Extricating Justification Scheme Theory in Middle School Mathematical Problem Solving

Science.gov (United States)

Matteson, Shirley; Capraro, Mary Margaret; Capraro, Robert M.; Lincoln, Yvonna S.

2012-01-01

Twenty middle grades students were interviewed to gain insights into their reasoning about problem-solving strategies using a Problem Solving Justification Scheme as our theoretical lens and the basis for our analysis. The scheme was modified from the work of Harel and Sowder (1998) making it more broadly applicable and accounting for research…

Organizational theory for dissemination and implementation research.

Science.gov (United States)

Birken, Sarah A; Bunger, Alicia C; Powell, Byron J; Turner, Kea; Clary, Alecia S; Klaman, Stacey L; Yu, Yan; Whitaker, Daniel J; Self, Shannon R; Rostad, Whitney L; Chatham, Jenelle R Shanley; Kirk, M Alexis; Shea, Christopher M; Haines, Emily; Weiner, Bryan J

2017-05-12

Even under optimal internal organizational conditions, implementation can be undermined by changes in organizations' external environments, such as fluctuations in funding, adjustments in contracting practices, new technology, new legislation, changes in clinical practice guidelines and recommendations, or other environmental shifts. Internal organizational conditions are increasingly reflected in implementation frameworks, but nuanced explanations of how organizations' external environments influence implementation success are lacking in implementation research. Organizational theories offer implementation researchers a host of existing, highly relevant, and heretofore largely untapped explanations of the complex interaction between organizations and their environment. In this paper, we demonstrate the utility of organizational theories for implementation research. We applied four well-known organizational theories (institutional theory, transaction cost economics, contingency theories, and resource dependency theory) to published descriptions of efforts to implement SafeCare, an evidence-based practice for preventing child abuse and neglect. Transaction cost economics theory explained how frequent, uncertain processes for contracting for SafeCare may have generated inefficiencies and thus compromised implementation among private child welfare organizations. Institutional theory explained how child welfare systems may have been motivated to implement SafeCare because doing so aligned with expectations of key stakeholders within child welfare systems' professional communities. Contingency theories explained how efforts such as interagency collaborative teams promoted SafeCare implementation by facilitating adaptation to child welfare agencies' internal and external contexts. Resource dependency theory (RDT) explained how interagency relationships, supported by contracts, memoranda of understanding, and negotiations, facilitated SafeCare implementation by balancing

Working class conservatism: a system justification perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Jost, John T

2017-12-01

Working class conservatism is a perennial issue in social science, but researchers have struggled to provide an adequate characterization. In social psychology, the question has too often been framed in 'either/or' terms of whether the disadvantaged are more or less likely to support the status quo than the advantaged. This is a crude rendering of the issue obscuring the fact that even if most working class voters are not conservative, millions are-and conservatives could not win elections without their support. System justification theory highlights epistemic, existential, and relational needs to reduce uncertainty, threat, and social discord that are shared by everyone-and that promote conservative attitudes. I summarize qualitative and quantitative evidence of system justification among the disadvantaged and consider prospects for more constructive political activity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beyond Territory: Revisiting the Normative Justification of Self-Government in Theory and Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janique Dubois

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The association of sovereignty with control over territory is being challenged both internally and externally in modern societies. Demands for political autonomy from sub-state minorities undermine the natural link between nation, state and territory from within, while the movement of capital, goods and information across borders contests the relationship between these concepts from without. Scholars of international relations, law, philosophy and political science have already suggested that the sovereignty of nation-states is under attack; however, scant attention has been paid to the way in which changes in the relation between nation, state, and territory affect the normative weight associated with each of these concepts in discussions about sovereignty and self-government. The objectives of this article is to examine the way in which nation, state, sovereignty, and territory are addressed in normative justifications of indigenous self-government and to better understand how these notions are being treated in its implementation.

Dewey's Ethical Justification for Public Deliberation Democracy

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Shook, John

2013-01-01

Interpretations of John Dewey's political theory grasp his respect for public deliberation, but typically overlook his ethical justification for democracy. Dewey gave two primary reasons why democracy is superior to other forms of government. First, a public educated in the tools of social intelligence can be more effective at managing their…

Mandatory influenza vaccination for all healthcare personnel: a review on justification, implementation and effectiveness.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Tiffany L; Jing, Ling; Bocchini, Joseph A

2017-10-01

As healthcare-associated influenza is a serious public health concern, this review examines legal and ethical arguments supporting mandatory influenza vaccination policies for healthcare personnel, implementation issues and evidence of effectiveness. Spread of influenza from healthcare personnel to patients can result in severe harm or death. Although most healthcare personnel believe that they should be vaccinated against seasonal influenza, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that only 79% of personnel were vaccinated during the 2015-2016 season. Vaccination rates were as low as 44.9% in institutions that did not promote or offer the vaccine, compared with rates of more than 90% in institutions with mandatory vaccination policies. Policies that mandate influenza vaccination for healthcare personnel have legal and ethical justifications. Implementing such policies require multipronged approaches that include education efforts, easy access to vaccines, vaccine promotion, leadership support and consistent communication emphasizing patient safety. Mandatory influenza vaccination for healthcare personnel is a necessary step in protecting patients. Patients who interact with healthcare personnel are often at an elevated risk of complications from influenza. Vaccination is the best available strategy for protecting against influenza and evidence shows that institutional policies and state laws can effectively increase healthcare personnel vaccination rates, decreasing the risk of transmission in healthcare settings. There are legal and ethical precedents for institutional mandatory influenza policies and state laws, although successful implementation requires addressing both administrative and attitudinal barriers.

Simulator justifications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fairchild, B.T.

1990-01-01

For several years, the authors have been convinced by overwhelming evidence that dynamic simulators are justified for many applications where acceptance has been slow. They speculate as to why this situation has existed and list many benefits that accrue to those who use simulators for training and other purposes. This paper along may be sufficient to convince a receptive approval chain of the value of simulator ownership. It is intended primarily as an aid and supporting document for those who find it necessary to build a detailed justification for a specific simulator acquisition. The purchase of a simulator requires justification. For new military aircraft and for spacecraft, a simulator for training and performance evaluation is virtually assumed, value having been proven many times over. for commercial aircraft, safety is the overwhelming justification. For nuclear power plants, government regulations require operators to be licensed by examination on a certified simulator. For other applications, including air traffic control, biomedical, communications, electronic power transmission and distribution, emergency engineering and management, fossil power plants, gaming land vehicles, manufacturing, maintenance, marine vehicles, process plants, weapons, etc

Justification of Shallow-Water Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Ostapenko, V. V.

2018-01-01

The basic conservation laws of shallow-water theory are derived from multidimensional mass and momentum integral conservation laws describing the plane-parallel flow of an ideal incompressible fluid above the horizontal bottom. This conclusion is based on the concept of hydrostatic approximation, which generalizes the concept of long-wavelength approximation and is used for justifying the applicability of the shallow-water theory in the simulation of wave flows of fluid with hydraulic bores.

Guidelines for the Institutional Implementation of Developmental Neuroprotective Care in the NICU. Part B: Recommendations and Justification. A Joint Position Statement From the CANN, CAPWHN, NANN, and COINN.

Science.gov (United States)

Milette, Isabelle; Martel, Marie-Josée; da Silva, Margarida Ribeiro; Coughlin McNeil, Mary

2017-06-01

The use of age-appropriate care as an organized framework for care delivery in the NICU is founded on the work of Heidelise Als, PhD, and her synactive theory of development. This theoretical construct has recently been advanced by the work of Gibbins and colleagues with the "universe of developmental care" conceptual model and developmental care core measures which were endorsed by the National Association of Neonatal Nurses in their age-appropriate care of premature infant guidelines as best-practice standards for the provision of high-quality care in the NICU. These guidelines were recently revised and expanded. In alignment with the Joint Commission's requirement for healthcare professionals to provide age-specific care across the lifespan, the core measures for developmental care suggest the necessary competencies for those caring for the premature and critically ill hospitalized infant. Further supported by the Primer Standards of Accreditation and Health Canada, the institutional implementation of these core measures require a strong framework for institutional operationalization presented in these guidelines. Part B will present the recommendations and justification of each steps behind the present guidelines to facilitate their implementation.

Exploring ethical justification for self-demand amputation.

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Tomasini, Floris

2006-01-01

Self-demand amputees are persons who need to have one or more healthy limbs or digits amputated to fit the way they see themselves. They want to rid themselves of a limb that they believe does not belong to their body-identity. The obsessive desire to have appendages surgically removed to fit an alternative body-image is medically and ethically controversial. My purpose in this paper is to provide a number of normative and professional ethical perspectives on whether or not it is possible to justify surgery for self-demand amputees. In doing so I proceed dialogically, moving between empirical context and normative theory, revealing the taken for granted normative assumptions (what I call the natural attitude--a technical term borrowed from phenomenology) that provide ethical limits to justifying the treatment of self-demand amputees. While I critically examine both Kantian responses against as well as Utilitarian responses for amputation on demand, I conclude that neither normative tradition can fully incorporate an understanding of what it is like to be a self-demand amputee. Since neither theory can justify the apparent non-rational desire of amputation on demand, ethical justification, I argue, falls short of the recognition that there may be a problem. To end, I introduce a meta-ethical idea, "the struggle for recognition," opening up the theoretical possibility of a hermeneutics of recognition before ethical justification that may be more sensitive to the problem of radical embodied difference exemplified by self-demand amputees.

Social dominance theory: Its agenda and method

OpenAIRE

Sidanius, Jim; Pratto, Felicia; van Laar, Colette; Levin, Shana

2004-01-01

The theory has been misconstrued in four primary ways, which are often expressed as the claims of psychological reductionism, conceptual redundancy, biological reductionism, and hierarchy justification. This paper addresses these claims and suggests how social dominance theory builds on and moves beyond social identity theory and system justification theor.

Hegel’s justification of the human right to non-domination

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Westphal Kenneth R.

2017-01-01

Full Text Available ‘Hegel’ and ‘human rights’ are rarely conjoined, and the designation ‘human rights’ appears rarely in his works. Indeed, Hegel has been criticised for omitting civil and political rights all together. My surmise is that readers have looked for a modern Decalogue, and have neglected how Hegel justifies his views, and hence just what views he does justify. Philip Pettit (1997 has refocused attention on republican liberty. Hegel and I agree with Pettit that republican liberty is a supremely important value, but appealing to its value, or justifying it by appeal to reflective equilibrium, are insufficient both in theory and in practice. By reconstructing Kant’s Critical methodology and explicating the social character of rational justification in non-formal domains, Hegel shows that the republican right to non-domination is constitutive of the equally republican right to justification (Forst 2007 - both of which are necessary requirements for sufficient rational justification in all non-formal domains, including both claims to rights or imputations of duties or responsibilities. That is the direct moral, political and juridical implication of Hegel’s analysis of mutual recognition, and its fundamental, constitutive role in rational justification. Specific corollaries to the fundamental republican right to non-domination must be determined by considering what forms of illicit domination are possible or probable within any specific society, in view of its social, political and economic structures and functioning.

Towards a general theory of implementation

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Understanding and evaluating the implementation of complex interventions in practice is an important problem for healthcare managers and policy makers, and for patients and others who must operationalize them beyond formal clinical settings. It has been argued that this work should be founded on theory that provides a foundation for understanding, designing, predicting, and evaluating dynamic implementation processes. This paper sets out core constituents of a general theory of implementation, building on Normalization Process Theory and linking it to key constructs from recent work in sociology and psychology. These are informed by ideas about agency and its expression within social systems and fields, social and cognitive mechanisms, and collective action. This approach unites a number of contending perspectives in a way that makes possible a more comprehensive explanation of the implementation and embedding of new ways of thinking, enacting and organizing practice. PMID:23406398

Redundancy of Redundancy in Justifications of Verdicts of Polish The Constitutional Tribuna

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Jan Winczorek

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The results of an empirical study of 150 justifications of verdicts of the Polish Constitutional Tribunal (CT are discussed. CT justifies its decisions mostly on authoritative references to previous decisions and other doxa- type arguments. It thus does not convince the audience of a decision's validity, but rather documents it. Further, the methodology changes depending on features of the case. The results are analysed using a conceptual    framework    of sociological systems theory. It is shown that CT's justification methodology ignores the redundancy (excess of references and dependencies of the legal system, finding redundancy redundant. This is a risky strategy of decision- making, enabling political influence.

Chinese Children's Justifications for Sharing Resources: Why Do We Have to Share?

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Wong, Mun

2011-01-01

Gilligan argued that Kohlberg's justice-based stage theory of morality reflects only one type of morality and does not consider people's tendency to use care-based moral judgements. This study examines Chinese children's tendency to use justice-based and care-based justifications for moral reasoning. Children's attitudes to conforming to the…

Students' Problem Solving and Justification

Science.gov (United States)

Glass, Barbara; Maher, Carolyn A.

2004-01-01

This paper reports on methods of students' justifications of their solution to a problem in the area of combinatorics. From the analysis of the problem solving of 150 students in a variety of settings from high-school to graduate study, four major forms of reasoning evolved: (1) Justification by Cases, (2) Inductive Argument, (3) Elimination…

Gutting’s critical View to the Truth-Independent Justification Models on Believe in God

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Reza Akbari

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Justification of believe in God had been one of the most challenging problem throughout history of philosophy. The problem is "is believe in god epistemically justified?" Gutting's theory in justification of theism is combined of two parts. He critiques Witgenstainian's view firstly, and then considers Aquinas’, Plantinga's, and some other views as incorrect views on theism. Gutting says that Witgenstainians and Tomistic approaches cannot draw a religious language exactly. He also considers Plantinga's view as an incorrect view, because it is completely possible that the viewpoint of believers in believing to the existence of God to be evaluate epistemological as true as the non-believers’ view to the nonexistence of God. Discussing his own view, Gutting justifies believing in God regarding the religious experience. This article explains Gutting's critique of Witgenstainian's, Thomistic and Planting's approach on justification of believe in God.

Fundamentals of legal argumentation : A survey of theories on the justification of legal decisions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feteris, E.T.

2017-01-01

This book is an updated and revised edition of Fundamentals of Legal Argumentation published in 1999. It discusses new developments that have taken place in the past 15 years in research of legal argumentation, legal justification and legal interpretation, as well as the implications of these new

Acoustic array systems theory, implementation, and application

CERN Document Server

Bai, Mingsian R; Benesty, Jacob

2013-01-01

Presents a unified framework of far-field and near-field array techniques for noise source identification and sound field visualization, from theory to application. Acoustic Array Systems: Theory, Implementation, and Application provides an overview of microphone array technology with applications in noise source identification and sound field visualization. In the comprehensive treatment of microphone arrays, the topics covered include an introduction to the theory, far-field and near-field array signal processing algorithms, practical implementations, and common applic

The Labours of Hercules: Ethical Embodiment and an Erasmian Justification for Higher Education

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De Barros, Eric L.

2014-01-01

In the early 1990s, a popular American dorm-room poster luminously asserted crass materialism as "JUSTIFICATION FOR HIGHER EDUCATION". Self-consciously premised on the paradoxical success of my failure or failure of my success as a professor of Renaissance literature and culture, this essay draws on Erasmus's educational theory of…

16 CFR 240.15 - Cost justification.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cost justification. 240.15 Section 240.15 Commercial Practices FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION GUIDES AND TRADE PRACTICE RULES GUIDES FOR ADVERTISING ALLOWANCES AND OTHER MERCHANDISING PAYMENTS AND SERVICES § 240.15 Cost justification. It is no defense to a...

The justification of a medical exposure - Who does it?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsden, P.J.; Hardwick, J.; McHugh, K.

2001-01-01

It is widely acknowledged that the use of ionising radiation in medical exposures must be justified, but it has often been difficult to determine who makes that justification, and who is responsible for it. New legislation introduced in the UK following the European Union Medical Exposures Directive makes it necessary to ensure that justification takes place and to ensure that the individuals responsible for it are identified and are adequately trained. This paper presents an approach to justification which minimises the need for extra training by focussing responsibility for justification on professionals who have gained sufficient knowledge as part of their specialisation. By acknowledging the role of radiographers in the justification process and allowing them flexibility in their judgement, it is proposed that the justification process will become more robust and should screen out inappropriate referrals more effectively. (author)

Justification and optimization in radiation protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beninson, D.

1980-01-01

Two requirements of the system recommended by the ICRP for radiation protection are discussed: 1) justification of practices involving radiation exposures and 2) optimization of the level of protection for such practices. The ICRP recommended the use of cost-benefit analysis in justification and optimization. The application of cost-benefit analysis and the quantification of the radiation detriment are also discussed. (H.K.)

Ultimate justification: Wittgenstein and medical ethics.

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Hughes, J

1995-02-01

Decisions must be justified. In medical ethics various grounds are given to justify decisions, but ultimate justification seems illusory and little considered. The philosopher Wittgenstein discusses the problem of ultimate justification in the context of general philosophy. His comments, nevertheless, are pertinent to ethics. From a discussion of Wittgensteinian notions, such as 'bedrock', the idea that 'ultimate' justification is grounded in human nature as such is derived. This discussion is relevant to medical ethics in at least five ways: it shows generally what type of certainty there is in practical ethics; it seems to imply some objective foundation to our ethical judgements; it squares with our experience of making ethical decisions; it shows something of the nature of moral arguments; and, finally, it has implications for teaching medicine and ethics.

A Reply on Behalf of the Relativist to Mark Mason's Justification of Universal Ethical Principles

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MacKenzie, Jim

2007-01-01

Mark Mason, in his "A Justification, After the Postmodern Turn, of Universal Ethical Principles and Educational Ideals" Educational Philosophy and Theory, 37 (2005), attempts to justify transcultural multiculturalism. In this paper I argue that he fails to refute moral relativism, and that multiculturalism as he interprets it is not morally…

Bond-order potentials: Theory and implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horsfield, A.P.; Bratkovsky, A.M.; Fearn, M.; Pettifor, D.G.; Aoki, M.

1996-01-01

The background theory and the details required for implementation of bond-order potentials are presented in a systematic fashion. The theory is an O(N) implementation of tight binding that is naturally parallelizable. Further, it is straightforward to show how the lowest-order approximation to the two-site expansion can reproduce the Tersoff potential. The accuracy of the forces is demonstrated by means of constant-energy molecular dynamics, for which the energy is found to be very well conserved. Thus, the method is both an efficient computational method and a useful analytic tool for the atomistic simulation of materials. copyright 1996 The American Physical Society

75 FR 53269 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; Tribal Consultation; Justification and Approval of Sole-Source 8...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-08-31

... and approval of sole-source contracts over $20 million under the 8(a) small business development... valuable component of its deliberations in preparing to implement this law, which includes contracting with... Regulation; Tribal Consultation; Justification and Approval of Sole-Source 8(a) Contracts AGENCIES...

Justification of radiographic examinations: What are the key issues?

OpenAIRE

Vom, Jason; Williams, Imelda

2017-01-01

Abstract Justification of radiographic examinations is the practice of evaluating requested radiological examinations to assess for clinical merit and appropriateness based on clinical notes and patient information. This implies that justification in radiography requires the evaluation of requested examinations, the justification of exposures being applied and determining whether patients fit the recommended criteria for the procedure. Medico?legal requirements by the professional registratio...

Using institutional theory with sensemaking theory: a case study of information system implementation in healthcare

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Tina Blegind; Kjærgaard, Annemette; Svejvig, Per

2009-01-01

Institutional theory has proven to be a central analytical perspective for investigating the role of social and historical structures of information systems (IS) implementation. However, it does not explicitly account for how organisational actors make sense of and enact technologies in their local...... context. We address this limitation by exploring the potential of using institutional theory with sensemaking theory to study IS implementation in organisations. We argue that each theoretical perspective has its own explanatory power and that a combination of the two facilitates a much richer...... interpretation of IS implementation by linking macro- and micro-levels of analysis. To illustrate this, we report from an empirical study of the implementation of an Electronic Patient Record (EPR) system in a clinical setting. Using key constructs from the two theories, our findings address the phenomenon...

The application of Dempster-Shafer theory demonstrated with justification provided by legal evidence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shawn P. Curley

2007-10-01

Full Text Available In forecasting and decision making, people can and often do represent a degree of belief in some proposition. At least two separate constructs capture such degrees of belief: likelihoods capturing evidential balance and support capturing evidential weight. This paper explores the weight or justification that evidence affords propositions, with subjects communicating using a belief function in hypothetical legal situations, where justification is a relevant goal. Subjects evaluated the impact of sets of 1--3 pieces of evidence, varying in complexity, within a hypothetical legal situation. The study demonstrates the potential usefulness of this evidential weight measure as an alternative or complement to the more-studied probability measure. Subjects' responses indicated that weight and likelihood were distinguished; that subjects' evidential weight tended toward single elements in a targeted fashion; and, that there were identifiable individual differences in reactions to conflicting evidence. Specifically, most subjects reacted to conflicting evidence that supported disjoint sets of suspects with continued support in the implicated sets, although an identifiable minority reacted by pulling back their support, expressing indecisiveness. Such individuals would likely require a greater amount of evidence than the others to counteract this tendency in support. Thus, the study identifies the value of understanding evidential weight as distinct from likelihood, informs our understanding of the psychology of individuals' judgments of evidential weight, and furthers the application and meaningfulness of belief functions as a communication language.

The use of nonhuman animals in biomedical research: necessity and justification.

Science.gov (United States)

Francione, Gary L

2007-01-01

Discourse about the use of animals in biomedical research usually focuses on two issues: its empirical and moral use. The empirical issue asks whether the use of nonhumans in experiments is required in order to get data. The moral issue asks whether the use of nonhumans can be defended as matter of ethical theory. Although the use of animals in research may involve a plausible necessity claim, no moral justification exists for using nonhumans in situations in which we would not use humans.

Criteria for selecting implementation science theories and frameworks: results from an international survey

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Sarah A. Birken

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Theories provide a synthesizing architecture for implementation science. The underuse, superficial use, and misuse of theories pose a substantial scientific challenge for implementation science and may relate to challenges in selecting from the many theories in the field. Implementation scientists may benefit from guidance for selecting a theory for a specific study or project. Understanding how implementation scientists select theories will help inform efforts to develop such guidance. Our objective was to identify which theories implementation scientists use, how they use theories, and the criteria used to select theories. Methods We identified initial lists of uses and criteria for selecting implementation theories based on seminal articles and an iterative consensus process. We incorporated these lists into a self-administered survey for completion by self-identified implementation scientists. We recruited potential respondents at the 8th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health and via several international email lists. We used frequencies and percentages to report results. Results Two hundred twenty-three implementation scientists from 12 countries responded to the survey. They reported using more than 100 different theories spanning several disciplines. Respondents reported using theories primarily to identify implementation determinants, inform data collection, enhance conceptual clarity, and guide implementation planning. Of the 19 criteria presented in the survey, the criteria used by the most respondents to select theory included analytic level (58%, logical consistency/plausibility (56%, empirical support (53%, and description of a change process (54%. The criteria used by the fewest respondents included fecundity (10%, uniqueness (12%, and falsifiability (15%. Conclusions Implementation scientists use a large number of criteria to select theories, but there is little

Criteria for selecting implementation science theories and frameworks: results from an international survey.

Science.gov (United States)

Birken, Sarah A; Powell, Byron J; Shea, Christopher M; Haines, Emily R; Alexis Kirk, M; Leeman, Jennifer; Rohweder, Catherine; Damschroder, Laura; Presseau, Justin

2017-10-30

Theories provide a synthesizing architecture for implementation science. The underuse, superficial use, and misuse of theories pose a substantial scientific challenge for implementation science and may relate to challenges in selecting from the many theories in the field. Implementation scientists may benefit from guidance for selecting a theory for a specific study or project. Understanding how implementation scientists select theories will help inform efforts to develop such guidance. Our objective was to identify which theories implementation scientists use, how they use theories, and the criteria used to select theories. We identified initial lists of uses and criteria for selecting implementation theories based on seminal articles and an iterative consensus process. We incorporated these lists into a self-administered survey for completion by self-identified implementation scientists. We recruited potential respondents at the 8th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health and via several international email lists. We used frequencies and percentages to report results. Two hundred twenty-three implementation scientists from 12 countries responded to the survey. They reported using more than 100 different theories spanning several disciplines. Respondents reported using theories primarily to identify implementation determinants, inform data collection, enhance conceptual clarity, and guide implementation planning. Of the 19 criteria presented in the survey, the criteria used by the most respondents to select theory included analytic level (58%), logical consistency/plausibility (56%), empirical support (53%), and description of a change process (54%). The criteria used by the fewest respondents included fecundity (10%), uniqueness (12%), and falsifiability (15%). Implementation scientists use a large number of criteria to select theories, but there is little consensus on which are most important. Our results suggest that the

Justification and Optimization in Clinical Practice. Chapter 23

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sandborg, M. [Linköping University, Linköping (Sweden); Båth, M. [Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Göteborg (Sweden); Järvinen, H. [Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK), Helsinki (Finland); Faulkner, K. [North East Strategic Health Authority, Newcastle upon Tyne (United Kingdom)

2014-09-15

All medical exposures must be subject to the principles of justification and optimization of radiological protection, which are common to all practices dealing with potential exposures of humans to ionizing radiation. Justification of medical exposures requires that all medical imaging exposures must show a sufficient net benefit when balanced against possible detriment that the examination might cause. For patients undergoing medical diagnosis or treatment, there are different levels of justification (see Section 23.2). The practice involving exposure to radiation must be justified in principle through the endorsement of relevant professional societies, as matters of effective medical practice will be central to this judgement. Also, each procedure should be subject to a further, case by case, justification by both the referring clinician who is responsible for the management of the patient and the radiologist who selects the most appropriate imaging examination to answer the referrer’s question.

A system justification view of sexual violence: legitimizing gender inequality and reduced moral outrage are connected to greater rape myth acceptance.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapleau, Kristine M; Oswald, Debra L

2014-01-01

Rape is a pervasive social problem that causes serious physical and psychological repercussions. Rape victims' recovery is often complicated by the public's failure to believe the victim and restore justice. This study applied system justification theory to examine whether the justification of gender inequality is related to moral outrage (an emotional precursor to corrective action) and rape myth acceptance; we also examined whether rape myth acceptance is associated with moral outrage at injustice. Results showed that gender-specific system justification correlated with less moral outrage at human suffering as well as greater rape myth acceptance. The relationships between these variables were similar for men and for women, a finding that suggests that rape myths are system justifying for women. When we controlled for gender-specific system justification, rape myth acceptance correlated with less moral outrage. Results are discussed in the context of how legitimizing ideologies reduce moral outrage at injustice and perpetuate a system of sexual violence.

Fiscal Year 2010 Budget Request. Summary Justification

Science.gov (United States)

2009-05-01

SERVICES AND DEFENSE AGENCIES INTRODUCTION Services and Defense Agencies HIGHLIGHTS Overview The FY 2010 budget request organizes, trains...DoD FY 2010 Budget Request Summary Justification SPECIAL TOPICS INTRODUCTION Special Topics HIGHLIGHTS Overview The FY 2010 budget... MANGEMENT 2-48 DoD FY 2010 Budget Request Summary Justification SPECIAL TOPICS FINANCIAL MANGEMENT 2-49 While DoD has made progress in

Justification and radiology: some ethical considerations.

Science.gov (United States)

Sia, Santiago

2009-07-01

This paper, which seeks to address the issue of justification in radiology, intends firstly to comment on the current discussion of the ethical foundation of radiological practice that focuses on the move from utilitarianism to the rights-centred criterion. Secondly, and this constitutes the bulk of the paper, it aims to offer a philosophical perspective, which is hoped will lead to a consideration of certain specific areas in ethical decision-making in the attempts here to deal with the main issue of justification in radiology.

Justification and radiology: Some ethical considerations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sia, S.

2009-01-01

This paper, which seeks to address the issue of justification in radiology, intends firstly to comment on the current discussion of the ethical foundation of radiological practice that focuses on the move from utilitarianism to the rights-centred criterion. Secondly, and this constitutes the bulk of the paper, it aims to offer a philosophical perspective, which is hoped will lead to a consideration of certain specific areas in ethical decision-making in the attempts here to deal with the main issue of justification in radiology. (authors)

Tax Reform in Brazil: a Public Choice Theory approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Allan Silveira dos Santos

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This article aims to analyze tax reform necessity and the barriers to the implementation of tax reform at the light of public choice theory. The research identifies the arguments that provides the explanation for the tax reform does not occur in Brazil. The question that the article searches to answer is: what are the justifications for the Brazil not have done tax reform? The literature review addresses the failures of government, public choice theory and the theory of optimal taxation. The evidence and studies show that there are reasons to think about a tax system more consistent with the Brazilian reality, indicating the existence of "government failures" that may be the probable cause of impairment of the tax reform.

Contextualism in Normative Political Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lægaard, Sune

2016-01-01

Contextualism denotes a set of ideas about the importance of attention to context. The topic of the article is contextualism in normative political theory/philosophy, in relation to the part of political theory concerned with systematic political argument for normative claims—evaluative claims...... that can be invoked to contextualize a specific object of political discussion such as a law, an institution, or the like. Contextualism denotes any view that political theory should take context into account, but there are many different views about what this means. Contextualism can be characterized...... by way of different contrasts, which imply that the resulting conceptions of contextualism are views about different things, such as justification, the nature of political theory, or methodology. Here the focus is on characterizations of contextualism in terms of methodology and justification...

Uncertainty quantification theory, implementation, and applications

CERN Document Server

Smith, Ralph C

2014-01-01

The field of uncertainty quantification is evolving rapidly because of increasing emphasis on models that require quantified uncertainties for large-scale applications, novel algorithm development, and new computational architectures that facilitate implementation of these algorithms. Uncertainty Quantification: Theory, Implementation, and Applications provides readers with the basic concepts, theory, and algorithms necessary to quantify input and response uncertainties for simulation models arising in a broad range of disciplines. The book begins with a detailed discussion of applications where uncertainty quantification is critical for both scientific understanding and policy. It then covers concepts from probability and statistics, parameter selection techniques, frequentist and Bayesian model calibration, propagation of uncertainties, quantification of model discrepancy, surrogate model construction, and local and global sensitivity analysis. The author maintains a complementary web page where readers ca...

Justification: How to get referring physicians involved

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Remedios, D.

2011-01-01

Barriers to involvement of clinicians in the process of justification include an already overloaded knowledge base, lack of time, inconsistent guidance and disproportionate patient expectations. Strategies to improve referring physicians' input include education, use of imaging referral guidelines, clinical audit and regulation. This article discusses and reviews evidence for approaches to encourage greater participation in justification by clinicians. Approaches are best summarised by 'Awareness, appropriateness and audit'. (authors)

Justification in radiation protection: a study on screening mammography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faulkner, K.; Law, J.

2002-01-01

Justification was defined by the International Commission on Radiological Protection in publication 26 as no practice shall be adopted unless its introduction produces a positive net benefit. ICRP have subsequently refined this definition. In ICRP 60 justification is defined as no practice involving exposures to radiation should be adopted unless it produces sufficient benefit to the exposed individual or to society to offset the detriment it causes. (The justification of a practice). The European Commission have included justification in the recent medical exposures directive. This Directive distinguishes between individual medical exposures and medical practices. Justification is defined in the Medical Exposures Directive as showing a sufficient net benefit weighing the total potential diagnostic or therapeutic benefits it produces, including the direct health benefits to an individual and the benefits to society, against the individual detriment that the exposure might cause. Detriment is defined in the Medical Exposures Directive as clinically observable deleterious effects that are expressed in individuals or their descendants, the appearance of which is either immediate or delayed and, in the latter case, implies a probability, rather than a certainty, of appearance

R. S. Peters' "The Justification of Education" Revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Cuypers, Stefaan E.

2012-01-01

In his 1973 paper "The Justification of Education" R. S. Peters aspired to give a non-instrumental justification of education. Ever since, his so-called "transcendental argument" has been under attack and most critics conclude that it does not work. They have, however, thrown the baby away with the bathwater, when they furthermore concluded that…

The Effects of General System Justification on Corruption Perception and Intent.

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, Xuyun; Liu, Li; Huang, Zhenwei; Zheng, Wenwen; Liang, Yuan

2016-01-01

Previous research stresses that system justifying belief can weaken corruption perception, by this possibly fostering unjust behaviors. However, general results of the effect of general system justification on corruption are ambiguous, indicating also a lessening impact. We conducted a line of studies trying to elucidate these circumstances by testing the effect of general system justification on corruption perception and intention. In addition, we explored institutional trust as a possible mediator in this process. For this purpose, we conducted three studies. The first two studies examined the association between general system justification and corruption. In Study 1, a correlational design was run using questionnaires to assess the relation between general system justification and corruption perception as well as corruption intention. In Study 2, an experimental design was conducted manipulating general system justification via exposure to high or low system threat condition, then measuring its effect on corruption perception and corrupt intention. In Study 3, two sub-studies using correlational and experimental designs were run to explore the mediating role of institutional trust, respectively. Results replicated former studies showing that general system justification is negatively associated with corruption perception. However, they also showed a negative correlation with corrupt intention. Furthermore, they showed that institutional trust mediated the relation between general system justification and corruption. We suggest to consider these findings to further elucidate the psychological basis underlying different effects of general system justification on human behaviors.

The Effects of General System Justification on Corruption Perception and Intent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xuyun Tan

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Previous research stresses that system justifying belief can weaken corruption perception, by this possibly fostering unjust behaviors. However, general results of the effect of general system justification on corruption are ambiguous, indicating also a lessening impact. We conducted a line of studies trying to elucidate these circumstances by testing the effect of general system justification on corruption perception and intention. In addition, we explored institutional trust as a possible mediator in this process. For this purpose we conducted three studies. The first two studies examined the association between general system justification and corruption. In Study 1, a correlational design was run using questionnaires to assess the relation between general system justification and corruption perception as well as corruption intention. In Study 2, an experimental design was conducted manipulating general system justification via exposure to high or low system threat condition, then measuring its effect on corruption perception and corrupt intention. In Study 3, two sub-studies using correlational and experimental designs were run to explore the mediating role of institutional trust, respectively. Results replicated former studies showing that general system justification is negatively associated with corruption perception. However, they also showed a negative correlation with corrupt intention. Furthermore, they showed that institutional trust mediated the relation between general system justification and corruption. We suggest to consider these findings to further elucidate the psychological basis underlying different effects of general system justification on human behaviors.

Justification of novel practices involving radiation exposure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Webb, G.; Boal, T.; Mason, C.; Wrixon, T.

2006-01-01

The concept of 'justification' of practices has been one of the three basic principles of radiation protection for many decades. The principle is simple in essence - that any practice involving radiation exposure should do more good than harm. There is no doubt that the many uses of radiation in the medical field and in industry generally satisfy this principle, yielding benefits that could not be achieved using other techniques; examples include CT scanning and industrial radiography. However, even in the early period after the introduction of the justification principle, there were practices for which the decision on justification was not clear and for which different decisions were made by the authorities in different countries. Many of these involved consumer products such as luminous clocks and watches, telephone dials, smoke detectors, lightning preventers and gas mantles. In most cases, these practices were relatively small scale and did not involve large exposures of either individual workers or members of the public. Decisions on justification were therefore often made by the regulator without extensive national debate. Over recent years, several practices have been proposed and undertaken that involve exposure to radiation for purposes that were generally not envisaged when the current system of radiation protection was created. Some of these practices were reviewed during a recent symposium held in Dublin, Ireland and involve, for example, the x-raying of people for theft detection purposes, for detection of weapons or contraband, for the prediction of physical development of young athletes or dancers, for age determination, for insurance purposes and in cases of suspected child abuse. It is particularly in the context of such novel practices that the need has emerged for clearer international guidance on the application of the justification principle. This paper reviews recent activities of the IAEA with respect to these issues, including the

Justification of novel practices involving radiation exposure

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Webb, G. [Radiation Protection Consul tant, Brighton (United Kingdom); Boal, T.; Mason, C.; Wrixon, T. [International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna (Austria)

2006-07-01

The concept of 'justification' of practices has been one of the three basic principles of radiation protection for many decades. The principle is simple in essence - that any practice involving radiation exposure should do more good than harm. There is no doubt that the many uses of radiation in the medical field and in industry generally satisfy this principle, yielding benefits that could not be achieved using other techniques; examples include CT scanning and industrial radiography. However, even in the early period after the introduction of the justification principle, there were practices for which the decision on justification was not clear and for which different decisions were made by the authorities in different countries. Many of these involved consumer products such as luminous clocks and watches, telephone dials, smoke detectors, lightning preventers and gas mantles. In most cases, these practices were relatively small scale and did not involve large exposures of either individual workers or members of the public. Decisions on justification were therefore often made by the regulator without extensive national debate. Over recent years, several practices have been proposed and undertaken that involve exposure to radiation for purposes that were generally not envisaged when the current system of radiation protection was created. Some of these practices were reviewed during a recent symposium held in Dublin, Ireland and involve, for example, the x-raying of people for theft detection purposes, for detection of weapons or contraband, for the prediction of physical development of young athletes or dancers, for age determination, for insurance purposes and in cases of suspected child abuse. It is particularly in the context of such novel practices that the need has emerged for clearer international guidance on the application of the justification principle. This paper reviews recent activities of the IAEA with respect to these issues, including the

The System Justification Conundrum : Re-Examining the Cognitive Dissonance Basis for System Justification

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Owuamalam, Chuma K.; Rubin, Mark; Spears, Russell

2016-01-01

In a landmark 1994 publication in the British Journal of Social Psychology, Jost and Banaji proposed the existence of a novel, fundamental system justification motive that drives social behaviors. More specifically, they proposed (a) that people have an epistemic need to support social hierarchies

In between St. Augustine and Luther: Grace and justification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael M. Ramos

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The view presented in this study emphasized grace as a cause of spiritual strength and justification of man. In understanding the deep meaning and nature of grace, this paper analyzes the formations given on the subject by two great minds, St. Augustine and Martin Luther. Because of the great influence of their work on the theology of grace and justification, this paper attempts to seek whether man’s understanding and belief of prudence would mean nothing at all, that any good that he will perform on his behalf would do nothing for his own justification. Thus it raises the question on the purpose of man’s freedom if his proprium is nothing and that divine prudence is the source of everything good. This led to the idea that grace is the primary energy source of man to make good, not by his own, but by divine prudence to obtain justification. Therefore, in this sense there is nothing good in man.

Understanding valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory using origami molecular models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saraswati, Teguh Endah; Saputro, Sulistyo; Ramli, Murni; Praseptiangga, Danar; Khasanah, Nurul; Marwati, Sri

2017-01-01

Valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory is conventionally used to predict molecular geometry. However, it is difficult to explore the full implications of this theory by simply drawing chemical structures. Here, we introduce origami modelling as a more accessible approach for exploration of the VSEPR theory. Our technique is simple, readily accessible and inexpensive compared with other sophisticated methods such as computer simulation or commercial three-dimensional modelling kits. This method can be implemented in chemistry education at both the high school and university levels. We discuss the example of a simple molecular structure prediction for ammonia (NH 3 ). Using the origami model, both molecular shape and the scientific justification can be visualized easily. This ‘hands-on’ approach to building molecules will help promote understanding of VSEPR theory. (paper)

Understanding valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory using origami molecular models

Science.gov (United States)

Endah Saraswati, Teguh; Saputro, Sulistyo; Ramli, Murni; Praseptiangga, Danar; Khasanah, Nurul; Marwati, Sri

2017-01-01

Valence-shell electron-pair repulsion (VSEPR) theory is conventionally used to predict molecular geometry. However, it is difficult to explore the full implications of this theory by simply drawing chemical structures. Here, we introduce origami modelling as a more accessible approach for exploration of the VSEPR theory. Our technique is simple, readily accessible and inexpensive compared with other sophisticated methods such as computer simulation or commercial three-dimensional modelling kits. This method can be implemented in chemistry education at both the high school and university levels. We discuss the example of a simple molecular structure prediction for ammonia (NH3). Using the origami model, both molecular shape and the scientific justification can be visualized easily. This ‘hands-on’ approach to building molecules will help promote understanding of VSEPR theory.

[ETHICAL PRINCIPALS AND A POSTERIORI JUSTIFICATIONS].

Science.gov (United States)

Heintz, Monica

2015-12-01

It is difficult to conceive that the human being, while being the same everywhere, could be cared for in such different ways in other societies. Anthropologists acknowledge that the diversity of cultures implies a diversity of moral values, thus that in a multicultural society the individual could draw upon different moral frames to justify the peculiarities of her/his demand of care. But how could we determine what is the moral frame that catalyzes behaviour while all we can record are a posteriori justifications of actions? In most multicultural societies where several moralframes coexist, there is an implicit hierarchy between ethical systems derived from a hierarchy of power which falsifies these a posteriori justifications. Moreover anthropologists often fail to acknowledge that individual behaviour does not always reflect individual values, but is more often the result of negotiations between the moralframes available in society and her/his own desires and personal experience. This is certainly due to the difficulty to account for a dynamic and complex interplay of moral values that cannot be analysed as a system. The impact of individual experience on the way individuals give or receive care could also be only weakly linked to a moral system even when this reference comes up explicitly in the a posteriori justifications.

Justifications for caregiving in white, Asian American, and native Hawaiian grandparents raising grandchildren.

Science.gov (United States)

Yancura, Loriena A

2013-01-01

Race has been found to predict justifications for caregiving in family caregivers for older adults. However, little is known about this relationship in another type of family caregiver, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren (GRG). This study examined relationships between race and justifications for caregiving in Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and White GRG. A sample of 259 GRG registered as students' primary caregivers with a public school system completed a modified version of the 10-item Cultural Justifications for Caregiving (CJCG) scale. CJCG items did not load onto a single analytic factor. Two factors, custom and responsibility, emerged. Race was predictive of custom, with Native Hawaiian GRG having significantly higher scores than White or Asian American GRG. Native Hawaiian GRG also scored higher than Asian American, but not White, GRG on responsibility. Justifications for raising grandchildren appear to differ among groups based on racial identification. Findings elucidate cultural justification for caregiving in understudied GRG populations and suggest that justifications for caregiving are configured differently in GRG and family caregivers for older adults. Future studies should examine justifications for caregiving in GRG of other races.

Development of a theory of implementation and integration: Normalization Process Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

May Carl R

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Theories are important tools in the social and natural sciences. The methods by which they are derived are rarely described and discussed. Normalization Process Theory explains how new technologies, ways of acting, and ways of working become routinely embedded in everyday practice, and has applications in the study of implementation processes. This paper describes the process by which it was built. Methods Between 1998 and 2008, we developed a theory. We derived a set of empirical generalizations from analysis of data collected in qualitative studies of healthcare work and organization. We developed an applied theoretical model through analysis of empirical generalizations. Finally, we built a formal theory through a process of extension and implication analysis of the applied theoretical model. Results Each phase of theory development showed that the constructs of the theory did not conflict with each other, had explanatory power, and possessed sufficient robustness for formal testing. As the theory developed, its scope expanded from a set of observed regularities in data with procedural explanations, to an applied theoretical model, to a formal middle-range theory. Conclusion Normalization Process Theory has been developed through procedures that were properly sceptical and critical, and which were opened to review at each stage of development. The theory has been shown to merit formal testing.

A Self-Determination Model of Childhood Exposure, Perceived Prevalence, Justification, and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence

OpenAIRE

Neighbors, Clayton; Walker, Denise D.; Mbilinyi, Lyungai F.; Zegree, Joan; Foster, Dawn W.; Roffman, Roger A.

2013-01-01

The present research was designed to evaluate self-determination theory as a framework for integrating factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. The proposed model suggests that childhood exposure to parental violence may influence global motivational orientations which, in turn result in greater cognitive biases (overestimating the prevalence of IPV and justification of IPV) which, in turn, contribute to an individual’s decision to use abusive behavior. Participan...

Humanistic Education and Self-Actualization Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Farmer, Rod

1984-01-01

Stresses the need for theoretical justification for the development of humanistic education programs in today's schools. Explores Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and theory of self-actualization. Argues that Maslow's theory may be the best available for educators concerned with educating the whole child. (JHZ)

Hiding in plain sight: communication theory in implementation science.

Science.gov (United States)

Manojlovich, Milisa; Squires, Janet E; Davies, Barbara; Graham, Ian D

2015-04-23

Poor communication among healthcare professionals is a pressing problem, contributing to widespread barriers to patient safety. The word "communication" means to share or make common. In the literature, two communication paradigms dominate: (1) communication as a transactional process responsible for information exchange, and (2) communication as a transformational process responsible for causing change. Implementation science has focused on information exchange attributes while largely ignoring transformational attributes of communication. In this paper, we debate the merits of encompassing both paradigms. We conducted a two-staged literature review searching for the concept of communication in implementation science to understand how communication is conceptualized. Twenty-seven theories, models, or frameworks were identified; only Rogers' Diffusion of Innovations theory provides a definition of communication and includes both communication paradigms. Most models (notable exceptions include Diffusion of Innovations, The Ottawa Model of Research Use, and Normalization Process Theory) describe communication as a transactional process. But thinking of communication solely as information transfer or exchange misrepresents reality. We recommend that implementation science theories (1) propose and test the concept of shared understanding when describing communication, (2) acknowledge that communication is multi-layered, identify at least a few layers, and posit how identified layers might affect the development of shared understanding, (3) acknowledge that communication occurs in a social context, providing a frame of reference for both individuals and groups, (4) acknowledge the unpredictability of communication (and healthcare processes in general), and (5) engage with and draw on work done by communication theorists. Implementation science literature has conceptualized communication as a transactional process (when communication has been mentioned at all), thereby

Taking Root: a grounded theory on evidence-based nursing implementation in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Cheng, L; Broome, M E; Feng, S; Hu, Y

2018-06-01

Evidence-based nursing is widely recognized as the critical foundation for quality care. To develop a middle-range theory on the process of evidence-based nursing implementation in Chinese context. A grounded theory study using unstructured in-depth individual interviews was conducted with 56 participants who were involved in 24 evidence-based nursing implementation projects in Mainland China from September 2015 to September 2016. A middle-range grounded theory of 'Taking Root' was developed. The theory describes the evidence implementation process consisting of four components (driving forces, process, outcome, sustainment/regression), three approaches (top-down, bottom-up and outside-in), four implementation strategies (patient-centred, nurses at the heart of change, reaching agreement, collaboration) and two patterns (transformational and adaptive implementation). Certain perspectives may have not been captured, as the retrospective nature of the interviewing technique did not allow for 'real-time' assessment of the actual implementation process. The transferability of the findings requires further exploration as few participants with negative experiences were recruited. This is the first study that explored evidence-based implementation process, strategies, approaches and patterns in the Chinese nursing practice context to inform international nursing and health policymaking. The theory of Taking Root described various approaches to evidence implementation and how the implementation can be transformational for the nurses and the setting in which they work. Nursing educators, managers and researchers should work together to improve nurses' readiness for evidence implementation. Healthcare systems need to optimize internal mechanisms and external collaborations to promote nursing practice in line with evidence and achieve clinical outcomes and sustainability. © 2017 International Council of Nurses.

Epistemic Beliefs about Justification Employed by Physics Students and Faculty in Two Different Problem Contexts

Science.gov (United States)

Çağlayan Mercan, Fatih

2012-06-01

This study examines the epistemic beliefs about justification employed by physics undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in the context of solving a standard classical physics problem and a frontier physics problem. Data were collected by a think-aloud problem solving session followed by a semi-structured interview conducted with 50 participants, 10 participants at freshmen, seniors, masters, PhD, and faculty levels. Seven modes of justification were identified and used for exploring the relationships between each justification mode and problem context, and expertise level. The data showed that justification modes were not mutually exclusive and many respondents combined different modes in their responses in both problem contexts. Success on solving the standard classical physics problem was not related to any of the justification modes and was independent of expertise level. The strength of the association across the problem contexts for the authoritative, rational, and empirical justification modes fell in the medium range and for the modeling justification mode fell in the large range of practical significance. Expertise level was not related with the empirical and religious justification modes. The strength of the association between the expertise level and the authoritative, rational, experiential, and relativistic justification modes fell in the medium range, and the modeling justification mode fell in the large range of practical significance. The results provide support for the importance of context for the epistemic beliefs about justification and are discussed in terms of the implications for teaching and learning science.

College Students; Justification for Digital Piracy: A Mixed Methods Study

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Szde

2012-01-01

A mixed methods project was devoted to understanding college students' justification for digital piracy. The project consisted of two studies, a qualitative one and a quantitative one. Qualitative interviews were conducted to identify main themes in students' justification for digital piracy, and then the findings were tested in a quantitative…

Continual integral in perturbation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slavnov, A.A.

1975-01-01

It is shown that all results obtained by means of continual integration within the framework of perturbation theory are completely equivalent to those obtained by the usual diagram technique and are therfore just as rigorous. A rigorous justification is given for the rules for operating with continual integrals in perturbation theory. (author)

The trouble with justification. Getting straight on the science and politics of nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meskens, G.

2012-01-01

Full-text: The way nuclear energy technology 'escapes' a deliberate justification approach as an energy technology on a transnational level is today in sharp contrast with the way fossil fuel energy technologies are subject of global negotiations driven by the doom of climate change. The claim put forward in this lecture is that this 'denial' is a symptom of a contemporary settled 'comfort of polarisation' around the use of nuclear energy technology that is deeply rooted in the organisational structures of politics, science and informed civil society. The lecture argues for the need to develop a new rationale that aims to seek societal trust 'by method instead of proof', taking into account that the outcome of such a justification process might as well be an acceptance or a rejection of the technology. It sketches what this 'deliberate-political' approach would be in theory and practice, briefly hits at two contemporary myths that would relativize the need for this approach and concludes with a 'pragmatic' list of elements of an advanced framework for deliberation on nuclear energy technology and on energy in general. (author)

Social Cognition and Democracy: The Relationship Between System Justification, Just World Beliefs, Authoritarianism, Need for Closure, and Need for Cognition in Hungary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

László Kelemen

2014-09-01

Full Text Available This research was aimed at examining just-world beliefs, system justification, authoritarianism, and cognitive style in a nationally representative sample (N = 1000 in Hungary, and at relating these phenomena to various demographic and political variables to find out whether the findings in Hungary would differ from its Western counterparts. According to system justification theory, there is a psychological motive to defend and justify the status quo. This theory has been tested several times in North American and Western European samples. The core finding of our study was that Hungarian people, unlike people in Western democracies, did not justify the existing establishment. There was strong pessimism with regard to the idea that the system serves the interests of the people. Members of disadvantaged groups (people with low economic income and/or far right political preference strongly rejected the system. System justification beliefs were moderately related to just world beliefs, and there was a significant relationship between some aspects of need for closure (need for order, discomfort with ambiguity, and closed-mindedness and authoritarian beliefs. Need for cognition was only related to one aspect of need for closure: closed-mindedness. The voters of right-wing parties did not display higher levels of authoritarianism than the voters of the left social-democrat party. The role of demographic and political variables, limitations, and possible developments of this research are discussed.

