Dental implant treatment following trauma: An investigation into the failure to complete Accident Compensation Corporation funded care.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, R; Murray, C; Leichter, J

2016-03-01

Among other restorative strategies, the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) provides benefits for dental implant treatment to replace teeth lost as a result of trauma. While ACC has funded over 15,000 dental implants since 2002, the outcomes of this treatment and patient perceptions of this treatment have not been investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of the dental implant treatment outcomes and reasons for failure to complete restorative treatment in patients who had undergone trauma-related implant surgery funded by ACC between February 2006 and September 2009, but had not completed the prosthetic component of the treatment. A randomly selected sample of 399 patients, who had undergone dental implant surgery but not completed the crown restoration, was identified from the ACC database. These individuals were contacted by mail for expressions of interest and 181 clients were interviewed by telephone. Responses to open-ended questions were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analysed using a general inductive technique. A common emergent theme was the high level of satisfaction expressed by participants with the implant process, however just under half of those responding felt they had been pushed into having implants and were given the impression that this was the only treatment ACC paid for. The cost of the prosthetic phase of the treatment and surgical complications were identified as the primary reasons why participants failed to complete the restorative phase of treatment, after completing the surgical phase. The results highlighted the need to better inform patients of their treatment options and to allow time for them to process this information before progressing with care. A patient decision tool may help to give greater ownership of the treatment options. Newly implemented protocols to assist dentists to better assess treatment needs may also assist in achieving improvements in perceived treatment outcomes for

A map of community-based obesity prevention initiatives in Australia following obesity funding 2009-2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Whelan, Jillian; Love, Penny; Romanus, Anne; Pettman, Tahna; Bolton, Kristy; Smith, Erin; Gill, Tim; Coveney, John; Waters, Elizabeth; Allender, Steve

2015-04-01

Obesity is the single biggest public health threat to developed and developing economies. In concert with healthy public policy, multi-strategy, multi-level community-based initiatives appear promising in preventing obesity, with several countries trialling this approach. In Australia, multiple levels of government have funded and facilitated a range of community-based obesity prevention initiatives (CBI), heterogeneous in their funding, timing, target audience and structure. This paper aims to present a central repository of CBI operating in Australia during 2013, to facilitate knowledge exchange and shared opportunities for learning, and to guide professional development towards best practice for CBI practitioners. A comprehensive search of government, non-government and community websites was undertaken to identify CBI in Australia in 2013. This was supplemented with data drawn from available reports, personal communication and key informant interviews. The data was translated into an interactive map for use by preventive health practitioners and other parties. We identified 259 CBI; with the majority (84%) having a dual focus on physical activity and healthy eating. Few initiatives, (n=37) adopted a four-pronged multi-strategy approach implementing policy, built environment, social marketing and/or partnership building. This comprehensive overview of Australian CBI has the potential to facilitate engagement and collaboration through knowledge exchange and information sharing amongst CBI practitioners, funders, communities and researchers. An enhanced understanding of current practice highlights areas of strengths and opportunities for improvement to maximise the impact of obesity prevention initiatives. © 2015 Public Health Association of Australia.

EU-Great! European guide and recommendations for the combined funding of large-scale RDI initiatives

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heide, M.J.L. de; Butter, M.

2016-01-01

This report results from the H2020 project entitled “EU-GREAT!”.1 Objective of the report is to assess how to finance the set-up and / or continuation of what is defined as Large-scale RDI initiatives (LSIs, see Box 1). The report analyses the potential use of different public and private funding

Metrics, Dollars, and Systems Change: Learning from Washington State's Student Achievement Initiative to Design Effective Postsecondary Performance Funding Policies. A State Policy Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Jenkins, Davis; Shulock, Nancy

2013-01-01

The Student Achievement Initiative (SAI), adopted by the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges in 2007, is one of a growing number of performance funding programs that have been dubbed "performance funding 2.0." Unlike previous performance funding models, the SAI rewards colleges for students' intermediate…

Communication technologies to improve HPV vaccination initiation and completion: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Diane B; Cates, Joan R; Wagner, Kyla P Garrett; Zola, Tracey; Fitter, Jenny E; Coyne-Beasley, Tamera

2017-07-01

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of communication technology interventions on HPV vaccination initiation and completion. A comprehensive search strategy was used to identify existing randomized controlled trials testing the impact of computer-, mobile- or internet-based interventions on receipt of any dose of the HPV vaccine. Twelve relevant studies were identified with a total of 38,945 participants. The interventions were delivered using several different methods, including electronic health record (i.e. recall/reminder) prompts, text messaging, automated phone calls, interactive computer videos, and email. Vaccine initiation and completion was greater for technology-based studies relative to their control conditions. There is evidence that interventions utilizing communication technologies as their sole or primary mode for HPV vaccination intervention delivery may increase vaccination coverage. Communication technologies hold much promise for the future of HPV vaccination efforts, especially initiatives in practice-based settings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Pension Fund passes important milestones

CERN Document Server

2012-01-01

In this column, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) presents the Board's latest main decisions, initiatives and accomplishments to the Fund's members and beneficiaries.   Since my last report in October, the PFGB has passed several milestones in actuarial, technical and investment matters. The PFGB has completed an analysis of a request by the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO) to reduce the increased cost of pension insurance for new ESO recruits that has been caused by the increased CHF/€ exchange ratio. Currently the staff of ESO are admitted to the CERN Pension Fund, pursuant to a co-operation agreement between CERN and ESO dating back to 1968. This analysis assessed the actuarial, financial, administrative and legal implications, and is scheduled to be presented to the CERN Council and the Finance Committee in December. After an open tendering process the PFGB has selected Buck Consultants Limited...

A Strategic Approach for Funding Research: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Patient Safety Initiative 2000-2004

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Keyes, Margaret A; Ortiz, Eduardo; Queenan, Deborah; Hughes, Ronda; Chesley, Francis; Hogan, Eileen M

2005-01-01

.... While the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has historically funded some research on patient safety, much of that support was driven by a small number of highquality investigator-initiated research projects...

Structure of a Complete Mediator-RNA Polymerase II Pre-Initiation Complex.

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Philip J; Trnka, Michael J; Bushnell, David A; Davis, Ralph E; Mattei, Pierre-Jean; Burlingame, Alma L; Kornberg, Roger D

2016-09-08

A complete, 52-protein, 2.5 million dalton, Mediator-RNA polymerase II pre-initiation complex (Med-PIC) was assembled and analyzed by cryo-electron microscopy and by chemical cross-linking and mass spectrometry. The resulting complete Med-PIC structure reveals two components of functional significance, absent from previous structures, a protein kinase complex and the Mediator-activator interaction region. It thereby shows how the kinase and its target, the C-terminal domain of the polymerase, control Med-PIC interaction and transcription. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A map of community-based obesity prevention initiatives in Australia following obesity funding 2009–2013

Science.gov (United States)

Whelan, Jillian; Love, Penny; Romanus, Anne; Pettman, Tahna; Bolton, Kristy; Smith, Erin; Gill, Tim; Coveney, John; Waters, Elizabeth; Allender, Steve

2015-01-01

Abstract Objective: Obesity is the single biggest public health threat to developed and developing economies. In concert with healthy public policy, multi-strategy, multi-level community-based initiatives appear promising in preventing obesity, with several countries trialling this approach. In Australia, multiple levels of government have funded and facilitated a range of community-based obesity prevention initiatives (CBI), heterogeneous in their funding, timing, target audience and structure. This paper aims to present a central repository of CBI operating in Australia during 2013, to facilitate knowledge exchange and shared opportunities for learning, and to guide professional development towards best practice for CBI practitioners. Methods: A comprehensive search of government, non-government and community websites was undertaken to identify CBI in Australia in 2013. This was supplemented with data drawn from available reports, personal communication and key informant interviews. The data was translated into an interactive map for use by preventive health practitioners and other parties. Results: We identified 259 CBI; with the majority (84%) having a dual focus on physical activity and healthy eating. Few initiatives, (n=37) adopted a four-pronged multi-strategy approach implementing policy, built environment, social marketing and/or partnership building. Conclusion: This comprehensive overview of Australian CBI has the potential to facilitate engagement and collaboration through knowledge exchange and information sharing amongst CBI practitioners, funders, communities and researchers. Implications: An enhanced understanding of current practice highlights areas of strengths and opportunities for improvement to maximise the impact of obesity prevention initiatives. PMID:25561083

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

As announced in the Bulletin during the summer, the Pension Fund has published a complete new version of the Fund's Rules and Regulations incorporating all amendments up to 1 November 2006, following the decisions of the CERN Council. This new version of the Rules and Regulations can be downloaded in A4 format (pdf document) directly from the Pension Fund's website (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm for the Rules and http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/règlements___regulations.htm for the Regulations) or obtained from the Fund Administration (Tel. 022 767 27 42, Building 5, 1-030, or by e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch).

B-physics performance with Initial and Complete Inner detector layouts in Data Challenge-1

CERN Document Server

Benekos, N C; Bouhova-Thacker, E; Epp, B; Ghete, V M; Jones, R; Kartvelishvili, V G; Lagouri, T; Laporte, J F; Nairz, A; Nikitine, N; Reznicek, P; Sivoklokov, S Yu; Smizanska, M; Testa, M; Toms, K

2004-01-01

The B-physics performance for the Initial and the Complete Inner Detector layouts is presented. Selected types of B-physics events were simulated, reconstructed and analyzed using the software tools of ATLAS Data Challenge-1 (DC1). The results were compared to those obtained with an older ATLAS detector design the so-called TDR layout. Within the limitations of the DC1 software tools an attempt was made to evaluate the performance loss due to missing detector parts in the Initial layout in comparison with the Complete detector.

77 FR 16030 - FY2012 Supplemental Funding for Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Grantees

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-19

... loan fund to enhance remediation and provide funds on a continuing basis; and (IV) Such other similar... be started and completed expeditiously (i.e. ``shovel-ready'' projects) and will lead to...

75 FR 81979 - Proposed Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Social Innovation Fund 2011 Awards; Request for...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-29

... Social Innovation Fund 2011 Awards; Request for Feedback AGENCY: Corporation for National and Community... of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Social Innovation Fund Awards. SUMMARY: The Corporation for... the 2011 Social Innovation Fund competition. This release will initiate a public input period that...

A situational analysis of pharmacovigilance plans in the Global Fund Malaria and U.S. President's Malaria Initiative proposals.

Science.gov (United States)

Stergachis, Andy; Bartlein, Rebecca J K; Dodoo, Alexander; Nwokike, Jude; Kachur, S Patrick

2010-05-30

Pharmacovigilance programmes can monitor and help ensure the safe use of medicines that are critical to the success of global public health programmes. The widespread deployment of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) by national malaria control programmes as part of the overall Global Malaria Action Plan for malaria control to elimination and eradication makes ACT an excellent candidate for pharmacovigilance activities. In 2008, The Roll Back Malaria partnership issued guidelines for inclusion of pharmacovigilance in Global Fund and other related proposals. In light of this recommendation and the rapid scale-up of ACT worldwide, an analysis of Global Fund Round 8 proposals and the President's Malaria Initiative (PMI) 2009 Malaria Operational Plans was conducted to assess if and how pharmacovigilance has been incorporated into countries' national malaria plans and donor budget requests. The Global Fund-Malaria Round 8 proposals for the 26 countries and the PMI Malaria Operational Plans (MOPs) for fiscal year 2009 for the 15 countries that were approved and received funding from either the Global Fund-Malaria Round 8 or PMI were accessed through the programme websites. The analysis consisted of conducting word counts and key word in context analyses of each proposal and plan. Twelve out of 26 (46%) of the Global Fund proposals mentioned that established pharmacovigilance systems were present in their countries. Four of the fifteen PMI MOPs (27%) mentioned that established pharmacovigilance systems were present in their countries. Only seven of the 26 (27%) Global Fund proposals included a request for funding for new or current pharmacovigilance activities. Seven of 15 (47%) MOPs included a request for funding for pharmacovigilance activities. There were relatively few requests for funding for pharmacovigilance activities, demonstrating a lack of emphasis placed on pharmacovigilance systems in recipient countries. The findings stress the need for more active

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2008-01-01

The Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) held two meetings over the summer, the first on 9 June and the second on 1st September. The agendas of the two meetings had several items in common, including progress reports on the work of the four working groups. Group 1, which is responsible for the revision of Chapter I, Section 2 of the Rules of the Fund, has made good progress but will need more time to complete its terms of reference in view of the number and complexity of the articles to be amended. In parallel, the Group has approved a code of conduct for the Pension Fund, which is based, in particular, on the new charter introduced for Swiss pension funds by the Swiss Association of Provident Institutions (ASIP) and the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) code of ethics applicable to members of pension fund bodies. The PFGB took note that the Group had also been working on the rules relating to the status of the personnel of the Fund and the composition of the Investment Committee. The work of Group 2, responsi...

Pension fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

At its June 2006 meeting, the Finance Committee approved the following amendment to Article 6a of the Regulations for elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund, which will enter into force on 1.7.2006: Current text New text ... 6a. The Administrator of the Fund shall be responsible for holding the elections and for issuing all relevant information. ... ... 6a. The Administrator of the Fund shall be responsible for holding the elections by electronic voting or, if this method cannot be used, following the procedure outlined in Articles 6i., 6j. and 6k. below. He shall issue to the members of the Pension Fund all relevant information concerning the elections. The deadlines mentioned in paragraphs 6i. and 6j. below shall apply mutatis mutandis to electronic voting. ... The amendment will allow the Pension Fund to use an electronic voting procedure for the election of elected members to the Governing Board of the Fund. It will be included in a complete new edition of the Rules and Regulatio...

Complete motif analysis of sequence requirements for translation initiation at non-AUG start codons.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz de Arce, Alexander J; Noderer, William L; Wang, Clifford L

2018-01-25

The initiation of mRNA translation from start codons other than AUG was previously believed to be rare and of relatively low impact. More recently, evidence has suggested that as much as half of all translation initiation utilizes non-AUG start codons, codons that deviate from AUG by a single base. Furthermore, non-AUG start codons have been shown to be involved in regulation of expression and disease etiology. Yet the ability to gauge expression based on the sequence of a translation initiation site (start codon and its flanking bases) has been limited. Here we have performed a comprehensive analysis of translation initiation sites that utilize non-AUG start codons. By combining genetic-reporter, cell-sorting, and high-throughput sequencing technologies, we have analyzed the expression associated with all possible variants of the -4 to +4 positions of non-AUG translation initiation site motifs. This complete motif analysis revealed that 1) with the right sequence context, certain non-AUG start codons can generate expression comparable to that of AUG start codons, 2) sequence context affects each non-AUG start codon differently, and 3) initiation at non-AUG start codons is highly sensitive to changes in the flanking sequences. Complete motif analysis has the potential to be a key tool for experimental and diagnostic genomics. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

The Chiang Mai Initiative and Its Multilateralization: Toward an Asian Monetary Fund?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Youngwon Cho

2011-11-01

Full Text Available As a regional self-help system of liquidity support established in the aftermath of the Asian crisis of 1997, the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI and its recent multilateralization have been touted in some quarters as important achievements in a region where institutionalized financial cooperation had been sorely lacking, taking East Asia one step closer to the resuscitation of the still-born Asian Monetary Fund. Against such a sanguine assessment, I argue that the significance of the CMI, even after its multilateralization, is largely limited to symbolism and its practical implications are inconsequential. Despite the progress associated with CMI multilateralization, the underlying political dynamics in the region render East Asia fundamentally incapable of producing a coherent regional solution to the recurring problem of global financial instability.

Funding ATLAS 2012 key indicators for publicly funded research in Germany

CERN Document Server

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)

2013-01-01

The Funding ATLAS is a reporting system (previously referred to as the Funding Ranking) employed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) to provide information in the form of indicators of key developments in publicly funded research in Germany every three years. This English version of the Funding ATLAS 2012 presents selected findings from the more comprehensive German edition. At the core of the report are indicators that provide information on which subject areas have received funding at higher education and other research institutions in the period 2008-2010. This report also includes, as a supplement not found in the German edition, the decisions on the Excellence Initiative, which were taken shortly after the German edition of the Funding ATLAS 2012 was published. The report also addresses the subject of internationality by presenting selected indicators that show how attractive Germany's research institutions are for visiting scientists. In summary, the DFG Funding ATLAS furnishes reliable indicators o...

Study on the Withdrawal Way of Silk Road Fund under the Belt and Road Initiative Based on Game Theory Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qu Yingying

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Silk Road Fund is an important financial support of The Belt and Road Initiative, it has a strict investment operation process to realize the capital appreciation, so the withdrawal is crucial. This paper models the utility game and find the game mechanism between Silk Road Fund and target enterprise. And then we put forward some referential suggestions such as choosing suitable withdraw opportunity, perfecting talent team and information transmission mechanism,strengthening cooperation with local government, making effective use of gambling agreement and actively exploring new exit mode.

The Common Fund Initiative and Its Implication for Advancing Exercise and Physical Activity Research in Child Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Dan M; Radom-Aizik, Shlomit

2015-08-01

NIH Director Francis Collins noted that the Common Fund initiative would lead to unprecedented insights into the mechanisms responsible for the health effects of physical activity. He noted: “Armed with this knowledge, researchers and clinicians may one day be able to define optimal physical activity recommendations for people at various stages of life, as well as develop precisely targeted regimens for individuals with particular health needs.” Given the ominous burden of physical inactivity-related diseases and conditions in otherwise healthy children, and the growing number of children who survive chronic diseases in whom we know little about what constitutes healthy exercise, it is essential that the community of child health researchers develop compelling strategies and proposals in response to the unique opportunity offered through the Common Fund mechanism.

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2008-01-01

The PFGB held two meetings over the summer, the first on 9 June and the second on 1st September. The agendas of the two meetings had several items in common, including progress reports on the work of the four working groups. Group 1, which is responsible for the revision of Chapter I, Section 2 of the Rules of the Fund, has made good progress but will need more time to complete its terms of reference in view of the number and complexity of the articles to be amended. In parallel, the Group has approved a code of conduct for the Pension Fund, which is based, in particular, on the new charter introduced for Swiss pension funds by the Swiss Association of Provident Institutions (ASIP) and the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) code of ethics applicable to members of pension fund bodies. The PFGB took note that the Group had also been working on the rules relating to the status of the personnel of the Fund and the composition of the Investment Committee. The work of Group 2, resp...

Funding innovation

CERN Multimedia

Marina Giampietro

2012-01-01

For the first time, six knowledge and technology transfer activities are set to benefit from a dedicated fund made available by the Knowledge Transfer group. This initiative cements CERN’s commitment to sharing its technological knowledge and expertise with society.   GEM detectors for flame detection and early earthquake prediction, radio-frequency absorbers for energy recovery, and exotic radioisotopes for medical applications are among the projects funded by the recently introduced KT Fund. “CERN’s scientific programme generates a considerable amount of intellectual property, a natural driver for innovation,” explains Giovanni Anelli, Head of the Knowledge Transfer Group. “Very often, though, financial support is needed to bring the newly-born technologies a step further and make them ready for transfer to other research institutes or to companies.” This is where the KT fund comes into play. It provides vital support in the early sta...

Funding begets biodiversity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ahrends, Antje; Burgess, Neil David; Gereau, Roy E.

2011-01-01

Aim Effective conservation of biodiversity relies on an unbiased knowledge of its distribution. Conservation priority assessments are typically based on the levels of species richness, endemism and threat. Areas identified as important receive the majority of conservation investments, often...... facilitating further research that results in more species discoveries. Here, we test whether there is circularity between funding and perceived biodiversity, which may reinforce the conservation status of areas already perceived to be important while other areas with less initial funding may remain overlooked......, and variances decomposed in partial regressions. Cross-correlations are used to assess whether perceived biodiversity drives funding or vice versa. Results Funding explained 65% of variation in perceived biodiversity patterns – six times more variation than accounted for by 34 candidate environmental factors...

Correlates of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination initiation and completion among 18-26 year olds in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Adjei Boakye, Eric; Lew, Daphne; Muthukrishnan, Meera; Tobo, Betelihem B; Rohde, Rebecca L; Varvares, Mark A; Osazuwa-Peters, Nosayaba

2018-04-30

To examine correlates of HPV vaccination uptake in a nationally representative sample of 18-26-year-old adults. Young adults aged 18-26 years were identified from the 2014 and 2015 National Health Interview Survey (n = 7588). Survey-weighted multivariable logistic regression models estimated sociodemographic factors associated with HPV vaccine initiation (≥1 dose) and completion (≥3 doses). Approximately 27% of study participants had initiated the HPV vaccine and 16% had completed the HPV vaccine. Participants were less likely to initiate the vaccine if they were men [(adjusted odds ratio) 0.19; (95% confidence interval) 0.16-0.23], had a high school diploma (0.40; 0.31-0.52) or less (0.46; 0.32-0.64) vs. college graduates, and were born outside the United States (0.52; 0.40-0.69). But, participants were more likely to initiate the HPV if they visited the doctor's office 1-5 times (2.09; 1.56-2.81), or ≥ 6 times (1.86; 1.48-2.34) within the last 12 months vs. no visits. Odds of completing HPV vaccine uptake followed the same pattern as initiation. And after stratifying the study population by gender and foreign-born status, these variables remained statistically significant. In our nationally representative study, only one out of six 18-26 year olds completed the required vaccine doses. Men, individuals with high school or less education, and those born outside the United States were less likely to initiate and complete the HPV vaccination. Our findings suggest that it may be useful to develop targeted interventions to promote HPV vaccination among those in the catch-up age range.

Effectiveness of a grant program's efforts to promote synergy within its funded initiatives: perceptions of participants of the Southern Rural Access Program

Science.gov (United States)

Pathman, Donald E; Chuang, Emmeline; Weiner, Bryan J

2008-01-01

Background Foundations and public agencies commonly fund focused initiatives for individual grantees. These discrete, stand-alone initiatives can risk failure by being carried out in isolation. Fostering synergy among grantees' initiatives is one strategy proposed for promoting the success and impact of grant programs. We evaluate an explicit strategy to build synergy within the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Southern Rural Access Program (SRAP), which awarded grants to collaboratives within eight southeastern U.S. states to strengthen basic health care services in targeted rural counties. Methods We interviewed 39 key participants of the SRAP, including the program director within each state and the principal subcontractors heading the program's funded initiatives that supported heath professionals' recruitment, retention and training, made loans to health care providers, and built networks among providers. Interews were recorded and transcribed. Two investigators independently coded the transcripts and a third investigator distilled the main points. Results Participants generally perceived that the SRAP yielded more synergies than other grant programs in which they had participated and that these synergies added to the program's impact. The synergies most often noted were achieved through relationship building among grantees and with outside agencies, sharing information and know-how, sharing resources, combining efforts to yield greater capacity, joining voices to advocate for common goals, and spotting gaps in services offered and then filling these gaps. The SRAP's strategies that participants felt fostered synergy included targeting funding to culturally and geographically similar states, supporting complementary types of initiatives, promoting opportunities to network through semi-annual meetings and regular conference calls, and the advocacy efforts of the program's leadership. Participants noted that synergies were sometimes hindered by turf issues and

Effectiveness of a grant program's efforts to promote synergy within its funded initiatives: perceptions of participants of the Southern Rural Access Program

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Weiner Bryan J

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Foundations and public agencies commonly fund focused initiatives for individual grantees. These discrete, stand-alone initiatives can risk failure by being carried out in isolation. Fostering synergy among grantees' initiatives is one strategy proposed for promoting the success and impact of grant programs. We evaluate an explicit strategy to build synergy within the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Southern Rural Access Program (SRAP, which awarded grants to collaboratives within eight southeastern U.S. states to strengthen basic health care services in targeted rural counties. Methods We interviewed 39 key participants of the SRAP, including the program director within each state and the principal subcontractors heading the program's funded initiatives that supported heath professionals' recruitment, retention and training, made loans to health care providers, and built networks among providers. Interews were recorded and transcribed. Two investigators independently coded the transcripts and a third investigator distilled the main points. Results Participants generally perceived that the SRAP yielded more synergies than other grant programs in which they had participated and that these synergies added to the program's impact. The synergies most often noted were achieved through relationship building among grantees and with outside agencies, sharing information and know-how, sharing resources, combining efforts to yield greater capacity, joining voices to advocate for common goals, and spotting gaps in services offered and then filling these gaps. The SRAP's strategies that participants felt fostered synergy included targeting funding to culturally and geographically similar states, supporting complementary types of initiatives, promoting opportunities to network through semi-annual meetings and regular conference calls, and the advocacy efforts of the program's leadership. Participants noted that synergies were sometimes

24 CFR 965.403 - Funding.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

....403 Funding. The cost to change mastermeter systems to individual metering of resident consumption, including the costs of benefit/cost analysis and complete installation of checkmeters, shall be funded from... ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT PHA-OWNED OR...

Lessons from Library Power: Enriching Teaching and Learning. Final Report of the Evaluation of the National Library Power Initiative, an Initiative of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.

Science.gov (United States)

Zweizig, Douglas L.; Hopkins, Dianne McAfee

This book presents the results of an evaluation of Library Power, an initiative of the DeWitt Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund that provided support for school library development in 19 communities. Following an introductory chapter, the chapters are organized around key questions of the evaluation. Chapters 2 through 4 address the implementation of…

How does the outcome of research training fellowships funded via the NHS compare with that from competitively funded fellowships from the MRC and other charities: a cross-sectional retrospective survey of trainees undertaking research training in the West Midlands.

Science.gov (United States)

Maybury, Charlotte; Morgan, Matthew David; Smith, Russell; Harper, Lorraine

2018-01-23

This study aimed to investigate the impact of research training funded via the National Health Service (NHS) on medical trainees compared with traditional clinical research training fellowships (CRTFs). Online survey of 221 clinical trainees who had completed a period of research during their clinical training between 2009 and 2015 in the West Midlands. Research outcomes. Overall response rate was 59%, of whom 72 participants were funded by CRTFs and 51 funded by the NHS. Although participants with CRTFs were more likely to be awarded a higher degree compared with those on NHS-administered funding (66/72 CRTFs and 37/51 NHS, P=0.005), similar proportions of NHS-funded and CRTF-funded participants entered clinical lecturer posts on completing initial research training (8/51 NHS and 16/72 CRTF, P=0.37). 77% of participants had three or more publications (CRTF 57 and NHS 39, P=0.72). 57 participants had completed clinical training; similar proportions of CRTF-funded and NHS-funded trainees had research included in their consultant contract (12/22 NHS and 14/26 CRTF, P=0.96) or were appointed to academic posts (3 of 25 NHS funded and 6 of 32 CRTF, P>0.05). 95% of participants would recommend to colleagues and 82% of participants felt the research experience improved their provision of clinical care with no difference between CRTF-funded and NHS-funded participants (P=0.49). Continuing to participate in clinical work during the research reduced reports of trainee difficulty on returning to clinical work (23/108 continued clinical work vs 12/22 no clinical work, P=0.001). Research training funded by the NHS provides a quality experience and contributes to the clinical academic capacity within the UK. More needs to be done to support NHS participants to successfully achieve a higher degree. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly

The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative: A Funding Model for Science, Engineering, and Technology

Science.gov (United States)

Colwell, R. R.

2016-12-01

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a massive ecological event, resulted in the tragic loss of 11 lives, and an environmental release of more than 130 million gallons of crude oil. Approximately 1.8 million gallons of dispersants were used in remediation efforts. An immediate response by BP was to establish a ten-year research program, with funding of 500 million. The funding was to determine the impact and long-term ecological and public health effects of oil spills and to develop improved preparation in the event of future oil or gas release into the environment. This Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI), established by BP, provided independent leadership for both the program and administration of the 500 million funding, and the Research Board provides oversight, assisted by excellent staff. The Research Board of the GoMRI comprises twenty scientists, many of whom have prior scientific research administrative expertise. The Research Board, in accordance with its charge, develops research programs and carries out their evaluation and oversight, employing the peer review and operational principles of the National Science Foundation and the National Academies of Science. With these guiding principles, the Research Board established procedures for conflict of interest oversight and requesting and evaluating research programs. It has also focused on communicating the research findings accurately and responsibly. The GoMRI Research Board operates with transparency and ensures availability of all scientific results and data. GoMRI, currently midway through its 10-year mandate, has funded more than 3,000 scientists, representing 278 institutions in 42 states and 17 countries, who have produced more than 1,000 peer-reviewed publications to date. The Research Board is exploring mechanisms by which the GoMRI science findings can be communicated to the broader community and the public and to continue availability of data when the program has ended. A major contribution

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

Following the approval by the CERN Council, at its Session in March 2006, of the amendments to Administrative Circular No. 14 (Protection of the members of the personnel against the financial consequences of illness, accident and disability) and the resulting amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, the Administration of the Fund has decided to publish a complete new edition of the Rules and Regulations incorporating all amendments up to 1st July 2006. Members of the Fund will be informed once the new edition of the Rules and Regulations is available from Departmental secretariats.In the meantime, the amendments to the text of the Pension Fund Rules and Regulations, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, are presented below (Previous text/Amended text): Chapter II - Section 1: Contributions and benefits Article II 1.04 - Reference Salary - Part-time Work OLD TEXT: The reference salary of a member with a contract for part-time work shall b...

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

Following the approval by the CERN Council, at its Session in March 2006, of the amendments to Administrative Circular No. 14 (Protection of the members of the personnel against the financial consequences of illness, accident and disability) and the resulting amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, the Administration of the Fund has decided to publish a complete new edition of the Rules and Regulations incorporating all amendments up to 1st July 2006. Members of the Fund will be informed once the new edition of the Rules and Regulations is available from Departmental secretariats. In the meantime, the amendments to the text of the Pension Fund Rules and Regulations, which entered into force on 1st July 2006, are presented below (Previous text/Amended text) : Chapter II - Section 1: Contributions and benefits Article II 1.04 - Reference Salary - Part-time Work OLD TEXT: the reference salary of a member with a contract for part-time work shall be e...

The Australian funding debate on quadrivalent HPV vaccine: a case study for the national pharmaceutical policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Roughead, Elizabeth Ellen; Gilbert, Andrew L; Vitry, Agnes I

2008-12-01

To analyse the media and political reactions to the initial decision of the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) to reject funding of the quadrivalent human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine in Australia. A case study, informed by media reports and government documents, was utilised to examine the reactions of key stakeholders; PBAC, consumers, consumer organisations, pharmaceutical industry, politicians, health professionals and the media to the initial decision to reject funding of HPV vaccine. The initial decision to reject funding of the HPV vaccine led to unprecedented public response with over 300 newspaper articles and calls by consumers, health professionals and politicians to intervene in the decision making process. Misunderstanding of the decision making process, particularly cost-effectiveness assessments, the need for an independent process, the legislated inability of a timely and transparent response from policy makers and the lack of a risk mitigation strategy all played a role in the public outcry. Despite 15 years of implementation of cost-effectiveness assessments there is still a need for improving stakeholder understanding of the decision making process and for timely transfer of complete information. Risk mitigation strategies should be considered as part of the communication plan for all decisions.

Establishing a green lights revolving fund

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-07-01

The report details the experiences of the City of Houston in establishing a Green Lights Revolving Fund. It provides examples of key documents and guidelines which can be used in other jurisdictions to establish an internal revolving fund to provide continuing monies through recapture of cost savings for an ongoing program of energy improvements in governmental facilities. It provides guidelines on how to establish a continuing source of funds for governmental facility energy improvements. The report provides background information on the ongoing energy improvement programs in the City of Houston, including its participation in the Environmental Protection Agency`s Green Lights Program. It reviews the steps required to establish a Green Lights Revolving Fund, including the administrative, legal, budgetary, accounting, interdepartmental, mayoral, and governing body approvals and actions needed to create a self-sustaining revolving fund devoted to energy improvements. The report also describes two funding sources in addition to the grant seed funds which were used to increase the initial funds available in the Green Lights Revolving Fund. It provides sample documents for modification and use in other jurisdictions that want to use similar funding sources. It reports the initial project submission and selection procedure and criteria, and provides a transferable project application kit based on the criteria specified. It also details a sample repayment memorandum of understanding between departments, which can be used in other governments. Other transferable products provided in the report are sample energy audit summaries which were conducted by qualified, independent staff to determine the accuracy of the departmental project costs and savings payback calculations.

Current Developments in Community College Performance Funding

Science.gov (United States)

D'Amico, Mark M.; Friedel, Janice N.; Katsinas, Stephen G.; Thornton, Zoë M.

2014-01-01

Since the initiation of performance funding in Tennessee in the late 1970s, approximately 30 states have, at some point, attempted a funding model that includes performance on a set of indicators. The purpose of the present study was to capture the current status of performance funding in public statewide community college systems and to assess…

Comparison of investment opportunities in mutual funds

OpenAIRE

NOVÁKOVÁ, Petra

2012-01-01

This thesis deals with the comparison of selected mutual funds in the Czech Republic. The main aim of this thesis is to evaluate the situation on the securities market of mutual funds and help to the investor with right choice of mutual fund. Work is initially devoted to the characteristics and history of collective investment. The following section describes mutual funds their characteristics, classification, creation and termination. Conclusion of the theoretical part is devoted to investme...

Funding of Geosciences: Coordinating National and International Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Bye, B.; Fontaine, K. S.

2012-12-01

Funding is an important element of national as well as international policy for Earth observations. The Group on Earth Observations (GEO) is coordinating efforts to build a Global Earth Observation System of Systems, or GEOSS. The lack of dedicated funding to support specific S&T activities in support of GEOSS is one of the most important obstacles to engaging the S&T communities in its implementation. This problem can be addressed by establishing explicit linkages between research and development programmes funded by GEO Members and Participating Organizations and GEOSS. In appropriate funding programs, these links may take the form of requiring explanations of how projects to be funded will interface with GEOSS and ensuring that demonstrating significant relevance for GEOSS is viewed as an asset of these proposals, requiring registration of Earth observing systems developed in these projects, or stipulating that data and products must adhere to the GEOSS Data Sharing Principles. Examples of Earth observations include: - Measurements from ground-based, in situ monitors; - Observations from Earth satellites; - Products and predictive capabilities from Earth system models, often using the capabilities of high-performance computers; - Scientific knowledge about the Earth system; and, - Data visualization techniques. These examples of Earth observations activities requires different types of resources, R&D top-down, bottom-up funding and programs of various sizes. Where innovation and infrastructure are involved different kind of resources are better suited, for developing countries completely other sources of funding are applicable etc. The European Commission funded Egida project is coordinating the development of a funding mechanism based on current national and international funding instruments such as the European ERANet, the new Joint Programming Initiatives, ESFRI as well as other European and non-European instruments. A general introduction to various

Evaluating the Impact of Open Access at Berkeley: Results from the 2015 Survey of Berkeley Research Impact Initiative (BRII) Funding Recipients

Science.gov (United States)

Teplitzky, Samantha; Phillips, Margaret

2016-01-01

The Berkeley Research Impact Initiative (BRII) was one of the first campus-based open access (OA) funds to be established in North America and one of the most active, distributing more than $244,000 to support University of California (UC) Berkeley authors. In April 2015, we conducted a qualitative study of 138 individuals who had received BRII…

The Working Capital Funds Interim Migratory Accounting Strategy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1997-01-01

... Operations Fund Corporate Board. We reviewed the completeness of the strategy and the reasonableness of the time frames and cost estimates for achieving auditable Working Capital Funds financial statements that comply with the Chief...

17 CFR 201.1100 - Creation of Fair Fund.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 17 Commodity and Securities Exchanges 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Creation of Fair Fund. 201... PRACTICE Fair Fund and Disgorgement Plans § 201.1100 Creation of Fair Fund. In any agency process initiated... requiring the payment of disgorgement by a respondent and also assessing a civil money penalty against that...

Investment Primer for Green Revolving Funds

Science.gov (United States)

Weisbord, Dano

2012-01-01

Developing return-oriented green revolving funds (GRFs) is a rapidly growing trend at colleges and universities. A green revolving fund (GRF) is a special account designated for investment in on-campus projects that improve energy efficiency or decrease material use. GRFs invest in a variety of cost-saving initiatives, resulting in significant…

Sources of funding for community schemes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-11-01

There is an increasing level of interest amongst community groups in the UK to become involved in the development of renewable energy schemes. Often however these community groups have only limited funds of their own, so any additional funds that can be identified to help fund their renewable energy scheme can be very useful. There are a range of funding sources available that provide grants or loans for which community groups are eligible to apply. Few of these funding sources are targeted towards renewable energy specifically, nevertheless the funds may be applicable to renewable energy schemes under appropriate circumstances. To date, however, few of these funds have been accessed by community groups for renewable energy initiatives. One of the reasons for this low take-up of funds on offer could be that the funding sources may be difficult and time-consuming to identify, especially where the energy component of the fund is not readily apparent. This directory draws together details about many of the principal funding sources available in the UK that may consider providing funds to community groups wanting to develop a renewable energy scheme. (author)

Vertical and horizontal equity of funding for malaria control: a global multisource funding analysis for 2006-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Barrenho, Eliana; Miraldo, Marisa; Shaikh, Mujaheed; Atun, Rifat

2017-01-01

International and domestic funding for malaria is critically important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Its equitable distribution is key in ensuring that the available, scarce, resources are deployed efficiently for improved progress and a sustained response that enables eradication. We used concentration curves and concentration indices to assess inequalities in malaria funding by different donors across countries, measuring both horizontal and vertical equity. Horizontal equity assesses whether funding is distributed in proportion to health needs, whereas vertical equity examines whether unequal economic needs are addressed by appropriately unequal funding. We computed the Health Inequity Index and the Kakwani Index to assess the former and the latter, respectively. We used data from the World Bank, Global Fund, Unicef, President's Malaria Initiative and the Malaria Atlas Project to assess the distribution of funding against need for 94 countries. National gross domestic product per capita was used as a proxy for economic need and 'population-at-risk' for health need. The level and direction of inequity varies across funding sources. Unicef and the President's Malaria Initiative were the most horizontally inequitable ( pro-poor ). Inequity as shown by the Health Inequity Index for Unicef decreased from -0.40 (P0.10) in 2006 to -0.38 (P<0.05) in 2008, and decreased to -0.36 (P<0.10) in 2010. Domestic funding was inequitable ( pro-rich ) with inequity increasing from 0.28 (P<0.01) in 2006 to 0.39 (P<0.01) in 2009, and then decreasing to 0.22 (P<0.10) in 2010. Funding from the World Bank and the Global Fund was distributed proportionally according to need. In terms of vertical inequity, all sources were progressive: Unicef and the President's Malaria Initiative were the most progressive with the Kakwani Indices ranging from -0.97 (P<0.01) to -1.29 (P<0.01), and -0.90 (P<0.01) to -1.10 (P<0.01), respectively. Our results suggest that external funding of

Genomics Research: World Survey of Public Funding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cook-Deegan Robert M

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Over the past two decades, genomics has evolved as a scientific research discipline. Genomics research was fueled initially by government and nonprofit funding sources, later augmented by private research and development (R&D funding. Citizens and taxpayers of many countries have funded much of the research, and have expectations about access to the resulting information and knowledge. While access to knowledge gained from all publicly funded research is desired, access is especially important for fields that have broad social impact and stimulate public dialogue. Genomics is one such field, where public concerns are raised for reasons such as health care and insurance implications, as well as personal and ancestral identification. Thus, genomics has grown rapidly as a field, and attracts considerable interest. Results One way to study the growth of a field of research is to examine its funding. This study focuses on public funding of genomics research, identifying and collecting data from major government and nonprofit organizations around the world, and updating previous estimates of world genomics research funding, including information about geographical origins. We initially identified 89 publicly funded organizations; we requested information about each organization's funding of genomics research. Of these organizations, 48 responded and 34 reported genomics research expenditures (of those that responded but did not supply information, some did not fund such research, others could not quantify it. The figures reported here include all the largest funders and we estimate that we have accounted for most of the genomics research funding from government and nonprofit sources. Conclusion Aggregate spending on genomics research from 34 funding sources averaged around $2.9 billion in 2003 – 2006. The United States spent more than any other country on genomics research, corresponding to 35% of the overall worldwide public

National strategy for suicide prevention in Japan: impact of a national fund on progress of developing systems for suicide prevention and implementing initiatives among local authorities.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakanishi, Miharu; Yamauchi, Takashi; Takeshima, Tadashi

2015-01-01

In Japan, the Cabinet Office released the 'General Principles of Suicide Prevention Policy' in 2007 and suggested nine initiatives. In 2009, a national fund was launched to help prefectures (the administrative divisions of Japan) and local authorities implement five categories of suicide-prevention programs. This paper examines the impact of the national fund on the establishment of the systems for suicide prevention and the implementation of these initiatives among local authorities. The present study included 1385 local authorities (79.5%) from all 47 prefectures that responded to the cross-sectional questionnaire survey. Improved suicide-prevention systems and the implementation of nine initiatives in April 2013 were observed among 265 local authorities (19.1%) that implemented 'Training of community service providers' and 'Public awareness campaigns'; 178 local authorities (12.9%) that implemented 'Face-to-face counseling', 'Training of community service providers' and 'Public awareness campaigns'; and 324 local authorities (23.4%) that implemented 'Trauma-informed policies and practices'. There was no significant difference in suicide-prevention systems and the implementation of nine initiatives between 203 local authorities (14.7%) that implemented only 'Public awareness campaigns' and 231 local authorities (16.7%) that did not implement any suicide-prevention programs. The results of our study suggest that the national fund promoted the establishment of community systems for suicide prevention and helped implement initiatives among local authorities. The national suicide-prevention strategy in Japan should explore a standard package of programs to guide community suicide-prevention efforts with a sustained workforce among local authorities. © 2014 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2014 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Cancer communication science funding trends, 2000-2012.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramírez, A Susana; Galica, Kasia; Blake, Kelly D; Chou, Wen-Ying Sylvia; Hesse, Bradford W

2013-12-01

Since 2000, the field of health communication has grown tremendously, owing largely to research funding by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). This study provides an overview of cancer communication science funding trends in the past decade. We conducted an analysis of communication-related grant applications submitted to the NCI in fiscal years 2000-2012. Using 103 keywords related to health communication, data were extracted from the Portfolio Management Application, a grants management application used at NCI. Automated coding described key grant characteristics such as mechanism and review study section. Manual coding determined funding across the cancer control continuum, by cancer site, and by cancer risk factors. A total of 3307 unique grant applications met initial inclusion criteria; 1013 of these were funded over the 12-year period. The top funded grant mechanisms were the R01, R21, and R03. Applications were largely investigator-initiated proposals as opposed to responses to particular funding opportunity announcements. Among funded communication research, the top risk factor being studied was tobacco, and across the cancer control continuum, cancer prevention was the most common stage investigated. NCI support of cancer communication research has been an important source of growth for health communication science over the last 12 years. The analysis' findings describe NCI's priorities in cancer communication science and suggest areas for future investments.

