WorldWideScience

Sample records for local railroad service

  1. Handbook for preservation of local railroad service. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patton, E.P.; Langley, C.J. Jr.

    1977-01-01

    Throughout the United States, there is an accelerating abandonment of redundant and/or unprofitable light-density railroad lines. This abandonment can be economically harmful to both the shippers and the communities that were previously served. Although greater dependence upon truck transportation is a viable alternative in many cases, other situations indicate that the greatest priority should be attached to preserving some form of local railroad service. The objective of this research was to develop a handbook to assist shippers, local and state governments, and rail planners when their Class I rail service is scheduled for abandonment. Two major options are detailed in the handbook. The first regards innovative procedures which may be used by local groups in attempting to preserve service by the existing Class I carrier. The second approach considers the alternative of operating the particular line as an independent railroad.

  2. 20 CFR 204.7 - Employment relation-service to a local lodge or division of a railway labor organization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Employment relation-service to a local lodge... relation—service to a local lodge or division of a railway labor organization. Service by an individual to a local lodge or division of a railway labor organization shall be creditable under the Railroad...

  3. 20 CFR 404.1402 - When are railroad industry services by a non-vested worker covered under Social Security?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...-vested worker covered under Social Security? 404.1402 Section 404.1402 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL... When are railroad industry services by a non-vested worker covered under Social Security? If you are a non-vested worker, we (the Social Security Administration) will consider your services in the railroad...

  4. 78 FR 36017 - MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-Operation Exemption-Hilco SP Rail, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-14

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35725] MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad-- Operation Exemption--Hilco SP Rail, LLC MCM Rail Services LLC, d/b/a Baltimore Industrial Railroad (MCM), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption...

  5. Separate and unsanitary: African American women railroad car cleaners and the Women's Service Section, 1918-1920.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muhammad, Robin Dearmon

    2011-01-01

    The Women's Service Section (WSS) investigated federally controlled railroad stations and yards at the end of World War I. Few women worked in car cleaning before the war, and railroad management preferred to block women workers, especially African Americans, from gaining any kind of foothold in railroad work. African American women were the single largest group of railroad car cleaners during this period but they were routinely denied adequate facilities, including toilets, locker rooms, and dining facilities throughout the railroad system. By raising the issues of facilities, workers' rights, and public health, these women shaped federal policy and widened the agenda of the WSS to include a direct attack on segregated workplaces. This article argues that African American women car cleaners launched an industrial campaign that wove together concerns about racism, sexism, and health issues, and successfully removed barriers to women working in a predominately male industry.

  6. The Cost of Railroad Regulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Federico, Giovanni; Sharp, Paul R.

    commodities until the First World War. We demonstrate that this reflected changes in transportation costs which in turn in the long run depended on productivity growth in railroads. 1920 marked a change in this relationship, however, and between the First and Second World Wars we find considerable...... disintegration of agricultural markets, ultimately as a consequence of the 1920 Transportation Act. We argue that this benefited railroad companies in the 1920s and workers in the 1930s, and we put forward an estimate of the welfare losses for the consumers of railroad services (i.e. agricultural producers...

  7. On Transport Service Selection in Intermodal Rail/Road Distribution Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Bierwirth

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Intermodal rail/road freight transport constitutes an alternative to long-haul road transport for the distribution of large volumes of goods. The paper introduces the intermodal transportation problem for the tactical planning of mode and service selection. In rail mode, shippers either book train capacity on a per-unit basis or charter block trains completely. Road mode is used for short-distance haulage to intermodal terminals and for direct shipments to customers. We analyze the competition of road and intermodal transportation with regard to freight consolidation and service cost on a model basis. The approach is applied to a distribution system of an industrial company serving customers in eastern Europe. The case study investigates the impact of transport cost and consolidation on the optimal modal split.

  8. 75 FR 13808 - Missouri & Valley Park Railroad Corporation-Discontinuance of Service Exemption-in St Louis...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Docket No. AB-1057X] Missouri & Valley Park Railroad Corporation--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in St Louis County, MO On March 3... Subdivision between milepost 18.36 and milepost 20.50, near West Valley Park, St. Louis County, MO.\\2\\ The...

  9. Railroad infrastructure adequacy for safe transportation of spent nuclear fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fisher, A.C.; Furber, C.P.

    1992-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to discuss the railroad industry's concerns on the movement of spent nuclear fuel including the magnitude of thermal and mechanical forces in train accidents, emergency response capability, railroad's liability for non-breach-of-cask accidents, and the importance of using dedicated trains to improve public perception of these movements; summarize the current status of the condition of the American railroads' equipment, facilities, track structure, and right-of-way; outline the continuing efforts of the railroad industry to improve customer service and profitability through downsizing and shifting of branch lines to more customer-oriented and efficient short-line carriers; and discuss potential problems of government subsidization of private railroads to enable upgrading of tracks and structures to handle rights-of-way in the future

  10. Energy study of railroad freight transportation. Volume 2. Industry description

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    None

    1979-08-01

    The United States railroad industry plays a key role in transporting materials to support our industrial economy. One of the oldest industries in the US, the railroads have developed over 150 years into their present physical and operational configuration. Energy conservation proposals to change industry facilities, equipment, or operating practices must be evaluated in terms of their cost impact. A current, comprehensive and accurate data baseline of railroad economic activity and energy consumption is presented. Descriptions of the history of railroad construction in the US and current equipment, facilities, and operation practices follow. Economic models that relate cost and energy of railroad service to the volume of railroad output and to physical and operational parameters are provided. The analyses and descriptions should provide not only an analytical baseline for evaluating the impact of proposed conservation measures, but they should also provide a measure of understanding of the system and its operations to analysts and policy makers who are involved in proposing, analyzing, and implementing such changes.

  11. 78 FR 13747 - Railroad Safety: Advisory Notice Related to Railroad Accidents in Vicinity of Underground Pipelines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-28

    ... underground natural gas transmission pipeline operated by Nicor Gas. The pipeline well exceeded Federal... had the gas pipeline been installed at the railroad crossing with only the minimum level of ground... resumption of service.'' On July 31, 2012, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA...

  12. 75 FR 18253 - R.J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC-Acquisition Exemption-NC Railroad, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Finance Docket No. 35363] R.J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC--Acquisition Exemption--NC Railroad, Inc. R.J. Corman Railroad Property... exemption in STB Finance Docket No. 35364, R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Bardstown Line--Lease and Operation...

  13. 76 FR 39155 - R.J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC-Acquisition Exemption-NC Railroad, Inc

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35363] R.J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC--Acquisition Exemption--NC Railroad, Inc R. J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC (RJC... is related to the notice of exemption in Docket No. FD 35364, R. J. Corman Railroad Company/Bardstown...

  14. 75 FR 7303 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Polk County, IA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Docket No. AB-33 (Sub-No. 279X)] Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Polk County, IA Union Pacific Railroad Company... milepost 10.70 in Ankeny, in Polk County, IA. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Code...

  15. 75 FR 20874 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Orange County, CA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-21

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Docket No. AB-33 (Sub-No. 281X)] Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Orange County, CA Union Pacific Railroad....65 near the City of Brea, in Orange County, CA. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip...

  16. 78 FR 23331 - Ballard Terminal Railroad Company, L.L.C.-Lease Exemption-Line of Eastside Community Rail, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-18

    ... residual common carrier rights and obligations, including the right to reinstitute rail service, over the... resume providing common carrier rail service over this trackage. These filings will be addressed by the... Railroad Company, L.L.C.--Lease Exemption--Line of Eastside Community Rail, LLC Ballard Terminal Railroad...

  17. Railroad Lines, US, 2015, NAVTEQ

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — NAVTEQ Railroads for the United States. The Railroads layer contains Railroad features published as lines and polylines. Attributes for this layer include the name...

  18. 26 CFR 1.45G-1 - Railroad track maintenance credit.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... TAXES Rules for Computing Credit for Investment in Certain Depreciable Property § 1.45G-1 Railroad track... extensions) Federal income tax return for the taxable year the RTMC is claimed. Paragraph (b) of this section..., accounting and bookkeeping, marketing, legal services; janitorial services; office building rental; banking...

  19. 78 FR 34428 - Missouri Central Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Cass, Henry, Johnson, and Pettis...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-07

    ... No. AB 1070; (Sub-No. 1X)] Missouri Central Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Cass, Henry, Johnson, and Pettis Counties, MO; Central Midland Railway Company--Discontinuance of Service Exemption--in Cass, Henry, Johnson, and Pettis Counties, MO Missouri Central Railroad Company (MCRR) and Central...

  20. 49 CFR 1242.76 - Administration; pickup and delivery, marine line haul, and rail substitute service; loading...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... haul, and rail substitute service; loading, unloading and local marine; protective services; freight... SEPARATION OF COMMON OPERATING EXPENSES BETWEEN FREIGHT SERVICE AND PASSENGER SERVICE FOR RAILROADS 1 Operating Expenses-Transportation § 1242.76 Administration; pickup and delivery, marine line haul, and rail...

  1. 77 FR 23321 - Kiamichi Railroad L.L.C.-Trackage Rights Exemption-WFEC Railroad Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-18

    ...)] Kiamichi Railroad L.L.C.--Trackage Rights Exemption--WFEC Railroad Company Pursuant to a written joint... nonexclusive overhead trackage rights to Kiamichi Railroad L.L.C. (KRR), over its entire line (the Line.... Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Raina S. White, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2012-9326 Filed 4-17...

  2. 25 CFR 169.23 - Railroads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., individually owned and Government-owned land, except in the State of Oklahoma, for railroads, station buildings... proposed railroad is parallel to, and within 10 miles of, a railroad already built or in course of..., to construct and maintain passenger and freight stations for each Government townsite, and to permit...

  3. Global Pursuits: The Underground Railroad

    Science.gov (United States)

    School Arts: The Art Education Magazine for Teachers, 2004

    2004-01-01

    This brief article describes Charles T. Webber's oil on canvas painting, "The Underground Railroad, 1893." The subject of this painting is the Underground Railroad, which today has become an American legend. The Underground Railroad was not a systematic means of transportation, but rather a secretive process that allowed fugitive slaves…

  4. 75 FR 18254 - R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Bardstown Line-Lease and Operation Exemption-R.J. Corman Railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-09

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Finance Docket No. 35364] R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Bardstown Line--Lease and Operation Exemption--R.J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Bardstown Line (RJC Railroad Company), a Class III rail carrier, has...

  5. 76 FR 39156 - R. J. Corman Railroad Company/Bardstown Line-Lease and Operation Exemption-R. J. Corman Railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35364] R. J. Corman Railroad Company/Bardstown Line--Lease and Operation Exemption--R. J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC R. J... notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.41 to lease from R. J. Corman Railroad Property, LLC (RJC Railroad...

  6. 77 FR 14058 - Santa Teresa Southern Railroad, LLC-Operation Exemption-Rail Line of Verde Logistics Railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-08

    ... Southern Railroad, LLC--Operation Exemption--Rail Line of Verde Logistics Railroad, LLC at Santa Teresa... notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to operate approximately 12,000 feet of rail line owned by Verde Logistics Railroad, LLC (Verde). The rail line extends between a point of connection with Union Pacific...

  7. 21 CFR 1250.51 - Railroad conveyances; discharge of wastes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Manager, Interstate Travel Sanitation Sub-Program, HFF-312... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Railroad conveyances; discharge of wastes. 1250.51 Section 1250.51 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES...

  8. 75 FR 15484 - Railroad Safety Technology Program Grant Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-29

    ... governments for projects that have a public benefit of improved railroad safety and efficiency. The program... State and local governments for projects * * * that have a public benefit of improved safety and network... minimum 20 percent grantee cost share (cash or in-kind) match requirement. DATES: FRA will begin accepting...

  9. 78 FR 66987 - Railroad Safety Technology Program Grant Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-07

    ... carriers, railroad suppliers, and State and local governments for projects that have a public benefit of... projects . . . that have a public benefit of improved safety and network efficiency.'' To be eligible for... million. This grant program has a maximum 80-percent Federal and minimum 20-percent grantee cost share...

  10. 49 CFR 392.10 - Railroad grade crossings; stopping required.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... controlled by a functioning highway traffic signal transmitting a green indication which, under local law... REGULATIONS DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES Driving of Commercial Motor Vehicles § 392.10 Railroad grade... commercial motor vehicle specified in paragraphs (a) (1) through (6) of this section shall not cross a...

  11. 30 CFR 57.9104 - Railroad crossings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Railroad crossings. 57.9104 Section 57.9104... SAFETY AND HEALTH SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND METAL AND NONMETAL MINES Loading, Hauling, and Dumping Traffic Safety § 57.9104 Railroad crossings. Designated railroad crossings shall be posted with...

  12. 9 CFR 325.17 - Loading or unloading products in sealed railroad cars, trucks, etc., en route prohibited; exception.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... sealed railroad cars, trucks, etc., en route prohibited; exception. 325.17 Section 325.17 Animals and Animal Products FOOD SAFETY AND INSPECTION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AGENCY ORGANIZATION AND... TRANSPORTATION § 325.17 Loading or unloading products in sealed railroad cars, trucks, etc., en route prohibited...

  13. Heavy Metal Pollution in Soils on Railroad Side of Zhengzhou-Putian Section of Longxi-Haizhou Railroad, China

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    MA Jian-Hua; CHU Chun-Jie; LI Jian; SONG Bo

    2009-01-01

    The pollution status and horizontal distribution of heavy metals (Ni, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, and Cd) in the soil on railroad side along the Zhengzhou-Putian section of Longxi-Haizhou Railroad were studied by collecting soil samples along a sampling section perpendicular to the railroad at the distances of 0, 10, 20, 30, 50, 100, 200, 300, and 500 m from the railroad edge. The concentrations of heavy metals in the sampling soils were higher than those of the control site. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, and Cd were found to be the highest in the soils at the railroad edge, and then decreased with increasing distance from the railroad. The highest concentrations of Ni, Cr, and Cu in soils were located at about 10-30 m from the railroad. Compared with the single factor pollution index (SFPI) of heavy metals calculated for the control site, the average SFPI from the sampling sites decreased in the order of Cr > Cd > Pb > Zn > Ni > Cu. There were notable negative correlations between the integral pollution index (IPI) of soil heavy metals at all sampling sites and the distances from the railroad. According to three IPIs calculated from the background values of heavy metals in och-aquic Cambisols, the heavy metal concentrations in the control soil, and the 2nd levels for soil heavy metals in GB15618-1995, the study area could be divided, based on the distances from the railroad, into four pollution zones: heavy pollution zone (0-10 m), medium pollution zone (10-50 m), slight pollution zone (50-100 m), and warning zone (100-500 m), respectively.

  14. VT Digital Line Graph Railroads

    Data.gov (United States)

    Vermont Center for Geographic Information — (Link to Metadata) This datalayer is comprised of major railroad lines for the state of Vermont. These railroad lines line up well along quadrangle boundaries, but...

  15. 76 FR 41555 - Tupelo, Mississippi Railroad Relocation Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-14

    ... Relocation Project AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT... Tupelo, Mississippi Railroad Relocation Project (Project). SUMMARY: The Federal Railroad Administration announces the availability of the Tupelo, Mississippi Railroad Relocation Project Draft Environmental Impact...

  16. Railroad Lines, Hawaii, 2007, TANA

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The Railroad layer in Dynamap(R)/2000 represents the railroad network within the U.S. and Puerto Rico. At a minimum, linear representation is consistent with the...

  17. 75 FR 7152 - Stillwater Central Railroad, Inc.-Lease and Operation Exemption-Hollis & Eastern Railroad L.L.C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-17

    ...] Stillwater Central Railroad, Inc.--Lease and Operation Exemption--Hollis & Eastern Railroad L.L.C. Stillwater... & Eastern Railroad L.L.C. (H&E), 14 miles of H&E's rail line between milepost 0.0 at Duke, OK and milepost... available on our Web site at http://www.stb.dot.gov . Decided: By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director...

  18. 49 CFR 840.3 - Notification of railroad accidents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Notification of railroad accidents. 840.3 Section... SAFETY BOARD RULES PERTAINING TO NOTIFICATION OF RAILROAD ACCIDENTS § 840.3 Notification of railroad accidents. The operator of a railroad shall notify the Board by telephoning the National Response Center at...

  19. 49 CFR 240.309 - Railroad oversight responsibilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... ascribed which the controlling railroad certified for joint operations purposes. (c) Based on that review and analysis each railroad shall determine what action(s) it will take to improve the safety of train... safety device in the controlling locomotive; (9) Incidents involving noncompliance with the railroad's...

  20. Environmental Compliance Audit Handbook (ECAH): U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) (Revision)

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-09-01

    Hotline 202-639-2222 Offers assistance in hazardous materials incidents involving railroads and is often contacted through CHEMTREC. Cancer ...Information Service Hotline 800-422-6237 Provides information on cancer risk and referrals to proper sources for local support services. Center for...ethythexyl) phthalate, Dinoseb, Diquat, 2-6 Drinking Water Endrin, Endothall, Glyphosate , Hexachlorobenzene, Hexachlorocyclopentadiene, Oxamyl (Vydate

  1. Transformation of safety culture on the San Antonio service unit of Union Pacific Railroad

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-31

    The Federal Railroad Administration conducted a pilot demonstration of Clear Signal for Action (CSA), a risk reduction process : that combines peer-to-peer feedback, continuous improvement, and safety leadership development. An independent formative ...

  2. 77 FR 66216 - Union Railroad Company-Corporate Family Merger Exemption-McKeesport Connecting Railroad Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-02

    ..., accounting, reporting, and related burdens associated with the maintenance of the two separate corporate... Company--Corporate Family Merger Exemption-- McKeesport Connecting Railroad Company Union Railroad Company... verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(3) for a corporate family transaction pursuant to which...

  3. Reconstruction of railroads at Klaipéda da National Seaport: Local Health Impact Assessment Case in Lithuania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ingrida Zurlytè

    2007-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: Introduction of health impact assessment (HIA as a national legal requirement for planned economic activity projects in 2002 and the further development of related procedures and methodological requirements has boosted the number of HIAs carried out both as an integrated part of environmental impact assessment (EIA procedures as well as an independent activity. Most of HIAs have been conduct for local projects. The HIA for the reconstruction of the southern section of the railroads in Klaip da National Seaport is one of the local HIAs in Lithuania carried out as an independent procedure. Methods: The HIA for the reconstruction of the southern section of the railroads in Klaipda National Seaport was carried out following the national legal procedure for the cases not foreseen in the Law on Environmental Impact Assessment of Planned Economic Activity and the national HIA methodological regulations. The HIA included a literature review, analysis of related technical documentation, data on existing and estimated air pollution and environmental noise levels and possible health consequences, analysis of local demographic and health statistics; interviews with the residents living in proximity of the planned activity, analysis of public complaints on existing activities at Klaip da National Seaport, site visit and round table discussions with the proponent of the planned activity, planning company and representatives of the public health authority. The standard or intermediate type of perspective HIA was applied. Results: The HIA report has pointed out noise, vibration, ambient air pollution, psychological factors as related to possible negative impact on health of residents living in the mostly exposed locations. Interviews with inhabitants living in proximity of the planned activity have shown that majority of them knew nothing about the reconstruction plans. Recommendations were provided in the report how to minimise

  4. The Military Railroads of the Civil War and Their Great Leaders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    these leadership styles as part of its curriculum to expose others to those traits which have proven to be successful. In the majority of instances...of leadership styles in the combat service and combat service support specialties. It is therefore a major contention that our curriculm does not...offer our students the broadest exposure to leadership styles . This study is intended to do that. Using the Military Railroads as the support function

  5. Exploring a Common Past: Researching and Interpreting the Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    National Park Service (Dept. of Interior), Washington, DC.

    Although the Underground Railroad has been an integral part of U.S. history and folklore for well over 150 years, the recent past has seen an increased public interest in the identification of historic sites associated with the experiences of fugitive slaves. This booklet is part of a National Park Service initiative to design research methods…

  6. 76 FR 1666 - Susquehanna Union Railroad Company-Control Exemption-North Shore Railroad Company, Nittany & Bald...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-11

    ... rail transportation system that will continue to meet the needs of the shipping public. 49 U.S.C. 10101... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB FD 35343] Susquehanna Union... 49 U.S.C. 11323(a)(4) to acquire 100% stock control of 6 Class III railroads: North Shore Railroad...

  7. Freight-train derailment rates for railroad safety and risk analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiang; Rapik Saat, M; Barkan, Christopher P L

    2017-01-01

    Derailments are the most common type of train accident in the United States. They cause damage to infrastructure, rolling stock and lading, disrupt service, and have the potential to cause casualties, and harm the environment. Train safety and risk analysis relies on accurate assessment of derailment likelihood. Derailment rate - the number of derailments normalized by traffic exposure - is a useful statistic to estimate the likelihood of a derailment. Despite its importance, derailment rate analysis using multiple factors has not been previously developed. In this paper, we present an analysis of derailment rates on Class I railroad mainlines based on data from the U.S. Federal Railroad Administration and the major freight railroads. The point estimator and confidence interval of train and car derailment rates are developed by FRA track class, method of operation and annual traffic density. The analysis shows that signaled track with higher FRA track class and higher traffic density is associated with a lower derailment rate. The new accident rates have important implications for safety and risk management decisions, such as the routing of hazardous materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad: 1997

    OpenAIRE

    Paul R. Reed; Carol J. Cumber

    1998-01-01

    Approximately twenty-five years ago, a majority of the railroads in the industry were either in or near bankruptcy. As a partial cure, a series of federal and state legislation was enacted which freed the industry from archaic laws passed in the days railroads enjoyed a virtual monopoly in U.S. transportation. One of the outcomes of this new legislation was the freedom granted major railroads to abandon or sell off excess trackage to entrepreneurs. The Dakota Minnesota & Eastern (DM&E) is a r...

  9. 76 FR 28850 - Northern Plains Railroad, Inc.-Intra-Corporate Family Operation Exemption-Mohall Central Railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-18

    ... Railroad, Inc. (NPR), a Class III rail common carrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49... to operate the rail line of Mohall Central Railroad, Inc. (MHC), also a Class III rail carrier.\\1...\\ however, since MHC became a Class III rail carrier, it has abandoned 2 segments of its rail line.\\3\\ This...

  10. TIGER Railroads for South Louisiana, UTM 15N NAD83, Louisiana Recovery Authority (2007), [TIGER_LA_Railroads_2000

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is a line data set for 'Railroads' of Louisiana extracted from 1997 TIGER/Line source data. Railroad Mainlines, Spurs, Yards, and specialized rail lines have...

  11. Railroad Noise: Economic Valuation and Policy

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Brons, M.R.E.; Nijkamp, P.; Pels, E.; Rietveld, P.

    2003-01-01

    In developed countries noise annoyance is an important source of environmental concern. Research on noise annoyance caused by railroad traffic is relatively underdeveloped. Here, a causal chain model is presented in which railroad traffic density, noise emission, noise immission and noise annoyance

  12. 75 FR 61552 - Federal Railroad Administration

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-05

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Notice of Informational Filing In accordance with Section 236.913 of Title 49 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), notice is hereby given that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has received an informational filing from the Northeast...

  13. 29 CFR 1917.17 - Railroad facilities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 7 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Railroad facilities. 1917.17 Section 1917.17 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (CONTINUED) MARINE TERMINALS Marine Terminal Operations § 1917.17 Railroad facilities. (a) Work shall be...

  14. Start time variability and predictability in railroad train and engine freight and passenger service employees.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    Start time variability in work schedules is often hypothesized to be a cause of railroad employee fatigue because unpredictable work start times prevent employees from planning sleep and personal activities. This report examines work start time diffe...

  15. 20 CFR 404.1027 - Railroad work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...- ) Employment, Wages, Self-Employment, and Self-Employment Income Work Excluded from Employment § 404.1027 Railroad work. We exclude from employment any work you do as an employee or employee representative as... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Railroad work. 404.1027 Section 404.1027...

  16. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) in local services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Carpintero, Samuel; Petersen, Ole Helby

    2016-01-01

    Local governments are increasingly utilising the public–private partnership (PPP) model as a means of organising service delivery in the public–private domain. This article examines the experiences with construction and operation of 131 PPP wastewater treatment plants in the region of Aragon, Spain...... to the complexity of implementing the projects. The findings contribute to the literature on local service delivery and provide insights regarding risk transfer in long-term PPP contracts for the delivery of local services in general and water services in particular....

  17. 77 FR 65446 - Turtle Creek Industrial Railroad, Inc.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Consolidated Rail...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-26

    ... common carrier providing interstate rail service, primarily for Dura-Bond, without first obtaining... Industrial Railroad, Inc.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Consolidated Rail Corporation Turtle Creek... Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) and to operate approximately 9.8 miles of rail line between milepost 0...

  18. Railroad and locomotive technology roadmap.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stodolsky, F.; Gaines, L.; Energy Systems

    2003-02-24

    Railroads are important to the U.S. economy. They transport freight efficiently, requiring less energy and emitting fewer pollutants than other modes of surface transportation. While the railroad industry has steadily improved its fuel efficiency--by 16% over the last decade--more can, and needs to, be done. The ability of locomotive manufacturers to conduct research into fuel efficiency and emissions reduction is limited by the small number of locomotives manufactured annually. Each year for the last five years, the two North American locomotive manufacturers--General Electric Transportation Systems and the Electro-Motive Division of General Motors--have together sold about 800 locomotives in the United States. With such a small number of units over which research costs can be spread, outside help is needed to investigate all possible ways to reduce fuel usage and emissions. Because fuel costs represent a significant portion of the total operating costs of a railroad, fuel efficiency has always been an important factor in the design of locomotives and in the operations of a railroad. However, fuel efficiency has recently become even more critical with the introduction of strict emission standards by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, to be implemented in stages (Tiers 0, 1, and 2) between 2000 and 2005. Some of the technologies that could be employed to meet the emission standards may negatively affect fuel economy--by as much as 10-15% when emissions are reduced to Tier 1 levels. Lowering fuel economy by that magnitude would have a serious impact on the cost to the consumer of goods shipped by rail, on the competitiveness of the railroad industry, and on this country's dependence on foreign oil. Clearly, a joint government/industry R&D program is needed to help catalyze the development of advanced technologies that will substantially reduce locomotive engine emissions while also improving train system energy efficiency. DOE convened an industry

  19. 75 FR 5170 - Railroad Cost Recovery Procedures-Productivity Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-01

    ...)] Railroad Cost Recovery Procedures--Productivity Adjustment AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Proposed Railroad Cost Recovery Procedures Productivity Adjustment. SUMMARY: In a decision served... railroad productivity for the 2004-2008 (5-year) averaging period. This is a decline of 0.5 of a percentage...

  20. Fuel Loss and Jams due to Pausing Railroad Crossings

    OpenAIRE

    Tomoeda, Akiyasu; Nishinari, Katsuhiro; Harada, Yoshiaki

    2008-01-01

    In Japan, all cars must pause before crossing the railroad for avoiding the accidents. This rule was established by a law in 1960. In fact, however, railroad crossings come to the serious bottlenecks because of this pausing rule and this bottleneck causes heavy jams. In this study, by using cellular automaton model we have investigated the traffic flow at railroad crossings in two cases: with pausing and without pausing. Moreover, the lost time due to pausing at railroad crossings have been a...

  1. 78 FR 71037 - St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company-Discontinuance of Service Exemption-in Cumberland County...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 1117X] St. Lawrence..., 2013, St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad Company (SLR) filed with the Surface Transportation Board (Board..., FD 35440 (STB served Dec. 29, 2010); Maine--Acquisition Exemption--Certain Assets of St. Lawrence...

  2. Railroad right-of-way incident analysis research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-04-01

    Locations of railroad right-of-way incidents in this research were identified as hotspots. These can be defined as highway-rail grade crossings or locations along the railroad right-of-way where collision or trespassing risk is unacceptably high and ...

  3. Economic impact analysis of short line railroads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-10-01

    This research project assesses the economic role and impact of short line railroads in the state of Louisiana. While relatively small in : scope, with 11 operators and approximately 500 miles of track, short line railroads play a significant role in ...

  4. 78 FR 62940 - Railroad Revenue Adequacy-2012 Determination

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-22

    ... determinations for the Nation's Class I railroads. Two carriers, Norfolk Southern Combined Railroad Subsidiaries..., 2011, and 2012 by October 23, 2013, in compliance with the Board's order in Western Coal Traffic League...

  5. Railroad Lines, US EPA Region 9, 2007, TANA

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The Railroad layer in Dynamap(R)/2000 represents the railroad network within the U.S. and Puerto Rico. At a minimum, linear representation is consistent with the...

  6. Pricing local distribution services in a competitive market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duann, D.J.

    1995-12-01

    Unbundling and restructuring of local distribution services is the focus of the natural gas industry. As a result of regulatory reforms, a competitive local distribution market has emerged, and the validity of traditional cost-based regulation is being questioned. One alternative is to completely unbundle local distribution services and transform the local distribution company into a common carrier for intrastate transportation services. Three kinds of alternative pricing mechanisms are examined. For firm intrastate transportation services, cost-based pricing is the preferred method unless it can be shown that a competitive secondary market can be established and maintained. Pricing interruptible transportation capacity is discussed

  7. 20 CFR 216.16 - What is regular non-railroad employment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is regular non-railroad employment. 216.16 Section 216.16 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD REGULATIONS UNDER THE RAILROAD... the United States Government: (i) Department of Transportation; (ii) Interstate Commerce Commission...

  8. Railroad Engineering Education Symposium (REES) 2012 and 2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-25

    Since its initial offering in 2008, the objective of the Railroad Engineering Education Symposium (REES) has been to develop interest among university faculty in railroad transportation engineering, with the goal of facilitating and supporting their ...

  9. 30 CFR 57.9307 - Design, installation, and maintenance of railroads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... railroads. 57.9307 Section 57.9307 Mineral Resources MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF LABOR METAL AND NONMETAL MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH SAFETY AND HEALTH STANDARDS-UNDERGROUND METAL AND..., Railroads, and Loading and Dumping Sites § 57.9307 Design, installation, and maintenance of railroads...

  10. 77 FR 6411 - Training, Qualification, and Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-07

    ... Oversight for Safety-Related Railroad Employees AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of... establishing minimum training standards for each category and subcategory of safety-related railroad employee... or contractor that employs one or more safety-related railroad employee to develop and submit a...

  11. Doses to railroad workers from shipments of radioactive materials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fields, D.E.; Cottrell, W.D.

    1988-01-01

    Fissile and high-level radioactive wastes are currently transported over long distances by truck and by rail transportation systems. The primary form of fissile material is spent reactor fuel. Transportation operations within DOE are controlled through the Transportation Operations and Management System. DOE projected increases in the rate of shipments have generated concern by railroad companies that railroad workers may be exposed to levels of radiation sufficiently high that a radiation protection program may need to be implemented. To address railroad company concerns, the Health and Safety Research Division at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has estimated doses to railroad workers for two exposure scenarios that were constructed using worker activity data obtained from CSX Transportation for crew and maintenance workers. This characterization of railroad worker activity patterns includes a quantitative evaluation of the duration and rate of exposure. These duration and exposure rate values were evaluated using each of three exposure rate vs. distance models to generate exposure estimates. 14 refs., 1 tab

  12. 76 FR 78080 - Watco Holdings, Inc. and Watco Transportation Services, L.L.C.-Acquisition of Control Exemption...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-15

    ..., Inc. and Watco Transportation Services, L.L.C.-- Acquisition of Control Exemption--Wisconsin & Southern Railroad, L.L.C. Watco Holdings, Inc. (Watco Holdings) and Watco Transportation Services, L.L.C... Wisconsin & Southern Railroad, L.L.C., a Class II railroad. Watco intends to consummate the transaction on...

  13. 77 FR 47918 - Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Cook County, IL

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-10

    ... Central and Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Cook County, IL Chicago Central and... North Riverside, Cook County, Ill. The line traverses United States Postal Service Zip Codes 60546 and... system. A copy of any petition filed with the Board should be sent to CCP's representative: Thomas J...

  14. Railroad Bridges in Louisiana, Geographic NAD83, FEMA (1997) [railroad_bridges_FEMA_1997

    Data.gov (United States)

    Louisiana Geographic Information Center — This is is a point dataset for the locations and attributes of 32 Louisiana railroad bridges. The attributes include city (nearest?), county (sic), routefrom (city),...

  15. 75 FR 68399 - Patriot Woods Railroad, LLC-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Weyerhaeuser NR Company...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-05

    ... Division (Woods RR), and to operate approximately 21.5 miles of rail line \\1\\ between milepost 8.5 (the... common carrier railroad. PAW will hold itself out to perform common carrier service for any shipper and intends to operate the line for the purpose of becoming a rail carrier. \\2\\ After these transactions are...

  16. Restructuring local distribution services: Possibilities and limitations

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duann, D.J.

    1994-08-01

    The restructuring of local distribution services is now the focus of the natural gas industry. It is the last major step in the ``reconstitution`` of the natural gas industry and a critical clement in realizing the full benefits of regulatory and market reforms that already have taken place in the wellhead and interstate markets. It could also be the most important regulatory initiative for most end-use customers because they are affected directly by the costs and reliability of distribution services. Several factors contribute to the current emphasis on distribution service restructuring. They include the unbundling and restructuring of upstream markets, a realization of the limitations of supply-side options (such as gas procurement oversight), and the increased diversity and volatility of gas demand facing local distribution companies. Local distribution service is not one but a series of activities that start with commodity gas procurement and extend to transportation, load balancing, storage, and metering and billing of services provided. There are also considerable differences in the economies of scale and scope associated with these various activities. Thus, a mixture of supply arrangements (such as a competitive market or a monopoly) is required for the most efficient delivery of local distribution services. A distinction must be made between the supply of commodity gas and the provision of a bundled distribution service. This distinction and identification of the best supply arrangements for various distribution service components are the most critical factors in developing appropriate restructuring policies. For most state public utility commissions the criteria for service restructuring should include pursuing the economies of scale and scope in gas distribution, differentiating and matching gas service reliability and quality with customer requirements, and controlling costs associated with the search, negotiation, and contracting of gas services.

  17. Liquid filtration properties in gravel foundation of railroad tracks

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strelkov, A; Teplykh, S; Bukhman, N

    2016-01-01

    Railway bed gravel foundation has a constant permanent impact on urban ecology and ground surface. It is only natural that larger objects, such as railway stations, make broader impact. Surface run-off waters polluted by harmful substances existing in railroad track body (ballast section) flow along railroad tracks and within macadam, go down into subterranean ground flow and then enter neighbouring rivers and water basins. This paper presents analytic calculations and characteristics of surface run-off liquid filtration which flows through gravel multiple layers (railroad track ballast section). The authors analyse liquids with various density and viscosity flowing in multi-layer porous medium. The paper also describes liquid stationary and non-stationary weepage into gravel foundation of railroad tracks. (paper)

  18. Impact of Railroad Contracts on Grain Bids to Farmers

    OpenAIRE

    Steven D. Hanson; C. Phillip Baumel; Daniel Schnell

    1989-01-01

    The deregulation of railroads by the Staggers Rail Act of 1980 reversed nearly a century of prohibition of contracts between railroads shippers/receivers. This paper presents an analysis of the impact that railroad contracts have on grain bids to corn, wheat, and soybean farmers. The empirical results indicate that destination contracts had significant impacts on prices bid to corn and soybean farmers, while origin contracts had significant and large impacts on prices bid to wheat farmers.

  19. Research of the Localization of Restaurant Service Robot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Qing-xiao

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper designs a restaurant service robot which could be applicable to providing basic service, such as ordering, fetching and sending food, settlement and so on, for the customers in the robot restaurant. In this study, both three landmarks positioning and landmark-based localization algorithms are proposed to localize the mobile robot with rough precision in the restaurant. And Optical Character Recognition (OCR technology is used to distinguish the unique table number of different landmarks. When the high localization precision must be granted around the pantry table, the RFID-based localization algorithm is proposed to localize the mobile robot. Various experiments show that the proposed algorithms could estimate the robot pose reasonably well and could accurately evaluate the localization performance. Finally, the proposed service robot could realize real-time self-localization in the restaurant.

  20. Research of the Localization of Restaurant Service Robot

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yu Qing-xiao

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper designs a restaurant service robot which could be applicable to providing basic service, such as ordering, fetching and sending food, settlement and so on, for the customers in the robot restaurant. In this study, both three landmarks positioning and landmark-based localization algorithms are proposed to localize the mobile robot with rough precision in the restaurant. And Optical Character Recognition (OCR technology is used to distinguish the unique table number of different landmarks. When the high localization precision must be granted around the pantry table, the RFID-based localization algorithm is proposed to localize the mobile robot.Various experiments show that the proposed algorithms could estimate the robot pose reasonably well and could accurately evaluate the localization performance. Finally, the proposed service robot could realize real-time self-localization in the restaurant.

  1. Highway/Railroad Accident Report: Collision Of Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation (METRA) Train And Transportation Joint Agreement School District 47/155 School Bus At Railroad/Highway Grade Crossing In Fox River Grove, Illinois, On

    Science.gov (United States)

    1996-10-29

    This report explains the collision of a Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corporation commuter train with a Transportation Joint Agreement School District 47/155 school bus that was stopped at a railroad/highway grade crossing in Fox Rive...

  2. 30 CFR 57.9302 - Protection against moving or runaway railroad equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Protection against moving or runaway railroad..., Railroads, and Loading and Dumping Sites § 57.9302 Protection against moving or runaway railroad equipment. Stopblocks, derail devices, or other devices that protect against moving or runaway rail equipment shall be...

  3. Routing Service Quality—Local Driver Behavior Versus Routing Services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ceikute, Vaida; Jensen, Christian S.

    2013-01-01

    of the quality of one kind of location-based service, namely routing services. Specifically, the paper presents a framework that enables the comparison of the routes provided by routing services with the actual driving behaviors of local drivers. Comparisons include route length, travel time, and also route...... popularity, which are enabled by common driving behaviors found in available trajectory data. The ability to evaluate the quality of routing services enables service providers to improve the quality of their services and enables users to identify the services that best serve their needs. The paper covers......Mobile location-based services is a very successful class of services that are being used frequently by users with GPS-enabled mobile devices such as smartphones. This paper presents a study of how to exploit GPS trajectory data, which is available in increasing volumes, for the assessment...

