts to meet this need. In a normative sample studied longitudinally during the Lausanne Trilogue Play situation (LTP, N=38), 15 coalition cases were detected. Styles of coparenting and of child's interactions were determined and compared in coalition and alliance cases at 18 months. Findings confirm the structural family model by showing the specific ways in which the coparenting and the toddler's interactive styles are associated in 3 different patterns of coalitions: binding, detouring, and triangulation. They illustrate how the child's triangular capacity, or her ability to simultaneously communicate with both parents, is used to regulate the parents' relationship. They suggest that the LTP observational paradigm is a promising assessment method of early family interactions. They point to the importance of assessing early the child's contribution to family coalitions.

Progress in Promoting Research Reactor Coalitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldman, Ira; Adelfang, Pablo; Alldred, Kevin; Mote, Nigel

2008-01-01

This presentation treats of the IAEA's role in Promoting Research Reactor (RR) coalitions, presents the strategic view, the types of coalitions, the 2007-2008 activities and Results, and the upcoming activities. The RR Coalitions Progress is presented first (Initial discussions, project design, approval of NTI grant request, informal consultations and development of 'national' proposals, Number of 'models' identified, exploratory missions/meetings, initial implementation of several coalitions, IAEA coordination, ideas/proposals/ventures, initial support. Some countries, institutes, or users want access to reactor capabilities without, or in advance of, building a domestic facility. Some countries, institutes, or users need access to alternative capabilities to permit the closure/consolidation of marginal facilities. Cooperative arrangements will result in increased utilization for each participant. The results from the reactor view are as follows: cover increases in order levels or scientific research; cover facility outages (planned or un-planned); delegate 'less profitable' products and services; access capacity for new products and services; reduce transport needs by geographical optimization; reduce investment needs by contracting for complementary capabilities; reduce costs of medical radio-isotope for R and D; share best practices in operations and safety. The results from the stakeholder View are: Better information on what reactors can offer/provide; greater range of services; more proactive product and service support; greater reliability in supplies of products and services. The types of coalitions are of different forms to meet needs, capabilities, objectives of members. In general they start small, evolve, change form, expand as confidence grows. The role of the Scientific consortium is to: distribute excess demand, test new concepts for implementation at high-flux reactors, direct requests for access to most appropriate RR, share best practices

Forensic analysis methodology for thermal and chemical characterization of homemade explosives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarian, Ashot; Presser, Cary

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Identification of homemade explosives (HME) is critical for determining the origin of explosive precursor materials. • A novel laser-heating technique was used to obtain the thermal/chemical signatures of HME precursor materials. • Liquid-fuel saturation of the pores of a solid porous oxidizer affected the total specific heat release. • Material thermal signatures were dependent on sample mass and heating rate. • This laser-heating technique can be a useful diagnostic tool for characterizing the thermochemical behavior of HMEs. - Abstract: Forensic identification of homemade explosives is critical for determining the origin of the explosive materials and precursors, and formulation procedures. Normally, the forensic examination of the pre- and post-blast physical evidence lacks specificity for homemade-explosive identification. The focus of this investigation was to use a novel measurement technique, referred to as the laser-driven thermal reactor, to obtain the thermal/chemical signatures of homemade-explosive precursor materials. Specifically, nitromethane and ammonium nitrate were studied under a variety of operating conditions and protocols. Results indicated that liquid-fuel saturation of the internal pores of a solid particle oxidizer appear to be a limiting parameter for the total specific heat release during exothermic processes. Results also indicated that the thermal signatures of these materials are dependent on sample mass and heating rate, for which this dependency may not be detectable by other commercially available thermal analysis techniques. This study has demonstrated that the laser-driven thermal reactor can be a useful diagnostic tool for characterizing the thermal and chemical behavior of trace amounts of homemade-explosive materials

Sustainability in a state comprehensive cancer control coalition: lessons learned.

Science.gov (United States)

Desmond, Renee A; Chapman, Kathryn; Graf, Gavin; Stanfield, Bret; Waterbor, John W

2014-03-01

The Alabama Comprehensive Cancer Control Coalition (ACCCC) has developed an integrated and coordinated approach to reducing cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality, and to improving the quality of life for cancer survivors, their families, and their caregivers. The ACCCC is currently in a maintenance phase and a formal plan for sustainability of the coalition was needed to keep the members engaged and productive. A training session in coalition sustainability conducted in 2013 identified the following elements as essential to success: (1) increased marketing of the coalition by simplifying its mission; (2) improved networking including flexibility in coalition meeting location and attendance; (3) increased membership satisfaction through transformational leadership; (4) revision of the working structure of committees and improved accountability; and (5) enhancement of partner satisfaction with coalition activities designed to recruit and retain new partners. A self-administered membership satisfaction survey was given to assess coalition mission, meeting logistics, organization, capacity building, and coalition goals. Results indicated that the subcategories of communication, mission, and meeting logistics were rated satisfied to very satisfied on a five-point scale. Although the ACCCC had clearly written goals, improvement could be made in leadership participation and new member orientation could be improved. Most members rated their parent organization as highly involved with the ACCCC and many offered suggestions on capacity building. Results of the sustainability training have clarified the ACCCC's plans to ensure coalition viability and improve strategies to inform stakeholders of the benefits of participation in the coalition.

Towards a Formal Model of Privacy-Sensitive Dynamic Coalitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sebastian Bab

2012-04-01

Full Text Available The concept of dynamic coalitions (also virtual organizations describes the temporary interconnection of autonomous agents, who share information or resources in order to achieve a common goal. Through modern technologies these coalitions may form across company, organization and system borders. Therefor questions of access control and security are of vital significance for the architectures supporting these coalitions. In this paper, we present our first steps to reach a formal framework for modeling and verifying the design of privacy-sensitive dynamic coalition infrastructures and their processes. In order to do so we extend existing dynamic coalition modeling approaches with an access-control-concept, which manages access to information through policies. Furthermore we regard the processes underlying these coalitions and present first works in formalizing these processes. As a result of the present paper we illustrate the usefulness of the Abstract State Machine (ASM method for this task. We demonstrate a formal treatment of privacy-sensitive dynamic coalitions by two example ASMs which model certain access control situations. A logical consideration of these ASMs can lead to a better understanding and a verification of the ASMs according to the aspired specification.

Pressures on TV Programs: Coalition for Better Television's Case.

Science.gov (United States)

Shipman, John M., Jr.

In 1981, the conservative Coalition for Better Television (CBTV) threatened an economic boycott against advertisers who marketed their wares on programs that the coalition felt had excessive sex and violence. Because television networks are dependent on advertising, the coalition believed economic pressure on advertisers would force a…

Complexities of coalition building: leaders' successes, strategies, struggles, and solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Mizrahi, T; Rosenthal, B B

2001-01-01

Government and private funding initiatives are promoting coalitions, collaborations, and other interorganizational approaches to address complex community, social services, and health issues. Social work organizers and administrators are increasingly leading coalitions themselves or representing their organizations in collaborative planning and problem solving, often without understanding how to manage the complexities involved in interorganizational relationships. This article reports on aspects of a larger quantitative and qualitative research project that studied coalition dynamics, operations, and outcomes. Coalition leaders interviewed defined success in multiple ways. Competent leadership was the factor most often identified with coalition success.

Organizational Member Involvement in Physical Activity Coalitions across the United States: Development and Testing of a Novel Survey Instrument for Assessing Coalition Functioning

Science.gov (United States)

Bornstein, Daniel B.; Pate, Russell R.; Beets, Michael W.; Saunders, Ruth P.; Blair, Steven N.

2015-01-01

Introduction: Coalitions are often composed of member organizations. Member involvement is thought to be associated with coalition success. No instrument currently exists for evaluating organizational member involvement in physical activity coalitions. This study aimed to develop a survey instrument for evaluating organizational member involvement…

An assessment of the Pacific Regional Cancer Coalition: outcomes and implications of a regional coalition internal and external assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Sy, Angela U; Heckert, Karen A; Buenconsejo-Lum, Lee; Hedson, Johnny; Tamang, Suresh; Palafox, Neal

2011-11-01

The Pacific Regional Cancer Coalition (PRCC) provides regional leadership in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI) to implement the Regional Comprehensive Control Plan: 2007-2012, and to evaluate its coalition and partnerships. The Pacific Center of Excellence in the Elimination of Disparities (CEED), aims to reduce cancer disparities and conducts evaluation activities relevant to cancer prevention and control in the USAPI. The PRCC Self (internal) and Partner (external) Assessments were conducted to assess coalition functioning, regional and national partnerships, sustainability, and the role of regionalism for integrating all chronic disease prevention and control in the Pacific. Self-administered questionnaires and key informant telephone interviews with PRCC members (N=20), and representatives from regional and national partner organizations were administered (N=26). Validated multi item measures using 5-point scales on coalition and partnership characteristics were used. Chronbach's alphas and averages for the measures were computed. Internal coalition measures: satisfaction (4.2, SD=0.48) communication (4.0, SD=0.56), respect (4.0, SD=0.60) were rated more highly than external partnership measures: resource sharing (3.5, SD=0.74), regionalism (3.9, SD=0.47), use of findings (3.9, SD=0.50). The PRCC specifically identified its level of "collaboration" with external partners including Pacific CEED. External partners identified its partnership with the PRCC in the "coalition" stage. PRCC members and external partners are satisfied with their partnerships. All groups should continue to focus on building collaboration with partners to reflect a truly regional approach to sustain the commitment, the coalitions and the programming to reduce cancer in the USAPI. PRCC and partners should also work together to integrate all chronic disease prevention and control efforts in the Pacific.

Lessons Learned and Challenges in Building a Filipino Health Coalition

Science.gov (United States)

Aguilar, David E.; Abesamis-Mendoza, Noilyn; Ursua, Rhodora; Divino, Lily Ann M.; Cadag, Kara; Gavin, Nicholas P.

2010-01-01

In recent years, community-based coalitions have become an effective channel to addressing various health problems within specific ethnic communities. The purpose of this article is twofold: (a) to describe the process involved in building the Kalusugan Coalition (KC), a Filipino American health coalition based in New York City, and (b) to highlight the lessons learned and the challenges from this collaborative venture. The challenges described also offer insights on how the coalition development process can be greatly affected by the partnership with an academic institution on a community-based research project. Because each cultural group has unique issues and concerns, the theoretical framework used by KC offers creative alternatives to address some of the challenges regarding coalition infrastructures, leadership development, unexpected change of coalition dynamics, and cultural nuances. PMID:19098260

A home-made SPME fiber coating for Arson Analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umi Khairul Ahmad; Abdul Rahim Yacob; Selvaraju, Geetha

2008-01-01

A number of adsorbents are available commercially as coatings for SPME fibers but some analytical methodologies might demand specific properties for the extraction of selected compounds, special coatings that have particular volume and a selectivity towards particular analytes. This paper presents a simple, fast, effective and environmental friendly methodology for the determination of accelerants in arson samples using headspace solid-phase micro extraction coupled to gas chromatography. A new fiber prepared by sol-gel method, containing 1:1 molar ratio of octyltriethoxysilane (C 8 -TEOS): methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS) was employed in this technique. The efficiency of the new fiber coating prepared by sol-gel technology for the determination of accelerants was compared to that of commercial PDMS/ DVB fibers. Poly dimethylsiloxane divinylbenzene (PDMS/ DVB) is the most common fiber coating for the extraction of hydrocarbon compounds. Compared with commercial PDMS/ DVB fiber, the new homemade fiber exhibited higher extraction capability and good selectivity for accelerants. The homemade fiber was also applied for the simulated arson samples. The home-made SPME adsorbent was shown to be a good alternative to commercially available fiber for the determination of accelerants in arson cases. (author)

Cytological changes in oral epithelium due to Sudanese homemade alcoholic beverages

OpenAIRE

Awdah M. Al-hazimi; Shima Bushra Bakhet; Hussain Gadelkarim Ahmed

2013-01-01

Introduction and Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the cytological changes in oral epithelium that might be induced by Sudanese homemade alcoholic beverages. Material and methods: Oral Exfoliative Cytology (OEFC) was applied to a case control study to assess the presence and severity of oral epithelial atypia (ET) in 300 subjects (150 alcohol abuse individuals (cases); 150 non-alcohol abuse individuals (controls)). All cases were using homemade alcoholic drinks, locally known as,...

Management and governance processes in community health coalitions: a procedural justice perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Weiner, Bryan J; Alexander, Jeffrey A; Shortell, Stephen M

2002-12-01

Community-based coalitions are a popular strategy for promoting community health despite the fact that coalitions often fail to achieve measurable results. Using a procedural justice framework, this study seeks to advance knowledge about the relationship between coalition governance and management processes and indicators of coalition functioning. Member survey data from 25 coalitions participating in the Community Care Network Demonstration Program were analyzed using two-stage least squares regression. Results show that personal influence in decision making. decision process clarity, and collaborative conflict resolution were significantly associated with procedural fairness perceptions. Procedural fairness perceptions, in turn, were positively associated with member satisfaction with coalition decisions, but not personal engagement in the coalition or organizational integration of coalition goals and activities. Personal influence in decision making and collaborative conflict resolution also exhibited direct relationships with all three indicators of coalition functioning examined in the study.

Impact of a new alcohol policy on homemade alcohol consumption and sales in Russia.

Science.gov (United States)

Radaev, Vadim

2015-05-01

To describe the effects of Russian policy since 2006 affecting price and availability on the consumption of recorded and unrecorded alcohol, with specific reference to homemade alcohol, and to investigate other factors affecting homemade alcohol consumption and purchasing. Consumption and preferred beverage data were collected from RLMS-HSE nationwide panel surveys from 1994 to 2013, with a detailed analysis of 2012 data (18,221 respondents aged 16+ years). Official statistics on manufactured alcohol sales, regional price increase and real disposable income were used. Homemade distilled spirits (samogon) consumption decreased together with that of recorded and unrecorded manufactured spirits since 2000. The consumption of spirits was partially replaced by the consumption of beer and wine. These trends in alcohol consumption were interrupted in 2008-2013. The interruption was more likely affected by the economic crisis and recession than by the new alcohol policy. Social networks and availability of unrecorded alcohol were more important predictors of homemade alcohol consumption and purchasing than was a recorded alcohol price increase. Homemade alcohol consumption does not replace the declining market for recorded spirits in Russia. The effects of economic and social factors on homemade alcohol consumption are greater than are the short-term effects of the new alcohol policy. The very recent (2015) reduction of the minimum unit price of vodka may be premature. © The Author 2015. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

Maritime Coalitions: When is Unity of Command Required

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Gahlinger, Gregory J

2007-01-01

.... The concepts of Unity of Command, Unity of Effort and Parallel, Lead Nation, or Integrated coalition command structures are viable across a broad spectrum of maritime coalition operations but do have...

The Bigger, the Better: Coalitions in the GATT/WTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel Cepaluni

2012-12-01

Full Text Available What does it take to make a coalition successful? Bigger coalitions are more likely to be successful because the GATT/WTO is a consensus-based institution and countries are informally penalized if they isolate themselves. Through a Bayesian statistical analysis, the article corroborates the above hypothesis. To further investigate the research question, qualitative case studies of the G-10 in the Uruguay Round and the Public Health Coalition in the Doha Round are conducted. These cases show that the more convincing the framing of a position, the better are the chances of coalitions keeping a large number of followers and supporters, thereby affecting their odds of success. By building a unique database and applying a new research design to the topic, the study rigorously tests theories about coalitions that had previously only been proposed but not empirically analyzed.

Coalition-based multimedia peer matching strategies for P2P networks

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hyunggon; van der Schaar, Mihaela

2008-01-01

In this paper, we consider the problem of matching users for multimedia transmission in peer-to-peer (P2P) networks and identify strategies for fair resource division among the matched multimedia peers. We propose a framework for coalition formation, which enables users to form a group of matched peers where they can interact cooperatively and negotiate resources based on their satisfaction with the coalition, determined by explicitly considering the peer's multimedia attributes. In addition, our proposed approach goes a step further by introducing the concept of marginal contribution, which is the value improvement of the coalition induced by an incoming peer. We show that the best way for a peer to select a coalition is to choose the coalition that provides the largest division of marginal contribution given a deployed value-division scheme. Moreover, we model the utility function by explicitly considering each peer's attributes as well as the cost for uploading content. To quantify the benefit that users derive from a coalition, we define the value of a coalition based on the total utility that all peers can achieve jointly in the coalition. Based on this definition of the coalition value, we use an axiomatic bargaining solution in order to fairly negotiate the value division of the upload bandwidth given each peer's attributes.

Coalition Cooperation Defines Roadmap for E85 and Biodiesel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

2007-06-01

This Clean Cities success story relates how Colorado's Colorado Biofuels Coalition was formed and provides guidance on forming other such coalitions. This Colorado's coalition sucessfully increase the number of fueling stations providing biofuels and has goals to the number even more. Plans also include assisting with financing infrastructure, making alternative fuels available to more fleets, and educating about E85 and biodiesel use.

Inter-Party Conflict Management in Coalition Governments: Analyzing the Role of Coalition Agreements in Belgium, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Catherine Moury

2013-07-01

Full Text Available In this article, we focus on manifest interparty conflict over policy issues and the role of coalition agreements in solving these conflicts. We present empirical findings on the characteristics of coalition agreements including deals over policy controversy and on inter-party conflict occurring during the lifetime of governments in Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. We analyze the ways in which parties in government were or were not constrained by written deals over disputed issues. Coalition agreements from all four countries include specific policy deals, one third of which are precisely defined. These policy deals concern both consensual and controversial issues. Our central finding is that, in the case of intra-party conflict, parties almost always fall back on the initial policy deals when these exist. As such, policy statements of the coalition agreement facilitate decision making in each of the countries studied.

Developing and maintaining state-wide adolescent pregnancy prevention coalitions: a preliminary investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Nezlek, J B; Galano, J

1993-09-01

This paper presents the results of a study of state-wide adolescent pregnancy prevention coalitions. Key informants in five states throughout the southern United States were given semi-structured interviews regarding the adolescent pregnancy prevention coalitions in their states. From these interviews and other documents, conclusions were drawn regarding the nature and importance of the environments within which these coalitions operate, the universe of activities in which coalitions engage, and the stages of development of these coalitions. Katz and Kahn's model of social organizations served as the basis for understanding coalitions in terms of these three considerations. Future research should consider the utility of organizational models that can explain more fully the organization--committee hybrid structure that tends to characterize these coalitions.

Rethinking the Factors of Success: Social Support and Community Coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Haithcox-Dennis, Melissa; DeWeese, Amanda; Goodman, Jessica

2013-01-01

Background: Coalitions are often the strategy of choice when needs are great, resources are few, and individual efforts have proven unsuccessful in addressing serious health issues. Despite the widespread use of coalitions and extensive research, no definitive list of factors predicting coalition success has been identified. One factor, social…

"Cariogenic potential of homemade weaning diet v/s commercial formula feeds" an in-vitro study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhat, S; Madan, I

2002-12-01

The universal phenomenon of introducing weaning diet to the growing child sets its onset by the age of 4-6 months. This preliminary diet of the child governs his or her dental health in the long run. The main objective of this study is to investigate the histopathological and clinical invasion of deciduous teeth exposed to both the homemade weaning diet and commercial formula feeds. The study also aims at motivating the consumption of the most appropriate diet for the weaning baby. Extracted deciduous teeth were incubated with the test solutions of homemade diet and commercial formula feeds for the period of 6 weeks. Fewer carious invasion both clinically and histopathologically were seen in homemade feeds. Thus, homemade diet can be a strong candidate for the status of 'THE IDEAL WEANING FOOD'.

Agile Coalition Environment (ACE)

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McGuire, Michele; Daniel, Dale

2004-01-01

.... Interoperability is achieved across all applications, platforms, and security domains. ACE is presented as a network capability that can be applied to the Coalition Enterprise Information Exchange System (CENTRIXS...

Evolution of fairness and coalition formation in three-person ultimatum games.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishimura, Takeshi; Okada, Akira; Shirata, Yasuhiro

2017-05-07

We consider the evolution of fairness and coalition formation in a three-person ultimatum game in which the coalition value depends on its size. Traditional game theory, which assumes selfish and rational players, predicts the largest and efficient coalition with a proposer exploiting most of the total value. In a stochastic evolutionary model (the frequency-dependent Moran process with mutations) where players make errors in estimating the payoffs and strategies of others, evolutionary selection favors the formation of a two-person subcoalition under weak selection and in the low mutation limit if and only if its coalition value exceeds a high proportion (0.7) of that of the largest coalition. Proposers offer 30-35% of the subcoalition value to a coalition member, excluding a non-member. Multilateral bargaining is critically different from the bilateral one. Coalition-forming behavior may cause economic inefficiency and social exclusion. Stochastic evolutionary game theory thus provides theoretical support to explain the behavior of human subjects in economic experiments of a three-person ultimatum game. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Northeast Solar Energy Market Coalition (NESEMC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabago, Karl R. [Pace Energy and Climate Center Pace University School of Law

2018-03-31

The Northeast Solar Energy Market Coalition (NESEMC) brought together solar energy business associations and other stakeholders in the Northeast to harmonize regional solar energy policy and advance the solar energy market. The Coalition was managed by the Pace Energy and Climate Center, a project of the Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law. The NESEMC was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative as a cooperative agreement through 2017 as part of Solar Market Pathways.

A critical evaluation of subtalar joint arthrosis associated with middle facet talocalcaneal coalition in 21 surgically managed patients: a retrospective computed tomography review. Investigations involving middle facet coalitions-part III.

Science.gov (United States)

Kernbach, Klaus J; Barkan, Howard; Blitz, Neal M

2010-01-01

Symptomatic middle facet talocalcaneal coalition is frequently associated with rearfoot arthrosis that is often managed surgically with rearfoot fusion. However, no objective method for classifying the extent of subtalar joint arthrosis exists. No study has clearly identified the extent of posterior facet arthrosis present in a large cohort treated surgically for talocalcaneal coalition through preoperative computerized axial tomography. The authors conducted a retrospective review of 21 patients (35 feet) with coalition who were surgically treated over a 12-year period for coalition on at least 1 foot. Using a predefined original staging system, the extent of the arthrosis was categorized into normal or mild (Stage I), moderate (Stage II), and severe (Stage III) arthrosis. The association of stage and age is statistically significant. All of the feet with Stage III arthrosis had fibrous coalitions. No foot with osseous coalition had Stage III arthrosis. The distribution of arthrosis staging differs between fibrous and osseous coalitions. Only fibrous coalitions had the most advanced arthrosis (Stage III), whereas osseous coalitions did not. This suggests that osseous coalitions may have a protective effect in the prevention of severe degeneration of the subtalar joint. Concomitant subtalar joint arthrosis severity progresses with age; surgeons may want to consider earlier surgical intervention to prevent arthrosis progression in patients with symptomatic middle facet talocalcaneal coalition.

Scopolamine poisoning from homemade 'moon flower' wine.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, E A; Meloan, C E; Pickell, J A; Oehme, F W

1991-01-01

LH, a 76-year-old Caucasian male, ingested 3 teaspoons (15 mL) of a homemade wine over a 1-h period and became ill. Approximately 1.5 h later, he was taken to the emergency room of a local hospital with symptoms of respiratory distress and weakness. The plant used in making the wine was Angel's trumpet (Datura suaveolens), which reportedly contains varying amounts of scopolamine and atropine. A sample of the wine was collected and analyzed for these two compounds by reversed-phase HPLC chromatography using 97% methanol-3% deionized water. The filtered wine contained an estimated 29 mg scopolamine/mL, which produced a total ingested dose of 435 mg. No atropine was detected. The scopolamine was confirmed by TLC. An oral dose of 50 mg of atropine sulfate in humans has been reported fatal, but there is no reported fatal dose for scopolamine. The alcohol content and 3.8 pH of the homemade wine may have increased the extraction of this compound from the plant material, and the wine fermentation process may have concentrated the original extract.

Impact of coalition interoperability on PKI

Science.gov (United States)

Krall, Edward J.

2003-07-01

This paper examines methods for providing PKI interoperability among units of a coalition of armed forces drawn from different nations. The area in question is tactical identity management, for the purposes of confidentiality, integrity and non-repudiation in such a dynamic coalition. The interoperating applications under consideration range from email and other forms of store-and-forward messaging to TLS and IPSEC-protected real-time communications. Six interoperability architectures are examined with advantages and disadvantages of each described in the paper.

Posteromedial subtalar coalition: imaging appearances in three cases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McNally, E.G.

1999-01-01

Objective. To define the imaging appearances in three cases of posteromedial subtalar coalition.Design. Three patients who presented with hindfoot pain were found to have non-osseous coalition involving the posteromedial hindfoot. This entity is distinct from conventional middle facet coalition as the sustentaculum is uninvolved.Results. Plain radiographs, available in two cases, demonstrated subtle irregularity of the posterior facet. MRI (three cases) demonstrated a mixed bony and cartilaginous mass lying posterior to the sustentaculum. There was trabecular oedema within the mass and adjacent talus, and narrowing of the space between the middle and posterior facets. Prominence and dilatation of the posterior tibial veins with tenosynovitis of the adjacent tibialis posterior tendon was seen. CT demonstrated the bony mass but did not detect the adjacent bony oedema.Conclusion. Posteromedial subtalar coalition may present with hindfoot pain and stiffness. The presence of a pseudarthrosis posterior to a normal middle facet is characteristic. The abnormality can be difficult to detect on plain radiographs. (orig.)

Posteromedial subtalar coalition: imaging appearances in three cases

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McNally, E.G. [Dept. of Radiology, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford (United Kingdom)

1999-12-01

Objective. To define the imaging appearances in three cases of posteromedial subtalar coalition.Design. Three patients who presented with hindfoot pain were found to have non-osseous coalition involving the posteromedial hindfoot. This entity is distinct from conventional middle facet coalition as the sustentaculum is uninvolved.Results. Plain radiographs, available in two cases, demonstrated subtle irregularity of the posterior facet. MRI (three cases) demonstrated a mixed bony and cartilaginous mass lying posterior to the sustentaculum. There was trabecular oedema within the mass and adjacent talus, and narrowing of the space between the middle and posterior facets. Prominence and dilatation of the posterior tibial veins with tenosynovitis of the adjacent tibialis posterior tendon was seen. CT demonstrated the bony mass but did not detect the adjacent bony oedema.Conclusion. Posteromedial subtalar coalition may present with hindfoot pain and stiffness. The presence of a pseudarthrosis posterior to a normal middle facet is characteristic. The abnormality can be difficult to detect on plain radiographs. (orig.)

A coalition formation game for transmitter cooperation in OFDMA uplink communications

KAUST Repository

Chelli, Ali; Tembine, Hamidou; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2014-01-01

the nodes is modelled using coalitional game theory. In this game, each coalition tries to maximize its utility in terms of rate. In the absence of cooperation cost, it can be shown that the grand coalition is sum-rate optimal and stable, i.e., the mobile

The Influence of Community Context on How Coalitions Achieve HIV-Preventive Structural Change

Science.gov (United States)

Reed, Sarah J.; Miller, Robin Lin; Francisco, Vincent T.

2014-01-01

Community coalition action theory (CCAT) depicts the processes and factors that affect coalition formation, maintenance, institutionalization, actions, and outcomes. CCAT proposes that community context affects coalitions at every phase of development and operation. We analyzed data from 12 "Connect to Protect" coalitions using inductive…

Towards Home-Made Dictionaries for Musical Feature Extraction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harbo, Anders La-Cour

2003-01-01

arguably unnecessary limitations on the ability of the transform to extract and identify features. However, replacing the nicely structured dictionary of the Fourier transform (or indeed other nice transform such as the wavelet transform) with a home-made dictionary is a dangerous task, since even the most...

Advantage of using a home-made ELISA kit for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection over commercially imported kits.

Science.gov (United States)

Mohammadi, M; Talebkhan, Y; Khalili, G; Mahboudi, F; Massarrat, S; Zamaninia, L; Oghalaei, A

2008-01-01

To evaluate a home-made ELISA kit for detection of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection and comparison of its immunologic criteria with those of foreign commercial kits. A home-made IgG ELISA kit was developed using soluble antigenic fractions of Hp proteins. Confirmed sera were tested and serological criteria were evaluated through assessment of 199 serum samples. The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity values of home-made kit were 92, 92 and 90.4%, respectively. These immunologic criteria for Trinity kit were 95.2, 95.2 and 95% in comparison with IBL kit (91.3, 92.2 and 88.5%), BIOHIT kit (72.4, 41.6 and 94.1%) and HelicoBlot2.1 (94.2, 93.4 and 100%). Kappa agreement assessment demonstrated that two of the imported ELISA kits had fair to moderate agreement with the home-made kit while the other one had a poor agreement value. Apart from comparable values between the home-made kit and the most efficient imported kit (Trinity) there was significant cost benefit. Therefore, we recommend the home-made kit as a suitable substitution for detection of Hp infection in the Iranian population.

Advantage of using a home-made elisa kit for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection over commercially imported kits

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mohammadi M

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: To evaluate a home-made ELISA kit for detection of Helicobacter pylori (Hp infection and comparison of its immunologic criteria with those of foreign commercial kits. Methods: A home-made IgG ELISA kit was developed using soluble antigenic fractions of Hp proteins. Confirmed sera were tested and serological criteria were evaluated through assessment of 199 serum samples. Results: The accuracy, sensitivity and specificity values of home-made kit were 92, 92 and 90.4%, respectively. These immunologic criteria for Trinity kit were 95.2, 95.2 and 95% in comparison with IBL kit (91.3, 92.2 and 88.5%, BIOHIT kit (72.4, 41.6 and 94.1% and HelicoBlot2.1 (94.2, 93.4 and 100%. Kappa agreement assessment demonstrated that two of the imported ELISA kits had fair to moderate agreement with the home-made kit while the other one had a poor agreement value. Conclusions: Apart from comparable values between the home-made kit and the most efficient imported kit (Trinity there was significant cost benefit. Therefore, we recommend the home-made kit as a suitable substitution for detection of Hp infection in the Iranian population.

Coincidence of role expectations between staff and volunteer members of drug free community coalitions.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldstein, Marc B; Sapere, Heather; Daviau, John

2017-08-01

Community coalitions have proliferated as a means of addressing a range of complex community problems. Such coalitions often consist of a small paid staff and volunteer members. The present study examines one likely contributor to coalition effectiveness: the degree of agreement on role expectations between paid staff and volunteer members. Role confusion occurs when paid staff and volunteers differ in their expectations of who is responsible for accomplishing specific tasks. Staff and volunteer members from 69 randomly selected Drug Free Coalitions in the United States as well as 21 Drug Free Coalitions in Connecticut were asked to respond to an online survey asking about 37 specific coalition tasks critical for effective coalition functioning and the degree to which paid staff and/or voluntary members should be responsible for accomplishing each. Our final sample consisted of 476 individuals from 35 coalitions. Using coalitions as the unit of analysis, we found significant differences between paid staff and volunteer coalition members on nine tasks reflecting four domains: meeting leadership and participation, (2) planning and implementation leadership, (3) publicity/media relations, and (4) logistical functions. Implications of these differences and ways that evaluators could help coalitions deal with differing role expectations were discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theories of coalition formation: An empirical test using data from Danish local government

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skjæveland, Asbjørn; Serritzlew, Søren; Blom-Hansen, Jens

2007-01-01

Theories of coalition formation represent a diverse set of arguments about why some government coalitions form while others do not. In this article, the authors present a systematic empirical test of the relative importance of the various arguments. The test is designed to avoid a circularity...... problem present in many coalition studies - namely that the theories are tested on data of national government coalitions in postwar Europe: the very data that gave rise to the theories in the first place. Instead, the authors focus on government coalitions at the municipal level. They base their analysis...... on office and policy motives. At the same time, the analysis raises the question of whether actors really seek minimal coalitions....

Coalitions in the quantum Minority game: Classical cheats and quantum bullies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flitney, Adrian P.; Greentree, Andrew D.

2007-01-01

In a one-off Minority game, when a group of players agree to collaborate they gain an advantage over the remaining players. We consider the advantage obtained in a quantum Minority game by a coalition sharing an initially entangled state versus that obtained by a coalition that uses classical communication to arrive at an optimal group strategy. In a model of the quantum Minority game where the final measurement basis is randomized, quantum coalitions outperform classical ones when carried out by up to four players, but an unrestricted amount of classical communication is better for larger coalition sizes

Learning from Iraq and Afghanistan: Four Lessons for Building More Effective Coalitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

White Nathan

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Despite many tactical and operational successes by brave military and civilian personnel, post-9/11 operations by U.S. led coalitions in Iraq and Afghanistan did not achieve their intended outcomes. Although many efforts are underway by discrete organizations within coalition countries to identify and learn their own lessons from these conflicts, comparatively less attention is paid to broader lessons for successful coalitions. Given that the U.S. and its allies will most certainly form coalitions in the future for a range of different contingency scenarios, these lessons are equally deserving of close examination. This article identifies four interrelated lessons from Iraq and Afghanistan that can be utilized to inform more effective coalition development and employment.

The DELTA PREP Initiative: Accelerating Coalition Capacity for Intimate Partner Violence Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Zakocs, Ronda; Freire, Kimberley E.

2018-01-01

Background The DELTA PREP Project aimed to build the prevention capacity of 19 state domestic violence coalitions by offering eight supports designed to promote prevention integration over a 3-year period: modest grant awards, training events, technical assistance, action planning, coaching hubs, the Coalition Prevention Capacity Assessment, an online workstation, and the online documentation support system. Objectives Using quantitative and qualitative data, we sought to explain how coalitions integrated prevention within their structures and functions and document how DELTA PREP supports contributed to coalitions’ integration process. Results We found that coalitions followed a common pathway to integrate prevention. First, coalitions exhibited precursors of organizational readiness, especially having prevention champions. Second, coalitions engaged in five critical actions: engaging in dialogue, learning about prevention, forming teams, soliciting input from the coalition, and action planning. Last, by engaging in these critical actions, coalitions enhanced two key organizational readiness factors—developing a common understanding of prevention and an organizational commitment to prevention. We also found that DELTA PREP supports contributed to coalitions’ abilities to integrate prevention by supporting learning about prevention, fostering a prevention team, and engaging in action planning by leveraging existing opportunities. Two DELTA PREP supports—coaching hubs and the workstation—did not work as initially intended. From the DELTA PREP experience, we offer several lessons to consider when designing future prevention capacity-building initiatives. PMID:26245934

Rivalry of Advocacy Coalitions in the Czech Pension Reform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Potůček Martin

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Czech Republic, as many other countries of Central and Eastern Europe, faced and is still facing a pension-reform challenge. The diversification of pension pillars led to the massive displacements of participant contributions from the public PAYG pension pillars to the newly constructed private, defined-contribution, fully-funded pillars. In the Czech Republic, the adoption of the relevant law was preceded by serious political conflict between supporters and opponents of this step (both among different political actors and among professionals. In an analysis of the conflict we critically apply the Advocacy Coalition Framework. We work mainly with the analysis of policy documents, public statements of the individual actors and an analysis of voting on the relevant law in both chambers of the Czech Parliament towards the identification of the crystallization process of two clear-cut coalitions between actors from both sides of the spectrum. The Advocacy Coalition Framework in exploring the dynamics of the public-policy process proved to be able to explain situations where there is sharp political conflict. Through the lens of the devil-shift of both camps (advocacy coalitions with different beliefs, each fell into extreme positions within the coalition to affirm the correctness of their arguments and positions.

International Land Coalition: Women's access to land

OpenAIRE

International Land Coalition (ILC)

2008-01-01

Metadata only record The International Land Coalition (ILC) started as the Popular Coalition to Eradicate Hunger and Poverty. This is a global alliance of intergovernmental, governmental and civil-society organizations committed to rural poverty eradication. On their website, (on the left click on documents) the link presents a list of resources related to the role of women and access to land. There are case studies and country reports in Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Kenya and Nepal, as wel...

Local Self-Government as an Architect of Coalitions for Local Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Gąsior-Niemiec

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The paper addresses the new role played by local self-government units in Poland. Main factors that determine the public authorities’ capacity to become architects of coalitions for local development are identified. Coalitions are defined as partnerships linking and mobilizing stakeholders anchored in three sectors: public, economic and non-governmental. The coalition-making role of the public organs is investigated on the basis of Local Action Groups (LAGs, which are pro-developmental cross-sector organizations established in rural areas of the Podkarpackie (Sub-Carpathian Voivodesh ip, Poland. Findings are presented that draw on quantitative and qualitative results of the research project that investigated mechanisms involved in the operation of the cross-s ector coalitions. The dominant role of the public authorities in those coalitions is demonstrated. The Community-led Local Development model is referred to as the future framework for LAGs.

Coalition Building for Health: A Community Garden Pilot Project with Apartment Dwelling Refugees.

Science.gov (United States)

Eggert, Lynne K; Blood-Siegfried, Jane; Champagne, Mary; Al-Jumaily, Maha; Biederman, Donna J

2015-01-01

Refugees often experience compromised health from both pre- and post-migration stressors. Coalition theory has helped guide the development of targeted programs to address the health care needs of vulnerable populations. Using the Community Coalition Action Theory as a framework, a coalition was formed to implement a community garden with apartment-dwelling refugees. Outcomes included successful coalition formation, a community garden, reported satisfaction from all gardeners with increased vegetable intake, access to culturally meaningful foods, and evidence of increased community engagement. The opportunity for community health nurses to convene a coalition to affect positive health for refugees is demonstrated.

Not all food additive related reactions originate from commercial foods: chronic urticaria due to home-made canned tomato.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozturk, S; Karaayvaz, M; Caliskaner, Z; Gulec, M

2005-01-01

Additives and preservatives in commercial foods have been implicated in the etiology of chronic urticaria, but such foods have not been widely accepted. In some countries, as in ours, people prefer to use home-made foodstuffs to avoid potentially hazardous commercial additives. However, not all home-made foodstuffs are safe, especially regarding allergies. In this report, we describe a patient with chronic urticaria due to home-made canned tomato prepared using "tomato drug" as a "safe (!)" additive.

Building successful coalitions for promoting advance care planning.

Science.gov (United States)

Marchand, Lucille; Fowler, Kathryn J; Kokanovic, Obrad

2006-01-01

Advance care planning (ACP) has had few successful initiatives. This qualitative study explores the challenges and successes of an advance care planning coalition in Wisconsin called Life Planning 2000 using key informant interviews (n = 24) and grounded theory. Major themes included: commitment (the need for leadership, recruitment of key members, and funding); cohesiveness (disparate groups collaborating toward a common purpose), and outcomes (shift in paradigm from signing documents to process of advanced care planning, new-found collaborative relationships, and educational tool development). Coalitions need to define short-, intermediate-, and long-term goals that result in measurable outcomes and an evaluation process. Resources must be commensurate with goals. Strong leadership, paid staff adequate funding, and the collaboration of diverse groups working toward common goals are the basic requirements of a successful coalition.

Examining Capacity and Functioning of Bicycle Coalitions: A Descriptive Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melissa Bopp

2017-11-01

Full Text Available BackgroundBicycle coalitions represent a strong partner in creating bike-friendly communities through advocacy for physical infrastructure, encouragement for biking, or education about safety. Despite their versatility, little is known about their functioning. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine capacity, strengths, and weaknesses of these organizations.MethodsBicycle coalitions/advocacy groups from English-speaking countries were recruited to take part in an online survey via email invitation. The survey addressed basic information about the coalition (community demographics, location, leadership, communication strategies, coalition priorities, barriers to programming/activities, and partners.ResultsCoalitions (n = 56 from four countries completed the survey. Most coalitions operated as a non-profit (n = 44, 95.7%, 45% (n = 21 have paid staff as leaders, while 37% (n = 17 have volunteers as leaders. The following skills were represented in coalitions’ leadership: fundraising (n = 31, 53.4%, event planning (n = 31, 53.4%, urban planning (n = 26, 44%, and policy/legislation expertise (n = 26, 44.8%. Education (n = 26, 63.4% and encouragement (n = 25, 61.6% were viewed as top priorities and the safety of bicyclists (n = 21, 46.7% and advocacy for infrastructure and policy (n = 22, 48.9% is the focus of most activities. A lack of financial resources (n = 36, 81.8% and capable personnel (n = 25, 56.8% were significant barriers to offering programming in the community and that the availability of grants to address issues (n = 38, 86.4% would be the top motivator for improvements.ConclusionBike coalitions represent a critical partner in creating activity-friendly environments and understanding their capacity allows for creating skill/capacity building intervention programs, development of effective toolkits and fostering strong collaborations to address physical inactivity.

CFCC: A Covert Flows Confinement Mechanism for Virtual Machine Coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, Ge; Jin, Hai; Zou, Deqing; Shi, Lei; Ohoussou, Alex K.

Normally, virtualization technology is adopted to construct the infrastructure of cloud computing environment. Resources are managed and organized dynamically through virtual machine (VM) coalitions in accordance with the requirements of applications. Enforcing mandatory access control (MAC) on the VM coalitions will greatly improve the security of VM-based cloud computing. However, the existing MAC models lack the mechanism to confine the covert flows and are hard to eliminate the convert channels. In this paper, we propose a covert flows confinement mechanism for virtual machine coalitions (CFCC), which introduces dynamic conflicts of interest based on the activity history of VMs, each of which is attached with a label. The proposed mechanism can be used to confine the covert flows between VMs in different coalitions. We implement a prototype system, evaluate its performance, and show that our mechanism is practical.

National Coalition for Homeless Veterans

Science.gov (United States)

... Continues Support of National Campaign to End Veteran Homelessness Nov. 14, 2017 This Veterans Day, Harbor Freight ... support of the national campaign to end veteran homelessness through generous contributions to the National Coalition for ...

Religious coalition opposes gene patents.

Science.gov (United States)

James, J S

1995-05-19

The biotechnology industry is concerned about a coalition of mainstream religious leaders, working with Jeremy Rifkin of the Foundation of Economic Trends, who oppose the patenting of human and animal life forms, body parts, and genes. The coalition called a press conference on May 18 to ask the government to prohibit the current patenting practices for genetic engineering. The biotechnology industry argues that patents indicate that a company's research tool has significant value, and encourages capitalists to invest their dollars in the development of new treatments for diseases. They also argue that the 29 biotech drugs that are on the market have been developed as a result of patents on genes. Although most business leaders are united in opposing restrictions, many scientists are divided, citing both religious and scientific reasons.

Homemade Firearm Suicide With Dumbbell Pipe Triggering by an Air-Compressed Gun: Case Report and Review of Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Garff, Erwan; Delannoy, Yann; Mesli, Vadim; Berthezene, Jean Marie; Morbidelli, Philippe; Hédouin, Valéry

2015-12-01

Firearm suicides are frequent and well described in the forensic literature, particularly in Europe and the United States. However, the use of homemade and improvised firearms is less well described. The present case reports a suicide with an original improvised gun created using an air-compressed pellet gun and a dumbbell pipe. The aims of this study were to describe the scene, the external examination of the corpse, the body scan, and the autopsy; to understand the mechanism of death; and to compare the results with a review of the forensic literature to highlight the epidemiology of homemade firearm use, the tools used for homemade and improvised firearms in suicides versus homicides, and the manners in which homemade firearms are used (homicide or suicide, particularly in complex suicide cases).

El índice ponderal neonatal de fetos sanos en una población de Lima

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ytala Buzzio

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Objetivo: Establecer los valores del índice ponderal (IP de un grupo de recién nacidos sanos hijos de mujeres peruanas residentes en Lima, que tuvieron embarazos simples sanos. Materiales y Métodos: Estudio retrospectivo, analítico y transversal, en el cual se revisó la base de datos maternas y perinatales SIP del Departamento de Obstetricia y Pediatría del Hospital Nacional Docente Madre-Niño "San Bartolomé", entre el 1 de enero de 1991 y el 31 de diciembre de 1999. Se seleccionó los embarazos simples de mujeres sanas entre 20 y 30 años, con IMC entre 20 y 25, sin complicaciones obstétricas, con diferencia ± 2 semanas entre la fecha de última regla y edad gestacional por examen físico del neonato vivo y sano. Se definió IP como peso al nacer en gramos x 100/[talla en cm]³. Resultados: El índice ponderal [percentil 50 (percentil 10-percentil 90] de 5,443 recién nacidos sanos en Lima para gestaciones de 35,36, 37,38, 39, 40, 41 y 42 semanas fueron 2,55 (2,22-2,84, 2,59 (2,36-3,04, 2,71 (2,42-3,03, 2,73 (2,44-3,05, 2,72 (2,44-3,05, 2,74 (2,44-3,06, 2,79 (2,45-3,03 y 2,79 (2,42-3,03 g/cm³ , respectivamente. El IP en fetos a término fue mayor en las multíparas que en las nulíparas (p<0,001.No hubo diferencia del IP según sexo. Conclusiones: El feto sano crece en forma simétrica conforme aumenta el tiempo de gestación. El índice ponderal normal varía entre 2,44 y 3,05 g/cm³. Valores fuera de estos límites nos permiten determinar estados de malnutrición fetal. El índice ponderal del feto sano a término es influenciado por la paridad y el estado nutricional materno y no es influenciado por el sexo.

Aflatoxins and fumonisins contamination of home-made food (weanimix) from cereal-legume blends for children.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumi, J; Mitchell, N J; Asare, G A; Dotse, E; Kwaa, F; Phillips, T D; Ankrah, N-A

2014-09-01

Weanimix is an important food for children in Ghana. Mothers are trained to prepare homemade weanimix from beans, groundnuts and maize for their infants. Groundnuts and maize are prone to aflatoxin contamination while fumonisin contaminates maize. Aflatoxin, is produced by the Asperguillus fungi while fumonisin, is produced by Fusarium fungi. These mycotoxins occur in tropical areas worldwide due to favorable climate for their growth. The objective of the study was to determine the levels of aflatoxin and fumonisin in homemade weanimix in the Ejura-Sekyedumase district in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Thirty six homemade weanimix samples (50g each) were collected from households. Aflatoxin and fumonisin were measured using a fluorometric procedure described by the Association of Official Analytical Chemist (AOAC official method 993.31, V1 series 4). Aflatoxin and fumonisin were detected in all 36 samples, range 7.9-500ppb. Fumonisin levels range: 0.74-11.0ppm). Thirty (83.3%) of the thirty six samples were over the action limit of 20ppb for aflatoxin with an overall mean of 145.2 ppb whiles 58.3% of the samples had fumonisins above the action limit of 4 ppm with an overall mean of 4.7 ppm. There were significant aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination of homemade weanimix. Children fed on this nutritional food were being exposed to unacceptable levels of aflatoxin and fumonisin. Therefore there is a critical need to educate mothers on the dangers of mycotoxin exposure and to develop strategies to eliminate exposure of children fed homemade weanimix to aflatoxin and fumonisin.

The bone scan in tarsal coalition: a case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Lima, R.T.; Mishkin, F.S.

1996-01-01

Tarsal coalition is abnormal fusion of two or more tarsal bones. The union may be fibrous, cartilaginous, or osseous and can be congenital or acquired in response to infection, articular disorders, trauma, or surgery. We report a case of fibrous talocalcaneal coalition in a 15-year-old boy in whom bone scintigraphy employing pinhole lateral views confirmed the clinical diagnosis when plain radiographs showed minimal changes and computed tomography was equivocal. The diagnosis of symptomatic tarsal coalition is important in that it is a common remediable cause of peroneal spastic flat foot, a frequently encountered condition. Scintigraphy provides important information about the presence and localization of this condition. (orig.). With 3 figs

The bone scan in tarsal coalition: a case report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

De Lima, R.T. [Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA (United States); Mishkin, F.S. [Department of Radiology, Division of Nuclear Medicine, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA (United States)

1996-10-01

Tarsal coalition is abnormal fusion of two or more tarsal bones. The union may be fibrous, cartilaginous, or osseous and can be congenital or acquired in response to infection, articular disorders, trauma, or surgery. We report a case of fibrous talocalcaneal coalition in a 15-year-old boy in whom bone scintigraphy employing pinhole lateral views confirmed the clinical diagnosis when plain radiographs showed minimal changes and computed tomography was equivocal. The diagnosis of symptomatic tarsal coalition is important in that it is a common remediable cause of peroneal spastic flat foot, a frequently encountered condition. Scintigraphy provides important information about the presence and localization of this condition. (orig.). With 3 figs.

Missed Diagnosis of an Intraorbital Foreign Body of Homemade Fireworks Origin: A Case Report

OpenAIRE

Dan-dan Zhou; Kai Niu; Cheng-wei Lu; Ji-long Hao; Bing-jie Zhang; Peng Hui

2015-01-01

Purpose: We report a rare case of traumatic injury to the eye caused by homemade fireworks in a Chinese juvenile patient with a metal ring left in the orbit after having been sutured at the Emergency Department. Methods: An 11-year-old boy presented with a traumatic injury to the right eye from homemade fireworks. Following initial assessment involving maxillofacial computed tomography (CT) and suturing at the Emergency Department, he was transferred to our department for further evaluation b...

A Practical Home-Made Microcentrifuge for Teaching Purposes

Science.gov (United States)

Moran, Paloma; Galindo, Juan

2011-01-01

We report a practical home-made microcentrifuge to be used for teaching purposes. It was made using a salad spinner and two polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tubes racks. It can accommodate 2 standard size 96-well plates or 24 strips or up to 192 microfuge tube. The centrifuge is hand-operated and is ideal for short spin down purposes. (Contains 3…

[Synostosis and tarsal coalitions in children. A study of 68 cases in 47 patients].

Science.gov (United States)

Rouvreau, P; Pouliquen, J C; Langlais, J; Glorion, C; de Cerqueira Daltro, G

1994-01-01

The authors report their experience with tarsal coalitions in children. The purpose of this study was to discuss the origins of the of the calcaneum, and to propose a simple therapeutic strategy for diagnosis and treatment. The study included 47 children (68 feet), with one or more idiopathic tarsal coalitions. All patients had physical examinations to record symptoms, morphology of the foot, mobility of the foot, gait analysis, standard radiographs, and in some cases CT scans or MRI. The average age of the patients was 11.5 years old, 7 patients had a positive family history for tarsal coalitions. 66 per cent of the patients had mild tarsal pain or a history of repeated ankle sprains. The conservative treatment concerned 28 feet: 3 casts, 2 injections of corticosteroids into the subtalar joint, insole-shoes in 3 cases, and abstention in 20 cases. The operative treatment (40 feet) consisted of resection of calcaneonavicular coalitions (24 feet) resection of talocalcaneal coalitions (3 feet), mediotarsal and subtalar arthrodesis (8 feet), resection of calcaneonavicular coalition combined with the "Cavalier'' procedure described by Judet (3 feet), calcaneal osteotomy (2 feet). The mean follow-up was 42 months. The morphology of the involved foot was normal in 33 cases, flat foot was seen in 24 cases (4 peroneal spastic flat feet), pes cavus in 3 cases, club foot in 2 cases, pes varus in 4 cases, "Z'' shaped feet in 2 cases. The radiological examination was demonstrative of tarsal coalition in 61 feet. 7 tarsal coalitions were seen during operative procedures. The location or the coalition was calcaneonavicular (57), talocalcaneal (16), talo-navicular (8), calcaneo-cuboid (7), naviculo-cuneiform (4). The secondary radiographic signs were studied for each foot. In the conservative group, 2 patients degraded their clinical status, one developed a spastic flat foot. In the surgical group, all except 2 patients had good clinical and functional results. One patient had

Comparison of sodium content of workplace and homemade meals through chemical analysis and salinity measurements.

Science.gov (United States)

Shin, Eun-Kyung; Lee, Yeon-Kyung

2014-10-01

Most Koreans consume nearly 70-80% of the total sodium through their dishes. The use of a salinometer to measure salinity is recommended to help individuals control their sodium intake. The purpose of this study was to compare sodium content through chemical analysis and salinity measurement in foods served by industry foodservice operations and homemade meals. Workplace and homemade meals consumed by employees in 15 cafeterias located in 8 districts in Daegu were collected and the sodium content was measured through chemical analysis and salinity measurements and then compared. The foods were categorized into 9 types of menus with 103 workplace meals and 337 homemade meals. Workplace meals did not differ significantly in terms of sodium content per 100 g of food but had higher sodium content via chemical analysis in roasted foods per portion. Homemade meals had higher broth salt content and higher salt content by chemical analysis per 100 g of roasted foods and hard-boiled foods. One-dish workplace meals had higher salinity (P content (P content per 100 g of foods was higher in one-dish workplace meals (P content in foods and control one's sodium intake within the daily intake target as a way to promote cooking bland foods at home. However, estimated and actual measured values may differ.

Strongly Essential Coalitions and the Nucleolus of Peer Group Games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brânzei, R.; Solymosi, T.; Tijs, S.H.

2003-01-01

Most of the known efficient algorithms designed to compute the nucleolus for special classes of balanced games are based on two facts: (i) in any balanced game, the coalitions which actually determine the nucleolus are essential; and (ii) all essential coalitions in any of the games in the class

Homemade battery-operated multi-barreled muzzle-loading gun.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramiah, R; Thirunavukkarasu, G

2003-11-01

In a recent shootout by a terrorist group against a law enforcement agency, some unusual firearms were seized. On examination, these firearms were found to be homemade, battery-operated, multi-barreled muzzle-loading guns, analogous to a repeater. Reference to battery-operated firearms is rather scanty in the literature. Hence, the unique design features, electrical circuit, and the operation system of these unusual guns are described.

Hospital-Based Coalition to Improve Regional Surge Capacity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

James M. Learning

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Surge capacity for optimization of access to hospital beds is a limiting factor in response to catastrophic events. Medical facilities, communication tools, manpower, and resource reserves exist to respond to these events. However, these factors may not be optimally functioning to generate an effective and efficient surge response. The objective was to improve the function of these factors.Methods: Regional healthcare facilities and supporting local emergency response agencies developed a coalition (the Healthcare Facilities Partnership of South Central Pennsylvania; HCFP¬SCPA to increase regional surge capacity and emergency preparedness for healthcare facilities. The coalition focused on 6 objectives: (1 increase awareness of capabilities and assets, (2 develop and pilot test advanced planning and exercising of plans in the region, (3 augment written medical mutual aid agreements, (4 develop and strengthen partnership relationships, (5 ensure National Incident Management System compliance, and (6 develop and test a plan for effective utilization of volunteer healthcare professionals.Results: In comparison to baseline measurements, the coalition improved existing areas covered under all 6 objectives documented during a 24-month evaluation period. Enhanced communications between the hospital coalition, and real-time exercises, were used to provide evidence of improved preparedness for putative mass casualty incidents.Conclusion: The HCFP-SCPA successfully increased preparedness and surge capacity through a partnership of regional healthcare facilities and emergency response agencies.

Can state-supported interprofessional coalitions cure preceptor shortages?

Science.gov (United States)

Woodall, Lesli; Smith, Gigi; Garr, David; Hopla, Deborah; Kern, Donna

2018-06-01

The shortage of clinical preceptors compromises the current and future supply of healthcare providers and patient access to primary care. This article describes how an interprofessional coalition in South Carolina formed and sought government support to address the preceptor shortage. Some states have legislated preceptor tax credits and/or deductions to support the clinical education of future primary care healthcare providers. As a result of the coalition's work, a bill to establish similar incentives is pending in the South Carolina legislature.

Homemade sugar-salt solution for oral rehydration: knowledge of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Up to 95% of these cases can be treated successfully with oral rehydration therapy. The aim of the study was to evaluate caregivers' knowledge of, attitudes to and use of homemade sugar and salt solution (SSS) in order to address the shortfalls. Differences between the knowledge, attitudes and practices in urban, rural and ...

Coalition Formation and Spectrum Sharing of Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Participants.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhensheng Jiang; Wei Yuan; Leung, Henry; Xinge You; Qi Zheng

2017-05-01

In cognitive radio networks, self-interested secondary users (SUs) desire to maximize their own throughput. They compete with each other for transmit time once the absence of primary users (PUs) is detected. To satisfy the requirement of PU protection, on the other hand, they have to form some coalitions and cooperate to conduct spectrum sensing. Such dilemma of SUs between competition and cooperation motivates us to study two interesting issues: 1) how to appropriately form some coalitions for cooperative spectrum sensing (CSS) and 2) how to share transmit time among SUs. We jointly consider these two issues, and propose a noncooperative game model with 2-D strategies. The first dimension determines coalition formation, and the second indicates transmit time allocation. Considering the complexity of solving this game, we decompose the game into two more tractable ones: one deals with the formation of CSS coalitions, and the other focuses on the allocation of transmit time. We characterize the Nash equilibria (NEs) of both games, and show that the combination of these two NEs corresponds to the NE of the original game. We also develop a distributed algorithm to achieve a desirable NE of the original game. When this NE is achieved, the SUs obtain a Dhp-stable coalition structure and a fair transmit time allocation. Numerical results verify our analyses, and demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithm.

United we stand : Corporate Monitoring by Shareholder Coalitions in the UK

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Crespi, R.; Renneboog, L.D.R.

2000-01-01

This paper investigates whether voting coalitions are formed by shareholders in order to discipline incumbent management. Shapley values capturing the relative power of shareholder coalitions by category of owner, outperform models with percentage ownership stakes and models measuring the relative

Marching toward reproductive justice: coalitional (re) framing of the March for Women's Lives.

Science.gov (United States)

Luna, Zakiya T

2010-01-01

This article examines how coalition frames develop and what happens to that frame after the formal coalition ends. To that end, I analyze the frame shift around the 2004 March for Women's Lives (March). The March initially focused on established ideas of reproductive rights around which the four national mainstream co-sponsors previously organized. However, after a newer reproductive justice organization joined the coalition, material and organizing reflected a shift in framing to reproductive justice. How did this change happen? What are the impacts of this event for the women's movement? Through document analysis and interviews, I trace the negotiations that facilitated this framing shift. I argue that this new coalition frame translated into positive lasting changes in organizing for women's reproductive health even as the coalition dissolved and some of the tensions within the larger women's movement remain.

Competitive Outcomes and Endogenous Coalition Formation in an n-Person Game

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sun, N.; Trockel, W.; Yang, Z.F.

2004-01-01

In this paper we study competitive outcomes and endogenous coalition formation in a cooperative n-person transferable utility (TU) game from the viewpoint of general equilibrium theory.For any given game, we construct a competitive exchange coalition production economy corresponding to the game.

KSCO 2002: Second International Conference on Knowledge Systems for Coalition Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2002-05-01

based on selected classic coalition theories is, for example, COALA (Klusch & Vielhak, 1997). 94 unique for any 3-agent game (A,v), assigns...1997) COALA - Simulation Environment for Coalition Formation Among Autonomous Information Agents. http://www.dfki.de/~klusch/ COALA / Kraus, S

Analysis of a homemade Edison tinfoil phonograph.

Science.gov (United States)

Sagers, Jason D; McNeese, Andrew R; Lenhart, Richard D; Wilson, Preston S

2012-10-01

Thomas Edison's phonograph was a landmark acoustic invention. In this paper, the phonograph is presented as a tool for education in acoustics. A brief history of the phonograph is outlined and an analogous circuit model that describes its dynamic response is discussed. Microphone and scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) measurements were made on a homemade phonograph for model validation and inversion for unknown model parameters. SLDV measurements also conclusively illustrate where model assumptions are violated. The model elements which dominate the dynamic response are discussed.

