Electronic Document Imaging and Optical Storage Systems for Local Governments: An Introduction. Local Government Records Technical Information Series. Number 21.

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Stanley F.

This publication introduces electronic document imaging systems and provides guidance for local governments in New York in deciding whether such systems should be adopted for their own records and information management purposes. It advises local governments on how to develop plans for using such technology by discussing its advantages and…

Informed consent - Providing information about prenatal examinations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dahl, Katja; Kesmodel, Ulrik; Hvidman, Lone

as well.The review is based on systematic search strategy in the electronic databases Medline and Science Citation. Additional studies were identified through reference lists of individual papers obtained. Improving knowledge scores and reducing decisional conflict can be obtained by group counselling...... pregnant women about prenatal examinations. Women's knowledge, decisional conflict, satisfaction and anxiety will be explored as compared with different ways and different groups of health professionals providing information. To what extent information empowers informed decision making will be explored...

Information management and technology strategy in healthcare: local timescales and national requirements

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Les Smith

2000-01-01

Full Text Available The UK National Health Service’s strategic switch-back is well documented and each centrally originated change results in various attempts to record the repercussions and predict the outcomes. The most recent shift is embodied in the Department of Health’s information strategy, Information for health published in September 1998. This document provides the context for an examination of the issue of developing an Information Management and Technology (IM&T strategy at the local level within the changing national requirements for NHS information management. The particular pressures on an individual unit and the need to react to them alongside the requirements of the national strategy are the subjects of this article. The case detailed is that of Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology (CCO on Merseyside, the second largest centre of its type in the UK. Its initial investigation of information needs preceded the publication of the national strategy and its implementation straddled the timescale devised by the NHS Information Authority. The inevitable incompatibility between timescales for the local and the national developments is examined within the case. The work of the new NHS Information Authority and its supporting guidance in its Circular, Information for Health: Initial Local Implementation Strategies, is evaluated as a tool in aligning local and national strategy. Information Managers in other centrally governed organisations within the public sector and large corporations are often alert to similar issues.

QUALITY, EFFECTIVENESS AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL TREASURIES BUDGET ACCOUNTING

OpenAIRE

Biljana Tešić

2011-01-01

The role of management information systems (MIS) of local treasuries budget accounting is to provide qualitative information support to management in process of decision making and to provide effective managing of key processes of budget accounting, in accordance with requests of management on all levels of decision making. From the aspect of effectiveness and request for quality, in accordance with request of users and defined system goals, this research includes the analysis of characterist...

Nuclear waste information in supplements of local newspapers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryhaenen, Veijo

1995-01-01

Full text: The utility Teollisuuden Voima Oy (TVO) is conducting site investigations in Finland to select a final disposal site for spent nuclear fuel. Site selection studies, including deep drillings and other field investigations, have been carried out in different parts of the country since 1987. Now there are three areas in which detailed studies are continued. The programme aims at site selection in the year 2000. Before the construction of the final disposal facility can be started around the year 2010 a precondition in the Finnish legislation is that the council of the local municipality accepts the facility. Hence, an essential task is to distribute information of the studies and of the principles of final disposal to the local decision-makers and public. Information work has an important role already now in order to make people familiar with the long-term project and to build confidence on the safety of final disposal. TVO's information programme includes several types of actions to different target groups, such as press conferences, contact group meetings, open houses, exhibitions, lectures to different groups, visits to the drilling sites and to the existing nuclear waste facilities as well as use of various written material. In January 1994 a new method was applied in the distribution of TVO's written information directly to local public. Four-page supplements were prepared to the local newspapers to inform public of the stage of the site investigations and other topical issues. After that, new supplements have been published in six months intervals. Own supplements have been made for different municipalities in which the candidate areas are situated. The form of the supplement is same as that of the newspaper. As a matter of fact, TVO's information forms a special advertising section in a single issue of a newspaper. The topics handled in the supplements are for example present status of the local bedrock studies, other topical information of TVO

Second Line of Defense: Electronic Maintenance Reports, Local Maintenance Provider User Guide, Rev. 3

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leigh, Richard J.

2012-09-01

The Electronic Maintenance Report forms allow Local Maintenance Providers (LMP) and other program staff to enter maintenance information into a simple and secure system. This document describes the features and information required to complete the Maintenance Report forms. It is expected that all Corrective Maintenance Reports from LMPs will be submitted electronically into the SLD Portal. As an exception (e.g., when access to the SLD Portal is unavailable), Maintenance Reports can be submitted via a secure Adobe PDF form available through the Sustainability Manager assigned to each country.

Local versus nonlocal information in quantum-information theory: Formalism and phenomena

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horodecki, Michal; Horodecki, Ryszard; Synak-Radtke, Barbara; Horodecki, Pawel; Oppenheim, Jonathan; Sen, Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

2005-01-01

In spite of many results in quantum information theory, the complex nature of compound systems is far from clear. In general the information is a mixture of local and nonlocal ('quantum') information. It is important from both pragmatic and theoretical points of view to know the relationships between the two components. To make this point more clear, we develop and investigate the quantum-information processing paradigm in which parties sharing a multipartite state distill local information. The amount of information which is lost because the parties must use a classical communication channel is the deficit. This scheme can be viewed as complementary to the notion of distilling entanglement. After reviewing the paradigm in detail, we show that the upper bound for the deficit is given by the relative entropy distance to so-called pseudoclassically correlated states; the lower bound is the relative entropy of entanglement. This implies, in particular, that any entangled state is informationally nonlocal - i.e., has nonzero deficit. We also apply the paradigm to defining the thermodynamical cost of erasing entanglement. We show the cost is bounded from below by relative entropy of entanglement. We demonstrate the existence of several other nonlocal phenomena which can be found using the paradigm of local information. For example, we prove the existence of a form of nonlocality without entanglement and with distinguishability. We analyze the deficit for several classes of multipartite pure states and obtain that in contrast to the GHZ state, the Aharonov state is extremely nonlocal. We also show that there do not exist states for which the deficit is strictly equal to the whole informational content (bound local information). We discuss the relation of the paradigm with measures of classical correlations introduced earlier. It is also proved that in the one-way scenario, the deficit is additive for Bell diagonal states. We then discuss complementary features of

Information Seeking and Satisfaction with Information Sources Among Spouses of Men with Newly Diagnosed Local-Stage Prostate Cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Bansal, Aasthaa; Koepl, Lisel M; Fedorenko, Catherine R; Li, Chunyu; Smith, Judith Lee; Hall, Ingrid J; Penson, David F; Ramsey, Scott D

2018-04-01

Information sources about prostate cancer treatment and outcomes are typically designed for patients. Little is known about the availability and utility of information for partners. The objectives of our study were to evaluate information sources used by partners to understand prostate cancer management options, their perceived usefulness, and the relationship between sources used and satisfaction with treatment experience. A longitudinal survey of female partners of men newly diagnosed with local-stage prostate cancer was conducted in three different geographic regions. Partners and associated patients were surveyed at baseline (after patient diagnosis but prior to receiving therapy) and at 12 months following diagnosis. Information sources included provider, literature, friends or family members, Internet websites, books, traditional media, and support groups. Utility of an information source was defined as whether the partner would recommend it to caregivers of other patients with local-stage prostate cancer. Our study cohort included 179 partner-patient pairs. At diagnosis, partners consulted an average of 4.6 information sources. Non-Hispanic white partners were more likely than others to use friends and family as an information source (OR = 2.44, 95% CI (1.04, 5.56)). More educated partners were less likely to use support groups (OR = 0.31, 95% CI (0.14, 0.71)). At 12-month follow-up, partners were less likely to recommend books (OR = 0.23, 95% CI (0.11, 0.49)) compared to baseline. Partners consulted a large number of information sources in researching treatment options for local-stage prostate cancer and the types of sources accessed varied by race/ethnicity and educational attainment. Additional resources to promote selection of high-quality non-provider information sources are warranted to enable partners to better aid patients in their treatment decision-making process.

Local empathy provides global minimization of congestion in communication networks

Science.gov (United States)

Meloni, Sandro; Gómez-Gardeñes, Jesús

2010-11-01

We present a mechanism to avoid congestion in complex networks based on a local knowledge of traffic conditions and the ability of routers to self-coordinate their dynamical behavior. In particular, routers make use of local information about traffic conditions to either reject or accept information packets from their neighbors. We show that when nodes are only aware of their own congestion state they self-organize into a hierarchical configuration that delays remarkably the onset of congestion although leading to a sharp first-order-like congestion transition. We also consider the case when nodes are aware of the congestion state of their neighbors. In this case, we show that empathy between nodes is strongly beneficial to the overall performance of the system and it is possible to achieve larger values for the critical load together with a smooth, second-order-like, transition. Finally, we show how local empathy minimize the impact of congestion as much as global minimization. Therefore, here we present an outstanding example of how local dynamical rules can optimize the system’s functioning up to the levels reached using global knowledge.

Non-local setting and outcome information for violation of Bell's inequality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pawlowski, Marcin; Kofler, Johannes; Paterek, Tomasz; Brukner, Caslav; Seevinck, Michael

2010-01-01

Bell's theorem is a no-go theorem stating that quantum mechanics cannot be reproduced by a physical theory based on realism, freedom to choose experimental settings and two locality conditions: setting (SI) and outcome (OI) independence. We provide a novel analysis of what it takes to violate Bell's inequality within the framework in which both realism and freedom of choice are assumed, by showing that it is impossible to model a violation without having information in one laboratory about both the setting and the outcome at the distant one. While it is possible that outcome information can be revealed from shared hidden variables, the assumed experimenter's freedom to choose the settings ensures that the setting information must be non-locally transferred even when the SI condition is obeyed. The amount of transmitted information about the setting that is sufficient to violate the CHSH inequality up to its quantum mechanical maximum is 0.736 bits.

ELECTRONIC ACCOUNTING INFORMATION IN LOCAL PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rodica Gabriela Blidişel

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Major changes in information technologies characterize the current period through which humanity creates the conditions shift from information society to the knowledge. In this context of the changing of the public administration through the implementation of ITC and the reform that lead to the new public management, our paper wants to see the development of E-governance in Romanian local public administration and the influence of the main financial indicators on e-governance elements. Countries adopt e-governance in ways that reinforce traditional bureaucratic structures, cultures and links from administration to citizens and politics, in some cases making these traditional forms more responsive. The paper studies the accounting information disclosed on the internet sites of public sector entities. The research use an empirical approach to test impact of the quality of accounting information on e-financial reporting in public sector. The research use a quantitative methodology, based on surveys and author's observations. The methods chosen in this paper are reliable for this empirical study that tries to identify at a national level the problems that could improve the financial information disclosed by the public sector. The paper aims to measure the financial performance in local public administration and the main indicators of e-governance. The main objective of the paper is to make a model that demonstrates the impact of the local public administration financial performance on the e-governance. Due to the fact that the main problem of the Romanian local public administration is the lack of performance tools that could improve the e-governance, the research wants use an empirical approach to test the impact of the financial performance on the local public administration on e-governance. The research use a quantitative methodology, based on surveys and author's observations.

Local information at Tihange N.P.P

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosseel, R.

1989-01-01

In our democratic countries, fair acceptance by the public of the various stages in the implementation of a nuclear programme is a condition sine qua non for its success. In this respect, the public opinion of the local community always plays a major role and could become crucial in particular circumstances when, for instance, a new site is created or an accident occurs. Therefore, local information should be given priority and be perceived as a key factor in any communication strategy. However, mere information is not enough. Information is like grain it can only germinate in a well prepared soil. In other words, the fair and positive perception of any information or message relies not only on its quality but equally on the credibility of the source (utility, nuclear lobby, etc... and the reservoir of goodwill It has been able to create within society. The purpose of this paper is to relate the successful actions observed at Tihange N.P.P. This plant is located near the town of Huy along the river Meuse in Southern Belgium. Its total capacity amounts to 2,790 MW. The three PWR were commissioned respectively in 1975, 1983 and 1985. There is good evidence to believe that the Tihange nuclear power plant is presently well integrated in its socioeconomic environment. The plant's management lives in a climate of positive 'peaceful coexistence' with the local authorities, the last demonstration against the plant dates back to some 10 years ago and very little criticism, if any, is heard from the local community. Possibly the most convincing evidence of this relaxed atmosphere is that none of the candidates put forward by environmentalist parties were elected in the latest general and municipal elections at Huy. Dual policy aimed to promoting congenial neighbourly behaviour and giving priority to local information has undoubtedly significantly contributed to this result

Providing Market Information for Ethiopian Farmers: Extending Participatory Design

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zewge, Amanuel; Dittrich, Yvonne; Bekele, Rahel

In a developing country like Ethiopia, marketing of agricultural products is influenced by local, socioeconomic, cultural and IT infrastructure characteristics. ICT-based agriculture information systems have been proposed to support farmers with market information. However, such initiatives have...

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.

Mutually exclusive aspects of information carried by physical systems: Complementarity between local and nonlocal information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oppenheim, Jonathan; Horodecki, Karol; Horodecki, Michal; Horodecki, Ryszard; Horodecki, Pawel

2003-01-01

Complex physical systems contain information which, under some well-defined processes can differentiate between local and nonlocal information. Both these fundamental aspects of information are defined operationally. Local information is locally accessible and allows one to perform processes, such as physical work, while nonlocal information allows one to perform processes such as teleportation. It is shown that these two kinds of information are complementary in the sense that two parties can either gain access to the nonlocal information or to the local information but not both. This complementarity has a form similar to that expressed by entropic uncertainty relations. For pure states, the entanglement plays the role of Planck's constant. We also find another class of complementarity relations which applies to operators and is induced when two parties can only perform local operations and communicate classical (LOCC). In particular, observables such as the parity and phase of two qubits commute but under LOCC, they are complementary observables. It is also found this complementarity is pure in the sense that it can be ''decoupled'' from the uncertainty principle. It is suggested that these complementarities represent an essential extension of Bohr's complementarity to complex (distributed) systems which are entangled

Internet health information in the patient-provider dialogue.

Science.gov (United States)

Hong, Traci

2008-10-01

A patient discussing Internet health information with a health care provider (referred to as "patient-provider communication about Internet health information") can contribute positively to health outcomes. Although research has found that once Internet access is achieved, there are no ethnic differences in Internet health information seeking, it is unclear if there are ethnic differences in patient-provider communication about Internet health information. To help fill this gap in the literature, the National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey 2005 was analyzed with Stata 9. Two sets of logistic regression analyses were conducted, one for a subsample of Internet users (n = 3,244) and one for a subsample of Internet users who are first-generation immigrants (n = 563). The dependent variable was patient-provider communication about Internet health information, which assessed whether survey participants had discussed online health information with a health care provider. The predictor variables included trust of health care provider, trust of online health information, Internet use, health care coverage, frequency of visits to health care provider, health status, and demographics. Among all Internet users, Whites had higher levels of patient-provider communication about Internet health information than Blacks and Asians. Similarly, among Internet users who are immigrants, Whites had higher levels of patient-provider communication about Internet health information than Blacks and Asians. While the digital divide is narrowing in terms of Internet access, racial differences in patient-provider communication about Internet health information may undermine the potential benefits of the information age.

EFFECT OF PROVIDING INFORMATION ON STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND CONCERNS ABOUT HYDRAULIC FRACKING

OpenAIRE

Burger, Joanna; Nakata, Kimi; Liang, Laura; Pittfield, Taryn; Jeitner, Christian

2015-01-01

Governmental agencies, regulators, health professionals, and the public are faced with understanding and responding to new development practices and conditions in their local and regional environment. While hydraulic fracking (fracking) for shale gas has been practiced for over 50 years in some states, it is a relatively recent event in the northeastern United States. Providing environmental health information to the public about fracking requires understanding both the knowledge base and the...

An Information-Based Approach to Precision Analysis of Indoor WLAN Localization Using Location Fingerprint

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mu Zhou

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In this paper, we proposed a novel information-based approach to precision analysis of indoor wireless local area network (WLAN localization using location fingerprint. First of all, by using the Fisher information matrix (FIM, we derive the fundamental limit of WLAN fingerprint-based localization precision considering different signal distributions in characterizing the variation of received signal strengths (RSSs in the target environment. After that, we explore the relationship between the localization precision and access point (AP placement, which can provide valuable suggestions for the design of the highly-precise localization system. Second, we adopt the heuristic simulated annealing (SA algorithm to optimize the AP locations for the sake of approaching the fundamental limit of localization precision. Finally, the extensive simulations and experiments are conducted in both regular line-of-sight (LOS and irregular non-line-of-sight (NLOS environments to demonstrate that the proposed approach can not only effectively improve the WLAN fingerprint-based localization precision, but also reduce the time overhead.

Evaluation of poison information services provided by a new poison information center.

Science.gov (United States)

Churi, Shobha; Abraham, Lovin; Ramesh, M; Narahari, M G

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the nature and quality of services provided by poison information center established at a tertiary-care teaching hospital, Mysore. This was a prospective observational study. The poison information center was officially established in September 2010 and began its functioning thereafter. The center is equipped with required resources and facility (e.g., text books, Poisindex, Drugdex, toll free telephone service, internet and online services) to provide poison information services. The poison information services provided by the center were recorded in documentation forms. The documentation form consists of numerous sections to collect information on: (a) Type of population (children, adult, elderly or pregnant) (b) poisoning agents (c) route of exposure (d) type of poisoning (intentional, accidental or environmental) (e) demographic details of patient (age, gender and bodyweight) (f) enquirer details (background, place of call and mode of request) (g) category and purpose of query and (h) details of provided service (information provided, mode of provision, time taken to provide information and references consulted). The nature and quality of poison information services provided was assessed using a quality assessment checklist developed in accordance with DSE/World Health Organization guidelines. Chi-Square test (χ(2)). A total of 419 queries were received by the center. A majority (n = 333; 79.5%) of the queries were asked by the doctors to provide optimal care (n = 400; 95.5%). Most of the queries were received during ward rounds (n = 201; 48.0%), followed by direct access (n = 147; 35.1%). The poison information services were predominantly provided through verbal communication (n = 352; 84.0%). Upon receipt of queries, the required service was provided immediately (n = 103; 24.6%) or within 10-20 min (n = 296; 70.6%). The queries were mainly related to intentional poisoning (n = 258; 64.5%), followed by accidental poisoning

Utilization of Live Localized Weather Information for Sustainable Agriculture

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, J.; Usher, J.

2010-09-01

Authors: Jim Anderson VP, Global Network and Business Development WeatherBug® Professional Jeremy Usher Managing Director, Europe WeatherBug® Professional Localized, real-time weather information is vital for day-to-day agronomic management of all crops. The challenge for agriculture is twofold in that local and timely weather data is not often available for producers and farmers, and it is not integrated into decision-support tools they require. Many of the traditional sources of weather information are not sufficient for agricultural applications because of the long distances between weather stations, meaning the data is not always applicable for on-farm decision making processes. The second constraint with traditional weather information is the timeliness of the data. Most delivery systems are designed on a one-hour time step, whereas many decisions in agriculture are based on minute-by-minute weather conditions. This is especially true for decisions surrounding chemical and fertilizer application and frost events. This presentation will outline how the creation of an agricultural mesonet (weather network) can enable producers and farmers with live, local weather information from weather stations installed in farm/field locations. The live weather information collected from each weather station is integrated into a web-enabled decision support tool, supporting numerous on-farm agronomic activities such as pest management, or dealing with heavy rainfall and frost events. Agronomic models can be used to assess the potential of disease pressure, enhance the farmer's abilities to time pesticide applications, or assess conditions contributing to yield and quality fluctuations. Farmers and industry stakeholders may also view quality-assured historical weather variables at any location. This serves as a record-management tool for viewing previously uncharted agronomic weather events in graph or table form. This set of weather tools is unique and provides a

Exchanging environmental information and decision making: developing the local Pilot Environmental Virtual Observatory with stakeholder communities

Science.gov (United States)

Mackay, E.; Beven, K.; Brewer, P.; M, Haygarth, P.; Macklin, M.; Marshall, K.; Quinn, P.; Stutter, M.; Thomas, N.; Wilkinson, M.

2012-04-01

Public participation in the development of flood risk management and river basin management plans are explicit components of both the Water Framework and Floods Directives. At the local level, involving communities in land and water management has been found to (i) aid better environmental decision making, (ii) enhance social, economic and environmental benefits, and (iii) increase a sense of ownership. Facilitating the access and exchange of information on the local environment is an important part of this new approach to the land and water management process, which also includes local community stakeholders in decisions about the design and content of the information provided. As part of the Natural Environment Research Council's pilot Environment Virtual Observatory (EVO), the Local Level group are engaging with local community stakeholders in three different catchments in the UK (the rivers Eden, Tarland and Dyfi) to start the process of developing prototype visualisation tools to address the specific land and water management issues identified in each area. Through this local collaboration, we will provide novel visualisation tools through which to communicate complex catchment science outcomes and bring together different sources of environmental data in ways that better meet end-user needs as well as facilitate a far broader participatory approach in environmental decision making. The Local Landscape Visualisation Tools are being evolved iteratively during the project to reflect the needs, interests and capabilities of a wide range of stakeholders. The tools will use the latest concepts and technologies to communicate with and provide opportunities for the provision and exchange of information between the public, government agencies and scientists. This local toolkit will reside within a wider EVO platform that will include national datasets, models and state of the art cloud computer systems. As such, local stakeholder groups are assisting the EVO

Information and Communication Technology Clusters, Local Firm ...

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

Information and Communication Technology Clusters, Local Firm Performance, and Employment Generation. As countries steadily increase the share and value of knowledge, information, and services in their economies, governments have been crafting policies to attract foreign investment and establish large ...

Can voter-approved tax levies provide fiscal advantages and stability for local public health agencies?