PENSION FUND

CERN Multimedia

Administration of the Fund

2001-01-01

The Administration of the Fund has just signed a contract with the 'La Suisse' insurance company, making life insurance available to persons leaving CERN under very similar conditions to those offered to the members of the CERN personnel. From now on, persons retiring from the Organization will be able to take out this new insurance at the moment of retirement, provided that they have been members of CERN's collective life insurance scheme for the last five years of service. Exceptionally, until the end of 2001, 'La Suisse' has agreed to allow persons who are already retired to take out this insurance, subject to their state of health (health questionnaire to be completed) and with a maximum insured amount set at 150,000 CHF. We therefore invite any retired persons interested in this insurance to consult the detailed terms and conditions, either on the Pension Fund's Web site (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/pensions) or by writing to the Administration of the Fund. For those wishing to apply, the documents to be...

Funding initiates production of tunable nano-porous block copolymer membranes

KAUST Repository

Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2013-01-01

- on top of a non-ordered sponge-like layer. It is fabricated in a fast, one-step process by combining the self-assembly of an amphiphilic block copolymer (PS- b-P4VP) with non-solvent-induced phase separation. The university's "Seed Fund" has helped

Vertical and horizontal equity of funding for malaria control: a global multisource funding analysis for 2006–2010

Science.gov (United States)

Barrenho, Eliana; Miraldo, Marisa; Shaikh, Mujaheed; Atun, Rifat

2017-01-01

Background International and domestic funding for malaria is critically important to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. Its equitable distribution is key in ensuring that the available, scarce, resources are deployed efficiently for improved progress and a sustained response that enables eradication. Methods We used concentration curves and concentration indices to assess inequalities in malaria funding by different donors across countries, measuring both horizontal and vertical equity. Horizontal equity assesses whether funding is distributed in proportion to health needs, whereas vertical equity examines whether unequal economic needs are addressed by appropriately unequal funding. We computed the Health Inequity Index and the Kakwani Index to assess the former and the latter, respectively. We used data from the World Bank, Global Fund, Unicef, President’s Malaria Initiative and the Malaria Atlas Project to assess the distribution of funding against need for 94 countries. National gross domestic product per capita was used as a proxy for economic need and ‘population-at-risk’ for health need. Findings The level and direction of inequity varies across funding sources. Unicef and the President’s Malaria Initiative were the most horizontally inequitable (pro-poor). Inequity as shown by the Health Inequity Index for Unicef decreased from −0.40 (P0.10) in 2006 to −0.38 (P<0.05) in 2008, and decreased to −0.36 (P<0.10) in 2010. Domestic funding was inequitable (pro-rich) with inequity increasing from 0.28 (P<0.01) in 2006 to 0.39 (P<0.01) in 2009, and then decreasing to 0.22 (P<0.10) in 2010. Funding from the World Bank and the Global Fund was distributed proportionally according to need. In terms of vertical inequity, all sources were progressive: Unicef and the President’s Malaria Initiative were the most progressive with the Kakwani Indices ranging from −0.97 (P<0.01) to −1.29 (P<0.01), and −0.90 (P<0.01) to −1.10 (P<0

Sexual and reproductive health and philanthropic funding in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill-Atkinson, Liz; Vaughan, Cathy; Williams, Hennie

2014-09-01

Background Australia's philanthropic sector is growing and could support efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH). However, philanthropy is often misunderstood in Australia and there is limited evidence of philanthropic support for SRH initiatives. We aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators to philanthropic funding of SRH initiatives in Australia. A qualitative approach was used and involved 13 in-depth interviews with professionals from the philanthropic sector, and from organisations and services involved in SRH. Barriers to organisations in seeking philanthropic funding for SRH activities included insufficient resources for writing grant applications and the small financial value of philanthropic grants. Facilitators to seeking philanthropic funding for SRH included a perception that government funding is shrinking and that philanthropic research grants are less competitive than government grants. Philanthropic participants identified that barriers to funding SRH include the sensitive nature of SRH and the perceived conservative nature of philanthropy. Facilitators identified by these participants in supporting SRH initiatives included networking and relationships between grant-makers and grant-seekers. All participants agreed that philanthropy does and could have a role in funding SRH in Australia. The findings of this research suggest that barriers to philanthropic funding for SRH in Australia exist for organisations attempting to access philanthropic funding. Philanthropic organisations could provide more financial support to Australian SRH service providers, as happens in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom. Addressing these barriers and promoting the facilitators could lead to increased awareness of SRH by Australia's philanthropic sector.

77 FR 60124 - Draft Guidance for Industry on Initial Completeness Assessments for Type II Active Pharmaceutical...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-10-02

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Food and Drug Administration [Docket No. FDA-2012-D-1010] Draft Guidance for Industry on Initial Completeness Assessments for Type II Active Pharmaceutical... certain drug master files, namely, Type II active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) drug master files (DMFs...

Trends in sinusitis research: a systematic review of extramural funding.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Joshua M; Smith, Stephanie Shintani; Varshney, Rickul; Chang, Eugene H; Ramakrishnan, Vijay R; Ting, Jonathan Y; Bleier, Benjamin S

2017-11-01

Innovation represents a core value of the American Rhinologic Society (ARS), with multiple efforts to promote research in the advancement rhinologic care. We therefore sought to identify trends in extramural sinusitis funding and underutilized sources of support to facilitate future efforts. A systematic review of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Research Portfolio Online Tools (RePORTER) database (fiscal year 1993 to 2017) was completed with the search strategy: ("chronic sinusitis" OR rhinosinusitis). All identified studies were accepted for review, with comparison to ARS membership rolls to identify studies supported by ARS investigators. Foundation awards were surveyed to identify and characterize additional sources of support. The systematic review identified 958 projects receiving NIH funding, of which 120 remain active. The percentage of sinusitis-related awards and total funding relative to all NIH awards increased over the past 10 years (2006 to 2016) from 0.06% (8 / 9128) and 0.09% ($2,151,152 / $3,358,338,602) to 0.87% (86 / 9540) and 0.90% ($37,201,095 / $4,300,145,614). Among active studies, 9 investigators maintain membership in the ARS and serve as principal investigator or project leader in 12 (10%) studies. ARS investigators received the greatest number of awards from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disrders (n = 8,66.7%), while only receiving 2.2% of awarded funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases ($607,500/$26,873,022), the largest source of awards for sinusitis research. Support for sinusitis research is significantly growing, with the largest source of active funding not being fully utilized by members of the ARS. Further efforts to promote funding priorities among extramural sources is necessary to facilitate increased funding for ARS member initiatives. © 2017 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

CDC/NACCHO Accreditation Support Initiative: advancing readiness for local and tribal health department accreditation.

Science.gov (United States)

Monteiro, Erinn; Fisher, Jessica Solomon; Daub, Teresa; Zamperetti, Michelle Chuk

2014-01-01

Health departments have various unique needs that must be addressed in preparing for national accreditation. These needs require time and resources, shortages that many health departments face. The Accreditation Support Initiative's goal was to test the assumption that even small amounts of dedicated funding can help health departments make important progress in their readiness to apply for and achieve accreditation. Participating sites' scopes of work were unique to the needs of each site and based on the proposed activities outlined in their applications. Deliverables and various sources of data were collected from sites throughout the project period (December 2011-May 2012). Awardees included 1 tribal and 12 local health departments, as well as 5 organizations supporting the readiness of local and tribal health departments. Sites dedicated their funding toward staff time, accreditation fees, completion of documentation, and other accreditation readiness needs and produced a number of deliverables and example documents. All sites indicated that they made accreditation readiness gains that would not have occurred without this funding. Preliminary evaluation data from the first year of the Accreditation Support Initiative indicate that flexible funding arrangements may be an effective way to increase health departments' accreditation readiness.

ARGICULTURAL LAND PROTECTION FUND AND FOREST FUND AS ECOLOGICAL FUNDS

OpenAIRE

Bartosz Bartniczak

2009-01-01

Funds for environmental protection and water management, Agricultural Land Protection Fund and Forest Fund make up the Polish system of special fund in environment protection. The main aim of this article is to analyze the activity of two latest funds. The article tries to answer the question whether that funds could be considered as ecological funds. The author described incomes and outlays of that funds and showed which reform should be done in Polish special funds system.

Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) and Related Funding Programs: FY2006 Assistance

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Veillette, Connie

2006-01-01

...), International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds, and other types of economic aid. Congress continues to express concern with the volume of drugs readily available in the United States and elsewhere in the world...

Andean Counterdrug Initiative (ACI) and Related Funding Programs: FY2007 Assistance

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Veillette, Connie

2007-01-01

...), International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds, and other types of economic aid. Congress continued to express concern with the volume of drugs readily available in the United States and elsewhere in the world...

77 FR 4863 - Notice of Funding Availability for the Department of Transportation's National Infrastructure...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-31

... projects for which Federal funding is required to complete an overall financing package and projects can... that use Federal funds to complete an overall financing package applies to projects located in rural... and completeness of the project's financing package (assuming the availability of the requested TIGER...

Information Society Innovation Fund Asia | CRDI - Centre de ...

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

Information Society Innovation Fund Asia. IDRC's Pan Asia Networking (PAN) program initiative has about 10 years experience with small grants funding. The small grants modality has allowed PAN to sample the region for research priorities, emerging research issues and players, and has resulted in innovative ...

Leaders' experiences and perceptions implementing activity-based funding and pay-for-performance hospital funding models: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Baxter, Pamela E; Hewko, Sarah J; Pfaff, Kathryn A; Cleghorn, Laura; Cunningham, Barbara J; Elston, Dawn; Cummings, Greta G

2015-08-01

Providing cost-effective, accessible, high quality patient care is a challenge to governments and health care delivery systems across the globe. In response to this challenge, two types of hospital funding models have been widely implemented: (1) activity-based funding (ABF) and (2) pay-for-performance (P4P). Although health care leaders play a critical role in the implementation of these funding models, to date their perspectives have not been systematically examined. The purpose of this systematic review was to gain a better understanding of the experiences of health care leaders implementing hospital funding reforms within Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development countries. We searched literature from 1982 to 2013 using: Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, Academic Search Complete, Academic Search Elite, and Business Source Complete. Two independent reviewers screened titles, abstracts and full texts using predefined criteria. We included 2 mixed methods and 12 qualitative studies. Thematic analysis was used in synthesizing results. Five common themes and multiple subthemes emerged. Themes include: pre-requisites for success, perceived benefits, barriers/challenges, unintended consequences, and leader recommendations. Irrespective of which type of hospital funding reform was implemented, health care leaders described a complex process requiring the following: organizational commitment; adequate infrastructure; human, financial and information technology resources; change champions and a personal commitment to quality care. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Report from the Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

In this column, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) presents the Board's latest main decisions, initiatives and accomplishments to the Fund's members and beneficiaries.   Since my last report in July, the Fund has continued the implementation of its capital preservation approach with encouraging results. There have also been several communication events focusing, in particular, on the Fund’s governance and its investment processes. At the September sessions of the Finance Committee and Council, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Investment Committee, Dr Sigurd Lettow, gave comprehensive presentations on the governance and operations of the Fund’s Investment Committee. The Investment Committee is the subsidiary and expert body of the PFGB on investments. Its mandate is to define the process according to which the Fund’s assets - which amount to approximately 3.7 billion Swiss Francs - are invested, and to supervise the implem...

Defense Commissary Resale Stock Fund Financial Statements For FY 1992

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Young, Shelton

1993-01-01

The initial objectives of the audit were to determine whether the FY 1992 Commissary Resale Stock fund financial statements present fairly the financial position and results of operation of the fund...

Mobile Health Initiatives in Vietnam: Scoping Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lam, Jeffrey A; Dang, Linh Thuy; Phan, Ngoc Tran; Trinh, Hue Thi; Vu, Nguyen Cong; Nguyen, Cuong Kieu

2018-04-24

Mobile health (mHealth) offers a promising solution to the multitude of challenges the Vietnamese health system faces, but there is a scarcity of published information on mHealth in Vietnam. The objectives of this scoping study were (1) to summarize the extent, range, and nature of mHealth initiatives in Vietnam and (2) to examine the opportunities and threats of mHealth utilization in the Vietnamese context. This scoping study systematically identified and extracted relevant information from 20 past and current mHealth initiatives in Vietnam. The study includes multimodal information sources, including published literature, gray literature (ie, government reports and unpublished literature), conference presentations, Web-based documents, and key informant interviews. We extracted information from 27 records from the electronic search and conducted 14 key informant interviews, allowing us to identify 20 mHealth initiatives in Vietnam. Most of the initiatives were primarily funded by external donors (n=15), while other initiatives were government funded (n=1) or self-funded (n=4). A majority of the initiatives targeted vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations (n=11), aimed to prevent the occurrence of disease (n=12), and used text messaging (short message service, SMS) as part of their intervention (n=14). The study revealed that Vietnamese mHealth implementation has been challenged by factors including features unique to the Vietnamese language (n=4) and sociocultural factors (n=3). The largest threats to the popularity of mHealth initiatives are the absence of government policy, lack of government interest, heavy dependence on foreign funding, and lack of technological infrastructure. Finally, while current mHealth initiatives have already demonstrated promising opportunities for alternative models of funding, such as social entrepreneurship or private business models, sustainable mHealth initiatives outside of those funded by external donors have not yet been

DYNAMICS OF MUTUAL FUNDS IN RELATION TO STOCK MARKET: A VECTOR AUTOREGRESSIVE CAUSALITY ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Md. Shahadath Hossain

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In Bangladesh, primary and secondary mutual fund markets behave in a completely different way, where initial public offering (IPO investors of mutual funds earn more than 250 percent rerun, whereas secondary market investors cannot even manage to cover the opportunity cost of their investment. There are few other abnormalities present in this market – unlike everywhere in the world, most of the mutual funds are closed-end (92 percent and closed-end mutual funds are barred to issue bonus or right shares. A total of 714 day’s observations, from January 2008 to December 2010, of four variables– DSE (Dhaka Stock Exchange general index return, DSE general index turnover, mutual funds’ return and mutual funds’ turnover– are utilized. Stationarity of the variables are tested with Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF unit root test and found that variables are in different order of integration. Long-term equilibrium relationships among the variables are tested with Johansen cointegration and it is found that DSE general index return and mutual funds’ return are cointegrated. Toda-Yamamoto (TY version of granger non-causality test is employed and bidirectional causality is found moving from DSE (Dhaka Stock Exchange general index turnover to DSE general index return, whereas unidirectional causality is found moving from mutual fund’s return to DSE general index return, mutual funds’ return to mutual funds turnover, and DSE general index turnover to mutual funds turnover. This finding helps to conclude that equity shares’ demand drives the mutual funds demand but even higher demand of mutual funds fails to raise its own price unless underlying value of the mutual funds changes.

The Research Funding Service: a model for expanded library services

OpenAIRE

Means, Martha L.

2000-01-01

Traditionally, libraries have provided a modest amount of information about grants and funding opportunities to researchers in need of research funding. Ten years ago, the University of Washington (UW) Health Sciences Libraries and Information Center joined in a cooperative effort with the School of Medicine to develop a complete, library-based grant and funding service for health sciences researchers called the Research Funding Service. The library provided space, access to the library colle...

CSR Practices at Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad (BIMB: Managing CSR Fund

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fathiyyah Abu Bakar

2014-03-01

Full Text Available The notion of CSR from Islamic perspective has been viewed as a comprehensive discourse when it is already embedded the element of spiritual (Tawhid and Taqwa, economics, ethics and legality. However, there is a black box in the process of managing CSR fund which is used to conduct the CSR initiatives. Thus, this study attempts to revisit the issues by discussing Islamic concept of CSR practices and to gain insights the process of managing various sources of CSR fund. By using case study approach, a group of key CSR players at Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad as well as the recipients of the initiatives have been interviewed. Moreover, an in-field observation and CSR documentations analysis have been employed to get the whole picture of managing the CSR activities and also the fund. The results show that he CSR initiatives at the bank are highly associated with religious obligations and the main source of CSR fund is derived from the zakat fund. In addition, donation, non-compliance Shariah income and purification fund have been used to fulfill various stakeholders' demands. Thus, these findings provide an avenue to conceptualize the concept and practices of CSR in Islamic view and encourage other business entities to manage their financial resources (CSR fund systematically to support the CSR activities.

Assessing the initiation and completion of adjuvant chemotherapy in a large nationwide and population-based cohort of elderly patients with stage-III colon cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Chung-Yuan; Delclos, George L; Chan, Wenyaw; Du, Xianglin L

2011-12-01

Randomized trials conducted in the 1980s have established the effectiveness of 5-fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy in treating stage-III colon cancer. However, the initiation of adjuvant chemotherapy is just the first step for survival improvement. Little is known about the actual completion rate of such a therapy in the community. The objectives of this study were to measure the initiation and completion rate of adjuvant chemotherapy and to identify the associated factors. We studied 12,265 patients aged 65+ diagnosed with stage-III colon cancer between 1991 and 2005 who were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database. Chemotherapy initiation was defined as at least one claim indicating the use of chemotherapy. The first and last claims were used to measure the length of chemotherapy. A complete course of chemotherapy was defined as 8-13 months for 1991-1995 cohort and 5-7 months for 1996-2005 cohort according to clinical guideline. Of the 12,265 patients, 64.4% received adjuvant chemotherapy within 3 months after tumor resection. Among those who had chemotherapy initiated, 62.2% (or 38.0% of 12,265 patients) received a complete course of chemotherapy. Patient's age at diagnosis, marital status, and comorbidity score were the significant predictors for chemotherapy initiation. These variables remained significant in predicting chemotherapy completion after adjusting for year of diagnosis and other factors. In conclusion, initiation and completion of chemotherapy was largely influenced by patient's age, marital status and comorbidity. Further investigation is needed to explore the cause of these differences in adherence to standard treatment that is essential for better quality of cancer care.

Young transplant surgeons and NIH funding.

Science.gov (United States)

Englesbe, M J; Sung, R S; Segev, D L

2011-02-01

Transplant surgeons have historically been instrumental in advancing the science of transplantation. However, research in the current environment inevitably requires external funding, and the classic career development pathway for a junior investigator is the NIH K award. We matched transplant surgeons who completed fellowships between 1998 and 2004 with the NIH funding database, and also queried them regarding research effort and attitudes. Of 373 surgeons who completed a fellowship, only 6 (1.8%) received a K award; of these, 3 subsequently obtained R-level funding. An additional 5 individuals received an R-level grant within their first 5 years as faculty without a K award, 3 of whom had received a prior ASTS-sponsored award. Survey respondents reported extensive research experience during their training (78.8% spent median 24 months), a high proportion of graduate research degrees (36%), and a strong desire for more research time (78%). However, they reported clinical burdens and lack of mentorship as their primary perceived barriers to successful research careers. The very low rate of NIH funding for young transplant surgeons, combined with survey results that indicate their desire to participate in research, suggest institutional barriers to access that may warrant attention by the ASTS and the transplant surgery community. ©2010 The Authors Journal compilation©2010 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Coca-Cola - a model of transparency in research partnerships? A network analysis of Coca-Cola's research funding (2008-2016).

Science.gov (United States)

Serôdio, Paulo M; McKee, Martin; Stuckler, David

2018-06-01

To (i) evaluate the extent to which Coca-Cola's 'Transparency Lists' of 218 researchers that it funds are comprehensive; (ii) map all scientific research acknowledging funding from Coca-Cola; (iii) identify those institutions, authors and research topics funded by Coca-Cola; and (iv) use Coca-Cola's disclosure to gauge whether its funded researchers acknowledge the source of funding. Using Web of Science Core Collection database, we retrieved all studies declaring receipt of direct funding from the Coca-Cola brand, published between 2008 and 2016. Using conservative eligibility criteria, we iteratively removed studies and recreated Coca-Cola's transparency lists using our data. We used network analysis and structural topic modelling to assess the structure, organization and thematic focus of Coca-Cola's research enterprise, and string matching to evaluate the completeness of Coca-Cola's transparency lists. Three hundred and eighty-nine articles, published in 169 different journals, and authored by 907 researchers, cite funding from The Coca-Cola Company. Of these, Coca-Cola acknowledges funding forty-two authors (Coca-Cola Company appears to have failed to declare a comprehensive list of its research activities. Further, several funded authors appear to have failed to declare receipt of funding. Most of Coca-Cola's research support is directed towards physical activity and disregards the role of diet in obesity. Despite initiatives for greater transparency of research funding, the full scale of Coca-Cola's involvement is still not known.

DCP Leading NIH Glycoscience Common Fund Program; Funding Opportunities Open | Division of Cancer Prevention

Science.gov (United States)

NCI's Division of Cancer Prevention is a leading participant for a key initiative in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Glycoscience Common Fund program. This program supports development of accessible and affordable new tools and technologies for studying the role complex carbohydrates in health and disease. |

An Analysis of the Mutual Fund Industry: Mutual Fund Investors, Mutual Fund Managers and Mutual Fund Companies

OpenAIRE

Fang, Jieyan

2012-01-01

In this dissertation I investigate the mutual fund industry, especially the three most important participants within this industry: mutual fund investors, mutual fund companies and mutual fund managers. The main research questions of this dissertation are: 1. Does rapid trading exist among German equity mutual fund investors? What are the determinants of rapid trading? Does rapid trading have a negative impact on mutual fund performance? 2. Do mutual fund investors, as a whole, have...

The World Banks' BioCarbon Fund

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Noble, I.

2003-03-01

In November 2002 the World Bank launched the BioCarbon Fund, a public/private initiative to provide finance to projects that store carbon in vegetation and soils ('sinks') while helping to reverse land degradation, conserve biodiversity and improve the livelihoods of local communities. The Fund will seek projects to sequester or conserve carbon in non-Annex I countries and in countries in transition. Sinks may be the only option for poor nations with small energy to benefit from the carbon finance business. The Fund will include a portion of assets based on reductions in emissions such as substitution of biofuels for fossil fuels. The author Ian Noble of the World Bank, is chairman of the BioCarbon Fund Technical Advisory Committee.

Completion Report for Multi-Site Incentive MRT 2779 Implement ASC Tripod Initiative by 30SEP08

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

East, D; Cerutti, J; Noe, J; Cupps, K; Loncaric, J; Sturtevant, J

2008-09-22

This report provides documentation and evidence for the completion of the deployment of the Tripod common operating system (TripodOS, also known as and generally referred to below as TOSS). Background documents for TOSS are provided in Appendices A and B, including the initial TOSS proposal accepted by ASC HQ and Executives in July 2007 and a Governance Model defined by a Tri-Lab working group in September 2007. Appendix C contains a document that clarifies the intent and requirements for the completion criteria associated with MRT 2779. The deployment of TOSS is a Multi-Site Incentive from the ASC FY08-09 Implementation Plan due at the end of Quarter 4 in FY08.

Investment criteria of private equity/venture capital funds and financial performance of companies before initial investment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zbigniew Drewniak

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Understanding and recognizing of the investment criteria of private equity/venture capital seems to be crucial for all parties of this market. Entrepreneurs, who are looking for the capital for financing their businesses, can easier find the most proper fund and better formulate their expectations. For the funds, specifying theirs investment criteria is the reflection of the investment strategy leading to its better wording. The fund's investmentcriteriaare also importantfor investors - capital donors. First of allthey wantto knowin whattypes of assetswill be investedtheirfunds. That can help to assess the risk involved in the investment and calculate the expected rate of return. In addition topresentation ofthe investment criteriaof private equity/venture capital funds, thepaper refers to thecompany's financialsituationbefore investments. That draw the company profile, the funds are most interested to invest. The turnover, net profit, profitability ratios and liquidity were analyzed to specify this profile.

Sovereign Wealth Funds: Issue of transparency

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Petrović Daliborka

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Subject of the paper includes Sovereign Wealth Funds and the formation of the first regulatory framework for their investment activities. Sovereign Wealth Funds invested a significant amount of money in Western financial institutions during the global financial crisis and thus played a crucial role in the preservation and stabilization of the global financial system. However, at the same time, a large gap between the financial power of Sovereign Wealth Funds and the level of their transparency was noted. The need to improve the transparency of Sovereign Wealth Funds has been recognized by international institutions, the OECD and the IMF, which initiated the formulation of the first international regulatory framework regarding the operations of these types of funds. The current international regulatory framework represents a sufficient basis for the gradual improvement of transparency, but because of its non-binding and voluntary nature, certain issues such as the protection of national security interests remain open. Therefore, the solutions can be sought through a process of continuous improvement of international regulation as well as strengthening cooperation between Sovereign Wealth Funds and governments of countries in which they invest.

26 CFR 1.642(c)-5 - Definition of pooled income fund.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... participation will fluctuate with each new transfer of property to the fund in relation to the appreciation or depreciation in the fair market value of the property in the fund, but all units in the fund will always have... initial fair market value; the instrument also provides that the income allocable to appreciation in the...

State Higher Education Performance Funding: Data, Outcomes, and Policy Implications

Science.gov (United States)

Tandberg, David A.; Hillman, Nicholas W.

2014-01-01

As states explore strategies for increasing educational attainment levels, attention is being paid to performance funding. This study asks, "Does the introduction of performance funding programs affect degree completion among participating states?" Utilizing a quasi-experimental research design we find limited evidence that performance…

Benefits Access for College Completion: Lessons Learned from a Community College Initiative to Help Low-Income Students

Science.gov (United States)

Duke-Benfield, Amy Ellen; Saunders, Katherine

2016-01-01

This report analyzes how students were served by Benefits Access for College Completion (BACC), a 2.5-year initiative designed to increase access to public benefits (such as SNAP or Medicaid) for eligible low-income students. These crucial supports reduce students' unmet financial needs and help them finish school. Launched in 2011, BACC funded…

1997/98 Orphan Well Fund annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1999-04-01

Alberta's Orphan Well Fund (previously referred as the Abandonment Fund) is funded by the oil and gas industry with provincial government support and approval. It was created to enforce and improve regulations regarding orphan wells. 1997/98 marked the year in which Orphan Well Fund activities included pipeline abandonments, facility decommissioning, and well site reclamation. The first part of this report includes the annual report of the Orphan Fund, while the second part includes the report on the Energy and Utilities Board's (EUB's) Liability Management activities which are an important part of enforcing and improving provincial regulations in the prevention of orphan wells. The fund allows liability management to be done with industry's dollars rather than taxpayer's dollars. Highlights for the year include the successful completion on eleven downhole and surface wells. Expanded activities also included the abandonment of eleven pipelines, and facilities decommissioning work at five locations. The report also includes a financial review, and a summary of the future goals of the program. The EUB enforcement activities and operations, as well as the EUB orphan prevention activities are also reviewed. tabs

Governing Board of the Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one-hundred-and-thirty-second and one-hundred-and-thirty-third meetings on 16 February and 10 March respectively. The first of these meetings was primarily devoted to the further examination of the proposed measures to reduce the Fund's technical deficit. The Governing Board underlined that it was equally determined to find solutions to the structural problems that had an impact on the Fund's technical deficit. A statement to that effect was to be made by the Chairman of the Governing Board, J. Bezemer, at the March session of the CERN Council. Indeed, it would appear that in the light of the new actuarial parameters, in particular the technical interest rate of 4.5%, it is first necessary to stabilise the current funding ratio of 88%, which will fall to 61% in 30 years' time if no action is taken. In an initial stage, corrective measures must therefore be taken in order to prevent a further fall in the funding ratio. Subsequently, the objective will be to re...

The effectiveness of the cardiovascular disease prevention programme 'KardioPro' initiated by a German sickness fund: a time-to-event analysis of routine data.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sabine Witt

Full Text Available Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the developed world. To reduce this burden of disease, a German sickness fund ('Siemens-Betriebskrankenkasse', SBK initiated the prevention programme 'KardioPro' including primary (risk factor reduction and secondary (screening prevention and guideline-based treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of 'KardioPro' as it is implemented in the real world.The study is based on sickness fund routine data. The control group was selected from non-participants via propensity score matching. Study analysis was based on time-to-event analysis via Cox proportional hazards regression with the endpoint 'all-cause mortality, acute myocardial infarction (MI and ischemic stroke (1', 'all-cause mortality (2' and 'non-fatal acute MI and ischemic stroke (3'.A total of 26,202 insurants were included, 13,101 participants and 13,101 control subjects. 'KardioPro' enrollment was associated with risk reductions of 23.5% (95% confidence interval (CI 13.0-32.7% (1, 41.7% (95% CI 30.2-51.2% (2 and 3.5% (hazard ratio 0.965, 95% CI 0.811-1.148 (3. This corresponds to an absolute risk reduction of 0.29% (1, 0.31% (2 and 0.03% (3 per year.The prevention programme initiated by a German statutory sickness fund appears to be effective with regard to all-cause mortality. The non-significant reduction in non-fatal events might result from a shift from fatal to non-fatal events.

Amazon Fund: financing deforestation avoidance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques Marcovitch

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The Amazon Fund, created in 2008 by the Brazilian Federal Government, is managed by Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES. It is a pioneering initiative to fundraise and manage financial resources to cut back deforestation and support sustainable development for 30 million inhabitants in the Amazon Biome. The Amazon Fund has already received more than R$ 1.7 billion in grants (about USD 787 million. This essay analyzes the Amazon Fund's governance and management with focus on its operation and from its stakeholders' perspectives. A combination of research methods includes: documental research, in-depth interviews, and speech analysis. The study offers a comparative analysis of strengths and weaknesses related to its governance. Furthermore, it proposes ways to improve its management towards greater effectiveness. The essay also includes an assessment of the government of Norway, a major donor to the fund. The governments of Norway and Germany, in partnership with Brazil, reveal how important it is to experiment with new means of international cooperation to successfully reduce greenhouse gas emissions through rainforest preservation.

Legume Genome Initiative at the University of Oklahoma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruce A. Roe

2004-02-27

Consolidated Appropriations Resolution, 2003 Conference Report for the Department of Energy's Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program provided $481,000 for the Legume Genome Initiative at the University of Oklahoma. These funds were used to support our research that is aimed at determining the entire sequence of the gene rich regions of the genome of the legume, Medicago truncatula, by allowing us to obtain a greater degree of finished BAC sequences from the draft sequences we have already obtained through research funded by the Noble Foundation. During the funding period we increased the number of Medicago truncatula BACs with finished (Bermuda standard) sequences from 109 to 359, and the total number of BACs for which we collected sequence data from 584 to 842, 359 of which reached phase 2 (ordered and oriented contigs). We also sequenced a series of pooled BAC clones that cover additional euchromatic (gene rich) genomic regions. This work resulted in 6 refereed publications, see below. Genes whose sequence was determined during this study included multiple members of the plant disease resistance (R-gene) family as well as several genes involved in flavinoid biosynthesis, nitrogen fixation and plant-microbial symbosis. This work also served as a prelude to obtaining NSF funding for the international collaborative effort to complete the entire sequence of the Medicago truncatula genomic euchromatic regions using a BAC based approach.

The 3D Elevation Program initiative: a call for action

Science.gov (United States)

Sugarbaker, Larry J.; Constance, Eric W.; Heidemann, Hans Karl; Jason, Allyson L.; Lukas, Vicki; Saghy, David L.; Stoker, Jason M.

2014-01-01

The 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) initiative is accelerating the rate of three-dimensional (3D) elevation data collection in response to a call for action to address a wide range of urgent needs nationwide. It began in 2012 with the recommendation to collect (1) high-quality light detection and ranging (lidar) data for the conterminous United States (CONUS), Hawaii, and the U.S. territories and (2) interferometric synthetic aperture radar (ifsar) data for Alaska. Specifications were created for collecting 3D elevation data, and the data management and delivery systems are being modernized. The National Elevation Dataset (NED) will be completely refreshed with new elevation data products and services. The call for action requires broad support from a large partnership community committed to the achievement of national 3D elevation data coverage. The initiative is being led by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and includes many partners—Federal agencies and State, Tribal, and local governments—who will work together to build on existing programs to complete the national collection of 3D elevation data in 8 years. Private sector firms, under contract to the Government, will continue to collect the data and provide essential technology solutions for the Government to manage and deliver these data and services. The 3DEP governance structure includes (1) an executive forum established in May 2013 to have oversight functions and (2) a multiagency coordinating committee based upon the committee structure already in place under the National Digital Elevation Program (NDEP). The 3DEP initiative is based on the results of the National Enhanced Elevation Assessment (NEEA) that was funded by NDEP agencies and completed in 2011. The study, led by the USGS, identified more than 600 requirements for enhanced (3D) elevation data to address mission-critical information requirements of 34 Federal agencies, all 50 States, and a sample of private sector companies and Tribal and local

Delivering Insight The History of the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Larzelere II, A R

2007-01-03

The history of the Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative (ASCI) tells of the development of computational simulation into a third fundamental piece of the scientific method, on a par with theory and experiment. ASCI did not invent the idea, nor was it alone in bringing it to fruition. But ASCI provided the wherewithal - hardware, software, environment, funding, and, most of all, the urgency - that made it happen. On October 1, 2005, the Initiative completed its tenth year of funding. The advances made by ASCI over its first decade are truly incredible. Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos, and Sandia National Laboratories, along with leadership provided by the Department of Energy's Defense Programs Headquarters, fundamentally changed computational simulation and how it is used to enable scientific insight. To do this, astounding advances were made in simulation applications, computing platforms, and user environments. ASCI dramatically changed existing - and forged new - relationships, both among the Laboratories and with outside partners. By its tenth anniversary, despite daunting challenges, ASCI had accomplished all of the major goals set at its beginning. The history of ASCI is about the vision, leadership, endurance, and partnerships that made these advances possible.

PENSION FUND

CERN Multimedia

Administration of the Fund

2001-01-01

The Administration of the Fund has just signed a contract with the 'La Suisse' insurance company, making life insurance available to persons leaving CERN under very similar conditions to those offered to the members of the CERN personnel. From now on, persons retiring from the Organization will be able to take out this new insurance at the moment of retirement, provided that they have been members of CERN's collective life insurance scheme for the last five years of service. Exceptionally, until the end of 2001, 'La Suisse' has agreed to allow persons who are already retired to take out this insurance, provided that they are less than 70 years old and subject to their state of health (health questionnaire to be completed) and with a maximum insured amount set at 150,000 CHF. We therefore invite any retired persons interested in this insurance to consult the detailed terms and conditions, either on the Pension Fund's Web site (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/pensions) or contacting to the Administration of the Fun...

A PERFORMANCE COMPARISON OF HEDGE FUNDS, HEDGED MUTUAL FUNDS AND HEDGE FUND ETFS

OpenAIRE

Shenyan Gu; Tina Zhang

2015-01-01

Hedged mutual funds and hedge fund ETFs are new entrants to the market thatallow individual investors to invest in funds using hedge fund strategies.   In this paper, we study the performance of these two funds relative to the traditional hedge funds to see if the three asset classes are comparable investments. We use four performance measurement models, including CAPM, Fama French three factor model, Carhart four factor model and Fung and Hsieh eight factor model, to test the fund...

Measuring research impact: a large cancer research funding programme in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Bowden, Jacqueline A; Sargent, Nicole; Wesselingh, Steve; Size, Lincoln; Donovan, Claire; Miller, Caroline L

2018-05-09

Measuring research impact is of critical interest to philanthropic and government funding agencies interested in ensuring that the research they fund is both scientifically excellent and has meaningful impact into health and other outcomes. The Beat Cancer Project (BCP) is a AUD $34 m cancer research funding scheme that commenced in 2011. It was initiated by an Australian charity (Cancer Council SA), and supported by the South Australian Government and the state's major universities. This study applied Buxton and Hanney's Payback Framework to assess research impact generated from the BCP after 3 years of funding. Data sources were an audit of peer-reviewed publications from January 2011 to September 2014 from Web of Knowledge and a self-report survey of investigators awarded BCP research funding during its first 3 years of implementation (2011-2013). Of the 104 surveys, 92 (88%) were completed. The BCP performed well across all five categories of the Payback Framework. In terms of knowledge production, 1257 peer-reviewed publications were generated and the mean impact factor of publishing journals increased annually. There were many benefits to future research with 21 respondents (23%) reporting career advancement, and 110 higher degrees obtained or expected (including 84 PhDs). Overall, 52% of funded projects generated tools for future research. The funded research attracted substantial further income yielding a very high rate of leverage. For every AUD $1 that the cancer charity invested, the BCP gained an additional AUD $6.06. Five projects (5%) had informed policy and 5 (5%) informed product development, with an additional 31 (34%) and 35 (38%) projects, respectively, anticipating doing so. In terms of health and sector and broader economic benefits, 8 (9%) projects had influenced practice or behaviour of health staff and 32 (34%) would reportedly to do so in the future. Research impact was a priority of charity and government funders and led to a deliberate

Factors influencing timely initiation and completion of gestational diabetes mellitus screening and diagnosis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Karoline Kragelund; Rheinländer, Thilde; Kapur, Anil

2017-01-01

BACKGROUND: In 2007, universal screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was introduced in Tamil Nadu, India. To identify factors hindering or facilitating timely initiation and completion of the GDM screening and diagnosis process, our study investigated how pregnant women in rural...... and urban Tamil Nadu access and navigate different GDM related health services. METHODS: The study was carried out in two settings: an urban private diabetes centre and a rural government primary health centre. Observations of the process of screening and diagnosis at the health centres as well as semi...... norms and cultural practices. CONCLUSIONS: Minimising and aligning complex stepwise processes of prenatal care and GDM screening delivery and attention to the factors influencing it are important for further improving and expanding GDM screening and related services, not only in Tamil Nadu but in other...

24 CFR 125.201 - Administrative Enforcement Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Initiative. 125.201 Section 125.201 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... FAIR HOUSING FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM § 125.201 Administrative Enforcement Initiative. The Administrative Enforcement Initiative provides funding to State and local fair housing agencies administering...

Clean Coal Technology Programs: Completed Projects (Volume 2)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy

2003-12-01

Annual report on the Clean Coal Technology Demonstration Program (CCTDP), Power Plant Improvement Initiative (PPII), and Clean Coal Power Initiative (CCPI). The report addresses the roles of the programs, implementation, funding and costs, project descriptions, legislative history, program history, environmental aspects, and project contacts. The project descriptions describe the technology and provides a brief summary of the demonstration results.

Research award: Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund | IDRC ...

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

2017-09-06

Sep 6, 2017 ... The Livestock Vaccine Innovation Fund (LVIF) is an initiative developed by ... to support the development, production, and commercialization of innovative ... of countries within a regional and/or sub-regional structure (e.g. the ...

Science on a Shoestring: Building Nursing Knowledge With Limited Funding.

Science.gov (United States)

Conn, Vicki S; Topp, Robert; Dunn, Susan L; Hopp, Lisa; Jadack, Rosemary; Jansen, Debra A; Jefferson, Urmeka T; Moch, Susan Diemert

2015-10-01

Building the science for nursing practice has never been more important. However, shrunken federal and state research budgets mean that investigators must find alternative sources of financial support and develop projects that are less costly to carry out. New investigators often build beginning programs of research with limited funding. This article provides an overview of some cost-effective research approaches and gives suggestions for finding other sources of funding. Examples of more cost-effective research approaches include adding complementary questions to existing funded research projects; conducting primary analysis of electronic patient records and social media content; conducting secondary analysis of data from completed studies; reviewing and synthesizing previously completed research; implementing community-based participatory research; participating in collaborative research efforts such as inter-campus team research, practice-based research networks (PBRNs), and involving undergraduate and doctoral students in research efforts. Instead of relying on funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other government agencies, nurse researchers may be able to find support for research from local sources such as businesses, organizations, or clinical agencies. Investigators will increasingly have to rely on these and other creative approaches to fund and implement their research programs if granting agency budgets do not significantly expand. © The Author(s) 2015.