Subtalar coalition: usefulness of the C sign on lateral radiographs of the ankle

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Seong Hyun; Ahn, Joong Mo; Lee, Min Hee; Yoon, Hye Kyung; Kim, Sung Moon; Shin, Myung Jin; Kang, Heung Sik

2001-01-01

To assess the usefulness of the talocalcaneal C sign in the diagnosis of subtalar coalition, as seen on lateral radiographs of the ankle. Lateral radiographs of 12 ankles in 11 patients were included in this study. Twelve subtalar coalitions were confirmed by surgery (n=6), or by CT and/or MR (n=6). The presence of the talocalcaneal C sign on lateral ankle radiographs was determined. The C sign was continuous in six feet and interrupted in the remaining six. Subtalar coalition occurred simultaneously inthe middle and posterior subtalar joints in two cases, the posterior subtalar joint only in six, and in the middle subtalar joint only in four. In six cases confirmed at surgery, subtalar coalitions consisted of both synostosis and non-osseous fusion (synchondrosis and/or syndesmosis) and in one case of middle subtalar coalition, there was a bony bridge. The remaining six cases. confirmed at CT or MRI, involved both synostosis and non-osseous fusion (n=1) or non-osseous fusion only (n=5). In the diagnosis of subtalar coalition, the talocalcaneal C sign, seen on lateral radiographs of the ankle, is a useful indicator

The Fiscal Politics of Big Governments: Do Coalitions Matter?

OpenAIRE

Lambertini, Luisa; Azariadis, Costas

2003-01-01

This paper uses a closed voting rule to explain how gradual changes in the socio-economic structure of developed societies shift political coalitions and lead to rapid expansions of transfer programs. Equilibria in a lifecycle economy with three homogeneous groups of voters (retirees, skilled young workers, unskilled young workers) have three properties. One, if income inequality is sufficiently high, unskilled workers and retirees will form a dominant coalition which raises both intragenerat...

Homemade specimen retrieval bag for laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A solution in the time of fiscal crisis.

Science.gov (United States)

Stavrou, George; Fotiadis, Kyriakos; Panagiotou, Dimitrios; Faitatzidou, Afroditi; Kotzampassi, Katerina

2015-05-01

Due to the current economic crisis in Greece, major cutbacks on healthcare costs have been imposed, resulting in a shortage of surgical supplies, including laparoscopic materials. In an attempt to reduce costs, we developed a homemade specimen retrieval bag for laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We used the polyethylene bag containing the catheter of a Redon drainage set. The bag was cut in half and pleated longitudinally; then, the gallbladder was placed in the bag and removed through the umbilicus with a grasping forceps. From September 2011 to June 2012, we used our homemade bag on 85 patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. No rupture, accidental opening, or bile leak was observed. The learning curve was found to be five cases. Our homemade specimen retrieval bag seems to be a safe, effective, and easy tool for tissue extraction. Further studies need to be conducted to evaluate its full potential. © 2015 Japan Society for Endoscopic Surgery, Asia Endosurgery Task Force and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Two hardness results for core stability in hedonic coalition formation games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Deineko, V.G.; Woeginger, G.J.

2013-01-01

We establish NP-completeness of two problems on core stable coalitions in hedonic games. In the first problem every player has only two acceptable coalitions in his preference list, and in the second problem the preference structures arise from the distances in an underlying metric space.

A block chain based architecture for asset management in coalition operations

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Dinesh; Desai, Nirmit; Preece, Alun; Taylor, Ian

2017-05-01

To support dynamic communities of interests in coalition operations, new architectures for efficient sharing of ISR assets are needed. The use of blockchain technology in wired business environments, such as digital currency systems, offers an interesting solution by creating a way to maintain a distributed shared ledger without requiring a single trusted authority. In this paper, we discuss how a blockchain-based system can be modified to provide a solution for dynamic asset sharing amongst coalition members, enabling the creation of a logically centralized asset management system by a seamless policy-compliant federation of different coalition systems. We discuss the use of blockchain for three different types of assets in a coalition context, showing how blockchain can offer a suitable solution for sharing assets in those environments. We also discuss the limitations in the current implementations of blockchain which need to be overcome for the technology to become more effective in a decentralized tactical edge environment.

Continued benefits of a technical assistance web site to local tobacco control coalitions during a state budget shortfall.

Science.gov (United States)

Buller, David B; Young, Walter F; Bettinghaus, Erwin P; Borland, Ron; Walther, Joseph B; Helme, Donald; Andersen, Peter A; Cutter, Gary R; Maloy, Julie A

2011-01-01

A state budget shortfall defunded 10 local tobacco coalitions during a randomized trial but defunded coalitions continued to have access to 2 technical assistance Web sites. To test the ability of Web-based technology to provide technical assistance to local tobacco control coalitions. Randomized 2-group trial with local tobacco control coalitions as the unit of randomization. Local communities (ie, counties) within the State of Colorado. Leaders and members in 34 local tobacco control coalitions funded by the state health department in Colorado. Two technical assistance Web sites: A Basic Web site with text-based information and a multimedia Enhanced Web site containing learning modules, resources, and communication features. Use of the Web sites in minutes, pages, and session and evaluations of coalition functioning on coalition development, conflict resolution, leadership satisfaction, decision-making satisfaction, shared mission, personal involvement, and organization involvement in survey of leaders and members. Coalitions that were defunded but had access to the multimedia Enhanced Web site during the Fully Funded period and after defunding continued to use it (treatment group × funding status × period, F(3,714) = 3.18, P = .0234). Coalitions with access to the Basic Web site had low Web site use throughout and use by defunded coalitions was nearly zero when funding ceased. Members in defunded Basic Web site coalitions reported that their coalitions functioned worse than defunded Enhanced Web site coalitions (coalition development: group × status, F(1,360) = 4.81, P = .029; conflict resolution: group × status, F(1,306) = 5.69, P = .018; leadership satisfaction: group × status, F(1,342) = 5.69, P = .023). The Enhanced Web site may have had a protective effect on defunded coalitions. Defunded coalitions may have increased their capacity by using the Enhanced Web site when fully funded or by continuing to use the available online resources after defunding

Clean air renewable energy (CARE) coalition : a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lambert, G.; Pollock, D.

2002-01-01

This paper highlights the opportunity for new partnerships between business and non-governmental organizations in the field of sustainable development through the growing convergence of interests. The authors also briefly describe both Suncor Energy and the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development stances on sustainable development. Since 1990, both organizations have collaborated on the future of the emerging renewable energy industry. Renewable energy represents an energy source diversification through the regional creation of jobs and improved air quality and associated benefits resulting from the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Clean Air Renewable Energy Coalition (Coalition) was established in December 2000 in order to assess the barriers to capital investment in the renewable energy industry. It was revealed that the international community as a whole was further ahead than Canada in terms of renewable support, production and export of technology and services. Some of the challenges facing the industry are: low demand for renewables and low supply. The coalition allowed for the joint identification of desired policy changes, such as new tax incentives for renewable energy supply and demand. Efforts were made in inviting the support of industry, municipalities and environmental non governmental organizations. The list of members that have joined the coalition to date was shown. The coalition is asking for consumer green energy credit, designed for the creation of demand and the education of the general public, and producer incentives to increase supply. The proposals were explained, as well as the strategic principles underlying them. A new tax incentive was announced in the December 2001 Canadian federal budget. The authors concluded by mentioning some future opportunities and the lessons learned on the importance of the right partners, of broad-based advocacy, of targeted and focuses messages, and of evolutionary change

Clean air renewable energy (CARE) coalition : a case study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lambert, G. [Suncor Energy, Fort McMurray, AB (Canada); Pollock, D. [Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development, Drayton Valley, AB (Canada)

2002-07-01

This paper highlights the opportunity for new partnerships between business and non-governmental organizations in the field of sustainable development through the growing convergence of interests. The authors also briefly describe both Suncor Energy and the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development stances on sustainable development. Since 1990, both organizations have collaborated on the future of the emerging renewable energy industry. Renewable energy represents an energy source diversification through the regional creation of jobs and improved air quality and associated benefits resulting from the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The Clean Air Renewable Energy Coalition (Coalition) was established in December 2000 in order to assess the barriers to capital investment in the renewable energy industry. It was revealed that the international community as a whole was further ahead than Canada in terms of renewable support, production and export of technology and services. Some of the challenges facing the industry are: low demand for renewables and low supply. The coalition allowed for the joint identification of desired policy changes, such as new tax incentives for renewable energy supply and demand. Efforts were made in inviting the support of industry, municipalities and environmental non governmental organizations. The list of members that have joined the coalition to date was shown. The coalition is asking for consumer green energy credit, designed for the creation of demand and the education of the general public, and producer incentives to increase supply. The proposals were explained, as well as the strategic principles underlying them. A new tax incentive was announced in the December 2001 Canadian federal budget. The authors concluded by mentioning some future opportunities and the lessons learned on the importance of the right partners, of broad-based advocacy, of targeted and focuses messages, and of evolutionary change.

A Qualitative Examination of the Implementation of a Community-Academic Coalition

Science.gov (United States)

Boydell, Katherine M.; Volpe, Tiziana

2004-01-01

Many recent grant initiatives have mandated coalition building as a key component of their health promotion efforts. Health service leaders are increasingly representing their organizations on coalitions and need to better understand the complexities involved in their creation and management. In this paper we focus on the implementation of a…

The C sign: more specific for flatfoot deformity than subtalar coalition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, R.R.; Rosenberg, Z.S.; Thornhill, B.A.

2001-01-01

Objective. To assess the sensitivity and specificity of the C sign, a C-shaped line created by the outline of the talar dome and the inferior margin of the sustentaculum tali on lateral ankle radiographs, for patients with both flatfoot deformity and specifically talocalcaneal (TC) coalition.Design and patients. All patients in this retrospective study were under 35 years of age and had a lateral ankle radiograph and follow-up CT scan for a non-traumatic indication. Forty-eight cases over the past 5 years fulfilled these criteria. Two masked musculoskeletal radiologists determined the presence or absence of the C sign for each lateral radiograph by consensus. Each CT study was then assessed by a third musculoskeletal radiologist for the presence of tarsal coalition. Observations were correlated with clinical history regarding presence or absence of flatfoot deformity.Results. Ten cases of TC coalition were diagnosed, four of which demonstrated a C sign (40%). Eight cases with a C sign were encountered, four of which had TC coalition (50%) and four did not. All patients with a positive C sign had a flatfoot clinically (100%), while only eight of 24 flatfooted patients had a C sign (33%).Conclusion. The C sign is specific, but not sensitive, for flatfoot deformity, and is neither sensitive nor specific for subtalar coalition. (orig.)

A coalition formation game for transmitter cooperation in OFDMA uplink communications

KAUST Repository

Chelli, Ali

2014-12-01

The SC-FDMA (single-carrier frequency division multiple access) is the access scheme that has been adopted by 3GPP (3rd generation partnership project) for the LTE (long term evolution) uplink. The SC-FDMA is an attractive alternative to OFDMA (orthogonal frequency-division multiple access) especially on the uplink owing to its low peak-to-average power ratio. This fact increases the power efficiency and reduces the cost of the power amplifiers at the mobile terminals. The use of SC-FDMA on the uplink implies that for highly loaded cells the base station allocates a single subcarrier to each user. This results in the limitation of the achievable rate on the uplink. In this work, we propose a coalition game between mobile terminals that allows them to improve their performance by sharing their subcarriers without creating any interference to each other. The proposed scheme allows a fair use of the subcarriers and leads to a significant capacity gain for each user. The cooperation between the nodes is modelled using coalitional game theory. In this game, each coalition tries to maximize its utility in terms of rate. In the absence of cooperation cost, it can be shown that the grand coalition is sum-rate optimal and stable, i.e., the mobile terminals have no incentive to leave the grand coalition.

Single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy using homemade glove port at low cost

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sang Myoung Lee

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Purpose: The aim of this study was to report homemade glove port technique for single-incision laparoscopic appendectomy (SILA. Materials and Methods: Our homemade glove port was composed of a size 6 latex sterile surgical glove, a sterilized plastic bangle, and three pieces of silicon tube (5 cm in length that were used as the suction tube. Clinical data were retrospectively collected from those patients who underwent SILA at Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital, Bucheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea between February 2014 and June 2014, including patient demographics, and operative and postoperative outcomes. To compare the outcomes, a retrospective review was performed for those patients who underwent conventional laparoscopic appendectomy (CLA between October 2013 and January 2014. Both SILA and CLA were performed by the same surgical team. Results: The SILA and CLA groups included 37 and 57 patients, respectively. The mean age, weight, body mass index (BMI, operation time, and pathologic diagnosis of gangrenous appendicitis were not significantly different between the two groups. However, the mean hospital stay in the CLA group was significantly (P = 0.018 longer than that in the SILA group (4.2 days vs 3.5 days. There was no conversion to open surgery in both the groups. Of the cases who underwent SILA, 10 (27.0% needed insertion of additional port and drain. There was one (3.2% complication of umbilical surgical site infection. Conclusion: In this study, SILA, with homemade glove port, was technically feasible and safe at low cost.

Inexpensive homemade models for ultrasound-guided vein cannulation training.

Science.gov (United States)

Di Domenico, Stefano; Santori, Gregorio; Porcile, Elisa; Licausi, Martina; Centanaro, Monica; Valente, Umberto

2007-11-01

To test the hypothesis that low-cost homemade models may be used to acquire the basic skills for ultrasound-guided central vein puncture. Training study. University transplantation department. Training was performed using three different homemade models (A, B, and C). Segments of a common rubber tourniquet (V1) and Silastic tube (V2) were used to simulate vessels within agar-based models. Overall cost for each model was less than 5 euro (US$7). For each test (test I, A-V1; II, A-V2; III, B-V1; IV, C-V2), the number of punctures and attempts needed to locate the needle inside the lumen were recorded. Each test was considered completed when participants punctured the vessels at the first attempt for three consecutive times. In test I, the mean number of punctures and attempts were 3.85 +/- 1.26 and 4.95 +/- 3.05; in test II, 4.60 +/- 1.14 and 6.30 +/- 2.51; in test III, 4.80 +/- 1.06 and 4.65 +/- 2.21; and in test IV, 4.45 +/- 1.23 and 6.05 +/- 2.92, respectively. For each test, no statistical difference was found by comparison of number of punctures and attempts for anesthesiologists versus nonanesthesiologists, men versus women, or previous experience versus no experience with central vein cannulation (CVC). Video game users obtained better results than did nonusers in test I (punctures, P = 0.033; attempts, P = 0.038), test II (punctures, P = 0.052; attempts, P = 0.011), and test IV (punctures, P = 0.001; attempts, P = 0.003). A posttraining questionnaire showed favorable opinions about the clarity of the instructions, aptness of the models, and adequacy of the training. In our operative unit, the use of ultrasound guidance for CVC increased from 2% to 23% in the first month after training. Low-cost homemade models are useful in acquiring basic coordination skills for ultrasound-guided CVC.

The regenerative medicine coalition. Interview with Frank-Roman Lauter.

Science.gov (United States)

Lauter, Frank-Roman

2012-11-01

Frank-Roman Lauter, Secretary General of the recently launched Regenerative Medicine Coalition, explains how the coalition was formed and what they hope to achieve. Frank-Roman Lauter has served as Secretary General of the Regenerative Medicine Coalition since 2012, and as Head of Business Development at Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies since 2007. Frank-Roman Lauter's interest is the organization of academic infrastructures to promote efficient translation of research findings into new therapies. He co-organizes joined strategy development for regenerative medicine clusters from seven European countries (FP7-EU Project) and has initiated cooperation between the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the German Federal Ministry for Education & Research, resulting in a joined funding program. Recently, he cofounded the international consortium of Regenerative Medicine translational centers (RMC; www.the-rmc.org ). Trained as a molecular biologist at the Max-Planck Institute in Berlin-Dahlem and at Stanford, he has 16 years of experience as an entrepreneur and life science manager in Germany and the USA.

Transformation of Graphical ECA Policies into Executable PonderTalk Code

Science.gov (United States)

Romeikat, Raphael; Sinsel, Markus; Bauer, Bernhard

Rules are becoming more and more important in business modeling and systems engineering and are recognized as a high-level programming paradigma. For the effective development of rules it is desired to start at a high level, e.g. with graphical rules, and to refine them into code of a particular rule language for implementation purposes later. An model-driven approach is presented in this paper to transform graphical rules into executable code in a fully automated way. The focus is on event-condition-action policies as a special rule type. These are modeled graphically and translated into the PonderTalk language. The approach may be extended to integrate other rule types and languages as well.

Arthroscopic Talocalcaneal Coalition Resection in Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Knörr, Jorge; Soldado, Francisco; Menendez, Mariano E; Domenech, Pedro; Sanchez, Mikel; Sales de Gauzy, Jérôme

2015-12-01

To present the technique and outcomes of arthroscopic talocalcaneal coalition (TCC) resection in pediatric patients. We performed a prospective study of 16 consecutive feet with persistent symptomatic TCCs in 15 children. The mean age was 11.8 years (range, 8 to 15 years), and the mean follow-up period was 28 months (range, 12 to 44 months). A posterior arthroscopic TCC resection was performed. The plantar footprint, subtalar motion, pain, and the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society Ankle-Hindfoot scale score were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively. Preoperative computed tomography (CT) scans were used to classify the coalition according to the Rozansky classification, to measure the percentage of involvement of the surface area, and to determine the degree of hindfoot valgus. Postoperative CT scans at 1 year (n = 15) and 3 years (n = 5) were used to assess recurrences. Patient satisfaction was also evaluated. The TCC distribution according to the Rozansky classification was type I in 7 cases, type II in 3, type III in 3, and type IV in 3. In all cases the arthroscopic approach enabled complete coalition resection. All patients increased by at least 1 stage in the footprint classification and showed clinical subtalar mobility after surgery. All patients showed a statistically significant improvement in pain after surgery except for 1 patient in whom complex regional pain syndrome developed (P < .001). The mean American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society score was 56.8 (range, 45 to 62) preoperatively versus 90.9 (range, 36 to 100) postoperatively, showing a statistically significant increase (P < .001). Preoperative CT scans showed that all TCCs involved the medial subtalar joint facet, with mean involvement of 40.8% of the articular surface. All postoperative CT scans showed complete synostosis resections with no recurrences at final follow-up. At final follow-up, all patients were either satisfied (n = 4 [27%]) or extremely satisfied (n = 10 [67

Joint Real-Time Energy and Demand-Response Management using a Hybrid Coalitional-Noncooperative Game

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

He, Fulin; Gu, Yi; Hao, Jun; Zhang, Jun Jason; Wei, Jiaolong; Zhang, Yingchen

2015-11-11

In order to model the interactions among utility companies, building demands and renewable energy generators (REGs), a hybrid coalitional-noncooperative game framework has been proposed. We formulate a dynamic non-cooperative game to study the energy dispatch within multiple utility companies, while we take a coalitional perspective on REGs and buildings demands through a hedonic coalition formation game approach. In this case, building demands request different power supply from REGs, then the building demands can be organized into an ultimate coalition structure through a distributed hedonic shift algorithm. At the same time, utility companies can also obtain a stable power generation profile. In addition, the interactive progress among the utility companies and building demands which cannot be supplied by REGs is implemented by distributed game theoretic algorithms. Numerical results illustrate that the proposed hybrid coalitional-noncooperative game scheme reduces the cost of both building demands and utility companies compared with the initial scene.

Advancing Immigrant Worker Rights through Labor-Community Coalition: Comparative Case Studies of the CLEAN Carwash Campaign

OpenAIRE

Chen, Mindy Minyi

2017-01-01

Since 2008, a coalition known as the CLEAN Carwash Campaign has been organizing car wash workers in Los Angeles. How did CLEAN manage the divergent interests of its coalition members and strategize? What is it about CLEAN that led the labor-community coalition to achieve gains for carwasheros when conventional wisdom dictates that low wage immigrant workers were too vulnerable to be unionized? Given the dearth of empirical research into how social movement coalitions strategize and how campai...

Core stability in hedonic coalition formation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Woeginger, G.J.

2012-01-01

In many economic, social and political situations individuals carry out activities in groups (coalitions) rather than alone and on their own. Examples range from households and sport clubs to research networks, political parties and trade unions. The underlying game theoretic framework is known as

Improving Organisational Effectiveness of Coalition Operations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bisig, E.; Ann-Renée; Hof, T.; Seiler, S.; Yanakiev, Y.

2010-01-01

Transformation of military operations demands new tools to support the performance of coalition forces in multinational operations. This paper contributes to one of the fundamental objectives of SAS-081/RSY, namely to the objective to share experience from the implementation of methods and tools and

Course of Action Analysis for Coalition Operations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Wagenhals, Lee W; Reid, Tom; Smillie, Robert J; Levis, Alexander H

2001-01-01

...) of the Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Command. The goal of DSCCO is to apply and integrate organizational design concepts and decision support technologies in planning and executing multi-national coalition operations...

Negotiating Rights : Building Coalitions for Improving Maternal ...

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

Negotiating Rights : Building Coalitions for Improving Maternal Health Services ... the state of maternal health in the country reflects poorly on public health priorities. ... A number of international agencies and civil society organizations are ...

Business Coalitions in the Us and Their Role in Advancing a Regional Agenda

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bogdana NEAMTU

2008-02-01

Full Text Available The analysis herein explores the topic of business coalitions and focuses on the role they may play in advancing a regional agenda. The structure of the paper is threefold: (1 in the introductory section I briefly explain the meaning of the concept and how it relates to other similar concepts such as public-private partnerships or growth coalitions; (2 the second part focuses on analyzing the characteristics that best define contemporary business coalitions and stresses the implications of these characteristics for the structuring or restructuring of traditional local and regional political entities; (3 the last section focuses on how planners and other public officials could use or partner with business coalitions in order to advance their own regional agenda. In the conclusion section I argue that though business coalitions are important for the development of a regional economy and regional identity, it would be a mistake to think that they alone can determine the success of a region. Regional government should continue to be pursued as it represents the only solution to problems such as social and environmental justice, tax sharing, education, and inner city redevelopment.

Skill improvement among coalition members in the California Healthy Cities and Communities Program.

Science.gov (United States)

Kegler, Michelle C; Norton, Barbara L; Aronson, Robert

2007-06-01

Community-driven, collaborative approaches to health promotion have the potential to enhance skills among community members and, in turn, increase community capacity. This study uses data from an evaluation of the California Healthy Cities and Communities (CHCC) Program to examine whether, and how, community problem-solving and collaboration skills are improved among coalition members and local coordinators in 20 participating communities. Methods include semi-structured interviews with coordinators and mailed surveys with coalition members (n=330 in planning phase and n=243 in implementation phase). The largest number of coordinators reported skill improvement in defining health broadly and assessing needs and assets. Similarly, coalition members reported greatest skill improvement for defining health broadly, assessing needs and assets and setting priorities and developing action plans. Modest correlations were observed between number of roles played in the local healthy cities and communities project and each skill area assessed. Time committed to the local CHCC coalition and its activities was not meaningfully correlated with any of the skills. Types of skill-building opportunities may be more important than number of hours devoted to meetings and activities in strengthening community problem-solving and collaboration skills among coalition members.

A Cross-Layer Optimization Approach for Energy Efficient Wireless Sensor Networks: Coalition-Aided Data Aggregation, Cooperative Communication, and Energy Balancing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qinghai Gao

2007-01-01

Full Text Available We take a cross-layer optimization approach to study energy efficient data transport in coalition-based wireless sensor networks, where neighboring nodes are organized into groups to form coalitions and sensor nodes within one coalition carry out cooperative communications. In particular, we investigate two network models: (1 many-to-one sensor networks where data from one coalition are transmitted to the sink directly, and (2 multihop sensor networks where data are transported by intermediate nodes to reach the sink. For the many-to-one network model, we propose three schemes for data transmission from a coalition to the sink. In scheme 1, one node in the coalition is selected randomly to transmit the data; in scheme 2, the node with the best channel condition in the coalition transmits the data; and in scheme 3, all the nodes in the coalition transmit in a cooperative manner. Next, we investigate energy balancing with cooperative data transport in multihop sensor networks. Built on the above coalition-aided data transmission schemes, the optimal coalition planning is then carried out in multihop networks, in the sense that unequal coalition sizes are applied to minimize the difference of energy consumption among sensor nodes. Numerical analysis reveals that energy efficiency can be improved significantly by the coalition-aided transmission schemes, and that energy balancing across the sensor nodes can be achieved with the proposed coalition structures.

Direct analysis in real time mass spectrometry of potential by-products from homemade nitrate ester explosive synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Sisco, Edward; Forbes, Thomas P

2016-04-01

This work demonstrates the coupling of direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) in an off-axis configuration for the trace detection and analysis of potential partially nitrated and dimerized by-products of homemade nitrate ester explosive synthesis. Five compounds relating to the synthesis of nitroglycerin (NG) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were examined. Deprotonated ions and adducts with molecular oxygen, nitrite, and nitrate were observed in the mass spectral responses of these compounds. A global optimum temperature of 350 °C for the by-products investigated here enabled single nanogram to sub nanogram trace detection. Matrix effects were examined through a series of mixtures containing one or more compounds (sugar alcohol precursors, by-products, and/or explosives) across a range of mass loadings. The explosives MS responses experienced competitive ionization in the presence of all by-products. The magnitude of this influence corresponded to both the degree of by-product nitration and the relative mass loading of the by-product to the explosive. This work provides a characterization of potential by-products from homemade nitrate ester synthesis, including matrix effects and potential challenges that might arise from the trace detection of homemade explosives (HMEs) containing impurities. Detection and understanding of HME impurities and complex mixtures may provide valuable information for the screening and sourcing of homemade nitrate ester explosives. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A 2040 Vision for the I-95 Coalition Region : Supporting Economic Growth in a Carbon-Constrained Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2008-12-01

The I-95 Corridor Coalitions Vision project is a departure from the Coalitions historic role that focused primarily on shorter-term operational improvements in the corridor. In the past, most of the day-to-day issues confronting the Coalition m...

Ponderal index at birth associates with later risk of gestational diabetes mellitus

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Crusell, Mie; Damm, Peter; Hansen, Torben

2017-01-01

PURPOSE: Low birth weight (BW) and low ponderal index (PI) are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study has two purposes: first to investigate the influence of PI on the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); second, to study the association between glucose...... metabolism and BW in women with previous GDM. METHODS: GDM cohort: 185 women with GDM in 1978-1996, attending a follow-up study in 2000-2002. Control cohort: 1137 women from a population-based diabetes screening study (Inter99) in a neighbouring county in 1999-2001. BW and birth length were collected from...

A comparision of industrial and homemade bulgur in Turkey in terms of physical, chemical and nutritional properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ertaş Nilgün

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Determination of functional and nutritional properties of bulgur is of paramount importance for the growth of healthy generations. In this study, physical, chemical, nutritional and sensorial qualities of bulgur produced at the industrial, homemade and laboratory scale in Turkey were determined and the results were compared. The ash content of bulgur samples was determined between 1.04 and 1.81%, the total protein contents of the samples were found between 11.90 and 14.47%. Evaluation of nutritional status of bulgur; the total phenolic contents value varied 449.82 to 1047.09 μg/g, the phytic acid values were found between 422.14 and 1173.56 mg/100 g. The mineral contents of the samples were analyzed, and all the bulgur samples contained lower amounts of cadmium and lead than JECFA limits. Homemade bulgur samples had a more aromatic taste and smell than industrially produced bulgur samples, and also industrially produced bulgur samples had lighter color than homemade bulgur.

Wind energy aggregation: A coalitional game approach

KAUST Repository

Baeyens, E.; Bitar, E.Y.; Khargonekar, P.P.; Poolla, K.

2011-01-01

power output as single entity into a forward energy market. We prove that wind power generators will always improve their expected profit when they aggregate their generated power and use tools from coalitional game theory to design fair sharing

A CONCEPTUAL TOOL FOR ASSESSING CLIENT PERFORMANCE IN THE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT COALITION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gary D. Holt

2002-01-01

Full Text Available Due to the significant impact of client performance on overall project performance and the interdependence of participant%5C%27s performance in the construction project coalition %28i.e. clients%2C designers and constructors%29%2C there is a need to establish client performance measures. Based on data collected from in-depth interviews with nineteen UK architects and nine UK contractors%2C a generic tool for the on-going formal assessment of client performance is presented. It was found that this approach to performance assessment %28i.e. from the view point of other%2C non-client coalition participants%29 should lead to improved project relationships. Data analysis showed that in addition to %5C%27harder%5C%27 measures such as understanding of project requirements and finance%2C other%2C %5C%27softer%5C%27 measures of client performance %28e.g. attitude%29 were worthy of consideration since they determine the quality of participant relationships. It is recommended that the tool be used to promote more effective client performance and thus enhance coalition relationships%2C enabling continuous improvement. The ultimate aim is to develop similar tools for the assessment of all coalition participants based on a culture of openness and trust. Abstract in Bahasa Indonesia : assessment+tool%2C+coalition+participants%2C+client+performance%2C+perceptions%2C+performance+measures%2C+satisfaction.

The coalition of industrialists and environmentalists in the climate change issue

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brandt, U.S.; Tinggaard Svendsen, G.

2003-07-01

The political economy idea developed by Ackerman and Hassler (1981) is the starting point of this paper. It suggested that a coalition of environmentalists and industrialists successfully lobbied the US Congress. More strict technology-based standards for new sources than existing sources was the resulting policy outcome serving the common interest of the coalition because it both offered a barrier to entry for new firms and improved environmental quality. Wc focus both on cases from air and water pollution in the US confirming which seem to confirm this suggestion and the case of international climate negotiations and the promotion of wind-based energy. In the line of the Ackerman and Hassler approach wc suggest that the reason for EU eagerness to push forward ambitious reduction target levels (and thereby promote new green industries) is a similar coalition between industrialists and environmentalists. Such a strategy can be seen in the context of the Bootleggers and Baptist theory developed by Yandle (1983), where the Baptists (in our case the environmentalists) demand changes in behaviour on moral reasons. In contrast, the Bootleggers (the producers of renewable energy), who profit from the very regulation, keep a low profile. The actual heavy subsidisation of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, can be viewed as a successful policy outcome for the coalition of industrialists and environmentalists offering both market protection and improved environmental quality. Solving the current dead-lock in international climate negotiations across the Atlantic may well imply fighting the strong coalition of industrialists and environmentalists. Such a political battle may turn out to be just as tough as fighting windmills if not clearly investigated in future research. (au)

The coalition of industrialists and environmentalists in the climate change issue

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandt, U.S.; Tinggaard Svendsen, G.

2003-01-01

The political economy idea developed by Ackerman and Hassler (1981) is the starting point of this paper. It suggested that a coalition of environmentalists and industrialists successfully lobbied the US Congress. More strict technology-based standards for new sources than existing sources was the resulting policy outcome serving the common interest of the coalition because it both offered a barrier to entry for new firms and improved environmental quality. Wc focus both on cases from air and water pollution in the US confirming which seem to confirm this suggestion and the case of international climate negotiations and the promotion of wind-based energy. In the line of the Ackerman and Hassler approach wc suggest that the reason for EU eagerness to push forward ambitious reduction target levels (and thereby promote new green industries) is a similar coalition between industrialists and environmentalists. Such a strategy can be seen in the context of the Bootleggers and Baptist theory developed by Yandle (1983), where the Baptists (in our case the environmentalists) demand changes in behaviour on moral reasons. In contrast, the Bootleggers (the producers of renewable energy), who profit from the very regulation, keep a low profile. The actual heavy subsidisation of renewable energy sources, such as wind energy, can be viewed as a successful policy outcome for the coalition of industrialists and environmentalists offering both market protection and improved environmental quality. Solving the current dead-lock in international climate negotiations across the Atlantic may well imply fighting the strong coalition of industrialists and environmentalists. Such a political battle may turn out to be just as tough as fighting windmills if not clearly investigated in future research. (au)

Concoction of harmful substances in homemade alcoholic beverages in rural areas of Mopani district in Limpopo province-RSA: implications for social work practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Makhubele, J C

2013-10-01

The primary aim of this article is to explore and describe the production and consumption of homemade alcohol and its associated challenges in relation to implications for social work practice. Qualitative, explorative, descriptive, and contextual design was ideal and purposive and snowball sampling methods were used in this research. Data was collected through interviews with brewers and consumers of homemade alcoholic beverages. It was found that foreign substances are put into homemade alcoholic beverages for commercial reasons in an attempt to address social exclusion.

Extension Professionals and Community Coalitions: Professional Development Opportunities Related to Leadership and Policy, System, and Environment Change

Science.gov (United States)

Smathers, Carol A.; Lobb, Jennifer M.

2015-01-01

Community coalitions play an important role in community-wide strategies to promote health and wellbeing, and Extension professionals may provide leadership, technical assistance, and other support to coalitions. Extension professionals across a Midwestern state were invited to participate in an online survey about their coalition involvement and…

CADRE Quick-Look: Homeland Security-NORTHCOM's Coalition War

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Conway, John L

2005-01-01

.... Coalition warfare has many facets: it involves the blending of different cultures, multiple languages dialects, and disparate weapon systems, as well as differing perceptions of end states and how to...

78 FR 69660 - Association of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity, Coalition of Miso Transmission Customers...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-20

... Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity, Coalition of Miso Transmission Customers, Illinois Industrial Energy... LLC, Duke Energy Business Services, LLC, Entergy Arkansas, Inc., Entergy Gulf States Louisiana, LLC....206 (2013), Association of Businesses Advocating Tariff Equity, Coalition of Miso Transmission...

Growing but not transforming: Fragmented ruling coalitions and economic developments in Uganda

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kjær, Anne Mette; Katusiimeh, Mesharch

been stable enough to maintain macro-economic stability, attract aid and ensure the one-off gains from introducing peace. However, the fact that it has proved so challenging to hold the ruling coalition together has hindered the ruling elite in implementing initiatives to support transformation......In spite of decades of GDP growth, Uganda remains an agricultural economy still awaiting an economic transformation. Sustained state initiatives to promote such a transformation have been lacking. We find that the explanation for this is to be found in the nature of the ruling coalition, which has...... is to use state resources to hold the ruling coalition together. This, however, is not likely to result in an economic transformation and hence in job creation for the poor majority of Ugandans....

Model-Checking an Alternating-time Temporal Logic with Knowledge, Imperfect Information, Perfect Recall and Communicating Coalitions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cătălin Dima

2010-06-01

Full Text Available We present a variant of ATL with distributed knowledge operators based on a synchronous and perfect recall semantics. The coalition modalities in this logic are based on partial observation of the full history, and incorporate a form of cooperation between members of the coalition in which agents issue their actions based on the distributed knowledge, for that coalition, of the system history. We show that model-checking is decidable for this logic. The technique utilizes two variants of games with imperfect information and partially observable objectives, as well as a subset construction for identifying states whose histories are indistinguishable to the considered coalition.

Fatores de risco para perda ponderal de crianças frequentadoras de berçários em creches do município de São Paulo Risk factors for ponderal loss of children attending the nurseries of day care centers in São Paulo, Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maysa Helena A. Toloni

2009-03-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Identificar e quantificar os fatores de risco relacionados ao agravamento da condição nutricional entre o nascimento e a realização deste estudo. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 270 crianças frequentadoras dos berçários de oito creches públicas e filantrópicas do município de São Paulo. Considerou-se com perda ponderal as crianças que apresentaram diferença negativa do escore Z para a relação peso para idade entre o nascimento e a ocasião da realização desse inquérito. No estudo das associações, utilizou-se o teste do qui-quadrado e consideraram-se as variáveis com nível de significância pOBJECTIVE: To identify and quantify risk factors related to the aggravation of nutritional condition from birth until the date of the study. METHODS: Cross-sectional study with 270 children attending nurseries of eight public and non-for-profit daycare centers in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Ponderal loss was considered when children presented negative difference of Z score for weight-for-age (W/A from birth until the date of the present inquiry. Chi-square was used to test associations and considered significant if p<0.05. Multivariate logistic regression model adjusted Odds Ratio estimates for confounding variables and/or covariables. RESULTS: Anthropometric analysis showed 7.1% prevalence of malnutrition (W/A<-2 Z score at birth and 4.4% by the time of measurement. Ponderal evolution with unfavorable Z score was present in 50.7% of studied children (n=137. In the bivariate analyses, the variables: birth weight (OR=5.35; p<0.001, anemia (OR=1.81; p=0.019 and age less than 19 months (OR=1.67; p=0.036 were statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: Ponderal loss in Z score during the first months of life has not been often used in epidemiological studies. However, future researches might identify weight loss as an indicator of risk for sociobiological vulnerability. Development of health programs in order to reduce the

Infectivity of cysts of the ME-49 Toxoplasma gondii strain in bovine milk and homemade cheese

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiramoto RM

2001-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Analyze the infectivity and storage resistance of cysts of the ME-49 strain of Toxoplasma gondii in artificially infected bovine milk and homemade fresh cheese. METHODS: Pasteurized bovine milk was infected with 10 cysts/ml of the ME-49 strain of T.gondii and inoculated in different groups of mice, immediately or after storage at 4ºC for 5, 10 and 20 days. Homemade fresh cheese was prepared with artificially infected milk, and also tested in groups of mice, using the same storage process. Infection was identified by the presence of cysts in the brain or serological testing in challenged mice after 5 weeks, confirmed by Western Blot and histology. RESULTS: The infectivity of cysts of the ME-49 strain of T.gondii was maintained in the milk even after storage for 20 days at refrigerator temperatures. Cysts were also able to survive the production process of homemade fresh cheese and storage for a period of 10 days in the same conditions. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrated that milk and dairy products could be an important source of T.gondii in human contamination, reinforcing the importance of milk pasteurization before any processing or ingestion.

Endangered Species Case - Washington Toxics Coalition v. EPA

Science.gov (United States)

This Web page provides information on the Washington Toxics Coalition v. EPA case, related to protection of Pacific salmon and steelhead, and links to the biological opinions issued by the NMFS and EPA’s responses.

Institutional Support : Advocates Coalition for Development and ...

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

Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) is an independent policy research and advocacy organization based in Kampala, Uganda, with a reputation for producing good quality research to underpin its advocacy work. To date, the organization has relied on project-specific funds for its operation, ...

The coalitional value theory of antigay bias

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Winegard, Bo; Reynolds, Tania; Baumeister, Roy F.; Plant, E. Ashby

2016-01-01

Research indicates that antigay bias follows a specific pattern (and probably has throughout written history, at least in the West): (a) men evince more antigay bias than women; (b) men who belong to traditionally male coalitions evince more antigay bias than those who do not; (c) antigay bias is

Tarsal tunnel disease and talocalcaneal coalition: MRI features

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

FitzGerald Alaia, Erin; Rosenberg, Zehava Sadka; Bencardino, Jenny T.; Ciavarra, Gina A.; Petchprapa, Catherine N. [New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY (United States); Rossi, Ignacio [New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY (United States); Centro de Diagnostico Dr. Enrique Rossi, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2016-11-15

To assess, utilizing MRI, tarsal tunnel disease in patients with talocalcaneal coalitions. To the best of our knowledge, this has only anecdotally been described before. Sixty-seven ankle MRIs with talocalcaneal coalition were retrospectively reviewed for disease of tendons and nerves of the tarsal tunnel. Interobserver variability in diagnosing tendon disease was performed in 30 of the 67 cases. Tarsal tunnel nerves were also evaluated in a control group of 20 consecutive ankle MRIs. Entrapment of the flexor hallucis longus tendon (FHL) by osseous excrescences was seen in 14 of 67 cases (21 %). Attenuation, split tearing, tenosynovitis, or tendinosis of the FHL was present in 26 cases (39 %). Attenuation or tenosynovitis was seen in the flexor digitorum longus tendon (FDL) in 18 cases (27 %). Tenosynovitis or split tearing of the posterior tibial tendon (PT) was present in nine cases (13 %). Interobserver variability ranged from 100 % to slight depending on the tendon and type of disease. Intense increased signal and caliber of the medial plantar nerve (MPN), indicative of neuritis, was seen in 6 of the 67 cases (9 %). Mildly increased T2 signal of the MPN was seen in 15 (22 %) and in 14 (70 %) of the control group. Talocalcaneal coalitions may be associated with tarsal tunnel soft tissue abnormalities affecting, in decreasing order, the FHL, FDL, and PT tendons, as well as the MPN. This information should be provided to the referring physician in order to guide treatment and improve post-surgical outcome. (orig.)

Tarsal tunnel disease and talocalcaneal coalition: MRI features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

FitzGerald Alaia, Erin; Rosenberg, Zehava Sadka; Bencardino, Jenny T.; Ciavarra, Gina A.; Petchprapa, Catherine N.; Rossi, Ignacio

2016-01-01

To assess, utilizing MRI, tarsal tunnel disease in patients with talocalcaneal coalitions. To the best of our knowledge, this has only anecdotally been described before. Sixty-seven ankle MRIs with talocalcaneal coalition were retrospectively reviewed for disease of tendons and nerves of the tarsal tunnel. Interobserver variability in diagnosing tendon disease was performed in 30 of the 67 cases. Tarsal tunnel nerves were also evaluated in a control group of 20 consecutive ankle MRIs. Entrapment of the flexor hallucis longus tendon (FHL) by osseous excrescences was seen in 14 of 67 cases (21 %). Attenuation, split tearing, tenosynovitis, or tendinosis of the FHL was present in 26 cases (39 %). Attenuation or tenosynovitis was seen in the flexor digitorum longus tendon (FDL) in 18 cases (27 %). Tenosynovitis or split tearing of the posterior tibial tendon (PT) was present in nine cases (13 %). Interobserver variability ranged from 100 % to slight depending on the tendon and type of disease. Intense increased signal and caliber of the medial plantar nerve (MPN), indicative of neuritis, was seen in 6 of the 67 cases (9 %). Mildly increased T2 signal of the MPN was seen in 15 (22 %) and in 14 (70 %) of the control group. Talocalcaneal coalitions may be associated with tarsal tunnel soft tissue abnormalities affecting, in decreasing order, the FHL, FDL, and PT tendons, as well as the MPN. This information should be provided to the referring physician in order to guide treatment and improve post-surgical outcome. (orig.)

A comparative study of homemade C18 and commercial C18 sorbents for preconcentration of lead by minicolumn solid phase extraction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Maltez, H.F.; Curtius, A.J.; Carasek, E.; Melo, L.F.C.; Sales Fontes Jardim, I.C.; Nascimento de Queiroz do, S.C.

2004-01-01

A comparative study of commercial C 18 chemically immobilized on silica and homemade C 18 , as sorbents for Pb complexed with 0,0-diethyl-dithiophosphate (DDTP) in a flow injection preconcentration system is reported. The homemade C 18 sorbent was obtained by sorption of poly(methyloctadecylsiloxane) (PMODS) on the silica support followed by immobilization using thermal treatment. The method follows the concept of green chemistry, since there are no toxic residues after synthesis. The complexed Pb was formed in 1.0 mol L -1 HCI medium and retained on the minicolumn filled with the sorbents. The elution was carried out using ethanol, and the richest 210 μL fraction was collected and analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry. Chemical and flow variables were optimized for each sorbent. The results demonstrated that the performance of the proposed homemade C 18 sorbent for preconcentration of Pb complexed with DDTP is very similar to commercial C 18 chemically bonded on silica. By processing 25 mL, the enrichment factors were 129 and 125 for commercial C 18 and homemade C 18 , respectively. The limit of detection for commercial and homemade C 18 was 0.2 μg L -1 and 0.6 μg L -1 , respectively. The relative standard deviation (RSD) was lower than 1.2 % for both sorbents for a Pb concentration of 100 μg L -1 . The method was also applied successfully to the analysis of water samples, and the accuracy was tested by recovery measurements on spiked samples and biological reference material. (author)

Assessing Community Coalition Capacity and its Association with Underage Drinking Prevention Effectiveness in the Context of the SPF SIG.

Science.gov (United States)

Flewelling, Robert L; Hanley, Sean M

2016-10-01

Community coalitions are a prominent organizational structure through which community-based substance abuse prevention efforts are implemented. There is little empirical evidence, however, regarding the association between coalition attributes and success in achieving community-level reductions in substance abuse behaviors. In this study, we assessed the relationship between coalition capacity, based on coalition coordinator responses to 16 survey items, and reductions in underage drinking prevalence rates. The coalitions were funded through the federally sponsored Strategic Prevention Framework State Incentive Grant (SPF SIG). We first examined whether coalition capacity increased over the life of the projects. Mean capacity scores increased for all 16 capacity items examined (N = 318 coalitions), the majority of which were statistically significant. Analysis of the associations between capacity and reductions in underage drinking was limited to coalitions that targeted underage drinking and provided usable outcome measures based on student survey data for either past 30-day alcohol use (N = 129) or binge drinking (N = 100). Bivariate associations between the capacity items and prevalence reductions for each outcome were consistently positive, although many were not statistically significant. Composite measures of correlated items were then created to represent six different capacity constructs, and included in multivariate models to predict reductions in the targeted outcomes. Constructs that significantly predicted reductions in one or both outcome measures included internal organization and structure, community connections and outreach, and funding from multiple sources. The findings provide support for the expectation that high functioning community coalitions can be effective agents for producing desirable community-level changes in targeted substance abuse behaviors.

Talocalcaneal Joint Middle Facet Coalition Resection With Interposition of a Juvenile Hyaline Cartilage Graft.

Science.gov (United States)

Tower, Dyane E; Wood, Ryan W; Vaardahl, Michael D

2015-01-01

Talocalcaneal joint middle facet coalition is the most common tarsal coalition, occurring in ≤2% of the population. Fewer than 50% of involved feet obtain lasting relief of symptoms after nonoperative treatment, and surgical intervention is commonly used to relieve symptoms, increase the range of motion, improve function, reconstruct concomitant pes planovalgus, and prevent future arthrosis from occurring at the surrounding joints. Several approaches to surgical intervention are available for patients with middle facet coalitions, ranging from resection to hindfoot arthrodesis. We present a series of 4 cases, in 3 adolescent patients, of talocalcaneal joint middle facet coalition resection with interposition of a particulate juvenile hyaline cartilaginous allograft (DeNovo(®) NT Natural Tissue Graft, Zimmer, Inc., Warsaw, IN). With a mean follow-up period of 42.8 ± 2.9 (range 41 to 47) months, the 3 adolescent patients in the present series were doing well with improved subtalar joint motion and decreased pain, and 1 foot showed no bony regrowth on a follow-up computed tomography scan. The use of a particulate juvenile hyaline cartilaginous allograft as interposition material after talocalcaneal middle facet coalition resection combined with adjunct procedures to address concomitant pes planovalgus resulted in good short-term outcomes in 4 feet in 3 adolescent patients. Copyright © 2015 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Halftime - a balance in matters nuclear of the grand coalition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, W.

2007-01-01

On November 11, 2005, the coalition partners, CDU/CSU and SPD, signed the agreement establishing a coalition in the German federal parliament under the heading of ''Together for Germany''. Among other things, this raised the question of what would happen in the fields of energy policy and nuclear power. After 2 years of a grand coalition, it is time to draw some interim conclusions. The coalition agreement contains statements to the effect that energy policy means fundamental economic, structural and climate policies, and that secure, low-cost, non-polluting energy supplies are elementary prerequisites of a modern, capable national economy. A sustainable overall energy policy concept should be based on a balanced energy mix. This overall concept, one of the results of ''energy summit'' talks with Federal Chancellor Merkel, was announced for the end of 2007. The 3 energy summit discussions with Federal Chancellor Merkel deliberately avoided the subject of nuclear power. There is no debate about the implications of nuclear energy. This in no way improved the status of nuclear power in Germany. What remains is hope for the second half of this government's term of office. The beginning of that term is marked by the McKinsey study, initiated by the Federation of German Industries (BDI), on ''Cost and Potential of Avoiding Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Germany,'' which says that operating German nuclear power plants for 60 or even 45 years would result in a CO2 avoidance potential for 2020 which would be approximately 90 million tons higher, and in avoidance costs lower by 4.5 billion euro per year. (orig.)

Forming Social Justice Projects: Student Activists Reflect on Coalition-Building

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darren E. Lund

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Student activists share their experiences with racism and more specifically, their attempts to form school diversity initiatives. The author outlines a problematic lack of engagement of student activists in the scholarly literature on social justice, particularly related to their undervalued role as leaders in school-based antiracist coalitions. Excerpts from in-depth interviews with seven student participants in western Canadian schools offer new understandings on the potential of school-based activists. They explain the challenges and successes in building and sustaining activist coalitions and in pursuing their social justice efforts beyond school. Their contributions represent new voices to join the ongoing conversation in educational research and community activism.

Patterns of interventions and the effect of coalitions and sociality on male fitness.

Science.gov (United States)

Kulik, Lars; Muniz, Laura; Mundry, Roger; Widdig, Anja

2012-02-01

In group living animals, especially among primates, there is consistent evidence that high-ranking males gain a higher reproductive output than low-ranking males. Primate studies have shown that male coalitions and sociality can impact male fitness; however, it remains unclear whether males could potentially increase their fitness by preferentially supporting and socializing with females. Here we investigate patterns of male interventions and the effect of coalitions and sociality on male fitness in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) with particular focus on male-female interactions. We combined behavioural observations collected on Cayo Santiago with genetic data analysed for male reproductive output and relatedness. Our results revealed that the ten top-ranking males provided the majority of all male support observed. In contrast to other primates, male rhesus macaques mainly formed all-down coalitions suggesting that coalitions are less likely used to enhance male dominance. Males supporting females during and before their likely conception were not more likely to fertilize those females. We also found no evidence that males preferably support their offspring or other close kin. Interestingly, the most important predictor of male support was sociality, since opponents sharing a higher sociality index with a given male were more likely to be supported. Furthermore, a high sociality index of a given male-female dyad resulted in a higher probability of paternity. Overall, our results strengthen the evidence that sociality affects fitness in male primates, but also suggest that in species in which males queue for dominance, it is less likely that males derive fitness benefits from coalitions. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Coalitional game theory as a promising approach to identify candidate autism genes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Anika; Sun, Min Woo; Paskov, Kelley Marie; Stockham, Nate Tyler; Jung, Jae-Yoon; Wall, Dennis Paul

2018-01-01

Despite mounting evidence for the strong role of genetics in the phenotypic manifestation of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the specific genes responsible for the variable forms of ASD remain undefined. ASD may be best explained by a combinatorial genetic model with varying epistatic interactions across many small effect mutations. Coalitional or cooperative game theory is a technique that studies the combined effects of groups of players, known as coalitions, seeking to identify players who tend to improve the performance--the relationship to a specific disease phenotype--of any coalition they join. This method has been previously shown to boost biologically informative signal in gene expression data but to-date has not been applied to the search for cooperative mutations among putative ASD genes. We describe our approach to highlight genes relevant to ASD using coalitional game theory on alteration data of 1,965 fully sequenced genomes from 756 multiplex families. Alterations were encoded into binary matrices for ASD (case) and unaffected (control) samples, indicating likely gene-disrupting, inherited mutations in altered genes. To determine individual gene contributions given an ASD phenotype, a "player" metric, referred to as the Shapley value, was calculated for each gene in the case and control cohorts. Sixty seven genes were found to have significantly elevated player scores and likely represent significant contributors to the genetic coordination underlying ASD. Using network and cross-study analysis, we found that these genes are involved in biological pathways known to be affected in the autism cases and that a subset directly interact with several genes known to have strong associations to autism. These findings suggest that coalitional game theory can be applied to large-scale genomic data to identify hidden yet influential players in complex polygenic disorders such as autism.

Coalitions and family problem solving with preadolescents in referred, at-risk, and comparison families.

Science.gov (United States)

Vuchinich, S; Wood, B; Vuchinich, R

1994-12-01

This study tested the hypothesis that the mother-father coalition, parent-child coalitions, and parental warmth expressed toward the child are associated with family problem solving in families with a preadolescent child referred for treatment of behavior problems (n = 30), families with a child at-risk for conduct disorder (n = 68), and a sample of comparison families (n = 90). Referred and at-risk families displayed less effective problem solving. A regression analysis, which controlled for gender of the child, family structure, family income, marital satisfaction, and severity of child problems, showed that strong parental coalitions were linked to low levels of family problem solving in at-risk and referred families. Parent-child coalitions had little apparent impact while parental warmth was highly correlated with better family problem solving. The results may be interpreted as evidence for a tendency for parents in at-risk and referred families to "scapegoat" a preadolescent during family problem-solving sessions. This may undermine progress on family problem solutions and may complicate family-based prevention and treatment programs that use family problem-solving sessions.

Overlapping coalition formation games in wireless communication networks

CERN Document Server

Wang, Tianyu; Saad, Walid; Han, Zhu

2017-01-01

This brief introduces overlapping coalition formation games (OCF games), a novel mathematical framework from cooperative game theory that can be used to model, design and analyze cooperative scenarios in future wireless communication networks. The concepts of OCF games are explained, and several algorithmic aspects are studied. In addition, several major application scenarios are discussed. These applications are drawn from a variety of fields that include radio resource allocation in dense wireless networks, cooperative spectrum sensing for cognitive radio networks, and resource management for crowd sourcing. For each application, the use of OCF games is discussed in detail in order to show how this framework can be used to solve relevant wireless networking problems. Overlapping Coalition Formation Games in Wireless Communication Networks provides researchers, students and practitioners with a concise overview of existing works in this emerging area, exploring the relevant fundamental theories, key techniqu...

Tamarisk coalition - native riparian plant materials program

Science.gov (United States)

Stacy Kolegas

2012-01-01

The Tamarisk Coalition (TC), a nonprofit organization dedicated to riparian restoration in the western United States, has created a Native Plant Materials Program to address the identified need for native riparian plant species for use in revegetation efforts on the Colorado Plateau. The specific components of the Native Plant Materials Program include: 1) provide seed...

Smart transactive energy framework in grid-connected multiple home microgrids under independent and coalition operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marzband, Mousa; Azarinejadian, Fatemeh; Savaghebi, Mehdi

2018-01-01

This paper presents a smart Transactive energy (TE) framework in which home microgrids (H-MGs) can collaborate with each other in a multiple H-MG system by forming coalitions for gaining competitiveness in the market. Profit allocation due to coalition between H-MGs is an important issue...

Frequency Resource Sharing and Allocation Scheme Based on Coalition Formation Game in Hybrid D2D-Cellular Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qing Ou

2015-01-01

Full Text Available A distributed cooperation scheme on frequency resource sharing is proposed to improve the quality of service (QoS in device-to-device (D2D communications underlaying cellular networks. Specifically, we formulate the resource allocation problem as a coalition formation game with transferable utility, in which all users have the incentive to cooperate with some others and form a competitive group to maximize the probability of obtaining their favorite spectrum resources. Taking the cost for coalition formation into account, such as the path loss for data sharing, we prove that the core of the proposed game is empty, which shows the impossibility of grand coalition. Hence, we propose a distributed merge-and-split based coalition formation algorithm based on a new defined Max-Coalition order to effectively solve the coalition game. Compared with the exhaustive search, our algorithm has much lower computer complexity. In addition, we prove that stability and convergence of the proposed algorithm using the concept of a defection function. Finally, the simulation results show that the proposed scheme achieves a suboptimal performance in terms of network sum rate compared with the centralized optimal resource allocation scheme obtained via exhaustive search.

Fighting Windmills: The Coalition of Industrialists and Environmentalists in the Climate Change Issue

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brandt, Urs Steiner; Svendsen, Gert Tinggaard

2004-01-01

environmental quality. We focus on the case of international climate negotiations and the promotion of wind-based energy. Along the lines of the Ackerman and Hassler approach, we suggest that one reason for EU eagerness to push forward ambitious reduction target levels (and thereby promote new green industries......) could be a similar coalition between industrialists and environmentalists. Such a strategy can be seen in the context of the Bootleggers and Baptist theory developed by Yandle [‘Bootleggers and Baptists: the Education of a Regulatory Economist,’ Regulation, 7, 12–16], where the Baptists (in our case...... for the coalition of industrialists and environmentalists offering both market protection and improved environmental quality. Solving the current deadlock in international climate negotiations may well imply fighting the strong coalition of industrialists and environmentalists. Such a political battle may turn out...

Air cargo in the Mid-America Freight Coalition region.

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-01

This report contains a contextual review of air cargo transportation in the 10-state Mid-America Freight Coalition (MAFC) region including the industrys recent history, security implications, and integration within the greater MAFC economy. The re...

The Impact of Sowing Technology on Ponderal Features of Winter Wheat Seeds in Timişoara

OpenAIRE

Marcela Dragoş; Paul Pîrşan

2011-01-01

Wheat is a grass, originally from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. The paper presents the results obtained in the last two years of experience, about the influence of sowing technology on the ponderal features of the winter wheat seeds. The experimental parcels were laid down in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the pedo-climatic conditions of Timişoara. The purpose of the research is to determine the influence of some sow...

Ponderal index (PI) vs birth weight centiles in the low-risk primigravid population: which is the better predictor of fetal wellbeing?

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Cooley, S M

2012-07-01

Our objective was to compare Ponderal index (PI) with birth weight centiles as predictors of perinatal morbidity and to determine which best reflects the presence of placental disease. We prospectively recruited 1,011 low-risk primigravidas and calculated PI and birth weight centiles following delivery. Perinatal morbidity was defined as: pre-term birth (PTB); fetal acidosis; an Apgar score <7 at 5 min or neonatal resuscitation. Placental disease was defined as chronic uteroplacental insufficiency (CUPI); villous dysmaturity; infection or vascular pathology. Ponderal index was statistically reduced (25.33 vs 27.79 p =0.001) and the incidence of infant birth weight <9th centile was statistically higher (11.1% vs 5.1%; p =0.004) in cases with PTB and in CUPI (26.23 vs 27.84; p =0.001 and 28.2.1% vs 10.4%; p =0.002). Both PI and infant birth weight centile <9th centile for gestational age correlate with PTB, however overall, both are poor predictors of neonatal and placental disease.

Detecting and Mitigating Smart Insider Jamming Attacks in MANETs Using Reputation-Based Coalition Game

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ashraf Al Sharah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Security in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs is challenging due to the ability of adversaries to gather necessary intelligence to launch insider jamming attacks. The solutions to prevent external attacks on MANET are not applicable for defense against insider jamming attacks. There is a need for a formal framework to characterize the information required by adversaries to launch insider jamming attacks. In this paper, we propose a novel reputation-based coalition game in MANETs to detect and mitigate insider jamming attacks. Since there is no centralized controller in MANETs, the nodes rely heavily on availability of transmission rates and a reputation for each individual node in the coalition to detect the presence of internal jamming node. The nodes will form a stable grand coalition in order to make a strategic security defense decision, maintain the grand coalition based on node reputation, and exclude any malicious node based on reputation value. Simulation results show that our approach provides a framework to quantify information needed by adversaries to launch insider attacks. The proposed approach will improve MANET’s defense against insider attacks, while also reducing incorrect classification of legitimate nodes as jammers.