Science.gov (United States)

Schmalzried, Hans D; Fallon, L Fleming

2013-01-01

Major funding cuts have occurred throughout the United States public health system during the past several years. Funding for local public health agency (LPHA) services and programs is obtained through a patchwork of sources that vary both within and among states. Even though local city and county sources provide a significant proportion of funding for LPHAs, information available in the literature about these revenues is sparse and is not clearly described. This study focused on a single specific revenue stream included in the local sources (local city and county) category: funds voted on directly by the public. The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether this type of funding source provided fiscal advantages for LPHAs. Specifically, we wanted to see how sensitive levy votes were to changing general economic conditions. A questionnaire to collect LPHA levy data was developed, approved, and mailed to county boards of elections in Ohio (n = 88). Elections officials were asked to provide voting results for all LPHA levy ballot attempts since 1994 regardless of outcome. In the study period (1994 through 2011), 250 LPHA property tax levies were placed on election ballots in Ohio. LPHAs were successful in 155 (62.0%) and unsuccessful in 95 (38.0%) attempts. Over the 18-year period, the most noteworthy outcome was a 94.6% pass rate for renewal levies. Our study demonstrated that voter-approved tax levies provide some fiscal advantages for LPHAs: higher per capita revenues than those who have to rely on other sources of income and predictable revenue streams. This translates into more funds being available for public health programs and services. Property tax levies allow citizens to make direct investments in their local health departments.

Breakdown of local information processing may underlie isoflurane anesthesia effects.

Science.gov (United States)

Wollstadt, Patricia; Sellers, Kristin K; Rudelt, Lucas; Priesemann, Viola; Hutt, Axel; Fröhlich, Flavio; Wibral, Michael

2017-06-01

The disruption of coupling between brain areas has been suggested as the mechanism underlying loss of consciousness in anesthesia. This hypothesis has been tested previously by measuring the information transfer between brain areas, and by taking reduced information transfer as a proxy for decoupling. Yet, information transfer is a function of the amount of information available in the information source-such that transfer decreases even for unchanged coupling when less source information is available. Therefore, we reconsidered past interpretations of reduced information transfer as a sign of decoupling, and asked whether impaired local information processing leads to a loss of information transfer. An important prediction of this alternative hypothesis is that changes in locally available information (signal entropy) should be at least as pronounced as changes in information transfer. We tested this prediction by recording local field potentials in two ferrets after administration of isoflurane in concentrations of 0.0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%. We found strong decreases in the source entropy under isoflurane in area V1 and the prefrontal cortex (PFC)-as predicted by our alternative hypothesis. The decrease in source entropy was stronger in PFC compared to V1. Information transfer between V1 and PFC was reduced bidirectionally, but with a stronger decrease from PFC to V1. This links the stronger decrease in information transfer to the stronger decrease in source entropy-suggesting reduced source entropy reduces information transfer. This conclusion fits the observation that the synaptic targets of isoflurane are located in local cortical circuits rather than on the synapses formed by interareal axonal projections. Thus, changes in information transfer under isoflurane seem to be a consequence of changes in local processing more than of decoupling between brain areas. We suggest that source entropy changes must be considered whenever interpreting changes in information

Searching LOGIN, the Local Government Information Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Jack, Robert F.

1984-01-01

Describes a computer-based information retrieval and electronic messaging system produced by Control Data Corporation now being used by government agencies and other organizations. Background of Local Government Information Network (LOGIN), database structure, types of LOGIN units, searching LOGIN (intersect, display, and list commands), and how…

Protecting information on local area networks

CERN Document Server

Schweitzer, James A

1988-01-01

Protecting Information on Local Area Networks presents the various types of networks and explains why they are being expanded at such a rapid pace. This book considers how management can gain control of the valuable network-services information resources generally available.Organized into three parts encompassing seven chapters, this book begins with an overview of the various networks and their operations. This text then discusses the appropriate management actions to ensure some control over the use of networks and the business information resource. Other chapters consider the management rat

Mapping social-ecological vulnerability to inform local decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Thiault, Lauric; Marshall, Paul; Gelcich, Stefan; Collin, Antoine; Chlous, Frédérique; Claudet, Joachim

2018-04-01

An overarching challenge of natural resource management and biodiversity conservation is that relationships between people and nature are difficult to integrate into tools that can effectively guide decision making. Social-ecological vulnerability offers a valuable framework for identifying and understanding important social-ecological linkages, and the implications of dependencies and other feedback loops in the system. Unfortunately, its implementation at local scales has hitherto been limited due at least in part to the lack of operational tools for spatial representation of social-ecological vulnerability. We developed a method to map social-ecological vulnerability based on information on human-nature dependencies and ecosystem services at local scales. We applied our method to the small-scale fishery of Moorea, French Polynesia, by combining spatially explicit indicators of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity of both the resource (i.e., vulnerability of reef fish assemblages to fishing) and resource users (i.e., vulnerability of fishing households to the loss of fishing opportunity). Our results revealed that both social and ecological vulnerabilities varied considerably through space and highlighted areas where sources of vulnerability were high for both social and ecological subsystems (i.e., social-ecological vulnerability hotspots) and thus of high priority for management intervention. Our approach can be used to inform decisions about where biodiversity conservation strategies are likely to be more effective and how social impacts from policy decisions can be minimized. It provides a new perspective on human-nature linkages that can help guide sustainability management at local scales; delivers insights distinct from those provided by emphasis on a single vulnerability component (e.g., exposure); and demonstrates the feasibility and value of operationalizing the social-ecological vulnerability framework for policy, planning, and participatory

A local area network and information management system for a submarine overhaul facility

OpenAIRE

Bushmire, Jeffrey D

1990-01-01

A preliminary design of a local area network for a submarine overhaul facility is developed using System Engineering concepts. SOFLAN, the Submarine Overhaul Facility Local Area Network, is necessary to provide more timely and accurate information to submarine overhaul managers in order to decrease the overhaul time period and become more competitive. The network is a microcomputer based system following the Ethernet and IEEE 802.3 standards with a server .. client architecture. SOFLAN serves...

Spatial Information in local society's cultural conservation and research

Science.gov (United States)

Jang, J.-J.; Liao, H.-M.; Fan, I.-C.

2015-09-01

of the CRGIS, the meaning is not only build the thematic GIS system ,but also contain these concepts: Open Data, Wikipedia ,Public Participation, and we provide an interactive platform with culture resource data and geospatial technology. In addition to providing these reference material for local culture education, local cultural recognition, but to further cooperate with scholars, academic experts , local culture-history research worker / team, accumulated rich record of the past, research results, through the spatial database planning, data processing(ex. geocoding), field survey, geospatial materials overlapping, such as nesting geospatial technology to compile the cultural information and value-added applications.

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

Children inhibit global information when the forest is dense and local information when the forest is sparse.

Science.gov (United States)

Krakowski, Claire-Sara; Borst, Grégoire; Vidal, Julie; Houdé, Olivier; Poirel, Nicolas

2018-09-01

Visual environments are composed of global shapes and local details that compete for attentional resources. In adults, the global level is processed more rapidly than the local level, and global information must be inhibited in order to process local information when the local information and global information are in conflict. Compared with adults, children present less of a bias toward global visual information and appear to be more sensitive to the density of local elements that constitute the global level. The current study aimed, for the first time, to investigate the key role of inhibition during global/local processing in children. By including two different conditions of global saliency during a negative priming procedure, the results showed that when the global level was salient (dense hierarchical figures), 7-year-old children and adults needed to inhibit the global level to process the local information. However, when the global level was less salient (sparse hierarchical figures), only children needed to inhibit the local level to process the global information. These results confirm a weaker global bias and the greater impact of saliency in children than in adults. Moreover, the results indicate that, regardless of age, inhibition of the most salient hierarchical level is systematically required to select the less salient but more relevant level. These findings have important implications for future research in this area. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Qualia could arise from information processing in local cortical networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Orpwood, Roger

2013-01-01

Re-entrant feedback, either within sensory cortex or arising from prefrontal areas, has been strongly linked to the emergence of consciousness, both in theoretical and experimental work. This idea, together with evidence for local micro-consciousness, suggests the generation of qualia could in some way result from local network activity under re-entrant activation. This paper explores the possibility by examining the processing of information by local cortical networks. It highlights the difference between the information structure (how the information is physically embodied), and the information message (what the information is about). It focuses on the network's ability to recognize information structures amongst its inputs under conditions of extensive local feedback, and to then assign information messages to those structures. It is shown that if the re-entrant feedback enables the network to achieve an attractor state, then the message assigned in any given pass of information through the network is a representation of the message assigned in the previous pass-through of information. Based on this ability the paper argues that as information is repeatedly cycled through the network, the information message that is assigned evolves from a recognition of what the input structure is, to what it is like, to how it appears, to how it seems. It could enable individual networks to be the site of qualia generation. The paper goes on to show networks in cortical layers 2/3 and 5a have the connectivity required for the behavior proposed, and reviews some evidence for a link between such local cortical cyclic activity and conscious percepts. It concludes with some predictions based on the theory discussed.

Local Information as a Resource in Distributed Quantum Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Horodecki, Michał; Horodecki, Karol; Horodecki, Paweł; Horodecki, Ryszard; Oppenheim, Jonathan; Sende, Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

2003-03-01

A new paradigm for distributed quantum systems where information is a valuable resource is developed. After finding a unique measure for information, we construct a scheme for its manipulation in analogy with entanglement theory. In this scheme, instead of maximally entangled states, two parties distill local states. We show that, surprisingly, the main tools of entanglement theory are general enough to work in this opposite scheme. Up to plausible assumptions, we show that the amount of information that must be lost during the protocol of concentration of local information can be expressed as the relative entropy distance from some special set of states.

Satisfaction with information provided to Danish cancer patients

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Ross, Lone; Petersen, Morten Aagaard; Johnsen, Anna Thit

2013-01-01

To validate five items (CPWQ-inf) regarding satisfaction with information provided to cancer patients from health care staff, assess the prevalence of dissatisfaction with this information, and identify factors predicting dissatisfaction.......To validate five items (CPWQ-inf) regarding satisfaction with information provided to cancer patients from health care staff, assess the prevalence of dissatisfaction with this information, and identify factors predicting dissatisfaction....

QUALITY, EFFECTIVENESS AND MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL TREASURIES BUDGET ACCOUNTING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Biljana Tešić

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The role of management information systems (MIS of local treasuries budget accounting is to provide qualitative information support to management in process of decision making and to provide effective managing of key processes of budget accounting, in accordance with requests of management on all levels of decision making. From the aspect of effectiveness and request for quality, in accordance with request of users and defined system goals, this research includes the analysis of characteristics and goals of identified key processes, critical success factors (CSF, key performance indicators (KPI, standards for realization of users requests, results of processes and indicators of goals realisation. The aim of this paper, based on the results of the analysis, is to develop models for evaluation of quality and effectiveness and to define key performance indicators of MIS of budget accounting, in order to perceive the level of achievement of the goals of the system, effectiveness of processes and level of fulfillment of requirements and needs of all users groups that are significant for budge t accounting of local treasuries.

Temperate marine protected area provides recruitment subsidies to local fisheries.

Science.gov (United States)

Le Port, A; Montgomery, J C; Smith, A N H; Croucher, A E; McLeod, I M; Lavery, S D

2017-10-25

The utility of marine protected areas (MPAs) as a means of protecting exploited species and conserving biodiversity within MPA boundaries is supported by strong empirical evidence. However, the potential contribution of MPAs to fished populations beyond their boundaries is still highly controversial; empirical measures are scarce and modelling studies have produced a range of predictions, including both positive and negative effects. Using a combination of genetic parentage and relatedness analysis, we measured larval subsidies to local fisheries replenishment for Australasian snapper ( Chrysophrys auratus : Sparidae) from a small (5.2 km 2 ), well-established, temperate, coastal MPA in northern New Zealand. Adult snapper within the MPA contributed an estimated 10.6% (95% CI: 5.5-18.1%) of newly settled juveniles to surrounding areas (approx. 400 km 2 ), with no decreasing trend in contributions up to 40 km away. Biophysical modelling of larval dispersal matched experimental data, showing larvae produced inside the MPA dispersed over a comparable distance. These results demonstrate that temperate MPAs have the potential to provide recruitment subsidies at magnitudes and spatial scales relevant to fisheries management. The validated biophysical model provides a cost-efficient opportunity to generalize these findings to other locations and climate conditions, and potentially informs the design of MPA networks for enhancing fisheries management. © 2017 The Author(s).

Providing Meteorological Information for Controlled Burns at the Savannah River Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buckley, R.

1999-01-01

Regional and local weather information are important for a variety of applications at the Savannah River Site (SRS), a Department of Energy (DOE) facility covering approximately 800 square kilometers of southwest South Carolina east of the Savannah River. For example, meteorological observations and forecasts are used to assess the consequences of an accidental radiological or chemical release. Traditionally, hazards posed by SRS operations have been associated with nuclear reactors, chemical reprocessing plants, fuel fabrication, or waste-vitrification facilities. However, recent events have shown site-specific meteorology to be a valuable tool to the United States Forest Service (USFS) in mitigating potential hazards from controlled burns that are conducted at the SRS. Prescribed burns at the SRS are important for a variety of reasons. The removal of thick undergrowth allows wildlife to more easily feed and migrate, accelerates the growth of young pine stands, and controls certain diseases that affect local pine forests (e.g. Adams et al. 1973). In addition, the removal of twigs, pine needles, or leaves (a fuel source) reduces the chance of serious wildfire damage. However, the threat of smoke inhalation and reduced visibility requires careful planning on the part of the fire professionals. At the SRS, approximately 100 square kilometers of land per year are burned in a controlled manner, mainly in the spring.To reduce the potentially harmful effects to any onsite activity, it is important that USFS personnel understand current and predicted weather patterns within the area. This paper discusses two sources of meteorological information that are provided to SRS-USFS personnel for use in planning forest burns: (1) a meteorological tower system which provides current data from a series of onsite locations, and (2) an operational prognostic mesoscale model used to generate forecast information. The forecast data supplements the basic National Weather Service (NWS

Accounting for Local Dependence with the Rasch Model: The Paradox of Information Increase.

Science.gov (United States)

Andrich, David

Test theories imply statistical, local independence. Where local independence is violated, models of modern test theory that account for it have been proposed. One violation of local independence occurs when the response to one item governs the response to a subsequent item. Expanding on a formulation of this kind of violation between two items in the dichotomous Rasch model, this paper derives three related implications. First, it formalises how the polytomous Rasch model for an item constituted by summing the scores of the dependent items absorbs the dependence in its threshold structure. Second, it shows that as a consequence the unit when the dependence is accounted for is not the same as if the items had no response dependence. Third, it explains the paradox, known, but not explained in the literature, that the greater the dependence of the constituent items the greater the apparent information in the constituted polytomous item when it should provide less information.

Spatial Information in local society’s cultural conservation and research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.-J. Jang

2015-09-01

operation of the CRGIS, the meaning is not only build the thematic GIS system ,but also contain these concepts: Open Data, Wikipedia ,Public Participation, and we provide an interactive platform with culture resource data and geospatial technology. In addition to providing these reference material for local culture education, local cultural recognition, but to further cooperate with scholars, academic experts , local culture-history research worker / team, accumulated rich record of the past, research results, through the spatial database planning, data processing(ex. geocoding, field survey, geospatial materials overlapping, such as nesting geospatial technology to compile the cultural information and value-added applications.

Provider diversity in the English NHS: a study of recent developments in four local health economies.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Pauline; Turner, Simon; Bartlett, Will; Perotin, Virginie; Matchaya, Greenwell; Zamora, Bernarda

2012-01-01

To assess the impact of provider diversity on quality and innovation in the English NHS by mapping the extent of diverse provider activity and identifying the differences in performance between Third Sector Organisations (TSOs), for-profit private enterprises, and incumbent organizations within the NHS, and the factors that affect the entry and growth of new providers. Case studies of four local health economies. Data included: semi-structured interviews with 48 managerial and clinical staff from NHS organizations and providers from the private and third sector; some documentary evidence; a focus group with service users; and routine data from the Care Quality Commission and Companies House. Data collection was mainly between November 2008 and November 2009. Involvement of diverse providers in the NHS is limited. Commissioners' local strategies influence degrees of diversity. Barriers to entry for TSOs include lack of economies of scale in the bidding process. Private providers have greater concern to improve patient pathways and patient experience, whereas TSOs deliver quality improvements by using a more holistic approach and a greater degree of community involvement. Entry of new providers drives NHS trusts to respond by making improvements. Information sharing diminishes as competition intensifies. There is scope to increase the participation of diverse providers in the NHS but care must be taken not to damage public accountability, overall productivity, equity and NHS providers (especially acute hospitals, which are likely to remain in the NHS) in the process.

Providing policy information at the local level. [Dow Chemical Co

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaughan, H W

1977-01-01

Dow Chemical's approach to plant waste management has enabled the company to conribute to a broader understanding of worldwide environmental problems at no net cost to the company. A Corporate Ecology Council was formed in 1970 in response to public concern over mercury in St. Claire River fish. The Council adopted an environmental policy dedicated to providing quality and leadership in environmental improvement. This was followed by steps to identify and monitor hazardous wastes and to improve waste treatment technology. A group of sub-councils and technology centers was established. The company increased employee responsibilities rather than expand the staff and incorporated environmental performance in the employee evaluation procedure. (DCK)

MAP Fault Localization Based on Wide Area Synchronous Phasor Measurement Information

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yagang; Wang, Zengping

2015-02-01

In the research of complicated electrical engineering, the emergence of phasor measurement units (PMU) is a landmark event. The establishment and application of wide area measurement system (WAMS) in power system has made widespread and profound influence on the safe and stable operation of complicated power system. In this paper, taking full advantage of wide area synchronous phasor measurement information provided by PMUs, we have carried out precise fault localization based on the principles of maximum posteriori probability (MAP). Large numbers of simulation experiments have confirmed that the results of MAP fault localization are accurate and reliable. Even if there are interferences from white Gaussian stochastic noise, the results from MAP classification are also identical to the actual real situation.

Integrating information systems : linking global business goals to local database applications

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dignum, F.P.M.; Houben, G.J.P.M.

1999-01-01

This paper describes a new approach to design modern information systems that offer an integrated access to the data and knowledge that is available in local applications. By integrating the local data management activities into one transparent information distribution process, modern organizations

ORGANIZING OF MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING IN THE FORMING OF INFORMATION BASE OF BUILDING ENTERPRISES PROVIDING DEVELOPMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadiia Pylypiv

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This article explores the impact of organization of managerial accounting on formation of informational base on the local (level of the individual enterprise, regional, disciplinary and national levels in the context of providing stable economic development for building enterprises. Based on our findings, we built a cognitive map of such an influence, which shows itself through different spheres, such as: economic, ecological and social, and will enjoy informational requests of management for improving of effectiveness of management system of such kind of  enterprises. Keywords: managerial accounting, organization, provision, stable economic development, building enterprises

Environmental monitoring and independent analysis: the experience of the local information commission in Cadarache

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Foucher, M.

2010-01-01

The 2006 Act on 'Open Access to Information and Nuclear Safety' provides free access to nuclear installations data and submits nuclear facilities to an independent administrative authority, the ASN (French Nuclear Safety Authority). A local information committee (CLI - Commission locale d'informations) has been set up for each nuclear facility. It includes all the parties involved and may commission expert studies and environmental measurement tests from independent laboratories. Prompted by environmental organizations, the Cadarache CLI commissioned a CRIIRAD (Commission de Recherche et d'Informations Independantes sur la Radioactivite) fact-finding survey in 2008-2009 to evaluate the environmental impact of the CEA/Cadarache installations since they were created. This study points to a moderate present impact, though a lack of data makes it impossible to reconstruct environmental impact prior to 1979. A set of guidelines are put forward to assess the past impact in greater detail and to lessen the current impact even further. Following this study, additional steps to minimize this impact will be taken by CEA/Cadarache inside the facilities, and by the relevant LCI outside the installations. Developing independent expert skills is a major challenge for CLIs to gain better knowledge of nuclear activities and improve their local management. (author)

Managing minor incidents - Providing information for the public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Joukovskaia, O.

1999-01-01

, it is needed to design a model of an effective system of informatively influencing human mind, given peculiarities of the present stage of the republic's development and features of its evolution under the post- Chernobyl conditions. To provide the public with real and objective information is a forefront problem while resolving these tasks. In this situation it is very important to define the most effective forms and ways of informing the public, to find out a degree to which people trust whatever information. To that end in 1997 conducted a sociological survey among attendees of re-training courses in the field of radiation control (employees of the Ministry of Health, Belarus Consumers' Cooperation Union, Ministry of Agriculture and Foodstuffs, those of Chernobyl divisions of district and region executive committees). It has been revealed that 27 of the respondents trust information of local authorities; Radio and television - 7.2%; foreign scientists - 51.1%; Belarussian scientists and specialists - 51.6% of the respondents. 82.5% of the responders think that the population is insufficiently informed about the questions of safe activity. Information on radio-ecological problems threatens only 72% of the respondents. This kind of information stimulate others to find recommendations on safe activity provision, to understand the situation. As a result of the investigation one can draw a conclusion that the current system of public informing on the Chernobyl problem is insufficient and ineffective, since on the background of a high interest to this problem one can notice a decrease in trust to the majority of information sources, which leads to blocking of adequate perception of the information provided. Bearing this in mind one must: 1. attract specialists working on the affected territories, specialists of radiation control network, doctors, teachers, journalists to information work with population of the affected territories; 2. organise open information data

Fusion of cooperative localization data with dynamic object information using data communication for preventative vehicle safety applications

Science.gov (United States)

Kloeden, H.; Schwarz, D.; Rasshofer, R. H.; Biebl, E. M.

2013-07-01

Cooperative sensors allow for reliable detection, classification and localization of objects in the vehicle's surroundings - even without a line-of-sight contact to the object. The sensor principle is based on a communication signal between the vehicle and a transponder attached to the object of interest - a pedestrian, for example. Thereby, localization information is gathered by measuring the round-trip time-of-flight (RTOF) and evaluating the angle-of-arrival (AOA) of the incident signal. After that, tracking algorithms are used to recover the kinematic state of the object providing a basis for situation assessment. This paper investigates possibilities and benefits of extending this principle by the communication of information from inertial sensors which are locally attached to the transponder. Furthermore, this paper presents a robust approach for fusing the localization data with dynamic object information using the Dempster-Shafer theory. The approach is evaluated by performing real-world experiments for the analysis of pedestrian accidents.