Justifications and self-organization as determinants of recycling behavior. The case of used batteries

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hansmann, Ralf; Bernasconi, Petra; Smieszek, Timo; Loukopoulos, Peter; Scholz, Roland W [Chair of Environmental Sciences: Natural and Social Science Interface, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich (ETH Zuerich), Universitaetsstrasse 22, ETH Zentrum CHN J76.3, CH-8092 Zurich (Switzerland)

2006-06-15

Much previous research on recycling behavior has drawn heavily on models of personal and perceived social norms, as well as of personal attitudes, to explain recycling behavior. Although such models have received empirical support, the issue concerning discrepancies between norms, personal attitudes and an individual's behavior is yet to be resolved. Using battery recycling in Switzerland as a case in point, the present questionnaire-based research examines via regression analyses the relationship between self-reported recycling behavior and socio-demographic variables, attitudes towards ecologically positive waste disposal, trust in waste disposal authorities, specific knowledge concerning recycling, justifications for not participating in the recycling scheme, self-organization of recycling behavior, and level of battery consumption. It was found that recycling knowledge, self-organization of recycling, and disagreement with justifications for non-recycling were positively related to recycling behavior, while attitudes towards ecological waste disposal and trust in waste disposal authorities were not directly related to respondents' self-reported battery recycling behavior. On the basis of these results, with reference to Sykes and Matza's Neutralization theory [Sykes GM, Matza D. Techniques of neutralization: a theory of delinquency. Am Sociol Rev 1957:22(6):664-70] a contextualized model of recycling behavior is proposed. This model is able to account for inconsistencies between personal attitudes and perceived social norms, and has practical implications for the design of public intervention strategies for enhancing participation in the recycling. (author)

ICT Student Teachers’ Judgments and Justifications about Ethical Issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Turgay Alakurt

2012-04-01

Full Text Available In this study, Turkish ICT student teachers’ judgments and justifications in four scenarios involving ICT-related ethical problems were investigated. Scenarios were designed based on Mason’s (1986 four ethical issues: privacy, accuracy, property and accessibility. The study was carried out in the fall of 2010. We used the critical incidents technique (CIT - a qualitative research approach- and the data were gathered via a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was conducted face-toface with an in-person interview. Participants were 35 ICT student teachers from the Faculty of Educational Science at Ankara University. The associations between different categorical variables were analysed with Fisher’s exact test. Open-ended questions were analysed through content analysis. The findings revealed that gender does not affect the ethical judgments and justifications of ICT student teachers. Furthermore the same reasons and justifications were reported by ICT student teachers who have taken course in ethic and those who have not taken the course. Moreover, out of the four issues considered in this study, accessibility was found as the most controversial issue. In addition to that it was observed that a number of ICT student teachers do not attain the right justifications due to the lack of knowledge on copyrights, intellectual property and the policies of web sites

Utilizing Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory to Implement a Golf Scramble

OpenAIRE

Glenna G. Bower

2013-01-01

This study introduced how Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory was used across the four-mode learning cycle of abstract conceptualization, active experimentation, concrete experience and reflective observation as a pedagogical tool for implementing a golf scramble. The primary research question was to see whether Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory four-mode learning cycle was an effective means for implementing a the golf scramble. The participants of the experiential learning experience wer...

13 CFR 130.460 - Budget justification.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 13 Business Credit and Assistance 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Budget justification. 130.460 Section 130.460 Business Credit and Assistance SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT...) Cost principles. Principles for determining allowable costs are contained in OMB Circulars A-21 (cost...

Three Decades of Implementation Research in Higher Education: Limitations and Prospects of Theory Development

Science.gov (United States)

Kohoutek, Jan

2013-01-01

The article adopts a comparative approach to review three periods of theory development in research into higher education policy implementation. Given the conceptual affinity between Cerych and Sabatier's 1986 seminal study into higher education policy implementation and public policy implementation theory, the field of public policy is chosen for…

Well-Founded Belief and Perceptual Justification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broncano-Berrocal, Fernando

2016-01-01

According to Alan Millar, justified beliefs are well-founded beliefs. Millar cashes out the notion of well-foundedness in terms of having an adequate reason to believe something and believing it for that reason. To make his account of justified belief compatible with perceptual justification he...

The precarity of critique: Cultures of mistrust and the refusal of justification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Witte Daniel

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The paper reflects on recent developments towards authoritarianism and right-wing populism that have become apparent in a number of Western societies and aims at pinpointing possible cultural foundations for this trend. Using the example of the German PEGIDA movement and the wider milieu in which it is embedded, it identifies and describes a rapidly spreading culture of mistrust and discusses some of its political and epistemological implications. In a second step, the paper draws on Luc Boltanski’s theory of justification in order to attain a better understanding of this political movement’s specificities. It is argued that it is a quasi-violent refusal of justification which is constitutive for the movement in question, thereby transcending the reach of Boltanski’s framework to some extent. In a third step, a closer look is taken at the epistemological paradox that results from the fact that a number of the PEGIDA movement’s crucial points of criticism are effectively shared by a larger part of the overall population, raising severe problems for the question of sociological critique. The paper utilizes ideas by Bruno Latour in order to illuminate this paradox further and examine its consequences. It closes with remarks on the possibility to “reassemble” trust and critique as crucial but contested - and, hence, precarious - foundations of modern society.

Finding common ground in implementation: towards a theory of gradual commonality.

Science.gov (United States)

Ter Haar, Marian; Aarts, Noelle; Verhoeven, Piet

2016-03-01

This article reports on an empirical study that aimed to design a practice-based theory about collaboration on the local implementation of a nationally developed health-promoting intervention. The study's objective is to better understand the dynamic process of complex collaboration. The research is based on a Delphi study among some 100 individuals in local and regional networks, in which various professionals work together to implement the BeweegKuur, which translates as 'course of exercise'. The BeweegKuur is a combined lifestyle intervention aimed at promoting sufficient physical exercise and a healthy diet among people in the Netherlands who are overweight and at risk of diabetes. The Delphi study in three rounds systematically and interactively constructs a common perspective on implementation, reflecting stakeholders' ideas about the collaboration and providing an insight into how these ideas are influenced by the context of the implementation. The statistical and qualitative analyses of the responses to the feedback in the Delphi study form the basis for this practice-based theory on complex collaboration, called the theory of gradual commonality. During interaction, consensus gradually emerges about co-creation as a collaboration strategy. Co-creation leaves room for various ways of achieving the ambitions of the BeweegKuur. This article discusses the importance of this practice-based theory and the value of the Delphi research strategy for promoting health. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Governance in Blockchain Technologies & Social Contract Theories

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Wessel Reijers

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This paper is placed in the context of a growing number of social and political critiques of blockchain technologies. We focus on the supposed potential of blockchain technologies to transform political institutions that are central to contemporary human societies, such as money, property rights regimes, and systems of democratic governance. Our aim is to examine the way blockchain technologies canbring about - and justify - new models of governance. To do so, we draw on the philosophical works of Hobbes, Rousseau, and Rawls, analyzing blockchain governance in terms of contrasting social contract theories. We begin by comparing the justifications of blockchain governance offered by members of the blockchain developers’ community with the justifications of governance presented within social contract theories. We then examine the extent to which the model of governance offered by blockchain technologies reflects key governance themes and assumptions located within social contract theories, focusing on the notions of sovereignty, the initial situation, decentralization and distributive justice.

Justification of doctors' referral for radiological imaging among some Nigerian doctors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Emmanuel Osaigbovo Ighodaro

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The demand for radiological examination has increased tremendously despite paucity of referring clinicians' knowledge on radiation protection. Reasons to justify these referrals vary. Consequently, the aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between clinicians' knowledge of radiological imaging dosage to their referral justification and guideline. Materials and Methods: Structured questionnaires were developed with four sections (Section 1, sociodemographic data; Section 2, justification for imaging referral; Section 3, knowledge of radiation dose to patients; Section 4, effect of irradiation. The questionnaires were administered at a previous Nigerian Medical Association National Conference, which took place at Lagos in 2013. Sections 3 and 4 were scored and rated. Results: The respondents gave plausible reasons to refer patients for radiological evaluation despite the observation that majority of them were unaware of the existence of referral guidelines and had poor knowledge on radiation. Only 16 (12.2% of the respondents had a fair score on knowledge about radiation dose to patients while 110 (84.0% had poor score. Five (3.8% of the respondents had good score. Similarly, on identifying effect of radiation, 10 (7.6% had good score, 4 (3.1% fair score, and 117 (89.3% poor score. Conclusion: Most of the referrals of patients for radiological evaluation by the respondents were not based on the standard guidelines. Therefore, it is pertinent that referral guidelines should be developed and implemented and clinicians should be educated and trained on radiation protection.

JUSTIFICATION FOR INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION IN EU

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cătălina-Adriana Ivănuş

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The right to non-discrimination is very important for a civilized society. EU legislation establishes direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, instruction to discriminate and any less favourable treatment of a woman related to pregnancy or maternity leave as forms of discrimination. The law and the Court of Justice permit the justification of indirect discrimination.

JUSTIFICATION FOR INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION IN EU

OpenAIRE

Cătălina-Adriana Ivănuş

2014-01-01

The right to non-discrimination is very important for a civilized society. EU legislation establishes direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, sexual harassment, instruction to discriminate and any less favourable treatment of a woman related to pregnancy or maternity leave as forms of discrimination. The law and the Court of Justice permit the justification of indirect discrimination.

Studying Human Resource Information Systems Implementation using Adaptive Structuration Theory: The Case of an HRIS Implementation at Dow Chemical Company

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ruel, Hubertus Johannes Maria; Chiemeke, Charles C.; Bondarouk, Tatiana; Ruel, Hubertus Johannes Maria; Guiderdoni-Jourdain, Karine; Oiry, Ewan

2009-01-01

Research on Human Resource Information Systems (HRIS) implementation lacks theoretical depth and richness. For that reason this paper applies a theory to HRIS implementation developed by Gerardine DeSanctis and Marshal Scott Poole originally for studying information systems implementation, namely

Educational theory and medical education practice: a cautionary note for medical school faculty.

Science.gov (United States)

Colliver, Jerry A

2002-12-01

Educational theory is routinely cited as justification for practice in medical education, even though the justification for the theory itself is unclear. Problem-based learning (PBL), for example, is said to be based on powerful educational principles that should result in strong effects on learning and performance. But research over the past 20 years has produced little convincing evidence for the educational effectiveness of PBL, which naturally raises doubts about the underlying theory. This essay reflects on educational theory, in particular cognitive theory, and concludes that the theory is little more than metaphor, not rigorous, tested, confirmed scientific theory. This metaphor/theory may lead to ideas for basic and applied research, which in turn may facilitate the development of theory. In the meantime, however, the theory cannot be trusted to determine practice in medical education. Despite the intuitive appeal of educational theory, medical educators have a responsibility to set aside their enthusiasm and make it clear to medical school faculty and administrators that educational innovations and practice claims are, at best, founded on conjecture, not on evidence-based science.

Investigating the Development of Chinese Oral Explanation and Justification in Singapore Primary Students

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Jing

2016-01-01

Explanation and justification require cognitive ability which selects and organises relevant information in a logical way, and linguistic ability which enables speakers to encode the information with linguistic knowledge. This study aims to investigate the development of Chinese oral explanation and justification in Singapore primary students. The…

Implementation of static generalized perturbation theory for LWR design applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Byron, R.F.; White, J.R.

1987-01-01

A generalized perturbation theory (GPT) formulation is developed for application to light water reactor (LWR) design. The extensions made to standard generalized perturbation theory are the treatment of thermal-hydraulic and fission product poisoning feedbacks, and criticality reset. This formulation has been implemented into a standard LWR design code. The method is verified by comparing direct calculations with GPT calculations. Data are presented showing that feedback effects need to be considered when using GPT for LWR problems. Some specific potential applications of this theory to the field of LWR design are discussed

The justification principle applied to Computed tomography exams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machado Tejeda, A.; Mora Machado, R. de la; Garcia Moreira, T.; Hing Perdomo, J.

2008-01-01

The increasing use of imaging technologies and the installation of more sophisticated equipment in radiology services, such as multi-slice CT scanners have consequently increased the number of treated patients, as well as the collective doses to population. Radiation doses received from CT exams are higher than those received in conventional radiology. The optimal use of CT equipment, considering optimized techniques, and the justification of examinations, are imperative in order to minimize the undesirable effects of radiation. In this paper we do set out to the assessment of justification criteria applied for CT exams in a Cuban Hospital. The justification of prescribed tests by physicians was analyzed, assessing its incidence depending on the kind of studies and percentage (%) of positive and negative cases. The study was carried out in a Clinical Surgical Hospital in Havana City. This hospital has installed a Shimadzu SCT-7800TC helical single-slice device. The sample is made up of 81 patients, between 24 and 80 years old, both men and women. For all of them the pathology that causes the order of the exam as well as the existence of other previous tests, were considered. As a result of the assessment, the 56.8% of all cases turned out to be positives; the 55.5% only confirmed the pathologies and the 1.23% produced new evidences. On the other hand, the remaining 43.2% were negatives noting that the 65.3% of the patients there were not previous imaging tests. Skull exam was the most incidences compiling the 67.7% of cases, and it was the headache the most frequent clinical problem to perform the 41.1%. In terms of justification, the evaluation of prescriptions evidenced that CT exams were not justified in 43.2% of cases. As part of this last group, it was also found that 46.9% of clinical studies were negative. (author)

Reviewing the Suitability of Affirmative Action and the Inherent Requirements of the Job as Grounds of Justification to Equal Pay Claims in Terms Of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shamier

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 ("EEA" has been amended to include a specific provision dealing with equal pay claims in the form of section 6(4. Section 6(4 of the EEA prohibits unfair discrimination in terms and conditions of employment between employees performing the same or substantially the same work or work of equal value. The Minister of Labour has issued Regulations and a Code to assist with the implementation of the principle of equal pay. Both the Regulations and the Code set out the criteria for assessing work of equal value as well as the grounds of justification to a claim of equal pay for work of equal value (factors justifying differentiation in terms and conditions of employment. The EEA refers to two grounds of justification in respect of unfair discrimination claims, namely affirmative action and the inherent requirements of the job. There is support for the view that these grounds of justification are not suitable to equal pay claims. There is a contrary view that these grounds of justification can apply to equal pay claims. The Labour Courts have not had the opportunity to analyse these grounds of justification in the context of equal pay claims. It is thus necessary to analyse these grounds of justification in order to ascertain whether they provide justifications proper to equal pay claims. The purpose of this article is to analyse the grounds of justification of pay discrimination as contained in South African law, the Conventions and Materials of the International Labour Organisation and the equal pay laws of the United Kingdom. Lastly, an analysis will be undertaken to determine whether affirmative action and the inherent requirements of the job provide justifications proper to equal pay claims.

Values, Watersheds and Justification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wiberg, Katrina

2015-01-01

concerning HOW. Together, this also hold potentials of achieving multiple benefits and action promoting resilience and liveability in urban landscapes. One way of approaching the value disputes is by asking if some conception of the common good in case of HOW can be justified at the same time...... as the plurality and diversity of values are recognised. Luc Boltanski and Laurent Thévenot ́s concept of a plurality of regimes of justification -conflicting but also enabling compromise gives an affirmative answer to this question which is exemplified in the final parts of the paper....

On Engster's care-justification of the specialness thesis about healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Rumbold, Benedict

2017-08-01

To say health is 'special' is to say that it has a moral significance that differentiates it from other goods (cars, say or radios) and, as a matter of justice, warrants distributing it separately. In this essay, I critique a new justification for the specialness thesis about healthcare (STHC) recently put forth by Engster. I argue that, regrettably, Engster's justification of STHC ultimately fails and fails on much the same grounds as have previous justifications of STHC. However, I also argue that Engster's argument still adds something valuable to the debate around STHC insofar as it reminds us that the moral significance of healthcare may be wider than simply its effect on the incidence of disability and disease: one further reason we may think healthcare is morally significant is because it concerns the treatment and care of those who are already unwell. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Exploring the Application of Capital Facility Investment Justification Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marijan Karić

2013-07-01

Full Text Available For decades now, the models for identifying and quantifying the level of risk of investment projects and investment justification evaluation have been the subject of investigation by members of professional and research communities. It is important to quantify the level of risk because by evaluating investment justification in terms of the risks involved, the decision-maker (investor is able to choose from available alternatives the one that will achieve the most favourable ratio of expected profit to the assumed risk. In this way, the economic entity can raise its productivity, profitability and the quality of business operation in general. The aim of this paper was to investigate the extent to which medium and large companies have been using modern methods of investment justification evaluation in their decision-making process and determine the level of quality of the application of the selected methods in practice. The study was conducted on a sample of medium and large enterprises in the eastern Croatia during 2011 and 2012, and it was established that despite the fact that a large number of modern investment project profitability and risk assessment models have been developed, the level of their application in practice is not high enough. The analyzed investment proposals included only basic methods of capital budgeting without risk assessment. Hence, it was concluded that individual investors were presented with low-quality and incomplete investment justification evaluation results on the basis of which the decisions of key importance for the development of the economic entity as a whole were made. This paper aims to underline the need for financial managers to get informed and educate themselves about contemporary investment project profitability and risk assessment models as well as the need to create educational programmes and computer solutions that will encourage key people in companies to acquire new knowledge and apply modern

Phase Coordinate System and p-q Theory Based Methods in Active Filtering Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

POPESCU, M.

2013-02-01

Full Text Available This paper is oriented towards implementation of the main theories of powers in the compensating current generation stage of a three-phase three-wire shunt active power system. The system control is achieved through a dSPACE 1103 platform which is programmed under the Matlab/Simulink environment. Four calculation blocks included in a specifically designed Simulink library are successively implemented in the experimental setup. The first two approaches, namely those based on the Fryze-Buchholz-Depenbrock theory and the generalized instantaneous reactive power theory, make use of phase quantities without any transformation of the coordinate system and provide the basis for calculating the compensating current when total compensation is desired. The others are based on the p-q theory concepts and require the direct and reverse transformation to/from the two-phases stationary reference frame. They are used for total compensation and partial compensation of the current harmonic distortion. The experimental results, in terms of active filtering performances, validate the control strategies implementation and provide arguments in choosing the most appropriate method.

From mirror self-recognition to the looking-glass self: exploring the Justification Hypothesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, Leigh S

2005-01-01

In his Tree of Knowledge (ToK) System, Henriques (2003) posits that the human ego or "self" has evolved because human beings are the only animals that have had to justify their behavior to others. This essay provides evidence for this Justification Hypothesis (JH) from everyday life sociology, starting with the work of George Herbert Mead and Charles Horton Cooley, and focuses on research related to the concept of the "looking-glass self." Special emphasis is given to the pragmatics of speech acts, the presentation of self in interaction rituals, the accounts given by actors in justification of their actions, and the role of social norms and conformity in the large-scale justification systems commonly called "culture."

Implementation of nonseparable exact exchange effects in the first-order nondegenerate adiabatic theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdolsalami, M.; Abdolsalami, F.; Gonzalez, H.R.

1994-01-01

We have implemented nonlocal exchange effects rigorously in the first-order nondegenerate adiabatic (FONDA) theory. This implementation requires solving integrodifferential equations that involve double integrals. Separable and model exchange approximations that simplify the inclusion of exchange in the scattering calculations have been previously implemented in the FONDA theory. The discrepancy between the exact exchange FONDA cross sections and the separable and model exchange results suggests that one needs to include exchange rigorously to obtain accurate results over a wide range of energies. Specifically, a difference of up to 30% is observed between the exact and separable exchange FONDA cross sections at near-threshold energies. At higher energies the FONDA results from the rigorous and model exchange implementations disagree by as much as 10%

Error Parsing: An alternative method of implementing social judgment theory

OpenAIRE

Crystal C. Hall; Daniel M. Oppenheimer

2015-01-01

We present a novel method of judgment analysis called Error Parsing, based upon an alternative method of implementing Social Judgment Theory (SJT). SJT and Error Parsing both posit the same three components of error in human judgment: error due to noise, error due to cue weighting, and error due to inconsistency. In that sense, the broad theory and framework are the same. However, SJT and Error Parsing were developed to answer different questions, and thus use different m...

Using cognitive dissonance to induce adolescents' escaping from the claw of online gaming: the roles of personal responsibility and justification of cost.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiou, Wen-Bin; Wan, Chin-Sheng

2007-10-01

The negative impact of the Internet on adolescents has received much attention. How to reduce their pathological use of online gaming is also a critical issue. Based on cognitive dissonance theory, two experiments were conducted to examine whether personal responsibility and justification of cost may play crucial factors in impacting adolescent players' attitude change and their willingness to engage in attitude-discrepant behavior. The results of Experiment 1 revealed that adolescent players who felt a strong sense of responsibility appeared to exhibit greater attitude change. In Experiment 2, the findings indicated that players tended to employ justification of cost in order to reduce or eliminate the dissonance between their attitude toward online gaming and invested cost. Adolescent players who perceived a higher cost in online gaming were less willing to engage in attitude-discrepant behavior. Reducing adolescents ' overuse of online gaming can be appreciated through the perspective of cognitive dissonance.

Statistical theory of neutron nuclear reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moldauer, P.A.

1978-02-01

The statistical theory of average neutron nucleus reaction cross sections is reviewed with emphasis on the justification of the Hauser Feshbach formula and its modifications for situations including isolated compound nucleus resonances, overlapping and interfering resonances, the competition of compound and direct reactions, and continuous treatment of residual nuclear states

Statistical theory of neutron nuclear reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moldauer, P.A.

1980-01-01

The statistical theory of average neutron nucleus reaction cross sections is reviewed with emphasis on the justification of the Hauser Feshbach formula and its modifications for situations including isolated compound nucleus resonances, overlapping and interfering resonances, the competition of compound and direct reactions, and continuous treatment of residual nuclear states. (author)

Report of a consultation on justification of patient exposures in medical imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Malone, J.

2009-01-01

Radiation protection in medicine is underpinned by the concepts of justification and optimisation. Over the last 20 y much successful work has been devoted to developing and consolidating approaches to optimisation. A substantial knowledge base and a set of practical approaches have now been created to give effect to it. With respect to justification, less effort has been applied and the efforts applied have not yet been as successful. Authoritative sources suggest that a substantial fraction of radiological examinations may be unnecessary. In addition, a mainstream general medical journal has identified that few of those responsible for prescribing or performing examinations were familiar with the units used to specify the amount of radiation (and risk) received. This report sets out the conclusions of a consultation held in Vienna, by the International Atomic Energy Agency, dealing with the nature of justification and how to give effect to it in practice. (authors)

Appealing to the crowd: ethical justifications in Canadian medical crowdfunding campaigns.

Science.gov (United States)

Snyder, Jeremy; Crooks, Valorie A; Mathers, Annalise; Chow-White, Peter

2017-06-01

Medical crowdfunding is growing in terms of the number of active campaigns, amount of funding raised and public visibility. Little is known about how campaigners appeal to potential donors outside of anecdotal evidence collected in news reports on specific medical crowdfunding campaigns. This paper offers a first step towards addressing this knowledge gap by examining medical crowdfunding campaigns for Canadian recipients. Using 80 medical crowdfunding campaigns for Canadian recipients, we analyse how Canadians justify to others that they ought to contribute to funding their health needs. We find the justifications campaigners tend to fall into three themes: personal connections, depth of need and giving back. We further discuss how these appeals can understood in terms of ethical justifications for giving and how these justifications should be assessed in light of the academic literature on ethical concerns raised by medical crowdfunding. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

Justification beliefs of violence, myths about love and cyber dating abuse.

Science.gov (United States)

Borrajo, Erika; Gámez-Guadix, Manuel; Calvete, Esther

2015-01-01

Distorted beliefs about violence and love are often associated with the presence of violence in dating relationships. This study analyzes the relationship between beliefs that justify violence and myths about love in two types of cyber dating abuse (control and direct aggression). The sample consisted of 656 young people between the ages of 18 and 30 years (79.5% women). Regression analysis showed that justification of cyber dating abuse was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of direct aggression in online dating relationships. Myths about love were associated with a greater likelihood of control in online dating relationships. Furthermore, the relationship between justification of cyber dating abuse and perpetration of direct aggression was stronger in women. The relationship between myths about love and perpetration of online control was stronger among the youngest individuals. The justification of abuse and myths about love are important aspects in the development of different kinds of online abuse among young couples. This finding has important implications for the prevention of and intervention in these behaviors.

Lamb shift in quantum electrodynamics (semiclassical theory)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blaive, B.; Boudet, R.

1989-01-01

This paper aims to bring some arguments to the proof of the Barut and Van Huele formula, which gives the Lamb shift in the semi-classical theory model: by shortening the calculation owing to the use of a decomposition of the self-potential of the electron; by eliminating the appeal to a divergent series; by bringing justifications and clarifications on some important points of the proof. The effective calculation of the coefficients of the formula is achieved for some of them, and the general analytical form of these coefficients is explicited. It is also proved that the B. and V.H. formula must give results at least as close to the experiment as those of the Bethe formula, which is obtained in Quantum Theory of Fields. Finally one shows that the B. and V.H. formula provides a justification de facto for the cut-off which is used for associating finite numbers to the divergent integrals of the Bethe formula [fr

Justification of Individual Medical Exposures for Diagnosis: A HERCA Position Paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

Improving the application of the justification principle in medical imaging is the responsibility of many stakeholders. This document is intended to provide clarity on the regulator's approach to the roles and responsibilities of the undertaking as well as a range of professionals involved in medical exposures. In doing so it considers the requirements of the new European Basic Safety Standards (BSS) Directive 2013/59/Euratom and discusses a number of emerging challenges associated with efficient, effective and rapidly changing health care systems. In summary, - the justification process should be completed prior to the exposure taking place and include consideration of the following: - adequate information regarding the clinical condition(s) of the patient, relevant to the imaging request -this must be available including known possible contraindications (e.g. pregnancy, breast feeding) - the diagnostic question(s) to be addressed - where practicable, information, with regard to possible previous/concurrent examinations - the decision on the appropriate imaging procedure including the option of one that does not involve ionising radiation - traceability of the above to the referrer and practitioner, - the role of the regulator is to provide, through regulations and associated guidance, a clear and unambiguous regulatory framework including requirements for the justification process and accountability within local procedures - these will be subject to inspection, - the role of the undertaking and the professionals involved is to demonstrate compliance with regulations through procedures and documentation associated with each individual exposure, showing beyond reasonable doubt that the elements of the justification process have been completed, and by whom, in accordance with the responsibilities laid down in procedures

Normalisation process theory: a framework for developing, evaluating and implementing complex interventions

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Murray, Elizabeth

2010-10-20

Abstract Background The past decade has seen considerable interest in the development and evaluation of complex interventions to improve health. Such interventions can only have a significant impact on health and health care if they are shown to be effective when tested, are capable of being widely implemented and can be normalised into routine practice. To date, there is still a problematic gap between research and implementation. The Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) addresses the factors needed for successful implementation and integration of interventions into routine work (normalisation). Discussion In this paper, we suggest that the NPT can act as a sensitising tool, enabling researchers to think through issues of implementation while designing a complex intervention and its evaluation. The need to ensure trial procedures that are feasible and compatible with clinical practice is not limited to trials of complex interventions, and NPT may improve trial design by highlighting potential problems with recruitment or data collection, as well as ensuring the intervention has good implementation potential. Summary The NPT is a new theory which offers trialists a consistent framework that can be used to describe, assess and enhance implementation potential. We encourage trialists to consider using it in their next trial.

Normalisation process theory: a framework for developing, evaluating and implementing complex interventions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ong Bie

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The past decade has seen considerable interest in the development and evaluation of complex interventions to improve health. Such interventions can only have a significant impact on health and health care if they are shown to be effective when tested, are capable of being widely implemented and can be normalised into routine practice. To date, there is still a problematic gap between research and implementation. The Normalisation Process Theory (NPT addresses the factors needed for successful implementation and integration of interventions into routine work (normalisation. Discussion In this paper, we suggest that the NPT can act as a sensitising tool, enabling researchers to think through issues of implementation while designing a complex intervention and its evaluation. The need to ensure trial procedures that are feasible and compatible with clinical practice is not limited to trials of complex interventions, and NPT may improve trial design by highlighting potential problems with recruitment or data collection, as well as ensuring the intervention has good implementation potential. Summary The NPT is a new theory which offers trialists a consistent framework that can be used to describe, assess and enhance implementation potential. We encourage trialists to consider using it in their next trial.

Statistical theory of neutron nuclear reactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moldauer, P.A.

1975-01-01

The statistical theory of average neutron nucleus reaction cross sections is reviewed with emphasis on the justification of the Hauser Feshbach formula and its modifications for situations including isolated compound nucleus resonances, overlapping and interfering resonances, the competition of compound and direct reactions, and continuous treatment of residual nuclear states. 3 figures

Kierkegaard, Justification and the Integrity of Christian Education

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Andrew W.

2015-01-01

The doctrine of justification is frequently interpreted in a manner that excludes our active involvement in the drama of salvation. This reading has a detrimental effect on Christian education concerned to enable the learner's attentive, reasonable and responsible understanding of the Gospel. Taking its lead from Kierkegaard's account of…

First steps in the computation of root justifications

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Meyer, T

2010-08-01

Full Text Available in section 3. The method is based on the notion of root justifications which we define and discuss. The approach we describe is applicable to a wide class of DLs. We don’t provide a comprehensive formal introduction to DLs, but rather point the reader...

"Should We Kill the Grey Squirrels?" A Study Exploring Students' Justifications and Decision-Making

Science.gov (United States)

Evagorou, Maria; Jimenez-Aleixandre, Maria Pilar; Osborne, Jonathan

2012-01-01

A problem that is still unexplored in the field of socioscientific issues (SSI) and that was explored in this study is how different students decide upon a SSI they are discussing, how their justifications change during the instruction and how they use (or not) the evidence from the learning environment to support their justifications. For the…

Implementing shared decision making in routine mental health care.

Science.gov (United States)

Slade, Mike

2017-06-01

Shared decision making (SDM) in mental health care involves clinicians and patients working together to make decisions. The key elements of SDM have been identified, decision support tools have been developed, and SDM has been recommended in mental health at policy level. Yet implementation remains limited. Two justifications are typically advanced in support of SDM. The clinical justification is that SDM leads to improved outcome, yet the available empirical evidence base is inconclusive. The ethical justification is that SDM is a right, but clinicians need to balance the biomedical ethical principles of autonomy and justice with beneficence and non-maleficence. It is argued that SDM is "polyvalent", a sociological concept which describes an idea commanding superficial but not deep agreement between disparate stakeholders. Implementing SDM in routine mental health services is as much a cultural as a technical problem. Three challenges are identified: creating widespread access to high-quality decision support tools; integrating SDM with other recovery-supporting interventions; and responding to cultural changes as patients develop the normal expectations of citizenship. Two approaches which may inform responses in the mental health system to these cultural changes - social marketing and the hospitality industry - are identified. © 2017 World Psychiatric Association.

Justifications and comparisons in the division of household labor: the relevance of gender ideology.

Science.gov (United States)

Martínez, Carmen; Paterna, Consuelo; Yago, Carmen

2010-05-01

This study tests the direct relevance of justifications and social comparisons (predictors of perceptions of fairness) on different types of household labour distribution, and the importance of masculinity ideology and neosexism on these variables. The participants were heterosexual dual-earner couples. Our results showed that both men and women use more justifications when their housework distribution is not equal, but only women use social comparisons associated with the ways of distributing domestic work. In addition, we observe that, in both men and women, justifications are related to a traditional masculine ideology, but a different model appears in relation to comparisons which are associated with neosexism in men and with traditional masculine ideology in women. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Inoculating against Pro-Plagiarism Justifications: Rational and Affective Strategies

Science.gov (United States)

Compton, Josh; Pfau, Michael

2008-01-01

Student plagiarism continues to threaten academic integrity. This investigation assessed whether an inoculation message strategy could combat university plagiarism by protecting student attitudes against pro-plagiarism justification arguments. Additionally, we sought theoretical confirmation of previous findings on involvement and accessibility in…

Identifying Barriers in Implementing Outcomes-Based Assessment Program Review: A Grounded Theory Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Bresciani, Marilee J.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this grounded theory study was to identify the typical barriers encountered by faculty and administrators when implementing outcomes-based assessment program review. An analysis of interviews with faculty and administrators at nine institutions revealed a theory that faculty and administrators' promotion, tenure (if applicable),…

Developing Theory to Guide Building Practitioners' Capacity to Implement Evidence-Based Interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Leeman, Jennifer; Calancie, Larissa; Kegler, Michelle C; Escoffery, Cam T; Herrmann, Alison K; Thatcher, Esther; Hartman, Marieke A; Fernandez, Maria E

2017-02-01

Public health and other community-based practitioners have access to a growing number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs), and yet EBIs continue to be underused. One reason for this underuse is that practitioners often lack the capacity (knowledge, skills, and motivation) to select, adapt, and implement EBIs. Training, technical assistance, and other capacity-building strategies can be effective at increasing EBI adoption and implementation. However, little is known about how to design capacity-building strategies or tailor them to differences in capacity required across varying EBIs and practice contexts. To address this need, we conducted a scoping study of frameworks and theories detailing variations in EBIs or practice contexts and how to tailor capacity-building to address those variations. Using an iterative process, we consolidated constructs and propositions across 24 frameworks and developed a beginning theory to describe salient variations in EBIs (complexity and uncertainty) and practice contexts (decision-making structure, general capacity to innovate, resource and values fit with EBI, and unity vs. polarization of stakeholder support). The theory also includes propositions for tailoring capacity-building strategies to address salient variations. To have wide-reaching and lasting impact, the dissemination of EBIs needs to be coupled with strategies that build practitioners' capacity to adopt and implement a variety of EBIs across diverse practice contexts.

Applying Organization Theory to Understanding the Adoption and Implementation of Accountable Care Organizations: Commentary.

Science.gov (United States)

Shortell, Stephen M

2016-12-01

This commentary highights the key arguments and contributions of institutional thoery, transaction cost economics (TCE) theory, high reliability theory, and organizational learning theory to understanding the development and evolution of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Institutional theory and TCE theory primarily emphasize the external influences shaping ACOs while high reliability theory and organizational learning theory underscore the internal fctors influencing ACO perfromance. A framework based on Implementation Science is proposed to conside the multiple perspectives on ACOs and, in particular, their abiity to innovate to achieve desired cost, quality, and population health goals. © The Author(s) 2016.

What Provides Justification for Cheating : Producing or Observing Counterfactuals?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bassarak, C.; Leib, M.; Mischkowski, D.; Strang, S.; Glöckner, A.; Shalvi, S.

2017-01-01

When people can profit financially by lying, they do so to the extent to which they can justify their lies. One type of justification is the observation and production of desirable counterfactual information. Here, we disentangle observing and producing of desired counterfactuals and test whether

Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership and Implementation Leadership Scale: mapping concepts for developing and evaluating theory-based leadership interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Gifford, Wendy; Graham, Ian D; Ehrhart, Mark G; Davies, Barbara L; Aarons, Gregory A

2017-01-01

Leadership in health care is instrumental to creating a supportive organizational environment and positive staff attitudes for implementing evidence-based practices to improve patient care and outcomes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the alignment of the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe), a theoretical model for developing implementation leadership, with the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS), an empirically validated tool for measuring implementation leadership. A secondary objective is to describe the methodological process for aligning concepts of a theoretical model with an independently established measurement tool for evaluating theory-based interventions. Modified template analysis was conducted to deductively map items of the ILS onto concepts of the O-MILe. An iterative process was used in which the model and scale developers (n=5) appraised the relevance, conceptual clarity, and fit of each ILS items with the O-MILe concepts through individual feedback and group discussions until consensus was reached. All 12 items of the ILS correspond to at least one O-MILe concept, demonstrating compatibility of the ILS as a measurement tool for the O-MILe theoretical constructs. The O-MILe provides a theoretical basis for developing implementation leadership, and the ILS is a compatible tool for measuring leadership based on the O-MILe. Used together, the O-MILe and ILS provide an evidence- and theory-based approach for developing and measuring leadership for implementing evidence-based practices in health care. Template analysis offers a convenient approach for determining the compatibility of independently developed evaluation tools to test theoretical models.

Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership and Implementation Leadership Scale: mapping concepts for developing and evaluating theory-based leadership interventions

Science.gov (United States)

Gifford, Wendy; Graham, Ian D; Ehrhart, Mark G; Davies, Barbara L; Aarons, Gregory A

2017-01-01

Purpose Leadership in health care is instrumental to creating a supportive organizational environment and positive staff attitudes for implementing evidence-based practices to improve patient care and outcomes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the alignment of the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe), a theoretical model for developing implementation leadership, with the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS), an empirically validated tool for measuring implementation leadership. A secondary objective is to describe the methodological process for aligning concepts of a theoretical model with an independently established measurement tool for evaluating theory-based interventions. Methods Modified template analysis was conducted to deductively map items of the ILS onto concepts of the O-MILe. An iterative process was used in which the model and scale developers (n=5) appraised the relevance, conceptual clarity, and fit of each ILS items with the O-MILe concepts through individual feedback and group discussions until consensus was reached. Results All 12 items of the ILS correspond to at least one O-MILe concept, demonstrating compatibility of the ILS as a measurement tool for the O-MILe theoretical constructs. Conclusion The O-MILe provides a theoretical basis for developing implementation leadership, and the ILS is a compatible tool for measuring leadership based on the O-MILe. Used together, the O-MILe and ILS provide an evidence- and theory-based approach for developing and measuring leadership for implementing evidence-based practices in health care. Template analysis offers a convenient approach for determining the compatibility of independently developed evaluation tools to test theoretical models. PMID:29355212

A Kaluza-Klein interpretation of an extended gauge theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doria, C.M.

1987-01-01

A possible geometric justification for the inclusion of three vector potentials transforming under a common compact and simple gauge group is presented in terms of the spontaneous compactification of a higher-dimensional theory of coupled Yang-Mills-gravity with non-trivial torsion. (author) [pt

Les justifications en faveur de l'allocation universelle : une présentation critique

OpenAIRE

Philippe Quirion

1996-01-01

National audience; The universal grant proposal has been championed by many authors. It consists in supplying each citizen with a benefit which is unconditional and can be drawn concurrently to every other resource. This paper builds a typology of the various justifications that have been provided for this proposal, and submits them to a critical examination. Justifications in which a universal grant is a cure for unemployment and thus a way to provide a right to work appear to be weakly-foun...

Ethical Justification of Moral Norms in Scientific Research: Scientists' External Responsibilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mehmet AKÖZER

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Scientists' moral responsibilities have become a focus for the scientific community over the postwar decades. International and regional networks of leading academic bodies have responded to a widely perceived increase in scientific fraud and the ensued loss of public trust in science during the 1980s, and initiated a discussion with a view to codifying good practice in research. While scientists' “external” responsibilities towards society and the humankind have been variously addressed, codes drafted since then mainly dwell on problems of misconduct concerning scientists' “internal” responsibilities towards science and to the scientific community. They also reflect an ethical pluralism, which declines justifying moral standards in research with reference to universal ethical principles. However, the need for such justification has been first recognized decades ago, during the Doctor's Trial in Nuremberg, where the shortcomings of the established ethos of science and the inadequacy of the Hippocratic ethics in safeguarding human rights in research had become flagrant, with the resultant Nuremberg Code of 1947 introducing a human rights perspective into Hippocratic ethics. This paper argues for the necessity of an integral ethical justification of scientists' both external and inner responsibilities, as put down or assumed by internationally acclaimed codes of conduct. Such necessity is validated by the evidence that a historical current to monopolize ethical thinking in the name of science and nullify philosophical ethics lies at the root of an anti–morality that relativized human worth and virtually legitimized human rights violations in scientific practice. Kantian ethics based on humans' absolute inner worth, and Popperian epistemology rooted in respect for truth and for humans as rational beings, pledge an ethical justification of moral norms in science so as to reinforce the latter against intrusions of anti–morality. The paper

Quantitative Justification for Project Authorization to Proceed

Science.gov (United States)

Hara, Norikazu

2002-01-01

Every decision to give the Authorization To Proceed (ATP) for development is made after enough study on the balancing of necessary cost and the benefit from the mission. People are aware that the risk incurred by the development must be also taken into consideration for the decision. However, these studies remain the qualitative descriptions except cost estimation so far (1). Recognizing risk is a quantity, which has the unit of the value (2,3), we can derive a simple inequality, which is useful for the justification for the project ATP. The inequality is a necessary condition that mission value must be larger than the summation of cost and risk. The value of mission is the conversion from all of the benefit from the successful mission to monetary value. Cost includes all of the necessary expense for development and operation. Risk is the expectation of loss, which includes not only direct loss but also indirect loss incurred by the mission failure. The concept of utility should be considered not only in the mission value but also in the loss. The probability of mission failure, which is one of two components of risk, is the degree of belief in the postulate that the mission will end in failure. The concept of probability necessary for risk evaluation is not limit of relative frequency but degree of belief, which is the original meaning of the probability (3). There is the celebrated Laplace's Rule of Succession (4) with respect to this degree of belief probability. There was severe controversy on the Rule because of his equal distribution assumption. However, not assuming equal distribution where no information is available, by recognizing that equal distribution is the expression for no information, we can derive his Rule naturally (5,6). The inequality, which gives the basis for the justification for ATP, is also useful for the midterm decision for project continuation when it is fairly prolonged against the initial schedule. To show the use of this inequality

National Survey on Justification of CT-examinations in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Almen, Anja; Leitz, Wolfram; Richter, Sven

2009-02-01

All examinations in diagnostic radiology shall be justified to avoid unnecessary irradiation of the patients. The objective of the study was to investigate the degree of justification for CT-examinations in Sweden. Referrals for all examinations performed during one day were retrospectively evaluated by a group of physicians. The study was designed and conducted by a project group lead by prof. Haakan Jorulf. The authors of this report have derived the results and conclusions on the basis of the data and are responsible for the content of this report. The principle result was that approximately 20 % of all examinations were not justified. The degree of justification varied strongly with organ examined, moderately with prescriber affiliation and weakly with geographical region. If unjustified examinations could be avoided a large dose reduction for the population would be achieved. This study shows that there is a need for improvements and the authority will continue to work with this issue

National Survey on Justification of CT-examinations in Sweden

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Almen, Anja; Leitz, Wolfram; Richter, Sven

2009-02-15

All examinations in diagnostic radiology shall be justified to avoid unnecessary irradiation of the patients. The objective of the study was to investigate the degree of justification for CT-examinations in Sweden. Referrals for all examinations performed during one day were retrospectively evaluated by a group of physicians. The study was designed and conducted by a project group lead by prof. Haakan Jorulf. The authors of this report have derived the results and conclusions on the basis of the data and are responsible for the content of this report. The principle result was that approximately 20 % of all examinations were not justified. The degree of justification varied strongly with organ examined, moderately with prescriber affiliation and weakly with geographical region. If unjustified examinations could be avoided a large dose reduction for the population would be achieved. This study shows that there is a need for improvements and the authority will continue to work with this issue

On complicity theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Kline, A David

2006-04-01

The received account of whistleblowing, developed over the last quarter century, is identified with the work of Norman Bowie and Richard DeGeorge. Michael Davis has detailed three anomalies for the received view: the paradoxes of burden, missing harm and failure. In addition, he has proposed an alternative account of whistleblowing, viz., the Complicity Theory. This paper examines the Complicity Theory. The supposed anomalies rest on misunderstandings of the received view or misreadings of model cases of whistleblowing, for example, the Challenger disaster and the Ford Pinto. Nevertheless, the Complicity Theory is important for as in science the contrast with alternative competing accounts often helps us better understand the received view. Several aspects of the received view are reviewed and strengthened through comparison with Complicity Theory, including why whistleblowing needs moral justification. Complicity Theory is also critiqued. The fundamental failure of Complicity Theory is its failure to explain why government and the public encourage and protect whistleblowers despite the possibility of considerable harm to the relevant company in reputation, lost jobs, and lost shareholder value.

Application of simplified Complexity Theory concepts for healthcare social systems to explain the implementation of evidence into practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandler, Jacqueline; Rycroft-Malone, Jo; Hawkes, Claire; Noyes, Jane

2016-02-01

To examine the application of core concepts from Complexity Theory to explain the findings from a process evaluation undertaken in a trial evaluating implementation strategies for recommendations about reducing surgical fasting times. The proliferation of evidence-based guidance requires a greater focus on its implementation. Theory is required to explain the complex processes across the multiple healthcare organizational levels. This social healthcare context involves the interaction between professionals, patients and the organizational systems in care delivery. Complexity Theory may provide an explanatory framework to explain the complexities inherent in implementation in social healthcare contexts. A secondary thematic analysis of qualitative process evaluation data informed by Complexity Theory. Seminal texts applying Complexity Theory to the social context were annotated, key concepts extracted and core Complexity Theory concepts identified. These core concepts were applied as a theoretical lens to provide an explanation of themes from a process evaluation of a trial evaluating the implementation of strategies to reduce surgical fasting times. Sampled substantive texts provided a representative spread of theoretical development and application of Complexity Theory from late 1990's-2013 in social science, healthcare, management and philosophy. Five Complexity Theory core concepts extracted were 'self-organization', 'interaction', 'emergence', 'system history' and 'temporality'. Application of these concepts suggests routine surgical fasting practice is habituated in the social healthcare system and therefore it cannot easily be reversed. A reduction to fasting times requires an incentivised new approach to emerge in the surgical system's priority of completing the operating list. The application of Complexity Theory provides a useful explanation for resistance to change fasting practice. Its utility in implementation research warrants further attention and

A 2D finite element implementation of the Fleck–Willis strain-gradient flow theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Kim Lau; Niordson, Christian Frithiof

2013-01-01

The lay-out of a numerical solution procedure for the strain gradient flow (rate-independent) theory by Fleck and Willis [A mathematical basis for strain-gradient theory – Part II: Tensorial plastic multiplier, 57:1045–1057; 2009, JMPS] has been an open issue, and its finite element implementation...

Lower Pay for Women's Coaches: Refuting Some Common Justifications.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Joseph P.

1995-01-01

The two standard justifications for different salaries paid to male and female coaches under 1963 and 1964 civil rights/equal pay legislation must fail under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which independently prohibits gender discrimination in employment and mandates equal athletic opportunity for female students. Some suggestions…

ICT Student Teachers' Judgments and Justifications about Ethical Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Alakurt, Turgay; Bardakci, Salih; Keser, Hafize

2012-01-01

In this study, Turkish ICT student teachers' judgments and justifications in four scenarios involving ICT-related ethical problems were investigated. Scenarios were designed based on Mason's (1986) four ethical issues: privacy, accuracy, property and accessibility. The study was carried out in the fall of 2010. We used the critical incidents…

A Self-Determination Model of Childhood Exposure, Perceived Prevalence, Justification, and Perpetration of Intimate Partner Violence.

Science.gov (United States)

Neighbors, Clayton; Walker, Denise D; Mbilinyi, Lyungai F; Zegree, Joan; Foster, Dawn W; Roffman, Roger A

2013-02-01

The present research was designed to evaluate self-determination theory as a framework for integrating factors associated with intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. The proposed model suggests that childhood exposure to parental violence may influence global motivational orientations which, in turn result in greater cognitive biases (overestimating the prevalence of IPV and justification of IPV) which, in turn, contribute to an individual's decision to use abusive behavior. Participants included 124 men who had engaged in abusive behavior toward an intimate partner. Results provided reasonable support for the proposed model and stronger support for a revised model suggesting that controlled orientation, rather than autonomy orientation, appears to play a stronger role in the association between childhood exposure to parental violence and cognitive biases associated with abusive behavior.

Designing theoretically-informed implementation interventions: Fine in theory, but evidence of effectiveness in practice is needed

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reeves Scott

2006-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract The Improved Clinical Effectiveness through Behavioural Research Group (ICEBeRG authors assert that a key weakness in implementation research is the unknown applicability of a given intervention outside its original site and problem, and suggest that use of explicit theory offers an effective solution. This assertion is problematic for three primary reasons. First, the presence of an underlying theory does not necessarily ease the task of judging the applicability of a piece of empirical evidence. Second, it is not clear how to translate theory reliably into intervention design, which undoubtedly involves the diluting effect of "common sense." Thirdly, there are many theories, formal and informal, and it is not clear why any one should be given primacy. To determine whether explicitly theory-based interventions are, on average, more effective than those based on implicit theories, pragmatic trials are needed. Until empirical evidence is available showing the superiority of theory-based interventions, the use of theory should not be used as a basis for assessing the value of implementation studies by research funders, ethics committees, editors or policy decision makers.

Victim derogation and victim enhancement as alternate routes to system justification.

Science.gov (United States)

Kay, Aaron C; Jost, John T; Young, Sean

2005-03-01

Abstract-Numerous studies have documented the potential for victim-blaming attributions to justify the status quo. Recent work suggests that complementary, victim-enhancing stereotypes may also increase support for existing social arrangements. We seek to reconcile these seemingly contradictory findings by proposing that victim derogation and victim enhancement are alternate routes to system justification, with the preferred route depending on the perception of a causal link between trait and outcome. Derogating "losers" (and lionizing "winners") on traits (e.g., intelligence) that are causally related to outcomes (e.g., wealth vs. poverty) serves to increase system justification, as does compensating "losers" (and downgrading "winners") on traits (e.g., physical attractiveness) that are causally unrelated to those outcomes. We provide converging evidence using system-threat and stereotype-activation paradigms.

Translating Unstructured Workflow Processes to Readable BPEL: Theory and Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Aalst, Willibrordus Martinus Pancratius; Lassen, Kristian Bisgaard

2008-01-01

The Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL) has emerged as the de-facto standard for implementing processes. Although intended as a language for connecting web services, its application is not limited to cross-organizational processes. It is expected that in the near future...... and not easy to use by end-users. Therefore, we provide a mapping from Workflow Nets (WF-nets) to BPEL. This mapping builds on the rich theory of Petri nets and can also be used to map other languages (e.g., UML, EPC, BPMN, etc.) onto BPEL. In addition to this we have implemented the algorithm in a tool called...

System justification, the denial of global warming, and the possibility of "system-sanctioned change".

Science.gov (United States)

Feygina, Irina; Jost, John T; Goldsmith, Rachel E

2010-03-01

Despite extensive evidence of climate change and environmental destruction, polls continue to reveal widespread denial and resistance to helping the environment. It is posited here that these responses are linked to the motivational tendency to defend and justify the societal status quo in the face of the threat posed by environmental problems. The present research finds that system justification tendencies are associated with greater denial of environmental realities and less commitment to pro-environmental action. Moreover, the effects of political conservatism, national identification, and gender on denial of environmental problems are explained by variability in system justification tendencies. However, this research finds that it is possible to eliminate the negative effect of system justification on environmentalism by encouraging people to regard pro-environmental change as patriotic and consistent with protecting the status quo (i.e., as a case of "system-sanctioned change"). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

The Justification of Organizational Performance in Annual Report Narratives

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcelo Sanches Pagliarussi

2010-04-01

Full Text Available In this paper, the nature of organizational discourse is theoretically underpinned by the concept of self-serving attributions, a type of causal reasoning that allows the writer to take credit for good news and avoid blame for bad news. We incorporated signaling theory to the extant theoretical framework for self-serving attributions in order to develop hypotheses for the expected levels of attributional bias in the justification of organizational performance. A sample of 49 companies was selected, both from a bad year and a good year regarding the capital market context. Each company’s Letter to Shareholders was content analyzed in order to test our propositions concerning the presence and intensity of self-serving attributions in that section of annual reports. The results partially corroborate the proposed theoretical hypotheses, but the sample size is an issue in terms of robustness. Nevertheless, the results indicate that companies attempt to create a positive corporate image to external stakeholders even when negative performance occurs in a clearly favorable external context. Moreover, we observed that companies with positive performance in a good external context blame negative effects on the environment in a proportion equivalent to that observed for companies with positive performance in a bad year.

Organizational Health Literacy: Review of Theories, Frameworks, Guides, and Implementation Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Bonneville, Luc; Bouchard, Louise

2018-01-01

Organizational health literacy is described as an organization-wide effort to transform organization and delivery of care and services to make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. Several health literacy guides have been developed to assist healthcare organizations with this effort, but their content has not been systematically reviewed to understand the scope and practical implications of this transformation. The objective of this study was to review (1) theories and frameworks that inform the concept of organizational health literacy, (2) the attributes of organizational health literacy as described in the guides, (3) the evidence for the effectiveness of the guides, and (4) the barriers and facilitators to implementing organizational health literacy. Drawing on a metanarrative review method, 48 publications were reviewed, of which 15 dealt with the theories and operational frameworks, 20 presented health literacy guides, and 13 addressed guided implementation of organizational health literacy. Seven theories and 9 operational frameworks have been identified. Six health literacy dimensions and 9 quality-improvement characteristics were reviewed for each health literacy guide. Evidence about the effectiveness of health literacy guides is limited at this time, but experiences with the guides were positive. Thirteen key barriers (conceived also as facilitators) were identified. Further development of organizational health literacy requires a strong and a clear connection between its vision and operationalization as an implementation strategy to patient-centered care. For many organizations, becoming health literate will require multiple, simultaneous, and radical changes. Organizational health literacy has to make sense from clinical and financial perspectives in order for organizations to embark on such transformative journey. PMID:29569968

Organizational Health Literacy: Review of Theories, Frameworks, Guides, and Implementation Issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Farmanova, Elina; Bonneville, Luc; Bouchard, Louise

2018-01-01

Organizational health literacy is described as an organization-wide effort to transform organization and delivery of care and services to make it easier for people to navigate, understand, and use information and services to take care of their health. Several health literacy guides have been developed to assist healthcare organizations with this effort, but their content has not been systematically reviewed to understand the scope and practical implications of this transformation. The objective of this study was to review (1) theories and frameworks that inform the concept of organizational health literacy, (2) the attributes of organizational health literacy as described in the guides, (3) the evidence for the effectiveness of the guides, and (4) the barriers and facilitators to implementing organizational health literacy. Drawing on a metanarrative review method, 48 publications were reviewed, of which 15 dealt with the theories and operational frameworks, 20 presented health literacy guides, and 13 addressed guided implementation of organizational health literacy. Seven theories and 9 operational frameworks have been identified. Six health literacy dimensions and 9 quality-improvement characteristics were reviewed for each health literacy guide. Evidence about the effectiveness of health literacy guides is limited at this time, but experiences with the guides were positive. Thirteen key barriers (conceived also as facilitators) were identified. Further development of organizational health literacy requires a strong and a clear connection between its vision and operationalization as an implementation strategy to patient-centered care. For many organizations, becoming health literate will require multiple, simultaneous, and radical changes. Organizational health literacy has to make sense from clinical and financial perspectives in order for organizations to embark on such transformative journey.