Values for graph-restricted games with coalition structure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Khmelnitskaya, Anna Borisovna

We consider a new model for TU games with both coalition and cooperation structures that applies to different network situations, in particular, to sharing an international river with multiple users without international firms. Our approach to the value for such a game is close to that of Myerson

Vocational Home Economics Education. Coalition Statement. Second Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Home Economics Education Association, Gainesville, VA.

This pamphlet contains the statement of the Coalition of the American Home Economics Association, American Vocational Association, and Home Economics Education Association regarding the scope and definition of vocational home economics education. It is intended to serve as a basis for professional action. Sections of this statement address the…

Community Coalitions' Gender-Aware Policy and Systems Changes to Improve the Health of Women and Girls.

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalczyk, Shelly; Randolph, Suzanne M; Oravecz, Linda

2017-10-17

Addressing environmental barriers and community conditions through policy and systems change provides the foundation for creating sustainable public health change at the population level. In an effort to influence population-level change that is gender aware, the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women's Health funded the Coalition for a Healthier Community initiative supporting 10 grantees in the implementation of gender-based, public health systems approaches to improve women and girls' health. A national evaluation assessed the extent to which these gender-aware public health systems approaches result in programs and policies that are sustainable and cost effective in addressing health disparities in women and girls. For this paper, a review of policies reported on in grantees' quarterly progress reports was conducted, and policies were categorized based on each policy's status, level, sector affected, and whether it was gender aware. The review revealed 77 policies at varying stages of development or implementation intended to facilitate systems-level change at the coalition, school, organizational, local, or state level. Fifty-one percent of these policies were identified as being gender aware, because they were intended to reduce barriers to or increase facilitators of gender equity. Community coalitions, like the Coalition for a Healthier Community coalitions, can be valuable channels for promoting policy change, as demonstrated by the many policies developed and/or supported by the Coalition for a Healthier Community grantees in their attempt to meet the needs of women and girls. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Cohesion and Coalition Formation in the European Parliament: Roll-Call Votes and Twitter Activities.

Science.gov (United States)

Cherepnalkoski, Darko; Karpf, Andreas; Mozetič, Igor; Grčar, Miha

2016-01-01

We study the cohesion within and the coalitions between political groups in the Eighth European Parliament (2014-2019) by analyzing two entirely different aspects of the behavior of the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in the policy-making processes. On one hand, we analyze their co-voting patterns and, on the other, their retweeting behavior. We make use of two diverse datasets in the analysis. The first one is the roll-call vote dataset, where cohesion is regarded as the tendency to co-vote within a group, and a coalition is formed when the members of several groups exhibit a high degree of co-voting agreement on a subject. The second dataset comes from Twitter; it captures the retweeting (i.e., endorsing) behavior of the MEPs and implies cohesion (retweets within the same group) and coalitions (retweets between groups) from a completely different perspective. We employ two different methodologies to analyze the cohesion and coalitions. The first one is based on Krippendorff's Alpha reliability, used to measure the agreement between raters in data-analysis scenarios, and the second one is based on Exponential Random Graph Models, often used in social-network analysis. We give general insights into the cohesion of political groups in the European Parliament, explore whether coalitions are formed in the same way for different policy areas, and examine to what degree the retweeting behavior of MEPs corresponds to their co-voting patterns. A novel and interesting aspect of our work is the relationship between the co-voting and retweeting patterns.

Intercell scheduling: A negotiation approach using multi-agent coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Tian, Yunna; Li, Dongni; Zheng, Dan; Jia, Yunde

2016-10-01

Intercell scheduling problems arise as a result of intercell transfers in cellular manufacturing systems. Flexible intercell routes are considered in this article, and a coalition-based scheduling (CBS) approach using distributed multi-agent negotiation is developed. Taking advantage of the extended vision of the coalition agents, the global optimization is improved and the communication cost is reduced. The objective of the addressed problem is to minimize mean tardiness. Computational results show that, compared with the widely used combinatorial rules, CBS provides better performance not only in minimizing the objective, i.e. mean tardiness, but also in minimizing auxiliary measures such as maximum completion time, mean flow time and the ratio of tardy parts. Moreover, CBS is better than the existing intercell scheduling approach for the same problem with respect to the solution quality and computational costs.

Crisis and Policy Reformcraft: Advocacy Coalitions and Crisis-induced Change in Swedish Nuclear Energy Policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nohrstedt, Daniel

2007-04-15

This dissertation consists of three interrelated essays examining the role of crisis events in Swedish nuclear energy policymaking. The study takes stock of the idea of 'crisis exceptionalism' raised in the literature, which postulates that crisis events provide openings for major policy change. In an effort to explain crisis-induced outcomes in Swedish nuclear energy policy, each essay explores and develops theoretical assumptions derived from the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). The introduction discusses the ACF and other theoretical perspectives accentuating the role of crisis in policymaking and identifies three explanations for crisis-induced policy outcomes: minority coalition mobilization, learning, and strategic action. Essay 1 analyzes the nature and development of the Swedish nuclear energy subsystem. The results contradict the ACF assumption that corporatist systems nurture narrow subsystems and small advocacy coalitions, but corroborate the assumption that advocacy coalitions remain stable over time. While this analysis identifies temporary openings in policymaking venues and in the advocacy coalition structure, it is argued that these developments did not affect crisis policymaking. Essay 2 seeks to explain the decision to initiate a referendum on nuclear power following the 1979 Three Mile Island accident. Internal government documents and other historical records indicate that strategic considerations superseded learning as the primary explanation in this case. Essay 3 conducts an in-depth examination of Swedish policymaking in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl accident in an effort to explain the government's decision not to accelerate the nuclear power phaseout. Recently disclosed government documents show that minority coalition mobilization was insufficient to explain this decision. In this case, rational learning and strategic action provided a better explanation. The main theoretical contribution derived from the three

Crisis and Policy Reformcraft: Advocacy Coalitions and Crisis-induced Change in Swedish Nuclear Energy Policy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nohrstedt, Daniel

2007-04-01

This dissertation consists of three interrelated essays examining the role of crisis events in Swedish nuclear energy policymaking. The study takes stock of the idea of 'crisis exceptionalism' raised in the literature, which postulates that crisis events provide openings for major policy change. In an effort to explain crisis-induced outcomes in Swedish nuclear energy policy, each essay explores and develops theoretical assumptions derived from the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF). The introduction discusses the ACF and other theoretical perspectives accentuating the role of crisis in policymaking and identifies three explanations for crisis-induced policy outcomes: minority coalition mobilization, learning, and strategic action. Essay 1 analyzes the nature and development of the Swedish nuclear energy subsystem. The results contradict the ACF assumption that corporatist systems nurture narrow subsystems and small advocacy coalitions, but corroborate the assumption that advocacy coalitions remain stable over time. While this analysis identifies temporary openings in policymaking venues and in the advocacy coalition structure, it is argued that these developments did not affect crisis policymaking. Essay 2 seeks to explain the decision to initiate a referendum on nuclear power following the 1979 Three Mile Island accident. Internal government documents and other historical records indicate that strategic considerations superseded learning as the primary explanation in this case. Essay 3 conducts an in-depth examination of Swedish policymaking in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl accident in an effort to explain the government's decision not to accelerate the nuclear power phaseout. Recently disclosed government documents show that minority coalition mobilization was insufficient to explain this decision. In this case, rational learning and strategic action provided a better explanation. The main theoretical contribution derived from the three essays is to posit

Coalition contract management as a systems change strategy for HIV prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Darrow, William W; Montanea, Julie E; Sánchez-Braña, Elizabeth

2010-11-01

Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) 2010 provided a unique opportunity for minority community-based organizations (CBOs) to work together to eliminate disparities in HIV disease. A coalition was formed in Broward County to respond to the REACH 2010 program announcement, a university was chosen to coordinate efforts, and contracts were negotiated with CBO partners to develop, implement, and evaluate a community action plan. Contract management provided stability, focus, and a mechanism for coalition partners to measure progress toward achieving project objectives. By emphasizing documentation as well as the delivery of services, however, contract conditions also placed a heavy burden on educational outreach workers, restricted the reimbursable activities of member organizations, and created friction between minority agencies and university staff. Although the coalition met many of its objectives, the introduction and enforcement of a mutually agreed on set of rules and obligations as a way of promoting systems change in Broward County failed to make a lasting impact among community partners. CBOs continued to compete with one another for HIV prevention project funding and stopped collaborating as closely with another when federal support for our REACH 2010 community demonstration project ran out.

The Vermont transportation energy report : Vermont Clean Cities Coalition.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-01

The mission of the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition (VCCC) is to reduce the states reliance on : fossil fuels for transportation. This annual report provides policy makers with relevant and : timely data on the status of fuel consumption, vehicle pu...

Long-Term Sustainability of Evidence-Based Prevention Interventions and Community Coalitions Survival: a Five and One-Half Year Follow-up Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Knowlton; Collins, David; Shamblen, Steve; Kenworthy, Tara; Wandersman, Abraham

2017-07-01

This study examines (1) coalition survival, (2) prevalence of evidence-based prevention interventions (EBPIs) to reduce substance abuse implemented as part of the Tennessee Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) State Incentive Grant (SIG), (3) EBPI sustainability, and (4) factors that predict EBPI sustainability. Secondary data were collected on 27 SPF SIG-funded coalitions and 88 EBPI and non-EBPI implementations. Primary data were collected by a telephone interview/web survey five and one-half years after the SPF SIG ended. Results from secondary data show that 25 of the 27 coalitions survived beyond the SPF SIG for one to five and one-half years; 19 coalitions (70%) were still active five and one-half years later. Further, 88 EBPIs and non-EBPIs were implemented by 27 county SPF SIG coalitions. Twenty-one (21) of 27 coalitions (78%) implemented one to three EBPIs, totaling 37 EBPI implementations. Based on primary survey data on 29 of the 37 EBPI implementations, 28 EBPIs (97%) were sustained between two and five and one-half years while 22 EBPI implementations (76%) were sustained for five and one-half years. When controlling for variability among coalitions (nesting of EBPIs in coalitions), increases in data resources (availability of five types of prevention data) was a strong predictor of length of EBPI sustainability. Positive change in extramural funding resources and level of expertise during SPF SIG implementation, as well as level of coalition formalization at the end of the SPF SIG predicted EBPI sustainability length. One intervention attribute (trialability) also predicted length of sustainability. Implications are discussed.

Core of Coalition Games on MV-algebras

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kroupa, Tomáš

2011-01-01

Roč. 21, č. 3 (2011), s. 479-492 ISSN 0955-792X R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1M0572; GA ČR GA102/08/0567 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : coalition game * core * MV-algebra Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.611, year: 2011 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2011/MTR/kroupa-0359839.pdf

2. Coalition Collapse in the Context of Negotiation and Inter-Party Cooperation Theory

OpenAIRE

Biira, Catherine Promise

2013-01-01

Although most negotiators are primarily focused on reaching an agreement, the case of the opposition Inter-Party Cooperation coalition in Uganda demonstrates that “getting to yes” is not enough. The IPC collapsed just five months before it could participate in the very election it had been formed to commonly contest. As suggested in the previous section, while disagreement as to whether the coalition should participate in the 2011 election was publicly stated as the cause of the IPC collapse,...

Creation of the Quebrada Arriba Community and Academic Partnership: An Effective Coalition for Addressing Health Disparities in Older Puerto Ricans.

Science.gov (United States)

Orellano-Colón, Elsa M; González-Laboy, Yolanda; De Jesús-Rosario, Amarelis

2017-06-01

The objective of this project was to develop a community-academic coalition partnership to conduct community-based participatory research (CBPR) to address health disparities in older adults with chronic conditions living in the Quebrada Arriba community. We used the 'Developing and Sustaining CPPR Partnerships: A Skill-Building Curriculum', to create the Quebrada Arriba Community-Academic Partnership (QACAP). We assessed the meetings effectiveness and the CBPR experiences of the coalition members in the community-academic partnership. The stepwise process resulted in: the development of The Coalition for the Health and Wellbeing of Older People of Quebrada Arriba; the partnership's mission and vision; the operating procedures; the formulation of the research question, and; the action plan for obtaining funding resources. The mean levels of satisfaction for each of the items of the Meeting Effectiveness Evaluation tool were 100%. The mean agreement rating scores on variables related to having a positive experience with the coalition, members' representativeness of community interest, respectful contacts between members, the coalition's vision and mission, the participation of the members in establishing the prioritized community problem, and sharing of resources between the members was 100%. The steps used to build the QACAP provided an effective structure to create the coalition and captured the results of coalition activities. Partners' time to build trust and developing a sufficient understanding of local issues, high interest of the community members, flexibility of the partners, capitalization on the partners' strengths, and the shared decision building process were key contributors of this coalition's success.

Evaluation of DELTA PREP: A Project Aimed at Integrating Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence Within State Domestic Violence Coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Freire, Kimberley E.; Zakocs, Ronda; Le, Brenda; Hill, Jessica A.; Brown, Pamela; Wheaton, Jocelyn

2018-01-01

Background Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been recognized as a public health problem since the late 20th century. To spur IPV prevention efforts nationwide, the DELTA PREP Project selected 19 state domestic violence coalitions to build organizational prevention capacity and catalyze IPV primary prevention strategies within their states. Objective DELTA PREP’s summative evaluation addressed four major questions: (1) Did coalitions improve their prevention capacity during the project period? (2) Did coalitions serve as catalysts for prevention activities within their states during the project period? (3) Was initial prevention capacity associated with the number of prevention activity types initiated by coalitions by the end of the project? (4) Did coalitions sustain their prevention activities 6 months after the end of the project period? Results DELTA PREP achieved its capacity-building goal, with all 19 participant coalitions integrating prevention within their organizations and serving as catalysts for prevention activities in their states. At 6 months follow up, coalitions had sustained almost all prevention activities they initiated during the project. Baseline prevention capacity (Beginner vs. Intermediate) was not associated with the number of prevention activity types coalitions implemented by the end of the project. Conclusion Service and treatment organizations are increasingly asked to integrate a full spectrum of prevention strategies. Selecting organizations that have high levels of general capacity and readiness for an innovation like integrating a public health approach to IPV prevention will likely increase success in building an innovation-specific capacity, and in turn implementing an innovation. PMID:26245932

Relação entre índice ponderal ao nascer e excesso de peso corporal em jovens The correlation between birth weight index and excess weight in young individuals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elizabeth Maria Bismarck-Nasr

2007-09-01

Full Text Available A identificação de fatores de risco modificáveis para obesidade mostra-se fundamental para sua prevenção, como o inadequado crescimento intra-uterino. O presente estudo verificou a relação entre nutrição ao nascer e sobrepeso em jovens. Avaliaram-se 287 indivíduos com média (desvio-padrão de 15,2 (1,4 anos. Para diagnóstico nutricional ao nascer, utilizou-se o índice ponderal e, para o atual, índice de massa corporal (IMC, circunferência da cintura e composição corporal. Verificou-se, para os meninos, associação positiva entre índice ponderal e sobrepeso (p = 0,05 e excesso de gordura abdominal (p = 0,04. Para as meninas, houve associação negativa entre índice ponderal e comprimento ao nascer (p = 0,00 e quantidade de massa muscular (p = 0,01. Meninas de menor índice ponderal apresentaram maior quantidade de gordura corporal total e abdominal, enquanto as de maior índice ponderal apresentaram valores inferiores de estatura final (p = 0,09. Pode-se sugerir que indivíduos pertencentes aos extremos de índice ponderal enquadram-se em categoria de risco para obesidade futura, relação que se mostrou mais evidente para o extremo superior, no sexo masculino, e inferior, no feminino.Identification of modifiable risk factors for obesity has proven crucial for its prevention, for example inadequate intrauterine growth. The current study verified the relationship between nutritional status at birth and overweight in youth. A total of 287 individuals were evaluated, with a mean age of 15.2 years (SD 1.4. Nutritional status at birth was based on the birth weight index, and current status was based on BMI, waist circumference, and body composition. In boys there was a positive association between weight index and overweight (p = 0.05 and excess abdominal fat (p = 0.04. For girls, there was a negative association between weight index and length at birth (p = 0.00 and amount of muscle mass (p = 0.01. Girls with lower weight index

TTI Phase 2 Institutional Support: Advocates Coalition for ...

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

Le financement contribuera à renforcer le rôle de l'Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) en tant qu'organisme crédible de recherche sur les politiques publiques en Ouganda, en améliorant sa capacité à fournir des recherches de qualité supérieure, influentes et utiles en matière de politiques.

High Voltage Homemade Capacitor Charger for Plasma Focus System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdul Halim Baijan; Azaman Ahmad; Rokiah Mohd Sabri; Siti Aiasah Hashim; Mohd Rizal Md Chulan; Wah, L.K.; Azhar Ahmad; Rosli Che Ros; Mohd Faiz Mohd Zin

2015-01-01

A high voltage capacitor charger has been designed and built to replace a high voltage charger type General Atomics CCDs Power Supply which was damaged. The fabrication design was using materials which were easily available in the local market. Among the main components of the high-voltage charger is a transformer for neon lights, variable transformer rated 0 - 240 V 1 KVA, and 240 V transformer isolator. The results of experiments that have been conducted shows that a homemade capacitor charger was able to charge high voltage capacitors up to the required voltage of which was 12 kV. However the time taken for charging is quite long, up to more than 6 minutes. (author)

Set-Theoretic Inequalities in Stochastic Noncooperative Games with Coalition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ailada Treerattrakoon

2008-04-01

Full Text Available We model and analyze antagonistic stochastic games of three players, two of whom form a coalition against the third one. The actions of the players are modeled by random walk processes recording the cumulative damages to each player at any moment of time. The game continues until the single player or the coalition is defeated. The defeat of any particular player takes place when the associated process (representing the collateral damage crosses a fixed threshold. Once the threshold is exceeded at some time, the associated player exits the game. All involved processes are being “observed by a third party process” so that the information regarding the status of all players is restricted to those special epochs. Furthermore, all processed are modulated (with their parameters being modified in due course of the game. We obtain a closed form joint functional of the named processes at key reference points.

Gait analysis with an integrated system for functional assessment of talocalcaneal coalition.

Science.gov (United States)

Giacomozzi, Claudia; Benedetti, Maria Grazia; Leardini, Alberto; Macellari, Velio; Giannini, Sandro

2006-01-01

There is little knowledge of the functional performance of patients with talocalcaneal coalition because of the marginal quantitative information accessible using current motion-analysis and plantar pressure-measurement techniques. A novel system was developed for comprehensively measuring foot-floor interaction during the stance phase of gait that integrates instrumentation for simultaneously measuring bony segment position, ground reaction force, and plantar pressure with synchronization of spatial and temporal variables. An advanced anatomically based analysis of foot joint rotations was also applied. Tracking of numerous anatomical landmarks allowed accurate selection of three footprint subareas and reliable estimation of relevant local forces and moments. Eight patients (11 feet) with talocalcaneal coalition were analyzed. Major impairment of the rearfoot was found in nonsurgical patients, with an everted attitude, limited plantarflexion, and overloading in all three components of ground reaction force. Surgical patients showed more normal loading patterns in each footprint subarea. This measuring system allowed for accurate inspection of the effects of surgical treatment in the entire foot and at several footprint subareas. Surgical treatment of talocalcaneal coalition seems to be effective in restoring more physiologic subtalar and forefoot motion and loading patterns.

Unwell after drinking homemade alcohol – A case of ethylene glycol poisoning

OpenAIRE

Laher, A.E.; Goldstein, L.N.; Wells, M.D.; Dufourq, N.; Moodley, P.

2013-01-01

Introduction: Delayed treatment of ethylene glycol poisoning can have catastrophic consequences that may result in death. Case report: Three young men presented to the Emergency Centre (EC) with a main complaint of feeling unwell after consuming “homemade alcohol”. A fourth person had died at home an hour earlier. Blood analysis revealed a raised anion gap metabolic acidosis as well as a raised osmolar gap in all three patients. Discussion: The clinical presentation of ethylene glycol a...

The interaction effect of mixing starter cultures on homemade natural yogurt’s pH and viscosity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hadi A. Dahlan

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Dairy yogurts are common food products consumed by people all over the world. Due to the simple process, many people have made their own natural yogurt at home. The fermentation due to the starter culture causes the textural properties of dairy yogurt. However, the literature is surprisingly scarce on the topic of starter culture interactions in the development of textural properties of dairy yogurt. This study investigated the interaction effect of three common starter cultures, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophiles, on the viscosity of homemade yogurt. Using Design Expert software, a 10-run mixture model experiment was designed to examine the textural properties developed by single or multiple inoculation of these starter cultures. All yogurt formulations reached the isoelectric point of milk and had pHs in the range 3.97 to 4.32. Yogurt formulations with L. acidophilus and S. thermophilus resulted in viscosities which were similar to commercial yogurt viscosity (1.77 Pa.s, while L. bulgaricus resulted in yogurt with a lower viscosity. Based on the mixture model, L. acidophilus had most influence on the yogurt viscosity, followed by S. thermophilus and L. bulgaricus. In conclusion, L. acidophilus can be used as a single starter culture or combined with other starter cultures to develop high viscosity homemade yogurt. A Combination of S. thermophilus and L. acidphilus can also be used to develop high viscosity yogurts. However, L. bulgaricus should not be inoculated alone or become a dominant ratio in multiple starter culture inoculation as it will decrease the overall homemade yogurt viscosity.

Association of placenta organotin concentrations with growth and ponderal index in 110 newborn boys from Finland during the first 18 months of life

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rantakokko, Panu; Main, Katharina M; Wohlfart-Veje, Christine

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Humans are exposed to tributyltin (TBT), previously used as an antifouling paint in ships, mainly through fish consumption. As TBT is a known obesogen, we studied the association of placenta TBT and other organotin compounds (OTCs) with ponderal index (PI) and growth during the first 18...

Career advancement opportunities and the ACVP/STP Coalition.

Science.gov (United States)

Cockerell, Gary

2014-07-01

A new service to facilitate career advancement opportunities has been implemented by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (ACVP)/Society of Toxicologic Pathology (STP) Coalition for Veterinary Pathology Fellows. This service will allow rapid communication of these opportunities between veterinary pathologists in academia, industry, and government, and will be useful to trainees as well as established pathologists. © 2014 by The Author(s).

Role-Based Access Control for Coalition Partners in Maritime Domain Awareness

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

McDaniel, Christopher R; Tardy, Matthew L

2005-01-01

The need for Shared Situational Awareness (SSA) in accomplishing joint missions by coalition militaries, law enforcement, the intelligence community, and the private sector creates a unique challenge to providing access control...

45 CFR 1370.4 - State domestic violence coalition grants.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 45 Public Welfare 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false State domestic violence coalition grants. 1370.4 Section 1370.4 Public Welfare Regulations Relating to Public Welfare (Continued) OFFICE OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SERVICES PROGRAMS FAMILY VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SERVICES...

An alternative model of the formation of political coalitions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van der Rijt, J.W.

Most models of the formation of political coalitions use either Euclidean spaces or rely purely on game theory. This limits their applicability. In this article, a single model is presented which is more broadly applicable. In principle any kind of set can be used as a policy space. The model is

Discourse coalitions in Swiss waste management: gridlock or winds of change?

Science.gov (United States)

Duygan, Mert; Stauffacher, Michael; Meylan, Grégoire

2018-02-01

As a complex socio-technical system, waste management is crucially important for the sustainable management of material and energy flows. Transition to better performing waste management systems requires not only determining what needs to be changed but also finding out how this change can be realized. Without understanding the political context, insights from decision support tools such as life cycle assessment (LCA) are likely to be lost in translation to decision and policy making. This study strives to provide a first insight into the political context and address the opportunities and barriers pertinent to initiating a change in Swiss waste management. For this purpose, the discourses around a major policy process are analysed to uncover the policy beliefs and preferences of actors. Discourse coalitions are delineated by referring to the Advocacy Coalition Framework (Sabatier, 1998) and using the Discourse Network Analysis (Leifeld and Haunss, 2012) method. The results display an incoherent regime (Fuenfschilling and Truffer, 2014) with divergent belief clusters on core issues in waste management. Yet, some actors holding different beliefs appear to have overlapping interests on secondary issues such as the treatment of biogenic waste or plastics. Although the current political context hinders a system-wide disruptive change, transitions can be initiated at local or regional scale by utilizing the shared interest across different discourse coalitions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Incidental Finding of a Talonavicular and Talocalcaneal Joint Coalition After a Tibial Pilon Fracture: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Godoy, Heidi M; Micciche, Mark J

It has been proposed that patients with talocalcaneal and talonavicular coalitions have decreased ankle joint range of motion. It has also been reported that rotational forces regularly absorbed by the talocalcaneal joint are transferred to the ankle joint in patients with coalitions, increasing the stress on the ankle joint after trauma. To the best of our knowledge, only 1 reported study has detailed the increased stress placed on the ankle joint secondary to a coalition. We present a case study of a 53-year-old female who experienced a traumatic fall and subsequent right ankle fracture. Advanced imaging studies revealed a comminuted tibial pilon fracture and talocalcaneal and talonavicular joint coalitions. She underwent open reduction and internal fixation for treatment of the fracture, and the coalitions were not treated because they were asymptomatic. She was kept non-weightbearing for 6 weeks postoperatively and was returned to a regular sneaker at 10 weeks postoperatively. The postoperative films revealed stable intact fixation and pain-free gait with no increased restriction in her ankle joint range of motion. The hardware was removed at 13 months postoperatively. She had not experienced increased pain or arthritic changes at 15 months postoperatively. Copyright © 2017 American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamic and adaptive policy models for coalition operations

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, Dinesh; Calo, Seraphin; Chakraborty, Supriyo; Bertino, Elisa; Williams, Chris; Tucker, Jeremy; Rivera, Brian; de Mel, Geeth R.

2017-05-01

It is envisioned that the success of future military operations depends on the better integration, organizationally and operationally, among allies, coalition members, inter-agency partners, and so forth. However, this leads to a challenging and complex environment where the heterogeneity and dynamism in the operating environment intertwines with the evolving situational factors that affect the decision-making life cycle of the war fighter. Therefore, the users in such environments need secure, accessible, and resilient information infrastructures where policy-based mechanisms adopt the behaviours of the systems to meet end user goals. By specifying and enforcing a policy based model and framework for operations and security which accommodates heterogeneous coalitions, high levels of agility can be enabled to allow rapid assembly and restructuring of system and information resources. However, current prevalent policy models (e.g., rule based event-condition-action model and its variants) are not sufficient to deal with the highly dynamic and plausibly non-deterministic nature of these environments. Therefore, to address the above challenges, in this paper, we present a new approach for policies which enables managed systems to take more autonomic decisions regarding their operations.

Self-Organizing Coalitions for Conflict Evaluation and Resolution in Femtocells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Garcia, Luis Guilherme Uzeda; Da Costa, Gustavo Wagner Oliveira; Cattoni, Andrea Fabio

2010-01-01

consists of a set of distributed and scalable rules for building coalitions; these rules essentially resolve the conflicts among avid femtocells competing for a limited amount of resources. The proposed scheme has been designed by targeting localized reconfigurations, thus avoiding reconfiguration storms...

Challenge and threat responses to anger communication in coalition formation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Beest, I.; Scheepers, D.

2013-01-01

Research on multiparty negotiation has investigated how parties form coalitions to secure payoffs but has not assessed the underlying self-regulatory and physiological principles. Integrating insights from research on the social functions of emotions and the bio-psychosocial model as proposed by

Demonstration of the Coagulation and Diffusion of Homemade Slime Prepared under Acidic Conditions without Borate

Science.gov (United States)

Isokawa, Naho; Fueda, Kazuki; Miyagawa, Korin; Kanno, Kenichi

2015-01-01

Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) precipitates in many kinds of aqueous salt solutions. While sodium sulfate, a coagulant for PVA fiber, precipitates PVA to yield a white rigid gel, coagulation of PVA with aluminum sulfate, a coagulant for water treatment, yields a slime-like viscoelastic fluid. One type of homemade slime is prepared under basic…

Missed Diagnosis of an Intraorbital Foreign Body of Homemade Fireworks Origin: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Dan-Dan; Niu, Kai; Lu, Cheng-Wei; Hao, Ji-Long; Zhang, Bing-Jie; Hui, Peng

2015-01-01

We report a rare case of traumatic injury to the eye caused by homemade fireworks in a Chinese juvenile patient with a metal ring left in the orbit after having been sutured at the Emergency Department. An 11-year-old boy presented with a traumatic injury to the right eye from homemade fireworks. Following initial assessment involving maxillofacial computed tomography (CT) and suturing at the Emergency Department, he was transferred to our department for further evaluation because of his poor sight 1 day later. On examination, a skin laceration beneath the right eyebrow was noted, but the superior orbit was not fully visible on the maxillofacial CT performed 1 day previously. Therefore, an orbital CT scan was carried out on the second day, which showed a hyperdense ring embedded in the superior border of the orbital wall; the ring was surgically removed. On postoperative day 7, a fundus examination revealed resolving vitreous hemorrhage, blunt traumatic retinal detachment, and a large retinal tear superior to the macula. The patient refused to take surgery for retinal detachment into consideration. Therefore, we opted for oral steroids and careful observation. After 2 months' observation, the large retinal tear had healed and white fibrous scar tissue had developed, and the retinal detachment superior to the macula had reattached itself spontaneously. The patient's vision had further improved to 20/200. During 1 year of follow-up, he remained clinically stable. To avoid missing the diagnosis, a complete history of the mechanism of injury and accurate imaging still prove most useful. Complete removal of the foreign body by the emergency physician is necessary because of the ocular toxicity of an iron-containing foreign body. As evidenced by the current case, oral steroids and observation for a period of several months is a management of choice for traumatic retinal detachment and retinal tear superior to the macula associated with homemade fireworks in children.

Missed Diagnosis of an Intraorbital Foreign Body of Homemade Fireworks Origin: A Case Report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dan-dan Zhou

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Purpose: We report a rare case of traumatic injury to the eye caused by homemade fireworks in a Chinese juvenile patient with a metal ring left in the orbit after having been sutured at the Emergency Department. Methods: An 11-year-old boy presented with a traumatic injury to the right eye from homemade fireworks. Following initial assessment involving maxillofacial computed tomography (CT and suturing at the Emergency Department, he was transferred to our department for further evaluation because of his poor sight 1 day later. On examination, a skin laceration beneath the right eyebrow was noted, but the superior orbit was not fully visible on the maxillofacial CT performed 1 day previously. Therefore, an orbital CT scan was carried out on the second day, which showed a hyperdense ring embedded in the superior border of the orbital wall; the ring was surgically removed. On postoperative day 7, a fundus examination revealed resolving vitreous hemorrhage, blunt traumatic retinal detachment, and a large retinal tear superior to the macula. The patient refused to take surgery for retinal detachment into consideration. Therefore, we opted for oral steroids and careful observation. Results: After 2 months' observation, the large retinal tear had healed and white fibrous scar tissue had developed, and the retinal detachment superior to the macula had reattached itself spontaneously. The patient's vision had further improved to 20/200. During 1 year of follow-up, he remained clinically stable. Conclusion: To avoid missing the diagnosis, a complete history of the mechanism of injury and accurate imaging still prove most useful. Complete removal of the foreign body by the emergency physician is necessary because of the ocular toxicity of an iron-containing foreign body. As evidenced by the current case, oral steroids and observation for a period of several months is a management of choice for traumatic retinal detachment and retinal tear superior to the

Development of micronutrients rich homemade extruded food products with the incorporation of processed foxtail millet, wheat and chickpea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L Gautam

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Food based approaches are recognized as an essential part of an urgently needed more comprehensive strategy for improving nutrition by increasing the availability and consumption to combat iron and other micronutrient deficiencies. Aims & Objective: The specific objective of the study was utilization of Foxtail millet (Setariaitalica along with other flour for production of micronutrients rich ready-to-eat snack products using homemade extrusion cooking. Material and methods: Methods Composite flour were prepared using processed Foxtail millet flour (FMF and other processed flours namely; wheat flour (WF, and chick pea flour (CPF. Nutritional properties of the blends were analyzed by using standard procedure. Two homemade extruded products namely; namkeensev, seviyan were prepared with four treatments T0, T1, T2, & T3. The commonly consumed recipes were developed by incorporating 50%, 75% and 100% of best result malted composite flour (FMF+CPF+WF. Results: The organoleptic qualities of these extruded samples were analyzed by panelists on a 9 point hedonic scale. The result indicate that the processed composite flour (FMF+CPF+WF based products were significantly accepted at the level of p<0.05 50% incorporation followed by 75% and 100% respectively. Conclusions: The present study conclude that, processed composite flour (Foxtail millet; wheat; chickpea in the ratios of (50:50 could be used to produce nutritive quality of homemade extrudates with acceptable sensory properties as they deliver vehicles for malnourished children.

Development of micronutrients rich homemade extruded food products with the incorporation of processed foxtail millet, wheat and chickpea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L Gautam

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: Food based approaches are recognized as an essential part of an urgently needed more comprehensive strategy for improving nutrition by increasing the availability and consumption to combat iron and other micronutrient deficiencies. Aims & Objective: The specific objective of the study was utilization of Foxtail millet (Setariaitalica along with other flour for production of micronutrients rich ready-to-eat snack products using homemade extrusion cooking. Material and methods: Methods Composite flour were prepared using processed Foxtail millet flour (FMF and other processed flours namely; wheat flour (WF, and chick pea flour (CPF. Nutritional properties of the blends were analyzed by using standard procedure. Two homemade extruded products namely; namkeensev, seviyan were prepared with four treatments T0, T1, T2, & T3. The commonly consumed recipes were developed by incorporating 50%, 75% and 100% of best result malted composite flour (FMF+CPF+WF. Results: The organoleptic qualities of these extruded samples were analyzed by panelists on a 9 point hedonic scale. The result indicate that the processed composite flour (FMF+CPF+WF based products were significantly accepted at the level of p<0.05 50% incorporation followed by 75% and 100% respectively. Conclusions: The present study conclude that, processed composite flour (Foxtail millet; wheat; chickpea in the ratios of (50:50 could be used to produce nutritive quality of homemade extrudates with acceptable sensory properties as they deliver vehicles for malnourished children.

Thermoluminescence properties of home-made CaSO4:Dy For Dosimetry Purposes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamal, S.M.; Gerges, A.S.; Al-Said, M.A.

2004-01-01

Dysprosium doped Calcium Sulfate (CaSO 4 :Dy) had been first prepared by Yamashita in 1968 with method based on acid evaporation in an open system, which pose human health risks, corrosion and pollution to the environment due to sulfuric acid vapor. It has found increasing use in various applications in the field of radiation dosimetry due to their ease of preparation as compared to many other sensitive TL materials. Many researchers emphasized that the grain size and impurities influence the relative intensities of the broad glow peaks as well as overall sensitivities. In this paper, we introduce a new method of preparation for avoiding all of these disadvantages and improving the main TL materials properties, which required for dosimetric use. The main TL characteristics of home-made CaSO 4 :Dy .crystals with different concentrations are investigated alter the preparation and heat treatment conditions. The results indicated a linear response from 5μ .Gy up to 10 Gy with the highest sensitivity obtained at 0.25 mol % and optimum sensitivity at less than 75 jam grain sizes. Three peaks at 137 degree C, 222 degree C and 311 degree C were obtained. We conclude to use our home-made prepared CaSO 4 :Dy with 0.25 mol % concentration for gamma-ray dosimetry as more sensitive and cheaper than commercial phosphor (TLD-900). This will increase the routine and research work in the area of TL dosimetry

When’s the Party (or Coalition? Agenda-Setting in a Highly Fragmented, Decentralized Legislature

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mónica Pachón

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines committee behavior in Colombia to determine whether parties or coalitions exert agenda-setting powers despite the fact that the formal rules seemingly create little incentive for cooperation. Colombia’s party system is extremely fragmented, electoral volatility is high, and there is a long history of candidate-centered electoral rules, all of which suggests that party and coalition leaders have few tools to control the legislative agenda. Additionally, chairs do not directly control committee reports as in other presidential cases. However, the naming of ponentes (rapporteurs to write ponencias (bill reports for the committee may give leaders the opportunity to set the agendas in committees. Hence, we test whether committee chairs strategically name ponentes to control the agenda and favor their partisan or coalition interests. We test these ideas using a unique dataset covering two complete legislative sessions and thousands of bills. Overall, we find that committee chairs use the ponente process to set the agenda and privilege legislation sponsored by allies, especially the executive.

Friends Indeed? Coalition Burden Sharing and the War In Iraq. Volume 1

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Baltrusaitis, Daniel F

2008-01-01

.... This research examines the conditions that influence state burden sharing behavior for ad hoc security coalitions and examines the decision making model developed by Andrew Bennett, Joseph Lepgold, and Danny...

Power and Politics in the Global Health Landscape: Beliefs, Competition and Negotiation Among Global Advocacy Coalitions in the Policy-Making Process

Science.gov (United States)

McDougall, Lori

2016-01-01

Background: Advocacy coalitions play an increasingly prominent role within the global health landscape, linking actors and institutions to attract political attention and resources. This paper examines how coalitions negotiate among themselves and exercise hidden forms of power to produce policy on the basis of their beliefs and strategic interests. Methods: This paper examines the beliefs and behaviours of health advocacy coalitions using Sabatier’s Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) as an informal theoretical lens. Coalitions are further explored in relation to the concept of transnational advocacy networks (Keck and Sikkink) and of productive power (Shiffman). The ACF focuses on explaining how policy change takes place when there is conflict concerning goals and technical approaches among different actors. This study uses participant observation methods, self-reported survey results and semi-structured qualitative interviews to trace how a major policy project of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era, the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, was constructed through negotiations among maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy coalitions. Results: The Global Strategy represented a new opportunity for high-level political attention. Despite differing policy beliefs, MNCH and SRHR actors collaborated to produce this strategy because of anticipated gains in political attention. While core beliefs did not shift fundamentally and collaboration was primarily a short-term tactical response to a time-bound opportunity, MNCH actors began to focus more on human rights perspectives and SRHR actors adopted greater use of quantifiable indicators and economic argumentation. This shift emphasises the inherent importance of SRHR to maternal and child health survival. Conclusion: As opportunities arise, coalitions respond based on principles and policy beliefs, as well as to perceptions of

Power and Politics in the Global Health Landscape: Beliefs, Competition and Negotiation Among Global Advocacy Coalitions in the Policy-Making Process.

Science.gov (United States)

McDougall, Lori

2016-01-30

Advocacy coalitions play an increasingly prominent role within the global health landscape, linking actors and institutions to attract political attention and resources. This paper examines how coalitions negotiate among themselves and exercise hidden forms of power to produce policy on the basis of their beliefs and strategic interests. This paper examines the beliefs and behaviours of health advocacy coalitions using Sabatier's Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) as an informal theoretical lens. Coalitions are further explored in relation to the concept of transnational advocacy networks (Keck and Sikkink) and of productive power (Shiffman). The ACF focuses on explaining how policy change takes place when there is conflict concerning goals and technical approaches among different actors. This study uses participant observation methods, self-reported survey results and semi-structured qualitative interviews to trace how a major policy project of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) era, the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health, was constructed through negotiations among maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) advocacy coalitions. The Global Strategy represented a new opportunity for high-level political attention. Despite differing policy beliefs, MNCH and SRHR actors collaborated to produce this strategy because of anticipated gains in political attention. While core beliefs did not shift fundamentally and collaboration was primarily a short-term tactical response to a time-bound opportunity, MNCH actors began to focus more on human rights perspectives and SRHR actors adopted greater use of quantifiable indicators and economic argumentation. This shift emphasises the inherent importance of SRHR to maternal and child health survival. As opportunities arise, coalitions respond based on principles and policy beliefs, as well as to perceptions of advantage. Global health policy-making is an arena of

Blockchain-based framework for ontology-oriented robots’ coalition formation in cyberphysical systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Teslya Nikolay

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The creation and functioning of intelligent robots coalition is impossible without the organization of an information interaction environment between them. To solve this problem, it is proposed to use the concept of cyberphysical framework, which involves the unification of physical and cyber (virtual environments. Intelligent robots can interact with each of the environments. The paper proposes methodology of the cyber physical smart space creation for the intelligent robots’ coalition formation and functioning, based on the concept of the “blackboard” with the support of smart contracts over the blockchain technology. It provides a new approach to the distribution of sensory, computational, information-control and service tasks between intelligent robots, embedded devices, fixed service equipment, cloud computing and information resources.

Evaluation of home-made teas efficiency from medicinal plants used on childish diarrhea treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinto, Magda Moreira; Silva, Maria Jose de Sousa Ferreira da

1996-01-01

The objective of this work is to verify whether the home-made teas form Brazilian plants, used for control of childish diarrhea have been efficient reaching the composition recommended by World Health Organizations (WHO). This work has been carried out using the neutron activation analysis and the TRIGA MARK I reactor, the IPR-R1, in the Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear - CDTN. (author). 4 refs., 2 tabs

A chemometric-assisted method for the simultaneous determination of malachite green and crystal violet in water based on absorbance-pH data generated by a homemade pH gradient apparatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Shuling; Yuan, Xuejie; Yang, Jing; Yuan, Jintao; Shi, Jiahua; Wang, Yali; Chen, Yuewen; Gao, Shufang

2015-01-01

An attractive method of generating second-order data was developed by a dropping technique to generate pH gradient simultaneously coupled with diode-array spectrophotometer scanning. A homemade apparatus designed for the pH gradient. The method and the homemade apparatus were used to simultaneously determine malachite green (MG) and crystal violet (CV) in water samples. The absorbance-pH second-order data of MG or CV were obtained from the spectra of MG or CV in a series of pH values of HCl-KCl solution. The second-order data of mixtures containing MG and CV that coexisted with interferents were analyzed using multidimensional partial least-squares with residual bilinearization. The method and homemade apparatus were used to simultaneously determine MG and CV in fish farming water samples and in river ones with satisfactory results. The presented method and the homemade apparatus could serve as an alternative tool to handle some analysis problems. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Denmark’s participation in the coalition against IS reflects the country’s commitment to ‘ethical militarism’

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schouenborg, Laust

2014-01-01

The United States has put together a coalition of several western and Arab states to support military action against Islamic State (IS) forces in Iraq and Syria. Laust Schouenborg writes on the participation of Denmark in this coalition. He argues that the decision to take part reflects a principle...... of ‘ethical militarism’ which the country has adopted in previous conflicts over the last 25 years....

Modal extensions of Lukasiewicz logic for modelling coalitional power

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kroupa, Tomáš; Teheux, B.

2017-01-01

Roč. 27, č. 1 (2017), s. 129-154 ISSN 0955-792X R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP402/12/1309 Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : Coalition Logic * Lukasiewicz modal logic * effectivity function Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Pure mathematics Impact factor: 0.909, year: 2016 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2017/MTR/kroupa-0471671.pdf

Building a Better Mousetrap: How Design-Based Research Was Used to Improve Homemade PowerPoint Games

Science.gov (United States)

Siko, Jason P.; Barbour, Michael K.

2016-01-01

This paper is a review of a three-cycle, design-based research study that explored the relationship between the pedagogical research and the actual implementation of a game design project using Microsoft PowerPoint. Much of the initial literature on using homemade PowerPoint games showed no significant improvement in test scores when students…

Sustaining Physics Teacher Education Coalition Programs in Physics Teacher Education

Science.gov (United States)

Scherr, Rachel E.; Plisch, Monica; Goertzen, Renee Michelle

2017-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms of increasing the number of physics teachers educated per year at institutions with thriving physics teacher preparation programs may inspire and support other institutions in building thriving programs of their own. The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC), led by the American Physical Society (APS) and the…

Homemade chemical bomb incidents - 15 states, 2003-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-21

Homemade chemical bombs (HCBs) are made from commonly found chemicals. The volume of news reports of HCB explosions suggests they are not uncommon. To determine the number of events involving HCBs in the United States and describe the factors associated with them, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) analyzed data from its surveillance system that tracks spills and leaks of hazardous substances. This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that, during 2003-2011, a total of 134 events involving HCBs were reported from 15 states. Among those events, 21 (16%) resulted in adverse health effects (i.e., respiratory symptoms, burns, and skin irritation) for 53 persons. The majority (35 [66%]) of these persons were youths.HCBs are hazardous and especially dangerous if detonated in public areas. Increasing awareness of HCBs and their dangers (particularly during summer months) among first-responders, parents, school staff members and others who work with youths might help reduce injuries associated with HCBs.

Single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer through a homemade single port access device.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiang, Zhi-Wei; Zhang, Shu; Wang, Gang; Zhao, Kun; Liu, Jiang; Ning, Li; Li, Jieshou

2015-01-01

We presented a series of single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomies for early gastric cancer patients through a type of homemade single port access device and some other conventional laparoscopic instruments. A single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomy with D1 + α lymph node dissection was performed on a 46 years old male patient who had an early gastric cancer. This single port access device has facilitated the conventional laparoscopic instruments to accomplish the surgery and we made in only 6 minutes. Total operating time for this surgery was 240 minutes. During the operation, there were about 100 milliliters of blood loss, and 17 lymph-nodes were retrieved. This homemade single port access device shows its superiority in economy and convenience for complex single-incision surgeries. Single-incision laparoscopic distal gastrectomy for early gastric cancer can be conducted by experienced laparoscopic surgeons. Fully take advantage of both SILS and fast track surgery plan can bring to successful surgeries with minimal postoperative pain, quicker mobilization, early recovery of intestinal function, and better cosmesis effect for the patients.

Optimal sharing of quantity risk for a coalition of wind power producers facing nodal prices

KAUST Repository

Bitar, E. Y.; Baeyens, E.; Khargonekar, P. P.; Poolla, K.; Varaiya, P.

2012-01-01

It is widely accepted that aggregation of geographically diverse wind energy resources offers compelling potential to mitigate wind power variability, as wind speed at different geographic locations tends to decorrelate with increasing spatial separation. In this paper, we explore the extent to which a coalition of wind power producers can exploit the statistical benefits of aggregation to mitigate the risk of quantity shortfall with respect to forward contract offerings for energy. We propose a simple augmentation of the existing two-settlement market system with nodal pricing to permit quantity risk sharing among wind power producers by affording the group a recourse opportunity to utilize improved forecasts of their ensuing wind energy production to collectively modify their forward contracted positions so as to utilize the projected surplus in generation at certain buses to balance the projected shortfall in generation at complementary buses. Working within this framework, we show that the problem of optimally sizing a set of forward contracts for a group of wind power producers reduces to convex programming and derive closed form expressions for the set of optimal recourse policies. We also asses the willingness of individual wind power producers to form a coalition to cooperatively offer contracts for energy. We first show that the expected profit derived from coalitional contract offerings with recourse is greater than that achievable through independent contract offerings. And, using tools from coalitional game theory, we show that the core for our game is non-empty.

Optimal sharing of quantity risk for a coalition of wind power producers facing nodal prices

KAUST Repository

Bitar, E. Y.

2012-06-01

It is widely accepted that aggregation of geographically diverse wind energy resources offers compelling potential to mitigate wind power variability, as wind speed at different geographic locations tends to decorrelate with increasing spatial separation. In this paper, we explore the extent to which a coalition of wind power producers can exploit the statistical benefits of aggregation to mitigate the risk of quantity shortfall with respect to forward contract offerings for energy. We propose a simple augmentation of the existing two-settlement market system with nodal pricing to permit quantity risk sharing among wind power producers by affording the group a recourse opportunity to utilize improved forecasts of their ensuing wind energy production to collectively modify their forward contracted positions so as to utilize the projected surplus in generation at certain buses to balance the projected shortfall in generation at complementary buses. Working within this framework, we show that the problem of optimally sizing a set of forward contracts for a group of wind power producers reduces to convex programming and derive closed form expressions for the set of optimal recourse policies. We also asses the willingness of individual wind power producers to form a coalition to cooperatively offer contracts for energy. We first show that the expected profit derived from coalitional contract offerings with recourse is greater than that achievable through independent contract offerings. And, using tools from coalitional game theory, we show that the core for our game is non-empty.

Comparison of Protein Value of Commercial Baby Food with Homemade Baby Food and Casein Standard in Rats as the Refference point

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z. Asemi

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Background and ObjectivesEvaluation of protein quality in food is of great importance due to the biological and economical impacts of food proteins. This study has been conducted with the aim of comparing the protein quality of homemade food (mixture of macaroni and soy bean with commercial baby food (Cerelac Wheat using Casein as the refference point.MethodsThis study was conducted on 64 twenty one day old male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into 8 groups, and each group was put on a different diet regiments. The diet regiments were as follow: 2 homemade food+Cerelac test diet, 1 Ccasein+Methionine standard diet, 1 protien-free basal diet, 2 test diet, 1 standard diet and 1 basal diet. The purpose of protien-free diet was to evaluate True Protien Digestability (TPD. Net Protein Ratio (NPR and Protien Efficiency Ratios (PER were investigated by the basal diet. Protein intake and increasing of weight were determined for NPR and PER calculating. Nitrogen intake and fecal Nitrogen were determined to calculate TPD. Comparison of TPD, NPR and PER among the groups were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey methods.ResultsTPD values of Standard, Cerelac and homemade food diets were 92.8±4, 87±8 and 85.4±3.2; NPR values were 4.3±0.4, 4.3±0.9, 3.8±0.6; and PER values were 3±0.2, 2.5±0.4, 1.7±0.1 respectively. The statistical difference between TPD and PER values were significant (p 0.05. ConclusionThese results shows that TPD and PER of homemade foods are lower than Cerelac while their NPR are acceptable.Keywords: Protein; Cerelac; Macaroni; Soybeens.

Professional and home-made face masks reduce exposure to respiratory infections among the general population.

Science.gov (United States)

van der Sande, Marianne; Teunis, Peter; Sabel, Rob

2008-07-09

Governments are preparing for a potential influenza pandemic. Therefore they need data to assess the possible impact of interventions. Face-masks worn by the general population could be an accessible and affordable intervention, if effective when worn under routine circumstances. We assessed transmission reduction potential provided by personal respirators, surgical masks and home-made masks when worn during a variety of activities by healthy volunteers and a simulated patient. All types of masks reduced aerosol exposure, relatively stable over time, unaffected by duration of wear or type of activity, but with a high degree of individual variation. Personal respirators were more efficient than surgical masks, which were more efficient than home-made masks. Regardless of mask type, children were less well protected. Outward protection (mask wearing by a mechanical head) was less effective than inward protection (mask wearing by healthy volunteers). Any type of general mask use is likely to decrease viral exposure and infection risk on a population level, in spite of imperfect fit and imperfect adherence, personal respirators providing most protection. Masks worn by patients may not offer as great a degree of protection against aerosol transmission.

Albert Sabin and the Coalition to Eliminate Polio from the Americas.

Science.gov (United States)

Hampton, Lee

2009-01-01

Albert B. Sabin, MD, developer of the oral polio vaccine, was also a major proponent of its use in annual vaccination campaigns aimed at the elimination of polio. Sabin argued that administering his vaccine simultaneously to every child in a country would break polio's chains of transmission. Although he was already promoting mass vaccination by the 1960s, Sabin's efforts expanded considerably when he became an adviser to groups fighting polio in the Americas in the 1980s. Sabin's experiences provide a window into both the formation of the coalition that eliminated poliomyelitis from the Western Hemisphere and what can happen when biomedical researchers become public health policy advisers. Although the polio elimination coalition succeeded in part because member groups often accommodated each other's priorities, Sabin was often limited by his indifference to the interests of those he was advising and to the shortcomings of his vaccine.

Implementing change in health professions education: stakeholder analysis and coalition building.

Science.gov (United States)

Baum, Karyn D; Resnik, Cheryl D; Wu, Jennifer J; Roey, Steven C

2007-01-01

The challenges facing the health sciences education fields are more evident than ever. Professional health sciences educators have more demands on their time, more knowledge to manage, and ever-dwindling sources of financial support. Change is often necessary to either keep programs viable or meet the changing needs of health education. This article outlines a simple but powerful three-step tool to help educators become successful agents of change. Through the application of principles well known and widely used in business management, readers will understand the concepts behind stakeholder analysis and coalition building. These concepts are part of a powerful tool kit that educators need in order to become effective agents of change in the health sciences environment. Using the example of curriculum change at a school of veterinary medicine, we will outline the three steps involved, from stakeholder identification and analysis to building and managing coalitions for change.

Coalitional Games, Excessive Competition and a Lack of Trust: an Experimental Aproach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dawid Ners

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The article tackles the issues of the effectiveness and rationality of making choices in the conditions of competition and cooperation. It confronts the economic theory of rational choice with the empirical results from an experiment. The aim of the article is to show that excessive competition and a lack of trust cause limitation of rational choice in coalitional games. In the experiment conducted for this study purposes, a public good was used to construct a situation in which making a huge coalition is the winning strategy. Despite this fact, the research proves that under competition supported by uncertainty, which results from the lack of trust, the decision making entities behave far less rationally than the game theory would suggest. People competing with each other often take decisions irrationally.

Toward Community Research and Coalitional Literacy Practices for Educational Justice

Science.gov (United States)

Campano, Gerald; Ghiso, María Paula; Yee, Mary; Pantoja, Alicia

2013-01-01

Community-based research can provide an avenue for understanding the complexities of students' and families' lives and working together for educational justice through what we refer to as coalitional literacy practices. In this article, we share a critical incident about a student's absence from school as an illustrative case of the grass-roots…

Hepatotoxicity of illegal home-made alcohols.

Science.gov (United States)

Gökce, Hasan; Akcan, Ramazan; Celikel, Adnan; Zeren, Cem; Ortanca, Ibrahim; Demirkiran, Sumeyra

2016-10-01

Alcohol-related hepatotoxicity is not only caused by excessive alcohol consumption but also caused and even accelerated by hepatotoxic ingredients other than ethanol. Concentrations of hepatotoxic substances might be significantly high, particularly in illegally produced home-made alcohols. In this study we aim to analyze the hepatotoxic effects of a home-made alcohol traditionally called "bogma raki" in Turkey. Fifty Wistar albino male rats were used. Five groups were randomly formed with ten animals in each. Besides laboratory diets, groups were fed as follows: Group 1 (control group) distilled water; Group 2 bogma raki with distilled water (%44 (v/v), 9.2 ml/kg/day); Group 3 bogma raki with distilled water (%44 (v/v), 9.2 ml/kg/day)+walnut (10 g/kg/day); Group 4 whisky with distilled water (%40 (v/v), 9.2 ml/kg/day); Group 5 distilled water + walnut (10 g/kg/day), for 28 days. The toxicological analysis of The spirits were analyzed using Hewlett-Packard (Palo Alto, CA) GC/MS system with HP 6890 gas chromatograph, an HP 5972 mass selective detector (MSD) and an HP 6890 automatic liquid sampler GC/MS; the pressure of the carrier gas helium was 6.0 bar and the split value with a ratio of 1:100. The injection unit temperature set to 250 °C and MS quadrupole temperature set to 280 °C. The MS quadrupole detector ionization energy set to 70 eV. The initial column temperature was 60 °C (for 4 min) programmed by 6 °C/min to final temperature 160 °C and kept for 8 min at 160 °C. Utilized whisky and bogma raki samples were analyzed for the amounts of trans-anethole, ethanol, methanol, 1-propanolol, butanol, 2-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanolol (isobutanol) and 3-methylbutanol (isoamyl alcohol). Histopathological changes in liver tissues were graded as follows; normal = 0 (illegally produced raki sample (%v/v) was as follows: trans-anethole %1.93, ethanol %95.70, 2-methyl-1-propanolol (isobutanol) %0.19, asetic acid %0.25, 3-methylbutanol (isoamyl

Brief compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation training video and simulation with homemade mannequin improves CPR skills.

Science.gov (United States)

Wanner, Gregory K; Osborne, Arayel; Greene, Charlotte H

2016-11-29

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training has traditionally involved classroom-based courses or, more recently, home-based video self-instruction. These methods typically require preparation and purchase fee; which can dissuade many potential bystanders from receiving training. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching compression-only CPR to previously untrained individuals using our 6-min online CPR training video and skills practice on a homemade mannequin, reproduced by viewers with commonly available items (towel, toilet paper roll, t-shirt). Participants viewed the training video and practiced with the homemade mannequin. This was a parallel-design study with pre and post training evaluations of CPR skills (compression rate, depth, hand position, release), and hands-off time (time without compressions). CPR skills were evaluated using a sensor-equipped mannequin and two blinded CPR experts observed testing of participants. Twenty-four participants were included: 12 never-trained and 12 currently certified in CPR. Comparing pre and post training, the never-trained group had improvements in average compression rate per minute (64.3 to 103.9, p = 0.006), compressions with correct hand position in 1 min (8.3 to 54.3, p = 0.002), and correct compression release in 1 min (21.2 to 76.3, p 100/min), but an improved number of compressions with correct release (53.5 to 94.7, p 50 mm) remained problematic in both groups. Comparisons made between groups indicated significant improvements in compression depth, hand position, and hands-off time in never-trained compared to CPR-certified participants. Inter-rater agreement values were also calculated between the CPR experts and sensor-equipped mannequin. A brief internet-based video coupled with skill practice on a homemade mannequin improved compression-only CPR skills, especially in the previously untrained participants. This training method allows for widespread compression-only CPR

Intermediary Organizations in Charter School Policy Coalitions: Evidence from New Orleans

Science.gov (United States)

DeBray, Elizabeth; Scott, Janelle; Lubienski, Christopher; Jabbar, Huriya

2014-01-01

This article develops a framework for investigating research use, using an "advocacy coalition framework" and the concepts of a "supply side" (mainly organizations) and "demand side" (policymakers). Drawing on interview data and documents from New Orleans about the charter school reforms that have developed there…

Adding Reports to Coalition Battle Management Language for NATO MSG-048

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Pullen, J.M.; Corner, D.; Singapogo, S.S.; Clarc, N.; Cordonnier, N.; Menane, M.; Khimeche, L.; Mevassvik, O.M.; Alstad, A.; Schad, U.; Frey, M.; Reus, N. M. de; Krom, P.P.J. de; Grand, N.P. le; Brook, A.

2009-01-01

The NATO Modeling and Simulation Group Technical Activity 48 (MSG-048) was chartered in 2006 to investigate the potential of a Coalition Battle Management Language for multinational and NATO interoperation of command and control systems with modeling and simulation. Its initial work in defining and

Las Acciones Sistemáticas en Salud Mejoran el Control y Seguimiento Ponderal de las Embarazadas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Danay Hernández Díaz

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Introducción: El seguimiento sistemático y personalizado de la ganancia de peso gestacional puede constituir una herramienta útil a nivel primario de salud para el binomio madre-hijo para su salud presente y futura. Método: Estudio observacional analítico para determinar si existen diferencias en la evolución ponderal en dos grupos  según sistematicidad en intervención sobre estilos de vida y cultura alimentaria en 256 embarazadas del policlínico Chiqui Gómez en Santa Clara, Cuba desde octubre 2012 a septiembre 2014; las mismas fueron vistas en los tres trimestres de la gestación (190 o sólo en el primero y en el tercer trimestre (66, las que conformaron los dos grupos analizados de acuerdo por la sistematicidad en la asistencia a los encuentros presenciales (consultas. Se calcularon y compararon las ganancias de peso según grupo de pertenencia y estado nutricional pregestacional.  Se usaron métodos de estadística descriptiva y de comparación de grupos por estado nutricional. Resultados: Las gestantes con mayor asistencia a las consultas mostraron durante el segundo trimestre un mayor ajuste a  las ganancias de peso recomendadas, lo cual no pudo comprobarse estadísticamente en el tercer trimestre; no obstante la cuantía de ganancia de peso en las obesas y sobrepeso, en este trimestre, fue menor  que en aquellas que no asistieron regularmente a las consultas.  Conclusiones: La sistematicidad  y personalización de acciones ejecutadas en embarazadas, se asoció a mejor adherencia a la ganancia de peso recomendadas en el segundo trimestre; así como con una disminución de la cuantía de ganancia ponderal, en aquellas pacientes con sobrepeso y obesidad durante el tercer trimestre.