The effects of Global Fund financing on health governance in Brazil.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez, Eduardo J; Atun, Rifat

2012-07-16

The impact of donors, such as national government (bi-lateral), private sector, and individual financial (philanthropic) contributions, on domestic health policies of developing nations has been the subject of scholarly discourse. Little is known, however, about the impact of global financial initiatives, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, on policies and health governance of countries receiving funding from such initiatives. This study employs a qualitative methodological design based on a single case study: Brazil. Analysis at national, inter-governmental and community levels is based on in-depth interviews with the Global Fund and the Brazilian Ministry of Health and civil societal activists. Primary research is complemented with information from printed media, reports, journal articles, and books, which were used to deepen our analysis while providing supporting evidence. Our analysis suggests that in Brazil, Global Fund financing has helped to positively transform health governance at three tiers of analysis: the national-level, inter-governmental-level, and community-level. At the national-level, Global Fund financing has helped to increased political attention and commitment to relatively neglected diseases, such as tuberculosis, while harmonizing intra-bureaucratic relationships; at the inter-governmental-level, Global Fund financing has motivated the National Tuberculosis Programme to strengthen its ties with state and municipal health departments, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs); while at the community-level, the Global Fund's financing of civil societal institutions has encouraged the emergence of new civic movements, participation, and the creation of new municipal participatory institutions designed to monitor the disbursement of funds for Global Fund grants. Global Fund financing can help deepen health governance at multiple levels. Future work will need to explore how the financing of civil society by the

Factors influencing timely initiation and completion of gestational diabetes mellitus screening and diagnosis - a qualitative study from Tamil Nadu, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Karoline Kragelund; Rheinländer, Thilde; Kapur, Anil; Damm, Peter; Seshiah, Veerasamy; Bygbjerg, Ib C

2017-08-01

In 2007, universal screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was introduced in Tamil Nadu, India. To identify factors hindering or facilitating timely initiation and completion of the GDM screening and diagnosis process, our study investigated how pregnant women in rural and urban Tamil Nadu access and navigate different GDM related health services. The study was carried out in two settings: an urban private diabetes centre and a rural government primary health centre. Observations of the process of screening and diagnosis at the health centres as well as semi-structured interviews with 30 pregnant women and nine health care providers were conducted. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. There were significant differences in the process of GDM screening and diagnosis in the urban and rural settings. Several factors hindering or facilitating timely initiation and completion of the process were identified. Timely attendance required awareness, motivation and opportunity to attend. Women had to attend the health centre at the right time and sometimes at the right gestational age to initiate the test, wait to complete the test and obtain the test report in time to initiate further action. All these steps and requirements were influenced by factors within and outside the health system such as getting right information from health care providers, clinic timings, characteristics of the test, availability of transport, social network and support, and social norms and cultural practices. Minimising and aligning complex stepwise processes of prenatal care and GDM screening delivery and attention to the factors influencing it are important for further improving and expanding GDM screening and related services, not only in Tamil Nadu but in other similar low and middle income settings. This study stresses the importance of guidelines and diagnostic criteria which are simple and feasible on the ground.

75 FR 11837 - Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-12

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Commodity Credit Corporation Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative AGENCY...: Notice of availability of program funds for the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative. SUMMARY: The... through the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative for agricultural producers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed...

Funding initiates production of tunable nano-porous block copolymer membranes

KAUST Repository

Peinemann, Klaus-Viktor

2013-06-01

Researchers in Saudi Arabia at King Abdullah University of Science & Technology have created a membrane comprising a thin layer of densely packed, highly ordered cylindrical channels with uniform pore sizes - oriented perpendicular to its surface - on top of a non-ordered sponge-like layer. It is fabricated in a fast, one-step process by combining the self-assembly of an amphiphilic block copolymer (PS- b-P4VP) with non-solvent-induced phase separation. The university\\'s "Seed Fund" has helped the researchers to start manufacturing this membrane, which is particularly suited to size-selective and charge-based separation of bio-molecules. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

7-GeV advanced photon source beamline initiative: Conceptual design report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-05-01

The DOE is building a new generation 6-7 GeV Synchrotron Radiation Source known as the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory. This facility, to be completed in FY 1996, can provide 70 x-ray sources of unprecedented brightness to meet the research needs of virtually all scientific disciplines and numerous technologies. The technological research capability of the APS in the areas of energy, communications and health will enable a new partnership between the DOE and US industry. Current funding for the APS will complete the current phase of construction so that scientists can begin their applications in FY 1996. Comprehensive utilization of the unique properties of APS beams will enable cutting-edge research not currently possible. It is now appropriate to plan to construct additional radiation sources and beamline standard components to meet the excess demands of the APS users. In this APS Beamline Initiative, 2.5-m-long insertion-device x-ray sources will be built on four straight sections of the APS storage ring, and an additional four bending-magnet sources will also be put in use. The front ends for these eight x-ray sources will be built to contain and safeguard access to these bright x-ray beams. In addition, funds will be provided to build standard beamline components to meet scientific and technological research demands of the Collaborative Access Teams. The Conceptual Design Report (CDR) for the APS Beamline Initiative describes the scope of all the above technical and conventional construction and provides a detailed cost and schedule for these activities. The document also describes the preconstruction R ampersand D plans for the Beamline Initiative activities and provides the cost estimates for the required R ampersand D

24 CFR 125.401 - Private Enforcement Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Private Enforcement Initiative. 125... FAIR HOUSING FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM § 125.401 Private Enforcement Initiative. (a) The Private Enforcement Initiative provides funding on a single-year or multi-year basis, to investigate violations and...

77 FR 55880 - Prudential Short Duration High Yield Fund, Inc. and Prudential Investments LLC; Notice of...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-11

... Fund and has responsibility for the implementation of the Initial Fund's overall investment strategy... disclosure required by condition 2(a)(ii) above, as an exhibit to its next filed Form N-CSR; and (c) The Fund...

Economics and environment wrap-up panel : energy management revolving fund

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

This Power Point presentation provided the historical overview of the energy management program of the City of Edmonton, Alberta. The energy crisis of the early 1980s prompted the City to initiate an energy management plan, and a one million dollar revolving fund was created in 1995, later increased to five million dollars in 1999, to support the initiative. The operating funds were used for small projects, while capital funding limited use with other capital improvements. At times, third party/private financing was used. The revolving fund approach was selected for a number of reasons: (1) it was self-liquidating, (2) had a lesser impact on the budget and tax levy, (3) reduced competition for capital, (4) the money was obtained at competitive rates from the Alberta Municipal Finance Corporation, (5) reduced operating costs, (6) saved energy and non-renewable resources, and (7) it proved flexible. The process was explained, from the potential project proposal to its approval. The criteria used to evaluate the proposals were listed and discussed. A total of 37 projects have been initiated to date, with a value of 3.2 million dollars. The projected utility cost savings are about 900,000 dollars annually, and the total projected carbon dioxide emissions avoided are 8,300 tonnes annually. Accelerating the implementation might be required in light of the recent increase in energy costs. There are difficulties encountered in finding energy consultants and skilled trades people. The scope of the projects is limited by the standard five year payback. The Revolving Fund is one component of the Environmental Strategic Plan of the City of Edmonton. figs

The BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Consortium: Lessons Learned toward Generating a Comprehensive Brain Cell Atlas.

Science.gov (United States)

Ecker, Joseph R; Geschwind, Daniel H; Kriegstein, Arnold R; Ngai, John; Osten, Pavel; Polioudakis, Damon; Regev, Aviv; Sestan, Nenad; Wickersham, Ian R; Zeng, Hongkui

2017-11-01

A comprehensive characterization of neuronal cell types, their distributions, and patterns of connectivity is critical for understanding the properties of neural circuits and how they generate behaviors. Here we review the experiences of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Consortium, ten pilot projects funded by the U.S. BRAIN Initiative, in developing, validating, and scaling up emerging genomic and anatomical mapping technologies for creating a complete inventory of neuronal cell types and their connections in multiple species and during development. These projects lay the foundation for a larger and longer-term effort to generate whole-brain cell atlases in species including mice and humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Attitudes to publicly funded obesity treatment and prevention

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lund, Thomas Bøker; Sandøe, Peter; Lassen, Jesper

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the Danish public’s support for publicly funded obesity treatment and prevention. It was also examined whether levels of support could be explained by dislike of obese people and / or the belief that those who are obese are personally responsible......, the perceived controllability of obesity, self-reported BMI, and additional attitudinal and sociodemographic characteristics. Public funding of some obesity treatments, such as weight-loss surgery, attracted only limited public support. A majority of the Danish public did support ‘softer’ treatment...... interventions and preventive initiatives. Attitudes to the treatment of obesity were clearly best predicted by the belief that individuals are personally responsible for their own obesity. Dislike of obese persons had no direct effect on the preference for collective treatment initiatives and only a small...

28 CFR 33.20 - Fund availability.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... shall receive a base amount of $250,000 with the remaining funds allocated to each state on the basis of... subgranted by the state to state agencies and units of local government to carry out programs and projects... distributed to local units, the most recent and complete data available from the Bureau of Justice Statistics...

Securing decommissioning funds. Why organization matters?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tchapga, F.

2005-01-01

customers. Because of electricity sector restructuring, businesses are no longer protected from market sanctions and stock market volatility. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the compatibility of the design of reserve fund models with the liberalised electricity context. The paper first considers the design of reserve funds and concludes that there is no single design. Based on the variety of design, section two assess their respective compatibility with the new electricity context. It appears that the monitoring and control of the management of the funds are the main determinant of compatibility. The paper concludes that, as secure funding is a dimension of safe decommissioning, there is a necessity for an optimal design of decommissioning funds model. The paper also suggests that external management solution improve the credibility of decommissioning commitment. This paper has completed two objectives. Firstly, it has highlighted the diversity of designs of the decommissioning reserve funds. We have seen that the reserve funds are organised differently, regarding the key features of their design, namely the collection of funds, the management of the funds collected, and the monitoring and control of that management. Secondly, and in respect of the objective to ensure the availability of the funds when needed, the paper has shown that current designs of decommissioning reserve funds are not equally compatible with the constraints of the electricity sector liberalisation. In fact, the new electricity context is characterised by electricity price volatility with, at some conditions, harmful effects on the financial viability of electric companies. The paper has shown that external fund designs offer a satisfactory compatibility with these constraints. This is because the design of external funds imposes clear limitations on the behaviour of the manager of the funds. Therefore, the paper suggests that in a context of liberalised electricity market, external funds

Performance Funding Policy Effects on Community College Outcomes: Are Short-Term Certificates on the Rise?

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Amy Y.; Kennedy, Alec I.

2018-01-01

Objective: Performance funding (PF) policies allocate a portion of state funding to colleges based on student outcomes. This study is the first to account for policy type and design differences, and explores the impact of performance funding on three levels of credential completions: short-term certificates, medium-term certificates, and…

Contribution of Global Polio Eradication Initiative-Funded Personnel to the Strengthening of Routine Immunization Programs in the 10 Focus Countries of the Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan.

Science.gov (United States)

van den Ent, Maya M V X; Swift, Rachel D; Anaokar, Sameer; Hegg, Lea Anne; Eggers, Rudolf; Cochi, Stephen L

2017-07-01

The Polio Eradication and Endgame Strategic Plan (PEESP) established a target that at least 50% of the time of personnel receiving funding from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) for polio eradication activities (hereafter, "GPEI-funded personnel") should be dedicated to the strengthening of immunization systems. This article describes the self-reported profile of how GPEI-funded personnel allocate their time toward immunization goals and activities beyond those associated with polio, the training they have received to conduct tasks to strengthen routine immunization systems, and the type of tasks they have conducted. A survey of approximately 1000 field managers of frontline GPEI-funded personnel was conducted by Boston Consulting Group in the 10 focus countries of the PEESP during 2 phases, in 2013 and 2014, to determine time allocation among frontline staff. Country-specific reports on the training of GPEI-funded personnel were reviewed, and an analysis of the types of tasks that were reported was conducted. A total of 467 managers responded to the survey. Forty-seven percent of the time (range, 23%-61%) of GPEI-funded personnel was dedicated to tasks related to strengthening immunization programs, other than polio eradication. Less time was spent on polio-associated activities in countries that had already interrupted wild poliovirus (WPV) transmission, compared with findings for WPV-endemic countries. All countries conducted periodic trainings of the GPEI-funded personnel. The types of non-polio-related tasks performed by GPEI-funded personnel varied among countries and included surveillance, microplanning, newborn registration and defaulter tracing, monitoring of routine immunization activities, and support of district immunization task teams, as well as promotion of health behaviors, such as clean-water use and good hygiene and sanitation practices. In all countries, GPEI-funded personnel perform critical tasks in the strengthening of routine

Donor funding for family planning: levels and trends between 2003 and 2013.

OpenAIRE

Grollman, C; Cavallaro, FL; Duclos, D; Bakare, V; Martínez Álvarez, M; Borghi, J

2018-01-01

The International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 set targets for donor funding to support family planning programmes, and recent initiatives such as FP2020 have renewed focus on the need for adequate funding to rights-based family planning. Disbursements supporting family planning disaggregated by donor, recipient country and year are not available for recent years. We estimate international donor funding for family planning in 2003-13, the period covering the introduction o...

The use of well completion efficiency in the assessment of formation damage in initial well completion and workover operations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amieibibama JOSEPH

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The calculation of well completion efficiency is very important in comparing pre/post workover or re-entry completion efficiencies of wells to enable the quantification and ranking of the success of workover operations. However, the quantification of the success of an operation could be misleading if comparisons are wrongly placed on wells or fields basis by different operators. In this work, comparative analysis of pre and post well completion efficiencies for different completions types are evaluated for wells in different fields using averaging techniques. According with this, the aim is to quantify the success rate of workover operations. The average completion efficiencies were calculated using the arithmetic mean for wells in different reservoirs and fields having the same completion type. The analysis of the results from the workover operation showed that some operations were successful while others are not and no field had all operations completely successful. Those that were adjudged successful are fields were enhanced production due to the operations was able to offset low productions from failed operations. However, it was observed in some fields that there was complete failure in the operations as all post-operation productions are lower than the pre-operation productions. The operations where failure occurred are due to loss of completion fluids into the formations, resulting to formation damage. Hence, chemical consolidation treatments must be handled with caution as they seem to be more susceptible to damage than other completion types.

24 CFR 125.501 - Fair Housing Organizations Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Initiative. 125.501 Section 125.501 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... FAIR HOUSING FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM § 125.501 Fair Housing Organizations Initiative. (a) The Fair Housing Organizations Initiative of the FHIP provides funding to develop or expand the ability of...

24 CFR 125.301 - Education and Outreach Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Education and Outreach Initiative... FAIR HOUSING FAIR HOUSING INITIATIVES PROGRAM § 125.301 Education and Outreach Initiative. (a) The Education and Outreach Initiative provides funding for the purpose of developing, implementing, carrying out...

Complete Report on the Development of Welding Parameters for Irradiated Materials

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Frederick, Greg [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knoxville, TN (United States); Sutton, Benjamin J. [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knoxville, TN (United States); Tatman, Jonathan K. [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Knoxville, TN (United States); Vance, Mark Christopher [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Clark, Scarlett R. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Feng, Zhili [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Miller, Roger G. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Chen, Jian [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Tang, Wei [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Gibson, Brian T. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2017-11-01

The advanced welding facility at the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which was conceived to enable research and development of weld repair techniques for nuclear power plant life extension, is now operational. The development of the facility and its advanced welding capabilities, along with the model materials for initial welding trials, were funded jointly by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy, Light Water Reactor Sustainability Program, the Electric Power Research Institute, Long Term Operations Program and the Welding and Repair Technology Center, with additional support from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Welding of irradiated materials was initiated on November 17, 2017, which marked a significant step in the development of the facility and the beginning of extensive welding research and development campaigns on irradiated materials that will eventually produce validated techniques and guidelines for weld repair activities carried out to extend the operational lifetimes of nuclear power plants beyond 60 years. This report summarizes the final steps that were required to complete weld process development, initial irradiated materials welding activities, near-term plans for irradiated materials welding, and plans for post-weld analyses that will be carried out to assess the ability of the advanced welding processes to make repairs on irradiated materials.

Alberta Surface Reclamation Fund annual report, April 1, 1992 to March 31, 1993

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

The Alberta Surface Reclamation Fund holds security deposits as an incentive to assure satisfactory reclamation of coal and oil sands exploration and coal, pipelines, sand and gravel and oil sands development operations. Upon satisfactory compliance, the funds are returned to the depositor. Where there is not satisfactory compliance, the Land Conservation and Reclamation Council is obligated to carry out the subsequent reclamation and the funds are used to complete the reclamation. This document also reports on the disposition of all non-cash security deposits which have been accepted instead of cash. During the year, $382,610 was refunded from coal exploration deposits, $82,226 was refunded from oil sands exploration deposits, $259,427 was refunded from pipeline development and reclamation deposits, and $94,421 was refunded from sand and gravel deposits where satisfactory reclamation had been completed. The fund, which is an integral part of the Consolidated Cash Investment Trust Fund administered by the Provincial Treasurer, earned between 6.15 and 7.85% interest on cash deposits calculated monthly. The interest accrues to the depositor's account on a quarterly basis. The total cash deposits plus interest, bonds and guaratees as of March 31, 1993 held in the fund was $116,199,168. The balance sheet and operating account summary summarize the fund and also provide details of each individual account

Alberta Surface Reclamation Fund annual report, April 1, 1991 to March 31, 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The Alberta Surface Reclamation Fund holds security deposits as an incentive to assure satisfactory reclamation of coal and oil sands exploration and coal, pipelines, sand and gravel and oil sands development operations. Upon satisfactory compliance, the funds are returned to the depositor. Where there is not satisfactory compliance, the Land Conservation and Reclamation Council is obligated to carry out the subsequent reclamation and the funds are used to complete the reclamation. This document also reports on the disposition of all non-cash security deposits which have been accepted instead of cash. During the year, $136,703 was refunded from coal development deposits, $199,788 was refunded from coal exploration deposits, $92,200 was refunded from oil exploration deposits, $145,565 was refunded from pipeline development and reclamation deposits, and $281,209 was refunded from sand and gravel deposits where satisfactory reclamation had been completed. The fund, which is an integral part of the Consolidated Cash Investment Trust Fund administered by the Provincial Treasurer, earned between 7.88 and 10.4% interest on cash deposits calculated monthly. The interest accrues to the depositor's account on a quarterly basis. The total cash deposits plus interest, bonds and guaratees as of March 31, 1992 held in the fund was $110,811,702. The balance sheet and operating account summary summarize the fund and also provide details of each individual account

Legislature agrees to fund study of marijuana efficacy.

Science.gov (United States)

1999-10-01

California could be the first State to conduct a research study on medical uses for marijuana under the "Medical Research Act of 1999". S.B. 847 would authorize a three-year program, administered by the University of California, to study which methods of ingesting marijuana are most effective in treating pain and side effects of treatments for AIDS, cancer, glaucoma and seizures. The sponsor of the bill, Sen. John Vasconcellos, initially wanted $1 million in annual funding, but the program will be funded through the normal appropriations process.

76 FR 35234 - Announcement of Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2010; Transformation Initiative: Natural...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-06-16

... funding to support scientific research that makes use of natural experiments to evaluate the impacts of... of Planning and Research, 33 Beaver Street, 20th floor, New York, New York, 10004-2737. Grant: $100...

Canadian International Food Security Research Fund - Phase II ...

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

The fund was designed to finance initiatives to solve global food and ... food security and enhance nutrition in developing countries; -increase food ... In a context of rising food prices, millions of Africans in marginal areas rely on a range of ...

The effects of Global Fund financing on health governance in Brazil

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Objectives The impact of donors, such as national government (bi-lateral), private sector, and individual financial (philanthropic) contributions, on domestic health policies of developing nations has been the subject of scholarly discourse. Little is known, however, about the impact of global financial initiatives, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, on policies and health governance of countries receiving funding from such initiatives. Methods This study employs a qualitative methodological design based on a single case study: Brazil. Analysis at national, inter-governmental and community levels is based on in-depth interviews with the Global Fund and the Brazilian Ministry of Health and civil societal activists. Primary research is complemented with information from printed media, reports, journal articles, and books, which were used to deepen our analysis while providing supporting evidence. Results Our analysis suggests that in Brazil, Global Fund financing has helped to positively transform health governance at three tiers of analysis: the national-level, inter-governmental-level, and community-level. At the national-level, Global Fund financing has helped to increased political attention and commitment to relatively neglected diseases, such as tuberculosis, while harmonizing intra-bureaucratic relationships; at the inter-governmental-level, Global Fund financing has motivated the National Tuberculosis Programme to strengthen its ties with state and municipal health departments, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs); while at the community-level, the Global Fund’s financing of civil societal institutions has encouraged the emergence of new civic movements, participation, and the creation of new municipal participatory institutions designed to monitor the disbursement of funds for Global Fund grants. Conclusions Global Fund financing can help deepen health governance at multiple levels. Future work will need to explore how

The effects of Global Fund financing on health governance in Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gómez Eduardo J

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Objectives The impact of donors, such as national government (bi-lateral, private sector, and individual financial (philanthropic contributions, on domestic health policies of developing nations has been the subject of scholarly discourse. Little is known, however, about the impact of global financial initiatives, such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, on policies and health governance of countries receiving funding from such initiatives. Methods This study employs a qualitative methodological design based on a single case study: Brazil. Analysis at national, inter-governmental and community levels is based on in-depth interviews with the Global Fund and the Brazilian Ministry of Health and civil societal activists. Primary research is complemented with information from printed media, reports, journal articles, and books, which were used to deepen our analysis while providing supporting evidence. Results Our analysis suggests that in Brazil, Global Fund financing has helped to positively transform health governance at three tiers of analysis: the national-level, inter-governmental-level, and community-level. At the national-level, Global Fund financing has helped to increased political attention and commitment to relatively neglected diseases, such as tuberculosis, while harmonizing intra-bureaucratic relationships; at the inter-governmental-level, Global Fund financing has motivated the National Tuberculosis Programme to strengthen its ties with state and municipal health departments, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs; while at the community-level, the Global Fund’s financing of civil societal institutions has encouraged the emergence of new civic movements, participation, and the creation of new municipal participatory institutions designed to monitor the disbursement of funds for Global Fund grants. Conclusions Global Fund financing can help deepen health governance at multiple levels. Future work

The big hurt: Trauma system funding in today's health care environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Geehan, Douglas

2010-01-01

Trauma systems provide effective care of the injured patient but require major financial costs in readiness and availability of the extensive trauma team and specialized equipment. Traditional billing and collection practices do not fully recoup these costs. Effective use of the standard billing system is vital to the stability of a trauma system; however, a system wide funding mechanism provides an optimal, stable foundation. Efforts to provide sustainable trauma system funding are ongoing. Numerous state initiatives have been successful in funding trauma systems but a universal solution has yet to be found.

Economics, funding and the influence of politics on the UMTRA Project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamp, S.

1993-01-01

This presentation discusses the factors contributing to the cost of the Uranium Mill Tailings Remediation Action Project and the political process involved in the funding. Topics covered include the following: Funding estimate and growth of estimate; Management actions during process; how the political process worked; cost of completed sites; economic benefit analysis of the project to Colorado; cost reduction program for the UMTRA project

Collaboration and Coordination to Improve Adult College Completion Efforts. Policy Exchanges

Science.gov (United States)

Lane, Patrick

2015-01-01

The Adult College Completion Network--funded by Lumina Foundation and facilitated by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)--brings together and supports entities working to increase college and certificate completion by adults with prior postsecondary credits but no degree. The network was founded in part on the premise…

Saving Alberta's resource revenues: Role of intergenerational and liquidity funds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bremer, Ton S. van den; Ploeg, Frederick van der

2016-01-01

We use a welfare-based intertemporal stochastic optimization model and historical data to estimate the size of the optimal intergenerational and liquidity funds and the corresponding resource dividend available to the government of the Canadian province Alberta. To first-order of approximation, this dividend should be a constant fraction of total above- and below-ground wealth, complemented by additional precautionary savings at initial times to build up a small liquidity fund to cope with oil price volatility. The ongoing dividend equals approximately 30 per cent of government revenue and requires building assets of approximately 40 per cent of GDP in 2030, 100 per cent of GDP in 2050 and 165 per cent in 2100. Finally, the effect of the recent plunge in oil prices on our estimates is examined. Our recommendations are in stark contrast with historical and current government policy. - Highlights: • Volatile natural resource income requires an intergenerational and liquidity fund. • We use intertemporal stochastic optimization and historical data for Alberta. • The ongoing dividend is 30 per cent of government revenue. • This requires assets of 100 per cent of GDP in 2050 and initial precautionary saving. • The effect of the 2014 plunge in oil prices on our estimates of the funds is examined.

78 FR 25291 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Section 3 Program Coordination and Implementation; Fiscal Year 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-30

... funding under the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for the Section 3 Program Coordination and.... (The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number for currently funded Initiatives under the Section 3... Valentine Reid, 816-777-2390. 7 50,000.00 East Armour Boulevard, Jackson, MO 64112-1254. Section 3 Program...

Mutual Fund Performances of Polish Domestic Equity Fund Managers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ömer faruk tan

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose of the article: The main purpose of the paper is empirically evaluating selectivity skills and market timing ability of Polish fund managers during the period from January 2009 to November 2014. After the global financial crisis of 2008, in this period of quantitative easing (QE, thanks to an increase in the money supply, a capital flow from developed countries to developing countries was observed. In this study, we try to analyse that although the financial market in Poland made an incredible progress, whether fund managers show better or worse performance than the market. Methodology/Methods: In order to evaluate fund manager performances, Jensen alpha (1968 is computed, which depicts selectivity skills of fund managers. For determining market timing ability of fund managers, Treynor & Mazuy (1966 regression analysis and Henriksson & Merton (1981 regression analysis are applied. Fund performances are evaluated using Warsaw Stock Exchange Index as the benchmark index. Scientific aim: In this study, we have tried to evaluate selectivity skills and market timing ability of Polish fund managers. A total of 14 equity fund managers’ performances are analysed. The study can be guiding especially for investors who are interested in Polish equity fund performances in a period where emerging stock markets outperformed with quantitative easing. Findings: Jensen (1968 alphas indicate that over this period fund managers did not have selective ability, as none of the 14 funds had statistically significant positive alphas. Furthermore, Treynor & Mazuy (1966 and Henriksson & Merton (1981 regression analysis indicate that over the same period fund managers did not also have market timing ability, as again none of the 14 funds had statistically significant positive coefficients. Conclusions: In this work, we can detect that in the era of quantitative easing, although the financial market in Poland made an incredible progress, the fund returns were

Governing Board of the Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one-hundred-and-fortieth meeting on 14 February 2006. Professor F. Ferrini, the Board's new Chairman, welcomed Mr C. Hauviller, new member of the Board, and Mr P. Martel and Professor D.-O. Riska, new alternate members. In his opening remarks as Chairman, Professor Ferrini set out his views on the role of the Governing Board. Within the general context of the Organization, whose priority continues to be LHC completion, the Fund has a duty to send a clear signal to the Council, the Management, the active members and the beneficiaries that it is committed to resolving the serious problems it faces. In concrete terms, the Governing Board's work should be guided by some general principles: it is of the utmost importance to re-establish an atmosphere of trust and cooperation between the various parties to the Fund; wherever possible, all opinions voiced will have to be taken into account; issues relating to pension guarantees will have to be given active attentio...

Venture funding for science-based African health innovation.

Science.gov (United States)

Masum, Hassan; Chakma, Justin; Simiyu, Ken; Ronoh, Wesley; Daar, Abdallah S; Singer, Peter A

2010-12-13

challenges identified, be sustainable in the long run, attract for-profit private sector funds, and have measurable and significant health impact. If this is done, the proposed venture approach may have complementary benefits to existing initiatives and encourage local scientific and economic development while tapping new sources of funding.

(IAM Series No 005) Are “Market Neutral” Hedge Funds Really Market Neutral?

OpenAIRE

Andrew Patton

2004-01-01

One can consider the concept of market neutrality for hedge funds as having breadth and depth: breadth reflects the number of market risks to which a fund is neutral, while depth reflects the completeness of the neutrality of the fund to market risks. We focus on market neutrality depth, and propose five different neutrality concepts. Mean neutrality nests the standard correlation-based definition of neutrality. Variance neutrality, Value-at-Risk neutrality and tail neutrality all relate to t...

Ensuring the Availability of Funds (Germany)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warnecke, Ernst; Paul, Michael

2006-01-01

, Discussion was initiated, no results or decisions. 6 - Concluding remarks: Discussions focussed on 'the best' funding system. In practice, each funding system has its pros and cons, no funding system is perfect. The direction of discussions should be changed. New focus: Discussion of features required to make a funding system safe

Latino College Completion: Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Excelencia in Education (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. An executive summary of Latino College Completion in 50 states synthesizes information on 50 state factsheets and builds on the national benchmarking guide. Each…

Latino College Completion: Pennsylvania

Science.gov (United States)

Excelencia in Education (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. An executive summary of Latino College Completion in 50 states synthesizes information on 50 state factsheets and builds on the national benchmarking guide. Each…

Sources of funding for Nobel Prize-winning work: public or private?

Science.gov (United States)

Tatsioni, Athina; Vavva, Effie; Ioannidis, John P A

2010-05-01

Funding is important for scientists' work and may contribute to exceptional research outcomes. We analyzed the funding sources reported in the landmark scientific papers of Nobel Prize winners. Between 2000 and 2008, 70 Nobel laureates won recognition in medicine, physics, and chemistry. Sixty five (70%) of the 93 selected papers related to the Nobel-awarded work reported some funding source including U.S. government sources in 53 (82%), non-U.S. government sources in 19 (29%), and nongovernment sources in 33 (51%). A substantial portion of this exceptional work was unfunded. We contacted Nobel laureates whose landmark papers reported no funding. Thirteen Nobel laureates responded and offered their insights about the funding process and difficulties inherent in funding. Overall, very diverse sources amounting to a total of 64 different listed sponsors supported Nobel-related work. A few public institutions, in particular the U.S. National Institutes of Health (with n=26 funded papers) and the National Science Foundation (with n=17 papers), stood out for their successful record for funding exceptional research. However, Nobel-level work arose even from completely unfunded research, especially when institutions offered a protected environment for dedicated scientists.

Specific Features in Accessing European Funding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Alexandra CĂLDĂRARU

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract: European Funds are the European Union financial instruments in order to assist Member States in reducing the existing disparities between regions and between countries, and for harmonization with the economic, social and cultural European standards. This paper intends to present some general characteristics applicable to the most important financing programs, and also to outline certain features of the main financing lines, referring to investment projects development and their implementation, based on the Applicant Guides analysis. The paper treats institutional, legal, financial, technical, social and environmental aspects and outlines proposals and recommendations to achieve a better EU funds absorption and also a higher success rate of initiated projects. In knowledge-based economy circumstances, training consultancy specialists, that represent the intellectual capital in this area, will ensure the professional management of the developing process, submission and ongoing competitive projects, and will help enhance the funds absorption at national level. Thus, the European support for investments in ensuring sustainable growth will help overcoming the difficulties encountered by our country, and will sustain the Romanian economy recovery.

77 FR 36012 - Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Pay for Success Pilot...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-15

... model, an innovative funding strategy for achieving specific social service outcomes. The complete SGA... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Employment and Training Administration [Funding Opportunity Number SGA/DFA PY-11-13] Notice of Availability of Funds and Solicitation for Grant Applications for Pay for Success...

Force Structure - Need for Greater Transparency for the Army's Grow the Force Initiative Funding Plan

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Jaffe, Wendy; Baumgartner, Kelly; Coleman, Grace; Gannon, Barbara; Richardson, Terry; Smith, Kathryn; Thornton, Karen

2007-01-01

.... This planned expansion includes building six additional active modular brigade combat teams and additional modular support units, which will require a substantial increase in funding for personnel...

Diffusion of Complete Streets policies Across US communities.

Science.gov (United States)

Moreland-Russell, Sarah; Eyler, Amy; Barbero, Colleen; Hipp, J Aaron; Walsh, Heidi

2013-01-01

Complete Streets policies guide planning in communities by making the transportation system accommodating to all users including vehicle drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, as well as those using public transportation. While the number of Complete Streets policies has increased over the past decade, no research has explored the factors attributing to the widespread diffusion of these policies. The purpose of this study was to apply concepts of the Diffusion of Innovation Theory to data related to Complete Streets policies in order to identify potential patterns and correlates. The main outcome of this study was policy adoption. Using the Diffusion of Innovation Theory and results from previous literature, we identified several factors that had the potential to affect the rate of Complete Streets policy diffusion: rural/urban status, state obesity rate, state funding for transportation, state obesity prevention funding, percentage of people who walk or bike to work in the state, presence of a state Complete Streets policy, and the number of bordering communities with Complete Streets policy. We used event history analysis as the main analysis method. Data from 49 community-level policies were analyzed, with a "community" defined as a city, a county, or a regional/Metropolitan Planning Organization. Three variables were significant predictors of Complete Streets policy adoption: state obesity rate (odds ratio [OR] = 1.465; confidence interval [CI] = 1.10-1.96) percentage of people who bike or walk to work in the state (OR = 1.726; CI = 1.069-2.79), and presence of a border community with a Complete Streets policy (OR = 3.859; CI = 1.084-13.742). Communities with Complete Streets policies varied in geographic and sociodemographic factors. Information about communities that are more likely to adopt a policy can be a tool for advocates and policy makers interested in this topic. Because adoption does not imply implementation, further research is needed to study

Fisheries credit programmes and revolving loan funds: case studies

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Tietze, U; Merrikin, P

1992-01-01

... programmes and revolving loan funds. In order to gain more information in this vital area, the Fishery Industries Division of FAO initiated a series of case studies in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean...

Funding models in palliative care: Lessons from international experience

Science.gov (United States)

Groeneveld, E Iris; Cassel, J Brian; Bausewein, Claudia; Csikós, Ágnes; Krajnik, Malgorzata; Ryan, Karen; Haugen, Dagny Faksvåg; Eychmueller, Steffen; Gudat Keller, Heike; Allan, Simon; Hasselaar, Jeroen; García-Baquero Merino, Teresa; Swetenham, Kate; Piper, Kym; Fürst, Carl Johan; Murtagh, Fliss EM

2017-01-01

Background: Funding models influence provision and development of palliative care services. As palliative care integrates into mainstream health care provision, opportunities to develop funding mechanisms arise. However, little has been reported on what funding models exist or how we can learn from them. Aim: To assess national models and methods for financing and reimbursing palliative care. Design: Initial literature scoping yielded limited evidence on the subject as national policy documents are difficult to identify, access and interpret. We undertook expert consultations to appraise national models of palliative care financing in England, Germany, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and Wales. These represent different levels of service development and a variety of funding mechanisms. Results: Funding mechanisms reflect country-specific context and local variations in care provision. Patterns emerging include the following: Provider payment is rarely linked to population need and often perpetuates existing inequitable patterns in service provision. Funding is frequently characterised as a mixed system of charitable, public and private payers. The basis on which providers are paid for services rarely reflects individual care input or patient needs. Conclusion: Funding mechanisms need to be well understood and used with caution to ensure best practice and minimise perverse incentives. Before we can conduct cross-national comparisons of costs and impact of palliative care, we need to understand the funding and policy context for palliative care in each country of interest. PMID:28156188

Funding models in palliative care: Lessons from international experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Groeneveld, E Iris; Cassel, J Brian; Bausewein, Claudia; Csikós, Ágnes; Krajnik, Malgorzata; Ryan, Karen; Haugen, Dagny Faksvåg; Eychmueller, Steffen; Gudat Keller, Heike; Allan, Simon; Hasselaar, Jeroen; García-Baquero Merino, Teresa; Swetenham, Kate; Piper, Kym; Fürst, Carl Johan; Murtagh, Fliss Em

2017-04-01

Funding models influence provision and development of palliative care services. As palliative care integrates into mainstream health care provision, opportunities to develop funding mechanisms arise. However, little has been reported on what funding models exist or how we can learn from them. To assess national models and methods for financing and reimbursing palliative care. Initial literature scoping yielded limited evidence on the subject as national policy documents are difficult to identify, access and interpret. We undertook expert consultations to appraise national models of palliative care financing in England, Germany, Hungary, Republic of Ireland, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United States and Wales. These represent different levels of service development and a variety of funding mechanisms. Funding mechanisms reflect country-specific context and local variations in care provision. Patterns emerging include the following: Provider payment is rarely linked to population need and often perpetuates existing inequitable patterns in service provision. Funding is frequently characterised as a mixed system of charitable, public and private payers. The basis on which providers are paid for services rarely reflects individual care input or patient needs. Funding mechanisms need to be well understood and used with caution to ensure best practice and minimise perverse incentives. Before we can conduct cross-national comparisons of costs and impact of palliative care, we need to understand the funding and policy context for palliative care in each country of interest.

Are Sunshine Private Funds More Beneficial than Publicly Offered Funds to the Fund Managers in Their Investment Performance?

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

YAN Wu; XIONG Hang

2016-01-01

From the perspective of the comparison between the investment performances of the fund managers before and after investment transfer from publicly offered funds to sunshine private funds,we can better explore the influences of the two institutional environments on the investment performances of the fund managers.This paper conducts a comparative analysis of the fund managers,investment performances before and after their investment transfer with the help of a number of fund performance evaluation models.The results show that the overall investment ability of the fund managers have been improved significantly when they transfer from publicly offered funds to sunshine private funds.If decomposing the overall investment ability into time-choosing and stock-picking abilities,the improvement of the fund managers' overall investment ability is mainly reflected in the significant improvement of their time-choosing ability after the transfer,while their stock-picking ability would then decrease a little.At the same time,by studying the personal characteristics of the fund managers,it is found that those who had investment research experience can obtain better investment performances.

Lessons learned: Infrastructure development and financial management for large, publicly funded, international trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Larson, Gregg S; Carey, Cate; Grarup, Jesper; Hudson, Fleur; Sachi, Karen; Vjecha, Michael J; Gordin, Fred

2016-04-01

Randomized clinical trials are widely recognized as essential to address worldwide clinical and public health research questions. However, their size and duration can overwhelm available public and private resources. To remain competitive in international research settings, advocates and practitioners of clinical trials must implement practices that reduce their cost. We identify approaches and practices for large, publicly funded, international trials that reduce cost without compromising data integrity and recommend an approach to cost reporting that permits comparison of clinical trials. We describe the organizational and financial characteristics of The International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials, an infectious disease research network that conducts multiple, large, long-term, international trials, and examine challenges associated with simple and streamlined governance and an infrastructure and financial management model that is based on performance, transparency, and accountability. It is possible to reduce costs of participants' follow-up and not compromise clinical trial quality or integrity. The International Network for Strategic Initiatives in Global HIV Trials network has successfully completed three large HIV trials using cost-efficient practices that have not adversely affected investigator enthusiasm, accrual rates, loss-to-follow-up, adherence to the protocol, and completion of data collection. This experience is relevant to the conduct of large, publicly funded trials in other disease areas, particularly trials dependent on international collaborations. New approaches, or creative adaption of traditional clinical trial infrastructure and financial management tools, can render large, international clinical trials more cost-efficient by emphasizing structural simplicity, minimal up-front costs, payments for performance, and uniform algorithms and fees-for-service, irrespective of location. However, challenges remain. They

Rating mutual funds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bechmann, Ken L.; Rangvid, Jesper

2007-01-01

We develop a new rating of mutual funds: the atpRating. The atpRating assigns crowns to each individual mutual fund based upon the costs an investor pays when investing in the fund in relation to what it would cost to invest in the fund's peers. Within each investment category, the rating assigns...... the return of a fund in a certain year generally contains only little information about the future return that the fund will generate. Finally, we have information on the investments in different mutual funds made by a small subgroup of investors known to have been exposed to both the atp...... five crowns to funds with the lowest costs and one crown to funds with the highest costs. We investigate the ability of the atpRating to predict the future performance of a fund. We find that an investor who has invested in the funds with the lowest costs within an investment category would have...

Color vision abnormality as an initial presentation of the complete type of congenital stationary night blindness.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Xue; Aoki, Aya; Yanagi, Yasuo

2013-01-01

Patients with the complete form of congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB) often have reduced visual acuity, myopia, impaired night vision, and sometimes nystagmus and strabismus, however, they seldom complain of color vision abnormality. A 17-year-old male who was at technical school showed abnormalities in the color perception test for employment, and was referred to our hospital for a detailed examination. He had no family history of color vision deficiency and no other symptoms. During the initial examination, his best-corrected visual acuity was 1.2 in both eyes. His fundus showed no abnormalities except for somewhat yellowish reflex in the fovea of both eyes. Electroretinogram (ERG) showed a good response in cone ERG and 30 Hz flicker ERG, however, the bright flash, mixed rod and cone ERG showed a negative type with a reduced b-wave (positive deflection). There was no response in the rod ERG, either. From the findings of the typical ERG, the patient was diagnosed with complete congenital stationary night blindness. This case underscores the importance of ERG in order to diagnose the cause of a color vision anomaly.

Rating Mutual Funds

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bechmann, Ken L.; Rangvid, Jesper

We develop a new rating of mutual funds: the atpRating. The atpRating assigns crowns to each individual mutual fund based upon the costs an investor pays when investing in the fund in relation to what it would cost to invest in the fund’s peers. Within each investment category, the rating assigns......, whereas the return of a fund in a certain year generally contains only little information about the future return that the fund will generate. Finally, we have information on the investments in different mutual funds made by a small subgroup of investors known to have been exposed to both the atp...... five crowns to funds with the lowest costs and one crown to funds with the highest costs. We investigate the ability of the atpRating to predict the future performance of a fund. We find that an investor who has invested in the funds with the lowest costs within an investment category would have...

Venture funding for science-based African health innovation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daar Abdallah S

2010-12-01

returns. Such funds should be structured to overcome the challenges identified, be sustainable in the long run, attract for-profit private sector funds, and have measurable and significant health impact. If this is done, the proposed venture approach may have complementary benefits to existing initiatives and encourage local scientific and economic development while tapping new sources of funding.

Planning, Implementing, and Documenting an Innovative Statewide Occupational Initiative.

Science.gov (United States)

Floyd, Jerald D.

During an 18-month demonstration period, the Illinois Occupational Program Initiative (IOPI), funded through the state's Division of Alcoholism, demonstrated the feasibility of funding individual contractors to create and market employee assistance programs (EAPs) to representatives of industry and labor. Cost estimates for the EAPs were to cover…

How to Fund Homeland Security without Federal Dollars: State and Local Funding of Homeland Security Initiatives in Light of Decreased Support by the Federal Government

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Emler, Jay S

2008-01-01

..., sales taxes, congestion fees and multi-year budgeting with the addition of a "rainy day" fund, to less conventional options like public/private partnerships and innovative investment strategies...