Enhancing community detection by using local structural information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiang, Ju; Bao, Mei-Hua; Tang, Liang; Li, Jian-Ming; Hu, Ke; Chen, Benyan; Hu, Jing-Bo; Zhang, Yan; Tang, Yan-Ni; Gao, Yuan-Yuan

2016-01-01

Many real-world networks, such as gene networks, protein–protein interaction networks and metabolic networks, exhibit community structures, meaning the existence of groups of densely connected vertices in the networks. Many local similarity measures in the networks are closely related to the concept of the community structures, and may have a positive effect on community detection in the networks. Here, various local similarity measures are used to extract local structural information, which is then applied to community detection in the networks by using the edge-reweighting strategy. The effect of the local similarity measures on community detection is carefully investigated and compared in various networks. The experimental results show that the local similarity measures are crucial for the improvement of community detection methods, while the positive effect of the local similarity measures is closely related to the networks under study and applied community detection methods. (paper: interdisciplinary statistical mechanics)

An integrative review of information systems and terminologies used in local health departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsen, Jeanette; Baisch, Mary Jo

2014-02-01

The purpose of this integrative review based on the published literature was to identify information systems currently being used by local health departments and to determine the extent to which standard terminology was used to communicate data, interventions, and outcomes to improve public health informatics at the local health department (LHD) level and better inform research, policy, and programs. Whittemore and Knafl's integrative review methodology was used. Data were obtained through key word searches of three publication databases and reference lists of retrieved articles and consulting with experts to identify landmark works. The final sample included 45 articles analyzed and synthesized using the matrix method. The results indicated a wide array of information systems were used by LHDs and supported diverse functions aligned with five categories: administration; surveillance; health records; registries; and consumer resources. Detail regarding specific programs being used, location or extent of use, or effectiveness was lacking. The synthesis indicated evidence of growing interest in health information exchange groups, yet few studies described use of data standards or standard terminology in LHDs. Research to address these gaps is needed to provide current, meaningful data that inform public health informatics research, policy, and initiatives at and across the LHD level. Coordination at a state or national level is recommended to collect information efficiently about LHD information systems that will inform improvements while minimizing duplication of efforts and financial burden. Until this happens, efforts to strengthen LHD information systems and policies may be significantly challenged.

INTEGRATED INFORMATION SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE PROVIDING BEHAVIORAL FEATURE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir N. Shvedenko

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with creation of integrated information system architecture capable of supporting management decisions using behavioral features. The paper considers the architecture of information decision support system for production system management. The behavioral feature is given to an information system, and it ensures extraction, processing of information, management decision-making with both automated and automatic modes of decision-making subsystem being permitted. Practical implementation of information system with behavior is based on service-oriented architecture: there is a set of independent services in the information system that provides data of its subsystems or data processing by separate application under the chosen variant of the problematic situation settlement. For creation of integrated information system with behavior we propose architecture including the following subsystems: data bus, subsystem for interaction with the integrated applications based on metadata, business process management subsystem, subsystem for the current state analysis of the enterprise and management decision-making, behavior training subsystem. For each problematic situation a separate logical layer service is created in Unified Service Bus handling problematic situations. This architecture reduces system information complexity due to the fact that with a constant amount of system elements the number of links decreases, since each layer provides communication center of responsibility for the resource with the services of corresponding applications. If a similar problematic situation occurs, its resolution is automatically removed from problem situation metamodel repository and business process metamodel of its settlement. In the business process performance commands are generated to the corresponding centers of responsibility to settle a problematic situation.

Local and nonlocal information in a traffic network: how important is the horizon?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petri, G.

2010-01-01

Recent advances in distributed sensor network technology have changed the landscape of traffic optimization in which small, mobile devices are able to sense local information and communicate in real time with one another. Naive optimization algorithms that operate solely on the local or global level are inherently flawed, as global optimization requires every local sensor to communicate with a centralized base-station, creating prohibitive bandwidth, robustness, and security concerns, while local optimization methods are limited by a near information horizon as they are unable to propagate or react to information beyond their immediate vicinity. This paper investigates an intermediate approach where individual sensors are able to propagate congestion information over a variable distance that is determined in real-time. This strategy consistently out-performs a naive strategy where every car simply takes the shortest path to its destination, but does worse than a simpler optimization algorithm that only incorporates local information. This is most likely because the intermediate solution directs cars along the same alternate path when attempting to free a congested area, thus creating new congestion along the detour. The results suggest that local information might set an upper bound on performance in models of cascading in- formation. Further work is required to confirm this observation and develop an algorithm able to join both local and global information to effectively diffuse traffic around congestion. (author)

Provision of Information to Rural Communities in Bama Local ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Provision of Information to Rural Communities in Bama Local Government Area of Borno State, Nigeria. Y Aliyu, E Camble ... findings of the study showed that rural people in the Soye district have identifiable information needs mainly in the areas of agriculture, health, government programmes and small scale industries.

Effect of Providing Information on Students' Knowledge and Concerns about Hydraulic Fracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Joanna; Nakata, Kimi; Liang, Laura; Pittfield, Taryn; Jeitner, Christian

2015-01-01

Governmental agencies, regulators, health professionals, and the public are faced with understanding and responding to new development practices and conditions in their local and regional environment. While hydraulic fracking (fracking) for shale gas has been practiced for over 50 years in some states, it is a relatively recent event in the northeastern United States. Providing environmental health information to the public about fracking requires understanding both the knowledge base and the perceptions of the public. The knowledge, perceptions, and concerns of college students about fracking were examined. Students were interviewed at Rutgers University in New Jersey, a state without any fracking, although fracking occurs in nearby Pennsylvania. Objectives were to determine (1) knowledge about fracking, (2) rating of concerns, (3) trusted information sources, (4) importance of fracking relative to other energy sources, and (5) the effect of a 15-min lecture and discussion on these aspects. On the second survey, students improved on their knowledge (except the components used for fracking), and their ratings changed for some concerns, perceived benefits, and trusted information sources. There was no change in support for further development of natural gas, but support for solar, wind, and wave energy decreased. Data suggest that students' knowledge and perceptions change with exposure to information, but many of these changes were due to students using the Internet to look up information immediately after the initial survey and lecture. Class discussions indicated a general lack of trust for several information sources available on the Web.

Mainstreaming African Local Content in the Information Society: The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The global transition to the information and knowledge society requires that every country contribute its local content to the burgeoning global information infrastructure. African states and the African continent as a whole have much to offer in form of indigenous knowledge and scholarly research. However, it has been very ...

Strategic information systems planning for health service providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Moriarty, D D

1992-01-01

There is significant opportunity for health service providers to gain competitive advantage through the innovative use of strategic information systems. This analysis presents some key strategic information systems issues that will enable managers to identify opportunities within their organizations.

A trade-off between local and distributed information processing associated with remote episodic versus semantic memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Heisz, Jennifer J; Vakorin, Vasily; Ross, Bernhard; Levine, Brian; McIntosh, Anthony R

2014-01-01

Episodic memory and semantic memory produce very different subjective experiences yet rely on overlapping networks of brain regions for processing. Traditional approaches for characterizing functional brain networks emphasize static states of function and thus are blind to the dynamic information processing within and across brain regions. This study used information theoretic measures of entropy to quantify changes in the complexity of the brain's response as measured by magnetoencephalography while participants listened to audio recordings describing past personal episodic and general semantic events. Personal episodic recordings evoked richer subjective mnemonic experiences and more complex brain responses than general semantic recordings. Critically, we observed a trade-off between the relative contribution of local versus distributed entropy, such that personal episodic recordings produced relatively more local entropy whereas general semantic recordings produced relatively more distributed entropy. Changes in the relative contributions of local and distributed entropy to the total complexity of the system provides a potential mechanism that allows the same network of brain regions to represent cognitive information as either specific episodes or more general semantic knowledge.

Campus Health Centers' Lack of Information Regarding Providers: A Content Analysis of Division-I Campus Health Centers' Provider Websites.

Science.gov (United States)

Perrault, Evan K

2018-07-01

Campus health centers are a convenient, and usually affordable, location for college students to obtain health care. Staffed by licensed and trained professionals, these providers can generally offer similar levels of care that providers at off-campus clinics can deliver. Yet, previous research finds students may forgo this convenient, on-campus option partially because of a lack of knowledge regarding the quality of providers at these campus clinics. This study sought to examine where this information deficit may come from by analyzing campus health centers' online provider information. All Division-I colleges or universities with an on-campus health center, which had information on their websites about their providers (n = 294), had their providers' online information analyzed (n = 2,127 providers). Results revealed that schools commonly offer professional information (e.g., provider specialties, education), but very little about their providers outside of the medical context (e.g., hobbies) that would allow a prospective student patient to more easily relate. While 181 different kinds of credentials were provided next to providers' names (e.g., MD, PA-C, FNP-BC), only nine schools offered information to help students understand what these different credentials meant. Most schools had information about their providers within one-click of the homepage. Recommendations for improving online information about campus health center providers are offered.

Forecasting an invasive species’ distribution with global distribution data, local data, and physiological information

Science.gov (United States)

Jarnevich, Catherine S.; Young, Nicholas E.; Talbert, Marian; Talbert, Colin

2018-01-01

Understanding invasive species distributions and potential invasions often requires broad‐scale information on the environmental tolerances of the species. Further, resource managers are often faced with knowing these broad‐scale relationships as well as nuanced environmental factors related to their landscape that influence where an invasive species occurs and potentially could occur. Using invasive buffelgrass (Cenchrus ciliaris), we developed global models and local models for Saguaro National Park, Arizona, USA, based on location records and literature on physiological tolerances to environmental factors to investigate whether environmental relationships of a species at a global scale are also important at local scales. In addition to correlative models with five commonly used algorithms, we also developed a model using a priori user‐defined relationships between occurrence and environmental characteristics based on a literature review. All correlative models at both scales performed well based on statistical evaluations. The user‐defined curves closely matched those produced by the correlative models, indicating that the correlative models may be capturing mechanisms driving the distribution of buffelgrass. Given climate projections for the region, both global and local models indicate that conditions at Saguaro National Park may become more suitable for buffelgrass. Combining global and local data with correlative models and physiological information provided a holistic approach to forecasting invasive species distributions.

Obtaining and providing health information in the community pharmacy setting.

Science.gov (United States)

Iwanowicz, Susan L; Marciniak, Macary Weck; Zeolla, Mario M

2006-06-15

Community pharmacists are a valuable information resource for patients and other healthcare providers. The advent of new information technology, most notably the Internet, coupled with the rapid availability of new healthcare information, has fueled this demand. Pharmacy students must receive training that enables them to meet this need. Community advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs) provide an excellent opportunity for students to develop and master drug information skills in a real-world setting. Preceptors must ensure that students are familiar with drug information resources and can efficiently identify the most useful resource for a given topic. Students must also be trained to assess the quality of resources and use this information to effectively respond to drug or health information inquiries. This article will discuss key aspects of providing drug information in the community pharmacy setting and can serve as a guide and resource for APPE preceptors.

Metagenomes provide valuable comparative information on soil microeukaryotes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacquiod, Samuel Jehan Auguste; Stenbæk, Jonas; Santos, Susana

2016-01-01

has been identified. Our analyses suggest that publicly available metagenome data can provide valuable information on soil microeukaryotes for comparative purposes when handled appropriately, complementing the current view provided by ribosomal amplicon sequencing methods......., providing microbiologists with substantial amounts of accessible information. We took advantage of public metagenomes in order to investigate microeukaryote communities in a well characterized grassland soil. The data gathered allowed the evaluation of several factors impacting the community structure......, including the DNA extraction method, the database choice and also the annotation procedure. While most studies on soil microeukaryotes are based on sequencing of PCR-amplified taxonomic markers (18S rRNA genes, ITS regions), this work represents, to our knowledge, the first report based solely...

Human and Citizen Rights Guarantees While Providing Information Security

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serhii Yesimov

2018-05-01

Full Text Available With the development of information and communication technologies, issues of providing information security are becoming more and more aggravated. These are crimes related to the use of electronic computers, systems and computer networks and telecommunication networks, the propaganda of separatism and extremism, etc. While providing information security in the digital environment, the role of technical and legal human rights guarantees, due to technical means of protection, is increasing. Relying on the developers of technical means of protection determines the difference between the aforesaid concepts and the traditional approach to ensuring the protection of human and citizen rights, in which responsibilities are put on information intermediaries, owners of confidential information. Technical guarantees of human rights are a necessary component of ensuring information security, but the effectiveness of the application is provided in conjunction with the legal guarantees of human rights, as evidenced by the tendency to recognize the principles of inviolability of privacy on the basis of design decisions in the law of the European Union as legal acts. Providing information security is a legitimate goal of establishing constraints of human rights, since it can be correlated with the norms of international law. The establishment of constraints of human rights is permissible in order to attain other objectives–ensuring state security, public order, health, rights and freedoms of the person in the information sphere. The legitimacy of this goal is determined by its compliance with the objectives envisaged by international agreements ratified in an established order. The article examines the impact of the use of technical means in the field of providing information security in the aspect of following the fundamental human and civil rights in Ukraine, taking into account the legislation of the European Union and the decision of the European Court

30 CFR 206.108 - Does MMS protect information I provide?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Does MMS protect information I provide? 206.108... MANAGEMENT PRODUCT VALUATION Federal Oil § 206.108 Does MMS protect information I provide? Certain information you submit to MMS regarding valuation of oil, including transportation allowances, may be exempt...

30 CFR 206.365 - Does MMS protect information I provide?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Does MMS protect information I provide? 206.365... MANAGEMENT PRODUCT VALUATION Geothermal Resources § 206.365 Does MMS protect information I provide? Certain information you submit to MMS regarding royalties or fees on geothermal resources or byproducts, including...

Understanding Midwives’ Preferences for Providing Information About Newborn Bloodspot Screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Stuart James Wright

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Understanding preferences for information provision in the context of health care service provision is challenging because of the number of potential attributes that may influence preferences. This study aimed to identify midwives’ preferences for the process and outcomes of information provision in an expanded national newborn bloodspot screening program. Design: A sample of practicing midwives completed a hybrid-stated preference survey including a conjoint analysis (CA and discrete choice experiment to quantify preferences for the types of, and way in which, information should be provided in a newborn bloodspot screening program. Six conjoint analysis questions captured the impact of different types of information on parents’ ability to make a decision, and 10 discrete choice experiment questions identified preferences for four process attributes (including parents’ ability to make a decision. Results: Midwives employed by the UK National Health Service (n = 134 completed the survey. All types of information content were perceived to improve parents’ ability to make a decision except for the possibility of false-positive results. Late pregnancy was seen to be the best time to provide information, followed by day 3 postbirth. Information before 20 weeks of pregnancy was viewed as reducing parents’ ability to make a decision. Midwives preferred information to be provided by an individual discussion and did not think parents should receive information on the Internet. Conclusion: A hybrid stated preference survey design identified that a wide variety of information should be provided to maximize parents’ ability to make a decision ideally provided late in pregnancy or on day 3 postbirth.

EFFECT OF PROVIDING INFORMATION ON STUDENTS’ KNOWLEDGE AND CONCERNS ABOUT HYDRAULIC FRACKING

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, Joanna; Nakata, Kimi; Liang, Laura; Pittfield, Taryn; Jeitner, Christian

2015-01-01

Governmental agencies, regulators, health professionals, and the public are faced with understanding and responding to new development practices and conditions in their local and regional environment. While hydraulic fracking (fracking) for shale gas has been practiced for over 50 years in some states, it is a relatively recent event in the northeastern United States. Providing environmental health information to the public about fracking requires understanding both the knowledge base and the perceptions of the public. The knowledge, perceptions, and concerns of college students about fracking were examined. Students were interviewed at Rutgers University in New Jersey, a state without any fracking, although fracking occurs in nearby Pennsylvania. Objectives were to determine (1) knowledge about fracking, (2) rating of concerns, (3) trusted information sources, (4) importance of fracking relative to other energy sources, and (5) the effect of a 15-min lecture and discussion on these aspects. On the second survey, students improved on their knowledge (except the components used for fracking), and their ratings changed for some concerns, perceived benefits, and trusted information sources. There was no change in support for further development of natural gas, but support for solar, wind, and wave energy decreased. Data suggest that students’ knowledge and perceptions change with exposure to information, but many of these changes were due to students using the Internet to look up information immediately after the initial survey and lecture. Class discussions indicated a general lack of trust for several information sources available on the Web. PMID:25965194

THE USE OF INFORMATION RESOURCES OF THE KNUKIM SCIENTIFIC LIBRARY FOR INFORMATION SERVICES PROVIDING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

В. В. Степко

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The article highlights information resources of the scientific library of the Kiev National University of Culture and Arts and characterizes its use in the system of providing librarian and informational services for users. It is proved that the important information resource of the library is website, which provides additional opportunities for users, forming a positive image of the library in the virtual space. The site contains information on various directions of the library’s activities, librarian services, projects and media products. One of the main tasks of the library is formation and presentation on the website of the electronic catalog as a multifunctional bibliographic resource, which is the basis for informational services and the basic information product of the library. The creation of an electronic library continues as the essential element of providing qualitative and effective services to users. The article discusses the functioning of the “Virtual Help” service as an effective form of working with remote users. The authors also consider such an actual direction of the library’s activity as the presentation of the scientific and creative heritage of the university with help of “12 + books of the year” project. The aim of the project is to inform about new editions of university’s teachers published this year and presented in the library fund. The implementation of the patriotic innovation and educational project “Treasures of the Nation”, whose purpose is to study and popularize the elements of the intangible cultural heritage ofUkraine, is analyzed. The booktrails and flash presentations are considered as a means of presenting books prepared by the library staff. The preparation of longreed, a new format for submitting information on the Internet, is also considered. Thanks to the use of Tilda Publishing and ThingLink services, innovative products were created: a complex multimedia story that combined photos

Web-based information system design of agricultural management towards self-sufficiency local food in North Aceh

Science.gov (United States)

Salahuddin; Husaini; Anwar

2018-01-01

The agricultural sector, especially food crops and horticulture, is one of the sectors driving regional economic pillars in Aceh Utara Regency of Aceh Province. Some agricultural products and food crops that become excellent products in North Aceh regency are: rice, corn, peanuts, long beans, cassava and soybeans. The Local Government of North Aceh Regency has not been optimal in empowering and maximizing the potential of agriculture resources. One of the obstacles is caused by the North Aceh Regency Government does not have an adequate database and web information system/GIS (Geographic Information System) for data management of agricultural centre in North Aceh Regency. This research is expected to assist local government of North Aceh Regency in managing agriculture sector to realize local food independence the region in supporting national food security program. The method in this research is using waterfall method for designing and making information system by conducting sequential process starting from data collection stage, requirement analysis, design, coding, testing and implementation system. The result of this research is a web-based information system for the management of agriculture superior agricultural product centre in North Aceh. This application provides information mapping the location of agricultural superior product producers and mapping of potential locations for the development of certain commodities in North Aceh Regency region in realizing food self-sufficiency in the region.

Distributed Input and State Estimation Using Local Information in Heterogeneous Sensor Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dzung Tran

2017-07-01

Full Text Available A new distributed input and state estimation architecture is introduced and analyzed for heterogeneous sensor networks. Specifically, nodes of a given sensor network are allowed to have heterogeneous information roles in the sense that a subset of nodes can be active (that is, subject to observations of a process of interest and the rest can be passive (that is, subject to no observation. Both fixed and varying active and passive roles of sensor nodes in the network are investigated. In addition, these nodes are allowed to have non-identical sensor modalities under the common underlying assumption that they have complimentary properties distributed over the sensor network to achieve collective observability. The key feature of our framework is that it utilizes local information not only during the execution of the proposed distributed input and state estimation architecture but also in its design in that global uniform ultimate boundedness of error dynamics is guaranteed once each node satisfies given local stability conditions independent from the graph topology and neighboring information of these nodes. As a special case (e.g., when all nodes are active and a positive real condition is satisfied, the asymptotic stability can be achieved with our algorithm. Several illustrative numerical examples are further provided to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed architecture.

Informative providing of processes of development on industrial enterprises

OpenAIRE

Kalinichenko, L.

2010-01-01

Information is definite by the basic resource of activity of enterprises. Suggestion in relation to the selection of informative subsystems of strategic, tactical, operative management is borne. The list of indexes in relation to estimation of the informative providing of functional processes of enterprise is offered.

Visual attention spreads broadly but selects information locally.

Science.gov (United States)

Shioiri, Satoshi; Honjyo, Hajime; Kashiwase, Yoshiyuki; Matsumiya, Kazumichi; Kuriki, Ichiro

2016-10-19

Visual attention spreads over a range around the focus as the spotlight metaphor describes. Spatial spread of attentional enhancement and local selection/inhibition are crucial factors determining the profile of the spatial attention. Enhancement and ignorance/suppression are opposite effects of attention, and appeared to be mutually exclusive. Yet, no unified view of the factors has been provided despite their necessity for understanding the functions of spatial attention. This report provides electroencephalographic and behavioral evidence for the attentional spread at an early stage and selection/inhibition at a later stage of visual processing. Steady state visual evoked potential showed broad spatial tuning whereas the P3 component of the event related potential showed local selection or inhibition of the adjacent areas. Based on these results, we propose a two-stage model of spatial attention with broad spread at an early stage and local selection at a later stage.

AT_CHLORO, a comprehensive chloroplast proteome database with subplastidial localization and curated information on envelope proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferro, Myriam; Brugière, Sabine; Salvi, Daniel; Seigneurin-Berny, Daphné; Court, Magali; Moyet, Lucas; Ramus, Claire; Miras, Stéphane; Mellal, Mourad; Le Gall, Sophie; Kieffer-Jaquinod, Sylvie; Bruley, Christophe; Garin, Jérôme; Joyard, Jacques; Masselon, Christophe; Rolland, Norbert

2010-06-01

Recent advances in the proteomics field have allowed a series of high throughput experiments to be conducted on chloroplast samples, and the data are available in several public databases. However, the accurate localization of many chloroplast proteins often remains hypothetical. This is especially true for envelope proteins. We went a step further into the knowledge of the chloroplast proteome by focusing, in the same set of experiments, on the localization of proteins in the stroma, the thylakoids, and envelope membranes. LC-MS/MS-based analyses first allowed building the AT_CHLORO database (http://www.grenoble.prabi.fr/protehome/grenoble-plant-proteomics/), a comprehensive repertoire of the 1323 proteins, identified by 10,654 unique peptide sequences, present in highly purified chloroplasts and their subfractions prepared from Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. This database also provides extensive proteomics information (peptide sequences and molecular weight, chromatographic retention times, MS/MS spectra, and spectral count) for a unique chloroplast protein accurate mass and time tag database gathering identified peptides with their respective and precise analytical coordinates, molecular weight, and retention time. We assessed the partitioning of each protein in the three chloroplast compartments by using a semiquantitative proteomics approach (spectral count). These data together with an in-depth investigation of the literature were compiled to provide accurate subplastidial localization of previously known and newly identified proteins. A unique knowledge base containing extensive information on the proteins identified in envelope fractions was thus obtained, allowing new insights into this membrane system to be revealed. Altogether, the data we obtained provide unexpected information about plastidial or subplastidial localization of some proteins that were not suspected to be associated to this membrane system. The spectral counting-based strategy was further

A fingerprint classification algorithm based on combination of local and global information

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chongjin; Fu, Xiang; Bian, Junjie; Feng, Jufu

2011-12-01

Fingerprint recognition is one of the most important technologies in biometric identification and has been wildly applied in commercial and forensic areas. Fingerprint classification, as the fundamental procedure in fingerprint recognition, can sharply decrease the quantity for fingerprint matching and improve the efficiency of fingerprint recognition. Most fingerprint classification algorithms are based on the number and position of singular points. Because the singular points detecting method only considers the local information commonly, the classification algorithms are sensitive to noise. In this paper, we propose a novel fingerprint classification algorithm combining the local and global information of fingerprint. Firstly we use local information to detect singular points and measure their quality considering orientation structure and image texture in adjacent areas. Furthermore the global orientation model is adopted to measure the reliability of singular points group. Finally the local quality and global reliability is weighted to classify fingerprint. Experiments demonstrate the accuracy and effectivity of our algorithm especially for the poor quality fingerprint images.