Unwell after drinking homemade alcohol – A case of ethylene glycol poisoning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.E. Laher

2013-06-01

Discussion: The clinical presentation of ethylene glycol and methanol poisoning is non-specific and can be difficult to differentiate from ethanol intoxication. Homemade alcohol preparations are commonly adulterated with ethylene glycol and methanol to improve their taste and sting. Toxic alcohol analysis is not routinely carried out by most laboratory services in South Africa, and when carried out, results are only made available a few days later. A high index of suspicion coupled with early blood gas analysis and a need for prompt and effective treatment whilst awaiting toxicology analysis may limit the associated high morbidity and mortality.

A case study of conflict management in bonobos: how does a bonobo (Pan paniscus) mother manage conflicts between her sons and her female coalition partner?

Science.gov (United States)

Legrain, L; Stevens, J; Alegria Iscoa, J; Destrebecqz, A

2011-01-01

Female coalitions are an important part of the social organization of bonobos. The strength of the mother-son relationship is another essential part of this social structure. A bonobo mother is therefore facing a dilemma when a conflict arises between her sons and her female coalition partners. Will she take her coalition partner's side and favour the social organization of the group or support her son in order to defend her offspring? In order to address this issue, we performed an observational study of the captive group at Planckendael (Belgium) and used social grooming and proximity to assess the relationship between individuals. As a case study, we focused on the relationships between Hortense, one of the group's mothers, her 3 sons Redi, Vifijo and Zamba, and her coalition partner Hermien. Surprisingly, we observed that Hortense preferentially supported her female coalition partner. For Hortense's social status in the group, it may be more important to maintain the strong relationship with her higher-ranking female coalition partner than to support her sons. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Towards a New Theory of Feminist Coalition: Accounting for the Heterogeneity of Gender, Race, Class, and Sexuality through an Exploration of Power and Responsibility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Holly Jeanine Boux

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This paper develops a novel theory of feminist coalition that centers and redefines the concepts of power and responsibility. After outlining several key ways in which feminist coalition work has been addressed by both theorists and practitioners, it goes on to explore how accounting for the complex experiences of identity rooted in factors such as race, class, gender, and sexuality continues to complicate the process of coalition building and theorizing. From these foundations, the article develops a theory of feminist coalition that speaks to how such a movement—or organizations within such a movement—can drive the political will for transformation and turn this will into political action without glossing over vital differences in people’s daily experiences of gender as it intersects with other systems of domination and oppression. The key argument made herein is that an explicit focus on power and responsibility can help us develop more functional answers to critical and still pressing questions, such as: Who is included—explicitly or implicitly—in feminist coalitions? And what issues, or agendas, are we working towards changing through these coalitions?

Laparoendoscopic single-site repair of bladder rupture using a home-made single-port device: initial experience of treatment for a traumatic intraperitoneal bladder rupture.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Joo Yong; Kang, Dong Hyuk; Lee, Seung Wook

2012-06-01

We report our initial experience with a laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) repair of a bladder rupture using a home-made single-port device. A 37-year-old man presented to the emergency department with complaints of voiding difficulty and gross hematuria after blunt trauma. Cystography and computed tomography revealed an intraperitoneal bladder rupture. The patient underwent LESS repair of a bladder rupture using the Alexis wound retractor, which was inserted through the umbilical incision. A home-made single-port device was made by fixing 6½ surgical gloves to the outer rim of the retractor and securing the glove finger to the end of 3 trocars with a tie. Using the flexible laparoscopic instruments and rigid instruments, LESS surgery was performed using a procedure similar to conventional laparoscopic surgery. The patient did not have any voiding problem after removal of the urethral Foley catheter on the 10th postoperative day. To our knowledge, this is the first published report of LESS repair of a traumatic bladder rupture using a home-made single-port device in the literature.

Transcatheter Closure of Bilateral Multiple Huge Pulmonary Arteriovenous Malformations with Homemade Double-Umbrella Occluders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Hongshan; Xu Ke; Shao Haibo

2008-01-01

A 28-year-old man underwent successful transcatheter occlusion of three huge pulmonary arteriovenous malformations (PAVMs) using homemade double-umbrella occluders and stainless steel coils. Thoracic CT with three-dimensional reconstruction and pulmonary angiography were used for treatment planning and follow-up. The diameters of the feeding vessels were 11 mm, 13 mm, and 14 mm, respectively. This report demonstrates the novel design and utility of the double-umbrella occluder, an alternative tool for treatment of large PAVMs.

Building and Maintaining an Effective Campus-Wide Coalition for Suicide Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

Kaslow, Nadine J.; Garcia-Williams, Amanda; Moffitt, Lauren; McLeod, Mark; Zesiger, Heather; Ammirati, Rachel; Berg, John P.; McIntosh, Belinda J.

2012-01-01

Preventing suicide is a commonly shared priority among college administrators, faculty, staff, students, and family members. Coalitions are popular health promotion mechanisms for solving community-wide problems and are valuable in campus-wide suicide prevention efforts. This article provides an example of an effective suicide prevention…

Understanding the outcomes of advocacy coalitions in education: a comparative perspective

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Verger, A.; Novelli, M.; Verger, A.; Novelli, M.

2012-01-01

In this chapter, we use comparative analysis lenses to better understand the nature of civil society coalitions and their impact in the educational field. The arguments provide a synthesis of core issues that have emerged from the case studies presented in earlier chapters. In particular, this

Power and Politics in the Global Health Landscape: Beliefs, Competition and Negotiation Among Global Advocacy Coalitions in the Policy-Making Process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lori McDougall

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Background Advocacy coalitions play an increasingly prominent role within the global health landscape, linking actors and institutions to attract political attention and resources. This paper examines how coalitions negotiate among themselves and exercise hidden forms of power to produce policy on the basis of their beliefs and strategic interests. Methods This paper examines the beliefs and behaviours of health advocacy coalitions using Sabatier’s Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF as an informal theoretical lens. Coalitions are further explored in relation to the concept of transnational advocacy networks (Keck and Sikkink and of productive power (Shiffman. The ACF focuses on explaining how policy change takes place when there is conflict concerning goals and technical approaches among different actors. This study uses participant observation methods, self-reported survey results and semistructured qualitative interviews to trace how a major policy project of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG era, the Global Strategy for Women’s and Children’s Health, was constructed through negotiations among maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR advocacy coalitions. Results The Global Strategy represented a new opportunity for high-level political attention. Despite differing policy beliefs, MNCH and SRHR actors collaborated to produce this strategy because of anticipated gains in political attention. While core beliefs did not shift fundamentally and collaboration was primarily a short-term tactical response to a time-bound opportunity, MNCH actors began to focus more on human rights perspectives and SRHR actors adopted greater use of quantifiable indicators and economic argumentation. This shift emphasises the inherent importance of SRHR to maternal and child health survival. Conclusion As opportunities arise, coalitions respond based on principles and policy beliefs, as well as to perceptions

Brief compression-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation training video and simulation with homemade mannequin improves CPR skills

OpenAIRE

Wanner, Gregory K.; Osborne, Arayel; Greene, Charlotte H.

2016-01-01

Background Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training has traditionally involved classroom-based courses or, more recently, home-based video self-instruction. These methods typically require preparation and purchase fee; which can dissuade many potential bystanders from receiving training. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching compression-only CPR to previously untrained individuals using our 6-min online CPR training video and skills practice on a homemade mannequin, r...

Coalition Logistics: A Case Study in Operation Restore Hope

Science.gov (United States)

1994-06-03

prerequisites forbid the intake of certain foods include Israel (no pork, Kosher prepared), Muslim nations (no pork, Halal prepared), and Hindu nations (no beef...communications. The critical life support supplies, such as food , water, and medicine, were pushed into the theater along with the transportation and...dictates a common sense burden-sharing philosophy.ś In a coalition operation, countries share common resources such as food , water, blood, transportation

Feasibility of applying home-made amorphous core to induction module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Sifu; Li Xin; Huang Ziping

2008-01-01

The application of the homemade 1K101 amorphous core in induction module is reported in this paper. The properties of magnetic, insulation and stability are studied with the cores. A pulse with pulse width of 120 ns (FWFM), flattop of 72 ns (±1%) and rise time of 17 ns can be obtained with single-pulse induction module. Triple-pulse with the rise time of 35 ns, flat-top of 60 ns (±1%) and pulse width of 120 ns (FWFM) was obtained when tested with a formal linear induction module at MHz repetition burst mode. The effective average flux swing of the amorphous core is about 1.41 T. The cores work well with triple-pulse of 282 kV. The properties of the cores are stable and suitable for induction module. (authors)

Mapping one strong 'Ohana: using network analysis and GIS to enhance the effectiveness of a statewide coalition to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Science.gov (United States)

Cardazone, Gina; U Sy, Angela; Chik, Ivan; Corlew, Laura Kate

2014-06-01

Network analysis and GIS enable the presentation of meaningful data about organizational relationships and community characteristics, respectively. Together, these tools can provide a concrete representation of the ecological context in which coalitions operate, and may help coalitions identify opportunities for growth and enhanced effectiveness. This study uses network analysis and GIS mapping as part of an evaluation of the One Strong 'Ohana (OSO) campaign. The OSO campaign was launched in 2012 via a partnership between the Hawai'i Children's Trust Fund (HCTF) and the Joyful Heart Foundation. The OSO campaign uses a collaborative approach aimed at increasing public awareness of child maltreatment and protective factors that can prevent maltreatment, as well as enhancing the effectiveness of the HCTF Coalition. This study focuses on three elements of the OSO campaign evaluation: (1) Network analysis exploring the relationships between 24 active Coalition member organizations, (2) GIS mapping of responses to a randomized statewide phone survey (n = 1,450) assessing awareness of factors contributing to child maltreatment, and (3) Combined GIS maps and network data, illustrating opportunities for geographically-targeted coalition building and public awareness activities.

Education Policy and Governance in England under the Coalition Government (2010-15): Academies, the Pupil Premium, and Free Early Education

Science.gov (United States)

West, Anne

2015-01-01

This paper explores the governance of school-based and early education in England under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government (2010-15). It draws on three prominent Coalition policy areas--the academies programme, the pupil premium, and free part-time early education--and focuses on changes to the role played by central government…

Influencing the political process through coalitions: the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Holm, R S; Shaheen, P N

1995-08-01

Building a coalition with others is an effective tool for increasing influence at the state level of the political process. It allows for the hiring of a staff who are able to maintain a constant presence in the ever-changing state political arena, which individual physicians and other caregivers simply cannot do. It allows for the development of increased sophistication among its members, which likewise increases the ability to affect the political process. It should be done with a philosophical set of standards that preserves its integrity and focuses on its goals, which must be carefully delineated from the inception. Coalitions are an effective way to deal with public issues of maternal and child health.

Coalitions and the Decision making Process on the Common Flexicurity Principles

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Simonsen, Mikkel Mailand

than the regimes and cut to some extent across the usual division of countries, in that Scandinavian and the Anglo-Saxon countries form the core of one of the coalitions, whereas a number of continental countries - Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Greece and Spain - are now found in the core of the other...

Multidisciplinary and multisectoral coalitions as catalysts for action against antimicrobial resistance: Implementation experiences at national and regional levels.

Science.gov (United States)

Joshi, Mohan P; Chintu, Chifumbe; Mpundu, Mirfin; Kibuule, Dan; Hazemba, Oliver; Andualem, Tenaw; Embrey, Martha; Phulu, Bayobuya; Gerba, Heran

2018-03-20

The multi-faceted complexities of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) require consistent action, a multidisciplinary approach, and long-term political commitment. Building coalitions can amplify stakeholder efforts to carry out effective AMR prevention and control strategies. We have developed and implemented an approach to help local stakeholders kick-start the coalition-building process. The five-step process is to (1) mobilise support, (2) understand the local situation, (3) develop an action plan, (4) implement the plan, and (5) monitor and evaluate. We first piloted the approach in Zambia in 2004, then used the lessons learned to expand it for use in Ethiopia and Namibia and to the regional level through the Ecumenical Pharmaceutical Network [EPN]. Call-to-action declarations and workshops helped promote a shared vision, resulting in the development of national AMR action plans, revision of university curricula to incorporate relevant topics, infection control activities, engagement with journalists from various mass media outlets, and strengthening of drug quality assurance systems. Our experience with the coalition-building approach in Ethiopia, Namibia, Zambia, and with the EPN shows that coalitions can form in a variety of ways with many different stakeholders, including government, academia, and faith-based organisations, to organise actions to preserve the effectiveness of existing antimicrobials and contain AMR.

Report on the operation of incineration plant of the Coalite Chemical Works, Bolsover, Derbyshire, from commissioning to closure and the subsequent prosecution of the last operator Coalite Products Ltd by H M Inspectorate of Pollution under Section 5 of the Health and Safety at Work Etc. Act 1974

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-09-01

In June 1991 elevated concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) were reported in cows` milk on farms in the Bolsover area in Derbyshire, UK. Monitoring by the HMIP showed that PCDDs and PCDFs were present in flue gases emitted from a chemical waste incinerator at the Coalite Chemical Works and to a lesser extent from the Coalite smokeless fuel works nearby. A soil survey and further sampling of vegetation showed the Coalite Chemical Works to be the major source of PCDDs and PCDFs. Coalite Products Ltd., pleaded guilty to operating the incinerator in breach of the Health and Safety Act in a case brought against then by HMIP on 20 February 1996. This report describes the investigation undertaken to establish the conditions of operation of the incinerator from its commissioning in 1978 to closure in November 1991. 12 refs., 8 figs., 6 tabs., 3 apps.

Coalitions in Primary Triads: Reexamining the Theoretical Constructs From A Feminist Perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Milstein, Kaylene; Baldwin, Cynthia

1997-01-01

Examines the theoretical constructs about the effects of coalitions in the father-mother-child triad from a family systems perspective. How this triadic view interacts with the historical patriarchal structure and with issues of power is addressed from a feminist perspective. (Author/MKA)

Comparison of Protein Value of Commercial Baby Food with Homemade Baby Food and Casein Standard in Rats as the Refference point

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Z Asemi

2012-05-01

Full Text Available

Background and Objectives

Evaluation of protein quality in food is of great importance due to the  biological and economical impacts of food proteins. This study has been conducted with the aim of comparing the protein quality of  homemade food (mixture of macaroni and soy bean with commercial baby food (Cerelac Wheat using Casein as the refference point.

Methods

This study was conducted on 64 twenty one day old male Wistar rats. The rats were divided into 8 groups, and each group was put on a different diet regiments. The diet regiments were as follow: 2 homemade food+Cerelac test diet, 1 Ccasein+Methionine standard diet, 1 protien-free basal diet, 2 test diet, 1 standard diet and 1 basal diet. The purpose of protien-free diet was  to evaluate True Protien Digestability (TPD. Net Protein Ratio (NPR and Protien Efficiency Ratios (PER were investigated by the basal diet. Protein intake and increasing of weight were determined for NPR and PER calculating. Nitrogen intake and fecal Nitrogen were determined to calculate TPD. Comparison of TPD, NPR and PER among the groups were analyzed by ANOVA and Tukey methods.

Results

TPD values of Standard, Cerelac and homemade food diets were 92.8±4, 87±8 and 85.4±3.2; NPR values were 4.3±0.4, 4.3±0.9, 3.8±0.6; and PER values were 3±0.2, 2.5±0.4, 1.7±0.1 respectively. The statistical difference between TPD and PER values were significant (p < 0.05, whereas NPR differences were insignificant ( p > 0.05.

Conclusion

Severe Hallux Valgus With Coalition of the Hallux Sesamoids Treated With Modified Lapidus Procedure: A Case Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Kurashige, Toshinori; Suzuki, Seiichi

2017-12-01

Coalition of the hallux sesamoids is an extremely rare condition. To our knowledge, only 1 case report has been published. We report a case of severe hallux valgus deformities with coalitions of the hallux sesamoids. The coalitions themselves were asymptomatic; however, this severe hallux valgus deformity needed to be surgically treated. The hallux sesamoids in both feet appeared to be fused and heart shaped on anteroposterior radiographs and dumbbell shaped on axial radiographs. It is known that postoperative incomplete reduction of the medial sesamoids can be a risk factor for the recurrence of hallux valgus. The computed tomography scan demonstrated a groove in the bottom of the center of the heart-shaped sesamoid. The flexor hallucis longus tendon was located in the groove. Therefore, a modified Lapidus procedure was performed considering the medial half of the heart-shaped sesamoid as the medial sesamoid. Although delayed union occurred, successful correction of the deformity was achieved. Level IV.

A six-month intervention with two different types of micronutrient-fortified complementary foods had distinct short- and long-term effects on linear and ponderal growth of vietnamese infants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Phu, Pham V.; Hoan, Nguyen V.; Salvignol, Bertrand

2012-01-01

-scores in the C group intermediate and not significantly different from the others. This study shows that regular provision of locally produced CF fortified with micronutrients partly stopped growth faltering in Vietnamese infants, with differential effects on long-term length and ponderal growth. Providing only...

Comparative Experience Factors among Black, Asian, and Hispanic Americans: Coalitions or Conflicts?

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Talmadge

1992-01-01

Compares the culture, sociology, politics, and economics of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans in the United States. Describes increased racial-ethnic national pluralism, the increased possibility of conflict between groups, and the need for dialogue and work toward coalition among these groups. (JB)

NOVAS APLICAÇÕES DE SISTEMAS SFE "HOME-MADE".: IV. QUALIDADE DOS ALIMENTOS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

LANÇAS Fernando M.

1997-01-01

Full Text Available São apresentadas algumas aplicações de um sistema "Home-Made" para Extração com Fluido Supercrítico (EFS na análise de resíduos de pesticidas e de óleos essenciais em alimentos. Foram desenvolvidos diversos estudos com os parâmetros: temperatura, pressão, escolha e concentração de modificadores. Os resultados são apresentados para amostras de maracujá (resíduos de pesticidas organofosforados e piretróides, mel (resíduos de pesticidas organoclorados e laranja (óleo essencial.

Modeling Multi-Mobile Agents System Based on Coalition Signature Mechanism Using UML

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

SUNZhixin; HUANGHaiping; WANGRuchuan

2004-01-01

With the development of electronic commerce and agent techniques, multi-mobile agents cooperation can not only improve the efficiency of electronic business trade, but more importantly, it has a comprehensive applicative value in solving the security issues of mobile agent system. This paper firstly describes the mechanism of multi-mobile agents coalition signature aiming at the system security. Subsequently it brings forward a basic architecture of Multi-mobile agents system (MMAS) based on the design pattern of multi-mobile agents. The paper uses the diagrs_rn of UML, such as use case diagram, class diagram and sequence diagram to build the detailed model of the coalition signature and multi-mobile agents cooperation results. Through security analysis, we find that multimobile agents cooperation and interaction can solve some security problems of mobile agents in transfer, and also it can improve the efficiency of business trade. These results indicate that MMAS has a high security performance and can be widely used in E-commerce trade.

A medium-term coalition-forming model of heterogeneous DERs for a commercial virtual power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shabanzadeh, Morteza; Sheikh-El-Eslami, Mohammad-Kazem; Haghifam, Mahmoud-Reza

2016-01-01

Highlights: • A medium-term coalition-forming scheme is proposed for commercial VPPs. • Decision making on the optimal selection of VPP coalition members, bilateral and forward contracting, and pool involvement. • VPP acts as an arbitrageur by exercising arbitrage between diverse energy trading floors. • Stochastic programming approach applied to characterize the uncertainty and to derive informed decisions. - Abstract: Within a medium-term market horizon, this research work provides a methodology that allows a commercial virtual power plant (CVPP) to form an optimal coalition of heterogeneous distributed energy resources (DERs) based on weekly bilateral contracting, futures-market involvement, and pool participation. The established model aims at composing an optimal portfolio of available DERs and jointly takes into account the risk associated with the energy trading strategy of the CVPP. Perceiving the fact that pool prices have highly uncertain nature, a framework based on stochastic programming approach is utilized to model this decision-making problem. The proposed framework consists of two stages. The first stage deals with decisions regarding DERs optimal selection for the VPP coalition, the amount of agreed quantity in the bilateral negotiation, and the type and quantity selection of futures-market contracts as well. In the second stage, decisions are made based on the most plausible realizations of the stochastic prices in the day-ahead market. For a given pre-specified risk level on profit volatility, the main objective is to maximize the expected profit for the VPP manager over the planning horizon. The efficiency and applicability of the developed model is illustrated and analyzed by its implementation in a system with few heterogeneous DERs and through different scenarios, and finally thereby meaningful conclusions are duly drawn.

Advancing Strategies for Agenda Setting by Health Policy Coalitions: A Network Analysis of the Canadian Chronic Disease Prevention Survey.

Science.gov (United States)

McGetrick, Jennifer Ann; Raine, Kim D; Wild, T Cameron; Nykiforuk, Candace I J

2018-06-11

Health in all policies can address chronic disease morbidity and mortality by increasing population-level physical activity and healthy eating, and reducing tobacco and alcohol use. Both governmental and nongovernmental policy influencers are instrumental for health policy that modifies political, economic, and social environments. Policy influencers are informed and persuaded by coalitions that support or oppose changing the status quo. Empirical research examining policy influencers' contact with coalitions, as a social psychological exposure with health policy outcomes, can benefit from application of health communication theories. Accordingly, we analyzed responses to the 2014 Chronic Disease Prevention Survey for 184 Canadian policy influencers employed in provincial governments, municipalities, large workplaces, school boards, and the media. In addition to contact levels with coalitions, respondents' jurisdiction, organization, and ideology were analyzed as potential moderators. Calculating authority score centrality using network analysis, we determined health policy supporters to be more central in policy influencer networks, and theorized their potential to impact health policy public agenda setting via priming and framing processes. We discuss the implications of our results as presenting opportunities to more effectively promote health policy through priming and framing by coordinating coalitions across risk behaviors to advance a societal imperative for chronic disease prevention.

The Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply project: An introduction.

Science.gov (United States)

Swanson, J C; Mench, J A; Karcher, D

2015-03-01

In the United States, empirical information on the sustainability of commercial-scale egg production is lacking. The passage of state regulations specific to hen housing created urgency to better understand the effects of different housing systems on the sustainability of the egg supply, and stimulated the formation of a coalition, the Coalition for a Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES), to conduct research on this topic. The CSES is a multi-stakeholder group with 27 members, including food manufacturers, research institutions, scientists, restaurants, food service, retail food companies, egg suppliers, and nongovernmental organizations. A commercial-scale study was developed to better understand the effect of 3 housing systems (conventional cage, enriched colony, and cage-free aviary) on 5 areas related to a sustainable egg supply. These 5 sustainability areas represent effects on people, animals, and the environment: animal health and well-being, environment, food safety, worker health and safety, and food affordability. Five teams of scientists, each associated with a sustainability area, conducted an integrated field study at a commercial site in the upper Midwest through 2 flock cycles in 3 housing systems. This paper provides a brief overview of the CSES project to serve as an introduction for the papers that follow in this volume of Poultry Science. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Poultry Science Association.

Biological evaluation of protein quality of two homemade cereal/legume mixtures and a commercial weaning food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hoda Ahmari Tehran

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Delivery of low-cost, high-protein foods from local materials for weaning infants is a challenge for developing countries. The quality of nutritional protein of cereal/legume mixtures must be developed with an optimal nutrient profile. The current study was conducted to biologically evaluate (in rats the protein found in two homemade foods and a commercial weaning food.Methods: Biological evaluation of the formulations was conducted in 21-day-old weanling Wistar rats, compared with a control diet of casein. The nutrient quality of the weaning foods were monitored by measuring protein efficiency ratio (PER, net protein ratio (NPR, relative net protein ratio (RNPR, true digestibility (TD, apparent digestibility (AD, and food efficiency ratio (FER.Results: The TD value of one kind of pasta (Sww1+ SBG was significantly less than casein (P0.05, but its PER was significantly less than Humana (P<0.05.Conclusions: Our findings showed that the second kind of homemade food (Sww2 + SBG, consisting of a ratio of 50 percent soy bean protein-granulate and 50 percent pasta based on wheat flour protein, has high protein quality and is similar to commercial weaning food. It can support the growth of infants in developing countries during the critical weaning period.

If we work together, i will have greater power: Coalitions in networked innovation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sie, Rory; Sloep, Peter; Bitter-Rijpkema, Marlies

2018-01-01

The present article uses agent-based social simulation to study rational behaviour in networked innovation. A simulation model that includes network characteristics and network participant’s characteristics is run using parameter sweeping, yielding 1450 simulation cases. The notion of coalitions was

Cyborg Dreams in Asian American Transnationality: Transgression, Myth, Simulation, Coalition

OpenAIRE

Song, Mary

2012-01-01

By deploying a cyberculture theory of cyborg politics in my literary analyses of Asian American literature, I deconstruct Asian American subjectivity through the trope of transnationality. In the Asian American transnational, I locate four prominent traits of Donna Haraway's socialist feminist cyborg: boundary transgression, the recognition and re-scripting of myth, simulations of identity, and coalitions of affinity. By adopting the language of cyberculture, I envision Asian American literat...

Sustaining Physics Teacher Education Coalition programs in physics teacher education

OpenAIRE

Rachel E. Scherr; Monica Plisch; Renee Michelle Goertzen

2017-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms of increasing the number of physics teachers educated per year at institutions with thriving physics teacher preparation programs may inspire and support other institutions in building thriving programs of their own. The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC), led by the American Physical Society (APS) and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), has supported transformation of physics teacher preparation programs at a number of institutions aro...

The KFM, A Homemade Yet Accurate and Dependable Fallout Meter

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kearny, C.H.

2001-11-20

The KFM is a homemade fallout meter that can be made using only materials, tools, and skills found in millions of American homes. It is an accurate and dependable electroscope-capacitor. The KFM, in conjunction with its attached table and a watch, is designed for use as a rate meter. Its attached table relates observed differences in the separations of its two leaves (before and after exposures at the listed time intervals) to the dose rates during exposures of these time intervals. In this manner dose rates from 30 mR/hr up to 43 R/hr can be determined with an accuracy of {+-}25%. A KFM can be charged with any one of the three expedient electrostatic charging devices described. Due to the use of anhydrite (made by heating gypsum from wallboard) inside a KFM and the expedient ''dry-bucket'' in which it can be charged when the air is very humid, this instrument always can be charged and used to obtain accurate measurements of gamma radiation no matter how high the relative humidity. The heart of this report is the step-by-step illustrated instructions for making and using a KFM. These instructions have been improved after each successive field test. The majority of the untrained test families, adequately motivated by cash bonuses offered for success and guided only by these written instructions, have succeeded in making and using a KFM. NOTE: ''The KFM, A Homemade Yet Accurate and Dependable Fallout Meter'', was published by Oak Ridge National Laboratory report in1979. Some of the materials originally suggested for suspending the leaves of the Kearny Fallout Meter (KFM) are no longer available. Because of changes in the manufacturing process, other materials (e.g., sewing thread, unwaxed dental floss) may not have the insulating capability to work properly. Oak Ridge National Laboratory has not tested any of the suggestions provided in the preface of the report, but they have been used by other groups. When using these

Structural and Community Change Outcomes of the Connect-to-Protect Coalitions: Trials and Triumphs Securing Adolescent Access to HIV Prevention, Testing, and Medical Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Robin Lin; Reed, Sarah J; Chiaramonte, Danielle; Strzyzykowski, Trevor; Spring, Hannah; Acevedo-Polakovich, Ignacio D; Chutuape, Kate; Cooper-Walker, Bendu; Boyer, Cherrie B; Ellen, Jonathan M

2017-09-01

Connect to Protect (C2P), a 10-year community mobilization effort, pursued the dual aims of creating communities competent to address youth's HIV-related risks and removing structural barriers to youth health. We used Community Coalition Action Theory (CCAT) to examine the perceived contributions and accomplishments of 14 C2P coalitions. We interviewed 318 key informants, including youth and community leaders, to identify the features of coalitions' context and operation that facilitated and undermined their ability to achieve structural change and build communities' capability to manage their local adolescent HIV epidemic effectively. We coded the interviews using an a priori coding scheme informed by CCAT and scholarship on AIDS-competent communities. We found community mobilization efforts like C2P can contribute to addressing the structural factors that promote HIV-risk among youth and to community development. We describe how coalition leadership, collaborative synergy, capacity building, and local community context influence coalitions' ability to successfully implement HIV-related structural change, demonstrating empirical support for many of CCAT's propositions. We discuss implications for how community mobilization efforts might succeed in laying the foundation for an AIDS-competent community. © Society for Community Research and Action 2017.

Introduction to linear programming: Coalitional game experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lucas, W.

1994-12-31

Many solution notions in the multiperson cooperative games (in characteristic function form) make use of linear programming (LP). The popular concept of the {open_quotes}core{close_quotes} of a coalitional game is a special type of LP. It can be introduced in a very simple and quite exciting manner by means of a group experiment. A total of fifty dollars will be given to three randomly selected attendees who will take part in an experiment during this talk, presuming they behave in a Pareto optimal manner. Furthermore, the dual of the particular LP for the core gives rise to the idea of {open_quotes}balanced sets{close_quotes} which is an interesting combinatorial structure in its own right.

Direct Analysis in Real Time Mass Spectrometry of Potential By-Products from Homemade Nitrate Ester Explosive Synthesis

OpenAIRE

Sisco, Edward; Forbes, Thomas P.

2015-01-01

This work demonstrates the coupling of direct analysis in real time (DART) ionization with time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MS) in an off-axis configuration for the trace detection and analysis of potential partially nitrated and dimerized by-products of homemade nitrate ester explosive synthesis. Five compounds relating to the synthesis of nitroglycerin (NG) and pentaerythritol tetranitrate (PETN) were examined. Deprotonated ions and adducts with molecular oxygen, nitrite, and nitrate were ...

Online Air-Conditioning Energy Management under Coalitional Game Framework in Smart Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Fan

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Motivated by the potential ability of air conditioning (A/C units in demand response, this paper explores how to utilize A/C units to increase the profit of a smart community. A coalitional game between the households and the load serving entity (LSE in a smart community is studied, where the LSE joins by selling renewable energy to householders and providing an energy saving service to them through an A/C controller. The A/C controller is designed to reduce the amount of electricity purchased from the main grid by controlling A/C units. An online A/C energy management algorithm is developed, based on Lyapunov optimization, that considers both the A/C energy consumption and the thermal comfort level of consumers. In order to quantify the contribution of A/C units, the Shapley value is adopted for distribution of the reward among the participating householders and the LSE, based on their contribution. The simulation result verifies the effectiveness of the proposed coalitional game for a smart community and the algorithm for A/C.

Culture and Inter-Group Relations Theory as a Pathway to Improve Decision Making in Coalition Operations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

O'Mara, William J; Heacox, Nancy J; Gwynne, John W; Smillie, Robert J

2000-01-01

The U.S. military frequently participates in coalitions involving foreign military organizations as well as domestic and foreign civilian groups, such as governmental organizations, private volunteer...

The Dynamic VPN Controller. Secure Information Sharing in a Coalition Environment

Science.gov (United States)

2005-03-01

coalitionName=" COALA "> <Security>Class A</Security> <Site siteName="SITE1"> <Remote> <Hostname>dvc.site1.com</Hostname> <IPAddress...34 COALA "> <Security>Class A</Security> <Site siteName="SITE1"> <Remote> <Hostname>dvc.site1.com</Hostname> <IPAddress>10.1.1.1

The political economy of local government in Croatia: winning coalitions, corruption, and taxes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vuk Vukovic

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper represents the first comprehensive effort to provide a theoretical and empirical explanation of systemic corruption in Croatian local government. It follows the logic of the selectorate theory, according to which staying in power for long periods of time depends on creating a small group of loyal but powerful supporters (the winning coalition. Mayors that exist within such environments not only maximize their chances of staying in power; they also engage in greater corruption and set higher taxes. Its citizens are stuck in a negative spiral of corruption, high taxes, and a politician that regardless of this keeps winning elections. The paper makes two main contributions to the current literature. First it provides a theoretical extension of the selectorate theory to Croatian local government by explicitly modeling the link between corruption and winning coalitions, and second, it empirically verifies the theoretical findings using a novel matching approach called entropy balancing.

Coalitions of things: supporting ISR tasks via internet of things approaches

Science.gov (United States)

Preece, Alun; Taylor, Ian; Dawson, Andrew; Braines, Dave; O'Leary, Nick; Thomas, Anna; Tomsett, Richard; La Porta, Tom; Bakdash, Jonathan Z.; Zaroukian, Erin

2017-05-01

In the wake of rapid maturing of Internet of Things (IoT) approaches and technologies in the commercial sector, the IoT is increasingly seen as a key `disruptive' technology in military environments. Future operational environments are expected to be characterized by a lower proportion of human participants and a higher proportion of autonomous and semi-autonomous devices. This view is reflected in both US `third offset' and UK `information age' thinking and is likely to have a profound effect on how multinational coalition operations are conducted in the future. Much of the initial consideration of IoT adoption in the military domain has rightly focused on security concerns, reflecting similar cautions in the early era of electronic commerce. As IoT approaches mature, this initial technical focus is likely to shift to considerations of interactivity and policy. In this paper, rather than considering the broader range of IoT applications in the military context, we focus on roles for IoT concepts and devices in future intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) tasks, drawing on experience in sensor-mission resourcing and human-computer collaboration (HCC) for ISR. We highlight the importance of low training overheads in the adoption of IoT approaches, and the need to balance proactivity and interactivity (push vs pull modes). As with sensing systems over the last decade, we emphasize that, to be valuable in ISR tasks, IoT devices will need a degree of mission-awareness in addition to an ability to self-manage their limited resources (power, memory, bandwidth, computation, etc). In coalition operations, the management and potential sharing of IoT devices and systems among partners (e.g., in cross-coalition tactical-edge ISR teams) becomes a key issue due heterogeneous factors such as language, policy, procedure and doctrine. Finally, we briefly outline a platform that we have developed in order to experiment with human-IoT teaming on ISR tasks, in both

Culture and Inter-Group Relations Theory as a Pathway to Improve Decision Making in Coalition Operations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

O'Mara, William J; Heacox, Nancy J; Gwynne, John W; Smillie, Robert J

2000-01-01

... organizations, and special interest groups. Due to the wide cultural and organizational diversity of the participant groups, coalition operations pose significant challenges to the U.S. military...

75 FR 56651 - ITS Joint Program Office; Trucking Industry Mobility & Technology Coalition Annual Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-16

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ITS Joint Program Office; Trucking Industry Mobility & Technology... Transportation. ACTION: Notice. The Trucking Industry Mobility & Technology Coalition (TIMTC) Annual [[Page 56652...: Beating Gridlock with a Smart Grid; U.S. DOT Truck Technology Initiatives; and State and Federal...

Strategies for sustainable regional development and conditions for vital coalitions in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Horlings, L.G.

2011-01-01

The question that is addressed in this chapter is how processes can be stimulated in rural–urban areas which contribute to sustainable development? How can capacity to act be realized? Our hypothesis is: Specific informal networks in the form of vital coalitions between private and public actors can

Identification of homemade inorganic explosives by ion chromatographic analysis of post-blast residues.

Science.gov (United States)

Johns, Cameron; Shellie, Robert A; Potter, Oscar G; O'Reilly, John W; Hutchinson, Joseph P; Guijt, Rosanne M; Breadmore, Michael C; Hilder, Emily F; Dicinoski, Greg W; Haddad, Paul R

2008-02-29

Anions and cations of interest for the post-blast identification of homemade inorganic explosives were separated and detected by ion chromatographic (IC) methods. The ionic analytes used for identification of explosives in this study comprised 18 anions (acetate, benzoate, bromate, carbonate, chlorate, chloride, chlorite, chromate, cyanate, fluoride, formate, nitrate, nitrite, perchlorate, phosphate, sulfate, thiocyanate and thiosulfate) and 12 cations (ammonium, barium(II), calcium(II), chromium(III), ethylammonium, magnesium(II), manganese(II), methylammonium, potassium(I), sodium(I), strontium(II), and zinc(II)). Two IC separations are presented, using suppressed IC on a Dionex AS20 column with potassium hydroxide as eluent for anions, and non-suppressed IC for cations using a Dionex SCS 1 column with oxalic acid/acetonitrile as eluent. Conductivity detection was used in both cases. Detection limits for anions were in the range 2-27.4ppb, and for cations were in the range 13-115ppb. These methods allowed the explosive residue ions to be identified and separated from background ions likely to be present in the environment. Linearity (over a calibration range of 0.05-50ppm) was evaluated for both methods, with r(2) values ranging from 0.9889 to 1.000. Reproducibility over 10 consecutive injections of a 5ppm standard ranged from 0.01 to 0.22% relative standard deviation (RSD) for retention time and 0.29 to 2.16%RSD for peak area. The anion and cation separations were performed simultaneously by using two Dionex ICS-2000 chromatographs served by a single autoinjector. The efficacy of the developed methods was demonstrated by analysis of residue samples taken from witness plates and soils collected following the controlled detonation of a series of different inorganic homemade explosives. The results obtained were also confirmed by parallel analysis of the same samples by capillary electrophoresis (CE) with excellent agreement being obtained.

COalitions in COOperation Networks (COCOON): Social Network Analysis and Game Theory to Enhance Cooperation Networks

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sie, Rory

2012-01-01

Sie, R. L. L. (2012). COalitions in COOperation Networks (COCOON): Social Network Analysis and Game Theory to Enhance Cooperation Networks (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). September, 28, 2012, Open Universiteit in the Netherlands (CELSTEC), Heerlen, The Netherlands.

Summary Statistics for Homemade ?Play Dough? -- Data Acquired at LLNL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kallman, J S; Morales, K E; Whipple, R E; Huber, R D; Martz, A; Brown, W D; Smith, J A; Schneberk, D J; Martz, Jr., H E; White, III, W T

2010-03-11

Using x-ray computerized tomography (CT), we have characterized the x-ray linear attenuation coefficients (LAC) of a homemade Play Dough{trademark}-like material, designated as PDA. Table 1 gives the first-order statistics for each of four CT measurements, estimated with a Gaussian kernel density estimator (KDE) analysis. The mean values of the LAC range from a high of about 2700 LMHU{sub D} 100kVp to a low of about 1200 LMHUD at 300kVp. The standard deviation of each measurement is around 10% to 15% of the mean. The entropy covers the range from 6.0 to 7.4. Ordinarily, we would model the LAC of the material and compare the modeled values to the measured values. In this case, however, we did not have the detailed chemical composition of the material and therefore did not model the LAC. Using a method recently proposed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), we estimate the value of the effective atomic number, Z{sub eff}, to be near 10. LLNL prepared about 50mL of the homemade 'Play Dough' in a polypropylene vial and firmly compressed it immediately prior to the x-ray measurements. We used the computer program IMGREC to reconstruct the CT images. The values of the key parameters used in the data capture and image reconstruction are given in this report. Additional details may be found in the experimental SOP and a separate document. To characterize the statistical distribution of LAC values in each CT image, we first isolated an 80% central-core segment of volume elements ('voxels') lying completely within the specimen, away from the walls of the polypropylene vial. All of the voxels within this central core, including those comprised of voids and inclusions, are included in the statistics. We then calculated the mean value, standard deviation and entropy for (a) the four image segments and for (b) their digital gradient images. (A digital gradient image of a given image was obtained by taking the absolute value of the difference

Member and Affiliate Contact Directory. Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education. Second Edition.

Science.gov (United States)

Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education, College Park, MD.

This directory is designed to assist local action groups (existing local alliances; science mathematics, and technology teachers; superintendents, principals, and supervisors; guidance counselors and resource specialists; and university and college professors) in making contact with the local structure of the Triangle Coalition for Science and…

Bringing Psychological Science to the Forefront of Educational Policy: Collaborative Efforts of the American Psychological Association's Coalition for Psychology in the Schools and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Rollin, Stephen A.; Subotnik, Rena F.; Bassford, Maya; Smulson, Jennifer

2008-01-01

The following article details the work of the American Psychological Association's (APA's) Coalition for Psychology in the Schools and Education (CPSE). First, a brief history of the background and creation of the coalition is described. The article then details the projects, completed and ongoing, of the CPSE. Those projects include a Teacher…

Smart transactive energy framework in grid-connected multiple home microgrids under independent and coalition operations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marzband, Mousa; Azarinejadian, Fatemeh; Savaghebi, Mehdi

2018-01-01

This paper presents a smart Transactive energy (TE) framework in which home microgrids (H-MGs) can collaborate with each other in a multiple H-MG system by forming coalitions for gaining competitiveness in the market. Profit allocation due to coalition between H-MGs is an important issue...... for ensuring the optimal use of installed resources in the whole multiple H-MG system. In addition, considering demand fluctuations, energy production based on renewable resources in the multiple H-MG can be accomplished by demand-side management strategies that try to establish mechanisms to allow...... for a flatter demand curve. In this regard, demand shifting potential can be tapped through shifting certain amounts of energy demand from some time periods to others with lower expected demand, typically to match price values and to ensure that existing generation will be economically sufficient. It is also...

Captive-housed male cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii) form naturalistic coalitions: measuring associations and calculating chance encounters.

Science.gov (United States)

Chadwick, Carly L; Rees, Paul A; Stevens-Wood, Barry

2013-01-01

Cheetahs are known to reproduce poorly in captivity and research suggests that the reasons for this are behavioral, rather than physiological. In the wild, male cheetahs remain in stable groups, or coalitions, throughout their lifetime. Appropriate social group housing is important in enhancing welfare and reproductive success in captivity and this study examined the effect of changes in social group composition on the behavior of four male cheetahs: two siblings and two half siblings. During the study, the cheetahs were housed both in pairs and as a group of four, before one male was relocated. The remaining cheetahs were then housed in a trio. Affiliative behaviors were frequently shown within pairs and overt aggression was seldom observed. Association indices were calculated for each cheetah pair and corrected for chance encounters based on data generated from a Monte Carlo simulation. The indices showed that two coalitions existed before the relocated male departed. Following the relocation of one of the half siblings, the remaining cheetahs appeared to form a coalition of three, as the indices of association between the unrelated male and the siblings increased and allogrooming between unrelated individuals was observed. The findings of this study indicate that natural social groupings of male cheetahs can be successfully replicated in captivity, which could potentially improve the chances of reproductive success when they are introduced to female cheetahs. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Halftime - a balance in matters nuclear of the grand coalition; Halbzeit - Bilanz der Grossen Koalition in Sachen Kernenergie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heller, W.

2007-10-15

On November 11, 2005, the coalition partners, CDU/CSU and SPD, signed the agreement establishing a coalition in the German federal parliament under the heading of ''Together for Germany''. Among other things, this raised the question of what would happen in the fields of energy policy and nuclear power. After 2 years of a grand coalition, it is time to draw some interim conclusions. The coalition agreement contains statements to the effect that energy policy means fundamental economic, structural and climate policies, and that secure, low-cost, non-polluting energy supplies are elementary prerequisites of a modern, capable national economy. A sustainable overall energy policy concept should be based on a balanced energy mix. This overall concept, one of the results of ''energy summit'' talks with Federal Chancellor Merkel, was announced for the end of 2007. The 3 energy summit discussions with Federal Chancellor Merkel deliberately avoided the subject of nuclear power. There is no debate about the implications of nuclear energy. This in no way improved the status of nuclear power in Germany. What remains is hope for the second half of this government's term of office. The beginning of that term is marked by the McKinsey study, initiated by the Federation of German Industries (BDI), on ''Cost and Potential of Avoiding Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Germany,'' which says that operating German nuclear power plants for 60 or even 45 years would result in a CO2 avoidance potential for 2020 which would be approximately 90 million tons higher, and in avoidance costs lower by 4.5 billion euro per year. (orig.)

Crescimento intra-uterino restrito diagnosticado pelo índice ponderal de Rohrer e sua associação com morbidade e mortalidade neonatal precoce Intrauterine growth retardation diagnosed by Rohrer's ponderal index and its association with morbidity and early neonatal mortality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adehilde Maria Martins Santos

2005-06-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: diagnosticar o crescimento intra-uterino restrito (CIUR por meio do índice ponderal de Rohrer e sua associação com morbidade e mortalidade neonatal precoce. MÉTODOS: estudo retrospectivo, descritivo e de coorte transversal, no qual foram incluídos 2741 recém-nascidos (RN, sendo 2053 casos de grávidas hígidas, 228 de pré-eclâmpsia leve (PE, 52 com PE grave, 25 com PE que evoluiu para eclâmpsia, 136 de ruptura prematura das membranas (RPM e 247 de tabagistas. O índice ponderal (IP de Rohrer foi calculado segundo a equação: IP = peso/estatura³ x 100 e se utilizaram os valores 2,25 e 3,10 dos percentis 10 e 90 de Lubchenco. Classificou-se como CIUR assimétrico aquele RN com IP PURPOSE: to diagnose intrauterine growth restriction (IGR and its connection with early neonatal morbidity and mortality, through Roher's ponderal index (PI. METHODS: this was a retrospective, descriptive study of transversal cohort, in which 2741 newborns (NB were included, 2053 of them from healthy pregnant women, 228 from women with mild pregnancy-related hypertension, 52 from those with severe pregnancy-related hypertension, 25 from those with mild pregnancy-related hypertension that evolved to eclampsia, 136 from those with premature membrane rupture, and 247 from women who smoked along gestation. Roher's PI was calculated by the equation: PI = weight/height ³ x 100 and the values 2.25 and 3.10 of Lubchenco's 10 and 90 percentiles were used to classify the types of IGR. IGR was classified as asymmetric for NB with PI < 2.25 and weight lower than percentile 10, as symmetric, with PI from 2.25 to 3.10 and weight lower than percentile 10, and adequate for gestational age with PI from 2.25 to 3.10, and weight from 10 to 90 percentiles. Statistical analysis was performed using the non-paired t test, the non-parametric chi2 test and Fisher's exact test, with significance set at a value of p<0.05. RESULTS: low birth weight (< 2,500 g was present in 3

Estudo da proporcionalidade corporal de recém-nascidos a termo segundo o Índice Ponderal de Rohrer e grau de retardo de crescimento intra-uterino Study of body proportionality using Rohrer’s Ponderal Index and degree of intrauterine growth retardation in full-term neonates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Carneiro Leão Filho

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Trata-se de estudo do tipo observacional, de corte transversal, para descrever as características antropométricas e proporcionalidade corporal de 549 recém-nascidos a termo (RNT. As medidas antropométricas usadas foram: peso (P, comprimento (C, perímetro cefálico (PC, índice ponderal de Rohrer (IP, razão peso/perímetro cefálico (P/PC e razão comprimento/ perímetro cefálico (C/PC. Também foi estudada a severidade do retardo de crescimento intra-uterino (RCIU, através da distribuição do escore z quanto ao desvio do peso ao nascer. Os recém-nascidos pequenos para idade gestacional (PIG foram definidos como aqueles com escore z An observational, cross-sectional study was used to describe the anthropometric characteristics of 549 full-term neonates with respect to body proportionality. The anthropometric measures used were: weight (W, length (L, head circumference (HC, Rohrer’s Ponderal Index (PI, W/HC ratio, and L/HC ratio. Severity of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR was studied through z-score distribution. Small-for-gestational-age (SGA was defined as a z-score value < -2, and the cutoff for PI, W/HC, and L/HC was determined as the mean minus one standard deviation for the local reference population. Based on PI, 72.8% of SGA neonates and 12.8% of appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA neonates were disproportionate. Based on the L/HC ratio the results were 25.6% and 11.6%, respectively, while with the W/HC ratio, all SGA and 16.3% of AGA neonates were disproportionate. According to all criteria there was an observed significant linear tendency to increase the disproportionality as IUGR increased.

Research Reactors Coalitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borio, Andrea; Bradley, E.; Vyshniauskas, Judy; Ridikas, Danas

2013-01-01

When considering the potential role of an existing RR or possibly the construction of a new RR, it is clear that a nuclear science and technology programme (including nuclear power) could benefit provided the RR is safely and competently managed, well utilised and adequately funded. Based on MSs experience, a domestic RR may not be required to develop a nuclear power programme, provided the decision takes advantage of foreign expertise, including access to foreign RRs facilities and RRs regional/international networks. If a country decides to gain access to a foreign research reactor, it may need considering the potential risk of change in the political relationship with the host country that could compromise the achievement of its national relevant objectives. This risk may be offset by availability of many options within one or more regional/international RRs networks and coalitions. Examples include the use of existing RRs in vendor, non-vendor countries and, in some cases non-nuclear power countries, to develop human resources in support of the introduction of nuclear power elsewhere. International RR networking trends are most evident with high flux, higher capability, and more complex fuel and material testing RRs being shared through international partnerships. However, networks involving low-medium power RRs for education and training purposes are also gaining a more prominent role to support nuclear capacity building in newcomer MSs. Networking through the internet seems also to be a promising way to support, as complementary offer to direct access to RRs facilities, MSs nuclear capacity building objectives (e.g. the IRL project)

Social capital, the miniaturisation of community and consumption of homemade liquor and smuggled liquor during the past year. A population-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindström, Martin

2005-12-01

To study the impact of social participation, trust and the miniaturisation of community, i.e. high social participation/low trust, on consumption of homemade liquor and smuggled liquor during the past year. The Scania 2000 public health survey is a cross-sectional, postal questionnaire study. A total of 13,604 persons aged 18-80 years were included. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between the social capital variables and illegal alcohol consumption. The multivariate analyses analysed the importance of confounders (age, country of origin, education and economic stress) on the differences in consumption of homemade and smuggled liquor according to the social capital variables. A 28.2% proportion of all men and 14.9% of all women had consumed homemade liquor during the past year. The proportions who had consumed smuggled liquor during the past year were even higher, 40.1% among men and 21.4% among women. Both forms of illegal alcohol consumption were significantly positively associated with social participation and negatively associated with trust. The miniaturisation of community category, i.e. high social participation/low trust, had significantly higher risks of consumption during the past year of the consumption of both forms of illegally provided alcohol compared to the high social capital (high social participation/high trust) category, while the low social participation/high trust category had significantly lower risks. High social participation combined with low trust is positively associated with consumption of illegally provided alcohol. The results have implications for alcohol prevention programs, because structural/social factors that may hinder information and norms concerning illegal alcohol have been identified in this study.

Ponderal index at birth associates with later risk of gestational diabetes mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Crusell, Mie; Damm, Peter; Hansen, Torben; Pedersen, Oluf; Glümer, Charlotte; Vaag, Allan; Lauenborg, Jeannet

2017-08-01

Low birth weight (BW) and low ponderal index (PI) are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study has two purposes: first to investigate the influence of PI on the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM); second, to study the association between glucose metabolism and BW in women with previous GDM. GDM cohort: 185 women with GDM in 1978-1996, attending a follow-up study in 2000-2002. Control cohort: 1137 women from a population-based diabetes screening study (Inter99) in a neighbouring county in 1999-2001. BW and birth length were collected from the original midwifery records. BW and PI were stratified into tertiles for analysis. PI in the lower tertiles was associated with an increased risk of GDM [odds ratio 1.59 (95% confidence interval 1.07-2.36, p = 0.021)]. Among women with previous GDM, the area under the curve (AUC) for plasma levels of glucose and insulin during an OGTT was highest for the lower tertiles of BW (for AUCglucose p = 0.048, for AUCinsulin p = 0.047 adjusted for age and BMI). Lower PI is associated with increased risk of GDM. In women with previous GDM, lower BW is associated with a more severe impairment of glucose metabolism one to two decades after the pregnancy complicated by GDM.

Furan in food including homemade and ready-to-eat food products

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fromberg, Arvid; Granby, Kit; Mariotti Celis, M.

Furan is formed in canned, jarred or browned food items. As furan is carcinogenic in animal experiments, attention has been drawn to the presence in commercial and home-cooked foods. The formation of furan in home cooked foods were studied as well as the stability of furan during cooking, saving...... and reheating of meals. In addition the occurrence of furan in some commercially dried and browned food products were determined. Several recipes of European homemade food were prepared but in most cases fortunately furan was not found. I few exceptions were e.g. apple pie (133 ng/g furan in the rasp) and tea...... buns with raisins (83 ng/g furan in the raisins). The influence on heating and reheating of ready to eat foods like different soups, baked beans and vegetable meals known to contain furan, showed that heating roughly reduced the furan level to half the initial level and reheating reduced the level...

Complementary Feeding Interventions Have a Small but Significant Impact on Linear and Ponderal Growth of Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Panjwani, Anita; Heidkamp, Rebecca

2017-11-01

Background: World Health Assembly member states have committed to ambitious global targets for reductions in stunting and wasting by 2025. Improving complementary diets of children aged 6-23 mo is a recommended approach for reducing stunting in children impact of complementary feeding interventions on linear [length-for-age z score (LAZ)] and ponderal [weight-for-length z score (WLZ)] growth of children aged 6-23 mo, with the specific goal of updating intervention-outcome linkages in the Lives Saved Tool (LiST). Methods: We started our review with studies included in the previous LiST review and searched for articles published since January 2012. We identified longitudinal trials that compared children aged 6-23 mo who received 1 of 2 types of complementary feeding interventions (nutrition education or counseling alone or complementary food supplementation with or without nutrition education or counseling) with a no-intervention control. We assessed study quality and generated pooled estimates of LAZ and WLZ change, as well as length and weight gain, for each category of intervention. Results: Interventions that provided nutrition education or counseling had a small but significant impact on linear growth in food-secure populations [LAZ standardized mean difference (SMD): 0.11; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.22] but not on ponderal growth. Complementary food supplementation interventions with or without nutrition education also had a small, significant effect in food-insecure settings on both LAZ (SMD: 0.08; 95% CI: 0.04, 0.13) and WLZ (SMD: 0.05; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.08). Conclusions: Nutrition education and complementary feeding interventions both had a small but significant impact on linear growth, and complementary feeding interventions also had an impact on ponderal growth of children aged 6-23 mo in low- and middle-income countries. The updated LiST model will support nutrition program planning and evaluation efforts by allowing users to model changes in intervention coverage on

Excellent Companies and Coalition-Building among the Fortune 500: A Value- and Relationship-Based Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Laurie J.

1994-01-01

Discusses ways a revolution in business management emphasizing people, values, integrity, and communication should also change the approach to public relations. Reviews research to demonstrate that coalition companies possess the characteristics of excellent companies. Argues that perhaps this community relations function will lead from the…

78 FR 21928 - Demand Response Coalition v. PJM Interconnection, L.L.C.; Notice of Complaint

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-12

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Docket No. EL13-57-000] Demand Response... Demand Response Coalition \\1\\ (Complainant) filed a formal complaint against the PJM Interconnection, L.L... Plan Enhancements'') violate section 205 of the FPA and are therefore unenforceable. \\1\\ The Demand...

The clinical application and effect evaluation of home-made duct occluder in patent ductus arteriosus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jijun, Shi; Guohong, Zeng; Zhiwei, Zhang; Huishen, Wang; Mingyang, Qian; Yufen, Li [Guangdong Provincial People' s Hospital, Guangdong Provincial Cardiovascular Inst., Guangzhou (China)

2003-08-01

Objective: To evaluate the clinical application and effect of transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) by using the home-made Xinjian duct occluder. Methods: From June, 2000 to July, 2002, 182 patients (63 male, 119 female) underwent attempted transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus by using the Xinjian duct occluder at a median age of 5.23 years (range 0.3 to 16) and a median weight of 17.09 kg (range 5 to 50). The mean PDA diameter in the narrowest segment was 4.30 mm (range 1.32 to 9.00). The delivery sheath was 6 to 10 F. The median operation time was 73.31 min (range 45 to 135), and the median fluoroscopy time was 7.09 min (range 2.60 to 26.90). Follow-up evaluation was performed with color flow mapping immediately, at 24 h, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after closure, respectively. Results: The Xinjian device was successfully placed in all 182 cases. Angiography showed immediate closure in 109 patients (59.89%), small residual shunt in 30, and trace shunt in 43. At 24 h, color Doppler revealed complete closure in 163 patients. Only 8 patients still had a residual shunt after 1 month. A residual shunt was observed in 4 at 3 months and 6 months, 2 at 1 year, 1 at 2 years. There were no severe complications. Conclusions: Transcatheter closure of PDA using the home-made Xinjian occluder is a safe and effective method. The Xinjian occluder could replace the imported product in the closure of PDA.

The clinical application and effect evaluation of home-made duct occluder in patent ductus arteriosus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shi Jijun; Zeng Guohong; Zhang Zhiwei; Wang Huishen; Qian Mingyang; Li Yufen

2003-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the clinical application and effect of transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) by using the home-made Xinjian duct occluder. Methods: From June, 2000 to July, 2002, 182 patients (63 male, 119 female) underwent attempted transcatheter closure of patent ductus arteriosus by using the Xinjian duct occluder at a median age of 5.23 years (range 0.3 to 16) and a median weight of 17.09 kg (range 5 to 50). The mean PDA diameter in the narrowest segment was 4.30 mm (range 1.32 to 9.00). The delivery sheath was 6 to 10 F. The median operation time was 73.31 min (range 45 to 135), and the median fluoroscopy time was 7.09 min (range 2.60 to 26.90). Follow-up evaluation was performed with color flow mapping immediately, at 24 h, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years after closure, respectively. Results: The Xinjian device was successfully placed in all 182 cases. Angiography showed immediate closure in 109 patients (59.89%), small residual shunt in 30, and trace shunt in 43. At 24 h, color Doppler revealed complete closure in 163 patients. Only 8 patients still had a residual shunt after 1 month. A residual shunt was observed in 4 at 3 months and 6 months, 2 at 1 year, 1 at 2 years. There were no severe complications. Conclusions: Transcatheter closure of PDA using the home-made Xinjian occluder is a safe and effective method. The Xinjian occluder could replace the imported product in the closure of PDA

Three-body interactions in sociophysics and their role in coalition forming

Science.gov (United States)

Naumis, Gerardo G.; Samaniego-Steta, F.; del Castillo-Mussot, M.; Vázquez, G. J.

2007-06-01

An study of the effects of three-body interactions in the process of coalition formation is presented. In particular, we modify a spin glass model of bimodal propensities and also a Potts model in order to include a particular three-body Hamiltonian that reproduces the main features of the required interactions. The model can be used to study conflicts, political struggles, political parties, social networks, wars and organizational structures. As an application, we analyze a simplified model of the Iraq war.