Random matrix theory and fund of funds portfolio optimisation

Science.gov (United States)

Conlon, T.; Ruskin, H. J.; Crane, M.

2007-08-01

The proprietary nature of Hedge Fund investing means that it is common practise for managers to release minimal information about their returns. The construction of a fund of hedge funds portfolio requires a correlation matrix which often has to be estimated using a relatively small sample of monthly returns data which induces noise. In this paper, random matrix theory (RMT) is applied to a cross-correlation matrix C, constructed using hedge fund returns data. The analysis reveals a number of eigenvalues that deviate from the spectrum suggested by RMT. The components of the deviating eigenvectors are found to correspond to distinct groups of strategies that are applied by hedge fund managers. The inverse participation ratio is used to quantify the number of components that participate in each eigenvector. Finally, the correlation matrix is cleaned by separating the noisy part from the non-noisy part of C. This technique is found to greatly reduce the difference between the predicted and realised risk of a portfolio, leading to an improved risk profile for a fund of hedge funds.

The role of scheduled second TACE in early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma with complete response to initial TACE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jung Hee Kim

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background/Aims We investigated the outcomes of early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC patients who showed a complete response (CR to initial transarterial chemoembolization (TACE, with a focus on the role of scheduled TACE repetition. Methods A total of 178 patients with early-stage HCC who were initially treated with TACE and showed a CR based on the modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (mRECIST criteria on one month follow-up computed tomography (CT were analyzed. Among them, 90 patients underwent scheduled repetition of TACE in the absence of viable tumor on CT. Results During a median follow-up period of 4.6 years (range: 0.4-8.8 years, mortality was observed in 71 patients (39.9%. The overall recurrence-free and local recurrence-free survival rates at 1 year were 44.4% and 56.2%. In the multivariable model, scheduled repetition of TACE was an independent factor associated with survival (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.56 [0.34-0.93], P=0.025. When stratified using Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC stage, scheduled repetition of TACE was associated with a favorable survival rate in BCLC stage A patients, but not in BCLC 0 patients. Conclusions Scheduled repetition of TACE was associated with better survival for early-stage HCC patients showing a CR after initial TACE, especially in BCLC stage A patients.

Using TANF to Finance Out-of-School Time Initiatives

Science.gov (United States)

Relave, Nanette; Flynn-Khan, Margaret

2007-01-01

This report addresses how the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program can be an important source of funding for maintaining, improving, and expanding out-of-school time initiatives. The report is designed to help policymakers and program developers understand the opportunities and challenges of effectively using TANF funding to…

Assistance to schoolized childhood: the school fund

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sélia Ana Zonin

2018-03-01

Full Text Available This article has as central theme the constitution of the school fund in the primary public schools of Santa Catarina in the first half of the twentieth century. This initiative, promoted by the public authority, aimed at assisting impoverished students through the donation of school material, uniforms, meals, transportation and medical and dental care. The reflection presented here is based on documents produced by the State, such as laws, decrees, regulations and circulars, in addition to others produced by schools, especially reports containing the description of the activities inherent to the school fund. It is considered that the analysis contributes to the understanding of policies that will be implemented over the years inside and outside the school context.

Surface Warfare Officers Initial Training For Future Success

Science.gov (United States)

2018-03-01

9 A school is initial rating specific technical training that is given to sailors. 14 Figure 4. Less...NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA MBA PROFESSIONAL REPORT SURFACE WARFARE OFFICERS— INITIAL TRAINING FOR FUTURE SUCCESS March 2018...professional report 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE SURFACE WARFARE OFFICERS—INITIAL TRAINING FOR FUTURE SUCCESS 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 6. AUTHOR(S) Arron J

Montana BioDiesel Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peyton, Brent [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States)

2017-01-29

This initiative funding helped put Montana State University (MSU) in a position to help lead in the development of biodiesel production strategies. Recent shortages in electrical power and rising gasoline prices have focused much attention on the development of alternative energy sources that will end our dependence on fossil fuels. In addition, as the concern for environmental impact of utilizing fossil fuels increases, effective strategies must be implemented to reduce emissions or the increased regulations imposed on fossil fuel production will cause economic barriers for their use to continue to increase. Biodiesel has been repeatedly promoted as a more environmentally sound and renewable source of fuel and may prove to be a highly viable solution to provide, at the least, a proportion of our energy needs. Currently there are both practical and economic barriers to the implementation of alternative energy however the advent of these technologies is inevitable. Since many of the same strategies for the storage, transport, and utilization of biodiesel are common with that of fossil fuels, the practical barriers for biodiesel are comparatively minimal. Strategies were developed to harness the CO₂ as feedstock to support the growth of biodiesel producing algae. The initiative funding led to the successful funding of highly rated projects in competitive national grant programs in the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy. This funding put MSU in a key position to develop technologies to utilize the CO₂ rich emissions produced in fossil fuel utilization and assembled world experts concerning the growth characteristics of photosynthetic microorganisms capable of producing biodiesel.

Walk the Talk. Integrated Sustainability Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sagebiel, John [Univ. of Nevada, Reno, NV (United States)

2014-09-30

The overall objective of this project was to demonstrate, through a series of real-world applications of existing technology, the benefits to the University of Nevada, Reno and the community, of various sustainability efforts. The project was very successful and has stimulated the Campus to take on more projects after seeing the successes of those initial ones funded through this project. The three areas of this work could broadly be described as energy efficiency, renewable energy and recycling. Under the first project, the campus did several projects replacing or changing heating and cooling systems, using state funding. The DOE funding initially funded the replacement of lights in one campus parking garage with LED lights. Subsequently, the campus facilities group recognized how effective this was and leveraged funds to do the other two garages. Similarly with the renewable energy project, once the first system was installed and working well, the campus committed funds to more than double that system. Lastly, the recycling efforts expanded the use and awareness on campus and led the campus to begin using a single-stream recycling program once it became available in this area, hopefully leading to more participation by the campus community. Thus, overall the project areas each did what they were intended to do, which was to demonstrate the usefulness of these sustainability programs and thus encourage the campus to do more. All this great work helps the campus’ goals overall, but without additional effort would not reach beyond the campus. This was the objective of the education and outreach effort. The combination of events, websites, and videos enabled us to reach many key decision makers and at the same time provide a long-term presence on the web that we can use to further educate people. The overall goals were met or exceeded and will continue to pay dividends into the future.

Successful private-public funding of paediatric medicines research: lessons from the EU programme to fund research into off-patent medicines.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruggieri, L; Giannuzzi, V; Baiardi, P; Bonifazi, F; Davies, E H; Giaquinto, C; Bonifazi, D; Felisi, M; Chiron, C; Pressler, R; Rabe, H; Whitaker, M J; Neubert, A; Jacqz-Aigrain, E; Eichler, I; Turner, M A; Ceci, A

2015-04-01

The European Paediatric Regulation mandated the European Commission to fund research on off-patent medicines with demonstrated therapeutic interest for children. Responding to this mandate, five FP7 project calls were launched and 20 projects were granted. This paper aims to detail the funded projects and their preliminary results. Publicly available sources have been consulted and a descriptive analysis has been performed. Twenty Research Consortia including 246 partners in 29 European and non-European countries were created (involving 129 universities or public-funded research organisations, 51 private companies with 40 SMEs, 7 patient associations). The funded projects investigate 24 medicines, covering 10 therapeutic areas in all paediatric age groups. In response to the Paediatric Regulation and to apply for a Paediatric Use Marketing Authorisation, 15 Paediatric Investigation Plans have been granted by the EMA-Paediatric Committee, including 71 studies of whom 29 paediatric clinical trials, leading to a total of 7,300 children to be recruited in more than 380 investigational centres. Notwithstanding the EU contribution for each study is lower than similar publicly funded projects, and also considering the complexity of paediatric research, these projects are performing high-quality research and are progressing towards the increase of new paediatric medicines on the market. Private-public partnerships have been effectively implemented, providing a good example for future collaborative actions. Since these projects cover a limited number of off-patent drugs and many unmet therapeutic needs in paediatrics remain, it is crucial foreseeing new similar initiatives in forthcoming European funding programmes.

Public Health Preparedness Funding: Key Programs and Trends From 2001 to 2017.

Science.gov (United States)

Watson, Crystal R; Watson, Matthew; Sell, Tara Kirk

2017-09-01

To evaluate trends in funding over the past 16 years for key federal public health preparedness and response programs at the US Department of Health and Human Services, to improve understanding of federal funding history in this area, and to provide context for future resource allocation decisions for public health preparedness. In this 2017 analysis, we examined the funding history of key federal programs critical to public health preparedness by reviewing program budget data collected for our annual examination of federal funding for biodefense and health security programs since fiscal year (FY) 2001. State and local preparedness at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention initially received $940 million in FY2002 and resulted in significant preparedness gains, but funding levels have since decreased by 31%. Similarly, the Hospital Preparedness Program within the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response was funded at a high of $515 million in FY2003, but funding was reduced by 50%. Investments in medical countermeasure development and stockpiling remained relatively stable. The United States has made significant progress in preparing for disasters and advancing public health infrastructure. To enable continued advancement, federal funding commitments must be sustained.

Differential effects of public and private funding in the medical device industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Kang, Hyunsung D; Ku, David N

2018-02-01

Funding for scientific advancement comes from two dominant sources: public funds used to generate knowledge, and private sector funds in the pursuit of commercial products. It is unclear how to compare the outputs of these two financial mechanisms because both sectors are motivated by common goods but are also governed by divergent forces. Employment within a geographic region may be a metric of mutual value that can be applied equally to assess the societal impacts of two financing sources. Areas covered: The authors focused on the medical device industry, which is a robust sector of growth for the U.S. economy. The U.S. NIH and venture capital community are representatives of public and private capital, respectively. Using a longitudinal employment dataset of 247 distinct locations, the authors found that NIH funding tends to create more jobs directly compared to venture capital funding. Moreover, the indirect effect of governmental funding is initially smaller than that of venture capital funding for the first two years, but eventually surpasses that of venture capital funding. Expert commentary: These findings imply that policy decisions regarding financial allocations in the medical device industry should consider the appropriate typology of financial capital and its consequences.

Parasites and vectors carry no passport: how to fund cross-border and regional efforts to achieve malaria elimination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gueye Cara

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Tremendous progress has been made in the last ten years in reducing morbidity and mortality caused by malaria, in part because of increases in global funding for malaria control and elimination. Today, many countries are striving for malaria elimination. However, a major challenge is the neglect of cross-border and regional initiatives in malaria control and elimination. This paper seeks to better understand Global Fund support for multi-country initiatives. Methods Documents and proposals were extracted and reviewed from two main sources, the Global Fund website and Aidspan.org. Documents and reports from the Global Fund Technical Review Panel, Board, and Secretariat documents such as guidelines and proposal templates were reviewed to establish the type of policies enacted and guidance provided from the Global Fund on multi-country initiatives and applications. From reviewing this information, the researchers created 29 variables according to eight dimensions to use in a review of Round 10 applications. All Round 10 multi-country applications (for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis and all malaria multi-country applications (6 from Rounds 1 – 10 were extracted from the Global Fund website. A blind review was conducted of Round 10 applications using the 29 variables as a framework, followed by a review of four of the six successful malaria multi-country grant applications from Rounds 1 – 10. Findings During Rounds 3 – 10 of the Global Fund, only 5.8% of grants submitted were for multi-country initiatives. Out of 83 multi-country proposals submitted, 25.3% were approved by the Technical Review Panel (TRP for funding, compared to 44.9% of single-country applications. The majority of approved multi-country applications were for HIV (76.2%, followed by malaria (19.0%, then tuberculosis (4.8%. TRP recommendations resulted in improvements to application forms, although guidance was generally vague. The in-depth review of Round 10

Compensation for the victims of violence from the public funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mrvić-Petrović Nataša

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In the Republic of Serbia there is still neither a public fund for the compensation of the victims of the violent crime, nor do the until now undertaken reform of the penal law respect in the necessary measure the interests of the victims. The documents of the UN, the European Council and the EU contain guidelines for the foundation of funds for the public compensation of the victims of violence, and the comparative European experiences indicate by their action the existing system of social protection is completed. The authors analyses the reasons for the introduction of these funds and they plead for the compensation of the victims from public funds to be enabled for the reason of justice and humanity, according to the idea of prosperity within a state of prosperity. That reason should have priority in relation to other, pragmatic, criminal-political reasons and the obligation of the domestic legislation to (formally adjust itself to the European standards.

Nuclear Science: a survey of funding, facilities, and manpower

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1975-01-01

In 1973 the Committee on Nuclear Science of the National Research Council initiated a re-examination of aspects (funding, manpower, and facilities) of the organization and operation of nuclear science research in order to evaluate any changes in the preceding four years and implications of such changes. The reports of the three ad hoc panels established for this purpose (funding and level of effort, nuclear facilities, manpower and education) are presented. Although they identify current problems in nuclear science, these reports do not provide simple solutions; rather, they attempt to provide updated information for use as background for continuing decisions

Offshore Investment Funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shang-Jin Wei

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Offshore investment funds are alleged to have engaged in trading behavior that is different from their onshore counterparts because they may be subject to less supervision and regulation. In particular, they may trade more intensely. They could also pursue more aggressively certain trading strategies such as positive feedback trading or herding that could contribute to a greater volatility in the market. Using a unique data set, this chapter compares the trading behavior in the Korean stock market between offshore investment funds with their onshore counterparts registered in the US and UK. There are a number of interesting findings. First, there is indeed evidence suggesting that the offshore funds trade more intensely than their onshore counterparts. Second, however, there is no evidence that the offshore funds engage in positive feedback trading. In contrast, there is strong evidence that the funds from the U.S. and U.K. do. Third, while offshore funds do herd, they do so far less than onshore funds in the U.S. or UK. Fourth, offshore funds hold less glamour stocks (e.g. stocks with high P/E in their portfolio than funds in the U.S. or U.K. do. Moreover, flight to glamour stocks during the in-crisis period is less evident in the case of offshore funds. In sum, offshore funds are no especially worrisome monsters.

Adaptation funding and the World Bank investment framework initiative. Background Report prepared for the Gleneagles Dialogue Government Working Groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, B.

2006-06-01

The recent World Bank Report on 'Clean Energy and Development: Towards an Investment Framework' estimates that 'climateproofing' investments in developing countries - excluding additional investment needed to reduce the exposure to current climate risks and unavoided climate related damages - would cost between $9 and $41 billions annually. This raises two key questions that the government working groups in Mexico might wish to consider: The first question is How are the costs of climate-proofing investments in particular, and adaptation in general to be covered and managed? Depending on the types of costs related to adaptation and impacts, different forms of disbursement will have to be used to achieve the desired results. A number of financial tools are already in place or are being introduced which could be used for this purpose. Apart from the traditional instruments used in climate change funding to-date - such as the hitherto sole operating entity of the financial mechanism of the UNFCCC, i.e. the GEF - there are the following: The World Bank concept of an Investment Framework - this is probably most suited to deal with the transfer of adaptation technologies; Climate impact risks could be addressed through insurance-related instruments - these might be strictly climate related, or more general, such as the proposed European Commission / World Bank Global Index Insurance Framework; The funding of relief efforts connected with climate/weather related disasters is probably best dealt with through the proposed reform of existing disaster relief fund, administered by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); and Economic shocks due to whether related disasters could be dealt with through the Exogenous Shock Facility of the IMF. The instruments for disbursement of adaptation funding thus need not deal solely with climate change aspects, nor is necessary that they should be governed exclusively by the UNFCCC (COP) or the Kyoto Protocol (COP

Financing state newborn screening programs: sources and uses of funds.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Kay; Lloyd-Puryear, Michele A; Mann, Marie Y; Ramos, Lauren Raskin; Therrell, Bradford L

2006-05-01

Financing for newborn screening is different from virtually all other public health programs. All except 5 screening programs collect fees as the primary source of program funding. A fee-based approach to financing newborn screening has been adopted by most states, to ensure consistent funding for this critical public health activity. Two types of data are reported here, ie, primary data from a survey of 37 state public health agencies and findings from exploratory case studies from 7 states. Most of the programs that participated in this survey (73%) reported that their newborn screening funding increased between 2002 and 2005, typically through increased fees and to a lesser extent through Medicaid, Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant, and state general revenue funding. All of the responding states that collect fees (n = 31) use such funds to support laboratory expenses, and most (70%) finance short-term follow-up services and program management. Nearly one half (47%) finance longer-term follow-up services, case management, or family support beyond diagnosis. Other states (43%) finance genetic or nutritional counseling and formula foods or treatment. Regardless of the source of funds, the available evidence indicates that states are committed to maintaining their programs and securing the necessary financing for the initial screening through diagnosis. Use of federal funding is currently limited; however, pressure to provide dedicated federal funding would likely increase if national recommendations for a uniform newborn screening panel were issued.

KT Fund: Five years of funding for impact

CERN Multimedia

CERN Bulletin

2015-01-01

Cryogenic safety, ion beam therapy, event management for communities, emergency lighting… this year’s applications for funding through the Knowledge Transfer Fund demonstrate the breadth of possible applications of CERN technology beyond high-energy physics.     The use of high index glass spherical targets as retroreflectors for a 3D interferometer is the subject of one of the 2015 KT Fund Projects.   Following the 2015 selection committee held in January, the KT Fund has funded a total of seven new projects that aim to further develop CERN technologies to a level where they can be transferred and subsequently make a positive impact on society. “CERN’s ambitious scientific programme requires state-of-the-art technologies that are not always directly reusable by society because they were not designed with this purpose in mind,” explains David Mazur, Section Leader of the IP Dissemination Section. “Since 2011, the KT...

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2009-01-01

In line with the decisions concerning the new governance of the Pension Fund taken by the Council in June and September 2007, amendments to Section 2 "Structure and Functions" of the Rules of the Fund (Article I 2.08 – Composition of the Investment Committee and Article I 2.08b – Chairman of the Investment Committee) entered into force on 1st January 2009. These articles replace the provisions of the existing Regulations of the Investment Committee of the Pension Fund relating to the composition and chairman of the Investment Committee. Amendment No. 27 (PDF document) may be downloaded directly from the Pension Fund website: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm or obtained from the Administration of the Fund (Tel. 022 7672742, mailto:Barbara.Bordjah@cern.ch).

Trends in Technology Planning and Funding in Florida K-12 Public Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALBERT DIETER RITZHAUPT

2008-12-01

Full Text Available This empirical research investigates trends in technology planning and funding in Florida’s K–12 public schools between the 2003–04 and 2005–06 academic years. Survey items that focused on funding and planning issues on Florida’s statewide school technology integration survey were analyzed using logistic models. Results indicate a significant increase in the number of schools revising their technology plans on a regular basis; a significant increase in the frequency with which Florida’s K–12 public schools are seeking funding for technology-related initiatives; a significant increase in parent, administrator, teacher, and student involvement in the technology planning process; and a significant decline in adequate funding for software and hardware needs. In addition, schools with low proportions of economically disadvantaged students sought and were awarded significantly more funds from donations and federal and state grants. Implications for educational leadership and policy are provided.

Latino College Completion: South Dakota

Science.gov (United States)

Excelencia in Education (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. An executive summary of Latino College Completion in 50 states synthesizes information on 50 state factsheets and builds on the national benchmarking guide. Each…

Latino College Completion: North Dakota

Science.gov (United States)

Excelencia in Education (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. An executive summary of Latino College Completion in 50 states synthesizes information on 50 state factsheets and builds on the national benchmarking guide. Each…

Latino College Completion: New York

Science.gov (United States)

Excelencia in Education (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. An executive summary of Latino College Completion in 50 states synthesizes information on 50 state factsheets and builds on the national benchmarking guide. Each…

Latino College Completion: United States

Science.gov (United States)

Excelencia in Education (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. An executive summary of Latino College Completion in 50 states synthesizes information on 50 state factsheets and builds on the national benchmarking guide. Each…

Latino College Completion: New Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Excelencia in Education (NJ1), 2012

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. An executive summary of Latino College Completion in 50 states synthesizes information on 50 state factsheets and builds on the national benchmarking guide. Each…

Fund management plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-05-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, P.L. 97-425 (the Act), provides for establishment of two separate special funds in the US Treasury, the Interim Storage Fund and the Nuclear Waste Fund (the Funds). The Interim Storage Fund (Sec. 136) is the financing mechanism for the provision of federal interim storage capacity, not to exceed 1900 metric tons, for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from civilian reactors. Basically, interim storage of SNF is the responsibility of the owners and generators of nuclear wastes. Storage at government facilities will be provided only if the utilities do not have adequate storage capacity. The Nuclear Waste Fund (Sec. 302) is the statutory financing approach for the Department's radioactive waste disposal program. P.L. 97-425 directs utilities to pay a mandatory fee to cover DOE's expected costs for nuclear waste disposal. The Funds are administered by the Department of Energy. This Plan identifies how DOE will implement and manage the Nuclear Waste and Interim Storage Funds

Hawaii Energy and Environmental Technologies (HEET) Initiative

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Rocheleau, Richard E; Moore, Robert M; Turn, Scott Q; Antal, Jr., Michael J; Cooney, Michael J; Liaw, Bor-Yann; Masutani, Stephen M

2007-01-01

This report covers efforts by the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute of the University of Hawaii under the ONR-funded HEET Initiative that addresses critical technology needs for exploration/utilization...

Factors influencing timely initiation and completion of gestational diabetes mellitus screening and diagnosis - a qualitative study from Tamil Nadu, India

OpenAIRE

Nielsen, Karoline Kragelund; Rheinl?nder, Thilde; Kapur, Anil; Damm, Peter; Seshiah, Veerasamy; Bygbjerg, Ib C.

2017-01-01

Background In 2007, universal screening for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was introduced in Tamil Nadu, India. To identify factors hindering or facilitating timely initiation and completion of the GDM screening and diagnosis process, our study investigated how pregnant women in rural and urban Tamil Nadu access and navigate different GDM related health services. Methods The study was carried out in two settings: an urban private diabetes centre and a rural government primary health cent...

Completion of Mochovce 1 and 2 nuclear power plant project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Valach, J.

2000-01-01

Commissioning of the Mochovce Nuclear Power Plant unit 2 fully completed the Mochovce unit 1 and 2 project. The power plant construction passed through a complicated evolution since early 80's. The genesis started with the change of the plant location due to a seismic resistance requirement raised by the former Czechoslovak Atomic Energy Commission, change of the design and contractor of the Instrumentation and Control system in early 90's, halt of construction in 1993 till 1996 due to a lack of funding, as well as a series of international reviews of safety aspects. All the obstacles had been overcome in the end, and completion works were re-started in 1996. Looking back to the unit 1 and 2 completion project, I would like to highlight some aspects of the project, particularly the level of safety, technical and organisational conditions, and terms of funding. The most important argument for completion of the plant was that VVER 440/213 reactor units were distinguished with very high level of passive safety, even overcoming Western-type PWR's in some aspects. The replacement of the original I and C system was another important contribution to the initial level of safety. International safety reviews performed at Mochovce NPP between 1990 and 1995 (Siemens, EdF, IAEA, RlSKAUDIT) confirmed the high level of safety of VVER 440/213 reactors, however, pointed out at some safety issues which had not been dealt with in the design. Those included e.g. the 'external risks', primary-to-secondary leaks, qualification of pressurizer safety valves, and others. It is necessary to stress that the Safety Improvement Programme defined for Mochovce NPP to comply with international standards did not become the most important part of the completion project due to external pressures, but based on natural requirements on nuclear power plant safety level generally accepted in 90's. The good example could be the seismic resistance of the plant which, though designed as seismic resistant

p-topological Cauchy completions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Wig

1999-01-01

Full Text Available The duality between “regular” and “topological” as convergence space properties extends in a natural way to the more general properties “p-regular” and “p-topological.” Since earlier papers have investigated regular, p-regular, and topological Cauchy completions, we hereby initiate a study of p-topological Cauchy completions. A p-topological Cauchy space has a p-topological completion if and only if it is “cushioned,” meaning that each equivalence class of nonconvergent Cauchy filters contains a smallest filter. For a Cauchy space allowing a p-topological completion, it is shown that a certain class of Reed completions preserve the p-topological property, including the Wyler and Kowalsky completions, which are, respectively, the finest and the coarsest p-topological completions. However, not all p-topological completions are Reed completions. Several extension theorems for p-topological completions are obtained. The most interesting of these states that any Cauchy-continuous map between Cauchy spaces allowing p-topological and p′-topological completions, respectively, can always be extended to a θ-continuous map between any p-topological completion of the first space and any p′-topological completion of the second.

The Contribution of Solar Power Funding for Online Content ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Contribution of Solar Power Funding for Online Content Accessibility and Sustainability of Blended Learning in Rural Africa: The Tanzania Perspective. ... Despite these appealing features, penetration of solar electricity in remote and rural areas in Tanzania is limited by high initial cost of building a stand-alone solar ...

Performance measurement of the gas tax and public transit funds : final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

Federal funding for the gas tax fund and public transit fund are provided through Infrastructure Canada for municipal infrastructure across Canada in a broad range of municipal service projects. In order to identify appropriate outcomes that would meet reporting requirements for the gas tax fund and public transit fund, this report outlined a performance measurement approach that would allow for the reporting of projects under both funds and provide a structured methodology for multiple year analysis of benefits. The report discussed the performance measures process review and outcomes approach logic model. It also provided an outline of information sourcing strategies including an overview of the project types and expenditures; information sourcing strategy; typical municipal information sources by project type; performance measurement framework assumptions and limitations; and modeling of outcomes from outputs. Conclusions and recommendations were also offered. It was concluded that based on a comprehensive review of ancillary benefits and outcomes of various historic funding programs, there are 3 foundational outcomes that should be considered to assess all initial program outcomes. These include cleaner air, cleaner water and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. tabs., figs

Danish mutual fund performance

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Michael

2013-01-01

This article provides the first independent performance analysis of Danish mutual funds. We analyse selectivity and market timing abilities for 71 mutual funds that have been in operation from 2001 to 2010. The results show great fund performance diversity. Half the funds have performed neutrally......, whereas 42% of the funds have shown significantly negative performance and only 7% of the funds have over-performed their benchmark. Furthermore, 14% of the funds analysed possess market timing abilities, but for 8 out of 10 funds, their market timing ability has been unsuccessful....

Governance of pension funds: interlocking and compensation of Australian superannuation fund boards

OpenAIRE

Ooi, Elizabeth Meishan

2017-01-01

This thesis documents the incidence and determinants of board interlocking (where directors simultaneously sit on multiple boards) in pension funds and examines its effect on fund performance. It also investigates the determinants of pension fund director compensation. The motivation to examine these issues stems from the distinctive interlocking and compensation practices in pension funds. Data on a sample of 249 Australian pension funds from 2004 to 2011 is collected from fund documents ...

Return Persistence and Fund Flows in the Worst Performing Mutual Funds

OpenAIRE

Jonathan B. Berk; Ian Tonks

2007-01-01

We document that the observed persistence amongst the worst performing actively managed mutual funds is attributable to funds that have performed poorly both in the current and prior year. We demonstrate that this persistence results from an unwillingness of investors in these funds to respond to bad performance by withdrawing their capital. In contrast, funds that only performed poorly in the current year have a significantly larger (out)flow of funds/return sensitivity and consequently show...

Public lending to private hedge funds is inefficient, unstable, unconstitutional and unanimously disagreeable

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sankarshan Acharya

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Public funds include federally insured deposits held under the custody of private banks, central bank loans and taxpayer funds. The principal finding of this paper is that lending such public funds through a private banking system to private hedge funds allied with the banks is inefficient, unstable, fundamentally unfair (unconstitutional and unanimously disagreeable. This finding is akin to the unanimously agreeable safe central banking policy (Acharya, 1991-2016 which, in dynamic general equilibrium, (a eliminates federal guarantee of bank deposits, (b offers every business enterprise and household an option to keep in the central bank any part of its deposits it wants to be held absolutely safely, (c completely deregulates all private banks without any privilege to rob public or private wealth like too-big-to-fail or too-big-to-be-jailed status or the power of market making and clearing. Safe central banking is the only way to make private banks responsible to hold sufficient capital to attract uninsured private deposits like the trading houses currently do. The private banks will then have complete freedom to lend their uninsured deposits to private hedge funds. The Volker Rule (NYT, January 30, 2010, incorporated in the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010, is an infeasible and unworkable band-aid for the moral-hazard driven systemic robbery of wealth creators wrought by the government-ordained private banking custody of public funds. The established systemic moral-hazard problem can be efficiently and constitutionally resolved only through unanimously agreeable safe central banking. Current proposals on overhauling of Fannie and Freddie made by various pundits of systemic robbery amount to a gargantuan amount of public lending to private hedge funds and, hence, inefficient, unstable, unconstitutional and unanimously disagreeable.

34 CFR 674.17 - Federal interest in allocated funds-transfer of Fund.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... Federal interest in that Fund: (1) A capital distribution of the liquid assets of the Fund according to... 34 Education 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Federal interest in allocated funds-transfer of Fund... Provisions § 674.17 Federal interest in allocated funds—transfer of Fund. (a) If an institution responsible...

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2009-01-01

In line with the decisions taken by the Council in June and September 2007 concerning the new governance of the Pension Fund, amendments to Section 2 «Structure and Functions» of the Rules of the Fund entered into force on 1st January 2009 (Article I 2.08 – Composition of the Investment Committee and Article I 2.08bis – Chairman of the Investment Committee). Amendment n°27 may be downloaded (PDF document) directly from the Pension Fund website: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm or obtained from the Administration of the Fund (Tel. 022 767 2742, mailto:Barbara.Bordjah@cern.ch).

Human Rights and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

Science.gov (United States)

Jürgens, Ralf; Lim, Hyeyoung; Timberlake, Susan; Smith, Matthew

2017-01-01

Abstract The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was created to greatly expand access to basic services to address the three diseases in its name. From its beginnings, its governance embodied some human rights principles: civil society is represented on its board, and the country coordination mechanisms that oversee funding requests to the Global Fund include representatives of people affected by the diseases. The Global Fund’s core strategies recognize that the health services it supports would not be effective or cost-effective without efforts to reduce human rights-related barriers to access and utilization of health services, particularly those faced by socially marginalized and criminalized persons. Basic human rights elements were written into Global Fund grant agreements, and various technical support measures encouraged the inclusion in funding requests of programs to reduce human rights-related barriers. A five-year initiative to provide intensive technical and financial support for the scaling up of programs to reduce these barriers in 20 countries is ongoing. PMID:29302175

Building on success : Climate Change Action Fund 2001-2002 annual report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-05-01

The Climate Change Action Fund (CCAF) was established by the Canadian Government in 1998 with a budget of $150 million over 3 years to support early actions on climate change. The initiative was renewed in the 2000 federal budget with a further $150 million in funding. Thus far, funding has helped 32 research projects regarding communities, health, agriculture, forestry and water resources. The primary tool for implementing federal climate change policy has been the Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) program. Other integrated components under the CCAF include the Foundation Building, Science Impacts and Adaption (SIA), and Public Education and Outreach (PEO). Broad options have been developed for a Domestic Emissions Trading system. The CCAF played a critical role in ensuring that Canada's policy position was heard in international negotiations on all subject matters, and was instrumental in bringing more developing countries to participate in the climate change initiative. Accomplishments thus far include climate system monitoring, improving climate models, and understanding the role that forests and agricultural lands play in the climate and carbon balance. The second phase of CCAF will focus on climate system processes, climate modelling and climate impact scenarios. 1 tab

ADVERTISING ON FACEBOOK: THE EFFECT ON FUND FLOWS OF FUND FAMILY

OpenAIRE

Kang, Jiaqi

2017-01-01

Using data for the top 100 US mutual fund families for the period between Jan 2009 to Jun 2016, this paper studies the relationship between mutual fund families’ advertising on Facebook and their fund flow. In particular, I examine whether advertising via social media helps mutual funds to attract new fund flow. I also include the number of followers to proxy for visibility and past returns to control for performance. In line with previous research, I find that large part of the variation in ...

Color vision abnormality as an initial presentation of the complete type of congenital stationary night blindness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tan X

2013-08-01

Full Text Available Xue Tan, Aya Aoki, Yasuo YanagiDepartment of Ophthalmology, University of Tokyo School of Medicine, Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, JapanAbstract: Patients with the complete form of congenital stationary night blindness (CSNB often have reduced visual acuity, myopia, impaired night vision, and sometimes nystagmus and strabismus, however, they seldom complain of color vision abnormality. A 17-year-old male who was at technical school showed abnormalities in the color perception test for employment, and was referred to our hospital for a detailed examination. He had no family history of color vision deficiency and no other symptoms. During the initial examination, his best-corrected visual acuity was 1.2 in both eyes. His fundus showed no abnormalities except for somewhat yellowish reflex in the fovea of both eyes. Electroretinogram (ERG showed a good response in cone ERG and 30 Hz flicker ERG, however, the bright flash, mixed rod and cone ERG showed a negative type with a reduced b-wave (positive deflection. There was no response in the rod ERG, either. From the findings of the typical ERG, the patient was diagnosed with complete congenital stationary night blindness. This case underscores the importance of ERG in order to diagnose the cause of a color vision anomaly.Keywords: congenital stationary night blindness, CSNB, electroretinogram, ERG, color vision defect

Does External Funding Help Adaptation? Evidence from Community-Based Water Management in the Colombian Andes

Science.gov (United States)

Murtinho, Felipe; Eakin, Hallie; López-Carr, David; Hayes, Tanya M.

2013-11-01

Despite debate regarding whether, and in what form, communities need external support for adaptation to environmental change, few studies have examined how external funding impacts adaptation decisions in rural resource-dependent communities. In this article, we use quantitative and qualitative methods to assess how different funding sources influence the initiative to adapt to water scarcity in the Colombian Andes. We compare efforts to adapt to water scarcity in 111 rural Andean communities with varied dependence on external funding for water management activities. Findings suggest that despite efforts to use their own internal resources, communities often need external support to finance adaptation strategies. However, not all external financial support positively impacts a community’s abilities to adapt. Results show the importance of community-driven requests for external support. In cases where external support was unsolicited, the results show a decline, or “crowding-out,” in community efforts to adapt. In contrast, in cases where communities initiated the request for external support to fund their own projects, findings show that external intervention is more likely to enhance or “crowds-in” community-driven adaptation.

Funding Science with Science: Cryptocurrency and Independent Academic Research Funding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edward Lehner

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Scientific funding within the academy is an often complicated affair involving disparate and competing interests. Private universities, for instance, are vastly outpacing public institutions in garnering large, prestigious, science-related grants and external research investment. Inequities also extend to the types of research funded, with government, corporate, and even military interests privileging certain types of inquiry. This article proposes an innovative type of science research fund using cryptocurrencies, a fast-growing asset class. Although not a total funding solution, staking coins, specifically, can be strategically invested in to yield compound interest. These coins use masternode technologies to collateralize the network and speed transaction pace and may pay dividends to masternode holders, allowing institutions that purchase these types of central hubs to potentially engage in a lucrative form of dividend reinvestment. Using cryptocurrencies as a new funding stream may garner large amounts of capital and creation of nonprofit institutes to support the future of funding scientific research within educational institutions.

25 CFR 170.925 - Is ERFO funding supplemental to IRR Program funding?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Miscellaneous Provisions Emergency Relief § 170.925 Is ERFO funding supplemental to... construction and maintenance funds for FHWA-approved repairs. If IRR construction or maintenance funds are used... used to reimburse the construction or maintenance funds expended. ...

Ensuring America's Future by Increasing Latino College Completion: Latino College Completion in 50 States. Executive Summary

Science.gov (United States)

Santiago, Deborah; Soliz, Megan

2012-01-01

In 2009, Excelencia in Education launched the Ensuring America's Future initiative to inform, organize, and engage leaders in a tactical plan to increase Latino college completion. This initiative included the release of a benchmarking guide for projections of degree attainment disaggregated by race/ethnicity that offered multiple metrics to track…

QUALITY-RELATED FUNDING IN ROMANIAN HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGHOUT 2003 – 2011: A GLOBAL ASSESSMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel-Alexandru Vîiu

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The article explores quality-related funding and its global outcomes in the context of Romanian higher education by focusing on the funding allocations provided to public universities throughout a period of nine years based on their institutional performance on the quality indicators integrated in the funding algorithm. Global funding allocations between universities are analysed and a summative appraisal for the entire nine-year window is provided. The article also explores the relation between quality- related funding, institutional disciplinary profiles and the results of a comprehensive evaluation conducted in 2011 by the Ministry of Education to complete a classification of the universities. The main findings indicate a low overall impact of qualityrelated funding for many institutions, but also a clear pattern in which universities focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics overwhelmingly outperformed mixed institutions, as well as those focused on humanities, arts and social sciences. Furthermore, the global quality-related funding outcomes of the 2003 – 2011 period studied in the paper are shown to be significantly associated with the results of the 2011 classification

Picking Funds with Confidence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grønborg, Niels Strange; Lunde, Asger; Timmermann, Allan

We present a new approach to selecting active mutual funds that uses both holdings and return information to eliminate funds with predicted inferior performance through a sequence of pair-wise comparisons. Our methodology determines both the number of skilled funds and their identity, funds...... identified ex-ante as being superior earn substantially higher risk-adjusted returns than top funds identified by conventional alpha ranking methods. Importantly, we find strong evidence of variation in the breadth of the set of funds identified as superior, as well as fluctuations in the style and industry...... exposures of such funds over time and across different volatility states....

Fund management plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-08-01

This revision of the Fund Management Plan updates the original plan published in May 1983. It is derived from and supplements the Mission Plan of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management. A major purpose in preparing this Plan is to inform the public about management of the Nuclear Waste Fund and the Interim Storage Fund. The purpose of the Interim Storage Fund is to finance the provision of the Federal interim storage capacity of up to 1900 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel. The Nuclear Waste Fund is a separate account for all revenues and expenditures related to the geological disposal and monitored retrieval storage of civilian radioactive waste

Fiscal sustainability and the State Oil Fund in Azerbaijan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kenan Aslanli

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Azerbaijan, like many resource-rich countries, decided to set up a sovereign wealth fund in order to avoid income volatility, to achieve intergenerational equity and to transform resource wealth into more productive assets. Azerbaijan established the State Oil Fund of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOFAZ in late 1999 to accumulate income from hydrocarbon exports. SOFAZ has gradually become the leading part of the country's public finance system. Azerbaijan was the first country to fulfill all requirements of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI, an international agreement to implement global standards of transparency in the resource extracting sectors. However, SOFAZ's contribution to an effective resource revenue management and long-run economic development is still questionable: transparency applies only to the income side of Azerbaijan's oil fund while the expenditure side remains opaque. Unlimited and unconditional transfers from SOFAZ to the state budget have threatened fiscal sustainability and the overall macroeconomic equilibrium.

Global Fund collusion with liquor giant is a clear conflict of interest.

Science.gov (United States)

Matzopoulos, Richard; Parry, Charles D H; Corrigall, Joanne; Myers, Jonny; Goldstein, Sue; London, Leslie

2012-01-01

Alcohol is the third leading contributor to death and disability in South Africa, where SABMiller is the major supplier of malt beer, the most popular beverage consumed. The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund) has recently included SABMiller as a recipient of funding for an education intervention aimed at minimizing alcohol-related harm, including HIV prevention, among men in drinking establishments. Global Fund support for this initiative is cause for concern. It is debatable whether these men are the best target group for the intervention, whether a drinking establishment is the best location, and whether the educational intervention itself is effective. Our experience is that the liquor industry is inclined to support alcohol interventions that will not affect drinking rates at a population level. These interventions allow the industry to simultaneously fulfil social and legal obligations to address the harmful use of alcohol while ensuring that sales and profits are maintained. Providing funding for a highly profitable industry that could afford to fund its own interventions also reduces the funds available for less well-resourced organizations. Do we take it that the problem of "corporate capture" has now spread to one of the largest health funders in the world?

PENSION FUND

CERN Multimedia

1999-01-01

The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its first three meetings of the year on 2 February, 2 March and 13 April.At the first of these meetings the Board first heard a presentation by Mrs H. Richmond of JP Morgan on the results of the currency overlay programme applied to the Fund's assets. Thanks to the policy pursued by this company, volatility, i.e. portfolio risk for assets denominated in currencies other than the Swiss franc, has been reduced. However, despite the fact that JP Morgan has considerable expertise in this field, no gain has been achieved over the past year. The Governing Board heard a report by the Investment Committee Chairman G. Maurin on the meetings of 21-22 and 28 January at which the Pension Fund's various fund managers had been interviewed on their results. Decisions were taken on benchmarks aimed at optimising management and on the terms of reference of the Internal Management Unit. It was also decided to place two fund managers on a watching list and to request them to make eve...

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

All members and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund are invited to attend the Annual General Asssembly to be held in the CERN Auditorium on Wednesday 8 October 2003 at 14.30 hrs The Agenda comprises: 1. Opening RemarksJ. Bezemer 2. Annual Report 2002: Presentation and results Copies of the Report are available from divisional secretariats. C. Cuénoud 3. Overview of the present situation with regard to pension funds C. Cuénoud 4. Performance of the Fund since the year 2000 and aspects of the ongoing asset/liability modelling exercise G. Maurin 5. Questions from members and beneficiariesPersons wishing to ask questions are encouraged to submit them, where possible, in writing in advance, addressed to Mr C. Cuénoud, Administrator of the Fund. 6. Conclusions J. Bezemer As usual, participants are invited to drinks after the assembly. NB The minutes of the 2002 General Assembly are available from the Administration of the Fund tel.(+4122)767 27 42; e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch)

Risk Management in the Exchange Fund Account

OpenAIRE

Michel Rochette

2002-01-01

In this article, author Michel Rochette of the Bank's Risk-Management Unit briefly describes the initiatives undertaken to identify, analyze, model, and manage the principal risks inherent in the transactions of the Exchange Fund Account (EFA), where the international reserves of the federal government are held. The author focuses on five types of risk: credit risk, market risk, liquidity risk, operational risk, and legal risk. In addition, the author presents the risk-management principles u...