  4. ECONOMIC IMPACT ANALYSIS OF GDOT’S SHORT LINE RAILROADS

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-01

    Short line railroads are critical to Georgias transportation infrastructure and support the efficient movement of goods into and out of the State. Twenty-nine short line railroads operate in Georgia, six of which operate either partially or totall...

  5. 49 CFR 216.11 - Special notice for repairs-railroad freight car.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Special notice for repairs-railroad freight car...—railroad freight car. (a) When an FRA Motive Power and Equipment Inspector or a State Equipment Inspector determines that a railroad freight car is not in conformity with the requirements of the FRA Freight Car...

  6. Energy Conservation Projects to Benefit the Railroad Industry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Clifford Mirman; Promod Vohra

    2009-12-31

    The Energy Conservation Projects to benefit the railroad industry using the Norfolk Southern Company as a model for the railroad industry has five unique tasks which are in areas of importance within the rail industry, and specifically in the area of energy conservation. The NIU Engineering and Technology research team looked at five significant areas in which research and development work can provide unique solutions to the railroad industry in energy the conservation. (1) Alternate Fuels - An examination of various blends of bio-based diesel fuels for the railroad industry, using Norfolk Southern as a model for the industry. The team determined that bio-diesel fuel is a suitable alternative to using straight diesel fuel, however, the cost and availability across the country varies to a great extent. (2) Utilization of fuel cells for locomotive power systems - While the application of the fuel cell has been successfully demonstrated in the passenger car, this is a very advanced topic for the railroad industry. There are many safety and power issues that the research team examined. (3) Thermal and emission reduction for current large scale diesel engines - The current locomotive system generates large amount of heat through engine cooling and heat dissipation when the traction motors are used to decelerate the train. The research team evaluated thermal management systems to efficiently deal with large thermal loads developed by the operating engines. (4) Use of Composite and Exotic Replacement Materials - Research team redesigned various components using new materials, coatings, and processes to provide the needed protection. Through design, analysis, and testing, new parts that can withstand the hostile environments were developed. (5) Tribology Applications - Identification of tribology issues in the Railroad industry which play a significant role in the improvement of energy usage. Research team analyzed and developed solutions which resulted in friction

  7. 76 FR 15047 - Port of Ivory, LLC-Operation Exemption-Line of Railroad in Tulare County, CA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-18

    ... common carrier rail service. Port states that, upon receipt of the requested exemption, it intends to... County, California. The current rail facilities on Port's property consist of 2 sidings that connect with a rail line operated by the San Joaquin Valley Railroad Company (SJVR) at a point known as Ivory...

  8. 20 CFR 210.2 - Definition of service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Definition of service. 210.2 Section 210.2 Employees' Benefits RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD REGULATIONS UNDER THE RAILROAD RETIREMENT ACT CREDITABLE... which an employee is credited with compensation under § 211.12 of this chapter based on benefits paid...

  9. Liberalization of local public services and modalities of local action in the liberalized sectors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joaquin Tornos Mas

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In recent years we have witnessed a process of increasing liberalization of public services, which means returning economic activities that had been excluded from the market. This process has been less at the local level, but there have also been cases of liberalization of local public services, such as funeral services. This paper examines these liberalization processes and their consequences, analyzing what powers municipalities can exercise in relation to liberalized services, which, despite their return to the market, remain services of general interest.

  10. 75 FR 16575 - Railroad Cost Recovery Procedures-Productivity Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ...)] Railroad Cost Recovery Procedures--Productivity Adjustment AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Adoption of a railroad cost recovery procedures productivity adjustment. SUMMARY: By decision served on February 1, 2010, the Board proposed to adopt 1.010 (1.0% per year) as the 2008 productivity adjustment, as...

  11. Development of university-industry partnerships in railroad engineering education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lautala, Pasi T.

    Rail transportation has been an important part of the North American transportation network since the 19th century and it continues to be a major contributor to the economic well-being and the global competitiveness of the U.S. The recent expansion in freight rail volumes and forecasts for continuous growth, together with more favorable attitudes for urban passenger rail present several challenges for the rail industry. One of the challenges is the availability of a well educated engineering workforce. The rail industry has recognized a need to attract new railroad professionals from various disciplines for management and technical positions, but most universities eliminated railroad engineering from their curricula after the recruitment levels faded several decades ago. Today, railroad expertise and related engineering courses exist at only a few universities and most students graduate without any exposure to rail topics. While industry representatives have expressed their concern about a future workforce, little data is available on the extent of the demand, on the characteristics and skills of preferred candidates, and on the role that universities can play. A benchmarking study was undertaken to investigate the demand for university engineering graduates and assess whether current methods are sufficient to attract, educate, recruit, train and retain engineering students in the railroad profession. Data was collected from industry human resources and training managers to define the quantitative and qualitative needs for railroad engineers. In addition, recently hired engineers working in the rail industry were surveyed to determine the extent of their university exposure in rail topics and how it affected their career choice. The surveys indicated an increase of over 300 percent in the annual recruitment for railroad engineers by the participating companies between 2002 and 2005. Recruitment levels are expected to remain high for the next five to ten years due

  12. 75 FR 68398 - Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad, LLC-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Texas, Oklahoma...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-05

    ... & Eastern Railroad, LLC--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad Company Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad, LLC (TOE), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad Company and to operate...

  13. Indiana Underground Railroad Folklore: Western Route and Daviess County.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shelton, Lois G.

    Materials for teaching a unit about the Underground Railroad (the system set up to assist fleeing, runaway slaves heading north) in Indiana are presented. Specifically, the Western Route that passed through Daviess County in Indiana is examined. The materials provide background on the Underground Railroad and the Western Route, plans for teaching…

  14. 77 FR 33560 - Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad Company-Acquisition Exemption-Laurel Hill Development Corporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-06

    ... Pennsylvania Railroad Company--Acquisition Exemption-- Laurel Hill Development Corporation Southwest... 49 CFR 1150.41 to acquire a 0.66-mile line of railroad owned by Laurel Hill Development Corporation... rail line. Most recently, in Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad Company--Acquisition Exemption--Laurel...

  15. Intra- and Inter-Channel Competition in Local-Service Sectors

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K. Cleeren; M.G. Dekimpe (Marnik); F. Verboven

    2005-01-01

    textabstractAlthough economically very important, local-service sectors have received little attention in the extensive literature on competitive interactions. Detailed data gathering in these sectors is hard, not only because of the multitude of local players, but also because key service

  16. Contracts for joint provision of local public services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco José Villar Rojas

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This paper studies the way a Local authority can provide a public service of its competence jointly or cooperatively with other public authorities. Specifically, article 12.4 of Directive 2014/24 /EU, on «contracts for the joint provision of public services», is analyzed. Its basis and the conditions that must be fulfilled for its valid use are studied, as it is an exception to the rules on public works contracts. The conclusion is that European law supports and regulates a traditional way of managing local public services.

  17. 76 FR 13271 - DeQueen and Eastern Railroad, LLC-Corporate Family Transaction Exemption-Texas, Oklahoma...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-10

    ... Eastern Railroad, LLC--Corporate Family Transaction Exemption--Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad, LLC DeQueen and Eastern Railroad, LLC (DQ&E) and Texas, Oklahoma & Eastern Railroad, LLC (TOE), have filed a... the competitive balance with carriers outside the corporate family. Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the...

  18. 49 CFR 392.11 - Railroad grade crossings; slowing down required.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY REGULATIONS DRIVING OF COMMERCIAL MOTOR VEHICLES Driving of Commercial Motor Vehicles § 392.11 Railroad grade..., upon approaching a railroad grade crossing, be driven at a rate of speed which will permit said...

  19. 49 CFR 231.15 - Steam locomotives used in road service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Steam locomotives used in road service. 231.15 Section 231.15 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) FEDERAL RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD SAFETY APPLIANCE STANDARDS § 231.15 Steam locomotives used...

  20. Operating cost model for local service airlines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, J. L.; Andrastek, D. A.

    1976-01-01

    Several mathematical models now exist which determine the operating economics for a United States trunk airline. These models are valuable in assessing the impact of new aircraft into an airline's fleet. The use of a trunk airline cost model for the local service airline does not result in representative operating costs. A new model is presented which is representative of the operating conditions and resultant costs for the local service airline. The calculated annual direct and indirect operating costs for two multiequipment airlines are compared with their actual operating experience.

  1. Part 1 : heavy axle load revenue service mega site testing 2005-2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Since 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration : and the Association of American Railroads have : jointly funded a heavy axle load (HAL) revenue : service testing program with several objectives. : One objective is to determine the effects of HAL : ...

  2. Part 2 : heavy axle load revenue service mega site testing 2005-2012.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Since 2005, the Federal Railroad Administration : and the Association of American Railroads have : jointly funded a heavy axle load (HAL) revenue : service testing program, with several objectives. : One objective is to determine the effects of HAL :...

  3. A population-based case-control study of mesothelioma deaths among U.S. railroad workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schenker, M B; Garshick, E; Muñoz, A; Woskie, S R; Speizer, F E

    1986-09-01

    We have completed a case-control analysis of mesothelioma deaths among current and retired U.S. railroad employees. Cause-specific death certificates were obtained for 87% of 15,059 deaths reported by the railroad retirement board, and 20 mesotheliomas were identified according to death certificate diagnosis. A 10:1 matched analysis with railroad workers dying of nonmalignant, nonaccidental causes yielded a very strong association with prior railroad work in jobs with potential asbestos exposure (odds ratio = 7.2, 95% lower confidence limit = 3.3). Consideration of railroad occupations with regular asbestos exposures (e.g., skilled trades, steam locomotive repair) yielded an odds ratio of 21.4 (95% lower confidence limit = 8.7), but the occupations with potential intermittent exposure (e.g., engineers, firemen, carmen) yielded a nonsignificant odds ratio of 2.3 (95% lower confidence limit = 0.5). Applying mesothelioma mortality rates from this study to the population of U.S. railroad workers at risk yields an estimate of 416 cases of mesothelioma occurring among U.S. railroad workers between 1981 and 2000.

  4. 49 CFR 231.16 - Steam locomotives used in switching service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Steam locomotives used in switching service. 231... RAILROAD ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD SAFETY APPLIANCE STANDARDS § 231.16 Steam..., buffer block, footboard, brake pipe, signal pipe, steam-heat pipe or arms of uncoupling lever shall...

  5. The impact of reliability on the productivity of railroad companies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Abate, Megersa Abera; Lijesen, Mark; Pels, Eric

    2013-01-01

    This paper studies the relationship between reliability (proxied by punctuality) and productivity in passenger railroad services. Increasing reliability may lower productivity, as it requires inputs, that can’t be used to produce outputs. The relationship between reliability and productivity also...... runs through other factors, in which case a positive relationship may be expected. We apply data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist index approach to a panel of seven European railway systems to explore this relationship. Our empirical results suggest that increasing reliability does not harm...... the productivity of railway operations and aiming to improve both may be a feasible strategy. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved....

  6. The perspective of the railroads on the NWPA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brown, T.J.

    1986-01-01

    The author reviews the perspective on rail shipment of nuclear materials from the standpoint of Burlington Northern Railroad. It is discussed that transportation demands of the high-level nuclear waste business are similar to those of any other business that is dependent to some degree on transportation: safety, efficiency and economy in roughly that order. The authors reviews some of the actions the railroad industry and BN are taking to achieve the objectives of safety, efficiency and economy in the movement of all shipments, radioactive and other

  7. 78 FR 55776 - Hainesport Industrial Railroad, LLC-Corporate Family Transaction Exemption

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-11

    ... Industrial Railroad, LLC--Corporate Family Transaction Exemption Hainesport Industrial Railroad, LLC... operates a series of tracks serving several customers located in the Hainesport Industrial Park in... the competitive balance with carriers outside the corporate family. Under 49 U.S.C. 10502(g), the...

  8. Machine vision inspection of railroad track

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-10

    North American Railways and the United States Department of Transportation : (US DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) require periodic inspection of railway : infrastructure to ensure the safety of railway operation. This inspection is a critic...

  9. Slavery and the Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Nancy Comfort

    2000-01-01

    Presents a bibliography of sources to help children understand slavery and the Underground Railroad and recommends a combination of fiction and nonfiction for a better understanding. Includes picture books, biographies of people who played prominent roles during the time of slavery, nonfiction books for older readers, and videotape. (LRW)

  10. Ground Attenuation of Railroad Noise

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Makarewicz, R.; Rasmussen, Karsten Bo; Kokowski, P.

    1996-01-01

    The influence of ground effect on railroad noise is described using the concept of the peak A-weighted sound exposure level, and A-weighted sound exposure level. The train is modelled by a continuous line of incoherent point sources that have a cosine directivity. The ground effect is included...

  11. Charging for Local Social Services: the Case of Estonia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katrin Pihor

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Increasing fiscal pressure has forced local governments to seek new sources of autonomous revenues for financing public services. Charging users of social services has been modest, but with an aging society and growing social costs, this option needs to be reconsidered. This paper combines the results of the survey on the application of user charges on local social services in Estonian local governments (LGs with the official financial and population statistics in order to discover trends and explore factors determining the application of user charges in a small, unitary, highly centralised, post-soviet country. We conclude that user charges are mainly considered as a source of information and additional income to partially cover service costs – the possibilities of increased efficiency and demand control have remained undervalued. The probability of charging users of social services tends to be greater if the income level of inhabitants is higher, reflecting the ‘ability to pay’ principle. Charging users is more probable in the municipalities where the social costs are higher in volume or in proportion to the budget’s expenditures.

  12. Development of a Short Line Railroad Safety Institute : phase I - job analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-04-01

    The Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) : Office of Research and Development (R&D) is : supporting the American Short Line and : Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) in the : development, implementation, and evaluation of : a proposed Short L...

  13. 30 CFR 56.9302 - Protection against moving or runaway railroad equipment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Protection against moving or runaway railroad..., and Loading and Dumping Sites § 56.9302 Protection against moving or runaway railroad equipment. Stopblocks, derail devices, or other devices that protect against moving or runaway rail equipment shall be...

  14. An Acquisition Approach to Adopting Human Systems Integration in the Railroad Industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-02-01

    This report provides guidance on how the railroad industry can develop safer systems by acquiring new equipment based on human-centered design practices, or Human Systems Integration (HSI). If a railroads system design approach is focused on prope...

  15. IRLT: Integrating Reputation and Local Trust for Trustworthy Service Recommendation in Service-Oriented Social Networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Zhiquan; Ma, Jianfeng; Jiang, Zhongyuan; Miao, Yinbin; Gao, Cong

    2016-01-01

    With the prevalence of Social Networks (SNs) and services, plenty of trust models for Trustworthy Service Recommendation (TSR) in Service-oriented SNs (S-SNs) have been proposed. The reputation-based schemes usually do not contain user preferences and are vulnerable to unfair rating attacks. Meanwhile, the local trust-based schemes generally have low reliability or even fail to work when the trust path is too long or does not exist. Thus it is beneficial to integrate them for TSR in S-SNs. This work improves the state-of-the-art Combining Global and Local Trust (CGLT) scheme and proposes a novel Integrating Reputation and Local Trust (IRLT) model which mainly includes four modules, namely Service Recommendation Interface (SRI) module, Local Trust-based Trust Evaluation (LTTE) module, Reputation-based Trust Evaluation (RTE) module and Aggregation Trust Evaluation (ATE) module. Besides, a synthetic S-SN based on the famous Advogato dataset is deployed and the well-known Discount Cumulative Gain (DCG) metric is employed to measure the service recommendation performance of our IRLT model with comparing to that of the excellent CGLT model. The results illustrate that our IRLT model is slightly superior to the CGLT model in honest environment and significantly outperforms the CGLT model in terms of the robustness against unfair rating attacks.

  16. 75 FR 68397 - DeQueen and Eastern Railroad, LLC-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-DeQueen and Eastern...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-05

    ... Eastern Railroad, LLC--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--DeQueen and Eastern Railroad Company DeQueen and Eastern Railroad, LLC (DQE), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from DeQueen and Eastern Railroad Company and to operate approximately 47 miles of...

  17. Decentralization : Local Partnerships for Health Services in the ...

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

    Cameroon, like most other sub-Saharan African countries, has adopted laws devolving various responsibilities to local administrations. In the local political discourse, decentralization is seen as bringing essential services closer to the users, especially those in greatest need. However, the national decentralization program ...

  18. Indoor Localization for Optimized Ambient Assisted Living Services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mitev, Miroslav; Mihovska, Albena Dimitrova; Poulkov, Vladimir

    Indoor localization is very critical for the provision of Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) services, such as e-Health, smart home, etc. The success of deploying a real-time localization system depends on selecting the right performance characteristics. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) is a technology, which...

  19. 77 FR 31067 - Cleveland Commercial Railroad Company, LLC-Continuance in Control Exemption-Cleveland Harbor Belt...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-24

    ... becoming a Class III rail carrier. CCR has established CHB as a limited liability company and has the... Commercial Railroad Company, LLC--Continuance in Control Exemption--Cleveland Harbor Belt Railroad Cleveland Commercial Railroad Company, LLC (CCR), a Class III rail carrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption...

  20. 75 FR 4904 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-29

    ... amend regulations protecting persons who work on, under, or between rolling equipment; and persons...-7257] Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update AGENCY: Federal Railroad... Committee (RSAC) Working Group Activities. SUMMARY: The FRA is updating its announcement of RSAC's Working...

  1. 75 FR 34213 - Solicitation of Applications and Notice of Funding Availability for the FRA Railroad System...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-16

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Solicitation of Applications and Notice of Funding Availability for the FRA Railroad System Issues Research and Development Program AGENCY: Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), Department of Transportation (DOT). ACTION: Notice of funding...

  2. IRLT: Integrating Reputation and Local Trust for Trustworthy Service Recommendation in Service-Oriented Social Networks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhiquan Liu

    Full Text Available With the prevalence of Social Networks (SNs and services, plenty of trust models for Trustworthy Service Recommendation (TSR in Service-oriented SNs (S-SNs have been proposed. The reputation-based schemes usually do not contain user preferences and are vulnerable to unfair rating attacks. Meanwhile, the local trust-based schemes generally have low reliability or even fail to work when the trust path is too long or does not exist. Thus it is beneficial to integrate them for TSR in S-SNs. This work improves the state-of-the-art Combining Global and Local Trust (CGLT scheme and proposes a novel Integrating Reputation and Local Trust (IRLT model which mainly includes four modules, namely Service Recommendation Interface (SRI module, Local Trust-based Trust Evaluation (LTTE module, Reputation-based Trust Evaluation (RTE module and Aggregation Trust Evaluation (ATE module. Besides, a synthetic S-SN based on the famous Advogato dataset is deployed and the well-known Discount Cumulative Gain (DCG metric is employed to measure the service recommendation performance of our IRLT model with comparing to that of the excellent CGLT model. The results illustrate that our IRLT model is slightly superior to the CGLT model in honest environment and significantly outperforms the CGLT model in terms of the robustness against unfair rating attacks.

  3. 75 FR 51525 - Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-20

    .... The Working Group continues to work on after arrival orders, and at the September 25-26, 2008, meeting... protecting persons who work on, under, or between rolling equipment and persons applying, removing or.... 63] Railroad Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC); Working Group Activity Update AGENCY: Federal Railroad...

  4. Application of template matching for improving classification of urban railroad point clouds

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Arastounia, M.; Oude Elberink, S.J.

    2016-01-01

    This study develops an integrated data-driven and model-driven approach (template matching) that clusters the urban railroad point clouds into three classes of rail track, contact cable, and catenary cable. The employed dataset covers 630 m of the Dutch urban railroad corridors in which there are

  5. THE RAILROAD CAPACITY CRISIS: After Cutting to the Bone and More, Trains Are Back

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard D. Stone

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available During the Era of Railroad building (primarily the last half of the 19th century, it was far more profitable to lay track than to operate railroads due to the subsidiesfrom various levels ofgovernment and the competition between cities to be located on as many lines as possible, and the overcharging of the railroads by the construction companies. Railroads compensated for this glut by cross-subsidizing the unprofitable branch lines with revenues from the main lines. But as competition from other modes took hold, this was increasingly difficult to do. Therefore, by the early 20th century, railroads began to slowly shed some of the lightly trafficked lines. Regulatory changes in the 1980s made abandonment easier, and wholesale discarding of lines, including former mainlines, became common. But by the turn of the century,foreign imports put a greater demand on rail transportation, and lack of capacity caused many of the remaining lines to become very congested, in turn, causing extensive delays.

  6. 77 FR 72907 - Western Washington Railroad, LLC-Lease and Operation Exemption-City of Tacoma, Department of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-06

    ..., 2012, Western Washington Railroad, LLC (WWRR), a Washington limited liability company and noncarrier... allow for interchange with WWRR, BNSF Railway Company, the Puget Sound and Pacific Railroad, and Union Pacific Railroad Company, and also over the entire line for emergency routing. WWRR states that the...

  7. Flight to Freedom: One Family and the Story of the Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horton, James Oliver

    2001-01-01

    Offers historical information on the underground railroad, a secret organization that attempted to move slaves from bondage to freedom. Focuses on William Still, one of the most effective organizers of the underground railroad, and the story of his family. Addresses the reunion between Still and his brother Peter. (CMK)

  8. The First Great Migration: The Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodstein, Carol

    1990-01-01

    Describes the Underground Railroad, a loosely organized system used by runaway Southern slaves to reach freedom in the North. Discusses the role of "conductors," who acted as guides and offered shelter along the route. (FMW)

  9. 76 FR 8992 - National Trails System Act and Railroad Rights-of-Way

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-16

    ...] National Trails System Act and Railroad Rights-of-Way AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION... procedures regarding the use of railroad rights-of-way for railbanking and interim trail use under the National Trails System Act (Trails Act). DATES: Comments are due by April 12, 2011; replies are due by May...

  10. Macro scale models for freight railroad terminals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-03-02

    The project has developed a yard capacity model for macro-level analysis. The study considers the detailed sequence and scheduling in classification yards and their impacts on yard capacities simulate typical freight railroad terminals, and statistic...

  11. Freedom Train: Building an Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hickman, Wayne

    1999-01-01

    Describes an activity called the "Freedom Train": a simulation for eighth grade students that enables them to gain an understanding of the importance and dangers of the Underground Railroad. Explains that the project encourages students to work cooperatively while also reinforcing their research and map skills. Provides follow-up…

  12. Establishment of a local psychiatric service

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, A G

    1981-01-01

    of senile psychoses. The total increase amounts to 2.4 times the admission rates of psychiatric cases to the General Hospital and 4.4 times the admission rates to the Psychiatric Hospital in Nykøbing in the last years prior to the start of the local service. The outpatient department has grown steadily...... patients were referred to the local General Hospital and about half of the patients in each diagnostic group were sent on the Psychiatric Hospital in Nykøbing on Zealand, Denmark. Since the establishment of the department, admissions have increased in all diagnostic groups, especially in the group...

  13. Establishment of a local psychiatric service

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, A G

    1981-01-01

    patients were referred to the local General Hospital and about half of the patients in each diagnostic group were sent on the Psychiatric Hospital in Nykøbing on Zealand, Denmark. Since the establishment of the department, admissions have increased in all diagnostic groups, especially in the group...... of senile psychoses. The total increase amounts to 2.4 times the admission rates of psychiatric cases to the General Hospital and 4.4 times the admission rates to the Psychiatric Hospital in Nykøbing in the last years prior to the start of the local service. The outpatient department has grown steadily...

  14. Local franchisee PPPS for water services operation

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Bhagwan, J

    2007-05-01

    Full Text Available The paper describes an alternative service delivery institutional concept, viz the franchising of local entrepreneurs, a PPP model especially suited to developing countries. The concept is being developed with the intention of making it available...

  15. 49 CFR 219.23 - Railroad policies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... approved forms for mandatory post-accident toxicological testing under subpart C of this part provides the... start of alcohol testing under the railroad's alcohol misuse prevention program and to each person... the work day the covered employee is required to be in compliance with this part is that period when...

  16. INTERLINE, a railroad routing model: program description and user's manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peterson, B.E.

    1985-11-01

    INTERLINE is an interactive computer program that finds likely routes for shipments over the US railroad system. It is based on a shortest path algorithm modified both to reflect the nature of railroad company operations and to accommodate computer resource limitations in dealing with a large transportation network. The first section of the report discusses the nature of railroad operations and routing practices in the United States, including the tendency to concentrate traffic on a limited number of mainlines, the competition for traffic by different companies operating in the same corridors, and the tendency of originating carriers to retain traffic on their systems before transferring it to terminating carriers. The theoretical foundation and operation of shortest path algorithms are described, as well as the techniques used to simulate actual operating practices within this framework. The second section is a user's guide that describes the program operation and data structures, program features, and user access. 11 refs., 11 figs

  17. Local and landscape drivers of predation services in urban gardens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Philpott, Stacy M; Bichier, Peter

    2017-04-01

    In agroecosystems, local and landscape features, as well as natural enemy abundance and richness, are significant predictors of predation services that may result in biological control of pests. Despite the increasing importance of urban gardening for provisioning of food to urban populations, most urban gardeners suffer from high pest problems, and have little knowledge about how to manage their plots to increase biological control services. We examined the influence of local, garden scale (i.e., herbaceous and arboreal vegetation abundance and diversity, ground cover) and landscape (i.e., landscape diversity and surrounding land use types) characteristics on predation services provided by naturally occurring predators in 19 urban gardens in the California central coast. We introduced sentinel pests (moth eggs and larvae and pea aphids) onto greenhouse-raised plants taken to gardens and assigned to open or bagged (predator exclosure) treatments. We found high predation rates with between 40% and 90% of prey items removed in open treatments. Predation services varied with local and landscape factors, but significant predictors differed by prey species. Predation of eggs and aphids increased with vegetation complexity in gardens, but larvae predation declined with vegetation complexity. Smaller gardens experienced higher predation services, likely due to increases in predator abundance in smaller gardens. Several ground cover features influenced predation services. In contrast to patterns in rural agricultural landscapes, predation on aphids declined with increases in landscape diversity. In sum, we report the relationships between several local management factors, as well as landscape surroundings, and implications for garden management. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

  18. Reconsidering the Underground Railroad: Slavery and Racialization in the Making of the Canadian State

    OpenAIRE

    Abigail Bakan

    2008-01-01

    The Underground Railroad is commonly understood as a defining moment in the ideology of the Canadian state regarding the legacy of racism and anti-racism. This paper attempts to recast the narrative of the Underground Railroad through the lens of an anti-imperialist, anti-racist political economy, departing from the view of Canada’s anti-racist rescue of fugitive slaves from racist America. The Underground Railroad was in fact the product primarily of the struggle for self-emancipation of Ame...

  19. 26 CFR 31.3306(c)(9)-1 - Railroad industry; services performed by an employee or an employee representative under the...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... their general committees and their insurance departments and their local lodges and divisions...” shall include an employee of a local lodge or division defined as an employer in section 1 (a) only if..., That an individual shall be deemed to be in the service of an employer, other than a local lodge or...

  20. A Walk on the Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cohen, Anthony

    2001-01-01

    Describes one historian's search for information on the Underground Railroad, retracing on foot one of the routes formerly traveled by fugitives, seeking historical societies and libraries in each town, and interviewing descendants of slaves. He also had himself boxed up and smuggled onto a train to simulate the situation of one fugitive. A…

  1. Development of interdisciplinary undergraduate railroad engineering course.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-02-29

    Professor James McKinney was a participant in the AREMA 2008 Railroad Engineering Education Symposium (REES) held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, as well as the AREMA 2010 REES held at the Johnson County Community College/BNSF's Tr...

  2. 75 FR 68861 - Miscellaneous Amendments to the Federal Railroad Administration's Accident/Incident Reporting...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-11-09

    ... regulation, FRA challenged the railroads to develop a Total Quality Management (TQM) system to have zero... the quality of information available for railroad casualty analysis. In addition, FRA has revised the... regulations in order to clarify ambiguous regulations and to enhance the quality of information available for...

  3. 77 FR 51107 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Pocahontas County, IA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 33 (Sub-No. 304X)] Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Pocahontas County, IA Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to...

  4. 77 FR 51614 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Polk County, IA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 33 (Sub-No. 310X)] Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Polk County, IA Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR part 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to...

  5. 76 FR 1211 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-In Wright County, IA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 33 (Sub-No. 293X)] Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--In Wright County, IA Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP) filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1152 subpart F--Exempt Abandonments to abandon a line...

  6. Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crawford, Mary; Ruthsdotter, Mary

    Suitable for elementary level students, this study unit helps increase students' comprehension of the risks involved in a black person's flight from slavery and of Harriet Tubman's success in leading more than 300 slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad. Five activity suggestions are followed by a reading on the life of Harriet Tubman.…

  7. Methodology for evaluation of railroad technology research projects

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-04-01

    This Project memorandum presents a methodology for evaluating railroad research projects. The methodology includes consideration of industry and societal benefits, with special attention given to technical risks, implementation considerations, and po...

  8. INEQUALITIES RESEARCH OF THE TRACK AT THE RAILROAD CROSSINGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. B. Kurhan

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The intersection of highways and railways in one level – railway crossing, is a zone of increased danger for rail and road transport. Nearly half of all crossings are available on the main directions of passenger transportation. From this comes the problem of maintenance and service locations of intersection roads and railways. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the processes of emergence and development of inequalities in the area of railroad crossings and identify the factors that cause them. Methodology. The presence of derogation from the plan and profile within the railway crossing and approaches to it reduces evenness of riding and passenger comfort. Today, there are various possibilities for shooting natural geometry of a railway track. For research on a large number of areas during long service life, the tape of a track measuring car remains the most convenient. However, this tool is directed to assess the state of the railway line and does not determine the exact geometrical position. When trying to determine valid outlines of the track inequalities on track measuring tape, some difficulties arise. Findings. Performed statistical analysis showed a steady trend of growth of inequalities in the area of the railway crossings. Generally, the level of inequalities in the vertical plane increases in1.3−3.2 times and in 1.2−2.0 times in the horizontal plane (compared with areas that are outside crossing. During the deflection lines of action in the area of railroad crossing concrete slabs work as ribs that limit deflections of rail-tie grating. When placing the wheels of the bogie before (or after and within crossing the calculated modulus of elasticity under the rail base, brought to the point of wheels contact can vary up to 3 times. Originality. Issues of the assessment and investigation of inequalities on track started to be developed. The resulting statistics on inequalities accumulation gauge in the zone of crossing

  9. Local variability in long-term care services: local autonomy, exogenous influences and policy spillovers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandez, José-Luis; Forder, Julien

    2015-03-01

    In many countries, public responsibility over the funding and provision of long-term care services is held at the local level. In such systems, long-term care provision is often characterised by significant local variability. Using a panel dataset of local authorities over the period 2002-2012, the paper investigates the underlying causes of variation in gross social care expenditure for older people in England. The analysis distinguishes between factors outside the direct control of policy makers, local preferences and local policy spillovers. The results indicate that local demand and supply factors, and to a much lesser extent local political preferences and spatial policy spillovers, explain a large majority of the observed variation in expenditure. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. 75 FR 7302 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Polk County, IA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Docket No. AB-33 (Sub-No. 248X)] Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--in Polk County, IA Union Pacific Railroad Company... 225.56 near Berwick to milepost 232.80 near Bondurant, a distance of 7.24 miles, in Polk County, IA...

  11. 78 FR 34160 - Union Pacific Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-In Iron County, Utah

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 33 (Sub-No. 283X)] Union Pacific Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--In Iron County, Utah Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP... Cedar City, a total distance of 1.03 miles in Iron County, Utah (the Line). The Line traverses United...

  12. 75 FR 82426 - Big Four Terminal Railroad, LLC-Operation Exemption-RMW Ventures, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-30

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35454] Big Four Terminal Railroad, LLC--Operation Exemption--RMW Ventures, LLC Big Four Terminal Railroad, LLC (BFTR), has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to operate over 5.2 +/- miles of rail line between...

  13. Lambdastation: a forwarding and admission control service to interface production network facilities with advanced research network paths

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    DeMar, Philip; Petravick, Don; /Fermilab

    2004-12-01

    Over the past several years, there has been a great deal of research effort and funding put into the deployment of optical-based, advanced technology wide-area networks. Fermilab and CalTech have initiated a project to enable our production network facilities to exploit these advanced research network facilities. Our objective is to forward designated data transfers across these advanced wide area networks on a per-flow basis, making use our capacious production-use storage systems connected to the local campus network. To accomplish this, we intend to develop a dynamically provisioned forwarding service that would provide alternate path forwarding onto available wide area advanced research networks. The service would dynamically reconfigure forwarding of specific flows within our local production-use network facilities, as well as provide an interface to enable applications to utilize the service. We call this service LambdaStation. If one envisions wide area optical network paths as high bandwidth data railways, then LambdaStation would functionally be the railroad terminal that regulates which flows at the local site get directed onto the high bandwidth data railways. LambdaStation is a DOE-funded SciDac research project in its very early stage of development.

  14. Delivery of video-on-demand services using local storages within passive optical networks.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abeywickrama, Sandu; Wong, Elaine

    2013-01-28

    At present, distributed storage systems have been widely studied to alleviate Internet traffic build-up caused by high-bandwidth, on-demand applications. Distributed storage arrays located locally within the passive optical network were previously proposed to deliver Video-on-Demand services. As an added feature, a popularity-aware caching algorithm was also proposed to dynamically maintain the most popular videos in the storage arrays of such local storages. In this paper, we present a new dynamic bandwidth allocation algorithm to improve Video-on-Demand services over passive optical networks using local storages. The algorithm exploits the use of standard control packets to reduce the time taken for the initial request communication between the customer and the central office, and to maintain the set of popular movies in the local storage. We conduct packet level simulations to perform a comparative analysis of the Quality-of-Service attributes between two passive optical networks, namely the conventional passive optical network and one that is equipped with a local storage. Results from our analysis highlight that strategic placement of a local storage inside the network enables the services to be delivered with improved Quality-of-Service to the customer. We further formulate power consumption models of both architectures to examine the trade-off between enhanced Quality-of-Service performance versus the increased power requirement from implementing a local storage within the network.

  15. Railroad electrification in America's future: an assessment of prospects and impacts. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    White, R.K.; Yabroff, I.W.; Dickson, E.M.; Zink, R.A.; Gray, M.E.; Moon, A.E.

    1980-01-01

    Such considerations as the level of traffic, the relative financial health of individual railroads, the capacity of the associated supply and engineering/construction industries, and the logical connecting points at classifying yards, as well as the national interest value of creating a continuous system, continental in scope, were used to construct a scenario for railroad electrification that closely approximates how an electrification program might be implemented. For the economic reasons cited, much of the US railroad system would remain conventionally powered. This scenario provides for an electrified network involving 14 mainlines operated by 10 companies that could transport much of the nation's rail-borne freight. Five years of planning and engineering work would be required for each link before construction could begin. With 1000 miles or less of electrified route per year, 14 years would be needed to construct the 9000-mile network of our scenario. (The scenario constructed runs from 1980 to 1998.) The analysis was aided with the construction of the SRI Railroad Industry Model. Basically a model of industry operations and finances, the model produces income statements and balance sheets at yearly intervals. Railroad energy costs, railroad freight levels, maintenance costs, purchases and leases of rooling stock, electrification facility investments, future inflation, rate setting practices, annual depreciation, taxes, and profits were calculated.

  16. 77 FR 74548 - North Shore Railroad Company-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-PPL Susquehanna, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-14

    ... Railroad Company--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--PPL Susquehanna, LLC North Shore Railroad Company...., that PPL Susquehanna, LLC (PPLS), and Allegheny Electric Cooperative, Inc. (AEC), the owners of the... extends to an interchange with Norfolk Southern Railway. North Shore states that it provides the only...

  17. Local Social Services in Nordic countries in Times of Disaster

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Eydal, Guðný Björk; Ómarsdóttir, Ingibjörg Lilja; Dahlberg, Rasmus

    of such disasters is on the rise according to forecasts. In order to enhance resilience and preparedness of those most vulnerable in disasters, the involvement of local social services in the emergency management system is of vital importance. The literature shows how social services can enhance social and human......The project focused on the emergency management systems in the five Nordic countries. It investigated whether local social services have a formal role in the contingency planning of the systems. The project was part of The Nordic Welfare Watch research project during the Icelandic Presidency...... Program in the Nordic Council of Ministers 2014-2016. The council financed the project. The main findings show that Finland, Norway and Sweden specifically address the role of social services in times of disaster in their legal frameworks on emergency management. Finland and Norway also address the role...

  18. Density determination of railroad ballast by means of gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mundt, M.

    1983-01-01

    Proceeding from the requirements of a measuring method for determining the degrees of densification and of soiling of railroad beds, conclusions are drawn for the use of a radiometric technique, considering measuring geometry, radiation energy, and instrumentation. Results obtained from laboratory experiments with a ballast pressure unit are presented. It is pointed out that the application of radiometric density measurements has to be linked with investigations of the behaviour of the rock species used, in order to obtain a valid interpretation of the measured density with regard to the properties and the composition of the railroad bed. (author)

  19. Second-Grade Journeys on the Underground Railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crump-Stenberg, Linda; Beilke, Patricia F.

    1999-01-01

    Describes a curriculum used in a second grade classroom to expose the predominantly white students to the culture and experiences of African Americans through a study of slavery and the Underground Railroad. Includes a bibliography of African folk tales and literature related to the African American experience. (SLD)

  20. 76 FR 79271 - Genesee & Wyoming Inc.-Continuance in Control Exemption-Hilton & Albany Railroad, Inc.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-21

    ... Inc.--Continuance in Control Exemption-Hilton & Albany Railroad, Inc. AGENCY: Surface Transportation.... (GWI), a noncarrier, to continue in control of Hilton & Albany Railroad, Inc. (HAL), upon HAL's... Railway Company (NSR) and operation of a 55.5-mile rail line between Hilton and Albany, Ga.\\1\\ GWI's...