The information paradox and the locality bound

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giddings, Steven B.; Lippert, Matthew

2004-01-01

Hawking's argument for information loss in black hole evaporation rests on the assumption of independent Hilbert spaces for the interior and exterior of a black hole. We argue that such independence cannot be established without incorporating strong gravitational effects that undermine locality and invalidate the use of quantum field theory in a semiclassical background geometry. These considerations should also play a role in a deeper understanding of horizon complementarity

Provision of information by local governments using the Internet: case studies in Japan

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshio Arai

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The Internet is an effective medium that has great potential for the low-cost provision of information from local government. This paper discusses the relationship between geographic conditions and local government policy for the use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs, via case studies of official websites operated by local governments in Japan. This paper explores three main issues. First, the process of the diffusion of local government websites in Japan is analyzed. Second, the diversity of website content presented by local governments is assessed. Finally, the effects of national policy on Internet utilization by local governments is discussed. The following results are based on data collected by a questionnaire survey and an analysis of websites for local governments in selected areas of Japan. The diffusion of official websites for local governments began in the mid-1990s and was largely complete by 2000. In the early stages of this diffusion process, many websites aimed to transmit information to audiences outside of the municipality. In the later stages, however, larger cities established official websites and a greater proportion of websites were internally oriented. The content of these sites targeted the multiple needs of the local residents in terms of public services. Although the Japanese Government established a positive policy with the aim of improving ICT utilization by both local and national government, the national policy had only a minor effect on official local government websites.

Informing parents about expanded newborn screening: influences on provider involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayeems, Robin Z; Miller, Fiona A; Little, Julian; Carroll, June C; Allanson, Judith; Chakraborty, Pranesh; Wilson, Brenda J; Bytautas, Jessica P; Christensen, Robert J

2009-09-01

Expanded newborn screening (NBS) identifies some disorders for which clinical benefit is uncertain, as well as "incidental" findings (eg, carrier status), thus enhancing the need to inform parents about NBS before sample collection. A self-complete survey was sent to a cross-sectional, stratified, random sample of 5 provider groups in Ontario (obstetricians, midwives, family physicians, pediatricians, and nurses). Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to investigate the effects of core beliefs, perceived barriers, and demographic characteristics on the reported frequency of informing parents about NBS before sample collection. Virtually all of the midwives and almost half of the nurses reported discussing NBS with parents, whereas less than one sixth of the physicians did so. Providers who perceived a responsibility to inform parents were 3 times more likely to report doing so than those who did not perceive this responsibility (odds ratio: 2.9 [95% confidence interval: 2.1-4.1]). Those who lacked confidence to inform parents were 70% less likely to discuss NBS with parents compared with those who did not experience this cognitive barrier (odds ratio: 0.3 [95% confidence interval: 0.2-0.4]). Controlling for these covariates, family physicians and obstetricians were more likely than pediatricians to inform parents. These results provide guidance for capacity building among providers who are positioned to inform parents about NBS before sample collection. Our findings call for targeted educational interventions that consider patterns of provider practice related to prenatal and NBS care, seek to redress confidence limitations, and engage key provider groups in the importance of this professional responsibility.

MULTI-TEMPORAL AND MULTI-SENSOR IMAGE MATCHING BASED ON LOCAL FREQUENCY INFORMATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

X. Liu

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Image Matching is often one of the first tasks in many Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing applications. This paper presents an efficient approach to automated multi-temporal and multi-sensor image matching based on local frequency information. Two new independent image representations, Local Average Phase (LAP and Local Weighted Amplitude (LWA, are presented to emphasize the common scene information, while suppressing the non-common illumination and sensor-dependent information. In order to get the two representations, local frequency information is firstly obtained from Log-Gabor wavelet transformation, which is similar to that of the human visual system; then the outputs of odd and even symmetric filters are used to construct the LAP and LWA. The LAP and LWA emphasize on the phase and amplitude information respectively. As these two representations are both derivative-free and threshold-free, they are robust to noise and can keep as much of the image details as possible. A new Compositional Similarity Measure (CSM is also presented to combine the LAP and LWA with the same weight for measuring the similarity of multi-temporal and multi-sensor images. The CSM can make the LAP and LWA compensate for each other and can make full use of the amplitude and phase of local frequency information. In many image matching applications, the template is usually selected without consideration of its matching robustness and accuracy. In order to overcome this problem, a local best matching point detection is presented to detect the best matching template. In the detection method, we employ self-similarity analysis to identify the template with the highest matching robustness and accuracy. Experimental results using some real images and simulation images demonstrate that the presented approach is effective for matching image pairs with significant scene and illumination changes and that it has advantages over other state-of-the-art approaches, which include: the

Contraceptive security, information flow, and local adaptations: family planning Morocco.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandani, Y; Breton, G

2001-12-01

Many developing countries increasingly recognize and acknowledge family planning as a critical part of socio-economic development. However, with few health dollars to go around, countries tend to provide essential drugs for curative care, rather than for family planning products. Donors have historically provided free contraceptives for family planning services. Whether products are donated or purchased by the country, a successful family planning program depends on an uninterrupted supply of products, beginning with the manufacturer and ending with the customer. Any break in the supply chain may cause a family planning program to fail. A well-functioning logistics system can manage the supply chain and ensure that the customers have the products they need, when they need them. Morocco was selected for the case study. The researchers had ready access to key informants and information about the Logistics Management Information System. Because the study had time and resource constraints, research included desktop reviews and interview, rather than data collection in the field. The case study showed that even in a challenging environment an LMIS can be successfully deployed and fully supported by the users. It is critical to customize the system to a country-specific situation to ensure buy-in for the implementation. Significant external support funding and technical expertise are critical components to ensure the initial success of the system. Nonetheless, evidence from the case study shows that, after a system has been implemented, the benefits may not ensure its institutionalization. Other support, including local funding and technical expertise, is required.

The Use of Information by Policymakers at the Local Community Level.

Science.gov (United States)

Florio, Evelyn; DeMartini, Joseph R.

1993-01-01

Discussion of decision making focuses on a study that was conducted to examine how policymakers at the local community level use social science information in making decisions. The use of social science information and other information sources in two communities examining health care issues is described. (Contains 18 references.) (LRW)

Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Cooperative: can local knowledge inform caribou management?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Don E. Russell

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Normal 0 21 false false false SV X-NONE X-NONE While quantitative analyses have traditionally been used to measure overall caribou herd health, qualitative observational data can also provide timely information that reflects what people on the land are observing. The Arctic Borderlands Ecological Knowledge Co-op (ABEKC monitors ecological change in the range of the Porcupine Caribou Herd (PCH. The community-based monitoring component of the Co-op’s mandate involves the gathering of local knowledge through interviews with local experts in a number of communities.We analyzed the responses to interviews collected during 2000–2007 related to caribou availability, harvest success, meeting needs and caribou health during fall and spring. Interviews revealed 1 caribou greater availability during the survey period, 2 an increasing trend in the proportion of harvesters that met their needs 3 no trend in animals harvested or proportion of successful hunters and 4 improving overall caribou health throughout the period.There was no population estimate for the herd between 2001 and 2010. In 2001, 123,000 caribou were estimated in the herd. Based on an estimated 178,000 in 1989, a declining trend of ~ 3% annually occurred at least until 2001. In the interim agencies and boards feared the herd continued to decline and worked towards and finalized a Harvest Management Plan for the herd. In contrast, from the Co-op interviews all indications suggested improving herd conditions throughout most of the decade. A successful survey in 2010 determined the herd had grown to 169,000 animals. We conclude that the community-based interviews provided a valid, unique information source to better understand caribou ecology and express community perceptions of overall herd status and could provide a valuable contribution to management decision making.  We recommend that ABEKC results become standard input into Porcupine Caribou harvest management decisions and serve as a

Scene text detection by leveraging multi-channel information and local context

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Runmin; Qian, Shengyou; Yang, Jianfeng; Gao, Changxin

2018-03-01

As an important information carrier, texts play significant roles in many applications. However, text detection in unconstrained scenes is a challenging problem due to cluttered backgrounds, various appearances, uneven illumination, etc.. In this paper, an approach based on multi-channel information and local context is proposed to detect texts in natural scenes. According to character candidate detection plays a vital role in text detection system, Maximally Stable Extremal Regions(MSERs) and Graph-cut based method are integrated to obtain the character candidates by leveraging the multi-channel image information. A cascaded false positive elimination mechanism are constructed from the perspective of the character and the text line respectively. Since the local context information is very valuable for us, these information is utilized to retrieve the missing characters for boosting the text detection performance. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets, i.e., the ICDAR 2011 dataset and the ICDAR 2013 dataset, demonstrate that the proposed method have achieved the state-of-the-art performance.

30 CFR 206.62 - Does MMS protect information I provide?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Does MMS protect information I provide? 206.62 Section 206.62 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR MINERALS REVENUE MANAGEMENT PRODUCT VALUATION Indian Oil § 206.62 Does MMS protect information I provide? The MMS will keep...

Smart use of data, information and communication: the INFORM-ed Best Local Practice Project--Grafton Base Hospital.

Science.gov (United States)

Lloyd, Sheree; Collie, Jean; McInnes, Alastair; King, Kevin; Lollback, Alison; Garland, Angie

This paper describes current progress for an information management project in a medium-sized rural hospital after the first four months of the one-year project. In particular, the article examines some of the project outcomes to date as these relate to the National Hospitals and Health Reform recommendations for the smart use of data, information and communication. The paper identifies a number of important challenges and issues that have been addressed by the project and proposes that the project findings may be used to inform similar projects in other settings. These findings relate to clinician requirements for reports, investment in human resources, development, and time for information management activities. An understanding of data collected, information systems, and presentation of clinician data are also important. The benefits of information sharing in assisting quality improvement activities are particularly relevant but, more importantly, they can engage and involve clinicians in the use of information. The importance of local data, information, and knowledge is described. Finally, issues for the health information management profession, such as working collegially and sharing knowledge and expertise, are outlined.

Local self-government potential in sustainable development of region providing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. Y. Bobrovska

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Ongoing decentralization of power in Ukraine enhances abilities of each region to independently choose their development path and use their own resources. It requires reviewing and updating of mechanisms and instruments of local government and public administration projected to increase the sustainability of development. This necessitates further research of issues of this extremely complex phenomenon. The problem of sustainable development of the regions and their internal capacities over the past decades has attracted the attention of many Ukrainian scientists. They considered the question of the essence and characteristics of this phenomenon, categorical apparatus, and formed approaches to the assessment of the state etc. Existing scientific researchers provided an opportunity for better understanding and deepening of the issues of processes of development formation, becoming the basis for further research. The purpose of the article is the definition of the potential of local governments in the sustainable development of the region, finding approaches for improving management and rational use of resources to enhance the regional development. Development of regions is the scope of display of results and public nature of local self-government. However, the results which are achieved by regional development and its level of sustainability do not meet the needs of society. The results of ongoing reforms, their economic, environmental and social significance do not correspond to spent resources and efforts of society. Strategies of regions for the transition to sustainable development are not systematic. To search for answers and ways to address the issues of the article attempts to identify common root causes in the organization of local government, the underlying increase its impact in the direction of creating conditions and ensure the flow of sustainable regional development through research and their potential influential factors. It is

Multiagency Initiative to Provide Greenhouse Gas Information

Science.gov (United States)

Boland, Stacey W.; Duren, Riley M.

2009-11-01

Global Greenhouse Gas Information System Workshop; Albuquerque, New Mexico, 20-22 May 2009; The second Greenhouse Gas Information System (GHGIS) workshop brought together 74 representatives from 28 organizations including U.S. government agencies, national laboratories, and members of the academic community to address issues related to the understanding, operational monitoring, and tracking of greenhouse gas emissions and carbon offsets. The workshop was held at Sandia National Laboratories and organized by an interagency collaboration among NASA centers, Department of Energy laboratories, and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. It was motivated by the perceived need for an integrated interagency, community-wide initiative to provide information about greenhouse gas sources and sinks at policy-relevant temporal and spatial scales. Such an initiative could significantly enhance the ability of national and regional governments, industry, and private citizens to implement and evaluate effective climate change mitigation policies.

Improving the software fault localization process through testability information

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gonzalez-Sanchez, A.; Abreu, R.; Gross, H.; Van Gemund, A.

2010-01-01

When failures occur during software testing, automated software fault localization helps to diagnose their root causes and identify the defective components of a program to support debugging. Diagnosis is carried out by selecting test cases in such way that their pass or fail information will narrow

47 CFR 79.2 - Accessibility of programming providing emergency information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

..., widespread fires, discharge of toxic gases, widespread power failures, industrial explosions, civil disorders... of programming providing emergency information. (a) Definitions. (1) For purposes of this section, the definitions in §§ 79.1 and 79.3 apply. (2) Emergency information. Information, about a current...

Information needs for problem holders/solution providers: EnviroTRADE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robson, W.M.; Harrington, M.W.; Harlan, C.P.

1994-01-01

EnviroTRADE (or Environmental Technologies for Remedial Actions Data Exchange) is a domestic and international information system that matches environmental problems with potential technologies solutions by combining state of the art information management techniques, graphical interfaces and a Geographic Information System (GIS). Its search and match algorithms locate technologies relevant to specific environmental problems and identify sites where technology may be applicable. EnviroTRADE also provides many other kinds of database searches and reports. EnviroTRADE is a graphical/textural information management system being developed for the cleanup program of US Department of energy's nuclear weapons complex. Its principal purpose is to provide a single, powerful, interactive data source on the many environmental restoration and waste management (ER/WM) problems and on the technologies currently under development and available to resolve them. Because the volume and complexity of the information is so large, a sophisticated Relational database Management System (RDBMS) is employed for EnviroTRADE which accommodates graphical images, technical data, structured textural descriptions, and a variety of advanced multi-media data types. EnviroTRADE is a multi-purpose, multi-user system capable of addressing a broad range of environmental assessment and cleanup issues

Information needs for problem holders/solution providers: EnviroTRADE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robson, W.M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States); Harrington, M.W.; Harlan, C.P. [Sandia National Labs., Livermore, CA (United States)

1994-12-31

EnviroTRADE (or Environmental Technologies for Remedial Actions Data Exchange) is a domestic and international information system that matches environmental problems with potential technologies solutions by combining state of the art information management techniques, graphical interfaces and a Geographic Information System (GIS). Its search and match algorithms locate technologies relevant to specific environmental problems and identify sites where technology may be applicable. EnviroTRADE also provides many other kinds of database searches and reports. EnviroTRADE is a graphical/textural information management system being developed for the cleanup program of US Department of energy`s nuclear weapons complex. Its principal purpose is to provide a single, powerful, interactive data source on the many environmental restoration and waste management (ER/WM) problems and on the technologies currently under development and available to resolve them. Because the volume and complexity of the information is so large, a sophisticated Relational database Management System (RDBMS) is employed for EnviroTRADE which accommodates graphical images, technical data, structured textural descriptions, and a variety of advanced multi-media data types. EnviroTRADE is a multi-purpose, multi-user system capable of addressing a broad range of environmental assessment and cleanup issues.

Processes of local alcohol policy-making in England: Does the theory of policy transfer provide useful insights into public health decision-making?

Science.gov (United States)

Gavens, Lucy; Holmes, John; Buykx, Penny; de Vocht, Frank; Egan, Matt; Grace, Daniel; Lock, Karen; Mooney, John D; Brennan, Alan

2017-06-13

Recent years have seen a rise in new and innovative policies to reduce alcohol consumption and related harm in England, which can be implemented by local, as opposed to national, policy-makers. The aim of this paper is to explore the processes that underpin the adoption of these alcohol policies within local authorities. In particular, it aims to assess whether the concept of policy transfer (i.e. a process through which knowledge about policies in one place is used in the development of policies in another time or place) provides a useful model for understanding local alcohol policy-making. Qualitative data generated through in-depth interviews and focus groups from five case study sites across England were used to explore stakeholder experiences of alcohol policy transfer between local authorities. The purposive sample of policy actors included representatives from the police, trading standards, public health, licensing, and commissioning. Thematic analysis was used inductively to identify key features in the data. Themes from the policy transfer literature identified in the data were: policy copying, emulating, hybridization, and inspiration. Participants described a multitude of ways in which learning was shared between places, ranging from formal academic evaluation to opportunistic conversations in informal settings. Participants also described facilitators and constraints to policy transfer, such as the historical policy context and the local cultural, economic, and bureaucratic context, which influenced whether or not a policy that was perceived to work in one place might be transferred successfully to another context. Theories of policy transfer provide a promising framework for characterising processes of local alcohol policy-making in England, extending beyond debates regarding evidence-informed policy to account for a much wider range of considerations. Applying a policy transfer lens enables us to move beyond simple (but still important) questions of

Information Interaction: Providing a Framework for Information Architecture.

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Toms, Elaine G.

2002-01-01

Discussion of information architecture focuses on a model of information interaction that bridges the gap between human and computer and between information behavior and information retrieval. Illustrates how the process of information interaction is affected by the user, the system, and the content. (Contains 93 references.) (LRW)

Social support in the practices of informal providers: The case of patent and proprietary medicine vendors in Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Sieverding, Maia; Liu, Jenny; Beyeler, Naomi

2015-10-01

The social and institutional environments in which informal healthcare providers operate shape their health and business practices, particularly in contexts where regulatory enforcement is weak. In this study, we adopt a social capital perspective to understanding the social networks on which proprietary and patent medicine vendors (PPMVs) in Nigeria rely for support in the operation of their shops. Data are drawn from 70 in-depth interviews with PPMVs in three states, including interviews with local leaders of the PPMV professional association. We find that PPMVs primarily relied on more senior colleagues and formal healthcare professionals for informational support, including information about new medicines and advice on how to treat specific cases of illness. For instrumental support, including finance, start-up assistance, and intervention with regulatory agencies, PPMVs relied on extended family, the PPMVs with whom they apprenticed, and the leaders of their professional association. PPMVs' networks also provided continual reinforcement of what constitutes good PPMV practice through admonishments to follow scope of practice limitations. These informal reminders, as well as monitoring activities conducted by the professional association, served to reinforce PPMVs' concern with avoiding negative customer health outcomes, which were perceived to be detrimental to their business reputations. That PPMVs' networks both encouraged practices to reduce the likelihood of poor health outcomes, and provided advice regarding customers' health conditions, highlights the potential impact of informal providers' access to different forms of social capital on their delivery of health services, as well as their success as microenterprises. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Global and Local Visual Information during Gaze-Cued Orienting of Attention.

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Munsters, Nicolette M; van den Boomen, Carlijn; Hooge, Ignace T C; Kemner, Chantal

2016-01-01

Gaze direction is an important social communication tool. Global and local visual information are known to play specific roles in processing socially relevant information from a face. The current study investigated whether global visual information has a primary role during gaze-cued orienting of attention and, as such, may influence quality of interaction. Adults performed a gaze-cueing task in which a centrally presented face cued (valid or invalid) the location of a peripheral target through a gaze shift. We measured brain activity (electroencephalography) towards the cue and target and behavioral responses (manual and saccadic reaction times) towards the target. The faces contained global (i.e. lower spatial frequencies), local (i.e. higher spatial frequencies), or a selection of both global and local (i.e. mid-band spatial frequencies) visual information. We found a gaze cue-validity effect (i.e. valid versus invalid), but no interaction effects with spatial frequency content. Furthermore, behavioral responses towards the target were in all cue conditions slower when lower spatial frequencies were not present in the gaze cue. These results suggest that whereas gaze-cued orienting of attention can be driven by both global and local visual information, global visual information determines the speed of behavioral responses towards other entities appearing in the surrounding of gaze cue stimuli.

The Content-Provider Paradox: Universities in the Information Ecosystem.

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Vaidhyanathan, Siva

2002-01-01

Asserts that universities' rush to abandon their role as "national parks" in the information ecosystem in favor of becoming profitable "content providers" has led to a paradox: to generate new knowledge, researchers and teachers need broad content freedom, but the role of content provider requires highly restrictive policies to…

Exploring new health markets: experiences from informal providers of transport for maternal health services in Eastern Uganda

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Bloom Gerald

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Although a number of intermediate transport initiatives have been used in some developing countries, available evidence reveals a dearth of local knowledge on the effect of these rural informal transport mechanisms on access to maternal health care services, the cost of implementing such schemes and their scalability. This paper, attempts to provide insights into the functioning of the informal transport markets in facilitating access to maternal health care. It also demonstrates the role that higher institutions of learning can play in designing projects that can increase the utilization of maternal health services. Objectives To explore the use of intermediate transport mechanisms to improve access to maternal health services, with emphasis on the benefits and unintended consequences of the transport scheme, as well as challenges in the implementation of the scheme. Methods This paper is based on the pilot phase to inform a quasi experimental study aimed at increasing access to maternal health services using demand and supply side incentives. The data collection for this paper included qualitative and quantitative methods that included focus group interviews, review of project documents and facility level data. Results There was a marked increase in attendance of antenatal, and delivery care services, with the contracted transporters playing a leading role in mobilizing mothers to attend services. The project also had economic spill-over effects to the transport providers, their families and community generally. However, some challenges were faced including difficulty in setting prices for paying transporters, and poor enforcement of existing traffic regulations. Conclusions and implications The findings indicate that locally existing resources such as motorcycle riders, also known as “boda boda” can be used innovatively to reduce challenges caused by geographical inaccessibility and a poor transport network with

Rainforest pharmacopeia in Madagascar provides high value for current local and prospective global uses.