The Role of European Union Funds in Economic Development

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristian PĂUN

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The European Union project initially started as a peaceful solution for war reconstruction in Europe. European countries decided to cooperate rather than compete in an aggressive way. At the beginning, this project supposed (involved market liberalization, trade barriers removals, market access improvement (initially for coal, steel, energy and, later, for all goods, services, workforce and capital. Unfortunately, in the last decades, all these Single Market facilities have been backed by redistributive schemes, protectionist mechanisms, social engineering, subsidies and facilities packed in so-called ”EU policies”. New ”European” institutions have been created, more and more funds have been involved to financially support this very complex redistributive intervention. The political dimension of the European Union project enhanced the economic dimension and constantly suffocated private markets and the economy. The “incomes” of the European Union that fuel its financial support are coming from taxes and/or inflation (better administered after the introduction of a Single Currency – the Euro. This paper will discuss the relevance of European Funds for economic development, especially for new members in this project.

Shifting investments strategy from equity funds to money market funds – the case of Romanian open - end fund market during the financial crisis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radu, I.

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mutual funds are one of the key suppliers of liquidity in Romanian capital market. This paper uses quarterly data on Romanian open-end funds starting with 2006 until 2010. We find that significant negative flows (outflows were registered beginning with the end of 2007 (equity funds, during 2008 (equity funds, balanced funds, other funds and bond funds in the last 2 quarters of the year and from 2009 to 2010 (in the case of money market funds. There is evidence that the changing market conditions attract differently the incoming flows in these mutual funds. This is the reason why such perturbations affect investors’ confidence for these investment vehicles and impose the reorientation of the investment funds and of their investors to other alternatives in order to preserve their capital.

Pension funds' herding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Broeders, D.; Chen, D.; Minderhoud, P.; Schudel, W.

2016-01-01

This paper uses unique and detailed transaction data to analyse herding behavior among pension funds. We distinguish between weak, semi strong and strong herding behaviour. Weak herding occurs if pension funds have similar rebalancing strategies. Semi strong herding arises when pension funds react

Canada's family violence initiative: partnerships

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elaine Scott

1994-01-01

Full Text Available Under Canada's four-year, $136 million Family Violence Initiative, the federal government is calling upon all Canadians to work in partnerships towards the elimination of family violence - child abuse, violence against women, and elder (senior abuse. Family violence is a complex problem and requires the efforts of all Canadians to resolve it. One of the key themes of the Initiative - a multidisciplinary approach to the problem of family violence - is reflected in the selection and development of projects. Activities funded by the seven federal departments and agencies involved in the Initiative emphasize partnerships with the professional, voluntary, corporate, non-government and government sectors.

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2007-01-01

The Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund have been updated, following Council's decision of December 2006 concerning the adjustment of pensions, fixed amounts and allowances by 1.16% with effect from 1.1.2007 (Annex B, page 31). The updated version can be downloaded directly from the Pension Fund's website (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm or obtained from the Fund Administration (Tel. 022 767 27 42, Building 5, 1-030, or by e-mail Sophia.Revol@cern.ch).

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2007-01-01

The Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund have been updated, following Council's decision of December 2006 concerning the adjustment of pensions, fixed amounts and allowances by 1.16% with effect from 1.1.2007 (Annex B, page 31). The updated version can be downloaded directly from the Pension Fund's website (http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/statuts___rules.htm) or obtained from the Fund Administration (Tel. 022 767 27 42, Building 5, 1-030), or by e-mail (Sophia.Revol@cern.ch).

Inspector General, DoD, Oversight of the Army Audit Agency Audit of the FY 1998 Army General Fund Financial Statements

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1999-01-01

... Financial Statements for Fiscal Year 1998: Summary Audit Rep oft." Our objective was to determine the accuracy and completeness of the Army Audit Agency audit of the FY 1998 Army General Fund Fund Financial Statements...

Status of costing hospital nursing work within Australian casemix activity-based funding policy.

Science.gov (United States)

Heslop, Liza

2012-02-01

Australia has a long history of patient level costing initiated when casemix funding was implemented in several states in the early 1990s. Australia includes, to some extent, hospital payment based on nursing intensity adopted within casemix funding policy and the Diagnostic Related Group system. Costing of hospital nursing services in Australia has not changed significantly in the last few decades despite widespread introduction of casemix funding policy at the state level. Recent Commonwealth of Australia National Health Reform presents change to the management of the delivery of health care including health-care costing. There is agreement for all Australian jurisdictions to progress to casemix-based activity funding. Within this context, nurse costing infrastructure presents contemporary issues and challenges. An assessment is made of the progress of costing nursing services within casemix funding models in Australian hospitals. Valid and reliable Australian-refined nursing service weights might overcome present cost deficiencies and limitations. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Patient-centered outcomes research in radiology: trends in funding and methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Christoph I; Jarvik, Jeffrey G

2014-09-01

The creation of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 presents new opportunities for funding patient-centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) in radiology. We provide an overview of the evolution of federal funding and priorities for CER with a focus on radiology-related priority topics over the last two decades, and discuss the funding processes and methodological standards outlined by PCORI. We introduce key paradigm shifts in research methodology that will be required on the part of radiology health services researchers to obtain competitive federal grant funding in patient-centered outcomes research. These paradigm shifts include direct engagement of patients and other stakeholders at every stage of the research process, from initial conception to dissemination of results. We will also discuss the increasing use of mixed methods and novel trial designs. One of these trial designs, the pragmatic trial, has the potential to be readily applied to evaluating the effectiveness of diagnostic imaging procedures and imaging-based interventions among diverse patient populations in real-world settings. Copyright © 2014 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Organizational characteristics, financial performance measures, and funding sources of faith based organizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Lampkin, Lynne; Raghavan, Kamala

2008-01-01

This study examined the impact of organizational characteristics and financial performance measures of faith based organizations (FBOS) in Pennsylvania and Ohio on the decisions of the funding sources. Organizational characteristics of size, age, and type of service, and financial performance measures such as expense, liquidity, and solvency ratios were gathered from the data on IRS form 990 for 97 FBOS for the period of 1995 to 2004. The study found that the 1996 Charitable Choice provisions and the 2001 Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives have led to increased government funding for FBOS. The results showed that government funding of FBOS is affected positively by age of the FBO, and negatively by its size. For smaller FBOS, savings ratio had a negative relationship to government funding and a positive relationship to direct public support. For social service FBOS government funding was positively affected by age and negatively affected by size and debt ratio, while days-cash-on-hand had a negative impact on direct public support. All of the above relationships were statistically significant.

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2005-01-01

Amendment No 21 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Department/Unit secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force on 17.03.2005, concerns Article I 2.05 (Composition of the Governing Board) and Article I 2.06 (Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Governing Board) of the Rules of the Pension Fund.

New U.S. financial initiatives: covering the cost of managing radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosselli, R.M.

1983-01-01

This paper focuses on new financial initiatives in the US embodied in the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, namely the setting up of the Nuclear Waste Fund and the Interim Storage Fund. It describes the major goal of the Act and hence, the use to which the funds will be put: the construction of a nuclear waste repository, to be operational by 1st January 1998. (NEA) [fr

Net Stable Funding Ratio: Impact on Funding Value Adjustment

OpenAIRE

Siadat, Medya; Hammarlid, Ola

2017-01-01

In this paper we investigate the relationship between Funding Value Adjustment (FVA) and Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR). FVA is defined in a consistent way with NSFR such that the new framework of FVA monitors the costs due to keeping NSFR at an acceptable level, as well. In addition, the problem of choosing the optimal funding strategy is formulated as a shortest path problem where the proposed FVA framework is applied in the optimization process. The solution provides us with the optimal f...

Natural resource trust funds : a comparison of Alberta and Alaska resource funds

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warrack, A.A.; Keddie, R.R. [Alberta Univ., Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2002-09-01

Alberta and Alaska both have an economy based largely on natural resources. The cyclical nature of their economies poses a challenge to stability and sustained prosperity. During the oil crisis of 1973-1974, Alberta and Alaska began receiving oil and gas royalties. The idea of an endowment-type fund began taking shape. This fund would assist in the gradual transition from dependence on non-renewable resources to the responsible management of these resources. Both the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund and the Alaska Permanent Fund were created in 1976. The governments of both jurisdictions set aside revenues from natural resource royalties to provide economic stability. Both jurisdictions followed different policies in terms of management, structure, governance, and objectives. In this paper, the authors compared both funds, examining the policy options which had an impact on their growth and successes. The results showed that in Alaska, monies are paid directly to eligible persons, while allocation decisions in Alberta have been made by the government. The government manages the fund in Alberta, while in Alaska, the fund is managed by a separate entity. The Alaskan fund continues to grow, while the the size of the Alberta fund has remained unchanged for a number of years and is not growing. 21 refs., 5 figs.

Efficient Low Rank Tensor Ring Completion

OpenAIRE

Wang, Wenqi; Aggarwal, Vaneet; Aeron, Shuchin

2017-01-01

Using the matrix product state (MPS) representation of the recently proposed tensor ring decompositions, in this paper we propose a tensor completion algorithm, which is an alternating minimization algorithm that alternates over the factors in the MPS representation. This development is motivated in part by the success of matrix completion algorithms that alternate over the (low-rank) factors. In this paper, we propose a spectral initialization for the tensor ring completion algorithm and ana...

Scientific Cooperation Between the U.S. and the Republic of South Africa Funds 7 Cancer-Specific Pro

Science.gov (United States)

The NIH has recently awarded its first round of grants in a parallel U.S.-South Africa funding opportunity. Initiatives funded through this program will advance biomedical research for tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS in not only the US and South Africa, but will contribute to the global wealth of knowledge of these diseases. The scope of this initiative includes HIV/AIDS co-morbidities, and resulting malignancies. This opportunity was further targeted at expanding basic, translational, behavioral and applied research that will stimulate scientific discovery, and engage U.S. and South African researcher collaboration.

Somerset County Renewable Energy Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Katula, Denise [County of Somerset, Somervile, NJ (United States)

2014-05-07

The County of Somerset, New Jersey, through the Somerset County Improvement Authority (SCIA), applied Federal funding through the U.S. Department of Energy to will apply project funds to buy-down the capital costs of equipment associated with the installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) systems at two sites owned by the County. This Renewable Energy Initiative allows the County to take advantage of clean renewable energy, without any adverse debt impacts, and at a price that results in operating budget savings beyond what is presently available in the marketplace. This project addressed the objectives of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by making the acquisition of renewable energy more affordable for the County, thereby, encouraging other counties and local units to develop similar programs and increase the deployment of solar energy technologies. The two sites that were funded by the DOE grant are part of a much larger, ambitious, and unique renewable energy project, described in the next section.

Meeting the 2020 American Graduation Initiative (AGI) Goal of Increasing Postsecondary Graduation Rates and Completions: A Macro Perspective of Community College Student Educational Attainment

Science.gov (United States)

Kotamraju, Pradeep; Blackman, Orville

2011-01-01

The paper uses the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data system (IPEDS) data to simulate the 2020 American Graduation Initiative (AGI) goal introduced by President Obama in the summer of 2009. We estimate community college graduation rates and completion numbers under different scenarios that include the following sets of variables: (a) internal…

Financing urban adaptation to climate change impacts mapping of existing initiatives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eschalier, Claire; Leseur, Alexia; Archambault, Sabrina; Joubert, Marion; Larrue, Clement; Rossin, Nicolas; Salenson, Irene

2015-01-01

In June 2015, CDC Climat research, in partnership with AFD, published a mapping of the types of initiatives available for the financing of urban adaptation to climate change, offering additional options to more conventional sources of funding for climate change and sustainable development (national budget transfers, Official Development Aid, etc.). Based on the review of 27 main initiatives, the report shows a strong prevalence of initiatives supporting soft adaptation measures (strategy planning, capacity building, project design, technical assistance, etc). These are in a position to help support the development of a coherent portfolio of bankable projects. The mapping also reveals that local intermediaries (regional and local banks, national development funds, etc.) play a significant role in financing urban adaptation to climate change. Several key factor of success for the cities' access to these sources of funding are also identified, among which liaising with international development stakeholders (such as multilateral and bilateral donors) at the local level, and the identification of various co-benefits and synergies between the economic, environmental and climate impacts. (authors)

Sustainability of Foundation-Funded Grant Programs beyond Initial Funding: A Multicase Study at Selective Liberal Arts Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Lechuga, Deborah Chang

2010-01-01

College and university leaders must remain responsive to their environments by promoting institutional innovation and change. External grant-funders, such as foundations, view themselves as initiators of change. Foundations can provide the necessary tools to jump start innovation within colleges and universities. However, despite the best…

Do firm characteristics influence mutual fund performance? An empirical study for European mutual funds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de Jong, F.C.J.M.; Wingens, L.

2013-01-01

This study investigates the influence of fund management firm characteristics on mutual fund performance. Using a sample of European domiciled open-end equity funds for the period 1998-2008, this study finds that the funds of private companies have performed better than the funds of public

Hungry Cities Initiative: Informality, Inclusive Growth, and Food ...

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

Hungry Cities Initiative: Informality, Inclusive Growth, and Food Security in ... Within this context, the urban food economy is an important laboratory for ... The International Partnerships for Sustainable Societies program is funding this project.

PENSION FUND - ELECTIONS

CERN Multimedia

2000-01-01

This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund.   Candidate: Name: RANJARD First Name: Florence Having been a member of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund since 1983 as Guy Maurin’s alternate, I am standing for a further 3-year term of office. Over the past few years work has concentrated essentially on following items: Monitoring of the work of the fund managers and their performances. The three-yearly study of the Fund’s actuarial situation. The pension guarantees ­ second phase. The Fund is approaching its maturity: the level of benefits exceeds contributions. In this context it has to strike a suitable balance between management of the risk from a dynamic investment policy, while by a prudent policy avoiding any significant loss of its capital. These will be my concerns within the Governing Board of the Pension Fund if you give me your support.

University students and faculty have positive perceptions of open/alternative resources and their utilization in a textbook replacement initiative

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicole Delimont

2016-06-01

Full Text Available This is contribution no. 16-114-J from the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station.The Kansas State University Open/Alternative Textbook Initiative provides grants to faculty members to replace textbooks with open/alternative educational resources (OAERs that are available at no cost to students. Open educational resources are available for anyone to access, while alternative educational resources are not open. The objective of this study was to determine the perceptions towards OAERs and the initiative, of students enrolled in, and faculty members teaching, courses using OAERs. A survey was sent out to 2,074 students in 13 courses using the OAERs. A total of 524 (25.3% students completed the survey and a faculty member from each of the 13 courses using OAERs was interviewed. Students rated the OAERs as good quality, preferred using them instead of buying textbooks for their courses, and agreed that they would like OAERs used in other courses. Faculty felt that student learning was somewhat better and it was somewhat easier to teach using OAERs than when they used the traditional textbooks. Nearly all faculty members preferred teaching with OAERs and planned to continue to do so after the funding period. These results, combined with the tremendous savings to students, support the continued funding of the initiative and similar approaches at other institutions.

Increasing Educator Effectiveness: Lessons Learned from Teacher Incentive Fund Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Eckert, Jonathan

2013-01-01

Created by the U.S. Congress in 2006, the Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) represents the first federal initiative targeted directly at state and district efforts to introduce performance measures into educator compensation. TIF responds to a growing body of evidence that existing pay structures do not respond to labor force realities or adequately…

Governing Board of the Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2008-01-01

The Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) held its first two meetings in the new configuration on 16 November 2007 and 14 January 2008. Most of the items examined, such as the actuarial review, the strategic asset allocation, accounting standards and the new governance of the Pension Fund, were on the agendas of both meetings. At its first meeting, held at ESO in Munich, the PFGB took note of matters pending referred to it by the previous Governing Board and addressed issues relating to its own functioning and to the measures to be taken with a view to gradual implementation of the new governance principles. In the interests of continuity, it extended the terms of office of the members of the Investment Committee appointed by the Board until the new Committee is set up, as well as those of the members of the Working Group on Actuarial Matters to allow them to complete the three studies referred to in a recent issue of the Bulletin (No. 6 of 5 and 12 February 2007). At its firs...

76 FR 49508 - ``Add Us In'' Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-10

... DEPARTMENT OF LABOR Office of Disability Employment Program ``Add Us In'' Initiative AGENCY: Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor. ACTION: Correction to the Funding Opportunity Number and Closing Date. SUMMARY: The Office of Disability Employment Policy, Department of Labor...

The African Institutions Initiative: Insights from the First Four Years

Science.gov (United States)

Cochrane, Gavin; Robin, Enora; Marjanovic, Sonja; Diepeveen, Stephanie; Hanlin, Rebecca; Kryl, David; Muchova, Lucia; Yaqub, Ohid; Chataway, Joanna

2014-01-01

In 2009, the Wellcome Trust launched a research capacity strengthening programme known as the "African Institutions Initiative" (AII). The AII is innovative in its methods and organization. The Initiative funded networked consortia (7 consortia involving 54 institutions in 18 African countries, and Northern partners). RAND Europe was…

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeem, Nighat Jahan

2016-11-01

The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has significantly reduced the worldwide incidence of poliomyelitis. However, polio remains endemic in Pakistan which poses a threat to the success of the GPEI. Issues faced by Pakistan relate to politics, terrorism, war, natural disasters, funding constraints, misconceptions and inadequate infrastructure. These contribute in hampering the aims of the GPEI and allow the deadly poliovirus to maintain its reservoir in Pakistan. Until polio is completely eradicated, all countries remain at risk of its re-emergence and this is of grave concern as potentially it could reverse the polio-free certified status of a whole World Health Organisation (WHO) region. With the increase in global travel and international migration, even the smallest potential risk should not be taken lightly. Recommendations are made to help to improve the state of polio in Pakistan to make full use of the GPEI investment and move towards a polio-free world.

Towards complete and accurate reporting of studies of diagnostic accuracy: The STARD initiative

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bossuyt, Patrick M.; Reitsma, Johannes B.; Bruns, David E.; Gatsonis, Constantine A.; Glasziou, Paul P.; Irwig, Les M.; Lijmer, Jeroen G.; Moher, David; Rennie, Drummond; de Vet, Henrica C. W.

2003-01-01

Background: To comprehend the results of diagnostic accuracy studies, readers must understand the design, conduct, analysis, and results of such studies. That goal can be achieved only through complete transparency from authors. Objective: To improve the accuracy and completeness of reporting of

Funding knowledgebases: Towards a sustainable funding model for the UniProt use case

Science.gov (United States)

Gabella, Chiara; Durinx, Christine; Appel, Ron

2018-01-01

Millions of life scientists across the world rely on bioinformatics data resources for their research projects. Data resources can be very expensive, especially those with a high added value as the expert-curated knowledgebases. Despite the increasing need for such highly accurate and reliable sources of scientific information, most of them do not have secured funding over the near future and often depend on short-term grants that are much shorter than their planning horizon. Additionally, they are often evaluated as research projects rather than as research infrastructure components. In this work, twelve funding models for data resources are described and applied on the case study of the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt), a key resource for protein sequences and functional information knowledge. We show that most of the models present inconsistencies with open access or equity policies, and that while some models do not allow to cover the total costs, they could potentially be used as a complementary income source. We propose the Infrastructure Model as a sustainable and equitable model for all core data resources in the life sciences. With this model, funding agencies would set aside a fixed percentage of their research grant volumes, which would subsequently be redistributed to core data resources according to well-defined selection criteria. This model, compatible with the principles of open science, is in agreement with several international initiatives such as the Human Frontiers Science Program Organisation (HFSPO) and the OECD Global Science Forum (GSF) project. Here, we have estimated that less than 1% of the total amount dedicated to research grants in the life sciences would be sufficient to cover the costs of the core data resources worldwide, including both knowledgebases and deposition databases. PMID:29333230

Funding knowledgebases: Towards a sustainable funding model for the UniProt use case.

Science.gov (United States)

Gabella, Chiara; Durinx, Christine; Appel, Ron

2017-01-01

Millions of life scientists across the world rely on bioinformatics data resources for their research projects. Data resources can be very expensive, especially those with a high added value as the expert-curated knowledgebases. Despite the increasing need for such highly accurate and reliable sources of scientific information, most of them do not have secured funding over the near future and often depend on short-term grants that are much shorter than their planning horizon. Additionally, they are often evaluated as research projects rather than as research infrastructure components. In this work, twelve funding models for data resources are described and applied on the case study of the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt), a key resource for protein sequences and functional information knowledge. We show that most of the models present inconsistencies with open access or equity policies, and that while some models do not allow to cover the total costs, they could potentially be used as a complementary income source. We propose the Infrastructure Model as a sustainable and equitable model for all core data resources in the life sciences. With this model, funding agencies would set aside a fixed percentage of their research grant volumes, which would subsequently be redistributed to core data resources according to well-defined selection criteria. This model, compatible with the principles of open science, is in agreement with several international initiatives such as the Human Frontiers Science Program Organisation (HFSPO) and the OECD Global Science Forum (GSF) project. Here, we have estimated that less than 1% of the total amount dedicated to research grants in the life sciences would be sufficient to cover the costs of the core data resources worldwide, including both knowledgebases and deposition databases.

Pension funds investments in hedge funds-a necessary regulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Gaftoniuc

2010-12-01

Full Text Available When it comes to investment strategies, generally, pension funds have proved to be conservative investors with a long term approach on investments and constant preoccupation for asset diversification as well as tendencies to secure their portfolios through investments in established financial products. Nevertheless, within this constant preoccupation for portfolio diversification as well as gain of notable profits, private pension funds have invested to a certain degree also in less cautious products respectively have conducted less stable investments. The financial turbulences that hit the US towards the end of 2007 and spread globally to become one of the most severe financial crisis witnessed, haven’t left pension funds immune to this phenomenon. Although, as previously stated, the special feature of pension funds is based on long term investments, which confers a certain degree of natural protection, there can not be the talk of absolute immunity either.

Comparing the determinants of fund flows in domestically managed Malaysian Islamic and conventional equity funds.

OpenAIRE

Othman, J.; Asutay, M.; Jamailan, N.

2018-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to provide an empirical evidence on the fund flows-past return performance relationship by also considering the management expense ratio, the portfolio turnover, the fund size and the fund age of Islamic equity funds (IEF) investors in comparison with conventional equity funds (CEF) investors. Design/methodology/approach: By using panel data, the sample of Malaysian domestic managed equity funds are considered comprised of 20 individual funds from IEF a...

Funding source and primary outcome changes in clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov are associated with the reporting of a statistically significant primary outcome: a cross-sectional study [v2; ref status: indexed, http://f1000r.es/5bj

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sreeram V Ramagopalan

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Background: We and others have shown a significant proportion of interventional trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov have their primary outcomes altered after the listed study start and completion dates. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether changes made to primary outcomes are associated with the likelihood of reporting a statistically significant primary outcome on ClinicalTrials.gov. Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of all interventional clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov as of 20 November 2014 was performed. The main outcome was any change made to the initially listed primary outcome and the time of the change in relation to the trial start and end date. Findings: 13,238 completed interventional trials were registered with ClinicalTrials.gov that also had study results posted on the website. 2555 (19.3% had one or more statistically significant primary outcomes. Statistical analysis showed that registration year, funding source and primary outcome change after trial completion were associated with reporting a statistically significant primary outcome. Conclusions: Funding source and primary outcome change after trial completion are associated with a statistically significant primary outcome report on clinicaltrials.gov.

Teacher Incentive Fund: First Implementation Report, 2006 and 2007 Grantees

Science.gov (United States)

Humphrey, Daniel C.; Gallagher, H. Alix; Yee, Kaily M.; Goss, G. Kyle; Campbell, Ashley Z.; Cassidy, Lauren J.; Mitchell, Nyema M.

2012-01-01

The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF) supports projects that are designed to reform teacher and principal compensation. Initially, the Department of Education (the Department) made two rounds of awards, in 2006 and 2007, to a total of 34 grantees. The specific goals of TIF were to reward teachers and principals for improving student achievement,…

INVESTMENT FUNDS IN ROMANIA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

COPIL CRINA ANGELA

2013-07-01

Full Text Available I chose this topic because my goal was to capture in detail all aspects of the evolution of investment funds under the influence of factors leading to globalization of the banking financial market. Main motivation was that I proposed to present in an original manner the concept of investment in mutual funds by the thoroughness of the following points: the different types of investment funds from Romania, the advantages, the risks and the specific costs of the investment in mutual funds and the effects of the financial crisis on the industry of the investment funds on the national level. The financial crisis and the risk of infecting the global economy affected the taste of risk of the investors and their request for the investment fund, determining the orientation of the investors to the funds with a lower risk – the diversified funds, the funds of bonds and the monetary funds. I considered important the theoretical approach of the concept of investments in investment funds because they are a barometer of the macro economical stability, in case the economical increase is positive on the macro economical level the investments in investments funds are increasing too. In Romania the market of the mutual funds is at an incipient level, but with potential and perspectives of development. Due to the bankruptcy of FNI in the beginning of the years 2000 and due to the absence of a clear legislation regarding the calculation of the unitary value of the net asset and the control of the activity developed by the investment funds, the development of the industry of the investment funds had to fight against the crisis of credibility generated by these events. The convergence of the Romanian economy to the European standards will attract also a modification of the structure of the financial investments of the individuals, by an increase of the investments in funds. In the world the investment funds are preferred by the investors for their advantages

Are fund of hedge fund returns asymmetric?

OpenAIRE

Lynch, Margaret; Hutson, Elaine; Stevenson, Max

2004-01-01

We examine the return distributions of 332 funds of hedge funds and associated indices. Over half of the sample is significantly skewed according to the skewness statistic, and these are split 50/50 positive and negative. However, we argue that the skewness statistic can lead to erroneous inferences regarding the nature of the return distribution, because the test statistic is based on the normal distribution. Using a series of tests that make minimal assumptions about the shape of the ...

Full State Funding and the Distribution of Educational Resources in Hawaii

Science.gov (United States)

Hight, Joseph E.

1974-01-01

A regression analysis of per pupil current expenditures across public elementary schools in Hawaii indicates that Hawaii's system of full State funding of its schools has not completely eliminated a positive correlation between expenditures and family income. This correlation is the result of a direct relation between teacher salary expenditures…

Southwest Regional Clean Energy Incubation Initiative (SRCEII)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Webber, Michael [Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)

2017-10-31

The Austin Technology Incubator’s (ATI’s) Clean Energy Incubator at the University of Texas at Austin (ATI-CEI) utilized the National Incubator Initiative for Clean Energy (NIICE) funding to establish the Southwest Regional Clean Energy Incubation Initiative, composed of clean energy incubators from The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin), The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), and Texas A&M University (TAMU).

Micmac Strategic Energy Planning Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fred Corey

2007-02-02

In February 2005 the Aroostook Band of Micmacs submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Tribal First Steps Program. The purpose of the application was to request funding and technical assistance to identify and document Tribal energy issues, develop a Tribal energy vision, evaluate potential energy opportunities, and to develop an action plan for future Tribal energy activities. The grant application was subsequently funded by DOE, and the Aroostook Band of Micmacs hired an energy consultant to assist with completion of the project. In addition to identification and documentation of Tribal energy issues, and the development of a Tribal energy vision, the potential for wind energy development on Tribal land, and residential energy efficiency issues were thoroughly evaluated.

25 CFR 170.209 - How will IRRHPP applications be ranked and funded?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Indian Reservation Roads Program Funding Irr High Priority Project (irrhpp) § 170... and the following criteria: (1) Existence of safety hazards with documented fatality and injury accidents; (2) Number of years since the tribe's last IRR Program construction project completed; (3...

Review of NRC-funded programs on NDE at Pacific Northwest Laboratory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doctor, S.R.

1983-04-01

There are currently four major NDT related programs in progress at PNL which are funded by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. These programs are Integration of NDE and Fracture Mechanics Program, Development of a Real-Time SAFT-UT System for the Inservice Inspection of LWRs, Acoustic Emission - Flaw Relationships for Inservice Monitoring of Nuclear Reactor Pressure Boundaries, and Steam Generator Integrity Program/Steam Generator Group Project. This paper will discuss and present an overview of each program and highlight the more significant accomplishments obtained to date. All of these programs have been funded for several years and are scheduled for completion in 1985 or 1986

Connecticut State University System Initiative for Nanotechnology-Related Equipment, Faculty Development and Curriculum Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broadbridge, Christine C. [Southern Connecticut State University

2013-03-28

DOE grant used for partial fulfillment of necessary laboratory equipment for course enrichment and new graduate programs in nanotechnology at the four institutions of the Connecticut State University System (CSUS). Equipment in this initial phase included variable pressure scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy elemental analysis capability [at Southern Connecticut State University]; power x-ray diffractometer [at Central Connecticut State University]; a spectrophotometer and spectrofluorimeter [at Eastern Connecticut State University; and a Raman Spectrometer [at Western Connecticut State University]. DOE's funding was allocated for purchase and installation of this scientific equipment and instrumentation. Subsequently, DOE funding was allocated to fund the curriculum, faculty development and travel necessary to continue development and implementation of the System's Graduate Certificate in Nanotechnology (GCNT) program and the ConnSCU Nanotechnology Center (ConnSCU-NC) at Southern Connecticut State University. All of the established outcomes have been successfully achieved. The courses and structure of the GCNT program have been determined and the program will be completely implemented in the fall of 2013. The instrumentation has been purchased, installed and has been utilized at each campus for the implementation of the nanotechnology courses, CSUS GCNT and the ConnSCU-NC. Additional outcomes for this grant include curriculum development for non-majors as well as faculty and student research.

EnergyFit Nevada (formerly known as the Nevada Retrofit Initiative) final report and technical evaluation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carvill, Anna; Bushman, Kate; Ellsworth, Amy

2014-06-17

The EnergyFit Nevada (EFN) Better Buildings Neighborhood Program (BBNP, and referred to in this document as the EFN program) currently encourages Nevada residents to make whole-house energy-efficient improvements by providing rebates, financing, and access to a network of qualified home improvement contractors. The BBNP funding, consisting of 34 Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grants (EECBG) and seven State Energy Program (SEP) grants, was awarded for a three-year period to the State of Nevada in 2010 and used for initial program design and implementation. By the end of first quarter in 2014, the program had achieved upgrades in 553 homes, with an average energy reduction of 32% per home. Other achievements included: Completed 893 residential energy audits and installed upgrades in 0.05% of all Nevada single-family homes1 Achieved an overall conversation rate of 38.1%2 7,089,089 kWh of modeled energy savings3 Total annual homeowner energy savings of approximately $525,7523 Efficiency upgrades completed on 1,100,484 square feet of homes3 $139,992 granted in loans to homeowners for energy-efficiency upgrades 29,285 hours of labor and $3,864,272 worth of work conducted by Nevada auditors and contractors4 40 contractors trained in Nevada 37 contractors with Building Performance Institute (BPI) certification in Nevada 19 contractors actively participating in the EFN program in Nevada 1 Calculated using 2012 U.S. Census data reporting 1,182,870 homes in Nevada. 2 Conversion rate through March 31, 2014, for all Nevada Retrofit Initiative (NRI)-funded projects, calculated using the EFN tracking database. 3 OptiMiser energy modeling, based on current utility rates. 4 This is the sum of $3,596,561 in retrofit invoice value and $247,711 in audit invoice value.

Gas tax fund and public transit fund outcomes report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

Federal gas tax and public transit agreements were signed in 2005 by the Government of Canada, the Province of Ontario, the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the City of Toronto in order to address long-term community sustainability and invest in municipal infrastructure. The agreement committed to providing $1.9 billion to Ontario municipalities over a 5-year period. An additional $2.4 billion has been provided for a further 4-year period from 2010 to 2014. The funds are used by communities to invest in capacity building or environmentally sustainable municipal infrastructure projects. This report identified the intermediate and ultimate outcomes of the federal gas tax fund and public transit fund as of December 2008. Outcomes were presented in the categories of community energy systems, public transit, water and wastewater, solid waste, and roads and bridges. Funding highlights and economic spin-offs for the projects were also presented, as well as summaries of ancillary social outcomes. 6 tabs., 4 figs.

77 FR 32977 - Announcement of Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2012 Transformation Initiative: Choice...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-04

... Awards for Fiscal Year 2012 Transformation Initiative: Choice Neighborhoods Demonstration Small Research... awards for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 Transformation Initiative: Choice Neighborhoods Demonstration Small... Under the Fiscal Year 2012 Transformation Initiative: Choice Neighborhoods Demonstration Small Research...

Making It Count: Understanding the Value of Energy Efficiency Financing Programs Funded by Utility Customers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kramer, Chris [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fadrhonc, Emily Martin [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Goldman, Charles [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Schiller, Steve [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Schwartz, Lisa [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2015-12-01

Utility customer-supported financing programs are receiving increased attention as a strategy for achieving energy saving goals. Rationales for using utility customer funds to support financing initiatives

The current state of funded NIH grants in implementation science in genomic medicine: a portfolio analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Megan C; Clyne, Mindy; Kennedy, Amy E; Chambers, David A; Khoury, Muin J

2017-10-26

PurposeImplementation science offers methods to evaluate the translation of genomic medicine research into practice. The extent to which the National Institutes of Health (NIH) human genomics grant portfolio includes implementation science is unknown. This brief report's objective is to describe recently funded implementation science studies in genomic medicine in the NIH grant portfolio, and identify remaining gaps.MethodsWe identified investigator-initiated NIH research grants on implementation science in genomic medicine (funding initiated 2012-2016). A codebook was adapted from the literature, three authors coded grants, and descriptive statistics were calculated for each code.ResultsForty-two grants fit the inclusion criteria (~1.75% of investigator-initiated genomics grants). The majority of included grants proposed qualitative and/or quantitative methods with cross-sectional study designs, and described clinical settings and primarily white, non-Hispanic study populations. Most grants were in oncology and examined genetic testing for risk assessment. Finally, grants lacked the use of implementation science frameworks, and most examined uptake of genomic medicine and/or assessed patient-centeredness.ConclusionWe identified large gaps in implementation science studies in genomic medicine in the funded NIH portfolio over the past 5 years. To move the genomics field forward, investigator-initiated research grants should employ rigorous implementation science methods within diverse settings and populations.Genetics in Medicine advance online publication, 26 October 2017; doi:10.1038/gim.2017.180.

76 FR 68819 - State of Good Repair Bus and Bus Facilities Discretionary Program Funds

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-07

... Availability on June 24, 2011. The SGR Initiative makes funds available to public transit providers to finance capital projects to replace, rehabilitate, and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus...

ELECTIONS PENSION FUND

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate : Name : CHIAVERI First Name : Enrico I have been a CERN staff member since 1973 and have always been interested in our working conditions. As a member of the Executive Committee of the Staff Association I participated from 1980 to 1984 in the Working Group on Pensions mandated by the CERN Council. This commitment led to my becoming a member of the Governing Board of the Pension Fund in 1983, since when I have taken an active part in various commissions and working groups (Real Estate Asset Management Committee, Working Group on Actuarial Matters etc.); in so doing I have gained a thorough knowledge of different areas of the Pension Fund. Since ...

ELECTIONS - Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: First name: Michel Name: Goossens The CERN/ESO Pension Fund represents, for most staff, the sole source of income when they retire. The health of our Pension Fund is thus of the utmost importance to ensure the payment of pensions up to the death of the last beneficiary. The 2003 actuarial review showed a large deficit and several corrective measures have already been taken. The next months will see the results of the 2006 actuarial review. We hope they will show that the measures taken last year are going in the right direction. However, we must remain proactive since further measures will no doubt be necessary. New and imaginative proposals must be prepared and discussed in the widest possible forum, by regular direct contact with staf...

ELECTIONS - Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: First name: Michel Name: Goossens The CERN/ESO Pension Fund represents, for most staff, the sole source of income when they retire. The health of our Pension Fund is thus of the utmost importance to ensure the payment of pensions up to the death of the last beneficiary. The 2003 actuarial review showed a large deficit and several corrective measures have already been taken. The next months will see the results of the 2006 actuarial review. We hope they will show that the measures taken last year are going in the right direction. However, we must remain proactive since further measures will no doubt be necessary. New and imaginative proposals must be prepared and discussed in the widest possible forum, by regular direct contact with staff...

ELECTIONS - Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2006-01-01

CERN - EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH PENSION FUND ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate: First name: Michel Name: Goossens The CERN/ESO Pension Fund represents, for most staff, the sole source of income when they retire. The health of our Pension Fund is thus of the utmost importance to ensure the payment of pensions up to the death of the last beneficiary. The 2003 actuarial review showed a large deficit and several corrective measures have already been taken. The next months will see the results of the 2006 actuarial review. We hope they will show that the measures taken last year are going in the right direction. However, we must remain proactive since further measures will no doubt be necessary. New and imaginative proposals must be prepared and discussed in the widest possible forum, by regular direct contact ...

Consequences of dramatic reductions in state tobacco control funds: Florida, 1998-2000.

Science.gov (United States)

Niederdeppe, J; Farrelly, M C; Hersey, J C; Davis, K C

2008-06-01

This study assessed whether dramatic funding reductions to the Florida Tobacco Control Program (FTCP) influenced trends in recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking media campaign, anti-industry attitudes and non-smoking intentions among Florida teens. We used an interrupted time series technique to test for differences in the rates of change in Florida "truth" recall, anti-industry beliefs and non-smoking intentions before and after the FTCP budget cuts using the Florida Anti-tobacco Media Evaluation (FAME) survey, a repeated cross-sectional telephone survey of Florida teens. Recall of the Florida "truth" anti-smoking campaign, anti-industry attitudes, and non-smoking intentions increased dramatically between April 1998 and May 1999. Florida "truth" recall declined after FTCP budget cuts in June 1999. Anti-industry beliefs and non-smoking intentions plateaued or began to decline after the budget cuts. The launch of the national "truth" campaign in February 2000 may have offset otherwise deleterious effects of the budget cuts on anti-industry beliefs, but not smoking intentions. Reductions in tobacco control funding have immediate effects on programme exposure and cognitive precursors to smoking initiation. There is a critical need to maintain and enhance funding for state tobacco control programmes to continue nationwide progress in preventing youth from initiating cigarette smoking.

Analysis of the mutual funds and pension funds in Spain: evolution and performance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mercedes Alda García

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Mutual funds and pension funds are the most important investment products in Spain. Nonetheless, it should not be confused with each other, or take them as equivalent; since the latter have also the characteristic of a long-term savings product, in order to obtain additional funds for retirement. These differences may influence the investor when deciding on one of these instruments, but also the manager, developing different management strategies.Therefore, on this paper we examine the main magnitudes of both markets in Spain. Moreover, we analyze the performance of two Spanish fund samples (one with global equity mutual funds and another with global equity pension funds with the purpose of showing if their performance is efficient, and if there are differences on their management.

A Fund of Wisdom

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Seabrooke, Leonard; Broome, André

2006-01-01

The International Monetary Fund spends most of its time monitoring its member states' economic performance and advising on institutional change. While much of the literature sees the Fund as a policy enforcer in "emerging market" and "frontier" economies, little attention has been paid to exploring...... for change on the basis of like-characteristics among economies. Many Western states, particularly small open economies, consider the Fund's advice as important not only for technical know-how, but because Fund assessments are significant to international and domestic political audiences. This article traces...... the Fund's advice on taxation and monetary reform to two coordinated market economies, Denmark and Sweden, and two liberal market economies, Australia and New Zealand from 1975 to 2004. It maps how the Fund advocated "policy revolutions" and "policy recombinations" during this period, advice that coincided...

The development of funding policies for hospices: is casemix-based funding an option?

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, H; MacLeod, R; Hicks, E; Carter, J

1999-06-25

The 1993 health reforms, with their emphasis on the purchasing of defined amounts or units of service, have led to the implementation of casemix-based funding for the acute medical and surgical services of the public hospitals. Despite growing interest in New Zealand in casemix-based funding for non-acute services such as palliative care, the nature of this service and the characteristics of its patient population pose particular difficulties for the development and implementation of casemix. This paper examines the feasibility of implementing casemix-based funding for hospice/palliative care services and discusses the development of casemix classification systems for palliative care. Problems associated with implementing casemix-based funding are considered including: the dual funding of hospices, the multi-agency nature of palliative care service provision and the need for the Health Funding Authority to identify and specify the hospice services it is willing to fund. While it is concluded that these problems will impede the introduction of casemix-based funding of hospice care, they highlight important issues that the hospice movement must address if it is to ensure its future within the new health environment.

No publication bias in industry funded clinical trials of degenerative diseases of the spine.