More Fragmented, and yet More Networked: Analysing the Responses of Two Local Authorities in England to the Coalition's "Self-Improving School-Led System" Reforms

Science.gov (United States)

Greany, Toby

2015-01-01

This paper explores school reform in England under the Conservative-led Coalition government, elected in 2010, through a focus on the changing roles and status of Local Authorities (LAs). The Coalition's stated aim was the development of a "self-improving, school-led" system in which LAs should become "champions for children."…

California: Environmental Health Coalition Clean Ports, Healthy Communities in San Diego (A Former EPA CARE Project)

Science.gov (United States)

The Environmental Health Coalition (EHC) is a recipient of a CARE Level II cooperative agreement grant. The Clean Ports, Healthy Communities in San Diego targets the Barrio Logan and Old Town National City areas located along San Diego Bay.

77 FR 42738 - Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Coalition for Quality and Patient...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-07-20

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Coalition for Quality and Patient Safety of Chicagoland (CQPS.... SUMMARY: The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41,42...

Transcatheter closure of membranous ventricular septal defects with home-made nitinol occluder

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yongwen, Qin; Xianxian, Zhao; Xing, Zheng; Jijun, Ding; Jiang, Cao [Second Military Medical Univ., Shanghai (China). Changhai Hospital, Dept. of Cardiology

2004-04-01

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of transcatheter perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSD) occlusion with home-made nitinol occluder. Methods: Transcatheter closure was attempted in 196 patients with perimembranous VSD. The diameter of VSD measured by echocardiography was 3 to 15 mm, mean (4.94 {+-} 2.23) mm. The angiographic diameter of the VSD was 3 to 6 mm, mean (3.92 {+-} 1.44) mm. A 7-10 F delivery sheath was advanced across the perimembranous VSD over a wire from femoral vein to deploy the occluder with the guidance of echocardiography and fluoroscopy. The device diameter selected was from 4 to 20 mm, mean (6.68 {+-} 2.76) mm. Left ventriculography and transthoracic echocardiography were repeated to assess the closure of the defects 15 min after the procedure. Continuous electrocardiogram monitoring lasted for 5 days. The echocardiography and electrocardiogram examination were scheduled for 1, 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Results: The occluders were successfully deployed in 191 patients. There were five procedural failures, two with device-related aortic insufficiency, and three of inability to pass through VSD. After deployment of the devices, there were no residual shunt in 180 of 191 patients, 11 patients with a trivial residual shunt that disappeared in 8 patients after one month of follow up. 3 patients developed mild tricuspid insufficiency. 12 developed transient complete right bundle branch block, and 5 transient complete left bundle branch block, and 2 transient complete atrioventricular block. There were repetitive nonparoxysmal ventricular tachycardia in 4 patients 1 week after the procedure. One patient had a detached device embolized into the left pulmonary artery but with a successful catheter retrieval by snare and transcatheter closure. The devices were similarly applied to patients with VSD associated with patent ductus arteriosus, and 4 patients with VSD complicated by atrial septal defects. The fluoroscopy time

Coalitions and Competition in Malaysia – Incremental Transformation of a Strong-party System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meredith L. Weiss

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The seeming entrenchment of a two-coalition system in Malaysia solidifies the centrality of strongly institutionalised parties in the polity. The primary parties in Malaysia reach deeply into society and nest within dense networks of both intra-party and external organisations. Given this order – which differentiates Malaysia from its neighbours in the region – political liberalisation, if it happens, should be expected largely via electoral politics, and, specifically, through inter-party challenges. Indeed, the ideological and material premises of the emergent Pakatan Rakyat (People’s Alliance differ substantially from those of the long-standing Barisan Nasional (National Front, even as both pursue the same broad swathe of voters. This distinction reflects and furthers transformation in Malaysian politics, including not just a shift in the salience of communal identities and in policy proposals and issues, but also in patterns of political engagement both within and outside of parties, regardless of which coalition controls parliament.

Actor coalitions and implementation in strategic delta planning: Opening the Haringvliet sluices in the Netherlands

Science.gov (United States)

Vermoolen, Myrthe; Hermans, Leon

2016-04-01

The sustained development of urbanizing deltas is influenced by natural and societal processes. These processes are characterized by their long time span, in which conflicting interests of different stakeholders have to be reconciled. Reaching consent between actors is a challenge itself, but maintaining this consent throughout different stages of strategic planning - from advocacy and agenda setting to implementation - over these long periods of time is even more difficult. The implementation stage still includes many different actors involved, some of which are different than the ones who agreed before, due to both the long run of the strategic delta planning, and to a shift of tasks and responsibilities. Thus, implementation of strategic plans often features delays, deviations of agreed plans and unintended outcomes. A key question therefore is how coalition dynamics in (pre-)planning stages influence and are influenced by the coalition dynamics during implementation. The different stages in strategic planning are often studied from either a plan formulation or an implementation perspective, but the connection between the two proves an important bottleneck for strategic planning in deltas. For instance, many building with nature solutions are still in their pilot-phase, and their upscaling can profit from lessons concerning past implementation efforts. The proposed contribution will use the case of the management of the Dutch Haringvliet sluices and the decision ('Kierbesluit') in 2000 to put these sluices ajar, to study the link between the different strategic delta planning stages and the role of the formation and change of actor coalitions herein. With the completion of the Haringvliet dam with outlet sluices in 1970, the Haringvliet estuary of the rivers Rhine and Meuse was closed off from the sea, creating a fresh water lake. This was done to make the Dutch Southwest delta safe from flooding, and had positive effects for agricultural water supply and

Democracy in Brazil: presidentialism, party coalitions and the decision making process

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernando Limongi

Full Text Available There is no reason to treat the Brazilian political system as singular. Coalitions obey and are governed by party principles. The president, whose institutional power was enhanced by the 1988 Constitution, has a monopoly over legislative initiative, which approximates the Brazilian system to the European parliamentary democracies. Even though it is based upon empirical data, this essay formulates theoretical problems, such as the importance of institutional choices and how these impact on relations between the majority and minority in democratic governments.

When culture does not matter: Experimental evidence from coalition formation ultimatum games in Austria and Japan

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Okada, A.; Riedl, A.M.

1999-01-01

This paper reports the results of a cross-country comparison between Austria andJapan for an experimental 3-personcoalition formation ultimatum game. The experimental design allows thecomparison with respect to three decisions. (i)The coalition decision, (ii) proposers' demand behavior in 2- and

A home-made system for IPCE measurement of standard and dye-sensitized solar cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Palma, Giuseppina; Cozzarini, Luca; Capria, Ennio [Organic OptoElectronics Laboratory, Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA—SS 14.5, km 163.5, 34149 Basovizza (TS) (Italy); Fraleoni-Morgera, Alessandro, E-mail: alessandro.fraleoni@elettra.trieste.it, E-mail: afraleoni@units.it [Organic OptoElectronics Laboratory, Sincrotrone Trieste SCpA—SS 14.5, km 163.5, 34149 Basovizza (TS) (Italy); Flextronics Laboratory, Department of Engineering and Architecture, University of Trieste. V. Valerio 10, 34100 Trieste (TS) (Italy)

2015-01-15

A home-made system for incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) characterization, based on a double-beam UV-Vis spectrophotometer, has been set up. In addition to its low cost (compared to the commercially available apparatuses), the double-beam configuration gives the advantage to measure, autonomously and with no need for supplementary equipment, the lamp power in real time, compensating possible variations of the spectral emission intensity and quality, thus reducing measurement times. To manage the optical and electronic components of the system, a custom software has been developed. Validations carried out on a common silicon-based photodiode and on a dye-sensitized solar cell confirm the possibility to adopt this system for determining the IPCE of solar cells, including dye-sensitized ones.

A home-made system for IPCE measurement of standard and dye-sensitized solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Palma, Giuseppina; Cozzarini, Luca; Capria, Ennio; Fraleoni-Morgera, Alessandro

2015-01-01

A home-made system for incident photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (IPCE) characterization, based on a double-beam UV-Vis spectrophotometer, has been set up. In addition to its low cost (compared to the commercially available apparatuses), the double-beam configuration gives the advantage to measure, autonomously and with no need for supplementary equipment, the lamp power in real time, compensating possible variations of the spectral emission intensity and quality, thus reducing measurement times. To manage the optical and electronic components of the system, a custom software has been developed. Validations carried out on a common silicon-based photodiode and on a dye-sensitized solar cell confirm the possibility to adopt this system for determining the IPCE of solar cells, including dye-sensitized ones.

Political Appointments and Coalition Management in Brazil, 2007-2010 Nominaciones Partidárias e Coaliciones en Brasil, 2007-2010

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sérgio Praça

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Studies on coalition management in presidential systems usually focus on two types of goods used by the president and formateur party to hold together coalitions: exchange goods (such as individual budget amendments and coalition goods (such as ministries. This research note analyzes, with an original dataset of party members and political appointees in Brazil, a different type of good: presidential political appointments. Our study shows that partisan political appointees vary greatly among Brazilian ministries and within them. We also found that there is a disconnect between how many seats a political party holds in Congress and the number of political appointment offices it controls. This has implications for the literature on bureaucracy and politics and the literature on coalition management.La investigación sobre el manejo de coaliciones en sistemas presidenciales normalmente se concentra en dos tipos de bienes utilizados por el presidente y su partido para formar coaliciones: intercambio de bienes (a modo de enmiendas presupuestarias individuales y los bienes propios de la coalición (a través de gabinetes ministeriales. En base a un banco de datos original sobre afiliación y nombramientos partidários para cargos de confianza en el poder ejecutivo brasileño, este artículo analiza un tipo diferente de bien de intercambio: los nombramientos presidenciales. Nuestro estudio demuestra que los patrones de nombramientos partidarios varían horizontalmente (de ministerio a ministerio y verticalmente (dentro de un ministerio específico. El análisis también muestra que no hay relación entre el número de legisladores que pertenecen a un partido y la capacidad de este de efectuar nombramientos políticos.

Grassroots Responsiveness to Human Rights Abuse: History of the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Laura; Martinez, Ramiro; Harner, Margaret; Harner, Melanie; Horner, Pilar; Delva, Jorge

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss how a community agency based in Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigration Rights (WICIR), emerged in response to increasing punitive immigration practices and human rights abuses toward the Latino community. The article discusses how WICIR is engaged in advocacy, community…

Practical Child Safety Education in England: A National Survey of the Child Safety Education Coalition

Science.gov (United States)

Mulvaney, Caroline A.; Watson, Michael C.; Walsh, Patrick

2013-01-01

Objective: To examine the provision of practical safety education by Child Safety Education Coalition (CSEC) organizations in England. Design: A postal survey. Setting: Providers of child practical safety education who were also part of CSEC. Methods: In February 2010 all CSEC organizations were sent a self-completion postal questionnaire which…

An empirical test of new developments in coalition theory for the design of international environmental agreements

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Finus, M.; Sáiz Pérez, M.E.; Hendrix, E.M.T.

2009-01-01

We consider new developments in coalition theory for the design of international environmental agreements (IEAs). Applying an empirical model on climate change that comprises benefit and cost estimates from abatement for 12 world regions, we analyze how the design of an agreement affects the success

Cross-correlation measurement of quantum shot noise using homemade transimpedance amplifiers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashisaka, Masayuki; Ota, Tomoaki; Yamagishi, Masakazu; Fujisawa, Toshimasa; Muraki, Koji

2014-01-01

We report a cross-correlation measurement system, based on a new approach, which can be used to measure shot noise in a mesoscopic conductor at milliKelvin temperatures. In contrast to other measurement systems in which high-speed low-noise voltage amplifiers are commonly used, our system employs homemade transimpedance amplifiers (TAs). The low input impedance of the TAs significantly reduces the crosstalk caused by unavoidable parasitic capacitance between wires. The TAs are designed to have a flat gain over a frequency band from 2 kHz to 1 MHz. Low-noise performance is attained by installing the TAs at a 4 K stage of a dilution refrigerator. Our system thus fulfills the technical requirements for cross-correlation measurements: low noise floor, high frequency band, and negligible crosstalk between two signal lines. Using our system, shot noise generated at a quantum point contact embedded in a quantum Hall system is measured. The good agreement between the obtained shot-noise data and theoretical predictions demonstrates the accuracy of the measurements

Construction of Home-Made Tin Fixed-Point Cell at TUBITAK UME

Science.gov (United States)

Kalemci, M.; Arifovic, N.; Bağçe, A.; Aytekin, S. O.; Ince, A. T.

2015-08-01

TUBITAK UME Temperature Laboratory initiated a new study which focuses on the construction of a tin freezing-point cell as a primary temperature standard. The design is an open-cell type similar to the National Institute of Standards and Technology design. With this aim, a brand new vacuum and filling line employing an oil diffusion pump and two cold traps (liquid nitrogen and dry ice) was set-up. The graphite parts (crucible, thermometer well, etc.) have been baked at high temperature under vacuum. Each cell was filled with approximately 1 kg of high-purity tin (99.9999 %) in a three-zone furnace. Then several melting and freezing curves were obtained to assess the quality of the home-made cell, and also the new cell was compared with the existing reference cell of the laboratory. The results obtained are very close to the reference cell of UME, indicating that the method used for fabrication was promising and satisfactory and also seems to meet the requirements to have a primary level temperature standard.

Coalitions and Competition in Malaysia – Incremental Transformation of a Strong-party System

OpenAIRE

Meredith L. WEISS

2013-01-01

"The seeming entrenchment of a two-coalition system in Malaysia solidifies the centrality of strongly institutionalised parties in the polity. The primary parties in Malaysia reach deeply into society and nest within dense networks of both intra-party and external organisations. Given this order - which differentiates Malaysia from its neighbours in the region - political liberalisation, if it happens, should be expected largely via electoral politics, and, specifically, through inter-party c...

The Impact of Sowing Technology on Ponderal Features of Winter Wheat Seeds in Timişoara

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcela Dragoş

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Wheat is a grass, originally from the Fertile Crescent region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. The paper presents the results obtained in the last two years of experience, about the influence of sowing technology on the ponderal features of the winter wheat seeds. The experimental parcels were laid down in a randomized complete block design with three replications in the pedo-climatic conditions of Timişoara. The purpose of the research is to determine the influence of some sowing links on the thousand grain mass and hectoliter mass. The average data obtained after two years of study indicate an increase of about 2 % of the thousand grain mass and hectoliter mass on the second sowing period (16-31 Octoberand a distinctive decrease of 2-3% on the fourth sowing period(16-30 November. During the two years of experience the row distance and the sowing density had a negative impact on both thousand grain mass and hectoliter mass in both variants compared with the control variant, the difference being statistical significant.

Coalition Warfare Program Presentation to: 2009 EUCOM/AFRICOM Science and Technology Conference

Science.gov (United States)

2009-06-01

compac an nexpens ve m cro- fluxgate magnetometer for use in multiple COCOMs. To continue T&E with joint services and apply lessons learned to...Partners in EUCOM/AFRICOM FY08 Starts • Advanced Dynamic Magnetometer FY09 Starts • ADNS Coalition Network FY10 New Starts • Clip-on Night Vision...Partner 2008 New Starts Advanced Dynamic Magnetometer for Static and Moving Applications T d l t d i i i US Navy (SPAWAR) Italy, Sweden o eve op a a

How guiding coalitions promote positive culture change in hospitals: a longitudinal mixed methods interventional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Bradley, Elizabeth H; Brewster, Amanda L; McNatt, Zahirah; Linnander, Erika L; Cherlin, Emily; Fosburgh, Heather; Ting, Henry H; Curry, Leslie A

2018-03-01

Quality collaboratives are widely endorsed as a potentially effective method for translating and spreading best practices for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) care. Nevertheless, hospital success in improving performance through participation in collaboratives varies markedly. We sought to understand what distinguished hospitals that succeeded in shifting culture and reducing 30-day risk-standardised mortality rate (RSMR) after AMI through their participation in the Leadership Saves Lives (LSL) collaborative. We conducted a longitudinal, mixed methods intervention study of 10 hospitals over a 2-year period; data included surveys of 223 individuals (response rates 83%-94% depending on wave) and 393 in-depth interviews with clinical and management staff most engaged with the LSL intervention in the 10 hospitals. We measured change in culture and RSMR, and key aspects of working related to team membership, turnover, level of participation and approaches to conflict management. The six hospitals that experienced substantial culture change and greater reductions in RSMR demonstrated distinctions in: (1) effective inclusion of staff from different disciplines and levels in the organisational hierarchy in the team guiding improvement efforts (referred to as the 'guiding coalition' in each hospital); (2) authentic participation in the work of the guiding coalition; and (3) distinct patterns of managing conflict. Guiding coalition size and turnover were not associated with success (p values>0.05). In the six hospitals that experienced substantial positive culture change, staff indicated that the LSL learnings were already being applied to other improvement efforts. Hospitals that were most successful in a national quality collaborative to shift hospital culture and reduce RSMR showed distinct patterns in membership diversity, authentic participation and capacity for conflict management. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the

POLITICAL MONETARY CYCLES IN COALITION AND SINGLE PARTY GOVERNMENT PERIODS: A CASE STUDY ON TURKEY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

AHMET EMRAH TAYYAR

2017-12-01

Full Text Available According to the theory of political monetary cycles, the government manipulates monetary policy during election periods in order to be re-elected. According to the said theory, expansionary monetary policies are implemented before the elections with opportunistic objective, while the contractionary monetary policies are implemented to stabilize the economy immediately after the elections. The use of monetary policy instruments for political purposes depends on the presence of a non-autonomous central bank, flexible exchange rate regime in the country, and the coordination between fiscal and monetary policies. Thus, the changes in the monetary policy indicators in election periods during coalition and single party governments in Turkey between 1990 and 2016 were examined in the present study. The money in circulation (M0, M1 money supply, domestic loans and inflation series were analyzed with the seasonal Box-Jenkins method for the above mentioned periods. Based on the findings of the study, political monetary cycles were not observed during the 1990-2000 coalition governments. It was determined that there were political monetary cycles during the single party government period between 2000 and 2016.Furthermore, although it could be expected that the political monetary cycles would be removed with the liberalization of the Turkish central bank on 25 April 2001, the existence of political monetary cycles during the period of 2000-2016 indicates that central bank independence was not fully achieved in Turkey. Based on another finding of the present study, the lack of political monetary cycles during the coalition government periods could lead to the failure in financing the budget deficit that increase due to political reasons with monetary policies. However, due to the existence of political monetary cycles during the single party government period, it could be argued that politically induced budget deficits changed in consistence with the

KFM: a homemade yet accurate and dependable fallout meter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kearny, C.H.; Barnes, P.R.; Chester, C.V.; Cortner, M.W.

1978-01-01

The KFM is a homemade fallout meter that can be made using only materials, tools, and skills found in millions of American homes. It is an accurate and dependable electroscope-capacitor. The KFM, in conjunction with its attached table and a watch, is designed for use as a rate meter. Its attached table relates observed differences in the separations of its two leaves (before and after exposures at the listed time intervals) to the dose rates during exposures of these time intervals. In this manner dose rates from 30 mR/hr up to 43 R/hr can be determined with an accuracy of +-25%. A KFM can be charged with any one of the three expedient electrostatic charging devices described. Due to the use of anhydrite (made by heating gypsum from wallboard) inside a KFM and the expedient ''dry-bucket'' in which it can be charged when the air is very humid, this instrument always can be charged and used to obtain accurate measurements of gamma radiation no matter how high the relative humidity. The step-by-step illustrated instructions for making and using a KFM are presented. These instructions have been improved after each successive field test. The majority of the untrained test families, adequately motivated by cash bonuses offered for success and guided only by these written instructions, have succeeded in making and using a KFM

[Contribution of the Peruvian Multisectorial Coalition against Cancer].

Science.gov (United States)

Pinillos-Ashton, Luis; Limache-García, Abel

2013-03-01

Cancer is a public health problem due to its high incidence and mortality, its high social and economic cost, and the lack of intra and intersectorial strategies resulting in failure to access information and screening tests. For this reason, it is necessary to address this problem with a comprehensive and sustainable approach. After performing a diagnosis of the human and material resources at the national level, and after having observed the attitude of healthcare decisors, the Multisector Coalition against Cancer was created with the participation of the public and nonpublic sector. A strategic plan was developed, followed by a national plan for strengthening cancer prevention and control. As a result, intersectorial work and health promotion oriented to cancer prevention through information, education and communication were strengthened. Service supply was improved and optimized through decentralization of oncological care.

Connecting and Reconnecting: Outfitting the Figure of the Cyborg for Transnational Coalition-building

OpenAIRE

Jessica E. Brophy

2016-01-01

This work attempts to rehabilitate Donna Haraway’s (1991) figure of the cyborg to increase the possibilities of alliances between transnational feminism and cyborg or technoscience feminism. Haraway’s cyborg offers little impetus for political investment and coalition building. This work develops an optional prosthesis of responseability for the cyborg figuration, one that enables the cyborg to invest locally. This ethic of response-ability is developed via the work of Mary Strine (1989), Ad...

The Social Construction of Young People within Education Policy: Evidence from the UK's Coalition Government

Science.gov (United States)

Brooks, Rachel

2013-01-01

Since assuming power in May 2010, the UK's Coalition government has devoted considerable energy to formulating its policies with respect to young people. Evidence of this can be found in "Positive for youth: a new approach to cross-government policy for young people aged 13-19", a policy text that outlines a wide range of measures to be…

Transcatheter closure of membranous ventricular septal defects with home-made nitinol occluder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Qin Yongwen; Zhao Xianxian; Zheng Xing; Ding Jijun; Cao Jiang

2004-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and efficacy of transcatheter perimembranous ventricular septal defects (VSD) occlusion with home-made nitinol occluder. Methods: Transcatheter closure was attempted in 196 patients with perimembranous VSD. The diameter of VSD measured by echocardiography was 3 to 15 mm, mean (4.94 ± 2.23) mm. The angiographic diameter of the VSD was 3 to 6 mm, mean (3.92 ± 1.44) mm. A 7-10 F delivery sheath was advanced across the perimembranous VSD over a wire from femoral vein to deploy the occluder with the guidance of echocardiography and fluoroscopy. The device diameter selected was from 4 to 20 mm, mean (6.68 ± 2.76) mm. Left ventriculography and transthoracic echocardiography were repeated to assess the closure of the defects 15 min after the procedure. Continuous electrocardiogram monitoring lasted for 5 days. The echocardiography and electrocardiogram examination were scheduled for 1, 6 and 12 months of follow-up. Results: The occluders were successfully deployed in 191 patients. There were five procedural failures, two with device-related aortic insufficiency, and three of inability to pass through VSD. After deployment of the devices, there were no residual shunt in 180 of 191 patients, 11 patients with a trivial residual shunt that disappeared in 8 patients after one month of follow up. 3 patients developed mild tricuspid insufficiency. 12 developed transient complete right bundle branch block, and 5 transient complete left bundle branch block, and 2 transient complete atrioventricular block. There were repetitive nonparoxysmal ventricular tachycardia in 4 patients 1 week after the procedure. One patient had a detached device embolized into the left pulmonary artery but with a successful catheter retrieval by snare and transcatheter closure. The devices were similarly applied to patients with VSD associated with patent ductus arteriosus, and 4 patients with VSD complicated by atrial septal defects. The fluoroscopy time for the

Fabrication of a customized bone scaffold using a homemade medical 3D printer for comminuted fractures

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Do-Kun; Jung, Joo-Young; Shin, Han-Back; Kim, Moo-Sub; Choe, Bo-Young; Kim, Sunmi; Suh, Tae Suk; Lee, Keum Sil; Xing, Lei

2016-09-01

The purpose of this study was to show a 3D printed reconstruction model of a bone destroyed by a comminuted fracture. After a thoracic limb of a cow with a comminuted fracture was scanned by using computed tomography, a scaffold was designed by using a 3D modeling tool for its reconstruction and fabricated by using a homemade medical 3D printer. The homemade medical 3D printer was designed for medical use. In order to reconstruct the geometry of the destroyed bone, we use the geometry of a similar section (reference geometry) of normal bone in the 3D modeling process. The missing part between the destroyed ridge and the reference geometry was filled with an effective space by using a manual interpolation. Inexpensive materials and free software were used to construct the medical 3D printer system. The fabrication of the scaffold progressed according to the design of reconstructed bone by using this medical 3D printer. The material of the scaffold was biodegradable material, and could be transplanted into the human body. The fabricated scaffold was correctly inserted into the fractured bone in place of the destroyed portion, with good agreement. According to physical stress test results, the performance of printing resolution was 0.1 mm. The average geometrical error of the scaffold was below 0.3 mm. The reconstructed bone by using the fabricated scaffold was able to support the weight of the human body. No process used to obtain the result was complex or required many resources. The methods and results in this study show several possible clinical applications in fields such as orthopedics or oncology without a need to purchase high-price instruments for 3D printing.

Suplemento artesanal oral: uma proposta para recuperação nutricional de crianças e adolescentes com câncer Homemade oral supplement: a proposal for the nutritional recovery of children and adolescents with cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fernanda Rodrigues Alves

2010-10-01

recuperação nutricional de pacientes oncológicos e uma opção para populações financeiramente desfavorecidas.Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of homemade oral supplements on the nutritional recovery of patients with mild or severe malnutrition or at nutritional risk. Methods Eight recipes of homemade oral supplements containing 30% to 35% of the total energy expenditure were proposed. The patients with severe malnutrition (group B received the oral supplement for 2 weeks and the others for 4 weeks (group A. Oral supplementation with homemade supplements was compared with oral supplementation with store-bought supplements, investigated earlier with a protocol with the same design. Results Homemade oral supplements contain much lower amounts of certain micronutrients but are five times cheaper than store-bought supplements. In group A, 88% of the patients taking homemade oral supplements and 84% of the patients taking store-bought supplements responded positively to supplementation. In group B, 22% of the patients taking homemade oral supplements and 25% of the patients taking store-bought supplements recovered. The difference was not significant. The impact of store-bought supplementation on the triceps skinfold thicknesses and arm circumferences of the patients in group A was greater than that obtained with homemade supplements. In group B, the effect on triceps skinfold thickness was not significant (p=0.16. Patients taking homemade or store-bought oral supplements presented similar protein and energy intakes and improvements in nutritional status. Only the body composition of patients in group A taking store-bought oral supplements was better. Conclusion The results obtained by this study suggest that the therapeutic use of homemade oral supplements is an alternative capable of promoting the nutritional recovery of cancer patients, especially those who cannot afford store-bought supplements.

A homemade high-resolution orthogonal-injection time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a heated capillary inlet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo Changjuan; Huang Zhengxu; Gao Wei; Nian Huiqing; Chen Huayong; Dong Junguo; Shen Guoying; Fu Jiamo; Zhou Zhen

2008-01-01

We describe a homemade high-resolution orthogonal-injection time-of-flight (O-TOF) mass spectrometer combing a heated capillary inlet. The O-TOF uses a heated capillary tube combined with a radio-frequency only quadrupole (rf-only quadrupole) as an interface to help the ion transmission from the atmospheric pressure to the low-pressure regions. The principle, configuration of the O-TOF, and the performance of the instrument are introduced in this paper. With electrospray ion source, the performances of the mass resolution, the sensitivity, the mass range, and the mass accuracy are described. We also include our results obtained by coupling atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser deporption ionization with this instrument

Advocating for schools to provide effective HIV and sexuality education: a case study in how social service organizations working in coalition can (and should) affect sustained policy change.

Science.gov (United States)

Ogusky, Jeremy; Tenner, Adam

2010-05-01

Advocates believed that to slow an expanding HIV/ AIDS epidemic in Washington, D.C., a local effort could ensure that HIV prevention was brought to scale. Schools were chosen as the focus and a new coalition advocated for the city government to pass new academic standards for health education. HIV and sex education policies had not been revised in more than 12 years and HIV education in D.C. public schools varied greatly in quality. Metro TeenAIDS (MTA), a traditional social service organization with no real history of advocacy work, reached only 10% of D.C. adolescents with critical HIV/AIDS prevention information. Clearly, to make a sustained impact, system change was necessary. After deciding to pursue a campaign focused on updating health education policy and creating standards, MTA convened a variety of reproductive health, adolescent medicine, and other organizations to establish the DC Healthy Youth Coalition. The Coalition used three complementary strategies to achieve campaign goals: mobilizing grassroots community support, involving parents in the discussion, and educating city leaders. By building an alliance of social service organizations and influencing critical public policy, the coalition ensured that new educational standards were passed.

Rhodium target preparation from homemade chloride plating baths used for the industrial cyclotron production of palladium-L03

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sadeghi, M.; Van den Winkel, P.; Afarideh, H.; Haji-Saeid, M.; Syrafi Nafis, H.

2004-01-01

Purpose: To avoid acquisition problems of commercially available western rhodium plating solutions in developing countries, a new plating/recovery cycle for Rh-103 electroplated target material (1 g Rh per target) used for the industrial cyclotron production of Pd-103 was developed. Rhodium chloride plating solutions can be prepared by dissolution of the analytical grade compound or from rhodium recovery solutions obtained after electrosolubilisation of irradiated targets and extraction of palladium. Methods: The technology involves the selective removal of the copper target backing of an irradiated target in concentrated nitric acid using a homemade flow-through stripper. The resulting rhodium fragments are dissolved in a constant-volume (40 ml), homemade graphite centrifugal ac-electrodissolution mini-reactor operating at 90 degree C, 2 A.cm-2 and 1000-rpm rotation speed. The system allows time-controlled 99 % solubilisation of up to 3g rhodium (as fragments, powder or small pieces of wire) in less than 3 hours when 12 N hydrochloric acid is applied. Upon solvent-solvent extraction of the non-carrier added Pd-103 from the resulting HCI solution; the following procedure can be used for the simultaneous preparation of 4 targets showing a surface area of 11.69 cm 2 and a physical thickness of 48 Um. Dissolve an amount of hydrated RhC13 containing 2.8 g of rhodium in 400 ml of water. Alternatively, the filtered (0.45 μm filter) combined recovery solutions containing the same weight of rhodium can be evaporated to near dryness (350 degree C at the start, 150 degree C near the end) and residue taken up (gentle stirring, 50 degree C) in 400 ml of distilled water, After filtration, a stress reducing agent (sulfamic acid) is added and the pH sodium hydroxide. Upon make up to volume (450 ml) adjusted to the optimum value (pH = 2) with and preheating to 40 degree C, the resulting solution is introduced in a cylindrical home-made constant-volume, 4- target plating vessel

An Analysis of the United States-Led Coalition Air Campaign Conducted During the 1991 War with IRAQ: Desert Storm

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Murphy, John

2002-01-01

Evaluation of the 1991 United States led coalition Persian Gulf War (DESERT STORM) Air Campaign is performed to measure its adherence to basic principles of war and to determine the potential implications for the future conduct of war...

Complementary Feeding: Review of Recommendations, Feeding Practices and Adequacy of Homemade Complementary Food Preparations in Developing Countries – lessons from Ethiopia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Motuma A Abeshu

2016-10-01

Full Text Available Breastfeeding provides the ideal food during the first 6 months of life. Complementary feeding is the process starting when breast milk alone is no longer sufficient, the target age being between 6 to 23 months. The gap between nutritional requirement and amount obtained from breast milk increases with age. For energy, 200kcal, 300kcal and 550kcal per day is expected to be covered by complementary foods at 6-8, 9-11 and 12-23 months, respectively. In addition, the complementary foods must provide relatively large proportions of micronutrients such as: iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and vitamin B6. In several parts of the developing world, complementary feeding continues as a challenge to good nutrition in children. In Ethiopia, only 4.2% of breastfed children of 6–23 months of age have a minimum acceptable diet. The gaps are mostly attributed to either poor dietary quality or poor feeding practices, if not both. Commercial fortified foods are often beyond the reach of the poor. Thus, homemade complementary foods remain commonly used. However, unfortified complementary foods that are predominantly plant-based provide insufficient amounts of key nutrients (particularly iron, zinc and calcium during the age of 6 – 23 months even, when based on an improved recipe. This review thus assessed complementary feeding practice and recommendation and reviewed the level of adequacy of homemade complementary foods.

Mobilizing Communities around HIV Prevention for Youth: How Three Coalitions Applied Key Strategies to Bring about Structural Changes

Science.gov (United States)

Chutuape, Kate S.; Willard, Nancy; Sanchez, Kenia; Straub, Diane M.; Ochoa, Tara N.; Howell, Kourtney; Rivera, Carmen; Ramos, Ibrahim; Ellen, Jonathan M.

2010-01-01

Increasingly, HIV prevention efforts must focus on altering features of the social and physical environment to reduce risks associated with HIV acquisition and transmission. Community coalitions provide a vehicle for bringing about sustainable structural changes. This article shares lessons and key strategies regarding how three community…

Home-made temperature monitoring system from four-channel K-type thermocouples via internet of thing technology platform

Science.gov (United States)

Detmod, Thitaporn; Özmen, Yiǧiter; Songkaitiwong, Kittiphot; Saenyot, Khanuengchat; Locharoenrat, Kitsakorn; Lekchaum, Sarai

2018-06-01

This paper is aimed to design and construct the home-made temperature monitoring system from four-channel K-type thermocouples in order to improve the temperature measurement based on standard evaluation measurements guidance. The temperature monitoring system was capable to record the temperature on SD card and to display the realtime temperature on Internet of Thing Technology platform. The temperature monitoring system was tested in terms of the temperature measurement accuracy and delay response time. It was found that a standard deviation was acceptable as compared to the Instrument Society of America. The response time of the microcontroller to SD card was 2 sec faster than that of the microcontroller to Thingspeak.

Rise and Fall of a Coalition: The Supreme War Council and Marshal Foch, 1917-1919

Science.gov (United States)

2017-05-26

Britain and France During the First World War ( Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2009), 169. 5 World Peace Foundation, “The Supreme War Council...Second World War conflict. It illustrated how unified policies as a coalition from the First World War served a reminder for strategists and operational...France During the First World War ( Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2009); Elizabeth Greenhalgh, Foch in Command: The Forging of a First World

Coalition of distributed generation units to virtual power players - a game theory approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Morais, Hugo; Sousa, Tiago M; Santos, Gabriel

2015-01-01

and the existence of new management players such as several types of aggregators. This paper proposes a methodology to facilitate the coalition between distributed generation units originating Virtual Power Players (VPP) considering a game theory approach. The proposed approach consists in the analysis...... strategies, size and goals, each parameter has different importance. VPP can also manage other type of energy resources, like storage units, electric vehicles, demand response programs or even parts of the MV and LV distribution network. A case study with twelve VPPs with different characteristics and one...

Animal experimental research of the endothelialization of home-made atrial septal defect occluder device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Mingwu; Zhou Aiqing; Li Feng; Gao Wei; Yu Zhiqing; Tang Ning; Zhang Lan

2003-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the endothelialization of Chinese nitinol atrial septal defect occluder device. Methods: Atrial septal defect with controllable size was created by the Brockenborough needle and Rashkind balloon atrial septostomy, the occluder devices were implanted in six piglets (mean weight 7.5 kg). Two pigs were killed each time after 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after the device implantation and then the explanted devices were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM). Results: The devices were found covering with collagen fibrosis together with diffuse endothelial cells spreading over the primer 1 month after implantation. The implants were covered mostly by neointima 3 months after implantation and completely covered by confluent endothelial cells 6 months after the implantation. Endothelial cells were not found on the smooth marker band at 3 months, however, did exist by 6 months. Conclusions: Home-made atrial septal defect occluder devices were mostly endothelialised 3 months after the implantation and did completely at 6 months

Stable structures of coalitions in competitive and altruistic military teams

Science.gov (United States)

Aurangzeb, M.; Mikulski, D.; Hudas, G.; Lewis, F. L.; Gu, Edward

2013-05-01

In heterogeneous battlefield teams, the balance between team and individual objectives forms the basis for the internal topological structure of teams. The stability of team structure is studied by presenting a graphical coalitional game (GCG) with Positional Advantage (PA). PA is Shapley value strengthened by the Axioms of value. The notion of team and individual objectives is studied by defining altruistic and competitive contribution made by an individual; altruistic and competitive contributions made by an agent are components of its total or marginal contribution. Moreover, the paper examines dynamic team effects by defining three online sequential decision games based on marginal, competitive and altruistic contributions of the individuals towards team. The stable graphs under these sequential decision games are studied and found to be structurally connected, complete, or tree respectively.

Advocating for Change? How a Civil Society-led Coalition Influences the Implementation of the Forest Rights Act in India

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barnes, Clare; van Laerhoven, Frank; Driessen, Peter P J

2016-01-01

Forest policy implementation is a political endeavor involving both state and non-state actors. We observe that civil society organizations (CSOs) often federate into civil society-led coalitions (CSCs) in order to shape forest policies in their favor. They appear to be successful in doing this

Efetividade da "multimistura" como suplemento de dietas deficientes em vitaminas e/ou minerais na recuperação ponderal de ratos submetidos à desnutrição pós-natal

OpenAIRE

Ferreira,Haroldo da Silva; Assunção,Monica Lopes de; França,Adijane Oliveira Santos de; Cardoso,Eliana Paiva Cunha; Moura,Fabiana Andréa

2005-01-01

OBJETIVO: Avaliar a efetividade da "multimistura", usada como suplemento de dietas deficientes em vitaminas, deficientes em minerais, ou deficientes em vitaminas e minerais, na recuperação ponderal de ratos desnutridos. MÉTODOS: Após o desmame, 56 ratos Wistar, submetidos à desnutrição pós-natal, foram aleatoriamente distribuídos em 7 grupos diferenciados segundo o tipo de dieta oferecida: controle, dietas deficientes em vitaminas, deficientes em minerais, deficientes em vitaminas e minerais ...

Determination of Grayanotoxins from Rhododendron brachycarpum in Dietary Supplements and Homemade Wine by Liquid Chromatography-Quadrupole Time-of-Flight-Mass Spectrometry and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, Taeik; Noh, Eunyoung; Jeong, Ji Hye; Park, Sung-Kwan; Shin, Dongwoo; Kang, Hoil

2018-02-28

A sensitive and specific high-performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry (LC-QTOF-MS) method combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) was developed for the determination of grayanotoxins I and III in dietary supplements and homemade wine. Grayanotoxins I and III were successfully extracted using solid-phase extraction cartridges, characterized by LC-QTOF-MS, and quantitated by LC-MS/MS. The LC-MS/MS calibration curves were linear over concentrations of 10-100 ng/mL (grayanotoxin I) and 20-400 ng/mL (grayanotoxin III). Grayanotoxins I and III were found in 51 foodstuffs, with quantitative determinations revealing total toxin concentrations of 18.4-101 000 ng/mL (grayanotoxin I) and 15.3-56 000 ng/mL (grayanotoxin III). The potential of the validated method was demonstrated by successful quantitative analysis of grayanotoxins I and III in dietary supplements and homemade wine; the method appears suitable for the routine detection of grayanotoxins I and III from Rhododendron brachycarpum.

Tobacco Control and Health Advocacy in the European Union: Understanding Effective Coalition-Building.

Science.gov (United States)

Weishaar, Heide; Collin, Jeff; Amos, Amanda

2016-02-01

Coalitions of supporters of comprehensive tobacco control policy have been crucial in achieving policy success nationally and internationally, but the dynamics of such alliances are not well understood. Qualitative semi-structured, narrative interviews with 35 stakeholders involved in developing the European Council Recommendation on smoke-free environments. These were thematically analyzed to examine the dynamics of coalition-building, collaboration and leadership in the alliance of organizations which successfully called for the development of comprehensive European Union (EU) smoke-free policy. An alliance of tobacco control and public health advocacy organizations, scientific institutions, professional bodies, pharmaceutical companies, and other actors shared the goal of fighting the harms caused by second-hand smoke. Alliance members jointly called for comprehensive EU smoke-free policy and the protection of the political debates from tobacco industry interference. The alliance's success was enabled by a core group of national and European actors with long-standing experience in tobacco control, who facilitated consensus-building, mobilized allies and synchronized the actions of policy supporters. Representatives of Brussels-based organizations emerged as crucial strategic leaders. The insights gained and identification of key enablers of successful tobacco control advocacy highlight the strategic importance of investing into tobacco control at European level. Those interested in effective health policy can apply lessons learned from EU smoke-free policy to build effective alliances in tobacco control and other areas of public health. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.

Building Coalitions for a Diversified and Sustainable Tourism: Two Case Studies from Hungary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zoltán Lakner

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The development of the tourism sector has been a question of strategic importance for Hungary, a small, open economy with limited natural resources. At the same time, these efforts often generate considerable environmental conflicts, decreasing the sustainability of the environment. To understand the potential methods of sustainable tourism development, and to develop the optimal policy, it is essential to clarify the actors, their systems of interest and the potential ways of forging coalitions between them. The article presents an analysis of two case studies of rural tourism development: the “softening” of tourism at the most important touristic attraction in Hungary, Lake Balaton; and the conflicts arising from wine tourism development. Based on institutional economics, principle–agent theory and strategic management, and applying the MACTOR method, the authors identify the key actors, present the network of their mutual influences and goals, determine the most important conflicts and highlight the potential coalitions between them from the point of view of sustainable rural tourism development, as well as ways to further develop the regulatory environment. Based on this analysis, the article proves: (1 the importance of the modernization and re-organization of the public administration structure, focusing on optimal utilization of resources, as opposed to attaching to traditions; (2 the importance of forming clusters of different partners; (3 the strengthening of the knowledge base of decisions concerning sustainable tourism management; and (4 increasing conscious planning, based on the inclusion of different interest groups and long-term prognoses in local decision making, minimises the environmental burden of tourism.

Normative Bias and Adaptive Challenges: A Relational Approach to Coalitional Psychology and a Critique of Terror Management Theory

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Carlos David Navarrete

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Adherence to ingroup ideology increases after exposure to death-related stimuli, a reaction that proponents of terror management theory (TMT explain as a psychological defense against the uniquely human existential fear of death. We argue that existential concerns are not the relevant issue; rather, such concepts can be subsumed under a larger category of adaptive challenges that prime coalitional thinking. We suggest that increases in adherence to ingroup ideology in response to adaptive challenges are manifestations of normative mental representations emanating from psychological systems designed to enhance coordination and membership in social groups. In providing an alternative to TMT, we (1 explain why the theory is inconsistent with contemporary evolutionary biology, (2 demonstrate that mortality-salience does not have the unique evocative powers ascribed to it by TMT advocates, and (3 discuss our approach to coalitional psychology, a framework consistent with modern evolutionary theory and informed by a broad understanding of cultural variation, can be employed to help account for both the corpus of results in TMT research and the growing body of findings inconsistent with TMT's predictions.

Strategies to prevent and reduce diabetes and obesity in Sacramento, California: the African American Leadership Coalition and University of California, Davis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ziegahn, Linda; Styne, Dennis; Askia, Joyce; Roberts, Tina; Lewis, Edward T; Edwards, Whitney

2013-11-14

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of illness and death for African Americans and people of African descent throughout the United States and in the city and county of Sacramento, California. The involvement of families and communities in developing prevention strategies can increase the likelihood that behavioral changes will be sustained. Three member organizations of the African American Leadership Coalition (AALC) entered into a partnership with the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) to engage families in developing a process to identify barriers to diabetes and obesity prevention and reduction, exchange strategies, and create action plans for prevention. The intervention comprised 3 phases: 1) coalition formation and training; 2) data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results; and 3) development of family and community action plans. Academic and community partners planned and implemented all project phases together. Sources of information about diabetes and obesity were primarily doctors and the Internet; barriers were related to lack of time needed to prepare healthy meals, high food costs, transportation to fresh markets, motivation around healthy habits, and unsafe environments. Action plans addressed behavioral change and family cohesion. The group discussion format encouraged mutual support and suggestions for better eating and physical exercise habits. This collaborative partnership model can strengthen existing group relationships or promote new affiliations that form the basis for future action coalitions. Participants worked both within and across groups to exchange information, stories of success and challenges, and specific health improvement strategies.

The Effectiveness of the Multilateral Coalition to Develop a Green Agricultural Products Market in China Based on a TU Cooperative Game Analysis

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Mingjun Deng

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Green agriculture can improve biodiversity, increase farmers’ income, reduce agricultural non-point source pollution, solve food safety issues, and will be an important way to promote sustainable development in China. At present, the green transformation of China’s agriculture has encountered a bottleneck in the development of a green agricultural product market. How to develop a green agricultural product market has become an issue worthy of in-depth study in the academia. Previous studies have already given persuasive explanations for the inability to form a green agricultural product market, but few have explored its development path from the angle of cooperation. By employing the method of a Transferable Utilities (TU cooperative game, and based on theoretical analyses and hypothetical data, this thesis aims to prove the effectiveness of the multilateral coalition to develop the green agricultural product market in China. The results show the effectiveness of the developed model of the green agricultural product market in which producers, consumers, food safety inspection departments, and e-commerce platforms cooperate with each other. This model meets the objective needs of the times and that of the market economy. According to the marginal contribution value of participants in different coalition orders, this thesis finds 6 kinds of coalition orders. When producers and consumers of green agricultural products enter the coalition in the last place, the marginal contribution value is maximized, which reflects the importance of the supply side and demand side of green agricultural products. In other words, the development of the green agricultural product market is a dynamic process—determined by consumers and promoted by producers—in which both sides promote and restrict each other. Finally, this article presents two policy recommendations: at the national level, to clearly proposes a strategy to build a green agricultural product e

Human dynamics of spending: Longitudinal study of a coalition loyalty program

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Yi, Il Gu; Jeong, Hyang Min; Choi, Woosuk; Jang, Seungkwon; Lee, Heejin; Kim, Beom Jun

2014-09-01

Large-scale data of a coalition loyalty program is analyzed in terms of the temporal dynamics of customers' behaviors. We report that the two main activities of a loyalty program, earning and redemption of points, exhibit very different behaviors. It is also found that as customers become older from their early 20's, both male and female customers increase their earning and redemption activities until they arrive at the turning points, beyond which both activities decrease. The positions of turning points as well as the maximum earned and redeemed points are found to differ for males and females. On top of these temporal behaviors, we identify that there exists a learning effect and customers learn how to earn and redeem points as their experiences accumulate in time.

Connecting and Reconnecting: Outfitting the Figure of the Cyborg for Transnational Coalition-building

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Jessica E. Brophy

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This work attempts to rehabilitate Donna Haraway’s (1991 figure of the cyborg to increase the possibilities of alliances between transnational feminism and cyborg or technoscience feminism. Haraway’s cyborg offers little impetus for political investment and coalition building. This work develops an optional prosthesis of responseability for the cyborg figuration, one that enables the cyborg to invest locally. This ethic of response-ability is developed via the work of Mary Strine (1989, Adrienne Rich (1984 and Aimee Carillo Rowe (2005. This supplementary ethic grafts a “collectivist conscience” onto the permeable being of the cyborg, encouraging alliance- and coalitionbuilding.

The Content of Our Cooperation, Not the Color of Our Skin: An Alliance Detection System Regulates Categorization by Coalition and Race, but Not Sex

Science.gov (United States)

Pietraszewski, David; Cosmides, Leda; Tooby, John

2014-01-01

Humans in all societies form and participate in cooperative alliances. To successfully navigate an alliance-laced world, the human mind needs to detect new coalitions and alliances as they emerge, and predict which of many potential alliance categories are currently organizing an interaction. We propose that evolution has equipped the mind with cognitive machinery that is specialized for performing these functions: an alliance detection system. In this view, racial categories do not exist because skin color is perceptually salient; they are constructed and regulated by the alliance system in environments where race predicts social alliances and divisions. Early tests using adversarial alliances showed that the mind spontaneously detects which individuals are cooperating against a common enemy, implicitly assigning people to rival alliance categories based on patterns of cooperation and competition. But is social antagonism necessary to trigger the categorization of people by alliance—that is, do we cognitively link A and B into an alliance category only because they are jointly in conflict with C and D? We report new studies demonstrating that peaceful cooperation can trigger the detection of new coalitional alliances and make race fade in relevance. Alliances did not need to be marked by team colors or other perceptually salient cues. When race did not predict the ongoing alliance structure, behavioral cues about cooperative activities up-regulated categorization by coalition and down-regulated categorization by race, sometimes eliminating it. Alliance cues that sensitively regulated categorization by coalition and race had no effect on categorization by sex, eliminating many alternative explanations for the results. The results support the hypothesis that categorizing people by their race is a reversible product of a cognitive system specialized for detecting alliance categories and regulating their use. Common enemies are not necessary to erase important

Fresh whole blood transfusions in coalition military, foreign national, and enemy combatant patients during Operation Iraqi Freedom at a U.S. combat support hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Spinella, Philip C; Perkins, Jeremy G; Grathwohl, Kurt W; Repine, Thomas; Beekley, Alec C; Sebesta, James; Jenkins, Donald; Azarow, Kenneth; Holcomb, John B

2008-01-01

United States military doctrine permits the use of fresh whole blood (FWB), donated by U.S. military personnel on site, for casualties with life-threatening injuries at combat support hospitals. U.S. Military Medical Department policy dictates that all patients treated at military facilities during combat (coalition military personnel, foreign nationals, and enemy combatants) are to be treated equally. The objectives of this study were to describe admission vital signs and laboratory values and injury location for patients transfused with FWB, and to determine if FWB was employed equally among all patient personnel categories at a combat support hospital. This retrospective cohort study evaluated admission vital signs and laboratory values, injury location, and personnel category for all patients receiving FWB at a U.S. Army combat support hospital in Baghdad, Iraq, between January and December 2004. Eighty-seven patients received 545 units of FWB. Upon admission, the average (+/-S.D.) heart rate was 144 bpm (+/-25); systolic blood pressure, 106 mmHg (+/-33); base deficit, 9 (+/-6.5); hemoglobin, 9.0 g/dl (+/-2.6); platelet concentration, 81.9 x 10(3)/mm(3) (+/-81); international normalized ratio (INR), 2.0 (+/-1.1); and temperature 95.7 degrees F (+/-2.6). The percentages of intensive care patients who received FWB by personnel category were as follows: coalition soldiers, 51/592 (8.6%); foreign nationals, 25/347 (7.2%); and enemy combatants, 11/128 (8.5% (p = 0.38). The amount of FWB transfused by personnel category was as follows: coalition soldier, 4 units (1-35); foreign national, 4 units (1-36); and enemy combatant, 4 units (1-11) (p = 0.9). Fresh whole blood was used for anemic, acidemic, hypothermic, coagulopathic patients with life-threatening traumatic injuries in hemorrhagic shock, and it was transfused in equal percentages and amounts for coalition soldiers, foreign nationals, and enemy combatants.

The content of our cooperation, not the color of our skin: an alliance detection system regulates categorization by coalition and race, but not sex.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Pietraszewski

Full Text Available Humans in all societies form and participate in cooperative alliances. To successfully navigate an alliance-laced world, the human mind needs to detect new coalitions and alliances as they emerge, and predict which of many potential alliance categories are currently organizing an interaction. We propose that evolution has equipped the mind with cognitive machinery that is specialized for performing these functions: an alliance detection system. In this view, racial categories do not exist because skin color is perceptually salient; they are constructed and regulated by the alliance system in environments where race predicts social alliances and divisions. Early tests using adversarial alliances showed that the mind spontaneously detects which individuals are cooperating against a common enemy, implicitly assigning people to rival alliance categories based on patterns of cooperation and competition. But is social antagonism necessary to trigger the categorization of people by alliance--that is, do we cognitively link A and B into an alliance category only because they are jointly in conflict with C and D? We report new studies demonstrating that peaceful cooperation can trigger the detection of new coalitional alliances and make race fade in relevance. Alliances did not need to be marked by team colors or other perceptually salient cues. When race did not predict the ongoing alliance structure, behavioral cues about cooperative activities up-regulated categorization by coalition and down-regulated categorization by race, sometimes eliminating it. Alliance cues that sensitively regulated categorization by coalition and race had no effect on categorization by sex, eliminating many alternative explanations for the results. The results support the hypothesis that categorizing people by their race is a reversible product of a cognitive system specialized for detecting alliance categories and regulating their use. Common enemies are not necessary to

The content of our cooperation, not the color of our skin: an alliance detection system regulates categorization by coalition and race, but not sex.

Science.gov (United States)

Pietraszewski, David; Cosmides, Leda; Tooby, John

2014-01-01

Humans in all societies form and participate in cooperative alliances. To successfully navigate an alliance-laced world, the human mind needs to detect new coalitions and alliances as they emerge, and predict which of many potential alliance categories are currently organizing an interaction. We propose that evolution has equipped the mind with cognitive machinery that is specialized for performing these functions: an alliance detection system. In this view, racial categories do not exist because skin color is perceptually salient; they are constructed and regulated by the alliance system in environments where race predicts social alliances and divisions. Early tests using adversarial alliances showed that the mind spontaneously detects which individuals are cooperating against a common enemy, implicitly assigning people to rival alliance categories based on patterns of cooperation and competition. But is social antagonism necessary to trigger the categorization of people by alliance--that is, do we cognitively link A and B into an alliance category only because they are jointly in conflict with C and D? We report new studies demonstrating that peaceful cooperation can trigger the detection of new coalitional alliances and make race fade in relevance. Alliances did not need to be marked by team colors or other perceptually salient cues. When race did not predict the ongoing alliance structure, behavioral cues about cooperative activities up-regulated categorization by coalition and down-regulated categorization by race, sometimes eliminating it. Alliance cues that sensitively regulated categorization by coalition and race had no effect on categorization by sex, eliminating many alternative explanations for the results. The results support the hypothesis that categorizing people by their race is a reversible product of a cognitive system specialized for detecting alliance categories and regulating their use. Common enemies are not necessary to erase important social

Beyond Brazilian Coalition Presidentialism: the Appropriation of the Legislative Agenda

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Rafael Silveira e Silva

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Even though they possess several power resources, Brazilian Presidents also elaborate their legislative proposals based upon bills already being processed in Congress through a phenomenon called Appropriation of the legislative agenda. In this paper I examine the conditions under which this phenomenon occurs by means of a typology and a qualitative comparative analysis (QCA. I conclude that Appropriation provides the President with the expansion of the formal support base by controlling the agenda of allied and opposition parties as well as obtaining the "paternity" of several policies already in motion in Congress, thus enabling a public association of the President's actions and his or her party with the possibility of social benefits. Be it in the pursuit of promising agendas or for the maintenance of their own dominance, Appropriation shows that Brazilian Presidents must go beyond coalition presidentialism.

Epidemiology of modern battlefield colorectal trauma: a review of 977 coalition casualties.

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Glasgow, Sean C; Steele, Scott R; Duncan, James E; Rasmussen, Todd E

2012-12-01

Traumatic injuries to the lower gastrointestinal tract occur in up to 15% of all injured combatants, with significant morbidity (up to 75%) and mortality. The incidence, etiology, associated injuries, and overall mortality related to modern battlefield colorectal trauma are poorly characterized. Using data from the Joint Theater Trauma Registry and other Department of Defense electronic health records, the ongoing Joint Surgical Transcolonic Injury or Ostomy Multi-theater Assessment project quantifies epidemiologic trends in colon injury, risk factors for prolonged or perhaps unnecessary fecal diversion, and quality of life in US military personnel requiring colostomies. In the current study, all coalition troops with colon or rectal injuries as classified by DRG International Classification of Diseases-9th Rev. diagnosis and Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) codes in the Joint Theater Trauma Registry were included. During 8 years, 977 coalition military personnel with colorectal injury were identified, with a mean (SD) Injury Severity Score (ISS) of 22.2 (13.2). Gunshot wounds remain the primary mechanism of injury (57.6%). Compared with personnel with colon injuries, those with rectal trauma sustained greater injury to face and extremities but fewer severe thoracic and abdominal injuries (p colon trauma. There was little difference in diversion rates between theaters for rectal injuries (59.6% vs. 50%, p colon or rectal trauma continue to have elevated mortality rates, even after reaching surgical treatment facilities. Furthermore, associated serious injuries are commonly encountered. Fecal diversion in these patients may lead to reduced mortality, although prospective selection criteria for diversion do not currently exist. Future research into risk factors for colostomy creation, timing of diversion in relation to damage-control laparotomy, and quality of life in veterans with stomas will produce useful insights and help guide therapy. Epidemiologic study, level

The Intermediate Set and Limiting Superdi erential for Coalition Games: Between the Core and the Weber Set

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Adam, Lukáš; Kroupa, T.

2017-01-01

Roč. 46, č. 4 (2017), s. 891-918 ISSN 0020-7276 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA15-00735S Institutional support: RVO:67985556 Keywords : coalition game * limiting superdi erential * intermediate set * core * Weber set Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Statistics and probability Impact factor: 0.713, year: 2016 http://library.utia.cas.cz/separaty/2016/MTR/adam-0467365.pdf

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

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Mazzeo Rinaldi, Francesco

2016-06-01

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

Use of natural compounds to improve the microbial stability of Amaranth-based homemade fresh pasta.

Science.gov (United States)

Del Nobile, M A; Di Benedetto, N; Suriano, N; Conte, A; Lamacchia, C; Corbo, M R; Sinigaglia, M

2009-04-01

A study on the use of natural antimicrobial compounds to improve the microbiological stability of refrigerated amaranth-based homemade fresh pasta is presented in this work. In particular, the antimicrobial activity of thymol, lemon extract, chitosan and grapefruit seed extract (GFSE) has been tested against mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria, total coliforms, Staphylococcus spp., yeasts and moulds. A sensory analysis on both fresh and cooked pasta was also run. Results suggest that chitosan and GFSE strongly increase the microbial acceptability limit of the investigated spoilage microorganisms, being the former the most effective. Thymol efficiently reduces the growth of mesophilic bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria and Staphylococcus spp., whereas it does not affect, substantially, the growth cycle of total coliforms. Lemon extract is the less effective in preventing microbial growth. In fact, it is able to delay only total mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacterial evolution. From a sensorial point of view no significant differences were recorded between the control samples and all the types of loaded amaranth-based pasta.