  1. Motivations for Healthy Lifestyle in Railroad Employees

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iztok Ostan

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to present the results of a survey of railroad employees’ motivation for a healthy lifestyle. For this purpose a specific questionnaire was developed. The study was performed on 245 Slovene railroad workers (168 of them blue-collar ones. The great majority (66.9% were found to be overweight or obese (BMI 25 or more, with no significant difference between blue- and white-collar workers. The great majority of them were in general aware of having unhealthy nutrition and an unhealthy lifestyle. Most of the employees felt the need to improve (at least in part their nutrition (74.7% and lifestyle (78.0%; the majority (67.8% also declared that they could adopt a healthier lifestyle despite the constraints of everyday life and work conditions; however, 57.6% said that they had been already putting considerable effort into a healthier nutrition and lifestyle. Thus the effort needed to overcome constraints toward a healthier lifestyle seems to be the key problem: the majority (54.3% would rather choose walking than running or other intensive forms of exercise; they are not ready to do it for more than one hour per day (60%, and they are not ready to give up permanently food that they like and that is considered unhealthy. The differences in motivations for a healthy lifestyle between blue- and white-collar workers were not significant at the 0.05 level. Further research in this field is needed; however, it seems that the methods of efficient marginal modifications of lifestyle are required. KEYWORDS human resources management, railroad, blue-collar workers, white-collar workers, healthy lifestyle, motivations

  2. 77 FR 13978 - Railroad Workplace Safety; Adjacent-Track On-Track Safety for Roadway Workers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-03-08

    ...-0059, Notice No. 5] RIN 2130-AB96 Railroad Workplace Safety; Adjacent-Track On-Track Safety for Roadway... that raise a number of substantive issues requiring a detailed response. Accordingly, in order to...: On November 30, 2011, FRA published a final rule amending its regulations on railroad workplace...

  3. Earth Systems Field Work: Service Learning at Local and Global Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moore, A.; Derry, L. A.

    2016-12-01

    The Earth & Environmental Systems (EES) Field Program engages students in hands-on exploration along the boundaries of the living earth, solid earth, ocean, and atmosphere. Based on Hawaíi Island, the semester-length program integrates scientific study with environmental stewardship and service learning. Each year EES students contribute 3000 hours of service to their host community. Throughout the semester students engage in different service activities. Most courses includes a service component - for example - study of the role of invasive species in native ecosystems includes an invasive species removal project. Each student completes a 4-week service internship with a local school, NGO, state or federal agency. Finally, the student group works to offset the carbon footprint of the program in collaboration with local conservation projects. This effort sequesters CO2 emissions while at the same time contributing to reforestation of degraded native ecosystems. Students learn that expertise is not confined to "the academy," and that wisdom and inspiration can be found in unexpected venues. Much of the service learning in the EES Program occurs in collaboration with local partners. Service internships require students to identify a partner and to design a tractable project. Students work daily with their sponsor and make a formal presentation of their project at the end of the internship period. This includes speaking to a non-technical community gathering as well as to a scientific audience. For many students the opportunity to work on a real problem, of interest in the real world, is a highlight of the semester. Beyond working in support of local community groups, the EES Prograḿs C-neutral project engages students with work in service to the global commons. Here the outcome is not measurable within the time frame of a semester, yet the intangible result makes the experience even more powerful. Students take responsibility for an important issue that is not

  4. 26 CFR 31.6011(a)-3A - Returns of the railroad unemployment repayment tax.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 15 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Returns of the railroad unemployment repayment... unemployment repayment tax. (a) Requirement—(1) Employers. Every rail employer (as defined in section 3323(a) and section 1 of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act) shall make a return of the tax imposed by...

  5. 78 FR 33754 - Railroad Workplace Safety; Adjacent-Track On-Track Safety for Roadway Workers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-05

    ...-0059, Notice No. 7] RIN 2130-AC37 Railroad Workplace Safety; Adjacent-Track On-Track Safety for Roadway... and comments raised a number of substantive issues requiring a detailed response. As FRA's response to... INFORMATION: On November 30, 2011, FRA published a final rule amending its regulations on railroad workplace...

  6. 76 FR 13445 - Lycoming Valley Railroad Company-Operation Exemption-SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-11

    ... Railroad Company-Operation Exemption--SEDA--COG Joint Rail Authority Lycoming Valley Railroad Company (LVRR... milepost 0.4 in Muncy, Lycoming County, Pa. The line is owned or leased by SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (SEDA-COG). LVRR states that the line it proposes to operate is an extension of its existing line of...

  7. 76 FR 13446 - Juniata Valley Railroad Company-Operation Exemption-SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-11

    ... Railroad Company-Operation Exemption-SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority Juniata Valley Railroad Company (JVRR... milepost 2.0 in Lewistown, Mifflin County, Pa. The line is owned or leased by SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (SEDA-COG). JVRR states that the line it proposes to operate is an extension of its existing line of...

  8. 76 FR 13445 - North Shore Railroad Company-Operation Exemption-SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-11

    ... Railroad Company-Operation Exemption-SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority North Shore Railroad Company (NSRR), a... milepost 2.0 in Berwick, Columbia County, Pa. The line is leased by SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (SEDA- COG). NSRR states that the line it proposes to operate is an extension of its existing line of...

  9. 77 FR 24233 - Actuarial Advisory Committee With Respect to the Railroad Retirement Account; Notice of Public...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-23

    ... Actuary of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois, on the conduct of... Actuary, U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois 60611-2092. Dated: April...

  10. ITALIAN LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICES: SOME GOVERNANCE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE LARGER CITIES’ EXPERIENCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DE MATTEIS Fabio

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Entrusting most local public services to local government entities has led to proliferation of public groups and, consistently, to greater complexity of the governance dynamics of local authorities. Differently from Anglo-Saxon countries, the Italian local public services provision has been characterized by a hybrid externalization process where local entities are legally autonomous but owned by the local government. This leads to a peculiar governance complexity source represented by the dual role (stakeholder and customer assumed by the local authority. Considering these elements (hybrid externalization and governance structure, this work tries to investigate some governance issues of public groups, basing on the two most populous Italian municipalities. The empirical findings highlight a gap between the presence of the conditions for defining a group governance structure and the adoption of a group approach by the parent local government. The authors try to suggest how to bridge this gap.

  11. [Health risk railroad noise - prognosis of potential health risks subsequent to night-time exposure to railroad noise in the German part of the Transversal Rotterdam Genova].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greiser, E

    2014-12-01

    Based on risk coefficients for cardiovascular and psychiatric disease derived from a case-control study in the vicinity of a major German airport, statistics on persons exposed to night-time railroad noise in the vicinity of the Rotterdam-Genova Transversal, and on health expenditure calculations by the Federal Statistical Office of Germany a prognosis on effects of railroad noise was performed. It resulted for 1 10-year period in nearly 75 000 excess cases of diseases, nearly 30 000 excess deaths and health expenditures of 3.8 billion euros. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  12. MOVEMENT WITHIN THE LOCAL CIVIL SERVICE SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alen Rajko

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The author analyzes the current Croatian regulation of movement within the local and regional civil service system. This includes the institutes of transfer, promotion, appointment and removal of the heads of administrative bodies, as well as changes in the workplace that may occur in the process of reorganization of the administrative bodies, with additional references to the particularities related to the position of heads of administrative bodies and employees. The procedural context of these issues, related to the implementation of administrative procedure and administrative dispute, is also discussed. The author offers legal interpretation to resolve doubts arising in the practice of implementation of the mentioned civil service institutes.

  13. 76 FR 75602 - Hilton & Albany Railroad, Inc.-Lease and Operation Exemption-Norfolk Southern Railway Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35567] Hilton & Albany Railroad, Inc.--Lease and Operation Exemption-- Norfolk Southern Railway Company Hilton & Albany Railroad... milepost J 302.3 near Albany West, Ga., and milepost J 357.8 near Hilton, Ga. (the line). This transaction...

  14. 76 FR 27173 - Carolina Coastal Railway, Inc.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Rocky Mount & Western Railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-10

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35501] Carolina Coastal Railway, Inc.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Rocky Mount & Western Railroad Co., Inc. d/b/a Nash County Railroad Carolina Coastal Railway, Inc. (CLNA), a Class III rail carrier, has filed a verified...

  15. Assessing STD Partner Services in State and Local Health Departments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuffe, Kendra M; Leichliter, Jami S; Gift, Thomas L

    2018-02-07

    State and local health department STD programs provide several partner services to reduce disease transmission. Budget cuts and temporary staff reassignments for public health emergencies may affect the provision of partner services. Determining the impact of staffing reductions on STD rates and public health response should be further assessed.

  16. 76 FR 77890 - Swan Ranch Railroad, L.L.C.-Operation Exemption-Swan Industrial Park

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-14

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35574] Swan Ranch Railroad, L.L.C.--Operation Exemption--Swan Industrial Park Swan Ranch Railroad, L.L.C. (SRR),\\1\\ a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to operate, pursuant to an agreement with Cheyenne Logistics Hub, LLC (CLH), all...

  17. 76 FR 2748 - Competition in the Railroad Industry

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-14

    ... this determination? \\8\\ \\8\\ A basis for the Board's historic pricing policy under Staggers and ICCTA... railroad industry and possible policy alternatives to facilitate more competition, where appropriate. The Board is seeking written comments prior to the hearing addressing the legal, factual, and policy matters...

  18. 26 CFR 31.6302(c)-2A - Use of Government depositaries in connection with the railroad unemployment repayment tax.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... with the railroad unemployment repayment tax. 31.6302(c)-2A Section 31.6302(c)-2A Internal Revenue...) § 31.6302(c)-2A Use of Government depositaries in connection with the railroad unemployment repayment...,000,000, such employer shall (except as provided below) deposit his undeposited railroad unemployment...

  19. Computer-Based Decision Support for Railroad Transportation Systems: an Investment Case Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luminita DUTA

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available In the last decade the development of the economical and social life increased the complexity of transportation systems. In this context, the role of Decision Support Systems (DSS became more and more important. The paper presents the characteristics, necessity, and usage of DSS in transportation and describes a practical application in the railroad field. To compute the optimal transportation capacity and flow on a certain railroad, specialized decision-support software which is available on the market was used.

  20. Small Faith-Related Organizations as Partners in Local Social Service Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Campbell

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Efforts to enlist small faith-related organizations as partners in public service delivery raise many questions. Using community social service networks as the unit of analysis, this paper asks one with broader relevance to nonprofit sector managers: What factors support and constrain effective integration of these organizations into a local service delivery network? The evidence and illustrations come from longitudinal case studies of five faith-related organizations who received their first government contract as part of a California faith-based initiative. By comparing the organizational development and network partnership trajectories of these organizations over more than a decade, the analysis identifies four key variables influencing partnership dynamics and outcomes: organizational niche within the local network; leadership connections and network legitimacy; faith-inspired commitments and persistence; and core organizational competencies and capacities. The evidence supports shifting the focus of faith-based initiatives to emphasize local planning and network development, taking into account how these four variables apply to specific organizations and their community context.

  1. Three Dimensional Analysis of the Final Design of Pier Extensions and West Guide Wall to Mitigate Local Scour Risk at the BNSF Railroad Bridge Downstream of the Prado Dam Supplemental Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lottes, S. A. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Sinha, N. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Bojanowski, C. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Kerenyi, K. [Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center, McLean, VA (United States); Sharp, Jeremy [U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, MI (United States), Coastal and Hydraulics Lab

    2016-06-01

    This report is a supplement to a previous report [ref] covering optimization of wedge shaped pier extensions to streamline large bluff body piers as a local scour countermeasure for the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad Bridge over the Santa Ana River downstream of Prado Dam in Riverside County, CA. The optimized design was tested in a 1/30 scale physical model at U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) in Vicksburg, MS, and the optimized design was used as the base for the construction design. Constructability issues having to do with both materials and site conditions including access underneath the BNSF bridge yielded a construction design that required making the pier extensions wider and either moving the western curve of the west guide wall upstream or changing its geometry.

  2. The Apology Strategies Used by Customer Service Officers of a Local Bank in Surabaya

    OpenAIRE

    Ruth, Amelia; Kuntjara, Esther H

    2016-01-01

    In this study, the writer observed the apology strategies used by ten customer service officers of a local bank. The writer wants to find out what types of apology strategies are used by customer service officers of the local bank. The theory of apology strategy by Trosborg (1995) was used as the main theory of this research. The writer used a qualitative approach. The data were taken by recording interviews with ten customer service officers of the local bank. Then, the writer analyzed the c...

  3. Analysis of railroad energy efficiency in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-01

    The purpose of this study is to provide information about railroad fuel efficiency that may be useful in evaluating transportation energy policies and assessing the sustainability of potential projects. The specific objectives are to (1) develop rail...

  4. Refurbishment of Railroad Crossties : A Technical and Economic Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    1977-12-01

    An analysis of the principal modes of failure for wooden railroad crossties was conducted and an evaluation of the technical and economic feasibility of refurbishing these ties was conducted. Among the principal modes of structural deterioration, onl...

  5. Condition assessment of short-line railroad bridges in Pennsylvania.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-01

    Current levels of available resources to maintain and preserve the Pennsylvania short-line railroad (SLRR) bridge infrastructure require that important priority decisions be made on an annual basis. The primary objective of this study was to establis...

  6. Technical metaphor of railroad switch and communicative action

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    José Luis Caballero Bono

    2016-02-01

    statements on the status of the human embryo. Taken seriously, the «railroad switch» metaphor allows us to talk about an emergent communicative action in terms of the call experienced by a rational agent as a base for his or her calling an unborn human being.

  7. 77 FR 30588 - R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines Inc.-Construction and Operation Exemption-In...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35116] R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines Inc.-- Construction and Operation Exemption--In Clearfield County, PA.... 10901 for R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Pennsylvania Lines Inc. (RJCP) to construct and operate 10.8...

  8. 20 CFR 230.5 - Exception concerning service to a local lodge or division.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 20 Employees' Benefits 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Exception concerning service to a local lodge... to a local lodge or division. In determining whether an annuity is subject to the provisions of this... lodge or division of a railway-labor-organization employer if the compensation for such service is...

  9. Biodiesel intercity passenger rail revenue service test.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-10-01

    Amtrak, with the support of the Federal Railroad Administration, operated a P-32 passenger locomotive in revenue service for a : period of 12 months, on a blend of 20 percent pure biodiesel and 80 percent #2 ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) fuel. The G...

  10. Local authorities and electricity: territories, actors and issues within the local public service in France

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouvier, G.

    2005-06-01

    In France, the role of local authorities in the organization of the electricity supply system is largely unknown mainly due to the size of the state-owned utility Electricite de France (EDF). Local authorities and their groupings played a major role in the electrification of the national territory and have kept important prerogatives as conceding authorities of this service of general interest. These groupings also became the tools of the soft power of local actors. The geopolitical analysis of the relationships between local municipalities and electric power stakeholders shows the diversity of actors and opinions. Stuck between market liberalization issues and decentralization to local authorities, these groupings tend to reinforce their competencies. Furthermore, decentralization goes along with a reinforcement of the political involvement in local energy policy and with conflicts on the adequate territorial scale for theses policies. (author)

  11. Low-Income Demand for Local Telephone Service: Effects of Lifeline and Linkup

    OpenAIRE

    Daniel Ackerberg; Michael Riordan; Gregory Rosston; Bradley Wimmer

    2008-01-01

    A comprehensive data set on local telephone service prices is used to evaluate the effect of Lifeline and Linkup programs on the telephone penetration rates of low-income households in the United States. Lifeline and Linkup programs respectively subsidize the monthly subscription and initial installation charges of eligible low-income households. Telephone penetration rates are explained by an estimated nonlinear function of local service characteristics (including subsidized prices) and the ...

  12. Evaluation of the adequacy of maintenance tasks using the failure consequences of railroad vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jaehoon; Jeong, Hyun- Yong

    2013-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to improve the efficiency, reliability and safety related to railroad maintenance tasks through an evaluation of the consequences of failures. The brake system was selected based on the failure data obtained from railroad vehicles in operation as one of the safety systems in railroad vehicles. The failure causes, failure effects, and the criticality of the failure mode were drawn for 62 failure modes of the braking system through the use of an FMECA for the 30 sub-devices having primary functions. The various maintenance tasks for the braking system were categorized into the 62 failure modes and failure consequences using the FMECA and the logic of maintenance decisions. Braking systems manufactured by the same manufacturer and operated by two different operators were studied in an effort to analyze preventive maintenance and to evaluate the adequacy of preventive maintenance tasks for the 62 failure modes. Based on results of the evaluation of these preventive maintenance tasks, new maintenance tasks were proposed, and concrete cost-cutting effects were determined from the calculation of the maintenance time and expected costs, using a preventive maintenance template developed specifically for railroad vehicles

  13. Effects of Housing Costs and Home Sales on Local Government Revenues and Services

    OpenAIRE

    Allee, David J.

    1991-01-01

    The subtitle of this paper should be " How recession and federal devolution have caused local governments to cut services and raise property taxes --now, what should be done in response to the resulting clamor for local government consolidation?" Housing drives local government services. Home sales represent opportunities for more income and more costs. Intergovernmental competition for tax base and the role of state and federal aid to provide equity between jurisdictions are central to the q...

  14. Local authorities and electricity: territories, actors and issues within the local public service in France; Les collectivites locales et l'electricite. Territoires, acteurs et enjeux autour du service public local de l'electricite en france

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouvier, G

    2005-06-15

    In France, the role of local authorities in the organization of the electricity supply system is largely unknown mainly due to the size of the state-owned utility Electricite de France (EDF). Local authorities and their groupings played a major role in the electrification of the national territory and have kept important prerogatives as conceding authorities of this service of general interest. These groupings also became the tools of the soft power of local actors. The geopolitical analysis of the relationships between local municipalities and electric power stakeholders shows the diversity of actors and opinions. Stuck between market liberalization issues and decentralization to local authorities, these groupings tend to reinforce their competencies. Furthermore, decentralization goes along with a reinforcement of the political involvement in local energy policy and with conflicts on the adequate territorial scale for theses policies. (author)

  15. 49 CFR 1570.13 - False statements regarding security background checks by public transportation agency or railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... checks by public transportation agency or railroad carrier. 1570.13 Section 1570.13 Transportation Other... regarding security background checks by public transportation agency or railroad carrier. (a) Scope. This... employee of a public transportation agency or a contractor or subcontractor of a public transportation...

  16. 20 CFR 364.3 - Publication of missing children information in the Railroad Retirement Board's in-house...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... in the Railroad Retirement Board's in-house publications. 364.3 Section 364.3 Employees' Benefits... the Railroad Retirement Board's in-house publications. (a) All-A-Board. Information about missing... publication. (b) Other in-house publications. The Board may publish missing children information in other in...

  17. 75 FR 52818 - R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Central Kentucky Lines, LLC-Trackage Rights Exemption-CSX...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-27

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35386] R.J. Corman... to grant additional limited overhead trackage rights \\1\\ to R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Central... distance of approximately 17 miles.\\2\\ \\1\\ The original rights were obtained by R.J. Corman Railroad...

  18. 75 FR 76520 - Tennessee Southern Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-08

    ... family by converting two of its subsidiaries from corporations into limited liability companies: (1... Railroad Company, Patriot Rail, LLC, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC, and Patriot Rail Corp.--Corporate Family... Railroad Company (TSRR), Patriot Rail, LLC (PRL) and its subsidiaries, Patriot Rail Holdings LLC (PRH) and...

  19. Local government energy action in the UK: from service delivery to community leadership

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wade, Joanne; Pearson, Amanda; Knowland, Rachael [Impetus Consulting (United Kingdom); Flanagan, Brooke [Energy Saving Trust (United Kingdom)

    2007-07-01

    In October 2006 the UK government published a new Local Government White Paper. This policy statement set the framework for the role of local government in the coming years.The White Paper is one stage in the latest wave of local government reform in the UK. This reform has aimed to refocus attention away from delivery of specific services and towards community leadership, particularly with reference to sustainable development. Climate change is given some emphasis within the White Paper, and should become one of the indicators against which local government performance is measured.This paper examines energy action in local authorities in the past few years, in a situation where most, but not all, were still strongly focused on service delivery. By contrasting this with the results achieved in authorities that have taken a community leadership role, the paper examines the potential of the White Paper. It addresses the following questions: does local government have the capacity to deliver increased local action on climate change? Does the UK policy framework support and encourage development and deployment of this capacity? And do the national and regional bodies that provide support for local authorities need to change the services they offer in light of recent policy developments?.

  20. METHODOLOGY OF DETERMINATION OF ADMISSIBLE SPEEDS OF TRAIN MOVEMENT ON DIFFICULT SECTIONS OF RAILROAD PLAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. B. Kurhan

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. Determination of improvement ways of admissible speeds of train movement on the difficult sections of а railroad plan. Methodology. Mathematical modeling of the train traffic is used to achieve the purpose of research. The average weighted speed and elevation of outer rail is predicted on this basis. Findings. The case analysis of the speeds determination in curved sections of track was carried out. The above mentioned track sections adversely affect the ride comfort and the intensity of the way disorder, as well as the reasons that contribute to the speed limits traffic on the railways of Ukraine. The technique of performing the calculations for determining the permissible train speeds was developed and tested on real curves of railways, were the accelerated movement of trains was introduced. Proposals on automate calculations in distances and services by way of determining the permissible speeds in curves were developed. Originality. Methodology of determining the permissible motion speeds and elevation of outer rails on the difficult sections of the railway plan was developed. This approach allows you to get a rational decisions on reorganization of plan based on local conditions. Practical value. The developed technique of definition of admissible speeds of motion in curves was implemented as a program DopShvid. The program was tested on real railway sections, where the accelerated train motion was introduced.

  1. 77 FR 34125 - Indexing the Annual Operating Revenues of Railroads

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-08

    ... (1992), raised the revenue classification level for Class I railroads from $50 million (1978 dollars) to..., William F. Huneke, Director, Office of Economics. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2012-13938...

  2. 75 FR 57553 - Indexing the Annual Operating Revenues of Railroads

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-21

    ... (1992) raised the revenue classification level for Class I railroads from $50 million (1978 dollars) to... the Board, William F. Huneke, Director, Office of Economics. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc...

  3. 76 FR 52384 - Indexing the Annual Operating Revenues of Railroads

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-22

    ... level for Class I railroads from $50 million (1978 dollars) to $250 million (1991 dollars), effective... Board, William F. Huneke, Director, Office of Economics. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc. 2011...

  4. Towards a New Digital Era: Observing Local E-Government Services Adoption in a Chinese Municipality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yao Yang

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available As electronic government services (e-government evolve, traditional applications such as online portals are encountering challenges in a new digital era in which people thirst for more convenient, diverse channels of communication with their government. Despite the efforts devoted to the promotion of Social Networking Service (SNS use in e-government for the past few years, empirical studies regarding this ongoing trend are still insufficient. In the local administration of China, a special collaboration between local governments and private Internet enterprises is happening: government services are imported into commercial SNS platforms known as WeChat and Weibo. This research conducts a case study of a Chinese municipality premised upon survey data (N = 605 collected in Chongqing. It examines the determinants of e-services adoption in four major local applications: two traditional government-led services “Government website portal” and “Government official app” (traditional government-led services, and two built-in government services on social networking applications “Weibo Government official account” “WeChat Public Services”. The paper aims to provide a closer understanding of current trends in local government e-services, or in this case, an innovative trial of Chinese e-government practices.

  5. 75 FR 75205 - R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Central Kentucky Lines, LLC-Trackage Rights Exemption-CSX...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-12-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35442] R.J. Corman... agreed to grant limited overhead trackage rights to R.J. Corman Railroad Company/Central Kentucky Lines... RJCC actually obtained these trackage rights in 2005.\\3\\ In the original notices, R.J. Corman Railroad...

  6. A data skimming service for locally resident analysis data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cranshaw, J; Gieraltowski, J; Malon, D; May, E; Gardner, R W; Mambelli, M

    2008-01-01

    A Data Skimming Service (DSS) is a site-level service for rapid event filtering and selection from locally resident datasets based on metadata queries to associated 'tag' databases. In US ATLAS, we expect most if not all of the AOD-based datasets to be replicated to each of the five Tier 2 regional facilities in the US Tier 1 'cloud' coordinated by Brookhaven National Laboratory. Entire datasets will consist of on the order of several terabytes of data, and providing easy, quick access to skimmed subsets of these data will be vital to physics working groups. Typically, physicists will be interested in portions of the complete datasets, selected according to event-level attributes (number of jets, missing Et, etc) and content (specific analysis objects for subsequent processing). In this paper we describe methods used to classify data (metadata tag generation) and to store these results in a local database. Next we discuss a general framework which includes methods for accessing this information, defining skims, specifying event output content, accessing locally available storage through a variety of interfaces (SRM, dCache/dccp, gridftp), accessing remote storage elements as specified, and user job submission tools through local or grid schedulers. The advantages of the DSS are the ability to quickly 'browse' datasets and design skims, for example, pre-adjusting cuts to get to a desired skim level with minimal use of compute resources, and to encode these analysis operations in a database for re-analysis and archival purposes. Additionally the framework has provisions to operate autonomously in the event that external, central resources are not available, and to provide, as a reduced package, a minimal skimming service tailored to the needs of small Tier 3 centres or individual users

  7. Railroad Rails Containing Electrode-Induced Pitting from Pressure Electric Welding

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-18

    This paper describes the forensic evaluations of three railroad rails containing electrode-induced pitting. These evaluations include: magnetic particle inspection to nondestructively detect cracks emanating from the pitting; fractography to study th...

  8. Predicting routes of radioactive wastes moved on the U.S. railroad system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hillsman, E.L.; Johnson, P.E.; Peterson, B.E.

    1980-01-01

    Relative to the use of public roads, railroads offer several advantages for the movement of radioactive wastes. These include the ability to accommodate large, heavy containers, the ability to transfer large volumes in a single movement, and the safety of a dedicated, centrally controlled right-of-way. The principal disadvantage of railroads is that the shipper has considerably less freedom to specify the route a shipment will take. The lower density of the railroad network, the need to coordinate waste shipments with other traffic in the system, and the private ownership of the US network all reduce the shippers routing power. Although the shipper can dictate an exact route, this could require the use of a special train at an increased cost. Before considering the general use of special trains to move radioactive wastes, it is first desirable to determine how these materials would move as general rail traffic. This paper describes the development of a system to predict routes of general rail traffic at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  9. 78 FR 24803 - Hilco SP Rail, LLC-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-RG Steel Railroad Holding, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-04-26

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35734] Hilco SP Rail, LLC--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--RG Steel Railroad Holding, LLC Hilco SP Rail, LLC (Hilco), a noncarrier... Holding, LLC, and operate as a common carrier over an approximately 12-mile line of railroad in Sparrows...

  10. 76 FR 35508 - Alabama Southern Railroad, L.L.C.-Temporary Trackage Rights Exemption-Norfolk Southern Railway...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-17

    ... Railroad, L.L.C.--Temporary Trackage Rights Exemption--Norfolk Southern Railway Company Norfolk Southern... grant nonexclusive overhead temporary trackage rights to Alabama Southern Railroad, L.L.C. (ABS) over a... http://www.stb.dot.gov . Decided: June 13, 2011. By the Board. Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of...

  11. 77 FR 7237 - Railroad Cost Recovery Procedures-Productivity Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-10

    ... Cost Recovery Procedures--Productivity Adjustment AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board. ACTION: Proposed railroad cost recovery procedures productivity adjustment. SUMMARY: In a decision served on... productivity for the 2006-2010 (5-year) averaging period. This represents a 0.6% decrease over the average for...

  12. 78 FR 10262 - Railroad Cost Recovery Procedures-Productivity Adjustment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-13

    ... Cost Recovery Procedures--Productivity Adjustment AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION: Proposed railroad cost recovery procedures productivity adjustment. SUMMARY: In a decision served on... productivity for the 2007-2011 (5-year) averaging period. This represents a 0.1% increase over the average for...

  13. 78 FR 16569 - Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC, Permian Basin Railways, and San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad-Corporate...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-03-15

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35721] Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC, Permian Basin Railways, and San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad--Corporate Family Transaction... subsidiaries Permian Basin Railways (PBR) and San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad (SLRG), and Massachusetts Coastal...

  14. 77 FR 6625 - Railroad Cost of Capital-2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-08

    ... railroads are due by May 9, 2012. ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted either via the Board's e-filing system or in the traditional paper format. Any person using e-filing should comply with the instructions at the E-FILING link on the Board's Web site, at http://www.stb.dot.gov . Any person submitting a...

  15. Performance evaluation of concrete railroad ties on the northeast corridor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-03-01

    Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. conducted an investigation into the factors that caused widespread failure in prestressed concrete : railroad ties on the Northeast Corridor. The problem was apparent in ties manufactured and installed circa 19941998....

  16. 75 FR 47650 - Actuarial Advisory Committee With Respect to the Railroad Retirement Account; Notice of Public...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-06

    ... Chief Actuary of the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board, 844 North Rush Street, Chicago, Illinois, on the... sent by the Chief Actuary to the Committee before the meeting. The meeting will be open to the public... communications or notices to the RRB Actuarial Advisory Committee, c/o Chief Actuary, U.S. Railroad Retirement...

  17. Estimating preferences for local public services using migration data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahlberg, Matz; Eklöf, Matias; Fredriksson, Peter; Jofre-Monseny, Jordi

    2012-01-01

    Using Swedish micro data, the paper examines the impact of local public services on community choice. The choice of community is modelled as a choice between a discrete set of alternatives. It is found that, given taxes, high spending on child care attracts migrants. Less conclusive results are obtained with respect to the role of spending on education and elderly care. High local taxes deter migrants. Relaxing the independence of the irrelevant alternatives assumption, by estimating a mixed logit model, has a significant impact on the results.

  18. 75 FR 66054 - Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services, Public...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-27

    ... Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services, Public Accommodations and in... of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities and Public Accommodations; Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government...

  19. Local authorities and electricity: territories, actors and issues within the local public service in France; Les collectivites locales et l'electricite. Territoires, acteurs et enjeux autour du service public local de l'electricite en france

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bouvier, G

    2005-06-15

    In France, the role of local authorities in the organization of the electricity supply system is largely unknown mainly due to the size of the state-owned utility Electricite de France (EDF). Local authorities and their groupings played a major role in the electrification of the national territory and have kept important prerogatives as conceding authorities of this service of general interest. These groupings also became the tools of the soft power of local actors. The geopolitical analysis of the relationships between local municipalities and electric power stakeholders shows the diversity of actors and opinions. Stuck between market liberalization issues and decentralization to local authorities, these groupings tend to reinforce their competencies. Furthermore, decentralization goes along with a reinforcement of the political involvement in local energy policy and with conflicts on the adequate territorial scale for theses policies. (author)

  20. Emotional Intelligence and job performance: Evidence from railroad industry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masoumeh Bahmanabadi

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation to study the relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance in railroad industry. The study uses two questionnaires, one for measuring emotional intelligence adopted from Salovey and Mayer (1989 [Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1989. Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3, 185-211.] and the other one for measuring job performance. The study selects 300 full time employees who work for railroad industry in city of Tehran, Iran, distributes two questionnaires among the employees and managed to collect all filled ones. Using Spearman correlation, the study has determined a positive and meaningful relationship between emotional intelligence and job performance (r = 0.796, Sig. = 0.000. In addition, there were positive and meaningful relationships between four components of emotional intelligence, namely consciousness (r = 0.642, Sig. = 0.000, self-regulation (r = 0.41, Sig. = 0.000, self-awareness ( r = 0.552, Sig. = 0.000 and social skills (r = 0.524, Sig. = 0.000.

  1. Local Commune Administration as a Regulator of the Local Water Supply and Sewage Disposal Services Market

    OpenAIRE

    Małysko, Jacek

    2012-01-01

    In this article the author discusses problems related to the regulation of water and sewage disposal services market. In the beginning he describes the processes of water supply and sewage disposal taken by the local commune administration as a natural monopoly. Next he characterizes the structure of this market in Poland. Then he presents the role of local commune administration as a regulator. The author concludes by evaluating the existing Polish system of regulating wate...

  2. Prospects of China's High-speed Railroad considering the Debate on "Maglev" and "On-the-Trail" Contributions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Run Sha

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Considering the fierce debate on whether "maglev" or"on-the-trail" system should be applied to China's first high-speed railroad, this paper makes prospects about China's high--speed railroads. As at the initial stage, careful considerationsshould be given to the framework of China's high-speed railroads.Combining China's specific national conditions, the paperdemonstrates that maglev train can be well applied in theeast and the regions of the middle and lower reaches of theYangtze River where there is developed economy, lwge anddense population, limited land use, concentrated big cities andrail transport shortage. The maglev system is the world's mostadvanced technology, China should take the best to catch upwith the world in this transportation field.

  3. 78 FR 12824 - Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or Modification of a Railroad Signal System...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-02-25

    ... assigned the petition Docket Number FRA-2002-14116. In 2002, CN sought relief from 49 CFR 236.408 so that... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket Number FRA-2002-14116] Notice... Railway Company (CN), has petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for an extension of relief...

  4. 78 FR 802 - Heart of Texas Railroad, L.P.-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Gulf Colorado & San Saba...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-04

    ... Railroad, L.P.--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Gulf Colorado & San Saba Railway Company Heart of Texas Railroad, L.P. (the Company), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR..., 2013. Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Clerk. [FR Doc...

  5. 76 FR 31678 - San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad-Continuance in Control Exemption-Saratoga and North Creek Railway...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-01

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35499] San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad--Continuance in Control Exemption--Saratoga and North Creek Railway, LLC San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad (SLRG), a Class III rail carrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption to continue in...

  6. The politics of service delivery in South Africa: The local government sphere in context

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Purshottama S. Reddy

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The post-1994 democratic developmental South African state opted for a strong local government system which has been constitutionalised, in terms of Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996. The politicisation of the local bureaucracy was inevitable as the ruling party sought to ensure that the executive leadership of municipalities shared the same political ideology and vision to facilitate local development. This raises the question, where does politicisation commence and end, and what is the ideal local political interface for efficient and effective service delivery and, more importantly, to ensure good governance? These questions have to take cognisance of the fact that South Africa is a ‘struggle democracy’ and development has to take place in historically disadvantaged areas, where services have been poor or non-existent. The historically advantaged areas have to also be maintained and upgraded, as they are key to financial sustainability of the municipalities. The increasing service delivery protests is a matter for concern, if one has to take cognisance of the popular adage highlighted in official literature, ‘if local government fails, South Arica fails’. Given that the struggles for a democratic South Africa were fought at the grassroots level, this has to translate to an improved quality of life for local communities. Consequently, sound political management is key to enhanced municipal service delivery and ultimately good local governance. This paper reviews political trends and developments up to 2016, but excludes any discussion on the recent local government elections.

  7. Using Service-Learning in Urban Areas in Semarang Regency to Address Local Knowledge System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rully Adi Nugroho

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Service-learning has gained substantial recognition as an effective type of pedagogy and has enhanced civic education across the disciplines, however remains a lack of understanding of this type of learning in Indonesia. The goals of the study were (1 to explore the forms of local knowledge systems practiced in Semarang Regency and how they are used in resources conservation using service-learning method, (2 to foster student engagement with the community, and (3 to promote student awareness of community resources that are directly relevant to local knowledge system issues. The success of the service-learning projects in meeting these goals was assessed via qualitative analysis of student reflective papers and classroom presentations. The results indicated there were local knowledges that were still successfully in use, but often only very locally. Furthermore, the results also indicated that the service-learning projects promoted students’ valuable academic skills, including communication, team-building, and critical thinking, built their self-esteem, their awareness of community needs and resources, and demonstrated the relevance of course content to real life.

  8. International trade of health services: global trends and local impact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lautier, Marc

    2014-10-01

    Globalization is a key challenge facing health policy-makers. A significant dimension of this is trade in health services. Traditionally, the flow of health services exports went from North to South, with patients travelling in the opposite direction. This situation is changing and a number of papers have discussed the growth of health services exports from Southern countries in its different dimensions. Less attention has been paid to assess the real scope of this trade at the global level and its potential impact at the local level. Given the rapid development of this area, there are little empirical data. This paper therefore first built an estimate of the global size and of the growth trend of international trade in health services since 1997, which is compared with several country-based studies. The second purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the significant economic impact of this trade at the local level for the exporting country. We consider the case of health providers in the South-Mediterranean region for which the demand potential, the economic effects and the consequence for the health system are presented. These issues lead to the overall conclusion that different policy options would be appropriate, in relation to the nature of the demand. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. 75 FR 38432 - Railroad Safety Appliance Standards, Miscellaneous Revisions

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-02

    ...: Stephen J. Carullo, Railroad Safety Specialist, Office of Safety, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE..., Office of Chief Counsel, FRA, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Mail Stop 10, Washington, DC 20590 (telephone... government (FRA and Transport Canada participate as non-voting members), as well as ergonomics experts. The...

  10. THE TRANS-MISSOURI CASE: DOES THE SHERMAN ACT APPLY TO THE RAILROADS?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Landry

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available In 1887, in answer to railroad abuses of monopoly power, Congress passed the Interstate Commerce Act, which created the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC. In the next decade the Commission’s powers were considerably diminished by a series of Supreme Court decisions in cases in which the railroads appealed ICC rulings. In only one case during this period, the United States v. Trans-Missouri Freight Association, did the Court uphold an ICC decision. This case was primarily about collaborative ratemaking in rate bureaus but covered several larger issues, especially the possibly conflicting jurisdictions of the Sherman Act and the Interstate Commerce Act.

  11. QUALITY GROWTH AND EVALUATION OF PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL PUBLIC SERVICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Remus Gherman

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Public sector reform aims to increase performance by improving its efficiency and effectiveness by improving the quality of services provided by public service in order to maximize individual welfare of citizens. The purpose of reform is to improve public services because they have to deal with uncertainties and rapid changes that take place in the internal environmental and external pressures. Public administration, in quality of service provider must make a series of efforts to ensure that citizens know their rights and public services on witch they can benefit taking into account the simplification of service delivery, a high quality of its, new administrative procedures for allocating resources in a transparent way and informing the citizens of standards of services and of the methods of compensation in case if the provided quality is different from that promised. Most important is the fact that the local government must realize that effectiveness involves defining objectives that must be achieved simultaneously with the estimation of the results obtained.

  12. TownshipNet: A localized hybrid TVWS-WiFi and cloud services network

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Hadzic, S

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes a network architecture to provide low cost last mile access and cloud services for local content sharing in a poorly resourced township environment. We describe how ICT solutions are developed in close partnership with the local...