Science.gov (United States)

Son, Colin; Tavakoli, Samon; Bartanusz, Viktor

2016-03-01

Industry sponsorship of clinical research of degenerative diseases of the spine has been associated with excessive positive published results as compared to research carried out without industry funding. We sought the rates of publication of clinical trials of degenerative diseases of the spine based on funding source as a possible explanation for this phenomenon. We reviewed all clinical trials registered at clinicaltrials.gov relating to degenerative diseases of the spine as categorized under six medical subject heading terms (spinal stenosis, spondylolisthesis, spondylolysis, spondylosis, failed back surgery syndrome, intervertebral disc degeneration) and with statuses of completed or terminated. These collected studies were categorized as having, or not having, industry funding. Published results for these studies were then sought within the clinicaltrials.gov database itself, PubMed and Google Scholar. One hundred sixty-one clinical trials met these criteria. One hundred nineteen of these trials had industry funding and 42 did not. Of those with industry funding, 45 (37.8%) had identifiable results. Of those without industry funding, 17 (40.5%) had identifiable results. There was no difference in the rates of publication of results from clinical trials of degenerative diseases of the spine no matter the funding source. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

PENSION FUND

CERN Multimedia

2002-01-01

The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its 104th and 105th meetings on 8th November and 4th December 2001, respectively. The agenda of the 8th November meeting was devoted to a single item, namely the outcome of the Finance Committee's meeting the previous day. The Governing Board noted with satisfaction that both its proposed amendments to the Rules and Regulations of the Fund - allowing, in particular, the award of a deferred retirement pension after five years of service - and its proposal for the adjustment of pensions on 1.1.2002 had been approved for recommendation to the Council in December. At its meeting on 4th December, the Governing Board dealt mainly with the items examined at the latest meeting of the Investment Committee. The Committee's chairman, G. Maurin, stated that the 2001 return on the Fund's overall investments was likely to be between -2% and -3%. He also noted that a new study of the Fund's cash flows (incomings and outgoings) had been performed. He underlined that, while the flo...

Risk management of a fund for natural disasters

Science.gov (United States)

Flores, C.

2003-04-01

Mexico is a country which has to deal with several natural disaster risks: earthquakes, droughts, volcanic eruptions, floods, slides, wild fires, extreme temperatures, etc. In order to reduce the country's vulnerability to the impact of these natural disasters and to support rapid recovery when they occur, the government established in 1996 Mexico's Fund for Natural Disasters (FONDEN). Since its creation, its resources have been insufficient to meet all government obligations. The aim of this project is the development of a dynamic strategy to optimise the management of a fund for natural disasters starting from the example of FONDEN. The problem of budgetary planning is being considered for the modelling. We control the level of the fund's cash (R_t)0money borrowed at time t. For the initial model, we assume that the deterministic payments for risk transfer and debt are made at t=0. We determine c>0 at t=0 and then we try to pull at every moment the process to this objective. Multifractal models in geophysics are physically based stochastic models. A multiplicative cascade model fitted to a data set can be used for generation of synthetic sequences that resemble the original data in terms of its scaling properties. Since recent years, uncertainty concepts based on multifractal fields are being applied to the development of techniques to calculate marginal and conditional probabilities of an extreme rainfall event in a determined zone. As initial point to the development of the model, a multifractal model for extreme rainfall events will be used as part of the input for the stochastic control model. A theme for further research is linking more warning systems to the model. Keywords: risk management, stochastic control, multifractal measures, multiplicative cascades, heavy rainfall events.

Performance Funding in Illinois Higher Education: The Roles of Politics, Budget Environment, and Individual Actors in the Process

Science.gov (United States)

Blankenberger, Bob; Phillips, Alan

2016-01-01

The completion agenda is the dominant theme in higher education policy in the United States today, and one of the primary strategies advocated in the agenda is performance funding in budgeting for public institutions. Illinois is one example of a state that has attempted to implement performance funding as a means of directing the behavior of…

Financial Literacy and Mutual Fund Investments : Who Buys Actively Managed Funds?

OpenAIRE

Müller, Sebastian; Weber, Martin

2008-01-01

Previous research indicates that lacking financial sophistication among private investors might be important in explaining the strong growth in active management over the past. Based on questionnaire data with more than 3,000 mutual fund customers, we therefore construct an objective financial literacy score and analyze the relationship between financial literacy and mutual fund investment behavior. While sophisticated investors are indeed more aware of passive, low cost fund alternatives lik...

Nationallizenzen aus Sicht und im Förderspektrum der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: Grundlagen und Einbindung in die Förderstrukturen / National licences from the point of view and in the funding spectrum of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: basic principles and embedding into the structures of funding

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rutz, Reinhard

2007-12-01

Full Text Available The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG ist the biggest third-party research funding organisation in Germany. In 2007 it supplied 15 Million Euro for national licences for archived digital content and for the first time 18.5 Million Euro for national licences for current subscriptions of e-journals in oder to support research information infrastructure. The paper describes DFG's aims and the hithero installation process of national licences funding program since 2004. Furthermore a basic outline of the focus initiative "Digital Information 2008-2012" will be given. The initiative is part of DFG's system of nationwide literature supply for research purposes which includes support for the important area of special subject collections. This system is funded by the DFG since decades.

76 FR 68774 - Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection to OMB Transformation Initiative: Choice...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-11-07

... Proposed Information Collection to OMB Transformation Initiative: Choice Neighborhoods Demonstration, Small... (HUD) intends to make funding available from the FY 2012 Transformation Initiative for Research Grants... following information: Title of Proposal: Transformation Initiative: Choice Neighborhoods Demonstration...

View all initiatives | IDRC - International Development Research ...

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

The Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa is focused on strengthening the capacities of science granting councils in order to support research and evidence-based policies that will contribute to economic and social development in Sub-Saharan Africa. We fund researchers driving global change.

View all initiatives | IDRC - International Development Research ...

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

The International Research Chairs Initiative pairs top research talent from universities in Canada with their counterparts in developing countries to address key development challenges. We fund researchers driving global change. Careers · Contact Us · Subscribe · Unsubscribe · Site map. Follow us; Facebook · Twitter ...

76 FR 28803 - Notice of Availability: Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for HUD's Fiscal Year (FY) 2011...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-05-18

... these funds at least $5 million shall be made available for rural capacity building activities. Purpose...), the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Habitat for Humanity International. Specifically... Initiatives Support Corporation, 501 Seventh Avenue, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10018. Habitat for Humanity...

Proposed Performance-Based Metrics for the Future Funding of Graduate Medical Education: Starting the Conversation.

Science.gov (United States)

Caverzagie, Kelly J; Lane, Susan W; Sharma, Niraj; Donnelly, John; Jaeger, Jeffrey R; Laird-Fick, Heather; Moriarty, John P; Moyer, Darilyn V; Wallach, Sara L; Wardrop, Richard M; Steinmann, Alwin F

2017-12-12

Graduate medical education (GME) in the United States is financed by contributions from both federal and state entities that total over $15 billion annually. Within institutions, these funds are distributed with limited transparency to achieve ill-defined outcomes. To address this, the Institute of Medicine convened a committee on the governance and financing of GME to recommend finance reform that would promote a physician training system that meets society's current and future needs. The resulting report provided several recommendations regarding the oversight and mechanisms of GME funding, including implementation of performance-based GME payments, but did not provide specific details about the content and development of metrics for these payments. To initiate a national conversation about performance-based GME funding, the authors asked: What should GME be held accountable for in exchange for public funding? In answer to this question, the authors propose 17 potential performance-based metrics for GME funding that could inform future funding decisions. Eight of the metrics are described as exemplars to add context and to help readers obtain a deeper understanding of the inherent complexities of performance-based GME funding. The authors also describe considerations and precautions for metric implementation.

A trust fund approach to accelerating deployment of CCS: options and considerations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Naomi Pena; Edward S. Rubin

2008-01-15

The paper discusses one possible avenue to accelerate deployment of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies: use of a special-purpose CCS Trust Fund. A CCS Trust Fund financed, for example, through fees on coal-based or fossil fuel-based electricity generation may have a role in reducing CO{sub 2} emissions from power plants because it could: raise funds at the scale needed to support a significant number (e.g., 10 to 30) of commercial-scale CCS projects; ensure that the funds raised would be used to demonstrate CCS at commercial scale for a full range of systems applicable to U.S. power plants; establish the true costs, reliability, and operability of power plants with CCS; utilize private-sector business standards for project selection and management to ensure program cost effectiveness; and significantly reduce CCS costs within 10 to 15 years by supporting approximately 30 demonstrations, yielding substantial national economic benefits as CCS becomes widely deployed. The United States has considerable experience with trust funds. While no single existing fund illustrates all the features that might be desirable for a CCS Trust Fund, lessons from prior U.S. experience can be used to design an effective, efficient mechanism for advancing commercial-scale deployment of CCS. In particular, experience has indicated the importance of financial self-sufficiency, private-sector management standards, insulation from the annual Congressional appropriations process, and termination upon completion of objectives. Carefully crafted enabling legislation and, most likely, use of a quasi-public or private entity to manage a CCS Trust Fund will be needed to incorporate these and other desirable features. 25 refs., 1 tab., 1 app.

Regulating hedge funds.

OpenAIRE

Daníelsson, J.; Zigrand, JP.

2007-01-01

Due to the ever-increasing amounts under management and their unregulated and opaque nature, hedge funds have emerged as a key concern for policymakers. While until now, hedge funds have been left essentially unregulated, we are seeing increasing calls for regulation for both microprudential and macroprudential reasons. In our view, most calls for the regulation of hedge funds are based on a misperception of the effectiveness of financial regulations, perhaps coupled with a lack of understand...

Mutual Fund Flight-to-Liquidity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rzeznik, Aleksandra

This paper examines the liquidity choices of mutual funds during times of market uncertainty. I find that when markets are uncertain, mutual funds actively increase the liquidity of their portfolio – often referred to as a ‘flight-to-liquidity.’ In aggregate, mutual fund behaviour has implications...... for the market; the market driven flight-toliquidity places upward pressure on the liquidity premium. I examine the underlying mechanisms driving fund behaviour. I show that market volatility is associated with lower fund performance and withdrawals, which causes funds to adjust the composition...... of their portfolio towards more liquid assets in order to meet potential redemptions. This causal chain is consistent with Vayanos (2004), who argues that fund managers are investors with time-varying liquidity preferences due to threat of withdrawal. Aggregated over funds, the effect is substantial: a one standard...

Mutual Fund Flight-to-Liquidity

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rzeznik, Aleksandra

This paper examines the liquidity choices of mutual funds during times of market uncertainty. I find that when markets are uncertain, mutual funds actively increase the liquidity of their portfolio { often referred to as a `flight-to-liquidity.' In aggregate, mutual fund behaviour has implications...... for the market; the market driven flight-toliquidity places upward pressure on the liquidity premium. I examine the underlying mechanisms driving fund behaviour. I show that market volatility is associated with lower fund performance and withdrawals, which causes funds to adjust the composition...... of their portfolio towards more liquid assets in order to meet potential redemptions. This causal chain is consistent with Vayanos (2004), who argues that fund managers are investors with time-varying liquidity preferences due to threat of withdrawal. Aggregated over funds, the effect is substantial: a one standard...

Importance of the fund management company in the performance of socially responsible mutual funds

OpenAIRE

Belghitar, Yacine; Clark, Ephraim; Deshmukh, Nitin

2017-01-01

We compare the performance of a sample of U.K.-based socially responsible investment (SRI) funds with similar conventional funds using a matched-pair analysis based on size, age, investment universe, and fund management company (FMC). We find that both the SRI and conventional funds outperform the market index about 50% of the time, even after fees. Subsample tests show that the SRI funds in our sample perform better in the pre- and postfinancial crisis periods but underperform during the fin...

Education Policy and Family Values: A Critical Analysis of Initiatives from the Right

Science.gov (United States)

Kumashiro, Kevin K.

2009-01-01

This article analyzes current education policy initiatives from the political Right in the United States, focusing on initiatives at the federal level (standards and testing), the state level (funding), the local level (alternative certification), and the campus level (censorship). Each initiative has received wide bipartisan and public support,…

Nuclear Waste Fund management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosselli, R.

1984-01-01

The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 (NWPA) established two separate special bank accounts: the Nuclear Waste Fund (NWF) was established to finance all of the Federal Government activities associated with the disposal of High-Level Waste (HLW) or Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF). The Interim Storage Fund (ISF) is the financial mechanism for the provision of Federal Interim Storage capacity, not to exceed 1900 metric tons of SNF at civilian power reactors. The management of these funds is discussed. Since the two funds are identical in features and the ISF has not yet been activated, the author's remarks are confined to the Nuclear Waste Fund. Three points discussed include legislative features, current status, and planned activities

Features of successful bids for funding of applied health research: a cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Sheila; Davidson, Peter; Stanton, Louise; Cawdeary, Victoria

2014-09-22

The literature suggests that research funding decisions may be influenced by criteria such as gender or institution of the principal investigator (PI). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between characteristics of funding applications and success when considered by a research funding board. We selected a retrospective cohort of 296 outline applications for primary research (mainly pragmatic clinical trials) submitted to the commissioning board of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme between January 1st 2006 and December 31st 2009. We selected proposals submitted to the commissioned NIHR HTA work stream as they addressed issues which the programme already deemed to be important, hence the priority of the research question was not considered as one of the selection criteria for success or failure. Main outcome measures were success or failure at short-listing and in obtaining research funding. The characteristics of applications associated with success at shortlisting and funding were multi-disciplinarity of the team (OR 19.94 [5.13, 77.50], P research applications most strongly associated with success were related to the range of expertise in the team and the completion of a pilot or feasibility study.

Startup on Third Phase of Ford-China R&D Fund

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2002-01-01

<正> According to Ford Auto (China) Co., Ltd., the third phase project of Ford-China Research and Development Fund, jointly established by China National Natural Science Foundation of China and American Ford Motor Co. was initiated on Jan.21 2002 in Sino-Germany Center in Beijing. The name list of the financed projects was published at the same time (See the table).

Complete fabrication of target experimental chamber and implement initial target diagnostics to be used for the first target experiments in NDCX-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieniosek, F.M.; Bieniosek, F.M.; Dickinson, M.R.; Henestroza, E.; Katayanagi, T.; Jung, J.Y.; Lee, C.W.; Leitner, M.; Ni, P.; Roy, P.; Seidl, P.; Waldron, W.; Welch, D.

2008-01-01

The Heavy Ion Fusion Science Virtual National Laboratory (HIFS-VNL) has completed the fabrication of a new experimental target chamber facility for future Warm Dense Matter (WDM) experiments, and implemented initial target diagnostics to be used for the first target experiments in NDCX-1. The target chamber has been installed on the NDCX-I beamline. This achievement provides to the HIFS-VNL unique and state-of-the-art experimental capabilities in preparation for the planned target heating experiments using intense heavy ion beams

75 FR 4769 - Availability of Grant Funds and Proposed Implementation Guidelines; Withdrawal of Solicitation...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-29

..., 2010, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published its annual notice entitled... Atmospheric Administration Availability of Grant Funds and Proposed Implementation Guidelines; Withdrawal of Solicitation for the Marine Aquaculture Initiative AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...

View all initiatives | IDRC - International Development Research ...

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

Initiative. The Cultivate Africa's Future research partnership is designed to support applied research to combat hunger in sub-Saharan Africa by harnessing the potential for innovation among the region's smallholder farmers, the majority of whom are women. We fund researchers driving global change. Careers · Contact Us ...

Envisioning a Future Governance and Funding System for Undergraduate and Graduate Medical Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Gold, Jeffrey P; Stimpson, Jim P; Caverzagie, Kelly J

2015-09-01

Funding for graduate medical education (GME) and undergraduate medical education (UME) in the United States is being debated and challenged at the national and state levels as policy makers and educators question whether the multibillion dollar investment in medical education is succeeding in meeting the nation's health care needs. To address these concerns, the authors propose a novel all-payer system for GME and UME funding that equitably distributes medical education costs among all stakeholders, including those who benefit most from medical education. Through a "Medical Education Workforce (MEW) trust fund," indirect and direct GME dollars would be replaced with a funds-flow mechanism using fees paid for services by all payers (Medicaid, Medicare, private insurers, others) while providing direct compensation to physicians and institutions that actively engage medical learners in providing clinical care. The accountability of those receiving MEW funds would be improved by linking their funding levels to their ability to meet predetermined institutional, program, faculty, and learner benchmarks. Additionally, the MEW fund would cover learners' UME tuition, potentially eliminating their UME debt, in return for their provision of health care services (after completing GME training) in an underserved area or specialty. This proposed model attempts to increase transparency and enhance accountability in medical education by linking funding to the development of a physician workforce that is able to excel in the evolving health delivery system. Achieving this vision requires physician educators, leaders of academic health centers, policy makers, insurers, and patients to muster the courage to embrace transformational change.

Financial management of large, multi-center trials in a challenging funding milieu.

Science.gov (United States)

Lovegreen, Olivia; Riggs, Danielle; Staten, Myrlene A; Sheehan, Patricia; Pittas, Anastassios G

2018-05-03

Randomized clinical trials that have public health implications but no or low potential for commercial gain are predominantly funded by governmental (e.g., National Institutes of Health (NIH)) and not-for-profit organizations. Our objective was to develop an alternative clinical trial site funding model for judicious allocation of declining public research funds. In the Vitamin D and Type 2 Diabetes (D2d) study, an NIH-supported, large clinical trial testing the effect of vitamin D supplementation on incident diabetes in 2423 participants at high risk for diabetes, a hybrid financial management model for supporting collaborating clinical sites was developed and applied. The funding model employed two reimbursement components: Core (for study start-up and partial efforts throughout the study, ~40% of the total site budget), invoiced by sites, and Performance-Based Payments (for successful enrollment of participants and completion of follow-up visits, ~60% of the total site budget), automatically issued to the sites by the Coordinating Center based on actual recruitment and visits conducted. Underperforming sites transitioned to Performance-Based Payments only. Recruitment occurred from October 2013 through December 2016, requiring one additional year than the 2-year projection. Median enrollment at each site was 88 participants (range 29-318; 20 to 205% of the site target). At the end of year 1, study-wide recruitment was at 12% of the target (vs. 50% projected) and 12% of the total grant award was invested. The model constantly evaluated sites' needs and re-allocated resources to meet the study enrollment goal. If D2d had issued cost reimbursement subaward agreements and sites invoiced for their entire budget, 83% of the award would have been spent for all study activities over the first 4 years of the trial compared to 65% of the award spent (US$26M) under the hybrid model used by D2d. It is feasible to foster a hybrid financial management approach to steward

Evaluation of funding gastroenterology research in Canada illustrates the beneficial role of partnerships

Science.gov (United States)

Sherman, Philip M; Hart, Kimberly Banks; Rose, Keeley; Bosompra, Kwadwo; Manuel, Christopher; Belanger, Paul; Daniels, Sandra; Sinclair, Paul; Vanner, Stephen; Buret, André G

2013-01-01

BACKGROUND: Funders of health research in Canada seek to determine how their funding programs impact research capacity and knowledge creation. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a focused grants and award program that was cofunded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes, and the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology; and to measure the impact of the Program on the career paths of funded researchers and assess the outcomes of research supported through the Program. METHODS: A survey of the recipients of grants and awards from 2000 to 2008 was conducted in 2012. The CIHR Funding Decisions database was searched to determine subsequent funding; a bibliometric citation analysis of publications arising from the Program was performed. RESULTS: Of 160 grant and award recipients, 147 (92%) completed the survey. With >$17.4 million in research funding, support was provided for 131 fellowship awards, seven career transition awards, and 22 operating grants. More than three-quarters of grant and award recipients continue to work or train in a research-related position. Combined research outputs included 545 research articles, 130 review articles, 33 book chapters and 11 patents. Comparative analyses indicate that publications supported by the funding program had a greater impact than other Canadian and international comparators. CONCLUSIONS: Continuity in support of a long-term health research funding partnership strengthened the career development of gastroenterology researchers in Canada, and enhanced the creation and dissemination of new knowledge in the discipline. PMID:24340317

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2008-01-01

The 2007 Annual Report and Accounts of the Pension Fund which was approved by Council at its session of 20 June 2008, is now available from the Departmental secretariats. Pension beneficiaries who wish to obtain this document should contact Emilie Clerc (Tel. + 41 22 767 87 98), building 5-5/017. It is also available on the Pension fund site: http://pensions.web.cern.ch/Pensions/

Geographic Disparity in Funding for School Nutrition Environments: Evidence from Mississippi Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Yunhee; Carithers, Teresa; Leeke, Shannon; Chin, Felicia

2016-01-01

Background: Despite the federal initiatives on equitable provision of school nutrition programs, geographic disparity in childhood obesity persists. It may be partly because built-in school nutrition environments rely on each school's efficient use of existing operational funds or its ability to obtain expanded financial support. This study…

76 FR 39115 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Transformation Initiative Family Self-Sufficiency...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... Information Collection: Transformation Initiative Family Self-Sufficiency Demonstration Small Grants AGENCY... information: Title of Proposal: Notice of Funding Availability for the Transformation Initiative Family Self..., think tanks, consortia, Institutions of higher education accredited by a national or regional...

An Empirical Study of Mutual Fund Performance and Its Relation with Fund Size

OpenAIRE

Lu, Daofen

2007-01-01

The increasing popularity of mutual fund investment is a remarkable phenomenon of recent decades. Mutual funds have been among the largest investors and played an important role in the financial market worldwide. The evaluation of mutual fund performance has been achieving a great deal of academic interest since the 1960s. This study employed a time-series data to examine the performance of sixty actively-managed equity growth funds of the United States during the period of July, 2002 to June...

Performance-Based Funding Brief

Science.gov (United States)

Washington Higher Education Coordinating Board, 2011

2011-01-01

A number of states have made progress in implementing performance-based funding (PFB) and accountability. This policy brief summarizes main features of performance-based funding systems in three states: Tennessee, Ohio, and Indiana. The brief also identifies key issues that states considering performance-based funding must address, as well as…

On the Failure of Standard Completeness in PiMTL for Infinite Theories

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Horčík, Rostislav

2007-01-01

Roč. 158, č. 6 (2007), s. 619-624 ISSN 0165-0114 Source of funding: V - iné verejné zdroje Keywords : strong standard completeness * monoidal t-norm based logic (MTL) * basic fuzzy logic (BL) * product logic * Lukasiewicz logic * PiMTL * IMTL Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 1.373, year: 2007

24 CFR 214.311 - Funding.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... Internet or other electronic media. (b) Local funding sources. HUD recommends that approved agencies seek and secure funding from funding sources that may include local and state governments, private... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Funding. 214.311 Section 214.311...

Patients "falling through the cracks". The Canterbury Charity Hospital: initial progress report.

Science.gov (United States)

Bagshaw, Philip F; Allardyce, Randall A; Bagshaw, Susan N; Stokes, Brian W; Shaw, Carl S; Proffit, Lorraine J; Nicholls, M Gary; Begg, Evan J; Frampton, Christopher M

2010-08-13

To present the early experience of establishing a community-funded and volunteer-staffed hospital in Christchurch, New Zealand. This was to provide free selected elective healthcare services to patients in the Canterbury region who were otherwise unable to access treatment in the public health system or afford private healthcare. Data were reviewed relating to the establishment, financing, staffing and running of the Canterbury Charity Hospital. Details were provided of patients referred by their general practitioners who were seen and treated during the first two and a half years of function. Canterbury Charity Hospital Trust, established in 2004, completed the purchase of a residential villa in 2005 and converted it into the Canterbury Charity Hospital, which performed its first operations in 2007. By the end of December 2009, 115 volunteer health professionals and 79 non-medical volunteers had worked at the Hospital, provided a total of 966 outpatient clinic appointments, of which 609 were initial assessments, and performed 610 surgical procedures. Funding of $NZ4.3 million (end of last financial year) came from fundraising events, donations, grants and interest from investments. There has been no government funding. There is a substantial unmet need for elective healthcare in Canterbury, and this has, in part, been addressed by the recently established Canterbury Charity Hospital. The overwhelming community response we have experienced in Canterbury raises the question of whether the current public health system needs attention to be re-focused on unmet need. We contend that unless this occurs it might be necessary to establish charity-type hospitals elsewhere throughout the country.

SOGIN Decommissioning strategy and funding (Italy)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

Decree stated that a specific company should have been established for the management of these activities. Consequently, Sogin has been incorporated, all nuclear assets and liabilities of Enel being assigned to the Company. Sogin is responsible for decommissioning and fuel back end, under the policy indicated by the Government. The Ministerial Decree 26.01.2000 precisely defined which costs can be considered as stranded costs. As a matter of fact, the decree confirms that all costs incurred in by Sogin for decommissioning, fuel cycle back end, wastes disposal are to be considered. The same Decree defines modalities for funding Sogin for the above mentioned activities. The same Decrees define that in the 'related activities' the dismantling of research plants for the nuclear fuel cycle should be considered. These plants are now property of Enea and FN. The Decree defines modalities for funding Sogin for the above mentioned activities. Sogin is entitled to receive also the funds for the decommissioning of Enea plants, providing a Consortium with Enea. Funding mechanism - Main Criteria: Costs are financed with a levy on the price of kWh for final consumers. The amount of the levy, for different categories of consumers, is defined by the 'Authority for electric energy and gas'. Regulatory procedure: Sogin presents to the Authority, each year, a complete program with scheduled activities and cost estimates for the overall project. Present estimates consider a global cost of about 2600 M euros for power plants and 630 M euros for Research plants. The Authority, every three years, determines the total amount of the expenses on the basis of Sogin documentation, taking into account efficiency criteria. Annual re-considerations are possible if major events occur. On this basis, the Authority defines the amount of the levy. In early 2002, the Authority issued the first resolution for the determination of decommissioning costs Specific reference was made to costs foreseen for 2002

Hedge Fund Contagion and Liquidity

OpenAIRE

Nicole M. Boyson; Christof W. Stahel; Rene M. Stulz

2008-01-01

Using hedge fund indices representing eight different styles, we find strong evidence of contagion within the hedge fund sector: controlling for a number of risk factors, the average probability that a hedge fund style index has extreme poor performance (lower 10% tail) increases from 2% to 21% as the number of other hedge fund style indices with extreme poor performance increases from zero to seven. We investigate how changes in funding and asset liquidity intensify this contagion, and find ...

Understaning the "funding effect"

Science.gov (United States)

Oreskes, N.

2016-12-01

There is a long history of industry funding of scientific and engineering research in the USA. Much of this work has been of high quality. Research demonstrates, however, that corporate funding can represent a threat to scientific independence and integrity. Studies show that sponsors' interests can affect research results, particularly when sponsors have a strong interest in a particular research outcome. The effects may occur through the impact of subconscious bias on sampling, study design, data interpretation, and/or reporting of results. Corporate funding can also skew research toward investigating certain questions at the expense of others, downplaying the significance of adverse findings, and/or failing to report adverse results. Gifts can affect behavior, even when they are unrelated to research activities. These impacts that are so substantial that they have a name: "the funding effect."[i] Evidence shows that scientists who strive to be objective and fair-minded may nonetheless fall prey to the funding effect. In many cases, the challenges of corporate gifts and funding can be addressed through education and improved self-awareness, agreements that protect researchers' freedom to publish without sponsor approval, sensible disclosure policies, and reasonable sanctions for failures of disclosure. However, in some cases, it may be appropriate for researchers and scientific societies to decline funding.

A model to compare a defined benefit pension fund with a defined contribution provident fund

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.M. Nevin

2003-12-01

Full Text Available During 1994 universities and certain other institutions were given the option of setting up private retirement funds as an alternative to the AIPF. Because of the underfundedness of the AIPF only a substantially reduced Actuarial Reserve Value could be transferred to the new fund on behalf of each member. Employees at these institutions had to make the difficult decision of whether to remain a member of the AIPF or to join a new fund. Several institutions created defined contribution funds as an alternative to the AIPF. In such funds the member carries the investment risk and most institutions felt the need to provide some form of top-up of the Transfer Value. A simple mathematical model is formulated to aid in the comparison of expected retirement benefits under the AIPF and a private fund and to investigate the management problem of distributing additional top-up funds in a fair manner amongst the various age groups within the fund.

A Blueprint for Breakthroughs: Federally Funded Education Research in 2016 and Beyond

Science.gov (United States)

Horn, Michael B.; Fisher, Julia Freeland

2016-01-01

The federal government funds a significant proportion of education research in the United States. But these research efforts have, by and large, fallen short of delivering on the promise to drive individual student outcomes across the country. By altering the priorities of education research to embrace a more complete research cycle, the federal…

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

Amendment No 20 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Department/Unit secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force on 1.1.2004, concerns the fixed sums and allowances adjusted at same date (Annex B).

Beyond breakthrough research: Epistemic properties of research and their consequences for research funding

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Laudel, Grit; Gläser, Jochen

2014-01-01

The aim of this paper is to initiate a discussion about links between epistemic properties and institutional conditions for research by providing an exploratory analysis of such links featured by projects funded by the European Research Council (ERC). Our analysis identifies epistemic properties of

76 FR 39117 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Transformation Initiative Rent Reform Demonstration...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-05

... Information Collection: Transformation Initiative Rent Reform Demonstration Small Grants AGENCY: Office of... information: Title of Proposal: Notice of Funding Availability for the Transformation Initiative Rent Reform...-96011. Members of the affected public: Institutions of higher education accredited by a national or...

STRUCTURAL FUNDS FOR HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND MIGRATION – A GENERAL OVERVIEW

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul P. IVAN

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The ample intervention of the European Social Fund in Romania trough the Human Resources Development Operational Programme has pursuit, among other objectives, to help migrant people for a successful participation in a modern and flexible labour market. Of course, the interest and support of emigrants are laudable initiatives but unfortunately the inconsistencies and problems that occurred in the implementation of grant projects have generated doubts on the efficiency of funds allocations in this area of interest. This paper aims to observe how grants have supported the Romanian emigrants and to analyse the implementation of this goal in the human resource development projects.

Funding strategies for wilderness management

Science.gov (United States)

Carolyn Alkire

2000-01-01

Funding wilderness protection will continue to be a challenge for public land managers. With continuing competition for federal funds and balanced budget goals, other sources of funds may be necessary to supplement annual federal appropriations. This paper identifies and evaluates five potential funding strategies and provides examples of each that are currently in use...

Funding Mechanisms, Cost Drivers, and the Distribution of Education Funds in Alberta: A Case Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Neu, Dean; Taylor, Alison

2000-01-01

Critical analysis of historical financial data of the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) examined the impact of Alberta's 1994 funding changes on the CBE and the distribution of Alberta's education funding. Findings illustrate how funding mechanisms are used to govern from a distance and how seemingly neutral accounting/funding techniques function…

Point Climat no. 19 'Assessing the financial efficiency of the Green Climate Fund: leverage ratios - from theory to practice'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morel, Romain; Delbosc, Anais

2012-01-01

Among the publications of CDC Climat Research, 'Climate Briefs' presents, in a few pages, hot topics in climate change policy. This issue addresses the following points: The Green Climat Fund's first Board meeting was held between August 23 and 25 2012. It is now time to specify how this organisation responsible for financing climate initiatives in developing countries will operate in practise. The current budgetary environment specifically requires the Green Fund to raise private funding in order to boost the efficiency of the public funds received from developed countries. This 'leverage effect' of public finance will need to be accurately defined, and be accompanied by other key indicators, in order to avoid the development of practices that are contrary to the Green Fund's original purpose

Controls Over Unliquidated Obligations in the Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bowen, Stuart W

2007-01-01

.... Funds no longer needed may be deobligated. The purpose of this audit was to determine the amount of IRRF unliquidated obligations retained by DoD, DoS, and USAID and whether those agencies have established adequate management controls over their unliquidated obligations. This audit focused on annual reviews of unliquidated obligations that agencies should have completed for fiscal year 2006.

Directed funding to address under-provision of treatment for substance use disorders: a quantitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Frakt, Austin B; Trafton, Jodie; Wallace, Amy; Neuman, Matthew; Pizer, Steven

2013-07-18

Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a substantial problem in the United States (U.S.), affecting far more people than receive treatment. This is true broadly and within the U.S. military veteran population, which is our focus. To increase funding for treatment, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) has implemented several initiatives over the past decade to direct funds toward SUD treatment, supplementing the unrestricted funds VA medical centers receive. We study the 'flypaper effect' or the extent to which these directed funds have actually increased SUD treatment spending. The study sample included all VA facilities and used observational data spanning years 2002 to 2010. Data were analyzed with a fixed effects, ordinary least squares specification with monetized workload as the dependent variable and funding dedicated to SUD specialty clinics the key dependent variable, controlling for unrestricted funding. We observed different effects of dedicated SUD specialty clinic funding over the period 2002 to 2008 versus 2009 to 2010. In the earlier period, there is no evidence of a significant portion of the dedicated funding sticking to its target. In the later period, a substantial proportion--38% in 2009 and 61% in 2010--of funding dedicated to SUD specialty clinics did translate into increased medical center spending for SUD treatment. In comparison, only five cents of every dollar of unrestricted funding is spent on SUD treatment. Relative to unrestricted funding, dedicated funding for SUD treatment was much more effective in increasing workload, but only in years 2009 and 2010. The differences in those years relative to prior ones may be due to the observed management focus on SUD and SUD-related treatment in the later years. If true, this suggests that in a centrally directed healthcare organization such as the VA, funding dedicated to a service is a necessary, but not sufficient condition for increasing resources expended for that service.

Young Adult Capacity Initiative Cross-Site Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Academy for Educational Development, 2012

2012-01-01

This cross-site analysis presents findings about the implementation, impact, and outcomes of the Young Adult Capacity Initiative (YACI), at 13 community-based organizations in New York City. These agencies received technical assistance and small incentive grants from the Fund for the City of New York Youth Development Institute (YDI) to build…

Risk analytics for hedge funds

Science.gov (United States)

Pareek, Ankur

2005-05-01

The rapid growth of the hedge fund industry presents significant business opportunity for the institutional investors particularly in the form of portfolio diversification. To facilitate this, there is a need to develop a new set of risk analytics for investments consisting of hedge funds, with the ultimate aim to create transparency in risk measurement without compromising the proprietary investment strategies of hedge funds. As well documented in the literature, use of dynamic options like strategies by most of the hedge funds make their returns highly non-normal with fat tails and high kurtosis, thus rendering Value at Risk (VaR) and other mean-variance analysis methods unsuitable for hedge fund risk quantification. This paper looks at some unique concerns for hedge fund risk management and will particularly concentrate on two approaches from physical world to model the non-linearities and dynamic correlations in hedge fund portfolio returns: Self Organizing Criticality (SOC) and Random Matrix Theory (RMT).Random Matrix Theory analyzes correlation matrix between different hedge fund styles and filters random noise from genuine correlations arising from interactions within the system. As seen in the results of portfolio risk analysis, it leads to a better portfolio risk forecastability and thus to optimum allocation of resources to different hedge fund styles. The results also prove the efficacy of self-organized criticality and implied portfolio correlation as a tool for risk management and style selection for portfolios of hedge funds, being particularly effective during non-linear market crashes.

25 CFR 47.11 - Can these funds be used as matching funds for other Federal programs?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... EDUCATION UNIFORM DIRECT FUNDING AND SUPPORT FOR BUREAU-OPERATED SCHOOLS § 47.11 Can these funds be used as matching funds for other Federal programs? A Bureau-operated school may use funds that it receives under...

Public Funding of Political Parties

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ortuno-Ortin, Ignacio; Schultz, Christian

This paper concerns public funding of parties. Parteis receive public funds depending on their vote share. Funds finance electoral campaigns. Two cases are investigated. In the first, some voters are policy motivated and some are ?impressionable? ? their vote depends directly on campaign...... expenditures. In the second, campaigning is informative and all voters are policy motivated. Public funds increase policy convergence in both cases. The effect is larger, the more funding depends on vote shares. When campaigns are informative, there may be multiple euqilibria. Intuitively, a large party can...

Optimal distribution of science funding

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ding-wei

2018-07-01

We propose a new model to investigate the theoretical implications of a novel funding system. We introduce new parameters to model the accumulated advantage. We assume that all scientists are equal and follow the same regulations. The model presents three distinct regimes. In regime (I), the fluidity of funding is significant. The funding distribution is continuous. The concentration of funding is effectively suppressed. In both regimes (II) and (III), a small group of scientists emerges as a circle of elites. Large funding is acquired by a small number of scientists.

The use of fund accounting and the need for single fund reporting by institutional healthcare providers. Principles and Practices Board Statement No. 8. Healthcare Financial Management Association.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-06-01

For many years, hospitals and other institutional healthcare providers used fund accounting as a basis for presenting their financial statements. Recently, authoritative literature has placed less emphasis on separate fund reporting. This is evidenced by the reduction of fund classifications specified in the literature. This trend seems to follow the recognition that institutional healthcare activities should be reported in a manner comparable to other businesses. The Principles and Practices Board (P&P Board) of the Healthcare Financial management Association believes that general purpose financial statements of institutional healthcare providers should be comparable to reporting by other businesses. That is, all assets, liabilities, and equity are presented in a single aggregated balance sheet without differentiation by fund. This form of presentation, referred to in this statement as single fund reporting, should be used by all institutional healthcare providers including those that are part of HMOs, universities, municipalities, and other larger entities when separate reports of the provider are issued. The P&P Board is studying other significant issues concerning the reporting of revenues and components of equity and changes therein. The conclusion in this statement can be implemented even though conclusions on these related subjects are not yet complete. The P&P Board recognizes that certain circumstances may require detailed records and reports for special purposes. This statement deals only with those general purpose financial statements on which an independent accountant's opinion is expressed.

24 CFR 1000.122 - May NAHASDA grant funds be used as matching funds to obtain and leverage funding, including any...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... considered an affordable housing activity? 1000.122 Section 1000.122 Housing and Urban Development... Housing Activities § 1000.122 May NAHASDA grant funds be used as matching funds to obtain and leverage...

Report assessment match/mismatch and issues with combined funding: deliverable 5.3

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Heide, M. de; Butter, M.

2016-01-01

Objective of the report is to assess how to finance the set-up and / or continuation of what is defined as Large-scale RDI initiatives (LSIs, see Box 1). The report analyses the potential use of different public and private funding sources, and how these can be combined. The analysis will result in

Service provision in the wake of a new funding model for community pharmacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Alesha J; Scahill, Shane L; Harrison, Jeff; Carroll, Tilley; Medlicott, Natalie J

2018-05-02

Recently, New Zealand has taken a system wide approach providing the biggest reform to New Zealand community pharmacy for 70 years with the aim of providing more clinically orientated patient centred services through a new funding model. The aim of this study was to understand the types of services offered in New Zealand community pharmacies since introduction of the new funding model, what the barriers are to providing these services. A survey of all community pharmacies were undertaken between August, 2014 and February, 2015. Basic descriptive statistics were completed and group comparisons were made using the chi squared test with significance set at p funding attached. Costs and staff availability are the most common barriers to undertake services, more predominantly in patient centred services. This study was the first to provide an evaluation of service provision in response to a new funding model for New Zealand Community Pharmacies. A broad range of services are being undertaken in New Zealand community pharmacies including patient-centred services. A number of barriers to service provision were identified. This study provides a baseline for the current levels of service provision upon which future studies can compare to and evaluate any changes in service provision with differing funding models going forward.

CMS Is Finally Completed

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Yet another step in the completion of the Large Hadron Collider was taken yesterday morning, as the final element of the Compact Muon Solenoid was lowered nearly 100 meters bellow ground. After more than eight years of work at the world's most powerful particle accelerator, scientists hope that they will be able to start initial experiments with the LHC until the end of this year.

Promoting equitable global health research: a policy analysis of the Canadian funding landscape.

Science.gov (United States)

Plamondon, Katrina; Walters, Dylan; Campbell, Sandy; Hatfield, Jennifer

2017-08-29

Research Initiative. Promoting equitable GHR funding policies and practices in Canada requires cooperation and actions by multiple stakeholders, including government, funding agencies, academic institutions and researchers. Greater cooperation and collaboration among these stakeholders in the context of recent political shifts present important opportunities for advancing funding policies that enable and encourage more equitable investments in GHR.

76 FR 55403 - Announcement of Funding Awards for Fiscal Year 2010 Transformation Initiative: Sustainable...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-07

... Awards for Fiscal Year 2010 Transformation Initiative: Sustainable Communities Research Grant (SCRGP... Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Transformative Initiative: Sustainable Communities Research Grant Program (SCRGP...&R), under the Assistant Secretary, administered the FY10 Sustainable Communities Research Grant...

INDEXING AND INDEX FUNDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

HAKAN SARITAŞ

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Proponents of the efficient market hypothesis believe that active portfolio management is largely wasted effort and unlikely to justify the expenses incurred. Therefore, they advocate a passive investment strategy that makes no attempt to outsmart the market. One common strategy for passive management is indexing where a fund is designed to replicate the performance of a broad-based index of stocks and bonds. Traditionally, indexing was used by institutional investors, but today, the use of index funds proliferated among individual investors. Over the years, both international and domestic index funds have disproportionately outperformed the market more than the actively managed funds have.

Evaluation of the "Foundations in Knowledge Translation" training initiative: preparing end users to practice KT.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Jamie S; Moore, Julia E; Sayal, Radha; Holmes, Bev J; Scarrow, Gayle; Graham, Ian D; Jeffs, Lianne; Timmings, Caitlyn; Rashid, Shusmita; Johnson, Alekhya Mascarenhas; Straus, Sharon E

2018-04-25

Current knowledge translation (KT) training initiatives are primarily focused on preparing researchers to conduct KT research rather than on teaching KT practice to end users. Furthermore, training initiatives that focus on KT practice have not been rigorously evaluated and have focused on assessing short-term outcomes and participant satisfaction only. Thus, there is a need for longitudinal training evaluations that assess the sustainability of training outcomes and contextual factors that may influence outcomes. We evaluated the KT training initiative "Foundations in KT" using a mixed-methods longitudinal design. "Foundations in KT" provided training in KT practice and included three tailored in-person workshops, coaching, and an online platform for training materials and knowledge exchange. Two cohorts were included in the study (62 participants, including 46 "Foundations in KT" participants from 16 project teams and 16 decision-maker partners). Participants completed self-report questionnaires, focus groups, and interviews at baseline and at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months after the first workshop. Participant-level outcomes include survey results which indicated that participants' self-efficacy in evidence-based practice (F(1,8.9) = 23.7, p = 0.001, n = 45), KT activities (F(1,23.9) = 43.2, p training initiative helped participants achieve their KT project objectives, plan their projects, and solve problems over time. Contextual factors include teams with high self-reported organizational capacity and commitment to implement at the start of their project had buy-in from upper management that resulted in secured funding and resources for their project. Training initiative outcomes include participants who applied the KT knowledge and skills they learned to other projects by sharing their knowledge informally with coworkers. Sustained spread of KT practice was observed with five teams at 24 months. We completed a longitudinal evaluation of a KT

12 CFR 615.5010 - Funding Corporation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Funding Corporation. 615.5010 Section 615.5010... POLICIES AND OPERATIONS, AND FUNDING OPERATIONS Funding § 615.5010 Funding Corporation. (a) The Funding Corporation shall issue, market, and handle the obligations of the banks issued under section 4.2(b) through...