Sexual Assault Perpetrators’ Justifications for Their Actions: Relationships to Rape Supportive Attitudes, Incident Characteristics, and Future Perpetration

Science.gov (United States)

Wegner, Rhiana; Abbey, Antonia; Pierce, Jennifer; Pegram, Sheri E.; Woerner, Jacqueline

2015-01-01

Perpetrators use rape supportive attitudes and sexual assault incident characteristics to justify forcing sex on their victims. Perpetrators who can justify their behaviors are at increased risk for future perpetration. This study examined the relationships between rape supportive attitudes, sexual assault incident characteristics, and the post-assault justifications of 183 men sampled from the community who self-reported committing at least one act of sexual aggression. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that rape supportive attitudes, expectations for having sex, misperceptions of sexual intent, victims’ alcohol consumption, attempts to be alone with her, and the number of consensual sexual activities prior to the unwanted sex were significant predictors of perpetrators’ post-assault use of justifications. Greater use of justifications was a significant predictor of sexual aggression over a 1-year follow-up interval. These findings demonstrate the need for further research exploring when and why perpetrators use post-assault justifications and whether they are amenable to change. PMID:26056162

Sexual Assault Perpetrators' Justifications for Their Actions: Relationships to Rape Supportive Attitudes, Incident Characteristics, and Future Perpetration.

Science.gov (United States)

Wegner, Rhiana; Abbey, Antonia; Pierce, Jennifer; Pegram, Sheri E; Woerner, Jacqueline

2015-08-01

Perpetrators use rape supportive attitudes and sexual assault incident characteristics to justify forcing sex on their victims. Perpetrators who can justify their behaviors are at increased risk for future perpetration. This study examined the relationships between rape supportive attitudes, sexual assault incident characteristics, and the post-assault justifications of 183 men sampled from the community who self-reported committing at least one act of sexual aggression. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses indicated that rape supportive attitudes, expectations for having sex, misperceptions of sexual intent, victims' alcohol consumption, attempts to be alone with her, and the number of consensual sexual activities prior to the unwanted sex were significant predictors of perpetrators' post-assault use of justifications. Greater use of justifications was a significant predictor of sexual aggression over a 1-year follow-up interval. These findings demonstrate the need for further research exploring when and why perpetrators use post-assault justifications and whether they are amenable to change. © The Author(s) 2015.

Dilemmas of Justification in the Qualitative Study of Intimate Matters

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tersbøl, Britt Pinkowski

2010-01-01

This chapter focuses on the special obligation researchers have to consider carefully the ethical and moral aspects of their work when undertaking qualitative field research on intimate matters. The chapter argues that the term "justification" is central to a discussion of several dimensions...

Translating Unstructured Workflow Processes to Readable BPEL: Theory and Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

van der Aalst, Willibrordus Martinus Pancratius; Lassen, Kristian Bisgaard

2008-01-01

and not easy to use by end-users. Therefore, we provide a mapping from Workflow Nets (WF-nets) to BPEL. This mapping builds on the rich theory of Petri nets and can also be used to map other languages (e.g., UML, EPC, BPMN, etc.) onto BPEL. In addition to this we have implemented the algorithm in a tool called...... WorkflowNet2BPEL4WS....

Stereotypes as justifications of prejudice.

Science.gov (United States)

Crandall, Christian S; Bahns, Angela J; Warner, Ruth; Schaller, Mark

2011-11-01

Three experiments investigate how stereotypes form as justifications for prejudice. The authors created novel content-free prejudices toward unfamiliar social groups using either subliminal (Experiment 1, N = 79) or supraliminal (Experiment 2, N = 105; Experiment 3, N = 130) affective conditioning and measured the consequent endorsement of stereotypes about the groups. Following the stereotype content model, analyses focused on the extent to which stereotypes connoted warmth or competence. Results from all three experiments revealed effects on the warmth dimension but not on the competence dimension: Groups associated with negative affect were stereotyped as comparatively cold (but not comparatively incompetent). These results provide the first evidence that-in the absence of information, interaction, or history of behavioral discrimination-stereotypes develop to justify prejudice.

Using the Theory of Planned Behavior and Cheating Justifications to Predict Academic Misconduct

Science.gov (United States)

Stone, Thomas H.; Jawahar, I. M.; Kisamore, Jennifer L.

2009-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to show that academic misconduct appears to be on the rise; some research has linked academic misconduct to unethical workplace behaviors. Unlike previous empirically-driven research, this theory-based study seeks to examine the usefulness of a modification of Ajzen's theory of planned behavior to predict…

Compromise and Disagreement in Comtemporary Political Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rostbøll, Christian F.; Scavenius, Theresa

Compromise and Disagreement in Contemporary Political Theory provides a critical discussion of when and to what extent compromise is the best response to pluralism and disagreement in democratic decision-making and beyond. Organized into four parts, the book begins by discussing the justification...... and limits of compromise. Part II discusses the practice of compromise and considers the ethics required for compromise as well as the institutions that facilitate compromise. Part III focuses on pluralism and connects the topic of compromise to current discussions in political theory on public reason...

Justification for measurement equation: a fundamental issue in theoretical metrology

OpenAIRE

Aleksander V. Prokopov

2013-01-01

A review and a critical analysis of the specialized literature on justification for the measurement equation and an estimation of a methodical error (uncertainty) of the measurement result are presented in the paper, and some prospects for solving of the issue are discussed herein.

Learning from doing: the case for combining normalisation process theory and participatory learning and action research methodology for primary healthcare implementation research.

Science.gov (United States)

de Brún, Tomas; O'Reilly-de Brún, Mary; O'Donnell, Catherine A; MacFarlane, Anne

2016-08-03

The implementation of research findings is not a straightforward matter. There are substantive and recognised gaps in the process of translating research findings into practice and policy. In order to overcome some of these translational difficulties, a number of strategies have been proposed for researchers. These include greater use of theoretical approaches in research focused on implementation, and use of a wider range of research methods appropriate to policy questions and the wider social context in which they are placed. However, questions remain about how to combine theory and method in implementation research. In this paper, we respond to these proposals. Focussing on a contemporary social theory, Normalisation Process Theory, and a participatory research methodology, Participatory Learning and Action, we discuss the potential of their combined use for implementation research. We note ways in which Normalisation Process Theory and Participatory Learning and Action are congruent and may therefore be used as heuristic devices to explore, better understand and support implementation. We also provide examples of their use in our own research programme about community involvement in primary healthcare. Normalisation Process Theory alone has, to date, offered useful explanations for the success or otherwise of implementation projects post-implementation. We argue that Normalisation Process Theory can also be used to prospectively support implementation journeys. Furthermore, Normalisation Process Theory and Participatory Learning and Action can be used together so that interventions to support implementation work are devised and enacted with the expertise of key stakeholders. We propose that the specific combination of this theory and methodology possesses the potential, because of their combined heuristic force, to offer a more effective means of supporting implementation projects than either one might do on its own, and of providing deeper understandings of

Men's response to their wives' participation in microfinance: perpetration and justification of intimate partner violence in Bangladesh.

Science.gov (United States)

Murshid, N S

2016-12-01

The present study adds to extant literature on the association between microfinance participation and intimate partner violence (IPV) by assessing a national sample of men married to microfinance participants. The key objective was to assess whether there was a positive association between wives' microfinance participation and men's perpetration and justification of IPV in urban areas of Bangladesh. This study is based on a population-based secondary data analysis. In this cross-sectional study, data from a national sample of men from the 2007 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey were analysed using logistic regression analyses. IPV perpetration was measured using a modified Conflict Tactics Scale and justification of IPV was measured based on 'justification of wife beating' statements with which men agreed or disagreed. Men married to microfinance participants were not significantly different from men married to non-participants of microfinance in terms of IPV perpetration in both urban and rural areas. However, the interaction effect of wives' microfinance participation and urban living on men's justification of IPV revealed a significant and positive beta coefficient. Specifically, wives' participation in microfinance was positively associated with men's justification of IPV in urban areas (β = 0.51, P men and women. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Justification for Continued Operation for Tank 241-Z-361

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

BOGEN, D.M.

1999-09-01

This justification for continued operations (JCO) summarizes analyses performed to better understand and control the potential hazards associated with Tank 241-2-361. This revision to the JCO has been prepared to identify and control the hazards associated with sampling the tank using techniques developed and approved for use in the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) at Hanford.

Justification for Continued Operation for Tank 241-Z-361

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

BOGEN, D.M.

1999-01-01

This justification for continued operations (JCO) summarizes analyses performed to better understand and control the potential hazards associated with Tank 241-2-361. This revision to the JCO has been prepared to identify and control the hazards associated with sampling the tank using techniques developed and approved for use in the Tank Waste Remediation System (TWRS) at Hanford

Justification for measurement equation: a fundamental issue in theoretical metrology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksander V. Prokopov

2013-11-01

Full Text Available A review and a critical analysis of the specialized literature on justification for the measurement equation and an estimation of a methodical error (uncertainty of the measurement result are presented in the paper, and some prospects for solving of the issue are discussed herein.

Quality assurance in digital dental radiography--justification and dose reduction in dental and maxillofacial radiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hellstern, F; Geibel, M-A

2012-01-01

To evaluate the implementation of quality assurance requirements for digital dental radiography in routine clinical practice. The results should be discussed by radiation protection authorities in the context of the relevant legal requirements and current debates on radiation protection. Two hundred digital dental radiographs were randomly selected from the digital database of the Department of Dentistry's Dental and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinic, Ulm University, and evaluated for various aspects of image quality and compliance with radiographic documentation requirements. The dental films were prepared by different radiology assistants (RAs) using one of two digital intraoral radiographic systems: Sirona Heliodent DS, 60 kV, focal spot size: 0.7 mm (group A) or KaVo Gendex 765 DC, 65 kV, focal spot size: 0.4 mm (group B). Radiographic justification was documented in 70.5% of cases, and the radiographic findings in 76.5%. Both variables were documented in the patient records as well as in the software in 14% of cases. Clinical documentation of the required information (name of the responsible dentist and radiology assistant, date, patient name, department, tube voltage, tube current, exposure time, type of radiograph, film size, department and serial number of the dental radiograph) was 100% complete in all cases. Moreover, the department certified according to DIN ISO 9001:2008 specifications demonstrated complete clinical documentation of radiographic justifications and radiographic findings. The entire dentition was visible on 83% of the digital films. The visible area corresponded to the target region on 85.7% of the digital dental radiographs. Seven to 8.5% of the images were classified as "hypometric" or "hypermetric". This study indicates that improvements in radiology training and continuing education fordentists and dental staff performing x-ray examinations are needed to ensure consistent high quality of digital dental radiography. Implementation of

The ethical justification of nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van Wyk, J.H.

1985-01-01

This study pamphlet deals with the questions of ethics, nuclear power and the ethical justification of nuclear power. Nuclear power is not only used for warfare but also in a peaceful way. Ethical questions deal with the use of nuclear weapons. Firstly, a broad discussion of the different types of ethics is given. Secondly, the peaceful uses of nuclear power, such as nuclear power plants, are discussed. In the last place the application of nuclear power in warfare and its disadvantages are discussed. The author came to the conclusion that the use of nuclear power in warfare is in contrary with all Christian ethics

Human Rights in The Monotheistic Religions : Justification of Human Rights in the perspective of monotheistic religion according to Human Rights Theories

OpenAIRE

Ali, Sadaqat

2018-01-01

The discourse of human rights has been very prominent in the post-world wars which led various international organizations and institutes to generate awareness on this subject and pave a path for implementation of fundamental human rights in the world. Many theories have been coined and proliferated in the world to look the matter more seriously. The question mark on the role of religion in this regard has led the discussion sidelining divinely revealed monotheistic religions. Thus, religions...

Design and economic justification of group blanks application

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. Todić

2012-04-01

Full Text Available Within the manufacturing process planning, blanks are either selected or designed, respectively forms of input material for the manufacture of products. Reviewed in this paper are three types of group blanks: group castings, group forgings manufactured by closed die forging and free forging, and group blanks manufactured by pressing melted metal in casts. The paper also presents requisites for design and evaluation of economic justification of group blanks application.

Implementation of multiple intelligences theory in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakić-Mirić, Natasa

2010-01-01

Theory of multiple intelligences (MI) is considered an innovation in learning the English language because it helps students develop all eight intelligences that, on the other hand, represent ways people understand the world around them, solve problems and learn. They are: verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical, visual/spatial, bodily/kinaesthetic, musical/rhythmic, interpersonal, intrapersonal and naturalist. Also, by focusing on the problem-solving activities, teachers, by implementing theory of multiple intelligences, encourage students not only to build their existing language knowledge but also learn new content and skills. The objective of this study has been to determine the importance of implementation of the theory of multiple intelligences in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School. Ways in which the theory of multiple intelligences has been implemented in the English language course syllabus particularly in one lecture for junior year students of pharmacy in the University of Nis Medical School. The English language final exam results from February 2009 when compared with the final exam results from June 2007 prior to the implementation of MI theory showed the following: out of 80 junior year students of pharmacy, 40 obtained grade 10 (outstanding), 16 obtained grade 9 (excellent), 11 obtained grade 8 (very good), 4 obtained grade 7 (good) and 9 obtained grade 6 (pass). No student failed. The implementation of the theory of multiple intelligences in the English language course syllabus at the University of Nis Medical School has had a positive impact on learning the English language and has increased students' interest in language learning. Genarally speaking, this theory offers better understanding of students' intelligence and greater appreciation of their strengths. It provides numerous opportunities for students to use and develop all eight intelligences not just the few they excel in prior to enrolling in a

Extended producer responsibility for consumer waste: the gap between economic theory and implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubois, Maarten

2012-09-01

Although economic theory supports the use of extended producer responsibility (EPR) to stimulate prevention and recycling of waste, EPR systems implemented in Europe are often criticized as a result of weak incentives for prevention and green product design. Using a stylized economic model, this article evaluates the efficiency of European EPR systems. The model reveals that the introduction of static collection targets creates a gap between theory and implementation. Static targets lead to inefficient market outcomes and weak incentives for prevention and green product design. The minimum collection targets should be complemented with a tax on producers for the non-collected waste fraction. Because such a tax internalizes the cost of waste disposal, more efficient price signals will lead to better incentives for waste management in a complex and dynamic market.

A Theory of Secondary Teachers' Adaptations When Implementing a Reading Intervention Program

Science.gov (United States)

Leko, Melinda M.; Roberts, Carly A.; Pek, Yvonne

2015-01-01

This study examined the causes and consequences of secondary teachers' adaptations when implementing a research-based reading intervention program. Interview, observation, and artifact data were collected on five middle school intervention teachers, leading to a grounded theory composed of the core component, reconciliation through adaptation, and…

All the mathematics in the world: logical validity and classical set theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Charles McCarty

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A recognizable topological model construction shows that any consistent principles of classical set theory, including the validity of the law of the excluded third, together with a standard class theory, do not suffice to demonstrate the general validity of the law of the excluded third. This result calls into question the classical mathematician's ability to offer solid justifications for the logical principles he or she favors.

Justification and quality control in radiodiagnostics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dalen, A. van

1989-01-01

The role of the radiodiagnostician in justification of x-ray examination is discussed. Under the final responsibility of the radio-diagnostician the more common examinations are performed by laboratory assistants. A justification judgement before by the radio-diagnostician does not take place. In case of complicated examinations often previous consultation between radio-diagnostician and clinician is necessary. The fast development of new techniques like CT, echography and MRI has as result that the modern radio-diagnostician develops more and more into a imaging-specialist. In the consultation with the clinician he advises about the optimal diagnostics for a certain patient, taking optimally into account the risks of x-radiation. The justifying role of the radio-diagnostician depends further upon the relation with the requiring physician. In general the inter-collegial consultation is assumed to be sufficient within the hospitals, however the feedback to general practitioners seems to be improvable in some cases. With regard to quality assurance it is remarked that the quality of the examination may not be endangered by a too strong emphasis upon radiation reduction. Aspects like education level, protocol learning, dose limits, degressive tariffs, information-transfer, radiation passport, analysis between 'blue' ton, centralization of x-ray examination and quality of apparatus, are discussed. From the Government primarily a constraint setting policy is expected, in which rule-giving with respect to quality of education and apparatus is highly important. A stimulation of inter-collegial consulting may be expected, in particular in financial sense. A permission policy has to be managed, which ensures centralization of apparatus and centrally performance of x-ray examination as much as possible. Finally warning is given for the effects of excessive fear for radiation which causes refraining of medical necessary examination. The various risk have to be weighed up

Justifying decisions in social dilemmas: justification pressures and tacit coordination under environmental uncertainty.

Science.gov (United States)

de Kwaadsteniet, Erik W; van Dijk, Eric; Wit, Arjaan; De Cremer, David; de Rooij, Mark

2007-12-01

This article investigates how justification pressures influence harvesting decisions in common resource dilemmas. The authors argue that when a division rule prescribes a specific harvest level, such as under environmental certainty, people adhere more strongly to this division rule when they have to justify their decisions to fellow group members. When a division rule does not prescribe a specific harvest level, such as under environmental uncertainty, people restrict their harvests when they have to justify their decisions to fellow group members. The results of two experimental studies corroborate this line of reasoning. The findings are discussed in terms of tacit coordination. The authors specify conditions under which justification pressures may or may not facilitate efficient coordination.

Case Study on Justification: High Intensity Discharge Lamps. Annex II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2016-01-01

High intensity discharge lamps produce bright white light of a high intensity in an energy efficient manner. These lamps are typically used in large numbers in public and professional settings such as shops, warehouses, hotels and offices. They are also used in outdoor applications to illuminate streets, buildings, statues, flags and gardens and further as architectural lighting. They also have applications associated with film projection in cinemas, manufacture of semiconductors, fluorescence endoscopy and microscopy, schlieren photography, hologram projection, ultraviolet curing, sky beamers and car headlights. Some types of high intensity discharge lamp, as well as certain other consumer products for lighting, contain radioactive substances for functional reasons. The radionuclides that are typically incorporated into high intensity discharge lamps are 85 Kr and 232 Th. Given the wide range of uses, specific decisions on justification may be required for different applications. A small number of safety assessments for high intensity discharge lamps have been carried out and published. No published decisions at the national level specifically addressing the justification of the use of high intensity discharge lamps have been identified

Implementation gap between the theory and practice of biodiversity offset multipliers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bull, Joseph William; Lloyd, Samuel P.; Strange, Niels

2017-01-01

literature on multipliers. Then, we collate data on multipliers implemented in practice, rep- resenting the most complete such assessment to date. Finally, we explore remaining design gaps relating to social, ethical, and governance considerations. Multiplier values should theoretically be tens or hundreds...... when considering, for example, ecological uncertainties. We propose even larger multipliers required to satisfy previously ignored considerations – including prospect theory, taboo trades, and power relationships. Conversely, our data analyses show that multipliers are smaller in practice, regularly...... for the implementation gap we have identified. At the same time, there is a need to explore when and where the social, ethical, and governance requirements for NNL reviewed here can be met through approaches other than multipliers....

What We Talk About When We Talk About Morality: Deontological, Consequentialist, and Emotive Language Use in Justifications Across Foundation-Specific Moral Violations.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, Melissa A; Laham, Simon M

2016-09-01

Morality is inherently social, yet much extant work in moral psychology ignores the central role of social processes in moral phenomena. To partly address this, this article examined the content of persuasive moral communication-the way people justify their moral attitudes in persuasive contexts. Across two studies, we explored variation in justification content (deontological, consequentialist, or emotive) as a function of moral foundations. Using justification selection techniques (Study 1) and open-ended justification production (Study 2), results demonstrate a preference (a) for deontological appeals in justifications for the sanctity foundation, (b) for consequentialist appeals for the individualizing foundations (care and fairness), and (c) for emotive appeals in justifications for the binding foundations (loyalty, authority and sanctity). The present research questions the generality of inferences about the primacy of emotions/intuition in moral psychology research and highlights the important role of reasons in persuasive moral communication. © 2016 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

41 CFR 102-5.95 - Is the comfort and/or convenience of an employee considered sufficient justification to authorize...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... convenience of an employee considered sufficient justification to authorize home-to-work transportation? 102-5...-to-Work Transportation § 102-5.95 Is the comfort and/or convenience of an employee considered sufficient justification to authorize home-to-work transportation? No, the comfort and/or convenience of an...

"Because I Am Worth It" : A Theoretical Framework and Empirical Review of a Justification-Based Account of Self-Regulation Failure

NARCIS (Netherlands)

De Witt Huberts, Jessie C.; Evers, Catharine; De Ridder, Denise T D

Self-regulation failure is often explained as being overwhelmed by impulse. The present article proposes a novel pathway, presenting a theoretical framework and empirical review of a justification-based account of self-regulation failure. With justification we refer to making excuses for one's

Physically based rendering from theory to implementation

CERN Document Server

Pharr, Matt

2010-01-01

"Physically Based Rendering, 2nd Edition" describes both the mathematical theory behind a modern photorealistic rendering system as well as its practical implementation. A method - known as 'literate programming'- combines human-readable documentation and source code into a single reference that is specifically designed to aid comprehension. The result is a stunning achievement in graphics education. Through the ideas and software in this book, you will learn to design and employ a full-featured rendering system for creating stunning imagery. This book features new sections on subsurface scattering, Metropolis light transport, precomputed light transport, multispectral rendering, and much more. It includes a companion site complete with source code for the rendering system described in the book, with support for Windows, OS X, and Linux. Code and text are tightly woven together through a unique indexing feature that lists each function, variable, and method on the page that they are first described.

Implementation of Bourbaki's Elements of Mathematics in Coq: Part One, Theory of Sets

OpenAIRE

Grimm , José

2013-01-01

We believe that it is possible to put the whole work of Bourbaki into a computer. One of the objectives of the Gaia project concerns homological algebra (theory as well as algorithms); in a first step we want to implement all nine chapters of the book Algebra. But this requires a theory of sets (with axiom of choice etc.) more powerful than what is provided by Ensembles; we have chosen the work of Carlos Simpson as basis. This reports lists and comments all definitions and theorems of the Cha...

Social Justification of Risks, an Ethical Challenge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bovy, M.

2005-01-01

The expert culture needs more ethical reflection in a risk based society. In order to improve transparency goals in a more democratic decision-making process, the contributions of several types of expertise must be gathered in a trans-disciplinary approach. In Belgium, the involvement of the population in the nuclear waste management projects at local level MONA and Stola is seen as a positive support for building social consensus and as a main channel for communication with laymen. At global level, the role of experts in the editing of safety standard and radiation protection guidance stresses the importance of giving more attention to peer review both from scientific side as from society interests. Within European decommissioning policy we see clear needs for comparisons and justification, especially in fund management on the long term. This could help the population to fill the gap between complex issues and legitimated demands for information. Questioning the mandate of experts and reviewing their contribution will help making explicit basic issues that deal with more social concern for future cost of energy, environmental protection and possible scenarios of energy supply. The governance approach addressed to future generations asks for more social justification from scientists, experts and politicians. This requires specific efforts to build up sustainable platforms of dialogue on controversial topics. The objectives of work performed by SCK-CEN are to support ethical considerations in different reflection groups; to enhance transparency within the communication processes; to favour social review in decision-making processes dealing with expert culture analyses and to suggest more involvement to improve democratic attitudes in techno-scientific reflexion

Difficulties implementing a mental health guideline: an exploratory investigation using psychological theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eccles Martin P

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Evaluations of interventions to improve implementation of guidelines have failed to produce a clear pattern of results favouring a particular method. While implementation depends on clinicians and managers changing a variety of behaviours, psychological theories of behaviour and behaviour change are seldom used to try to understand difficulties in implementation or to develop interventions to overcome them. Objectives This study applied psychological theory to examine explanations for difficulties in implementation. It used a theoretical framework derived from an interdisciplinary consensus exercise to code interviews across 11 theoretical domains. The focus of the study was a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's Schizophrenia guideline recommendation that family intervention should be offered to the families of people with schizophrenia. Methods Participants were recruited from community mental health teams from three United Kingdom National Health Service (NHS Trusts; 20 members (social workers, nurses, team managers, psychologists, and psychiatrists participated. Semi-structured interviews were audio-taped and transcribed. Interview questions were based on the theoretical domains and addressed respondents' knowledge, attitudes and opinions regarding the guideline. Two researchers independently coded the transcript segments from each interview that were related to each theoretical domain. A score of 1 indicated that the transcript segments relating to the domain did not appear to contain description of difficulties in implementation of the family therapy guidelines; similarly a score of 0.5 indicated possible difficulties and a score of 0 indicated definite difficulties. Results Coding respondents' answers to questions related to the three domains 'beliefs about consequences,' 'social/professional role and identity,' and 'motivation' produced the three highest total scores indicating that factors relating

American Sterilization: The Racist Justifications for Sterilization in the United States

OpenAIRE

Trevor Price

2016-01-01

An investigative analysis into anthropometrics, sterilization, eugenics, and other forms of scientific racism used to justify white supremacy and racial thought in the 19th and 20th centuries in the United States. The Tuskegee syphilis study, Darwinistic ideals, and neo-Lamarckian thoughts are critically analyzed as justifications for institutional racism.

On the perpetuation of ignorance: system dependence, system justification, and the motivated avoidance of sociopolitical information.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Steven; Kay, Aaron C

2012-02-01

How do people cope when they feel uninformed or unable to understand important social issues, such as the environment, energy concerns, or the economy? Do they seek out information, or do they simply ignore the threatening issue at hand? One would intuitively expect that a lack of knowledge would motivate an increased, unbiased search for information, thereby facilitating participation and engagement in these issues-especially when they are consequential, pressing, and self-relevant. However, there appears to be a discrepancy between the importance/self-relevance of social issues and people's willingness to engage with and learn about them. Leveraging the literature on system justification theory (Jost & Banaji, 1994), the authors hypothesized that, rather than motivating an increased search for information, a lack of knowledge about a specific sociopolitical issue will (a) foster feelings of dependence on the government, which will (b) increase system justification and government trust, which will (c) increase desires to avoid learning about the relevant issue when information is negative or when information valence is unknown. In other words, the authors suggest that ignorance-as a function of the system justifying tendencies it may activate-may, ironically, breed more ignorance. In the contexts of energy, environmental, and economic issues, the authors present 5 studies that (a) provide evidence for this specific psychological chain (i.e., ignorance about an issue → dependence → government trust → avoidance of information about that issue); (b) shed light on the role of threat and motivation in driving the second and third links in this chain; and (c) illustrate the unfortunate consequences of this process for individual action in those contexts that may need it most.

Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership and Implementation Leadership Scale: mapping concepts for developing and evaluating theory-based leadership interventions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gifford W

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Wendy Gifford,1 Ian D Graham,2,3 Mark G Ehrhart,4 Barbara L Davies,5,6 Gregory A Aarons7 1School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada; 2Centre for Practice-Changing Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 3School of Epidemiology, Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Facility of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; 4Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA; 5Nursing Best Practice Research Center, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada; 6Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA; 7Child and Adolescent Services Research Center, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA Purpose: Leadership in health care is instrumental to creating a supportive organizational environment and positive staff attitudes for implementing evidence-based practices to improve patient care and outcomes. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the alignment of the Ottawa Model of Implementation Leadership (O-MILe, a theoretical model for developing implementation leadership, with the Implementation Leadership Scale (ILS, an empirically validated tool for measuring implementation leadership. A secondary objective is to describe the methodological process for aligning concepts of a theoretical model with an independently established measurement tool for evaluating theory-based interventions.Methods: Modified template analysis was conducted to deductively map items of the ILS onto concepts of the O-MILe. An iterative process was used in which the model and scale developers (n=5 appraised the relevance, conceptual clarity, and fit of each ILS items with the O-MILe concepts through individual feedback and group discussions until consensus was reached.Results: All 12 items of the ILS correspond to at least one O-MILe concept, demonstrating compatibility of the ILS as a measurement tool for the O-MILe theoretical constructs.Conclusion: The O

Business Reporting: How Transparency becomes a Justification Mechanism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Christian

2004-01-01

through linking disclosure to value creation is emphasized. As transparency is in the eye of the beholder, the process of developing corporate reporting practices must be concerned with reaching a common understanding and agreement between producers and consumers of such disclosures. Transparency...... is perceived as both a key objective and outcome of comprehensive business reporting. However, the concept of transparency seems to be an empty concept merely constituting a justification mechanism for actual behaviour, i.e. that disclosure instead is driven by the signalling value for the individual company...

Action-Based Jurisprudence: Praxeological Legal Theory in Relation to Economic Theory, Ethics, and Legal Practice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Konrad Graf

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Action-based legal theory is a discrete branch of praxeology and the basis of an emerging school of jurisprudence related to, but distinct from, natural law. Legal theory and economic theory share content that is part of praxeology itself: the action axiom, the a priori of argumentation, universalizable property theory, and counterfactual-deductive methodology. Praxeological property-norm justification is separate from the strictly ethical “ought” question of selecting ends in an action context. Examples of action-based jurisprudence are found in existing “Austro-libertarian” literature. Legal theory and legal practice must remain distinct and work closely together if justice is to be found in real cases. Legal theorizing was shaped in religious ethical contexts, which contributed to confused field boundaries between law and ethics. The carrot and stick influence of rulers on theorists has distorted conventional economics and jurisprudence in particular directions over the course of centuries. An action-based approach is relatively immune to such sources of distortion in its methods and conclusions, but has tended historically to be marginalized from conventional institutions for this same reason.

Combining motivational and volitional interventions to promote exercise participation: protection motivation theory and implementation intentions.

Science.gov (United States)

Milne, Sarah; Orbell, Sheina; Sheeran, Paschal

2002-05-01

This study compared a motivational intervention based on protection motivation theory (PMT, Rogers, 1975, 1983) with the same motivational intervention augmented by a volitional intervention based on implementation intentions (Gollwitzer, 1993). The study had a longitudinal design, involving three waves of data collection over a 2-week period, incorporating an experimental manipulation of PMT variables at Time 1 and a volitional, implementation intention intervention at Time 2. Participants (N=248) were randomly allocated to a control group or one of two intervention groups. Cognitions and exercise behaviour were measured at three time-points over a 2-week period. The motivational intervention significantly increased threat and coping appraisal and intentions to engage in exercise but did not bring about a significant increase in subsequent exercise behaviour. In contrast, the combined protection motivation theory/implementation intention intervention had a dramatic effect on subsequent exercise behaviour. This volitional intervention did not influence behavioural intention or any other motivational variables. It is concluded that supplementing PMT with implementation intentions strengthens the ability of the model to explain behaviour. This has implications for health education programmes, which should aim to increase both participants' motivation and their volition.

Rational pharmacotherapy and clinical practice guidelines - Theories and perspectives on implementing pharmacotherapeutic treatment guidelines

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fijn, R; Brouwers, JRBJ; Timmer, JW; de Jong-van den Berg, LTW

Several theories behind implementing clinical guidelines have been described within the literature. At first sight, these may seem different. However, there are similarities and eventually they are rather complementary than mutually exclusive. This article integrates several theoretical views on

Justification of RFID Implementation. A Case Study of White Goods Manufacturer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gladysz Bartlomiej

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Radio Frequency Identification (RFID is a rapidly emerging technology with a wide range of impact and still not fully exploited potential applications. The impact of RFID is not limited to the area of its direct application. There are many possible benefits to be gained from RFID application, but it must be preceded with careful analysis as its implementation is not always reasonable. A new method for an assessment of RFID technology was presented and explained on the case of a white goods manufacturer. There was a lack of such a method allowing for relatively quick and flexible assessment, which is important for decision makers, who do not want to become involved in very sophisticated and time-consuming analysis at the early stage of decision making. The method supports early phases of decision making related to RFID implementation. Conclusions derived from the analysis of the case study confirmed that the method applied allows for rationalizing decision making and answers whether RFID could generate strategic advantage, in which area RFID should be applied, how RFID-supported processes will be executed and what benefits would be expected. previous papers focused only on answering specific questions from the above list, without showing a holistic approach. the approach to answer questions about execution of processes and benefits was not considered earlier at all. The paper illustrates details of using a new method of an assessment of RFID technology (ART using a real industrial example.

Can decoherence make quantum theories unfalsifiable? Understanding the quantum-to-classical transition without it

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oriols, X.

2016-01-01

Exact predictions for most quantum systems are computationally inaccessible. This is the so-called many body problem, which is present in most common interpretations of quantum mechanics. Therefore, predictions of natural quantum phenomena have to rely on some approximations (assumptions or simplifications). In the literature, there are different types of approximations, ranging from those whose justification is basically based on theoretical developments to those whose justification lies on the agreement with experiments. This last type of approximations can convert a quantum theory into an “unfalsifiable” quantum theory, true by construction. On the practical side, converting some part of a quantum theory into an “unfalsifiable” one ensures a successful modeling (i.e. compatible with experiments) for quantum engineering applications. An example of including irreversibility and dissipation in the Bohmian modeling of open systems is presented. On the ontological level, however, the present-day foundational problems related to controversial quantum phenomena have to avoid (if possible) being contaminated by the unfalsifiability originated from the many body problem. An original attempt to show how the Bohmian theory itself (minimizing the role of many body approximations) explains the transitions from a microscopic quantum system towards a macroscopic classical one is presented. (paper)

Key factors influencing adoption of an innovation in primary health care: a qualitative study based on implementation theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlfjord Siw

2010-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Bridging the knowledge-to-practice gap in health care is an important issue that has gained interest in recent years. Implementing new methods, guidelines or tools into routine care, however, is a slow and unpredictable process, and the factors that play a role in the change process are not yet fully understood. There is a number of theories concerned with factors predicting successful implementation in various settings, however, this issue is insufficiently studied in primary health care (PHC. The objective of this article was to apply implementation theory to identify key factors influencing the adoption of an innovation being introduced in PHC in Sweden. Methods A qualitative study was carried out with staff at six PHC units in Sweden where a computer-based test for lifestyle intervention had been implemented. Two different implementation strategies, implicit or explicit, were used. Sixteen focus group interviews and two individual interviews were performed. In the analysis a theoretical framework based on studies of implementation in health service organizations, was applied to identify key factors influencing adoption. Results The theoretical framework proved to be relevant for studies in PHC. Adoption was positively influenced by positive expectations at the unit, perceptions of the innovation being compatible with existing routines and perceived advantages. An explicit implementation strategy and positive opinions on change and innovation were also associated with adoption. Organizational changes and staff shortages coinciding with implementation seemed to be obstacles for the adoption process. Conclusion When implementation theory obtained from studies in other areas was applied in PHC it proved to be relevant for this particular setting. Based on our results, factors to be taken into account in the planning of the implementation of a new tool in PHC should include assessment of staff expectations, assessment of the

A possible description of baryon dynamics in dual and gauge theories

CERN Document Server

Rossi, G C

1977-01-01

The authors generalize to baryons a framework recently proposed in order to unify gauge, dual and Regge-Gribov theories of mesons. They depart from the 1/N/sub colour/ expansion of quantum chromodynamics (QCD) and replace it by a more general definition of a 'dual' approximation of QCD, based on the zero-width limit. Theoretical and phenomenological consequences of the scheme are derived. For N/sub colour/=3, the baryon resembles a Y shaped string; three families of new 'baryonium' bound states are predicted and rough estimates of intercepts and slopes of the associated Regge trajectories are given. A new type of Zweig-like selection rule is found to hold in leading order and its violations through higher-order topologies are discussed. Duality diagrams for baryons are ambiguous unless implemented with extra lines indicating the flow of certain colour indices. Duality between scattering and annihilation channels is found in BB scattering and its consequences are discussed. Some justification is given for the ...

Predictions of Actions and Their Justifications in False-Belief Tasks: The Role of Executive Function

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Putko Adam

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this study was to examine whether children’s ability to justify their action predictions in terms of mental states is related, in a similar way as the ability to predict actions, to such aspects of executive function (EF as executive control and working memory. An additional objective was to check whether the frequency of different types of justifications made by children in false-belief tasks is associated with aforementioned aspects of EF, as well as language. The study included 59 children aged 3-4 years. The ability to predict actions and to justify these predictions was measured with false-belief tasks. Luria’s hand-game was used to assess executive control, and the Counting and Labelling dual-task was used to assess working memory capacity. Language development was controlled using an embedded syntax test. It was found that executive control was a significant predictor of the children’s ability to justify their action predictions in terms of mental states, even when age and language were taken into account. Results also indicated a relationship between the type of justification in the false-belief task and language development. With the development of language children gradually cease to justify their action predictions in terms of current location, and they tend to construct irrelevant justifications before they begin to refer to beliefs. Data suggest that executive control, in contrast to language, is a factor which affects the development of the children’s ability to justify their action predictions only in its later phase, during a shift from irrelevant to correct justifications.

Design, Implementation, and Lessons Learned from a Digital Storytelling Project in an Undergraduate Health Promotion Theory Course

Science.gov (United States)

Rimando, Marylen; Smalley, K. Bryant; Warren, Jacob C.

2015-01-01

This article describes the design, implementation and lessons learned from a digital storytelling project in a health promotion theory course. From 2011-2012, 195 health promotion majors completed a digital storytelling project at a Midwestern university. The instructor observed students' understanding of theories and models. This article adds to…

Verification or Proof: Justification of Pythagoras' Theorem in Chinese Mathematics Classrooms

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Rongjin

2005-01-01

This paper presents key findings of my research on the approaches to justification by investigating how a sample of teachers in Hong Kong and Shanghai taught the topic Pythagoras theorem. In this study, 8 Hong Kong videos taken from TIMSS 1999 Video Study and 11 Shanghai videos videotaped by the researcher comprised the database. It was found that…

Application of the principles of justification and optimisation to products causing public exposure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fleishman, A.B.; Wrixon, A.D.

1980-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore the practical incorporation of the ICRP principles of justification and optimisation into a policy designed to control radioactive consumer products. ICRP recommends the use of cost benefit analysis and differential cost benefit analysis for justification and optimisation respectively, and expresses these procedures in simple mathematical forms. This might suggest that their application should involve quantification and therefore be objective. The problems which arise in such quantification are discussed. These include the derivation of a market demand curve for a given product and its adjustment to remove any distortion of perceived value or risk produced by advertising; the costing of detriment to those who receive no benefit (e.g., as a consequence of uncontrolled disposal); and the costs of the analyses themselves. Furthermore, both cost benefit and differential cost benefit analyses are dependent on availability of market and performance data. This is incompatible with prior approval schemes in which a decision must be made before the product is distributed. Ultimately criteria for product justification must therefore be based on judgements on the acceptability of risk that are political rather than scientific in nature. Optimisation must initially be carried out on an intuitive basis. However as experience is gained with similar products the opportunity for more formal optimisation and the setting of radiological protection standards arise. This requires further value judgements which are illustrated with reference to examples. (author)

Paternalistic breaches of confidentiality in prison: mental health professionals' attitudes and justifications.

Science.gov (United States)

Elger, Bernice Simone; Handtke, Violet; Wangmo, Tenzin

2015-06-01

This manuscript presents mental health practitioners' (MHPs) practice, attitudes and justifications for breaching confidentiality when imprisoned patients disclose suicidal thoughts or abuse by others. 24 MHPs working in Swiss prisons shared their experiences regarding confidentiality practices. The data were analysed qualitatively and MHPs' attitudes and course of action were identified. Analysis revealed paternalistic breaches of confidentiality. When patients reported suicidal thoughts and abuse, MHPs believed that forgoing confidentiality is necessary to protect patients, providing several justifications for it. Patients were informed that such information will be transmitted without their consent to medical and non-medical prison personnel. With reference to suicidal attempts, MHPs resorted to methods that may reduce suicidal attempts such as transfer to hospital or internal changes in living arrangements, which would require provision of certain information to prison guards. In cases of abuse, some MHPs convinced patients to accept intervention or sometimes overrode competent patients' refusals to report. Also in the case of abuse, provision of limited information to other prison personnel was seen as an acceptable method to protect patients from further harm. Breaches of confidentiality, whether limited or full, remain unethical, when used for competent patients based solely on paternalistic justifications. Institutionalising ethical and legal procedures to address suicidal and abuse situations would be helpful. Education and training to help both medical and prison personnel to respond to such situations in an appropriate manner that ensures confidentiality and protects patients from suicide and abuse are necessary. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Introductory Molecular Orbital Theory: An Honors General Chemistry Computational Lab as Implemented Using Three-Dimensional Modeling Software

Science.gov (United States)

Ruddick, Kristie R.; Parrill, Abby L.; Petersen, Richard L.

2012-01-01

In this study, a computational molecular orbital theory experiment was implemented in a first-semester honors general chemistry course. Students used the GAMESS (General Atomic and Molecular Electronic Structure System) quantum mechanical software (as implemented in ChemBio3D) to optimize the geometry for various small molecules. Extended Huckel…

The Implementation of Cumulative Learning Theory in Calculating Triangular Prism and Tube Volumes

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Muklis, M.; Abidin, C.; Pamungkas, M. D.; Masriyah

2018-01-01

This study aims at describing the application of cumulative learning theory in calculating the volume of a triangular prism and a tube as well as revealing the students’ responses toward the learning. The research method used was descriptive qualitative with elementary school students as the subjects of the research. Data obtained through observation, field notes, questionnaire, tests, and interviews. The results from the application of cumulative learning theory obtained positive students’ responses in following the learning and students’ learning outcomes was dominantly above the average. This showed that cumulative learning could be used as a reference to be implemented in learning, so as to improve the students’ achievement.

Savannah River Site environmental implementation plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Formal sitewide environmental planning at the Savannah River Site (SRS) began in 1986 with the development and adoption of the Strategic Environmental Plan. The Strategic Environmental Plan describes the philosophy, policy, and overall program direction of environmental programs for the operation of the SRS. The Strategic Environmental Plan provided the basis for development of the Environmental Implementation Plan (EIP). The EIP is the detailed, comprehensive environmental master plan for operating contractor organizations at the SRS. The EIP provides a process to ensure that all environmental requirements and obligations are being met by setting specific measurable goals and objectives and strategies for implementation. The plan is the basis for justification of site manpower and funding requests for environmental projects and programs over a five-year planning period

Advancing theory development: exploring the leadership–climate relationship as a mechanism of the implementation of cultural competence

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Erick G. Guerrero

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Leadership style and specific organizational climates have emerged as critical mechanisms to implement targeted practices in organizations. Drawing from relevant theories, we propose that climate for implementation of cultural competence reflects how transformational leadership may enhance the organizational implementation of culturally responsive practices in health care organizations. Methods Using multilevel data from 427 employees embedded in 112 addiction treatment programs collected in 2013, confirmatory factor analysis showed adequate fit statistics for our measure of climate for implementation of cultural competence (Cronbach’s alpha = .88 and three outcomes: knowledge (Cronbach’s alpha = .88, services (Cronbach’s alpha = .86, and personnel (Cronbach’s alpha = .86 practices. Results Results from multilevel path analyses indicate a positive relationship between employee perceptions of transformational leadership and climate for implementation of cultural competence (standardized indirect effect = .057, bootstrap p < .001. We also found a positive indirect effect between transformational leadership and each of the culturally competent practices: knowledge (standardized indirect effect = .006, bootstrap p = .004, services (standardized indirect effect = .019, bootstrap p < .001, and personnel (standardized indirect effect = .014, bootstrap p = .005. Conclusions Findings contribute to implementation science. They build on leadership theory and offer evidence of the mediating role of climate in the implementation of cultural competence in addiction health service organizations.

Justification and authority in institutional review board decision letters.

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Clapp, Justin T; Gleason, Katharine A; Joffe, Steven

2017-12-01

While ethnographic study has described the discussions that occur during human subjects research ethics review, investigators have minimal access to the interactions of ethics oversight committees. They instead receive letters stipulating changes to their proposed studies. Ethics committee letters are central to the practice of research ethics: they change the nature of research, alter the knowledge it produces, and in doing so construct what ethical research is and how it is pursued. However, these letters have rarely been objects of analysis. Accordingly, we conducted a qualitative analysis of letters written by American institutional review boards (IRBs) overseeing biomedical and health behavioral research. We sought to clarify how IRBs exercise their authority by assessing the frequency with which they provided reasons for their stipulations as well as the nature of these reasons. We found that IRBs frequently do not justify their stipulations; rather, they often leave ethical or regulatory concerns implicit or frame their comments as boilerplate language replacements, procedural instructions, or demands for missing information. When they do provide justifications, their rationales exhibit substantial variability in explicitness and clarity. These rhetorical tendencies indicate that the authority of IRBs is grounded primarily in their role as bureaucratic gatekeepers. We conclude by suggesting that greater attention to justification could help shift the basis of the IRB-researcher relationship from compliance to mutual accountability. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Illusion of Argument Justification

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Fisher, Matthew; Keil, Frank

2013-01-01

Argumentation is an important way to reach new understanding. Strongly caring about an issue, which is often evident when dealing with controversial issues, has been shown to lead to biases in argumentation. We suggest that people are not well calibrated in assessing their ability to justify a position through argumentation, an effect we call the illusion of argument justification. Furthermore we find that caring about the issue further clouds this introspection. We first show this illusion by measuring the difference between ratings before and after producing an argument for one’s own position. The strength of the illusion is predicted by the strength of care for a given issue (Study 1). The tacit influences of framing and priming do not override the effects of emotional investment in a topic (Study 2). However, explicitly considering counterarguments removes the effect of care when initially assessing the ability to justify a position (Study 3). Finally, we consider our findings in light of other recent research and discuss the potential benefits of group reasoning. PMID:23506085

Capitalists, Spies and Aliens: Conspiracy Theories in Bulgaria

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Hristov Todor

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The paper claims that conspiracy theories in Bulgaria are organized as a milieu rather than as a genre, and that, depending on their intensity, conspiracy theories can perform heterogeneous functions, which range from justification of political claims and popular mobilization to entertainment. Building on that conceptual framework, the paper illustrates the most prominent functional types of Bulgarian conspiracy theories. The higher-intensity theories are exemplified by the narratives of corruption and of the afterlife of the former communist secret services. The lower-intensity theories are illustrated by the fortunately short-lived question if the president of the United States has been abducted by aliens. The impact of the Bulgarian conspiratorial milieu on global theories is represented by the example of the Bulgarian modifications of the traveling narrative of the conspiracy of Jewish bankers. The emancipatory potential of the conspiracy theories is demonstrated by the example of the 2011 anti-GMO protests, motivated by narratives of conspiracy between the government and transnational corporations, which derived their energy from the associated milieu of ecological concerns.

Full-band quantum simulation of electron devices with the pseudopotential method: Theory, implementation, and applications

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Pala, M. G.; Esseni, D.

2018-03-01

This paper presents the theory, implementation, and application of a quantum transport modeling approach based on the nonequilibrium Green's function formalism and a full-band empirical pseudopotential Hamiltonian. We here propose to employ a hybrid real-space/plane-wave basis that results in a significant reduction of the computational complexity compared to a full plane-wave basis. To this purpose, we provide a theoretical formulation in the hybrid basis of the quantum confinement, the self-energies of the leads, and the coupling between the device and the leads. After discussing the theory and the implementation of the new simulation methodology, we report results for complete, self-consistent simulations of different electron devices, including a silicon Esaki diode, a thin-body silicon field effect transistor (FET), and a germanium tunnel FET. The simulated transistors have technologically relevant geometrical features with a semiconductor film thickness of about 4 nm and a channel length ranging from 10 to 17 nm. We believe that the newly proposed formalism may find applications also in transport models based on ab initio Hamiltonians, as those employed in density functional theory methods.

Implementing the theories: A fully integrated project control system that's implemented and works

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, R.E.

1994-01-01

Using the theories presented in DOE Orders 4700.1, 1332.1A, and Notice 4700.5 as the basis for system design, the Fernald Environmental Restoration Management Corporation (FERMCO) has developed and implemented a Project Control System (PCS) that complies with requirements and provides DOE and FERMCO management with timely performance measurement information. To this extent, the FERMCO PCS probably is similar to the systems of the majority of the contractors in the DOE complex. In fact. this facet of the FERMCO PCS generally mirrors those used on projects around the world by FERMCO's parent company, Fluor Daniel. Starting with this open-quotes platformclose quotes, the vision and challenge of creating a fully integrated system commenced. An open-architecture systems approach is the factor that most greatly influenced and enabled the successful development and implementation of the Project Control System for the Fernald Environmental Management Project. All aspects of a fully integrated system were considered during the design phase. The architecture of the FERMCO system enables seamless, near real-time, transfer of data both from and to the Project Control System with all other related systems. The primary systems that provide and share data with the Project Control System include those used by the Payroll, Accounting, Procurement, and Human Resources organizations. To enable data linking with these organizations, the resource codes were designed to map many-to-one from their detailed codes to the summarized codes used in the PCS

open-quotes Neglect of diatomic differential overlapclose quotes in nonempirical quantum chemical orbital theories. I. On the justification of the neglect of diatomic differential overlap approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neymeyr, K.; Seelig, F.F.

1995-01-01

A short review of the different approaches to the justification of the Neglect of Diatomic Differential Overlap in the basis of symmetrically orthogonalized basis functions is given. Brown and Roby employed the binomial expansion for the approximation of the inverse square root of the overlap matrix. For some overlap matrices, this expansion does not converge. The always-convergent power series given by Chandler and Grader provides a worse second-order approximation in comparison with the second-order binomial expansion. 9 refs

A Bayesian Justification for Random Sampling in Sample Survey

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Glen Meeden

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In the usual Bayesian approach to survey sampling the sampling design, plays a minimal role, at best. Although a close relationship between exchangeable prior distributions and simple random sampling has been noted; how to formally integrate simple random sampling into the Bayesian paradigm is not clear. Recently it has been argued that the sampling design can be thought of as part of a Bayesian's prior distribution. We will show here that under this scenario simple random sample can be given a Bayesian justification in survey sampling.

Analytic derivatives for perturbatively corrected ''double hybrid'' density functionals: Theory, implementation, and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neese, Frank; Schwabe, Tobias; Grimme, Stefan

2007-01-01

A recently proposed new family of density functionals [S. Grimme, J. Chem. Phys. 124, 34108 (2006)] adds a fraction of nonlocal correlation as a new ingredient to density functional theory (DFT). This fractional correlation energy is calculated at the level of second-order many-body perturbation theory (PT2) and replaces some of the semilocal DFT correlation of standard hybrid DFT methods. The new ''double hybrid'' functionals (termed, e.g., B2-PLYP) contain only two empirical parameters that have been adjusted in thermochemical calculations on parts of the G2/3 benchmark set. The methods have provided the lowest errors ever obtained by any DFT method for the full G3 set of molecules. In this work, the applicability of the new functionals is extended to the exploration of potential energy surfaces with analytic gradients. The theory of the analytic gradient largely follows the standard theory of PT2 gradients with some additional subtleties due to the presence of the exchange-correlation terms in the self-consistent field operator. An implementation is reported for closed-shell as well as spin-unrestricted reference determinants. Furthermore, the implementation includes external point charge fields and also accommodates continuum solvation models at the level of the conductor like screening model. The density fitting resolution of the identity (RI) approximation can be applied to the evaluation of the PT2 part with large gains in computational efficiency. For systems with ∼500-600 basis functions the evaluation of the double hybrid gradient is approximately four times more expensive than the calculation of the standard hybrid DFT gradient. Extensive test calculations are provided for main group elements and transition metal containing species. The results reveal that the B2-PLYP functional provides excellent molecular geometries that are superior compared to those from standard DFT and MP2

Grounded Theory of Barriers and Facilitators to Mandated Implementation of Mental Health Care in the Primary Care Setting

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Justin K. Benzer

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. There is limited theory regarding the real-world implementation of mental health care in the primary care setting: a type of organizational coordination intervention. The purpose of this study was to develop a theory to conceptualize the potential causes of barriers and facilitators to how local sites responded to this mandated intervention to achieve coordinated mental health care. Methods. Data from 65 primary care and mental health staff interviews across 16 sites were analyzed to identify how coordination was perceived one year after an organizational mandate to provide integrated mental health care in the primary care setting. Results. Standardized referral procedures and communication practices between primary care and mental health were influenced by the organizational factors of resources, training, and work design, as well as provider-experienced organizational boundaries between primary care and mental health, time pressures, and staff participation. Organizational factors and provider experiences were in turn influenced by leadership. Conclusions. Our emergent theory describes how leadership, organizational factors, and provider experiences affect the implementation of a mandated mental health coordination intervention. This framework provides a nuanced understanding of the potential barriers and facilitators to implementing interventions designed to improve coordination between professional groups.