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Christopher D Golden

Full Text Available Botanical diversity provides value to humans through carbon sequestration, air and water purification, and the provisioning of wild foods and ethnomedicines. Here we calculate the value of botanical ethnomedicines in a rainforest region of Madagascar, the Makira Protected Area, using a substitution method that combines replacement costs and choice modeling. The Makira watershed may comprise approximately 0.8% of global botanical diversity and possesses enormous value both in its ability to provision botanical ethnomedicines to local people and as a source of potentially novel pharmaceutical drugs for society as a whole. Approximately 241 locally-recognized species are used as ethnomedicines, including 113 agricultural or weed species. We equated each ethnomedicinal treatment to the monetary value of a comparable pharmaceutical treatment adjusted by personal preferences in perceived efficacy (rather than from known or assumed medicinal equivalency. The benefit value of these botanical ethnomedicines per individual is $5.40-7.90 per year when using the value of highly subsidized Malagasy pharmaceuticals and $100.60-287.40 when using the value of American pharmaceuticals. Using local pharmaceuticals as substitutes, the value per household is $30.24-44.30 per year, equivalent to 43-63% of median annual household income, demonstrating their local importance. Using the value of American pharmaceuticals, the amount is equivalent to 22-63% of the median annual health care expenditures for American adults under 45 in 2006. The potential for developing novel biomedicines from the Makira watershed's unique flora ranges in untapped benefit value from $0.3-5.7 billion for American pharmaceutical companies, non-inclusive of the importance of providing novel medicines and improved healthcare to society. This study provides evidence of the tremendous current local and prospective global value of botanical ethnomedicines and furthers arguments for the

The Information Highway.

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Gore, Al

1994-01-01

The new information marketplace is based on a network of wide, two-way highways comprised of private owners and developers, makers of information appliances (televisions, telephones, computers, and combinations of all three), information providers (local broadcasters, digital libraries, information service providers, and entrepreneurs), and…

The Innovative Activity of Enterprises in the Context of Providing Information Security

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Sazonets Olga M.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The aim of the article is to study the peculiarities of the innovative activity in the context of providing the enterprise information security. By analyzing, systematizing and summarizing the scientific works of many scientists the essence of the concept of «information security» has been considered and components of the innovation development process from the standpoint of providing information security have been identified. The article discusses issues of providing information security on the basis of introducing innovations, which will allow achieving a state in which there would be realized a sustainable, protected from threats, development of the enterprise. It has been proved that the formation of the innovative enterprise policy should include measures to ensure information security. As a result of the study the types of threats to the enterprise information security have been identified. It has been determined that the innovation process in the field of information security is provided by means of research, administrative, industrial, technological and commercial activities leading to the emergence and commercialization of innovations. The prospect for further research in this area is determining a system of indicators for forecasting the integral innovation indicator of economic information security. The system of indicators for diagnostics of the enterprise information security level enables monitoring the indicators of the state of the enterprise innovation and information activity in order to prevent the emergence of threats.

30 CFR 210.40 - Will MMS keep the information I provide confidential?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Will MMS keep the information I provide... MINERALS REVENUE MANAGEMENT FORMS AND REPORTS General Provisions § 210.40 Will MMS keep the information I provide confidential? The MMS will treat information obtained under this part as confidential to the...

Quality of Online Chat Reference Answers Differ between Local and Consortium Library Staff: Providing Consortium Staff with More Local Information Can Mitigate these Differences. A Review of: Meert, D.L., & Given, L.M. (2009. Measuring quality in chat reference consortia: A comparative analysis of responses to users’ queries.” College & Research Libraries, 70(1, 71‐84.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Newton Miller

2010-03-01

standards 82% of the time. The groups showed the most significant differences when separated into the question categories. Local library staff met the standards for “Library User Information” questions 97% of the time, while consortia staff met the standards only 76% of the time. “Request for Instruction” questions were answered with 97% success by local library staff and with 84% success by consortia. Local library staff met the “Request for Academic Information” standards 90% of the time while consortia staff met these standards 87% of the time. For “Miscellaneous Non‐Library Information” questions, 93% of local and 83% of consortia staff met the reference transaction standards. For the second part of the study, 89% of local library staff answered the questions in real time, as opposed to only 69% of non‐local staff. The three most common reasons for not answering in real time (known as deferment categories included not knowing the answer (48% local; 40% consortia, technical difficulty (26% local; 16% consortia, and information not being available (15% local; 31% consortia.Conclusion – The results of this research reveal that there are differences in the quality of answers between local and non‐local staff when taking part in an online chat reference consortium, although these discrepancies vary depending on the type of question. Providing non‐local librarians with the information they need to answer questions accurately and in real time can mitigate these differences.

Green Computing in Local Governments and Information Technology Companies

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Badar Agung Nugroho

2013-06-01

Full Text Available Green computing is a study and practice of designing, manufacturing, using, and disposing of information and communication devices efficiently and effectively with minimum impact on the environment. If the green computing concept was implemented, it will help the agencies or companies to reduce energy and capital cost from their IT infrastructure. The goal from this research is to explore the current condition about the efforts from local governments and IT companies at West Java to implement the green computing concept at their working environment. The primary data were collected by using focus group discussion by inviting the local governments and IT companies representatives who responsible to manage their IT infrastructure. And then, the secondary data were collected by doing brief observation in order to see the real effort of green computing implementation at each institution. The result shows that there are many different perspectives and efforts of green computing implementation between local governments and IT companies.

Critical care providers refer to information tools less during communication tasks after a critical care clinical information system introduction.

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Ballermann, Mark; Shaw, Nicola T; Mayes, Damon C; Gibney, R T Noel

2011-01-01

Electronic documentation methods may assist critical care providers with information management tasks in Intensive Care Units (ICUs). We conducted a quasi-experimental observational study to investigate patterns of information tool use by ICU physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists during verbal communication tasks. Critical care providers used tools less at 3 months after the CCIS introduction. At 12 months, care providers referred to paper and permanent records, especially during shift changes. The results suggest potential areas of improvement for clinical information systems in assisting critical care providers in ensuring informational continuity around their patients.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE POLICY TO PROVIDE THE TRAFFIC INFORMATION IN THE CASE OF EARTHQUAKES AN EXAMPLE ON THE NOTO PENINSULA EARTHQUAKE, ISHIKAWA PREFECTURE

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Takahashi, Masanori; Takayama, Jun-Ichi; Nakayama, Shoichiro

Noto Peninsula earthquake occurred in Ishikawa Pref., in March, 2007, and the Noto Yuryo, and many arterial roads were damaged. This led to the conosiderable confusion of the road traffic in Noto Peninsula area and gave the influence on all kinds of social/economic activities. Therefore, an method of providing the traffic information for drivers is important in the case of disasters such as earthquakes. We carried out a questionnaire survey for local inhabitants and investigated the road use situation at the time of the Noto Peninsula earthquake and the information acquisition situation about it. We also analyzed whether or not the method of providing the traffic information was appropriate. In addition, we examined the best traffic information in the case of earthquakes.

Providing information regarding exposures in pregnancy: a survey of North American Teratology Information Services.

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Hancock, Rebecca L; Ungar, Wendy J; Einarson, Adrienne; Goodstadt, Michael; Koren, Gideon

2008-04-01

Teratology Information Services (TIS) provide information on exposures during pregnancy and breast-feeding. Maintaining ongoing funding is a challenge. The purpose was to gather descriptive information on current TIS operations. All North American TIS (16 American, 2 Canadian) completed a detailed survey. Service goal ranked as most important was correction of risk misperceptions. Inquiries were primarily for medications (mean 43.5%, S.D. 14.1), lactation exposures, and workplace exposures. Median employees per TIS: three (range 1-12.5). Two TIS only counsel health care professionals (HCPs). Main callers to remaining TIS were pregnant women (mean 46.8%, S.D. 22.8), physicians, and nurses. Calls per week varied (median 20, range 4-600). Median annual budget: US dollars 69,000 (range dollars 3000-335,000). Seventeen TIS collect patient data for research. This survey was the first to document TIS operations in North America and demonstrates a spectrum of clinical and research activities, and provides data for a future cost-benefit analysis of TIS.

Local Estuary Programs

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This page provides information about Local Individual Estuary Programs including links to their NEP homepages, social media, Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plans, and state of the bay reports.

Implementing electronic health records (EHRs): health care provider perceptions before and after transition from a local basic EHR to a commercial comprehensive EHR.

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Krousel-Wood, Marie; McCoy, Allison B; Ahia, Chad; Holt, Elizabeth W; Trapani, Donnalee N; Luo, Qingyang; Price-Haywood, Eboni G; Thomas, Eric J; Sittig, Dean F; Milani, Richard V

2018-06-01

We assessed changes in the percentage of providers with positive perceptions of electronic health record (EHR) benefit before and after transition from a local basic to a commercial comprehensive EHR. Changes in the percentage of providers with positive perceptions of EHR benefit were captured via a survey of academic health care providers before (baseline) and at 6-12 months (short term) and 12-24 months (long term) after the transition. We analyzed 32 items for the overall group and by practice setting, provider age, and specialty using separate multivariable-adjusted random effects logistic regression models. A total of 223 providers completed all 3 surveys (30% response rate): 85.6% had outpatient practices, 56.5% were >45 years old, and 23.8% were primary care providers. The percentage of providers with positive perceptions significantly increased from baseline to long-term follow-up for patient communication, hospital transitions - access to clinical information, preventive care delivery, preventive care prompt, preventive lab prompt, satisfaction with system reliability, and sharing medical information (P commercial comprehensive EHR, items with significant increases and significant decreases in the percentage of providers with positive perceptions of EHR benefit were identified, overall and by subgroup.

Fact or fiction? An empirical analysis of cooperation between mass sport providers at the local level

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Steven Vos; Jeroen Scheerder

2014-01-01

This paper explores inter-organisational relationships, in terms of cooperation, between three main types of sport providers at the local level: voluntary sport clubs, for-profit fitness and health clubs, and local sports authorities. Both withinand cross-sector cooperation are analysed and related

Seeing white elephants? The production and communication of information in a locally-based monitoring system in Tanzania

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Martin Reinhardt Nielsen

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The literature on locally-based monitoring in the context of conservation displays a great deal of optimism about the prospects of involving local people in the systematic gathering of information about the condition and use of natural resources and conservation areas to inform management decisions from local to national levels. This study challenges this notion based on a case study of a collaborative forest management and locally-based monitoring project that has been considered a successful showcase example in Tanzania. It does so by comparing information from locally-based monitoring of forest condition and financial transactions, as presented by community management institutions to higher authorities, with forest transect surveys and an audit of financial accounts. The results reveal that the information produced and communicated under the locally-based monitoring system contradicts trends in wildlife densities and human disturbance observed in the forest and under-represents actual financial flows. Interviews and observations further indicate that communication of this information takes place under conditions of ongoing power struggles over access to benefits of collaborative forest management. This study serves to caution that the information produced and communicated under the locally-based monitoring system may be shaped by the incentives and power struggles surrounding the particular context within which the system is based and therefore cannot be taken at face value.

Climate Local Information over the Mediterranean to Respond User Needs

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Ruti, P.

2012-12-01

CLIM-RUN aims at developing a protocol for applying new methodologies and improved modeling and downscaling tools for the provision of adequate climate information at regional to local scale that is relevant to and usable by different sectors of society (policymakers, industry, cities, etc.). Differently from current approaches, CLIM-RUN will develop a bottom-up protocol directly involving stakeholders early in the process with the aim of identifying well defined needs at the regional to local scale. The improved modeling and downscaling tools will then be used to optimally respond to these specific needs. The protocol is assessed by application to relevant case studies involving interdependent sectors, primarily tourism and energy, and natural hazards (wild fires) for representative target areas (mountainous regions, coastal areas, islands). The region of interest for the project is the Greater Mediterranean area, which is particularly important for two reasons. First, the Mediterranean is a recognized climate change hot-spot, i.e. a region particularly sensitive and vulnerable to global warming. Second, while a number of countries in Central and Northern Europe have already in place well developed climate service networks (e.g. the United Kingdom and Germany), no such network is available in the Mediterranean. CLIM-RUN is thus also intended to provide the seed for the formation of a Mediterranean basin-side climate service network which would eventually converge into a pan-European network. The general time horizon of interest for the project is the future period 2010-2050, a time horizon that encompasses the contributions of both inter-decadal variability and greenhouse-forced climate change. In particular, this time horizon places CLIM-RUN within the context of a new emerging area of research, that of decadal prediction, which will provide a strong potential for novel research.

77 FR 24959 - Scientific Information Request on Local Therapies for Unresectable Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Science.gov (United States)

2012-04-26

...The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking scientific information submissions from manufacturers of local, minimally invasive, medical devices for unresectable primary hepatocellular carcinoma (e.g., ablation, radiotherapy, or embolization devices). Scientific information is being solicited to inform our Comparative Effectiveness Review of Local Therapies for Unresectable Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma, which is currently being conducted by the Evidence-based Practice Centers for the AHRQ Effective Health Care Program. Access to published and unpublished pertinent scientific information on this device will improve the quality of this comparative effectiveness review. AHRQ is requesting this scientific information and conducting this comparative effectiveness review pursuant to Section 1013 of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, Public Law 108-173.

Transparency of Mandatory Information Disclosure and Concerns of Health Services Providers and Consumers.

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yu-Hua; Kung, Chih-Ming; Fang, Shih-Chieh; Chen, Yi

2017-01-09

This study analyzed differences between transparency of information disclosure and related demands from the health service consumer's perspective. It also compared how health service providers and consumers are associated by different levels of mandatory information disclosure. We obtained our research data using a questionnaire survey (health services providers, n = 201; health service consumers, n = 384). Health service consumers do not have major concerns regarding mandatory information disclosure. However, they are concerned about complaint channels and settlement results, results of patient satisfaction surveys, and disclosure of hospital financial statements ( p transparency of information disclosure ( p information provided by hospitals. Thus, when a hospital discloses information, it is necessary for the government to consider the information's applicability. Toward improving medical expertise and information asymmetry, the government has to reduce the burden among health service consumers in dealing with this information, and it has to use the information effectively.

Current food chain information provides insufficient information for modern meat inspection of pigs.

Science.gov (United States)

Felin, Elina; Jukola, Elias; Raulo, Saara; Heinonen, Jaakko; Fredriksson-Ahomaa, Maria

2016-05-01

Meat inspection now incorporates a more risk-based approach for protecting human health against meat-borne biological hazards. Official post-mortem meat inspection of pigs has shifted to visual meat inspection. The official veterinarian decides on additional post-mortem inspection procedures, such as incisions and palpations. The decision is based on declarations in the food chain information (FCI), ante-mortem inspection and post-mortem inspection. However, a smooth slaughter and inspection process is essential. Therefore, one should be able to assess prior to slaughter which pigs are suitable for visual meat inspection only, and which need more profound inspection procedures. This study evaluates the usability of the FCI provided by pig producers and considered the possibility for risk ranking of incoming slaughter batches according to the previous meat inspection data and the current FCI. Eighty-five slaughter batches comprising 8954 fattening pigs were randomly selected at a slaughterhouse that receives animals from across Finland. The mortality rate, the FCI and the meat inspection results for each batch were obtained. The current FCI alone provided insufficient and inaccurate information for risk ranking purposes for meat inspection. The partial condemnation rate for a batch was best predicted by the partial condemnation rate calculated for all the pigs sent for slaughter from the same holding in the previous year (p<0.001) and by prior information on cough declared in the current FCI (p=0.02) statement. Training and information to producers are needed to make the FCI reporting procedures more accurate. Historical meat inspection data on pigs slaughtered from the same holdings and well-chosen symptoms/signs for reporting, should be included in the FCI to facilitate the allocation of pigs for visual inspection. The introduced simple scoring system can be easily used for additional information for directing batches to appropriate meat inspection procedures. To

The electron localization as the information content of the conditional pair density

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Urbina, Andres S.; Torres, F. Javier [Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Grupo de Química Computacional y Teórica (QCT-USFQ), Departamento de Química e Ingeniería Química, Diego de Robles y Via Interoceanica, Quito 17-1200-841 (Ecuador); Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Instituto de Simulación Computacional (ISC-USFQ), Diego de Robles y Via Interoceanica, Quito 17-1200-841 (Ecuador); Rincon, Luis, E-mail: lrincon@usfq.edu.ec, E-mail: lrincon@ula.ve [Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Grupo de Química Computacional y Teórica (QCT-USFQ), Departamento de Química e Ingeniería Química, Diego de Robles y Via Interoceanica, Quito 17-1200-841 (Ecuador); Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Instituto de Simulación Computacional (ISC-USFQ), Diego de Robles y Via Interoceanica, Quito 17-1200-841 (Ecuador); Departamento de Química, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes (ULA), La Hechicera, Mérida-5101 (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of)

2016-06-28

In the present work, the information gained by an electron for “knowing” about the position of another electron with the same spin is calculated using the Kullback-Leibler divergence (D{sub KL}) between the same-spin conditional pair probability density and the marginal probability. D{sub KL} is proposed as an electron localization measurement, based on the observation that regions of the space with high information gain can be associated with strong correlated localized electrons. Taking into consideration the scaling of D{sub KL} with the number of σ-spin electrons of a system (N{sup σ}), the quantity χ = (N{sup σ} − 1) D{sub KL}f{sub cut} is introduced as a general descriptor that allows the quantification of the electron localization in the space. f{sub cut} is defined such that it goes smoothly to zero for negligible densities. χ is computed for a selection of atomic and molecular systems in order to test its capability to determine the region in space where electrons are localized. As a general conclusion, χ is able to explain the electron structure of molecules on the basis of chemical grounds with a high degree of success and to produce a clear differentiation of the localization of electrons that can be traced to the fluctuation in the average number of electrons in these regions.

Internet-based information system of digital geological data providing

Science.gov (United States)

Yuon, Egor; Soukhanov, Mikhail; Markov, Kirill

2015-04-01

One of the Russian Federal аgency of mineral resources problems is to provide the geological information which was delivered during the field operation for the means of federal budget. This information should be present in the current, conditional form. Before, the leading way of presenting geological information were paper geological maps, slices, borehole diagrams reports etc. Technologies of database construction, including distributed databases, technologies of construction of distributed information-analytical systems and Internet-technologies are intensively developing nowadays. Most of geological organizations create their own information systems without any possibility of integration into other systems of the same orientation. In 2012, specialists of VNIIgeosystem together with specialists of VSEGEI started the large project - creating the system of providing digital geological materials with using modern and perspective internet-technologies. The system is based on the web-server and the set of special programs, which allows users to efficiently get rasterized and vectorised geological materials. These materials are: geological maps of scale 1:1M, geological maps of scale 1:200 000 and 1:2 500 000, the fragments of seamless geological 1:1M maps, structural zoning maps inside the seamless fragments, the legends for State geological maps 1:200 000 and 1:1 000 000, full author's set of maps and also current materials for international projects «Atlas of geological maps for Circumpolar Arctic scale 1:5 000 000» and «Atlas of Geologic maps of central Asia and adjacent areas scale 1:2 500 000». The most interesting and functional block of the system - is the block of providing structured and well-formalized geological vector materials, based on Gosgeolkart database (NGKIS), managed by Oracle and the Internet-access is supported by web-subsystem NGKIS, which is currently based on MGS-Framework platform, developed by VNIIgeosystem. One of the leading elements

Itinerant vending of medicines inside buses in Nigeria: vending strategies, dominant themes and medicine-related information provided.

Science.gov (United States)

Yusuff, Kazeem B; Wassi Sanni, Abd'

2011-07-01

To determine vending strategies and marketing themes employed by itinerant bus vendors, and assess the accuracy and completeness of information provided on medicines being sold in an urban setting in Nigeria. Cross-sectional study and content analysis of itinerant vending of medicines inside buses recorded with a mobile telephone on purposively selected routes in a mega city with an estimated 18 million residents in southwestern Nigeria over a 2-month period. Two coders independently assessed 192 vending episodes by 56 vendors for 147 OTC and prescription medicines. Inter-rater reliability (Gwet AC1 =0.924; p<0.0001). Fourteen thousands and four hundred potential consumers encountered 192 recorded episodes of vending of medicines inside 192 buses within the study periods. Forty-four (78•5%) of the 56 vendors were females in the 30-45 years age bracket, were mostly (75%) attired in the local 'Iro and Buba' Ankara fabric and showed laminated identity cards (97.5%) issued by the local association for 'marketers' of medicines inside buses, markets, and motor parks. Of the 14400 consumers encountered inside buses during the study period, between 6.7% and 48.3% purchased the medicines promoted. Prayers against death from road traffic accidents and diseases of physical and / or meta-physical origins were the most frequently used (76•8%) ice-breaking opening statement / strategy to gain consumers' attention. Hematinics, multi-vitamins, simple analgesic, NSAIDs and corticosteroids were the most frequently vended medicines. Consumers' enquiries were related to dosing for children (51.8%), elderly (28.6%), and pregnancy (52.7%); and contra-indications during pregnancy (8.9%). Factual medicines information such as dose, frequency, potential side effects and contra-indications were not provided in majority of vending episodes. Itinerant vending of medicines and the use of misleading and melodramatic themes to secure high consumer patronage appear considerable in Nigeria

Transparency of Mandatory Information Disclosure and Concerns of Health Services Providers and Consumers

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Yu-Hua; Kung, Chih-Ming; Fang, Shih-Chieh; Chen, Yi

2017-01-01

Background: This study analyzed differences between transparency of information disclosure and related demands from the health service consumer’s perspective. It also compared how health service providers and consumers are associated by different levels of mandatory information disclosure. Methods: We obtained our research data using a questionnaire survey (health services providers, n = 201; health service consumers, n = 384). Results: Health service consumers do not have major concerns regarding mandatory information disclosure. However, they are concerned about complaint channels and settlement results, results of patient satisfaction surveys, and disclosure of hospital financial statements (p transparency of information disclosure (p < 0.001). Conclusions: It may not be possible for outsiders to properly interpret the information provided by hospitals. Thus, when a hospital discloses information, it is necessary for the government to consider the information’s applicability. Toward improving medical expertise and information asymmetry, the government has to reduce the burden among health service consumers in dealing with this information, and it has to use the information effectively. PMID:28075362

Application of Ethics for Providing Telemedicine Services and Information Technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Langarizadeh, Mostafa; Moghbeli, Fatemeh; Aliabadi, Ali

2017-10-01

Advanced technology has increased the use of telemedicine and Information Technology (IT) in treating or rehabilitating diseases. An increased use of technology increases the importance of the ethical issues involved. The need for keeping patients' information confidential and secure, controlling a number of therapists' inefficiency as well as raising the quality of healthcare services necessitates adequate heed to ethical issues in telemedicine provision. The goal of this review is gathering all articles that are published through 5 years until now (2012-2017) for detecting ethical issues for providing telemedicine services and Information technology. The reason of this time is improvement of telemedicine and technology through these years. This article is important for clinical practice and also to world, because of knowing ethical issues in telemedicine and technology are always important factors for physician and health providers. the required data in this research were derived from published electronic sources and credible academic articles published in such databases as PubMed, Scopus and Science Direct. The following key words were searched for in separation and combination: tele-health, telemedicine, ethical issues in telemedicine. A total of 503 articles were found. After excluding the duplicates (n= 93), the titles and abstracts of 410 articles were skimmed according to the inclusion criteria. Finally, 64 articles remained. They were reviewed in full text and 36 articles were excluded. At the end, 28 articles were chosen which met our eligibility criteria and were included in this study. Ethics has been of a great significance in IT and telemedicine especially the Internet since there are more chances provided for accessing information. It is, however, accompanied by a threat to patients' personal information. Therefore, suggestions are made to investigate ethics in technology, to offer standards and guidelines to therapists. Due to the advancement in

40 CFR 310.24 - What happens if I provide incorrect or false information?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... false information? 310.24 Section 310.24 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... § 310.24 What happens if I provide incorrect or false information? (a) You must not knowingly or recklessly make any statement or provide any information in your reimbursement application that is false...