  13. 78 FR 338 - Buckeye Hammond Railroad, L.L.C.; Acquisition and Operation Exemption; Buckeye Partners, L.P.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-03

    ... Railroad, L.L.C.; Acquisition and Operation Exemption; Buckeye Partners, L.P. Buckeye Hammond Railroad, L.L... acquire from Buckeye Partners, L.P., a noncarrier, and to operate approximately 6,797 feet (1.29 miles) of...: December 26, 2012. By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Jeffrey Herzig...

  14. On Railroad Tank Car Puncture Performance: Part I - Considering Metrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-12

    This paper is the first in a two-part series on the puncture performance of railroad tank cars carrying hazardous materials in the event of an accident. Various metrics are often mentioned in the open literature to characterize the structural perform...

  15. On Railroad Tank Car Puncture Performance: Part II - Estimating Metrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-04-12

    This paper is the second in a two-part series on the puncture performance of railroad tank cars carrying hazardous materials in the event of an accident. Various metrics are often mentioned in the open literature to characterize the structural perfor...

  16. 49 CFR 1.49 - Delegations to Federal Railroad Administrator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Agency) and (c) of section 17 of the Noise Control Act of 1972 (Pub. L. 92-574). (p) Carry out the... consultations with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency) of the Noise Control Act of 1972... train travel in communities without grade separation, capital grants to the Alaska Railroad, and a study...

  17. Residences Satisfaction Towards Service Quality Provided By Bogor Local Government

    OpenAIRE

    Setiawan, Budi; Oswari, Teddy; Kuswanto, Adi

    2011-01-01

    The lowest local government as a frontline government has some crucial duties in­cludes residences administration, village development, residences identity, land ad­ministration, and other duties. Up to present, the performance of the lowest local government is measured based on the regulation, but has never been measured based on the perception of its residences that have had service directly. The objective of the study are(1) to explore whether there is a differences between the perception ...

  18. Field testing of prototype systems for the non-destructive measurement of the neutral temperature of railroad tracks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillips, Robert; Lanza di Scalea, Francesco; Nucera, Claudio; Fateh, Mahmood; Choros, John

    2014-03-01

    In both high speed and freight rail systems, the modern construction method is Continuous Welded Rail (CWR). The purpose of the CWR method is to eliminate joints in order to reduce the maintenance costs for both the rails and the rolling stock. However the elimination of the joints increases the risk of rail breakage in cold weather and buckling in hot weather. In order to predict the temperature at which the rail will break or buckle, it is critical to have knowledge of the temperature at which the rail is stress free, namely, the Rail Neutral Temperature (Rail-NT).The University of California at San Diego has developed an innovative technique based on non-linear ultrasonic guided waves, under FRA research and development grants for the non-destructive measurement of the neutral temperature of railroad tracks. Through the licensing of this technology from the UCSD and under the sponsorship of the FRA Office of Research and Development, a field deployable prototype system has been developed and recently field tested at cooperating railroad properties. Three prototype systems have been deployed to the Union Pacific (UP), Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF), and AMTRAK railroads for field testing and related data acquisition for a comprehensive evaluation of the system, with respect to both performance and economy of operation. The results from these tests have been very encouraging. Based on the lessons learned from these field tests and the feedback from the railroads, it is planned develop a compact 2nd generation Rail-NT system to foster deployment and furtherance of FRA R&D grant purpose of potential contribution to the agency mission of US railroad safety. In this paper, the results of the field tests with the railroads in summer of 2013 are reported.

  19. Understanding the Collaborative Planning Process in Homeless Services: Networking, Advocacy, and Local Government Support May Reduce Service Gaps.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jarpe, Meghan; Mosley, Jennifer E; Smith, Bikki Tran

    2018-06-07

    The Continuum of Care (CoC) process-a nationwide system of regional collaborative planning networks addressing homelessness-is the chief administrative method utilized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to prevent and reduce homelessness in the United States. The objective of this study is to provide a benchmark comprehensive picture of the structure and practices of CoC networks, as well as information about which of those factors are associated with lower service gaps, a key goal of the initiative. A national survey of the complete population of CoCs in the United States was conducted in 2014 (n = 312, 75% response rate). This survey is the first to gather information on all available CoC networks. Ordinary least squares (OLS) regression was used to determine the relationship between internal networking, advocacy frequency, government investment, and degree of service gaps for CoCs of different sizes. United States. Lead contacts for CoCs (n = 312) that responded to the 2014 survey. Severity of regional service gaps for people who are homeless. Descriptive statistics show that CoCs vary considerably in regard to size, leadership, membership, and other organizational characteristics. Several independent variables were associated with reduced regional service gaps: networking for small CoCs (β = -.39, P < .05) and local government support for midsized CoCs (β = -.10, P < .05). For large CoCs, local government support was again significantly associated with lower service gaps, but there was also a significant interaction effect between advocacy and networking (β = .04, P < .05). To reduce service gaps and better serve the homeless, CoCs should consider taking steps to improve networking, particularly when advocacy is out of reach, and cultivate local government investment and support.

  20. 75 FR 49549 - ABC & D Recycling, Inc.-Lease and Operation Exemption-a Line of Railroad in Ware, MA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35397] ABC & D Recycling, Inc.--Lease and Operation Exemption--a Line of Railroad in Ware, MA ABC & D Recycling, Inc. (ABC & D..., ABC & D Recycling, Inc.--Lease and Operation Exemption--a Line of Railroad in Ware, Massachusetts (STB...

  1. The Transfer of Local Authority School Support Services to External Social Enterprises

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatcher, Richard

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores an emerging and largely unresearched sector of the school education market, the transfer of local authority support services to external social enterprises. It locates these new social enterprises as a consequence of government strategies to reduce public spending, shrink local government and create competitive markets in…

  2. Railroad perspective on transportation of spent fuel and high level waste and recent ICC decisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paschall, J.R.

    1978-01-01

    This paper attempts to summarize some railroad viewpoints on issues concerning transportation of spent fuel and high-level waste and to outline Interstate Commerce Commission decisions arising over differing opinions about the manner of such transportation. Although the railroad position includes a number of legal arguments, it also involves operating expertise and a number of well-based questions concerning the safety of casks under actual operating conditions in regular trains. The commonly-used estimates of accident frequency and severity in regular trains are severe underestimates based on a mistake in the annual number of railroad car-miles, inadequacies in and misunderstanding of accident reporting, and invalid assumptions, especially concerning fires, which some actual data suggest are far more frequent than assumed. Thus, railroads estimate casks could be involved in at least 12 accidents involving severe fires by 1990. A number of unanswered questions about casks and perceived inadequacies in testing lead to a conservative railroad position. These include the possibility of escape routes of materials other than by breach such as weld and pressure relief valve failures and direct radiation hazards through loss of shielding. These doubts are fostered through experience with accidents more severe than those used in testing or certification as well as these questions. Also, there is doubt concerning the integrity of fuel rod cladding (used as a second level of containment) in credible accident situations. Moreover, the damage estimates of $1,000 per man rem have been shown to have no relationship to damages in a transportation accident.Added safety is expected in special trains for at least 17 reasons involving speed, transit time, routing, train consist, crew alertness, reduced slack and other reduced hazards and accident opportunities

  3. Prevention of Roller Bearing-Initiated Burnoffs in Railroad Freight Car Journals

    Science.gov (United States)

    1979-01-01

    The objective of this program was to determine the technical feasibility and cost effectiveness of constructing three separate devices for the prevention of catastrophic roller bearing-initiated, railroad journal failure. 1. Construction of a low cos...

  4. Monte Carlo tests of small-world architecture for coarse-grained networks of the United States railroad and highway transportation systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aldrich, Preston R.; El-Zabet, Jermeen; Hassan, Seerat; Briguglio, Joseph; Aliaj, Enela; Radcliffe, Maria; Mirza, Taha; Comar, Timothy; Nadolski, Jeremy; Huebner, Cynthia D.

    2015-11-01

    Several studies have shown that human transportation networks exhibit small-world structure, meaning they have high local clustering and are easily traversed. However, some have concluded this without statistical evaluations, and others have compared observed structure to globally random rather than planar models. Here, we use Monte Carlo randomizations to test US transportation infrastructure data for small-worldness. Coarse-grained network models were generated from GIS data wherein nodes represent the 3105 contiguous US counties and weighted edges represent the number of highway or railroad links between counties; thus, we focus on linkage topologies and not geodesic distances. We compared railroad and highway transportation networks with a simple planar network based on county edge-sharing, and with networks that were globally randomized and those that were randomized while preserving their planarity. We conclude that terrestrial transportation networks have small-world architecture, as it is classically defined relative to global randomizations. However, this topological structure is sufficiently explained by the planarity of the graphs, and in fact the topological patterns established by the transportation links actually serve to reduce the amount of small-world structure.

  5. User involvement in measuring service quality of local authority occupational therapy services: a new approach.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sixma, H.J.; Calnan, S.; Calnan, M.; Groenewegen, P.P.

    2001-01-01

    The aim of this paper is two-fold: (i) to describe the development of a new measuring instrument for quality of care from the perspective of the users of local authority Occupational Therapy (OT) services, and (ii) to evaluate the potential of the new instrument as a standardized approach for the

  6. Open access for freight railroads : worthwhile or wasteful disruption, final report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    This study compares the experience of the freight railroads in North America, Europe and : Australia with required access. Europe and Australia have pursued very different network access : strategies than the United States and Canada. Both the Europe...

  7. Local government energy action in the UK: from service delivery to community leadership. Volume 1

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wade, Joanne; Pearson, Amanda; Knowland, Rachael [Impetus Consulting (United Kingdom); Flanagan, Brooke [Energy Saving Trust (United Kingdom)

    2007-07-01

    In October 2006 the UK government published a new Local Government White Paper. This policy statement set the framework for the role of local government in the coming years.The White Paper is one stage in the latest wave of local government reform in the UK. This reform has aimed to refocus attention away from delivery of specific services and towards community leadership, particularly with reference to sustainable development. Climate change is given some emphasis within the White Paper, and should become one of the indicators against which local government performance is measured.This paper examines energy action in local authorities in the past few years, in a situation where most, but not all, were still strongly focused on service delivery. By contrasting this with the results achieved in authorities that have taken a community leadership role, the paper examines the potential of the White Paper. It addresses the following questions: does local government have the capacity to deliver increased local action on climate change? Does the UK policy framework support and encourage development and deployment of this capacity? And do the national and regional bodies that provide support for local authorities need to change the services they offer in light of recent policy developments?.

  8. Local government energy action in the UK: from service delivery to community leadership. Volume 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wade, Joanne; Pearson, Amanda; Knowland, Rachael; Flanagan, Brooke

    2007-01-01

    In October 2006 the UK government published a new Local Government White Paper. This policy statement set the framework for the role of local government in the coming years.The White Paper is one stage in the latest wave of local government reform in the UK. This reform has aimed to refocus attention away from delivery of specific services and towards community leadership, particularly with reference to sustainable development. Climate change is given some emphasis within the White Paper, and should become one of the indicators against which local government performance is measured.This paper examines energy action in local authorities in the past few years, in a situation where most, but not all, were still strongly focused on service delivery. By contrasting this with the results achieved in authorities that have taken a community leadership role, the paper examines the potential of the White Paper. It addresses the following questions: does local government have the capacity to deliver increased local action on climate change? Does the UK policy framework support and encourage development and deployment of this capacity? And do the national and regional bodies that provide support for local authorities need to change the services they offer in light of recent policy developments?

  9. Analysis of railroad tank car releases using a generalized binomial model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xiang; Hong, Yili

    2015-11-01

    The United States is experiencing an unprecedented boom in shale oil production, leading to a dramatic growth in petroleum crude oil traffic by rail. In 2014, U.S. railroads carried over 500,000 tank carloads of petroleum crude oil, up from 9500 in 2008 (a 5300% increase). In light of continual growth in crude oil by rail, there is an urgent national need to manage this emerging risk. This need has been underscored in the wake of several recent crude oil release incidents. In contrast to highway transport, which usually involves a tank trailer, a crude oil train can carry a large number of tank cars, having the potential for a large, multiple-tank-car release incident. Previous studies exclusively assumed that railroad tank car releases in the same train accident are mutually independent, thereby estimating the number of tank cars releasing given the total number of tank cars derailed based on a binomial model. This paper specifically accounts for dependent tank car releases within a train accident. We estimate the number of tank cars releasing given the number of tank cars derailed based on a generalized binomial model. The generalized binomial model provides a significantly better description for the empirical tank car accident data through our numerical case study. This research aims to provide a new methodology and new insights regarding the further development of risk management strategies for improving railroad crude oil transportation safety. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Limits to Decentralization in Mozambique: Leadership, Politics and Local Government Capacities for Service Delivery

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A.P.J. Machohe (Antonio)

    2011-01-01

    textabstractMozambique has been a centralized State since its independence in 1975. During this time, local government has depended on the Central Government and has lacked autonomy in both local policy decisions and resource management in addition to the complete failure of effective local services

  11. Fiscal pressures and the privatization of local services

    OpenAIRE

    Yolanda K. Kodrzycki

    1998-01-01

    The privatization movement appears to have lost some momentum in the United States over the 1990s. Although local governments continue to look for ways to deliver services more efficiently by using private contractors, the pace at which they are issuing contracts has slowed. In part, the trends may reflect political realities. Public employees naturally are concerned about losing their jobs, and they constitute a sizable share of the electorate. The limited role of outside contractors may als...

  12. An Innovative Summer Institute for Teachers: Examining the Underground Railroad

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dallmer, Denise

    2002-01-01

    In this article, the author describes the summer institute which she planned through her involvement with the Institute for Freedom Studies at Northern Kentucky University, whose purpose is to promote interdisciplinary research, teaching and community outreach grounded in the study of the Underground Railroad. The purpose of the institute was to…

  13. Allegheny Portage Railroad: Developing Transportation Technology. Teaching with Historic Places.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eick, Brian; Wallner, Rick

    1999-01-01

    Presents a lesson that will help students discover the innovative technologies of the Allegheny Portage Railroad that can be used when teaching about early 19th-century expansion and industrialization. Expounds that students' skills in geography and history will be strengthened through map reading, examination of pictures, and analysis of…

  14. 49 CFR 800.25 - Delegation to the Directors of Office of Aviation Safety, Office of Railroad Safety, Office of...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Office of Aviation Safety, Office of Railroad Safety, Office of Highway Safety, Office of Marine Safety... Offices of Aviation, Railroad, Highway, Marine, and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety, the authority... 49 Transportation 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Delegation to the Directors of Office of Aviation...

  15. Railroad mergers and acquisitions take shape

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fiscor, S.

    1995-12-01

    This year has been one of the most exciting years in recent history concerning US railroads and coal transportation, as mergers and acquisitions narrow the field for Western coal carriers. The views on the mergers and how they will affect coal transportation are mixed. The coal industry`s growth in the West and its stability in the East is the basis for the most recent changes in the rail industry. Restructuring US coal markets to confirm to environmental policy has had a profound effect on much more than the coal industry itself. Deregulation of rail transport has also been an important factor. 1 fig., 3 tabs.

  16. The Organisation of Local Mental Health Services in Norway: Evidence, Uncertainty and Policy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramsdal, Helge; Hansen, Gunnar Vold

    2017-01-01

    This article addresses questions about health authorities' recommendations on the local organisation of services for people with mental health disorders in Norway. Analysis is made of the dynamic relationship between different evaluations, national guidelines and other knowledge that influence the organisation of services. The analysis is based…

  17. Local inpatient units may increase patients’ utilization of outpatient services: a comparative cohort-study in Nordland County, Norway

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myklebust, Lars Henrik; Sørgaard, Knut; Wynn, Rolf

    2015-01-01

    Objectives In the last few decades, there has been a restructuring of the psychiatric services in many countries. The complexity of these systems may represent a challenge to patients that suffer from serious psychiatric disorders. We examined whether local integration of inpatient and outpatient services in contrast to centralized institutions strengthened continuity of care. Methods Two different service-systems were compared. Service-utilization over a 4-year period for 690 inpatients was extracted from the patient registries. The results were controlled for demographic variables, model of service-system, central inpatient admission or local inpatient admission, diagnoses, and duration of inpatient stays. Results The majority of inpatients in the area with local integration of inpatient and outpatient services used both types of care. In the area that did not have beds locally, many patients that had been hospitalized did not receive outpatient follow-up. Predictors of inpatients’ use of outpatient psychiatric care were: Model of service-system (centralized vs decentralized), a diagnosis of affective disorder, central inpatient admission only, and duration of inpatient stays. Conclusion Psychiatric centers with local inpatient units may positively affect continuity of care for patients with severe psychiatric disorders, probably because of a high functional integration of inpatient and outpatient care. PMID:26604843

  18. Local inpatient units may increase patients' utilization of outpatient services: a comparative cohort-study in Nordland County, Norway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myklebust, Lars Henrik; Sørgaard, Knut; Wynn, Rolf

    2015-01-01

    In the last few decades, there has been a restructuring of the psychiatric services in many countries. The complexity of these systems may represent a challenge to patients that suffer from serious psychiatric disorders. We examined whether local integration of inpatient and outpatient services in contrast to centralized institutions strengthened continuity of care. Two different service-systems were compared. Service-utilization over a 4-year period for 690 inpatients was extracted from the patient registries. The results were controlled for demographic variables, model of service-system, central inpatient admission or local inpatient admission, diagnoses, and duration of inpatient stays. The majority of inpatients in the area with local integration of inpatient and outpatient services used both types of care. In the area that did not have beds locally, many patients that had been hospitalized did not receive outpatient follow-up. Predictors of inpatients' use of outpatient psychiatric care were: Model of service-system (centralized vs decentralized), a diagnosis of affective disorder, central inpatient admission only, and duration of inpatient stays. Psychiatric centers with local inpatient units may positively affect continuity of care for patients with severe psychiatric disorders, probably because of a high functional integration of inpatient and outpatient care.

  19. Predicting routes of radioactive wastes moved on the US railroad system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hillsman, E.L.; Johnson, P.E.; Peterson, B.E.

    1980-01-01

    One of the issues to be considered in the analysis of alternative repository sites for nuclear wastes is the pattern of shipments from reactors and other waste sources to the repository. In the United States, regulations and costs make rail shipments the preferred mode for high-level radioactive waste. The railroad network of the United States is owned by approximately 100 corporations that simultaneously compete for traffic and cooperate to move shipments that require carriage by more than one company. Because changing companies usually delays a shipment, there is a tendency to minimize the number of carriers involved in moving it. Moreover, when several carriers are required, the originating company (specified by the shipper) tends to retain the shipment on its portion of the network. These characteristics are nearly unique among the world's rail systems, and they must be recognized in any model of paths of future shipments through the network. This paper describes the development of a rail routing program that can be applied to the movement of radioactive materials throughout the United States. Shipments can be initiated at a specific location on a specific railroad. A route can be generated and displayed on a map of the United States. The particular route generated depends upon the emphasis placed on various classes of rail lines. Demonstration routings illustrate predicted routes of normal freight shipments, the effect of blocking passage through selected cities, and the effect that the existence of independent railroad companies can have on the patterns of shipments

  20. Historische Technikakzeptanz – als kontextualisierende Technikzukunftsforschung am Fallbeispiel der T1-Duplexklasse der Pennsylvania Railroad, 1942–1951

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kunze, Rolf-Ulrich

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The essay presents the brief history of the last technological development of the steam age on US railroad tracks: the T1 duplex class of the Pennsylvania Railroad, 1942–1951. Referring to the methods of today’s technological assessment, the article is questioning a teleological interpretation of the last US passenger tratin steam locomotive as a failing innovation.

  1. The Underground Railroad: Developing a Literary Track to Slave Narrative.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goncalves, Wande Knox

    This paper offers a method of bringing to third-grade students an understanding of African-American contributions to the United States, the experience of slavery, and the struggle for freedom on the secretive Underground Railroad. The paper contains a list of eight primary sources to be used. Its lessons focus specifically on the skills necessary…

  2. Transfusion in Haemoglobinopathies: Review and recommendations for local blood banks and transfusion services in Oman

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arwa Z. Al-Riyami

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Sickle cell disease and homozygous β-thalassaemia are common haemoglobinopathies in Oman, with many implications for local healthcare services. The transfusions of such patients take place in many hospitals throughout the country. Indications for blood transfusions require local recommendations and guidelines to ensure standardised levels of care. This article summarises existing transfusion guidelines for this group of patients and provides recommendations for blood banks and transfusion services in Oman. This information is especially pertinent to medical professionals and policy-makers developing required services for the standardised transfusion support of these patients.

  3. HIV Services Provided by STD Programs in State and Local Health Departments - United States, 2013-2014.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuffe, Kendra M; Esie, Precious; Leichliter, Jami S; Gift, Thomas L

    2017-04-07

    The incidence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the United States is higher among persons with other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and the incidence of other STDs is increased among persons with HIV infection (1). Because infection with an STD increases the risk for HIV acquisition and transmission (1-4), successfully treating STDs might help reduce the spread of HIV among persons at high risk (1-4). Because health department STD programs provide services to populations who are at risk for HIV, ensuring service integration and coordination could potentially reduce the incidence of STDs and HIV. Program integration refers to the combining of STD and HIV prevention programs through structural, service, or policy-related changes such as combining funding streams, performing STD and HIV case matching, or integrating staff members (5). Some STD programs in U.S. health departments are partially or fully integrated with an HIV program (STD/HIV program), whereas other STD programs are completely separate. To assess the extent of provision of HIV services by state and local health department STD programs, CDC analyzed data from a sample of 311 local health departments and 56 state and directly funded city health departments derived from a national survey of STD programs. CDC found variation in the provision of HIV services by STD programs at the state and local levels. Overall, 73.1% of state health departments and 16.1% of local health departments matched STD case report data with HIV data to analyze possible syndemics (co-occurring epidemics that exacerbate the negative health effects of any of the diseases) and overlaps. Similarly, 94.1% of state health departments and 46.7% of local health departments performed site visits to HIV care providers to provide STD information or public health updates. One fourth of state health departments and 39.4% of local health departments provided HIV testing in nonclinical settings (field testing) for STD

  4. 20 CFR 404.1405 - If you have been considered a non-vested worker, what are the situations when your railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... worker, what are the situations when your railroad industry work will not be covered under Social Security? 404.1405 Section 404.1405 Employees' Benefits SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION FEDERAL OLD-AGE..., what are the situations when your railroad industry work will not be covered under Social Security? (a...

  5. Study of RF Propagation Characteristics for Wireless Sensor Networks in Railroad Environments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    The freight railroad industry in North America is exerting efforts to leverage Wireless Sensor Networks to monitor systems and components on railcars. This allows fault detection and accident prevention even while a train is moving. Railcars, constru...

  6. Measuring disaster preparedness of local emergency medical services agencies

    OpenAIRE

    Elliott, Ross W.

    2010-01-01

    CHDS State/Local Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited Emergency Medical Services (EMS) plays a key role in disaster response. Yet, determining how much preparedness is enough to achieve an acceptable level of preparedness is challenging. After conducting an extensive literature review, it is evident no nationally accepted method exists to evaluate an EMS system's level of disaster preparedness systematically. Research was conducted to define the skills and equipmen...

  7. 26 CFR 31.6071(a)-1A - Time for filing returns with respect to the railroad unemployment repayment tax.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 26 Internal Revenue 15 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Time for filing returns with respect to the railroad unemployment repayment tax. 31.6071(a)-1A Section 31.6071(a)-1A Internal Revenue INTERNAL REVENUE... filing returns with respect to the railroad unemployment repayment tax. (a) In general. Each return of...

  8. Attachments for fire modeling for Building 221-T, T Plant canyon deck and railroad tunnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oar, D.L.

    1995-01-01

    The purpose of this attachment is to provide historical information and documentation for Document No. WHC-SD-CP-ANAL-008 Rev 0, ''Fire Modeling for Building 221-T--T Plant Canyon Deck and Railroad Tunnel'', dated September 29, 1994. This data compilation contains the following: Resumes of the Technical Director, Senior Engineer and Junior Engineer; Review and Comment Record; Software Files; CFAST Input and Output Files; Calculation Control Sheets; and Estimating Sprinkler Actuation Time in the Canyon and Railroad Tunnel. The T Plant was originally a fuel reprocessing facility. It was modified later to decontaminate and repair PuRex process equipment

  9. Chapter 51: How to Build a Simple Cone Search Service Using a Local Database

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kent, B. R.; Greene, G. R.

    The cone search service protocol will be examined from the server side in this chapter. A simple cone search service will be setup and configured locally using MySQL. Data will be read into a table, and the Java JDBC will be used to connect to the database. Readers will understand the VO cone search specification and how to use it to query a database on their local systems and return an XML/VOTable file based on an input of RA/DEC coordinates and a search radius. The cone search in this example will be deployed as a Java servlet. The resulting cone search can be tested with a verification service. This basic setup can be used with other languages and relational databases.

  10. 26 CFR 1.401(l)-4 - Special rules for railroad plans.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... does not exceed railroad retirement covered compensation, (B) The plan uses the same base benefit..., or (2) 0.56 percent plus the base benefit percentage plus 0.75 percent. (ii) Definitions. The following definitions govern for purposes of this paragraph (c)(2). (A) Base benefit percentage means the...

  11. 49 CFR 240.113 - Individual's duty to furnish data on prior safety conduct as an employee of a different railroad.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ....113 Individual's duty to furnish data on prior safety conduct as an employee of a different railroad... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Individual's duty to furnish data on prior safety conduct as an employee of a different railroad. 240.113 Section 240.113 Transportation Other Regulations...

  12. Lake and wetland ecosystem services measuring water storage and local climate regulation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Christina P.; Jiang, Bo; Bohn, Theodore J.; Lee, Kai N.; Lettenmaier, Dennis P.; Ma, Dongchun; Ouyang, Zhiyun

    2017-04-01

    Developing interdisciplinary methods to measure ecosystem services is a scientific priority, however, progress remains slow in part because we lack ecological production functions (EPFs) to quantitatively link ecohydrological processes to human benefits. In this study, we tested a new approach, combining a process-based model with regression models, to create EPFs to evaluate water storage and local climate regulation from a green infrastructure project on the Yongding River in Beijing, China. Seven artificial lakes and wetlands were established to improve local water storage and human comfort; evapotranspiration (ET) regulates both services. Managers want to minimize the trade-off between water losses and cooling to sustain water supplies while lowering the heat index (HI) to improve human comfort. We selected human benefit indicators using water storage targets and Beijing's HI, and the Variable Infiltration Capacity model to determine the change in ET from the new ecosystems. We created EPFs to quantify the ecosystem services as marginal values [Δfinal ecosystem service/Δecohydrological process]: (1) Δwater loss (lake evaporation/volume)/Δdepth and (2) Δsummer HI/ΔET. We estimate the new ecosystems increased local ET by 0.7 mm/d (20.3 W/m2) on the Yongding River. However, ET rates are causing water storage shortfalls while producing no improvements in human comfort. The shallow lakes/wetlands are vulnerable to drying when inflow rates fluctuate, low depths lead to higher evaporative losses, causing water storage shortfalls with minimal cooling effects. We recommend managers make the lakes deeper to increase water storage, and plant shade trees to improve human comfort in the parks.

  13. 76 FR 50326 - Regional Rail, LLC-Continuance in Control Exemption-Tyburn Railroad, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-12

    .... Regional is a Delaware limited liability company that currently controls 2 Class III railroads, East Penn... Company and operate approximately 0.9 miles of rail lines in Morrisville, Pa. The parties intend to...

  14. Local inpatient units may increase patients' utilization of outpatient services: a comparative cohort-study in Nordland County, Norway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Myklebust LH

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Lars Henrik Myklebust,1 Knut Sørgaard,1,2 Rolf Wynn21Psychiatric Research Centre of North Norway, Nordland Hospital Trust, Bodø, 2Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, NorwayObjectives: In the last few decades, there has been a restructuring of the psychiatric services in many countries. The complexity of these systems may represent a challenge to patients that suffer from serious psychiatric disorders. We examined whether local integration of inpatient and outpatient services in contrast to centralized institutions strengthened continuity of care.Methods: Two different service-systems were compared. Service-utilization over a 4-year period for 690 inpatients was extracted from the patient registries. The results were controlled for demographic variables, model of service-system, central inpatient admission or local inpatient admission, diagnoses, and duration of inpatient stays.Results: The majority of inpatients in the area with local integration of inpatient and outpatient services used both types of care. In the area that did not have beds locally, many patients that had been hospitalized did not receive outpatient follow-up. Predictors of inpatients' use of outpatient psychiatric care were: Model of service-system (centralized vs decentralized, a diagnosis of affective disorder, central inpatient admission only, and duration of inpatient stays.Conclusion: Psychiatric centers with local inpatient units may positively affect continuity of care for patients with severe psychiatric disorders, probably because of a high functional integration of inpatient and outpatient care.Keywords: psychiatry, hospitalization, decentralization, outpatients, continuity of care, health service research, affective

  15. Learning about Our Community: From the Underground Railroad to School Lunch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hicks, Bonnie; Montequin, Leah; Hicks, Jason

    2000-01-01

    Forms part of a themed issue describing "Parent-Kid-Teacher Investigators," a program in which parents, children, and teachers gather regularly to use language and literacy for action research projects. Offers a portrait of the weekly meetings. Summarizes what three particular groups learned about their topics: the underground railroad;…

  16. Integrated Automatic Workflow for Phylogenetic Tree Analysis Using Public Access and Local Web Services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damkliang, Kasikrit; Tandayya, Pichaya; Sangket, Unitsa; Pasomsub, Ekawat

    2016-11-28

    At the present, coding sequence (CDS) has been discovered and larger CDS is being revealed frequently. Approaches and related tools have also been developed and upgraded concurrently, especially for phylogenetic tree analysis. This paper proposes an integrated automatic Taverna workflow for the phylogenetic tree inferring analysis using public access web services at European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), and our own deployed local web services. The workflow input is a set of CDS in the Fasta format. The workflow supports 1,000 to 20,000 numbers in bootstrapping replication. The workflow performs the tree inferring such as Parsimony (PARS), Distance Matrix - Neighbor Joining (DIST-NJ), and Maximum Likelihood (ML) algorithms of EMBOSS PHYLIPNEW package based on our proposed Multiple Sequence Alignment (MSA) similarity score. The local web services are implemented and deployed into two types using the Soaplab2 and Apache Axis2 deployment. There are SOAP and Java Web Service (JWS) providing WSDL endpoints to Taverna Workbench, a workflow manager. The workflow has been validated, the performance has been measured, and its results have been verified. Our workflow's execution time is less than ten minutes for inferring a tree with 10,000 replicates of the bootstrapping numbers. This paper proposes a new integrated automatic workflow which will be beneficial to the bioinformaticians with an intermediate level of knowledge and experiences. All local services have been deployed at our portal http://bioservices.sci.psu.ac.th.

  17. Valuing environmental services provided by local stormwater management

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brent, Daniel A.; Gangadharan, Lata; Lassiter, Allison; Leroux, Anke; Raschky, Paul A.

    2017-06-01

    The management of stormwater runoff via distributed green infrastructures delivers a number of environmental services that go beyond the reduction of flood risk, which has been the focus of conventional stormwater systems. Not all of these services may be equally valued by the public, however. This paper estimates households' willingness to pay (WTP) for improvements in water security, stream health, recreational and amenity values, as well as reduction in flood risk and urban heat island effect. We use data from nearly 1000 personal interviews with residential homeowners in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia. Our results suggest that the WTP for the highest levels of all environmental services is A799 per household per year. WTP is mainly driven by residents valuing improvements in local stream health, exemptions in water restrictions, the prevention of flash flooding, and decreased peak urban temperatures respectively at A297, A244, A104 and A$65 per year. We further conduct a benefit transfer analysis and find that the WTP and compensating surplus are not significantly different between the study areas. Our findings provide additional support that stormwater management via green infrastructures have large nonmarket benefits and that, under certain conditions, benefit values can be transferred to different locations.

  18. An alternative proposal for the disposal of potentially contaminated railroad crossties at the Savannah River Site. Revision 1

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hochel, R.C.

    1996-06-01

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) has accumulated approximately 300,000 crossties that have been replaced over a 40-year period of maintaining the site's 62 miles of railroad track. The ties reside in a pile on an open area of 2.3 acres near the site's F-Area facilities. A small fraction of the ties are potentially contaminated with radioactivity as a result of past site practices and service. Contamination was possible from occasional leaks in transport-casks moved by rail from the site's five nuclear materials production reactors to its two reprocessing facilities. Casks typically were filled with spent fuel, targets, and water from the reactor disassembly basins, which contained small amounts of fission and neutron activation product radioactivity normal to the operation of nuclear reactors

  19. Does local government staff perceive digital communication with citizens as improved service?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Berger, Jesper Bull; Hertzum, Morten; Schreiber, Trine

    2016-01-01

    Digital communication between government and citizens is pivotal to e-government. The Danish e-government initiative Digital Post aims to digitize all communications between government and citizens. We surveyed local government staff about how Digital Post affects the service delivered to citizens....... As much as 82% of the 448 respondents considered digital communication with citizens using Digital Post a good idea, yet 47% reported concrete incidents in which they perceived a decrease in service with Digital Post. This result shows the importance of distinguishing between the overall service...... relationship and the concrete incidents of which the service consists. We discuss interactions between the relationship level and the incident level of Digital Post on the basis of a content analysis of the respondents' incident descriptions....

  20. STUDY REGARDING THE MANAGEMENT OF LOCAL POLICEMAN CAREER WITHIN THE REŞIŢA LOCAL POLICE DIVISION PUBLIC SERVICE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    GHERGHINA LILIANA

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The paper entitled Study regarding the Management of Local Policemen Career within the Reşiţa Local Police Division Public Service aims at highlighting the need for this public service in the Reşiţa municipality community, the importance of the public office in this context, of the public service, of the public servant with special statute and, last but not least, of the managerial act in the administration of this type of human resources, and implicitly this type of career. Starting from the theoretic identifications and their translation into the practice of the field chosen for research we could conclude that in the development of the local policemen career, a special role is played by the human resources management, especially the management of the career of this value-bearing resource. Our investigation was based on the opinion poll-type inquiry, the main instrument being the questionnaire conceived, administered and then valorised and interpreted. The conclusions generated by this research highlighted step by step, along the activities of the analysed human resources management and implicitly their career management, the actual positive or negative aspects and the fact that the management of human resources and implicitly of their career which, we scrutinised – that of police officer or policeman in short – assures with priority: the observance of the legislation specific to the investigated field, support for the development of the local policemen’s career, their prompt availability in due time, the knowledge and fulfilment of the tasks according to the job and position requirements, all this assures the understanding of the employees’ expectations, of the change of employees’ roles within the organisation depending on their experience and solves the conflicts among the employees. Nevertheless, we identified, in a less significant percentage , some cases of discontent and dissatisfaction, cases that could generate ideas for

  1. Automated radiological scanning of potentially contaminated railroad crossties for free-release or disposal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hochel, R.C.

    1996-06-01

    The Savannah River Site (SRS) has accumulated approximately 300,000 crossties that have been replaced over a 40-year period of maintaining the site's 62 miles of railroad track. The ties reside in a pile on an open area of 2.3 acres near the site's F-Area facilities. A small fraction of the ties are potentially contaminated with radioactivity as a result of past site practices and service. Contamination was possible from occasional leaks in transport-casks moved by rail from the site's five nuclear materials production reactors to its two reprocessing facilities. Casks typically were filled with spent fuel, targets, and water from the reactor disassembly basins, which contained small amounts of fission and neutron activation product radioactivity normal to the operation of nuclear reactors. What to do with the ties has been debated for sometime. Proposals have ranged from simple burial, to bio-remediation, to burning as a fuel in the site's powerhouse, to free-release to off-site markets. In the past, burial was the disposal method of choice; however, the Department of Energy (DOE) order 5820.2A and premium on new space for low-level waste largely rule out burial. Instead, the last option is now cost effective and was begun under a contract with National Environmental Services Corporation started in January, 1996

  2. Towards understanding citizens trust in local government authorities in social service provision: A case of education service in Maswa district Tanzania

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Makorere

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The paper stresses on understanding citizens’ trust to local government authorities in the provision of social services, the case of education service in Maswa district. The paper discloses that majority of respondents of 82.2% of total respondents were not involved in full council meetings, although the meetings are supposed to be open to the public and all information that is presented there is public information which includes proposed plans and budgets as well as quarterly progress reports. This shows that there are problems in primary education. Moreover, due to various problems that still exist in primary education in the area under study, they created a sense of distrust between citizens to local government and local leaders to be specific including Village Executive Officers, Ward Executive Officers and councilors since majority of the respondents revealed that they are lazy harass people. This makes people to be reluctant to participate in development activities include refusing to contribute financially in various development initiatives since they do not see importance of their local leaders so they decide to take their own decisions.

  3. Fire modeling for Building 221-T - T Plant Canyon Deck and Railroad Tunnel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oar, D.L.

    1994-01-01

    This report was prepared by Hughes Associates, Inc. to document the results of fire models for building 221-T Canyon Deck and Railroad Tunnel. Backup data is contained in document No. WHC-SD-CP-ANAL-010, Rev. 0

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

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2014-01-01

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

  5. Development of models of assessment of influence of human factor upon innovation development of railroad transport enterprises

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samsonkin Valerii M.

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Changes in the socio-economic environment of functioning of railroad companies and corresponding transition to market economic conditions make us deeply reconsider our relation to the human factor as the main source of increase of the level of efficiency of both individual railroad enterprises and companies in general. But, apart from exclusively humanistic (evolution relation to this process, it is necessary to find means of formalisation of professional activity of a person or certification of personnel. The article is devoted to the above stated issues. In the result of the study the article develops a model of analysis of professional activity of a person at railroad transport, which gives a possibility to numerically determine the level of intellectual, social and physical components of the human factor and also to identify directions and efficiency of investing and a model of determination of the number, which ensures optimisation of the number of personnel of enterprises and structural subdivisions. In order to identify the most significant resources that are connected with personnel, time, place, method, motivation type, obtained effect and intensity of railroad transport operation the article offers to analyse results of professional activity of personnel of each structural subdivision by the “what” is created / developed / performed (regarding professional activity, “where” (enterprise name and its subordination,“when” and “who” created (developed / performed and “how” and “why” scheme.