Savannah River Site Environmental Implementation Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-01-01

Formal sitewide environmental planning at the . Savannah River Site (SRS) began in 1986 with the development and adoption of the Strategic Environmental Plan. The Strategic Environmental Plan describes the philosophy, policy, and overall program direction of environmental programs for the operation of the SRS. The Strategic Environmental Plan (Volume 2) provided the basis for development of the Environmental Implementation Plan (EIP). The EIP is the detailed, comprehensive environmental master plan for operating contractor organizations at the SRS. The EIP provides a process to ensure that all environmental requirements and obligations are being met by setting specific measurable goals and objectives and strategies for implementation. The plan is the basis for justification of site manpower and funding requests for environmental projects and programs over a five-year planning period

Savannah River Site Environmental Implementation Plan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-08-01

Formal sitewide environmental planning at the . Savannah River Site (SRS) began in 1986 with the development and adoption of the Strategic Environmental Plan. The Strategic Environmental Plan describes the philosophy, policy, and overall program direction of environmental programs for the operation of the SRS. The Strategic Environmental Plan (Volume 2) provided the basis for development of the Environmental Implementation Plan (EIP). The EIP is the detailed, comprehensive environmental master plan for operating contractor organizations at the SRS. The EIP provides a process to ensure that all environmental requirements and obligations are being met by setting specific measurable goals and objectives and strategies for implementation. The plan is the basis for justification of site manpower and funding requests for environmental projects and programs over a five-year planning period.

Fundamental theories of waves and particles formulated without classical mass

Science.gov (United States)

Fry, J. L.; Musielak, Z. E.

2010-12-01

Quantum and classical mechanics are two conceptually and mathematically different theories of physics, and yet they do use the same concept of classical mass that was originally introduced by Newton in his formulation of the laws of dynamics. In this paper, physical consequences of using the classical mass by both theories are explored, and a novel approach that allows formulating fundamental (Galilean invariant) theories of waves and particles without formally introducing the classical mass is presented. In this new formulation, the theories depend only on one common parameter called 'wave mass', which is deduced from experiments for selected elementary particles and for the classical mass of one kilogram. It is shown that quantum theory with the wave mass is independent of the Planck constant and that higher accuracy of performing calculations can be attained by such theory. Natural units in connection with the presented approach are also discussed and justification beyond dimensional analysis is given for the particular choice of such units.

System justification and the defense of committed relationship ideology.

Science.gov (United States)

Day, Martin V; Kay, Aaron C; Holmes, John G; Napier, Jaime L

2011-08-01

A consequential ideology in Western society is the uncontested belief that a committed relationship is the most important adult relationship and that almost all people want to marry or seriously couple (DePaulo & Morris, 2005). In the present article, we investigated the extent to which the system justification motive may contribute to the adoption of this ideology. In Studies 1 and 2, we examined whether a heightened motive to maintain the status quo would increase defense of committed relationship values. In Study 3, we examined the reverse association, that is, whether a threat to committed relationship ideology would also affect sociopolitical system endorsement. As past research has found that the justification of political systems depends upon how much these systems are perceived as controlling, in Study 4 we tested whether the defense of the system of committed relationships would also increase when framed as controlling. Results from Studies 1-4 were consistent with our hypotheses, but only for men. In Study 5, using cross-cultural data, we sought to replicate these findings correlationally and probe for a cause of the gender effect. Results from more than 33,000 respondents indicated a relationship (for men) between defense of the sociopolitical system and defense of marriage in countries where the traditional advantages of men over women were most threatened. In Studies 6 and 7, we investigated when this gender difference disappears. Results revealed that when we measured (Study 6) or manipulated (Study 7) personal relationship identity rather than relationship ideology, effects also emerge for women.

Predicting Teachers' Intentions to Implement School-Based Assessment Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Zi

2014-01-01

The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) was used to explore the Hong Kong teachers' intentions to implement school-based assessment (SBA) and the predictors of those intentions. A total of 280 teachers from Hong Kong secondary schools who had been involved in SBA were surveyed. Rasch-calibrated teacher measures were calculated for each of the 6…

Development, implementation, and verification of multicycle depletion perturbation theory for reactor burnup analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

White, J.R.

1980-08-01

A generalized depletion perturbation formulation based on the quasi-static method for solving realistic multicycle reactor depletion problems is developed and implemented within the VENTURE/BURNER modular code system. The present development extends the original formulation derived by M.L. Williams to include nuclide discontinuities such as fuel shuffling and discharge. This theory is first described in detail with particular emphasis given to the similarity of the forward and adjoint quasi-static burnup equations. The specific algorithm and computational methods utilized to solve the adjoint problem within the newly developed DEPTH (Depletion Perturbation Theory) module are then briefly discussed. Finally, the main features and computational accuracy of this new method are illustrated through its application to several representative reactor depletion problems.

Justifications on social ineaqualities. Notes on the Salvadoran case

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Irene Lungo Rodríguez

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This note presents the theoretical and methodological guidelines of my phd dissertation, which is under preparation. My concern is about cultural aspects that underlie social inequalities in contemporary El Salvador. Currently, this country is characterized by the primacy of neoliberal acumulation model, the rise of an unprecedented democracy, processes of reconcentration of capital and the persistence of high levels of social exclusion. Specifically, I study the justification of inequalities from the case of the “elite” middle classes in El Salvador. This research is inscribed whitin the sociological debates on the cultural aspects after reproduction of stratification and inequality.

The role of theory in research to develop and evaluate the implementation of patient safety practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Foy, Robbie; Ovretveit, John; Shekelle, Paul G; Pronovost, Peter J; Taylor, Stephanie L; Dy, Sydney; Hempel, Susanne; McDonald, Kathryn M; Rubenstein, Lisa V; Wachter, Robert M

2011-05-01

Theories provide a way of understanding and predicting the effects of patient safety practices (PSPs), interventions intended to prevent or mitigate harm caused by healthcare or risks of such harm. Yet most published evaluations make little or no explicit reference to theory, thereby hindering efforts to generalise findings from one context to another. Theories from a wide range of disciplines are potentially relevant to research on PSPs. Theory can be used in research to explain clinical and organisational behaviour, to guide the development and selection of PSPs, and in evaluating their implementation and mechanisms of action. One key recommendation from an expert consensus process is that researchers should describe the theoretical basis for chosen intervention components or provide an explicit logic model for 'why this PSP should work.' Future theory-driven evaluations would enhance generalisability and help build a cumulative understanding of the nature of change.

Development and Pilot Test of the Workplace Readiness Questionnaire, a Theory-Based Instrument to Measure Small Workplaces' Readiness to Implement Wellness Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Hannon, Peggy A; Helfrich, Christian D; Chan, K Gary; Allen, Claire L; Hammerback, Kristen; Kohn, Marlana J; Parrish, Amanda T; Weiner, Bryan J; Harris, Jeffrey R

2017-01-01

To develop a theory-based questionnaire to assess readiness for change in small workplaces adopting wellness programs. In developing our scale, we first tested items via "think-aloud" interviews. We tested the revised items in a cross-sectional quantitative telephone survey. The study setting comprised small workplaces (20-250 employees) in low-wage industries. Decision-makers representing small workplaces in King County, Washington (think-aloud interviews, n = 9), and the United States (telephone survey, n = 201) served as study subjects. We generated items for each construct in Weiner's theory of organizational readiness for change. We also measured workplace characteristics and current implementation of workplace wellness programs. We assessed reliability by coefficient alpha for each of the readiness questionnaire subscales. We tested the association of all subscales with employers' current implementation of wellness policies, programs, and communications, and conducted a path analysis to test the associations in the theory of organizational readiness to change. Each of the readiness subscales exhibited acceptable internal reliability (coefficient alpha range, .75-.88) and was positively associated with wellness program implementation ( p < .05). The path analysis was consistent with the theory of organizational readiness to change, except change efficacy did not predict change-related effort. We developed a new questionnaire to assess small workplaces' readiness to adopt and implement evidence-based wellness programs. Our findings also provide empirical validation of Weiner's theory of readiness for change.

Decision theory and the evaluation of risks and benefits of clinical trials.

Science.gov (United States)

Bernabe, Rosemarie D C; van Thiel, Ghislaine J M W; Raaijmakers, Jan A M; van Delden, Johannes J M

2012-12-01

Research ethics committees (RECs) are tasked to assess the risks and the benefits of a clinical trial. In previous studies, it was shown that RECs find this task difficult, if not impossible, to do. The current approaches to benefit-risk assessment (i.e. Component Analysis and the Net Risk Test) confound the various risk-benefit tasks, and as such, make balancing impossible. In this article, we show that decision theory, specifically through the expected utility theory and multiattribute utility theory, enable for an explicit and ethically weighted risk-benefit evaluation. This makes a balanced ethical justification possible, and thus a more rationally defensible decision making. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computer Games in Pre-School Settings: Didactical Challenges when Commercial Educational Computer Games Are Implemented in Kindergartens

Science.gov (United States)

Vangsnes, Vigdis; Gram Okland, Nils Tore; Krumsvik, Rune

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the didactical implications when commercial educational computer games are used in Norwegian kindergartens by analysing the dramaturgy and the didactics of one particular game and the game in use in a pedagogical context. Our justification for analysing the game by using dramaturgic theory is that we consider the game to be…

[AN EVALUATION OF JUSTICE AND RIGHT TO HEALTH CONCEPTS IN THE PERSPECTIVES OF ETHICAL THEORIES].

Science.gov (United States)

Ekmekçi, Perihan Elif; Arda, Berna

Right to health is considered as a fundamental human right. However the realization of right to health is facing obstacles due to the scarce resources which are needed for the provision of health services. Besides the vast technological improvements in medical area leads to the development of diagnosis and treatment possibilities each and every day. Thus, the provision of health services becomes a subject of distributive justice. To define the concept of justice, first one should identify the conditions of demanding right to have something and then determine how and who is obliged to give the deserved. Ethical theories form their own paradigms of acting right regarding their anchor points and priority values. The basic concepts such as justice or right to health are considered and conceptualized within the paradigms of the ethical theories. Thus some ethical theories consider right to health as a natural constituent of human being, while some may consider it contextual and others may reject it completely. In a similar vein, justice and related concepts of justice such as formal and material principles of justice differ regarding the paradigm of the ethical theory in which we position ourselves. The paradigms of ethical theories demand different approaches from each other both in defining the concepts and implementations in practical life. This paper sets forth how justice and right to health is conceptualized in the virtue ethics, deontological ethics, liberal ethical theory and communitarian ethical theories. To this end first the general frame of each ethical theory and how justice is conceptualized within this frame is defined. Following that a discussion of the possibility of justification of the right to health within the context of ethical theory is perused.

A Complete Theory of Everything (Will Be Subjective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marcus Hutter

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Increasingly encompassing models have been suggested for our world. Theories range from generally accepted to increasingly speculative to apparently bogus. The progression of theories from ego- to geo- to helio-centric models to universe and multiverse theories and beyond was accompanied by a dramatic increase in the sizes of the postulated worlds, with humans being expelled from their center to ever more remote and random locations. Rather than leading to a true theory of everything, this trend faces a turning point after which the predictive power of such theories decreases (actually to zero. Incorporating the location and other capacities of the observer into such theories avoids this problem and allows to distinguish meaningful from predictively meaningless theories. This also leads to a truly complete theory of everything consisting of a (conventional objective theory of everything plus a (novel subjective observer process. The observer localization is neither based on the controversial anthropic principle, nor has it anything to do with the quantum-mechanical observation process. The suggested principle is extended to more practical (partial, approximate, probabilistic, parametric world models (rather than theories of everything. Finally, I provide a justification of Ockham’s razor, and criticize the anthropic principle, the doomsday argument, the no free lunch theorem, and the falsifiability dogma.

Hardware implementation of an adaptive resonance theory (ART) neural network using compensated operational amplifiers

Science.gov (United States)

Ho, Ching S.; Liou, Juin J.; Georgiopoulos, Michael; Christodoulou, Christos G.

1994-03-01

This paper presents an analog circuit design and implementation for an adaptive resonance theory neural network architecture called the augmented ART1 neural network (AART1-NN). Practical monolithic operational amplifiers (Op-Amps) LM741 and LM318 are selected to implement the circuit, and a simple compensation scheme is developed to adjust the Op-Amp electrical characteristics to meet the design requirement. A 7-node prototype circuit has been designed and verified using the Pspice circuit simulator run on a Sun workstation. Results simulated from the AART1-NN circuit using the LM741, LM318, and ideal Op-Amps are presented and compared.

You can lead a horse to water … what Self-Determination Theory can contribute to our understanding of clinical policy implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Geoffrey P; Williams, Theresa M

2017-01-01

There has been increasing reliance on policy directives as instruments for shaping clinical practice in health care, despite it being widely recognized that there is a significant translation gap between clinical policy and its implementation. Self-Determination Theory, a widely researched and empirically validated theory of human needs' fulfilment and motivation, offers a potentially valuable theoretical framework for understanding not only why the current policy environment has not led to the anticipated improvement in the quality and safety of clinical care but, importantly, also provides guidance about how organizations can create an environment that can nurture behavioural change in the workforce. We describe an alternative approach to clinical policy-making underpinned by Self-Determination Theory, which we believe has broad application for the science of clinical implementation theory.

Dynamic Training Elements in a Circuit Theory Course to Implement a Self-Directed Learning Process

Science.gov (United States)

Krouk, B. I.; Zhuravleva, O. B.

2009-01-01

This paper reports on the implementation of a self-directed learning process in a circuit theory course, incorporating dynamic training elements which were designed on the basis of a cybernetic model of cognitive process management. These elements are centrally linked in a dynamic learning frame, created on the monitor screen, which displays the…

Methods and applications of analytical perturbation theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchgraber, U.; Stiefel, E.

1978-01-01

This monograph on perturbation theory is based on various courses and lectures held by the authors at the ETH, Zurich and at the University of Texas, Austin. Its principal intention is to inform application-minded mathematicians, physicists and engineers about recent developments in this field. The reader is not assumed to have mathematical knowledge beyond what is presented in standard courses on analysis and linear algebra. Chapter I treats the transformations of systems of differential equations and the integration of perturbed systems in a formal way. These tools are applied in Chapter II to celestial mechanics and to the theory of tops and gyroscopic motion. Chapter III is devoted to the discussion of Hamiltonian systems of differential equations and exposes the algebraic aspects of perturbation theory showing also the necessary modifications of the theory in case of singularities. The last chapter gives the mathematical justification for the methods developed in the previous chapters and investigates important questions such as error estimations for the solutions and asymptotic stability. Each chapter ends with useful comments and an extensive reference to the original literature. (HJ) [de

Justification of the zeta-function renormalization in rigid string model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nesterenko, V.V.; Pirozhenko, I.G.

1997-01-01

A consistent procedure for regularization of divergences and for the subsequent renormalization of the string tension is proposed in the framework of the one-loop calculation of the interquark potential generated by the Polyakov-Kleinert string. In this way, a justification of the formal treatment of divergences by analytic continuation of the Riemann and Epstein-Hurwitz zeta-functions is given. A spectral representation for the renormalized string energy at zero temperature is derived, which enables one to find the Casimir energy in this string model at nonzero temperature very easy

The trouble with justification, in search of an ethics of method for energy governance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meskens, G.

2015-01-01

In this series of slides the author tries to clarify the relationships between risks, knowledge, fairness and public acceptance. Fairness appears to be an important concept when dealing with risks. Fairness means a fair distribution of benefits and burdens and implies an informed consent or the possibility to avoid the risk. Fair risk justification in energy governance is risk justification of which the method of knowledge generation and decision making is trusted as fair by society. Seeking societal trust is the aim of sciences and technologies but the global social challenges we face are ultimately complex and our modern societies based on representative democracy do not favor consensus and stand in various comforts of polarization: pro or contra nuclear energy for instance, the same arguments being used in both sides. The result is a polarisation maintained by a lack of methodological intellectual confrontation in the structures of politics, science and civil society. There is a need for new practical forms of democracy, research and education

Implementing communication and decision-making interventions directed at goals of care: a theory-led scoping review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cummings, Amanda; Lund, Susi; Campling, Natasha; May, Carl R; Richardson, Alison; Myall, Michelle

2017-10-06

To identify the factors that promote and inhibit the implementation of interventions that improve communication and decision-making directed at goals of care in the event of acute clinical deterioration. A scoping review was undertaken based on the methodological framework of Arksey and O'Malley for conducting this type of review. Searches were carried out in Medline and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) to identify peer-reviewed papers and in Google to identify grey literature. Searches were limited to those published in the English language from 2000 onwards. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and only papers that had a specific focus on implementation in practice were selected. Data extracted were treated as qualitative and subjected to directed content analysis. A theory-informed coding framework using Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) was applied to characterise and explain implementation processes. Searches identified 2619 citations, 43 of which met the inclusion criteria. Analysis generated six themes fundamental to successful implementation of goals of care interventions: (1) input into development; (2) key clinical proponents; (3) training and education; (4) intervention workability and functionality; (5) setting and context; and (6) perceived value and appraisal. A broad and diverse literature focusing on implementation of goals of care interventions was identified. Our review recognised these interventions as both complex and contentious in nature, making their incorporation into routine clinical practice dependent on a number of factors. Implementing such interventions presents challenges at individual, organisational and systems levels, which make them difficult to introduce and embed. We have identified a series of factors that influence successful implementation and our analysis has distilled key learning points, conceptualised as a set of propositions, we consider relevant to implementing other complex

Increasing the Number of Replications in Item Response Theory Simulations: Automation through SAS and Disk Operating System

Science.gov (United States)

Gagne, Phill; Furlow, Carolyn; Ross, Terris

2009-01-01

In item response theory (IRT) simulation research, it is often necessary to use one software package for data generation and a second software package to conduct the IRT analysis. Because this can substantially slow down the simulation process, it is sometimes offered as a justification for using very few replications. This article provides…

Authority and Moral Reasons: Parenting Style and Children's Perceptions of Adult Rule Justifications

Science.gov (United States)

Leman, Patrick J.

2005-01-01

The style of parenting of 100 children (mean age 11 years, 5 months) was established according to Baumrind's typology. Children were asked to indicate what they thought an adult would say to justify a moral rule in five different scenarios. Results indicated that parenting style did not relate to the number of justifications that children thought…

Training implementation matrix. Spent Nuclear Fuel Project (SNFP)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

EATON, G.L.

2000-01-01

This Training Implementation Matrix (TIM) describes how the Spent Nuclear Fuel Project (SNFP) implements the requirements of DOE Order 5480.20A, Personnel Selection, Qualification, and Training Requirements for Reactor and Non-Reactor Nuclear Facilities. The TIM defines the application of the selection, qualification, and training requirements in DOE Order 5480.20A at the SNFP. The TIM also describes the organization, planning, and administration of the SNFP training and qualification program(s) for which DOE Order 5480.20A applies. Also included is suitable justification for exceptions taken to any requirements contained in DOE Order 5480.20A. The goal of the SNFP training and qualification program is to ensure employees are capable of performing their jobs safely and efficiently

Humanity and Justice in Global Health: Problems with Venkatapuram's Justification of the Global Health Duty.

Science.gov (United States)

Kollar, Eszter; Laukötter, Sebastian; Buyx, Alena

2016-01-01

One of the most ambitious and sophisticated recent approaches to provide a theory of global health justice is Sridhar Venkatapuram's recent work. In this commentary, we first outline the core idea of Venkatapuram's approach to global health justice. We then argue that one of the most important elements of the account, Venkatapuram's basis of global health duties, is either too weak or assumed implicitly without a robust justification. The more explicit grounding of the duty to protect and promote health capabilities is based on Martha Nussbaum's version of the capability approach. We argue that this foundation gives rise to humanitarian duties rather than duties of justice proper. Venkatapuram's second argument from the social determinants of health thesis is instead a stronger candidate for grounding duties of justice. However, as a justificatory argument, it is only alluded to and has not yet been spelled out sufficiently. We offer plausible justificatory steps to fill this gap and draw some implications for global health action. We believe this both strengthens Venkatapuram's approach and serves to broaden the basis for future action in the area of global health. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A finite element formulation for perturbation theory calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozgener, B.; Kaluc, S.

2004-01-01

Full text: When the introduced change in the configuration of a nuclear system is neutronically not too significant, the use of the perturbation theory approximation ('the perturbation theory method' or PTM) is usually considered as an alternative to the recalculation of the effective multiplication factor (K eff ) of the modified system ('the diffusion theory method' or DTM) for the determination of the ensuing change in reactivity. In the DTM, the change in reactivity due to the introduced change can be calculated by the multigroup diffusion theory by performing two K eff determinations, one for the original and one for the modified system. The accuracy of this method is only limited by the approximations inherent in the multigroup diffusion theory and the numerical method employed for its solution. The error stemming from the numerical approximation can be nearly eliminated by utilizing a fine enough spatial mesh ad an 'exact' solution is nearly possible. Its basic disadvantage relative to the PTM is the necessity of a new K eff calculation for every change in the configuration no matter how small. On the other hand, if we use PTM, with an only one-time calculation of the flux and the adjoint flux of the original system, the change in reactivity due to any kind of perturbation can be approximately calculated using the changes in the cross section data in the perturbation theory reactivity formula. The accuracy of the PTM is restricted by the size and location of the induced change. In this work, our aim is to assess the accuracy of PTM relative to the DTM and determine criteria for the justification of its use. For all required solutions of the normal and adjoint multigroup diffusion equations, we choose the finite element method (FEM) as our numerical method and a 1-D cylindrical geometry model. The underlying theory is implemented in our FORTRAN program PERTURB. The validation of PERTURB is carried out via comparisons with analytical solutions for bare and

THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATION OF EXPONENTIAL DISTRIBUTION LAW OF DISTANCES BETWEEN STOPS OF CITY PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gorbachov, P.

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the results of investigation of relation bitween the trip distance on stops location on the route between places of attraction. Theoretical justification of the use fulness of exponential distribution with the shift parameter for describing the trip distance between stops is given.

Derivation of Einstein-Cartan theory from general relativity

Science.gov (United States)

Petti, Richard

2015-04-01

General relativity cannot describe exchange of classical intrinsic angular momentum and orbital angular momentum. Einstein-Cartan theory fixes this problem in the least invasive way. In the late 20th century, the consensus view was that Einstein-Cartan theory requires inclusion of torsion without adequate justification, it has no empirical support (though it doesn't conflict with any known evidence), it solves no important problem, and it complicates gravitational theory with no compensating benefit. In 1986 the author published a derivation of Einstein-Cartan theory from general relativity, with no additional assumptions or parameters. Starting without torsion, Poincaré symmetry, classical or quantum spin, or spinors, it derives torsion and its relation to spin from a continuum limit of general relativistic solutions. The present work makes the case that this computation, combined with supporting arguments, constitutes a derivation of Einstein-Cartan theory from general relativity, not just a plausibility argument. This paper adds more and simpler explanations, more computational details, correction of a factor of 2, discussion of limitations of the derivation, and discussion of some areas of gravitational research where Einstein-Cartan theory is relevant.

Linked-cluster perturbation theory for closed and open-shell systems: derivation of effective π-electron hamiltonians

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brandow, B.H.

1977-01-01

The Brueckner--Goldstone form of linked-cluster perturbation theory is derived, together with its open-shell analog, by an elementary time-independent approach. This serves to focus attention on the physical interpretation of the results. The open-shell expansion is used to provide a straightforward justification for the effective π-electron Hamiltonians of planar organic molecules

RIAR experimental base development concept 1. Multi-purpose pyrochemical complex for experimental justification of innovative closed fuel cycle technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bychkov, A.V.; Kormilitsyn, M.V. [Research Institute of Atomic Reactors, Dimitrovgrad-10, Ulyanovsk region, 433510 (Russian Federation)

2009-06-15

The principles of closed FC arrangement on the basis of non-aqueous methods allow the development of production addressing two tasks simultaneously: production of fresh fuel and reprocessing of irradiated fuel, that makes it possible to achieve the industrial level of implementation of closed FC of fast reactors of new generation in a series variant of standardized process modules on the basis of innovative pyrochemical high-effective compact technologies. For the purpose of experimental justification of innovative closed FC technologies at the RIAR site, the existing experimental base is being updated and a multi-purpose pyrochemical complex is developed: - Experimental complex of pyrochemical molten salt facilities to reprocess all types of spent fuel (MOX, nitride, metallic, IMF) of fast reactors of new generation (BN-800, MBIR, BREST). - Experimental complex of facilities to master a gas-fluoride technology of reprocessing intractable fuel, research reactors fuel and thermal SNF. - Transition of the existing facility of pyro-electrochemical production of MOX fuel into the mode of reprocessing of the BN-800 MOX SNF. - Renovation of the facilities for production of fuel elements from experimental, re-fabricated, innovative and high-active fuel - a complex of heavy and glove boxes - to produce experimental fuel elements and targets with MAs on the basis of oxides (vibro and pellets), mixed nitrides, metal alloys and inert matrices in heavy boxes. - Upgrading of the complex for mastering and demonstration of the processes for radioactive waste management and spent fuel pyrochemical reprocessing. The report covers main concept and design solutions, plans and schedule of the program for development of pyrochemical complex for experimental justification of innovative closed FC technologies. (authors)

Justification and manufacturing quality assurance for the use of hot Isostatically pressed, reactor coolant system components in PWR plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sulley, J. L.; Hookham, I. D.

2008-01-01

This paper presents an overview of the work undertaken by Rolls-Royce to introduce Hot Isostatically Pressed (HIP) components into Pressurised Water Reactor plant. It presents the work from a design justification and manufacturing quality assurance perspective, rather than from a pure metallurgical perspective, although some metallurgical and mechanical property comparisons with the traditional forged material are presented. Although the HIP process is not new, it was new in its application to Rolls-Royce designed nuclear reactor plant. In order to satisfy the regulatory requirement of 'Proven Engineering Practices' with regard to the introduction of new material processes, and to provide a robust manufacturing substantiation leg of a multi-legged safety case, Rolls-Royce has implemented an evolving, staged approach, starting with HIP bonding of solid valve seats into small bore valve pressure boundaries. This was followed by powder HIP consolidation of leak-limited, thin-walled toroids, and has culminated in the powder HIP consolidation of components, such as steam generator headers, large bore valves and pipe sections. The paper provides an overview of each of these stages and the approach taken with respect to justification. The paper describes the benefits that Rolls-Royce has realised so far through the introduction of HIPed components, and improvements planned for the future. Structural integrity benefits are described, such as improved grain structure, mechanical properties, and ultrasonic inspection. Project-based benefits are also described, such as provision of an alternative strategic sourcing route, cost and lead-time reduction. A full description is provided of key quality assurance steps applied to the process to ensure a high quality product is delivered commensurate with a high integrity nuclear application. 2008 Rolls-Royce plc. (authors)

Researching Justification Texts of a First Instance Court from Assignment to Results and Reporting

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Langbroek, Philip; van der Linden - Smith, Tina

2014-01-01

Court decisions are reasoned to legitimize them. Lay people seem to understand little of the work of the courts. One of the questions for court administrators and judges is: for whom do judges write their judgments? Is it possible to analyze judicial justification texts with a view to the audiences

RADIATION SAFETY JUSTIFICATION FOR THE LONG-TERM STORAGE OF GAS CONDENSATE IN THE UNDERGROUND RESERVOURS FORMED BY THE NUCLEAR EXPLOSION TECHNOLOGY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. K. Romanovich

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents approaches to the safety justification of the gas condensate and brine long-term storage in the underground reservoirs formed by the nuclear explosion technology. Gas condensate and brine are the intermediate level liquid radioactive waste containing isotopes: 3Н, 137Cs and 90Sr, in traces - 239Pu, 235U, 241Am.Safety of the gas condensate and brine long-term storage in the underground reservoirs is assessed on the base of the multi-barrier principle implementation, used during radioactive waste disposal. It is shown that the gas condensate and brine long-term storage in the sealed underground reservoirs formed by nuclear explosion technologies in salt domes does not lead to the surface radioactive contamination and population exposure.

The Transitional Justice Models and the Justifications of Means of Dealing with the Past

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michal Krotoszynski

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The development of transitional justice measures can be fully understood only when one takes into account the values, rationales and justifications that lie at the roots of various ways of dealing with past wrongs. Seeing transitional justice as an ontologically complex structure, the article aims to relate the legal instruments that concentrate on past abusers to the axiological layer of settling accounts with the past. In order to do so, three basic models of transitional justice – a retribution model, a historical clarification model and a thick line model – all based on the measures implemented during democratic change, are presented. Then, with the use of a classic division between consequentialist and deontological argumentation, the article describes transitional justice justifications. Next, the values emblematic for each of the models are identified. Finally, the article proposes a structure of transitional justice moral reasoning that may guide transitional decision-making process on the axiological level. El desarrollo de medidas de justicia transicional sólo puede entenderse en su totalidad cuando se tienen en cuenta los valores, razones y justificaciones que subyacen en las raíces de las diversas maneras de tratar con los errores del pasado. Al ver la justicia transicional como una estructura ontológicamente compleja, el artículo pretende relacionar los instrumentos jurídicos que se concentran en los agresores del pasado con la capa axiológica de ajustar cuentas con el pasado. Para conseguirlo, se presentan tres modelos básicos de justicia transicional -un modelo de retribución, un modelo de esclarecimiento histórico y un modelo de línea gruesa-, todos basados en las medidas aplicadas durante un cambio democrático. Seguidamente, el artículo describe las justificaciones de la justicia transicional, con el uso de una división clásica entre argumentación consecuencialista y deontológica. A continuación, se

On the identifiability and the identification of linear models: examples of application within the frame of the theory of transformation systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delforge, Jacques

1984-01-01

In its first part, this research thesis which is the result of studies of the effects of radiations on molecular structures, addresses the search for guiding principles for the elaboration of a model with the best as possible justification (model justification is based on five criteria: rational consistency, refutability, adjustment to experimental data, justification of all model characteristics, uniqueness), recalls the main principles of the theory of transformation systems, and proposes a procedure of model search. The second part addresses mathematical methods. The third part addresses the problem of identifiability of parameters and the fourth part reports examples of model development: study of the effects of gamma irradiation on unicellular algae, study of the effects of radiations on the stem cells of rat gonads. This last part also reports the elaboration of pharmacokinetic model with 21 parameters, and the study of two models of nuclear medicine (assessment of the actual lung volume of hypoxemic patients, study of the methionine brain metabolism)

Advancing theory development: exploring the leadership-climate relationship as a mechanism of the implementation of cultural competence.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, Erick G; Fenwick, Karissa; Kong, Yinfei

2017-11-14

Leadership style and specific organizational climates have emerged as critical mechanisms to implement targeted practices in organizations. Drawing from relevant theories, we propose that climate for implementation of cultural competence reflects how transformational leadership may enhance the organizational implementation of culturally responsive practices in health care organizations. Using multilevel data from 427 employees embedded in 112 addiction treatment programs collected in 2013, confirmatory factor analysis showed adequate fit statistics for our measure of climate for implementation of cultural competence (Cronbach's alpha = .88) and three outcomes: knowledge (Cronbach's alpha = .88), services (Cronbach's alpha = .86), and personnel (Cronbach's alpha = .86) practices. Results from multilevel path analyses indicate a positive relationship between employee perceptions of transformational leadership and climate for implementation of cultural competence (standardized indirect effect = .057, bootstrap p climate in the implementation of cultural competence in addiction health service organizations.

Applying theories to better understand socio-political challenges in implementing evidence-based work disability prevention strategies.

Science.gov (United States)

Ståhl, Christian; Costa-Black, Katia; Loisel, Patrick

2018-04-01

This article explores and applies theories for analyzing socio-political aspects of implementation of work disability prevention (WDP) strategies. For the analysis, theories from political science are explained and discussed in relation to case examples from three jurisdictions (Sweden, Brazil and Québec). Implementation of WDP strategies may be studied through a conceptual framework that targets: (1) the institutional system in which policy-makers and other stakeholders reside; (2) the ambiguity and conflicts regarding what to do and how to do it; (3) the bounded rationality, path dependency and social systems of different stakeholders; and (4) coalitions formed by different stakeholders and power relations between them. In the case examples, the design of social insurance systems, the access to and infrastructure of healthcare systems, labor market policies, employers' level of responsibility, the regulatory environment, and the general knowledge of WDP issues among stakeholders played different roles in the implementation of policies based on scientific evidence. Future research may involve participatory approaches focusing on building coalitions and communities of practice with policy-makers and stakeholders, in order to build trust, facilitate cooperation, and to better promote evidence utilization. Implications for Rehabilitation Implementation of work disability prevention policies are subject to contextual influences from the socio-political setting and from relationships between stakeholders Stakeholders involved in implementing strategies are bound to act based on their interests and previous courses of action To promote research uptake on the policy level, stakeholders and researchers need to engage in collaboration and translational activities Political stakeholders at the government and community levels need to be more directly involved as partners in the production and utilization of evidence.

Australian Curriculum Implementation in a Remote Aboriginal School: A Curriculum Leader's Search for a Transformational Compromise

Science.gov (United States)

Parkinson, Chloe

2015-01-01

This paper examines the trial implementation of the Australian Curriculum in a remote Aboriginal school. It was a school that at the time was beginning to achieve successes with the development of dual-knowledge, transformational outcomes based curriculum that had its justification in the Northern Territory Curriculum Framework. Drawing on the…

Economic Justification of Patents and Exceptions to Patentability

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordberg, Ana

2012-01-01

The present article is the conclusion of a review of economic justifications for patent rights conducted with the objective of determining whether such arguments are per se capable of sustaining the existence of a different patentability regime for inventions of methods for treatment and diagnostic...... methods (art.53 (c) European Patent Convention). It starts by exploring the normative background and summarily describes the different types of claims allowed under the current legal framework and their differences. The following sections will describe and apply the main economic arguments sustaining...... patent rights inventions of methods for treatment and diagnostic methods. These reasoning will be later confronted with contra-arguments. This piece will finalize with the formulation of conclusions extracted from the previous debate, inter-alia that economic reasoning does not per se sustain...

75 FR 34273 - Federal Acquisition Regulation; FAR Case 2008-003, Public Disclosure of Justification and...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-06-16

... (c) (i.e., other than competitive procedures) to require public availability of the justification and... members of the intelligence community regards the potential security threat from publication of even... the sensitive but unclassified nature of the intelligence business. If this new requirement cannot be...

Influence of the Factor of Uncertainty on Development and Implementation of Modern Russian Megaprojects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Inna Vasilyevna Mitrofanova

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The general culture of design, planning and implementation of megaprojects in Russia is underdeveloped. Commercialization of procedures of projects’ justification and the involvement of expert community hinder an objective assessment of risks and efficiency of investment projects, while the aspiration to save money at stages of scientific justifications and skilled and experimental checks, lead often to adventurous decisions and unpredictable consequences. The article’s purpose is to reveal the identification signs of modern territorial megaprojects as important tool of the state strategic management and to reveal a complex of the various risks accompanying processes of development and implementation of large investment projects. The special attention is paid to such types of risk as competence and corruption risks. On the example of modern Russian megaprojects, such as “the Ural Industrial – the Ural Polar”, construction of Olympic objects in the city of Sochi, the authors show that these risks became either the reason of megaproject’s rebranding, or led to essential excess of the actual expenses in comparison with the planned. The authors are sure that identification of possible corruption risks at a predesign stage, accounting of reputation risks, elimination of low competences risks are an important task aimed at decrease of uncertainty of final effect from implementation of the territorial complex megaproject.

Department of the Navy Justification of Estimates for Fiscal Year 1985. Submitted to Congress February 1984. Procurement, Aircraft Procurement, Navy

Science.gov (United States)

1984-02-01

j~r_ f i1~ -A’s OSI 14. 8 ProJect Finannial Plan (Cont’d): FY 1289 TOTAL Qty cost Qty Cost APN-5 223 $20,934 0&HN Install. (41) $4$54 2,605 APN-6...ATS) AMD Design Changes -W - 4-0 1_ _ OSI ? 11-84 Description/Justification (Cont’d): ALQ-126 Support Assembly Addition of Latching Relay to BRU-33 BRU...Activity 5 Modification Title and No.: Night Vision (OSIP 39-85) Modelo of Aircraft Affected: HII-IK Description/Justification: In order to improve tactical

Low-voltage CMOS operational amplifiers theory, design and implementation

CERN Document Server

Sakurai, Satoshi

1995-01-01

Low-Voltage CMOS Operational Amplifiers: Theory, Design and Implementation discusses both single and two-stage architectures. Opamps with constant-gm input stage are designed and their excellent performance over the rail-to-rail input common mode range is demonstrated. The first set of CMOS constant-gm input stages was introduced by a group from Technische Universiteit, Delft and Universiteit Twente, the Netherlands. These earlier versions of circuits are discussed, along with new circuits developed at the Ohio State University. The design, fabrication (MOSIS Tiny Chips), and characterization of the new circuits are now complete. Basic analog integrated circuit design concepts should be understood in order to fully appreciate the work presented. However, the topics are presented in a logical order and the circuits are explained in great detail, so that Low-Voltage CMOS Operational Amplifiers can be read and enjoyed by those without much experience in analog circuit design. It is an invaluable reference boo...

The ethical justification for the use of non-human primates in research: the Weatherall report revisited.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnason, Gardar

2017-10-14

The Weatherall report on the use of non-human primates in research was published in 2006. Its main conclusion was that there is a strong scientific case for the use of non-human primates in some cases, but the report stressed the importance of evaluating each case in the light of the availability of alternatives. In addition to arguing for the scientific necessity of using non-human primates in research, the report also provided an ethical justification. As could be expected, the report was harshly criticised by animal rights groups, but in the academic literature, only two critical replies appeared. In what follows, I will describe the ethical justification for non-human primate research as it is laid out in the Weatherall report and then consider the criticism in the academic literature. I conclude that the report's ethical justification for the use of non-human primates in research, in particular in basic neuroscientific research, has not been convincingly challenged by its critics. Since the criticism of the report is limited and represents only a small part of the academic discussion about the use of non-human primates in research, and a still smaller part of the ethical discussion about animal research, it is important that the discussion continue both at the academic and social level. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

The Ethics for Justification of Radiological Procedures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corbett, R.H.

2008-01-01

There has been a steady and continuing interest in ethical issues in radiation protection for a number of years. The International Radiation Protection Association (IRPA) has produced a Code of Ethics which was adopted at its last General assembly. Many RP Societies have similar Codes. However, the trend now is the application of ethics to more practical day to day matters. This paper will concentrate of the application of ethics in the field of Justification in Radiation Protection in Medicine. A description of basic ethical concepts will be given, together with some discussion of the application of ethics to the proposed new recommendations from the International Commission for Radiation Protection (ICRP). The paper will conclude with a more detailed discussion of the ethical process of requesting radiological procedures, particularly in line with European Commission Regulations (Directives) and how they can and should be applied locally. To assist participants, an extensive list of references is appended here

Justification of the hybrid nuclear medicine examinations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcheva-Tsacheva, Marina B.

2015-01-01

The annual frequency of nuclear medicine examinations is increasing worldwide. This is partly a consequence of the recently introduced single photon emission tomography, combined with computed tomography, and positron emission tomography, combined with computed tomography, techniques, which combine functional, metabolic and morphological information important for the diagnosis of many diseases. However, since the effective radiation dose is the sum of the dose of two components, the hybrid examinations result in increased patient exposure. Accordingly, their justification becomes mandatory. It starts with their clinical importance-the opportunity to resolve a clinical problem decisive for patients' management. Knowledge of the indications, contraindications and the examinations' limitations is the responsibility of the nuclear medicine physician, as well as the choice of the most adequate examination and protocol. In conclusion, the cost and the accessibility of the examinations should not be the principal consideration as opposed to the diagnostic value and the exposure. Flexible protocols and algorithms should be used for hybrid nuclear medicine examinations. (authors)

Right to Health, negate theories , Lottery and Minimum Decent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Edith Maria Barbosa Ramos

2016-05-01

Full Text Available It approaches the theory that deny the right to health in order to highlight the fragility of arguments and demonstrate the ability to build a ethical justification for gua- ranteeing the right to health. Highlights the complexity of the right to health and the universality of their ownership, as well as discusses the identification of the right to health with the right to social assistance. It analyzes the theories of denial of the right to health from a proposal that presents libertarian. Noteworthy is the discussion on the relations proposed by this theory, between the right to health and the right to property, in order to justify the setting of a minimal state. We put in evidence the idea of  n atural and social lotteries, the duty of beneficence and the idea of   decent minimum, to introduce a reflec- tion on the health market.

Becoming Therapeutic Agents: A Grounded Theory of Mothers' Process When Implementing Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Home with an Anxious Child.

Science.gov (United States)

Pishva, Rana

2017-05-01

The premise of parent-centred programmes for parents of anxious children is to educate and train caregivers in the sustainable implementation of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) in the home. The existing operationalization of parent involvement, however, does not address the systemic, parent or child factors that could influence this process. The qualitative approach of grounded theory was employed to examine patterns of action and interaction involved in the complex process of carrying out CBT with one's child in one's home. A grounded theory goes beyond the description of a process, offering an explanatory theory that brings taken-for-granted meanings and processes to the surface. The theory that emerged from the analysis suggests that CBT implementation by mothers of anxious children is characterized by the evolution of mothers' perception of their child and mothers' perception of their role as well as a shift from reacting with emotion to responding pragmatically to the child. Changes occur as mothers recognize the crisis, make links between the treatment rationale, child's symptoms and their own parenting strategies, integrate tenets of CBT for anxiety and eventually focus on sustaining therapeutic gains through natural life transitions. The theory widens our understanding of mothers' role, therapeutic engagement, process, and decision-making. The theory also generates new hypotheses regarding parent involvement in the treatment of paediatric anxiety disorders and proposes novel research avenues that aim to maximize the benefits of parental involvement in the treatment of paediatric anxiety disorders. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Mothers of anxious youth who take part in parent-centred programmes experience a shift in their perception of the child and of their role. Parental strategy after CBT implementation shifts from emotional empathy to cognitive empathy. Mothers experience significant challenges and require additional support in prevention

Justification, optimization and decision-aiding in existing exposure situations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedemann-Jensen, Per

2004-01-01

The existing ICRP system of radiological protection from 1990 (ICRP Publication 60) can be seen as a binary or dual-line system dealing with protection in exposure situations categorized as either practices or interventions. The distinction between practices and interventions is summarized in the paper with focus on some of the problems experienced in making such a distinction. The protection principles within the existing system of protection are presented with emphasis on the application to de facto or existing exposure situations. Decision on countermeasures to mitigate the consequences of existing exposure situations such as nuclear or radiological accidents and naturally occurring exposure situations include factors or attributes describing benefits from the countermeasure and those describing harm. Some of these attributes are discussed and the general process of justification of intervention and optimization of protection arriving at generic reference levels for implementing protective measures is presented. In addition, the role of radiological protection professionals and other stakeholders in the decision-making process is discussed. Special attention is given to the question whether radiological protection should form only one of many decision-aiding inputs to a broader societal decision-making process or whether societal aspects should be fully integrated into the radiological protection framework. The concepts of practices and interventions, however logical they are, have created some confusion when applied to protection of the public following a nuclear or radiological accident. These problems may be solved in a new set of general ICRP recommendations on radiological protection, which are anticipated to supersede Publication 60 in 2005. The evolution of the basic ICRP principles for radiological protection in existing exposure situations into a new set of ICRP recommendations is briefly discussed based upon the various material that has been presented

Uniform physical theory of diffraction equivalent edge currents for implementation in general computer codes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Johansen, Peter Meincke

1996-01-01

New uniform closed-form expressions for physical theory of diffraction equivalent edge currents are derived for truncated incremental wedge strips. In contrast to previously reported expressions, the new expressions are well-behaved for all directions of incidence and observation and take a finite...... value for zero strip length. Consequently, the new equivalent edge currents are, to the knowledge of the author, the first that are well-suited for implementation in general computer codes...

The effect of implementing cognitive load theory-based design principles in virtual reality simulation training of surgical skills: a randomized controlled trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Steven Arild Wuyts; Mikkelsen, Peter Trier; Konge, Lars

2016-01-01

Cognitive overload can inhibit learning, and cognitive load theory-based instructional design principles can be used to optimize learning situations. This study aims to investigate the effect of implementing cognitive load theory-based design principles in virtual reality simulation training...

The necessary guidance on the application of JUSTIFICATION and ALARA by the nuclear authorities, using 'Accountability for Reasonableness' as a decision making process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Veuchelen, Ludo

2008-01-01

Full text: In all branches of law, but foremost in international nuclear law, the global economic system brings along a vast record of Soft Law covering General Principles and Standards. For a part we can find these Soft Law Principles and Standards back in the clothing of hard law, or in the licensing procedures, at the national level. The larger part however is never 'transposed' into national laws and especially the harmonization, the implementation and control of such Principles and Standards remain doubtful. In this paper the focus lies on JUSTIFICATION and ALARA, as the main nuclear safety principles, accepted world-wide. The regulatory guidance and demonstration of these Principles, indicating which (numerical) safety levels or safety objectives are mandatory and which are only guidance should be undertaken by the international regulators and authorities, but are often lacking. It is the aim of this paper to come up with a better procedural framework for a priority setting process by nuclear authorities. Establishing a fair process for priority setting is easier than agreeing on principles. We use the idea of 'Accountability for Reasonableness', developed in the field of Health Care Management. An ideal model of priority setting within the JUSTIFICATION/ALARA approach will need to specify what should be done (i.e. justified ethically) and how it can be done (i.e. based in empirical reality and on benchmarking), to reach optimal levels of nuclear safety. (author)

Details and justifications for the MAP concept specification for acceleration above 63 GeV

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berg, J. Scott [Brookhaven National Lab. (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). Collider-Accelerator Dept.

2014-02-28

The Muon Accelerator Program (MAP) requires a concept specification for each of the accelerator systems. The Muon accelerators will bring the beam energy from a total energy of 63 GeV to the maximum energy that will fit on the Fermilab site. Justifications and supporting references are included, providing more detail than will appear in the concept specification itself.

A qualitative systematic review of studies using the normalization process theory to research implementation processes.

Science.gov (United States)

McEvoy, Rachel; Ballini, Luciana; Maltoni, Susanna; O'Donnell, Catherine A; Mair, Frances S; Macfarlane, Anne

2014-01-02

There is a well-recognized need for greater use of theory to address research translational gaps. Normalization Process Theory (NPT) provides a set of sociological tools to understand and explain the social processes through which new or modified practices of thinking, enacting, and organizing work are implemented, embedded, and integrated in healthcare and other organizational settings. This review of NPT offers readers the opportunity to observe how, and in what areas, a particular theoretical approach to implementation is being used. In this article we review the literature on NPT in order to understand what interventions NPT is being used to analyze, how NPT is being operationalized, and the reported benefits, if any, of using NPT. Using a framework analysis approach, we conducted a qualitative systematic review of peer-reviewed literature using NPT. We searched 12 electronic databases and all citations linked to six key NPT development papers. Grey literature/unpublished studies were not sought. Limitations of English language, healthcare setting and year of publication 2006 to June 2012 were set. Twenty-nine articles met the inclusion criteria; in the main, NPT is being applied to qualitatively analyze a diverse range of complex interventions, many beyond its original field of e-health and telehealth. The NPT constructs have high stability across settings and, notwithstanding challenges in applying NPT in terms of managing overlaps between constructs, there is evidence that it is a beneficial heuristic device to explain and guide implementation processes. NPT offers a generalizable framework that can be applied across contexts with opportunities for incremental knowledge gain over time and an explicit framework for analysis, which can explain and potentially shape implementation processes. This is the first review of NPT in use and it generates an impetus for further and extended use of NPT. We recommend that in future NPT research, authors should explicate

Collaborative action around implementation in Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care: towards a programme theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Rycroft-Malone, Jo; Wilkinson, Joyce; Burton, Christopher R; Harvey, Gill; McCormack, Brendan; Graham, Ian; Staniszewska, Sophie

2013-10-01

In theory, greater interaction between researchers and practitioners should result in increased potential for implementation. However, we know little about whether this is the case, or what mechanisms might operate to make it happen. This paper reports findings from a study that is identifying and tracking implementation mechanisms, processes, influences and impacts in real time, over time in the Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs). This is a longitudinal, realist evaluation case study. The development of the conceptual framework and initial hypotheses involved literature reviewing and stakeholder consultation. Primary data were collected through interviews, observations and documents within three CLAHRCs, and analysed thematically against the framework and hypotheses. The first round of data collection shows that the mechanisms of collaborative action, relationship building, engagement, motivation, knowledge exchange and learning are important to the processes and outcomes of CLAHRCs' activity, including their capacity for implementation. These mechanisms operated in different contexts such as competing agendas, availability of resources and the CLAHRCs' brand. Contexts and mechanisms result in different impact, including the CLAHRCs' approach to implementation, quality of collaboration, commitment and ownership, and degree of sharing and managing knowledge. Emerging features of a middle range theory of implementation within collaboration include alignment in organizational structures and cognitive processes, history of partnerships, responsiveness and resilience in rapidly changing contexts. CLARHCs' potential to mobilize knowledge may be further realized by how they develop insights into their function as collaborative entities.

A formal theory of the selfish gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, A; Welch, J J

2011-08-01

Adaptation is conventionally regarded as occurring at the level of the individual organism. In contrast, the theory of the selfish gene proposes that it is more correct to view adaptation as occurring at the level of the gene. This view has received much popular attention, yet has enjoyed only limited uptake in the primary research literature. Indeed, the idea of ascribing goals and strategies to genes has been highly controversial. Here, we develop a formal theory of the selfish gene, using optimization theory to capture the analogy of 'gene as fitness-maximizing agent' in mathematical terms. We provide formal justification for this view of adaptation by deriving mathematical correspondences that translate the optimization formalism into dynamical population genetics. We show that in the context of social interactions between genes, it is the gene's inclusive fitness that provides the appropriate maximand. Hence, genic selection can drive the evolution of altruistic genes. Finally, we use the formalism to assess the various criticisms that have been levelled at the theory of the selfish gene, dispelling some and strengthening others. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2011 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Health Care Professionals' Attitudes About Physician-Assisted Death: An Analysis of Their Justifications and the Roles of Terminology and Patient Competency.