Taking a Regional Healthcare Coalition Approach to Mitigating Surge Capacity Needs of Mass Casualty or Pandemic Events

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

gaining motivation for employees or, as exemplified in this case, coalition participants.59 The theory posits that there are two factors that... Motivation -Hygiene/Satisfiers Two-Factor Theory outline from the 1959 book; The Motivation to Work by Frederick Hertzberg; NetMBA web search 2/24/12; http...www.netmba.com/mgmt/ob/ motivation / herzberg / 43 of the work of the group, individual responsibility given to members, achievements of the

Fractionation separation of human plasma proteins using HPLC with a homemade iron porphyrin based monolithic column.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Doudou; Zhao, Yu; Lan, Dandan; Pang, Xiaomin; Bai, Ligai; Liu, Haiyan; Yan, Hongyuan

2017-11-15

In this work a polymer monolithic column was fabricated within the confines of a stainless steel column (50×4.6mm i.d.) via radical polymerization by using iron porphyrin and butyl methacrylate as co-monomers, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as crosslinking agent, ethylene glycol, isopropyl alcohol and N, N-dimethylformamide as tri-porogens, benzoyl peroxide and N,N-dimethylaniline as initiators. The resulting monolithic column was characterized by elemental analysis, scanning electron microscopy, nitrogen adsorption BET surface area, and mercury intrusion porosimetry, respectively. Results showed that the homemade monolith occupied relatively uniform pore structure, low back pressure, and enhanced selectivity for proteins in complex bio-samples. The present work described a simple and efficient method for "fractionation separation" of human plasma proteins, and it is a promising separation method for complex bio-samples in proteomic research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of DELTA PREP: A Project Aimed at Integrating Primary Prevention of Intimate Partner Violence within State Domestic Violence Coalitions

Science.gov (United States)

Freire, Kimberley E.; Zakocs, Ronda; Le, Brenda; Hill, Jessica A.; Brown, Pamela; Wheaton, Jocelyn

2015-01-01

Background: Intimate partner violence (IPV) has been recognized as a public health problem since the late 20th century. To spur IPV prevention efforts nationwide, the DELTA PREP Project selected 19 state domestic violence coalitions to build organizational prevention capacity and catalyze IPV primary prevention strategies within their states.…

Domestic coalitions in the FTAA negotiations: the Brazilian case

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Daniel Castelan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract This paper proposes an explanation to the domestic coalitions organised in Brazil around the FTAA negotiations, which stand as a hard case for the existing theories on political cleavages: industrialists and trade unions, albeit having shared common interests in the negotiations, did not adopt a joint strategy to foster their positions. The hypothesis to explain the political alignments in the FTAA is that the opening of the Brazilian market, which had advanced a lot in the years of negotiations, altered the priorities of workers and employers, as well as their preferences in foreign trade policy, hindering the reconciliation of class interests. Both agreed that the U.S. proposal for the FTAA was undesirable, but they completely disagreed on other issues that emerged in the political agenda during the reforms period, such as the role of the State in an open economy, the scope of labour and social rights and the social security system, the structure of taxation, etc. Some of the controversial issues were not new, but the international trade liberalisation intensified the dispute over them.

CONTENT OF CS-137 IN HOMEMADE PRESERVES OF MUSHROOMS PICKED IN 2014 BY LOCAL RESIDENTS IN AREAS AFFECTED BY RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION AFTER CHERNOBYL NPP ACCIDENT

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K. V. Varfolomeeva

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents results of the study made in 2014 on evaluation of the content of Cs-137 in different homemade dried and pickled mushrooms picked by residents of most contaminated areas of the Bryansk region. The aim of the study was to evaluate actual content levels of Cs-137 in homemade preserves of dried and pickled mushrooms picked in the Bryansk region areas with high level of radioactive contamination after Chernobyl accident. Sampling was conducted in residential settlements in proximity to most visited forest areas located at different distances to residential settlements in the range from 0.3 to 5 kilometers, with different forest types, with different soil surface contamination density by Cs-137 in the range from 33 to 944 kBq/m2 (Tentative levels of surface contamination of forest soil are evaluated based on the results of gammaspectrometry measurements in soil samples. The sampling was done at voluntary consent of local residents. In the frameworks of the research in ten settlements with 6112 residents altogether 25 samples were selected (8 samples of dried and 17 of pickled mushrooms.The analyses of study results resulted in the following conclusions: specific activity in samples of different kinds of dry and pickled mushrooms picked by residents of south-west areas of the Bryansk region vary in broad range from 32 to 34000 Bq/kg. The most part of homemade preserves of dried and pickled mushrooms of the local residents exceeds normative levels of permissible mushroom contamination. Cs-137 content in pickled mushrooms is not explicitly dependent on the level of soil surface contamination whereas specific activity of dry mushrooms increases along with the level of surface contamination increase. In the process of mushroom pickling, the additional reduction of Cs-137 content is observed: from 17% to 67% which averages to 37%. Due to the gradual reduction of transfer coefficients for Cs-137 into forest mushrooms and significant

Band of Brothers or Dysfunctional Family? A Military Perspective on Coalition Challenges During Stability Operations

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

the army, there were lots of examples of NGOs [that] were quite happy on a working level to meet for coffee in Pristina and sit over a map and...coalition units for a visit and found that the units would have the coffee brewing . . . and we’d lay out where we are going . . . and they’d go off and...our obsession with this curious taxonomy, in a world of our own, where we talk about “supporting effects” and “end states”—it just isn’t how these

Building, testing and validating a set of home-made von Frey filaments: a precise, accurate and cost effective alternative for nociception assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

de Sousa, Marcelo Victor Pires; Ferraresi, Cleber; de Magalhães, Ana Carolina; Yoshimura, Elisabeth Mateus; Hamblin, Michael R

2014-07-30

A von Frey filament (vFF) is a type of aesthesiometer usually made of nylon perpendicularly held in a base. It can be used in paw withdrawal pain threshold assessment, one of the most popular tests for pain evaluation using animal models. For this test, a set of filaments, each able to exert a different force, is applied to the animal paw, from the weakest to the strongest, until the paw is withdrawn. We made 20 low cost vFF using nylon filaments of different lengths and constant diameter glued perpendicularly to the ends of popsicle sticks. They were calibrated using a laboratory balance scale. Building and calibrating took around 4h and confirmed the theoretical prediction that the force exerted is inversely proportional to the length and directly proportional to the width of the filament. The calibration showed that they were precise and accurate. We analyzed the paw withdrawal threshold assessed with the set of home-made vFF and with a high quality commercial set of 5 monofilaments vFF (Stoelting, Wood Dale, USA) in two groups (n=5) of healthy mice. The home-made vFF precisely and accurately measured the hind paw withdrawal threshold (20.3±0.9 g). The commercial vFF have different diameters while our set has the same diameter avoiding the problem of lower sensitivity to larger diameter filaments. Building a set of vFF is easy, cost effective, and depending on the kind of tests, can increase precision and accuracy of animal nociception evaluation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Design and validation of inert homemade explosive simulants for ground penetrating radar

Science.gov (United States)

VanderGaast, Brian W.; McFee, John E.; Russell, Kevin L.; Faust, Anthony A.

2015-05-01

The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) identified a requirement for inert simulants to act as improvised, or homemade, explosives (IEs) when training on, or evaluating, ground penetrating radar (GPR) systems commonly used in the detection of buried landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). In response, Defence R and D Canada (DRDC) initiated a project to develop IE simulant formulations using commonly available inert materials. These simulants are intended to approximate the expected GPR response of common ammonium nitrate-based IEs, in particular ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO) and ammonium nitrate/aluminum (ANAl). The complex permittivity over the range of electromagnetic frequencies relevant to standard GPR systems was measured for bulk quantities of these three IEs that had been fabricated at DRDC Suffield Research Centre. Following these measurements, published literature was examined to find benign materials with both a similar complex permittivity, as well as other physical properties deemed desirable - such as low-toxicity, thermal stability, and commercial availability - in order to select candidates for subsequent simulant formulation. Suitable simulant formulations were identified for ANFO, with resulting complex permittivities measured to be within acceptable limits of target values. These IE formulations will now undergo end-user trials with CAF operators in order to confirm their utility. Investigations into ANAl simulants continues. This progress report outlines the development program, simulant design, and current validation results.

"Tampering to Death": A Fatal Codeine Intoxication Due to a Homemade Purification of a Medical Formulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fais, Paolo; Pigaiani, Nicola; Cecchetto, Giovanni; Montisci, Massimo; Gottardo, Rossella; Viel, Guido; Pascali, Jennifer Paola; Tagliaro, Franco

2017-11-01

Many homemade tamper processes of medical codeine formulations are available on selected "forums" on the Internet, where recreational codeine users claim to be able to purify codeine by removing additives, such as acetaminophen, to avoid or limit adverse effects. In this work, it is reported and discussed a fatal case of codeine intoxication. The findings of objects such as jars, filters, and tablets, and amounts of unknown liquid material at the death scene investigation suggested a fatal codeine intoxication after the tampering procedure called "cold water extraction." Toxicological results obtained from the analysis of both the nonbiological material and the body fluids of the decedent integrated with the information collected at the death scene investigation confirmed the above-mentioned hypothesis. This report underlines the importance of a tight interconnection between criminalistics and legal medicine to strengthen the identification of the cause of death and the reconstruction of the event. © 2017 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

The role of advocacy coalitions in a project implementation process: the example of the planning phase of the At Home/Chez Soi project dealing with homelessness in Montreal.

Science.gov (United States)

Fleury, Marie-Josée; Grenier, Guy; Vallée, Catherine; Hurtubise, Roch; Lévesque, Paul-André

2014-08-01

This study analyzed the planning process (summer 2008 to fall 2009) of a Montreal project that offers housing and community follow-up to homeless people with mental disorders, with or without substance abuse disorders. With the help of the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF), advocacy groups that were able to navigate a complex intervention implementation process were identified. In all, 25 people involved in the Montreal At Home/Chez Soi project were surveyed through interviews (n=18) and a discussion group (n=7). Participant observations and documentation (minutes and correspondence) were also used for the analysis. The start-up phase of the At Home/Chez may be broken down into three separate periods qualified respectively as "honeymoon;" "clash of cultures;" and "acceptance & commitment". In each of the planning phases of the At Home/Chez Soi project in Montreal, at least two advocacy coalitions were in confrontation about their specific belief systems concerning solutions to address the recurring homelessness social problem, while a third, more moderate one contributed in rallying most key actors under specified secondary aspects. The study confirms the importance of policy brokers in achieving compromises acceptable to all advocacy coalitions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of low cost and accurate homemade sensor system based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR)

Science.gov (United States)

Laksono, F. D.; Supardianningsih; Arifin, M.; Abraha, K.

2018-04-01

In this paper, we developed homemade and computerized sensor system based on Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). The developed systems consist of mechanical system instrument, laser power sensor, and user interface. The mechanical system development that uses anti-backlash gear design was successfully able to enhance the angular resolution angle of incidence laser up to 0.01°. In this system, the laser detector acquisition system and stepper motor controller utilizing Arduino Uno which is easy to program, flexible, and low cost, was used. Furthermore, we employed LabView’s user interface as the virtual instrument for facilitating the sample measurement and for transforming the data recording directly into the digital form. The test results using gold-deposited half-cylinder prism showed the Total Internal Reflection (TIR) angle of 41,34°± 0,01° and SPR angle of 44,20°± 0,01°, respectively. The result demonstrated that the developed system managed to reduce the measurement duration and data recording errors caused by human error. Also, the test results also concluded that the system’s measurement is repeatable and accurate.

Corporate coalitions and policy making in the European Union: how and why British American Tobacco promoted "Better Regulation".

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Katherine Elizabeth; Fooks, Gary; Gilmore, Anna B; Collin, Jeff; Weishaar, Heide

2015-04-01

Over the past fifteen years, an interconnected set of regulatory reforms, known as Better Regulation, has been adopted across Europe, marking a significant shift in the way that European Union policies are developed. There has been little exploration of the origins of these reforms, which include mandatory ex ante impact assessment. Drawing on documentary and interview data, this article discusses how and why large corporations, notably British American Tobacco (BAT), worked to influence and promote these reforms. Our analysis highlights (1) how policy entrepreneurs with sufficient resources (such as large corporations) can shape the membership and direction of advocacy coalitions; (2) the extent to which "think tanks" may be prepared to lobby on behalf of commercial clients; and (3) why regulated industries (including tobacco) may favor the use of "evidence tools," such as impact assessments, in policy making. We argue that a key aspect of BAT's ability to shape regulatory reform involved the deliberate construction of a vaguely defined idea that could be strategically adapted to appeal to diverse constituencies. We discuss the theoretical implications of this finding for the Advocacy Coalition Framework, as well as the practical implications of the findings for efforts to promote transparency and public health in the European Union. Copyright © 2015 by Duke University Press.

Advocacy Coalition for Safer Sex in the Adult Film Industry: The Case of Los Angeles County's Measure B.

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Adam Carl; Tavrow, Paula; McGrath, Mark Roy

2018-05-01

Performers in the adult film industry are routinely exposed to bloodborne pathogens. In 2012, public health advocates in Los Angeles County convinced voters to pass a ballot initiative-Measure B-to mandate condom use on adult film sets. This article presents a case study of the advocacy coalition's strategies used to achieve greater workplace safety using the advocacy coalition framework. The authors were given access to all memoranda, market research, and campaign tools used to promote Measure B. To reconstruct adult film industry counterefforts, the authors reviewed trade publications, social media, and blog posts. When legislative efforts failed, advocates engaged in a step-by-step strategy built around voters to achieve passage of a ballot initiative mandating condom use for all adult films produced in Los Angeles County. Although the industry immediately filed a lawsuit after passage of Measure B, its constitutionality has been upheld. Measure B passed because public health advocates were able to assemble scientific evidence, build public support, counter false claims, and maintain consistent messages throughout the campaign. The adult film industry lacked social capital, cohesion, and nimbleness. To bolster regulatory efforts, appealing to voters to favor safe workplaces may be an effective advocacy strategy for other industries.

Alcoholic liver disease in Nepal: identifying homemade alcohol as a culprit.

Science.gov (United States)

Pradhan, Bickram; Hadengue, Antoine; Chappuis, François; Chaudhary, Shatdal; Baral, Dharanidhar; Gache, Pascal; Karki, Prahlad; Rijal, Suman

2015-01-01

Though the type of alcohol consumed is not thought to be associated with alcoholic liver disease (ALD), some studies have shown a beverage-specific effect. In the present study, we aim to study the effects of locally brewed alcoholic beverages on the development of liver disease. This cross-sectional study was conducted at the internal medicine department of a university hospital in Nepal. All patients classified as having either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition were evaluated for the presence of ALD. A total of 1,500 patients were screened, of which, 447 patients had ALD. Chronic liver disease (CLD) was detected in 144 patients (9.6%). Most of the patients consumed homemade locally brewed alcohol. On multivariate analysis, the following variables were found to be significantly associated with CLD: male sex (odds ratio [OR]: 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12-2.94; P=0.02): rakshi consumption ≥30 units (OR: 2.53; 95% CI: 1.07-6.01; P=0.04); and tongba consumption (OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.22-7.50; P=0.02). There was a significant increase in the risk of developing ALD with the consumption of rakshi and tongba after adjusting for total units consumed. The absence of striking differences between our patients with CLD and non-CLD patients with regards to the amount of alcohol consumed demonstrates that, although alcohol consumption is a prerequisite for the development of ALD, other factors like type of alcoholic beverage consumed may be involved.

Grassroots responsiveness to human rights abuse: history of the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanders, Laura; Martinez, Ramiro; Harner, Margaret; Harner, Melanie; Horner, Pilar; Delva, Jorge

2013-04-01

The purpose of this article is to discuss how a community agency based in Washtenaw County, the Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigration Rights (WICIR), emerged in response to increasing punitive immigration practices and human rights abuses toward the Latino community. The article discusses how WICIR is engaged in advocacy, community education on immigration issues, and political action toward a more humane immigration reform. Detailed examples of human rights abuses and the WICIR activities described in response to the abuses serve as illustrations of social work advocacy, education, and policy formulation that affect the general public, policymakers, and law enforcement officials.

Desempenho ponderal de novilhas mestiças Holandês × Zebu submetidas a duas estratégias de suplementação mineral Ponderal performance of crossbred Holstein × Zebu heifers submitted to two mineral supplementations strategies

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Felipe Nogueira Domingues

2008-02-01

Full Text Available Avaliou-se o desempenho ponderal de novilhas em regime de pastejo rotacionado consumindo dois tipos de suplemento mineral. Utilizaram-se 25 novilhas Holandês × Zebu, 9 como animais reguladores e 16 como animais-prova, divididas em quatro tratamentos: capim-mombaça e sal seletivo (MSS; capim-mombaça e sal comercial (MSC; capim-elefante e sal seletivo (ESS; e capim-elefante e sal comercial (ESC. O ganho médio diário (GMD foi calculado pesando-se os animais-prova a cada 28 dias após jejum alimentar de 16 horas. Foram avaliados os consumos de matéria seca de lâmina foliar verde (CMSLFV e a digestibilidade aparente da matéria seca de lâmina foliar verde (DMSLFV utilizando-se óxido crômico como marcador externo e fibra em detergente neutro indigerível como marcador interno. Foram mensurados os consumos dos suplementos minerais e avaliados os teores de matéria seca, proteína bruta, fibra em detergente neutro e de Ca, P, K, Mg, Na, Cu, Zn, Fe e Mn somente em amostras de lâmina foliar. O delineamento estatístico utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 2 × 2 (gramínea e mistura mineral. Cada tratamento foi composto por quatro animais, de modo que cada animal constituiu uma unidade experimental. Apenas os minerais Cu, Na e Zn foram encontrados em quantidades insuficientes nas forrageiras. Os CMSLFV não foram influenciados por nenhuma das variáveis estudadas nem por suas interações. Houve interação sal mineral × gramínea para a DMSLFV. O GMD foi influenciado apenas pelas gramíneas; o desempenho dos animais que consumiram o capim-elefante foi superior. A composição nutricional do capim-elefante foi ligeiramente superior à do capim-mombaça, o que provavelmente proporcionou melhor desempenho aos animais deste tratamento.The ponderal performance of heifers under rotational grazing fed two types mineral supplement was evaluated. A total of 25 heifers Holstein × Zebu, including nine regulator animals and 16

IAEA support to the sustainability of nuclear research institutions through networking and coalitions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Videnovic, I.R.; Goldman, I.N.; Bradley, E.E.; Ridikas, D.; Adelfang, P.; Acuna, O.E.; )

2009-01-01

enhanced international and regional cooperation may be the best prospect not only to assure the survival of the most capable reactors but also as a means of providing high quality research reactor capabilities to individual countries that do not need or cannot afford to maintain and operate a research reactor on their own. The role of the IAEA in this field is thus to provide key support for fledgling coalitions by serving as an honest broker and a forum for enhancing regional cooperation and promoting the formation of partnerships and coalitions. The Agency is best placed to coordinate the formulation of specific ideas for enhanced regional and international cooperation between research reactors and users in order to improve sustainability. The Department of Technical Cooperation, the Department of Nuclear Energy and the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications of the IAEA are working together in European regional project entitled 'Enhancing the Sustainability of Research Reactors and Their Safe Operation Through Regional Cooperation, Networking and Coalitions' (RER/4/032) to improve business planning, expand awareness of potential customers and increase contacts between prospective customers and research reactor service providers, and to increase effectiveness of nuclear research and education through sustainable networking. (authors)

The value of Network Neutrality for the Internet of Tomorrow : Report of the Dynamic Coalition on Network Neutrality

OpenAIRE

Belli , Luca; De Filippi , Primavera

2013-01-01

The report explores some of the most crucial facets of Network Neutrality, underscoring its close relationship with the full enjoyment of end-users fundamental rights. The report also includes a proposal for a Model Framework on Network Neutrality that has been elaborated by the Dynamic Coalition through an open, inclusive and multi-stakeholder effort, in order to promote an efficient safeguard of the Net Neutrality principle in accordance with international human rights standards.

A Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science

Science.gov (United States)

Allison, L.; Hehn, J.; Kass, J.; O'Grady, R.; Scotchmoor, J.; Stucky, R.

2006-12-01

For many of the problems facing contemporary societies, such as potential impacts of climate change, coastal degradation, reductions of fisheries stocks, volcanic and earthquake hazards in densely populated areas, quality and availability of water, and exploitation of hydrocarbon resources and development of alternative energy sources, formulation of wise public policy depends on evaluation of the state of geoscientific research in the relevant areas. In a democratic society, public discourse about and input to policy decisions on key issues affecting the public welfare requires a public that understands the scientific research process, values the contribution of science to society, and has a working knowledge of what science can and cannot yet say about specific issues. Arguably, that ideal falls short in contemporary American society. Disturbing trends in science education, low public scientific literacy, and increasing alarms about U.S. competitiveness have all been prominent national news topics in recent years. (1) A recent National Science Board report indicated that two-thirds of Americans do not understand what science is, how it is conducted, and what one can expect from it. (2) A recent Gallup poll reports widespread and increasingly prevalent belief in pseudoscience. (3) There is a growing public complacency about and disengagement from science at the very moment when the impact of science on public life is greater than ever. (4) The Business Roundtable of major U.S. companies notes that the scientific and technical building blocks of our economic leadership are eroding at a time when many other nations are gathering strength. In response, a Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science COPUS has been initiated. Essential to COPUS is the premise that public understanding of science and the scientific process and an awareness of the impacts of scientific advancements on our quality of life are necessary to increase student interest in science as a

Preparation and characterization of a homemade Josephson junction prepared from a thin film sintered in a domestic microwave oven

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freitas, Gustavo Quereza; Moreto, Jeferson Aparecido [Instituto Federal de Educacao, Ciencia e Tecnologia Goiano (IFGO), Rio Verde, GO (Brazil); Zadorosny, Rafael; Silveira, Joao Borsil; Carvalho, Claudio Luiz [Universidade Estadual Paulista Julio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP), Ilha Solteira, SP (Brazil); Cena, Cicero Rafael, E-mail: gustavoquereza@yahoo.com.br [Instituto Federal de Educacao, Ciencia e Tecnologia de Sao Paulo (IFSP), Birigui, SP (Brazil)

2016-03-15

A homemade Josephson junction was successfully obtained using a superconductor thin film of the BSCCO system. The film was deposited on a lanthanum aluminate, produced from a commercial powder with a nominal composition Bi{sub 1.8}Pb{sub 0.4}Sr{sub 2}CaCu{sub 2}O{sub x}, was thermally treated by a domestic microwave oven. The XRD analysis of the film indicated the coexistence of Bi-2212 and Bi-2223 phases and SEM images revealed that a typical superconductor plate-like morphology was formed. From the electrical characterization, performed using DC four probes technique, it was observed an onset superconducting transition temperature measured around 81K. At the current-voltage characteristics curve, a step of electric current at zero-voltage could be observed, an indicative that the tunneling Josephson occurred. (author)

Evaluation of home-made teas efficiency from medicinal plants used on childish diarrhea treatment; Avaliacao da eficacia de chas caseiros de plantas medicinais utilizados no tratamento da diarreia infantil

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pinto, Magda Moreira; Silva, Maria Jose de Sousa Ferreira da [Minas Gerais Univ., Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil). Dept. de Quimica; Vilhena Schayer Sabino, Claudia de; Amaral, Angela Maria [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

1996-03-01

The objective of this work is to verify whether the home-made teas form Brazilian plants, used for control of childish diarrhea have been efficient reaching the composition recommended by World Health Organizations (WHO). This work has been carried out using the neutron activation analysis and the TRIGA MARK I reactor, the IPR-R1, in the Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear - CDTN. (author). 4 refs., 2 tabs.

Generation of a continuous-wave squeezed vacuum state at 1.3 μm by employing a home-made all-solid-state laser as pump source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng Yao-Hui; Wu Zhi-Qiang; Huo Mei-Ru; Zhou Hai-Jun

2013-01-01

We present a continuous-wave squeezed vacuum generation system at a telecommunication wavelength of 1.3 μm. By employing a home-made single-frequency Nd:YVO 4 laser with dual wavelength outputs as the pump source, via an optical parameter oscillator based on periodically poled KTP, a squeezed vacuum of 6.1 dB±0.1 dB below the shot noise limit at 1342 nm is experimentally measured. This system could be utilized for demonstrating practical quantum information networks. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

Steel syndrome: dislocated hips and radial heads, carpal coalition, scoliosis, short stature, and characteristic facial features.

Science.gov (United States)

Flynn, John M; Ramirez, Norman; Betz, Randal; Mulcahey, Mary Jane; Pino, Franz; Herrera-Soto, Jose A; Carlo, Simon; Cornier, Alberto S

2010-01-01

A syndrome of children with short stature, bilateral hip dislocations, radial head dislocations, carpal coalitions, scoliosis, and cavus feet in Puerto Rican children, was reported by Steel et al in 1993. The syndrome was described as a unique entity with dismal results after conventional treatment of dislocated hips. The purpose of this study is to reevaluate this patient population with a longer follow-up and delineate the clinical and radiologic features, treatment outcomes, and the genetic characteristics. This is a retrospective cohort study of 32 patients in whom we evaluated the clinical, imaging data, and genetic characteristics. We compare the findings and quality of life in patients with this syndrome who have had attempts at reduction of the hips versus those who did not have the treatment. Congenital hip dislocations were present in 100% of the patients. There was no attempt at reduction in 39% (25/64) of the hips. In the remaining 61% (39/64), the hips were treated with a variety of modalities fraught with complications. Of those treated, 85% (33/39) remain dislocated, the rest of the hips continue subluxated with acetabular dysplasia and pain. The group of hips that were not treated reported fewer complaints and limitation in daily activities compared with the hips that had attempts at reduction. Steel syndrome is a distinct clinical entity characterized by short stature, bilateral hip and radial head dislocation, carpal coalition, scoliosis, cavus feet, and characteristic facial features with dismal results for attempts at reduction of the hips. Prognostic Study Level II.

Molecular Typing of Staphylococcus Aureus Isolate Responsible for Staphylococcal Poisoning Incident in Homemade Food.

Science.gov (United States)

Macori, Guerrino; Bellio, Alberto; Bianchi, Daniela Manila; Gallina, Silvia; Adriano, Daniela; Zuccon, Fabio; Chiesa, Francesco; Acutis, Pier Luigi; Casalinuovo, Francesco; Decastelli, Lucia

2016-04-19

In October 2012, two persons fell ill with symptoms consistent with staphylococcal food poisoning after eating home-canned tuna fish and tomatoes. Laboratory investigation detected the enterotoxins in the home-canned tuna and molecular analysis of the isolated Staphylococcus aureus confirmed it carried toxin genes. Qualitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and enzime linked fluorescent assay methods and quantitative assay identified the enterotoxins in the food leftovers, specifically staphylococcal enterotoxins type A (SEA) and D (SED), respectively 0.49 and 2.04 ng/g. The laboratory results are discussed considering the relation to the fish in oil, survival and heat resistance of S. aureus , and presumptive microbial contamination due to improper handling during home-canning procedures. This is the first reported cluster of foodborne illnesses due to staphylococcal enterotoxins in tuna in Italy. In this study, we reported cases described and analysed for their spa -type. Showing a high heterogeneity of isolates, spa -type t 13252 is correlated in a node of the minimum spanning tree and it has never been reported as responsible for foodborne outbreak. This case underlines the importance of risk communication and dissemination of home-canning guidelines to reduce the incidence of foodborne outbreaks caused by homemade conserves.

Molecular typing of Staphylococcus aureus isolate responsible for staphylococcal poisoning incident in homemade food

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guerrino Macori

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In October 2012, two persons fell ill with symptoms consistent with staphylococcal food poisoning after eating home-canned tuna fish and tomatoes. Laboratory investigation detected the enterotoxins in the home-canned tuna and molecular analysis of the isolated Staphylococcus aureus confirmed it carried toxin genes. Qualitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and enzime linked fluorescent assay methods and quantitative assay identified the enterotoxins in the food leftovers, specifically staphylococcal enterotoxins type A (SEA and D (SED, respectively 0.49 and 2.04 ng/g. The laboratory results are discussed considering the relation to the fish in oil, survival and heat resistance of S. aureus, and presumptive microbial contamination due to improper handling during home-canning procedures. This is the first reported cluster of foodborne illnesses due to staphylococcal enterotoxins in tuna in Italy. In this study, we reported cases described and analysed for their spa-type. Showing a high heterogeneity of isolates, spa-type t13252 is correlated in a node of the minimum spanning tree and it has never been reported as responsible for foodborne outbreak. This case underlines the importance of risk communication and dissemination of home-canning guidelines to reduce the incidence of foodborne outbreaks caused by homemade conserves.

Automatic control with fuzzy logic of home-made beer production in maceration and cooking stages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariano Luján Corro

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The process of home-made beer production in the malt maceration and cooking stages was controlled automatically with fuzzy logic, across different performers considering the time and temperature of the process, using 2009LabVIEW. The equipment was mainly composed of three 20 L capacity stainless steel containers (water supply, maceration and cooking, an additional hops container, a data acquisition card (PIC 16F877a micro controller, three LM35 temperature sensors and 11 on/off type performers, which were governed by a total of 47 Mandani type fuzzy rules with trapezoidal membership functions, using the method of center area for the defuzzification. The performers: electrovalves (5, pumps (2, heaters (3 and a stirrer, in approximately 4 hours, were adequately controlled in their early maceration and cooking stages. The beer obtained by automatic control with fuzzy logic in the maceration and cooking stages, had the following characteristics: 0.98 g/cm3 of density, 3.9 of pH, total acidity expressed as 0.87% of lactic acid, 6.2ºGL of alcoholic degree and 0.91% w/v of CO2 percentage.

Cooperation or Localization in European Capacity Markets? A Coalitional Game over Graph Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giorgos Stamtsis

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Capacity markets, as a means to address the capacity adequacy issue, are constantly becoming an important part of the European internal electricity market. The debate focuses on how the capacity markets will be smoothly integrated in one Pan-European power market, without resulting in multiple national fragmentations and consequently in economic efficiency losses. Cross-border participation and regional cooperation are considered as two sine qua non conditions in this respect. The present paper provides a coalitional game theoretical approach aiming to facilitate the cooperation of neighboring countries, when it comes to the security of electricity supply and the necessity of establishing a capacity market. Such an approach can support respective decisions about capacity markets cooperation as well as stress-test the benefits considering all cooperation possibilities.

A brief history of Forging New Frontiers, the annual conference of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Estell Lenita; Barlow, Barbara

2016-10-01

The Injury Free Coalition for Kids Annual Conference has contributed to the dissemination of information pertaining to the development of the field of injury prevention. A content analysis was completed using conference agendas used during the span of 2005-2015, finding that more than 398 presentations covering a wide variety of injuries have taken place. Published work has appeared in the Journal of Trauma and there has been recognition of people who have contributed to the development of the field. Forging New Frontiers is a valuable tool for attendees to exchange information about injury prevention.

What are we looking at when we say magenta? Quantitative measurements of RGB and CMYK colours with a homemade spectrophotometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosi, Tommaso; Onorato, Pasquale; Oss, Stefano; Malgieri, Massimiliano

2016-01-01

We address some issues in colour theory, which are of relevance from an educational perspective. Spectra of emitted RGB and of transmitted CMYK colours are quantitatively processed and analysed with quite inexpensive homemade instruments, making use of smartphones as affordable digital cameras. LCD monitors and paper sheets with pigments coming from a laser printer are used to point out the basic differences between additive and subtractive colour formation. As an especially relevant aspect, we point out how it is possible to construct a simple model to explain the subtractive mixing process in terms of convolution of primary colour filters. The analysis presented in this work is particularly suited for enhancing the need for a proper understanding of the physiology of human eye–brain action in light acquisition and perception of colours. (paper)

Combating Youth Violence Through Anti-Violence Coalitions in Three West Virginia Counties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ronda Sturgill

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Kids Win was funded by SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for Cabell, Mason and Wayne Counties in West Virginia. The goal of the project was to develop anti-violence coalitions in the three counties and to develop a strategic plan for a pilot program combating youth violence. The pilot program was designed to use the Second Step and Hazelden Anti-Bullying curricula at the three middle schools. Evaluation methods included a survey of teachers, a survey of students, and a comparison of results of a state mandated school discipline report. All three data sources support the conclusion that violence was reduced significantly because of the Kids Win Program. Kids Win has demonstrated what can be accomplished by teaching students the behavioral skills needed to resolve problems without escalating violence. This program merits replication and expansion and can serve as a model for other programs.

Tactical Wireless Networking in Coalition Environments: Implementing an IEEE 802.20 Wireless End-User Network Utilizing FLASH-OFDM to Provide a Secure Mobile Extension to Existing WAN

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Parrish, William J; Tovar, Daniel R

2005-01-01

This thesis will focus on the area of 802.20 wireless networking as a feasible "last mile" solution to wireless access in a tactical coalition environment and will be implemented into a series of experiments...

Innovative tools for business coalitions in B2B applications how negotiation, auction and game theory can support small- and medium-sized business in e-business

CERN Document Server

Argoneto, Pierluigi

2011-01-01

Discussion of how to implement innovative tools makes the book relevant to both researchers and managers The simulation environment allows the reader to evaluate the performance of the approaches proposed Includes methodologies to improve e-marketplace performances through coalition

Forensic methodology for the thermochemical characterization of ANNM and ANFO homemade explosives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nazarian, Ashot; Presser, Cary, E-mail: cpresser@nist.gov

2015-05-20

Highlights: • The LDTR is a useful diagnostic for characterizing HME thermochemical behavior. • ANNM thermograms indicated sensitivity to varying HME composition. • ANFO measurements demonstrated sensitivity to fuel hydrocarbon volatility. • Mixture preparation time can be defined by studying vaporization effects on mass. - Abstract: Measurements were carried out to obtain thermal signatures of the most commonly used homemade explosive (HME) materials, i.e., ammonium nitrate/nitromethane and ammonium nitrate/No. 2 diesel fuel oil, using a novel laser-heating technique referred to as the laser-driven thermal reactor (LDTR). Experiments were performed for different compositions, initial masses, and steady-state temperatures, along with the effects associated with HME aging. For ammonium nitrate/nitromethane (ANNM), the NM/ANNM mass fractions investigated were 29% (stoichiometric value) and 14%; these experiments were with fresh mixtures. The 29% NM/ANNM mass fraction mixture was also aged to 3%. For ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO), a fresh stoichiometric FO/ANFO mass fraction of 6% was used initially, and aged mixtures were then investigated for mass fractions of 5.4%, 4.7%, 4.4%, and 3.7%. The results indicated that the LDTR thermograms (i.e., sample temperature change with time) for the mixed ANNM were different than the individual isolated components, and that the technique was sensitive to varying HME composition. In addition, changes in the thermograms as ANFO aged were attributed to the varying volatility of the fuel hydrocarbon fractions, and thus provide important information for forensics analysis as to the HME reactivity.

Forensic methodology for the thermochemical characterization of ANNM and ANFO homemade explosives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarian, Ashot; Presser, Cary

2015-01-01

Highlights: • The LDTR is a useful diagnostic for characterizing HME thermochemical behavior. • ANNM thermograms indicated sensitivity to varying HME composition. • ANFO measurements demonstrated sensitivity to fuel hydrocarbon volatility. • Mixture preparation time can be defined by studying vaporization effects on mass. - Abstract: Measurements were carried out to obtain thermal signatures of the most commonly used homemade explosive (HME) materials, i.e., ammonium nitrate/nitromethane and ammonium nitrate/No. 2 diesel fuel oil, using a novel laser-heating technique referred to as the laser-driven thermal reactor (LDTR). Experiments were performed for different compositions, initial masses, and steady-state temperatures, along with the effects associated with HME aging. For ammonium nitrate/nitromethane (ANNM), the NM/ANNM mass fractions investigated were 29% (stoichiometric value) and 14%; these experiments were with fresh mixtures. The 29% NM/ANNM mass fraction mixture was also aged to 3%. For ammonium nitrate/fuel oil (ANFO), a fresh stoichiometric FO/ANFO mass fraction of 6% was used initially, and aged mixtures were then investigated for mass fractions of 5.4%, 4.7%, 4.4%, and 3.7%. The results indicated that the LDTR thermograms (i.e., sample temperature change with time) for the mixed ANNM were different than the individual isolated components, and that the technique was sensitive to varying HME composition. In addition, changes in the thermograms as ANFO aged were attributed to the varying volatility of the fuel hydrocarbon fractions, and thus provide important information for forensics analysis as to the HME reactivity

‘Who Said It Was Simple!’ Third-Wave Feminist Coalition and Audre Lorde's Intersectionalist Hybrid Poetics of Difference

OpenAIRE

Yomna Saber

2015-01-01

Third-Wave Feminism digs its roots in intersectionality and coalition, which were not fully realised in Second-Wave Feminism. However, the movement is usually under attack for lacking a clear agenda. Recent scholarship strongly suggests that third wavers get back to third-world writers, like Audre Lorde, to realise an anti-racist and inclusive feminism.  Lorde occupies a distinctive position in feminist literature; a poet who resides in too many margins being black, female and lesbian. This e...

Political Parties and Government Coalitions in the Americas Partidos políticos y gobiernos de coalición en las Américas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eduardo Alemán

2011-01-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on the process of coalition formation in presidential systems. It shows that party positions and institutions influence the formation of government coalitions. We argue that presidents will tend to include parties positioned close to their policy positions in their cabinets, and will be more inclined to do it when relative institutional authority is more advantageous to congress. We corroborate our arguments with data from 13 presidential countries in the Americas.Este artículo se centra en el proceso de formación de coaliciones en sistemas presidenciales. El artículo demuestra que las posiciones de los partidos y las instituciones influencian la formación de coaliciones gubernamentales. Argumentamos que los presidentes tienden a incluir dentro del gabinete a aquellos partidos que tienen posiciones cercanas, y que esta tendencia es más fuerte cuando la autoridad institucional es relativamente más favorable al congreso. Corroboramos nuestros argumentos con data de 13 países con sistemas presidenciales en las Américas.

Radiological risk of building materials using homemade airtight radon chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norafatin Khalid; Amran Abdul Majid; Redzuwan Yahaya; Muhammad Samudi Yasir

2013-01-01

Full-text: Soil based building materials known to contain various amounts of natural radionuclide mainly 238 U and 232 Th series and 40 K. In general most individuals spend 80 % of their time indoors and the natural radioactivity in building materials is a main source of indoor radiation exposure. The internal exposure due to building materials in dwellings and workplaces is mainly caused by the activity concentrations of short lived 222 Radon and its progenies which arise from the decay of 226 Ra. In this study, the indoor radon concentration emanating from cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement samples were measured in a homemade airtight radon chamber using continuous radon monitor 1029 model of Sun Nuclear. Radon monitor were left in the chamber for 96 hours with an hour counting time interval. From the result, the indoor radon concentrations for cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement samples determined were 396 Bq m -3 , 192 Bq m -3 , 176 Bq m -3 and 28 Bq m -3 , respectively. The result indicates that the radon concentration in the studied building materials have more than 100 Bq m -3 for example higher than the WHO action level except for Portland cement sample. The calculated annual effective dose for cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement samples were determined to be 10 mSv y -1 , 4.85 mSv y -1 , 4.44 mSv y -1 and 0.72 mSv y -1 , respectively. This study showed that all the calculated effective doses generated from indoor radon to dwellers or workers were in the range of limit recommended ICRP action levels for example 3 - 10 mSv y -1 . As consequences, the radiological risk for the dwellers in terms of fatal lifetime cancer risk per million for cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement were calculated to be 550, 267, 244 and 40 persons respectively. (author)

Radiological risk of building materials using homemade airtight radon chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khalid, Norafatin; Majid, Amran Ab.; Yahaya, Redzuwan; Yasir, Muhammad Samudi

2014-01-01

Soil based building materials known to contain various amounts of natural radionuclide mainly 238 U and 232 Th series and 40 K. In general most individuals spend 80% of their time indoors and the natural radioactivity in building materials is a main source of indoor radiation exposure. The internal exposure due to building materials in dwellings and workplaces is mainly caused by the activity concentrations of short lived 222 Radon and its progenies which arise from the decay of 226 Ra. In this study, the indoor radon concentration emanating from cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement samples were measured in a homemade airtight radon chamber using continuous radon monitor 1029 model of Sun Nuclear. Radon monitor were left in the chamber for 96 hours with an hour counting time interval. From the result, the indoor radon concentrations for cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement samples determined were 396 Bq m −3 , 192 Bq m −3 , 176 Bq m −3 and 28 Bq m −3 , respectively. The result indicates that the radon concentration in the studied building materials have more than 100 Bq m −3 i.e. higher than the WHO action level except for Portland cement sample. The calculated annual effective dose for cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement samples were determined to be 10 mSv y −1 , 4.85 mSv y −1 , 4.44 mSv y −1 and 0.72 mSv y −1 , respectively. This study showed that all the calculated effective doses generated from indoor radon to dwellers or workers were in the range of limit recommended ICRP action levels i.e. 3 - 10 mSv y −1 . As consequences, the radiological risk for the dwellers in terms of fatal lifetime cancer risk per million for cement brick, red-clay brick, gravel aggregate and Portland cement were calculated to be 550, 267, 244 and 40 persons respectively

IMPLEMENTANDO UN ÍNDICE QUE PONDERE EL IMPACTO DE UNA REVISTA CIENTÍFICA EN FUNCIÓN DE SU JUVENTUD (Implementing an Index that Weighs the Impact of a Scientific Journal Based on its Early Age

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pascual Izquierdo-Egea

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Se propone un índice que pondere el impacto de una revista científica en función de su juventud. Hasta ahora, solo algunos índices contemplan factores como la antigüedad o el prestigio en la valoración del impacto, ignorando la importancia de la juventud. ENGLISH: This article proposes an index that weights the impact of a scientific journal based on its early age. Until now, only a few indexes consider factors such as age or prestige, ignoring the role that the early age of a journal might play in its impact assessment.

Nutritional and microbiological quality of commercial and homemade blenderized whole food enteral diets for home-based enteral nutritional therapy in adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Vieira, Maricy Machado Cavalca; Santos, Valdirene Francisca Neves; Bottoni, Andrea; Morais, Tania Beninga

2018-02-01

Serious nutritional and contamination risks may be involved in the preparation of blenderized tube-feeding diets and in the handling of commercial diets. Their nutritional and microbiological quality in home settings is unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the nutritional and microbiological quality of commercial enteral and homemade blenderized whole foods diets intended to adult patients in home nutritional therapy. In a cross sectional study, 66 samples of commercial (CD) and noncommercial (NCD) enteral diets were collected at the homes of patients in home enteral nutritional therapy, 33 of each type. Commercial diets were either powder (PCD; n = 13) or liquid (LCD; n = 20). The samples were analyzed in laboratory to assess their nutritional and microbiological quality. Anthropometric data of mid upper arm circumference (MUAC) and triceps skinfold (TST) thickness were obtained from the patients' medical records. NCD presented significantly lower values for protein, fat, fiber, carbohydrate and energy while water content was significantly higher. PCD and LCD did not show any statistically significant differences between them. In the NCD, the values measured for macronutrients and energy corresponded to less than 50% of the prescribed values (except for fat). In CD, protein value was about 20% more than the prescribed value; fat and energy values corresponded to approximately 100% of the prescription, while carbohydrate corresponded to 92%. Regardless the type of the diet, prevalence of undernutrition was high in both groups though patients of the NCD presented a higher percentage. Samples of NCD complied significantly less with the microbiological standards; only 6.0% complied with the standard for coliform bacteria. Escherichia coli was detected in 10, 2, and 2 samples of NCD, PCD and LCD, respectively. Homemade blenderized enteral diets showed low values of energy and macronutrients, delivered less than 50% of the prescribed values and had

Human calf muscular metabolism study with a home-made ergometer using 31P NMR spectroscopy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peynsaert, J; Achten, E; Claeys, E [Ghent University Hospital (Belgium); Rousseaux, M [Ghent University Hospital (Belgium). Dept. of Sport Medicine

1995-12-01

Phosphorus-31 NMR measurements were performed to examine the variations in the concentration of phosphate metabolites in calf muscle during exercise. Therefore, volunteers, installed in the supine position, were asked to push repetitively on the pedal of a home-made ergometer. The produced work and the changes in phosphorus containing metabolites were measured continuously. Correlations were made between the inorganic phosphate/phosphocreatine ratio and the cumulative work and between the intracellular pH and the cumulative work. The exercise protocol could be changed interactively with respect to the imposed initial pressure, the maximum pressure, the pressure increase per level and the time a certain level was held. The whole experiment could be graphically followed on-line. In the first stadium, the in vitro reproducibility of the ergometer was tested for different protocols. These tests revealed that, though the deviation in produced work was markedly the highest at high working pressures, the relative error never exceeded 3%. Consequently, the ex vitro reproducibility of the data was examined with the equipment placed in the scanner. Generally, same conclusions could be derived. In a next stage, the work will be synchronized with the biochemical data. Extreme precautions will be taken to examine each volunteer every time under the same physical and psychological conditions.

Human calf muscular metabolism study with a home-made ergometer using 31P NMR spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Peynsaert, J.; Achten, E.; Claeys, E. . Dept. of Magnetic Resonance; Rousseaux, M.

1995-01-01

Phosphorus-31 NMR measurements were performed to examine the variations in the concentration of phosphate metabolites in calf muscle during exercise. Therefore, volunteers, installed in the supine position, were asked to push repetitively on the pedal of a home-made ergometer. The produced work and the changes in phosphorus containing metabolites were measured continuously. Correlations were made between the inorganic phosphate/phosphocreatine ratio and the cumulative work and between the intracellular pH and the cumulative work. The exercise protocol could be changed interactively with respect to the imposed initial pressure, the maximum pressure, the pressure increase per level and the time a certain level was held. The whole experiment could be graphically followed on-line. In the first stadium, the in vitro reproducibility of the ergometer was tested for different protocols. These tests revealed that, though the deviation in produced work was markedly the highest at high working pressures, the relative error never exceeded 3%. Consequently, the ex vitro reproducibility of the data was examined with the equipment placed in the scanner. Generally, same conclusions could be derived. In a next stage, the work will be synchronized with the biochemical data. Extreme precautions will be taken to examine each volunteer every time under the same physical and psychological conditions

Anti-Cancer Potential of Homemade Fresh Garlic Extract Is Related to Increased Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress

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Voin Petrovic

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The use of garlic and garlic-based extracts has been linked to decreased incidence of cancer in epidemiological studies. Here we examine the molecular and cellular activities of a simple homemade ethanol-based garlic extract (GE. We show that GE inhibits growth of several different cancer cells in vitro, as well as cancer growth in vivo in a syngeneic orthotopic breast cancer model. Multiple myeloma cells were found to be especially sensitive to GE. The GE was fractionated using solid-phase extractions, and we identified allicin in one GE fraction; however, growth inhibitory activities were found in several additional fractions. These activities were lost during freeze or vacuum drying, suggesting that the main anti-cancer compounds in GE are volatile. The anti-cancer activity was stable for more than six months in −20 °C. We found that GE enhanced the activities of chemotherapeutics, as well as MAPK and PI3K inhibitors. Furthermore, GE affected hundreds of proteins involved in cellular signalling, including changes in vital cell signalling cascades regulating proliferation, apoptosis, and the cellular redox balance. Our data indicate that the reduced proliferation of the cancer cells treated by GE is at least partly mediated by increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER stress.

Solving the Upper Valley's housing needs: how a coalition of public and private organizations joined forces to develop housing in a region with inadequate stock and prohibitive prices

OpenAIRE

Dan French

2004-01-01

Like many communities, New Hampshire and Vermont's Upper Valley region is facing a serious housing shortage. Dan French reveals how an innovative housing coalition is working to find solutions that provide housing and protect the area's quality of life.

Canadian Coalition for Responsible Environmental Solutions statement of principles for a made in Canada solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

The Canadian Coalition for Responsible Environmental Solutions has come up with a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that includes immediate actions with a realistic time frame. The plan addresses air quality as a whole and is not limited to greenhouse gases alone. The plan keeps capital in Canada to invest in new environmental technologies. It also negotiates agreements with economic sectors on emissions performance targets, and it implements energy conservation awareness campaigns that promote the reduction of energy consumption.The plan considers trade relationships with the United Sates and recognizes Canada's role as an important energy exporter. Under the proposed plan, both generators and consumers of renewable energy would receive incentives for their efforts in addressing the climate change challenge

Cooperation between Counterparts in Parliament from an Agenda-Setting Perspective: Legislative Coalitions as a Trade of Criticism and Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Flemming Juul; Seeberg, Henrik Bech

2016-01-01

Governments may bargain with parties in parliament to silence them. This insight follows from the agenda-setting literature, which emphasises the power of the opposition to criticise the government. The literature on legislatures points to the fear of loss of future voter support as a motivation....... By offering the opposition noteworthy policy influence in legislative coalitions, governments avoid opposition criticism in return, in addition to having initiatives passed. In order to test this argument, a large dataset is compiled on opposition criticism in parliament and the media before and after the 325...

Impact of the formation of coalitions and fairly challenges on the international negotiations: an analysis of the economical and ethical fundaments. Final report january 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Salles, J.M.

2003-01-01

The project concerned two objectives: the analysis of the impact of the formation of coalitions on the possible equilibrium and the dynamic of the international negotiations in the framework of the climatic change; and the challenges bond to the fairly engagement decided by the countries during the negotiations in the framework of the Climate convention

Home-made refurbishment of the instrumentation and control system of the TRIGA reactor of the University of Pavia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borio di Tigliole, A.; Cagnazzo, M.; Magrotti, G.; Manera, S.; Salvini, A.; Musitelli, G.; Nardo, R.

2008-01-01

The Instrumentation and Control (I and C) System of the TRIGA reactor of the University of Pavia was dated and, in order to grant a safe and continuous reactor operation for the future, it became necessary to substitute or to upgrade the system. Since the substitution of the I and C system with a new-made one was very difficult to be performed due to long authorization procedures, an home-made refurbishment was planned. Using commercial components of high quality, almost a complete substitution, channel-by-channel, of the I and C system was realized without changing the operating and safety logics. The system includes: - the Reactor Linear Power Channel and Chart Recorder; - the Reactor Percent Power Safety Channel; - the High Voltage and Low Voltage Power Supply; - the Automatic Reactor Power Control; - the Fuel Elements and Cooling-Water Temperatures Measuring Channels; - the Water Conductivity Measuring Channel. The refurbished I and C system shows a very good operational behavior and reliability and will assure a continuous operation of the reactor for the future

Design and validation of inert homemade explosive simulants for X-ray-based inspection systems

Science.gov (United States)

Faust, Anthony A.; Nacson, Sabatino; Koffler, Bruce; Bourbeau, Éric; Gagne, Louis; Laing, Robin; Anderson, C. J.

2014-05-01

Transport Canada (TC), the Canadian Armed Forces, and other public security agencies have an interest in the assessment of the potential utility of advanced explosives detection technologies to aid in the detection and interdiction of commercial grade, military grade, and homemade or improvised explosives (HME or IE). The availability of suitable, non-hazardous, non-toxic, explosive simulants is of concern when assessing the potential utility of such detection systems. Lack of simulants limits the training opportunities, and ultimately the detection probability, of security personnel using these systems. While simulants for commercial and military grade explosives are available for a wide variety of detection technologies, the design and production of materials to simulate improvised explosives has not kept pace with this emerging threat. Funded by TC and the Canadian Safety and Security Program, Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC), Visiontec Systems, and Optosecurity engaged in an effort to develop inert, non-toxic Xray interrogation simulants for IE materials such as ammonium nitrate, potassium chlorate, and triacetone triperoxide. These simulants were designed to mimic key X-ray interrogation-relevant material properties of real improvised explosives, principally their bulk density and effective atomic number. Different forms of the simulants were produced and tested, simulating the different explosive threat formulations that could be encountered by front line security workers. These simulants comply with safety and stability requirements, and as best as possible match form and homogeneity. This paper outlines the research program, simulant design, and validation.

Blockchain-Oriented Coalition Formation by CPS Resources: Ontological Approach and Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexey Kashevnik

2018-05-01

Full Text Available Cyber-physical systems (CPS, robotics, Internet of Things, information and communication technologies have become more and more popular over the last several years. These topics open new perspectives and scenarios that can automate processes in human life. CPS are aimed at interaction support in information space for physical entities communicated in physical space in real time. At the same time the blockchain technology that becomes popular last years allows to organize immutable distributed database that store all significant information and provide access for CPS participants. The paper proposes an approach that is based on ontology-based context management, publish/subscribe semantic interoperability support, and blockchain techniques. Utilization of these techniques provide possibilities to develop CPS that supports dynamic, distributed, and stable coalition formation of the resources. The case study presented has been implemented for the scenario of heterogeneous mobile robots’ collaboration for the overcoming of obstacles. There are two types of robots and an information service participating in the scenario. Evaluation shows that the proposed approach is applicable for the presented class of scenarios.

Experimental study of vascular embolization with homemade second-level Copper coil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiang Hua; Wang Jiaping; Li Yingchun; Tong Yuyun; Yang Qing; Yan Dong; Ding Lili; Yuan Shuguang

2013-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the embolic effect of homemade copper coil in rabbits. Methods: Seventeen New Zealand Big Ear Rabbit was included in this study. After conventional anesthesia, one common carotid artery or subclavian artery was embolized with second-level copper coated platinum microcoils (experimental group) through a 3F catheter, and the other common carotid artery or subclavian artery was embolized with second-level platinum micro-coils (control group) as control. Angiography was processed to observe the extent of vascular occlusion 10 min, 30 min, 3 d, 1 w, 2 w, 4 w, 6 w, and 12 w after embolization respectively. The rabbits were sacrificed to observe thrombosis and pathological change of the embolic artery 3 days, 1 w, 2 w, 4 w, 6 w and 12 w after the embolization. Vascular occlusion and thrombosis were compared between experimental group and the control group by using the exact probability method and rank sum test for statistical analysis. Results: Embolization experiment was successfully implemented in 15 of 17 rabbits. Twenty-one second-level copper coated platinum micro-coils were used in the experimental group, while 19 second-level platinum micro-coils were used in the control group. Ten min and 30 min after embolization, angiography showed that vascular embolization effect was not significantly different between the two groups. The vascular embolization effect of the experiment group was superior to control group 3 d, 1, 2, 4, 6 and 12 w after embolization (P < 0.05). Pathological examination showed that there were a lot of blood clots around the copper coil and in the proximal and distal arterial lumen. Only a small amount of blood clots was found around the platinum coil in the control group. For every time point of observation, thrombosis was more severe in the experiment group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Second-level copper coated coil can be released with 4F catheter to embolize the vessel, showing good physical

Development a low-cost carbon monoxide sensor using homemade CW-DFB QCL and board-level electronics

Science.gov (United States)

Dang, Jingmin; Yu, Haiye; Zheng, Chuantao; Wang, Lijun; Sui, Yuanyuan; Wang, Yiding

2018-05-01

A mid-infrared sensor was demonstrated for the detection of carbon monoxide (CO) at trace level. In order to reduce cost, a homemade continuous-wave mode distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (CW-DFB QCL), a mini gas cell with 1.6-m optical length, and some self-development electronic modules were adopted as excitation source, absorption pool, and signal controlling and processing tool, respectively. Wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) and phase sensitive detection (PSD) techniques as well as wavelet filtering software algorithm were used to reduce the influence of light source fluctuation and system noise and to improve measurement precision and sensitivity. Under the selected P(11) absorption line located at 2099.083 cm-1, a limit of detection (LoD) of 26 parts per billion by volume (ppbv) at atmospheric pressure was achieved with a 1-s acquisition time. Allan deviation was used to characterize the long-term performance of the CO sensor, and a measurement precision of ∼3.4 ppbv was observed with an optimal integration time of ∼114 s. As a field measurement, a continuous monitoring on indoor CO concentration for a period of 24 h was conducted, which verified the reliable and robust operation of the developed sensor.

Influência da icterícia colestática na variação ponderal em modelo experimental

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo de Souza Vasconcellos

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Avaliar a influência da icterícia colestática na variação ponderal. MÉTODOS: Foram utilizados 64 ratos adultos, distribuídos em seis grupos: F1 (n=6 - fêmeas normais, F2 (n=6 - fêmeas laparotomizadas, F3 (n=20 - fêmeas ictéricas, M1 (n=6 - machos normais, M2 (n=6 - machos laparotomizados, M3 (n=20 - machos ictéricos. A icterícia foi obtida com ligadura e secção do ducto biliopancreático. Os pesos dos animais foram registrados semanalmente, durante sete semanas. No 14º dia de experimento, dosaram-se as bilirrubinas séricas e os hormônios gonadais. Após a sétima semana, realizou-se estudo histológico do fígado. RESULTADOS: Os animais dos grupos F3 e M3 apresentaram bilirrubinas elevadas e diminuição da massa corpórea, quando comparados com os demais grupos. As diferenças ponderais foram significativas a partir da quarta semana entre as fêmeas e da quinta semana entre os machos. Nos animais ictéricos houve aumento do estradiol e diminuição da progesterona e da testosterona total. Septos de fibroses perivenular e periportal, colangite e hiperplasia de ductos biliares ocorreram no fígado dos animais ictéricos. Nenhum animal apresentou cirrose. CONCLUSÃO: Ocorreu redução do peso corpóreo murino em presença de icterícia colestática em ambos os sexos.

Efeito da perda ponderal induzida pela cirurgia bariátrica sobre a prevalência de síndrome metabólica Efecto de la pérdida ponderal inducida por la cirugía bariátrica sobre la prevalencia de síndrome metabólico Effects of weight loss induced by bariatric surgery on the prevalence of metabolic syndrome

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Francisco das Chagas Monteiro Júnior

2009-06-01

Full Text Available FUNDAMENTO: A síndrome metabólica (SM está frequentemente ligada ao excesso de peso e melhora com a perda ponderal, sendo esperado que essa melhora seja proporcional à intensidade dessa perda. OBJETIVO: Avaliar o impacto da perda ponderal induzida pela cirurgia bariátrica (CB sobre a prevalência da SM, em médio prazo. MÉTODOS: Foram analisados 35 pacientes submetidos à cirurgia de by-pass gastrojejunal em Y de Roux, no período de outubro de 2001 a outubro de 2005, em nosso HU, sendo 88,5% do sexo feminino, com uma média de idade de 37,8±11,1 anos e um IMC médio de 45,0±6,2 kg/m². Na primeira etapa da pesquisa, foram obtidos dados demográficos e clínico-antropométricos antes da realização da CB, incluindo os critérios para o diagnóstico da SM, de acordo com as diretrizes do NCEP dos Estados Unidos. Na segunda etapa, os pacientes operados foram reavaliados ambulatorialmente quanto à prevalência da SM. RESULTADOS:Antes da cirurgia, a SM foi diagnosticada em 27 pacientes (77,1%. Em reavaliação 34,4±15 meses após a cirurgia, observou-se uma queda do IMC médio para 28,3±5,0 kg/m² e a SM foi detectada em apenas dois pacientes (5,7% (pFUNDAMENTO: El síndrome metabólico (SM frecuentemente está vinculado al exceso de peso y mejora con la pérdida ponderal, esperándose que esta mejora sea proporcional a la intensidad de esa pérdida. OBJETIVO: Evaluar el impacto de la pérdida ponderal inducida por la cirugía bariátrica (CB sobre la prevalencia de la SM, a medio plazo. MÉTODOS: Se estudiaron 35 pacientes sometidos a cirugía de bypass gastroyeyunal en Y de Roux, en el período de octubre de 2001 a octubre de 2005, en nuestro HU, siendo el 88,5% del sexo femenino, con un promedio de edades de 37,8±11,1 años y un IMC promedio de 45,0±6,2 Kg/m². En la primera etapa de la investigación, se obtuvieron datos demográficos y clínico antropométricos antes de la realización de la CB, incluyendo los criterios para el

Analysis of the environmental and nature impacts of 'Building Bridges'. Coalition VVD-PvdA, October 29, 2012. A quick scan; Analyse van de milieu- en natuureffecten van 'Bruggen slaan'. Regeerakkoord VVD-PvdA d.d. 29 oktober 2012. Een quick-scan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dietz, F. (ed.)