  6. 77 FR 2128 - Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad Company-Acquisition Exemption-Laurel Hill Development Corporation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-13

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35584] Southwest Pennsylvania Railroad Company--Acquisition Exemption-- Laurel Hill Development Corporation Southwest... 49 CFR 1150.41 to acquire a number of rail lines now owned by Laurel Hill Development Corporation...

  7. 77 FR 25910 - National Trails System Act and Railroad Rights-of-Way

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-02

    ...] National Trails System Act and Railroad Rights-of-Way AGENCY: Surface Transportation Board, DOT. ACTION...) for rail banking and interim trail use under the National Trails System Act (Trails Act). New rules are adopted that require the parties jointly to notify the Board when an interim trail use/rail...

  8. 75 FR 7303 - Drake Cement, LLC-Acquisition Exemption-Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-18

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Finance Docket No. 35350] Drake Cement, LLC--Acquisition Exemption--Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad, LLC Drake Cement, LLC (DC), a..., Drake Switching Company, LLC --Operation Exemption-- Drake Cement, LLC. DC certifies that the projected...

  9. Driver behavior at highway-railroad grade crossings : a literature review from 1990-2006

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-10-01

    Accidents at grade crossings continue to be the leading cause of fatalities in the railroad industry. A large proportion of these accidents are the result of driver error. The purpose of this report is to review research that addresses driver behavio...

  10. Is it feasible to pool funds for local children's services in England? Evidence from the national evaluation of children's trust pathfinders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorgelly, Paula; Bachmann, Max; Shreeve, Ann; Reading, Richard; Thorburn, June; Mugford, Miranda; O'Brien, Margaret; Husbands, Chris

    2009-01-01

    To describe how funds were pooled or otherwise jointly managed by National Health Service (NHS) primary care trusts and local authorities in England. To compare expenditure on local children's services by health, education and social services. We conducted a questionnaire survey of all 35 children's trust pathfinders, six months after they were launched, with a follow-up at 2.5 years. We also undertook an in-depth analysis of local authorities and primary care trusts, within eight pathfinder areas and three non-pathfinder areas, whereby we compared expenditure on children's services, interviewed managers and professionals and examined financial documents. Local authorities and NHS trusts coordinated expenditure in various ways, most commonly through informal agreements and aligning budgets but also by formally pooling budgets. The latter were usually for selected services such as child and adolescent mental health services, though four children's trusts pathfinders pooled (or aligned) their budgets for all children's services. Total expenditure per child was greatest for education, lowest for social services and intermediate for health. However, it was difficult to quantify education expenditure on children with health and social care needs, and health care expenditure on children. Sharing money for local children's services requires shared objectives, trust, and legal and accounting expertise. Several different mechanisms are permitted and many are feasible but programme budgeting for children's services could make them more effective.

  11. Converting abandoned railroads to recreation use in Isabella and Midland Counties: a comparison of residents and businesses adjacent to a rail-trail

    Science.gov (United States)

    Afke Moufakkir-van der Woud; Christine A. Vogt; Joel Lynch; Charles Nelson

    2003-01-01

    Converting abandoned railroad corridors to recreational trails often generates opposition from adjacent residents. Opposition can arise during the planning process of establishing the trail. However, concerns about abandoned railroads being converted to trails are often misconceptions. Once a park is developed these concerns often disappear. This research examined the...

  12. Decentralized Local Services for Improvement of Quality of Life in the Republic of Macedonia, Case Study Tetovo Municipality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Memet Memeti

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available The process of decentralization in Macedonia began in July 2005, after the adaption of theconstitutional amendments made which triggered the process of the decentralization in the Republic ofMacedonia. Having in mind that the decentralization implied structural changes in the Macedonian politicalsystem and in relations between the central and the local government, the implementation of the process ofthe decentralization was designed with a phased approach in order to accommodate the local governmentinstitutions with the new competencies. Among others the process of decentralization had an objective tobring the local authorities closer to the citizens through provision of quality local services. In addition it aimsto provide an opportunity for broader participation and representation of the citizens in their communities.This paper attempts to answer three main questions related to quality public services: - The process ofdecentralization has helped to improve the quality of public services? - What areas of public services undermunicipal jurisdiction are satisfied with it? - How much would you like to be informed about communityactivities? In this paper we are going to analyze the findings from the field research about the quality ofpublic service that provide the municipality of Tetovo of R. Macedonia. The paper focuses on the satisfactionon the public services and provides recommendations for future improvement of the decentralized publicservices in the Republic of Macedonia.

  13. Using cognitive task analysis to inform issues in human systems integration in railroad operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-23

    U.S. Railroad operations are undergoing rapid changes involving the introduction of new technologies such as positive train control (PTC), energy management systems (EMS), and electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brakes in the locomotive cab. To...

  14. Quality of local authority occupational therapy services: developing an instrument to measure the user's perspective.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Calnan, S.; Sixma, H.J.; Calnan, M.W.; Groenewegen, P.P.

    2000-01-01

    The aims of this paper are threefold: (1) to describe the development of an instrument measuring quality of care from the specific perspective of the users of local authority occupational therapy services; (2) to present the results from a survey of users' views about the quality of services offered

  15. Demographic profile of intentional fatalities on railroad rights-of-way in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-01

    One of the Federal Railroad Administrations (FRA) primary safety concerns is trespassing on railway rights-of-way. Some trespasser events end as fatalities which can be intentional or unintentional. This project reviews available trespasser data t...

  16. New CLGF Four-Year Grant to Help Local Government Service Delivery and Boost CLGF’s Research Capacity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lucy Slack

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The UK Department for International Development (UK AID has agreed £4.5 million funding for a four-year CLGF programme to improve governance and service delivery at local level in several areas of the Commonwealth including Africa and Asia from 2012-16. It will also help to support national policy frameworks for local government service delivery, and increase engagement of local government in regional policy planning and implementation. CLGF will continue to work with its members, UN partners and others to mobilise more resources towards the support of local government in the Commonwealth. The new programme will focus on local government pilot projects in LED, supporting ministries and local government associations in strengthening their national policy making for local government, and establish regional forums to enable local government to engage in and influence regional policy making to reflect the needs and priorities of local government. It will also boost CLGF’s research capacity with targeted research to strengthen CLGF’s policy making and advocacy, including more sustained engagement in international policy debates on key issues affecting local government, such as climate change.

  17. The impact of local public services and geographical cost of living differences on poverty estimates

    OpenAIRE

    Aaberge, Rolf; Langørgen, Audun; Mogstad, Magne; Østensen, Marit

    2008-01-01

    Abstract: Despite a broad consensus on the need to account for the value of public services and geographical cost of living differences on the measurement of poverty, there is little reliable evidence on how these factors actually affect poverty estimates. Unlike the standard approach in studies of the distribution of public services, this paper employs a method for valuing sector-specific local public services that accounts for differences between municipalities in the costs and capacity ...

  18. 76 FR 6517 - San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad-Petition for a Declaratory Order

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-04

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35380] San Luis & Rio... petition filed by San Luis & Rio Grande Railroad (SLRG), the Board instituted a declaratory order... proposed operation of a truck-to-rail transload facility in Antonito, Colorado. See San Luis & Rio Grande R...

  19. Users' demographic profile and quality attributes of bus services: The perspectives of users, operators and local authorities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noh, Nur'Amirah Mhd.; Hamid, Ahmad Hilmy Abd

    2017-10-01

    Bus services that can help meet almost every bus user's needs are the goals of bus operators. Despite such an idealistic view, the operators themselves, users and even the local authorities have been found to hold different views about the quality of service that the bus should deliver. As the users i.e., customers are considered as important stakeholders, understanding their characteristics, profile and pattern is very crucial. To this end, the present study has attempted to gauge the perspectives of all the above-mentioned stakeholders. For the users, a customer satisfaction survey was employed to look into the relative influence of service attributes. In addition, surveys were also administered to bus operators and local authorities to study their perspectives in relation to this matter. 450 randomly selected respondents were surveyed. Identification of the service level was analyzed through the Likert scale whereas the perspectives of the operators and authorities were dealt with through mean value Analysis. Specifically, this study aims to identify the crucial attributes in determining the quality of the bus services. Findings of the study indicated that different attributes were selected by users, operators and authorities, which clearly enlightened the variations of the important attributes in determining the level of bus service quality. In its attempt to compare the service level attributes from three perspectives, this study has helped advance better improvement and strategies for the urban public bus operators and planners, in addition to the authorities in delivering user-friendly bus services by taking into account the local context, user profile and demographic characteristics.

  20. “Sapsan”-carriages defrosting station of Nizhniy Novgorod railway service enterprise and its surface waste water purification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strelkov, Alexander; Teplykh, Svetlana; Gorshkalev, Pavel; Bystranova, Anastasia

    2017-10-01

    Surface water disposal is one of the most relevant problems for Nizhniy Novgorod railway service enterprises. Waste water must be quickly removed with special drainage devices and water drainage facilities (culverts, slope drains, pipes, ditches, etc.). During “Sapsan”-carriages defrosting watse water is aggregated on railroad tracks. It leads to track bed structure sagging, roadbed washaway and damages to point switches. In this paper the authors describe a concrete system of waste water disposal from railway service enterprises. This system is realized through culverts readjusted at the foot of ballast section. Thereafter, the collected water is pumped into a water collector and to local sewage waste-disposal plants. For railway stations with three or more tracks surface runoff diversion scheme depends on topography, railway tracks types, flow discharge and is compiled individually for each object. This paper examines “Sapsan”-carriages defrosting station of Nizhniy Novgorod railway service enterprise. It presents a technology scheme and equipment consisting of Sand catcher LOS-P, Oil catcher LOS-N, pressure-tight flotation unit; drain feed pump; solution-consuming tank of the coagulant, the solution-consuming tank of flocculant. The proposed technology has been introduced into the project practice.

  1. How can global conventions for biodiversity and ecosystem services guide local conservation actions?

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geijzendorffer, Ilse R.; van Teeffelen, Astrid; Allison, Hilary; Braun, Daniela; Horgan, K.; Iturrate-Garcia, Maitane; Santos, Maria João; Pellissier, Loïc; Prieur-Richard, Anne-Helene; Quatrini, Simone; Sakai, Shoko; Zuppinger-Dingley, Debra

    2017-01-01

    With global science-policy conventions for biodiversity and ecosystem services in place, much effort goes into monitoring and reporting on the progress toward policy targets. As conservation actions happen locally, can such global monitoring and reporting efforts effectively guide conservation

  2. Private Capital, Public Goods: Forest Plantations' Investment in Local Infrastructure and Social Services in Rural Tanzania

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Degnet, M.B.; Werf, van der E.; Ingram, V.J.; Wesseler, Justus

    2017-01-01

    With the rapid expansion of private forest plantations worldwide, their impacts on local development are under scrutiny by NGOs and researchers alike. This study investigates the impacts of private forest plantations on local infrastructure and social services in rural Tanzania. We take a

  3. Use of fees to fund local public health services in Western Massachusetts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shila Waritu, A; Bulzacchelli, Maria T; Begay, Michael E

    2015-01-01

    Recent budget cuts have forced many local health departments (LHDs) to cut staff and services. Setting fees that cover the cost of service provision is one option for continuing to fund certain activities. To describe the use of fees by LHDs in Western Massachusetts and determine whether fees charged cover the cost of providing selected services. A cross-sectional descriptive analysis was used to identify the types of services for which fees are charged and the fee amounts charged. A comparative cost analysis was conducted to compare fees charged with estimated costs of service provision. Fifty-nine LHDs in Western Massachusetts. Number of towns charging fees for selected types of services; minimum, maximum, and mean fee amounts; estimated cost of service provision; number of towns experiencing a surplus or deficit for each service; and average size of deficits experienced. Enormous variation exists both in the types of services for which fees are charged and fee amounts charged. Fees set by most health departments did not cover the cost of service provision. Some fees were set as much as $600 below estimated costs. These results suggest that considerations other than costs of service provision factor into the setting of fees by LHDs in Western Massachusetts. Given their limited and often uncertain funding, LHDs could benefit from examining their fee schedules to ensure that the fee amounts charged cover the costs of providing the services. Cost estimates should include at least the health agent's wage and time spent performing inspections and completing paperwork, travel expenses, and cost of necessary materials.

  4. Laboratory investigation of fire protection coatings for creosote-treated timber railroad bridges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carol A. Clausen; Robert H. White; James P. Wacker; Stan T. Lebow; Mark A. Dietenberger; Samuel L. Zelinka; Nicole M. Stark

    2014-01-01

    As the incidence of timber railroad bridge fires increases, so has the need to develop protective measures to reduce the risk from accidental ignitions primarily caused by hot metal objects. Of the six barrier treatments evaluated in the laboratory for their ability to protect timbers from fires sourced with ignition from hot metal objects only one intumescent coating...

  5. 77 FR 38884 - Sisseton Milbank Railroad Company-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-SLA Property Management...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-06-29

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35641] Sisseton Milbank Railroad Company--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--SLA Property Management Limited Partnership and... verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to acquire from SLA Property Management Limited...

  6. Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad: Bringing a Second-Grade Social Studies Curriculum Online.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Strangman, Nicole

    2002-01-01

    Includes an interview with second-grade teacher Patty Taverna and computer teacher Terry Hongell. Explains that their collaboration on social studies projects yielded some remarkable activities. Outlines the first such project--the "Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad" website. (PM)

  7. Local and regional energy companies offering energy services: Key activities and implications for the business model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kindström, Daniel; Ottosson, Mikael

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • Many companies providing energy services are experiencing difficulties. • This research identifies key activities for the provision of energy services. • Findings are aggregated to the business-model level providing managerial insights. • This research identifies two different business model innovation paths. • Energy companies may need to renew parts of, or the entire, business model. - Abstract: Energy services play a key role in increasing energy efficiency in the industry. The key actors in these services are the local and regional energy companies that are increasingly implementing energy services as part of their market offering and developing service portfolios. Although expectations for energy services have been high, progress has so far been limited, and many companies offering energy services, including energy companies, are experiencing difficulties in implementing energy services and providing them to the market. Overall, this research examines what is needed for local and regional energy companies to successfully implement energy services (and consequently provide them to the market). In doing this, a two-stage process is used: first, we identify key activities for the successful implementation of energy services, and second, we aggregate the findings to the business model level. This research demonstrates that to succeed in implementing energy services, an energy company may need to renew parts or all of its existing product-based business model, formulate a new business model, or develop coexisting multiple business models. By discussing two distinct business model innovation processes, this research demonstrates that there can be different paths to success.

  8. MARKET-BASED MECHANISM IN PUBLIC SERVICE DELIVERY IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN POLAND – A BRIEF OVERVIEW

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dawid Sześciło

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available The reintroduction of local self-government at the level of communes (gminy in 1990 opened the way for an in-depth reform of the local governance framework in Poland. This included not only the legal, organizational and fiscal autonomisation of local communities, but also went in line with general trends concerning the transformation of the public sector. Therefore, among the core elements of the transformation we may identify the extensive privatization of the public service provision schemes. In Poland, this process was not based on the theoretical background of New Public Management, as was the case in a number of Western countries. Instead, it was natural consequence of the rebirth of a market economy with a limited public sector and the intense development of the private market. Those trends were, however, compatible with the NPM programme. The expansion of market-based mechanisms in public service delivery is one of its pillars. This article provides a historical overview of the development of market-based arrangements in public service provision at the most basic level of Polish local government. It is focused mainly on a legal framework, but also includes some observations on the practical side of this process.

  9. Towards improved waste management services by local government – A waste governance perspective

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Oelofse, Suzanna HH

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available In terms of the South African Constitution (Act 108of 1996), waste management service delivery is a local government function. The Constitution further gives every person the right to an environment that is not harmful to their health or well...

  10. Deregulation strategies for local governments and the role/opportunities for energy efficiency services in the utility industry deregulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tseng, P.C.

    1998-01-01

    As the future shape of the electric utility industry continues to unfold and as retail competition becomes a reality, local governments are faced with balancing the need for: (1) economic development; (2) and to avoid the potential impact of cost-shifting among residents and businesses, while ensuring reliable and universal energy services. Furthermore, local governments need to find ways to recoup potential loss of franchise and tax revenues, to ensure fair and adequate energy-efficiency programs, and to continue other social programs for low income families. This paper will address two important issues every local government in the US are facing: (1) the development of viable deregulation strategies before, during and after the promulgation of utility deregulation; (2) opportunities for energy efficiency services in the competitive markets to serve local governments, which typically constitutes the largest market segment in utility's service territory. This paper presents issues and challenges common to all local governments. It documents strategies that several local governments are utilizing to embrace the coming electric utility restructuring and competition challenge to the benefits of their respective communities. This paper presents the results on deregulation work by the City of Portland, Oregon, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and Montgomery County, Maryland. The research by these local governments was sponsored by the Urban Consortium Energy Task Force and Public Technology, Inc

  11. Deregulation strategies for local governments and the role/opportunities for energy efficiency services in the utility industry deregulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tseng, P.C.

    1998-07-01

    As the future shape of the electric utility industry continues to unfold and as retail competition becomes a reality, local governments are faced with balancing the need for: (1) economic development; (2) and to avoid the potential impact of cost-shifting among residents and businesses, while ensuring reliable and universal energy services. Furthermore, local governments need to find ways to recoup potential loss of franchise and tax revenues, to ensure fair and adequate energy-efficiency programs, and to continue other social programs for low income families. This paper will address two important issues every local government in the US are facing: (1) the development of viable deregulation strategies before, during and after the promulgation of utility deregulation; (2) opportunities for energy efficiency services in the competitive markets to serve local governments, which typically constitutes the largest market segment in utility's service territory. This paper presents issues and challenges common to all local governments. It documents strategies that several local governments are utilizing to embrace the coming electric utility restructuring and competition challenge to the benefits of their respective communities. This paper presents the results on deregulation work by the City of Portland, Oregon, Barnstable County, Massachusetts, and Montgomery County, Maryland. The research by these local governments was sponsored by the Urban Consortium Energy Task Force and Public Technology, Inc.

  12. Applying an extended theory of planned behavior to predicting violations at automated railroad crossings.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palat, Blazej; Paran, Françoise; Delhomme, Patricia

    2017-01-01

    Based on an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB, Ajzen, 1985, 1991), we conducted surveys in order to explain and predict violations at a railroad crossing, among pedestrians (n=153) and car drivers (n=151). Measures were made with respect to three chronologically related railroad crossing situations that varied in risk level. The situations were described in scenarios and depicted on photographs. The participants were recruited in the suburbs of Paris, at two automated railroad crossings with four half-barriers. We found that the pedestrians had stronger crossing intentions than did car drivers, especially at the more congested crossing of the two under study. For both categories of road users, intentions and the amount of intention variance explained by the extended TPB factors decreased significantly with risk level. In the most dangerous situations, risk-taking was the most unlikely and the least predictable Self-reported past frequency of crossing against safety warning devices was the main predictor of the intention to commit this violation again, especially among males, followed by the attitude and the injunctive norm in favor the violation. Moreover, car drivers were influenced in their crossing intentions by the descriptive norm. The presence of another vehicle on the tracks when the safety warning devices were activated was perceived not as facilitating, but as an additional risk factor. The discussion addresses the importance of taking into account these determinants of violations in conceiving countermeasures. Our findings could be especially useful for conceiving risk-communication campaigns. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. The early mills, railroads, and logging camps of the Crossett Lumber Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    O.H. Doogie Darling; Don C. Bragg

    2008-01-01

    Form the earliest small-scale logging and milling operations to the multinational conglomerates of today, the timber industry has long shaped the social and economic history of the southern United States. Nowhere is this more true than in Crossett, Arkansas. Born of the axe and saw, oxen and steam engines, and nurtured by the railroad during its infancy, Crossett was...

  14. 78 FR 77791 - Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation-Abandonment Exemption-in Scott County, Iowa

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-12-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 337 (Sub-No. 7X)] Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation--Abandonment Exemption--in Scott County, Iowa Dakota, Minnesota... as Blackhawk Spur, between milepost 0.33+/- and milepost 0.99 +/- in Scott County, Iowa (the Line...

  15. 78 FR 41993 - Transport Handling Specialists, Inc.-Continuance in Control Exemption-RSL Railroad, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-07-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35726] Transport Handling Specialists, Inc.--Continuance in Control Exemption--RSL Railroad, LLC Transport Handling Specialists, Inc. (THS), has filed a verified notice of exemption (Notice) under 49 CFR 1180.2(d)(2) to continue in...

  16. Campaign monitoring of railroad bridges in high-speed rail shared corridors using wireless smart sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-06-01

    This research project used wireless smart sensors to develop a cost-effective and practical portable structural health monitoring : system for railroad bridges in North America. The system is designed for periodic deployment rather than as a permanen...

  17. 75 FR 22763 - Office of Postsecondary Education; Overview Information: Underground Railroad Educational and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-30

    ... lessons to be drawn from the history of the Underground Railroad. Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1153..., including the lessons to be drawn from such history. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The Federal Government..., including the lessons to be drawn from such history; (ii) Maintain such artifacts and materials; (iii) Make...

  18. Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan for Corrective Action Unit 539: Area 25 and Area 26 Railroad Tracks, Nevada Test Site, Nevada, Revision 0

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mark Krauss

    2010-06-01

    This Streamlined Approach for Environmental Restoration (SAFER) Plan addresses the actions needed to achieve closure for Corrective Action Unit (CAU) 539, Areas 25 and 26 Railroad Tracks, as identified in the Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (FFACO). A modification to the FFACOwas approved in May 2010 to transfer the two Railroad Tracks corrective action sites (CASs) from CAU 114 into CAU539. The two CASs are located in Areas 25 and 26 of the Nevada Test Site: • 25-99-21, Area 25 Railroad Tracks • 26-99-05, Area 26 Railroad Tracks This plan provides the methodology for field activities needed to gather the necessary information for closing the two CASs. There is sufficient information and process knowledge from historical documentation and investigations of similar sites regarding the expected nature and extent of potential contaminants to recommend closure of the CAU 539 Railroad Tracks CASs using the SAFER process. Additional information will be obtained by conducting a field investigation before selecting the appropriate corrective action for each CAS. The results of the field investigation should support a defensible recommendation that no further corrective action is necessary. If it is determined that complete clean closure cannot be accomplished during the SAFER, then a hold point will have been reached and the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) will be consulted to determine whether the remaining contamination will be closed under the alternative corrective action of closure in place with use restrictions. This will be presented in a closure report that will be prepared and submitted to the NDEP for review and approval. The sites will be investigated based on the data quality objectives (DQOs) developed on December 14, 2009, by representatives of U.S.Department of Energy (DOE), National Nuclear Security Administration Nevada Site Office; Navarro Nevada Environmental Services, LLC (NNES); and National Security Technologies

  19. Robots conquering local government services

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Jeppe Agger; Andersen, Kim Normann; Sigh, Anne

    2016-01-01

    labour-intensive services, the public administration research community is short on knowledge of the impact on the work processes carried out in public organizations and how staff and clients react toward robots. This case study investigates the implementation and use of robot vacuum cleaners in Danish......The movement of robots from the production line to the service sector provides a potentially radical solution to innovate and transform public service delivery. Although robots are increasingly being adopted in service delivery (e.g., health- and eldercare) to enhance and in some cases substitute...... eldercare, demonstrating how robot vacuums have proven to have considerable interpretive flexibility with variation in the perceived nature of technology, technology strategy, and technology use between key stakeholders in eldercare....

  20. Service utilization in community health centers in China: a comparison analysis with local hospitals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Xiaohang

    2006-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Being an important part of China's Urban Health Care Reform System, Community Health Centers (CHCs have been established throughout the entire country and are presently undergoing substantial reconstruction. However, the services being delivered by the CHCs are far from reaching their performance targets. In order to assess the role of the CHCs, we examined their performance in six cities located in regions of South-East China. The purpose of this investigation was to identify the utilization and the efficiency of community health resources that are able to provide basic medical and public health services. Methods The study was approved by Peking University Health Science Center Institutional Reviewing Board (NO: IRB00001052-T1. Data were collected from all the local health bureaux and processed using SPSS software. Methods of analysis mainly included: descriptive analysis, paired T-test and one-way ANOVA. Results The six main functions of the CHCs were not fully exploited and the surveys that were collected on their efficiency and utilization of resources indicate that they have a low level of performance and lack the trust of local communities. Furthermore, the CHCs seriously lack funding support and operate under difficult circumstances, and residents have less positive attitudes towards them. Conclusion The community health service must be adjusted according to the requirements of urban medical and health reform, taking into account communities' health needs. More research is required on the living standards and health needs of residents living within the CHC's range, taking into consideration the users' needs in expanding the newly implemented service, and at the same time revising the old service system so as to make the development of CHCs realistic and capable of providing a better service to patients. Several suggestions are put forward for an attainable scheme for developing a community health service.

  1. Accountability and governance in local public services: The particular case of mixed companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuno Ferreira da Cruz

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The growing budget restrictions and decentralization processes that local governments face nowadays are threatening the sustainability of local public services. To overcome this problem, local decision-makers around the world have been developing ambiguous reforms, leading to various governance models. Since these services are essential for citizens’ welfare, it is crucial to determine whether or not these models have been effective and useful to cope with this state of affairs. To offer extra leverage to key projects, the European governments have been resorting to public-private partnerships (PPPs. One of the visible trends, which lacks further research, has been the use of mixed public-private companies (institutionalized PPPs. Although it is recognized that this solution can be interesting for both public and private sides, it has some particular features that can avert the aimed goals. This paper provides a literature review on mixed companies encompassing theoretical, legal and operational aspects. It also focuses on regulation by contract, referring to a particular Portuguese case study in the water sector and explaining how the municipality handled risk allocation and regulated the access to the market of private investors. Finally, it discusses the need for external regulation and makes suggestions on how these processes should be managed right from the bidding stage

  2. Radiological verification survey results at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur, Pequannock, New Jersey (PJ008V)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, R.E.; Johnson, C.A.

    1995-05-01

    The US Department of Energy (DOE) conducted remedial action during 1993 at the Pompton Plains railroad spur and eight vicinity properties in the Wayne and Pequannock Townships in New Jersey as part of the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program (FUSRAP). These properties are in the vicinity of the DOE-owned Wayne Interim Storage Site (WISS), formerly the W.R. Grace facility. The property at the Pompton Plains Railroad Spur, Pequannock, New Jersey is one of these vicinity properties. At the request of DOE, a team from Oak Ridge National Laboratory conducted an independent radiological verification survey at this property. The purpose of the survey, conducted between September and December 1993, was to confirm the success of the remedial actions performed to remove any radioactive materials in excess of the identified guidelines. The verification survey included surface gamma scans and gamma readings at 1 meter, beta-gamma scans, and the collection of soil and debris samples for radionuclide analysis. Results of the survey demonstrated that all radiological measurements on the property at the Pompton Plains railroad spur were within applicable DOE guidelines. Based on the results of the remedial action data and confirmed by the verification survey data, the portions of the site that had been remediated during this action successfully meet the DOE remedial action objectives

  3. Measuring the value of the city brand and its position in the minds of users of local services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miljanović Mirjana P.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Cities compete with each other in order to attract more tourists, investors, businesses or residents today. Therefore, more and more attention is paid to the brand building and promotion of the city to the users of local services. However, the perception of the city (brand can drastically vary among the users. The goal of this paper is to explore how the city of Trebinje is positioned in the minds of local services users. Determination of the status, image, and value of the city brand was carried out on the example of the city of Trebinje using Anholt-GfK Roper City Brands Index. Sample consisted of 505 respondents with four groups of local services users: residents, tourists, businessman, and investors. Key information is obtained from data processing after the survey, i.e. analysis of data obtained from questionnaires prepared for the purposes of this research.

  4. Local Flexibility Market Design for Aggregators Providing Multiple Flexibility Services at Distribution Network Level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pol Olivella-Rosell

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a general description of local flexibility markets as a market-based management mechanism for aggregators. The high penetration of distributed energy resources introduces new flexibility services like prosumer or community self-balancing, congestion management and time-of-use optimization. This work is focused on the flexibility framework to enable multiple participants to compete for selling or buying flexibility. In this framework, the aggregator acts as a local market operator and supervises flexibility transactions of the local energy community. Local market participation is voluntary. Potential flexibility stakeholders are the distribution system operator, the balance responsible party and end-users themselves. Flexibility is sold by means of loads, generators, storage units and electric vehicles. Finally, this paper presents needed interactions between all local market stakeholders, the corresponding inputs and outputs of local market operation algorithms from participants and a case study to highlight the application of the local flexibility market in three scenarios. The local market framework could postpone grid upgrades, reduce energy costs and increase distribution grids’ hosting capacity.

  5. Contracting out local road and park services: Economic effects and their strategic, contractual, and competitive conditions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lindholst, Andrej Christian; Petersen, Ole Helby; Houlberg, Kurt

    2018-01-01

    such as markets, contracts, municipal strategies and contracting history influence these outcomes. Drawing on original survey data from Danish municipalities, we find that competitive tendering has on average reduced costs. Further analysis shows that savings are not associated with lower quality, thus indicating......The economic rationale for contracting out local services is increasingly contested by empirical research. This article aims to contribute to this literature, first by scrutinising the economic effects of contracting out in local road and park services and, second, by exploring how characteristics...... realise larger savings, whereas the characteristics of markets and contracts do not seem to explain variations in cost savings....

  6. A Methodology for Evaluating User Perceptions of the Delivery of ICT Services: a comparative study of six UK local authorities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Les Worrall

    2000-11-01

    Full Text Available Evaluating and managing the effective delivery of ICT services is an issue that has been brought into sharper relief recently. This has been particularly prevalent in the UK public sector where the growing emphasis on formalised client-contractor relationships, outsourcing and benchmarking (both between local authorities and between local authorities and private sector organisations has meant that the definition of service standards and agreeing performance criteria has attracted considerable practitioner attention. This research is based on 295 interviews conducted in six UK local authorities. The investigation used both gap analysis and perceptual mapping techniques to develop an understanding of the aspects of ICT service delivery that users' value most in conjunction with an assessment of how well they perceive their ICT department is performing on these criteria. The paper exposes considerable differences in the relative performance of the six local authorities from both the gap analysis and the perceptual mapping elements of the investigation. The methodology is shown to provide an effective way of identifying key performance issues from the user perspective and benchmarking service performance across organisations.

  7. Assessment of micro-superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) utility in railroad applications : a report to Congress

    Science.gov (United States)

    1997-07-01

    At the direction of the U.S. Congress, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), with technical support from the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), investigated the feasibility of using micro-Superconducting Magnetic Energy...

  8. 75 FR 1447 - Alaska Railroad Corporation-Construction and Operation Exemption-Rail Line Between North Pole and...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-11

    ... proposed NRE would extend southeasterly from Mile 20 on ARRC's existing Eielson Branch near the community... Railroad Administration, U.S. Air Force 354th Fighter Wing Command from Eielson Air Force Base, U.S. Army...

  9. 78 FR 29775 - Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-21

    ... Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice... Miller, National Manager, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, National Park Service...: OMB Control Number: 1024-0232. Title: National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program...

  10. 75 FR 7537 - Elkhart & Western Railroad Co.-Lease and Operation Exemption-Norfolk Southern Railway Company

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-19

    ... Michigan Southern Railroad Company--Corporate Family Transaction Exemption, STB Finance Docket No. 33941... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Finance Docket No. 35347] Elkhart... becomes effective). An original and 10 copies of all pleadings, referring to STB Finance Docket No. 35347...

  11. 78 FR 47051 - Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad, L.C.-Trackage Rights Exemption-Drake Cement, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-08-02

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35742] Clarkdale Arizona Central Railroad, L.C.--Trackage Rights Exemption--Drake Cement, LLC Drake Cement, LLC (Drake), pursuant to a written Trackage Rights Agreement (Agreement) dated May 11, 2012, has agreed to grant overhead...

  12. 49 CFR 266.1 - Definitions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... a common carrier maintains any line. State Rail Plan means the current plan, including all updates... TRANSPORTATION ASSISTANCE TO STATES FOR LOCAL RAIL SERVICE UNDER SECTION 5 OF THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION... of railroad or other rail properties, or any interest therein for existing or future rail freight...

  13. Adaptive particle filter for localization problem in service robotics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heilig Alexander

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper we present a statistical approach to the likelihood computation and adaptive resampling algorithm for particle filters using low cost ultrasonic sensors in the context of service robotics. This increases the efficiency of the particle filter in the Monte Carlo Localization problem by means of preventing sample impoverishment and ensuring it converges towards the most likely particle and simultaneously keeping less likely ones by systematic resampling. Proposed algorithms were developed in the ROS framework, simulation was done in Gazebo environment. Experiments using a differential drive mobile platform with 4 ultrasonic sensors in the office environment show that our approach provides strong improvement over particle filters with fixed sample sizes.

  14. 77 FR 68817 - 60-Day Notice of Intention To Request Clearance of Collection of Information; Opportunity for...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-11-16

    ... reference OMB Control Number ``1024- 0232, National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network to... Manager, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, National Park Service, Midwest [email protected] . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract Public Law 105-23, National Underground Railroad...

  15. 78 FR 59754 - Notice of Application for Approval of Railroad Safety Program Plan and Product Safety Plan

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-27

    ... crewmembers or roadway workers. It does so while increasing railroad productivity and significantly improving... the document, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). See http://www...

  16. Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad: A Drama Workshop for Junior High and High School Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabone, Carmine; Albrecht, Robert

    2000-01-01

    Claims drama in the classroom offers teachers an opportunity to "bring to life" the challenges and triumphs of African Americans. Describes a drama workshop based on the story of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. (NH)

  17. Probabilistic Approach to Conditional Probability of Release of Hazardous Materials from Railroad Tank Cars during Accidents

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-10-13

    This paper describes a probabilistic approach to estimate the conditional probability of release of hazardous materials from railroad tank cars during train accidents. Monte Carlo methods are used in developing a probabilistic model to simulate head ...

  18. Strengthening capacity for local evidence to inform local responders to HIV in a remote Solomon Island health service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David MacLaren

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Background: Documenting specific knowledge and attitudes about HIV in the culturally diverse nation of Solomon Islands is essential to inform locally targeted public health responses. As part of a large capacity-strengthening project at Atoifi Adventist Hospital in East Kwaio, Solomon Islands, researchers, using a ‘learn-by-doing’ process, worked with participants in public health research methods. Methods: Overall, 43 people attended research capacity building workshops in 2011; eight joined the HIV study group. A cross-sectional survey including semi-structured interviews on HIV was conducted by the group. In February 2014, a hospital administrator was interviewed about how the 2011 study informed local HIV responses. Results: Of the 53 survey participants, 64% self-assessed as having little or no HIV knowledge, but 90% knew HIV could be transmitted between men and women during sex. Less than 50% knew HIV could be transmitted between two men having sex, 45% thought HIV could be transmitted by mosquitoes and 55% agreed condoms help protect from HIV. Most participants reported negative attitudes towards people with HIV. Three years later the health administrator reported ad hoc responses to HIV because of low HIV prevalence, increasing noncommunicable diseases, staff turnover and resource shortages. Discussion: This HIV study was used to strengthen research skills in local health professionals and community members in Solomon Islands. It showed that community members require accurate information about HIV transmission and that entrenched stigma is an issue. Although results provided local evidence for local response, ongoing health system challenges and little local HIV transmission meant HIV services remain rudimentary.

  19. 78 FR 57680 - Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-in Allegheny County, PA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-09-19

    ... employee adversely affected by the abandonment shall be protected under Oregon Short Line Railroad.... 91 (1979). To address whether this condition adequately protects affected employees, a petition for..., if any, of the abandonment on the environment and historic resources. OEA will issue an environmental...

  20. Mapping regional livelihood benefits from local ecosystem services assessments in rural Sahel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malmborg, Katja; Sinare, Hanna; Enfors Kautsky, Elin; Ouedraogo, Issa; Gordon, Line J

    2018-01-01

    Most current approaches to landscape scale ecosystem service assessments rely on detailed secondary data. This type of data is seldom available in regions with high levels of poverty and strong local dependence on provisioning ecosystem services for livelihoods. We develop a method to extrapolate results from a previously published village scale ecosystem services assessment to a higher administrative level, relevant for land use decision making. The method combines remote sensing (using a hybrid classification method) and interviews with community members. The resulting landscape scale maps show the spatial distribution of five different livelihood benefits (nutritional diversity, income, insurance/saving, material assets and energy, and crops for consumption) that illustrate the strong multifunctionality of the Sahelian landscapes. The maps highlight the importance of a diverse set of sub-units of the landscape in supporting Sahelian livelihoods. We see a large potential in using the resulting type of livelihood benefit maps for guiding future land use decisions in the Sahel.

  1. Mapping regional livelihood benefits from local ecosystem services assessments in rural Sahel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sinare, Hanna; Enfors Kautsky, Elin; Ouedraogo, Issa; Gordon, Line J.

    2018-01-01

    Most current approaches to landscape scale ecosystem service assessments rely on detailed secondary data. This type of data is seldom available in regions with high levels of poverty and strong local dependence on provisioning ecosystem services for livelihoods. We develop a method to extrapolate results from a previously published village scale ecosystem services assessment to a higher administrative level, relevant for land use decision making. The method combines remote sensing (using a hybrid classification method) and interviews with community members. The resulting landscape scale maps show the spatial distribution of five different livelihood benefits (nutritional diversity, income, insurance/saving, material assets and energy, and crops for consumption) that illustrate the strong multifunctionality of the Sahelian landscapes. The maps highlight the importance of a diverse set of sub-units of the landscape in supporting Sahelian livelihoods. We see a large potential in using the resulting type of livelihood benefit maps for guiding future land use decisions in the Sahel. PMID:29389965

  2. Mapping regional livelihood benefits from local ecosystem services assessments in rural Sahel.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katja Malmborg

    Full Text Available Most current approaches to landscape scale ecosystem service assessments rely on detailed secondary data. This type of data is seldom available in regions with high levels of poverty and strong local dependence on provisioning ecosystem services for livelihoods. We develop a method to extrapolate results from a previously published village scale ecosystem services assessment to a higher administrative level, relevant for land use decision making. The method combines remote sensing (using a hybrid classification method and interviews with community members. The resulting landscape scale maps show the spatial distribution of five different livelihood benefits (nutritional diversity, income, insurance/saving, material assets and energy, and crops for consumption that illustrate the strong multifunctionality of the Sahelian landscapes. The maps highlight the importance of a diverse set of sub-units of the landscape in supporting Sahelian livelihoods. We see a large potential in using the resulting type of livelihood benefit maps for guiding future land use decisions in the Sahel.