47 CFR 64.707 - Public dissemination of information by providers of operator services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Public dissemination of information by providers of operator services. 64.707 Section 64.707 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION... § 64.707 Public dissemination of information by providers of operator services. Providers of operator...

Providing Global Change Information for Decision-Making: Capturing and Presenting Provenance

Science.gov (United States)

Ma, Xiaogang; Fox, Peter; Tilmes, Curt; Jacobs, Katherine; Waple, Anne

2014-01-01

Global change information demands access to data sources and well-documented provenance to provide evidence needed to build confidence in scientific conclusions and, in specific applications, to ensure the information's suitability for use in decision-making. A new generation of Web technology, the Semantic Web, provides tools for that purpose. The topic of global change covers changes in the global environment (including alterations in climate, land productivity, oceans or other water resources, atmospheric composition and or chemistry, and ecological systems) that may alter the capacity of the Earth to sustain life and support human systems. Data and findings associated with global change research are of great public, government, and academic concern and are used in policy and decision-making, which makes the provenance of global change information especially important. In addition, since different types of decisions benefit from different types of information, understanding how to capture and present the provenance of global change information is becoming more of an imperative in adaptive planning.

Does providing nutrition information at vending machines reduce calories per item sold?

Science.gov (United States)

Dingman, Deirdre A; Schulz, Mark R; Wyrick, David L; Bibeau, Daniel L; Gupta, Sat N

2015-02-01

In 2010, the United States (US) enacted a restaurant menu labeling law. The law also applied to vending machine companies selling food. Research suggested that providing nutrition information on menus in restaurants might reduce the number of calories purchased. We tested the effect of providing nutrition information and 'healthy' designations to consumers where vending machines were located in college residence halls. We conducted our study at one university in Southeast US (October-November 2012). We randomly assigned 18 vending machines locations (residence halls) to an intervention or control group. For the intervention we posted nutrition information, interpretive signage, and sent a promotional email to residents of the hall. For the control group we did nothing. We tracked sales over 4 weeks before and 4 weeks after we introduced the intervention. Our intervention did not change what the residents bought. We recommend additional research about providing nutrition information where vending machines are located, including testing formats used to present information.

The development of web program for providing RI-biomics technical information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

KI, Na Kyung; Kim, Joo Yeon; Jang, Sol Ah; Park, Tai Jin

2014-01-01

For designing the model of the web program, the demand survey for the technology and information has been performed for the students of the related departments, industrialists and researchers. And, the survey, such as advantages and disadvantages, for the current situations has been examined through comparison and analysis by the establishment type and operational process for the present operating web programs having the similar functions in Korea. The contents and web program for the technology and information system have been also developed by the question investigation and the expert opinions. This system for RI-Biomics has been developed by focusing the convenience for the information provision and the information search as the first constructing direction. Information has been collected by the operator in our institute and making contract with Global Trend Briefing of KISTI in Korea. The information collection in the web program has been designed as the direction regularly provided with RSS. Information has been then analyzed by constructing the expert pool provided from the advisory committee for the technology and information, and using them. The publicity for this web program has been performed by webzines and then it is noted that the publicity programs such as some events should be regularly developed when expanded and advanced to a community in future

Discussion of a method for providing general risk information by linking with the nuclear information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shobu, Nobuhiro; Yokomizo, Shirou; Umezawa, Sayaka

2004-06-01

'Risk information navigator (http://www.ricotti.jp/risknavi/)', an internet tool for arousing public interest and fostering people's risk literacy, has been developed as the contents for the official website of Techno Community Square 'RICOTTI' (http://www.ricotti.jp) at TOKAI village. In this report we classified the risk information into the fields, Health/Daily Life', 'Society/Crime/Disaster' and Technology/Environment/Energy', for the internet tool contents. According to these categories we discussed a method for providing various risk information on general fields by linking with the information on nuclear field. The web contents are attached to this report with the CD-R media. (author)

Transparency of Mandatory Information Disclosure and Concerns of Health Services Providers and Consumers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu-Hua Yan

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: This study analyzed differences between transparency of information disclosure and related demands from the health service consumer’s perspective. It also compared how health service providers and consumers are associated by different levels of mandatory information disclosure. Methods: We obtained our research data using a questionnaire survey (health services providers, n = 201; health service consumers, n = 384. Results: Health service consumers do not have major concerns regarding mandatory information disclosure. However, they are concerned about complaint channels and settlement results, results of patient satisfaction surveys, and disclosure of hospital financial statements (p < 0.001. We identified significant differences in health service providers’ and consumers’ awareness regarding the transparency of information disclosure (p < 0.001. Conclusions: It may not be possible for outsiders to properly interpret the information provided by hospitals. Thus, when a hospital discloses information, it is necessary for the government to consider the information’s applicability. Toward improving medical expertise and information asymmetry, the government has to reduce the burden among health service consumers in dealing with this information, and it has to use the information effectively.

Satisfaction with information provided to Danish cancer patients: validation and survey results.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Lone; Petersen, Morten Aagaard; Johnsen, Anna Thit; Lundstrøm, Louise Hyldborg; Groenvold, Mogens

2013-11-01

To validate five items (CPWQ-inf) regarding satisfaction with information provided to cancer patients from health care staff, assess the prevalence of dissatisfaction with this information, and identify factors predicting dissatisfaction. The questionnaire was validated by patient-observer agreement and cognitive interviews. The prevalence of dissatisfaction was assessed in a cross-sectional sample of all cancer patients in contact with hospitals during the past year in three Danish counties. The validation showed that the CPWQ performed well. Between 3 and 23% of the 1490 participating patients were dissatisfied with each of the measured aspects of information. The highest level of dissatisfaction was reported regarding the guidance, support and help provided when the diagnosis was given. Younger patients were consistently more dissatisfied than older patients. The brief CPWQ performs well for survey purposes. The survey depicts the heterogeneous patient population encountered by hospital staff and showed that younger patients probably had higher expectations or a higher need for information and that those with more severe diagnoses/prognoses require extra care in providing information. Four brief questions can efficiently assess information needs. With increasing demands for information, a wide range of innovative initiatives is needed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unfree markets: socially embedded informal health providers in northern Karnataka, India.

Science.gov (United States)

George, Asha; Iyer, Aditi

2013-11-01

The dynamics of informal health markets in marginalised regions are relevant to policy discourse in India, but are poorly understood. We examine how informal health markets operate from the viewpoint of informal providers (those without any government-recognised medical degrees, otherwise known as RMPs) by drawing upon data from a household survey in 2002, a provider census in 2004 and ongoing field observations from a research site in Koppal district, Karnataka, India. We find that despite their illegality, RMPs depend on government and private providers for their training and referral networks. Buffeted by unregulated market pressures, RMPs are driven to provide allopathic commodities regardless of need, but can also be circumspect in their practice. Though motivated by profit, their socially embedded practice at community level at times undermines their ability to ensure payment of fees for their services. In addition, RMPs feel that communities can threaten them via violence or malicious rumours, leading them to seek political favour and social protection from village elites and elected representatives. RMPs operate within negotiated quid pro quo bargains that lead to tenuous reciprocity or fragile trust between them and the communities in which they practise. In the context of this 'unfree' market, some RMPs reported being more embedded in health systems, more responsive to communities and more vulnerable to unregulated market pressures than others. Understanding the heterogeneity, nuanced motivations and the embedded social relations that mark informal providers in the health systems, markets and communities they work in, is critical for health system reforms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Providing Consumers with Web-Based Information on the Environmental Effects of Automobiles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saulsbury, J.W.

2003-08-25

The Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provide consumers with web-based information on the environmental effects of automobiles so that individuals can make informed choices about the vehicles they use or may purchase. DOE and EPA maintain a web site (www.fueleconomy.gov) that provides users with information about fuel economy [as well as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollution emissions] for the cars and trucks they use or may consider purchasing. EPA also maintains a separate web site (www.epa.gov/greenvehicles) that offers similar information, with the focus on air pollution emissions rather than fuel economy. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) (www.greenercars.com) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) (www.arb.ca.gov/msprog/ccbg/ccbg.htm) also maintain web sites that provide consumers with information on the environmental effects of automobiles. Through the National Transportation Research Center (NTRC) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, DOE has supported some initial qualitative research with people who are interested in purchasing a new or used vehicle and whose actions identify them as at least somewhat concerned about the environment. The purpose of this research was to explore and understand how these people respond to the different ratings and measurements of environmental effects provided by the four web sites. The goal of the research is to optimize the communication of information provided on the DOE/EPA web site (www.fueleconomy.gov). Working with a private marketing research firm (The Looking Glass Group of Knoxville, Tennessee), NTRC staff initiated this research by meeting with two focus groups in Knoxville on February 27, 2001. To obtain information for comparison, staff from the NTRC and the Looking Glass Group also met with two focus groups in Los Angeles, California, on August 13, 2001.

Modelling coral reef futures to inform management: can reducing local-scale stressors conserve reefs under climate change?

Science.gov (United States)

Gurney, Georgina G; Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Geronimo, Rollan C; Aliño, Perry M; Johnson, Craig R

2013-01-01

Climate change has emerged as a principal threat to coral reefs, and is expected to exacerbate coral reef degradation caused by more localised stressors. Management of local stressors is widely advocated to bolster coral reef resilience, but the extent to which management of local stressors might affect future trajectories of reef state remains unclear. This is in part because of limited understanding of the cumulative impact of multiple stressors. Models are ideal tools to aid understanding of future reef state under alternative management and climatic scenarios, but to date few have been sufficiently developed to be useful as decision support tools for local management of coral reefs subject to multiple stressors. We used a simulation model of coral reefs to investigate the extent to which the management of local stressors (namely poor water quality and fishing) might influence future reef state under varying climatic scenarios relating to coral bleaching. We parameterised the model for Bolinao, the Philippines, and explored how simulation modelling can be used to provide decision support for local management. We found that management of water quality, and to a lesser extent fishing, can have a significant impact on future reef state, including coral recovery following bleaching-induced mortality. The stressors we examined interacted antagonistically to affect reef state, highlighting the importance of considering the combined impact of multiple stressors rather than considering them individually. Further, by providing explicit guidance for management of Bolinao's reef system, such as which course of management action will most likely to be effective over what time scales and at which sites, we demonstrated the utility of simulation models for supporting management. Aside from providing explicit guidance for management of Bolinao's reef system, our study offers insights which could inform reef management more broadly, as well as general understanding of reef

Modelling Coral Reef Futures to Inform Management: Can Reducing Local-Scale Stressors Conserve Reefs under Climate Change?

Science.gov (United States)

Gurney, Georgina G.; Melbourne-Thomas, Jessica; Geronimo, Rollan C.; Aliño, Perry M.; Johnson, Craig R.

2013-01-01

Climate change has emerged as a principal threat to coral reefs, and is expected to exacerbate coral reef degradation caused by more localised stressors. Management of local stressors is widely advocated to bolster coral reef resilience, but the extent to which management of local stressors might affect future trajectories of reef state remains unclear. This is in part because of limited understanding of the cumulative impact of multiple stressors. Models are ideal tools to aid understanding of future reef state under alternative management and climatic scenarios, but to date few have been sufficiently developed to be useful as decision support tools for local management of coral reefs subject to multiple stressors. We used a simulation model of coral reefs to investigate the extent to which the management of local stressors (namely poor water quality and fishing) might influence future reef state under varying climatic scenarios relating to coral bleaching. We parameterised the model for Bolinao, the Philippines, and explored how simulation modelling can be used to provide decision support for local management. We found that management of water quality, and to a lesser extent fishing, can have a significant impact on future reef state, including coral recovery following bleaching-induced mortality. The stressors we examined interacted antagonistically to affect reef state, highlighting the importance of considering the combined impact of multiple stressors rather than considering them individually. Further, by providing explicit guidance for management of Bolinao's reef system, such as which course of management action will most likely to be effective over what time scales and at which sites, we demonstrated the utility of simulation models for supporting management. Aside from providing explicit guidance for management of Bolinao's reef system, our study offers insights which could inform reef management more broadly, as well as general understanding of reef

Modelling coral reef futures to inform management: can reducing local-scale stressors conserve reefs under climate change?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Georgina G Gurney

Full Text Available Climate change has emerged as a principal threat to coral reefs, and is expected to exacerbate coral reef degradation caused by more localised stressors. Management of local stressors is widely advocated to bolster coral reef resilience, but the extent to which management of local stressors might affect future trajectories of reef state remains unclear. This is in part because of limited understanding of the cumulative impact of multiple stressors. Models are ideal tools to aid understanding of future reef state under alternative management and climatic scenarios, but to date few have been sufficiently developed to be useful as decision support tools for local management of coral reefs subject to multiple stressors. We used a simulation model of coral reefs to investigate the extent to which the management of local stressors (namely poor water quality and fishing might influence future reef state under varying climatic scenarios relating to coral bleaching. We parameterised the model for Bolinao, the Philippines, and explored how simulation modelling can be used to provide decision support for local management. We found that management of water quality, and to a lesser extent fishing, can have a significant impact on future reef state, including coral recovery following bleaching-induced mortality. The stressors we examined interacted antagonistically to affect reef state, highlighting the importance of considering the combined impact of multiple stressors rather than considering them individually. Further, by providing explicit guidance for management of Bolinao's reef system, such as which course of management action will most likely to be effective over what time scales and at which sites, we demonstrated the utility of simulation models for supporting management. Aside from providing explicit guidance for management of Bolinao's reef system, our study offers insights which could inform reef management more broadly, as well as general

Satisfaction Survey on Information Technology-Based Glucose Monitoring System Targeting Diabetes Mellitus in Private Local Clinics in Korea

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hun-Sung Kim

2017-06-01

Full Text Available BackgroundPrivate local clinics in Korea have little experience with information technology (IT-based glucose monitoring (ITGM. Our aim is to examine user satisfaction and the possibility of using ITGM service practically.MethodsPatients sent their blood glucose levels to physicians in local clinics. The physicians reviewed the blood glucose values online and provided personal consultations through text messaging or phone calls. Thereafter, a satisfaction survey on the ITGM service, the modified Morisky scale, and patient assessment of chronic illness care were administered.ResultsOne hundred and seventy patients from seven private local clinics used the ITGM. Overall satisfaction, including that about the ITGM service, the device, and its usefulness, was rated higher than “mostly satisfied” (score 4.2±0.8 out of 5.0 and even higher among the elderly. Satisfaction was positively associated with age, especially in those older than 60 years. The main reason for intent for future use of the service was the time/place flexibility. Highly motivated patients tended to answer positively regarding information satisfaction (P=0.0377.ConclusionOur study is the first to investigate ITGM satisfaction in private local clinics. The feasibility of users utilizing ITGM should be clarified, and future clinical research on the service's clinical effects and cost-benefit analysis is needed.

30 CFR 291.111 - How does MMS treat the confidential information I provide?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false How does MMS treat the confidential information... SHELF LANDS ACT § 291.111 How does MMS treat the confidential information I provide? (a) Any person who provides documents under this part in response to a request by MMS to inform a decision on whether open...

[Sex differences in relationship between creativity and hemispheric information processing in global and local levels].

Science.gov (United States)

Razumnikova, O M; Vol'f, N V

2012-01-01

Sex differences in creativity related global-local hemispheric selective processing were examined by hierarchical letter presenting in conditions of their perception and comparison. Fifty-six right-handed males and 68 females (aged 17-22 years) participated in the experiments. Originality-imagery was assessed by a computer-based Torrance 'Incomplete Figures' test software. Verbal creativity was valued by original sentence using of three nouns from remote semantic categories. The results show that irrespectively of the sex factor and the type of creative thinking, its originality is provided by high speed of right-hemispheric processes of information selection on the global level and delay in the interhemispheric communication. Relationships between originality of ideas and hemispheric attentional characteristics are presented mostly in men while verbal creative problem solving, and in women while figurative original thinking. Originality of verbal activity in men is more associated with success of selective processes in the left hemisphere, but in women--with selective functions of both hemispheres. Figurative thinking in men is less related to hemispheric characteristics of attention compared with women. Increase of figurative originality in women is accompanied acceleration of processes of selection of the information in the right hemisphere, and also higher efficiency of local attention as well as speeds ofglobal processing in the left hemisphere.

A Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome extranet: supporting local communication and information dissemination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kealey Cathy M

2005-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The objective of this study was to explore the use and perceptions of a local Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS Extranet and its potential to support future information and communication applications. The SARS Extranet was a single, managed electronic and limited access system to manage local, provincial and other SARS control information. Methods During July, 2003, a web-based and paper-based survey was conducted with 53 SARS Steering Committee members in Hamilton. It assessed the use and perceptions of the Extranet that had been built to support the committee during the SARS outbreak. Before distribution, the survey was user-tested based on a think-aloud protocol, and revisions were made. Quantitative and qualitative questions were asked related to frequency of use of the Extranet, perceived overall usefulness of the resource, rationale for use, potential barriers, strengths and limitations, and potential future uses of the Extranet. Results The response rate was 69.4% (n = 34. Of all respondents, 30 (88.2% reported that they had visited the site, and rated it highly overall (mean = 4.0; 1 = low to 5 = high. However, the site was rated 3.4 compared with other communications strategies used during the outbreak. Almost half of all respondents (44.1% visited the site at least once every few days. The two most common reasons the 30 respondents visited the Extranet were to access SARS Steering Committee minutes (63.3% and to access Hamilton medical advisories (53.3%. The most commonly cited potential future uses for the Extranet were the sending of private emails to public health experts (63.3%, and surveillance (63.3%. No one encountered personal barriers in his or her use of the site, but several mentioned that time and duplication of email information were challenges. Conclusion Despite higher rankings of various communication strategies during the SARS outbreak, such as email, meetings, teleconferences, and other web

44 CFR 65.14 - Remapping of areas for which local flood protection systems no longer provide base flood protection.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... local flood protection systems no longer provide base flood protection. 65.14 Section 65.14 Emergency... § 65.14 Remapping of areas for which local flood protection systems no longer provide base flood... process of restoring a flood protection system that was: (i) Constructed using Federal funds; (ii...

Zika Virus: Critical Information for Emergency Providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Shastry, Siri; Koenig, Kristi L; Hirshon, Jon Mark

2016-08-01

Zika virus is an arbovirus of the Flaviviridae family. It is primarily a minimally symptomatic mosquito-borne infection. However, with Zika's 2015 to 2016 introduction into the Western Hemisphere and its dramatic and rapid spread, it has become a public health concern, in large part due to congenital abnormalities associated with infection in pregnant women. In early 2016, the World Health Organization declared the microcephaly and other neurologic conditions associated with Zika virus infection a public health emergency of international concern. This article discusses the current epidemiologic and clinical understanding of Zika virus, focusing on critical information needed by emergency providers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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.

Assessing Local Model Adequacy in Bayesian Hierarchical Models Using the Partitioned Deviance Information Criterion

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, David C.; Hickson, DeMarc A.; Waller, Lance A.

2010-01-01

Many diagnostic tools and goodness-of-fit measures, such as the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the Bayesian deviance information criterion (DIC), are available to evaluate the overall adequacy of linear regression models. In addition, visually assessing adequacy in models has become an essential part of any regression analysis. In this paper, we focus on a spatial consideration of the local DIC measure for model selection and goodness-of-fit evaluation. We use a partitioning of the DIC into the local DIC, leverage, and deviance residuals to assess local model fit and influence for both individual observations and groups of observations in a Bayesian framework. We use visualization of the local DIC and differences in local DIC between models to assist in model selection and to visualize the global and local impacts of adding covariates or model parameters. We demonstrate the utility of the local DIC in assessing model adequacy using HIV prevalence data from pregnant women in the Butare province of Rwanda during 1989-1993 using a range of linear model specifications, from global effects only to spatially varying coefficient models, and a set of covariates related to sexual behavior. Results of applying the diagnostic visualization approach include more refined model selection and greater understanding of the models as applied to the data. PMID:21243121

Targeting adults who provide alcohol to underage youth: results from a national survey of local law enforcement agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones-Webb, Rhonda; Toomey, Traci L; Lenk, Kathleen M; Nelson, Toben F; Erickson, Darin J

2015-06-01

We investigated what local enforcement agencies are doing to target adults who provide alcohol to underage youth; what types of enforcement activities are being conducted to target adult providers; and factors that encourage enforcement activities that target adult providers. We surveyed 1,056 local law enforcement agencies in the US and measured whether or not the agency conducted enforcement activities that target adults who provide alcohol to underage youth. We also measured whether certain agency and jurisdiction characteristics were associated with enforcement activities that target adults who provide alcohol to underage youth. Less than half (42%) of local enforcement agencies conducted enforcement efforts targeting adults who provide alcohol to underage youth. Agencies that conducted the enforcement activities targeting adult providers were significantly more likely to have a full time officer specific to alcohol enforcement, a division specific to alcohol enforcement, a social host law, and to perceive underage drinking was very common. Results suggest that targeting social providers (i.e., adults over 21 years of age) will require greater law enforcement resources, implementation of underage drinking laws (e.g., social host policies), and changing perceptions among law enforcement regarding underage drinking. Future studies are needed to identify the most effective enforcement efforts and to examine how enforcement efforts are prospectively linked to alcohol consumption.