Science.gov (United States)

Braverman, Derek W; Marcus, Brian S; Wakim, Paul G; Mercurio, Mark R; Kopf, Gary S

2017-10-01

Health care professionals (HCPs) are crucial to physician-assisted death (PAD) provision. To quantitatively assess the favorability of justifications for or against PAD legalization among HCPs, the effect of the terms "suicide" and "euthanasia" on their views and their support for three forms of PAD. Our questionnaire presented three cases: physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia for a competent patient, and euthanasia for an incompetent patient with an advance directive for euthanasia. Respondents judged whether each case was ethical and should be legal and selected their justifications from commonly cited reasons. The sample included physician clinicians, researchers, nonphysician clinicians, and other nonclinical staff at a major academic medical center. Of 221 HCPs, the majority thought that each case was ethical and should be legal. In order of declining favorability, justifications supporting PAD legalization were relief of suffering, right to die, mercy, acceptance of death, nonabandonment, and saving money for the health care system; opposing justifications were the slippery slope argument, unnecessary due to palliative care, killing patients is wrong, religious views, and suicide is wrong. The use of suicide and euthanasia terminology did not affect responses. Participants preferred physician-assisted suicide to euthanasia for a competent patient (P euthanasia for an incompetent patient to euthanasia for a competent patient (P euthanasia language did not bias HCPs against PAD, challenging claims that such value-laden terms hinder dialogue. More research is required to understand the significance of competency in shaping attitudes toward PAD. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Updating the FORECAST formative evaluation approach and some implications for ameliorating theory failure, implementation failure, and evaluation failure

Science.gov (United States)

Katz, Jason; Wandersman, Abraham; Goodman, Robert M.; Griffin, Sarah; Wilson, Dawn K.; Schillaci, Michael

2013-01-01

Historically, there has been considerable variability in how formative evaluation has been conceptualized and practiced. FORmative Evaluation Consultation And Systems Technique (FORECAST) is a formative evaluation approach that develops a set of models and processes that can be used across settings and times, while allowing for local adaptations and innovations. FORECAST integrates specific models and tools to improve limitations in program theory, implementation, and evaluation. In the period since its initial use in a federally funded community prevention project in the early 1990s, evaluators have incorporated important formative evaluation innovations into FORECAST, including the integration of feedback loops and proximal outcome evaluation. In addition, FORECAST has been applied in a randomized community research trial. In this article, we describe updates to FORECAST and the implications of FORECAST for ameliorating failures in program theory, implementation, and evaluation. PMID:23624204

The development of shared liking of representational but not abstract art in primary school children and their justifications for liking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Paul eRodway

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Understanding how aesthetic preferences are shared among individuals, and its developmental time course, is a fundamental question in aesthetics. It has been shown that semantic associations, in response to representational artworks, overlap more strongly among individuals than those generated by abstract artworks and that the emotional valence of the associations also overlaps more for representational artworks. This valence response may be a key driver in aesthetic appreciation. The current study tested predictions derived from the semantic association account in a developmental context. Twenty 4-, 6-, 8- and 10-year-old children (n=80 were shown 20 artworks (10 representational, 10 abstract and were asked to rate each artwork and to explain their decision. Cross-observer agreement in aesthetic preferences increased with age from 4 to 8 years for both abstract and representational art. However, after age 6 the level of shared appreciation for representational and abstract artworks diverged, with significantly higher levels of agreement for representational than abstract artworks at age 8 and 10. The most common justifications for representational artworks involved subject matter, while for abstract artworks formal artistic properties and color were the most commonly used justifications. Representational artwork also showed a significantly higher proportion of associations and emotional responses than abstract artworks. In line with predictions from developmental cognitive neuroscience, references to the artist as an agent increased between ages 4 and 6 and again between ages 6 and 8, following the development of Theory of Mind. The findings support the view that increased experience with representational content during the life span reduces inter-individual variation in aesthetic appreciation and increases shared preferences. In addition, brain and cognitive development appear to impact on art appreciation at milestone ages.

The Development of Shared Liking of Representational but not Abstract Art in Primary School Children and Their Justifications for Liking.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodway, Paul; Kirkham, Julie; Schepman, Astrid; Lambert, Jordana; Locke, Anastasia

2016-01-01

Understanding how aesthetic preferences are shared among individuals, and its developmental time course, is a fundamental question in aesthetics. It has been shown that semantic associations, in response to representational artworks, overlap more strongly among individuals than those generated by abstract artworks and that the emotional valence of the associations also overlaps more for representational artworks. This valence response may be a key driver in aesthetic appreciation. The current study tested predictions derived from the semantic association account in a developmental context. Twenty 4-, 6-, 8- and 10-year-old children (n = 80) were shown 20 artworks (10 representational, 10 abstract) and were asked to rate each artwork and to explain their decision. Cross-observer agreement in aesthetic preferences increased with age from 4-8 years for both abstract and representational art. However, after age 6 the level of shared appreciation for representational and abstract artworks diverged, with significantly higher levels of agreement for representational than abstract artworks at age 8 and 10. The most common justifications for representational artworks involved subject matter, while for abstract artworks formal artistic properties and color were the most commonly used justifications. Representational artwork also showed a significantly higher proportion of associations and emotional responses than abstract artworks. In line with predictions from developmental cognitive neuroscience, references to the artist as an agent increased between ages 4 and 6 and again between ages 6 and 8, following the development of Theory of Mind. The findings support the view that increased experience with representational content during the life span reduces inter-individual variation in aesthetic appreciation and increases shared preferences. In addition, brain and cognitive development appear to impact on art appreciation at milestone ages.

It's just the right thing to do: Conceptualizing a theory of change for a school food and beverage sales environment intervention and implications for implementation evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Levay, Adrienne V; Chapman, Gwen E; Seed, Barbara; Wittman, Hannah

2018-04-30

School food environments are the target of nutrition interventions and evaluations across the globe. Yet little work to-date has articulated the importance of developing a theory of change upon which to base evaluation of both implementation and outcomes. This paper undertakes an interpretive approach to develop a retrospective theory of change for an implementation evaluation of British Columbia's school food and beverage sales Guidelines. This study contributes broadly to a nuanced conceptualization of this type of public health intervention and provides a methodological contribution on how to develop a retrospective theory of change with implications for effective evaluation. Data collection strategies included document analysis, semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders, and participant observation. Developing the logic model revealed that, despite the broad population health aims of the intervention, the main focus of implementation is to change behaviors of adults who create school food environments. Derived from the analysis and interpretation of the data, the emergent program theory focuses on the assumption that if adults are responsibilized through information and education campaigns and provided implementation tools, they will be 'convinced' to implement changes to school food environments to foster broader public health goals. These findings highlight the importance of assessing individual-level implementation indicators as well as the more often evaluated measures of food and beverage availability. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Foundational Elements of Applied Simulation Theory: Development and Implementation of a Longitudinal Simulation Educator Curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiu, Michelle; Posner, Glenn; Humphrey-Murto, Susan

2017-01-27

Simulation-based education has gained popularity, yet many faculty members feel inadequately prepared to teach using this technique. Fellowship training in medical education exists, but there is little information regarding simulation or formal educational programs therein. In our institution, simulation fellowships were offered by individual clinical departments. We recognized the need for a formal curriculum in educational theory. Kern's approach to curriculum development was used to develop, implement, and evaluate the Foundational Elements of Applied Simulation Theory (FEAST) curriculum. Needs assessments resulted in a 26-topic curriculum; each biweekly session built upon the previous. Components essential to success included setting goals and objectives for each interactive session and having dedicated faculty, collaborative leadership and administrative support for the curriculum. Evaluation data was collated and analyzed annually via anonymous feedback surveys, focus groups, and retrospective pre-post self-assessment questionnaires. Data collected from 32 fellows over five years of implementation showed that the curriculum improved knowledge, challenged thinking, and was excellent preparation for a career in simulation-based medical education. Themes arising from focus groups demonstrated that participants valued faculty expertise and the structure, practicality, and content of the curriculum. We present a longitudinal simulation educator curriculum that adheres to a well-described framework of curriculum development. Program evaluation shows that FEAST has increased participant knowledge in key areas relevant to simulation-based education and that the curriculum has been successful in meeting the needs of novice simulation educators. Insights and practice points are offered for educators wishing to implement a similar curriculum in their institution.

Cost analysis and cost justification of automated data processing in the clinical laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Westlake, G E

1983-03-01

Prospective cost analysis of alternative data processing systems can be facilitated by proper selection of the costs to be analyzed and realistic appraisal of the effect on staffing. When comparing projects with dissimilar cash flows, techniques such as analysis of net present value can be helpful in identifying financial benefits. Confidence and accuracy in prospective analyses will increase as more retrospective studies are published. Several accounts now in the literature describe long-term experience with turnkey laboratory information systems. Acknowledging the difficulty in longitudinal studies, they all report favorable effects on labor costs and recovery of lost charges. Enthusiasm is also expressed for the many intangible benefits of the systems. Several trends suggest that cost justification and cost effectiveness will be more easily demonstrated in the future. These are the rapidly decreasing cost of hardware (with corresponding reduction in service costs) and the entry into the market of additional systems designed for medium to small hospitals. The effect of broadening the sales base may be lower software prices. Finally, operational and executive data management and reporting are destined to become the premier extensions of the LIS for cost justification. Aptly applied, these facilities can promote understanding of costs, control of costs, and greater efficiency in providing laboratory services.

Can the NICE "end-of-life premium" be given a coherent ethical justification?

Science.gov (United States)

Cookson, Richard

2013-12-01

In 2009 the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) announced that its health technology appraisal committees would henceforth give special additional weight to health gains from life-extending end-of-life treatments. This was a response to mounting concern from NICE's stakeholders that effective new drugs for end-stage cancer often fail NICE's standard test of cost effectiveness. This change of policy may be justifiable on procedural grounds as the result of a democratic political process responding to stakeholder concerns. However, according to the "accountability for reasonableness" framework proposed by the philosopher Norman Daniels and endorsed by NICE, there also needs to be transparency about the substantive ethical grounds for public health care resource allocation decisions. In that spirit, I analyze eleven potentially relevant justifications for the NICE "end-of-life premium," drawn from the economics and philosophy literature: (1) rule of rescue, (2) fair chances, (3) ex post willingness to pay, (4) caring externality, (5) financial protection, (6) symbolic value, (7) diminishing marginal value of future life years, (8) concentration of benefits, (9) dread, (10) time to set your affairs in order, and (11) severity of illness. I conclude that none of them yields a coherent ethical justification for the NICE end-of-life premium.

Parallel implementation of multireference coupled-cluster theories based on the reference-level parallelism

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brabec, Jiri; Pittner, Jiri; van Dam, Hubertus JJ; Apra, Edoardo; Kowalski, Karol

2012-02-01

A novel algorithm for implementing general type of multireference coupled-cluster (MRCC) theory based on the Jeziorski-Monkhorst exponential Ansatz [B. Jeziorski, H.J. Monkhorst, Phys. Rev. A 24, 1668 (1981)] is introduced. The proposed algorithm utilizes processor groups to calculate the equations for the MRCC amplitudes. In the basic formulation each processor group constructs the equations related to a specific subset of references. By flexible choice of processor groups and subset of reference-specific sufficiency conditions designated to a given group one can assure optimum utilization of available computing resources. The performance of this algorithm is illustrated on the examples of the Brillouin-Wigner and Mukherjee MRCC methods with singles and doubles (BW-MRCCSD and Mk-MRCCSD). A significant improvement in scalability and in reduction of time to solution is reported with respect to recently reported parallel implementation of the BW-MRCCSD formalism [J.Brabec, H.J.J. van Dam, K. Kowalski, J. Pittner, Chem. Phys. Lett. 514, 347 (2011)].

Treatment of the intrinsic Hamiltonian in particle-number nonconserving theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hergert, H.; Roth, R.

2009-01-01

We discuss the implications of using an intrinsic Hamiltonian in theories without particle-number conservation, e.g., the Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov approximation, where the Hamiltonian's particle-number dependence leads to discrepancies if one naively replaces the particle-number operator by its expectation value. We develop a systematic expansion that fixes this problem and leads to an a posteriori justification of the widely-used one- plus two-body form of the intrinsic kinetic energy in nuclear self-consistent field methods. The expansion's convergence properties as well as its practical applications are discussed for several sample nuclei.

Moral Reasoning among HEC Members: An Empirical Evaluation of the Relationship of Theory and Practice in Clinical Ethics Consultation.

Science.gov (United States)

Wasserman, Jason Adam; Stevenson, Shannon Lindsey; Claxton, Cassandra; Krug, Ernest F

2015-01-01

In light of the ongoing development and implementation of core competencies in bioethics, it is important to proceed with a clear sense of how bioethics knowledge is utilized in the functioning of hospital ethics committees (HECs). Without such an understanding, we risk building a costly edifice on a foundation that is ambiguous at best. This article examines the empirical relationship between traditional paradigms of bioethics theory and actual decision making by HEC members using survey data from HEC members. The assumption underlying the standardization of qualifications and corresponding call for increased education of HEC members is that they will base imminent case decisions on inculcated knowledge. Our data suggest, however, that HEC members first decide intuitively and then look for justification, thereby highlighting the need to re-examine the pedagogical processes of ethics education in the process of standardizing and improving competencies. Copyright 2015 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Linking material and energy flow analyses and social theory

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schiller, Frank [The Open University, Faculty of Maths, Computing and Technology, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA (United Kingdom)

2009-04-15

The paper explores the potential of Habermas' theory of communicative action to alter the social reflexivity of material and energy flow analysis. With his social macro theory Habermas has provided an alternative, critical justification for social theory that can be distinguished from economic libertarianism and from political liberalism. Implicitly, most flow approaches draw from these theoretical traditions rather than from discourse theory. There are several types of material and energy flow analyses. While these concepts basically share a system theoretical view, they lack a specific interdisciplinary perspective that ties the fundamental insight of flows to disciplinary scientific development. Instead of simply expanding micro-models to the social macro-dimension social theory suggests infusing the very notion of flows to the progress of disciplines. With regard to the functional integration of society, material and energy flow analyses can rely on the paradigm of ecological economics and at the same time progress the debate between strong and weak sustainability within the paradigm. However, placing economics at the centre of their functional analyses may still ignore the broader social integration of society, depending on their pre-analytic outline of research and the methods used. (author)

Linking material and energy flow analyses and social theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schiller, Frank

2009-01-01

The paper explores the potential of Habermas' theory of communicative action to alter the social reflexivity of material and energy flow analysis. With his social macro theory Habermas has provided an alternative, critical justification for social theory that can be distinguished from economic libertarianism and from political liberalism. Implicitly, most flow approaches draw from these theoretical traditions rather than from discourse theory. There are several types of material and energy flow analyses. While these concepts basically share a system theoretical view, they lack a specific interdisciplinary perspective that ties the fundamental insight of flows to disciplinary scientific development. Instead of simply expanding micro-models to the social macro-dimension social theory suggests infusing the very notion of flows to the progress of disciplines. With regard to the functional integration of society, material and energy flow analyses can rely on the paradigm of ecological economics and at the same time progress the debate between strong and weak sustainability within the paradigm. However, placing economics at the centre of their functional analyses may still ignore the broader social integration of society, depending on their pre-analytic outline of research and the methods used. (author)

Improving policy implementation through collaborative policymaking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ansell, Christopher; Sørensen, Eva; Torfing, Jacob

2017-01-01

We offer a fresh perspective on implementation problems by suggesting that collaborative policy design and adaptive policy implementation will help public policy makers to improve policy execution. Classical implementation theories have focused too narrowly on administrative stumbling blocks and ...... collaborative policymaking and adaptive policy implementation might work in theory and practice......We offer a fresh perspective on implementation problems by suggesting that collaborative policy design and adaptive policy implementation will help public policy makers to improve policy execution. Classical implementation theories have focused too narrowly on administrative stumbling blocks...... and New Public Management has reinforced the split between politics and administration. Attempts to improve policy implementation must begin by looking at policy design, which can be improved through collaboration and deliberation between upstream and downstream actors. We provide a broad overview of how...

The Ego-Defensive Role of Legitimacy: How Threat-Based Justifications Protect the Self-Esteem of Discriminators.

Science.gov (United States)

Pereira, Cicero Roberto; Álvaro, José Luis; Vala, Jorge

2018-05-01

This article analyzes the ego-defensive role played by legitimation, by examining the hypothesis that threat-based justifications attenuate the negative effect on an individual's self-esteem caused by his or her becoming aware of his or her own discriminatory behavior. Across three studies (including a pilot experiment), participants who were led to believe that they had acted in a discriminatory way experienced a decrease in their self-esteem. In Study 1 ( N = 116), this effect was nullified when discrimination was justified by either symbolic or realistic threat perceptions. Study 2 ( N = 250) replicated this pattern of results and went further by showing that discrimination affects self-esteem only in more egalitarian individuals, whereas for those less egalitarian, it affects their social image. According to the ego-defensive role of legitimation, a meta-analytical integration of the results confirmed that the influence of discrimination in depressing self-esteem is moderated by threat-based justifications.

Simulation and Hardware Implementation of Shunt Active Power Filter Based on Synchronous Reference Frame Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karthikrjan Senthilnathan

2018-02-01

Full Text Available This paper describes about the Hybrid Shunt Active Power Filter (HSAPF for the elimination of the current harmonics in the line side of the three phase three wire systems. The Active Power Filter is based on the Voltage Source Converter (VSC topology. The control strategy for the converter is based on Synchronous Reference Frame (SRF theory. The compensation of harmonics is done by the APF which is connected in the shunt configuration to the system. The Shunt APF has the better compensation of current harmonics. The design and implementation of Shunt active power filter is done by MATLAB/Simulink. The real time implementation by using the ATMEGA 8 Microcontroller. The Simulation and Hardware results shows that the current harmonics are eliminated in the system

Very high temperature chemistry: Science justification for containerless experimentation in space

Science.gov (United States)

Hofmeister, William H.; Nordine, Paul

1990-01-01

A summary is presented of the justification for application of containerless processing in space to high temperature science. Low earth orbit offers a gravitational environment that allows samples to be positioned in an experimental apparatus by very small forces. Well controlled experiments become possible on reactive materials at high temperatures in a reasonably quiescent state and without container contamination. This provides an opportunity to advance the science of high temperature chemistry that can only be realized with a commitment by NASA to provide advanced facilities for in-space containerless study of materials at very high temperature.

Fostering implementation of health services research findings into practice: a consolidated framework for advancing implementation science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Jeffery A

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Many interventions found to be effective in health services research studies fail to translate into meaningful patient care outcomes across multiple contexts. Health services researchers recognize the need to evaluate not only summative outcomes but also formative outcomes to assess the extent to which implementation is effective in a specific setting, prolongs sustainability, and promotes dissemination into other settings. Many implementation theories have been published to help promote effective implementation. However, they overlap considerably in the constructs included in individual theories, and a comparison of theories reveals that each is missing important constructs included in other theories. In addition, terminology and definitions are not consistent across theories. We describe the Consolidated Framework For Implementation Research (CFIR that offers an overarching typology to promote implementation theory development and verification about what works where and why across multiple contexts. Methods We used a snowball sampling approach to identify published theories that were evaluated to identify constructs based on strength of conceptual or empirical support for influence on implementation, consistency in definitions, alignment with our own findings, and potential for measurement. We combined constructs across published theories that had different labels but were redundant or overlapping in definition, and we parsed apart constructs that conflated underlying concepts. Results The CFIR is composed of five major domains: intervention characteristics, outer setting, inner setting, characteristics of the individuals involved, and the process of implementation. Eight constructs were identified related to the intervention (e.g., evidence strength and quality, four constructs were identified related to outer setting (e.g., patient needs and resources, 12 constructs were identified related to inner setting (e.g., culture

Implementing Participatory Water Management: Recent Advances in Theory, Practice, and Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yorck von Korff

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Many current water planning and management problems are riddled with high levels of complexity, uncertainty, and conflict, so-called "messes" or "wicked problems." The realization that there is a need to consider a wide variety of values, knowledge, and perspectives in a collaborative decision making process has led to a multitude of new methods and processes being proposed to aid water planning and management, which include participatory forms of modeling, planning, and decision aiding processes. However, despite extensive scientific discussions, scholars have largely been unable to provide satisfactory responses to two pivotal questions: (1 What are the benefits of using participatory approaches?; (2 How exactly should these approaches be implemented in complex social-ecological settings to realize these potential benefits? In the study of developing social-ecological system sustainability, the first two questions lead to a third one that extends beyond the one-time application of participatory approaches for water management: (3 How can participatory approaches be most appropriately used to encourage transition to more sustainable ecological, social, and political regimes in different cultural and spatial contexts? The answer to this question is equally open. This special feature on participatory water management attempts to propose responses to these three questions by outlining recent advances in theory, practice, and evaluation related to the implementation of participatory water management. The feature is largely based on an extensive range of case studies that have been implemented and analyzed by cross-disciplinary research teams in collaboration with practitioners, and in a number of cases in close cooperation with policy makers and other interested parties such as farmers, fishermen, environmentalists, and the wider public.

Implementing nutrition guidelines for older people in residential care homes: a qualitative study using Normalization Process Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bamford Claire

2012-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Optimizing the dietary intake of older people can prevent nutritional deficiencies and diet-related diseases, thereby improving quality of life. However, there is evidence that the nutritional intake of older people living in care homes is suboptimal, with high levels of saturated fat, salt, and added sugars. The UK Food Standards Agency therefore developed nutrient- and food-based guidance for residential care homes. The acceptability of these guidelines and their feasibility in practice is unknown. This study used the Normalization Process Theory (NPT to understand the barriers and facilitators to implementing the guidelines and inform future implementation. Methods We conducted a process evaluation in five care homes in the north of England using qualitative methods (observation and interviews to explore the views of managers, care staff, catering staff, and domestic staff. Data were analyzed thematically and discussed in data workshops; emerging themes were then mapped to the constructs of NPT. Results Many staff perceived the guidelines as unnecessarily restrictive and irrelevant to older people. In terms of NPT, the guidelines simply did not make sense (coherence, and as a result, relatively few staff invested in the guidelines (cognitive participation. Even where staff supported the guidelines, implementation was hampered by a lack of nutritional knowledge and institutional support (collective action. Finally, the absence of observable benefits to clients confirmed the negative preconceptions of many staff, with limited evidence of reappraisal following implementation (reflexive monitoring. Conclusions The successful implementation of the nutrition guidelines requires that the fundamental issues relating to their perceived value and fit with other priorities and goals be addressed. Specialist support is needed to equip staff with the technical knowledge and skills required for menu analysis and development and to

Process evaluation of discharge planning implementation in healthcare using normalization process theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Nordmark, Sofi; Zingmark, Karin; Lindberg, Inger

2016-04-27

Discharge planning is a care process that aims to secure the transfer of care for the patient at transition from home to the hospital and back home. Information exchange and collaboration between care providers are essential, but deficits are common. A wide range of initiatives to improve the discharge planning process have been developed and implemented for the past three decades. However, there are still high rates of reported medical errors and adverse events related to failures in the discharge planning. Using theoretical frameworks such as Normalization Process Theory (NPT) can support evaluations of complex interventions and processes in healthcare. The aim of this study was to explore the embedding and integration of the DPP from the perspective of registered nurses, district nurses and homecare organizers. The study design was explorative, using the NPT as a framework to explore the embedding and integration of the DPP. Data consisted of written documentation from; workshops with staff, registered adverse events and system failures, web based survey and individual interviews with staff. Using the NPT as a framework to explore the embedding and integration of discharge planning after 10 years in use showed that the staff had reached a consensus of opinion of what the process was (coherence) and how they evaluated the process (reflexive monitoring). However, they had not reached a consensus of opinion of who performed the process (cognitive participation) and how it was performed (collective action). This could be interpreted as the process had not become normalized in daily practice. The result shows necessity to observe the implementation of old practices to better understand the needs of new ones before developing and implementing new practices or supportive tools within healthcare to reach the aim of development and to accomplish sustainable implementation. The NPT offers a generalizable framework for analysis, which can explain and shape the

A Grounded Theory of Behavior Management Strategy Selection, Implementation, and Perceived Effectiveness Reported by First-Year Elementary Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Smart, Julie B.; Igo, L. Brent

2010-01-01

In this grounded theory study, 19 teachers were interviewed and then, in constant comparative fashion, the interview data were analyzed. The theoretical model that emerged from the data describes novice teachers' tendencies to select and implement differing strategies related to the severity of student behavior. When confronting mild student…

Savannah River Site Environmental Implementation Plan. Volume 2, Protection programs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1989-08-01

Formal sitewide environmental planning at the . Savannah River Site (SRS) began in 1986 with the development and adoption of the Strategic Environmental Plan. The Strategic Environmental Plan describes the philosophy, policy, and overall program direction of environmental programs for the operation of the SRS. The Strategic Environmental Plan (Volume 2) provided the basis for development of the Environmental Implementation Plan (EIP). The EIP is the detailed, comprehensive environmental master plan for operating contractor organizations at the SRS. The EIP provides a process to ensure that all environmental requirements and obligations are being met by setting specific measurable goals and objectives and strategies for implementation. The plan is the basis for justification of site manpower and funding requests for environmental projects and programs over a five-year planning period.

Critical theory and holocaust

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krstić Predrag

2006-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper the author is attempting to establish the relationship - or the lack of it - of the Critical Theory to the "Jewish question" and justification of perceiving signs of Jewish religious heritage in the thought of the representatives of this movement. The holocaust marked out by the name of "Auschwitz", is here tested as a point where the nature of this relationship has been decided. In this encounter with the cardinal challenge for the contemporary social theory, the particularity of the Frankfurt School reaction is here revealed through Adorno installing Auschwitz as unexpected but lawful emblem of the ending of the course that modern history has assumed. The critique of this "fascination" with Auschwitz, as well as certain theoretical pacification and measured positioning of the holocaust into discontinued plane of "unfinished" and continuation and closure of the valued project, are given through communicative-theoretical pre-orientation of Jürgen Habermas’s Critical Theory and of his followers. Finally, through the work of Detlev Claussen, it is suggested that in the youngest generation of Adorno’s students there are signs of revision to once already revised Critical Theory and a kind of defractured and differentiated return to the initial understanding of the decisiveness of the holocaust experience. This shift in the attitude of the Critical Theory thinkers to the provocation of holocaust is not, however, particularly reflected towards the status of Jews and their tradition, but more to the age old questioning and explanatory patterns for which they served as a "model". The question of validity of the enlightenment project, the nature of occidental rationalism, (nonexistence of historical theology and understanding of the identity and emancipation - describe the circle of problems around which the disagreement is concentrated in the social critical theory.

Shaping legal abortion provision in Ghana: using policy theory to understand provider-related obstacles to policy implementation

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Unsafe abortion is a major public health problem in Ghana; despite its liberal abortion law, access to safe, legal abortion in public health facilities is limited. Theory is often neglected as a tool for providing evidence to inform better practice; in this study we investigated the reasons for poor implementation of the policy in Ghana using Lipsky’s theory of street-level bureaucracy to better understand how providers shape and implement policy and how provider-level barriers might be overcome. Methods In-depth interviews were conducted with 43 health professionals of different levels (managers, obstetricians, midwives) at three hospitals in Accra, as well as staff from smaller and private sector facilities. Relevant policy and related documents were also analysed. Results Findings confirm that health providers’ views shape provision of safe-abortion services. Most prominently, providers experience conflicts between their religious and moral beliefs about the sanctity of (foetal) life and their duty to provide safe-abortion care. Obstetricians were more exposed to international debates, treaties, and safe-abortion practices and had better awareness of national research on the public health implications of unsafe abortions; these factors tempered their religious views. Midwives were more driven by fundamental religious values condemning abortion as sinful. In addition to personal views and dilemmas, ‘social pressures’ (perceived views of others concerning abortion) and the actions of facility managers affected providers’ decision to (openly) provide abortion services. In order to achieve a workable balance between these pressures and duties, providers use their ‘discretion’ in deciding if and when to provide abortion services, and develop ‘coping mechanisms’ which impede implementation of abortion policy. Conclusions The application of theory confirmed its utility in a lower-middle income setting and expanded its scope by showing that

Links in a distributed database: Theory and implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karonis, N.T.; Kraimer, M.R.

1991-12-01

This document addresses the problem of extending database links across Input/Output Controller (IOC) boundaries. It lays a foundation by reviewing the current system and proposing an implementation specification designed to guide all work in this area. The document also describes an implementation that is less ambitious than our formally stated proposal, one that does not extend the reach of all database links across IOC boundaries. Specifically, it introduces an implementation of input and output links and comments on that overall implementation. We include a set of manual pages describing each of the new functions the implementation provides

Two sides of the same coin: Student justification for or against evolutionary theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pratchayapong Yasri

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Students accepting evolution are likely to rely on science as cognitive authority (i.e. science textbooks and science teachers. In contrast, those not accepting are likely to rely on religion as cognitive authority (i.e. religious texts and religious leaders. A thematic analysis based on existing quantitative and qualitative studies has been carried out in order to propose a theoretical framework for a range of reasons contributing to students' acceptance and rejection of evolutionary theory. This article urges that instruction of evolution is more than the matter of delivering scientific contents. It also deals with personal worldviews influenced by different forms of cognitive authority. It is therefore important to put more emphasis on developing students’ learning skills to critically evaluate which source of information is scientifically appropriate, with full respect to religious belief of individuals.

Employee perceptions of line management performance: applying the AMO theory to explain the effectiveness of line managers' HRM implementation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bos-Nehles, Anna Christina; van Riemsdijk, Maarten; Looise, Jan C.

2013-01-01

Line managers are today seen as increasingly important in effectively implementing HRM practices. Based on the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity (AMO) theory, we predict that line managers' performance in this regard will depend on their ability to apply HRM practices, and that their motivation and the

Combining Vision with Voice: A Learning and Implementation Structure Promoting Teachers' Internalization of Practices Based on Self-Determination Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Assor, Avi; Kaplan, Haya; Feinberg, Ofra; Tal, Karen

2009-01-01

We propose that self-determination theory's conceptualization of internalization may help school reformers overcome the recurrent problem of "the predictable failure of educational reform" (Sarason, 1993). Accordingly, we present a detailed learning and implementation structure to promote teachers' internalization and application of ideas and…

EUGENICS, THE GIRARDIAN THEORY OF SACRIFICE, AND THE NEW DARWINIAN ETHICS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

THOMAS RYBA

2011-11-01

Full Text Available In this paper I argue that, though many ethical systems recognizesacrifice as moral action, the utilitarian appropriation of Neo-Darwinian theory especially as it justifies eugenics as a “winnowing of the human stock” is in Girardian terms analogous to the sacrificial scapegoating of innocents. This argument is accomplished in four steps. (1 I show that within some ethical systems sacrifice is recognized as moral behavior driven by a specific axiology (or theory of value (2 I discuss some of the meta-ethical problems connected with Neo-Darwinian naturalism and naturalism, in general. (3 I show how modern varieties of naturalism and Darwinian naturalism, inparticular are especially inclined to lead to a moral justification of eugenic scapegoating and how Girardian theory is helpful in identifying the moral disorder connected with eugenics. (4 Finally, I conclude by arguing that Darwin’s thought is susceptible to another kind of interpretation, one that need not lead to the valorization of eugenics.

THE LARGE ASPECT RATIO LIMIT OF NEOCLASSICAL TRANSPORT THEORY

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

WONG,SK; CHAN,VS

2002-11-01

OAK B202 THE LARGE ASPECT RATIO LIMIT OF NEOCLASSICAL TRANSPORT THEORY. This article presents a comprehensive description of neoclassical transport theory in the banana regime for large aspect ratio flux surfaces of arbitrary shapes. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to obtain analytical solutions for plasma distribution functions and to compute transport coefficients. The method provides justification for retaining only the part of the Fokker-Planck operator that involves the second derivative with respect to the cosine of the pitch angle for the trapped and barely circulating particles. It leads to a simple equation for the freely circulating particles with boundary conditions that embody a discontinuity separating particles moving in opposite directions. Corrections to the transport coefficients are obtained by generalizing an existing boundary layer analysis. The system of moment and field equations is consistently taken in the cylinder limit, which facilitates discussion of the treatment of dynamical constraints. it is shown that the nonlocal nature of Ohm's law in neoclassical theory renders the mathematical problem of plasma transport with changing flux surfaces nonstandard.

THE LARGE ASPECT RATIO LIMIT OF NEOCLASSICAL TRANSPORT THEORY

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WONG, S.K.; CHAN, V.S.

2002-01-01

OAK B202 THE LARGE ASPECT RATIO LIMIT OF NEOCLASSICAL TRANSPORT THEORY. This article presents a comprehensive description of neoclassical transport theory in the banana regime for large aspect ratio flux surfaces of arbitrary shapes. The method of matched asymptotic expansions is used to obtain analytical solutions for plasma distribution functions and to compute transport coefficients. The method provides justification for retaining only the part of the Fokker-Planck operator that involves the second derivative with respect to the cosine of the pitch angle for the trapped and barely circulating particles. It leads to a simple equation for the freely circulating particles with boundary conditions that embody a discontinuity separating particles moving in opposite directions. Corrections to the transport coefficients are obtained by generalizing an existing boundary layer analysis. The system of moment and field equations is consistently taken in the cylinder limit, which facilitates discussion of the treatment of dynamical constraints. it is shown that the nonlocal nature of Ohm's law in neoclassical theory renders the mathematical problem of plasma transport with changing flux surfaces nonstandard

Linear contextual modal type theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schack-Nielsen, Anders; Schürmann, Carsten

Abstract. When one implements a logical framework based on linear type theory, for example the Celf system [?], one is immediately con- fronted with questions about their equational theory and how to deal with logic variables. In this paper, we propose linear contextual modal type theory that gives...... a mathematical account of the nature of logic variables. Our type theory is conservative over intuitionistic contextual modal type theory proposed by Nanevski, Pfenning, and Pientka. Our main contributions include a mechanically checked proof of soundness and a working implementation....

Never the twain shall meet?--a comparison of implementation science and policy implementation research.

Science.gov (United States)

Nilsen, Per; Ståhl, Christian; Roback, Kerstin; Cairney, Paul

2013-06-10

Many of society's health problems require research-based knowledge acted on by healthcare practitioners together with implementation of political measures from governmental agencies. However, there has been limited knowledge exchange between implementation science and policy implementation research, which has been conducted since the early 1970s. Based on a narrative review of selective literature on implementation science and policy implementation research, the aim of this paper is to describe the characteristics of policy implementation research, analyze key similarities and differences between this field and implementation science, and discuss how knowledge assembled in policy implementation research could inform implementation science. Following a brief overview of policy implementation research, several aspects of the two fields were described and compared: the purpose and origins of the research; the characteristics of the research; the development and use of theory; determinants of change (independent variables); and the impact of implementation (dependent variables). The comparative analysis showed that there are many similarities between the two fields, yet there are also profound differences. Still, important learning may be derived from several aspects of policy implementation research, including issues related to the influence of the context of implementation and the values and norms of the implementers (the healthcare practitioners) on implementation processes. Relevant research on various associated policy topics, including The Advocacy Coalition Framework, Governance Theory, and Institutional Theory, may also contribute to improved understanding of the difficulties of implementing evidence in healthcare. Implementation science is at a relatively early stage of development, and advancement of the field would benefit from accounting for knowledge beyond the parameters of the immediate implementation science literature. There are many common issues in

Never the twain shall meet? - a comparison of implementation science and policy implementation research

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background Many of society’s health problems require research-based knowledge acted on by healthcare practitioners together with implementation of political measures from governmental agencies. However, there has been limited knowledge exchange between implementation science and policy implementation research, which has been conducted since the early 1970s. Based on a narrative review of selective literature on implementation science and policy implementation research, the aim of this paper is to describe the characteristics of policy implementation research, analyze key similarities and differences between this field and implementation science, and discuss how knowledge assembled in policy implementation research could inform implementation science. Discussion Following a brief overview of policy implementation research, several aspects of the two fields were described and compared: the purpose and origins of the research; the characteristics of the research; the development and use of theory; determinants of change (independent variables); and the impact of implementation (dependent variables). The comparative analysis showed that there are many similarities between the two fields, yet there are also profound differences. Still, important learning may be derived from several aspects of policy implementation research, including issues related to the influence of the context of implementation and the values and norms of the implementers (the healthcare practitioners) on implementation processes. Relevant research on various associated policy topics, including The Advocacy Coalition Framework, Governance Theory, and Institutional Theory, may also contribute to improved understanding of the difficulties of implementing evidence in healthcare. Implementation science is at a relatively early stage of development, and advancement of the field would benefit from accounting for knowledge beyond the parameters of the immediate implementation science literature. Summary

Implementation of the SMART MOVE intervention in primary care: a qualitative study using normalisation process theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Glynn, Liam G; Glynn, Fergus; Casey, Monica; Wilkinson, Louise Gaffney; Hayes, Patrick S; Heaney, David; Murphy, Andrew W M

2018-05-02

Problematic translational gaps continue to exist between demonstrating the positive impact of healthcare interventions in research settings and their implementation into routine daily practice. The aim of this qualitative evaluation of the SMART MOVE trial was to conduct a theoretically informed analysis, using normalisation process theory, of the potential barriers and levers to the implementation of a mhealth intervention to promote physical activity in primary care. The study took place in the West of Ireland with recruitment in the community from the Clare Primary Care Network. SMART MOVE trial participants and the staff from four primary care centres were invited to take part and all agreed to do so. A qualitative methodology with a combination of focus groups (general practitioners, practice nurses and non-clinical staff from four separate primary care centres, n = 14) and individual semi-structured interviews (intervention and control SMART MOVE trial participants, n = 4) with purposeful sampling utilising the principles of Framework Analysis was utilised. The Normalisation Process Theory was used to develop the topic guide for the interviews and also informed the data analysis process. Four themes emerged from the analysis: personal and professional exercise strategies; roles and responsibilities to support active engagement; utilisation challenges; and evaluation, adoption and adherence. It was evident that introducing a new healthcare intervention demands a comprehensive evaluation of the intervention itself and also the environment in which it is to operate. Despite certain obstacles, the opportunity exists for the successful implementation of a novel healthcare intervention that addresses a hitherto unresolved healthcare need, provided that the intervention has strong usability attributes for both disseminators and target users and coheres strongly with the core objectives and culture of the health care environment in which it is to operate. We

John Rawls's Constructivism & the Theory of Constructional Perceptions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Zamani

2010-01-01

Full Text Available John Rawls, American contemporary philosopher, has chosen the title of constructivism for his views on philosophy of ethics and politics. The base of his veiws is the same as the theory of social contract which has been discussed before by John Locke and Imanuel Kant. Rawls completes this view by the condition of impartiality and fairness , which is distinguished by ignorance about the position of self (the veil of ignorance in primary situation. Rawls criticises intutionism and utilitarianism and holds an antirealistic approach towards ethics . The theory that has been delivered by Allame Tabatabee (the constructional perception caused agreements and disagreements, but his idea seems to be new and effective in Islamic philosophy. Based on this idea many conceptions are constructive including goodness , badness and justice. The aim of this paper is to analyse and give a comparison between these ideas and studies similarities and differences with regard to topics such as antirealism, objectivity, criteria of justification and separation of science and ethics.

Large-aspect-ratio limit of neoclassical transport theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong, S K.; Chan, V.S.

2003-01-01

This paper presents a comprehensive description of neoclassical transport theory in the banana regime for large-aspect-ratio flux surfaces of arbitrary shapes. The method of matched-asymptotic expansions is used to obtain analytical solutions for plasma distribution functions and to compute transport coefficients. The method provides justification for retaining only the part of the Fokker-Planck operator that involves the second derivative with respect to the cosine of the pitch angle for the trapped and barely circulating particles. It leads to a simple equation for the freely circulating particles with boundary conditions that embody a discontinuity separating particles moving in opposite directions. Corrections to the transport coefficients are obtained by generalizing an existing boundary layer analysis. The system of moment and field equations is consistently taken in the cylinder limit, which facilitates the discussion of the treatment of dynamical constraints. It is shown that the nonlocal nature of Ohm's law in neoclassical theory renders the mathematical problem of plasma transport with changing flux surfaces nonstandard

Large-aspect-ratio limit of neoclassical transport theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Wong, S K; Chan, V S

2003-06-01

This paper presents a comprehensive description of neoclassical transport theory in the banana regime for large-aspect-ratio flux surfaces of arbitrary shapes. The method of matched-asymptotic expansions is used to obtain analytical solutions for plasma distribution functions and to compute transport coefficients. The method provides justification for retaining only the part of the Fokker-Planck operator that involves the second derivative with respect to the cosine of the pitch angle for the trapped and barely circulating particles. It leads to a simple equation for the freely circulating particles with boundary conditions that embody a discontinuity separating particles moving in opposite directions. Corrections to the transport coefficients are obtained by generalizing an existing boundary layer analysis. The system of moment and field equations is consistently taken in the cylinder limit, which facilitates the discussion of the treatment of dynamical constraints. It is shown that the nonlocal nature of Ohm's law in neoclassical theory renders the mathematical problem of plasma transport with changing flux surfaces nonstandard.

Optimising implementation of reforms to better prevent and respond to child sexual abuse in institutions: Insights from public health, regulatory theory, and Australia's Royal Commission.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Ben

2017-12-01

The Australian Royal Commission Into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has identified multiple systemic failures to protect children in government and non-government organizations providing educational, religious, welfare, sporting, cultural, arts and recreational activities. Its recommendations for reform will aim to ensure organizations adopt more effective and ethical measures to prevent, identify and respond to child sexual abuse. However, apart from the question of what measures institutions should adopt, an under-explored question is how to implement and regulate those measures. Major challenges confronting reform include the diversity of organizations providing services to children; organizational resistance; and the need for effective oversight. Failure to adopt theoretically sound strategies to overcome implementation barriers will jeopardize reform and compromise reduction of institutional child sexual abuse. This article first explains the nature of the Royal Commission, and focuses on key findings from case studies and data analysis. It then analyzes public health theory and regulatory theory to present a novel analysis of theoretically justified approaches to the implementation of measures to prevent, identify and respond to CSA, while isolating challenges to implementation. The article reviews literature on challenges to reform and compliance, and on prevention of institutional CSA and situational crime prevention, to identify measures which have attracted emerging consensus as recommended practice. Finally, it applies its novel integration of regulatory theory and public health theory to the context of CSA in institutional contexts, to develop a theoretical basis for a model of implementation and regulation, and to indicate the nature and functions of a regulatory body for this context. Copyright © 2017 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Is There a Need for Transcendental Arguments in Discourse Ethics?

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, James Scott

2016-01-01

In this essay, James Scott Johnston examines Jürgen Habermas's transcendental justification of his discourse theory of morality. According to Johnston, the application of Habermas's theory to educational issues often assumes that this justification is a cogent one. However, if the theory is to provide reasoned and appropriate guidance for…

Using Web-Based Instruction to Teach Music Theory in the Piano Studio: Defining, Designing, and Implementing an Integrative Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Carney, Robert D.

2010-01-01

This dissertation rationalizes the best use of Web-based instruction (WBI) for teaching music theory to private piano students in the later primary grades. It uses an integrative research methodology for defining, designing, and implementing a curriculum that includes WBI. Research from the fields of music education, educational technology,…

Effect of care management program structure on implementation: a normalization process theory analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Holtrop, Jodi Summers; Potworowski, Georges; Fitzpatrick, Laurie; Kowalk, Amy; Green, Lee A

2016-08-15

Care management in primary care can be effective in helping patients with chronic disease improve their health status, however, primary care practices are often challenged with implementation. Further, there are different ways to structure care management that may make implementation more or less successful. Normalization process theory (NPT) provides a means of understanding how a new complex intervention can become routine (normalized) in practice. In this study, we used NPT to understand how care management structure affected how well care management became routine in practice. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews and observations conducted at 25 practices in five physician organizations in Michigan, USA. Practices were selected to reflect variation in physician organizations, type of care management program, and degree of normalization. Data were transcribed, qualitatively coded and analyzed, initially using an editing approach and then a template approach with NPT as a guiding framework. Seventy interviews and 25 observations were completed. Two key structures for care management organization emerged: practice-based care management where the care managers were embedded in the practice as part of the practice team; and centralized care management where the care managers worked independently of the practice work flow and was located outside the practice. There were differences in normalization of care management across practices. Practice-based care management was generally better normalized as compared to centralized care management. Differences in normalization were well explained by the NPT, and in particular the collective action construct. When care managers had multiple and flexible opportunities for communication (interactional workability), had the requisite knowledge, skills, and personal characteristics (skill set workability), and the organizational support and resources (contextual integration), a trusting professional relationship

Unified description of structure and reactions: implementing the nuclear field theory program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Broglia, R A; Bortignon, P F; Barranco, F; Vigezzi, E; Idini, A; Potel, G

2016-01-01

The modern theory of the atomic nucleus results from the merging of the liquid drop model of Niels Bohr and Fritz Kalckar, and of the shell model of Marie Goeppert Meyer and Hans Jensen. The first model contributed the concepts of collective excitations. The second, those of independent-particle motion. The unification of these apparently contradictory views in terms of the particle-vibration and particle-rotation couplings carried out by Aage Bohr and Ben Mottelson has allowed for an ever more complete, accurate and detailed description of nuclear structure. Nuclear field theory (NFT), developed by the Copenhagen–Buenos Aires collaboration, provided a powerful quantal embodiment of this unification. Reactions are not only at the basis of quantum mechanics (statistical interpretation, Max Born), but also the specific tools to probe the atomic nucleus. It is then natural that NFT is being extended to deal with processes which involve the continuum in an intrinsic fashion, so as to be able to treat them on an equal footing with those associated with bound states (structure). As a result, spectroscopic studies of transfer to continuum states could eventually make use of the NFT rules, properly extended to take care of recoil effects. In the present contribution we review the implementation of the NFT program of structure and reactions, setting special emphasis on open problems and outstanding predictions. (invited comment)

The justification of studies in genetic epidemiology - political scaling in China Medical City.

Science.gov (United States)

Sleeboom-Faulkner, Margaret

2018-04-01

Genetic epidemiology examines the role of genetic factors in determining health and disease in families and in populations to help addressing health problems in a responsible manner. This paper uses a case study of genetic epidemiology in Taizhou, China, to explore ways in which anthropology can contribute to the validation of studies in genetic epidemiology. It does so, first, by identifying potential overgeneralizations of data, often due to mismatching scale and, second, by examining it's embedding in political, historical and local contexts. The example of the longitudinal cohort study in Taizhou illustrates dimensions of such 'political scaling'. Political scaling is a notion used here to refer to the effects of scaling biases in relation to the justification of research in terms of relevance, reach and research ethics. The justification of a project on genetic epidemiology involves presenting a maximum of benefits and a minimum of burden for the population. To facilitate the delineation of political scaling, an analytical distinction between donating and benefiting communities was made using the notions of 'scaling of relevance', 'scaling of reach' and 'scaling of ethics'. Political scaling results at least partly from factors external to research. By situating political scaling in the context of historical, political and local discourses, anthropologists can play a complementary role in genetic epidemiology.

Technical justifications for the tests and criteria in the waste form technical position appendix on cement stabilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siskind, B.; Cowgill, M.G.

1992-01-01

As part of its technical assistance to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) developed a background document for the cement stabilization appendix, Appendix A, to Rev. 1 of the Technical Position on Waste Form (TP). Here we present an overview of this background document, which provides technical justification for the stability tests to be performed on cement-stabilized waste forms and for the criteria posed in each test, especially for those tests which have been changed from their counterparts in the May 1983 Rev. 0 TP. We address guidelines for procedures from Appendix A which are considered in less detail or not at all in the Rev. 0 of the TP, namely, qualification specimen preparation (mixing, curing, storage), statistical sampling and analysis, process control program specimen preparation and examination, and surveillance specimens. For each waste form qualification test, criterion or procedural guidelines, we consider the reason for its inclusion in Appendix A, the changes from Rev. 0 of the TP (if applicable), and a discussion of the justification or rationale for these changes

Microfinance Participation, Control Over Resources, and Justification of IPV: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample of Women.

Science.gov (United States)

Murshid, Nadine Shaanta

2016-04-13

A high percentage of men and women are purported to justify intimate partner violence (IPV) in countries that are steeped in patriarchy even in the presence of programs such as microfinance that aim to address gender equity. This article examines two assertions that emerge from the literature on microfinance and its potential for positive outcomes for women who participate in it: (a) Microfinance participation is associated with reduced justification of IPV, and (b) microfinance participants with control over their own resources are less likely to justify IPV when compared with microfinance participants who do not have control over their resources. Couples data from a nationally representative survey, the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, were used in the present study. Propensity score matching and logistic regression analyses were conducted to reveal that (a) microfinance participation was not associated with justification of IPV and that (b) women who participated in microfinance were less likely to justify IPV when they had no control over their resources. Implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed. © The Author(s) 2016.

Technical justifications for the tests and criteria in the waste form Technical position appendix on cement stabilization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siskind, B.; Cowgill, M.G.

1992-01-01

As part of its technical assistance to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) developed a background document for the cement stabilization appendix. Appendix A, to Rev. 1 of the Technical Position on Waste Form (TP). Here we present an overview of this background document, which provides technical justification for the stability tests to be performed on cement-stabilized waste forms and for the criteria posed in each test) especially for those tests which have been changed from their counterparts in the May 1983 Rev. 0 TP. We address guidelines for procedures from Appendix A which are considered in less detail or not at all in the Rev. 0 of the TP, namely, qualification specimen preparation (mixing, curing, storage), statistical sampling and analysis, process control program specimen preparation and examination, and surveillance specimens. For each waste form qualification test, criterion or procedural guideline, we consider the reason for its inclusion in Appendix A, the changes from Rev. 0 of the TP (if applicable), and a discussion of the justification or rationale for these changes. (author)

Using Normalisation Process Theory to investigate the implementation of school-based oral health promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

Olajide, O J; Shucksmith, J; Maguire, A; Zohoori, F V

2017-09-01

Despite the considerable improvement in oral health of children in the UK over the last forty years, a significant burden of dental caries remains prevalent in some groups of children, indicating the need for more effective oral health promotion intervention (OHPI) strategies in this population. To explore the implementation process of a community-based OHPI, in the North East of England, using Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) to provide insights on how effectiveness could be maximised. Utilising a generic qualitative research approach, 19 participants were recruited into the study. In-depth interviews were conducted with relevant National Health Service (NHS) staff and primary school teachers while focus group discussions were conducted with reception teachers and teaching assistants. Analyses were conducted using thematic analysis with emergent themes mapped onto NPT constructs. Participants highlighted the benefits of OHPI and the need for evidence in practice. However, implementation of 'best evidence' was hampered by lack of adequate synthesis of evidence from available clinical studies on effectiveness of OHPI as these generally have insufficient information on the dynamics of implementation and how effectiveness obtained in clinical studies could be achieved in 'real life'. This impacted on the decision-making process, levels of commitment, collaboration among OHP teams, resource allocation and evaluation of OHPI. A large gap exists between available research evidence and translation of evidence in OHPI in community settings. Effectiveness of OHPI requires not only an awareness of evidence of clinical effectiveness but also synthesised information about change mechanisms and implementation protocols. Copyright© 2017 Dennis Barber Ltd.

Guarded Cubical Type Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Birkedal, Lars; Bizjak, Aleš; Clouston, Ranald

2016-01-01

This paper improves the treatment of equality in guarded dependent type theory (GDTT), by combining it with cubical type theory (CTT). GDTT is an extensional type theory with guarded recursive types, which are useful for building models of program logics, and for programming and reasoning...... with coinductive types. We wish to implement GDTT with decidable type-checking, while still supporting non-trivial equality proofs that reason about the extensions of guarded recursive constructions. CTT is a variation of Martin-L\\"of type theory in which the identity type is replaced by abstract paths between...... terms. CTT provides a computational interpretation of functional extensionality, is conjectured to have decidable type checking, and has an implemented type-checker. Our new type theory, called guarded cubical type theory, provides a computational interpretation of extensionality for guarded recursive...

Cognitive dissonance in children: justification of effort or contrast?

Science.gov (United States)

Alessandri, Jérôme; Darcheville, Jean-Claude; Zentall, Thomas R

2008-06-01

Justification of effort is a form of cognitive dissonance in which the subjective value of an outcome is directly related to the effort that went into obtaining it. However, it is likely that in social contexts (such as the requirements for joining a group) an inference can be made (perhaps incorrectly) that an outcome that requires greater effort to obtain in fact has greater value. Here we present evidence that a cognitive dissonance effect can be found in children under conditions that offer better control for the social value of the outcome. This effect is quite similar to contrast effects that recently have been studied in animals. We suggest that contrast between the effort required to obtain the outcome and the outcome itself provides a more parsimonious account of this phenomenon and perhaps other related cognitive dissonance phenomena as well. Research will be needed to identify cognitive dissonance processes that are different from contrast effects of this kind.

A review of the information required by technical justifications and its availability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Worrall, G.M.; Conroy, P.J.; Whittle, M.J.; Roscoe, P.