  3. The Important of the Usage of Information Technology during the Local Services: Special Provincial Administration of Kırşehir

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mustafa KOCAOĞLU

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The development of information and communication technologies has accelerated public service delivery through the application of information technologies in the world. In addition to these improvements, as a consequence of the reform efforts in the 2000s, important changes have occurred in the quality and quantity of the duties of local governments. It is expressed that the usage of information technologies for public service provision is making important contribution to local governments to fulfill their duties and responsibilities. In this paper aims the analyze that the usage of information technology during the local services delivery at The Special Provincial Administration of Kırşehir. Survey and interview were used as a method of the field research and additionally, the web site of the institute was analyzed. The results of the survey revealed that it has made progress in the efforts of computerization and web site development. The institute is expected to show progress on online service delivery and online management.

  4. 78 FR 66326 - Hazardous Materials: Rail Petitions and Recommendations To Improve the Safety of Railroad Tank...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-05

    ...: Rail Petitions and Recommendations To Improve the Safety of Railroad Tank Car Transportation (RRR) AGENCY: Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA), DOT. ACTION: Advance Notice of... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration 49 CFR Parts...

  5. Transformational Effects of Museum Exhibits upon Their Patrons: The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caruso-Woolard, Cassandra

    2013-01-01

    The focus of this research was on the affective learning experienced at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center--a museum that tells the history of slavery in the United States, the courage, cooperation, and perseverance enacted by many who overcame the challenges and consequences of the unfreedoms once practiced in America. Such a study…

  6. 77 FR 53164 - Railroad Workplace Safety; Adjacent-Track On-Track Safety for Roadway Workers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-31

    ...-0059, Notice No. 6] RIN 2130-AC37 Railroad Workplace Safety; Adjacent-Track On-Track Safety for Roadway... complex issues raised in both the petitions for reconsideration of the final rule published November 30... issues. One of the Petitions included a request for a delay in the effective date of the final rule until...

  7. Railroad signal color and orientation : effects of color blindness and criteria for color vision field tests

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-03-01

    This report concerns two issues: 1) whether color vision is necessary for locomotive crews who work on railroads where the signal system is either completely redundant with regard to signal color and signal orientation or the signal system only uses ...

  8. 76 FR 16654 - Austin Western Railroad, L.L.C.-Lease and Operation Exemption-Capital Metropolitan Transportation...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-24

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35456] Austin Western Railroad, L.L.C.--Lease and Operation Exemption-- Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority Austin... be leased since 2007, pursuant to an operating agreement. See Austin W. R.R.--Operation Exemption...

  9. 76 FR 64992 - Carrollton Railroad-Abandonment Exemption-in Carroll County, KY CSX Transportation, Inc...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-19

    ... discontinue service over, approximately 0.79 miles of rail line on CSXT's Northern Region, Louisville Division... temporarily because they are not needed in common carrier service at the present time. Once the line is... formal complaint filed by a user of rail service on the line (or by a state or local government entity...

  10. 77 FR 26825 - Iowa River Railroad, Inc.-Abandonment Exemption-in Marshall and Hardin Counties, IA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-05-07

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. AB 1072X] Iowa River Railroad, Inc.--Abandonment Exemption--in Marshall and Hardin Counties, IA On April 17, 2012, Iowa River... Street, Des Moines, IA 50312. Replies to the petition are due on or before May 29, 2012. Persons seeking...

  11. 75 FR 32839 - Norfolk Southern Railway Company-Trackage Rights Exemption-The West Tennessee Railroad, LLC

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-09

    ... (Corinth), Miss.\\2\\ \\1\\ WTNN is a New Jersey limited liability company and NSR is a wholly owned subsidiary... Railway Company--Trackage Rights Exemption--The West Tennessee Railroad, LLC Pursuant to a written... rights to Norfolk Southern Railway Company (NSR) \\1\\ over approximately 118.9 miles of rail line...

  12. Get on Board the Underground Railroad: A Sample Unit for Fifth-Grade History Students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferguson, Phyllis M.; Young, Terrell A.

    1996-01-01

    Reviews the materials and procedures used in a fifth-grade history unit on the Underground Railroad. The unit integrated a variety of teaching methods and materials making extensive use of historical literature, K-W-L (what we Know, what we Want to find out, what we Learned) charts, and activities aimed at different learning styles. (MJP)

  13. Sensing and Rating of Vehicle–Railroad Bridge Collision

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vemuganti, Shreya; Ozdagli, Ali I.; Liu, Bideng

    2017-01-01

    Overhead collisions of trucks with low-clearance railway bridges cause more than half of the railway traffic interruptions over bridges in the United States. Railroad owners are required to characterize the damage caused by such events and assess the safety of subsequent train crossings. However...... and remotely quantify damage. This research proposes an impact rating strategy based on the information that best describes the consequences of vehicle-railway bridge collisions. A series of representative impacts were simulated using numerical finite element models of a steel railway bridge. Railway owners...... provided information about the bridge and impact characterization based on railway industry experience. The resulting nonlinear dynamic responses were evaluated with the proposed rating strategy to assess the effect of these impacts. In addition, a neural network methodology was implemented on a simplified...

  14. An efficiency analysis of basic service provision in South African local government (2006/7 to 2008/9

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gert van der Westhuizen

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The South African local government sector has undergone changes in the post-apartheid era as policy makers have sought to improve basic services provided to disadvantaged local communities. While scholars have considered various dimensions of the reform program, little effort has been directed at evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency dimensions of the changes in service provision, with some notable exceptions (van der Westhuizen and Dollery, 2009; Krugell, et al., 2010. This article seeks to contribute to this literature by evaluating the efficiency with which municipalities have provided (Reconstruction and Development Program RDP water, RDP sanitation RDP electricity and RDP refuse removal, using Data Envelopment Analysis techniques (DEA applied to panel data from 2006/2007 to 2008/2009 for 231 local municipalities and 46 district municipalities. Keywords: Data warehousing, Systems thinking, Prescriptive theory, Descriptive theory, Interpretative research. Disciplines: Information technology, systems theory, data warehousing, hermeneutics

  15. Potential of vehicle-to-grid ancillary services considering the uncertainties in plug-in electric vehicle availability and service/localization limitations in distribution grids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sarabi, Siyamak; Davigny, Arnaud; Courtecuisse, Vincent; Riffonneau, Yann; Robyns, Benoît

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The availability uncertainty of PEVs are modelled using Gaussian mixture model. • Interdependency of stochastic variables are modelled using copula function. • V2G bidding capacity is calculated using Free Pattern search optimization method. • Localization limitation is considered for V2G service potential assessment. • Competitive services for fleet of V2G-enabled PEVs are identified using fuzzy sets. - Abstract: The aim of the paper is to propose an approach for statistical assessment of the potential of plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) for vehicle-to-grid (V2G) ancillary services, where it focuses on PEVs doing daily home-work commuting. In this approach, the possible ancillary services (A/S) for each PEV fleet in terms of its available V2G power (AVP) and flexible intervals are identified. The flexible interval is calculated using a powerful stochastic global optimization technique so-called “Free Pattern Search” (FPS). A probabilistic method is also proposed to quantify the impacts of PEV’s availability uncertainty using the Gaussian mixture model (GMM), and interdependency of stochastic variables on AVP of each fleet thanks to a multivariate modeling with Copula function. Each fleet is analyzed based on its aggregated PEV numbers at different level of distribution grid, in order to satisfy the ancillary services localization limitation. A case study using the proposed approach evaluates the real potential in Niort, a city in west of France. In fact, by using the proposed approach an aggregator can analyze the V2G potential of PEVs under its contract.

  16. Transformation management of primary health care services in two selected local authorities in Gauteng

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W Sibaya

    2000-09-01

    Full Text Available The transformation of health services in South Africa today is governed by the political, policy and legislative frameworks. This article focuses on the transformation of a primary health care service within a local authority in Gauteng. The purpose with this article is to explore and describe the perceptions (expectations and fears of selected managers employed in this primary health care service. The results are utilised to compile a strategy (framework for transformation management and leadership within the primary health care service. A qualitative research design was utilised and the data was collected by means of individual interviews with selected managers in the service, followed by a content analysis. The expectations and fears of managers focus mainly on personnel matters, community participation/satisfaction, salaries and parity, inadequate stocks/supplies and medication, the deterioration of quality service delivery and the need for training and empowerment. These results are divided into structure, process and outcome dimensions and are embodied in the conceptual framework for the transformation and leadership strategy. It is recommended that standards for transformation management be formulated and that the quality of transformation management be evaluated accordingly.

  17. The hybridising of financial and service expertise in English local authority budget control : a practice perspective.

    OpenAIRE

    Ahrens, T.; Ferry, L.; Khalifa, R.

    2018-01-01

    Purpose This paper aims to trace the hybridising of financial and service expertise in English local authority budget control to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the contexts that gave rise to hybridisation than do previous accountability research frameworks. Design/methodology/approach Using practice theory, this paper interprets the findings from a field study of Newcastle City Council and a review of relevant local authority regulation for England, stretching back to...

  18. Analysis of Potential Impacts of Inclusion of Locally Supplied Services into Reduced VAT Rate on the Suppliers of these Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kateřina Randová

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Member States of the European Union are in accordance with the Community law allowed to include locally supplied services into reduced value added tax rates (hereinafter referred to as “VAT rates” without time restriction. In the Czech Republic there has not yet been a sufficient political will to implement this possibility into the legislation. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the potential impact of the relevant Directive implementation into the Czech VAT Act on the tax liability of the suppliers of these services. The paper is based on the comparison of the national legislation and the Community law, and their analysis. Moreover, the deductive method is used in this paper.

  19. Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the cost-benefit of radioactive seed localization versus wire localization for breast-conserving surgery in fee-for-service health care systems compared with accountable care organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loving, Vilert A; Edwards, David B; Roche, Kevin T; Steele, Joseph R; Sapareto, Stephen A; Byrum, Stephanie C; Schomer, Donald F

    2014-06-01

    In breast-conserving surgery for nonpalpable breast cancers, surgical reexcision rates are lower with radioactive seed localization (RSL) than wire localization. We evaluated the cost-benefit of switching from wire localization to RSL in two competing payment systems: a fee-for-service (FFS) system and a bundled payment system, which is typical for accountable care organizations. A Monte Carlo simulation was developed to compare the cost-benefit of RSL and wire localization. Equipment utilization, procedural workflows, and regulatory overhead differentiate the cost between RSL and wire localization. To define a distribution of possible cost scenarios, the simulation randomly varied cost drivers within fixed ranges determined by hospital data, published literature, and expert input. Each scenario was replicated 1000 times using the pseudorandom number generator within Microsoft Excel, and results were analyzed for convergence. In a bundled payment system, RSL reduced total health care cost per patient relative to wire localization by an average of $115, translating into increased facility margin. In an FFS system, RSL reduced total health care cost per patient relative to wire localization by an average of $595 but resulted in decreased facility margin because of fewer surgeries. In a bundled payment system, RSL results in a modest reduction of cost per patient over wire localization and slightly increased margin. A fee-for-service system suffers moderate loss of revenue per patient with RSL, largely due to lower reexcision rates. The fee-for-service system creates a significant financial disincentive for providers to use RSL, although it improves clinical outcomes and reduces total health care costs.

  20. Evaluation of occupant volume strength in conventional passenger railroad equipment : a thesis submitted by Michael E. Carolan

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-05-31

    To ensure a level of occupant volume protection, passenger railway : equipment operating on mainline railroads in the United States must currently be : designed to resist an 800,000 pound compressive load applied statically to the : underframe. An al...

  1. Seismic interferometry of railroad induced ground motions: body and surface wave imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quiros, Diego A.; Brown, Larry D.; Kim, Doyeon

    2016-04-01

    Seismic interferometry applied to 120 hr of railroad traffic recorded by an array of vertical component seismographs along a railway within the Rio Grande rift has recovered surface and body waves characteristic of the geology beneath the railway. Linear and hyperbolic arrivals are retrieved that agree with surface (Rayleigh), direct and reflected P waves observed by nearby conventional seismic surveys. Train-generated Rayleigh waves span a range of frequencies significantly higher than those recovered from typical ambient noise interferometry studies. Direct P-wave arrivals have apparent velocities appropriate for the shallow geology of the survey area. Significant reflected P-wave energy is also present at relatively large offsets. A common midpoint stack produces a reflection image consistent with nearby conventional reflection data. We suggest that for sources at the free surface (e.g. trains) increasing the aperture of the array to record wide angle reflections, in addition to longer recording intervals, might allow the recovery of deeper geological structure from railroad traffic. Frequency-wavenumber analyses of these recordings indicate that the train source is symmetrical (i.e. approaching and receding) and that deeper refracted energy is present although not evident in the time-offset domain. These results confirm that train-generated vibrations represent a practical source of high-resolution subsurface information, with particular relevance to geotechnical and environmental applications.

  2. 75 FR 44051 - Resolicitation of Applications for the Railroad Safety Technology Program Grant Program (RS-TEC...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-27

    ... have a public benefit of improved railroad safety and efficiency. The program makes available $50... projects * * * that have a public benefit of improved safety and network efficiency.'' To be eligible for... percent grantee, cost share (cash or in-kind) requirement. Applications that do not clearly indicate at...

  3. 77 FR 61657 - Indiana Northeastern Railroad Company-Abandonment Exemption-In Branch and St. Joseph Counties, MI

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-10-10

    ... Northeastern Railroad Company--Abandonment Exemption--In Branch and St. Joseph Counties, MI Indiana... Branch County, Mich., and milepost 100.69 near Sturgis in St. Joseph County, Mich. (the Line). The Line... .'' Decided: October 2, 2012. By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Derrick A...

  4. 75 FR 27112 - Solicitation of Applications and Notice of Funding Availability for the FRA Railroad System...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-13

    ... of the Use of Bio-based Technologies.'' The study will focus on the feasibility of using readily.... This study shall consist of the following: (1) An analysis of the potential use of soy-based grease and... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration Solicitation of Applications and...

  5. 77 FR 21835 - Savage, Bingham & Garfield Railroad Company-Trackage Rights Exemption-Elgin, Joliet and Eastern...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-04-11

    ... (CN),\\1\\ has agreed to grant limited overhead trackage rights to Savage, Bingham & Garfield Railroad Company (SBG) over approximately 0.6 miles of rail line between milepost J 47.4 (south end of CN's Whiting Yard) and Bridge Number 631 at or near milepost J 46.8 on CN's Calumet Spur on CN's Matteson...

  6. INTERLINE 5.0 -- An expanded railroad routing model: Program description, methodology, and revised user's manual

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johnson, P.E.; Joy, D.S.; Clarke, D.B.; Jacobi, J.M.

    1993-03-01

    A rail routine model, INTERLINE, has been developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to investigate potential routes for transporting radioactive materials. In Version 5.0, the INTERLINE routing algorithms have been enhanced to include the ability to predict alternative routes, barge routes, and population statistics for any route. The INTERLINE railroad network is essentially a computerized rail atlas describing the US railroad system. All rail lines, with the exception of industrial spurs, are included in the network. Inland waterways and deep water routes along with their interchange points with the US railroadsystem are also included. The network contains over 15,000 rail and barge segments (links) and over 13,000 stations, interchange points, ports, and other locations (nodes). The INTERLINE model has been converted to operate on an IBM-compatible personal computer. At least a 286 computer with a hard disk containing approximately 6 MB of free space is recommended. Enhanced program performance will be obtained by using arandom-access memory drive on a 386 or 486 computer

  7. Small and Home-Based Businesses: Measures of Success and the Contribution of Local Development Services

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brooks, Lara; Whitacre, Brian; Shideler, Dave; Muske, Glenn; Woods, Mike

    2012-01-01

    Small and home-based businesses have long been identified by Extension educators as an important component of economic development, particularly in rural areas. The services available to these businesses can take many forms, including management training, accessibility of local funding, providing incubation facilities, or setting up mentoring…

  8. Opening the Black Box: Exploring the Effect of Transformation on Online Service Delivery in Local Governments

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Veenstra, Anne Fleur; Zuurmond, Arre

    To enhance the quality of their online service delivery, many government organizations seek to transform their organization beyond merely setting up a front office. This transformation includes elements such as the formation of service delivery chains, the adoption of a management strategy supporting process orientation and the implementation of enterprise architecture. This paper explores whether undertaking this transformation has a positive effect on the quality of online service delivery, using data gathered from seventy local governments. We found that having an externally oriented management strategy in place, adopting enterprise architecture, aligning information systems to business and sharing activities between processes and departments are positively related to the quality of online service delivery. We recommend that further research should be carried out to find out whether dimensions of organizational development too have an effect on online service delivery in the long term.

  9. 77 FR 71680 - Buckeye East Chicago Railroad, LLC-Acquisition and Operation Exemption-Buckeye Partners, L.P.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-12-03

    ... Chicago Railroad, LLC--Acquisition and Operation Exemption--Buckeye Partners, L.P. Buckeye East Chicago... acquire from Buckeye Partners, L.P., a noncarrier, and to operate approximately 7,065 feet (1.34 miles) of..., 2012. By the Board, Rachel D. Campbell, Director, Office of Proceedings. Jeffrey Herzig, Clearance Unit...

  10. The formation of management culture of local fiscal service administrative staff (based on customs house data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. A. Lipovskaya

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with management culture of administrative staff working at the local bodies of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine, whose performance is considered to depend on the level of management culture. It is shown that economic activity, which is a cultural and historic phenomenon, determines the role of Customs House services and contributes to the originality of the management culture itself. Customs personnel is viewed in terms of social and cultural domains.

  11. Local Medicaid home- and community-based services spending and nursing home admissions of younger adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Kali S; Keohane, Laura; Mor, Vincent

    2014-11-01

    We used fixed-effect models to examine the relationship between local spending on home- and community-based services (HCBSs) for cash-assisted Medicaid-only disabled (CAMOD) adults and younger adult admissions to nursing homes in the United States during 2001 through 2008, with control for facility and market characteristics and secular trends. We found that increased CAMOD Medicaid HCBS spending at the local level is associated with decreased admissions of younger adults to nursing homes. Our findings suggest that states' efforts to expand HCBS for this population should continue.

  12. 78 FR 34151 - Notice of Application for Approval of Discontinuance or Modification of a Railroad Signal System

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-06-06

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Railroad Administration [Docket Number FRA-2013-0050] Notice... of a signal system. FRA assigned the petition Docket Number FRA-2013-0050. Applicant: Wisconsin... Railway (CN), seeks approval of the proposed discontinuance and removal of a traffic control system (TCS...

  13. Wheat Fields, Flour Mills, and Railroads: A Web of Interdependence. Teaching with Historic Places.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koman, Rita G.

    By 1860 much of the beauty of St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis (Minnesota) had been destroyed, as mills on both sides of the river used the power of the falls to turn millions of bushels of wheat into flour. Steel rails linked bonanza farms hundreds of miles to the west to the mills. The mills, the farms, and the railroads depended on each other…

  14. Expectations and Perceptions of the Educational Service at the Universidad Nacional Abierta (Local Center Merida, Venezuela

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Teresa de Jesús Molina Gutiérrez

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to interpret the relationship between the expectations and the perceptions that the staff has about the quality of the educational service offered at the Mérida Local Center (Universidad Nacional Abierta, then the conceptual model of quality of service SERVQUAL, complemented with the qualitative approach. The informants were 15 advisors, 20 students and 5 administrative staff, the data were collected through the semi-structured interview and interpreted with the content analysis. The results indicate that there is no satisfaction with the educational service or that satisfaction is very low, because the expectations that are generated before receiving it are not surpassed by the perceived value, which is an indicator of the absence of quality of service. On the other hand, achieving quality in the service provided is the responsibility of all involved since the complexity of the roles fulfilled in the educational dialectic means that the staff act simultaneously as clients and as service providers.

  15. Experiences of providing prosthetic and orthotic services in Sierra Leone--the local staff's perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magnusson, Lina; Ahlström, Gerd

    2012-01-01

    In Sierra Leone, West Africa, there are many people with disabilities in need of rehabilitation services after a long civil war. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of prosthetic and orthotic service delivery in Sierra Leone from the local staff's perspective. Fifteen prosthetic and orthotic technicians working at all the rehabilitation centres providing prosthetic and orthotic services in Sierra Leone were interviewed. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to latent content analysis. One main theme emerged: sense of inability to deliver high-quality prosthetic and orthotic services. This main theme was generated from eight sub-themes: Desire for professional development; appraisals of work satisfaction and norms; patients neglected by family; limited access to the prosthetic and orthotic services available; problems with materials and machines; low public awareness concerning disabilities; marginalisation in society and low priority on the part of government. The findings illustrated traditional beliefs about the causes of disability and that the public's attitude needs to change to include and value people with disabilities. Support from international organisations was considered necessary as well as educating more prosthetic and orthotic staff to a higher level.

  16. Interaction and activity coordination of territorial customs bodies of the State fiscal service of Ukraine with local state administrations and local self-government bodies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Олексій Павлович Федотов

    2016-06-01

    Based on the results of the study the author notes that the interaction of the Ukrainian SFS customs offices and local state administrations with local self-government bodies is an inherent quality, link and component of the Ukrainian SFS Customs offices functioning organization, which aims to improve the state customs service implementation standards by the Ukrainian SFS customs houses and to ensure the said implementation efficiency. However, in the course of interaction of the Ukrainian SFS customs with local state administrations and local self-government bodies each of the mentioned organizations specializes in solving their specific tasks in accordance with their subject expertise, and forms a clear organizational system. The complementarity of such kind helps to improve the state customs affairs conductance quality and is realized through the coordination of performance of the Ukrainian SFS customs offices, local state administrations and local self-government bodies as the interaction subjects through normative, informational and analytical provision for the interaction and concretization of the activities of each subject within the planned activities.

  17. Freedom Train: The Underground Railroad as a Model of Christian Education, Antiracism, and Human Rights Advocacy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fears, Barbara A.

    2017-01-01

    The Underground Railroad is the first racially integrated civil/human rights movement in the United States. The basic concepts of "escape" and "travel" that undergird the movement offer a way of envisioning the teaching/learning exchange as leaving behind unhealthy ideologies, and as journeying with students from one place of…

  18. 76 FR 35104 - Safety Zone; Waterway Closure, Atchafalaya River From Mile Marker 117 (Morgan City Railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-06-16

    ...-AA00 Safety Zone; Waterway Closure, Atchafalaya River From Mile Marker 117 (Morgan City Railroad Bridge... with rising flood water in the Atchafalaya River. Basis and Purpose Captain of the Port Morgan City... safety zone is located on the specified waters of the Atchafalaya River between MM 117 (Morgan City...

  19. 75 FR 45011 - Gardendale Railroad, Inc.-Operation Exemption-Rail Line of Border Transload & Transfer, Inc. at...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-30

    ... County, TX Gardendale Railroad, Inc. (GRI), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under..., Inc., jointly have filed a verified notice of exemption to continue in control of GRI upon its... effective date of the exemption (30 days after the exemption was filed). GRI certifies that its projected...

  20. Vibrations of Railroad Due to The Passage of The Underground Train

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konowrocki, Robert; Bajer, Czesław

    2010-03-01

    In the paper we present results of vibration measurements in the train and on the base of the railroad in tunnels of Warsaw Underground. Measurements were performed at straight and curved sections of the track. The paper is focused on the influence of the lateral slip in rail/wheel contact zone on the generation of vibrations and a noise. Vibrations were analyzed in terms of accelerations, velocities or displacements as a function of time and frequency. Results ware compared with the experiment of rolling of the wheel with lateral sleep. In both cases we observed double periodic oscillations.

  1. 75 FR 59780 - Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Computer Matching Program (SSA/Railroad Retirement Board (RRB...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-09-28

    ... SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION [Docket No. SSA 2010-0040] Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Computer Matching Program (SSA/ Railroad Retirement Board (RRB))--Match Number 1006 AGENCY: Social Security...: A. General The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L.) 100-503), amended the...

  2. Fit between Conservation Instruments and Local Social Systems: Cases of Co-management and Payments for Ecosystem Services

    OpenAIRE

    Sarkki Simo; Rantala Lauri; Karjalainen Timo P.

    2015-01-01

    We draw on the concept of ‘fit’ to understand how co-management and Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) as governance instruments could better acknowledge local social complexities. Achieving ‘participatory fit’ requires well-designed and fair processes, which enhance local acceptance towards the implemented rules. Thus, such fit can contribute to establishing new institutions in conservation governance. However, previous literature on participation has had strong focus on properties of dec...

  3. Preparedness of hazardous materials emergencies in railyards: Guidance for railroads and adjacent communities

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    1991-09-01

    Railroads are a key part of the distribution system for hazardous materials and, thus, much hazardous material passes through railyards en route to intermediate or final consumers. While the vast majority of these materials are shipped without incident, both the number of shipments and the nature of the materials themselves dictate that railyards and surrounding communities be prepared to respond quickly and effectively to emergencies. This report contains information on 11 emergency preparedness functions and 150 guidance recommendations.

  4. Jatropha cultivation in Malawi and Mozambique: impact on ecosystem services, local human well-being, and poverty alleviation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Graham P. von Maltitz

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Jatropha-based biofuels have undergone a rapid boom-and-bust cycle in southern Africa. Despite strong initial support by governments, donors, and the private sector, there is a lack of empirical studies that compare the environmental and socioeconomic impacts of Jatropha's two dominant modes of production: large plantations and smallholder-based projects. We apply a rapid ecosystem services assessment approach to understand the impact of two Jatropha projects that are still operational despite widespread project collapse across southern Africa: a smallholder-based project (BERL, Malawi and a large plantation (Niqel, Mozambique. Our study focuses on changes in provisioning ecosystem services such as biofuel feedstock, food, and woodland products that can have important effects on human well-being locally. Qualitative information is provided for other regulating and cultural ecosystem services. Although at this stage no impact is tremendously positive or negative, both projects show some signs of viability and local poverty alleviation potential. However, their long-term sustainability is not guaranteed given low yields, uncertain markets, and some prevailing management practices.

  5. Remote information service access system based on a client-server-service model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konrad, A.M.

    1996-08-06

    A local host computing system, a remote host computing system as connected by a network, and service functionalities: a human interface service functionality, a starter service functionality, and a desired utility service functionality, and a Client-Server-Service (CSS) model is imposed on each service functionality. In one embodiment, this results in nine logical components and three physical components (a local host, a remote host, and an intervening network), where two of the logical components are integrated into one Remote Object Client component, and that Remote Object Client component and the other seven logical components are deployed among the local host and remote host in a manner which eases compatibility and upgrade problems, and provides an illusion to a user that a desired utility service supported on a remote host resides locally on the user`s local host, thereby providing ease of use and minimal software maintenance for users of that remote service. 16 figs.

  6. Satisfaction with the local service point for care: results of an evaluation study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esslinger, Adelheid Susanne; Macco, Katrin; Schmidt, Katharina

    2009-01-01

    Purpose The market of care increases and is characterized by complexity. Therefore, service points, such as the ‘Zentrale Anlaufstelle Pflege (ZAPf)’ in Nuremberg, are helpful for clients to get orientation. The purpose of the presentation is to show the results of an evaluation study about the clients' satisfaction with the offers of ZAPf. Study Satisfaction with service may be measured with the SERVQUAL concept introduced by Parasuraman et al. (1988). They found out five dimensions of quality (tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurances and empathy). We took these dimensions in our study. The study focuses on the quality of service and the benefits recognized by clients. In spring 2007, we conducted 67 interviews by phone, based on a half standardized questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS. Results The clients want to get information about care in general, financial and legal aspects, alternative care arrangement (e.g. ambulant, long-term care) and typical age-related diseases. They show a high satisfaction with the service provided. Their benefits are to get information and advice, to strengthen the ability of decision taking, to cope with changing situations in life, and to develop solutions. Conclusions The results show that the quality of service is on a high level. Critical success factors are the interdisciplinary cooperation at the service point, based on a regularly and open exchange of information. Every member focuses on an optimal individual solution for the client. Local professional service points act as networkers and brokers. They serve not only for the clients' needs but also support the effective and efficient provision of optimized care.

  7. The Effects of Railroads on the Emergence of Operational Art During the American Civil War, 1861-1865

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-05-23

    L&N Railroad in the Civil War: A Vital North–South Link and the Struggle to Control It. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, 2011. Lord, Francis A...Battlefield 1861-1863. Amherst: Prometheus Books, 2008. Reynolds, Paul Davidson. A Primer in Theory Construction. Boston: Allyn and Bacon Classics

  8. 75 FR 53004 - Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer-Matching Program (Railroad Retirement Board...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-08-30

    ... report of this computer-matching program with the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs... INFORMATION: A. General The Computer-Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, (Pub. L. 100-503), amended... RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer-Matching Program...

  9. 78 FR 70971 - Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer Matching Program (Railroad Retirement Board...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-11-27

    ... will file a report of this computer-matching program with the Committee on Homeland Security and... . SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A. General The Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, (Pub. L. 100-503... RAILROAD RETIREMENT BOARD Privacy Act of 1974, as Amended; Notice of Computer Matching Program...

  10. 76 FR 13446 - Nittany Bald and Eagle Railroad Company-Operation Exemption-SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-11

    ... Eagle Railroad Company-Operation Exemption-SEDA- COG Joint Rail Authority Nittany Bald and Eagle... 0.0 and milepost 1.8 in Castanea, Clinton County, Pa. The line is owned or leased by SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority (SEDA-COG). N&BE states that the line it proposes to operate is an extension of its...

  11. 26 CFR 1.45G-0 - Table of contents for the railroad track maintenance credit rules.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    .... (1) In general. (2) Definitions. (i) Trade or business. (ii) Group and controlled group. (iii) Group.... (6) Tax accounting periods used. (i) In general. (ii) Special rule when timing of QRTME is... table of contents for § 1.45G-1. § 1.45G-1Railroad track maintenance credit. (a) In general. (b...

  12. Relationships among providing maternal, child, and adolescent health services; implementing various financial strategy responses; and performance of local health departments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Issel, L Michele; Olorunsaiye, Comfort; Snebold, Laura; Handler, Arden

    2015-04-01

    We explored the relationships between local health department (LHD) structure, capacity, and macro-context variables and performance of essential public health services (EPHS). In 2012, we assessed a stratified, random sample of 195 LHDs that provided data via an online survey regarding performance of EPHS, the services provided or contracted out, the financial strategies used in response to budgetary pressures, and the extent of collaborations. We performed weighted analyses that included analysis of variance, pairwise correlations by jurisdiction population size, and linear regressions. On average, LHDs provided approximately 13 (36%) of 35 possible services either directly or by contract. Rather than cut services or externally consolidating, LHDs took steps to generate more revenue and maximize capacity. Higher LHD performance of EPHS was significantly associated with delivering more services, initiating more financial strategies, and engaging in collaboration, after adjusting for the effects of the Affordable Care Act and jurisdiction size. During changing economic and health care environments, we found that strong structural capacity enhanced local health department EPHS performance for maternal, child, and adolescent health.

  13. Heat flow in Railroad Valley, Nevada and implications for geothermal resources in the south-central Great Basin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, C.F.; Sass, J.H.

    2006-01-01

    The Great Basin is a province of high average heat flow (approximately 90 mW m-2), with higher values characteristic of some areas and relatively low heat flow (characteristic of an area in south-central Nevada known as the Eureka Low. There is hydrologie and thermal evidence that the Eureka Low results from a relatively shallow, hydrologically controlled heat sink associated with interbasin water flow in the Paleozoic carbonate aquifers. Evaluating this hypothesis and investigating the thermal state of the Eureka Low at depth is a high priority for the US Geological Survey as it prepares a new national geothermal resource assessment. Part of this investigation is focused on Railroad Valley, the site of the largest petroleum reservoirs in Nevada and one of the few locations within the Eureka Low with a known geothermal system. Temperature and thermal conductivity data have been acquired from wells in Railroad Valley in order to determine heat flow in the basin. The results reveal a complex interaction of cooling due to shallow ground-water flow, relatively low (49 to 76 mW m-2) conductive heat flow at depth in most of the basin, and high (up to 234 mW m-2) heat flow associated with the 125??C geothermal system that encompasses the Bacon Flat and Grant Canyon oil fields. The presence of the Railroad Valley geothermal resource within the Eureka Low may be reflect the absence of deep ground-water flow sweeping heat out of the basin. If true, this suggests that other areas in the carbonate aquifer province may contain deep geothermal resources that are masked by ground-water flow.

  14. Framing the decision to contract out elderly care and primary health care services - perspectives of local level politicians and civil servants in Finland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tynkkynen, Liina-Kaisa; Lehto, Juhani; Miettinen, Sari

    2012-07-17

    In the literature there are only few empirical studies that analyse the decision makers' reasoning to contract out health care and social services to private sector. However, the decisions on the delivery patterns of health care and social services are considered to be of great importance as they have a potential to influence citizens' access to services and even affect their health. This study contributes to filling this cap by exploring the frames used by Finnish local authorities as they talk about contracting out of primary health care and elderly care services. Contracting with the private sector has gained increasing popularity, in Finland, during the past decade, as a practise of organising health care and social services. Interview data drawn from six municipalities through thematic group interviews were used. The data were analysed applying frame analysis in order to reveal the underlying reasoning for the decisions. Five argumentation frames were found: Rational reasoning; Pragmatic realism; Promoting diversity among providers; Good for the municipality; Good for the local people. The interviewees saw contracting with the private sector mostly as a means to improve the performance of public providers, to improve service quality and efficiency and to boost the local economy. The decisions to contract out were mainly argued through the good for the municipal administration, political and ideological commitments, available resources and existing institutions. This study suggests that the policy makers use a number of grounds to justify their decisions on contracting out. Most of the arguments were related to the benefits of the municipality rather than on what is best for the local people. The citizens were offered the role of active consumers who are willing to purchase services also out-of-pocket. This development has a potential to endanger the affordability of the services and lead to undermining some of the traditional principles of the Nordic welfare

  15. An integrated tiered service delivery model (ITSDM based on local CD4 testing demands can improve turn-around times and save costs whilst ensuring accessible and scalable CD4 services across a national programme.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deborah K Glencross

    Full Text Available The South African National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS responded to HIV treatment initiatives with two-tiered CD4 laboratory services in 2004. Increasing programmatic burden, as more patients access anti-retroviral therapy (ART, has demanded extending CD4 services to meet increasing clinical needs. The aim of this study was to review existing services and develop a service-model that integrated laboratory-based and point-of-care testing (POCT, to extend national coverage, improve local turn-around/(TAT and contain programmatic costs.NHLS Corporate Data Warehouse CD4 data, from 60-70 laboratories and 4756 referring health facilities was reviewed for referral laboratory workload, respective referring facility volumes and related TAT, from 2009-2012.An integrated tiered service delivery model (ITSDM is proposed. Tier-1/POCT delivers CD4 testing at single health-clinics providing ART in hard-to-reach areas (350-1500 tests/day, serving ≥ 200 health-clinics. Tier-6 provides national support for standardisation, harmonization and quality across the organization.The ITSDM offers improved local TAT by extending CD4 services into rural/remote areas with new Tier-3 or Tier-2/POC-Hub services installed in existing community laboratories, most with developed infrastructure. The advantage of lower laboratory CD4 costs and use of existing infrastructure enables subsidization of delivery of more expensive POC services, into hard-to-reach districts without reasonable access to a local CD4 laboratory. Full ITSDM implementation across 5 service tiers (as opposed to widespread implementation of POC testing to extend service can facilitate sustainable 'full service coverage' across South Africa, and save>than R125 million in HIV/AIDS programmatic costs. ITSDM hierarchical parental-support also assures laboratory/POC management, equipment maintenance, quality control and on-going training between tiers.

  16. 77 FR 49862 - Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay Railway Company-Assignment of Lease Exemption-Union Pacific Railroad...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-08-17

    ... and operating rights over a 31.0-mile rail line (the Line) owned by Union Pacific Railroad Company (UP... becoming a Class III rail carrier, Iowa Pacific Holdings, LLC & Permian Basin Rys.--Continuance in Control...'s approval jurisdiction and will not result in SCCRTC acquiring a common carrier obligation with...

  17. Energizing Local Values For Tourism Services Improvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budi Purnomo

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available People in most cultures would probably agree that politeness is needed during their interaction. However there may be differing opinions as to when they should be polite. In tourism industry, tourism service providers’ act as hosts and tourists act as guests. Typically hosts will try to act politely and use appropriate politeness norms when serving guests to ensure their satisfaction. The research findings show that the tourism service providers in Central Java use various unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ when serving English speaking tourists and Indonesian speaking tourists. Besides that, there are some violations made by the tourism service providers in using unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’. The research findings also show that there are similar and different perspectives on unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ between English speaking tourists with Western culture backgrounds and Indonesian speaking tourists with Indonesian culture backgrounds towards the politeness norms used by the tourism service providers in Central Java. The findings imply the needs of energizing unggah-ungguh ‘politeness norms’ which is discovered from well known noble Javanese values used by the tourism service providers for tourism service improvement.

  18. The World Report on Disability as a blueprint for international, national, and local aphasia services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worrall, Linda E; Howe, Tami; O'Callaghan, Anna; Hill, Anne J; Rose, Miranda; Wallace, Sarah J; Rose, Tanya; Brown, Kyla; Power, Emma; O'Halloran, Robyn; Rohde, Alexia

    2013-02-01

    This commentary aims to extend the debate of the lead article authors (Wylie, McAllister, Davidson, and Marshall, 2013) by translating the nine recommendations of the World Report on Disability into a plan of action for the aphasia community. Solutions for the advancement of aphasia science and services are presented at international (macro), national (meso), and local (micro) levels. Implications for speech-language pathologists and aphasia service delivery are discussed. An overarching call to action is the need for speech-language pathologists to support a strong and vibrant aphasia community at all levels, so that the voices of people with aphasia can be heard.

  19. 47 CFR 20.20 - Conditions applicable to provision of CMRS service by incumbent Local Exchange Carriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... affiliated incumbent LEC, and use its affiliated incumbent LEC's marketing and other services, subject to paragraphs (a)(3) and (c) of this section. (c) Joint marketing. Joint marketing of local exchange and... and made available for public inspection upon request at the principle place of business of the...