On Strong Standard Completeness in Some MTL-Delta Expansions

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Vidal, Amanda; Bou, F.; Esteva, F.; Godo, L.

2017-01-01

Roč. 21, č. 1 (2017), s. 125-147 ISSN 1432-7643 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GF15-34650L Grant - others:Austrian Science Fund(AT) I1897-N25 Institutional support: RVO:67985807 Keywords : mathematical fuzzy logic * left-continuous t-norms * monoidal t-norm logic * infinitary rules * standard completeness Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics OBOR OECD: Computer sciences, information science, bioinformathics (hardware development to be 2.2, social aspect to be 5.8) Impact factor: 2.472, year: 2016

Risk Management Framework for Hedge Funds: Role of Funding and Redemption Options on Leverage

OpenAIRE

Dai, John; Sundaresan, Suresh

2009-01-01

We develop a model of hedge fund returns, which reflect the contractual relationships between a hedge fund, its investors and its prime brokers. These relationships are modelled as short option positions held by the hedge fund, wherein the “funding option” reflects the short option position with prime brokers and the “redemption option” reflects the short option position with the investors. Given an alpha producing human capital, the hedge fund’s ability to deploy leverage to magnify its alph...

Activity Fund Accounting.

Science.gov (United States)

Cool, David W.

1983-01-01

Addresses the need of school districts in many states to decide on an appropriate mingling of centralization and decentralization in the operation of activity funds. Argues for analysis of activity fund operation through a breakdown into such major components as policy, the accounting system, and reporting and auditing. (JBM)

The investment funds in carbon actives: state of the art

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dominicis, A. de

2005-01-01

Since the beginning in 1999 of the first funds by the World Bank, the purchase mechanisms of carbon actives, developed and reached today more than 1,5 milliards of euros. The landscape is relatively concentrated, in spite of the numerous initiatives. The author presents the situation since 1999, the importance of the european governmental investors, the purchase mechanisms management and an inventory of the carbon actives purchases. (A.L.B.)

Western Michigan University: Quasi-Revolving Fund. Green Revolving Funds in Action: Case Study Series

Science.gov (United States)

Billingsley, Christina

2011-01-01

Western Michigan University has designed an innovative "Quasi-Revolving Fund" model that demonstrates the institution's full commitment to incorporating sustainability into campus operations. The Quasi-Revolving Fund recaptures money from cost-savings, similar to a typical green revolving fund, but it also sources capital from the…

77 FR 6573 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Fair Housing Initiatives Program Fiscal Year 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-08

... alleging discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin... discretionary grants included: the Private Enforcement Initiative (PEI) ($26,000,000), the Education and... Initiatives Program Awards Applicant name Contact Region Award amt. Education and Outreach/Affirmatively...

National institute for Food and Agriculture: novel and changing funding strategies and mechanisms in response to changes in budgets, legislative authorities and scientific culture

Science.gov (United States)

Cavallaro, N.; Melnick, R.

2017-12-01

Farm Bill legislation establishes different funding mechanisms managed by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), which have changed over the years through reauthorization. Other legislation and executive initiatives, as well as recognition by both funders, funding recipients, private organizations, and non-government organizations have stressed the need for multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary research and outreach. This presentation will discuss how changes to NIFA legislative authority as well as changing needs and culture in the government and the scientific research community have led to new mechanisms and strategies for types of funded projects, eligibility for NIFA funding, interagency funding, and iterative changes in direction in research solicitations. For example, limited funding for important topics has prompted a need for interagency collaborations in research funding solicitations and jointly funded projects. New legislative authorities and requirements have led to new modes of collaboration with private industry, NGOs and commodity boards along with international alliances. Unlike most funding agencies, NIFA funds education and extension or outreach projects in addition to research projects. New authorities together with increased recognition of scientific research needed to inform societal challenges has led to new thinking and greater flexibility in funding for long-term research projects and larger regional, multi-institutional and multi-national projects. This, in addition to a shifting culture among researchers and research institutions, has aided in new policies, requirements and initiatives among research institutions and government agencies involving information, data sharing and public access. Examples of new mechanisms and programs and their successes along with their drawbacks will be presented.

Activity-based funding: implications for mental health services and consultation-liaison psychiatry.

Science.gov (United States)

Wand, Anne

2014-06-01

The aim of this paper is to inform mental health professionals about Activity-based funding (ABF) and the implications for data collection and clinical practice, in particular for consultation-liaison (CL) psychiatry. Activity-based funding may provide an opportunity for mental health services to be more equitably resourced, but much needs to be done to demonstrate that the funding model works in mental health. It is important to ensure that data collected is meaningful and accurate and reflects the diverse roles of mental health clinicians, including in CL. Inpatient and community services should be integrated in the model, as well as safeguards against potential abuse. Clinicians, in partnership with initiatives such as the Australian Mental Health Outcomes and Classification Network, are best placed to guide the development of an ABF system for mental health which appropriately recognises the complexity and variability between patients in different settings. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

Non-communicable diseases: mapping research funding organisations, funding mechanisms and research practices in Italy and Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Stephani, Victor; Sommariva, Silvia; Spranger, Anne; Ciani, Oriana

2017-10-02

Evidence shows that territorial borders continue to have an impact on research collaboration in Europe. Knowledge of national research structural contexts is therefore crucial to the promotion of Europe-wide policies for research funding. Nevertheless, studies assessing and comparing research systems remain scarce. This paper aims to further the knowledge on national research landscapes in Europe, focusing on non-communicable disease (NCD) research in Italy and Germany. To capture the architecture of country-specific research funding systems, a three-fold strategy was adopted. First, a literature review was conducted to determine a list of key public, voluntary/private non-profit and commercial research funding organisations (RFOs). Second, an electronic survey was administered qualifying RFOs. Finally, survey results were integrated with semi-structured interviews with key opinion leaders in NCD research. Three major dimensions of interest were investigated - funding mechanisms, funding patterns and expectations regarding outputs. The number of RFOs in Italy is four times larger than that in Germany and the Italian research system has more project funding instruments than the German system. Regarding the funding patterns towards NCD areas, in both countries, respiratory disease research resulted as the lowest funded, whereas cancer research was the target of most funding streams. The most reported expected outputs of funded research activity were scholarly publication of articles and reports. This cross-country comparison on the Italian and German research funding structures revealed substantial differences between the two systems. The current system is prone to duplicated research efforts, popular funding for some diseases and intransparency of research results. Future research will require addressing the need for better coordination of research funding efforts, even more so if European research efforts are to play a greater role.

76 FR 58822 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Fair Housing Initiatives Program; Fiscal Year 2010

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-22

... complaints alleging discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national... Education and Outreach Initiative (EOI) ($6,755,000), and the Fair Housing Organizations Initiative (FHOI... Housing and Equal Opportunity. Applicant name Contact Region Award amt. Education and Outreach/General...

NREL Funding Reductions

Science.gov (United States)

Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced today that it will further reduce its work force as a result of million. Recent indications, however, are that NREL's funding will be lowered by an additional $27 million employees. NREL Director Charles F. Gay said the additional funding cuts are a result of lower than expected

Managerial multitasking in the mutual fund industry

OpenAIRE

Agarwal, Vikas; Ma, Linlin; Mullally, Kevin

2015-01-01

We examine the determinants and consequences of mutual fund managers simultaneously managing multiple funds. Well-performing managers multitask by taking over poorly performing funds or launching new funds. Subsequent to multitasking, funds run by managers prior to multitasking (i.e., incumbent funds) experience performance deterioration while the performance of the acquired funds improves. Multitasking increases the assets of fund companies but results in a wealth transfer from shareholders ...

25 CFR 170.614 - Can a tribe receive funds before BIA publishes the notice of funding availability?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Can a tribe receive funds before BIA publishes the notice... Contracts and Agreements Under Isdeaa § 170.614 Can a tribe receive funds before BIA publishes the notice of funding availability? A tribe can receive funds before BIA publishes the notice of funding availability...

The Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database Resource Initiative (IDRI): A Completed Reference Database of Lung Nodules on CT Scans

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-01-01

Purpose: The development of computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) methods for lung nodule detection, classification, and quantitative assessment can be facilitated through a well-characterized repository of computed tomography (CT) scans. The Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database Resource Initiative (IDRI) completed such a database, establishing a publicly available reference for the medical imaging research community. Initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), further advanced by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), and accompanied by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through active participation, this public-private partnership demonstrates the success of a consortium founded on a consensus-based process. Methods: Seven academic centers and eight medical imaging companies collaborated to identify, address, and resolve challenging organizational, technical, and clinical issues to provide a solid foundation for a robust database. The LIDC/IDRI Database contains 1018 cases, each of which includes images from a clinical thoracic CT scan and an associated XML file that records the results of a two-phase image annotation process performed by four experienced thoracic radiologists. In the initial blinded-read phase, each radiologist independently reviewed each CT scan and marked lesions belonging to one of three categories (''nodule≥3 mm,''''nodule<3 mm,'' and ''non-nodule≥3 mm''). In the subsequent unblinded-read phase, each radiologist independently reviewed their own marks along with the anonymized marks of the three other radiologists to render a final opinion. The goal of this process was to identify as completely as possible all lung nodules in each CT scan without requiring forced consensus. Results: The Database contains 7371 lesions marked ''nodule'' by at least one radiologist. 2669 of these lesions were marked ''nodule≥3 mm'' by at least one radiologist, of which 928 (34.7%) received such marks from all

76 FR 66318 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Limited English Proficiency Initiative Program (LEPI), Fiscal...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-10-26

... limited English proficiency (LEP), and develop and implement a system to provide those services so LEP... Awards; Limited English Proficiency Initiative Program (LEPI), Fiscal Year 2010/2011 AGENCY: Office of... (NOFA) for the Limited English Proficiency Initiative (LEPI) Program for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010/2011...

Funding Public Higher Education in Colorado: How Has the College Opportunity Funding Model Impacted Educational Funding and Performance?

Science.gov (United States)

Middlemist, George Edward

2017-01-01

During the 2004 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly enacted Senate Bill 189 (SB189), which established the first system of college vouchers in the United States. The supporters of SB189 hoped that the voucher system, called the College Opportunity Fund (COF), would: 1) stabilize the flow of state funding to higher education; 2)…

Developing a methodology to assess the impact of research grant funding: a mixed methods approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Bloch, Carter; Sørensen, Mads P; Graversen, Ebbe K; Schneider, Jesper W; Schmidt, Evanthia Kalpazidou; Aagaard, Kaare; Mejlgaard, Niels

2014-04-01

This paper discusses the development of a mixed methods approach to analyse research funding. Research policy has taken on an increasingly prominent role in the broader political scene, where research is seen as a critical factor in maintaining and improving growth, welfare and international competitiveness. This has motivated growing emphasis on the impacts of science funding, and how funding can best be designed to promote socio-economic progress. Meeting these demands for impact assessment involves a number of complex issues that are difficult to fully address in a single study or in the design of a single methodology. However, they point to some general principles that can be explored in methodological design. We draw on a recent evaluation of the impacts of research grant funding, discussing both key issues in developing a methodology for the analysis and subsequent results. The case of research grant funding, involving a complex mix of direct and intermediate effects that contribute to the overall impact of funding on research performance, illustrates the value of a mixed methods approach to provide a more robust and complete analysis of policy impacts. Reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of the methodology are used to examine refinements for future work. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2004-01-01

The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its one-hundred-and-twenty-second meeting on 3 February 2004. Opening the meeting, the Chairman, J. Bezemer, welcomed W. Zapf's alternate T. Lagrange, A. Naudi's alternate P. Geeraert, and M. Goossens' alternate M. Vitasse, who were attending the Governing Board for the first time. The Governing Board heard a report from its Chairman on the meeting of the CERN Council on 19 December 2003, at which, under Pension Fund matters, the Council had approved a pensions adjustment of 0.7%. The Governing Board then heard a report on the main elements of the Investment Committee's meeting on 3 December 2003. During a presentation, Expert Timing System (Madrid) and the Compagnie de Trésorerie Benjamin de Rothschild (Geneva) had proposed a bond portfolio investment following the same quantitative investment principles as the equities portfolio they already managed for the Fund. After some deliberation, the Investment Committee had decided, on that basis, to award t...

PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF TURKISH TYPE A MUTUAL FUNDS AND PENSION STOCK FUNDS BY USING TOPSIS METHOD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nesrin ALPTEKIN

2009-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper, it is evaluated performance of Turkish Type A mutual funds and pension stock funds by using TOPSIS method which is a multicriteria decision making approach. Both of these funds compose of stocks in their portfolios, so it can be enabled to compare each other. Generally, mutual or pension funds are evaluated according to their risk and return. At this point, it is used traditional performance measurement techniques of funds like Sharpe ratio, Sortino ratio, Treynor index and Jensen’s alpha. TOPSIS method takes into consideration all of these fund performance measurement techniques and provides more reasonable performance measurement.

Funding Decommissioning - UK Experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacKerron, Gordon

2006-01-01

'Funding' started with CEGB and SSEB (state-owned electric utilities) in 1976 using the internal un-segregated fund route (i.e unfunded). This continued until privatisation of electricity industry (excluding nuclear) in 1990. Assets bought with the internal un-segregated fund were mostly transferred into non-nuclear private utilities. New state-owned Nuclear Electric (England and Wales) was given a 'Fossil Fuel Levy', a consumer charge of 10% on retail bills, amounting to c. BP 1 bn. annually. This allowed Nuclear Electric to trade legally (A reserve of BP 2.5 bn. was available from Government if company ran out of money). By 1996 the newer nuclear stations (AGRS plus PWR) were privatised as British Energy. British Energy started an external segregated fund, the Nuclear Decommissioning Fund, with a starting endowment of c. BP 225 m. - and BE made annual contributions of British Pound 16 m. into the Fund. Assumptions were that BE had 70 to accumulate cash and could get a 3.5% average annual real return. Older stations (Magnox) were left in private sector and went to BNFL in 1997. Magnox inherited the surplus cash in BE - mostly unspent Fossil Fuel Levy receipts - of c. BP 2.6 bn. Government gave an 'Undertaking' to pay BP 3.8 bn. (escalating at 4.5% real annually) for Magnox liabilities, should Magnox Electric run out of cash. BNFL inherited the BP 2.6 bn. and by 2000 had a 'Nuclear Liabilities Investment Portfolio' of c. BP 4 bn. This was a quasi-segregated internal fund for liabilities in general. [Note: overall UK nuclear liabilities in civilian sector were running at c. BP 48 bn. by now]. BE started profitable and paid BP 100 m. annually in dividends to private investors for several years. BE ran into severe financial problems after 2001 and Government organised restructuring aid, now approved by European Commission. Terms include: - BE now to contribute BP 20 m. a year into an expanded Nuclear Liabilities Fund; - A bond issue of BP 275 m. to go to Fund; - 65

Balloon dacryocystoplasty: Incomplete versus complete obstruction of the nasolacrimal system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jeong Min; Lee, Sang Hoon; Han, Young Min; Chung, Gyung Ho; Kim, Chong Soo; Choi, Ki Chul; Song, Ho Young

1993-01-01

Balloon dilatation of nasolacrimal drainage apparatus was attempted for the treatment of stenoses or obstructures of the nasolacrimal system in 49 eyes of 41 consecutive patients with complete obstructions and 16 eyes of 14 patients with incomplete obstructions. These two groups were compared with regards to the effectiveness of balloon dacryocystoplasty. All patients suffered from severe epiphora had already undergone multiple probings. A 0.018 inch hair or ball guide wire was introduced through the superior punctum into the inferior meatus of the nasal cavity and pulled out through the nasal aperture using a hemostat under nasal endoscopy. A deflated angiography balloon catheter was then introduced in a retrograde direction and dilated under fluoroscopic control. No major complications occurred in any of the patients. At 7 days after balloon dilatation, 25 of 49 eyes with complete obstruction demonstrated improvement in epiphora (initial success rate: 51.0%) and among them 17 eyes showed complete resolution of symptoms. Reocclusion occurred in 12 of the 25 eyes with initial improvement at the 2 months follow up. For the 16 eyes with incomplete obstruction, and improvement of epiphora was attained in 11 eyes (initial success rate 68.8%): 5 of these eyes showed complete resolution of epiphora, and 3 was failed to maintain initial improvement at the 2 month follow up. Although this study demonstrate that results of balloon dacryocystoplasty are not encouraging because of the high failure and recurrence rate, balloon dacryocystoplasty is a simple and safe nonsurgical technique that can be used to treat for obstructions of the nasolacrimal system. In addition, balloon dacryocystoplasty shows better results in incomplete obstruction than in complete obstruction than complete obstruction of the nasolacrimal system

DOE EPSCoR Initiative in Structural and computational Biology/Bioinformatics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wallace, Susan S.

2008-02-21

The overall goal of the DOE EPSCoR Initiative in Structural and Computational Biology was to enhance the competiveness of Vermont research in these scientific areas. To develop self-sustaining infrastructure, we increased the critical mass of faculty, developed shared resources that made junior researchers more competitive for federal research grants, implemented programs to train graduate and undergraduate students who participated in these research areas and provided seed money for research projects. During the time period funded by this DOE initiative: (1) four new faculty were recruited to the University of Vermont using DOE resources, three in Computational Biology and one in Structural Biology; (2) technical support was provided for the Computational and Structural Biology facilities; (3) twenty-two graduate students were directly funded by fellowships; (4) fifteen undergraduate students were supported during the summer; and (5) twenty-eight pilot projects were supported. Taken together these dollars resulted in a plethora of published papers, many in high profile journals in the fields and directly impacted competitive extramural funding based on structural or computational biology resulting in 49 million dollars awarded in grants (Appendix I), a 600% return on investment by DOE, the State and University.

78 FR 13677 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Funding...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-28

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Funding Opportunity Announcement, Initial Review The meeting announced below concerns Indoor Environment of Low- Income Renovated...

78 FR 17412 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Funding...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-21

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Funding Opportunity Announcement, Initial Review The meeting announced below concerns Indoor Environment of Low- Income Renovated...

The year 2012 is already rich in highlights for the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB)

CERN Multimedia

2012-01-01

In this new column, the Chairman of the Pension Fund Governing Board (PFGB) will regularly present the latest main decisions, initiatives and accomplishments of the Governing Board to the members and beneficiaries of the Fund.   At the start of the year, the PFGB examined the question of the contribution rate for new members joining the Fund after 1st January 2012. The PFGB confirmed that, on the basis of the independent expert's calculations, the proposed total contribution rate of 31.6% for new members is sufficient to finance their pension promise. The proposed new contribution rate was subsequently approved by the Council at its March 2012 meeting. The PFGB has also approved the assumptions to be used in the preparation of the Financial Statements of the Fund for the year 2011. The assumptions for longevity will reflect the latest Swiss publicly available longevity tables (see here). The investment return assumption will continue to reflect the objective set by the Council, w...

Investible benchmarks & hedge fund liquidity

OpenAIRE

Freed, Marc S; McMillan, Ben

2011-01-01

A lack of commonly accepted benchmarks for hedge fund performance has permitted hedge fund managers to attribute to skill returns that may actually accrue from market risk factors and illiquidity. Recent innovations in hedge fund replication permits us to estimate the extent of this misattribution. Using an option-based model, we find evidence that the value of liquidity options that investors implicitly grant managers when they invest may account for part or even all hedge fund returns. C...

Melatonin Regulates Oxidative Stress Initiated by Freund’s Complete Adjuvant

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miroslav Pohanka

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Melatonin is a hormone with strong antioxidant properties. In this experiment, Freund’s complete adjuvant was used as a stressogenic substance given to laboratory outbred mice, whereas melatonin was investigated as a protectant against the stressogenic effect. Levels of low molecular weight antioxidants, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, and tumor necrosis factor α and activity of glutathione reductase were determined in blood from the animals. Surprisingly, melatonin was not involved in direct regulation of antioxidants, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and tumor necrosis factor α. On the other hand, melatonin regulated glutathione reductase activity. We can conclude on regulation of metabolism caused by melatonin in the model. The effect was more important than the expected regulation of immunity and basal oxidative homeostasis.

Mutual aid fund commission

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2011-01-01

The composition of the Board of the Mutual Aid Fund for 2011 is as follows: President: Pascal Droux Vice-president: Connie Potter Treasurer: Louis Pereira Deputy treasurer: Barbara Brugger Secretary: Sonia Casenove Deputy secretary: Isabelle Mardirossian Members: Christopher David Thomas   Jean-Claude Vialis (GAC member)   Marie-Luce Falipou   Gunilla Santiard (Jean-Claude Vialis’s alternate) The role of the Fund is to provide financial help to members of personnel and beneficiaries of the Pension Fund who are in need of exceptional financial assistance. All requests are treated in the strictest confidence. Should you wish to apply for aid from the Fund, kindly contact any member of the Board as given above or Social Services, tel.74479 – 73867.

Funding Ohio Community Colleges: An Analysis of the Performance Funding Model

Science.gov (United States)

Krueger, Cynthia A.

2013-01-01

This study examined Ohio's community college performance funding model that is based on seven student success metrics. A percentage of the regular state subsidy is withheld from institutions; funding is earned back based on the three-year average of success points achieved in comparison to other community colleges in the state. Analysis of…

Bitter Sweetness For Fund Managers

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2007-01-01

An influx of small investors eager to earn money puts heavy pressure on fund managers Fund managers control millions in capital and call the shots in the stock market. They can make a fortune from a single judgment. The debut of fund management operation

CERN Pension Fund move

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2007-01-01

The CERN Pension Fund has moved to new offices on the 5th floor of Building 5. The Benefits Service of the Fund is now located in Offices 5-5-017 - 5-5-021 - 5-5-023. We remind you that the office hours are: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 10 am to 12 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm. The Fund would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank all the persons involved in the relocation.

UNLV Nuclear Hydrogen Initiative

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hechanova, Anthony E.; Johnson, Allen; O' Toole, Brendan; Trabia, Mohamed; Peterson, Per

2012-10-25

Evaluation of the Crack growth rate (CGR) of Alloy 617 and Alloy 276 under constant K at ambient temperature has been completed. Creep deformation of Alloy 230 at different temperature range and load level has been completed and heat to heat variation has been noticed. Creep deformation study of Alloy 276 has been completed under an applied initial stress level of 10% of yield stress at 950ºC. The grain size evaluation of the tested creep specimens of Alloy 276 has been completed.

28 CFR 23.30 - Funding guidelines.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Funding guidelines. 23.30 Section 23.30 Judicial Administration DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE CRIMINAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS OPERATING POLICIES § 23.30 Funding guidelines. The following funding guidelines shall apply to all Crime Control Act funded...

Decommissioning funding: ethics, implementation, uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2006-01-01

This status report on Decommissioning Funding: Ethics, Implementation, Uncertainties also draws on the experience of the NEA Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD). The report offers, in a concise form, an overview of relevant considerations on decommissioning funding mechanisms with regard to ethics, implementation and uncertainties. Underlying ethical principles found in international agreements are identified, and factors influencing the accumulation and management of funds for decommissioning nuclear facilities are discussed together with the main sources of uncertainties of funding systems. (authors)

Open-end Investment Funds in Croatia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojan Morić Milovanović

2006-03-01

Full Text Available This work discusses investment funds in Croatia, with a particular emphasis on openend investment funds. After a short review of the development of the funds, the perception of the funds is analysed, as are the trends in total assets and in average yields. The degree of concentration of open-end investment funds is shown with statistical measures of concentration (the Gini Coefficient, the Lorenz Curve and concentration ratios. All these indicators show that the concentration is moderate to strong. The greatest yields are given by the equity funds, but these are also the most risky.

CAVITY LIKE COMPLETIONS IN WEAK SANDS PREFERRED UPSTREAM MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ian Palmer; John McLennan

2004-04-30

The technology referred to as Cavity Like Completions (CLC) offers a new technique to complete wells in friable and unconsolidated sands. A successfully designed CLC provides significant increases in well PI (performance index) at lower costs than alternative completion techniques. CLC technology is being developed and documented by a partnership of major oil and gas companies through a GPRI (Global Petroleum Research Institute) joint venture. Through the DOE-funded PUMP program, the experiences of the members of the joint venture will be described for other oil and gas producing companies. To date six examples of CLC completions have been investigated by the JV. The project was performed to introduce a new type of completion (or recompletion) technique to the industry that, in many cases, offers a more cost effective method to produce oil and gas from friable reservoirs. The project's scope of work included: (1) Further develop theory, laboratory and field data into a unified model to predict performance of cavity completion; (2) Perform at least one well test for cavity completion (well provided by one of the sponsor companies); (3) Provide summary of geo-mechanical models for PI increase; and (4) Develop guidelines to evaluate success of potential cavity completion. The project tracks the experiences of a joint industry consortium (GPRI No. 17) over a three year period and compiles results of the activities of this group.

12 CFR 619.9185 - Funding Corporation.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Funding Corporation. 619.9185 Section 619.9185 Banks and Banking FARM CREDIT ADMINISTRATION FARM CREDIT SYSTEM DEFINITIONS § 619.9185 Funding Corporation. The term Funding Corporation refers to the Federal Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation...

COMPARATIVE STUDY OF OWN FUNDS IN THE BANKING SYSTEM

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tesu Ramona

2012-12-01

about 20 percentages of total equity and subordinated debt were the main components and revaluation reserves. Re-evaluation reserves have preserved funding contributions to Tier 2. An for evaluation of the level of capitalization of credit institutions, the central bank uses solvable indicator, as the only indicator currently regulated for this purpose. It also provides banks in Romania at the conditions for additional capital requirements related to Basel III framework to be taken by the European regulatory Capital Requirement Directive IV. As a final conclusion of the research in the own funds field we want to mention and express our opinion that the methods and techniques of managing risk, calculation of capital need permanent revision and adaptation to the changes that take place on the financial market the appearance of Basel Agreement 3, which are absolutely necessary in the actual economic and financial context. The presentation of concrete cases concerning the bank back-ups represent the personal work which completes the study concerning the analysis of managing banking risks, the role of bank back-ups in the bank capital adequacy mechanism.

RECONSTRUCTION OF PENSION FUND PERFORMANCE MODEL AS AN EFFORT TO WORTHY PENSION FUND GOVERNANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Apriyanto Gaguk

2017-08-01

Full Text Available This study aims to reconstruct the performance assessment model on Pension Fund by modifying Baldrige Assessment method that is adjusted to the conditions in Dana Pensiun A (Pension Fund A in order to realize Good Pension Fund Governance. This study design uses case study analysis. The research sites were conducted in Dana Pensiun A. The informants in the study included the employer, supervisory board, pension fund management, active and passive pension fund participant as well as financial services authority elements as the regulator. The result of this research is a construction of a comprehensive and profound retirement performance assessment model with attention to aspects of growth and fair distribution. The model includes the parameters of leadership, strategic planning, stakeholders focus, measurement, analysis, and knowledge management, workforce focus, standard operational procedure focus, result, just and fair distribution of wealth and power.

How a new funding model will shift allocations from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Science.gov (United States)

Fan, Victoria Y; Glassman, Amanda; Silverman, Rachel L

2014-12-01

Policy makers deciding how to fund global health programs in low- and middle-income countries face important but difficult questions about how to allocate resources across countries. In this article we present a typology of three allocation methodologies to align allocations with priorities. We then apply our typology to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria. We examined the Global Fund's historical HIV allocations and its predicted allocations under a new funding model that creates an explicit allocation methodology. We found that under the new funding model, substantial shifts in the Global Fund's portfolio are likely to result from concentrating resources in countries with more HIV cases and lower per capita incomes. For example, South Africa, which had 15.8 percent of global HIV cases in 2009, could see its Global Fund HIV funding more than triple, from historic levels that averaged 3.0 percent to 9.7 percent of total Global Fund allocations. The new funding model methodology is expected, but not guaranteed, to improve the efficiency of Global Fund allocations in comparison to historical practice. We conclude with recommendations for the Global Fund and other global health donors to further develop their allocation methodologies and processes to improve efficiency and transparency. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

Irish Sea Marine Aggregate Initiative (IMAGIN) Technical Synthesis Report

OpenAIRE

Sutton, G.

2008-01-01

The Irish Sea Marine Aggregates Initiative (IMAGIN) is a collaborative project between Ireland and Wales focused on the sustainable management of marine aggregate resources. IMAGIN was a 2-year project with a total budget of €1.1 million. IMAGIN was part funded (66%) under the Ireland/Wales Inter Regional (INTERREG) IIIA Community Initiative Programme 2000-2006. The remaining project budget was met by contributions from partner organisations (19%) and aggregate companies – CEMEX, Lagan Ltd., ...

Funding in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santiago, Juan Luis

2006-01-01

Decommissioning strategies currently considered are: Immediate dismantling (for all LWR), Deferred dismantling (only for Vandellos-I). Dismantling is assumed to commence 3 years after shutdown. End point: Release the site for industrial uses without radiological restrictions. Considerations for Planning and Funding: 40 years of lifetime for the nuclear power plants currently in operation (7.6 GWe installed). Decommissioning of NPPs: Vandellos I (Partial dismantling (Level 2) in 2003, Total dismantling (Level 3) after a 30 years period); Rest of NPPs: Total dismantling (Level 3), as regards calculation and planning 3 years after final reactor shutdown. Distribution of Responsibilities: Decommissioning is planned to start about 3 years after plant shutdown. During this period the Utility is still responsible for the plant and should remove the spent fuel and condition all the operational wastes, prior to the transfer of responsibility to Enresa. After transfer, Enresa is fully responsible for decommissioning. Decommissioning Funding and Management Rules: The cost of the decommissioning of nuclear installations are financed by the producers of such wastes. The financing of these responsibilities is by way of a Fund set up for this purpose. The costs are calculated by Enresa by means of an annual study, which reviews the status of the techniques and assesses the associated costs, this study being submitted in the General Radioactive Waste Plan to the Ministry of Economy for its approval. The Fund, managed by Enresa, is raised by a charge on the electricity price. The accumulated fund is administrated by Enresa under the supervision of the competent governmental authorities. Rules are established by a Fund Control Committee reporting to the Ministry of Economy. Financing via electricity Billing: The costs of activities arising as a result of radioactive waste management are to be financed by the producers. For NPPs, Establishment of a percentage quota on electricity

HEDGE FUND MANAGERIAL INCENTIVES AND PERFORMANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nor Hadaliza ABD RAHMAN

2011-07-01

Full Text Available The growth of the hedge fund industry over the decades has brought an interesting form of performance contract between the portfolio managers and their investors. The contractual relation has given an impact to the performance of the hedge fund industry, which benefited both fund managers and investors. Furthermore, it has created more investors and fund managers to participate in this high risk and high return investment. Currently, many issues on fee structures and performancebased incentives have been discussed. Do these issues affect the performance of the hedge fund in the market? This paper will investigate the issues in Australian market. It will empirically analyze the hedge fund performance in relation to the market performance and whether managerial incentives and discretions associated with better fund performance.

CERN Pension Fund move

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2007-01-01

The CERN Pension Fund has moved to new offices at the 5th floor of Building 5. The Benefits Service of the Fund will henceforth receive you in the offices: 5-5-017 - 5-5-021 - 5-5-023. We remind you that the office hours are: Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday from 10 am to 12 am and from 3 pm to 5 pm. The Fund would like to take this opportunity to warmly thank all the persons involved in the Removal.

33 CFR 135.9 - Fund address.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... FINANCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND COMPENSATION OFFSHORE OIL POLLUTION COMPENSATION FUND General § 135.9 Fund address. The address to which correspondence relating to the Coast Guard's administration of the Fund... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fund address. 135.9 Section 135.9...

Decommissioning Funding: Ethics, Implementation, Uncertainties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2007-01-01

This status report on decommissioning funding: ethics, implementation, uncertainties is based on a review of recent literature and materials presented at NEA meetings in 2003 and 2004, and particularly at a topical session organised in November 2004 on funding issues associated with the decommissioning of nuclear power facilities. The report also draws on the experience of the NEA Working Party on Decommissioning and Dismantling (WPDD). This report offers, in a concise form, an overview of relevant considerations on decommissioning funding mechanisms with regard to ethics, implementation and uncertainties. Underlying ethical principles found in international agreements are identified, and factors influencing the accumulation and management of funds for decommissioning nuclear facilities are discussed together with the main sources of uncertainties of funding systems

76 FR 20355 - Disease, Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Funding...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-12

..., Disability, and Injury Prevention and Control Special Emphasis Panel (SEP): Funding Opportunity Announcement... Research Network (MD STARnet); Feasibility of Expansion to Other Muscular Dystrophies (FOA) DD11-006... Network (MD STARnet); Feasibility of Expansion to Other Muscular Dystrophies (FOA) DD11-006, initial...

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

The Governing Board of the Pension Fund held its hundred and seventeenth meeting on 3 June 2003. On that occasion, it examined the recommendations made by the External Auditors in their report on their audit of the 2002 annual accounts and the replies by the Pension Fund's Administration. The Governing Board was gratified by the small number of remarks by the External Auditors. It also confirmed its agreement to the procedure followed by the Administration of the Pension Fund in the handling of transfer values. Under other items on the agenda, the Board once again examined ESO's request relating to the terms and conditions of membership by its staff members. In this regard, the Board wishes to receive from ESO a definitive request (following the necessary consultation procedures with the representatives of the personnel and discussions within ESO's governing bodies) so that the working group can continue its work on a clear basis and so that the Governing Board is in a position to take up a position in the m...

Measures to Prevent Financial Fraud and Legalization of Illicit Funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chunitska Iryna I.

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The problems of preventing financial fraud and legalization of funds using mechanisms of the financial market are considered. The relevance of this problem in general and peculiar features of its research in developing economies are substantiated. The experience of organizations created to prevent the legalization of illicit funds is studied. It is determined that new organizations are created in response to the global challenges. It is justified that in Ukraine the fight against the legalization of illicit funds has actualized due to a lack of financial resources in the country, declaration of course towards European values and also as a result of the military conflict in the east of the country. The risk factors for financial fraud and illegal movement of financial flows are systematized according to the groups of conditions: pressure, favorable situation, propensity (justification. It is determined which levels of risk of generating illegal financial flows are inherent in different sectors of the economy depending on institutional factors. It is argued that the increase in the risks of illegal financial flows occurs under conditions of a low level of maturity of the institutional environment and a high level of information asymmetry. Types and tools of fraud in the financial market that increase the risks of illegal financial flows are systematized. It is determined that main types of fraud in the financial market are related to information manipulations and regulatory deficiencies. The world experience of legislative initiatives on counteracting the legalization of funds in financial markets is systematized. It is justified that, in order to prevent financial fraud and prevent legalization of illicit funds in Ukraine, it is necessary to ensure maximum transparency of information on the movement of financial flows in financial markets. In addition, regulators of the financial market should not only cooperate with each other but also prevent

ALTERNATIVE FUNDING THECNIQUES. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena Mihaela ILIESCU

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this paper isto highlight the dynamics, diversity and especially the availability of an alternative financial market, developed outside of the traditional banking system, on online trading platforms, a market that can constitute an efficient solution, at the expense of entities open to fast funding, wide raging, with limited guaranties and minimum procedural and legislative formalities. For this purpose, we shall analyze briefly the main alternative financing methods, both empirically and qualitatively, in terms of similarities and differences between the two of them, inclusively of the amount that can be employed in this process through different methods. The current paper aims to be a practical guide meant to support those facing difficulties in obtaining financing for start-ups, implementing or/and developing business and entrepreneurship initiatives, and also a guide for those who want to be informed regarding the latest funding techniques. Another aspect to be considered is the legal framework in which this process takes place, because the regulation for these levers remains constantly behind the development process of new methods. The classic financiers should also consider reviewing the lending policy as the amounts attracted and accessed through these alternative methods increase exponentially from one year to the other, the volume of sums involved surpassing each time the forecasts, making thus possible the transformations of these paradigms from the financial sector into preponderant financial funding’s.

Asset Allocation of Mutual Fund Investors

OpenAIRE

Dengpan Luo

2003-01-01

This paper studies mutual fund investors' asset allocation decisions using monthly flow data of U.S mutual fund industry from 1984 to 1998. We find that mutual fund investors change their asset allocations between stocks and bonds in reaction to business conditions tracked by changes in expected stock market returns. They tend to allocate less into stock funds during the trough of a business cycle when expected stock market returns are higher and to allocate more into stock funds during the p...

Donor funding for family planning: levels and trends between 2003 and 2013.

Science.gov (United States)

Grollman, Christopher; Cavallaro, Francesca L; Duclos, Diane; Bakare, Victoria; Martínez Álvarez, Melisa; Borghi, Josephine

2018-05-01

The International Conference on Population and Development in 1994 set targets for donor funding to support family planning programmes, and recent initiatives such as FP2020 have renewed focus on the need for adequate funding to rights-based family planning. Disbursements supporting family planning disaggregated by donor, recipient country and year are not available for recent years. We estimate international donor funding for family planning in 2003-13, the period covering the introduction of reproductive health targets to the Millennium Development Goals and up to the beginning of FP2020, and compare funding to unmet need for family planning in recipient countries. We used the dataset of donor disbursements to support reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health developed by the Countdown to 2015 based on the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Creditor Reporting System. We assessed levels and trends in disbursements supporting family planning in the period 2003-13 and compared this to unmet need for family planning. Between 2003 and 2013, disbursements supporting family planning rose from under $400 m prior to 2008 to $886 m in 2013. More than two thirds of disbursements came from the USA. There was substantial year-on-year variation in disbursement value to some recipient countries. Disbursements have become more concentrated among recipient countries with higher national levels of unmet need for family planning. Annual disbursements of donor funding supporting family planning are far short of projected and estimated levels necessary to address unmet need for family planning. The reimposition of the US Global Gag Rule will precipitate an even greater shortfall if other donors and recipient countries do not find substantial alternative sources of funding.

Completing a PhD by Publication: A Review of Australian Policy and Implications for Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, Denise

2013-01-01

There is increasing impetus for higher-degree-by-research students to publish during candidature. Research performance, including higher degree completions and publication output, commonly determines university funding, and doctorates with publishing experience are better positioned for a career in softening academic labour markets. The PhD by…

36 CFR 330.7 - Funding.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... § 330.7 Funding. (a) Section 330.3(c) sets forth the maximum authorized funds for law enforcement contracting in FY 1978 and FY 1979. The Division funding levels for FY 1978 are based on information as... Parks, Forests, and Public Property CORPS OF ENGINEERS, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY REGULATION OF LAW...

The Funding of Virtual Universities

Science.gov (United States)

Poulin, Russell; Michelau, Demaree K.

2009-01-01

This article reviews categorization models and the outcomes of a virtual university funding survey. Although categorization of types of funding mechanisms is a necessary analytical tool, it often hides the many and varied political decisions that created them. In commenting on the implications of the type of funding model, political forces behind…

Compensation Reform and Design Preferences of Teacher Incentive Fund Grantees. Policy Paper

Science.gov (United States)

Heyburn, Sara; Lewis, Jessica; Ritter, Gary

2010-01-01

In U.S. K-12 public education, incentive pay for educators remains firmly fixed as a high-interest policy topic and has recently become a popular reform initiative in many school systems. The Teacher Incentive Fund (TIF), created in 2006 by the U.S. Department of Education, is at the forefront of this policy movement and has provided hundreds of…

Funding emergency care: Australian style.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Anthony; Crilly, Julia; Williams, Ged; Wylie, Kate; Toloo, Ghasem Sam; Burke, John; FitzGerald, Gerry

2014-08-01

The ongoing challenge for ED leaders is to remain abreast of system-wide changes that impact on the day-to-day management of their departments. Changes to the funding model creates another layer of complexity and this introductory paper serves as the beginning of a discussion about the way in which EDs are funded and how this can and will impact on business decisions, models of care and resource allocation within Australian EDs. Furthermore it is evident that any funding model today will mature and change with time, and moves are afoot to refine and contextualise ED funding over the medium term. This perspective seeks to provide a basis of understanding for our current and future funding arrangements in Australian EDs. © 2014 Australasian College for Emergency Medicine and Australasian Society for Emergency Medicine.

Administering an epoch initiated for remote memory access

Science.gov (United States)

Blocksome, Michael A; Miller, Douglas R

2012-10-23

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for administering an epoch initiated for remote memory access that include: initiating, by an origin application messaging module on an origin compute node, one or more data transfers to a target compute node for the epoch; initiating, by the origin application messaging module after initiating the data transfers, a closing stage for the epoch, including rejecting any new data transfers after initiating the closing stage for the epoch; determining, by the origin application messaging module, whether the data transfers have completed; and closing, by the origin application messaging module, the epoch if the data transfers have completed.