1997-03-01

A central feature of the European approach to Inspection Qualification (IQ) is the use of Technical Justifications (TJ). This arises from the recognition that practical trials of an inspection can never, by themselves, generate sufficient information to provide confidence in an inspection. The central role of TJ has raised concerns that information which is vital to their production may currently not be available. The range of roles that TJ can play in IQ is described in this report, their typical structure, the key input information, and the essential variables defined. The extent to which this information currently is available is then discussed. Information needs are defined. 10 refs

Predicting client attendance at further treatment following drug and alcohol detoxification: Theory of Planned Behaviour and Implementation Intentions.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Peter J; Leung, Joanne; Deane, Frank P; Lyons, Geoffrey C B

2016-11-01

Despite clinical recommendations that further treatment is critical for successful recovery following drug and alcohol detoxification, a large proportion of clients fail to attend treatment after detoxification. In this study, individual factors and constructs based on motivational and volitional models of health behaviour were examined as predictors of post-detoxification treatment attendance. The sample consisted of 220 substance-dependent individuals participating in short-term detoxification programs provided by The Australian Salvation Army. The Theory of Planned Behaviour and Implementation Intentions were used to predict attendance at subsequent treatment. Follow-up data were collected for 177 participants (81%), with 104 (80%) of those participants reporting that they had either attended further formal treatment (e.g. residential rehabilitation programs, outpatient counselling) or mutual support groups in the 2 weeks after leaving the detoxification program. Logistic regression examined the predictors of further treatment attendance. The full model accounted for 21% of the variance in treatment attendance, with attitude and Implementation Intentions contributing significantly to the prediction. Findings from the present study would suggest that assisting clients to develop a specific treatment plan, as well as helping clients to build positive perceptions about subsequent treatment, will promote greater attendance at further treatment following detoxification. [Kelly PJ, Leung J, Deane FP, Lyons GCB. Predicting client attendance at further treatment following drug and alcohol detoxification: Theory of Planned Behaviour and Implementation Intentions. Drug Alcohol Rev 2016;35:678-685]. © 2015 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Wigner particle theory and local quantum physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fassarella, Lucio; Schroer, Bert

2002-01-01

Wigner's irreducible positive energy representations of the Poincare group are often used to give additional justifications for the Lagrangian quantization formalism of standard QFT. Here we study another more recent aspect. We explain in this paper modular concepts by which we are able to construct the local operator algebras for all standard positive energy representations directly without going through field coordinations. In this way the artificial emphasis on Lagrangian field coordinates is avoided from the very beginning. These new concepts allow to treat also those cases of 'exceptional' Wigner representations associated with anyons and the famous Wigner spin tower which have remained inaccessible to Lagrangian quantization. Together with the d=1+1 factorizing models (whose modular construction has been studied previously), they form an interesting family of theories with a rich vacuum-polarization structure (but no on shell real particle creation) to which the modular methods can be applied for their explicit construction. We explain and illustrate the algebraic strategy of this construction. We also comment on possibilities of formulating the Wigner theory in a setting of a noncommutativity. (author)

Implementation of the CCGM approximation for surface diffraction using Wigner R-matrix theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lauderdale, J.G.; McCurdy, C.W.

1983-01-01

The CCGM approximation for surface scattering proposed by Cabrera, Celli, Goodman, and Manson [Surf. Sci. 19, 67 (1970)] is implemented for realistic surface interaction potentials using Wigner R-matrix theory. The resulting procedure is highly efficient computationally and is in no way limited to hard wall or purely repulsive potentials. Comparison is made with the results of close-coupling calculations of other workers which include the same diffraction channels in order to fairly evaluate the CCGM approximation which is an approximation to the coupled channels Lippman--Schwinger equation for the T matrix. The shapes of selective adsorption features, whether maxima or minima, in the scattered intensity are well represented in this approach for cases in which the surface corrugation is not too strong

John Rawls\\'s Constructivism & the Theory of Constructional Perceptions

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M Zamani

2010-03-01

Full Text Available John Rawls, American contemporary philosopher, has chosen the title of constructivism for his views on philosophy of ethics and politics. The base of his veiws is the same as the theory of social contract which has been discussed before by John Locke and Imanuel Kant. Rawls completes this view by the condition of impartiality and fairness , which is distinguished by ignorance about the position of self (the veil of ignorance in primary situation. Rawls criticises intutionism and utilitarianism and holds an antirealistic approach towards ethics . The theory that has been delivered by Allame Tabatabee (the constructional perception caused agreements and disagreements, but his idea seems to be new and effective in Islamic philosophy. Based on this idea many conceptions are constructive including goodness , badness and justice. The aim of this paper is to analyse and give a comparison between these ideas and studies similarities and differences with regard to topics such as antirealism, objectivity, criteria of justification and separation of science and ethics.

Using normalisation process theory to understand barriers and facilitators to implementing mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Simpson, Robert; Simpson, Sharon; Wood, Karen; Mercer, Stewart W; Mair, Frances S

2018-01-01

Objectives To study barriers and facilitators to implementation of mindfulness-based stress reduction for people with multiple sclerosis. Methods Qualitative interviews were used to explore barriers and facilitators to implementation of mindfulness-based stress reduction, including 33 people with multiple sclerosis, 6 multiple sclerosis clinicians and 2 course instructors. Normalisation process theory provided the underpinning conceptual framework. Data were analysed deductively using normalisation process theory constructs (coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring). Results Key barriers included mismatched stakeholder expectations, lack of knowledge about mindfulness-based stress reduction, high levels of comorbidity and disability and skepticism about embedding mindfulness-based stress reduction in routine multiple sclerosis care. Facilitators to implementation included introducing a pre-course orientation session; adaptations to mindfulness-based stress reduction to accommodate comorbidity and disability and participants suggested smaller, shorter classes, shortened practices, exclusion of mindful-walking and more time with peers. Post-mindfulness-based stress reduction booster sessions may be required, and objective and subjective reports of benefit would increase clinician confidence in mindfulness-based stress reduction. Discussion Multiple sclerosis patients and clinicians know little about mindfulness-based stress reduction. Mismatched expectations are a barrier to participation, as is rigid application of mindfulness-based stress reduction in the context of disability. Course adaptations in response to patient needs would facilitate uptake and utilisation. Rendering access to mindfulness-based stress reduction rapid and flexible could facilitate implementation. Embedded outcome assessment is desirable.

A CRÍTICA E OS MOMENTOS CRÍTICOS: DE LA JUSTIFICATION E A GUINADA PRAGMÁTICA NA SOCIOLOGIA FRANCESA

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Diogo Silva Corrêa

Full Text Available Resumo: O objetivo do presente texto é apresentar a sociologia pragmática francesa a partir do livro De la justification de Luc Boltanski e Laurent Thévenot. Primeiro, fazemos uma introdução geral dos principais pontos de convergência do campo sociológico francês desde a década de 80. Em seguida, apresentamos a obra De la justification, considerada como um marco na guinada pragmática da sociologia francesa. Então, apresentamos dois de seus principais conceitos: o de prova e o de cité. Por fim, através de um apanhado das forças e das fraquezas do modelo, problematizamos alguns de seus limites e desafios, como o de integrar na intuição pragmatista questões como o engajamento crítico do sociólogo e a análise dos processos, das disposições e dos problemas de longa duração.

[On the problems of the evolutionary optimization of life history. II. To justification of optimization criterion for nonlinear Leslie model].

Science.gov (United States)

Pasekov, V P

2013-03-01

The paper considers the problems in the adaptive evolution of life-history traits for individuals in the nonlinear Leslie model of age-structured population. The possibility to predict adaptation results as the values of organism's traits (properties) that provide for the maximum of a certain function of traits (optimization criterion) is studied. An ideal criterion of this type is Darwinian fitness as a characteristic of success of an individual's life history. Criticism of the optimization approach is associated with the fact that it does not take into account the changes in the environmental conditions (in a broad sense) caused by evolution, thereby leading to losses in the adequacy of the criterion. In addition, the justification for this criterion under stationary conditions is not usually rigorous. It has been suggested to overcome these objections in terms of the adaptive dynamics theory using the concept of invasive fitness. The reasons are given that favor the application of the average number of offspring for an individual, R(L), as an optimization criterion in the nonlinear Leslie model. According to the theory of quantitative genetics, the selection for fertility (that is, for a set of correlated quantitative traits determined by both multiple loci and the environment) leads to an increase in R(L). In terms of adaptive dynamics, the maximum R(L) corresponds to the evolutionary stability and, in certain cases, convergent stability of the values for traits. The search for evolutionarily stable values on the background of limited resources for reproduction is a problem of linear programming.

Projecting Grammatical Features in Nominals: Cognitive Processing Theory & Computational Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-01

underlying linguistic theory is an adaptation of X-Bar Theory ( Chomsky , 1970; Jackendoff, 1977) called Bi- Polar Theory (Ball, 2007a). In Bi-Polar...University Press. Chomsky , N. (1970). Remarks on Nominalization. In Jacobs & Rosembaum, (Eds.), Readings in English Transformational Grammar. Waltham, MA

Implementation proposal of a water conservation and reuse program at the TRANSPETRO; Proposta de implementacao de um programa de conservacao e reuso de agua na TRANSPETRO

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martini, Andrea Dietrich; Alves, Anibal Jose Constantino; Melo Neto, Joao Evangelista de [TRANSPETRO - PETROBRAS Transporte S.A., Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)

2008-07-01

The great amount of water that is used by industries and the ascendant preoccupation about the quantity and quality of water resources in Brazil and in the world are important justifications to start thinking of more efficient proposals for water application. Between the alternatives for water consume reduction in industry there is the reuse as the principle of those. A study of PricewaterhouseCoopers about this matter at the main national industries identified that 48% have reuse goals. The present work intends to show a methodology and the justifications to implement a conservation and water reuse program at the Terminals of PETROBRAS Transporte S.A. - TRANSPETRO. Therefore are presented the many possible applications for reuse water at TRANSPETRO and the stages to the implementation of this kind of project. The methodology presented, based on FIESP Proposal, has as the objective both water consumed reduction and water discharged reduction. Then it must be realized an identification of several water consumed sources and water discharged sources, focusing on the many reuse possible. (author)

Understanding the complex relationships among actors involved in the implementation of public-private mix (PPM) for TB control in India, using social theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Salve, Solomon; Harris, Kristine; Sheikh, Kabir; Porter, John D H

2018-06-07

Public Private Partnerships (PPP) are increasingly utilized as a public health strategy for strengthening health systems and have become a core component for the delivery of TB control services in India, as promoted through national policy. However, partnerships are complex systems that rely on relationships between a myriad of different actors with divergent agendas and backgrounds. Relationship is a crucial element of governance, and relationship building an important aspect of partnerships. To understand PPPs a multi-disciplinary perspective that draws on insights from social theory is needed. This paper demonstrates how social theory can aid the understanding of the complex relationships of actors involved in implementation of Public-Private Mix (PPM)-TB policy in India. Ethnographic research was conducted within a district in a Southern state of India over a 14 month period, combining participant observations, informal interactions and in-depth interviews with a wide range of respondents across public, private and non-government organisation (NGO) sectors. Drawing on the theoretical insights from Bourdieu's "theory of practice" this study explores the relationships between the different actors. The study found that programme managers, frontline TB workers, NGOs, and private practitioners all had a crucial role to play in TB partnerships. They were widely regarded as valued contributors with distinct social skills and capabilities within their organizations and professions. However, their potential contributions towards programme implementation tended to be unrecognized both at the top and bottom of the policy implementation chain. These actors constantly struggled for recognition and used different mechanisms to position themselves alongside other actors within the programme that further complicated the relationships between different actors. This paper demonstrates that applying social theory can enable a better understanding of the complex relationship

The rational reconstruction of weighing and balancing on the basis of teleological-evaluative considerations in the justification of judicial decisions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Feteris, E.T.

2008-01-01

In this contribution the author develops an argumentation model for the reconstruction of weighing and balancing on the basis of teleological-evaluative considerations. The model is intended as a heuristic and critical tool for the rational reconstruction of the justification of judicial decisions.

Challenges of implementating a doctoral program in an international exchange in Cuba through the lens of Kanter's empowerment theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Scanlan, Judith M; Abdul Hernandéz, C

2014-08-01

The literature in international education focuses primarily on the experiences of western students in developing countries, international students in western universities, the development of an educational program in a developing country, or internationalization of curricula in western universities. There is little in the literature that addresses the challenges students and participating faculty face when implementing a graduate program in a developing country. The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyze the challenges of implementing a doctoral program in an international exchange through the lens of Kanter's theory of empowerment. Recommendations to address these challenges will be made. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Types of Adolescent Male Dating Violence Against Women, Self-Esteem, and Justification of Dominance and Aggression.

Science.gov (United States)

Diaz-Aguado, Maria Jose; Martinez, Rosario

2015-09-01

The recognition of the seriousness of intimate partner violence (IPV) and the need to prevent it has led to the study of its inception in relationships established in adolescence. This study uses latent class analysis to establish a typology of male adolescents based on self-reports of violence against a girl in dating relationships. The participants were 4,147 boys in Spain aged 14 to 18 years from a probabilistic sample. Four discrete, identifiable groups were derived based on 12 indicators of emotional abuse, intimidation, coercion, threats, physical violence, and violence transmitted via communication technologies. The first group consists of non-violent adolescent boys. A second group comprises those boys who isolate and control their partners. Boys who exert only medium-level emotional abuse form the third group, whereas the fourth is formed by teenage boys who frequently engage in all types of violence. Compared with the non-violent adolescents in a multinomial logistic regression, the other groups show lower self-esteem and display a greater justification of male dominance and IPV against women; greater justification of aggression in conflict resolution; they have also received more dominance and violence messages from adults in their family environment; and they perceive IPV behaviors against women as abuse of lesser importance. © The Author(s) 2014.

Numerical implementation of time-dependent density functional theory for extended systems in extreme environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baczewski, Andrew David; Shulenburger, Luke; Desjarlais, Michael Paul; Magyar, Rudolph J.

2014-02-01

In recent years, DFT-MD has been shown to be a useful computational tool for exploring the properties of WDM. These calculations achieve excellent agreement with shock compression experiments, which probe the thermodynamic parameters of the Hugoniot state. New X-ray Thomson Scattering diagnostics promise to deliver independent measurements of electronic density and temperature, as well as structural information in shocked systems. However, they require the development of new levels of theory for computing the associated observables within a DFT framework. The experimentally observable x-ray scattering cross section is related to the electronic density-density response function, which is obtainable using TDDFT - a formally exact extension of conventional DFT that describes electron dynamics and excited states. In order to develop a capability for modeling XRTS data and, more generally, to establish a predictive capability for rst principles simulations of matter in extreme conditions, real-time TDDFT with Ehrenfest dynamics has been implemented in an existing PAW code for DFT-MD calculations. The purpose of this report is to record implementation details and benchmarks as the project advances from software development to delivering novel scienti c results. Results range from tests that establish the accuracy, e ciency, and scalability of our implementation, to calculations that are veri ed against accepted results in the literature. Aside from the primary XRTS goal, we identify other more general areas where this new capability will be useful, including stopping power calculations and electron-ion equilibration.

Matching theory for wireless networks

CERN Document Server

Han, Zhu; Saad, Walid

2017-01-01

This book provides the fundamental knowledge of the classical matching theory problems. It builds up the bridge between the matching theory and the 5G wireless communication resource allocation problems. The potentials and challenges of implementing the semi-distributive matching theory framework into the wireless resource allocations are analyzed both theoretically and through implementation examples. Academics, researchers, engineers, and so on, who are interested in efficient distributive wireless resource allocation solutions, will find this book to be an exceptional resource. .

View from Behavioral Economics Theory: Case of Latvian Rural Entrepreneurs

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Igo Cals

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The theory of classical economics treats entrepreneurs as subjects who make rational economic decisions. Empirical surveys prove the fact that daily economic decisions made by a separate economic entity can be explained by concepts of behavioral economics rather than classical economics. The economic behavior of entrepreneurs happens to be based on bounded rationality instead of financial justification. The objective of an economic activity presented as economically efficient can turn out to be socially important to a specific entrepreneur and not to national economy as a whole. In the EU countries, agriculture is a subsidised industry of national economy. In this light, status consumption and purchase of positional goods should create a special interest among economists. The objective of this article is to present true reasons of economic decisions made by rural entrepreneurs and to analyse the value hierarchy of Latvian rural entrepreneurs through carrying out a field work and with the help of set of instruments developed by modern economics theory.

Prototyping SOS meta-theory in Maude

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Mousavi, M.R.; Reniers, M.A.; Mosses, P.D.; Ulidowski, I.

2006-01-01

We present a prototype implementation of SOS meta-theory in the Maude term rewriting language. The prototype defines the basic concepts of SOS meta-theory (e.g., transition formulae, deduction rules and transition system specifications) in Maude. Besides the basic definitions, we implement methods

Water Pricing as an Economic Justification for Reducing Non-Revenue Water (NRW Projects

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Massoud Tabesh

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Management of water demand and modification of consumption patterns are becoming increasingly essential due to the increasingly limited precipitation and the growing population which have led to both severe restrictions on renewable water resources and increasing demands for water in Iran. The most important consumption management measures involve reducing Non-Revenue Water (NRW and decreasing water losses in the water supply system. Non-revenue water is defined as the difference between the total inflow and the metered consumption in the supply system. The losses may be divided into the two components of apparent and real losses. Achieving reductions in non-revenue water calls for the careful study and evaluation of the operational procedures proposed in each case since reductions will be economical only when accurate and realistic values are considered in water pricing. The present study draws upon the data obtained from non-revenue water projects implemented in District 4 of Tehran Water and Wastewater Company, the measures proposed by the project consultant, and the economic justifications claimed for all the costs associated with the measures to eliminate water losses. The cost of the proposed measures are calculated for two different economic values of water proposed to ensure benefits, and under four different interest rates. Results confirm the profitability of the non-revenue water solutions based on the finished cost of water even at subsidized rates of public funds. However, project profitability will be in question if the economic price of water is assumed to be equivalent to the total trade price of water and if both real and apparent losses are to be reduced.

Using theories of behaviour to understand transfusion prescribing in three clinical contexts in two countries: development work for an implementation trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Francis, Jill J; Tinmouth, Alan; Stanworth, Simon J; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Johnston, Marie; Hyde, Chris; Stockton, Charlotte; Brehaut, Jamie C; Fergusson, Dean; Eccles, Martin P

2009-10-24

Blood transfusion is an essential part of healthcare and can improve patient outcomes. However, like most therapies, it is also associated with significant clinical risks. In addition, there is some evidence of overuse. Understanding the potential barriers and enablers to reduced prescribing of blood products will facilitate the selection of intervention components likely to be effective, thereby reducing the number of costly trials evaluating different implementation strategies. Using a theoretical basis to understand behaviours targeted for change will contribute to a 'basic science' relating to determinants of professional behaviour and how these inform the selection of techniques for changing behaviour. However, it is not clear which theories of behaviour are relevant to clinicians' transfusing behaviour. The aim of this study is to use a theoretical domains framework to identify relevant theories, and to use these theories to identify factors that predict the decision to transfuse. The study involves two steps: interview study and questionnaire study. Using a previously identified framework, we will conduct semi-structured interviews with clinicians to elicit their views about which factors are associated with waiting and further monitoring the patient rather than transfusing red blood cells. Interviews will cover the following theoretical domains: knowledge; skills; social/professional role and identity; beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; motivation and goals; memory, attention, and decision processes; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion; behavioural regulation; nature of the behaviour. The interviews will take place independently in Canada and the UK and involve two groups of physicians in each country (UK: adult and neonatal intensive care physicians; Canada: intensive care physicians and orthopaedic surgeons). We will: analyse interview transcript content to select relevant theoretical domains; use consensus

Rorty and contemporary social theory

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Prodanović Srđan

2010-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to show certain aspects of Rorty’s philosophy that are relevant to social theory, and also to point out the most important divergences of Rorty’s insights from postmodern understanding of social reality. Therefore, in the first part of the paper I will examine both Rorty’s philosophy of edification and all relevant criticisms to his view of philosophy “as a communication of mankind”. Furthermore, I will try to establish to which extent Rorty’s understanding of contingency and its implications really falls close to postmodern thought. I will also argue that the impossibility of philosophical justification of social reality, according to Rorty, does not entail impossibility of moral progress and that the role of social theory is actually in raising the level of inclusion of social interaction and in providing social hope. Moreover, it will be shown that Rorty, unlike Foucault and Derrida, thought that the institutions of Western democracy and liberalism are quite capable to achieve these goals and that accomplishment of this liberal utopia greatly depends on the degree of commitment to moral progress that all actors (writers, social scientists and philosophers within the cultural field share.

Common sense and the common morality in theory and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Daly, Patrick

2014-06-01

The unfinished nature of Beauchamp and Childress's account of the common morality after 34 years and seven editions raises questions about what is lacking, specifically in the way they carry out their project, more generally in the presuppositions of the classical liberal tradition on which they rely. Their wide-ranging review of ethical theories has not provided a method by which to move beyond a hypothetical approach to justification or, on a practical level regarding values conflict, beyond a questionable appeal to consensus. My major purpose in this paper is to introduce the thought of Bernard Lonergan as offering a way toward such a methodological breakthrough. In the first section, I consider Beauchamp and Childress's defense of their theory of the common morality. In the second, I relate a persisting vacillation in their argument regarding the relative importance of reason and experience to a similar tension in classical liberal theory. In the third, I consider aspects of Lonergan's generalized empirical method as a way to address problems that surface in the first two sections of the paper: (1) the structural relation of reason and experience in human action; and (2) the importance of theory for practice in terms of what Lonergan calls "common sense" and "general bias."

Clinical application of 'Justification' and 'Optimization' principle of ALARA in pediatric CT imaging: "How many children can be protected from unnecessary radiation?".

Science.gov (United States)

Sodhi, Kushaljit S; Krishna, Satheesh; Saxena, Akshay K; Sinha, Anindita; Khandelwal, Niranjan; Lee, Edward Y

2015-09-01

Practice of ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle in the developed world is currently well established. However, there is striking lack of published data regarding such experience in the developing countries. Therefore, the goal of this study is to prospectively evaluate CT request forms to assess how many children could be protected from harmful radiation exposure if 'Justification' and 'Optimization' principles of ALARA are applied before obtaining CT imaging in a developing country. This can save children from potential radiation risks including development of brain cancer and leukemia. Consecutive CT request forms over a six month study period (May 16, 2013 to November 15, 2013) in a tertiary pediatric children's hospital in India were prospectively reviewed by two pediatric radiologists before obtaining CT imaging. First, 'Justification' of CT was evaluated and then 'Optimization' was applied for evaluation of appropriateness of the requested CT studies. The number (and percentage) of CT studies avoided by applying 'Justification' and 'Optimization' principle of ALARA were calculated. The difference in number of declined and optimized CT requests between CT requests from inpatient and outpatient departments was compared using Chi-Square test. A total of 1302 consecutive CT request forms were received during the study period. Some of the request forms (n=86; 6.61%) had requests for more than one (multiple) anatomical regions, hence, a total of 1392 different anatomical CT requests were received. Based on evaluation of the CT request forms for 'Justification' and 'Optimization' principle of ALARA by pediatric radiology reviewers, 111 individual anatomic part CT requests from 105 pediatric patients were avoided. Therefore, 8.06% (105 out of 1302 pediatric patients) were protected from unnecessary or additional radiation exposure.The rates of declined or optimized CT requests from inpatient department was significantly higher than that from outpatient

Practicing Technology Implementation: The Case of an Enterprise System

Science.gov (United States)

Awazu, Yukika

2013-01-01

Drawing on four theories of practice--Communities of Practice (CoP), Bourdieu's theory of practice, Pickering's mangle of practice, and Actor Network Theory (ANT), the study provides an in-depth understanding about technology implementation practice. Analysis of an Enterprise System implementation project in a software manufacturing…

The implementation of medical revalidation: an assessment using normalisation process theory

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Abigail Tazzyman

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Medical revalidation is the process by which all licensed doctors are legally required to demonstrate that they are up to date and fit to practise in order to maintain their licence. Revalidation was introduced in the United Kingdom (UK in 2012, constituting significant change in the regulation of doctors. The governing body, the General Medical Council (GMC, envisages that revalidation will improve patient care and safety. This potential however is, in part, dependent upon how successfully revalidation is embedded into routine practice. The aim of this study was to use Normalisation Process Theory (NPT to explore issues contributing to or impeding the implementation of revalidation in practice. Methods We conducted seventy-one interviews with sixty UK policymakers and senior leaders at different points during the development and implementation of revalidation: in 2011 (n = 31, 2013 (n = 26 and 2015 (n = 14. We selected interviewees using purposeful sampling. NPT was used as a framework to enable systematic analysis across the interview sets. Results Initial lack of consensus over revalidation’s purpose, and scepticism about its value, decreased over time as participants recognised the benefits it brought to their practice (coherence category of NPT. Though acceptance increased across time, revalidation was not seen as a legitimate part of their role by all doctors. Key individuals, notably the Responsible Officer (RO, were vital for the successful implementation of revalidation in organisations (cognitive participation category. The ease with which revalidation could be integrated into working practices varied greatly depending on the type of role a doctor held and the organisation they work for and the provision of resources was a significant variable in this (collective action category. Formal evaluation of revalidation in organisations was lacking but informal evaluation was taking place. Revalidation had

Sparse linear systems: Theory of decomposition, methods, technology, applications and implementation in Wolfram Mathematica

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pilipchuk, L. A., E-mail: pilipchik@bsu.by [Belarussian State University, 220030 Minsk, 4, Nezavisimosti avenue, Republic of Belarus (Belarus); Pilipchuk, A. S., E-mail: an.pilipchuk@gmail.com [The Natural Resources and Environmental Protestion Ministry of the Republic of Belarus, 220004 Minsk, 10 Kollektornaya Street, Republic of Belarus (Belarus)

2015-11-30

In this paper we propose the theory of decomposition, methods, technologies, applications and implementation in Wol-fram Mathematica for the constructing the solutions of the sparse linear systems. One of the applications is the Sensor Location Problem for the symmetric graph in the case when split ratios of some arc flows can be zeros. The objective of that application is to minimize the number of sensors that are assigned to the nodes. We obtain a sparse system of linear algebraic equations and research its matrix rank. Sparse systems of these types appear in generalized network flow programming problems in the form of restrictions and can be characterized as systems with a large sparse sub-matrix representing the embedded network structure.

Sparse linear systems: Theory of decomposition, methods, technology, applications and implementation in Wolfram Mathematica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilipchuk, L. A.; Pilipchuk, A. S.

2015-01-01

In this paper we propose the theory of decomposition, methods, technologies, applications and implementation in Wol-fram Mathematica for the constructing the solutions of the sparse linear systems. One of the applications is the Sensor Location Problem for the symmetric graph in the case when split ratios of some arc flows can be zeros. The objective of that application is to minimize the number of sensors that are assigned to the nodes. We obtain a sparse system of linear algebraic equations and research its matrix rank. Sparse systems of these types appear in generalized network flow programming problems in the form of restrictions and can be characterized as systems with a large sparse sub-matrix representing the embedded network structure

Analysis of radiological examination request forms in conjunction with justification of X-ray exposures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Triantopoulou, Ch.; Tsalafoutas, I.; Maniatis, P.; Papavdis, D.; Raios, G.; Siafas, I.; Velonakis, S.; Koulentianos, E.

2005-01-01

Objectives: To evaluate the adequacy of patient data and clinical information transmitted to the radiological departments by the referring clinicians in view of the justification demands concerning the radiological examinations, as those are described in the Radiation Protection Regulations of the European Union Nations. Materials and methods: Request forms for 1708 patients referred to radiology department and 410 referred to the CT department were evaluated concerning the proper completion of the form fields. Furthermore, for CT examinations a more detailed evaluation was carried out, to assess the rationalistic use of CT within the diagnostic algorithm. Results: Not properly completed request forms to both departments were observed, however, the omissions were more prominent for the referrals to the radiology department, where the age and the probable clinical diagnosis was not given in 81.5 and 46% of the forms, respectively. Furthermore, the emergency indication was less cautiously used compared to the CT requests. For the CT department 33.3% of requests were justified and the final diagnosis was included in the referring doctor's probable clinical diagnosis. U/S was the examination of choice in 51% of the cases where an examination should have been performed before CT and in 70.6% of the cases where an alternative examination was proposed. Conclusions: The inadequate transmission of clinical information and the large number of not fully justified CT requests observed in this study are typical examples of the various problems that radiologists have to face in order to apply the justification directives

Dryson equations, Ward identities, and the infrared behavior of Yang-Mills theories. [Schwinger-Dyson equations, Slavnov-Taylor identities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Baker, M.

1979-01-01

It was shown using the Schwinger-Dyson equations and the Slavnov-Taylor identities of Yang-Mills theory that no inconsistency arises if the gluon propagator behaves like (1/p/sup 2/)/sup 2/ for small p/sup 2/. To see whether the theory actually contains such singular long range behavior, a nonperturbative closed set of equations was formulated by neglecting the transverse parts of GAMMA and GAMMA/sub 4/ in the Schwinger-Dyson equations. This simplification preserves all the symmetries of the theory and allows the possibility for a singular low-momentum behavior of the gluon propagator. The justification for neglecting GAMMA/sup (T)/ and GAMMA/sub 4//sup (T)/ is not evident but it is expected that the present study of the resulting equations will elucidate this simplification, which leads to a closed set of equations.

Tensor contraction engine: Abstraction and automated parallel implementation of configuration-interaction, coupled-cluster, and many-body perturbation theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirata, So

2003-01-01

We develop a symbolic manipulation program and program generator (Tensor Contraction Engine or TCE) that automatically derives the working equations of a well-defined model of second-quantized many-electron theories and synthesizes efficient parallel computer programs on the basis of these equations. Provided an ansatz of a many-electron theory model, TCE performs valid contractions of creation and annihilation operators according to Wick's theorem, consolidates identical terms, and reduces the expressions into the form of multiple tensor contractions acted by permutation operators. Subsequently, it determines the binary contraction order for each multiple tensor contraction with the minimal operation and memory cost, factorizes common binary contractions (defines intermediate tensors), and identifies reusable intermediates. The resulting ordered list of binary tensor contractions, additions, and index permutations is translated into an optimized program that is combined with the NWChem and UTChem computational chemistry software packages. The programs synthesized by TCE take advantage of spin symmetry, Abelian point-group symmetry, and index permutation symmetry at every stage of calculations to minimize the number of arithmetic operations and storage requirement, adjust the peak local memory usage by index range tiling, and support parallel I/O interfaces and dynamic load balancing for parallel executions. We demonstrate the utility of TCE through automatic derivation and implementation of parallel programs for various models of configuration-interaction theory (CISD, CISDT, CISDTQ), many-body perturbation theory[MBPT(2), MBPT(3), MBPT(4)], and coupled-cluster theory (LCCD, CCD, LCCSD, CCSD, QCISD, CCSDT, and CCSDTQ)

Northern and Southern European Traffic Flow Land Segment Analysis as Part of the Redirection Justification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

SiniŁa Vilke

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Natural geotraffic flows act as one of the most important factors directly affecting redirections of the world transportation routes. In terms of door-to-door multimodal transport chain, several routes from Far East toward European destinations exist, with Northern European route acting as prevailing one. The proposed paper elaborates possibilities of redirection of the traffic flow by directing cargoes to an alternative route through the Adriatic Sea. The aim is to justify realisation of mentioned possibility in terms of land transportation segment analysis, i.e. by analysing cargo transportation from ports to final destinations in Central Europe, placed in natural gravitational hinterland of ports of Northern Adriatic Port Association (NAPA. Geo-traffic and logistics’ analyses of NAPA ports are presented in the paper. Container traffic and its trend as compared with Northern European ports are analysed. The development plans of inland connections are presented in function of justification of the traffic flow redirection. A model for the selection and evaluation of the optimal container transport route by using the multiple criteria analysis (MCA has been introduced and developed. The model was applied for the selection of the representative service connecting Far East (origin and the central Europe (destination by detailed analysis of the land transportation segment. The PROMETHEE method was used for the model testing and evaluation. Summarised results are presented and discussed tending to confirmation of the traffic flow redirection justification.

Understanding the challenges to implementing case management for people with dementia in primary care in England: a qualitative study using Normalization Process Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Bamford, Claire; Poole, Marie; Brittain, Katie; Chew-Graham, Carolyn; Fox, Chris; Iliffe, Steve; Manthorpe, Jill; Robinson, Louise

2014-11-08

Case management has been suggested as a way of improving the quality and cost-effectiveness of support for people with dementia. In this study we adapted and implemented a successful United States' model of case management in primary care in England. The results are reported elsewhere, but a key finding was that little case management took place. This paper reports the findings of the process evaluation which used Normalization Process Theory to understand the barriers to implementation. Ethnographic methods were used to explore the views and experiences of case management. Interviews with 49 stakeholders (patients, carers, case managers, health and social care professionals) were supplemented with observation of case managers during meetings and initial assessments with patients. Transcripts and field notes were analysed initially using the constant comparative approach and emerging themes were then mapped onto the framework of Normalization Process Theory. The primary focus during implementation was on the case managers as isolated individuals, with little attention being paid to the social or organizational context within which they worked. Barriers relating to each of the four main constructs of Normalization Process Theory were identified, with a lack of clarity over the scope and boundaries of the intervention (coherence); variable investment in the intervention (cognitive participation); a lack of resources, skills and training to deliver case management (collective action); and limited reflection and feedback on the case manager role (reflexive monitoring). Despite the intuitive appeal of case management to all stakeholders, there were multiple barriers to implementation in primary care in England including: difficulties in embedding case managers within existing well-established community networks; the challenges of protecting time for case management; and case managers' inability to identify, and act on, emerging patient and carer needs (an essential, but

Computational science and re-discovery: open-source implementation of ellipsoidal harmonics for problems in potential theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bardhan, Jaydeep P; Knepley, Matthew G

2012-01-01

We present two open-source (BSD) implementations of ellipsoidal harmonic expansions for solving problems of potential theory using separation of variables. Ellipsoidal harmonics are used surprisingly infrequently, considering their substantial value for problems ranging in scale from molecules to the entire solar system. In this paper, we suggest two possible reasons for the paucity relative to spherical harmonics. The first is essentially historical—ellipsoidal harmonics developed during the late 19th century and early 20th, when it was found that only the lowest-order harmonics are expressible in closed form. Each higher-order term requires the solution of an eigenvalue problem, and tedious manual computation seems to have discouraged applications and theoretical studies. The second explanation is practical: even with modern computers and accurate eigenvalue algorithms, expansions in ellipsoidal harmonics are significantly more challenging to compute than those in Cartesian or spherical coordinates. The present implementations reduce the 'barrier to entry' by providing an easy and free way for the community to begin using ellipsoidal harmonics in actual research. We demonstrate our implementation using the specific and physiologically crucial problem of how charged proteins interact with their environment, and ask: what other analytical tools await re-discovery in an era of inexpensive computation?

Challenging convention: symbolic interactionism and grounded theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Newman, Barbara

2008-01-01

Not very much is written in the literature about decisions made by researchers and the justifications on method as a result of a particular clinical problem, together with an appropriate and congruent theoretical perspective, particularly for Glaserian grounded theory. I contend the utilisation of symbolic interactionism as a theoretical perspective to inform and guide the evolving research process and analysis of data when using classic or Glaserian grounded theory (GT) method, is not always appropriate. Within this article I offer an analysis of the key issues to be addressed when contemplating the use of Glaserian GT and the utilisation of an appropriate theoretical perspective, rather than accepting convention of symbolic interactionism (SI). The analysis became imperative in a study I conducted that sought to explore the concerns, adaptive behaviours, psychosocial processes and relevant interactions over a 12-month period, among newly diagnosed persons with end stage renal disease, dependent on haemodialysis in the home environment for survival. The reality of perception was central to the end product in the study. Human ethics approval was granted by six committees within New South Wales Health Department and one from a university.

Wigner particle theory and local quantum physics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fassarella, Lucio; Schroer, Bert [Centro Brasileiro de Pesquisas Fisicas (CBPF), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil)]. E-mail: fassarel@cbpf.br; schroer@cbpf.br

2002-01-01

Wigner's irreducible positive energy representations of the Poincare group are often used to give additional justifications for the Lagrangian quantization formalism of standard QFT. Here we study another more recent aspect. We explain in this paper modular concepts by which we are able to construct the local operator algebras for all standard positive energy representations directly without going through field coordinations. In this way the artificial emphasis on Lagrangian field coordinates is avoided from the very beginning. These new concepts allow to treat also those cases of 'exceptional' Wigner representations associated with anyons and the famous Wigner spin tower which have remained inaccessible to Lagrangian quantization. Together with the d=1+1 factorizing models (whose modular construction has been studied previously), they form an interesting family of theories with a rich vacuum-polarization structure (but no on shell real particle creation) to which the modular methods can be applied for their explicit construction. We explain and illustrate the algebraic strategy of this construction. We also comment on possibilities of formulating the Wigner theory in a setting of a noncommutativity. (author)

Implementation of an Improved Adaptive Testing Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Al-A'ali, Mansoor

2007-01-01

Computer adaptive testing is the study of scoring tests and questions based on assumptions concerning the mathematical relationship between examinees' ability and the examinees' responses. Adaptive student tests, which are based on item response theory (IRT), have many advantages over conventional tests. We use the least square method, a…

The development and implementation of a theory-informed, integrated mother-child intervention in rural Uganda.

Science.gov (United States)

Singla, Daisy R; Kumbakumba, Elias

2015-12-01

theory were reported as facilitators to intervention delivery. Only program attendance, but not barriers, facilitators or message recall, was significantly positively related to message enactment. Monitoring of group sessions and home visits showed that the program was largely implemented as intended. This implementation assessment revealed a number of important barriers and facilitators from the perspectives of delivery agents, supervisors and program participants. The methods and results are useful to examining and informing the content, delivery, and scaling up of the current program as well as future mother-child interventions in LMIC settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Implementering & Performative Potentialer

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damkjer, Annemarie

organizational boundaries. Furthermore, the analysis reflect how specific modes of ordering in the local process of implementation perform and displace the technology of performance management. The study provides an alternative view of the performative potentials in implementation processes and specifically...... challenge the traditional models of implementation. It is suggested, that we view implementation practices as performative in relation to the co-configuration of technology and organizational practices and that both the co-configurative perspective and the materiality of implementation practices is included......This thesis investigates how technology is constituted as an object of implementation. Using the theoretical lens of actor-network theory the thesis investigates how the technology of performance management becomes a matter of implementation in the Danish Defence and how the technology...

From the Orbital Implementation of the Kinetic Theory to the Polarization Propagator Method in the Study of Energy Deposition Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Cabrera-Trujillo, R.; Cruz, S. A.; Soullard, J.

The energy deposited by swift atomic-ion projectiles when colliding with a given target material has been a topic of special scientific interest for the last century due to the variety of applications of ion beams in modern materials technology as well as in medical physics. In this work, we summarize our contributions in this field as a consequence of fruitful discussions and enlightening ideas put forward by one of the main protagonists in stopping power theory during the last three decades: Jens Oddershede. Our review, mainly motivated by Jens' work, evolves from the extension of the orbital implementation of the kinetic theory of stopping through the orbital local plasma approximation, its use in studies of orbital and total mean excitation energies for the study of atomic and molecular stopping until the advances on generalized oscillator strength and sum rules in the study of stopping cross sections. Finally, as a tribute to Jens' work on the orbital implementation of the kinetic theory of stopping, in this work we present new results on the use of the Thomas-Fermi-Dirac-Weizsäcker density functional for the calculation of orbital and total atomic mean excitation energies. The results are applied to free-atoms and and extension is done to confined atoms - taking Si as an example - whereby target pressure effects on stopping are derived. Hence, evidence of the far-yield of Jens' ideas is given.

An African theory of bioethics: reply to MacPherson and Macklin.

Science.gov (United States)

Metz, Thaddeus

2010-12-01

In a prior issue of Developing World Bioethics, Cheryl Macpherson and Ruth Macklin critically engaged with an article of mine, where I articulated a moral theory grounded on indigenous values salient in the sub-Saharan region, and then applied it to four major issues in bioethics, comparing and contrasting its implications with those of the dominant Western moral theories, utilitarianism and Kantianism. In response to my essay, Macpherson and Macklin have posed questions about: whether philosophical justifications are something with which bioethicists ought to be concerned; why something counts as 'African'; how medicine is a moral enterprise; whether an individual right to informed consent is consistent with sub-Saharan values; and when thought experiments help to establish firm conclusions about moral status. These are important issues for the field, and I use this reply to take discussion of them a step or two farther, defending my initial article from Macpherson's and Macklin's critical questions and objections. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Understanding the implementation and adoption of an information technology intervention to support medicine optimisation in primary care: qualitative study using strong structuration theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffries, Mark; Phipps, Denham; Howard, Rachel L; Avery, Anthony; Rodgers, Sarah; Ashcroft, Darren

2017-05-10

Using strong structuration theory, we aimed to understand the adoption and implementation of an electronic clinical audit and feedback tool to support medicine optimisation for patients in primary care. This is a qualitative study informed by strong structuration theory. The analysis was thematic, using a template approach. An a priori set of thematic codes, based on strong structuration theory, was developed from the literature and applied to the transcripts. The coding template was then modified through successive readings of the data. Clinical commissioning group in the south of England. Four focus groups and five semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 participants purposively sampled from a range of stakeholder groups (general practitioners, pharmacists, patients and commissioners). Using the system could lead to improved medication safety, but use was determined by broad institutional contexts; by the perceptions, dispositions and skills of users; and by the structures embedded within the technology. These included perceptions of the system as new and requiring technical competence and skill; the adoption of the system for information gathering; and interactions and relationships that involved individual, shared or collective use. The dynamics between these external, internal and technological structures affected the adoption and implementation of the system. Successful implementation of information technology interventions for medicine optimisation will depend on a combination of the infrastructure within primary care, social structures embedded in the technology and the conventions, norms and dispositions of those utilising it. Future interventions, using electronic audit and feedback tools to improve medication safety, should consider the complexity of the social and organisational contexts and how internal and external structures can affect the use of the technology in order to support effective implementation. © Article author(s) (or their

Analyzing implementation dynamics using theory-driven evaluation principles: lessons learnt from a South African centralized chronic dispensing model.

Science.gov (United States)

Magadzire, Bvudzai Priscilla; Marchal, Bruno; Mathys, Tania; Laing, Richard O; Ward, Kim

2017-12-04

Centralized dispensing of essential medicines is one of South Africa's strategies to address the shortage of pharmacists, reduce patients' waiting times and reduce over-crowding at public sector healthcare facilities. This article reports findings of an evaluation of the Chronic Dispensing Unit (CDU) in one province. The objectives of this process evaluation were to: (1) compare what was planned versus the actual implementation and (2) establish the causal elements and contextual factors influencing implementation. This qualitative study employed key informant interviews with the intervention's implementers (clinicians, managers and the service provider) [N = 40], and a review of policy and program documents. Data were thematically analyzed by identifying the main influences shaping the implementation process. Theory-driven evaluation principles were applied as a theoretical framework to explain implementation dynamics. The overall participants' response about the CDU was positive and the majority of informants concurred that the establishment of the CDU to dispense large volumes of medicines is a beneficial strategy to address healthcare barriers because mechanical functions are automated and distribution of medicines much quicker. However, implementation was influenced by the context and discrepancies between planned activities and actual implementation were noted. Procurement inefficiencies at central level caused medicine stock-outs and affected CDU activities. At the frontline, actors were aware of the CDU's implementation guidelines regarding patient selection, prescription validity and management of non-collected medicines but these were adapted to accommodate practical realities and to meet performance targets attached to the intervention. Implementation success was a result of a combination of 'hardware' (e.g. training, policies, implementation support and appropriate infrastructure) and 'software' (e.g. ownership, cooperation between healthcare

The effect of implementing cognitive load theory-based design principles in virtual reality simulation training of surgical skills: a randomized controlled trial

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Steven Arild Wuyts; Mikkelsen, Peter Trier; Konge, Lars

2016-01-01

training of mastoidectomy. Methods Eighteen novice medical students received 1 h of self-directed virtual reality simulation training of the mastoidectomy procedure randomized for standard instructions (control) or cognitive load theory-based instructions with a worked example followed by a problem......Background Cognitive overload can inhibit learning, and cognitive load theory-based instructional design principles can be used to optimize learning situations. This study aims to investigate the effect of implementing cognitive load theory-based design principles in virtual reality simulation....... Increased cognitive load when part tasks needed to be integrated in the post-training procedures could be a possible explanation for this. Other instructional designs and methods are needed to lower the cognitive load and improve the performance in virtual reality surgical simulation training of novices....

Development of a theory- and evidence-based intervention to enhance implementation of physical therapy guidelines for the management of low back pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Rutten, Geert M; Harting, Janneke; Bartholomew, Leona K; Braspenning, Jozé C; van Dolder, Rob; Heijmans, Marcel Fgj; Hendriks, Erik Jm; Kremers, Stef Pj; van Peppen, Roland Ps; Rutten, Steven Tj; Schlief, Angelique; de Vries, Nanne K; Oostendorp, Rob Ab

2014-01-15

Systematic planning could improve the generally moderate effectiveness of interventions to enhance adherence to clinical practice guidelines. The aim of our study was to demonstrate how the process of Intervention Mapping was used to develop an intervention to address the lack of adherence to the national CPG for low back pain by Dutch physical therapists. We systematically developed a program to improve adherence to the Dutch physical therapy guidelines for low back pain. Based on multi-method formative research, we formulated program and change objectives. Selected theory-based methods of change and practical applications were combined into an intervention program. Implementation and evaluation plans were developed. Formative research revealed influential determinants for physical therapists and practice quality managers. Self-regulation was appropriate because both the physical therapists and the practice managers needed to monitor current practice and make and implement plans for change. The program stimulated interaction between practice levels by emphasizing collective goal setting. It combined practical applications, such as knowledge transfer and discussion-and-feedback, based on theory-based methods, such as consciousness raising and active learning. The implementation plan incorporated the wider environment. The evaluation plan included an effect and process evaluation. Intervention Mapping is a useful framework for formative data in program planning in the field of clinical guideline implementation. However, a decision aid to select determinants of guideline adherence identified in the formative research to analyse the problem may increase the efficiency of the application of the Intervention Mapping process.

Theory-based development of an implementation intervention to increase HPV vaccination in pediatric primary care practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Garbutt, Jane M; Dodd, Sherry; Walling, Emily; Lee, Amanda A; Kulka, Katharine; Lobb, Rebecca

2018-03-13

The national guideline for use of the vaccine targeting oncogenic strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV) is an evidence-based practice that is poorly implemented in primary care. Recommendations include completion of the vaccine series before the 13th birthday for girls and boys, giving the first dose at the 11- to 12-year-old check-up visit, concurrent with other recommended vaccines. Interventions to increase implementation of this guideline have had little impact, and opportunities to prevent cancer continue to be missed. We used a theory-informed approach to develop a pragmatic intervention for use in primary care settings to increase implementation of the HPV vaccine guideline recommendation. Using a concurrent mixed methods design in 10 primary care practices, we applied the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to systematically investigate and characterize factors strongly influencing vaccine use. We then used the Behavior Change Wheel (BCW) and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) to analyze provider behavior and identify behaviors to target for change and behavioral change strategies to include in the intervention. We identified facilitators and barriers to guideline use across the five CFIR domains: most distinguishing factors related to provider characteristics, their perception of the intervention, and their process to deliver the vaccine. Targeted behaviors were for the provider to recommend the HPV vaccine the same way and at the same time as the other adolescent vaccines, to answer parents' questions with confidence, and to implement a vaccine delivery system. To this end, the intervention targeted improving provider's capability (knowledge, communication skills) and motivation (action planning, belief about consequences, social influences) regarding implementing guideline recommendations, and increasing their opportunity to do so (vaccine delivery system). Behavior change strategies included providing information and

Automated lattice perturbation theory in the Schroedinger functional. Implementation and applications in HQET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hesse, Dirk

2012-01-01

The author developed the pastor software package for automated lattice perturbation theory calculations in the Schroedinger functional scheme. The pastor code consists of two building blocks, dealing with the generation of Feynman rules and Feynman diagrams respectively. Accepting a rather generic class of lattice gauge and fermion actions, passed to the code in a symbolic form as input, a low level part of pastor will generate Feynman rules to an arbitrary order in the bare coupling with a trivial or an Abelian background field. The second, high level part of pastor is a code generator whose output relies on the vertex generator. It writes programs that evaluate Feynman diagrams for a class of Schroedinger functional observables up to one loop order automatically, the relevant O(a) improvement terms are taken into account. We will describe the algorithms used for implementation of both parts of the code in detail, and provide cross checks with perturbative and non-perturbative data to demonstrate the correctness of our code. We demonstrate the usefulness of the pastor package through various applications taken from the matching process of heavy quark effective theory with quantum chromodynamics. We have e.g. completed a one loop analysis for new candidates for matching observables timely and with rather small effort, highlighting two advantages of an automated software setup. The results that were obtained so far will be useful as a guideline for further non-perturbative studies.

Automated lattice perturbation theory in the Schroedinger functional. Implementation and applications in HQET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hesse, Dirk

2012-07-13

The author developed the pastor software package for automated lattice perturbation theory calculations in the Schroedinger functional scheme. The pastor code consists of two building blocks, dealing with the generation of Feynman rules and Feynman diagrams respectively. Accepting a rather generic class of lattice gauge and fermion actions, passed to the code in a symbolic form as input, a low level part of pastor will generate Feynman rules to an arbitrary order in the bare coupling with a trivial or an Abelian background field. The second, high level part of pastor is a code generator whose output relies on the vertex generator. It writes programs that evaluate Feynman diagrams for a class of Schroedinger functional observables up to one loop order automatically, the relevant O(a) improvement terms are taken into account. We will describe the algorithms used for implementation of both parts of the code in detail, and provide cross checks with perturbative and non-perturbative data to demonstrate the correctness of our code. We demonstrate the usefulness of the pastor package through various applications taken from the matching process of heavy quark effective theory with quantum chromodynamics. We have e.g. completed a one loop analysis for new candidates for matching observables timely and with rather small effort, highlighting two advantages of an automated software setup. The results that were obtained so far will be useful as a guideline for further non-perturbative studies.

Using theories of behaviour to understand transfusion prescribing in three clinical contexts in two countries: Development work for an implementation trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brehaut Jamie C

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Blood transfusion is an essential part of healthcare and can improve patient outcomes. However, like most therapies, it is also associated with significant clinical risks. In addition, there is some evidence of overuse. Understanding the potential barriers and enablers to reduced prescribing of blood products will facilitate the selection of intervention components likely to be effective, thereby reducing the number of costly trials evaluating different implementation strategies. Using a theoretical basis to understand behaviours targeted for change will contribute to a 'basic science' relating to determinants of professional behaviour and how these inform the selection of techniques for changing behaviour. However, it is not clear which theories of behaviour are relevant to clinicians' transfusing behaviour. The aim of this study is to use a theoretical domains framework to identify relevant theories, and to use these theories to identify factors that predict the decision to transfuse. Methods The study involves two steps: interview study and questionnaire study. Using a previously identified framework, we will conduct semi-structured interviews with clinicians to elicit their views about which factors are associated with waiting and further monitoring the patient rather than transfusing red blood cells. Interviews will cover the following theoretical domains: knowledge; skills; social/professional role and identity; beliefs about capabilities; beliefs about consequences; motivation and goals; memory, attention, and decision processes; environmental context and resources; social influences; emotion; behavioural regulation; nature of the behaviour. The interviews will take place independently in Canada and the UK and involve two groups of physicians in each country (UK: adult and neonatal intensive care physicians; Canada: intensive care physicians and orthopaedic surgeons. We will: analyse interview transcript content to

Safety Justification and Safety Case for Safety-critical Software in Digital Reactor Protection System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kwon, Kee-Choon; Lee, Jang-Soo; Jee, Eunkyoung

2016-01-01

Nuclear safety-critical software is under strict regulatory requirements and these regulatory requirements are essential for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. The verification & validation (V and V) and hazard analysis of the safety-critical software are required to follow regulatory requirements through the entire software life cycle. In order to obtain a license from the regulatory body through the development and validation of safety-critical software, it is essential to meet the standards which are required by the regulatory body throughout the software development process. Generally, large amounts of documents, which demonstrate safety justification including standard compliance, V and V, hazard analysis, and vulnerability assessment activities, are submitted to the regulatory body during the licensing process. It is not easy to accurately read and evaluate the whole documentation for the development activities, implementation technology, and validation activities. The safety case methodology has been kwon a promising approach to evaluate the level and depth of the development and validation results. A safety case is a structured argument, supported by a body of evidence that provides a compelling, comprehensible, and valid case that a system is safe for a given application in a given operating environment. It is suggested to evaluate the level and depth of the results of development and validation by applying safety case methodology to achieve software safety demonstration. A lot of documents provided as evidence are connected to claim that corresponds to the topic for safety demonstration. We demonstrated a case study in which more systematic safety demonstration for the target system software is performed via safety case construction than simply listing the documents

Safety Justification and Safety Case for Safety-critical Software in Digital Reactor Protection System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kwon, Kee-Choon; Lee, Jang-Soo [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Jee, Eunkyoung [KAIST, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-15

Nuclear safety-critical software is under strict regulatory requirements and these regulatory requirements are essential for ensuring the safety of nuclear power plants. The verification & validation (V and V) and hazard analysis of the safety-critical software are required to follow regulatory requirements through the entire software life cycle. In order to obtain a license from the regulatory body through the development and validation of safety-critical software, it is essential to meet the standards which are required by the regulatory body throughout the software development process. Generally, large amounts of documents, which demonstrate safety justification including standard compliance, V and V, hazard analysis, and vulnerability assessment activities, are submitted to the regulatory body during the licensing process. It is not easy to accurately read and evaluate the whole documentation for the development activities, implementation technology, and validation activities. The safety case methodology has been kwon a promising approach to evaluate the level and depth of the development and validation results. A safety case is a structured argument, supported by a body of evidence that provides a compelling, comprehensible, and valid case that a system is safe for a given application in a given operating environment. It is suggested to evaluate the level and depth of the results of development and validation by applying safety case methodology to achieve software safety demonstration. A lot of documents provided as evidence are connected to claim that corresponds to the topic for safety demonstration. We demonstrated a case study in which more systematic safety demonstration for the target system software is performed via safety case construction than simply listing the documents.