  20. A novel optical investigation technique for railroad track inspection and assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabato, Alessandro; Beale, Christopher H.; Niezrecki, Christopher

    2017-04-01

    Track failures due to cross tie degradation or loss in ballast support may result in a number of problems ranging from simple service interruptions to derailments. Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of railway track is important for safety reasons and to reduce downtime and maintenance costs. For this reason, novel and cost-effective track inspection technologies for assessing tracks' health are currently insufficient and needed. Advancements achieved in recent years in cameras technology, optical sensors, and image-processing algorithms have made machine vision, Structure from Motion (SfM), and three-dimensional (3D) Digital Image Correlation (DIC) systems extremely appealing techniques for extracting structural deformations and geometry profiles. Therefore, optically based, non-contact measurement techniques may be used for assessing surface defects, rail and tie deflection profiles, and ballast condition. In this study, the design of two camera-based measurement systems is proposed for crossties-ballast condition assessment and track examination purposes. The first one consists of four pairs of cameras installed on the underside of a rail car to detect the induced deformation and displacement on the whole length of the track's cross tie using 3D DIC measurement techniques. The second consists of another set of cameras using SfM techniques for obtaining a 3D rendering of the infrastructure from a series of two-dimensional (2D) images to evaluate the state of the track qualitatively. The feasibility of the proposed optical systems is evaluated through extensive laboratory tests, demonstrating their ability to measure parameters of interest (e.g. crosstie's full-field displacement, vertical deflection, shape, etc.) for assessment and SHM of railroad track.

  1. Use of programme budgeting and marginal analysis to set priorities for local NHS dental services: learning from the north east of England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, R D; Steele, J G; Exley, C; Vernazza, C R; Donaldson, C

    2018-05-03

    Priority setting is necessary where competing demands exceed the finite resources available. The aim of the study was to develop and test a prioritization framework based upon programme budgeting and marginal analysis (PBMA) as a tool to assist National Health Service (NHS) commissioners in their management of resources for local NHS dental services. Twenty-seven stakeholders (5 dentists, 8 commissioners and 14 patients) participated in a case-study based in a former NHS commissioning organization in the north of England. Stakeholders modified local decision-making criteria and applied them to a number of different scenarios. The majority of financial resources for NHS dental services in the commissioning organization studied were allocated to primary care dental practitioners' contracts in perpetuity, potentially constraining commissioners' abilities to shift resources. Compiling the programme budget was successful, but organizational flux and difficulties engaging local NHS commissioners significantly impacted upon the marginal analysis phase. NHS dental practitioners' contracts resemble budget-silos which do not facilitate local resource reallocation. 'Context-specific' factors significantly challenged the successful implementation and impact of PBMA. A local PBMA champion embedded within commissioning organizations should be considered. Participants found visual depiction of the cost-value ratio helpful during their initial priority setting deliberations.

  2. 29 CFR 788.11 - “Transporting [such] products to the mill, processing plant, railroad, or other transportation...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... 29 Labor 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false âTransporting [such] products to the mill, processing plant... EMPLOYED § 788.11 “Transporting [such] products to the mill, processing plant, railroad, or other transportation terminal.” The transportation or movement of logs or other forestry products to a “mill processing...

  3. 20 CFR 645.221 - For what activities and services must local boards use contracts or vouchers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... vouchers are subject to the payment requirements at § 645.230(a)(3) of this subpart. If an operating entity... boards use contracts or vouchers? 645.221 Section 645.221 Employees' Benefits EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING... vouchers? (a) Local boards and PIC's must provide the following activities and services through vouchers or...

  4. 49 CFR Appendix A to Part 237 - Supplemental Statement of Agency Policy on the Safety of Railroad Bridges

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... incorporate recognized principles of structural design and analysis to provide for the safe and economic... railroad bridge rating reference system. The most common standard bridge rating reference system... systems may be used where convenient, provided their effects can be defined in terms of shear, bending and...

  5. UK Local Authority engagement with the Energy Service Company (ESCo) model: Key characteristics, benefits, limitations and considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hannon, Matthew J.; Bolton, Ronan

    2015-01-01

    This paper explores how some UK Local Authorities (LAs) have opted to engage with the Energy Service Company (ESCo) model in a bid to enhance their influence over local energy system change and help them to deliver on their political ‘public good’ objectives. Three common approaches to LA ESCo model engagement are outlined including the: (1) LA owned ‘arm's-length’ model; (2) private sector owned concession agreement model; and (3) community owned and run model. The LA's decision to establish its own ESCo, or alternatively enter into a partnership with another, predominantly depends on: its willingness to expose itself to risk, the level of strategic control it desires and the resources it has at its disposal. However, the business case is contingent on the extent to which the national policy and regulatory framework facilitates and obligates LAs to play an active energy governance role. Stronger alignment of local and national energy agendas through communication and coordination between different governance actors could help to remove critical barriers to LA ESCo engagement and their wider energy governance activities. - Highlights: • Some UK Local Authorities (LAs) have engaged with Energy Service Company (ESCo). • Driven by a desire to shape local energy system to deliver on their objectives. • LA may establish an ‘arm's length’ ESCo or partner with a private or community ESCo. • Trade-off between strategic control over energy system change and exposure to risk. • LA can bolster ESCo business case but ultimately depends on central government

  6. The highway and railroad operating environments for hazardous shipments in the United States - safer in the '90s?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saricks, C.L.; Tompkins, M.M.

    2000-01-01

    This paper seeks to illuminate the status of transportation safety and risk for large-quantity shipments of spent commercial reactor fuel and mixed and hazardous wastes by examining road and rail accident and vehicular travel data from the mid-1990s. Of special interest are the effect of speed limit changes on controlled-access expressways (chiefly the Interstate Highway System) and the possible effect of season-to-season climatic variation on road transport. We found that improvements in railroad technology and infrastructure have created a safer overall operating environment for railroad freight shipments. We also found recent evidence of an increase in accident rates of heavy combination trucks in states that have raised highway speed limits. Finally, cold weather increases road transport risk, while conditions associated with higher ambient temperatures do not. This last finding is in contrast to rail transport, for which the literature associates both hot and cold temperature extremes with higher accident rates

  7. Opportunity costs and local health service spending decisions: a qualitative study from Wales.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karlsberg Schaffer, Sarah; Sussex, Jon; Hughes, Dyfrig; Devlin, Nancy

    2016-03-25

    All health care systems face the need to find the resources to meet new demands such as a new, cost-increasing health technology. In England and Wales, when a health technology is recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the National Health Service (NHS) is mandated to provide the funding to accommodate it within three months of publication of the recommendation. Identifying what, in practice, is foregone when new cost-increasing technologies are introduced is important for understanding the effects of health technology assessment (HTA) decisions on the NHS or any other health care system. Our objective was to investigate how in practice local NHS commissioners in Wales accommodated financial "shocks" arising from technology appraisals (TAs) issued by NICE and from other cost pressures. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Finance Directors and Medical Directors from all seven Local Health Boards (LHBs) in NHS Wales. These interviews covered prioritisation processes, as well as methods of financing NICE TAs and other financial shocks at each LHB. We then undertook a systematic identification of themes and topics from the information recorded. The study relates to the period October 2010 to March 2013. The financial impact of NICE TAs is generally anticipated and planned for in advance and the majority of LHBs have contingency funds available to cope with these and other financial shocks within-period. Efficiency savings (defined as reductions in costs with no assumed reductions in quality) were a source of funds for cost pressures of all kinds. Service displacements were not linkable to particular NICE TAs and there appears to be a general lack of explicit prioritisation activities. The Welsh Government has, on occasion, explicitly or implicitly acted as the funder of last resort. Services may be displaced as part of a response to the cumulative impact of all types of cost pressures, including cost-increasing health

  8. 20 CFR 670.945 - Are Job Corps operators and service providers authorized to pay State or local taxes on gross...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... provider to pay such taxes, the center operator or service provider may pay the taxes with Federal funds... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Are Job Corps operators and service providers authorized to pay State or local taxes on gross receipts? 670.945 Section 670.945 Employees' Benefits...

  9. 47 CFR 69.106 - Local switching.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... foreign services that use local exchange switching facilities. (c) If end users of an interstate or... local exchange carriers shall establish rate elements for local switching as follows: (1) Price cap... use local exchange switching facilities for the provision of interstate or foreign services. The...

  10. Health assessment and risk mitigation of railroad networks exposed to natural hazards using commercial remote sensing and spatial information technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-05-31

    The overarching goal of this project was to integrate data from commercial remote sensing and spatial information (CRS&SI) technologies to create a novel data-driven decision making framework that empowers the railroad industry to monitor, assess, an...

  11. THE SHARED SERVICES CENTERS OF THE MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES: LOCALIZATION AND CULTURAL CHALLENGES.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Túlio Ospina Patino

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The challenges faced for Multinational Companies (MTNs at elaboration and consolidation of their strategic planning, in a even more competitive global market, compel them to search for new alternatives to deal with this competitive environment, as well as, look for specific actions in structure and organizational development in order to increase investments and maximize profits. In this context, the MTNs adopt the model of the Shared Service Centers (SSCs where, after identifying the essential activities, they centralize their activities of support. This work analyzes three SSCs installed in Brazil. The enterprise A acts in the food market, beverages; the enterprise B works at the sweet drops market; and the enterprise C acts in the pharmaceutical industry. Even tough, at the beginning the localization factor do not represents too much impact in terms of cost reduction, the SSCs constant evolution and the benefits from process scaling or re-engineering, increase the importance of the geographical localization to maximize cost reduction with the qualified hand labor factor being a competitive differential.

  12. 75 FR 11991 - ABC & D Recycling, Inc.-Lease and Operation Exemption-a Line of Railroad in Ware, MA

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-03-12

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [STB Finance Docket No. 35356] ABC & D Recycling, Inc.--Lease and Operation Exemption--a Line of Railroad in Ware, MA ABC & D Recycling, Inc. (ABC & D), a noncarrier, has filed a verified notice of exemption under 49 CFR 1150.31 to lease from O...

  13. Local Worlds of Activation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jacobsson, Kerstin; Hollertz, Katarina; Garsten, Christina

    2017-01-01

    arrangements and the role of private services and actors in service delivery differed significantly too, ranging from strictly market-based forms of governance to classical public administration. The article moreover shows how the different activation approaches were reflected in the radically different usages...... from local politics, established local traditions, patterns of networking and modes of collaborating, as the notion of ‘local words of activation’ intends to capture....

  14. Developing consumption-based greenhouse gas accounts : the carbon footprint of local public service provision in Norway

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Larsen, Hogne Nersund

    2011-07-01

    This thesis describes the development and application of a tool to assess and document the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of municipalities and other public-service providers. The model is linked to the financial accounting system of municipalities and counties to calculate the Carbon Footprint (CF) of all purchases/activities made. In particular indirect emissions (Scope 3 according to the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol) will effectively be accounted for with this system. One of the main findings of the thesis is indeed the importance of Scope 3 emissions to the total CF of the cases investigated. Within the local climate action framework, this thesis focuses on the CF resulting from the activities of the municipal/county administration. This will largely be the provision of services. Insights in the structure of the CF of services will therefore be provided in the papers presented in the thesis. Results show that direct GHG emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are not very significant. At the same time, indirect GHG emissions embodied in the purchase of products and services from sub-suppliers are very significant. Furthermore, when time series are investigated, we identify a shift from direct emissions (e.g. the combustion of diesel in municipal vehicles) to indirect Scope 3 emissions (e.g. the purchase of transportation services from a private company). This outsourcing of activities indicates a necessary shift to complete consumption-based inventories that include all direct and indirect GHG emissions in developing comparable indicators of sustainability. The comparability of municipal CFs is the focus of one of the papers in the thesis. In the paper, we investigate how the CF of all Norwegian municipalities compares to a set of key characteristics. The main finding here is that the CF is highly dependent on both municipal wealth and municipal size. Small and wealthy municipalities tend to have a significantly higher CF per capita relating to the

  15. Developing consumption-based greenhouse gas accounts : the carbon footprint of local public service provision in Norway

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larsen, Hogne Nersund

    2011-01-01

    This thesis describes the development and application of a tool to assess and document the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions of municipalities and other public-service providers. The model is linked to the financial accounting system of municipalities and counties to calculate the Carbon Footprint (CF) of all purchases/activities made. In particular indirect emissions (Scope 3 according to the greenhouse gas (GHG) protocol) will effectively be accounted for with this system. One of the main findings of the thesis is indeed the importance of Scope 3 emissions to the total CF of the cases investigated. Within the local climate action framework, this thesis focuses on the CF resulting from the activities of the municipal/county administration. This will largely be the provision of services. Insights in the structure of the CF of services will therefore be provided in the papers presented in the thesis. Results show that direct GHG emissions from the burning of fossil fuels are not very significant. At the same time, indirect GHG emissions embodied in the purchase of products and services from sub-suppliers are very significant. Furthermore, when time series are investigated, we identify a shift from direct emissions (e.g. the combustion of diesel in municipal vehicles) to indirect Scope 3 emissions (e.g. the purchase of transportation services from a private company). This outsourcing of activities indicates a necessary shift to complete consumption-based inventories that include all direct and indirect GHG emissions in developing comparable indicators of sustainability. The comparability of municipal CFs is the focus of one of the papers in the thesis. In the paper, we investigate how the CF of all Norwegian municipalities compares to a set of key characteristics. The main finding here is that the CF is highly dependent on both municipal wealth and municipal size. Small and wealthy municipalities tend to have a significantly higher CF per capita relating to the

  16. Study of a distributed wireless multi-sensory train approach detection and warning system for improving the safety of railroad workers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-07-01

    Safety is a key concern for the North American railroad industry, particularly for their employees. However, in one particular area there is an identified urgent need for a novel solution that helps protect them better than the current approach: trac...

  17. 75 FR 8101 - 30-Day Federal Register Notice of Intention To Request Clearance of Collection of Information...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-23

    ..., National Manager, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, National Park Service, Midwest... Control Number: 1024-0232. Title: NPS National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Application. Form: National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Application. Expiration Date: 2/28/2010. Type of request...

  18. 78 FR 1930 - Proposed Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-09

    ...,250 verbal 5 seconds 25 notices. Communication Signal Tests... 22 railroads....... 365,000 tests... Inspection of Pass. Cars: Notification of Alternative Intervals Non-Complying Conditions..... 27 railroads... seconds......... 1,521 Communication Signal System Test 238.321: Out-of-service credit 27 railroads...

  19. 76 FR 26682 - Study on Protection of Certain Railroad Risk Reduction Data From Discovery or Use in Litigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-05-09

    ...-2011-0025] Study on Protection of Certain Railroad Risk Reduction Data From Discovery or Use in... Act of 2008 (RSIA), FRA is soliciting public comment on the issue of whether it is in the public... withhold from discovery or use in litigation in a Federal or State court proceeding for damages involving...

  20. Patients’ Attitude towards Travelling For Breast Services versus Waiting Longer For Local Services

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Abd Elwahab, S

    2018-05-01

    Geographical access is a cornerstone of health care provision. However, prolonged waiting for breast clinic appointments in local services results in delayed diagnosis and excessive anxiety for patients. In this study, we present a patient satisfaction survey results of an initiative to offer out-patient clinic appointments for non-urgent patients referred to the breast unit in Letterkenny General Hospital (LGH), Ireland, and exceeded the recommended waiting period of 12 weeks. These patients were offered appointment in University Hospital Galway (UCHG), which is an average travel time of about 3.5-4.5 hours away from LGH. 163 patients out of 336 (48.5%) patients actively waiting more than 12 weeks for appointments in LGH accepted alternative appointments in UCHG. Despite the long travel distance for these patients, 100% of them reported high satisfaction and 97.3% said they would accept further UCHG appointments if a similar situation of prolonged waiting in LGH arises. None of these patients were diagnosed with cancer, and only one had a benign lumpectomy. This study showed that if offered alternative appointments, just under half of the patients would accept. The initiative provides a feasible solution for long waiters, and the survey shows that patients’ satisfaction remains high despite long travel.

  1. 77 FR 43146 - Twin Cities & Western Railroad Company, the Estate of Douglas M. Head, and the DMH Trust fbo...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-07-23

    ... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Surface Transportation Board [Docket No. FD 35642] Twin Cities & Western Railroad Company, the Estate of Douglas M. Head, and the DMH Trust fbo Martha M. Head--Continuance... Class III rail carrier, and the Estate of Douglas M. Head (the Estate), a noncarrier, to continue in...

  2. A comparative analysis of ecosystem services valuation approaches for application at the local scale and in data scarce regions

    OpenAIRE

    Pandeya, B.; Buytaert, W.; Zulkafli, Z.; Karpouzoglou, T.; Mao, F.; Hannah, D.M.

    2016-01-01

    Despite significant advances in the development of the ecosystem services concept across the science and policy arenas, the valuation of ecosystem services to guide sustainable development remains challenging, especially at a local scale and in data scarce regions. In this paper, we review and compare major past and current valuation approaches and discuss their key strengths and weaknesses for guiding policy decisions. To deal with the complexity of methods used in different valuation approa...

  3. Online Services Management Support for an Intelligent Locality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lorena BĂTĂGAN

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available As the number of habitants of large cities is expanding, put greater pressure on city infrastructure delivering vital services, such as health, education, public safety and transport. These efforts are added to changing public demands for better information, better education, environmental programs, a more open government, lower maintenance costs and other housing options for older people. Therefore, to achieve these goals, it must take into account the quality of all services, but especially the quality of online services based on the use of modern information and communication technologies.The management of service quality on-line offers a performance evaluation and comparative analysis of indicators. He also works as a decision support to improve the quality of online services and increasing customer satisfaction, essential elements in an intelligent city.

  4. CONSUMER PREFERENCES AND DRIVERS OF CHOICE REGARDING LOCAL RECREATION SERVICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana-Maria SAVA

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the rapidly growing industry of leisure has displayed some signs of overcrowding on account of the diminished capacities of turning employed resources into profit and the lowered personnel productivity in Romania. Economic agents striving to succeed in this rapidly evolving economic sector should reconsider their position and plan a strategy to grow or reinforce their business. The present paper provides a starting point in outlying the local recreation market specificity by investigating consumer preferences and drivers of choice. Results show that although there is an active demand for commercial recreational activities, its quantum is rather low. Moreover, the study shows that service-related factors (such as quality, personnel qualification, price and novelty appear to have the highest importance for consumers, that positive word of mouth is a rather strong influencer, while advertising and location-related factors rank lowest on the list of priorities when choosing a recreation provider.

  5. Framing the decision to contract out elderly care and primary health care services – perspectives of local level politicians and civil servants in Finland

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tynkkynen Liina-Kaisa

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In the literature there are only few empirical studies that analyse the decision makers’ reasoning to contract out health care and social services to private sector. However, the decisions on the delivery patterns of health care and social services are considered to be of great importance as they have a potential to influence citizens’ access to services and even affect their health. This study contributes to filling this cap by exploring the frames used by Finnish local authorities as they talk about contracting out of primary health care and elderly care services. Contracting with the private sector has gained increasing popularity, in Finland, during the past decade, as a practise of organising health care and social services. Methods Interview data drawn from six municipalities through thematic group interviews were used. The data were analysed applying frame analysis in order to reveal the underlying reasoning for the decisions. Results Five argumentation frames were found: Rational reasoning; Pragmatic realism; Promoting diversity among providers; Good for the municipality; Good for the local people. The interviewees saw contracting with the private sector mostly as a means to improve the performance of public providers, to improve service quality and efficiency and to boost the local economy. The decisions to contract out were mainly argued through the good for the municipal administration, political and ideological commitments, available resources and existing institutions. Conclusions This study suggests that the policy makers use a number of grounds to justify their decisions on contracting out. Most of the arguments were related to the benefits of the municipality rather than on what is best for the local people. The citizens were offered the role of active consumers who are willing to purchase services also out-of-pocket. This development has a potential to endanger the affordability of the services and lead

  6. New nuclear data service at CNEA: retrieval of the update libraries from a local Web-Server

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suarez, Patricia M.; Pepe, Maria E.; Sbaffoni, Maria M.

    2000-01-01

    A new On-line Nuclear Data Service was implemented at National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) Web-Site. The information usually issued by the Nuclear Data Section of IAEA (NDS-IAEA) on CD-ROM, as well as complementary libraries periodically downloaded from the a mirror server of NDS-IAEA Service located at IPEN, Brazil are available on the new CNEA Web page. In the site, users can find numerical data on neutron, charged-particle, and photonuclear reactions, nuclear structure, and decay data, with related bibliographic information. This data server is permanently maintained and updated by CNEA staff members. This crew also offers assistance on the use and retrieval of nuclear data to local users. (author)

  7. An analysis of commercial railroad congestion and its resultant impact on fort-to-port transportation efforts

    OpenAIRE

    Hillis, Shaun A.

    1999-01-01

    The United States Army is heavily-dependent upon commercial railroad transportation assets for the movement of cargo and equipment from Continental United States (CONUS) installations to Seaports of Embarkation during unit mobilizations. With the withdrawal of forces from overseas installations, this dependence upon commercial rail assets nas grown dramatically in the past few years. Due to a series of consolidations and mergers, the CONUS rail infrastructure has reached full capacity and is ...

  8. Translating National Level Forest Service Goals to Local Level Land Management: Carbon Sequestration

    Science.gov (United States)

    McNulty, S.; Treasure, E.

    2017-12-01

    The USDA Forest Service has many national level policies related to multiple use management. However, translating national policy to stand level forest management can be difficult. As an example of how a national policy can be put into action, we examined three case studies in which a desired future condition is evaluated at the national, region and local scale. We chose to use carbon sequestration as the desired future condition because climate change has become a major area of concern during the last decade. Several studies have determined that the 193 million acres of US national forest land currently sequester 11% to 15% of the total carbon emitted as a nation. This paper provides a framework by which national scale strategies for maintaining or enhancing forest carbon sequestration is translated through regional considerations and local constraints in adaptive management practices. Although this framework used the carbon sequestration as a case study, this framework could be used with other national level priorities such as the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) or the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

  9. The radial hardness-profile and the microstructure of railroad car axle materials treated by surface rolling, determined by novel examination methods

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berecz, Tibor; Balogh, Levente; Mészáros, István; Steinbach, Ágoston

    2014-01-01

    Surface rolling is a cold-working technique used for hardening the surface of steel and ductile cast iron components. This process increases the surface hardness and improves the fatigue properties of components, so it is commonly used to treat railroad car wheel axles. The present paper examines the influence of this surface strengthening technique on the microstructure of the railroad car wheel axle material by hardness tests, optical microscopy (OM), and other novel examination methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray line profile analysis (XLPA), non-destructive magnetic evaluation (NDE) and automated electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results show that surface rolling causes an increase in hardness down to a depth of ∼10 mm. It is also shown, that the increase in hardness is not due to grain refinement or change in grain morphology; thus it is likely to be caused by an increase in dislocation density

  10. The radial hardness-profile and the microstructure of railroad car axle materials treated by surface rolling, determined by novel examination methods

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Berecz, Tibor, E-mail: berecz@eik.bme.hu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111 Budapest, Bertalan Lajos utca 7 (Hungary); Balogh, Levente, E-mail: levente@metal.elte.hu [Department of Materials Physics, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Pázmány Péter sétány 1/a (Hungary); Mészáros, István, E-mail: meszaros@eik.bme.hu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111 Budapest, Bertalan Lajos utca 7 (Hungary); Steinbach, Ágoston, E-mail: sa984@hszk.bme.hu [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, 1111 Budapest, Bertalan Lajos utca 7 (Hungary)

    2014-01-13

    Surface rolling is a cold-working technique used for hardening the surface of steel and ductile cast iron components. This process increases the surface hardness and improves the fatigue properties of components, so it is commonly used to treat railroad car wheel axles. The present paper examines the influence of this surface strengthening technique on the microstructure of the railroad car wheel axle material by hardness tests, optical microscopy (OM), and other novel examination methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray line profile analysis (XLPA), non-destructive magnetic evaluation (NDE) and automated electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). The results show that surface rolling causes an increase in hardness down to a depth of ∼10 mm. It is also shown, that the increase in hardness is not due to grain refinement or change in grain morphology; thus it is likely to be caused by an increase in dislocation density.

  11. Efficient field testing for load rating railroad bridges

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulz, Jeffrey L.; Brett C., Commander

    1995-06-01

    As the condition of our infrastructure continues to deteriorate, and the loads carried by our bridges continue to increase, an ever growing number of railroad and highway bridges require load limits. With safety and transportation costs at both ends of the spectrum. the need for accurate load rating is paramount. This paper describes a method that has been developed for efficient load testing and evaluation of short- and medium-span bridges. Through the use of a specially-designed structural testing system and efficient load test procedures, a typical bridge can be instrumented and tested at 64 points in less than one working day and with minimum impact on rail traffic. Various techniques are available to evaluate structural properties and obtain a realistic model. With field data, a simple finite element model is 'calibrated' and its accuracy is verified. Appropriate design and rating loads are applied to the resulting model and stress predictions are made. This technique has been performed on numerous structures to address specific problems and to provide accurate load ratings. The merits and limitations of this approach are discussed in the context of actual examples of both rail and highway bridges that were tested and evaluated.

  12. Performance Competition in Local Media Markets

    OpenAIRE

    Revelli Federico

    2008-01-01

    This paper investigates the impact of tax and public service performance on English local government popularity by using data on local property taxes, service performance ratings and local election results after the introduction of a system of evaluation of local government performance (Comprehensive Performance Assessment). The evidence emerging from estimation of a reelection equation offers a somewhat more rounded portrait of the voter than the conventional fiscal conservative icon, by hig...

  13. A CLAS act? Community-based organizations, health service decentralization and primary care development in Peru. Local Committees for Health Administration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Iwami, Michiyo; Petchey, Roland

    2002-12-01

    In 1994 Peru embarked on a programme of health service reform, which combined primary care development and community participation through Local Committees for Health Administration (CLAS). They are responsible for carrying out local health needs assessments and identifying unmet health needs through regular household surveys. These enable them to determine local health provision and tailor services to local requirements. CLAS build on grassroots self-help circles that developed during the economic and political crises of the 1980s, and in which women have been prominent. However, they function under a 3 year contract with the Ministry of Health and within a framework of centrally determined guidelines and regulations. These reforms were implemented in the context of neo-liberal economic policies, which stressed financial deregulation and fiscal and monetary restraint, and were aimed at reducing foreign indebtedness and inflation. We evaluate the achievements of the CLAS and analyse the relationship between health and economic policy in Peru, with the aid of two contrasting models of the role of the state - 'agency' and 'stewardship'. We argue that Peru's experience holds valuable lessons for other countries seeking to foster community involvement. These include the need for community capacity building and partnership between community organizations and state (and other civil) agencies.

  14. Market effects of environmental regulation: coal, railroads, and the 1990 Clean Air Act

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Busse, M.R.; Keohane, N.O. [University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2007-01-01

    Many environmental regulations encourage the use of 'clean' inputs. When the suppliers of such an input have market power, environmental regulation will affect not only the quantity of the input used but also its price. We investigate the effect of the Title IV emissions trading program for sulfur dioxide on the market for low-sulfur coal. We find that the two railroads transporting coal were able to price discriminate on the basis of environmental regulation and geographic location. Delivered prices rose for plants in the trading program relative to other plants, and by more at plants near a low-sulfur coal source.

  15. Slab Track at Facility for Accelerated Service Testing: Performance and Serviceability

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-02-01

    The Transportation Technology Center, Inc., with funding by the Portland Cement Association and the Federal Railroad Administration, documented the available records associated with the performance of the concrete slab track section in the High Tonna...

  16. 76 FR 16199 - Hours of Service of Railroad Employees; Substantive Regulations for Train Employees Providing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-03-22

    ... hostlers.'' Other employees, such as food service providers or sleeping car attendants, who may work on... day. Because of natural circadian rhythms and environmental and social factors, most people are able... Effectiveness (SAFTE) model and Fatigue Avoidance Scheduling Tool TM (FAST) that have been validated and...

  17. Fit between Conservation Instruments and Local Social Systems: Cases of Co-management and Payments for Ecosystem Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarkki Simo

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available We draw on the concept of ‘fit’ to understand how co-management and Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES as governance instruments could better acknowledge local social complexities. Achieving ‘participatory fit’ requires well-designed and fair processes, which enhance local acceptance towards the implemented rules. Thus, such fit can contribute to establishing new institutions in conservation governance. However, previous literature on participation has had strong focus on properties of decision-making processes, which often neglects the question on how local realities effect on local people’s ability and willingness to participate in the work of governance instruments. We approach ‘participatory fit’ by identifying six properties of heterogeneous local social systems that governance instruments need to acknowledge to nurture balanced bottom-up participation: 1 economic resources and structures, 2 relationships to land, 3 level of education, 4 relationships between diverse actors, 5 divergent problem definitions, and 6 local identities. We discuss related sources of misfits and develop proposals on how conservation instruments could function as bridging organizations facilitating polycentric institutional structures that fit better to the social systems they are intended to govern. Such hybridization of governance could avoid pitfalls of considering one particular instrument (e.g. co-management or PES as a panacea able to create win-win solutions.

  18. Welfare service in rural areas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nørgaard, Helle

    Many rural municipalities are challenged due to overall population decline and demographic changes and thus need to make adjustment to municipal services. Demographic profiles are central for assessing both needs, place bound resources and development potential of individual localities.Assessment......Many rural municipalities are challenged due to overall population decline and demographic changes and thus need to make adjustment to municipal services. Demographic profiles are central for assessing both needs, place bound resources and development potential of individual localities.......Assessment of development potential for individual localities using a place-based approach is in line with EU policies for rural development thereby setting a competitive framework for local development. This paper addresses place bound approaches in relation to service adjustment and discusses how local resources...... and place bound potentials are identified and how they are addressed in plans for future development. The paper draws on a study on service adjustments in rural municipalities in Denmark examining how service adjustments e.g. closing of local schools are decided, how they are managed by rural communities...

  19. 76 FR 50359 - Hours of Service of Railroad Employees; Substantive Regulations for Train Employees Providing...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-08-12

    ..., with FAST requiring an effectiveness score greater than or equal to its threshold, and FAID requiring a... section 3 [49 U.S.C. 21105]) and hostlers.'' Other employees, such as food service providers or sleeping... evening that may affect one's fatigue and alertness. Because of natural circadian rhythms and...

  20. The Times They Are A-Changing: The Influence of Railroad Technology on the Adoption of Standard Time Zones in 1883.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Nathaniel

    2000-01-01

    Presents the story of the role railroad technology had in the adoption of Standard Time Zones in 1883 and also considers the influence of astronomers at the time. Includes the map of the standard railway time used by W. F. Allen and an annotated bibliography with primary and secondary sources. (CMK)

  1. Implementation of a new 'community' laboratory CD4 service in a rural health district in South Africa extends laboratory services and substantially improves local reporting turnaround time.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coetzee, L M; Cassim, N; Glencross, D K

    2015-12-16

    The CD4 integrated service delivery model (ITSDM) provides for reasonable access to pathology services across South Africa (SA) by offering three new service tiers that extend services into remote, under-serviced areas. ITSDM identified Pixley ka Seme as such an under-serviced district. To address the poor service delivery in this area, a new ITSDM community (tier 3) laboratory was established in De Aar, SA. Laboratory performance and turnaround time (TAT) were monitored post implementation to assess the impact on local service delivery. Using the National Health Laboratory Service Corporate Data Warehouse, CD4 data were extracted for the period April 2012-July 2013 (n=11,964). Total mean TAT (in hours) was calculated and pre-analytical and analytical components assessed. Ongoing testing volumes, as well as external quality assessment performance across ten trials, were used to indicate post-implementation success. Data were analysed using Stata 12. Prior to the implementation of CD4 testing at De Aar, the total mean TAT was 20.5 hours. This fell to 8.2 hours post implementation, predominantly as a result of a lower pre-analytical mean TAT reducing from a mean of 18.9 to 1.8 hours. The analytical testing TAT remained unchanged after implementation and monthly test volumes increased by up to 20%. External quality assessment indicated adequate performance. Although subjective, questionnaires sent to facilities reported improved service delivery. Establishing CD4 testing in a remote community laboratory substantially reduces overall TAT. Additional community CD4 laboratories should be established in under-serviced areas, especially where laboratory infrastructure is already in place.

  2. Metropolitian area network services comprised of virtual local area networks running over hybrid fiber-coax and asynchronous transfer mode technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Biedron, William S.

    1995-11-01

    Since 1990 there has been a rapid increase in the demand for communication services, especially local and wide area network (LAN/WAN) oriented services. With the introduction of the DFB laser transmitter, hybrid-fiber-coax (HFC) cable plant designs, ATM transport technologies and rf modems, new LAN/WAN services can now be defined and marketed to residential and business customers over existing cable TV systems. The term metropolitan area network (MAN) can be used to describe this overall network. This paper discusses the technical components needed to provision these services as well as provides some perspectives on integration issues. Architecture at the headend and in the backbone is discussed, as well as specific service definitions and the technology issues associated with each. The TCP/IP protocol is suggested as a primary protocol to be used throughout the MAN.

  3. Connections and consequences in complex systems: insights from a case study of the emergence and local impact of crisis resolution and home treatment services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hannigan, Ben

    2013-09-01

    In this article the broad contours of a complexity perspective are outlined. Complexity ideas are then drawn on to frame an empirical examination of the connections running between different levels of organisation in health and social care, and to underpin investigation into the intended and unintended local system consequences of service development. Data are used from a study conducted in the UK's mental health field. Here, macro-level policy has led to the supplementing of longstanding community mental health teams by newer, more specialised, services. An example includes teams providing crisis resolution and home treatment (CRHT) care as an alternative to hospital admission. Using an embedded case study design, where 'the case' examined was a new CRHT team set in its surrounding organisational environment, ethnographic data (with interviews predominating) were generated in a single site in Wales over 18 months from the middle of 2007. In a large-scale context favourable to local decision-making, and against a background of a partial and disputed evidence base, the move to establish the new standalone service was contested. Whilst users valued the work of the team, and local practitioners recognised the quality of its contribution, powerful effects were also triggered across the locality's horizontal interfaces. Participants described parts of the interconnected system being closed to release resources, staff gravitating to new crisis services leaving holes elsewhere, and the most needy service users being cared for by the least experienced workers. Some community mental health team staff described unexpected increases in workload, and disputes over eligibility for crisis care with implications for system-wide working relations. Detailed data extracts are used to illustrate these connections and consequences. Concluding lessons are drawn on the use of evidence to inform policy, on the significance of local contexts and system interfaces, and on anticipating the

  4. Designing a podiatry service to meet the needs of the population: a service simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Jackie A

    2007-02-01

    A model of a podiatry service has been developed which takes into consideration the effect of changing access criteria, skill mix and staffing levels (among others) given fixed local staffing budgets and the foot-health characteristics of the local community. A spreadsheet-based deterministic model was chosen to allow maximum transparency of programming. This work models a podiatry service in England, but could be adapted for other settings and, with some modification, for other community-based services. This model enables individual services to see the effect on outcome parameters such as number of patients treated, number discharged and size of waiting lists of various service configurations, given their individual local data profile. The process of designing the model has also had spin-off benefits for the participants in making explicit many of the implicit rules used in managing their services.

  5. Educational Psychology in Scotland: Making a Difference. An Aspect Report on the Findings of Inspections of Local Authority Educational Psychology Services 2006-10

    Science.gov (United States)

    Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, 2011

    2011-01-01

    This report provides, for the first time, an overview based on inspections of all 32 local authority educational psychology services. The picture it presents is broadly a very positive one although it also points to areas in which there is certainly scope for further improvement. The report shows that services are making a positive difference to…

  6. A Classification of Landscape Services to Support Local Landscape Planning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    María Vallés-Planells

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The ecosystem services approach has been proven successful to measure the contributions of nature and greenery to human well-being. Ecosystems have an effect on quality of life, but landscapes also, as a broader concept, may contribute to people's well-being. The concept of landscape services, compared to ecosystem services, involves the social dimension of landscape and the spatial pattern resulting from both natural and human processes in the provision of benefits for human-well being. Our aim is to develop a classification for landscape services. The proposed typology of services is built on the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES and on a critical review of existing literature on human well-being dimensions, existing ecosystem service classifications, and landscape perception. Three themes of landscape services are defined, each divided into several groups: provisioning, regulation and maintenance, cultural and social life fulfillment, with the latter focusing on health, enjoyment, and personal and social fulfillment. A special emphasis is made on cultural services, which are especially important when applied to landscape and which have received less attention.

  7. Room for action? How service managers in three Scandinavian cities experience their possibilities to develop their services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Næss Ole

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND - The study is based on the ongoing public debate concerning a limited scope for local service development in alcohol and drug treatment-related services - and that the main cause of local “paralysis” is to be found in health policy micromanagement of these services. It is argued that business management models place too much emphasis on financial control and performance measurement and that this leads to less interest in quality improvement in the provision of services. DESIGN - 23 interviews with service managers in three Nordic urban municipalities, Stavanger, Umeå and Aarhus. RESULTS - The article documents comprehensive local service development, demonstrating that the main conditions for innovation are management commitment and interdisciplinary co-operation in the practice field. CONCLUSIONS - In all three municipalities the services develop in a hybrid innovation model that combines New Public Management-inspired solutions with technical co-operation in horizontal networks. Results show that NPM-inspired solutions to alcohol and drug treatment services do not necessarily hinder the consideration of local professionalism and flexibility in the development.

  8. Service employees give as they get: internal service as a moderator of the service climate-service outcomes link.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ehrhart, Karen Holcombe; Witt, L A; Schneider, Benjamin; Perry, Sara Jansen

    2011-03-01

    We lend theoretical insight to the service climate literature by exploring the joint effects of branch service climate and the internal service provided to the branch (the service received from corporate units to support external service delivery) on customer-rated service quality. We hypothesized that service climate is related to service quality most strongly when the internal service quality received is high, providing front-line employees with the capability to deliver what the service climate motivates them to do. We studied 619 employees and 1,973 customers in 36 retail branches of a bank. We aggregated employee perceptions of the internal service quality received from corporate units and the local service climate and external customer perceptions of service quality to the branch level of analysis. Findings were consistent with the hypothesis that high-quality internal service is necessary for branch service climate to yield superior external customer service quality. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved.