League of Women Voters Education Fund providing a forum for public information and participation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kraft, E.

1993-01-01

In March of 1992, the League of Women Voters Education Fund (LWVEF) signed a five-year cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide American citizens with information and training on the management and clean up of nuclear waste from both civilian and defense sources. During Year 1 of the agreement the LWVEF updated The Nuclear Waste Primer: A Citizens Handbook. Activities in Year 2 of the agreement will include: (1) Oversight of the project by an Advisory Committee; (2) A national Train-the-Trainers Conference; (3) Grants to state and local Leagues for model community education projects; (4) Publication of Taking Nuclear Waste Issues to the Village Square, a discussion leader's guide on organizing community education programs on nuclear wastes issues and a magazine article on defense waste issues in the the National Voter, the membership magazine of the League of Women Voters of the United States; and (5) Technical assistance to Leagues and other organizations via a Citizen's Nuclear Waste Clearinghouse

Duty to provide pre-contractual information of crop insurance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ivančević Katarina

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Crop insurance is one of the most important types of agricultural insurance. From the aspect of insurance technique, this insurance is very challenging and requires careful drafting of insurance terms and tariffs. This type of insurance can provide security to farmers in case of financial losses caused by numerous risks which they are exposed to. Insufficient knowledge of the opportunities that the insurance provides is caused in part by inaccurate and vague explanations that have been offered by insurers in negotiation stage to interested farmers. In this regard, an important novelty in Serbian law is the obligation of contractual information which was introduced by the new Insurance Law (IL. In this way, additional protection to users of the service of insurance in relation to the provisions of the obligation law is provided. The goal of this obligation is to allow a negotiator to gain a clear idea of the essential elements of the insurance contract, to consider the proposed coverage and make a reasonable decision whether to accept the conclusion of the insurance contract or not, i.e. under what conditions it should be concluded. Sanctions for failure in the obligation to inform act preventively and repressively on insurers. The aim of this study is analyse the legal and factual position of the service beneficiaries in terms of obligation of economically and experientially superior contractor of lawful and full information of a policyholder prior to the conclusion of an insurance contract in a very specific branch of insurance, such as crop insurance. The application of inductive-deductive and comparative-legal research method, points to certain doctrinal and normative solutions from other legal systems, legal provisions applicable in the law of the Republic of Serbia are critically set out, as well as the daily practice of insurance companies.

Real-time water quality monitoring and providing water quality ...

Science.gov (United States)

EPA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have initiated the “Village Blue” research project to provide real-time water quality monitoring data to the Baltimore community and increase public awareness about local water quality in Baltimore Harbor and the Chesapeake Bay. The Village Blue demonstration project complements work that a number of state and local organizations are doing to make Baltimore Harbor “swimmable and fishable” 2 by 2020. Village Blue is designed to build upon EPA’s “Village Green” project which provides real-time air quality information to communities in six locations across the country. The presentation, “Real-time water quality monitoring and providing water quality information to the Baltimore Community”, summarizes the Village Blue real-time water quality monitoring project being developed for the Baltimore Harbor.

Energy information sheets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-07-01

The National Energy Information Center (NEIC), as part of its mission, provides energy information and referral assistance to Federal, State, and local governments, the academic community, business and industrial organizations, and the public. The Energy Information Sheets was developed to provide general information on various aspects of fuel production, prices, consumption, and capability. Additional information on related subject matter can be found in other Energy Information Administration (EIA) publications as referenced at the end of each sheet.

Capturing information needs of care providers to support knowledge sharing and distributed decision making.

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, M; Zach, L; An, Y; Dalrymple, P

2012-01-01

This paper reports on work carried out to elicit information needs at a trans-disciplinary, nurse-managed health care clinic that serves a medically disadvantaged urban population. The trans-disciplinary model provides a "one-stop shop" for patients who can receive a wide range of services beyond traditional primary care. However, this model of health care presents knowledge sharing challenges because little is known about how data collected from the non-traditional services can be integrated into the traditional electronic medical record (EMR) and shared with other care providers. There is also little known about how health information technology (HIT) can be used to support the workflow in such a practice. The objective of this case study was to identify the information needs of care providers in order to inform the design of HIT to support knowledge sharing and distributed decision making. A participatory design approach is presented as a successful technique to specify requirements for HIT applications that can support a trans-disciplinary model of care. Using this design approach, the researchers identified the information needs of care providers working at the clinic and suggested HIT improvements to integrate non-traditional information into the EMR. These modifications allow knowledge sharing among care providers and support better health decisions. We have identified information needs of care providers as they are relevant to the design of health information systems. As new technology is designed and integrated into various workflows it is clear that understanding information needs is crucial to acceptance of that technology.

Geometric information provider platform

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meisam Yousefzadeh

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Renovation of existing buildings is known as an essential stage in reduction of the energy loss. Considerable part of renovation process depends on geometric reconstruction of building based on semantic parameters. Following many research projects which were focused on parameterizing the energy usage, various energy modelling methods were developed during the last decade. On the other hand, by developing accurate measuring tools such as laser scanners, the interests of having accurate 3D building models are rapidly growing. But the automation of 3D building generation from laser point cloud or detection of specific objects in that is still a challenge.  The goal is designing a platform through which required geometric information can be efficiently produced to support energy simulation software. Developing a reliable procedure which extracts required information from measured data and delivers them to a standard energy modelling system is the main purpose of the project.

Making it local: Beacon Communities use health information technology to optimize care management.

Science.gov (United States)

Allen, Amy; Des Jardins, Terrisca R; Heider, Arvela; Kanger, Chatrian R; Lobach, David F; McWilliams, Lee; Polello, Jennifer M; Rein, Alison L; Schachter, Abigail A; Singh, Ranjit; Sorondo, Barbara; Tulikangas, Megan C; Turske, Scott A

2014-06-01

Care management aims to provide cost-effective, coordinated, non-duplicative care to improve care quality, population health, and reduce costs. The 17 communities receiving funding from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology through the Beacon Community Cooperative Agreement Program are leaders in building and strengthening their health information technology (health IT) infrastructure to provide more effective and efficient care management. This article profiles 6 Beacon Communities' health IT-enabled care management programs, highlighting the influence of local context on program strategy and design, and describing challenges, lessons learned, and policy implications for care delivery and payment reform. The unique needs (eg, disease burden, demographics), community partnerships, and existing resources and infrastructure all exerted significant influence on the overall priorities and design of each community's care management program. Though each Beacon Community needed to engage in a similar set of care management tasks--including patient identification, stratification, and prioritization; intervention; patient engagement; and evaluation--the contextual factors helped shape the specific strategies and tools used to carry out these tasks and achieve their objectives. Although providers across the country are striving to deliver standardized, high-quality care, the diverse contexts in which this care is delivered significantly influence the priorities, strategies, and design of community-based care management interventions. Gaps and challenges in implementing effective community-based care management programs include: optimizing allocation of care management services; lack of available technology tailored to care management needs; lack of standards and interoperability; integrating care management into care settings; evaluating impact; and funding and sustainability.

Cooperative Localization for Multi-AUVs Based on GM-PHD Filters and Information Entropy Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lichuan Zhang

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Cooperative localization (CL is considered a promising method for underwater localization with respect to multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (multi-AUVs. In this paper, we proposed a CL algorithm based on information entropy theory and the probability hypothesis density (PHD filter, aiming to enhance the global localization accuracy of the follower. In the proposed framework, the follower carries lower cost navigation systems, whereas the leaders carry better ones. Meanwhile, the leaders acquire the followers’ observations, including both measurements and clutter. Then, the PHD filters are utilized on the leaders and the results are communicated to the followers. The followers then perform weighted summation based on all received messages and obtain a final positioning result. Based on the information entropy theory and the PHD filter, the follower is able to acquire a precise knowledge of its position.

INFORMATION LOGISTICS AS MEANS OF INFORMATION SERVICES FOR FREIGHT TRANSPORT NEEDS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Martin Straka

2014-06-01

Full Text Available European parking information center (EPIC – it will provide unified and detailed information about European parking areas. The EPIC system will receive the data from local information centres. For Slovak republic there will be one provider for traffic data – a National traffic information center (NDIC. The EPIC system is available at http://truckinform.eu. Intelligent parking system (IPS will be linked with NDIC. The aim of the IPS system is to provide information as follows: number of free parking places, services to be used in parking area and so one.

Impact of product information and repeated exposure on consumer liking, sensory perception and concept associations of local apple juice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stolzenbach, Sandra; Bredie, Wender Laurentius Petrus; Christensen, Rune Haubo Bojesen

2013-01-01

The impact of product information and repeated exposure of local apple juice on consumer liking, sensory perception and concept associations was studied. Findings showed that consumers had high expectations towards the studied local apples juices. Consequently, the liking for the local apple juices...... did not fully determine consumer liking. Thus the sensory characteristics were also found to be of importance. Besides liking, the concept associations were also affected by product information. All local apple juices were associated as being more exclusive under informed tasting conditions....... No effects were found for liking of the apple juices over repeated exposure. Also, the consumers did not change their sensory perception over repeated consumption. However, the local apple juices were conceptualised as more familiar but remained exclusive after repeated consumption. When local producers have...

30 CFR 250.1406 - When will MMS notify me and provide penalty information?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false When will MMS notify me and provide penalty information? 250.1406 Section 250.1406 Mineral Resources MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF THE... (OCS) Civil Penalties § 250.1406 When will MMS notify me and provide penalty information? If the...

Employee Travel Data (Non-Local)

Data.gov (United States)

Montgomery County of Maryland — ‘This dataset provides information regarding the total approved actual expenses incurred by Montgomery County government employees traveling non-locally (over 75...

7 CFR 2902.6 - Providing product information to Federal agencies.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... manufacturers and vendors to provide product, business contacts, and product information for designated items... characteristics, including verification of such characteristics if requested. (b) Advertising, labeling and marketing claims. Manufacturers and vendors are reminded that their advertising, labeling, and other...

Providing public information in the Slovenian Nuclear Safety Administration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fon Jager, Mojca

2000-01-01

Full text: Good safety culture is strongly related to transparent and timely information. Experience has shown that radiation and nuclear safety are under continuous surveillance by the public. The provision of open and authentic information to the public is a fundamental policy of the SNSA. The SNSA endeavors to provide substantial and reliable information to the interested institutions, mass media and to the citizens through press conferences, public statements, media discussions, and active participation in domestic and international meetings, symposia and congresses, through publications, the Internet and direct contacts with the interested public. The SNSA regularly provides information on nuclear safety to the Government, the National Assembly and the citizens of the Republic of Slovenia. The Annual Report on Nuclear and Radiation Safety is published in Poroeevalec (Reporter) - the publication of the National Assembly - in autumn, and is available in public libraries throughout Slovenia. Annual Report is available also on the Internet (http://www.sigov.si/ursjv/uvod.html) in Slovene and English. Access to data of the Central Radiation Early Warning System of Slovenia (CROSS), recording the real time (at half-hour intervals) gamma dose rate levels, is also available through Internet. The report in English is sent every year to Slovenian embassies world-wide, to certain foreign embassies in Slovenia and to other organizations participating in the activities in the nuclear and radiological field. Reports on the SNSA activities are also published in the bulletin Okolje in prostor (Environment and Spatial Planning), published by the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning. The SNSA regularly contributes articles on courses, seminars and symposia attended at home and abroad. The articles are intended to give basic information on training and the names of contact persons to provide additional information on certain topics to those interested. More than half of

Threats and benefits updated information on local opinions regarding the spent nuclear fuel repository in Finland - 16128

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kojo, Matti; Kari, Mika; Litmanen, Tapio

2009-01-01

The aim of the paper is to provide updated information on local opinion regarding the siting of a spent nuclear fuel repository in Finland. The main question is how the residents of the municipality perceive the threats and benefits of the repository. In accordance with the Decision in Principle by the Council of State passed in 2000, the Olkiluoto area in Municipality of Eurajoki was chosen as the location for the repository to accommodate spent nuclear fuel produced in Finland. Updated information on local opinions is needed as the siting process is approaching the next phase, the application for a construction license by 2012. The nuclear waste management company Posiva, owned by the utilities Teollisuuden Voima and Fortum Power and Heat, has also applied for a new Decision in Principle (DiP) for expansion of the repository. The data provided in this paper is based on a survey carried out in June 2008. The respondents were selected from the residents of the municipality of Eurajoki and the neighbouring municipalities using stratified random sampling (N=3000). The response rate of the survey was 20% (N=606). The paper is part of a joint research project between the University of Jyvaeskylae and the University of Tampere. The research project 'Follow-up research regarding socio-economic effects and communication of final disposal facility of spent nuclear fuel in Eurajoki and its neighbouring municipalities' is funded by the Finnish Research Programme on Nuclear Waste Management (KYT2010). (authors)

30 CFR 203.70 - What information must I provide after MMS approves relief?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What information must I provide after MMS... information must I provide after MMS approves relief? You must submit reports to us as indicated in the following table. Sections 203.81, 203.90, and 203.91 describe what these reports must include. The MMS...

Chebyshev polynomial functions based locally recurrent neuro-fuzzy information system for prediction of financial and energy market data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.K. Parida

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In this paper Chebyshev polynomial functions based locally recurrent neuro-fuzzy information system is presented for the prediction and analysis of financial and electrical energy market data. The normally used TSK-type feedforward fuzzy neural network is unable to take the full advantage of the use of the linear fuzzy rule base in accurate input–output mapping and hence the consequent part of the rule base is made nonlinear using polynomial or arithmetic basis functions. Further the Chebyshev polynomial functions provide an expanded nonlinear transformation to the input space thereby increasing its dimension for capturing the nonlinearities and chaotic variations in financial or energy market data streams. Also the locally recurrent neuro-fuzzy information system (LRNFIS includes feedback loops both at the firing strength layer and the output layer to allow signal flow both in forward and backward directions, thereby making the LRNFIS mimic a dynamic system that provides fast convergence and accuracy in predicting time series fluctuations. Instead of using forward and backward least mean square (FBLMS learning algorithm, an improved Firefly-Harmony search (IFFHS learning algorithm is used to estimate the parameters of the consequent part and feedback loop parameters for better stability and convergence. Several real world financial and energy market time series databases are used for performance validation of the proposed LRNFIS model.

Family benefits - Obligation to provide information

CERN Multimedia

HR Department

2015-01-01

Pursuant to Article R V 1.38 of the Staff Regulations, members of the personnel are reminded that they are required to inform the Organization in writing, within 30 calendar days, of any change in their family situation (marriage, partnership, birth of a child, etc.) and of the amount of any financial benefit of a similar nature to those provided for in the Staff Regulations (e.g. family allowance, child allowance, infant allowance, non-resident allowance or international indemnity) to which they or a member of their family may be entitled from a source other than CERN.   The procedures to be followed are available in the Admin e-guide: https://admin-eguide.web.cern.ch/en/procedure/change-family-situation Members of the personnel are also reminded that any false declaration or failure to make a declaration with a view to deceiving others or achieving a gain resulting in a loss of funds or reputation for CERN constitutes fraud and may lead to disciplinary action in accordance with Article S ...

Quantum measurement information as a key to energy extraction from local vacuums

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hotta, Masahiro

2008-01-01

In this paper, a protocol is proposed in which energy extraction from local vacuum states is possible by using quantum measurement information for the vacuum state of quantum fields. In the protocol, Alice, who stays at a spatial point, excites the ground state of the fields by a local measurement. Consequently, wave packets generated by Alice's measurement propagate the vacuum to spatial infinity. Let us assume that Bob stays away from Alice and fails to catch the excitation energy when the wave packets pass in front of him. Next Alice announces her local measurement result to Bob by classical communication. Bob performs a local unitary operation depending on the measurement result. In this process, positive energy is released from the fields to Bob's apparatus of the unitary operation. In the field systems, wave packets are generated with negative energy around Bob's location. Soon afterwards, the negative-energy wave packets begin to chase after the positive-energy wave packets generated by Alice and form loosely bound states.

The local exchange network in the information age - The need for new policy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fons, J.P. (Ausley, McMullen, McGehee, Carothers and Proctor, Tallahassee, FL (USA))

1990-01-18

This article is an analysis of a conventional belief that the local exchange telephone networks are bottleneck monopolies. It also examines the alleged bases for excluding the local exchange telephone companies from participating directly in existing and developing technologies and markets other than those of a telephone service, or dial-tone. The author concludes that adherence to the current policy in the face of a demand for information age technology and services, and the availability of competing systems, will condemn the local exchange networks to the technological junk heap - and at the same time deprive the public of some of its best opportunities for new and enhanced services.

Perceptions of climate change and trust in information providers in rural Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Buys, Laurie; Aird, Rosemary; van Megen, Kimberley; Miller, Evonne; Sommerfeld, Jeffrey

2014-02-01

Disagreement within the global science community about the certainty and causes of climate change has led the general public to question what to believe and whom to trust on matters related to this issue. This paper reports on qualitative research undertaken with Australian residents from two rural areas to explore their perceptions of climate change and trust in information providers. While overall, residents tended to agree that climate change is a reality, perceptions varied in terms of its causes and how best to address it. Politicians, government, and the media were described as untrustworthy sources of information about climate change, with independent scientists being the most trusted. The vested interests of information providers appeared to be a key reason for their distrust. The findings highlight the importance of improved transparency and consultation with the public when communicating information about climate change and related policies.

Providing written information increases patient satisfaction: a web-based questionnaire survey of Japanese cancer survivors.

Science.gov (United States)

Sakai, Hitomi; Katsumata, Noriyuki; Takahashi, Miyako

2017-07-01

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the United States recommends that all cancer survivors be provided with a survivorship care plan (SCP), which includes a patient treatment summary and a follow-up care plan. However, SCPs have not been widely adopted in Japan. To provide basic data necessary for implementing SCPs in Japan, we aimed to investigate the forms of clinical and survivorship-related information that Japanese cancer survivors receive from their healthcare providers, and to examine whether written information increases their satisfaction. We performed a cross-sectional online survey of cancer survivors who underwent acute cancer treatment and had at least one follow-up with a physician in the past year. Cancer survivors provided the elements and forms (verbally and/or written) of information they received, as well as the degree of satisfaction with the information provided. Responses were obtained from 545 cancer survivors. Information elements such as surgical procedure (98.3%), surgical outcome (98.1%), and names of administered chemotherapy agents (97.8%) were commonly provided, whereas mental care resources and providers (29.7%), effects on marital relationship and sexual health (35.7%), and effects on fertility (43.4%) were less common. A large proportion of cancer survivors received verbal information only. For 18 of 20 elements, except for effects on fertility and duration of hormonal therapy, satisfaction was significantly higher when both forms of information were provided (P information can better meet the needs of Japanese cancer survivors. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Improving information for community-based adaptation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huq, Saleemul

2011-10-15

Community-based adaptation aims to empower local people to cope with and plan for the impacts of climate change. In a world where knowledge equals power, you could be forgiven for thinking that enabling this type of adaptation boils down to providing local people with information. Conventional approaches to planning adaptation rely on 'expert' advice and credible 'science' from authoritative information providers such as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. But to truly support the needs of local communities, this information needs to be more site-specific, more user-friendly and more inclusive of traditional knowledge and existing coping practices.

Predicting protein complexes using a supervised learning method combined with local structural information.

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Yadong; Sun, Yongqi; Qin, Chao

2018-01-01

The existing protein complex detection methods can be broadly divided into two categories: unsupervised and supervised learning methods. Most of the unsupervised learning methods assume that protein complexes are in dense regions of protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks even though many true complexes are not dense subgraphs. Supervised learning methods utilize the informative properties of known complexes; they often extract features from existing complexes and then use the features to train a classification model. The trained model is used to guide the search process for new complexes. However, insufficient extracted features, noise in the PPI data and the incompleteness of complex data make the classification model imprecise. Consequently, the classification model is not sufficient for guiding the detection of complexes. Therefore, we propose a new robust score function that combines the classification model with local structural information. Based on the score function, we provide a search method that works both forwards and backwards. The results from experiments on six benchmark PPI datasets and three protein complex datasets show that our approach can achieve better performance compared with the state-of-the-art supervised, semi-supervised and unsupervised methods for protein complex detection, occasionally significantly outperforming such methods.