Towards the blackbox computation of magnetic exchange coupling parameters in polynuclear transition-metal complexes: theory, implementation, and application.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Jordan J; Peralta, Juan E

2013-05-07

We present a method for calculating magnetic coupling parameters from a single spin-configuration via analytic derivatives of the electronic energy with respect to the local spin direction. This method does not introduce new approximations beyond those found in the Heisenberg-Dirac Hamiltonian and a standard Kohn-Sham Density Functional Theory calculation, and in the limit of an ideal Heisenberg system it reproduces the coupling as determined from spin-projected energy-differences. Our method employs a generalized perturbative approach to constrained density functional theory, where exact expressions for the energy to second order in the constraints are obtained by analytic derivatives from coupled-perturbed theory. When the relative angle between magnetization vectors of metal atoms enters as a constraint, this allows us to calculate all the magnetic exchange couplings of a system from derivatives with respect to local spin directions from the high-spin configuration. Because of the favorable computational scaling of our method with respect to the number of spin-centers, as compared to the broken-symmetry energy-differences approach, this opens the possibility for the blackbox exploration of magnetic properties in large polynuclear transition-metal complexes. In this work we outline the motivation, theory, and implementation of this method, and present results for several model systems and transition-metal complexes with a variety of density functional approximations and Hartree-Fock.

Innovation in Construction: Learning Processes in implementing new Technologies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Lennie

1999-01-01

The article is concerned with the question: How do construction firms implement new technology on construction projects? A model of the implementation process is presented based on a review of the construction innovation literature, innovation theory, and organisational learning theories....

Simple implementation of general dark energy models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bloomfield, Jolyon K.; Pearson, Jonathan A.

2014-01-01

We present a formalism for the numerical implementation of general theories of dark energy, combining the computational simplicity of the equation of state for perturbations approach with the generality of the effective field theory approach. An effective fluid description is employed, based on a general action describing single-scalar field models. The formalism is developed from first principles, and constructed keeping the goal of a simple implementation into CAMB in mind. Benefits of this approach include its straightforward implementation, the generality of the underlying theory, the fact that the evolved variables are physical quantities, and that model-independent phenomenological descriptions may be straightforwardly investigated. We hope this formulation will provide a powerful tool for the comparison of theoretical models of dark energy with observational data

[The theory of mechanical activity of lungs--a creation history, the present and development prospects].

Science.gov (United States)

Tetenev, F F; Tetenev, K F

2014-01-01

In article the history of creation of the doctrine about respiratory movements of lungs, history of classical mechanics of breathing is stated. Supervision of the paradoxical facts which became a basis for hypothesis creation, then the theory of mechanical activity of lungs are presented. The facts proving mechanical activity of lungs on an inspiration and an expiration are given. Options of interaction of intra pulmonary and extra pulmonary sources of mechanical energy are considered. Theoretical justification for development of the new direction of studying of physiology of mechanical movements of the internal which does not have own skeleton is stated.

An incident flux expansion transport theory method suitable for coupling to diffusion theory methods in hexagonal geometry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hayward, Robert M.; Rahnema, Farzad; Zhang, Dingkang

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► A new hybrid stochastic–deterministic transport theory method to couple with diffusion theory. ► The method is implemented in 2D hexagonal geometry. ► The new method produces excellent results when compared with Monte Carlo reference solutions. ► The method is fast, solving all test cases in less than 12 s. - Abstract: A new hybrid stochastic–deterministic transport theory method, which is designed to couple with diffusion theory, is presented. The new method is an extension of the incident flux response expansion method, and it combines the speed of diffusion theory with the accuracy of transport theory. With ease of use in mind, the new method is derived in such a way that it can be implemented with only minimal modifications to an existing diffusion theory method. A new angular expansion, which is necessary for the diffusion theory coupling, is developed in 2D and 3D. The method is implemented in 2D hexagonal geometry, and an HTTR benchmark problem is used to test its accuracy in a standalone configuration. It is found that the new method produces excellent results (with average relative error in partial current less than 0.033%) when compared with Monte Carlo reference solutions. Furthermore, the method is fast, solving all test cases in less than 12 s

Non-uniqueness of quantum transition state theory and general dividing surfaces in the path integral space.

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, Seogjoo; Voth, Gregory A

2017-05-07

Despite the fact that quantum mechanical principles do not allow the establishment of an exact quantum analogue of the classical transition state theory (TST), the development of a quantum TST (QTST) with a proper dynamical justification, while recovering the TST in the classical limit, has been a long standing theoretical challenge in chemical physics. One of the most recent efforts of this kind was put forth by Hele and Althorpe (HA) [J. Chem. Phys. 138, 084108 (2013)], which can be specified for any cyclically invariant dividing surface defined in the space of the imaginary time path integral. The present work revisits the issue of the non-uniqueness of QTST and provides a detailed theoretical analysis of HA-QTST for a general class of such path integral dividing surfaces. While we confirm that HA-QTST reproduces the result based on the ring polymer molecular dynamics (RPMD) rate theory for dividing surfaces containing only a quadratic form of low frequency Fourier modes, we find that it produces different results for those containing higher frequency imaginary time paths which accommodate greater quantum fluctuations. This result confirms the assessment made in our previous work [Jang and Voth, J. Chem. Phys. 144, 084110 (2016)] that HA-QTST does not provide a derivation of RPMD-TST in general and points to a new ambiguity of HA-QTST with respect to its justification for general cyclically invariant dividing surfaces defined in the space of imaginary time path integrals. Our analysis also offers new insights into similar path integral based QTST approaches.

Os anulabilismos de Klein e de Swain e o problema de Gettier

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Emerson Carlos Valcarenghi

2010-08-01

Full Text Available In this essay, we intend to show that Peter Klein and Marshall Swain defeasibility theories do not resolve the Gettier problem. Klein postulates, to any Gettier counterexample, that there is a true proposition which, when associated with evidence-e of S, genuinely defeats the justification of p to S. Swain postulates that, to any Gettier-type counterexample, there is a true proposition which, when associated with the set of reasons-R of S, ultimately defeats the justification of S to believe p. To show that Klein an Swain proposals do not resolve that problem, this essay presents two Gettier-type counterexamples for which there are no genuine defeaters of justification of p by e to S and there are no defeaters not ultimately defeated of the justification of the belief of S that p by R. After doing that, we try to show that the obtained conclusion regarding Klein and Swain defeasibility theories can be extended to any defeasibility theory of knowledge.

Doses to organs and tissues from concomitant imaging in radiotherapy: a suggested framework for clinical justification.

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, R M

2008-12-01

The increasing use of imaging for localization and verification in radiotherapy has raised issues concerning the justifiable doses to critical organs and tissues from concomitant exposures, particularly when extensive image-guided radiotherapy is indicated. Doses at positions remote from the target volume include components from high-energy leakage and scatter, as well as from concomitant imaging. In this paper, simulated prostate, breast and larynx treatments are used to compare doses from both high-energy and concomitant exposures as a function of distance from the target volume. It is suggested that the fraction, R, of the total dose at any point within the patient that is attributable to concomitant exposures may be a useful aid in their justification. R is small within the target volume and at large distances from it. However, there is a critical region immediately adjacent to the planning target volume where the dose from concomitant imaging combines with leakage and scatter to give values of R that approach 0.5 in the examples given here. This is noteworthy because the regions just outside the target volume will receive total doses in the order of 1 Gy, where commensurately high risk factors may not be substantially reduced because of cell kill. Other studies have identified these regions as sites of second cancers. The justification of an imaging regimen might therefore usefully take into account the maximum value of R encountered from the combination of imaging and radiotherapy for particular treatment sites.

Economical justification in usage of heat pump connected to the turbine cooling system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mijakovski, Vladimir; Josifovski, Vasko

2008-01-01

Orangery or greenhouse presents building with micro climate quite different from the external, that is internal temperature is substantially different from the external air temperature. Part of the solar energy is absorbed by plants and ground, part is transformed to heat energy, thus heating internal air. That is the reason, depending on the local climate conditions, heat radiation covers 30 to 60 % of the total heat energy needs for the orangery. Economical justification for the connection of heat pump to the cold end of the turbine in the orangerie's (green-house) heating system is presented in this paper. Rationality from the usage of low-temperature heat energy from the turbine's cold-end comes from techno-economical and ecological aspect. (Author)

Western Interventions in Current Wars: Political Justification and Civil Society´s Response

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Noelia Bueno Gómez

2017-01-01

Full Text Available On the one hand, it seems to be an agreement in Western countries in favor of values included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. On the other hand, Western countries initiate or intervene in armed conflicts outside their territories, which implies actions contrary to such values. This article examines this apparent contradiction: it describes briefly the international context of contemporary conflicts and it refers to the just-war tradition in order to analyze both the position of the Charter of the United Nations and the justifications given by Western countries. Moreover, the arguments used by the US and the Spanish Governments to justify their interventions in the Afghanistan (2001 and Iraq (2008 wars, and the responses of civil society are considered.

Digitally assisted pipeline ADCs theory and implementation

CERN Document Server

Murmann, Boris

2007-01-01

List of Figures. List of Tables. Acknowledgements. Preface. 1: Introduction. 1. Motivation. 2. Overview. 3. Chapter Organization. 2: Performance Trends. 1. Introduction. 2. Digital Performance Trends. 3. ADC Performance Trends. 3: Scaling Analysis. 1. Introduction. 2. Basic Device Scaling from a Digital Perspective. 3. Technology Metrics for Analog Circuits. 4. Scaling Impact on Matching-Limited Circuits. 5. Scaling Impact on Noise-Limited Circuits. 4: Improving Analog Circuit Efficiency. 1. Introduction. 2. Analog Circuit Challenges. 3. The Cost of Feedback. 4. Two-Stage Feedback Amplifier vs. Open-Loop Gain Stage. 5. Discussion. 5: Open-Loop Pipelined ADCs. 1. A Brief Review of Pipelined ADCs. 2. Conventional Stage Implementation. 3. Open-Loop Pipeline Stages. 4. Alternative Transconductor Implementations. 6: Digital Nonlinearity Correction. 1. Overview. 2. Error Model and Digital Correction. 3. Alternative Error Models. 7: Statistics-Based Parameter Estimation. 1. Introduction. 2. Modulation Approach. 3. R...

Improvement of the radiation protection in medicine by implementation of the Council Directive 97/43/EURATOM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Milu, C.; Dumitrescu, A.

2005-01-01

The European Council Directive No. 97/43/EURATOM was approved on 30 June 1997 and refers to health protection of individuals against the damages of ionising radiation in relation to medical exposure, superseding the Directive 84/466/EURATOM. As in most European countries, medical exposure is the main man-made radiation exposure of population. Of particular concern in radiation protection in medicine is the use of X-rays for diagnostic purposes, involving potential radiation exposure of young population and of pregnant women. The 97/43/EURATOM Directive is now fully adopted into Romanian legislation and a plan for its implementation has been established. Several practical issues have already arisen and they are related to (1) justification of individual medical exposure (patient selection) due to unclear distribution of responsibilities between the prescriber and the practitioner; (2) justification of medical exposures with no direct health benefit for the exposed person (reconsideration of health screening programmes, exposure of individuals as part of medico-legal procedures); (3) patient dosimetry and the use of Diagnostic Reference Levels (need of procedures and equipment); (4) QA/QC (procedure, training and test facilities); (5) examination of biomedical and medical research by an ethics committee; (6) application of Dose Constraints and Clinical Audit concepts; (7) prohibition of fluoroscopy examinations without an image intensification. An intensive training programme of the personnel involved (practitioners, inspection) was started and special efforts for the acquisition of appropriate equipment are made with the aim to improve radiation protection in medicine, through the implementation of the EU Directive.(author)

Development of a theory-informed implementation intervention to improve the triage, treatment and transfer of stroke patients in emergency departments using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF): the T3 Trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Louise E; Taylor, Natalie; Grimley, Rohan; Cadilhac, Dominique A; McInnes, Elizabeth; Phillips, Rosemary; Dale, Simeon; O'Connor, Denise; Levi, Chris; Fitzgerald, Mark; Considine, Julie; Grimshaw, Jeremy M; Gerraty, Richard; Cheung, N Wah; Ward, Jeanette; Middleton, Sandy

2017-07-17

Theoretical frameworks and models based on behaviour change theories are increasingly used in the development of implementation interventions. Development of an implementation intervention is often based on the available evidence base and practical issues, i.e. feasibility and acceptability. The aim of this study was to describe the development of an implementation intervention for the T 3 Trial (Triage, Treatment and Transfer of patients with stroke in emergency departments (EDs)) using theory to recommend behaviour change techniques (BCTs) and drawing on the research evidence base and practical issues of feasibility and acceptability. A stepped method for developing complex interventions based on theory, evidence and practical issues was adapted using the following steps: (1) Who needs to do what, differently? (2) Using a theoretical framework, which barriers and enablers need to be addressed? (3) Which intervention components (behaviour change techniques and mode(s) of delivery) could overcome the modifiable barriers and enhance the enablers? A researcher panel was convened to review the list of BCTs recommended for use and to identify the most feasible and acceptable techniques to adopt. Seventy-six barriers were reported by hospital staff who attended the workshops (step 1: thirteen TDF domains likely to influence the implementation of the T 3 Trial clinical intervention were identified by the researchers; step 2: the researcher panellists then selected one third of the BCTs recommended for use as appropriate for the clinical context of the ED and, using the enabler workshop data, devised enabling strategies for each of the selected BCTs; and step 3: the final implementation intervention consisted of 27 BCTs). The TDF was successfully applied in all steps of developing an implementation intervention for the T 3 Trial clinical intervention. The use of researcher panel opinion was an essential part of the BCT selection process to incorporate both research

Toward a General Research Process for Using Dubin's Theory Building Model

Science.gov (United States)

Holton, Elwood F.; Lowe, Janis S.

2007-01-01

Dubin developed a widely used methodology for theory building, which describes the components of the theory building process. Unfortunately, he does not define a research process for implementing his theory building model. This article proposes a seven-step general research process for implementing Dubin's theory building model. An example of a…

The radon transform. Theory and implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toft, P.

1996-01-01

The subject of this Ph.D. thesis is the mathematical Radon transform, which is well suited for curve detection in digital images, and for reconstruction of tomography images. The thesis is divided into two main parts. Part I describes the Radon- and the Hough-transform and especially their discrete approximations with respect to curve parameter detection in digital images. The sampling relationships of the Radon transform is reviewed from a digital signal processing point of view. The discrete Radon transform is investigated for detection of curves, and aspects regarding the performance of the Radon transform assuming various types of noise is covered. Furthermore, a new fast scheme for estimating curve parameters is presented. Part II of the thesis describes the inverse Radon transform in 2D and 3D with focus on reconstruction of tomography images. Some of the direct reconstruction schemes are analyzed, including their discrete implementation. Furthermore, several iterative reconstruction schemes based on linear algebra are reviewed and applied for reconstruction of Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images. A new and very fast implementation of 2D iterative reconstruction methods is devised. In a more practical oriented chapter, the noise in PET images is modelled from a very large number of measurements. Several packagers for Radon- and Hough-transform based curve detection and direct/iterative 2D and 3D reconstruction have been developed and provided for free. (au) 140 refs

Problems of Research, Projects and Mechanisms for Their Implementation in Chelyabinsk City Agglomeration

Science.gov (United States)

Bolshakov, V. V.

2017-11-01

The article analyzes the research and design methods of urban agglomerations in the context of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration from the point of view of correctness, objectivity and consistency of the results obtained. The completed and approved project of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration is analysed to provide architectural and planning solutions for sustainable social and economic development according to the theories that have been formed to date. The possibility of effectuation and implementation of the approved project of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration taking in account existing specific natural, historical and socio-economic factors characteristic for the territory under consideration is examined. The authors draw the conclusions the project of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration has been developed in line with the town-planning solutions that do not reflect modern approaches based on the competitive advantages of territories and do not form a space providing transition to a modernized and innovative economy. Specific town-planning decisions have a weak justification and an undeveloped methodology for pre-project analysis and methodology for designing urban agglomerations because of absence of a full study of the phenomenon of urban agglomeration and processes occurring in it today. It is necessary to continue research in the field of development of the Chelyabinsk agglomeration with the use of a logical and objective methodology to analyze the territory and design which can lead to the formation of an urban-planning information model that reflects all the system processes and allows for predicting project solutions.

Gravitation and source theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yilmaz, H.

1975-01-01

Schwinger's source theory is applied to the problem of gravitation and its quantization. It is shown that within the framework of a flat-space the source theory implementation leads to a violation of probability. To avoid the difficulty one must introduce a curved space-time hence the source concept may be said to necessitate the transition to a curved-space theory of gravitation. It is further shown that the curved-space theory of gravitation implied by the source theory is not equivalent to the conventional Einstein theory. The source concept leads to a different theory where the gravitational field has a stress-energy tensor t/sup nu//sub mu/ which contributes to geometric curvatures

Understanding women's mammography intentions: a theory-based investigation.

Science.gov (United States)

Naito, Mikako; O'Callaghan, Frances V; Morrissey, Shirley

2009-01-01

The present study compared the utility of two models (the Theory of Planned Behavior and Protection Motivation Theory) in identifying factors associated with intentions to undertake screening mammography, before and after an intervention. The comparison was made between the unique components of the two models. The effect of including implementation intentions was also investigated. Two hundred and fifty-one women aged 37 to 69 years completed questionnaires at baseline and following the delivery of a standard (control) or a protection motivation theory-based informational intervention. Hierarchical multiple regressions indicated that theory of planned behavior variables were associated with mammography intentions. Results also showed that inclusion of implementation intention in the model significantly increased the association with mammography intentions. The findings suggest that future interventions aiming to increase screening mammography participation should focus on the theory of planned behavior variables and that implementation intention should also be targeted.

Justification of a "Crucial" Experiment: Parity Nonconservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Franklin, Allan; Smokler, Howard

1981-01-01

Presents history, nature of evidence evaluated, and philosophical questions to justify the view that experiments on parity nonconservation were "crucial" experiments in the sense that they decided unambiguously and within a short period of time for the appropriate scientific community, between two or more competing theories or classes of theories.…

Implementing Integrated Water Resources Management in the Ebro River Basin: From Theory to Facts

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Jorge Bielsa

2014-12-01

Full Text Available In this article, we analyze how successful the implementation of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM in the Ebro river catchment (in Spain has been. Our main aim is to show some gaps between theory and practice. This implies analyzing the political dimensions of governance and their change and reflecting on the interface between governance and technical knowledge about water. We highlight problems, such as the lack of institutional coordination, blind spots in technical information and path dependences. Actual water management has led to plans for further irrigation even though water availability is, and is expected to continue, shrinking due to climate change and other local factors. To overcome these mismatches, we propose further synchronization, innovative ways of public participation and knowledge sharing between institutions and researchers. As a showcase, we portray a practical real example of a desirable institutional arrangement in one sub-catchment.

A strategy for implementing genomics into nursing practice informed by three behaviour change theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Leach, Verity; Tonkin, Emma; Lancastle, Deborah; Kirk, Maggie

2016-06-01

Genomics is an ever increasing aspect of nursing practice, with focus being directed towards improving health. The authors present an implementation strategy for the incorporation of genomics into nursing practice within the UK, based on three behaviour change theories and the identification of individuals who are likely to provide support for change. Individuals identified as Opinion Leaders and Adopters of genomics illustrate how changes in behaviour might occur among the nursing profession. The core philosophy of the strategy is that genomic nurse Adopters and Opinion Leaders who have direct interaction with their peers in practice will be best placed to highlight the importance of genomics within the nursing role. The strategy discussed in this paper provides scope for continued nursing education and development of genomics within nursing practice on a larger scale. The recommendations might be of particular relevance for senior staff and management. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

RELAP-7 Theory Manual

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Berry, Ray Alden [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Zou, Ling [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Zhao, Haihua [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Zhang, Hongbin [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Peterson, John William [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Martineau, Richard Charles [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Kadioglu, Samet Yucel [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Andrs, David [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2016-03-01

This document summarizes the physical models and mathematical formulations used in the RELAP-7 code. In summary, the MOOSE based RELAP-7 code development is an ongoing effort. The MOOSE framework enables rapid development of the RELAP-7 code. The developmental efforts and results demonstrate that the RELAP-7 project is on a path to success. This theory manual documents the main features implemented into the RELAP-7 code. Because the code is an ongoing development effort, this RELAP-7 Theory Manual will evolve with periodic updates to keep it current with the state of the development, implementation, and model additions/revisions.

How education for sustainable development is implemented in Germany: Looking through the lens of educational governance theory

Science.gov (United States)

Bormann, Inka; Nikel, Jutta

2017-12-01

The United Nations (UN) Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aimed to integrate the principles, values and practices of sustainable development into all aspects of education and learning around the world. The authors of this article address the implementation process of ESD in Germany during the UN Decade (2005-2014). By undertaking a meta-analysis of the findings of four related sub-studies they carried out during a three-year project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the authors contribute to the understanding of the process of transferring the concept of ESD within a multi-level education system. They investigated this process at two levels - the federal state (a sub-national entity in Germany) and the communal level. Drawing on educational governance theory, the authors unveil principles, norms, rules and procedures in the coordination of action within constellations of heterogeneous actors contributing to the implementation of ESD in their social entities. The outcome of the meta-analysis describes an emerging governance regime in ESD, taking into consideration the following features impacting the coordination of action being carried out by the actors involved: (1) the understanding of the normative concept of ESD as content of negotiation; (2) the perceived opportunity for actors to gain and increase appreciation within the field of ESD as an incentive for and driver of engagement; and (3) the dynamic quality of the set-up, rules and principles of the coordination of action, which renders these subject to situative changes. In the final part of the paper, the findings are discussed from the perspectives of the theory of transfer and the current empirical basis of ESD policy and governance.

Optimizing staffing, quality, and cost in home healthcare nursing: theory synthesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Claire Su-Yeon

2017-08-01

To propose a new theory pinpointing the optimal nurse staffing threshold delivering the maximum quality of care relative to attendant costs in home health care. Little knowledge exists on the theoretical foundation addressing the inter-relationship among quality of care, nurse staffing, and cost. Theory synthesis. Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, EBSCOhost Web and Web of Science (25 February - 26 April 2013; 20 January - 22 March 2015). Most of the existing theories/models lacked the detail necessary to explain the relationship among quality of care, nurse staffing and cost. Two notable exceptions are: 'Production Function for Staffing and Quality in Nursing Homes,' which describes an S-shaped trajectory between quality of care and nurse staffing and 'Thirty-day Survival Isoquant and Estimated Costs According to the Nurse Staff Mix,' which depicts a positive quadric relationship between nurse staffing and cost according to quality of care. A synthesis of these theories led to an innovative multi-dimensional econometric theory helping to determine the maximum quality of care for patients while simultaneously delivering nurse staffing in the most cost-effective way. The theory-driven threshold, navigated by Mathematical Programming based on the Duality Theorem in Mathematical Economics, will help nurse executives defend sufficient nurse staffing with scientific justification to ensure optimal patient care; help stakeholders set an evidence-based reasonable economical goal; and facilitate patient-centred decision-making in choosing the institution which delivers the best quality of care. A new theory to determine the optimum nurse staffing maximizing quality of care relative to cost was proposed. © 2017 The Author. Journal of Advanced Nursing © John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

BER-3.2 report: Methodology for justification and optimization of protective measures including a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hedemann Jensen, P.; Sinkko, K.; Walmod-Larsen, O.; Gjoerup, H.L.; Salo, A.

1992-07-01

This report is a part of the Nordic BER-3 project's work to propose and harmonize Nordic intervention levels for countermeasures in case of nuclear accidents. This report focuses on the methodology for justification and optimization of protective measures in case of a reactor accident situation with a large release of fission products to the environment. The down-wind situation is very complicated. The dose to the exposed society is almost unpredictable. The task of the radiation protection experts: To give advice to the decision makers on averted doses by the different actions at hand in the situation - is complicated. That of the decision makers is certainly more: On half of the society they represent, they must decide if they wish to follow the advices from their radiation protection experts or if they wish to add further arguments - economical or political (or personal) - into their considerations before their decisions are taken. Two analysis methods available for handling such situations: cost-benefit analysis and multi-attribute utility analysis are described in principle and are utilized in a case study: The impacts of a Chernobyl-like accident on the Swedish island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea are analyzed with regard to the acute consequences. The use of the intervention principles found in international guidance (IAEA 91, ICRP 91), which can be summarized as the principles of justification, optimization and avoidance of unacceptable doses, are described. How to handle more intangible factors of a psychological or political character is indicated. (au) (6 tabs., 3 ills., 17 refs.)

Variational transition state theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Truhlar, D.G.

1986-01-01

This project is concerned with the development and applications of generalized transition state theory and multidimensional tunneling approximations to chemical reaction rates. They have developed and implemented several practical versions of variational transition state theory (VTST), namely canonical variational theory (CVT), improved canonical variational theory (ICVT), and microcanonical variational theory (μVT). They have also developed and implemented several accurate multidimensional semiclassical tunneling approximations, the most accurate of which are the small-curvature semiclassical adiabatic (SCSA), large-curvature version-3 (LC3), and least-action (LA) approximations. They have applied the methods to thermal rate constants, using transmission coefficients based on ground-state tunneling, and they have also presented and applied adiabatic and diabatic extensions to calculated rate constants for vibrationally excited reactants. Their general goal is to develop accurate methods for calculating chemical reaction rate constants that remain practical even for reasonably complicated molecules. The approximations mentioned above yield rate constants for systems whose potential energy surface is known or assumed. Thus a second, equally important aspect of their work is the determination or modeling, semi-empirically and/or from electronic structure calculations, of potential energy surfaces

The renaissance of National Forest Inventories (NFIs in the context of the international conventions – a discussion paper on context, background and justification of NFIs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Kleinn

2017-09-01

Full Text Available National Forest Inventories (NFI cover whole countries and strive to put the resource forest and the ecosystem forest into a quantitative framework. While for forest management inventories it is very obvious that they shall support management decisions and contribute to making forest planning, silvicultural interventions, conservation management and timber sales more efficient, the purpose of NFIs is not immediately visible nor “measurable”: they are to support national (and sub-national level policy processes that relate to forests. NFIs have a long history and do experience currently a boom because the availability of a science-based quantification of the forest resource and its changes is among the prerequisites for results-based payments to developing countries when they implement measures that are efficient - and evidenced by verifiable results – in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from forests. While forest monitoring science does currently focus very much on increasing precision and accuracy of forest monitoring, on integration of ever more efficient remote sensing techniques and modelling methods, surprisingly little research is being published on background, strategic justification, institutionalization and impact of NFIs.

From Discovery to Justification: Outline of an Ideal Research Program in Empirical Psychology

Science.gov (United States)

Witte, Erich H.; Zenker, Frank

2017-01-01

The gold standard for an empirical science is the replicability of its research results. But the estimated average replicability rate of key-effects that top-tier psychology journals report falls between 36 and 39% (objective vs. subjective rate; Open Science Collaboration, 2015). So the standard mode of applying null-hypothesis significance testing (NHST) fails to adequately separate stable from random effects. Therefore, NHST does not fully convince as a statistical inference strategy. We argue that the replicability crisis is “home-made” because more sophisticated strategies can deliver results the successful replication of which is sufficiently probable. Thus, we can overcome the replicability crisis by integrating empirical results into genuine research programs. Instead of continuing to narrowly evaluate only the stability of data against random fluctuations (discovery context), such programs evaluate rival hypotheses against stable data (justification context). PMID:29163256

Predicting self-reported research misconduct and questionable research practices in university students using an augmented Theory of Planned Behavior

Science.gov (United States)

Rajah-Kanagasabai, Camilla J.; Roberts, Lynne D.

2015-01-01

This study examined the utility of the Theory of Planned Behavior model, augmented by descriptive norms and justifications, for predicting self-reported research misconduct and questionable research practices in university students. A convenience sample of 205 research active Western Australian university students (47 male, 158 female, ages 18–53 years, M = 22, SD = 4.78) completed an online survey. There was a low level of engagement in research misconduct, with approximately one in seven students reporting data fabrication and one in eight data falsification. Path analysis and model testing in LISREL supported a parsimonious two step mediation model, providing good fit to the data. After controlling for social desirability, the effect of attitudes, subjective norms, descriptive norms and perceived behavioral control on student engagement in research misconduct and questionable research practices was mediated by justifications and then intention. This revised augmented model accounted for a substantial 40.8% of the variance in student engagement in research misconduct and questionable research practices, demonstrating its predictive utility. The model can be used to target interventions aimed at reducing student engagement in research misconduct and questionable research practices. PMID:25983709

Realistic nurse-led policy implementation, optimization and evaluation: novel methodological exemplar.

Science.gov (United States)

Noyes, Jane; Lewis, Mary; Bennett, Virginia; Widdas, David; Brombley, Karen

2014-01-01

To report the first large-scale realistic nurse-led implementation, optimization and evaluation of a complex children's continuing-care policy. Health policies are increasingly complex, involve multiple Government departments and frequently fail to translate into better patient outcomes. Realist methods have not yet been adapted for policy implementation. Research methodology - Evaluation using theory-based realist methods for policy implementation. An expert group developed the policy and supporting tools. Implementation and evaluation design integrated diffusion of innovation theory with multiple case study and adapted realist principles. Practitioners in 12 English sites worked with Consultant Nurse implementers to manipulate the programme theory and logic of new decision-support tools and care pathway to optimize local implementation. Methods included key-stakeholder interviews, developing practical diffusion of innovation processes using key-opinion leaders and active facilitation strategies and a mini-community of practice. New and existing processes and outcomes were compared for 137 children during 2007-2008. Realist principles were successfully adapted to a shorter policy implementation and evaluation time frame. Important new implementation success factors included facilitated implementation that enabled 'real-time' manipulation of programme logic and local context to best-fit evolving theories of what worked; using local experiential opinion to change supporting tools to more realistically align with local context and what worked; and having sufficient existing local infrastructure to support implementation. Ten mechanisms explained implementation success and differences in outcomes between new and existing processes. Realistic policy implementation methods have advantages over top-down approaches, especially where clinical expertise is low and unlikely to diffuse innovations 'naturally' without facilitated implementation and local optimization. © 2013

A comprehensive, multi-level investigation of the implementation of a novel digital substance misuse intervention, Breaking Free Online: conceptualising implementation processes within services using the MRC framework and health psychology theory.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stephanie Dugdale

2015-08-01

considering implementation, the potential impact of an intervention is compromised. This research has implications for the valuable roles of health psychology models and implementation science theories in understanding the complex processes of implementation of digital health innovations such as BFO.

On remarks by K. Guenther on the application of track theory to neutron irradiations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katz, R.

1976-01-01

The author is replying to criticisms of the application of track theory to neutron irradiation. (Guenther, K., 1976, Int. J. Radiat. Biol., vol. 30, 495). Guenther correctly pointed out that any success of the theory for high neutron energies depends on the neglect of the error made at the stopping end of the path of a secondary heavy ion in relation to the overall estimate of the damage produced by that ion. The identity, size and position within the nucleus of the sensitive element whose inactivation leads to cell-killing are all unknown, but any predictions made using the theory are still useful in that they should provoke further experimental investigations ascertaining the limits of the theory. The track theory has other problems at low particle velocities. Consideration is given to the justification for ignoring the error at the stopping end under various conditions. The extent to which the different errors and neglects of the theory may be self-compensating is not yet known. Even if the agreement in r.b.e.-dose relations between calculation from cell survival parameters and experiment for different tissues is fortuitous, the algorithm serves a useful purpose since r.b.e-dose relations can be calculated from a knowledge of the particle energy spectrum of the radiation. Radiotherapy can then be planned for fast neutrons, pions and ion beams, and radiation hazards evaluated in complex radiation environments. (U.K.)

Using a Theory-Guided Learning Collaborative Model to Improve Implementation of EBPs in a State Children's Mental Health System: A Pilot Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nadeem, Erum; Weiss, Dara; Olin, S Serene; Hoagwood, Kimberly E; Horwitz, Sarah M

2016-11-01

Learning collaboratives (LCs) are used widely to promote implementation of evidence-based practices. However, there has been limited research on the effectiveness of LCs and models vary widely in their structure, focus and components. The goal of the present study was to develop and field test a theory-based LC model to augment a state-led, evidence-based training program for clinicians providing mental health services to children. Analysis of implementation outcomes contrasted LC sites to matched comparison sites that participated in the clinical training program alone. Results suggested that clinicians from sites participating in the LC were more highly engaged in the state-led clinical training program and were more likely to complete program requirements.

Perturbation theory of low-dimensional quantum liquids. I. The pseudoparticle-operator basis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmelo, J.M.P.; Castro Neto, A.H.; Campbell, D.K.

1994-01-01

We introduce an operator algebra for the description of the low-energy physics of one-dimensional, integrable, multicomponent quantum liquids. Considering the particular case of the Hubbard chain in a magnetic field and chemical potential, we show that at low energy its Bethe-ansatz solution can be interpreted in terms of a pseudoparticle-operator algebra. Our algebraic approach provides a concise interpretation of, and justification for, several recent studies of low-energy excitations and trasnport which have been based on detailed analyses of specific Bethe-ansatz eigenfunctions and eigenenergies. A central point is that the exact ground state of the interacting many-electron problem is the noninteracting pseudoparticle ground state. Furthermore, in the pseudoparticle basis, the quantum problem becomes perturbative, i.e., the two-pseudoparticle forward-scattering vertices and amplitudes do not diverge, and one can define a many-pseudoparticle perturbation theory. We write the general quantum-liquid Hamiltonian in the pseudoparticle basis and show that the pseudoparticle-perturbation theory leads, in a natural way, to the generalized Landau-liquid approach

Applying Behavior Change Theories and Qualitative Methods in Substance Misuse Implementation Research: Conceptualizing the Adoption of Breaking Free Online in Real-World Clinical Practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Dugdale, Stephanie; Elison, Sarah; Davies, Glyn; Ward, Jonathan

2017-06-01

There is insufficient research examining the implementation of complex novel interventions within health care. This may be due to a lack of qualitative research providing subjective insights into these implementation processes. The authors investigate the advantages of applying behavior change theories to conceptualize qualitative data describing the processes of implementation of complex interventions. Breaking Free Online (BFO), a digital treatment intervention for substance misuse, is described as an example of a complex intervention. The authors review previous qualitative research which explored initial diffusion, or spread, of the BFO program, and its subsequent normalization as part of standard treatment for substance misuse within the health and social care charity, "Change, Grow, Live" (CGL). The use of behavior change models to structure qualitative interview findings enabled identification of facilitators and barriers to the use of BFO within CGL. These findings have implications for the development of implementation research in novel health care interventions.

Implementation research and Asian American/Pacific Islander health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Hsin-Chun Tsai

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Numerous barriers prevent the translation of research into practice, especially in settings with diverse populations. Nurses are in contact with diverse populations across settings and can be an important influence to further implementation research. This paper describes conceptual approaches and methodological issues pertinent to implementation research and implications for Asian American/Pacific Islander (AAPI health research. The authors discussed the values of using theory to guide implementation research, levels of theory that are commonly used in interventions, and decisions for theory selection. They also articulated the shortcoming of randomized controlled trials, the gold standard for testing efficacy of interventions, and present quasi-experimental designs as a plausible alternative to randomized controlled trials when research is conducted in real-world settings. They examined three types of quasi-experimental designs, the unit of analysis, the choice of dependent variables, and measurement issues that influence whether research findings and evidence-based interventions are successfully translated into practice. Practicing nurses who are familiar with the AAPI population, as well as nurse researchers who have expertise in AAPI health can play critical roles in shaping future implementation research to advance AAPI health. Nurses can provide practice-based evidence for refining evidence-supported interventions for diverse, real-world settings and theory-based interventions that are socioculturally appropriate for AAPIs. Interdisciplinary, practice-based research networks that bring multiple agencies, organizations, communities, and academic institutions together can be a mechanism for advancing implementation research for AAPI health.

External Resources in Military Logistics – Theory and Implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Morong Stanislav

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The article focuses on the specific status of the Armed Forces in the implementation of outsourcing, as one of the cost-benefit optimization methods in military practice. The author points out the need for a comprehensive and strategic monitoring and estimation of the costs, as an elementary assumption of the effective use of public financial resources. Implications of projects implemented without adequate economic analysis are shown on the example of the services outsourcing in military logistics in the Armed Forces of the Slovak Republic.

Analysis of implementation of Tradable Green Certificates system in a competitive electricity market: a game theory approach

Science.gov (United States)

Ghaffari, Meysam; Hafezalkotob, Ashkan; Makui, Ahmad

2016-06-01

This paper investigates three models to implement Tradable Green Certificates (TGC) system with aid of game theory approach. In particular, the competition between thermal and renewable power plants is formulated in three models: namely cooperative, Nash and Stackelberg game models. The price of TGC is assumed to be determined by the legislative body (government) which is fixed. Numerical examples presented in this paper include sensitivity analysis of some key parameters and comparison of the results of different models. In all three game models, the parameters that influence pricing of the TGC based on the optimal amounts are obtained. The numerical examples demonstrate that in all models: there is a reverse relation between the price of electricity and the TGC price, as well as a direct relation between the price of electricity and the share of green electricity in total electricity generation. It is found that Stackelberg model is an appropriate structure to implement the TGC system. In this model, the supply of electricity and the production of green electricity are at the highest level, while the price of electricity is at the lowest levels. In addition, payoff of the thermal power plant is at the highest levels in the Nash model. Hence this model can be an applicatory structure for implementation of the TGC system in developing countries, where the number of thermal power plants is significantly greater than the number of renewable power plants.

Real-time simulation of electric motors. Applying software and control theory; Echtzeit-Simulation von E-Maschinen. Regelungstechnik im Hybridantrieb

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Werner, Joerg; Tauber, Hermann [Silver-Atena, Muenchen (Germany)

2010-02-15

Developments in the electric drive-train have the highest priority, but all the same proven development methods are not consequently applied. For example the simulation of the hybrid drive-train excludes the e-motor and its system environment such as the corresponding controllers. ''Too complex and too much effort'', is the justification. Silver-Atena produces a proof of the contrary and achieves with a real-time simulation of an electric machine using the Hardware-in-the-loop technique more precise system verifications. Despite the undoubtedly high complexity Software- and Control-Theory engineers can thus work more efficiently. (orig.)

Salinas : theory manual.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walsh, Timothy Francis; Reese, Garth M.; Bhardwaj, Manoj Kumar

2011-11-01

Salinas provides a massively parallel implementation of structural dynamics finite element analysis, required for high fidelity, validated models used in modal, vibration, static and shock analysis of structural systems. This manual describes the theory behind many of the constructs in Salinas. For a more detailed description of how to use Salinas, we refer the reader to Salinas, User's Notes. Many of the constructs in Salinas are pulled directly from published material. Where possible, these materials are referenced herein. However, certain functions in Salinas are specific to our implementation. We try to be far more complete in those areas. The theory manual was developed from several sources including general notes, a programmer notes manual, the user's notes and of course the material in the open literature.

Generalized perturbation theory using two-dimensional, discrete ordinates transport theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Childs, R.L.

1979-01-01

Perturbation theory for changes in linear and bilinear functionals of the forward and adjoint fluxes in a critical reactor has been implemented using two-dimensional discrete ordinates transport theory. The computer program DOT IV was modified to calculate the generalized functions Λ and Λ*. Demonstration calculations were performed for changes in a reaction-rate ratio and a reactivity worth caused by system perturbations. The perturbation theory predictions agreed with direct calculations to within about 2%. A method has been developed for calculating higher lambda eigenvalues and eigenfunctions using techniques similar to those developed for generalized functions. Demonstration calculations have been performed to obtain these eigenfunctions

Explaining the Behavioral Intention towards BI Implementation in Public Administrations - A Principal-Agent Theory Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Jörg; Bergener, Philipp; Lis, Łukasz; Niehaves, Björn

Business Intelligence (BI) is an established instrument to support public administrations in their management tasks by increasing their information level. BI is of special interest in the context of introducing accrual accounting in public administrations as this affects the information level of different stakeholders, leading to a possible decrease for municipal councils. The principal-agent theory can help to explain different behavioral intentions of the stakeholders concerning the introduction of BI. We employ a single qualitative case study to analyze these behavioral intentions. It shows that the introduction of accrual accounting did decrease the information level of the municipal council making the principal-agent problems possible. Furthermore, it shows that BI might be a solution for this problem. Therefore, council members show the behavioral intention to support the BI implementation while administration staff members rather resist it. Based on these finding, we discuss implications for practice and future research.

Problem of ''global color'' in gauge theories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvathy, P.A.; Rawnsley, J.H.; UER de Mathematique, Universite de Provence, Marseille, France)

1986-01-01

The problem of ''global color'' (which arose recently in monopole theory) is generalized to arbitrary gauge theories: a subgroup K of the ''unbroken'' gauge group G is implementable iff the gauge bundle reduces to the centralizer of K in G. Equivalent implementations correspond to equivalent reductions. Such an action is an internal symmetry for a given configuration iff the Yang-Mills field reduces also. The case of monopoles is worked out in detail

Education without Moral Worth? Kantian Moral Theory and the Obligation to Educate Others

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Christopher

2011-01-01

This article examines the possibility of a Kantian justification of the intrinsic moral worth of education. The author critiques a recent attempt to secure such justification via Kant's notion of the Kingdom of Ends. He gives four reasons why such an account would deny any intrinsic moral worth to education. He concludes with a tentative…

Evaluation of the medical justifications (Clinical Information) provided in the request for exams using ionizing radiation at the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), RS, Brazil; Avaliação das justificativas médicas (Informações Clínicas) fornecidas na solicitação de exames com radiação ionizante no Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Goulart, J.M.; Lucena, R.A.; Bacelar, A.; Pinto, A.L.A., E-mail: jmgoulart@hcpa.edu.br [Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre (HCPA), RS (Brazil)

2017-07-01

Justification (clinical information) is the universal basic principle of radiation protection. Adequate clinical information with the maximum possible information related to the patient's pathology is essential to avoid unnecessary radiological exposures. Through a monthly analysis performed in 2016, all the clinical information described in the HIS system of HCPA was evaluated. The numbers of clinical information unsuitable for performing the tests using ionizing radiation were identified. Capacity in radiological protection at the requesting services of imaging exams were carried out, as well as a block in the system in relation to the number of characters in the field clinical information of the request of image exams. From the training and effective blockade in the system, a significant reduction of 20% in the number of inappropriate clinical information was observed. The implemented system optimizes the radiological protection, causing the requesting physician to describe adequate and sufficient clinical information for a medical justification in the request for examinations with the use of ionizing radiation.

Children's theories of motivation.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurland, Suzanne T; Glowacky, Victoria C

2011-09-01

To investigate children's theories of motivation, we asked 166 children (8-12 years of age) to rate the effect of various motivational strategies on task interest, over the short and long terms, in activities described as appealing or unappealing. Children viewed the rewards strategy as resulting in greatest interest except when implemented over the long term for appealing activities. Individual difference analyses revealed that some children held operant theories of motivation, in which rewards were central, and others held hybrid theories, in which rewards were key, but some allowance was made for interest to be self-sustaining in the absence of inducements. Children's theories predicted their academic self-regulation. Their theories are discussed relative to an expert theory of motivation. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Guarded Cubical Type Theory

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Birkedal, Lars; Bizjak, Aleš; Clouston, Ranald

2016-01-01

This paper improves the treatment of equality in guarded dependent type theory (GDTT), by combining it with cubical type theory (CTT). GDTT is an extensional type theory with guarded recursive types, which are useful for building models of program logics, and for programming and reasoning...... with coinductive types. We wish to implement GDTT with decidable type checking, while still supporting non-trivial equality proofs that reason about the extensions of guarded recursive constructions. CTT is a variation of Martin-L\\"of type theory in which the identity type is replaced by abstract paths between...... terms. CTT provides a computational interpretation of functional extensionality, enjoys canonicity for the natural numbers type, and is conjectured to support decidable type-checking. Our new type theory, guarded cubical type theory (GCTT), provides a computational interpretation of extensionality...

Participatory approaches for environmental governance: theoretical justifications and practical effects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van den Hove, Sybille

2003-01-01

A key justification for the rapid development of participatory approaches for environment and sustainable development governance stems from the characteristics of environmental issues. Environmental issues - and radioactive waste disposal is a good example - typically present four important physical characteristics: complexity, uncertainty, large temporal and spatial scales, and irreversibility, which all have consequences on what can be called the social characteristics of environmental issues. These include: social complexity and conflicts of interests, transversality, diffuse responsibilities and impacts, no clear division between micro- and macro-levels, and short-term costs of dealing with the issue associated with benefits which might occur only in the long-term. In turn, these physical and social characteristics determine the type of problem-solving processes needed to tackle environmental issues. It appears that the problem-solving processes best suited to confront global environmental issues will be dynamic processes of capacity-building, - aiming at innovative, flexible and adjustable answers, - allowing for the progressive integration of information as it becomes available, and of different value judgements and logics, - involving various actors from different backgrounds and levels. In promoting more democratic practices, these processes additionally should supersede traditional politics and allow co-ordination across different policy areas. It is deemed that participatory approaches have the potential to meet these problem-solving requirements

Aspects of quasi-Riemannian Kaluza-Klein theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Viswanathan, K.S.; Wong, B.

1985-01-01

We consider the applications of quasi-Riemannian geometry in Kaluza-Klein theories. We find that such theories cannot be implemented for all choices of the tangent group G/sub T/ and internal space G/H for reasons of gauge invariance. Coupling of fermions to gravity poses further problems in these theories

[Implementing evidence and implementation research: two different and prime realities].

Science.gov (United States)

Rumbo Prieto, José María; Martínez Ques, Ángel Alfredo; Sobrido Prieto, María; Raña Lama, Camilo Daniel; Vázquez Campo, Miriam; Braña Marcos, Beatriz

Scientific research can contribute to more efficient health care, enhance care quality and safety of persons. In order for this to happen, the knowledge gained must be put into practice. Implementation is known as the introduction of a change or innovation to daily practice, which requires effective communication and the elimination of barriers that hinder this process. Best practice implementation experiences are being used increasingly in the field of nursing. The difficulty in identifying the factors that indicate the success or failure of implementation has led to increased studies to build a body of differentiated knowledge, recognized as implementation science or implementation research. Implementation research is the scientific study whose objective is the adoption and systematic incorporation of research findings into clinical practice to improve the quality and efficiency of health services. The purpose of implementation research is to improve the health of the population through equitable and effective implementation of rigorously evaluated scientific knowledge, which involves gathering the evidence that has a positive impact on the health of the community. In this text, we set out the characteristics of nursing implementation research, providing a synthesis of different methods, theories, key frameworks and implementation strategies, along with the terminology proposed for greater conceptual clarity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Attitudes of South Asian men in the UK toward women and their understanding of and justification for domestic violence

OpenAIRE

Kaur, Harjinder

2015-01-01

To date nothing is known about the attitudes of South Asian men in the UK toward women and domestic violence. Issues related to South Asian men and communities have remained largely under the surface due to religious and cultural sensitivity. The aim of the research is to examine the attitudes of South Asian men in London and the South East of England toward women and their understanding and justification of domestic violence. More specifically, the research explores a range of cultural and r...

Prospect theory in the valuation of health.

Science.gov (United States)

Moffett, Maurice L; Suarez-Almazor, Maria E

2005-08-01

Prospect theory is the prominent nonexpected utility theory in the estimation of health state preference scores for quality-adjusted life year calculation. Until recently, the theory was not considered to be developed to the point of implementation in economic analysis. This review focuses on the research and evidence that tests the implementation of prospect theory into health state valuation. The typical application of expected utility theory assumes that a decision maker has stable preferences under conditions of risk and uncertainty. Under prospect theory, preferences are dependent on whether the decision maker regards the outcome of a choice as a gain or loss, relative to a reference point. The conceptual preference for standard gamble utilities in the valuation of health states has led to the development of elicitation techniques. Empirical evidence using these techniques indicates that when individual preferences are elicited, a prospect theory consistent framework appears to be necessary for adequate representation of individual health utilities. The relevance of prospect theory to policy making and resource allocation remains to be established. Societal preferences may not need the same attitudes towards risks as individual preferences, and may remain largely risk neutral.

The effect of Bandura's social cognitive theory implementation on addiction quitting of clients referred to addiction quitting clinics.

Science.gov (United States)

Heydari, Abbas; Dashtgard, Ali; Moghadam, Zahra Emami

2014-01-01

Addiction, especially addiction quitting, has been the main problem of health systems of many countries in recent years. High percentage of addiction recurrence (more than 80%) indicates that the nature and therapeutic method of addiction have not been recognized and it demands more efforts in this field. Thus, the present study was conducted with an aim to examine the effect of Bandura's social cognitive theory implementation on addiction quitting of clients referred to Imam Reza Hospital addiction quitting clinic. This two-group experimental study was conducted on 60 clients (30 clients in test group and 30 in control group) referred to Imam Reza Hospital addiction quitting clinic. The study tools were demographic and addiction-quitting self-efficacy questionnaires. After gathering demographic data and conducting pretest, the intervention was carried out based on Bandura's social cognitive theory for the test group and post-test was taken 1 month after the intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS using related tests. According to the results, test group was more successful than the control group in addiction quitting. There was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of recurrence; it was less in the test group. A significant difference was also found between self-efficacy scores before and after the intervention in the test group. Using Bandura's social cognitive theory was effective on addiction quitting. So, it is recommended to apply it for clients referring to addiction quitting clinics.

Designing Caregiver-Implemented Shared-Reading Interventions to Overcome Implementation Barriers

Science.gov (United States)

Logan, Jessica R.; Damschroder, Laura

2015-01-01

Purpose This study presents an application of the theoretical domains framework (TDF; Michie et al., 2005), an integrative framework drawing on behavior-change theories, to speech-language pathology. Methods A multistep procedure was used to identify barriers affecting caregivers' implementation of shared-reading interventions with their children with language impairment (LI). The authors examined caregiver-level data corresponding to implementation issues from two randomized controlled trials and mapped these to domains in the TDF as well as empirically validated behavior-change techniques. Results Four barriers to implementation were identified as potentially affecting caregivers' implementation: time pressures, reading difficulties, discomfort with reading, and lack of awareness of benefits. These were mapped to 3 TDF domains: intentions, beliefs about capabilities, and skills. In turn, 4 behavior-change techniques were identified as potential vehicles for affecting these domains: reward, feedback, model, and encourage. An ongoing study is described that is determining the effects of these techniques for improving caregivers' implementation of a shared-reading intervention. Conclusions A description of the steps to identifying barriers to implementation, in conjunction with an ongoing experiment that will explicitly determine whether behavior-change techniques affect these barriers, provides a model for how implementation science can be used to identify and overcome implementation barriers in the treatment of communication disorders. PMID:26262941

The problem of the universal density functional and the density matrix functional theory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bobrov, V. B.; Trigger, S. A.