76 FR 39645 - Exemptions for Advisers to Venture Capital Funds, Private Fund Advisers With Less Than $150...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-07-06

... Exemptions for Advisers to Venture Capital Funds, Private Fund Advisers With Less Than $150 Million in Assets... Investment Advisers Registration Act of 2010--the new rules define ``venture capital fund'' and provide an... Venture Capital Strategy 8. Is a Private Fund 9. Application to Non-U.S. Advisers 10. Grandfathering...

Performance Evaluation of Investment (Mutual Funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Povilas Vyšniauskas

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The efficiency of an investment fund is one of the main components in evaluating the performance of the fund. This study seeks for introducing and comparing risk and performance evaluation ratios. The paper is aimed at testing the worked out ratios and at distinguishing between the best ones for the purpose of evaluating the performance of Lithuanian mutual funds. Scientific studies show that a standard deviation, alpha, beta, Sharpe and Treynor ratios are mostly employed for identifying the performance of mutual funds that are also compared with their benchmark index to establish if these funds are outperformed and if is it worth paying management fees to investment banks for managing mutual funds. Historical data were selected for the period from 2012-01-02 to 2013-10-15 analysing the prices of monthly funds. The paper points out the areas of a practical application of the proposed model for investment fund valuation, which may not only provide valuable outcomes for practitioners but also may inspire further research on this article.

Spring valve for well completion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gorbatov, P T

1966-07-22

A spring-loaded valve for well completion consists of a housing with a spring-loaded closing element. In order to protect the closing element from corrosion which might lower the pressure drop, the closing element is made in the form of a piston. It is tightly connected with sealing elements. The housing has orifices, overlapping the piston in the initial position.

The funding black hole

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Two physics students at the University of Bristol have organised a petition against the recently-announced funding cut of 80 million by the body that funds physics research in the UK, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC).

Fanconi Anemia Research Fund

Science.gov (United States)

... Support Publications Fundraising News What is the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund? Fanconi anemia is an inherited disease that can lead to ... population. Lynn and Dave Frohnmayer started the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund, in 1989 to find effective treatments ...

A Review of Policies, Acts and Initiatives in Rice Innovation System ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A review of rice policies, acts and initiatives in Nigeria is presented under ... World Bank, World Trade Organization, and International Monetary Fund (IMF) ... the desirable political will by government and sound agricultural rice policy are ...

Guam Initial Technical Assessment Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baring-Gould, I.; Conrad, M.; Haase, S.; Hotchkiss, E.; McNutt, P.

2011-04-01

Under an interagency agreement, funded by the Department of Interior's (DOI) Office of Insular Affairs (OIA), the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) was tasked to deliver technical assistance to the island of Guam by conducting an island initial technical assessment that would lay out energy consumption and production data and establish a baseline. This assessment will be used to conduct future analysis and studies by NREL that will estimate energy efficiency and renewable energy potential for the island of Guam.

Pension Fund

CERN Multimedia

2003-01-01

Amendment No 19 to the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Fund has just been published and can be obtained from Divisional secretariats or, in the case of pensioners, directly from the Administration of the Fund (tel. 767-91 94/27 38), bldg 5, 1-030. This Amendment, which entered into force on 1.1.2003, concerns 1) the fixed sums and allowances adjusted at same date (Annex B) and 2) the articles which have been amended, in accordance with the Finance Committee's decision, regarding voting rules of the Governing Board and the role and composition of the Investment Committee.

7 CFR 247.25 - Allowable uses of administrative funds and other funds.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... subgrantees must comply with part 3019 of this title. State and local agencies may use procurement procedures... authority regarding the settlement of all contractual and administrative issues arising out of procurements... administrative funds provided to State and local agencies? Administrative funds may be used for costs that are...

Hepatitis A, B, and A/B vaccination series completion among US adults: a claims-based analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaswalla, Parinaz K; Patterson, Brandon J; Cheng, Wendy Y; Duchesneau, Emilie; Macheca, Monica; Duh, Mei Sheng

2018-06-20

Hepatitis A and B disease burden persists in the US. We assessed hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccination series completion rates among 350,240 commercial/Medicare and 12,599 Medicaid enrollees aged ≥19 years. A vaccination series was considered as completed provided that the minimum interval between doses, as defined by the CDC, and the minimum number of doses were reached. We stratified completion rates by vaccine type (i.e. monovalent or bivalent) at initial vaccination for each cohort. In the commercial/Medicare cohort, the series completion rate was 32.0% for hepatitis A and 39.6% for hepatitis B among those who initiated with a monovalent vaccine, and it was 36.2% for hepatitis A and 48.9% for hepatitis B among those who initiated with a bivalent vaccine. In the Medicaid cohort, the series completion rate was 21.0% for hepatitis A and 24.0% for hepatitis B among those who initiated with a monovalent vaccine, and it was 19.0% for hepatitis A and 24.6% for hepatitis B among those who initiated with a bivalent vaccine. In conclusion, hepatitis A and B vaccination series completion rates were low, and appeared to be lower among Medicaid than among commercial/Medicare enrollees. Commercial/Medicare enrollees who initiated with a bivalent vaccine had higher series completion rates than those who initiated with monovalent vaccines - an observation that was not made among Medicaid enrollees.

The Performance-based Funding Scheme of Universities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juha KETTUNEN

2016-05-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to analyse the effectiveness of the performance-based funding scheme of the Finnish universities that was adopted at the beginning of 2013. The political decision-makers expect that the funding scheme will create incentives for the universities to improve performance, but these funding schemes have largely failed in many other countries, primarily because public funding is only a small share of the total funding of universities. This study is interesting because Finnish universities have no tuition fees, unlike in many other countries, and the state allocates funding based on the objectives achieved. The empirical evidence of the graduation rates indicates that graduation rates increased when a new scheme was adopted, especially among male students, who have more room for improvement than female students. The new performance-based funding scheme allocates the funding according to the output-based indicators and limits the scope of strategic planning and the autonomy of the university. The performance-based funding scheme is transformed to the strategy map of the balanced scorecard. The new funding scheme steers universities in many respects but leaves the research and teaching skills to the discretion of the universities. The new scheme has also diminished the importance of the performance agreements between the university and the Ministry. The scheme increases the incentives for universities to improve the processes and structures in order to attain as much public funding as possible. It is optimal for the central administration of the university to allocate resources to faculties and other organisational units following the criteria of the performance-based funding scheme. The new funding scheme has made the universities compete with each other, because the total funding to the universities is allocated to each university according to the funding scheme. There is a tendency that the funding schemes are occasionally

Systematic analysis of funding awarded for norovirus research to institutions in the United Kingdom, 1997-2010.

Science.gov (United States)

Head, Michael G; Fitchett, Joseph R; Atun, Rifat

2014-03-01

Norovirus infections pose great economic and disease burden to health systems around the world. This study quantifies the investments in norovirus research awarded to UK institutions over a 14-year time period. A systematic analysis of public and philanthropic infectious disease research investments awarded to UK institutions between 1997 and 2010. None UK institutions carrying out infectious disease research. Total funding for infectious disease research, total funding for norovirus research, position of norovirus research along the R&D value chain. The total dataset consisted of 6165 studies with sum funding of £2.6 billion. Twelve norovirus studies were identified with a total funding of £5.1 million, 0.2% of the total dataset. Of these, eight were categorized as pre-clinical, three as intervention studies and one as implementation research. Median funding was £200,620. Research funding for norovirus infections in the UK appears to be unacceptably low, given the burden of disease and disability produced by these infections. There is a clear need for new research initiatives along the R&D value chain: from pre-clinical through to implementation research, including trials to assess cost-effectiveness of infection control policies as well as clinical, public health and environmental interventions in hospitals, congregate settings and in the community.

Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1992 - December 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

OAK A271 This annual report for calendar year 1992 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1990 - December 1990

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

OAK A271 This annual report for calendar year 1990 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

7 CFR 771.12 - Funding applications.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... availability of funds. However, when multiple applications are received on the same date and available funds... determines to be most critical for the accomplishment of program objectives, will be funded first. ...

ELECTIONS PENSION FUND CANDIDATE NR 5

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate :  Name : Sonnemann  First Name : Florian Since my arrival at CERN in 1997 I have worked in the accelerator and administrative sectors. I have recently been elected as member of the Staff Council and of the Executive Committee of the Staff Association in which I am actively following matters concerning the Pension Fund. My candidature for the Governing Board of the CERN Pension Fund is mainly motivated to add my part in ensuring a solid financial situation of the Pension Fund. The Pension Fund is our only social security system. I wish to play a role in ensuring that the pensions will remain a secure revenue for all staff membe...

ELECTIONS PENSION FUND 5th candidate

CERN Multimedia

2001-01-01

ORGANISATION EUROPEENNE POUR LA RECHERCHE NUCLEAIRE CERN EUROPEAN ORGANIZATION FOR NUCLEAR RESEARCH CAISSE DE PENSIONS / PENSION FUND Caisse de Pensions - ELECTIONS - Pension Fund This candidature has been duly registered and is hereby presented in accordance with paragraph 6.h of the Regulations for Elections to the Governing Board of the Pension Fund. Candidate :  Name : Sonnemann  First Name : Florian Since my arrival at CERN in 1997 I have worked in the accelerator and administrative sectors. I have recently been elected as member of the Staff Council and of the Executive Committee of the Staff Association in which I am actively following matters concerning the Pension Fund. My candidature for the Governing Board of the CERN Pension Fund is mainly motivated to add my part in ensuring a solid financial situation of the Pension Fund. The Pension Fund is our only social security system. I wish to play a role in ensuring that the pensions will remain a secure revenue for all staff membe...

Creative partnerships for funding nursing research.

Science.gov (United States)

McCann, Judith J; Hills, Elizabeth Blanchard; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A; Smith, Carol E; Farran, Carol J; Wilkie, Diana J

2011-02-01

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and the Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) program are two federal funding mechanisms that some nurses in academic positions have used to support research and development of innovative nursing products or services. Both the SBIR and STTR mechanisms are excellent sources of funding for nurse researchers who want to capitalize on relationships with small businesses or obtain seed money to fund high-risk projects with potential to attract new venture capital. This article provides an overview of National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded SBIR and STTR programs and summarizes similarities and differences between the programs. The article also describes unique features of NIH SBIR and STTR funding mechanisms that differentiate them from other R-series funding mechanisms, reviews evaluation criteria for SBIR and STTR projects, and discusses critical partners and resources for proposal development. Finally, the article describes characteristics of successful partnerships and provides examples of SBIR/STTR-funded projects.

OPM: The Open Porous Media Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Flemisch, B.; Flornes, K. M.; Lie, K.; Rasmussen, A.

2011-12-01

The principal objective of the Open Porous Media (OPM) initiative is to develop a simulation suite that is capable of modeling industrially and scientifically relevant flow and transport processes in porous media and bridge the gap between the different application areas of porous media modeling, including reservoir mechanics, CO2 sequestration, biological systems, and product development of engineered media. The OPM initiative will provide a long-lasting, efficient, and well-maintained open-source software for flow and transport in porous media built on modern software principles. The suite is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL). Our motivation is to provide a means to unite industry and public research on simulation of flow and transport in porous media. For academic users, we seek to provide a software infrastructure that facilitates testing of new ideas on models with industry-standard complexity, while at the same time giving the researcher control over discretization and solvers. Similarly, we aim to accelerate the technology transfer from academic institutions to professional companies by making new research results available as free software of professional standard. The OPM initiative is currently supported by six research groups in Norway and Germany and funded by existing grants from public research agencies as well as from Statoil Petroleum and Total E&P Norge. However, a full-scale development of the OPM initiative requires substantially more funding and involvement of more research groups and potential end users. In this talk, we will provide an overview of the current activities in the OPM initiative. Special emphasis will be given to the demonstration of the synergies achieved by combining the strengths of individual open-source software components. In particular, a new fully implicit solver developed within the DUNE-based simulator DuMux could be enhanced by the ability to read industry-standard Eclipse input files and to run on

The Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database Resource Initiative (IDRI): A Completed Reference Database of Lung Nodules on CT Scans

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2011-02-15

Purpose: The development of computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) methods for lung nodule detection, classification, and quantitative assessment can be facilitated through a well-characterized repository of computed tomography (CT) scans. The Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) and Image Database Resource Initiative (IDRI) completed such a database, establishing a publicly available reference for the medical imaging research community. Initiated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), further advanced by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH), and accompanied by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) through active participation, this public-private partnership demonstrates the success of a consortium founded on a consensus-based process. Methods: Seven academic centers and eight medical imaging companies collaborated to identify, address, and resolve challenging organizational, technical, and clinical issues to provide a solid foundation for a robust database. The LIDC/IDRI Database contains 1018 cases, each of which includes images from a clinical thoracic CT scan and an associated XML file that records the results of a two-phase image annotation process performed by four experienced thoracic radiologists. In the initial blinded-read phase, each radiologist independently reviewed each CT scan and marked lesions belonging to one of three categories (''nodule{>=}3 mm,''''nodule<3 mm,'' and ''non-nodule{>=}3 mm''). In the subsequent unblinded-read phase, each radiologist independently reviewed their own marks along with the anonymized marks of the three other radiologists to render a final opinion. The goal of this process was to identify as completely as possible all lung nodules in each CT scan without requiring forced consensus. Results: The Database contains 7371 lesions marked ''nodule'' by at least one radiologist. 2669 of these lesions were marked &apos

Decommissioning reserve funds problem for the energy conversion policy in Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kusuno, Sadao

2016-01-01

Germany is planning to close all nuclear power plants by 2022. 'Nuclear power phase-out' policy has been decided before the Fukushima accident in 2011. Author considered the background of the 'nuclear power phase-out', and analyzed for the decommissioning reserve fund, which is one of the facing issues. Immediately after the Fukushima accident, Merkel government has decided the temporary stop of the eight nuclear plants, and subsequent closure. Moreover, in the report from the Ethics Commission for a Safe Energy Supply 'Germany's energy transition-A collective project for the future' (May 2011), step-by-step abolition from nuclear energy use is 'a very big challenge for all concerned parties'. The German government confirmed that there is enough reserve funds in the nuclear operators for the 'nuclear power phase-out'. The nuclear operators have been taken even legal measures that cannot give up the responsibility of the funding. The reserve funds are appropriated for decommissioning and the subsequent long-term disposal. As a main item of the safety priority, transparent and fair procedures, 'polluter pays principle' which are based on scientific evidence, waste disposal sites are planned to be completed until 2023. In addition, against the German government, the nuclear operators have filed a payment of compensation and court proceedings on the suspension orders before the reactor life is exhausted. (N.T.)

75 FR 55541 - NOAA Regional Ocean Partnership Funding Program-FY2011 Funding Competition

Science.gov (United States)

2010-09-13

...-01] RIN 0648-ZC20 NOAA Regional Ocean Partnership Funding Program--FY2011 Funding Competition AGENCY: National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce...-profit organizations (requirements described in full announcement) that NOAA is soliciting proposals for...

Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1989 - December 1989; ANNUAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1990-01-01

This annual report for calendar year 1989 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

Technical progress report. Private sector initiatives between the United States and Japan. January 1991 - December 1991; ANNUAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This annual report for calendar year 1991 describes the efforts performed under the Private Sector Initiatives contract. The report also describes those efforts that have continued with private funding after being initiated under this contract

Funding oil and gas ventures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Billingsley, L.T.

1992-01-01

This paper is addressed to geologists who must raise external funds for prospect acquisition, exploratory and development drilling, or to a limited extent, production acquisition. In the ranks of independent geologists, external funding is what separates a dreamer with a good idea from a successful oil and gas producer who gets ideas evaluated on a regular basis. The quantity of external funding usually dictates the level of drilling activity for independent geologists and small companies. Companies or individuals with high levels of internal cash flow set budgets to determine their drilling activity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an independent geologist with an overview of raising external funding. The scope is purposely general. The real motivation behind this paper is not to provide a cookbook for selling prospects. Instead, the author hopes to stimulate geologists to become students of salesmanship and thereby increase the effectiveness of their fund

77 FR 5044 - Announcement of Funding Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

... Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program for Fiscal Year 2010 AGENCY...) for the Brownfield Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) program. This announcement contains the... CONTACT: David Kaminsky, Office of Economic Development Grants Management Division, Office of Community...

77 FR 5043 - Announcement of Funding Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-02-01

... Awards for the Brownfields Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) Program for Fiscal Year 2009 AGENCY...) for the Brownfield Economic Development Initiative (BEDI) program. This announcement contains the... CONTACT: David Kaminsky, Office of Economic Development Grants Management Division, Office of Community...

Comparison of the theoretical and practical approaches to funding through the IPO way in the Czech capital market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomáš Meluzín

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Funding development of the company through the “Initial Public Offering” has a high representation globally, the Czech Republic unlike, and belongs to traditional methods of raising funds necessary for development of business in the developed capital markets. In the United States of America, Japan and in the Western Europe countries the method of company funding through IPO has been applying for several decades already. The first public stock offerings began to be applied in these markets in higher volumes from the beginning of the 60th of the last century. From that period importance of IPO goes up globally and the initial public stock offerings begin to be applied more and more even in the Central and Eastern European countries. In the conditions of the Czech capital market it is possible to identify only few companies, who attempted to funding through the IPO way at present. Greater part of the Czech companies still undergo the debit funding for financing their further development, namely in the form of bank loans. At the same time it is necessary to take into account, that the debit financing starts, thanks to so-called mortgage crisis in the USA, causing problems and mark up. Admittance of a stakeholder into the company is not convenient for all and thus IPO represents an interesting option of how to acquire a no arrear capital. The aim of this article is to determine the IPO concept, analyse its development at the world stockholder markets, describe the reasons for IPO implementation according to the contemporary professional literature and compare it with the approaches to this particular form of funding with companies that have already implemented IPO at the Czech capital market.

Institutional open access funds: now is the time.

Science.gov (United States)

Eckman, Charles D; Weil, Beth T

2010-05-25

To date, the Berkeley OA fund has ensured that 43 articles are free to be read immediately upon publication and 44 additional articles are now in the pipeline. The full scope of OA publishing during this period was significantly larger, at least by a factor of four. The OA fund allocation will continue to be carefully managed over the coming years. We are tracking our potential liability assuming the OA landscape grows with additional publishers and OA options. The amount predicted as necessary to maintain the fund based on the initial 18-month uptake data is US$45,000. This is less than 1% of the US$6.2 million the library invests in subscribing to closed-access digital journals. We are paying attention in particular to the attempts by the California Digital Library, which negotiates major journal publisher licenses on behalf of the UC campuses, to include terms within the licenses that enable UC authors to take advantage of publishers'hybrid OA options [16]. And it comes with far less of the myriad overhead costs associated with those closed-access subscriptions because that subscription price doesn't tell the full story of the actual cost of maintaining the subscription. Those subscriptions involve staff-intensive license negotiations. Institutions develop and maintain systems architectures in order to ensure that only authorized users have access and respond to challenges from publishers of the content when actual or potential breaches of the licenses are identified (publishers invest hugely in monitoring use of their content in order to ensure the license terms are not breached and are quite willing to contact the institutional subscriber when any untoward activity appears on their logs). They must, in certain instances, maintain the confidentiality of certain clauses in the licenses and increasingly respond to freedom of information, public records act requests related to the investments of public resources in those contracts. The need to experiment is

Accelerating Science to Action: NGOs Catalyzing Scientific Research using Philanthropic/Corporate Funding

Science.gov (United States)

Hamburg, S.

2017-12-01

While government funding of scientific research has been the bedrock of scientific advances in the US, it is seldom quick or directly responsive to societal needs. If we are to effectively respond to the increasingly urgent needs for new science to address the environmental and social challenges faced by humanity and the environment we need to deploy new scientific models to augment government-centric approaches. The Environmental Defense Fund has developed an approach that accelerates the development and uptake of new science in pursuit of science-based policy to fill the gap while government research efforts are initiated. We utilized this approach in developing the data necessary to quantify methane emissions from the oil and gas supply chain. This effort was based on five key principles: studies led by an academic researchers; deployment of multiple methods whenever possible (e.g. top-down and bottom-up); all data made public (identity but not location masked when possible); external scientific review; results released in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The research to quantify methane emissions involved > 150 scientists from 40 institutions, resulting in 35 papers published over four years. In addition to the research community companies operating along the oil and gas value chain participated by providing access to sites/vehicles and funding for a portion of the academic research. The bulk of funding came from philanthropic sources. Overall the use of this alternative research/funding model allowed for the more rapid development of a robust body of policy-relevant knowledge that addressed an issue of high societal interest/value.

[Progress in synthetic biology of "973 Funding Program" in China].

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Guoqiang; Wang, Ying

2015-06-01

This paper reviews progresses made in China from 2011 in areas of "Synthetic Biology" supported by State Basic Research 973 Program. Till the end of 2014, 9 "synthetic biology" projects have been initiated with emphasis on "microbial manufactures" with the 973 Funding Program. Combined with the very recent launch of one project on "mammalian cell synthetic biology" and another on "plant synthetic biology", Chinese "synthetic biology" research reflects its focus on "manufactures" while not giving up efforts on "synthetic biology" of complex systems.

24 CFR 266.600 - Mortgage insurance premium: Insurance upon completion.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Mortgage insurance premium... MULTIFAMILY PROJECT LOANS Contract Rights and Obligations Mortgage Insurance Premiums § 266.600 Mortgage insurance premium: Insurance upon completion. (a) Initial premium. For projects insured upon completion, on...

The timing of drug funding announcements relative to elections: a case study involving dementia medications.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sudeep S Gill

Full Text Available Following initial regulatory approval of prescription drugs, many factors may influence insurers and health systems when they decide whether to add these drugs to their formularies. The role of political pressures on drug funding announcements has received relatively little attention, and elections represent an especially powerful form of political pressure. We examined the temporal relationship between decisions to add one class of drugs to publicly funded formularies in Canada's ten provinces and elections in these jurisdictions.Dates of provincial formulary listings for cholinesterase inhibitors, which are drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, were compared to the dates of provincial elections. Medical journal articles, media reports, and proceedings from provincial legislatures were reviewed to assemble information on the chronology of events. We tested whether there was a statistically significant increase in the probability of drug funding announcements within the 60-day intervals preceding provincial elections.Decisions to fund the cholinesterase inhibitors were made over a nine-year span from 1999 to 2007 in the ten provinces. In four of ten provinces, the drugs were added to formularies in a time period closely preceding a provincial election (P = 0.032; funding announcements in these provinces were made between 2 and 47 days prior to elections. Statements made in provincial legislatures highlight the key role of political pressures in these funding announcements.Impending elections appeared to affect the timing of drug funding announcements in this case study. Despite an established structure for evidence-based decision-making, drug funding remains a complex process open to influence from many sources. Awareness of such influences is critical to maintain effective drug policy and public health decision-making.

The timing of drug funding announcements relative to elections: a case study involving dementia medications.

Science.gov (United States)

Gill, Sudeep S; Gupta, Neeraj; Bell, Chaim M; Rochon, Paula A; Austin, Peter C; Laupacis, Andreas

2013-01-01

Following initial regulatory approval of prescription drugs, many factors may influence insurers and health systems when they decide whether to add these drugs to their formularies. The role of political pressures on drug funding announcements has received relatively little attention, and elections represent an especially powerful form of political pressure. We examined the temporal relationship between decisions to add one class of drugs to publicly funded formularies in Canada's ten provinces and elections in these jurisdictions. Dates of provincial formulary listings for cholinesterase inhibitors, which are drugs used to treat Alzheimer's disease and related dementias, were compared to the dates of provincial elections. Medical journal articles, media reports, and proceedings from provincial legislatures were reviewed to assemble information on the chronology of events. We tested whether there was a statistically significant increase in the probability of drug funding announcements within the 60-day intervals preceding provincial elections. Decisions to fund the cholinesterase inhibitors were made over a nine-year span from 1999 to 2007 in the ten provinces. In four of ten provinces, the drugs were added to formularies in a time period closely preceding a provincial election (P = 0.032); funding announcements in these provinces were made between 2 and 47 days prior to elections. Statements made in provincial legislatures highlight the key role of political pressures in these funding announcements. Impending elections appeared to affect the timing of drug funding announcements in this case study. Despite an established structure for evidence-based decision-making, drug funding remains a complex process open to influence from many sources. Awareness of such influences is critical to maintain effective drug policy and public health decision-making.

Funding knowledgebases: Towards a sustainable funding model for the UniProt use case [version 2; referees: 3 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiara Gabella

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Millions of life scientists across the world rely on bioinformatics data resources for their research projects. Data resources can be very expensive, especially those with a high added value as the expert-curated knowledgebases. Despite the increasing need for such highly accurate and reliable sources of scientific information, most of them do not have secured funding over the near future and often depend on short-term grants that are much shorter than their planning horizon. Additionally, they are often evaluated as research projects rather than as research infrastructure components. In this work, twelve funding models for data resources are described and applied on the case study of the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt, a key resource for protein sequences and functional information knowledge. We show that most of the models present inconsistencies with open access or equity policies, and that while some models do not allow to cover the total costs, they could potentially be used as a complementary income source. We propose the Infrastructure Model as a sustainable and equitable model for all core data resources in the life sciences. With this model, funding agencies would set aside a fixed percentage of their research grant volumes, which would subsequently be redistributed to core data resources according to well-defined selection criteria. This model, compatible with the principles of open science, is in agreement with several international initiatives such as the Human Frontiers Science Program Organisation (HFSPO and the OECD Global Science Forum (GSF project. Here, we have estimated that less than 1% of the total amount dedicated to research grants in the life sciences would be sufficient to cover the costs of the core data resources worldwide, including both knowledgebases and deposition databases.

Funding knowledgebases: Towards a sustainable funding model for the UniProt use case [version 1; referees: 2 approved

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chiara Gabella

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Millions of life scientists across the world rely on bioinformatics data resources for their research projects. Data resources can be very expensive, especially those with a high added value as the expert-curated knowledgebases. Despite the increasing need for such highly accurate and reliable sources of scientific information, most of them do not have secured funding over the near future and often depend on short-term grants that are much shorter than their planning horizon. Additionally, they are often evaluated as research projects rather than as research infrastructure components. In this work, twelve funding models for data resources are described and applied on the case study of the Universal Protein Resource (UniProt, a key resource for protein sequences and functional information knowledge. We show that most of the models present inconsistencies with open access or equity policies, and that while some models do not allow to cover the total costs, they could potentially be used as a complementary income source. We propose the Infrastructure Model as a sustainable and equitable model for all core data resources in the life sciences. With this model, funding agencies would set aside a fixed percentage of their research grant volumes, which would subsequently be redistributed to core data resources according to well-defined selection criteria. This model, compatible with the principles of open science, is in agreement with several international initiatives such as the Human Frontiers Science Program Organisation (HFSPO and the OECD Global Science Forum (GSF project. Here, we have estimated that less than 1% of the total amount dedicated to research grants in the life sciences would be sufficient to cover the costs of the core data resources worldwide, including both knowledgebases and deposition databases.

Funding models for outreach ophthalmology services.

Science.gov (United States)

Turner, Angus W; Mulholland, Will; Taylor, Hugh R

2011-01-01

This paper aims to describe funding models used and compare the effects of funding models for remuneration on clinical activity and cost-effectiveness in outreach eye services in Australia. Cross-sectional case study based in remote outreach ophthalmology services in Australia. Key stake-holders from eye services in nine outreach regions participated in the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted to perform a qualitative assessment of outreach eye services' funding mechanisms. Records of clinical activity were used to statistically compare funding models. Workforce availability (supply of ophthalmologists), costs of services, clinical activity (surgery and clinic consultation rates) and waiting times. The supply of ophthalmologists (full-time equivalence) to all remote regions was below the national average (up to 19 times lower). Cataract surgery rates were also below national averages (up to 10 times lower). Fee-for-service funding significantly increased clinical activity. There were also trends to shorter waiting times and lower costs per attendance. For outreach ophthalmology services, the funding model used for clinician reimbursement may influence the efficiency and costs of the services. Fee-for-service funding models, safety-net funding options or differential funding/incentives need further exploration to ensure isolated disadvantaged areas prone to poor patient attendance are not neglected. In order for outreach eye health services to be sustainable, remuneration rates need to be comparable to those for urban practice. © 2011 The Authors. Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology © 2011 Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists.

78 FR 17939 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2012

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-25

...; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2012 AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for... availability of the Safety and Security funds with PIH Notice 2012-38 (Notice), which was issued September 7... Fund Safety and Security grant program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning the...

78 FR 56728 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2013

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-13

...; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2013 AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for... availability of the Safety and Security funds with PIH Notice 2013-10 (Notice), which was issued May 3, 2013... Fund Safety and Security grant program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For questions concerning the...

77 FR 23492 - Announcement of Funding Awards; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2011

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-19

...; Capital Fund Safety and Security Grants; Fiscal Year 2011 AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary for... notified of the availability of the Safety and Security funds with PIH Notice 2011-56 (Notice), which was... award recipients under the Capital Fund Safety and Security grant program. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION...

Inspector General, DOD, Oversight of the Audit of the Military Retirement Trust Fund Financial Statements for FY 1998

Science.gov (United States)

1999-03-05

Our objective was to determine the accuracy and completeness of the Deloitte & Touche LLP audit of the Military Retirement Trust Fund Financial Statements for FY 1998 See Appendix A for a discussion of the audit process.

Are international fund flows pro- or counter-cyclical?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Li, Suxiao; de Haan, Jakob; Scholtens, Bert; Yang, Haizhen

2015-01-01

We investigate whether international fund flows are pro-or counter-cyclical by employing a concordance index. International fund flows are investments in bond and equity markets by institutional investors, such as mutual funds, exchange traded funds, closed-end funds and hedge funds. We find that

Fund allocation within Australian dental care: an innovative approach to output based funding.

Science.gov (United States)

Tennant, M; Carrello, C; Kruger, E

2005-12-01

Over the last 15 years in Australia the process of funding government health care has changed significantly. The development of dental funding models that transparently meet both the service delivery needs for data at the treatment level and policy makers' need for health condition data is critical to the continued integration of dentistry into the wider health system. This paper presents a model of fund allocation that provides a communication construct that addresses the needs of both policy makers and service providers. In this model, dental treatments (dental item numbers) have been grouped into eight broad dental health conditions. Within each dental health condition, a weighted average price is determined using the Department of Veterans Affairs' (DVA) fee schedule as the benchmark, adjusted for the mix of care. The model also adjusts for the efficiency differences between sectors providing government funded dental care. In summary, the price to be applied to a dental health condition category is determined by the weighted average DVA price adjusted by the sector efficiency. This model allows governments and dental service providers to develop funding agreements that both quantify and justify the treatment to be provided. Such a process facilitates the continued integration of dental care into the wider health system.

Fund managers’ contracts and short-termism

OpenAIRE

Casamatta, Catherine; Pouget, Sébastien

2009-01-01

This paper considers the problem faced by long-term investors who have to delegate the management of their money to professional fund managers. Investors can earn profits if fund managers collect long-term information. We investigate to what extent the delegation of fund management prevents long-term information acquisition, inducing short-termism. We also study the design of long-term fund managers' compensation contracts. Absent moral hazard, short-termism arises only because of the cost...

Market conditions and hedge fund survival

OpenAIRE

Mark A. Carlson; Jason Steinman

2008-01-01

As the hedge fund industry has grown, there has been increased concern that, during sharp market moves, hedge fund failures could exacerbate the deterioration in financial conditions and deepen a crisis. However, there has not been much formal analysis regarding the impact of financial market conditions on hedge fund survival. To help fill this gap, this paper examines the relationship between financial market conditions and the likelihood of hedge fund failure after controlling for performan...

The Phony Funding Crisis

Science.gov (United States)

Guthrie, James W.; Peng, Arthur

2010-01-01

If one relies on newspaper headlines for education funding information, one might conclude that America's schools suffer from a perpetual fiscal crisis, every year perched precariously on the brink of financial ruin, never knowing whether there will be sufficient funding to continue operating. Budgetary shortfalls, school district bankruptcies,…

Educational Technology Funding Models

Science.gov (United States)

Mark, Amy E.

2008-01-01

Library and cross-disciplinary literature all stress the increasing importance of instructional technology in higher education. However, there is a dearth of articles detailing funding for library instructional technology. The bulk of library literature on funding for these projects focuses on one-time grant opportunities and on the architecture…

Status of NASA's commercial cargo and crew transportation initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Lindenmoyer, Alan; Stone, Dennis

2010-03-01

To stimulate the commercial space transportation industry, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is facilitating the demonstration of Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) by private-sector companies. In 2006, NASA entered into funded agreements with two such companies to share NASA's 500 million investment, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and Rocketplane Kistler (RpK), each of which proposed to obtain the additional private financing needed to complete its flight demonstrations. In 2007, NASA terminated the agreement with RpK because it failed to meet a series of technical and financial milestones which were necessary to receive the incremental NASA payments. In 2008, NASA conducted another competition for the remaining 170 million of NASA funding and entered into a funded agreement with Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC). This paper provides an overview of the COTS approach of SpaceX and OSC and the status of their efforts to develop reliable and cost-effective commercial transportation to serve the LEO marketplace.

7 CFR 3419.7 - Redistribution of funds.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., AND EXTENSION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE MATCHING FUNDS REQUIREMENT FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND EXTENSION FORMULA FUNDS AT 1890 LAND-GRANT INSTITUTIONS, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY, AND AT... formula funds. Unmatched research and extension funds will be reapportioned in accordance with the...

Peer Mentoring for Undergraduates in a Research-Focused Diversity Initiative

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Thomas E.; Logan, Kay; Lindwall, Jennifer; Beals, Caitlyn

2017-01-01

To provide multi-dimensional support for undergraduates from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds who aspire to careers in research, the BUILD EXITO project, part of a major NIH-funded diversity initiative, matches each scholar with three mentors: peer mentor (advanced student), career mentor (faculty adviser), and research mentor (research…

The Montreal Protocol's multilateral fund and sustainable development

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luken, Ralph; Grof, Tamas

2006-01-01

The 1987 Montreal Protocol is widely seen as a global environmental accord that has produced tangible results in terms of reductions in ozone-depleting substances. In addition, there have been other benefits, largely unrecognized and undocumented, that can best be characterized in a sustainable development framework based on a review of 50 out of 931 projects implemented over a 13 year period by one of the four implementing agencies of the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol. All investment projects have reduced ozone depleting potential and global warming potential. Some projects have reduced atmospheric emissions and contamination of groundwater. Other projects have increased the competitiveness of enterprises in domestic and international markets and have sustained and in a few cases created employment opportunities. Others, fewer in number, have potentially contributed to environmental problems, have initially created difficulties in maintaining productivity and quality standards and have decreased the number of employment opportunities because of the need to rationalize manufacturing processes. The potential contributions from Multilateral Fund investment projects to sustainable development could probably have been amplified with project design guidance for the technical staffs of all three implementing agencies executing investment projects. In thinking about other multilateral environmental agreements, one can see the need for similar guidance for Global Environment Facility funded projects supporting the focal areas of climate change, international waters, ozone depletion and persistent organic pollutants. Some of them have the potential to generate multiple beneficial impacts in addition to their stated environmental objective if designed and implemented within a sustainable development framework. (author)

The Domino Effects of Federal Research Funding.

Science.gov (United States)

Lanahan, Lauren; Graddy-Reed, Alexandra; Feldman, Maryann P

2016-01-01

The extent to which federal investment in research crowds out or decreases incentives for investment from other funding sources remains an open question. Scholarship on research funding has focused on the relationship between federal and industry or, more comprehensively, non-federal funding without disentangling the other sources of research support that include nonprofit organizations and state and local governments. This paper extends our understanding of academic research support by considering the relationships between federal and non-federal funding sources provided by the National Science Foundation Higher Education Research and Development Survey. We examine whether federal research investment serves as a complement or substitute for state and local government, nonprofit, and industry research investment using the population of research-active academic science fields at U.S. doctoral granting institutions. We use a system of two equations that instruments with prior levels of both federal and non-federal funding sources and accounts for time-invariant academic institution-field effects through first differencing. We estimate that a 1% increase in federal research funding is associated with a 0.411% increase in nonprofit research funding, a 0.217% increase in state and local research funding, and a 0.468% increase in industry research funding, respectively. Results indicate that federal funding plays a fundamental role in inducing complementary investments from other funding sources, with impacts varying across academic division, research capacity, and institutional control.

The Analysis of Mutual Fund Performance: Evidence from U.S. Equity Mutual Funds

NARCIS (Netherlands)

D.P. Budiono (Diana)

2010-01-01

textabstractWe study the mutual fund performance for about 45 years. There are several key points that we can withdraw from this dissertation. First, to study the persistence of mutual fund performance, it is important to consider time-varying exposures because when they are ignored, the persistence

Improvement of Classification of Enterprise Circulating Funds

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rohanova Hanna O.

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The goal of the article lies in revelation of possibilities of increase of efficiency of managing enterprise circulating funds by means of improvement of their classification features. Having analysed approaches of many economists to classification of enterprise circulating funds, systemised and supplementing them, the article offers grouping classification features of enterprise circulating funds. In the result of the study the article offers an expanded classification of circulating funds, which clearly shows the role of circulating funds in managing enterprise finance and economy in general. The article supplements and groups classification features of enterprise circulating funds by: the organisation level, functioning character, sources of formation and their cost, and level of management efficiency. The article shows that the provided grouping of classification features of circulating funds allows exerting all-sided and purposeful influence upon indicators of efficiency of circulating funds functioning and facilitates their rational management in general. The prospect of further studies in this direction is identification of the level of attraction of loan resources by production enterprises for financing circulating funds.

Optimizing retirement funds : an institutional perspective

OpenAIRE

2012-01-01

M.Comm. Pension funds have risen to great prominence in the last two decades because they provide a service that fits the needs of individuals. The community at large are rapidly accepting and demanding facilities for proper retirement planning. Employees contribute towards retirement funds and their contributions are tax deductible while taxable to the employee upon retirement, generally at a lower rate. The employer, who has instituted the retirement fund, owes the fund because the emplo...

Liquidity Hoarding and Inefficient Abundant Funding

OpenAIRE

Enisse Kharroubi

2015-01-01

This paper studies banks’ choice between building liquidity buffers and raising funding ex post to deal with reinvestment shocks. We uncover the possibility of an inefficient liquidity squeeze equilibrium when ex post funding is abundant. In the model, banks typically build larger liquidity buffers when they expect funding to be expensive. However, when banks hold larger liquidity buffers, pledgeable income is larger and they hence can raise more funding, which in the aggregate raises the fun...

Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) position statement: restore CDC funding for firearms and gun violence prevention research.

Science.gov (United States)

Behrman, Pamela; Redding, Colleen A; Raja, Sheela; Newton, Tamara; Beharie, Nisha; Printz, Destiny

2018-02-21

The Society for Behavioral Medicine (SBM) urges restoration of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funding for firearms and gun violence prevention research. Gun violence in the United States is an important and costly public health issue in need of research attention. Unfortunately, there have been no concerted CDC-funded research efforts in this area since 1996, due to the passage of the Dickey Amendment. To remedy the information-gathering restrictions caused by the Dickey Amendment bans, it is recommended that Congress remove 'policy riders' on federal appropriations bills that limit firearms research at the CDC; expand NVDRS firearms-related data collection efforts to include all fifty states; fund CDC research on the risk and protective factors of gun use and gun violence prevention; fund research on evidence-based primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention and treatment initiatives for communities that are seriously impacted by the effects of gun violence; and support the development of evidence-based policy and prevention recommendations for gun use and ownership.

Interactions between Energy Efficiency Programs funded under the Recovery Act and Utility Customer-Funded Energy Efficiency Programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goldman, Charles A.; Stuart, Elizabeth; Hoffman, Ian; Fuller, Merrian C.; Billingsley, Megan A.

2011-02-25

Since the spring of 2009, billions of federal dollars have been allocated to state and local governments as grants for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and programs. The scale of this American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding, focused on 'shovel-ready' projects to create and retain jobs, is unprecedented. Thousands of newly funded players - cities, counties, states, and tribes - and thousands of programs and projects are entering the existing landscape of energy efficiency programs for the first time or expanding their reach. The nation's experience base with energy efficiency is growing enormously, fed by federal dollars and driven by broader objectives than saving energy alone. State and local officials made countless choices in developing portfolios of ARRA-funded energy efficiency programs and deciding how their programs would relate to existing efficiency programs funded by utility customers. Those choices are worth examining as bellwethers of a future world where there may be multiple program administrators and funding sources in many states. What are the opportunities and challenges of this new environment? What short- and long-term impacts will this large, infusion of funds have on utility customer-funded programs; for example, on infrastructure for delivering energy efficiency services or on customer willingness to invest in energy efficiency? To what extent has the attribution of energy savings been a critical issue, especially where administrators of utility customer-funded energy efficiency programs have performance or shareholder incentives? Do the new ARRA-funded energy efficiency programs provide insights on roles or activities that are particularly well-suited to state and local program administrators vs. administrators or implementers of utility customer-funded programs? The answers could have important implications for the future of U.S. energy efficiency. This report focuses on a selected set of ARRA-funded

[Applications and approved projectsof general program, young scientist fund and fund for less developedregion of national natural science funds in discipline of Chinese materia medica, NSFC in 2012].

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Ming-Qing; Han, Li-Wei; Wu, Xiu-Hong; Bi, Ming-Gang; Shang, Hong-Cai; Liu, Yun-Fang; He, Wei-Ming; Li, Dan-Dan; Dong, Yan; Wang, Chang-En

2013-01-01

The applications accepted and approved by general program, young scientist fund and fund for less developed region of national natural science funds in the discipline of Chinese materia medica, NSFC in 2012 have been introduced. The research contents of the funded projects in the popular research areas have been summarized and the problems in the applications have been analyzed to give a reference to the scientists in the field of Chinese materia medica.