2012-11-15

The coalition between the political parties VVD (liberals) and PvdA (socialists) connects the transition to a sustainable economy and green growth to strengthening the competitive capacity of the Dutch economy. The role of the Dutch government in the coalition aims at creating a framework and to provide facilities to realize the transition. In this memo the results of an analysis of the impacts of the coalition are given for the themes Energy and Climate, Nature, Transport and Traffic, and Green Growth [Dutch] Het Regeerakkoord VVD-PvdA koppelt de transitie naar een duurzame economie en groene groei aan het versterken van het concurrentievermogen van de Nederlandse economie. De rol van de rijksoverheid wordt in het regeerakkoord met name ingevuld als kaderstellend en faciliterend. De PBL-notitie analyseert de effecten van het regeringsakkoord voor de thema's Energie en Klimaat, Natuur, Verkeer en Vervoer, en Groene groei.

Farklı Koalisyon Senaryolarına Bağlı Olarak Türkiye’nin Üyeliği Sonrası Avrupa Birliği’nde Oylama Gücü Dağılımı(Depending On Different Coalition Scenarios Voting Power Distribution In The European Union After Turkey’s Membership

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hatice Burcu ESKİCİ

2013-01-01

Full Text Available It is taken into consideration of the influence on voting power distribution of candidate countries’ European Union membership enlargement is one of the most important issue the for European Union. In this study, the impact of Turkey’s membership on voting power distribution is evaluated for coalition formation determined with hierarchical clustering methods, according to the acts adopted by the Council of the European Union and voting system brought by the Treaty of Lisbon. In the analysis, the effect of Turkey’s membership on voting power distribution is evaluated for four coalition formation determined with hierarchical clustering methods and Banzhaf power index, one of the most frequently used voting power measurement, is used for voting power analysis. Based on the results of the analysis, voting power distribution is affected by Turkey’s European Union membership for four coalition formation. When the Council does not act on a proposal from the Commission or the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, voting power distribution is not affected by Turkey’s membership for four coalition formation.

Determination of chlorogenic acids and caffeine in homemade brewed coffee prepared under various conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeon, Jong-Sup; Kim, Han-Taek; Jeong, Il-Hyung; Hong, Se-Ra; Oh, Moon-Seog; Park, Kwang-Hee; Shim, Jae-Han; Abd El-Aty, A M

2017-10-01

Coffee, a complex mixture of more than 800 volatile compounds, is one of the most valuable commodity in the world, whereas caffeine and chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are the most common compounds. CGAs are mainly composed of caffeoylquinic acids (CQAs), dicaffeoylquinic acids (diCQAs), and feruloylquinic acids (FQAs). The major CGAs in coffee are neochlorogenic acid (3-CQA), cryptochlorogenic acid (4-CQA), and chlorogenic acid (5-CQA). Many studies have shown that it is possible to separate the isomers of FQAs by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). However, some authors have shown that it is not possible to separate 4-feruloylquinic acid (4-FQA) and 5-feruloylquinic acid (5-FQA) by HPLC. Therefore, the present study was designated to investigate the chromatographic problems in the determination of CGAs (seven isomers) and caffeine using HPLC-DAD. The values of determination coefficient (R 2 ) calculated from external-standard calibration curves were >0.998. The recovery rates conducted at 3 spiking levels ranged from 99.4% to 106.5% for the CGAs and from 98.8% to 107.1% for the caffeine. The precision values (expressed as relative standard deviations (RSDs)) were coffee bean, coffee-ground size, and numbers of boiling-water pours, on the concentration of CGAs and caffeine in homemade brewed coffee, using nine green coffee bean samples of different origins. It was reported that medium-roasted, fine-ground coffees brewed using three pours of boiling water were the healthiest coffee with fluent CGAs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The influence of interdisciplinary collaboration on decision making: a framework to analyse stakeholder coalitions, evolution and learning in strategic delta planning

Science.gov (United States)

Vermoolen, Myrthe; Hermans, Leon

2015-04-01

The sustained development of urbanizing deltas requires that conflicting interests are reconciled, in an environment characterized by technical complexity and knowledge limitations. However, integrating ideas and establishing cooperation between actors with different backgrounds and roles still proves a challenge. Agreeing on strategic choices is difficult and implementation of agreed plans may lead to unanticipated and unintended outcomes. How can individual disciplinary perspectives come together and establish a broadly-supported and well-informed plan, the implementation of which contributes to sustainable delta development? The growing recognition of this need to bring together different stakeholders and different disciplinary perspectives runs parallel to a paradigm shift from 'hard' hydrological engineering to multi-functional and more 'soft' hydrological engineering in water management. As a result, there is now more attention for interdisciplinary collaboration that not only takes the physical characteristics of water systems into account, but also the interaction between physical and societal components of these systems. Thus, it is important to study interdisciplinary collaboration and how this influences decision-making. Our research looks into this connection, using a case in delta planning in the Netherlands, where there have been several (attempts for) integration of spatial planning and flood risk/ water management, e.g. in the case of the Dutch Delta Programme. This means that spatial designers and their designs play an important role in the strategic delta planning process as well, next to civil engineers, etc. This study explores the roles of stakeholders, experts and policy makers in interdisciplinary decision-making in dynamic delta planning processes, using theories and methods that focus on coalitions, learning and changes over time in policy and planning processes. This requires an expansion of the existing frameworks to study

A coalition partnership of vision health through a health-promoting school program for primary school students in Taiwan.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Li-Chun; Guo, Jong-Long; Liao, Li-Ling; Peng, Hsiu-Ying; Hsieh, Pei-Lin

2017-09-01

Myopia, the most common refractive error, is the most common cause of avoidable visual impairment among children and has reached epidemic proportions among children and young adults in urban areas of East and Southeast Asia that contain populations of Chinese ancestry. Moreover, vision health is an important theme of the health-promoting school program issued by the Ministry of Education in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of pre- and post-intervention proposed by the health-promoting school (HPS) model. The objectives are to understand whether the HPS model influenced the vision screening results and the attitude, knowledge level, and vision care behavior of the students involved. A prospective cohort study design was used to evaluate a vision health program. Four elementary schools, local education authorities, and one university in northern Taiwan established a coalition partnership to design a six-month program to combat myopia among students. The target population was 6668 school children from local elementary schools. For the purpose of this study, the outcome of visual acuity testing (in logMAR) was analyzed with a sampling of 373 school children (aged 11-12 years old) who were chosen from high prevalence of poor vision classes. After the HPS program, the attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge levels of the school children regarding vision health were significantly improved. The pre-intervention mean logMAR of all participating students ( N = 373) was -.10, which increased to -.19 after the intervention. Analysis using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed that the logMAR value was significantly improved after the intervention ( t = 2.13, p < 0.05). Our findings highlight the relevance and effectiveness of the coalition's efforts, which reinforces the usefulness of co-operatively implementing the HPS program.

Building alliances in unlikely places: progressive allies and the Tobacco Institute's coalition strategy on cigarette excise taxes.

Science.gov (United States)

Campbell, Richard B; Balbach, Edith D

2009-07-01

The tobacco industry often utilizes third parties to advance its policy agenda. One such utilization occurred when the industry identified organized labor and progressive groups as potential allies whose advocacy could undermine public support for excise tax increases. To attract such collaboration, the industry framed the issue as one of tax fairness, creating a labor management committee to provide distance from tobacco companies and furthering progressive allies' interests through financial and logistical support. Internal industry documents indicate that this strategic use of ideas, institutions, and interests facilitated the recruitment of leading progressive organizations as allies. By placing excise taxes within a strategic policy nexus that promotes mutual public interest goals, public health advocates may use a similar strategy in forging their own excise tax coalitions.

Sustaining Physics Teacher Education Coalition programs in physics teacher education

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Rachel E. Scherr

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Understanding the mechanisms of increasing the number of physics teachers educated per year at institutions with thriving physics teacher preparation programs may inspire and support other institutions in building thriving programs of their own. The Physics Teacher Education Coalition (PhysTEC, led by the American Physical Society (APS and the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT, has supported transformation of physics teacher preparation programs at a number of institutions around the country for over a decade. In 2012–2013, PhysTEC supported an independent study on the sustainability of its sites after project funding ends. The study sought to measure the extent to which programs have been sustained and to identify what features should be prioritized for building sustainable physics teacher preparation programs. Most of the studied sites have sustained increases in the number of physics teachers educated per year as well as funding for physics teacher preparation. About half of the programs are thriving, in that in the post-award period, they have further increased both the number of physics teachers educated per year and funding for physics teacher preparation. All studied sites that sustained increases in the number of physics teachers educated per year have two features in common: a champion of physics teacher education and institutional commitment. The thriving physics teacher preparation programs in this study implemented different elements of physics teacher preparation according to diverse local priorities and opportunities, including the unique expertise of local personnel.

Efeito do sistema de manejo sobre o comportamento em pastejo, desempenho ponderal e infestação parasitária em ovinos Suffolk Effect of a management system on grazing behaviour, ponderal growth and parasitic infestation of Suffolk ewes

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Eduardo Antonio da Cunha

1997-07-01

Full Text Available Foi estudado o comportamento em pastejo, o desempenho ponderal e o nível de infestação parasitária em ovelhas da raça Suffolk, no período de 1994 a 1995, em Nova Odessa, SP. Comparou-se dois sistemas de manejo: pastejo restrito, onde os animais foram soltos às 9:50h e presos às 17:30h e pastejo em período integral, no qual os animais não eram recolhidos, tendo a disposição abrigo para passarem a noite. Foram utilizadas 34 fêmeas adultas no verão (17 em pastejo livre e 17 em pastejo restrito e 42 fêmeas adultas no inverno (21 em pastejo livre e 21 em pastejo restrito. Trabalhou-se ainda com 12 animais traçadores em cada estação do ano, sendo metade em cada sistema de manejo visando a contagem de nematódeos no trato digestivo dos animais. Durante 3 dias consecutivos nos meses de janeiro/fevereiro (verão e julho/agosto (inverno estudou-se, através da observação dos animais, a cada 30 minutos entre as 7:00 e 17:30h, o hábito de pastejo (pastando ou não; na sombra ou no sol. Acompanhou-se o nível de infestação parasitária dos animais em cada sistema, pela contagem do OPG do rebanho e dos traçadores e nematódeos recuperados nos traçadores. Concluiu-se que a restrição do horário de pastejo isoladamente não propiciou um controle efetivo da infestação parasitária nos animais mostrando. A restrição do tempo de pastejo é compensada pela maior atividade dos animais nas horas mais quentes do dia, todavia este comportamento afetou o desempenho, resultando em menor ganho de peso. A maior disponibilidade de forragem, em relação ao consumo estimado, pode explicar a similaridade entre os tempos de pastejo verificados nos dois sistemas de manejo, tanto no verão como no inverno.Grazing behaviour, ponderal growth and level of parasitic infestation were studied in Suffolk breed sheep, from 1994 to 1995, in Nova Odessa, São Paulo. Two management systems were compared: restricted grazing, where the animals were released to

Design of a temperature control system using incremental PID algorithm for a special homemade shortwave infrared spatial remote sensor based on FPGA

Science.gov (United States)

Xu, Zhipeng; Wei, Jun; Li, Jianwei; Zhou, Qianting

2010-11-01

An image spectrometer of a spatial remote sensing satellite requires shortwave band range from 2.1μm to 3μm which is one of the most important bands in remote sensing. We designed an infrared sub-system of the image spectrometer using a homemade 640x1 InGaAs shortwave infrared sensor working on FPA system which requires high uniformity and low level of dark current. The working temperature should be -15+/-0.2 Degree Celsius. This paper studies the model of noise for focal plane array (FPA) system, investigated the relationship with temperature and dark current noise, and adopts Incremental PID algorithm to generate PWM wave in order to control the temperature of the sensor. There are four modules compose of the FPGA module design. All of the modules are coded by VHDL and implemented in FPGA device APA300. Experiment shows the intelligent temperature control system succeeds in controlling the temperature of the sensor.

TTaPP: Together Take a Pause and Ponder: A Critical Thinking Tool for Exploring the Public/Private Lives of Patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Kuhnel, Leslie

2018-01-01

The broad use of social networking and user-generated content has increased the online footprint of many individuals. A generation of healthcare professionals have grown up with online search activities as part of their everyday lives. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have given the public new ways to share intimate details about their public and private lives and the lives of their friends and families. As a result, careproviders have the ability to find out more about their patients with just the tap of a key or the click of a mouse. This type of online searching for patient information is known as patient-targeted googling or PTG. This article provides an overview of the emergence of PTG, identifies the potential benefits and possible pitfalls of engaging in PTG, and explores current ethical frameworks that guide decisions about PTG. The article describes the development of a critical thinking tool developed by the Behavioral Health Ethics Committee at CHI Health, that can serve as a best-practice model for other hospitals and health systems. Called TTaPP (Together Take a Pause and Ponder), this tool is designed to help healthcare professionals across settings practice collaborative critical thinking skills as they consider the ethical questions of whether or not to engage in PTG. Finally, this article suggests areas for further study, including ways to prompt collaboration and appropriate documentation by maximizing electronic medical records systems, exploring the effectiveness of the TTaPP tool as a way to promote a culture of collaborative critical thinking practices, and the attitudes of patients and the public regarding PTG. Copyright 2018 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Alcoholic liver disease in Nepal: identifying homemade alcohol as a culprit

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Pradhan B

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Bickram Pradhan,1 Antoine Hadengue,2 François Chappuis,3 Shatdal Chaudhary,1 Dharanidhar Baral,4 Pascal Gache,5 Prahlad Karki,6 Suman Rijal6 1Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal; 2Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, 3Division of Tropical and Humanitarian Medicine, Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland; 4Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal; 5Department of Health and Community Medicine. Geneva University Hospital, Geneva, Switzerland; 6Department of Internal Medicine, B P Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan, Nepal Background: Though the type of alcohol consumed is not thought to be associated with alcoholic liver disease (ALD, some studies have shown a beverage-specific effect. In the present study, we aim to study the effects of locally brewed alcoholic beverages on the development of liver disease.Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the internal medicine department of a university hospital in Nepal. All patients classified as having either alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition were evaluated for the presence of ALD.Results: A total of 1,500 patients were screened, of which, 447 patients had ALD. Chronic liver disease (CLD was detected in 144 patients (9.6%. Most of the patients consumed homemade locally brewed alcohol. On multivariate analysis, the following variables were found to be significantly associated with CLD: male sex (odds ratio [OR]: 1.81; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.12–2.94; P=0.02: rakshi consumption ≥30 units (OR: 2.53; 95% CI: 1.07–6.01; P=0.04; and tongba consumption (OR: 3.02; 95% CI: 1.22–7.50; P=0.02.Conclusion: There was a significant increase in the risk of developing ALD with the consumption of rakshi

Embodied carbon dioxide emission at supra-national scale: A coalition analysis for G7, BRIC, and the rest of the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Z.M.; Chen, G.Q.

2011-01-01

Presented in this study is an empirical analysis of embodied carbon dioxide emissions induced by fossil fuel combustion for the world divided into three supra-national coalitions, i.e., G7, BRIC, and the rest of the world (ROW), via the application of a multi-region input-output modeling for 2004. Embodied emission intensities for the three coalitions are calculated and compared, with market exchange rate and purchase power parity separately used to investigate the difference between nominal and real production efficiencies. Emissions embodied in different economic activities such as production, consumption, import, and export are calculated and analyzed accordingly, and remarkable carbon trade imbalances associated with G7 (surplus of 1.53 billion tons, or 36% its traded emissions) and BRIC (deficit of 1.37 billion tons, or 51% its traded emissions) and approximate balance with ROW (deficit of 0.16 billion tons, or 3% its traded emissions) are concretely revealed. Carbon leakages associated with industry transfer and international trades are illustrated in terms of impacts on global climate policies. The last but not least, per capita consumption based emissions for G7, BRIC, and ROW are determined as 12.95, 1.53, and 2.22 tons, respectively, and flexible abatement policies as well as equity on per capita entitlement are discussed. - Research highlights: → We compare the embodied CO 2 emissions in 2004 for G7, BRIC, and ROW. → Emissions embodied in production, consumption, import, and export are investigated. → Considerable CO 2 trade surplus and deficit are obtained by G7 and BRIC, respectively. → Per head embodied emissions are 13, 1.5, and 2.2 tons for G7, BRIC, and ROW, respectively.

Portable standoff Raman system for fast detection of homemade explosives through glass, plastic, and water

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, Anupam K.; Sharma, Shiv K.; Acosta, Tayro E.; Porter, John N.; Lucey, Paul G.; Bates, David E.

2012-06-01

The University of Hawaii has been developing portable remote Raman systems capable of detecting chemicals in daylight from a safe standoff distance. We present data on standoff detection of chemicals used in the synthesis of homemade explosives (HME) using a portable standoff Raman system utilizing an 8-inch telescope. Data show that good-quality Raman spectra of various hazardous chemicals such as ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate, potassium perchlorate, sulfur, nitrobenzene, benzene, acetone, various organic and inorganic chemicals etc. could be easily obtained from remote distances, tested up to 120 meters, with a single-pulse laser excitation and with detection time less than 1 μs. The system uses a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG pulsed laser source (532 nm, 100 mJ/pulse, 15 Hz, pulse width 10 ns) capable of firing a single or double pulse. The double-pulse configuration also allows the system to perform standoff LIBS (Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy) at 50 m range. In the standoff Raman detection, the doublepulse sequence simply doubles the signal to noise ratio. Significant improvement in the quality of Raman spectra is observed when the standoff detection is made with 1s integration time. The system uses a 50-micron slit and has spectral resolution of 8 cm-1. The HME chemicals could be easily detected through clear and brown glass bottles, PP and HDPE plastic bottles, and also through fluorescent plastic water bottles. Standoff Raman detection of HME chemical from a 10 m distance through non-visible concealed bottles in plastic bubble wrap packaging is demonstrated with 1 s integration time. Possible applications of the standoff Raman system for homeland security and environmental monitoring are discussed.

Feasible climate targets. The roles of economic growth, coalition development and expectations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanford, Geoffrey J.; Richels, Richard G.; Rutherford, Thomas F.

2009-01-01

The analysis presented here follows the design specified by the Energy Modeling Forum (EMF) Transition Scenarios study on achieving climate stabilization goals with delayed participation by developing countries. We use the MERGE model to evaluate the core EMF scenarios for both the international and the US-specific studies. Our results indicate that a radiative forcing target equivalent to 450 ppmv CO 2 -e cannot be met even allowing for full participation and overshoot during the entire 21st century. With delayed participation of developing countries, a target of 550 ppmv CO 2 -e is only attainable with pessimistic assumptions about economic growth, and even then only at very high cost. A target of 650 ppmv CO 2 -e can be met with delayed participation for a more affordable cost. We highlight sensitivities to the core scenarios in two key dimensions: (1) the effect of the unfolding global financial crisis on the rate of economic growth and (2) the willingness of initially non-participating countries to agree at the beginning of the next commitment period (i.e. 2012) to join the coalition at a pre-specified date in the future. We find that while the recession does not fundamentally change the crucial role of developing country involvement, advance agreement on their part to future targets could substantially reduce costs for all countries. (author)

In Preparation or Response: Examining Health Care Coalitions Amid a Changing Economic and Political Landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Dornauer, Mark E

2015-12-01

The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response within the US Department of Health and Human Services leads the nation in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the adverse health effects of public health emergencies, in part through formal collaborations between hospitals, health systems, community health centers, public health departments, and community organizations via health care coalitions (HCCs). HCCs endeavor to meet the medical surge demands inherent to disasters and to improve health outcomes before, during, and after public health emergencies. Nevertheless, significant changes in health economics and policy can impact the operations, capabilities, and scope of HCCs. Specifically, hospital consolidation and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are altering the national health care landscape, as well as the emergency preparedness sector, and are challenging HCCs to adapt to large-scale, industry-wide transformations. This article examines HCCs in the context of the developments of hospital consolidation and the ACA in order to facilitate future discourse regarding the strategy and policy of HCCs amid a changing economic and political landscape.

Ponderal development and growth traits of Anglonubian goats raised under semi-intensive system Desenvolvimento ponderal e características de crescimento de caprinos da raça Anglonubiana criados em sistema semi-intensivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Milton Rezende Teixeira Neto

2009-06-01

30 dias e 91 ± 60 g dos 210 aos 240 dias, sendo cerca de 150 g/dia do nascimento aos 150 dias de idade. Os caprinos da raça Anglonubiana criados sob sistema semi-intensivo apresentam desempenho ponderal satisfatório para produção de carne, sendo que o modelo Logístico é adequado para estimar o padrão de crescimento dos cabritos dessa raça.

Strange bedfellows: the Bundestag’s free vote on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD reveals how Germany’s restrictive bioethics legislation is shaped by a Christian Democratic/New Left issue-coalition

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Kai Arzheimer

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Germany’s bioethical legislation presents a puzzle: given structural factors, the country should be at the forefront of reproductive medicine, but its embryology regime remains one of the strictest in Western Europe. Past research has linked this fact to an unusual coalition of Christian and New Left groups, which both draw a connection from modern embryology to eugenics under the Nazis. In this article, the workings of this alleged alliance are demonstrated at the micro-level for the first time. The behaviour of individual MPs in a crucial free vote on pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD is modelled using data on their political, sectoral and religious affiliations. Identifying as a Catholic and membership in Christian organisations are strong predictors of resistance to PGD. Even more importantly, net of religious and professional ties, affiliation with either the Christian Democrats or the left-libertarian Green party is closely linked to restrictive bioethical preferences. The modest liberalisation in 2011 was contingent on external factors and the overwhelming support of the historically unusually large FDP delegation. With the FDP no longer represented in parliament and the Christian Democratic/New Left issue coalition even stronger than before, further liberalisation is unlikely.

Occurrence and exposure assessment of polychlorinated biphenyls and organochlorine pesticides from homemade baby food in Korea.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeong, Yunsun; Lee, Sunggyu; Kim, Sunmi; Choi, Sung-Deuk; Park, Jeongim; Kim, Hai-Joong; Lee, Jeong Jae; Choi, Gyuyeon; Choi, Sooran; Kim, Sungjoo; Kim, Su Young; Kim, Young Don; Cho, Geumjoon; Suh, Eunsook; Kim, Sung Koo; Eun, So-Hee; Eom, Soyong; Kim, Seunghyo; Kim, Gun-Ha; Choi, Kyungho; Kim, Sungkyoon; Moon, Hyo-Bang

2014-02-01

Data on the residue levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in baby food samples are scarce. This is the first study to explore current contamination status and exposure assessment of organochlorines (OCs), including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), in baby food from Korea. In this study, the concentrations of OCs were determined in homemade baby food samples (n=100) collected from 6-, 9-, 12- and 15-month-old infant groups. The average concentrations of PCBs, dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethanes (DDTs), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) and chlordanes (CHLs) in baby food samples were 37.5, 96.6, 26.0, and 13.2 pg/g fresh weight, respectively. The major compounds were CBs 28, 153, 52, and 33 for PCBs and p,p'-DDE, p,p'-DDT and β-HCH for OCPs. The contribution of DDTs to the total OC concentrations increased from 30% (6-month-old infants) to 67% (15-month-old infants) with increasing infant age, while the concentrations of PCBs, HCHs and CHLs gradually decreased with increasing infant age, suggesting that highest priority for risk reduction of DDTs. The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of OCs in Korean infants from baby food consumption were lower than the thresholds proposed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Health Canada, implying limited potential health risks. However, considering simultaneous exposure from baby food and breast milk consumption, chlordanes and heptachlor epoxide posed potential health risks. Considering the importance of early development and the vulnerability of infants, it is essential to perform systematic monitoring and management programs of OCs in baby food for risk reduction in Korean infants. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measurement of home-made LaCl3 : Ce scintillation detector sensitivity with different energy points in range of fission energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Mengchun; Li Rurong; Si Fenni

2010-01-01

Gamma rays of different energy were obtained in the range of fission energy by Compton scattering in intense 60 Co gamma source and the standard isotopic gamma sources which are 0.67 MeV 137 Cs and l.25 MeV 60 Co sources of point form. Sensitivity of LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator was measured in these gamma ray energy by a fast response scintillation detector with the home-made LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator. Results were normalized by the sensitivity to 0.67 MeV gamma ray. Sensitivity of LaCl 3 : Ce to 1.25 MeV gamma ray is about l.28. For ø40 mm × 2 mm LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator, the biggest sensitivity is l.18 and the smallest is 0.96 with gamma ray from 0.39 to 0.78 MeV. And for ø40 mm × 10 mm LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator, the biggest sensitivity is l.06 and the smallest is 0.98. The experimental results can provide references for theoretical study of the LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator and data to obtain the compounded sensitivity of LaCl 3 : Ce scintillator in the range of fission energy. (authors)

Elemental source attribution signatures for calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) fertilizers used in homemade explosives

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fraga, Carlos G.; Mitroshkov, Alexander V.; Mirjankar, Nikhil S.; Dockendorff, Brian P.; Melville, Angie M.

2017-11-01

Calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) is a widely available fertilizer composed of ammonium nitrate mixed with some form of calcium carbonate such as limestone or dolomite. CAN is also frequently used to make homemade explosives. The potential of using elemental profiling and chemometrics to match both pristine and reprocessed CAN fertilizers to their factories for use in future forensic investigations was examined. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis was performed on 64 elements in 125 samples from 11 CAN stocks from 6 different CAN factories. Fisher ratio, degree-of-class-separation, and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA) were used to develop a model using the concentrations of Na, V, Mn, Cu, Ga, Sr, Ba and U to classify a validation set of CAN samples into 5 factory groups; one group was two factories from the same fertilizer company. In terms of the pristine CAN samples, i.e., unadulterated prills, 64% of the test samples were matched to their correct factory group with zero false positives. The same PLSDA model was used to correctly match 100% of the CAN samples that were reprocessed by crushing and mixing the CAN with powdered sugar. In the case of crushed CAN samples mixed with aluminum powder, correct matches were made for zero to 100% of the samples depending on the factory the CAN originated. Remarkably, for one factory, 100% of the ammonium nitrate samples that were extracted from CAN using tap or bottled water were matched to the correct CAN factory group. Lastly, the water-insoluble (calcium carbonate) portions of CAN provided a greater degree of discrimination between factories than the water-soluble portions of CAN. In summary, this work illustrates that sourcing unadulterated CAN fertilizer can potentially be done with high frequency and high confidence using elemental profiling and chemometrics while the sourcing of reprocessed CAN is dependent on how much an adulterant alters the recovered elemental profile of

Solo surgeon single-port laparoscopic surgery with a homemade laparoscope-anchored instrument system in benign gynecologic diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Yun Seok; Kim, Seung Hyun; Jin, Chan Hee; Oh, Kwoan Young; Hur, Myung Haeng; Kim, Soo Young; Yim, Hyun Soon

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to present the initial operative experience of solo surgeon single-port laparoscopic surgery (SPLS) in the laparoscopic treatment of benign gynecologic diseases and to investigate its feasibility and surgical outcomes. Using a novel homemade laparoscope-anchored instrument system that consisted of a laparoscopic instrument attached to a laparoscope and a glove-wound retractor umbilical port, we performed solo surgeon SPLS in 13 patients between March 2011 and June 2012. Intraoperative complications and postoperative surgical outcomes were determined. The primary operative procedures performed were unilateral salpingo-oophorectomy (n = 5), unilateral salpingectomy (n = 2), adhesiolysis (n = 1), and laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (n = 5). Additional surgical procedures included additional adhesiolysis (n = 4) and ovarian drilling (n = 1).The primary indications for surgery were benign ovarian tumors (n = 5), ectopic pregnancy (n = 2), pelvic adhesion (infertility) (n = 1), and benign uterine tumors (n = 5). Solo surgeon SPLS was successfully accomplished in all procedures without a laparoscopic assistant. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications. Our laparoscope-anchored instrument system obviates the need for an additional laparoscopic assistant and enables SPLS to be performed by a solo surgeon. The findings show that with our system, solo surgeon SPLS is a feasible and safe alternative technique for the treatment of benign gynecologic diseases in properly selected patients. Copyright © 2014 AAGL. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Macro controlling of copper oxide deposition processes and spray mode by using home-made fully computerized spray pyrolysis system

Science.gov (United States)

Essa, Mohammed Sh.; Chiad, Bahaa T.; Shafeeq, Omer Sh.

2017-09-01

Thin Films of Copper Oxide (CuO) absorption layer have been deposited using home-made Fully Computerized Spray Pyrolysis Deposition system FCSPD on glass substrates, at the nozzle to substrate distance equal to 20,35 cm, and computerized spray mode (continues spray, macro-control spray). The substrate temperature has been kept at 450 °c with the optional user can enter temperature tolerance values ± 5 °C. Also that fixed molar concentration of 0.1 M, and 2D platform speed or deposition platform speed of 4mm/s. more than 1000 instruction program code, and specific design of graphical user interface GUI to fully control the deposition process and real-time monitoring and controlling the deposition temperature at every 200 ms. The changing in the temperature has been recorded during deposition processes, in addition to all deposition parameters. The films have been characterized to evaluate the thermal distribution over the X, Y movable hot plate, the structure and optical energy gap, thermal and temperature distribution exhibited a good and uniform distribution over 20 cm2 hot plate area, X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement revealed that the films are polycrystalline in nature and can be assigned to monoclinic CuO structure. Optical band gap varies from 1.5-1.66 eV depending on deposition parameter.

Associação entre o padrão de atividade física materna, ganho ponderal gestacional e peso ao nascer em uma coorte de 118 gestantes no município de Campina Grande, Nordeste do Brasil Association between maternal physical activity, gestational weight gain and birth weight in a cohort of 118 pregnant women in Campina Grande, Northeast of Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jousilene de Sales Tavares

2009-01-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Esta pesquisa estudou o efeito da atividade física sobre o ganho ponderal e peso ao nascer em gestantes do Programa Saúde da Família no município de Campina Grande, (PB. MÉTODOS: Realizou-se um estudo de coorte abrangendo 118 gestantes, entre 2005 e 2006. A avaliação do estado nutricional inicial seguiu os critérios de Atalah e o ganho ponderal materno foi avaliado de acordo com o Institute of Medicine. Analisou-se o padrão de atividade física de acordo com o medidor de estimativa de gasto calórico total (METs e sua associação com o ganho ponderal e o peso ao nascer. RESULTADOS: o padrão de atividade física predominante na 16ª semana foi o leve, alcançando 85,6% das gestantes. Observou-se uma redução importante do nível de atividade física com a evolução da gestação, com 98,3% das gestantes sendo consideradas sedentárias na 24ª semana e 100% na 32ª semana. No momento da captação, cerca de 50% das gestantes eram eutróficas, 23% com baixo peso e as demais com sobrepeso/obesidade. No segundo e no terceiro trimestres, aproximadamente 45% das gestantes ganharam peso excessivo. A distribuição do peso ao nascer mostrou um predomínio do peso adequado (85,6%, e uma alta prevalência de macrossomia (8,5%. Dentre os desfechos avaliados, foi observada associação apenas entre os valores de METs da 24ª.semana e o ganho ponderal materno no segundo trimestre gestacional (p=0,045. CONCLUSÃO: Todas as gestantes estavam sedentárias no terceiro trimestre; observou-se uma associação entre o padrão de atividade física e o ganho ponderal materno no segundo trimestre, mas não houve associação deste padrão com o peso ao nascer.OBJECTIVE: This survey evaluated the effects of physical activity on gestational weight gain and birth weight of pregnant women attended by the Family Health Program in Campina Grande, Northeast of Brazil. METHODS: A cohort study enrolling 118 pregnant women was conducted between 2005 and

New opportunities for the enhanced NAA services through the research reactor coalitions and networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danas Ridikas; Pablo Adelfang; Kevin Alldred; Marta Ferrari

2012-01-01

Although the number of research reactors (RRs) is steadily decreasing, more than half of the operational RRs are still heavily underutilized, and in most cases, underfunded. The decreasing and rather old fleet of RRs needs to ensure the provision of useful services to the community, in some cases with adequate revenue generation for reliable, safe and secure facility management and operations. Enhancement of low and medium power research reactor (RR) utilization is often pursued by increasing the neutron activation analysis (NAA) activities. In this paper we will present the strategy and concrete actions how NAA as one of the most popular RR applications can contribute to the above goals in particular through (a) RR coalitions and networks, (b) implementation of automation in different stages of NAA, (c) QA/QC, including skills improvement of involved personnel, (d) dedicated proficiency tests performed by a number of targeted analytical laboratories. We also show that despite the IAEA's efforts, some of the NAA laboratories still perform badly in proficiency tests, do not have formal QA/QC procedures implemented, have not implemented automation to process large number of samples or lack of clear marketing strategies. Some concrete actions are proposed and outlined to address these issues in the near future. (author)

Highly efficient high-performance liquid chromatographic separation of xylene isomers and phthalate acid esters on a homemade DUT-67(Zr) packed column.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Sha; Li, Xiao-Xin; Feng, Fan; Li, Sumei; Han, Jia-Hui; Jia, Zi-Yi; Shu, Lun; Somsundaran, P; Li, Jian-Rong

2018-04-16

In this study, the baseline separations of xylene isomers and phthalate acid esters on a homemade DUT-67(Zr) packed column were achieved, respectively. The high selectivity for xylene isomers and phthalate acid esters was obtained with the increase of temperature and decrease of the retention time. The hydrophobicity of xylene isomers and phthalate acid esters caused the different separation time on the DUT-67(Zr) packed column. The relative standard deviation values of retention time, peak area, peak height and half peak width for five repeat separation of the xylene isomers were 0.26-0.35, 2.11-2.26, 1.51-2.03, and 0.29-0.77%, and the values of the phthalate acid esters on DUT-67(Zr) column were 0.1-0.4, 4.4-5.2, 3.9-6.3, and 0.6-2.1%, respectively. The thermodynamic properties indicated that the separation of xylene isomers was controlled by ΔH and ΔS, but the separation of phthalate acid esters was mainly controlled by ΔS. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Pondering the Pulvinar.

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Lakatos, Peter; O'Connell, Monica N; Barczak, Annamaria

2016-01-06

While the function of the pulvinar remains one of the least explored among the thalamic nuclei despite occupying the most thalamic volume in primates, it has long been suspected to play a crucial role in attentive stimulus processing. In this issue of Neuron, Zhou et al. (2016) use simultaneous pulvinar-visual cortex recordings and pulvinar inactivation to provide evidence that the pulvinar is essential for intact stimulus processing, maintenance of neuronal oscillatory dynamics, and mediating the effects of attention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Context-rich semantic framework for effective data-to-decisions in coalition networks

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Grueneberg, Keith; de Mel, Geeth; Braines, Dave; Wang, Xiping; Calo, Seraphin; Pham, Tien

2013-05-01

In a coalition context, data fusion involves combining of soft (e.g., field reports, intelligence reports) and hard (e.g., acoustic, imagery) sensory data such that the resulting output is better than what it would have been if the data are taken individually. However, due to the lack of explicit semantics attached with such data, it is difficult to automatically disseminate and put the right contextual data in the hands of the decision makers. In order to understand the data, explicit meaning needs to be added by means of categorizing and/or classifying the data in relationship to each other from base reference sources. In this paper, we present a semantic framework that provides automated mechanisms to expose real-time raw data effectively by presenting appropriate information needed for a given situation so that an informed decision could be made effectively. The system utilizes controlled natural language capabilities provided by the ITA (International Technology Alliance) Controlled English (CE) toolkit to provide a human-friendly semantic representation of messages so that the messages can be directly processed in human/machine hybrid environments. The Real-time Semantic Enrichment (RTSE) service adds relevant contextual information to raw data streams from domain knowledge bases using declarative rules. The rules define how the added semantics and context information are derived and stored in a semantic knowledge base. The software framework exposes contextual information from a variety of hard and soft data sources in a fast, reliable manner so that an informed decision can be made using semantic queries in intelligent software systems.

Petition for Reconsideration from Biogenic CO2 Coalition to Gina McCarthy, U.S. EPA, for the Finding that Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aircraft Cause or Contribute to Air Pollution that May Reasonably be Anticipated to Endanger Public Health and Welfare

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This page contains a Petition for Reconsideration From Biogenic CO2 Coalition to Gina McCarthy, U.S. EPA, for the finding that greenhouse gas emissions from aircraft cause or contribute to air pollution that may reasonably be anticipated to endanger public

Kenya’s Grand Coalition Government – Another Obstacle to Urgent Constitutional Reform? Die Große Koalition in Kenia – ein weiteres Hindernis für die drängende Verfassungsreform?

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Henry Amadi

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Kenya’s Grand Coalition Government was formed in the aftermath of a serious post-electoral crisis including widespread violence. No political progress has been recorded; in striking contrast to all expectations for more moderation and consensual preparation of a constitutional reform. Based on secondary data from textbooks, newspapers, journals, and documents from both governmental and non-governmental organisations, the author finds that the continuing wrangles within the Grand Coalition Government, the fear of the debilitating effects of a constitutional referendum and the hard-line positions on the contentious issues pose a big threat to the achievement of a new constitution before the 2012 Elections. Die Große Koalition in Kenia wurde im Anschluss an eine heftige, gewaltsam ausgetragene Nachwahlkrise gebildet. Entgegen aller Erwartung, jetzt werde eine moderate und gemeinsam abgestimmte Vorbereitung der Verfassungsreform möglich, wurden keine politischen Fortschritte erzielt. Der Autor analysiert Sekundärdaten aus Monografien, Zeitungs- und Zeitschriftenartikeln sowie Dokumenten von Regierungs- und Nichtregierungsorganisationen und kommt zu dem Schluss, dass der fortgesetzte Streit innerhalb der Koalitionsregierung, die Furcht vor den Unwegsamkeiten eines Verfassungsreferendums und die verhärteten Positionen zu den umstrittenen Fragen die Realisierung einer neuen Verfassung vor den Wahlen 2012 wenig wahrscheinlich machen.

Aliens in the promised land? Keynote address for the 1986 National Gathering of the United Church of Christ's Coalition for Lesbian/Gay Concerns.

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Comstock, G D

The following article is a condensed version of the keynote address given at the 1986 National Gathering of the Lesbian/Gay Coalition of the United Church of Christ (UCC). Problems encountered by lesbians and gay men in organized religion, especially within the liberal tradition, are identified by a method of inquiry developed by Christian educator John Westerhoff for assessing egalitarianism within institutions. The story of Queen Vashti from the Book of Esther in Hebrew scripture, and the emerging tradition of coming-out experiences by lesbians and gay men; provide the norm and model for declaring independence from denominations that neglect the concerns of lesbians and gay men and for constructing religious alternatives.

Mothers 'don't like it; never tried it': Blind Sensory Test of a Homemade Chicken Liver Baby Food, a Source of Iron, by Infants and their Mothers.

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Campos, Viviani Jaques; Morais, Tania Beninga

2015-08-01

A homemade chicken liver baby food (CLBF) that meets infants' nutritional requirements was developed and its acceptance by children and their mothers determined. CLBF's nutritional content was determined by chemical analyses. A blind sensory test (ST) by 50 infants 7-12 months old and their mothers of CLBF and ground beef baby food (GBBF) was applied. Mothers' preferences for liver and beef, answers of an hedonic scale and infants' acceptance were investigated. CLBF met the nutritional requirements for infants. There were no significant differences in the ST between the CLBF and GBBF, either for infants or for their mothers. There was no correlation between mothers' like or dislike of liver and the ST scores. Infants tried and liked the CLBF that match dietary recommendations and could help prevent iron deficiency. Mothers, on the other hand, demonstrated an 'I don't like it; I never tried it' attitude. © The Author [2015]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Pregnancy Complications: Salmonellosis

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... food made with raw eggs, including homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, Caesar salad dressing, cookie dough, frostings and homemade ... food made with raw eggs, including homemade mayonnaise, hollandaise sauce, Caesar salad dressing, cookie dough, frostings and homemade ...

[Body mass index and tri-ponderal mass index of 1,453 healthy non-obese, non-undernourished millennial children. The Barcelona longitudinal growth study].

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Carrascosa, Antonio; Yeste, Diego; Moreno-Galdó, Antonio; Gussinyé, Miquel; Ferrández, Ángel; Clemente, María; Fernández-Cancio, Mónica

2018-02-22

Body mass index-for age (BMI) and tri-ponderal mass index-for-age (TMI) values of healthy non-underweight, non-obese millennial children have not been reported until now. We aimed to obtain these values. Longitudinal growth study (1995-2017) of 1,453 healthy non-underweight, non-obese millennial children, from birth (n = 477) or from 4 years of age (n = 976) to 18 years in girls and 19 years in boys (25,851 anthropometric measurements). In each sex, mean BMI-for-age values increased from birth to one year, declined until 5and increased from then onwards. Mean TMI-for-age values decreased abruptly during the first 6years of age and slowly thereafter, in both sexes. Although, at some ages, mean BMI-for age values differed statistically between sexes, differences were scant and of poor clinical significance. The same occurred for TMI-for-age values. BMI-for-age cut-off values to define underweight status (-2 SD) were similar to those proposed by Cole and the WHO for both sexes. However, BMI-for-age cut-off values to define obesity (+2 SD) were lower in both sexes (1.0-5.3) than those proposed by Cole and similar to those proposed by the WHO until 12 in girls and 14 in boys and lower (1.0-4.8) from these ages onwards. BMI-for-age and TMI-for-age values of healthy non-underweight, non-obese millennial children are provided. No clinically relevant differences were observed between sexes. These values may be used to measure underweight status and obesity in present pediatric populations and to evaluate the relationship between BMI-for-age and TMI-for-age in a clinical setting. Copyright © 2018. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U.

Increasing Parents' Awareness of Social Host Laws: A Pilot Study of Coalition Efforts.

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Paschall, Mallie J; Friese, Bettina; Law, Kristen; Lebedeff, Anna

2018-02-01

States and municipalities across the U.S. are adopting social host ordinances (SHOs) to reduce alcohol use by underage youth in private settings. SHOs are most likely to be effective if parents and other adults are aware of them and they are enforced. We examined the association between a multi-media SHO awareness campaign in northern California municipalities and parents' awareness of SHOs and SHO enforcement. We collected survey data from 1798 parents in a northern California county in fall 2014; all municipalities within the county had SHOs. We conducted descriptive and logistic regression analyses to determine whether parents living in municipalities with a SHO awareness campaign were more likely to be aware of SHOs and SHO enforcement than parents in municipalities without such a campaign. Findings showed that 55.6% of parents in municipalities with a SHO awareness campaign were aware of SHOs compared to 35.7% in municipalities without a campaign. Parents in municipalities with a SHO awareness campaign were also more likely to be aware of SHO enforcement activities (16.3 vs. 8.7%). Regression analyses indicated significant positive associations between the SHO awareness campaign and parental awareness of SHOs and SHO enforcement when controlling for parents' attitudes related to youth drinking, parenting characteristics, normative beliefs regarding other parents' awareness and youth drinking, and demographic characteristics. These findings suggest that a multi-media awareness campaign implemented by coalitions was positively associated with parental awareness of SHOs and perceived SHO enforcement, which may help to prevent or reduce underage drinking.

Effectiveness of Commercial and Homemade Washing Agents in Removing Pesticide Residues on and in Apples.

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Yang, Tianxi; Doherty, Jeffery; Zhao, Bin; Kinchla, Amanda J; Clark, John M; He, Lili

2017-11-08

Removal of pesticide residues from fresh produce is important to reduce pesticide exposure to humans. This study investigated the effectiveness of commercial and homemade washing agents in the removal of surface and internalized pesticide residues from apples. Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) mapping and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) methods were used to determine the effectiveness of different washing agents in removing pesticide residues. Surface pesticide residues were most effectively removed by sodium bicarbonate (baking soda, NaHCO 3 ) solution when compared to either tap water or Clorox bleach. Using a 10 mg/mL NaHCO 3 washing solution, it took 12 and 15 min to completely remove thiabendazole or phosmet surface residues, respectively, following a 24 h exposure to these pesticides, which were applied at a concentration of 125 ng/cm 2 . LC-MS/MS results showed, however, that 20% of applied thiabendazole and 4.4% of applied phosmet had penetrated into the apples following the 24 h exposure. Thiabendazole, a systemic pesticide, penetrated 4-fold deeper into the apple peel than did phosmet, a non-systemic pesticide, which led to more thiabendazole residues inside the apples, which could not be washed away using the NaHCO 3 washing solution. This study gives us the information that the standard postharvest washing method using Clorox bleach solution for 2 min is not an effective means to completely remove pesticide residues on the surface of apples. The NaHCO 3 method is more effective in removing surface pesticide residues on apples. In the presence of NaHCO 3 , thiabendazole and phosmet can degrade, which assists the physical removal force of washing. However, the NaHCO 3 method was not completely effective in removing residues that have penetrated into the apple peel. The overall effectiveness of the method to remove all pesticide residues diminished as pesticides penetrated deeper into the fruit. In practical application

Estudo da proporcionalidade corporal de recém-nascidos a termo segundo o Índice Ponderal de Rohrer e grau de retardo de crescimento intra-uterino

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José Carneiro Leão Filho

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Trata-se de estudo do tipo observacional, de corte transversal, para descrever as características antropométricas e proporcionalidade corporal de 549 recém-nascidos a termo (RNT. As medidas antropométricas usadas foram: peso (P, comprimento (C, perímetro cefálico (PC, índice ponderal de Rohrer (IP, razão peso/perímetro cefálico (P/PC e razão comprimento/ perímetro cefálico (C/PC. Também foi estudada a severidade do retardo de crescimento intra-uterino (RCIU, através da distribuição do escore z quanto ao desvio do peso ao nascer. Os recém-nascidos pequenos para idade gestacional (PIG foram definidos como aqueles com escore z < -2, e o ponto de corte do IP, P/PC e C/PC foi definido como a média menos 1 desvio-padrão na população local de referência. De acordo com o IP, 72,8% dos PIG e 12,8% dos adequados para idade gestacional (AIG foram classificados como desproporcionais. Segundo o C/PC, 25,6% dos PIG e 11,6% dos AIG foram classificados como desproporcionais, o que ocorreu com todos os PIG e 16,3% dos AIG quando se usou a P/PC. Em todos os critérios, observou-se tendência linear significativa para aumento da desproporcionalidade à medida que aumenta o grau de severidade do RCIU.

Estudo da proporcionalidade corporal de recém-nascidos a termo segundo o Índice Ponderal de Rohrer e grau de retardo de crescimento intra-uterino

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Leão Filho José Carneiro

2003-01-01

Full Text Available Trata-se de estudo do tipo observacional, de corte transversal, para descrever as características antropométricas e proporcionalidade corporal de 549 recém-nascidos a termo (RNT. As medidas antropométricas usadas foram: peso (P, comprimento (C, perímetro cefálico (PC, índice ponderal de Rohrer (IP, razão peso/perímetro cefálico (P/PC e razão comprimento/ perímetro cefálico (C/PC. Também foi estudada a severidade do retardo de crescimento intra-uterino (RCIU, através da distribuição do escore z quanto ao desvio do peso ao nascer. Os recém-nascidos pequenos para idade gestacional (PIG foram definidos como aqueles com escore z < -2, e o ponto de corte do IP, P/PC e C/PC foi definido como a média menos 1 desvio-padrão na população local de referência. De acordo com o IP, 72,8% dos PIG e 12,8% dos adequados para idade gestacional (AIG foram classificados como desproporcionais. Segundo o C/PC, 25,6% dos PIG e 11,6% dos AIG foram classificados como desproporcionais, o que ocorreu com todos os PIG e 16,3% dos AIG quando se usou a P/PC. Em todos os critérios, observou-se tendência linear significativa para aumento da desproporcionalidade à medida que aumenta o grau de severidade do RCIU.

A Queer Theorist's Critique of Online Domestic Violence Advocacy: Critically Responding to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Web Site.

Science.gov (United States)

Shelton, Samuel Z

2018-01-01

Since the foundations of the contemporary anti-violence movement in the 1960s and 1970s, advocates have sought to establish a critical understanding of domestic violence that we can use to direct our efforts for social change. Yet many advocates and advocacy organizations continue to rely on a problematic narrative of sameness that marginalizes and erases diverse victims' experiences and needs. In this article, I conduct a critical discourse analysis of the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence Web site to identify outcomes of this narrative for the inclusivity of advocacy efforts. I argue that despite the organization's numerous claims to represent diverse victims' experiences, Web site content reveals that its purportedly general account of domestic violence normalizes the experiences of a small group of victims-namely, heterosexual, cisgender women. Further, the Web site's content greatly limits the potential for thinking about and discussing violence across difference. I conclude with recommendations for changes in advocacy practices.

Consumo dietético de gestantes e ganho ponderal materno após aconselhamento nutricional Dietary intake of pregnant women and maternal weight gain after nutritional counseling

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Eliener de Souza Fazio

2011-02-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVOS: conhecer o consumo dietético de gestantes avaliando a ingestão de macronutrientes e micronutrientes, e verificar o ganho ponderal materno na gravidez. MÉTODOS: estudo retrospectivo do período de junho de 2002 a junho de 2008 com gestantes que receberam orientação nutricional durante pré-natal em hospital universitário, agrupadas de acordo com o estado nutricional antropométrico classificado pelo índice de massa corpórea (IMC pré-gestacional. O consumo dietético foi analisado pelas informações de entrevista de frequência alimentar realizada na primeira avaliação da gestante no serviço de nutrição, para obter os dados do hábito alimentar, calculando-se a ingestão de macronutrientes e micronutrientes. As gestantes receberam aconselhamento nutricional, e foi analisado o ganho ponderal materno na gravidez. RESULTADOS: do total de 187 gestantes que receberam orientação nutricional, 23 (12,2% eram de baixo peso, 84 (45,0%, eutróficas, 37 (19,8% com sobrepeso, e 43 (23,0%, obesas. As gestantes de baixo peso apresentaram menor consumo de lípides quando comparadas ao grupo com eutrofia (101,4 versus 137,3 g; p=0,043. A média do consumo de ferro foi maior nas gestantes eutróficas (14,6 mg/d quando comparadas às com sobrepeso (12,2 mg/d ou obesidade (10,9 mg/d; pPURPOSE: to determine the dietary consumption of pregnant women, by assessing the intake of macronutrients and micronutrients, and to verify the maternal weight gain during pregnancy. METHODS: a retrospective study conducted from June 2002 to June 2008 with pregnant women who received nutritional counseling during prenatal care at a university hospital, grouped according to anthropometric nutritional status classified by pregestational body mass index (BMI. The dietary intake was analyzed according to the information obtained in food frequency interviews, performed at the first evaluation of pregnant women in the service of nutrition to obtain data about

Utilización de piensos criollos con harina de Albizia lebbeck para la ceba de conejos alimentados con bejuco de boniato Use of home-made concentrate feed with Albizia lebbeck meal for fattening rabbits fed sweet potato vines

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I. L Montejo

2010-03-01

Full Text Available Se realizó un experimento durante 40 días en el módulo de animales menores de la Estación Experimental de Pastos y Forrajes "Indio Hatuey", con el objetivo de evaluar la inclusión de la harina de Albizia lebbeck en un pienso criollo con diferentes suplementos energético-proteicos, para la alimentación de conejos de ceba. Se utilizaron 26 animales mestizos sanos, de 60 días de edad y 0,94 (± 0,10 kg de peso, en un diseño completamente aleatorizado con dos tratamientos (13 animales por cada uno; estos fueron: A 100% bejuco de boniato (Ipomoea batata y B 70% bejuco de boniato más 30% de pienso criollo elaborado con harina de A. lebbeck y diferentes suplementos energético-proteicos. El alimento se ofreció en los horarios de la mañana (9:00-10:00 a.m. y la tarde (3:00-4:00 p.m.. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en el peso final de los animales (A-1,47 kg y B-1,62 kg. Las mejores ganancias de peso vivo se observaron en el tratamiento suplementado B (16,3 g/animal/día, que fueron superiores (PA trial was conducted for 40 days in the small animal facility of the Experimental Station of Pastures and Forages "Indio Hatuey", with the objective of evaluating the inclusion of Albizia lebbeck meal in a home-made concentrate feed with different energy-protein supplements, to feed fattening rabbits. Twenty-six healthy crossbred animals, 60 days old and with 0,94 (±0,10 kg of weight, were used in a completely randomized design with two treatments (13 animals each; they were: A 100% sweet potato (Ipomoea batata vines and B 70% sweet potato vines + 30% home-made concentrate feed elaborated with A. lebbeck meal and different energy-protein supplements. The feed was supplied in the morning (9:00-10:00 a.m. and the afternoon (3:00-4:00 p.m.. Significant differences were found in the final weight of the animals (A-1,47 kg and B-1,62 kg. The best live weight gains were observed in the supplemented treatment B (16,3 g/animal/day, which were

Effect of the use of curing salts and of a starter culture on the sensory and microbiological characteristics of homemade salamis

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Cinthia Bittencourt Spricigo

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Homemade salamis may have their food safety guaranteed by means of the addition of curing salt and starter cultures, without loosing their traditional manufacturing recipes brought to Brazil by the Italian immigration in the early 20th century. In this work, the influence of curing salt and of a starter culture, composed of Lactobacillus and Staphylococcus, over the sensory and microbiological characteristics of Italian type salamis, containing 3% lactose and 0.5% saccharose, was evaluated. The starter culture and the curing salt inhibited the development of Staphylococcus aureus and of coliforms, and the salamis added with curing salt presented better color attributes.Os salames produzidos artesanalmente podem ter sua segurança alimentar garantida pela adição de sal de cura e de culturas iniciadoras sem perda das receitas tradicionais trazidas pela imigração italiana do início do século vinte. Neste trabalho, a partir da produção de salames com 3% de lactose e 0,5% de sacarose, avaliou-se a influência do sal de cura e da cultura iniciadora, composta de Lactobacillus e Staphylococcus, sobre as características sensoriais e microbiológicas dos salames. A cultura iniciadora e o sal de cura inibiram o crescimento de Staphylococcus aureus e de coliformes totais, sendo que os salames adicionados de sal de cura apresentaram uma melhor coloração.

Domestic Violence and Pregnancy: A CBPR Coalition Approach to Identifying Needs and Informing Policy.

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Bright, Candace Forbes; Bagley, Braden; Pulliam, Ivie; Newton, Amy Swetha

2018-01-01

Community engagement-the collaborative process of addressing issues that impact the well-being of a community-is a strategic effort to address community issues. The Gulf States Health Policy Center (GS-HPC) formed the Hattiesburg Area Health Coalition (HAHC) in November 2014 for the purpose of addressing policies impacting the health of Forrest and Lamar counties in Mississippi. To chronicle the community-based participatory research (CBPR) process used by HAHC's identification of infant and maternal health as a policy area, domestic violence in pregnancy as a priority area within infant and maternal health, and a community action plan (CAP) regarding this priority area. HAHC reviewed data and identified infant and maternal health as a priority area. They then conducted a policy scan of local prenatal health care to determine the policy area of domestic violence in pregnancy. HAHC developed a CAP identifying three goals with regard to domestic violence and pregnancy that together informed policy. Changes included the development of materials specific to resources available in the area. The materials and recommended changes will first be implemented by Southeast Mississippi Rural Health Initiative (SeMRHI) through a screening question for all pregnant patients, and the adoption of policies for providing information and referrals. The lack of community-level data was a challenge to HAHC in identifying focus and priority areas, but this was overcome by shared leadership and community engagement. After completion of the CAP, 100% of expecting mothers receiving prenatal care in the area will be screened for domestic violence.

SU-F-J-129: Verification of Geometric and Dosimetric Accuracy of Respiratory Management Systems Using Homemade Phantom

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goksel, E; Kucucuk, H; Senkesen, O [Acibadem Kozyatgi Hospital, Istanbul (Turkey); Tezcanli, E [Acibadem University, Istanbul (Turkey)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Different placements of Infrared Cameras (IRC) in CT and treatment rooms can cause gating window level (GWL) variations leading to differences between GWL used for planning and treatments. Although, Varian Clinac DHX-OBI sytem and CT are equipped with the same kind of IRC, Truebeam STx (TB) has a different type of IRC known as banana type. In this study; geometric and dosimetric accuracy of respiratory management system (RPM) for different machines were investigated with a special homemade phantom. Methods: Special phantom was placed on the respiratory simulator machine and a CT data set was obtained at the end of the expirium phase (EOE). Conformal and IMRT plans were generated on the EOE CT image series for both DHX-OBI and TB LINACs while a VMAT plan was generated only for TB.The acquired respiratory graphs in the CT were directly sent to DHX-OBI system, and they were converted with software before sending to TB. EBT3 films were placed inside the phantom and were irradiated using RPM system with two machines for different plans. Planar dose distributions were compared with gamma analysis (GA) method (3mm, %3) to evaluate planned-measured dose differences. In addition, radio-opac marker was placed in the center of the phantom to evaluate the geometric accuracy of treatment field with gated flouroscopy (GF). Results: There were no shifts detected between planning and treeatment GWL for both DHX-OBI and TB. Difference on the GF image between digital graticule and radio-opac marker was <1mm for TB and 1mm for DHX-OBI. Although, GA agreement was 97% for conformal and IMRT techniques in TB, it was 96% for VMAT technique. While GA agreement was 98% for conformal technique in DHX-OBI, IMRT was 95%.ConclusionThis study showed that RPM can be used accurately in spite of different IRC placements or different types of ICR used.

Utilization of Health Care Coalitions and Resiliency Forums in the United States and United Kingdom: Different Approaches to Strengthen Emergency Preparedness.

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Walsh, John; Swan, Allan Graeme

2016-02-01

The process for developing national emergency management strategies for both the United States and the United Kingdom has led to the formulation of differing approaches to meet similar desired outcomes. Historically, the pathways for each are the result of the enactment of legislation in response to a significant event or a series of events. The resulting laws attempt to revise practices and policies leading to more effective and efficient management in preparing, responding, and mitigating all types of natural, manmade, and technological hazards. Following the turn of the 21st century, each country has experienced significant advancements in emergency management including the formation and utilization of 2 distinct models: health care coalitions in the United States and resiliency forums in the United Kingdom. Both models have evolved from circumstances and governance unique to each country. Further in-depth study of both approaches will identify strengths, weaknesses, and existing gaps to meet continued and future challenges of our respective disaster health care systems.

Synergistic effects of Mo and F doping on the quality factor of ZnO thin films prepared by a fully automated home-made nebulizer spray technique

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Ravichandran, K.; Dineshbabu, N.; Arun, T.; Manivasaham, A.; Sindhuja, E.

2017-01-01

Transparent conducting oxide films of undoped, Mo doped, Mo + F co-doped ZnO were deposited using a facile homemade nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. The effects of Mo and F doping on the structural, optical, electrical and surface morphological properties were investigated using XRD, UV-vis-NIR spectroscopy, I-V and Hall probe techniques, FESEM and AFM, and XPS, respectively. The XRD analysis confirms that all the films are well crystallized with hexagonal wurtzite structure. All the synthesized samples exhibit high transmittance (above 85%) in the visible region. The current-voltage (I-V) characteristics show the ohmic conduction nature of the films. The Hall probe measurements show that the synergistic effects of Mo and F doping cause desirable improvements in the quality factor of the ZnO films. A minimum resistivity of 5.12 × 10-3 Ω cm with remarkably higher values of mobility and carrier concentration is achieved for Mo (2 at.%) + F (15 at.%) co-doped ZnO films. A considerable variation in the intensity of deep level emission caused by Mo and F doping is observed in the photoluminescence (PL) studies. The presence of the constituent elements in the samples is confirmed by XPS analysis.