2013-01-01

The analysis in this paper shows that the Hohenberg-Kohn theorem is the constellation of two statements: (i) the mathematically rigorous Hohenberg-Kohn lemma, which demonstrates that the same ground-state density cannot correspond to two different potentials of an external field, and (ii) the hypothesis of the existence of the universal density functional. Based on the obtained explicit expression for the nonrel-ativistic particle energy in a local external field, we prove that the energy of the system of more than two non-interacting electrons cannot be a functional of the inhomogeneous density. This result is generalized to the system of interacting electrons. It means that the Hohenberg-Kohn lemma cannot provide justification of the universal density functional for fermions. At the same time, statements of the density functional theory remain valid when considering any number of noninteracting ground-state bosons due to the Bose condensation effect. In the framework of the density matrix functional theory, the hypothesis of the existence of the universal density matrix functional corresponds to the cases of noninteracting particles and to interaction in the Hartree-Fock approximation.

Transformation of critical theory into apology in the work of Jurgen Habermas

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vratuša-Žunjić Vera A.

2000-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper is analyzed transformation of one part of 'critical theoreticians' into apologists and ideologists of the new old world capitalist order, within the context of twentieth century social conflicts. In the focus of attention is the article 'Bestiality and Humanism - A War on the Border between Law and Moral', that Habermas published during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia and criminal violation of all valid national and international legal norms. It is demonstrated that HabermasÆ substitution of the critique of the gap between the preconditions for reasoned communication and real conditions of distorted communication, by moralizing justification of imperialist elimination of the gap between legality and supposed efficacy of the human rightsÆ defense, conducted to the abandonment of critical theoryÆs constitutive elements.

Situational theory of leadership.

Science.gov (United States)

Waller, D J; Smith, S R; Warnock, J T

1989-11-01

The situational theory of leadership and the LEAD instruments for determining leadership style are explained, and the application of the situational leadership theory to the process of planning for and implementing organizational change is described. Early studies of leadership style identified two basic leadership styles: the task-oriented autocratic style and the relationship-oriented democratic style. Subsequent research found that most leaders exhibited one of four combinations of task and relationship behaviors. The situational leadership theory holds that the difference between the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of the four leadership styles is the appropriateness of the leader's behavior to the particular situation in which it is used. The task maturity of the individual or group being led must also be accounted for; follower readiness is defined in terms of the capacity to set high but attainable goals, willingness or ability to accept responsibility, and possession of the necessary education or experience for a specific task. A person's leadership style, range, and adaptability can be determined from the LEADSelf and LEADOther questionnaires. By applying the principles of the situational leadership theory and adapting their managerial styles to specific tasks and levels of follower maturity, the authors were successful in implementing 24-hour pharmacokinetic dosing services provided by staff pharmacists with little previous experience in clinical services. The situational leadership model enables a leader to identify a task, set goals, determine the task maturity of the individual or group, select an appropriate leadership style, and modify the style as change occurs. Pharmacy managers can use this model when implementing clinical pharmacy services.

The Theory and Implementation of Electronic Voting Systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damgård, Ivan Bjerre; Groth, Jens; Salomonsen, Gorm

2002-01-01

scheme shorter and easier to compute and verify, for voters as well as authorities, than in currently known schemes. Finally, we discuss various issues connected with the security of a practical implementation of the scheme for on-line voting. Notably, this includes minimizing risks that are beyond what...

Evaluating Risk Communication After the Fukushima Disaster Based on Nudge Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, Michio; Tsubokura, Masaharu

2017-03-01

Using nudge theory and some examples of risk communication that followed the Fukushima disaster, this article discusses the influences and justifications of risk communication, in addition to how risk communication systems are designed. To assist people in making decisions based on their own value systems, we provide three suggestions, keeping in mind that people can be influenced (ie, "nudged") depending on how risk communication takes place: (1) accumulate knowledge on the process of evaluating how the method of risk communication and a system's default design could impact people; (2) clarify the purpose and outcomes of risk communication; and (3) see what risk communication might be ethically unjustifiable. Quantitative studies on risk communication and collective narratives will provide some ideas for how to design better risk communication systems and to help people make decisions. Furthermore, we have shown examples of unjustifiable risk communication.

A Social Representations Perspective on Information Systems Implementation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gal, Uri; Berente, Nicholas

2008-01-01

Abstract: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to advocate a "social representations" approach to the study of socio-cognitive processes during information systems (IS) implementation as an alternative to the technological frames framework. Design/methodology/approach - The paper demonstrates how......, it may lead to symptomatic explanations of IS implementation. Alternatively, using the theory of social representations can offer more fundamental causal explanations of IS implementation processes. Research limitations/implications - IS researchers are encouraged to use a social representations approach...... social representations theory can improve research outcomes by applying it to three recent studies that employed the technological frames framework. Findings - It is found that because the technological frames framework is overly technologically centered, temporally bounded, and individually focused...

Analysis, Design and Implementation of an Embedded Realtime Sound Source Localization System Based on Beamforming Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arko Djajadi

2009-12-01

Full Text Available This project is intended to analyze, design and implement a realtime sound source localization system by using a mobile robot as the media. The implementated system uses 2 microphones as the sensors, Arduino Duemilanove microcontroller system with ATMega328p as the microprocessor, two permanent magnet DC motors as the actuators for the mobile robot and a servo motor as the actuator to rotate the webcam directing to the location of the sound source, and a laptop/PC as the simulation and display media. In order to achieve the objective of finding the position of a specific sound source, beamforming theory is applied to the system. Once the location of the sound source is detected and determined, the choice is either the mobile robot will adjust its position according to the direction of the sound source or only webcam will rotate in the direction of the incoming sound simulating the use of this system in a video conference. The integrated system has been tested and the results show the system could localize in realtime a sound source placed randomly on a half circle area (0 - 1800 with a radius of 0.3m - 3m, assuming the system is the center point of the circle. Due to low ADC and processor speed, achievable best angular resolution is still limited to 25o.

THEORETICAL JUSTIFICATION OF THE CONCEPT OF INNOVATION DEVELOPMENT OF BUSINESS PROCESSES IN THE COMPANY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galina G. Garanina

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This article contains theoretical and practical justification of the concept of innovative development of business processes based on the information analysis of the company’s infrastructure under the conditions of building a common information space. This study focuses on the supporting business processes update, on the documented information processing based on the state-of-the-art information technology solutions in particularly.The factors preventing an enterprise to build a common information space are highlighted in this study. The functional set of the management areas is examined and the degree of state-of-the-art information technology utilization to support the company’s process areas is analyzed. It is proposed to overcome the identified barriers through the automation of the company’s process areas and innovative development of supporting business processes of documented information processing by using modern information technology resources.

Evolution of diffusion and dissemination theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Dearing, James W

2008-01-01

The article provides a review and considers how the diffusion of innovations Research paradigm has changed, and offers suggestions for the further development of this theory of social change. Main emphases of diffusion Research studies are compared over time, with special attention to applications of diffusion theory-based concepts as types of dissemination science. A considerable degree of paradigmatic evolution is observed. The classical diffusion model focused on adopter innovativeness, individuals as the locus of decision, communication channels, and adoption as the primary outcome measures in post hoc observational study designs. The diffusion systems in question were centralized, with fidelity of implementation often assumed. Current dissemination Research and practice is better characterized by tests of interventions that operationalize one or more diffusion theory-based concepts and concepts from other change approaches, involve complex organizations as the units of adoption, and focus on implementation issues. Foment characterizes dissemination and implementation Research, Reflecting both its interdisciplinary Roots and the imperative of spreading evidence-based innovations as a basis for a new paradigm of translational studies of dissemination science.

Do ethnicity and polygyny contribute to justification of men beating women in Ghana?

Science.gov (United States)

Amo-Adjei, Joshua; Tuoyire, Derek Anamaale

2016-01-01

Violence against intimate partners threatens public health and social cohesion, and its prevalence could increase with an attitude of justification of such violence. The objective of this article was to use religion and ethnicity as proxies for culture to examine Ghanaian women's acceptance of being beaten. We employed descriptive and binary logistic regression statistics applied to Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey data collected in 2011 in Ghana. With a weighted sample of 10,627 women, the findings revealed that more than half (59.83%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 57.41%, 62.2%) of the respondents justified at least one form of intimate partner violence (IPV) or another and being a Mole-Dagbani (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.41; 95%; CI = 1.05, 1.90) and/or in a polygamous marriage/union (AOR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.04, 1.420) were significant risk factors for justifying IPV. Activism in promoting IPV-free communities has to be group-specific to reach those in need of interventions.

Using psychological theory to inform methods to optimize the implementation of a hand hygiene intervention

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boscart Veronique M

2012-08-01

administrators reported different views. Conclusions This study highlights the benefits of using a structured approach based on psychological theory to inform an implementation plan for a behavior change intervention. This work is an essential step towards systematically identifying factors affecting nurses’ behaviour associated with HH.

Justification of disintegration testing beyond current FDA criteria using in vitro and in silico models.

Science.gov (United States)

Uebbing, Lukas; Klumpp, Lukas; Webster, Gregory K; Löbenberg, Raimar

2017-01-01

Drug product performance testing is an important part of quality-by-design approaches, but this process often lacks the underlying mechanistic understanding of the complex interactions between the disintegration and dissolution processes involved. Whereas a recent draft guideline by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has allowed the replacement of dissolution testing with disintegration testing, the mentioned criteria are not globally accepted. This study provides scientific justification for using disintegration testing rather than dissolution testing as a quality control method for certain immediate release (IR) formulations. A mechanistic approach, which is beyond the current FDA criteria, is presented. Dissolution testing via United States Pharmacopeial Convention Apparatus II at various paddle speeds was performed for immediate and extended release formulations of metronidazole. Dissolution profile fitting via DDSolver and dissolution profile predictions via DDDPlus™ were performed. The results showed that Fickian diffusion and drug particle properties (DPP) were responsible for the dissolution of the IR tablets, and that formulation factors (eg, coning) impacted dissolution only at lower rotation speeds. Dissolution was completely formulation controlled if extended release tablets were tested and DPP were not important. To demonstrate that disintegration is the most important dosage form attribute when dissolution is DPP controlled, disintegration, intrinsic dissolution and dissolution testing were performed in conventional and disintegration impacting media (DIM). Tablet disintegration was affected by DIM and model fitting to the Korsmeyer-Peppas equation showed a growing effect of the formulation in DIM. DDDPlus was able to predict tablet dissolution and the intrinsic dissolution profiles in conventional media and DIM. The study showed that disintegration has to occur before DPP-dependent dissolution can happen. The study suggests that

Implementation of density functional embedding theory within the projector-augmented-wave method and applications to semiconductor defect states

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yu, Kuang; Libisch, Florian; Carter, Emily A.

2015-01-01

We report a new implementation of the density functional embedding theory (DFET) in the VASP code, using the projector-augmented-wave (PAW) formalism. Newly developed algorithms allow us to efficiently perform optimized effective potential optimizations within PAW. The new algorithm generates robust and physically correct embedding potentials, as we verified using several test systems including a covalently bound molecule, a metal surface, and bulk semiconductors. We show that with the resulting embedding potential, embedded cluster models can reproduce the electronic structure of point defects in bulk semiconductors, thereby demonstrating the validity of DFET in semiconductors for the first time. Compared to our previous version, the new implementation of DFET within VASP affords use of all features of VASP (e.g., a systematic PAW library, a wide selection of functionals, a more flexible choice of U correction formalisms, and faster computational speed) with DFET. Furthermore, our results are fairly robust with respect to both plane-wave and Gaussian type orbital basis sets in the embedded cluster calculations. This suggests that the density functional embedding method is potentially an accurate and efficient way to study properties of isolated defects in semiconductors

Examining the Accuracy and Justification of Geometric Constructions Made by Pre-Service Teachers with Dynamic Geometry Software and the Awareness They Gained throughout the Process

Science.gov (United States)

Bozkurt, Ali

2018-01-01

This study examined pre-service teachers' accuracy for geometric constructions with dynamic geometry software, their justification for the accuracy of geometric figures, and their awareness they gained throughout the process. The data come from a sample of 71 elementary grade pre-service teachers activity form completed as a part of geometry…

Characterising an implementation intervention in terms of behaviour change techniques and theory: the 'Sepsis Six' clinical care bundle.

Science.gov (United States)

Steinmo, Siri; Fuller, Christopher; Stone, Sheldon P; Michie, Susan

2015-08-08

Sepsis is a major cause of death from infection, with a mortality rate of 36 %. This can be halved by implementing the 'Sepsis Six' evidence-based care bundle within 1 h of presentation. A UK audit has shown that median implementation rates are 27-47 % and interventions to improve this have demonstrated minimal effects. In order to develop more effective implementation interventions, it is helpful to obtain detailed characterisations of current interventions and to draw on behavioural theory to identify mechanisms of change. The aim of this study was to illustrate this process by using the Behaviour Change Wheel; Behaviour Change Technique (BCT) Taxonomy; Capability, Opportunity, Motivation model of behaviour; and Theoretical Domains Framework to characterise the content and theoretical mechanisms of action of an existing intervention to implement Sepsis Six. Data came from documentary, interview and observational analyses of intervention delivery in several wards of a UK hospital. A broad description of the intervention was created using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication framework. Content was specified in terms of (i) component BCTs using the BCT Taxonomy and (ii) intervention functions using the Behaviour Change Wheel. Mechanisms of action were specified using the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation model and the Theoretical Domains Framework. The intervention consisted of 19 BCTs, with eight identified using all three data sources. The BCTs were delivered via seven functions of the Behaviour Change Wheel, with four ('education', 'enablement', 'training' and 'environmental restructuring') supported by the three data sources. The most frequent mechanisms of action were reflective motivation (especially 'beliefs about consequences' and 'beliefs about capabilities') and psychological capability (especially 'knowledge'). The intervention consisted of a wide range of BCTs targeting a wide range of mechanisms of action. This study

Improving quality through effective implementation of information technology in healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Øvretveit, John; Scott, Tim; Rundall, Thomas G; Shortell, Stephen M; Brommels, Mats

2007-10-01

To describe an implementation of one information technology system (electronic medical record, EMR) in one hospital, the perceived impact, the factors thought to help and hinder implementation and the success of the system and compare this with theories of effective IT implementation. To draw on previous research, empirical data from this study is used to develop IT implementation theory. Qualitative case study, replicating the methods and questions of a previously published USA EMR implementation study using semi-structured interviews and documentation. Large Swedish teaching hospital shortly after a merger of two hospital sites. Thirty senior clinicians, managers, project team members, doctors and nurses. The Swedish implementation was achieved within a year and for under half the budget, with a generally popular EMR which was thought to save time and improve the quality of patient care. Evidence from this study and findings from the more problematic USA implementation case suggests that key factors for cost effective implementation and operation were features of the system itself, the implementation process and the conditions under which the implementation was carried out. There is empirical support for the IT implementation theory developed in this study, which provides a sound basis for future research and successful implementation. Successful implementation of an EMR is likely with an intuitive system, requiring little training, already well developed for clinical work but allowing flexibility for development, where clinicians are involved in selection and in modification for their department needs and where a realistic timetable is made using an assessment of the change-capability of the organization. Once a system decision is made, the implementation should be driven by top and departmental leaders assisted by competent project teams involving information technology specialists and users. Corrections for unforeseen eventualities will be needed, especially

Design and Implementation of a Prototype Microcomputer Database Management System for the Standardization of Data Elements for the Department of Defense

Science.gov (United States)

1990-09-01

Justification Cat: Left Timeliness Identifier: Qwe (FI] Domain I Def Text: -Press [F3 to nove in/out of the fields below. Use ARROW keys to scroll- Rec: Host...Delete a record Elemont Creator ID: Justification Cat: Left Timeliness Identifier: Qwe [FI) Domain Def Text: - Press (F3) to move in/out of the...Number: 1 Alias Name: Accounting Code Data Value Type ID: QL Max Length Characters: 34 Timeliness ID: Qwe Justification Category: Left Creator ID: Domain

Aspects of calcium oxalate crystallization: theory, in vitro studies, and in vivo implementation.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodgers, A

1999-11-01

There are three main approaches to urolithiasis research: theory, basic science, and clinical implementation. Although each approach has yielded meaningful results, there does not appear to be complete synergy between them. This article examines these approaches as they pertain to urinary calcium oxalate crystallization processes. Theoretical calculations were performed to examine the role of oxalate concentration on calcium oxalate supersaturation. The effects of magnesium, citrate, and combinations thereof on calcium oxalate crystallization kinetics were examined in a mixed suspension, mixed product removal crystallizer. Finally, male volunteers were given supplements of calcium alone and binary combinations of calcium, magnesium, and citrate to investigate their effects on the urinary supersaturation of calcium oxalate. Calculations showed that oxalate is 23 times more potent than calcium in its effect on the supersaturation of calcium oxalate. In the in vitro experiments, magnesium and citrate reduced the growth and nucleation kinetics as well as the supersaturation. In combination, these two components were more effective than the individual components in reducing the growth rate and the supersaturation. All of the supplements favorably altered the kinetic and thermodynamic risk factors. Calcium was the most effective in reducing the urinary excretion of oxalate. Articulation of these three approaches is essential for the meaningful investigation and understanding of urolithiasis.

Implementation of the equivalence theory inside the computational chain DRAGON/DONJON-NDF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufour, P.

2005-01-01

The work accomplished in the scope of this master project consists in introducing the equivalence theory inside the computational schema DRAGON/DONJON-NDF. This theory takes into account the possible discontinuity of the homogeneous flux at the surfaces inside problems that involve an homogenisation procedure. To do it, the theory include new factors called discontinuity factors. These factors give, in theory, more exact solutions. Because we use the cell code DRAGON to generate all our homogeneous parameters we also used DRAGON to compute the heterogeneous surface fluxes which are essential to obtain the discontinuity factors. The project has been divided into two parts. The first part consists in computing the heterogeneous surface fluxes with the cell code DRAGON. For the second part of the project we have performed reactor computations using the code DONJON-NDF (over CANDU-6 geometry) with discontinuity factors and we have compared the results thus obtained with those computed without discontinuity factors.

Critique of the Naturalization of Deontologism in Joshua Greene's Dual Process Theory of Moral Judgment

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Javier Gracia

2018-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper I propose to question the Joshua Greene’s neuroethical thesis about the essentially emotional character of so-called “deontological moral judgments”. Frist, I focus on the dual process theory of moral judgment and I criticize that they are considered only and mainly intuitive and non reflective. Se condly, I question that the “utilitarian judgment” is linked to mathematical calculation and the deontological judgment is exclusively reduced to non-reflective factor of emotion. The main objection to Greene’s naturalism raised by me is trying to eliminate the philosophical justification about the moral validity defended by Kant’s deontologism; meanwhile Greene reduces “deontological moral judgment” to exclusively psychological and neurophysiological factors associated with emotion.

Researching Justification Texts of a First Instance Court: from Assignment to Results and Reporting

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Philip Langbroek

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Court decisions are reasoned to legitimize them. Lay people seem to understand little of the work of the courts. One of the questions for court administrators and judges is: for whom do judges write their judgments? Is it possible to analyze judicial justification texts with a view to the audiences they address? We answered that question by developing a methodology for the analysis of judgment justification texts, investigating judicial writing behavior. This paper focuses on the methodological hurdles we had to take and the mistakes we made and had to correct. Research reports in all articles on socio-legal research offer a positive and linear description of the research. This article wants to show that trial and error during the research process were inevitable and maybe could have been avoided if we would have had more experience with this type of research. We hope students and other researchers may profit from our experience. Las decisiones judiciales se razonan para legitimarlas. Los profanos en la materia parecen entender poco de la labor de los tribunales. Una de las preguntas a administradores de tribunales y jueces es: ¿para quién redactan los jueces sus sentencias? ¿Es posible analizar los textos de justificación judiciales desde la perspectiva del público a quien se dirigen? Hemos respondido a esta pregunta mediante el desarrollo de una metodología para el análisis de textos de justificación judiciales, investigando el comportamiento de la escritura judicial. Este artículo se centra en los obstáculos metodológicos que tuvimos que sortear y los errores que cometimos y tuvimos que corregir. Los informes de investigación en todos los artículos de investigación sociojurídica ofrecen una descripción positiva y lineal de la investigación. Este artículo quiere demostrar que la prueba y el error eran inevitables durante el proceso de investigación eran inevitables, y podrían haberse evitado si hubiéramos tenido mayor

Cognitive-behavioural theories of helplessness/hopelessness: valid models of depression?

Science.gov (United States)

Henkel, V; Bussfeld, P; Möller, H-J; Hegerl, U

2002-10-01

Helplessness and hopelessness are central aspects of cognitive-behavioural explanations for the development and persistence of depression. In this article a general overview concerning the evolution of those approaches to depression is provided. Included is a critical examination of the theories. The review of the literature suggests that those cognitive models describing helplessness/hopelessness as trait factors mediating depression do not really have a strong empirical base. The majority of those studies had been conducted in healthy or only mildly depressed subjects. Thus, there seems to be little justification for broad generalisations beyond the populations studied. It seems that some of the reported studies have not tested the underlying theories adequately (e. g. correlation had sometimes been interpreted as causation; adequate prospective longitudinal study designs had seldom been applied). Moreover, the theoretical models are not generally prepared to explain all depressive features (e. g. the possibility of a spontaneous shift in a manic episode). Despite those limitations, there is a relevant impact of the learned helplessness paradigm on preclinical research in neurobiological correlates of depressive states. Last but not least, the models are of high interest with respect to the theoretical background of important modules of cognitive-behavioural therapy and its acute and prophylactic effects.

Representational Realism, Closed Theories and the Quantum to Classical Limit

Science.gov (United States)

de Ronde, Christian

In this chapter, we discuss the representational realist stance as a pluralistontic approach to inter-theoretic relationships. Our stance stresses the fact that physical theories require the necessary consideration of a conceptual level of discourse which determines and configures the specific field of phenomena discussed by each particular theory. We will criticize the orthodox line of research which has grounded the analysis about QM in two (Bohrian) metaphysical presuppositions - accepted in the present as dogmas that all interpretations must follow. We will also examine how the orthodox project of "bridging the gap" between the quantum and the classical domains has constrained the possibilities of research, producing only a limited set of interpretational problems which only focus in the justification of "classical reality" and exclude the possibility of analyzing the possibilities of non-classical conceptual representations of QM. The representational realist stance introduces two new problems, namely, the superposition problem and the contextuality problem, which consider explicitly the conceptual representation of orthodox QM beyond the mere reference to mathematical structures and measurement outcomes. In the final part of the chapter, we revisit, from representational realist perspective, the quantum to classical limit and the orthodox claim that this inter-theoretic relation can be explained through the principle of decoherence.

Implementation of visual programming methods for numerical techniques used in electromagnetic field theory

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Metin Varan

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Field theory is one of the two sub-field theories in electrical and electronics engineering that for creates difficulties for undergraduate students. In undergraduate period, field theory has been taught under the theory of electromagnetic fields by which describes using partial differential equations and integral methods. Analytical methods for solution of field problems on the basis of a mathematical model may result the understanding difficulties for undergraduate students due to their mathematical and physical infrastructure. The analytical methods which can be applied in simple model lose their applicability to more complex models. In this case, the numerical methods are used to solve more complex equations. In this study, by preparing some field theory‘s web-based graphical user interface numerical methods of applications it has been aimed to increase learning levels of field theory problems for undergraduate and graduate students while taking in mind their computer programming capabilities.

Analyzing Trust Perceptions in System Implementations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlichter, Bjarne Rerup; Rose, Jeremy

2009-01-01

' perceptions of trust relations influence future actions, and in this way have both negative and positive consequences. We also conclude that Giddens' theories of trust provide a promising insight into the dynamic aspects of trust relations in implementation projects, which go further than trust theories...... a framework based on Giddens´ theory of modernity. The framework theorizes dynamic elements of the evolution of trust, not previously investigated in this context. The data collection involves 4 actors interviewed twice in 2006 and 2007; and the data analysis strategy is content analysis using Nvivo software...

Transformative Theory in Social Research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ravn, Ib

Social-scientific theory usually represents an attempt to describe or explain social phenomena and, sometimes, to criticize them. However, a theory can be transformative in the sense that in using and testing it, researchers may help practitioners transform and improve their social conditions......, institutions or organisations. This idea is illustrated by a research-and-development effort to help conference organisers develop meeting formats that create more learning among delegates than is accomplished by the conventional, lecture-based format. This effort was based on a (transformative) theory...... of conferences as forums for learning and "human co-flourishing." Seventeen learning techniques were derived from the theory and were tested as hypotheses: When implemented in 30 live experiments, did they contribute to learning, as specified by the theory? Properties of transformative theory that distinguish...

Nonlinear mean field theory for nuclear matter and surface properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boguta, J.; Moszkowski, S.A.

1983-01-01

Nuclear matter properties are studied in a nonlinear relativistic mean field theory. We determine the parameters of the model from bulk properties of symmetric nuclear matter and a reasonable value of the effective mass. In this work, we stress the nonrelativistic limit of the theory which is essentially equivalent to a Skyrme hamiltonian, and we show that most of the results can be obtained, to a good approximation, analytically. The strength of the required parameters is determined from the binding energy and density of nuclear matter and the effective nucleon mass. For realistic values of the parameters, the nonrelativistic approximation turns out to be quite satisfactory. Using reasonable values of the parameters, we can account for other key properties of nuclei, such as the spin-orbit coupling, surface energy, and diffuseness of the nuclear surface. Also the energy dependence of the nucleon-nucleus optical model is accounted for reasonably well except near the Fermi surface. It is found, in agreement with empirical results, that the Landau parameter F 0 is quite small in normal nuclear matter. Both density dependence and momentum dependence of the NN interaction, but especially the former, are important for nuclear saturation. The required scalar and vector coupling constants agree fairly well with those obtained from analyses of NN scattering phase shifts with one-boson-exchange models. The mean field theory provides a semiquantitative justification for the weak Skyrme interaction in odd states. The strength of the required nonlinear term is roughly consistent with that derived using a new version of the chiral mean field theory in which the vector mass as well as the nucleon mass is generated by the sigma-field. (orig.)

Biomechanical justification of the choice of optimum mode for passing the individual pursuit race

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A.N. Kolumbet

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose : biomechanical justification of the choice of optimum mode of passing competitive distance of 4 km individual pursuit on track. Material : The qualified cyclists (n=14 participated in researches. The modified stationary cycle Monark was used. Cyclists performed work in two modes - A and B. Results : The mode B is physiologically more favorable. The mode B should be considered as a model of passing a distance in preliminary races of individual pursuit. Work in the mode A demands terminal mobilization of organism functions. Work in the mode A is more effective in the achievement of sports result. It can be used only once in the final race of competitions. Conclusions : The received data should be considered as a demonstration of specific features of passing a distance in the competitive modes. The tactical variant of competitive program creation is defined by the individual functional state.

To the question of scientific justification of the interests on deposits and credit

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O.M.Pshinko

2013-02-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To analyze the need of loans in the form they are presented today at the present stage of economic functioning. To develop a systematic group of actions in order to allow the “economic and financial” system of the country to work efficiently, irrespective of economic and financial world cataclysms. Methodology. Computer simulation model of monetary movement in the state is developed and tested. Conclusions. A retrospective analysis of the essence of theories of credit and lending rate has been made. Some aspects of interest receiving on deposits and loans from the point of view of a radically new economic model of management, which based on the "National economy high-performance theory», are considered. Using the simulation modeling the negative influence of bank interest on the national economy general development is indicated. It is proved that the main reason of the “financial and economic crisis” is the economic category of “profit”. Originality. A radically new model of banking system functioning in the country is proposed. This system allows one to create synergistic economic effect. Practical value. Implementation of the given model will provide the GDP growth for the 2–2.5 times as early as the first years. The economic effect of the introduction can bring about 1 trillion UAH.

Persuasive Dialogue Based on a Narrative Theory: An ECA Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Cavazza, Marc; Smith, Cameron; Charlton, Daniel; Crook, Nigel; Boye, Johan; Pulman, Stephen; Moilanen, Karo; Pizzi, David; de La Camara, Raul Santos; Turunen, Markku

Embodied Conversational Agents (ECA) are poised to constitute a specific category within persuasive systems, in particular through their ability to support affective dialogue. One possible approach consists in using ECA as virtual coaches or personal assistants and to make persuasion part of a dialogue game implementing specific argumentation or negotiation features. In this paper, we explore an alternative framework, which emerges from the long-term development of ECA as "Companions" supporting free conversation with the user, rather than task-oriented dialogue. Our system aims at influencing user attitudes as part of free conversation, albeit on a limited set of topics. We describe the implementation of a Companion ECA to which the user reports on his working day, and which can assess the user's emotional attitude towards daily events in the office, trying to influence such attitude using affective strategies derived from a narrative model. This discussion is illustrated through examples from a first fully-implemented prototype.

Competence-based multiple learning paths: on the road of implementation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Dolores de Prada

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This article presents the results of an action-research implementation project based on a system that weaves together five different routes to facilitate the development of competences through the use of multiple learning paths for primary and secondary teachers. The first and initial results that the article deals with relate to the experience of math teachers for ages 11 to 14. Other levels and other fields are in the process of being developed. The article deals briefly with the justification, the background and the fundamental principles that underpin the research methodology and introduces a number of elements such as the method followed by the research, the resources and the materials used as well as the results obtained at the end of the second year of this experience. It also justifies the model chosen and the criteria and strategies selected for its reliability and verification. In addition, it provides significant elements of reflection about a number of burning issues: The development of a new profile of the “teacher” in a studentcentred system and the implementation system to be followed, the importance of multiple but integrated learning paths and the relevance as well as the reflection on real cases of competence evaluation.

21st Century Theories of Education Administration

Science.gov (United States)

Makolandra, Joseph; Bezy, Kevin G.; Delp, Cindy; Bizzell, Brad E.; Wray, Caroline; Jones, Forest; Womack, Janet; Hutton, Dawn; Jones, Asia; Wood-Setzer, Guylene; Williams, Seydric; Leonard, Nancy; Nicely, Ken; Wright, Linda; Pennington, Robert; Richardson, Tracy

2009-01-01

Educational administrative practitioners evaluate theories, implement practices, and refine leadership strategies daily. The exploration of the leadership gap between theory and praxis is a quantum undertaking. Leadership from the educational perspective takes many forms and presents many challenges. This document examines leadership from several…

The effect of implementing cognitive load theory-based design principles in virtual reality simulation training of surgical skills: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Andersen, Steven Arild Wuyts; Mikkelsen, Peter Trier; Konge, Lars; Cayé-Thomasen, Per; Sørensen, Mads Sølvsten

2016-01-01

Cognitive overload can inhibit learning, and cognitive load theory-based instructional design principles can be used to optimize learning situations. This study aims to investigate the effect of implementing cognitive load theory-based design principles in virtual reality simulation training of mastoidectomy. Eighteen novice medical students received 1 h of self-directed virtual reality simulation training of the mastoidectomy procedure randomized for standard instructions (control) or cognitive load theory-based instructions with a worked example followed by a problem completion exercise (intervention). Participants then completed two post-training virtual procedures for assessment and comparison. Cognitive load during the post-training procedures was estimated by reaction time testing on an integrated secondary task. Final-product analysis by two blinded expert raters was used to assess the virtual mastoidectomy performances. Participants in the intervention group had a significantly increased cognitive load during the post-training procedures compared with the control group (52 vs. 41 %, p  = 0.02). This was also reflected in the final-product performance: the intervention group had a significantly lower final-product score than the control group (13.0 vs. 15.4, p  virtual reality surgical simulation training of novices.

User resistance to information system implementations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Campbell, Robert H.; Grimshaw, Mark

2016-01-01

Users often resist information system implementations and it has been established that this can cause an implementation to fail. In this paper, the user attitudes that can cause resistance are examined using an established attitude change theory from social and cognitive psychology: the Elaboration......-ranging study are presented that, in addition to supporting this argument, identifies and classifies 19 new heuristics and peripheral influences (in addition to the nine already known) that commonly, and adversely, affect user attitudes and responses to new information system implementations....

Applying Adult Behavior Change Theory to Support Mediator-Based Intervention Implementation

Science.gov (United States)

Sanetti, Lisa M. H.; Kratochwill, Thomas R.; Long, Anna C. J.

2013-01-01

A majority of evidence-based interventions in schools are delivered through consultation models and are implemented by a mediator, such as a teacher. Research indicates that mediators do not always adequately implement adopted evidence-based interventions, limiting their effectiveness in transforming student outcomes. We propose that to transform…

Advanced Learning Theories Applied to Leadership Development

Science.gov (United States)

2006-11-01

Center for Army Leadership Technical Report 2006-2 Advanced Learning Theories Applied to Leadership Development Christina Curnow...2006 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W91QF4-05-F-0026 5b. GRANT NUMBER 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Advanced Learning Theories Applied to Leadership Development 5c...ABSTRACT This report describes the development and implementation of an application of advanced learning theories to leadership development. A

The Theory of Optimal Taxation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Peter Birch

The paper discusses the implications of optimal tax theory for the debates on uniform commodity taxation and neutral capital income taxation. While strong administrative and political economy arguments in favor of uniform and neutral taxation remain, recent advances in optimal tax theory suggest...... that the information needed to implement the differentiated taxation prescribed by optimal tax theory may be easier to obtain than previously believed. The paper also points to the strong similarity between optimal commodity tax rules and the rules for optimal source-based capital income taxation...

The theory of optimal taxation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Peter Birch

2007-01-01

The paper discusses the implications of optimal tax theory for the debates on uniform commodity taxation and neutral capital income taxation. While strong administrative and political economy arguments in favor of uniform and neutral taxation remain, recent advances in optimal tax theory suggest...... that the information needed to implement the differentiated taxation prescribed by optimal tax theory may be easier to obtain than previously believed. The paper also points to the strong similarity between optimal commodity tax rules and the rules for optimal source-based capital income taxation...

The high performance HMI handbook a comprehensive guide to designing, implementing and maintaining effective HMIs for industrial plant operations

CERN Document Server

Hollifield, Bill; Nimmo, Ian; Habibi, Eddie

2008-01-01

The High Performance HMI Handbook is the first and only comprehensive book containing the best-practice principles for assessing, designing, and implementing proper process control Human-Machine Interfaces (HMIs). Poorly designed and poorly performing Human Machine Interfaces (HMIs) are rampant throughout the process industries. They can degrade safety, production, quality, and profitability. Time after time, they are cited as contributing factors to major industrial accidents. The book contains experience and intellectual property that has never before been released, It is jointly authored by 2 companies, PAS and User Centered Design Services (UCDS), who have decades of experience in process control, HMI design, and human factors. The book reveals many poor yet common HMI practices, provides the justification for change, and shows in great detail the best way to design and implement a truly High Performance HMI. It contains over 90 color illustrations, plus many relevant real world examples, anecdotes, and ...

Ethical issues in implementation research: a discussion of the problems in achieving informed consent

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eccles Martin P

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Improved quality of care is a policy objective of health care systems around the world. Implementation research is the scientific study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of clinical research findings into routine clinical practice, and hence to reduce inappropriate care. It includes the study of influences on healthcare professionals' behaviour and methods to enable them to use research findings more effectively. Cluster randomized trials represent the optimal design for evaluating the effectiveness of implementation strategies. Various codes of medical ethics, such as the Nuremberg Code and the Declaration of Helsinki inform medical research, but their relevance to cluster randomised trials in implementation research is unclear. This paper discusses the applicability of various ethical codes to obtaining consent in cluster trials in implementation research. Discussion The appropriate application of biomedical codes to implementation research is not obvious. Discussion of the nature and practice of informed consent in implementation research cluster trials must consider the levels at which consent can be sought, and for what purpose it can be sought. The level at which an intervention is delivered can render the idea of patient level consent meaningless. Careful consideration of the ownership of information, and rights of access to and exploitation of data is required. For health care professionals and organizations, there is a balance between clinical freedom and responsibility to participate in research. Summary While ethical justification for clinical trials relies heavily on individual consent, for implementation research aspects of distributive justice, economics, and political philosophy underlie the debate. Societies may need to trade off decisions on the choice between individualized consent and valid implementation research. We suggest that social sciences codes could usefully inform the consideration of

Explicit polarization (X-Pol) potential using ab initio molecular orbital theory and density functional theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Lingchun; Han, Jaebeom; Lin, Yen-lin; Xie, Wangshen; Gao, Jiali

2009-10-29

The explicit polarization (X-Pol) method has been examined using ab initio molecular orbital theory and density functional theory. The X-Pol potential was designed to provide a novel theoretical framework for developing next-generation force fields for biomolecular simulations. Importantly, the X-Pol potential is a general method, which can be employed with any level of electronic structure theory. The present study illustrates the implementation of the X-Pol method using ab initio Hartree-Fock theory and hybrid density functional theory. The computational results are illustrated by considering a set of bimolecular complexes of small organic molecules and ions with water. The computed interaction energies and hydrogen bond geometries are in good accord with CCSD(T) calculations and B3LYP/aug-cc-pVDZ optimizations.

Cooperation, psychological game theory, and limitations of rationality in social interaction.

Science.gov (United States)

Colman, Andrew M

2003-04-01

Rational choice theory enjoys unprecedented popularity and influence in the behavioral and social sciences, but it generates intractable problems when applied to socially interactive decisions. In individual decisions, instrumental rationality is defined in terms of expected utility maximization. This becomes problematic in interactive decisions, when individuals have only partial control over the outcomes, because expected utility maximization is undefined in the absence of assumptions about how the other participants will behave. Game theory therefore incorporates not only rationality but also common knowledge assumptions, enabling players to anticipate their co-players' strategies. Under these assumptions, disparate anomalies emerge. Instrumental rationality, conventionally interpreted, fails to explain intuitively obvious features of human interaction, yields predictions starkly at variance with experimental findings, and breaks down completely in certain cases. In particular, focal point selection in pure coordination games is inexplicable, though it is easily achieved in practice; the intuitively compelling payoff-dominance principle lacks rational justification; rationality in social dilemmas is self-defeating; a key solution concept for cooperative coalition games is frequently inapplicable; and rational choice in certain sequential games generates contradictions. In experiments, human players behave more cooperatively and receive higher payoffs than strict rationality would permit. Orthodox conceptions of rationality are evidently internally deficient and inadequate for explaining human interaction. Psychological game theory, based on nonstandard assumptions, is required to solve these problems, and some suggestions along these lines have already been put forward.

Formulated linear programming problems from game theory and its ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Formulated linear programming problems from game theory and its computer implementation using Tora package. ... Game theory, a branch of operations research examines the various concepts of decision ... AJOL African Journals Online.

Justification of Technical System Control in Developing and Testing Objects of Missile and Space Technology

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A. A. Fedorovskiy

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Tests in general lifecycle of missile and space technology, play a special role. The high cost of such products and a little time for creation and refinement, allow only a limited number of tests. Justification of the appropriate number of tests and finding the ways to reduce it are important from the practical point of view.When the appropriate number of field tests is impossible to implement, as well as if full or partial realization of the sample operation conditions is impossible the authors propose to use software with the involvement of previously obtained aprioristic information to have the modeling results of the functioning sample or its parts, according to the reliability and quality standards.Involvement of statistical methods for systems and objects of the missile and space equipment is limited to the single number of the carried-out tests. Currently used models and methods for systems of missile and barreled weapon do not allow us to conduct analysis and provide guidance on emerging issues of concern to ensure the quality and reliability of objects of the missile and space equipment by results of tests.The method of probabilistic and statistical analysis of the stochastic system operability is supposed to be used to solve a problem of the planning tests, assessment and control of reliability of technical systems at tests using aprioristic calculated and experimental information. This method makes it possible to relate the number of tests, required to prove the desirable level of reliability, to different types of constructional, functional, structural reserves of the system, as well as the level of information-and-measuring base and the completeness of available information.Thus, the structure of controlled elements, their importance, and acceptance conditions including elaboration of actions and recommendations to eliminate discrepancies in controlled parameters and improve quality of the considered system are justified and formed

Current Concerns in Validity Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Kane, Michael

Validity is concerned with the clarification and justification of the intended interpretations and uses of observed scores. It has not been easy to formulate a general methodology set of principles for validation, but progress has been made, especially as the field has moved from relatively limited criterion-related models to sophisticated…

Implementation Processo of IFRS: a theoretical essay on the justifications related to resistance to organizational change under Lewin’s theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Camila Pereira Boscov

2016-10-01

not offer great benefits to the company’s decision process. For further studies, analyzing the current status of the resistance phenomenon at these two companies and the expansion of the study sample are recommended.

Justification of principles and functions of the anti-crisis state policy in the tourist industry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chernysh Iryna V.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The goal of the article is the study and justification of principles and functions of the anti-crisis policy of the state in the tourist industry. The article justifies and proves expediency of the use of principles and functions of the anti-crisis state policy in the tourist industry. The article marks out the scientific problem of identification of principles and functions of the anti-crisis state policy in the tourist industry by scientists, provides the composition and specifies the characteristics of principles of the anti-crisis state policy, and justifies functions of the anti-crisis state policy in the tourist industry; proves the necessity of identification of principles and functions when developing conceptual grounds of the anti-crisis state policy and establishes their interrelation and interdependence during realisation of the relevant concept.

Nuts and Bolts of the Ion Band State Theory

Science.gov (United States)

Chubb, Scott R.

2005-12-01

The nuts and bolts of our ion band state theory of low energy nuclear reactions (LENR's) in palladium-deuteride (PdD) and palladium-hydride (PdH) are the electrons that hold together or tear apart the bonds (or lack of bonds) between deuterons (d's) or protons (p's) and the host material. In PdDx and PdHx, this bonding is strongly correlated with loading. In ambient loading conditions (x ≲ 0.6), bonding inhibits ion band state occupation. As x → 1, slight increases and decreases in loading can induce "vibrations" (which have conventionally been thought to occur from phonons) that can induce potential losses or increases of p/d. Naive assumptions about phonons fail to include these losses and increases. These effects can occur because neither H or D has core electrons and because in either PdD or PdH, the electrons near the Fermi energy have negligible overlap with the nucleus of either D or H. In the past, implicitly, we have used these facts to justify our ion band state theory. Here, we present a more formal justification, based on the relationship between H(D) ion band states (IBS's) and H(D) phonons that includes a microscopic picture that explains why occupation of IBS's can occur in PdD and PdH and how this can lead to nuclear reactions.

Data protection by using the «Сhua’s circuit » chaos generator

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Тетяна Олександрівна Левицька

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This article focuses on the justification of the use of cryptosystems based on a mathematical model of the chaos generator (an electric circuit, showing modes of chaotic oscillations, proposed by Leon Chua in 1983. This article also describes the principles of implementation of cryptographic algorithm and its application prospects. Reviewed the next questions: the problems of widespread cryptosystems, the theory of cryptographically strong algorithms, absolutely and computationally secure ciphers, particular theoretical method for solving the problem of increasing the reliability of hybrid computational proof systems by inclusion of a mathematical model of chaos as a generator to encrypt transmitted data key. Here described the recommendations on the implementation of cryptographic system and requirements on the Chua’s circuit generator ch

Introducing Evidence Through Research "Push": Using Theory and Qualitative Methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Morden, Andrew; Ong, Bie Nio; Brooks, Lauren; Jinks, Clare; Porcheret, Mark; Edwards, John J; Dziedzic, Krysia S

2015-11-01

A multitude of factors can influence the uptake and implementation of complex interventions in health care. A plethora of theories and frameworks recognize the need to establish relationships, understand organizational dynamics, address context and contingency, and engage key decision makers. Less attention is paid to how theories that emphasize relational contexts can actually be deployed to guide the implementation of an intervention. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the potential role of qualitative research aligned with theory to inform complex interventions. We detail a study underpinned by theory and qualitative research that (a) ensured key actors made sense of the complex intervention at the earliest stage of adoption and (b) aided initial engagement with the intervention. We conclude that using theoretical approaches aligned with qualitative research can provide insights into the context and dynamics of health care settings that in turn can be used to aid intervention implementation. © The Author(s) 2015.

Teacher Agency and Professional Learning: Rethinking Fidelity of Implementation as Multiplicities of Enactment

Science.gov (United States)

Buxton, Cory A.; Allexsaht-Snider, Martha; Kayumova, Shakhnoza; Aghasaleh, Rouhollah; Choi, Youn-Jeng; Cohen, Allan

2015-01-01

In this paper we use practice theory, with its focus on the interplay of structure and agency, to theorize about teacher engagement in professional learning and teacher enactment of pedagogical practices as an alternative to framing implementation research in terms of program adherence and fidelity of implementation. Practice theory allowed us to…

Concepts of optimisation and justification consequences for radiological mass screening

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carmichael, J.H.E.

1987-01-01

Mass radiological screening campaigns have been mounted in many countries for different conditions and the needs of one country are not necessarily those of another. However, in the European community there is a reasonable uniformity about disease patterns and therefore, a mass screening situation applicable to one country is probably equally applicable throughout the Community. In radiation protection terms, all these potential surveys must be looked at under the same factors. In radiation protection, one thinks first of all justification of the practice. Then one follows it by optimisation of the technique used, so as to obtain the best balance between benefit and detriment, and at this point one must remember that the radiation protection concept of optimisation includes a financial element as well as a purely clinical element and this must lead us on eventually to touch on cost effectiveness. The last portion of the ICRP system is the actual setting of dose limits. Now these are really only applicable to workers not to patients. One cannot set an upper limit on the dose one is prepared to use in a diagnostic radiological examination, but one can say that the dose per examination, should be examined and that the dose range of that examination between various institutions should be ascertained. This should enable any one institution to see where their dose range lies in the larger dose range, and to see that their radiological practice is giving as low a dose as is reasonably achievable

Pro SQL Server 2012 relational database design and implementation

CERN Document Server

Davidson, Louis

2012-01-01

Learn effective and scalable database design techniques in a SQL Server environment. Pro SQL Server 2012 Relational Database Design and Implementation covers everything from design logic that business users will understand, all the way to the physical implementation of design in a SQL Server database. Grounded in best practices and a solid understanding of the underlying theory, Louis Davidson shows how to "get it right" in SQL Server database design and lay a solid groundwork for the future use of valuable business data. Gives a solid foundation in best practices and relational theory Covers

Translating Theory Into Practice: Implementing a Program of Assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Hauer, Karen E; O'Sullivan, Patricia S; Fitzhenry, Kristen; Boscardin, Christy

2018-03-01

A program of assessment addresses challenges in learner assessment using a centrally planned, coordinated approach that emphasizes assessment for learning. This report describes the steps taken to implement a program of assessment framework within a medical school. A literature review on best practices in assessment highlighted six principles that guided implementation of the program of assessment in 2016-2017: (1) a centrally coordinated plan for assessment aligns with and supports a curricular vision; (2) multiple assessment tools used longitudinally generate multiple data points; (3) learners require ready access to information-rich feedback to promote reflection and informed self-assessment; (4) mentoring is essential to facilitate effective data use for reflection and learning planning; (5) the program of assessment fosters self-regulated learning behaviors; and (6) expert groups make summative decisions about grades and readiness for advancement. Implementation incorporated stakeholder engagement, use of multiple assessment tools, design of a coaching program, and creation of a learner performance dashboard. The assessment team monitors adherence to principles defining the program of assessment and gathers and responds to regular feedback from key stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and students. Next steps include systematically collecting evidence for validity of individual assessments and the program overall. Iterative review of student performance data informs curricular improvements. The program of assessment also highlights technology needs that will be addressed with information technology experts. The outcome ultimately will entail showing evidence of validity that the program produces physicians who engage in lifelong learning and provide high-quality patient care.

Leading the implementation of ICT innovations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Morten Balle; Nørup, Iben

2017-01-01

This article analyzes the associations between leadership, implementation of information and communications technology (ICT) innovations, and performance. Reviewing theories and empirical evidence from the literature on leading change, ICT innovations and performance hypotheses are formulated...... and tested in an analysis of the implementation of an ICT innovation in a Danish multi-site hospital. In a quasi-experimental research design using panel data, survey responses from more than 2000 employees before and after the implementation were generated as well as qualitative interviews with change...... agents. The findings indicate how differences in leadership during the ICT implementation process can have an important impact on performance after the ICT implementation process. The mobilization of initial support; directive leadership through information and technical assistance; participative...

Social Learning Theory of Aggression.

Science.gov (United States)

Bandura, Albert

1978-01-01

Suggests that violent activities occur not because of reduced self-control, but because cognitive skills and self-control are used through moral justifications and self-exonerative devices in the service of destructive causes. Threats to human welfare are generally brought about by deliberate acts of principle rather than by unrestrained acts of…

The relationship between theory of mind and relational frame theory : convergence of perspective-taking measures

OpenAIRE

Hendriks, A.; Barnes-Holmes, Yvonne; McEnteggart, Ciara; de Mey, H.; Witteman, C.; Janssen, G.; Egger, J.

2016-01-01

Objective: Perspective-taking difficulties have been demonstrated in autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders, among other clinical presentations, and are traditionally examined from a Theory of Mind (ToM) point of view. Relational Frame Theory (RFT) offers a behavioural and contextual interpretation of perspective-taking, proposing that this ability can be studied in more detail by examining specific perspective-taking relations. To implement relational perspective-taking measures in clin...

Mechanisms which help explain implementation of evidence-based practice in residential aged care facilities: a grounded theory study.

Science.gov (United States)

Masso, Malcolm; McCarthy, Grace; Kitson, Alison

2014-07-01

The context for the study was a nation-wide programme in Australia to implement evidence-based practice in residential aged care, in nine areas of practice, using a wide range of implementation strategies and involving 108 facilities. The study drew on the experiences of those involved in the programme to answer the question: what mechanisms influence the implementation of evidence-based practice in residential aged care and how do those mechanisms interact? The methodology used grounded theory from a critical realist perspective, informed by a conceptual framework that differentiates between the context, process and content of change. People were purposively sampled and invited to participate in semi-structured interviews, resulting in 44 interviews involving 51 people during 2009 and 2010. Participants had direct experience of implementation in 87 facilities, across nine areas of practice, in diverse locations. Sampling continued until data saturation was reached. The quality of the research was assessed using four criteria for judging trustworthiness: credibility, transferability, dependability and confirmability. Data analysis resulted in the identification of four mechanisms that accounted for what took place and participants' experiences. The core category that provided the greatest understanding of the data was the mechanism On Common Ground, comprising several constructs that formed a 'common ground' for change to occur. The mechanism Learning by Connecting recognised the ability to connect new knowledge with existing practice and knowledge, and make connections between actions and outcomes. Reconciling Competing Priorities was an ongoing mechanism whereby new practices had to compete with an existing set of constantly shifting priorities. Strategies for reconciling priorities ranged from structured approaches such as care planning to more informal arrangements such as conversations during daily work. The mechanism Exercising Agency bridged the gap between

Salinas : theory manual.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walsh, Timothy Francis; Reese, Garth M.; Bhardwaj, Manoj Kumar

2004-08-01

This manual describes the theory behind many of the constructs in Salinas. For a more detailed description of how to use Salinas , we refer the reader to Salinas, User's Notes. Many of the constructs in Salinas are pulled directly from published material. Where possible, these materials are referenced herein. However, certain functions in Salinas are specific to our implementation. We try to be far more complete in those areas. The theory manual was developed from several sources including general notes, a programer-notes manual, the user's notes and of course the material in the open literature.

Using game theory to analyze green stormwater infrastructure implementation policies

Science.gov (United States)

William, R. K.; Garg, J.; Stillwell, A. S.

2017-12-01

While green stormwater infrastructure is a useful approach in addressing multiple challenges facing the urban environment, little consensus exists on how to best incentivize its adoption by private landowners. Game theory, a field of study designed to model conflict and cooperation between two or more agents, is well-suited to address this policy question. We used a cooperative game theory framework to analyze the impacts of three different policy approaches frequently used to incentivize the uptake of green infrastructure by private landowners: municipal regulation, direct grants, and stormwater fees. The results indicate that municipal regulation leads to the greatest environmental benefits; however, the choice of "best" regulatory approach is dependent on a variety of different factors including political and financial considerations. Policy impacts are also highly dependent on agents' spatial positions within the stormwater network. This finding leads to important questions of social equity and environmental justice.

Developing theory-informed behaviour change interventions to implement evidence into practice: a systematic approach using the Theoretical Domains Framework