  9. Implementation of a guideline for local health policy making by regional health services: exploring determinants of use by a web survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuunders, T.J.M.; Jacobs, M.A.M.; Goor, I.A.M. van de; Bon-Martens, M.J.H. van; Oers, H.A.M. van; Paulussen, T.G.W.M.

    2017-01-01

    Background. Previous evaluation showed insufficient use of a national guideline for integrated local health policy by Regional Health Services (RHS) in the Netherlands. The guideline focuses on five health topics and includes five checklists to support integrated municipal health policies. This

  10. Implementation of a guideline for local health policy making by regional health services : Exploring determinants of use by a web survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kuunders, T.J.M.; Jacobs, M.A.M.; Paulussen, T.G.W.M.; van de Goor, L.A.M.; van Bon, M.J.H.; van Oers, J.A.M.

    Background Previous evaluation showed insufficient use of a national guideline for integrated local health policy by Regional Health Services (RHS) in the Netherlands. The guideline focuses on five health topics and includes five checklists to support integrated municipal health policies. This study

  11. OPTIMIZING PUBLIC SERVICE THROUGH E-GOV SERVICES (THE CASE OF PUBLIC SERVICE IN SOUTH JAKARTA MUNICIPALITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Florentina Ratih Wulandari

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available The development of information technology and public administration paradigms that emphasize services for the benefit of society has affected the strategic efforts of e-Gov in Indonesia. For that, there is a need to create qualified, competitive, effective and efficient of the public services. Indonesia’s E-Gov Policy has been applying principles of good governance and information technology to serve and interact with the community. Some local governments, including South Jakarta Municipality has been implementing e-Gov to optimize public service. e-Gov in South Jakarta Municipality is reflected on the implementation of a management information technology to improve services to the community by creating a web site, namely http://selatan.jakarta.go.id/. The information presented in South Jakarta Municipality website includes tourism, local regulations, and other information of Municipality of South Jakarta.

  12. GIS for Nevada railroads: 1993 report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carr, J.R.

    1993-12-01

    This is an interim report on a task within a large, ongoing study by the University of Nevada, Reno to examine the safety of Nevada railroads. The overall goal, of which this year's research is a middle stage, is to develop models based on the use of geographic information systems (GIS). These models are to enable the selection of the best and safest railway routes for the transport of high-level nuclear waste across Nevada to the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain. Last year's research concluded that the databases are adequate and that GIS are feasible and desirable for displaying the multi-layered data required to reach decisions about safety. It developed several database layers. This report deals with work during 1993 on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) for rail-route selection. The goal was to identify and assemble many of the databases necessary for the models. In particular, the research aimed to identify (a) any problems with developing database layers; and (b) the level of effort required. This year's effort developed database layers for two Nevada counties: Clark and Lincoln. The layers dealt with: topographic information, geologic information, and land ownership. These are among the most important database layers. The database layers were successfully created. No significant problems arose in developing them. The level of effort did not exceed the expected level. The most effective approach is by means of digital, shaded relief maps. (Sample maps appear in plates.) Therefore, future database development will be straightforward. Research may proceed on the full development of shaded relief elevation maps for Elko, White Pine, Nye and Eureka counties and with actual modeling for the selection of a route or routes between the UP/SP line in northern Nevada and Yucca Mountain

  13. Internet-Based Indoor Navigation Services

    OpenAIRE

    Zeinalipour-Yazti, Demetrios; Laoudias, Christos; Georgiou, Kyriakos

    2017-01-01

    Smartphone advances are leading to a class of Internet-based Indoor Navigation services. IIN services rely on geolocation databases that store indoor models, comprising floor maps and points of interest, along with wireless, light, and magnetic signals for localizing users. Developing IIN services creates new information management challenges - such as crowdsourcing indoor models, acquiring and fusing big data velocity signals, localization algorithms, and custodians' location privacy. Here, ...

  14. O gigante dormente: O lugar nos trilhos da ferrovia Norte-Sul / The railway sleeper giant: The place in the tracks of the North-South railroad

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arlete Mendes Mendes da Silva

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The Great Engineering Projects are events that change the space, altering their natural and socio-cultural elements. The socio-spatial effects of these developments can be positive and / or negative. The construction of the North – South railway is considered a major project. This suggests a path with railways of approximately 2100 km across the Midwest and north of the country, connecting the north with the Carajás Railroad and south with the Central Atlantic Railroad. With that reduces freight costs for long distances, and can raise the economic development of the Brazilian Cerrado. Despite the developmental objectives of the FNS, this paper seeks to reflect on the impact that the railroad can bring to the rural and urban in the city of Anápolis - GO, taking place as a category of this analysis. There is no way to integrate, include, accommodate a large number of people who ‘has no place’ in society exclusionary. Moreover, the forms of inclusion and reinstatement are increasingly encountered and degrading little to a condition of social welfare. Aiming to spatialize and illustrate this reflection, the geographical treatment that is intended to give the perspective of space - place mentions the construction of a major infrastructure project in the transport logistics Mid- Region the Center of Goiás, at the southern entrance of the city of Anápolis, in State of Goiás, the North South Railway - FNS and its socio-spatial implications.

  15. "The Sacred Spark of Wonder": Local Museums, Australian Curriculum History, and Pre-Service Primary Teacher Education: A Tasmanian Case Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brett, Peter

    2014-01-01

    This article explores the intersections between museum learning in a distinctive Tasmanian setting, the possibilities of a new national History curriculum, and the evolving views and professional practices of pre-service primary teachers at one Australian university. Following a brief overview of the framework for local and Australian history that…

  16. Diversite et importance socio-economique des services ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Ecosystems and protected areas provide important ecosystem services to local communities. These services are incentives for natural resources conservation. The current project, conducted in Pendjari Biosphere Reserve, northern Benin aimed at assessing ecosystem services and their contribution to local people ...

  17. Performance evaluation of data center service localization based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic optical network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Hui; Zhang, Jie; Ji, Yuefeng; Tan, Yuanlong; Lin, Yi; Han, Jianrui; Lee, Young

    2015-09-07

    Data center interconnection with elastic optical network is a promising scenario to meet the high burstiness and high-bandwidth requirements of data center services. In our previous work, we implemented cross stratum optimization of optical network and application stratums resources that allows to accommodate data center services. In view of this, this study extends the data center resources to user side to enhance the end-to-end quality of service. We propose a novel data center service localization (DCSL) architecture based on virtual resource migration in software defined elastic data center optical network. A migration evaluation scheme (MES) is introduced for DCSL based on the proposed architecture. The DCSL can enhance the responsiveness to the dynamic end-to-end data center demands, and effectively reduce the blocking probability to globally optimize optical network and application resources. The overall feasibility and efficiency of the proposed architecture are experimentally verified on the control plane of our OpenFlow-based enhanced SDN testbed. The performance of MES scheme under heavy traffic load scenario is also quantitatively evaluated based on DCSL architecture in terms of path blocking probability, provisioning latency and resource utilization, compared with other provisioning scheme.

  18. CERN Housing Service – New website

    CERN Multimedia

    GS Department

    2009-01-01

    You can now consult the new CERN Housing Service website which includes information relating to the CERN hostels booking rules, special negotiated rates for hotels in the local area, rental offers from the local private sector, etc.: https://espace.cern.ch/hostel-service/default.aspx Please contact the CERN Housing Service team if you have any queries (reception in Building 39, 74481). GS-SEM Group Infrastructure and General Services Department

  19. CERN Housing Service – New website

    CERN Multimedia

    GS Department

    2009-01-01

    You can now consult the new CERN Housing Service website which includes information relating to the CERN hostel booking rules, special negotiated rates for hotels in the local area, rental offers from the local private sector, etc.: https://espace.cern.ch/hostel-service/default.aspx Please contact the CERN Housing Service team if you have any queries (reception in Building 39, 74481). GS-SEM Group Infrastructure and General Services Department

  20. WORKING ON THE RAILROAD: WORKERS AND THE EVOLUTION OF THE PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD’S PENSION PLAN

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charles W. Cheape

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available In 1900 the Pennsylvania Railroad Company implemented a pioneering pension plan that became a model for American business in the twentieth century. Although scholars have described the two-stage creation as management’s effort to achieve corporate efficiency and control over its labor force, this paper demonstrates a more complicated, untidy evolution. Employees played a vital, active role in the quarter-century development of the pension scheme, repeatedly shaping the process and its results directly and indirectly, consciously and unconsciously. Furthermore, the plan’s evolution was a messy, often decentralized, and incremental process considerably at oddsw ith the firm’s reputation for systematic, analytical management.

  1. A portable high-efficiency electromagnetic energy harvesting system using supercapacitors for renewable energy applications in railroads

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Xingtian; Zhang, Zutao; Pan, Hongye; Salman, Waleed; Yuan, Yanping; Liu, Yujie

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: In this study, we develop a portable high-efficiency electromagnetic energy harvesting system with supercapacitors that converts the energy of track vibrations into electricity. The generated electricity is stored in the supercapacitors and used in remote areas for safety facilities or in standby power supplies for rail-side equipment. The proposed system consists of a mechanical transmission and a rectifier. Acting as the energy input and transmission, Gears and a rack amplify the small vibrations of the track, and one-way bearings enhance efficiency by transforming bidirectional motion to unidirectional rotation. Supercapacitors are used in the energy harvesting system for the first time. The supercapacitors permit the storage of energy from rapidly changing transient currents and a steady power supply for external loads. The proposed system is demonstrated through dynamic simulations, which show the rapid response of the system. An efficiency of 55.5% is demonstrated in bench tests, verifying that the proposed electromagnetic energy harvesting system is effective and practical in renewable energy applications for railroads. - Highlights: • A frequently ignored source of energy, railroad track vibrations, is harvested. • A novel conversion mechanism is designed to maximize efficiency. • Supercapacitors are included in the electromagnetic energy harvesting system. • A portable design is proposed for wider application. - Abstract: As the demand for alternative sources of energy has increased, harvesting abundant environmental energy such as vibration energy including track vibrations in railway systems has attracted greater attention. In this study, we develop a portable high-efficiency electromagnetic energy harvesting system with supercapacitors that converts the energy of track vibrations into electricity. The generated electricity is stored in the supercapacitors and used in remote areas for safety facilities or in standby power

  2. E-Service Culturalization: New Trend in E-Service Design

    OpenAIRE

    Tolba , Rasha; Meyer , Kyrill; Zinke , Christian

    2017-01-01

    Part 12: Service Specification and Composition; International audience; In this paper, we draw attention to the importance of incorporating aspects of localization into design of e-Services in order to address the differences among e-Services consumers such as linguistic differences, and cultural diversity. In the past, many companies have realized that the idea of promoting an e-Service through a single version of a portal/website is not suitable for all of the potential users or customers. ...

  3. The Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant: an analysis of the impacts of its in-migrant construction workers on local public services. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braid, R.B. Jr.; Kyles, S.D.

    1977-05-01

    The socioeconomic impact study identifies certain impacts which are projected to occur to local public services in each of 14 Tennessee communities in the Oak Ridge-Knoxville area during the construction of the Clinch River Breeder Reactor Plant. Various in-migration scenarios are utilized, and detailed qualitative and quantitative analyses of each public service are undertaken. Per capita in-migrant cost-revenue impacts are calculated for each community in each in-migration scenario

  4. Health equity issues at the local level: Socio-geography, access, and health outcomes in the service area of the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer-Haiti

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aftab Asma S

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although health equity issues at regional, national and international levels are receiving increasing attention, health equity issues at the local level have been virtually overlooked. Here, we describe here a comprehensive equity assessment carried out by the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer-Haiti (HAS in 2003. HAS has been operating health and development programs in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti for 50 years. Methods We reviewed all available information arising from a comprehensive evaluation of the programs of HAS carried out in 1999 and 2000. As part of this evaluation, two demographic and health surveys were carried out. We carried out exit interviews with clients receiving primary health care, observations within health facilities, interviews with households related to quality of care, and focus group discussions with community-based health workers. A special study was carried out in 2003 to assess factors determining the use of prenatal care services. Finally, selected findings were obtained from the HAS information system. Results We found markedly reduced access to health services in the peripheral mountainous areas compared to the central plains. The quality of services was more deficient and the coverage of key services was lower in the mountains. Finally, health status, as measured by under-five mortality rates and levels of childhood malnutrition, was also worse in the mountains. Conclusion These findings indicate that local health programs need to give attention to monitoring the health status as well as the quality and coverage of basic services among marginalized groups within the program service area. Health inequities will not be overcome until such monitoring occurs and leaders of health programs ensure that inequities identified are addressed in the local programming of activities. It is quite likely that, within relatively small geographic areas in resource-poor settings around the world, similar, if not

  5. Health equity issues at the local level: socio-geography, access, and health outcomes in the service area of the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer-Haiti.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, Henry B; King-Schultz, Leslie W; Aftab, Asma S; Bryant, John H

    2007-08-01

    Although health equity issues at regional, national and international levels are receiving increasing attention, health equity issues at the local level have been virtually overlooked. Here, we describe here a comprehensive equity assessment carried out by the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer-Haiti (HAS) in 2003. HAS has been operating health and development programs in the Artibonite Valley of Haiti for 50 years. We reviewed all available information arising from a comprehensive evaluation of the programs of HAS carried out in 1999 and 2000. As part of this evaluation, two demographic and health surveys were carried out. We carried out exit interviews with clients receiving primary health care, observations within health facilities, interviews with households related to quality of care, and focus group discussions with community-based health workers. A special study was carried out in 2003 to assess factors determining the use of prenatal care services. Finally, selected findings were obtained from the HAS information system. We found markedly reduced access to health services in the peripheral mountainous areas compared to the central plains. The quality of services was more deficient and the coverage of key services was lower in the mountains. Finally, health status, as measured by under-five mortality rates and levels of childhood malnutrition, was also worse in the mountains. These findings indicate that local health programs need to give attention to monitoring the health status as well as the quality and coverage of basic services among marginalized groups within the program service area. Health inequities will not be overcome until such monitoring occurs and leaders of health programs ensure that inequities identified are addressed in the local programming of activities. It is quite likely that, within relatively small geographic areas in resource-poor settings around the world, similar, if not even greater, levels of health inequities exist. These inequities

  6. Service public local des déchets ménagers. A la recherche d'indicateurs de performance.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gérard Bertolini

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Comme les autres services publics, celui relatif à la gestion locale des déchets ménagers a besoin d’évaluer ses performances et doit en rendre compte. L’évaluation en question passe par la définition de critères et la sélection d’indicateurs, qui permettent de mesurer les progrès d’une collectivité et d’établir des comparaisons entre collectivités. La performance comporte de multiples facettes, qui appellent une évaluation multicritères. A la lumière d’une analyse de faisabilité et de pertinence, l’article propose un système d’indicateurs peu nombreux et assez simples constituant un tableau de bord.As other public services, the municipal waste service needs to evaluate its performances and is accountable for its results. This evaluation requires the definition of criteria and the selection of indicators in order to measure the  progress and to allow comparisons with other municipal waste services too. Because the performance has many facets, a multi-criteria approach will be used. In the light of an analysis of feasibility and relevance, the paper puts forwards few, quite simple and complementary indicators which are gathered up into a synoptic table and make up an instrument panel.

  7. The relationship between local area labor market conditions and the use of Veterans Affairs health services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wong, Edwin S; Liu, Chuan-Fen

    2013-03-13

    In the U.S., economic conditions are intertwined with labor market decisions, access to health care, health care utilization and health outcomes. The Veterans Affairs (VA) health care system has served as a safety net provider by supplying free or reduced cost care to qualifying veterans. This study examines whether local area labor market conditions, measured using county-level unemployment rates, influence whether veterans obtain health care from the VA. We used survey data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System in years 2000, 2003 and 2004 to construct a random sample of 73,964 respondents self-identified as veterans. VA health service utilization was defined as whether veterans received all, some or no care from the VA. Hierarchical ordered logistic regression was used to address unobserved state and county random effects while adjusting for individual characteristics. Local area labor market conditions were defined as the average 12-month unemployment rate in veterans' county of residence. The mean unemployment rate for veterans receiving all, some and no care was 5.56%, 5.37% and 5.24%, respectively. After covariate adjustment, a one percentage point increase in the unemployment rate in a veteran's county of residence was associated with an increase in the probability of receiving all care (0.34%, p-value = 0.056) or some care (0.29%, p-value = 0.023) from the VA. Our findings suggest that the important role of the VA in providing health care services to veterans is magnified in locations with high unemployment.

  8. The G4R GMES Academy - linking research, academia, service providers and local authorities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeil, Peter; Tramutoli, Valerio

    2013-04-01

    The GMES Academy intends to enhance the role of the academic and R&D communities in the evolution of EO & GI services. The GMES4Regions G4R initiative, aiming to strengthen the link between GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and European regions, inaugurated the GMES Academy at the University Mozarteum of Salzburg (Austria) on 13th - 14th September 2012. This academy has been created with the objective of fostering a dialogue among the private sector, Local and Regional Administration (LRA) and the academic and research community, in order to improve the development of Earth Observation (EO) and Geographic Information (GI) services. On this occasion, Z_GIS, the Interfaculty Department of Geoinformatics of Salzburg University, hosted the round table "Fostering Downstream Services for the Regions - contributions from Research & Academia," during which the participants had the opportunity to discuss with representatives of the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) the future role of the academic community in this domain. Stakeholders from the academic and R&D world adopted the 'Salzburg Declaration on GMES related Research', calling for strengthening connections between research activities and educational programmes to improve GMES services. The Declaration calls mainly for: • fostering education and training on GMES • ensuring cooperation among the academic and research community through the GMES Academy • maintaining a political commitment towards the implementation of such academic initiatives. The GMES Academy is established as a platform with six components: GATEWAY - the directory of Universities and Research Centres BRIDGE - an inventory of research briefs documenting the latest offerings from research to effective applications FACILITATOR - a portal to seek or propose internships or contract research across Europe and addressing outreach and advocacy: LINK - Access to the repository of on-going GMES related

  9. Reconceptualising Shared Services

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter McKinlay

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Endeavours to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of local government have been a persistent theme both of politicians in higher tiers of government and of interest groups, especially business. The two contenders for improvement which receive most coverage both in the research literature and in popular discussion are amalgamation and shared services. Arguments from the literature have generally favoured shared services over amalgamation. Bish (2001 in a comprehensive review of North American research dismisses the argument for amalgamation as a product of flawed nineteenth-century thinking and a bureaucratic urge for centralized control. He does so making the very reasonable point that the presumed economies of scale which will result from amalgamation are a function not of the size and scale of individual local authorities, but of the services for which those local authorities are responsible, and the point at which economies of scale will be optimised will be very different for different services. The case against amalgamation is also reinforced by the absence of any significant post-facto evidence that amalgamation achieves either the promised savings or the anticipated efficiency gains (McKinlay 2006.

  10. Local Governance and ICTs in Africa

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

    the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development ... ICTs for political inclusion and good governance in northern Ghana .... Outcome and output indicators for access to information and service delivery (e-services) ..... This means that local governments cannot provide e-services, because citizens ...

  11. Document Management in Local Government.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Bernard J. S.

    1998-01-01

    The latest in electronic document management in British local government is discussed. Finance, revenues, and benefits systems of leading vendors to local authorities are highlighted. A planning decisions archive management system and other information services are discussed. (AEF)

  12. Forestry-service entrepreneurs as producers of services

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koistinen, A.

    1999-01-01

    The concept of forestry-service enterprise used in the joint study (1997-7999) by the TTS-Institute and the Finnish Forest Research Institute (Metla) refers to enterprises and co-operatives (including forest workers operating as entrepreneurs) offering services in the fields of silviculture, basic forest improvement, planning and wood-harvesting sector. Companies practicing large-scale wood-conversion and traditional forestry-machine and road haulage contractors are not included in this approach. It can be estimated that there is a total of 450 such entrepreneurs in the country Those engaged in only a minor degree in providing forestry services are not included in the figure. The nation-wide research material was collected in the form of a mail questionnaire addressed to forestry-service entrepreneurs (n=320) in the spring of 1998. Almost all forestry-service entrepreneurs provide timber felling as a service. More than half of them do planting, cleaning of young stands, tending of young stands, and forest haulage of timber. Forestry planning is done by nearly a quarter. With the focus of operations as calculated from the enterprises turnover serving as the basis, it became apparent that the majority of entrepreneurship takes place in the form of logging. The means of transport is mostly an agricultural tractor. Most of entrepreneurs have switched to entrepreneurship only recently. Nearly a third have college level education in forestry, 39 % have switched over from their previous occupation of forest worker. Most entrepreneurs are full-time, private practitioners. Their median turnover in 1997 was FIM 180 000. Non-industrial private forest owners form the clientele for 82 % of the entrepreneurs, while local forest management associations are sources of employment for 68 % of the entrepreneurs. As to the average breakdown of the sources of their turnover 31 % is earned from jobs done for local forest management associations, 31 % comes from local forest management

  13. Vibration energy harvesting system for railroad safety based on running vehicles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tianchen, Yuan; Jian, Yang; Ruigang, Song; Xiaowei, Liu

    2014-01-01

    This research is focused on energy harvesting from track vibration in order to provide power for the wireless sensors which monitor railroad health. Considering that track vibration has vibration energy, a new method is proposed in the paper to harvest energy based on the piezoelectric effect. The piezoelectric generator called drum transducer is the key part for track vibration energy harvesting. The model of drum transducer is established and the simulation results show that it can generate 100 mW in real track situation. In addition, an experiment rig is developed and its vibration model is also established. The simulation and experiment results show that peak open-circuit voltage of piezoelectric generator is about 50–70 V at the full load of the train. The whole track vibration energy harvesting system is analytically modeled, numerically simulated, and experimentally realized to demonstrate the feasibility and the reliability of the theoretical model. This paper is the theoretical basis of harvesting, recovering and recycling of the track vibration energy for track safety. (paper)

  14. Efficient QoS-aware Service Composition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alrifai, Mohammad; Risse, Thomas

    Web service composition requests are usually combined with endto-end QoS requirements, which are specified in terms of non-functional properties (e.g. response time, throughput and price). The goal of QoS-aware service composition is to find the best combination of services such that their aggregated QoS values meet these end-to-end requirements. Local selection techniques are very efficient but fail short in handling global QoS constraints. Global optimization techniques, on the other hand, can handle global constraints, but their poor performance render them inappropriate for applications with dynamic and real-time requirements. In this paper we address this problem and propose a solution that combines global optimization with local selection techniques for achieving a better performance. The proposed solution consists of two steps: first we use mixed integer linear programming (MILP) to find the optimal decomposition of global QoS constraints into local constraints. Second, we use local search to find the best web services that satisfy these local constraints. Unlike existing MILP-based global planning solutions, the size of the MILP model in our case is much smaller and independent on the number of available services, yields faster computation and more scalability. Preliminary experiments have been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed solution.

  15. Evaluating the Impact of China’s Rail Network Expansions on Local Accessibility: A Market Potential Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wenjie Wu

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper uses a market potential approach to examine the evolution of the rail transport network of China and its spatial distributional impacts on local accessibility, with a particular focus on high-speed rail improvements. Accessibility is measured by using a “market potential” function that was derived from the general equilibrium model of the economic geography literature, and is empirically calculated based on Geographical Information System (GIS techniques. A key finding, albeit from a highly stylized model, is that rail improvements may help raise territorial polarizing patterns across counties. The results point to the profound implications of railroad network expansion on the accessibility dynamics in periphery regions relative to core regions.

  16. 22 CFR 228.40 - Local procurement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... transaction does not exceed $5,000. (c) Professional services contracts estimated not to exceed the local... available locally: (1) Utilities, including fuel for heating and cooking, waste disposal and trash...

  17. Water Service Areas - MDC_WaterServiceArea

    Data.gov (United States)

    NSGIC Local Govt | GIS Inventory — The Water and Sewer Service Area layer was derived from the original paper based sketches which contained both water and sewer utility boundary information. This...

  18. Sewerage Service Areas - MDC_SewerServiceArea

    Data.gov (United States)

    NSGIC Local Govt | GIS Inventory — The Water and Sewer Service Area layer was derived from the original paper based sketches which contained both water and sewer utility boundary information. This...

  19. 50 CFR 216.86 - Local regulations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... Pribilof Islands Administration § 216.86 Local regulations. Local regulations will be published from time... 50 Wildlife and Fisheries 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Local regulations. 216.86 Section 216.86 Wildlife and Fisheries NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE, NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION...

  20. New nuclear data service at CNEA: retrieval of the update libraries from a local Web-Server; Nuevo servicio de datos nucleares en CNEA: obtencion de bibliotecas actualizadas desde un Servidor Local

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Suarez, Patricia M [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Ezeiza (Argentina). Centro Atomico Ezeiza; Pepe, Maria E [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, General San Martin (Argentina). Centro Atomico Constituyentes; Sbaffoni, Maria M [Comision Nacional de Energia Atomica, Buenos Aires (Argentina). Gerencia de Tecnologia

    2000-07-01

    A new On-line Nuclear Data Service was implemented at National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) Web-Site. The information usually issued by the Nuclear Data Section of IAEA (NDS-IAEA) on CD-ROM, as well as complementary libraries periodically downloaded from the a mirror server of NDS-IAEA Service located at IPEN, Brazil are available on the new CNEA Web page. In the site, users can find numerical data on neutron, charged-particle, and photonuclear reactions, nuclear structure, and decay data, with related bibliographic information. This data server is permanently maintained and updated by CNEA staff members. This crew also offers assistance on the use and retrieval of nuclear data to local users. (author)

  1. 77 FR 2077 - Intent To Request Renewal From OMB of One Current Public Collection of Information: Rail...

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-01-13

    ... carriers, including each carrier operating light rail or heavy rail transit service on track that is part of the general railroad system of transportation and rail transit systems. Also, these persons are... any threat information. In addition, freight railroad carriers and the affected shippers and receivers...

  2. 5 CFR 531.603 - Locality pay areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 5 Administrative Personnel 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Locality pay areas. 531.603 Section 531.603 Administrative Personnel OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS PAY UNDER THE GENERAL SCHEDULE Locality-Based Comparability Payments § 531.603 Locality pay areas. (a) Locality rates of...

  3. Beyond Knowledge: Service Learning and Local Climate Change Research Engagement Activities that Foster Action and Behavior Change

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, R.; Mandryk, C.; Gosselin, D. C.; Haney, C.

    2013-12-01

    environment and support teachers in the creation of lessons and units that promote both inquiry science and service learning in the community. Course participants connect the dots from their newly acquired theoretical science knowledge to concrete examples of change taking place locally, and see the value of promoting awareness as well as behavioral changes that contribute to adaptation and mitigation of local climate change impacts. We describe the assessments used and the research outcomes associated with NRES 832, Human Dimensions of Climate Change, where participants conduct archival research to create a climate change chronicle for their community, and NRES 830 Climate Research Applications, where teachers lead and evaluate the impacts of student-designed service learning activities as a capstone project for a unit on climate change. We also showcase community-based initiatives resulting from this work that seed the behavioral changes we need to live sustainably in our communities and on our planet.

  4. Volunteer Service and Service Learning: Opportunities, Partnerships, and United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dalmida, Safiya George; Amerson, Roxanne; Foster, Jennifer; McWhinney-Dehaney, Leila; Magowe, Mabel; Nicholas, Patrice K; Pehrson, Karen; Leffers, Jeanne

    2016-09-01

    This article explores approaches to service involvement and provides direction to nurse leaders and others who wish to begin or further develop global (local and international) service or service learning projects. We review types of service involvement, analyze service-related data from a recent survey of nearly 500 chapters of the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), make recommendations to guide collaborative partnerships and to model engagement in global and local service and service learning. This article offers a literature review and describes results of a survey conducted by the STTI International Service Learning Task Force. Results describe the types of service currently conducted by STTI nursing members and chapters, including disaster response, service learning, and service-related responses relative to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The needs of chapter members for information about international service are explored and recommendations for promoting global service and sustainability goals for STTI chapters are examined. Before engaging in service, volunteers should consider the types of service engagement, as well as the design of projects to include collaboration, bidirectionality, sustainability, equitable partnerships, and inclusion of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. STTI supports the learning, knowledge, and professional development of nurses worldwide. International service and collaboration are key to the advancement of the nursing profession. Culturally relevant approaches to international service and service learning are essential to our global organization, as it aims to impact the health status of people globally. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.

  5. Analyzing Factors to Improve Service Quality of Local Specialties Restaurants: A Comparison with Fast Food Restaurants in Southern Vietnam

    OpenAIRE

    Lai Wang Wang; Thanh Tuyen Tran

    2014-01-01

    The top fast food restaurant brands like KFC and MacDonald?s have gone global and demonstrated their successful business strategies through providing quick-service and convenience for customers. Meanwhile, local specialty food has recently emerged as a phenomenon attracting customers? attention on traditional value of ethnic food culture. The purpose of this study is to conduct a regional survey in Vietnamese restaurant companies to identify some key factors that make customers interested in ...

  6. 47 CFR 76.1603 - Customer service-rate and service changes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... both subscribers and local franchising authorities before implementing any rate or service change. Such... franchising authority. (e) To the extent the operator is required to provide notice of service and rate..., or franchising authority on the transaction between the operator and the subscriber. Note 1 to § 76...

  7. Cost, energy, global warming, eutrophication and local human health impacts of community water and sanitation service options.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schoen, Mary E; Xue, Xiaobo; Wood, Alison; Hawkins, Troy R; Garland, Jay; Ashbolt, Nicholas J

    2017-02-01

    We compared water and sanitation system options for a coastal community across selected sustainability metrics, including environmental impact (i.e., life cycle eutrophication potential, energy consumption, and global warming potential), equivalent annual cost, and local human health impact. We computed normalized metric scores, which we used to discuss the options' strengths and weaknesses, and conducted sensitivity analysis of the scores to changes in variable and uncertain input parameters. The alternative systems, which combined centralized drinking water with sanitation services based on the concepts of energy and nutrient recovery as well as on-site water reuse, had reduced environmental and local human health impacts and costs than the conventional, centralized option. Of the selected sustainability metrics, the greatest advantages of the alternative community water systems (compared to the conventional system) were in terms of local human health impact and eutrophication potential, despite large, outstanding uncertainties. Of the alternative options, the systems with on-site water reuse and energy recovery technologies had the least local human health impact; however, the cost of these options was highly variable and the energy consumption was comparable to on-site alternatives without water reuse or energy recovery, due to on-site reuse treatment. Future work should aim to reduce the uncertainty in the energy recovery process and explore the health risks associated with less costly, on-site water treatment options. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. Challenges of local public services management through public-private partnership

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Violeta TINCU

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Under the legislation currently in force in the Republic of Moldova, public administration shall not bear the exclusive “burden” of organizing and managing public services on its own. Such a responsibility could be delegated to subjects outside the system of public administration. Scholars in the field call it an “indirect or delegated management” of public services. Public-private partnership is a new manner of delegating public services management. International experience has proven that such a partnership can be beneficial for public administration, contributing to improvements in public services quality. The reason is obvious: the private sector is competitive and client/user-oriented. However, the public-private partnership, which are not sufficiently operated in the legislation in force, also involves serious risks for the public partners.

  9. Identity Management and Trust Services: Foundations for Cloud Computing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suess, Jack; Morooney, Kevin

    2009-01-01

    Increasingly, IT organizations will move from providing IT services locally to becoming an integrator of IT services--some provided locally and others provided outside the institution. As a result, institutions must immediately begin to plan for shared services and must understand the essential role that identity management and trust services play…

  10. Exclusionary policies in urban development: Under-servicing migrant households in Brazilian cities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feler, Leo; Henderson, J Vernon

    2011-05-01

    Localities in developed countries often enact regulations to deter low-income households from moving in. In developing countries, such restrictions lead to the emergence of informal housing sectors. To deter low-income migrants, localities in developing countries withhold public services to the informal housing sector. Using a large sample of Brazilian localities, we examine migration and exclusion, focusing on the public provision of water to small houses where low-income migrants are likely to live. Withholding water connections reduces the locality growth rate, particularly of low-education households. In terms of service provision, during dictatorship in Brazil, we find evidence of strategic exclusion, where localities appear to withhold services to deter in-migration. We also find evidence of strategic interactions among localities within metro areas in their setting of service levels: if one locality provides more services to migrant households, other localities respond by withholding service.

  11. Exclusionary policies in urban development: Under-servicing migrant households in Brazilian cities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feler, Leo; Henderson, J. Vernon

    2012-01-01

    Localities in developed countries often enact regulations to deter low-income households from moving in. In developing countries, such restrictions lead to the emergence of informal housing sectors. To deter low-income migrants, localities in developing countries withhold public services to the informal housing sector. Using a large sample of Brazilian localities, we examine migration and exclusion, focusing on the public provision of water to small houses where low-income migrants are likely to live. Withholding water connections reduces the locality growth rate, particularly of low-education households. In terms of service provision, during dictatorship in Brazil, we find evidence of strategic exclusion, where localities appear to withhold services to deter in-migration. We also find evidence of strategic interactions among localities within metro areas in their setting of service levels: if one locality provides more services to migrant households, other localities respond by withholding service. PMID:22707807

  12. Factors that influence the way local communities respond to consultation processes about major service change: A qualitative study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barratt, Helen; Harrison, David A; Raine, Rosalind; Fulop, Naomi J

    2015-09-01

    In England, proposed service changes such as Emergency Department closures typically face local opposition. Consequently, public consultation exercises often involve protracted, hostile debates. This study examined a process aimed at engaging a community in decision-making about service reconfiguration, and the public response to this process. A documentary analysis was conducted to map consultation methods used in an urban area of England where plans to consolidate hospital services on fewer sites were under discussion. In-depth interviews (n=20) were conducted with parents, older people, and patient representatives. The analysis combined inductive and deductive approaches, informed by risk communication theories. The commissioners provided a large volume of information about the changes, alongside a programme of public events. However, the complexity of the process, together with what members of the public perceived to be the commissioners' dismissal of their concerns, led the community to question their motivation. This was compounded by a widespread perception that the proposals were financially driven. Government policy emphasises the importance of clinical leadership and 'evidence' in public consultation. However, an engagement process based on this approach fuelled hostility to the proposals. Policymakers should not assume communities can be persuaded to accommodate service change which may result in reduced access to care. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  13. PUBLIC FINANCING OF HEALTHCARE SERVICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Bem

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Healthcare in Poland is mainly financed by public sector entities, among them the National Health Fund (NFZ, state budget and local government budgets. The task of the National Health Fund, as the main payer in the system, is chiefly currently financing the services. The state budget plays a complementary role in the system, and finances selected groups of services, health insurance premiums and investments in healthcare infrastructure. The basic role of the local governments is to ensure access to the services, mostly by performing ownership functions towards healthcare institutions.

  14. 49 CFR 227.101 - Scope and applicability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OCCUPATIONAL NOISE EXPOSURE Occupational Noise Exposure for Railroad Operating Employees. § 227.101 Scope and applicability. (a) This subpart shall apply to the noise-related working... service laws governing “train employees” (see 49 U.S.C. 21101(5) and 21103), but, subject to a railroad's...

  15. 77 FR 6827 - Agency Forms Submitted for OMB Review, Request for Comments

    Science.gov (United States)

    2012-02-09

    ... techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments to the RRB or OIRA must contain the OMB control... dollars of Last Pre- Retirement Non-Railroad Employment (LPE) earnings for each month of such service... employment with a non-railroad person, company, or institution prior to retirement, which was performed...

  16. 49 CFR 215.119 - Defective freight car truck.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Defective freight car truck. 215.119 Section 215... ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD FREIGHT CAR SAFETY STANDARDS Freight Car Components Suspension System § 215.119 Defective freight car truck. A railroad may not place or continue in service a...

  17. 49 CFR 219.405 - Co-worker report policy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-10-01

    ... dependence on alcohol or a drug or by another identifiable and treatable mental or physical disorder... and treatable mental or physical disorder— (1) The railroad must return the employee to service within... effects of alcohol and drugs on occupational or transportation safety. (f) Follow-up tests. A railroad may...

  18. Unlocking franchising to improve water services: a pilot

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Wall, K

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available in the management of water services. Simulta- neously, franchising would support the development of local micro-enterprises and broad-based black economic empower- ment, all within the public sector service delivery environment. The CSIR and its partners have..., and to the private sector. Furthermore, the programme is establishing and supporting locally-based small enterprises (mostly women-headed) for the provision of appropriate and locally-based service solutions. It is creating jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities and...

  19. Social capital, neighbourhood characteristics and utilisation of local public health services among domestic migrants in China: a cross-sectional study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Zhiyuan; Lin, Senlin; Zhang, Donglan

    2017-01-01

    Objectives We examined the association between structural social capital and public health services use, and explored the modifiable effect of neighbourhood factors on this association among domestic migrants in China. Methods Data were from a 2014 nationally representative cross-sectional sample of domestic migrants aged 15–59 years in China. Survey-weighted logistic regression models were applied to assess the association between structural social capital, measured by participation in social organisations and social activities, and use of public health services. Interaction terms between neighbourhood urban status, neighbourhood composition and social capital were further assessed in the models. Results Migrants who participated in social organisations were more likely to establish health records (OR 1.467, 95% CI 1.201 to 1.793) and receive health education information (OR 1.729, 95% CI 1.484 to 2.016) than those who did not. Participation in social activities was positively associated with establishing health records only in urban communities (OR 1.853, 95% CI 1.060 to 3.239), and it was positively linked to receiving health education information among those living with a higher percentage of local neighbours (OR 1.451, 95% CI 1.044 to 2.017). Conclusions Structural social capital was related to an increased utilisation of local public health services among migrants. The findings of this study provided new evidence for the differential influences of social capital by neighbourhood characteristics in China, which suggested the importance to enhance social capital in rural/suburban communities and communities where the majority of the residents were migrants. PMID:28821507

  20. Heavy-traffic limits for polling models with exhaustive service and non-FCFS service orders

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P. Vis (Petra); R. Bekker (Rene); R.D. van der Mei (Rob)

    2015-01-01

    htmlabstractWe study cyclic polling models with exhaustive service at each queue under a variety of non-FCFS (first-come-first-served) local service orders, namely last-come-first-served with and without preemption, random-order-of-service, processor sharing, the multi-class priority scheduling with