Utilizing a Pediatric Disaster Coalition Model to Increase Pediatric Critical Care Surge Capacity in New York City.

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Frogel, Michael; Flamm, Avram; Sagy, Mayer; Uraneck, Katharine; Conway, Edward; Ushay, Michael; Greenwald, Bruce M; Pierre, Louisdon; Shah, Vikas; Gaffoor, Mohamed; Cooper, Arthur; Foltin, George

2017-08-01

A mass casualty event can result in an overwhelming number of critically injured pediatric victims that exceeds the available capacity of pediatric critical care (PCC) units, both locally and regionally. To address these gaps, the New York City (NYC) Pediatric Disaster Coalition (PDC) was established. The PDC includes experts in emergency preparedness, critical care, surgery, and emergency medicine from 18 of 25 major NYC PCC-capable hospitals. A PCC surge committee created recommendations for making additional PCC beds available with an emphasis on space, staff, stuff (equipment), and systems. The PDC assisted 15 hospitals in creating PCC surge plans by utilizing template plans and site visits. These plans created an additional 153 potential PCC surge beds. Seven hospitals tested their plans through drills. The purpose of this article was to demonstrate the need for planning for disasters involving children and to provide a stepwise, replicable model for establishing a PDC, with one of its primary goals focused on facilitating PCC surge planning. The process we describe for developing a PDC can be replicated to communities of any size, setting, or location. We offer our model as an example for other cities. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:473-478).

Space, place and body: temporary coalitions, nodes in a network

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Kerith Power

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The articles in this collection share a concern for place, space and bodies as frameworks for thinking about and conducting educational research. The authors range in experience from senior academics, independent educators, beginning and emerging new researchers spanning a range of educational sectors. The articles originate from connections forged within and between Australia and northern countries with visits back and forth between 2004 and 2010. Some of the writers have met each other in these travels and others have not. All have encountered and participated in some way in the work of the space place and body research group, which originated in 2007 as a named research ‘node’ at Monash University.   The space place and body group formed as a result of a process designed to re-imagine research in the Faculty of Education at Monash University in order to address ‘the big questions of our time’. As a leading global university with campuses in Asia and Europe as well as several in Australia, the Dean of the Faculty cited recent evidence that the field of educational research had become too narrowly focused and that new approaches were needed to enliven the field and move it forward. Individualistic research was no longer supported and groups were formed organically around coalitions of interest. The purpose of the space place and body group was to come together to generate new conceptual, theoretical and methodological resources within the core concepts of space, place and body by collaborating across our differences. In the early phase of our development we focused on linked identity (ontological and knowledge (epistemological work, at the intersection of postcolonial and poststructural approaches to place in educational research. A specific interest in alternative and creative methodologies emerged from these onto-epistemological activities.   As part of our process we initiated temporary definitions of space, place and body, to

Longterm storage of post-packaged bread by controlling spoilage pathogens using Lactobacillus fermentum C14 isolated from homemade curd.

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Soma Barman

Full Text Available One potent lactic acid bacterial strain C14 with strong antifungal activity was isolated from homemade curd. Based on morphological as well as biochemical characters and 16S rDNA sequence homology the strain was identified as Lactobacillus fermentum. It displayed a wide antimicrobial spectrum against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria, and also against number of food spoilage, plant and human pathogenic fungi. The cell free supernatant (CFS of the strain C14 was also effective against the fungi tested. Inhibition of radial growth of Penicillium digitatum, Trichophyton rubrum and Mucor sp. was noticed in the presence of CFS of C14 even at low concentration (1%. More than 94.3 ± 1.6% and 91.5 ± 2.2% inhibition of conidial germination of P. digitatum and Mucor sp. were noticed in the presence of 10-fold-concentrated CFS of C14. Massive deformation of the fungal mycelia was observed by SEM studies, and losses of cellular proteins and DNA are also evident upon its treatment with C14. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of phenyl lactic acid, lactic acid along with some unidentified compounds in the antifungal extract. Challenge experiment showed immense potential of the strain C14 in preventing the spoilage of bread samples caused by Mucor sp. and Bacillus subtilis. The bread samples remained fresh upto 25 days even after inoculation with Mucor sp. (3.7 × 104 spores /ml and B. subtilis (4.6 × 104 CFU /ml. Along with the antifungal properties, the isolated lactic acid bacterial strain also showed very good antioxidant activities. Unchanged level of liver enzymes serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase in albino mice upon feeding with C14 also suggested non-toxic nature of the bacterial isolate.

Growth hormone in intra-uterine growth retarded newborns.

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Setia, Sajita; Sridhar, M G; Bhat, Vishnu; Chaturvedula, Latha

2007-11-01

To study growth hormone levels in IUGR and healthy controls and its association with birth weight and ponderal index. We studied 50 Intra uterine growth retarded (IUGR) and 50 healthy newborns born at term by vaginal delivery in JIPMER, Pondicherry, India. Cord blood was collected at the time of delivery for measurement of growth hormone. When compared with healthy newborns, IUGR newborns had higher growth hormone levels (mean +/- SD, 23.5 +/- 15.6 vs 16.2 +/- 7.61 ngm/ml, P = 0.019). A negative correlation was identified between growth hormone levels and birth weight (r2 = - 0.22, P = 0.03) and ponderal index (r2 = - 0.36, P = 0.008). Correlation of growth hormone levels was much more confident with ponderal index than with birth weight. At birth IUGR infants display increased growth hormone levels which correlate with ponderal index much more confidently than with birth weight.

USING OF READING, ENCODING, ANNOTATING, AND PONDERING (REAP TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION (A Classroom Action Research at Eighth Grade Students in MTSN 1 Kota Bengkulu in Academic years 2016

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Fera Zasrianita

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The researcher found the problem at MTSN 1 in the city of  Bengkulu at grade VIII I that students got difficulty in comprehending reading texts, and in understanding meanings of words in paragraphs, and teachers techniques  made the students bored. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to improve students’ reading comprehension through REAP techniques. The subject of the research is the students of  grade VIII I consisting of 27 students, 14 female students and 13 male students. The instruments of the research are reading tets, observation sheetteacher and the students, interview guide and that for documentary study.  The results of the research show that the  REAP teachniques are effective in improving the students’ reading comprehension. The students got involved directly and were able to cooperate with their peers during the teaching-learning process. The research was conducted in two cycles an the test was administered at the end of each cycle. From the average mean scores, it could be seen that there was improvement of the the students’ reading ability. In cycle I, the mean score was 70.5 and in cycle 2, it was 78.7,and at the Post assessment, it was  82.2. It means that the students’ mean scores has reached the research target. Thus, it can be concluded that REAPtechniques can improve the students’ readng comprehension. Kata Kunci: REAP (Reading, Encoding, Annotating, and Pondering technique, Students’ reading comprehension

Conflicts in Coalitions: A Stability Analysis of Robust Multi-City Regional Water Supply Portfolios

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Gold, D.; Trindade, B. C.; Reed, P. M.; Characklis, G. W.

2017-12-01

Regional cooperation among water utilities can improve the robustness of urban water supply portfolios to deeply uncertain future conditions such as those caused by climate change or population growth. Coordination mechanisms such as water transfers, coordinated demand management, and shared infrastructure, can improve the efficiency of resource allocation and delay the need for new infrastructure investments. Regionalization does however come at a cost. Regionally coordinated water supply plans may be vulnerable to any emerging instabilities in the regional coalition. If one or more regional actors does not cooperate or follow the required regional actions in a time of crisis, the overall system performance may degrade. Furthermore, when crafting regional water supply portfolios, decision makers must choose a framework for measuring the performance of regional policies based on the evaluation of the objective values for each individual actor. Regional evaluations may inherently favor one actor's interests over those of another. This work focuses on four interconnected water utilities in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina for which robust regional water supply portfolios have previously been designed using multi-objective optimization to maximize the robustness of the worst performing utility across several objectives. This study 1) examines the sensitivity of portfolio performance to deviations from prescribed actions by individual utilities, 2) quantifies the implications of the regional formulation used to evaluate robustness for the portfolio performance of each individual utility and 3) elucidates the inherent regional tensions and conflicts that exist between utilities under this regionalization scheme through visual diagnostics of the system under simulated drought scenarios. Results of this analysis will help inform the creation of future regional water supply portfolios and provide insight into the nature of multi-actor water supply systems.

Suplementos orais artesanais desenvolvidos para pacientes com câncer: análise descritiva Homemade oral supplements for patients with cancer: descriptive analysis

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Adriana Garófolo

2010-08-01

Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Descrever a elaboração de oito formulações de suplementos artesanais orais desenvolvidos para aumentar o consumo de energia, proteínas e micronutrientes de pacientes com câncer, analisar seu valor nutricional e avaliar a apreciação do sabor, testando dois tipos de lipídeos. MÉTODOS: Os suplementos foram desenvolvidos com base em quatro ingredientes alimentares: leite, ovos, açúcares e óleos para recuperação nutricional. As formulações foram calculadas pelo programa de apoio à nutrição NUTWIN e seu valor nutricional foi comparado às recomendações para pacientes com câncer para macronutrientes e às Ingestões Diárias Recomendadas para micronutrientes. Por meio de degustação, os suplementos foram testados para verificação do sabor quando preparados com óleo ou margarina. RESULTADOS: A quantidade de energia por mililitro variou de 1,35 a 2,17kcal, tendo 39% a 59% de carboidrato, 11% a 13% de proteína e 30% a 49% de lipídeo, fornecendo em média 43% e 77% da recomendação de energia e proteína, respectivamente. Vitaminas C e K, ácido fólico e manganês apresentaram 15% de adequação em relação às recomendações. Com relação ao sabor, 78% dos pacientes que experimentaram com óleo e 85% dos que experimentaram com margarina relataram sabor bom, sem diferença estatística entre os tipos de suplementos. CONCLUSÃO: A avaliação do sabor demonstrou que a maioria dos pacientes considerou o suplemento com sabor bom. Essas taxas foram superiores quando testados com margarina. Os resultados sugerem que o uso de suplementos orais artesanais pode ser uma alternativa viável em situações onde não há recursos suficientes para aquisição dos industrializados.OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to describe the development of eight formulations of homemade oral supplements that propose to increase the energy, protein and micronutrient intakes of patients with cancer, analyze its nutritional value and assess its

Recovery after Work: The Role of Work Beliefs in the Unwinding Process

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Zoupanou, Zoe; Cropley, Mark; Rydstedt, Leif W.

2013-01-01

According to the Effort-Recovery model, mental or physical detachment from work is an important mechanism of work related recovery, as delayed recovery has been associated with range of negative health symptoms. In this paper, we examine whether recovery from work (in the form of mentally disengagement from work) is affected by the concept of ‘work ethic’, which refers to beliefs workers hold about their work and leisure and the effects of experiencing interruptions at work. Two indices of post-work recovery were utilized: problem solving pondering and psychological detachment. The study was conducted with 310 participants employed from diverse occupational sectors. Main effects of positive and negative appraisal of work interruption and beliefs were analysed using mediated and moderated regression analysis on problem-solving pondering and detachment. Weakened belief in wasted time as a partial mediator, reduced problem-solving pondering post work when interruptions were appraised as positive, and a high evaluation of leisure partially mediated problem-solving pondering when interruptions were appraised as positive. The results also showed that a high evaluation of centrality of work and leisure moderated the effect of negative appraisal of work interruption on elevated problem-solving pondering. Positive appraisal of work interruption was related to problem-solving pondering, and the strength of this association was further moderated by a strong belief in delay of gratification. In addition, employees' positive appraisal of work interruption was related to work detachment, and the strength of this association was further moderated by strong beliefs in hard work and self-reliance. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications for employees who are strongly influenced by such work beliefs. PMID:24349060

Recovery after work: the role of work beliefs in the unwinding process.

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Zoe Zoupanou

Full Text Available According to the Effort-Recovery model, mental or physical detachment from work is an important mechanism of work related recovery, as delayed recovery has been associated with range of negative health symptoms. In this paper, we examine whether recovery from work (in the form of mentally disengagement from work is affected by the concept of 'work ethic', which refers to beliefs workers hold about their work and leisure and the effects of experiencing interruptions at work. Two indices of post-work recovery were utilized: problem solving pondering and psychological detachment. The study was conducted with 310 participants employed from diverse occupational sectors. Main effects of positive and negative appraisal of work interruption and beliefs were analysed using mediated and moderated regression analysis on problem-solving pondering and detachment. Weakened belief in wasted time as a partial mediator, reduced problem-solving pondering post work when interruptions were appraised as positive, and a high evaluation of leisure partially mediated problem-solving pondering when interruptions were appraised as positive. The results also showed that a high evaluation of centrality of work and leisure moderated the effect of negative appraisal of work interruption on elevated problem-solving pondering. Positive appraisal of work interruption was related to problem-solving pondering, and the strength of this association was further moderated by a strong belief in delay of gratification. In addition, employees' positive appraisal of work interruption was related to work detachment, and the strength of this association was further moderated by strong beliefs in hard work and self-reliance. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications for employees who are strongly influenced by such work beliefs.

Recovery after work: the role of work beliefs in the unwinding process.

Science.gov (United States)

Zoupanou, Zoe; Cropley, Mark; Rydstedt, Leif W

2013-01-01

According to the Effort-Recovery model, mental or physical detachment from work is an important mechanism of work related recovery, as delayed recovery has been associated with range of negative health symptoms. In this paper, we examine whether recovery from work (in the form of mentally disengagement from work) is affected by the concept of 'work ethic', which refers to beliefs workers hold about their work and leisure and the effects of experiencing interruptions at work. Two indices of post-work recovery were utilized: problem solving pondering and psychological detachment. The study was conducted with 310 participants employed from diverse occupational sectors. Main effects of positive and negative appraisal of work interruption and beliefs were analysed using mediated and moderated regression analysis on problem-solving pondering and detachment. Weakened belief in wasted time as a partial mediator, reduced problem-solving pondering post work when interruptions were appraised as positive, and a high evaluation of leisure partially mediated problem-solving pondering when interruptions were appraised as positive. The results also showed that a high evaluation of centrality of work and leisure moderated the effect of negative appraisal of work interruption on elevated problem-solving pondering. Positive appraisal of work interruption was related to problem-solving pondering, and the strength of this association was further moderated by a strong belief in delay of gratification. In addition, employees' positive appraisal of work interruption was related to work detachment, and the strength of this association was further moderated by strong beliefs in hard work and self-reliance. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications for employees who are strongly influenced by such work beliefs.

Tri-Ponderal Mass Index vs. Fat Mass/Height³ as a Screening Tool for Metabolic Syndrome Prediction in Colombian Children and Young People.

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Ramírez-Vélez, Robinson; Correa-Bautista, Jorge Enrique; Carrillo, Hugo Alejandro; González-Jiménez, Emilio; Schmidt-RioValle, Jacqueline; Correa-Rodríguez, María; García-Hermoso, Antonio; González-Ruíz, Katherine

2018-03-27

Tri-ponderal mass index (TMI) and fat mass index (FMI) have been proposed as alternative approaches for assessing body fat since BMI does not ensure an accurate screening for obesity and overweight status in children and adolescents. This study proposes thresholds of the TMI and FMI for the prediction of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in children and young people. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 4673 participants (57.1% females), who were 9-25 years of age. As part of the study, measurements of the subjects' weight, waist circumference, serum lipid indices, blood pressure and fasting plasma glucose were taken. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). The TMI and FMI were calculated as weight (kg)/height (m³) and fat mass (kg)/height (m³), respectively. Following the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) definition, MetS is defined as including three or more metabolic abnormalities. Cohort-specific thresholds were established to identify Colombian children and young people at high risk of MetS. The thresholds were applied to the following groups: (i) a cohort of children where the girls' TMI ≥ 12.13 kg/m³ and the boys' TMI ≥ 12.10 kg/m³; (ii) a cohort of adolescents where the girls' TMI ≥ 12.48 kg/m³ and the boys' TMI ≥ 11.19 kg/m³; (iii) a cohort of young adults where the women's TMI ≥ 13.21 kg/m³ and the men's TMI ≥ 12.19 kg/m³. The FMI reference cut-off values used for the different groups were as follows: (i) a cohort of children where the girls' FMI ≥ 2.59 fat mass/m³ and the boys' FMI ≥ 1.98 fat mass/m³; (ii) a cohort of adolescents where the girls' FMI ≥ 3.12 fat mass/m³ and the boys' FMI ≥ 1.46 fat mass/m³; (iii) a cohort of adults where the women's FMI ≥ 3.27 kg/m³ and the men's FMI ≥ 1.65 kg/m³. Our results showed that the FMI and TMI had a moderate discriminatory power to detect MetS in Colombian children, adolescents, and young adults.

Improving Depression Care for Adults With Serious Mental Illness in Underresourced Areas: Community Coalitions Versus Technical Support.

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Castillo, Enrico G; Shaner, Roderick; Tang, Lingqi; Chung, Bowen; Jones, Felica; Whittington, Yolanda; Miranda, Jeanne; Wells, Kenneth B

2018-02-01

Community Partners in Care (CPIC) was a group-randomized study of two approaches to implementing expanded collaborative depression care: Community Engagement and Planning (CEP), a coalition approach, and Resources for Services (RS), a technical assistance approach. Collaborative care networks in both arms involved health care and other agencies in five service sectors. This study examined six- and 12-month outcomes for CPIC participants with serious mental illness. This secondary analysis focused on low-income CPIC participants from racial-ethnic minority groups with serious mental illness in underresourced Los Angeles communities (N=504). Serious mental illness was defined as self-reported severe depression (≥20 on the Patient Health Questionnaire-8) at baseline or a lifetime history of bipolar disorder or psychosis. Logistic and Poisson regression with multiple imputation and response weights, controlling for covariates, was used to model intervention effects. Among CPIC participants, 50% had serious mental illness. Among those with serious mental illness, CEP relative to RS reduced the likelihood of poor mental health-related quality of life (OR=.62, 95% CI=.41-.95) but not depression (primary outcomes); reduced the likelihood of having homelessness risk factors and behavioral health hospitalizations; increased the likelihood of mental wellness; reduced specialty mental health medication and counseling visits; and increased faith-based depression visits (each pmental health-related quality of life and some social outcomes for adults with serious mental illness, although no evidence was found for long-term effects in this subsample.

Home-made online hyphenation of pressurized liquid extraction, turbulent flow chromatography, and high performance liquid chromatography, Cistanche deserticola as a case study.

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Song, Qingqing; Li, Jun; Liu, Xiao; Zhang, Yuan; Guo, Liping; Jiang, Yong; Song, Yuelin; Tu, Pengfei

2016-03-18

Incompatibility between the conventional pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) devices and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) extensively hinders direct and green chemical analysis of herbal materials. Herein, a facile PLE module was configured, and then it was online hyphenated with HPLC via a turbulent flow chromatography (TFC) column. Regarding PLE module, a long PEEK tube (0.13 × 1000 mm) was employed to generate desired pressure (approximately 13.0 MPa) when warm acidic water (70 °C) was delivered as extraction solvent at a high flow rate (2.5 mL/min), and a hollow guard column (3.0 × 4.0 mm) was implemented to hold crude materials. Effluent was collected from the outlet of PEEK tube, concentrated, and subjected onto HPLC coupled with hybrid ion trap-time of flight mass spectrometer to assess the extraction efficiency and also to profile the chemical composition of Cistanche deserticola (CD) that is honored as "Ginseng of the desert". Afterwards, a TFC column was introduced to accomplish online transmission of low molecule weight components from PLE module to HPLC coupled with diode array detection, and two electronic 6-port/2-channel valves were in charge of alternating the whole system between extraction (0-3.0 min) and elution (3.0-35.0 min) phases. Quantitative method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of eight primary phenylethanoid glycosides in CD using online PLE-TFC-HPLC. All findings demonstrated that the home-made platform is advantageous at direct chemical analysis, as well as time-, solvent-, and material-savings, suggesting a robust tool for chemical fingerprinting of herbs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Mobilization Potential and Democratization Processes of the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih in Malaysia: An Interview With Hishamuddin Rais

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Ying Hooi Khoo

2014-06-01

Full Text Available In recent years, protests and popular mobilization have become pronounced elements in Malaysian politics. Bersih (clean demonstrations are notably the most outstanding protest events in Malaysian history. Bersih is a group of 89 non-governmental organizations (NGOs pushing for a thorough reform of the electoral process in Malaysia through rallies and demonstrations. Five opposition parties initiated the idea of Bersih in 2005 and included several NGOs in the ‘project’ later on. After the first Bersih street protests in November 2007 (Bersih 1.0, the political parties and the NGOs reached the ‘compromise pact’ that led to the formation of Bersih 2.0 in 2010 as a non-partisan movement free from any political interference. This interview explores the linkages to the broader democratization process in Malaysia from the perspective of Hishamuddin Rais (Isham, a prominent grassroots activist. Isham spent 20 years in political exile after the Baling student protest of 1974. He became active again in 1998 after the ouster of then Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the current leader of the opposition coalition. Isham was a member of the Bersih Steering Committee for two years until he stepped down in 2012.

The Homemade Microscope.

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Baker, Roger C., Jr.

1991-01-01

Directions for the building of a pocket microscope that will make visible the details of insect structure and living bacteria are described. Background information on the history of microscopes and lenses is provided. The procedures for producing various types of lenses are included. (KR)

Homemade Solar Systems

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1981-01-01

Through the use of NASA Tech Briefs, Peter Kask, was able to build a solarized domestic hot water system. Also by applying NASA's solar energy design information, he was able to build a swimming pool heating system with minimal outlay for materials.

Análise do extrato aquoso de Arachis hipoagea L. no combate à dislipidemia e ao ganho ponderal de ratos Wistar submetidos à dieta hiperlipídica1

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Thárcia K.B. de Oliveira

Full Text Available RESUMO: O objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do Extrato Aquoso de Amendoim (EAA no peso, bioquímica sérica e na histologia hepática de ratos Wistar submetidos a dietas normo e hiperlipídicas. A pesquisa foi realizada utilizando 40 ratos Wistar machos, divididos em quatro grupos (n=10: GA (dieta hiperlipídica, GB (dieta hiperlipídica +EAA, GC (dieta normolipídica e GD (dieta normolipídica +EAA. Após 8 semanas, os animais foram eutanasiados e foram coletadas amostras sanguíneas para a avaliação de dados bioquímicos (Colesterol total e suas frações, triglicerídeos, uréia, creatinina, AST, ALT e glicemia e fragmentos do fígado para análise histológica. Os animais do grupo GB tiveram um ganho de peso inferior quando comparados ao GA (XGB= versus XGA= p<0,05, já os grupos GC e GD não obtiveram diferenças estatísticas. Os animais que receberam o EAA tiveram uma redução nos níveis de colesterol (XGB= versus XGA= p<0,05 e XGD= versus XGA= p<0,01, dos triglicerídeos (XGB= versus XGA e XGD= versus XGA= p<0,001 e mais discretamente dos níveis de ALT. A glicemia, uréia e creatina permaneceram dentro dos valores de referência. As amostras hepáticas analisadas, dos ratos dos diferentes grupos, não apresentaram alterações histopatológicas. Conclui-se que O EAA apresentou efeitos preventivos sobre o ganho ponderal e dislipidemia.

The Early Years: Pondering Strawberries

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Ashbrook, Peggy

2013-01-01

Understanding the needs of plants, the function of their structures, and plant reproduction, is part of the National Science Education Content Standard C: Life science (NRC 1996). "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012) states that by the end of grade 2, students should understand that plants have external parts, used to help…

Who Is a Stream? Epistemic Communities, Instrument Constituencies and Advocacy Coalitions in Public Policy-Making

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Ishani Mukherjee

2015-08-01

Full Text Available John Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Framework (MSF was articulated in order to better understand how issues entered onto policy agendas, using the concept of policy actors interacting over the course of sequences of events in what he referred to as the “problem”, “policy” and “politics” “streams”. However, it is not a priori certain who the agents are in this process and how they interact with each other. As was common at the time, in his study Kingdon used an undifferentiated concept of a “policy subsystem” to group together and capture the activities of various policy actors involved in this process. However, this article argues that the policy world Kingdon envisioned can be better visualized as one composed of distinct subsets of actors who engage in one specific type of interaction involved in the definition of policy problems: either the articulation of problems, the development of solutions, or their enactment. Rather than involve all subsystem actors, this article argues that three separate sets of actors are involved in these tasks: epistemic communities are engaged in discourses about policy problems; instrument constituencies define policy alternatives and instruments; and advocacy coalitions compete to have their choice of policy alternatives adopted. Using this lens, the article focuses on actor interactions involved both in the agenda-setting activities Kingdon examined as well as in the policy formulation activities following the agenda setting stage upon which Kingdon originally worked. This activity involves the definition of policy goals (both broad and specific, the creation of the means and mechanisms to realize these goals, and the set of bureaucratic, partisan, electoral and other political struggles involved in their acceptance and transformation into action. Like agenda-setting, these activities can best be modeled using a differentiated subsystem approach.

COPDESS (Coalition for Publishing Data in the Earth & Space Sciences): An Update on Progress and Next Steps

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Lehnert, Kerstin; Hanson, Brooks; Sallans, Andrew; Elger, Kirsten

2016-04-01

The Coalition for Publishing Data in the Earth and Space Sciences (http://www.copdess.org/) formed in October 2014 to provide an organizational framework for Earth and space science publishers and data facilities to jointly implement and promote common policies and procedures for the publication and citation of data across Earth Science journals. Since inception, it has worked to develop and promote adoption of data citation standards (e.g. FORCE11 Joint Declaration of Data Citation Principles), integrate community tools and services for greater discovery and adoption (e.g. COPDESS Directory of Repositories, https://copdessdirectory.osf.io/), and connect with related community efforts for greater transparency in research community (e.g. the Transparency and Openness Promotion Guidelines, http://cos.io/top). Following a second COPDESS workshop in Fall 2015, COPDESS is undertaking several concrete steps to increase participation and integration of efforts more deeply into the publishing and data facility workflows and to expand international participation. This talk will focus on details of specific initiatives, collection of feedback, and a call for new members. Specifically, we will present progress on the development of guidelines that aim to standardize publishers' recommended best practices by establishing "Best practices for best practices" that will allow a journal or data facility to tailor these practices to the sub-disciplines that they serve. COPDESS will further work to advance implementation of these best practices through increased outreach to and education of editors and authors. COPDESS plans to offer a Town Hall meeting at the EGU General Assembly as a forum for further information and discussion.

The coalition to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in cardiovascular disease outcomes (credo): why credo matters to cardiologists.

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Yancy, Clyde W; Wang, Tracy Y; Ventura, Hector O; Piña, Ileana L; Vijayaraghavan, Krishnaswami; Ferdinand, Keith C; Hall, Laura Lee

2011-01-18

This report reviews the rationale for the American College of Cardiology's Coalition to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes (credo) and the tools that will be made available to cardiologists and others treating cardiovascular disease (CVD) to better meet the needs of their diverse patient populations. Even as the patient population with CVD grows increasingly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, age, and sex, many cardiologists and other health care providers are unaware of the negative influence of disparate care on CVD outcomes and do not have the tools needed to improve care and outcomes for patients from different demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds. Reviewed published reports assessed the need for redressing CVD disparities and the evidence concerning interventions that can assist cardiology care providers in improving care and outcomes for diverse CVD patient populations. Evidence points to the effectiveness of performance measure-based quality improvement, provider cultural competency training, team-based care, and patient education as strategies to promote the elimination of disparate CVD care and in turn might lead to better outcomes. credo has launched several initiatives built on these evidence-based principles and will be expanding these tools along with research. credo will provide the CVD treatment community with greater awareness of disparities and tools to help close the gap in care and outcomes for all patient subpopulations. Copyright © 2011 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tri-Ponderal Mass Index vs. Fat Mass/Height3 as a Screening Tool for Metabolic Syndrome Prediction in Colombian Children and Young People

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Robinson Ramírez-Vélez

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Tri-ponderal mass index (TMI and fat mass index (FMI have been proposed as alternative approaches for assessing body fat since BMI does not ensure an accurate screening for obesity and overweight status in children and adolescents. This study proposes thresholds of the TMI and FMI for the prediction of metabolic syndrome (MetS in children and young people. For this purpose, a cross-sectional study was conducted on 4673 participants (57.1% females, who were 9–25 years of age. As part of the study, measurements of the subjects’ weight, waist circumference, serum lipid indices, blood pressure and fasting plasma glucose were taken. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA. The TMI and FMI were calculated as weight (kg/height (m3 and fat mass (kg/height (m3, respectively. Following the International Diabetes Federation (IDF definition, MetS is defined as including three or more metabolic abnormalities. Cohort-specific thresholds were established to identify Colombian children and young people at high risk of MetS. The thresholds were applied to the following groups: (i a cohort of children where the girls’ TMI ≥ 12.13 kg/m3 and the boys’ TMI ≥ 12.10 kg/m3; (ii a cohort of adolescents where the girls’ TMI ≥ 12.48 kg/m3 and the boys’ TMI ≥ 11.19 kg/m3; (iii a cohort of young adults where the women’s TMI ≥ 13.21 kg/m3 and the men’s TMI ≥ 12.19 kg/m3. The FMI reference cut-off values used for the different groups were as follows: (i a cohort of children where the girls’ FMI ≥ 2.59 fat mass/m3 and the boys’ FMI ≥ 1.98 fat mass/m3; (ii a cohort of adolescents where the girls’ FMI ≥ 3.12 fat mass/m3 and the boys’ FMI ≥ 1.46 fat mass/m3; (iii a cohort of adults where the women’s FMI ≥ 3.27 kg/m3 and the men’s FMI ≥ 1.65 kg/m3. Our results showed that the FMI and TMI had a moderate discriminatory power to detect MetS in Colombian children, adolescents, and young adults.

Game Theoretic Analysis of Cooperative Message Forwarding in Opportunistic Mobile Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Pal, Sujata; Saha, Barun Kumar; Misra, Sudip

2017-12-01

In cooperative communication, a set of players forming a coalition ensures communal behavior among themselves by helping one another in message forwarding. Opportunistic mobile networks (OMNs) require multihop communications for transferring messages from the source to the destination nodes. However, noncooperative nodes only forward their own messages to others, and drop others' messages upon receiving them. So, the message delivery overhead increases in OMN. For minimizing the overhead and maximizing the delivery rate, we propose two coalition-based cooperative schemes: 1) simple coalition formation (SCF) and 2) overlapping coalition formation (OCF) game. In SCF, we consider the presence of a central information center, whereas OCF is a fully distributed scheme. In SCF, coalitions are disjoint, whereas in OCF, a node may be the member of multiple coalitions at the same time. All nodes in a coalition help each other cooperatively by forwarding group messages to the intermediate or destination nodes. The goal of the nodes is to achieve high success rate in delivering messages. The proposed SCF scheme is cohesive, in which disjoint coalitions always combine to form grand coalition. In OCF, a node reaches a stable grand coalition when all the nodes of the OMN are members of overlapping coalition of the node. No node gains by deviating from the grand coalition in SCF and OCF. Simulation results based on synthetic mobility model and real-life traces show that the message delivery ratio of OMNs increase by up to 67%, as compared to the noncooperative scenario. Moreover, the message overhead ratio using the proposed coalition-based schemes reduces by up to about (1/3)rd of that of the noncooperative communication scheme.

The Coalition for Publishing Data in the Earth and Space Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Lehnert, Kerstin; Hanson, Brooks; Cutcher-Gershenfeld, Joel

2015-04-01

outcome of the conference is the formation of a working group: Coalition for Publishing Data in the Earth and Space Sciences by publishers and data facilities and consortia that will establish a permanent international coordinating conference on Earth science data publication. Marking the launch of the partnership is a joint statement of commitment (to be be released in January 2015), signed by the major Earth and space science publishers and many data facilities, to ensure that Earth science data will, to the greatest extent possible, be stored in community approved repositories that can provide additional data services. The development of a functional directory of Earth and space science repositories is underway that can be used by journals as part of their information to authors, and by authors to identify rapidly which repositories are the best homes for specific data types and how to structure such deposition.

The Quality of Alcohol Products in Vietnam and Its Implications for Public Health

OpenAIRE

Lachenmeier, Dirk W.; Anh, Pham Thi Hoang; Popova, Svetlana; Rehm, Jürgen

2009-01-01

Four homemade (artisanally manufactured and unrecorded) and seven commercial (industrially manufactured and taxed) alcohol products from Vietnam were collected and chemically analyzed for toxicologically relevant substances. The majority of both types had alcohol contents between 30 and 40% vol. Two homemade samples contained significantly higher concentrations of 45 and 50% vol. In one of these homemade samples the labeled alcoholic strength was exceeded by nearly 20% vol. All other analyzed...

Comparison between a commercial solid-phase extraction cartridge and a home-made silver containing charcoal column: purification of Mo-99 from I-131 and Te-121

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dias, Carla Roberta; Teodoro, Rodrigo; Osso Junior, Joao

2011-01-01

Among the radioisotopes used for medical application in Nuclear Medicine, 99m Tc, readily available from the elution of 99 Mo/ 99m Tc generators, is the most used, responsible for more than eighty percent of the total applications. These generators use the 99 Mo radioisotope that is produced in nuclear reactors and IPEN imports all the 99 Mo used in Brazil, mainly from Canada (Nordion). Due to the increasing needs of the Nuclear Medicine in Brazil and the world shortage of 99 Mo observed since 2008, IPEN decided to construct a new research reactor named Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (BMR) as well as to develop the production of 99 Mo through the route of 235 U fission using a CINTICHEM modified separation process. The 99 Mo obtained from this process contains some contaminants and need to be purified. The aim of this work is to compare the preliminary results of the purification step of the solution containing 99 Mo and the contaminants, 131 I and 121 Te in the silver containing charcoal column and a solid-phase extraction cartridge. The purification process of 99 Mo coming from fission LEU foils was performed by adsorption chromatography using a home-made activated charcoal containing silver column (AC-Ag) and a commercial solid-phase extraction cartridge (OnGuard II Ag). High yields of 99 Mo elution and high retention of 131 I were achieved in the AC-Ag column and silver cartridge but 121 Te was more retained in the cartridge than in the AC-Ag column. (author)

Simultaneous derivatization and lighter-than-water air-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction using a homemade device for the extraction and preconcentration of some parabens in different samples.

Science.gov (United States)

Farajzadeh, Mir Ali; Aghdam, Mehri Bakhshizadeh; Mogaddam, Mohammad Reza Afshar; Nabil, Ali Akbar Alizadeh

2018-06-06

Simultaneous derivatization and air-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction using an organic solvent lighter than water has been developed for the extraction of some parabens in different samples with the aid of a newly designed device for collecting the extractant. For this purpose, the sample solution is transferred into a glass test tube and a few microliters of acetic anhydride (as a derivatization agent) and p-xylene (as an extraction solvent) are added to the solution. After performing the procedure, the homemade device consists of an inverse funnel with a capillary tube placed into the tube. In this step, the collected extraction solvent and a part of the aqueous solution are transferred into the device and the organic phase indwells in the capillary tube of the device. Under the optimal conditions, limits of detection and quantification for the analytes were obtained in the ranges of 0.90-2.7 and 3.0-6.1 ng mL -1 , respectively. The enrichment and enhancement factors were in the ranges of 370-430 and 489-660, respectively. The method precision, expressed as the relative standard deviation, was within the ranges of 4-6% (n = 6) and 4-9% (n = 4) for intra- and inter-day precisions, respectively. The proposed method was successfully used for the determination of methyl-, ethyl-, and propyl parabens in cosmetic, hygiene, and food samples, and personal care products. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Revised and updated recommendations for the establishment of primary stroke centers: a summary statement from the brain attack coalition.

Science.gov (United States)

Alberts, Mark J; Latchaw, Richard E; Jagoda, Andy; Wechsler, Lawrence R; Crocco, Todd; George, Mary G; Connolly, E S; Mancini, Barbara; Prudhomme, Stephen; Gress, Daryl; Jensen, Mary E; Bass, Robert; Ruff, Robert; Foell, Kathy; Armonda, Rocco A; Emr, Marian; Warren, Margo; Baranski, Jim; Walker, Michael D

2011-09-01

The formation and certification of Primary Stroke Centers has progressed rapidly since the Brain Attack Coalition's original recommendations in 2000. The purpose of this article is to revise and update our recommendations for Primary Stroke Centers to reflect the latest data and experience. We conducted a literature review using MEDLINE and PubMed from March 2000 to January 2011. The review focused on studies that were relevant for acute stroke diagnosis, treatment, and care. Original references as well as meta-analyses and other care guidelines were also reviewed and included if found to be valid and relevant. Levels of evidence were added to reflect current guideline development practices. Based on the literature review and experience at Primary Stroke Centers, the importance of some elements has been further strengthened, and several new areas have been added. These include (1) the importance of acute stroke teams; (2) the importance of Stroke Units with telemetry monitoring; (3) performance of brain imaging with MRI and diffusion-weighted sequences; (4) assessment of cerebral vasculature with MR angiography or CT angiography; (5) cardiac imaging; (6) early initiation of rehabilitation therapies; and (7) certification by an independent body, including a site visit and disease performance measures. Based on the evidence, several elements of Primary Stroke Centers are particularly important for improving the care of patients with an acute stroke. Additional elements focus on imaging of the brain, the cerebral vasculature, and the heart. These new elements may improve the care and outcomes for patients with stroke cared for at a Primary Stroke Center.

Cast Metals Coalition Technology Transfer and Program Management Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gwyn, Mike

2009-03-31

The Cast Metals Coalition (CMC) partnership program was funded to ensure that the results of the Department of Energy's (DOE) metalcasting research and development (R&D) projects are successfully deployed into industry. Specifically, the CMC program coordinated the transfer and deployment of energy saving technologies and process improvements developed under separately funded DOE programs and projects into industry. The transition of these technologies and process improvements is a critical step in the path to realizing actual energy savings. At full deployment, DOE funded metalcasting R&D results are projected to save 55% of the energy used by the industry in 1998. This closely aligns with DOE's current goal of driving a 25% reduction in industrial energy intensity by 2017. In addition to benefiting DOE, these energy savings provide metalcasters with a significant economic advantage. Deployment of already completed R&D project results and those still underway is estimated to return over 500% of the original DOE and industry investment. Energy savings estimates through December 2008 from the Energy-Saving Melting and Revert Reduction Technology (E-SMARRT) portfolio of projects alone are 12 x 1012 BTUs, with a projection of over 50 x 1012 BTUs ten years after program completion. These energy savings and process improvements have been made possible through the unique collaborative structure of the CMC partnership. The CMC team consists of DOE's Office of Industrial Technology, the three leading metalcasting technical societies in the U.S: the American Foundry Society; the North American Die Casting Association; and the Steel Founders Society of America; and the Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), a recognized leader in distributed technology management. CMC provides collaborative leadership to a complex industry composed of approximately 2,100 companies, 80% of which employ less than 100 people, and only 4% of which employ more than 250 people

A time to pause and ponder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Peer; Spencer, Christopher

@bolton.ac.uk) will build on his work with teacher educators, self-reflection as professional development and practice (Spencer, 2015). This study considers how to maintain and continue to develop professional skills and knowledge, where teacher educators systematically reflect on among other things...... Thyself: Self-Reflection and Judgement of the Teachers of Teachers” (presentation to the ‘Reflective Learning and Teaching for Thinking’ TIG @ ETEN 2015 http://www.jeten-online.org/index.php/jeten/article/view/91/116...

Simulation and Gaming: Directions, Issues, Ponderables.

Science.gov (United States)

Uretsky, Michael

1995-01-01

Discusses the current use of simulation and gaming in a variety of settings. Describes advances in technology that facilitate the use of simulation and gaming, including computer power, computer networks, software, object-oriented programming, video, multimedia, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence. Considers the future use of simulation…

Adamkus ponders Putin's invitation / Milda Seputyte

Index Scriptorium Estoniae

Seputyte, Milda

2005-01-01

Leedus jätkub debatt selle üle, kas president Adamkus peaks osalema Moskvas 9. mail Teise maailmasõja pidustustel. 51 protsenti inimestest, kes vastasid selle-teemalisele küsitlusele, olid presidendi üritusel osalemise poolt

What to Ponder before You Pin

Science.gov (United States)

Cigelske, Tim

2013-01-01

It wasn't long ago that an institution's primary social media options were Facebook and Twitter. Then, colleges and universities began diving into social media even if they didn't quite yet know what they should be trying to accomplish with these new channels. Now, as new platforms continually emerge, knowing when it's time to invest institutional…

A Time to Pause and Ponder

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Daugbjerg, Peer; Spencer, Christopher

2018-01-01

In this paper the authors share experiences from teacher education in the UK and Denmark. They apply methodologies for supporting teacher students from initial exposure to the classroom setting, through training programmes and into the early stages of their professional work. They use Frankl...

A prospective investigation of rumination and executive control in predicting overgeneral autobiographical memory in adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Stewart, Tracy M; Hunter, Simon C; Rhodes, Sinéad M

2018-04-01

The CaR-FA-X model (Williams et al., 2007), or capture and rumination (CaR), functional avoidance (FA), and impaired executive control (X), is a model of overgeneral autobiographical memory (OGM). Two mechanisms of the model, rumination and executive control, were examined in isolation and in interaction in order to investigate OGM over time. Across two time points, six months apart, a total of 149 adolescents (13-16 years) completed the minimal-instruction autobiographical memory test, a measure of executive control with both emotional and nonemotional stimuli, and measures of brooding rumination and reflective pondering. The results showed that executive control for emotional information was negatively associated with OGM, but only when reflective pondering levels were high. Therefore, in the context of higher levels of reflective pondering, greater switch costs (i.e., lower executive control) when processing emotional information predicted a decrease in OGM over time.

Homemade nuclear bomb syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyer, W.; Loyalka, S.K.; Nelson, W.E.; Williams, R.W.

1977-01-01

With the publication of Nuclear Theft: Risks and Safeguards by Willrich and Taylor, significant attention has been focused by the media and the public on the possibility of fissile materials being stolen by a terrorist organization and diverted to the actual building, or the threat of building, of a nuclear explosive device. The implication has been created that one or several relatively inexperienced individuals could obtain the materials necessary and fabricate a low-yield nuclear explosive. This article examines these contentions in some detail. The safeguards and use-denial methods presently used in the nuclear fuel cycle are considered and the difficulties they present in obtaining significant amounts of strategic nuclear materials are examined. The characteristics of reactor-grade plutonium are discussed, and the difficulties associated with the assembly of an efficient nuclear explosive device are outlined

Homemade nuclear bomb syndrome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nelson, W.E.

1977-01-01

This work discusses the hindrances that a malefactor would have to overcome in his attempts to acquire the necessary materials for the construction of a nuclear device. The methods of nuclear materials control that were used in the past, are presently employed, and are envisioned for the future are discussed. Use denial methods are examined and are shown to complement the nuclear materials control programs. International nuclear materials controls are also discussed. The characteristics of reactor grade materials are presented. The problems associated with attempting to work with reactor grade plutonium; radiation hazard, metallurgical problems, self heating, predetonation, etc., are discussed. Also presented is a method for approximating the energy release from a nuclear device. A risk versus benefit study is presented. The societal risk method of examining the nuclear materials control programs is discussed and shown to be a valuable tool for pointing out possible weaknesses in the nuclear materials control programs. A comparison of plutonium and more conventional hazardous substances is presented in order to show that the desirability of plutonium as a terrorist weapon has been greatly overrated. Also discussed is the recent policy statement by President Carter that the United States will forego the utilization of plutonium in order to halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons. The problems that will arise from this policy are noted. It is concluded that while the present programs aimed at strengthening the nuclear materials controls should continue to be pursued, the public has been misled as to the ease of acquiring the requisite materials and the construction of a nuclear device. It is also clearly understood that while reactor grade materials do not lend themselves to ready assembly of a nuclear device, they must still be effectively safeguarded

基于网络商盟的信任交易管理机制研究%Research of Trust Transaction Management Mechanism Based on Online Marketing Coalition

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

胡润波; 杨德礼; 刁新军

2009-01-01

How to build an effective trust transaction mechanism is one of the most important problems in online trading management. Based on analyzing limitations of the existing online trust transaction mechanism, and according to characteristics of online transaction trust problem and business coalition in traditional commerce field, the article proposes a new trust transaction management mechanism on the basis of online marketing coalition. The mechanism makes the online transaction safe by way of prevention beforehand, coordination during the process and punishment afterwards. Three problems can be solved effectively; 1) putting an end to the phenomenon that no one wants to transact with newly registered users; 2) preventing members from changing identity to cheat; 3) reducing the workload of online business platform arbitration. By the behavior analysis between buyers and sellers with the above mechanism, we prove that the strategy of honest trade is the Sub-game Perfect Nash E-quilibrium in repeated game.%如何建立有效的信任交易管理机制是网络交易信任管理中的一个重要问题.在分析现有网络信任交易机制局限性的基础上,根据网络交易信任问题的特点和现实社会中商业联盟的特性,提出一种基于网络商盟的信任交易管理机制,建立事前防范,事中协调,事后惩罚三位一体的欺诈约束机制,保障网络交易的安全性.本研究有效解决三方面问题:1)解决新注册用户难以开展业务的问题;2)有效防止会员通过变换身份进行欺诈;3)降低网络交易平台仲裁的工作量.采用博弈理论分析该机制下的交易方行为,可以证明诚信交易是长期博弈的子博弈完美纳什均衡策略.

National Patient Safety Foundation

Science.gov (United States)

... News Member Testimonials Lifetime Members Stand Up for Patient Safety Welcome Stand Up Members Stand Up e-News ... PLS Webcast Archives Stand Up Templates and Logos Patient Safety Coalition Coalition Overview Coalition Member Roster Members-Only ...

On open questions of the coalition agreement. EEG levy, national CO2 levy, electricity tax instead of energy tax?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Becker, Peter

2018-01-01

The regulations in the coalition agreement on the energy transition and the climate protection is sad: the 2020 climate protection goal is abandoned. At the same time, this makes the German contribution to the Parisian climate change agreement eroded. The goals are only general described, the paths to it must be a commission ''Growth, Structural change and Employment'' as a basis for a law. The statements on the energy revolution disappoint even more. On Proportion of about 65 percent renewable energy (RES) by 2030 is ''desired''. It would be desirable to cover the ''additional Electricity requirements for achieving the climate protection targets in transport, in buildings and in industry''; one senses: they have in fact already dealing with the sector coupling. But that for a sector coupling that allows to achieve the climate protection goals, a doubling of electricity production is necessary, one can do not read anywhere. Although the policy is committed to Power to X; also the deputy Bareiss of the CDU. But that, for example, at Power to gas only reaches about an efficiency of about 30 percent is hardly anyone speaks. An important reason for the non-binding nature of the statements not only the political dissent, but the high complexity of the Material. For example, the connection between the introduction of a CO 2 tax and the electricity or energy taxation not on the hand. Therefore, the attempt should be made, the demands to set up a theses and briefly explain the connections. This post is intended as an invitation to discuss. [de

A Game-Theoretical Approach for Spectrum Efficiency Improvement in Cloud-RAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhuofu Zhou

2016-01-01

Full Text Available As tremendous mobile devices access to the Internet in the future, the cells which can provide high data rate and more capacity are expected to be deployed. Specifically, in the next generation of mobile communication 5G, cloud computing is supposed to be applied to radio access network. In cloud radio access network (Cloud-RAN, the traditional base station is divided into two parts, that is, remote radio heads (RRHs and base band units (BBUs. RRHs are geographically distributed and densely deployed, so as to achieve high data rate and low latency. However, the ultradense deployment inevitably deteriorates spectrum efficiency due to the severer intercell interference among RRHs. In this paper, the downlink spectrum efficiency can be improved through the cooperative transmission based on forming the coalitions of RRHs. We formulate the problem as a coalition formation game in partition form. In the process of coalition formation, each RRH can join or leave one coalition to maximize its own individual utility while taking into account the coalition utility at the same time. Moreover, the convergence and stability of the resulting coalition structure are studied. The numeric simulation result demonstrates that the proposed approach based on coalition formation game is superior to the noncooperative method in terms of the aggregate coalition utility.

Paying for convenience: comparing the cost of takeaway meals with their healthier home-cooked counterparts in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Mackay, Sally; Vandevijvere, Stefanie; Xie, Pei; Lee, Amanda; Swinburn, Boyd

2017-09-01

Convenience and cost impact on people's meal decisions. Takeaway and pre-prepared foods save preparation time but may contribute to poorer-quality diets. Analysing the impact of time on relative cost differences between meals of varying convenience contributes to understanding the barrier of time to selecting healthy meals. Six popular New Zealand takeaway meals were identified from two large national surveys and compared with similar, but healthier, home-made and home-assembled meals that met nutrition targets consistent with New Zealand Eating and Activity Guidelines. The cost of each complete meal, cost per kilogram, and confidence intervals of the cost of each meal type were calculated. The time-inclusive cost was calculated by adding waiting or preparation time cost at the minimum wage. A large urban area in New Zealand. For five of six popular meals, the mean cost of the home-made and home-assembled meals was cheaper than the takeaway meals. When the cost of time was added, all home-assembled meal options were the cheapest and half of the home-made meals were at least as expensive as the takeaway meals. The home-prepared meals were designed to provide less saturated fat and Na and more vegetables than their takeaway counterparts; however, the home-assembled meals provided more Na than the home-made meals. Healthier home-made and home-assembled meals were, except one, cheaper options than takeaways. When the cost of time was added, either the home-made or the takeaway meal was the most expensive. This research questions whether takeaways are better value than home-prepared meals.

Liquid explosives. The threat to civil aviation and the European response

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruiter, C.J. de; Lemmens, O.M.E.J.

2008-01-01

This paper deals with the specific group of homemade liquid high explosives in relation to aviation security. The sudden and irrefutable focus on homemade explosives and liquid explosives in particular after the 2006 defeated attacks in London, made the aviation security community realize that the

Evaluating Community Partnerships Addressing Community Resilience in Los Angeles, California

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Malcolm V. Williams

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Community resilience has grown in importance in national disaster response and recovery efforts. However, measurement of community resilience, particularly the content and quality of relationships aimed at improving resilience, is lacking. To address this gap, we used a social network survey to measure the number, type, and quality of relationships among organizations participating in 16 coalitions brought together to address community resilience in the Los Angeles Community Disaster Resilience project. These coalitions were randomized to one of two approaches (community resilience or preparedness. Resilience coalitions received training and support to develop these partnerships and implement new activities. Both coalition types received expert facilitation by a public health nurse or community educator. We also measured the activities each coalition engaged in and the extent to which partners participated in these activities at two time points. We found that the community resilience coalitions were initially larger and had lower trust among members than the preparedness communities. Over time, these trust differences dissipated. While both coalitions grew, the resilience community coalitions maintained their size difference throughout the project. We also found differences in the types of activities implemented by the resilience communities; these differences were directly related to the trainings provided. This information is useful to organizations seeking guidance on expanding the network of community-based organizations that participate in community resilience activities.

A surgical intervention for the body politic: Generation Squeeze applies the Advocacy Coalition Framework to social determinants of health knowledge translation.

Science.gov (United States)

Kershaw, Paul; Swanson, Eric; Stucchi, Andrea

2017-06-16

The World Health Organization Commission on the Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) observes that building political will is central to all its recommendations, because governments respond to those who organize and show up. Since younger Canadians are less likely to vote or to organize in between elections, they are less effective at building political will than their older counterparts. This results in an age gap between SDoH research and government budget priorities. Whereas Global AgeWatch ranks Canada among the top countries for aging, UNICEF ranks Canada among the least generous OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries for the generations raising young children. A surgical intervention into the body politic. Guided by the "health political science" literature, the intervention builds a non-profit coalition to perform science-based, non-partisan democratic engagement to increase incentives for policy-makers to translate SDoH research about younger generations into government budget investments. All four national parties integrated policy recommendations from the intervention into their 2015 election platforms. Three referred to, or consulted with, the intervention during the election. The intervention coincided with all parties committing to the single largest annual increase in spending on families with children in over a decade. Since many population-level decisions are made in political venues, the concept of population health interventions should be broadened to include activities designed to mobilize SDoH science in the world of politics. Such interventions must engage with the power dynamics, values, interests and institutional factors that mediate the path by which science shapes government budgets.

The Quality of Alcohol Products in Vietnam and Its Implications for Public Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jürgen Rehm

2009-07-01

Full Text Available Four homemade (artisanally manufactured and unrecorded and seven commercial (industrially manufactured and taxed alcohol products from Vietnam were collected and chemically analyzed for toxicologically relevant substances. The majority of both types had alcohol contents between 30 and 40% vol. Two homemade samples contained significantly higher concentrations of 45 and 50% vol. In one of these homemade samples the labeled alcoholic strength was exceeded by nearly 20% vol. All other analyzed constituents of the samples (e.g., methanol, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols, esters, metals, anions were found in concentrations that did not pose a threat to public health. A peculiarity was a homemade sample of alcohol with pickled snakes and scorpions that contained 77% vol of alcohol, allegedly used as traditional Chinese medicine. Based on this small sample, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that alcohol quality, beyond the effects of ethanol, has an influence on health in Vietnam. However, future research with larger samples is needed.

The quality of alcohol products in Vietnam and its implications for public health.

Science.gov (United States)

Lachenmeier, Dirk W; Anh, Pham Thi Hoang; Popova, Svetlana; Rehm, Jürgen

2009-08-01

Four homemade (artisanally manufactured and unrecorded) and seven commercial (industrially manufactured and taxed) alcohol products from Vietnam were collected and chemically analyzed for toxicologically relevant substances. The majority of both types had alcohol contents between 30 and 40% vol. Two homemade samples contained significantly higher concentrations of 45 and 50% vol. In one of these homemade samples the labeled alcoholic strength was exceeded by nearly 20% vol. All other analyzed constituents of the samples (e.g., methanol, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols, esters, metals, anions) were found in concentrations that did not pose a threat to public health. A peculiarity was a homemade sample of alcohol with pickled snakes and scorpions that contained 77% vol of alcohol, allegedly used as traditional Chinese medicine. Based on this small sample, there is insufficient evidence to conclude that alcohol quality, beyond the effects of ethanol, has an influence on health in Vietnam. However, future research with larger samples is needed.

Soft cooperation systems and games

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández, J. R.; Gallego, I.; Jiménez-Losada, A.; Ordóñez, M.

2018-04-01

A cooperative game for a set of agents establishes a fair allocation of the profit obtained for their cooperation. In order to obtain this allocation, a characteristic function is known. It establishes the profit of each coalition of agents if this coalition decides to act alone. Originally players are considered symmetric and then the allocation only depends on the characteristic function; this paper is about cooperative games with an asymmetric set of agents. We introduced cooperative games with a soft set of agents which explains those parameters determining the asymmetry among them in the cooperation. Now the characteristic function is defined not over the coalitions but over the soft coalitions, namely the profit depends not only on the formed coalition but also on the attributes considered for the players in the coalition. The best known of the allocation rules for cooperative games is the Shapley value. We propose a Shapley kind solution for soft games.

Cost-effective unilateral climate policy design: Size Matters

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boehringer, Christoph; Fischer, Carolyn; Rosendahl, Knut Einar

2011-07-01

Given the bleak prospects for a global agreement on mitigating climate change, pressure for unilateral abatement is increasing. A major challenge is emissions leakage. Border carbon adjustments and output-based allocation of emissions allowances can increase effectiveness of unilateral action but introduce distortions of their own. We assess antileakage measures as a function of abatement coalition size. We first develop a partial equilibrium analytical framework to see how these instruments affect emissions within and outside the coalition. We then employ a computable general equilibrium model of international trade and energy use to assess the strategies as the coalition grows. We find that full border adjustments rank first in global cost-effectiveness, followed by import tariffs and output-based rebates. The differences across measures and their overall appeal decline as the abatement coalition grows. In terms of cost, the coalition countries prefer border carbon adjustments; countries outside the coalition prefer output-based rebates.(Author)

LA PERCEPCIÓN DEL SOBREPESO Y LA OBESIDAD INFANTIL POR PARTE DE LOS PROGENITORES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amelia Rodríguez Martín

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Fundamento: Con frecuencia los padres no perciben la sobrecarga ponderal de sus hijos. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar con que frecuencia se produce este hecho y si esta percepción se asocia a diferencias en hábitos alimentarios, actividad física y sedentarismo de sus hijos. Métodos: Estudio transversal de 1.620 niños de 3 a 16 años seleccionados en un muestreo por conglomerados (2008-2010. 454 presentaron sobrecarga ponderal. Se estudiaron sus características antropométricas, hábitos alimentarios, actividad física (adaptación cuestionarios Cindi/Maraton y sedentarismo. Analizamos las diferencias con niños con normopeso, sobrecarga ponderal percibida y no percibida (chi2 y Anova. Resultados: Los padres percibieron el 34,7% del sobrepeso y un 72,3% de obesidad en sus hijos varones, y un 10,8% y 53,8% respectivamente en las hijas. Los padres y madres obesos identifican un 54,5% y el 57,7% de los casos de sobrecarga ponderal de varones, frente al 23,8% y 27,8% en niñas. La percepción del exceso de peso se asocio a la cualificación profesional del padre (47% y a la de ser ama de casa en las mujeers (40%. La percepción coincidió con mayor cumplimiento de recomendaciones de actividad física en los hijos (67,5 vs. 77,3% e hijas (47,5% vs 55,6% más jóvenes, menor sedentarismo en éstas (42,6% vs. 38,9%, y discretas diferencias por sexo y edad en los hábitos alimentarios. Conclusiones: Un porcentaje significativo de casos con sobrecarga ponderal infantil no es percibida por sus padres debiéndose estudiar sus causas y por qué esta percepción parental no determina diferencias en alimentación, actividad física y sedentarismo de sus hijos.

Robust Dynamic Cooperative Games

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bauso, D.; Timmer, Judith B.

2006-01-01

Classical cooperative game theory is no longer a suitable tool for those situations where the values of coalitions are not known with certainty. Recent works address situations where the values of coalitions are modelled by random variables. In this work we still consider the values of coalitions as

DINAMIKA KOALISI PARTAI-PARTAI POLITIK DI INDONESIA MENJELANG DAN SETELAH PEMILIHAN PRESIDEN TAHUN 2014

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Widya Sumadinata

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the dynamics of a coalition of political parties in Indonesia, especially in the presidential election of 2014 through a Fuzzy approach. The results of this study indicate that the ideology of political parties cannot be used as coalition preferences in absolute terms. The formation of the coalition is heavily based on seeking office interest. In other words, political parties in Indonesia have not been able to gain funding independently but still rely on state resources that obtained through its members in the executive and legislative offices. However, fuzzy logic modeling to the coalition as conducted in this writing is still very simple and need to test rigor of mathematical models that can describe the real condition of the behavior of political parties to form a coalition.