Dual entanglement measures based on no local cloning and no local deleting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horodecki, Michal; Sen, Aditi; Sen, Ujjwal

2004-01-01

The impossibility of cloning and deleting of unknown states constitute important restrictions on processing of information in the quantum world. On the other hand, a known quantum state can always be cloned or deleted. However, if we restrict the class of allowed operations, there will arise restrictions on the ability of cloning and deleting machines. We have shown that cloning and deleting of known states is in general not possible by local operations. This impossibility hints at quantum correlation in the state. We propose dual measures of quantum correlation based on the dual restrictions of no local cloning and no local deleting. The measures are relative entropy distances of the desired states in a (generally impossible) perfect local cloning or local deleting process from the best approximate state that is actually obtained by imperfect local cloning or deleting machines. Just like the dual measures of entanglement cost and distillable entanglement, the proposed measures are based on important processes in quantum information. We discuss their properties. For the case of pure states, estimations of these two measures are also provided. Interestingly, the entanglement of cloning for a maximally entangled state of two two-level systems is not unity

Using imputation to provide location information for nongeocoded addresses.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frank C Curriero

2010-02-01

Full Text Available The importance of geography as a source of variation in health research continues to receive sustained attention in the literature. The inclusion of geographic information in such research often begins by adding data to a map which is predicated by some knowledge of location. A precise level of spatial information is conventionally achieved through geocoding, the geographic information system (GIS process of translating mailing address information to coordinates on a map. The geocoding process is not without its limitations, though, since there is always a percentage of addresses which cannot be converted successfully (nongeocodable. This raises concerns regarding bias since traditionally the practice has been to exclude nongeocoded data records from analysis.In this manuscript we develop and evaluate a set of imputation strategies for dealing with missing spatial information from nongeocoded addresses. The strategies are developed assuming a known zip code with increasing use of collateral information, namely the spatial distribution of the population at risk. Strategies are evaluated using prostate cancer data obtained from the Maryland Cancer Registry. We consider total case enumerations at the Census county, tract, and block group level as the outcome of interest when applying and evaluating the methods. Multiple imputation is used to provide estimated total case counts based on complete data (geocodes plus imputed nongeocodes with a measure of uncertainty. Results indicate that the imputation strategy based on using available population-based age, gender, and race information performed the best overall at the county, tract, and block group levels.The procedure allows for the potentially biased and likely under reported outcome, case enumerations based on only the geocoded records, to be presented with a statistically adjusted count (imputed count with a measure of uncertainty that are based on all the case data, the geocodes and imputed

Microtubules provide directional information for core PCP function

Science.gov (United States)

Matis, Maja; Russler-Germain, David A; Hu, Qie; Tomlin, Claire J; Axelrod, Jeffrey D

2014-01-01

Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling controls the polarization of cells within the plane of an epithelium. Two molecular modules composed of Fat(Ft)/Dachsous(Ds)/Four-jointed(Fj) and a ‘PCP-core’ including Frizzled(Fz) and Dishevelled(Dsh) contribute to polarization of individual cells. How polarity is globally coordinated with tissue axes is unresolved. Consistent with previous results, we find that the Ft/Ds/Fj-module has an effect on a MT-cytoskeleton. Here, we provide evidence for the model that the Ft/Ds/Fj-module provides directional information to the core-module through this MT organizing function. We show Ft/Ds/Fj-dependent initial polarization of the apical MT-cytoskeleton prior to global alignment of the core-module, reveal that the anchoring of apical non-centrosomal MTs at apical junctions is polarized, observe that directional trafficking of vesicles containing Dsh depends on Ft, and demonstrate the feasibility of this model by mathematical simulation. Together, these results support the hypothesis that Ft/Ds/Fj provides a signal to orient core PCP function via MT polarization. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.02893.001 PMID:25124458

The changing face of government information providing access in the twenty-first century

CERN Document Server

Kumar, Suhasini L

2006-01-01

Learn what innovative changes lie in the future of government information The Changing Face of Government Information comprehensively examines the way government documents' librarians acquire, provide access, and provide reference services in the new electronic environment. Noted experts discuss the impact electronic materials have had on the Government Printing Office (GPO), the reference services within the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP), and the new opportunities in the transition from paper-based information policy to an electronic e-government. This source reveals the latest changes in the field of government documents librarianship and the knowledge and expertise needed to teach users how to access what they need from this enormous wealth of government information. Major changes have taken place in the way government information is created, disseminated, accessed, and preserved. The Changing Face of Government Information explains in detail the tremendous change taking place in libraries and ...

To arrange the window - the creation of an integrated local view on information diversity / Das Fenster zur Information gestalten - die Schaffung einer integrierten lokalen Sicht auf die Vielfalt von Informationsressourcen

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nunnenmacher, Lothar

2006-01-01

Full Text Available The way our patrons search and use information resources has already changed substantially, but the shift to new technologies is not yet completed. Currently new information is mostly coming via "the screen", at least in the STM disciplines (science, technology, medicine. The challenge for libraries nowadays is, to arrange the window towards the bulk of available information according to the needs of different users. Several measures of integration are needed to achieve this aim: * Instead of supplying the information physically, we now have to provide quick access to different information systems, as far as possible integrated, and to enhance these systems with local enrichments (e.g. availability, local views or filters. * Beyond journal articles and books we have to integrate other media like photos, videos, or even scientific data. Moreover, the scientific and scholarly information is going to change the media format from paper to electronics, which we should take into consideration in our efforts. * We have to appreciate that library services are just a small contribution to the whole environment of learning, teaching or research at university. People should be served according to their needs with all resources in an integrated way instead of splitting them up into small partitions based on organisational units. To arrange the window means to integrate the necessary resources in a way that as much information as possible is included, but guidance and filtering tools avoid information overload. Based on a model to group information hierarchically a draft for an integrated “Search Centre” is presented.

Energy information sheets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-12-02

The National Energy Information Center (NEIC), as part of its mission, provides energy information and referral assistance to Federal, State, and local governments, the academic community, business and industrial organizations, and the general public. Written for the general public, the EIA publication Energy Information Sheets was developed to provide information on various aspects of fuel production, prices, consumption and capability. The information contained herein pertains to energy data as of December 1991. Additional information on related subject matter can be found in other EIA publications as referenced at the end of each sheet.

77 FR 36281 - Solicitation of Information and Recommendations for Revising OIG's Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-18

...] Solicitation of Information and Recommendations for Revising OIG's Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol AGENCY... Register notice informs the public that OIG: (1) Intends to update the Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol... Provider Self-Disclosure Protocol (the Protocol) to establish a process for health care providers to...

Global Status Report on Local Renewable Energy Policies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martinot, Eric; Yamashita, Noriaki; Tan, Vincent; Irie, Risa; Van Staden, Maryke; Zimmermann, Monika

2011-01-01

This report complements the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report by providing more detailed information at the city and local levels about policies and activities to promote renewable energy. It is intended to facilitate dialogue and illuminate pathways for future policies and actions at the local level. This 'working draft' version is intended to solicit comments and additional information

Strategies for Local Low-Carbon Development

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Nan [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Price, Lynn [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Fridley, David [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Ohshita, Stephanie [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Khanna, Nina [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Min, Hu [Energy Foundation China, Beijing (China); Xiulian, Hu [Energy Research Inst., Beijing (China)

2012-11-14

Cities around the world are implementing policies and programs with the goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as well as save energy, reduce costs, and protect the local, regional, and global environment. In China, low-carbon development is a key element of the 12th Five Year Plan. Pilot low-carbon development zones have been initiated in five provinces and eight cities and many other locations around China also want to pursue a low-carbon development pathway. This booklet provides information for government officials, policy makers, program designers and implementers, provincial and city planners, and others who want an overview of the key options available for low-carbon development at local level. These Strategies for Local Low-Carbon Development draw from successful experiences from around the world. Information is provided for low-carbon actions that can be taken in the sectors of (1) Industry, (2) Buildings and Appliances, (3) Electric Power, (4) Consumption and Waste Management, (5) Transportation and Urban Form, and (6) Agriculture and Forestry. A description of each policy is provided along with information on the stakeholders involved in implementation, the conditions for successful implementation, the expected energy and carbon savings, and the policy cost-effectiveness. Case studies show how each policy has been implemented somewhere around the world. While there are many low-carbon options available for local implementation, this booklet aims to provide guidance on those that have been most successful, that have the largest impact, and that are cost-effective in order to support low-carbon development efforts in Chinese cities.

Opinion On Drug Information Services Provided In A Multi- Specialty Teaching Hospital

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vijayakumar TM, Poovi G & Dhanaraju MD

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate the various drug information queriesreceived, and to access the drug information services providedby the pharmacy practice department.Method: Drug information queries received during wardrounds, direct communication, telephone or internet etc. weredocumented in the drug information request anddocumentation forms prepared by the department over theperiod of January 2010 to June 2010. Various parameters likestatus of enquirer, their specialty, mode of receipt of query,purpose of query, type of query etc. were consider forevaluation.Results: Out of 208 queries received, major 56 (26.9% frommale medical ward. Maximum [82 (39.4 %] queries were fromthe physicians. 73 (35.0 % of the queries were about therecent advances and the updating of the information, It wasfound that mostly the mode of request was during wardrounds 85 (40.9%. Most of the queries [126 (60.6%] wereanswered by written or printout format. Majority of thequeries [195 (93.8 %] were answered directly to theenquirers through direct access. Most of the queries wereanswered through books in the department [86 (41.3 %].Conclusion: Results of the external auditing revealed thatrequestors were generally satisfied with the service provided.The drug information services provided by clinical pharmacistsat the hospital were found to be useful and beneficial to thehealthcare professionals and patients.

Quality and use of consumer information provided with home test kits: room for improvement.

Science.gov (United States)

Grispen, Janaica E J; Ickenroth, Martine H P; de Vries, Nanne K; van der Weijden, Trudy; Ronda, Gaby

2014-10-01

Diagnostic self-tests (tests on body materials that are initiated by consumers with the aim of diagnosing a disorder or risk factor) are becoming increasingly available. Although the pros and cons of self-testing are currently not clear, it is an existing phenomenon that is likely to gain further popularity. To examine consumers' use of and needs for information about self-testing, and to assess the quality of consumer information provided with home test kits, as perceived by consumers and as assessed using a checklist of quality criteria. A cross-sectional Internet survey among 305 self-testers assessed their use of and needs for information and their perception of the quality of consumer information provided with self-test kits. A meta-search engine was used to identify Dutch and English consumer information for home diagnostic tests available online at the time of the study. The quality of this consumer information was evaluated using a checklist of quality criteria. The consumers' information needs were in line with the most frequently used information, and the information was perceived as being of moderate to good quality. The information was mostly in agreement with clinical practice guidelines, although information on reliability and follow-up behaviour was limited. Approximately half of the instruction leaflets did not include information on the target group of the test. Although generally of moderate to good quality, some aspects of the information provided were in many cases insufficient. European legislation concerning self-tests and accompanying information needs to be adapted and adhered to more closely. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Mumps Virus: Modification of the Identify-Isolate-Inform Tool for Frontline Healthcare Providers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristi L. Koenig

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Mumps is a highly contagious viral infection that became rare in most industrialized countries following the introduction of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR vaccine in 1967. The disease, however, has been re-emerging with several outbreaks over the past decade. Many clinicians have never seen a case of mumps. To assist frontline healthcare providers with detecting potential cases and initiating critical actions, investigators modified the “Identify-Isolate-Inform” tool for mumps infection. The tool is applicable to regions with rare incidences or local outbreaks, especially seen in college students, as well as globally in areas where vaccination is less common. Mumps begins with a prodrome of low-grade fever, myalgias and malaise/anorexia, followed by development of nonsuppurative parotitis, which is the pathognomonic finding associated with acute mumps infection. Orchitis and meningitis are the two most common serious complications, with hearing loss and infertility occurring rarely. Providers should consider mumps in patients with exposure to a known case or international travel to endemic regions who present with consistent signs and symptoms. If mumps is suspected, healthcare providers must immediately implement standard and droplet precautions and notify the local health department and hospital infection control personnel.

Sensory information in local field potentials and spikes from visual and auditory cortices: time scales and frequency bands.

Science.gov (United States)

Belitski, Andrei; Panzeri, Stefano; Magri, Cesare; Logothetis, Nikos K; Kayser, Christoph

2010-12-01

Studies analyzing sensory cortical processing or trying to decode brain activity often rely on a combination of different electrophysiological signals, such as local field potentials (LFPs) and spiking activity. Understanding the relation between these signals and sensory stimuli and between different components of these signals is hence of great interest. We here provide an analysis of LFPs and spiking activity recorded from visual and auditory cortex during stimulation with natural stimuli. In particular, we focus on the time scales on which different components of these signals are informative about the stimulus, and on the dependencies between different components of these signals. Addressing the first question, we find that stimulus information in low frequency bands (50 Hz), in contrast, is scale dependent, and is larger when the energy is averaged over several hundreds of milliseconds. Indeed, combined analysis of signal reliability and information revealed that the energy of slow LFP fluctuations is well related to the stimulus even when considering individual or few cycles, while the energy of fast LFP oscillations carries information only when averaged over many cycles. Addressing the second question, we find that stimulus information in different LFP bands, and in different LFP bands and spiking activity, is largely independent regardless of time scale or sensory system. Taken together, these findings suggest that different LFP bands represent dynamic natural stimuli on distinct time scales and together provide a potentially rich source of information for sensory processing or decoding brain activity.

Recent developments in the ROCS/MC code for retrieving local power information in coarse-mesh reactor analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grill, S.F.; Jonsson, A.; Crump, M.W.

1983-01-01

The inclusion of 3-D effects in PWR analysis is necessary for accurate predictions of reactivity, power distributions, and reactivity coefficients. The ROCS/MC code system has been developed by Combustion Engineering to provide 3-D coarse mesh analysis (ROCS) with the capability to retrieve local information on flux, power and burnup (MC). A review of the finite difference representation of the MC diffusion equation, along with recent improvements to the ROCS/MC system are presented. These improvements include the implementation if fine mesh radial boundary conditions and internal calculation of coarse mesh boundary conditions, generalization of the imbedded calculation to account for the local neighboring environment, and the automation of ROCS/MC links to C-E's code system for in-core power distribution monitoring and core-follow analysis. The results of the ROCS/MC verification program are described and show good agreement with C-E's ROCS/PDQ based methodologies

An Information System for Brownfield Regeneration: providing customised information according to stakeholders' characteristics and needs.

Science.gov (United States)

Rizzo, Erika; Pizzol, Lisa; Zabeo, Alex; Giubilato, Elisa; Critto, Andrea; Cosmo, Luca; Marcomini, Antonio

2018-07-01

In the EU brownfield presence is still considered a widespread problem. Even though, in the last decades, many research projects and initiatives developed a wealth of methods, guidelines, tools and technologies aimed at supporting brownfield regeneration. However, this variety of products had and still has a limited practical impact on brownfield revitalisation success, because they are not used in their entire potential due to their scarce visibility. Also, another problem that stakeholders face is finding customised information. To overcome this non-visibility and not-sufficient customisation of information, the Information System for Brownfield Regeneration (ISBR) has been developed, based on Artificial Neural Networks, which allows understanding stakeholders' information needs by providing tailored information. The ISBR has been tested by stakeholders from the EU project TIMBRE case studies, located in the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Romania. Data gained during tests allowed to understand stakeholders' information needs. Overall, stakeholders showed to be concerned first on remediation aspects, then on benchmarking information, which are valuable to improve practices in the complex field of brownfield regeneration, and then on the relatively new issue of sustainability applied to brownfield regeneration and remediation. Mature markets confirmed their interest for remediation-related aspects, highlighting the central role that risk assessment plays in the process. Emerging markets showed to seek information and tools for strategic and planning issues, like brownfield inventories and georeferenced data sets. Results led to conclude that a new improved platform, combining the ISBR functionalities with geo-referenced ones, would be useful and could represent a further research application. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Investigating the effect of curved shape of bridge abutment provided with collar on local scour, experimentally and numerically

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Abdallah Mohamed

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Scour around bridge supports such as abutments can result in structural collapse and loss of life and property, so there is a need to control and minimize the local scour depth. In this paper, numerical and experimental studies were carried out to investigate the effect of different relative radii of the bridge abutment provided with collar on local scour depth. A 3-D numerical model is developed to simulate the scour at bridge abutment using SSIIM program. This model solves 3-D Navier–Stokes equations and a bed load conservation equation. The k–ε turbulence model is used to solve the Reynolds-stress term. It was found the curvature shape of bridge abutment provided with collar could share to reduce the local scour depth by more 95%. In addition, the results of simulation models agree well with the experimental data.

The effect of providing climate and health information on support for alternative electricity portfolios

Science.gov (United States)

Sergi, Brian; Davis, Alex; Azevedo, Inês

2018-02-01

Support for addressing climate change and air pollution may depend on the type of information provided to the public. We conduct a discrete choice survey assessing preferences for combinations of electricity generation portfolios, electricity bills, and emissions reductions. We test how participants’ preferences change when emissions information is explicitly provided to them. We find that support for climate mitigation increases when mitigation is accompanied by improvements to air quality and human health. We estimate that an average respondent would accept an increase of 19%-27% in their electricity bill if shown information stating that either CO2 or SO2 emissions are reduced by 30%. Furthermore, an average respondent is willing to pay an increase of 30%-40% in electricity bills when shown information stating that both pollutants are reduced by 30% simultaneously. Our findings suggest that the type of emissions information provided to the public will affect their support for different electricity portfolios.

Multiple genetic interaction experiments provide complementary information useful for gene function prediction.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Magali Michaut

Full Text Available Genetic interactions help map biological processes and their functional relationships. A genetic interaction is defined as a deviation from the expected phenotype when combining multiple genetic mutations. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, most genetic interactions are measured under a single phenotype - growth rate in standard laboratory conditions. Recently genetic interactions have been collected under different phenotypic readouts and experimental conditions. How different are these networks and what can we learn from their differences? We conducted a systematic analysis of quantitative genetic interaction networks in yeast performed under different experimental conditions. We find that networks obtained using different phenotypic readouts, in different conditions and from different laboratories overlap less than expected and provide significant unique information. To exploit this information, we develop a novel method to combine individual genetic interaction data sets and show that the resulting network improves gene function prediction performance, demonstrating that individual networks provide complementary information. Our results support the notion that using diverse phenotypic readouts and experimental conditions will substantially increase the amount of gene function information produced by genetic interaction screens.

Comics as a Medium for Providing Information on Adult Immunizations.

Science.gov (United States)

Muzumdar, Jagannath M; Pantaleo, Nicholas L

2017-10-01

This study compared the following effects of two vaccine information flyers-one developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) versus one adapted from this information to a comic medium (comic)-on adults: (a) attitude toward the flyer; (b) perceived informativeness of the flyer; (c) intention to seek more information about adult immunizations after viewing the flyer; and (d) intention to get immunized after viewing the flyer. A between-group, randomized trial was used to randomly assign adults (age 18 years or older) at an ambulatory care center to review the CDC or comic flyer. Participants were asked to complete a survey to measure several outcome variables. Items were measured using a 7-point semantic differential scale. Independent-samples t-test was used for comparisons. A total of 265 surveys (CDC n = 132 vs comic n = 133) were analyzed. The comic flyer had a statistically significant effect on participants' attitudes and their perception of the flyer's informativeness compared to the CDC flyer. Flyer type did not have a statistically significant effect on intention-related variables. The study findings showed that the comic flyer was positively evaluated compared to the CDC flyer. These findings could provide a new direction for developing adult educational materials.

29 CFR 37.38 - What information must grant applicants and recipients provide to CRC?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... provide to CRC? 37.38 Section 37.38 Labor Office of the Secretary of Labor IMPLEMENTATION OF THE... information must grant applicants and recipients provide to CRC? In addition to the information which must be collected, maintained, and, upon request, submitted to CRC under § 37.37: (a) Each grant applicant and...

Incentives and compensation: providing resources for communities hosting low-level waste facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1982-01-01

State responsibility for the management of low-level radioactive waste necessitates the selection of candidate locations for a disposal facility. Concern over potential impacts can be expected from segments of the citizenry neighboring a proposed site. A number of national organizations comprising state and local officials have recommended the use of incentives and compensation to help offset the negative local impacts. This document explores that concept. Discussion provides background information on potential local impacts from a low-level waste facility and considers the nature and types of incentives and compensation benefits that could be provided. The document then examines realistic options for planning and implementing the benefit program. This information is intended, primarily, to assist state officials - executive, legislative, and agency - in planning for and managing low-level waste disposal facilities

Gravelines local information commission: the long road to cooperation; Commission locale d'information de Gravelines: la longue marche vers la concertation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Delalonde, J.C. [Commission Locale d' Information (CLI), 59 - Gravelines (France)

2009-02-15

The Chairman of the Gravelines Local Information Commission (CLI) tells us what he thinks about how relationships have changed between operators, the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) and civil society representatives over the last 20 years. He comments that remarkable progress has been made in terms of transparency and cooperation since the Chernobyl disaster. They have managed to find a common language and everyone has learnt to listen to and respect everyone else. For a long time, it has been the role of the CLIs to be nothing more than a source of information, but the situation has come a long way since the preparation and adoption of the TSN law. Even if the purpose of the CLIs is not to make decisions, it is responsible for furnishing public discussions with reliable and pluralistic in-formation and to relay the concerns of and the questions raised by stake-holders in the region. CLIs are also highly appreciated when it comes to the opportunity to call upon independent third-party experts. Even though the TSN law and its decree of 12 March 2008 now clearly lay down this right, which in itself is a big step forward, the initial experiences in Gravelines have highlighted the various obstacles which the CLIs are likely to come up against. (author)

IT Management in Local Government

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nielsen, Peter Axel; Persson, John Stouby

2010-01-01

The use of information technology (IT) is increasingly important for local governments (municipalities) in adhering to their responsibilities for providing services to citizens and this requires effective IT management. We present an engaged scholarship approach to formulating the IT management...... problems with local government – not for local government. We define such engaged problem formulation as joint learning and definition of a contemporary and complex problem by researchers and those who experience and know the problem. This engaged problem formulation process was carried out...

Public service providers and users in the information society

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bernt Krohn Solvang

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The issue to be discussed in this article is to what extent does ICT create new challenges for the relationship between public service providers and users? It is important to recognize the concept of social capital because the concept is vital to the understanding of access to the information society and efficient functioning of government in its service to citizens. In this way we see social capital as a mediating “institution” between public authorities and the citizens (users.

Providing Information about Reading Lists via a Dashboard Interface

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr Jason Cooper

2013-01-01

Full Text Available As developers of the open source LORLS Resource/Reading List Management System we have developed a dashboard to better support academic staffs’ understanding of how their students use reading lists. This dashboard provides both graphical and tabulated information drawn from LORLS and the Aleph Integrated Library System. Development of the dashboard required changes to back-end functionality of LORLS such as logging views of reading lists and caching of loan data. Changes to the front end included the use of HTML5 canvas elements to generate pie charts and line graphs. Recently launched to academic staff at Loughborough University, the dashboard has already garnered much praise. It is hoped that further development of the dashboard will provide even more support for academics in the compilation of their reading lists.

75 FR 63208 - Notice of Information Collection

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-14

... INFORMATION: I. Abstract Recordkeeping and reporting are required to ensure proper accounting of Federal funds and property provided under grants and cooperative agreements with state and local governments. II... almost all information required under grants or cooperative agreements with state and local governments...

75 FR 77005 - Notice of Information Collection

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-10

... INFORMATION: I. Abstract Recordkeeping and reporting are required to ensure proper accounting of Federal funds and property provided under grants and cooperative agreements with state and local governments. II... almost all information required under grants or cooperative agreements with state and local governments...

Local investment in renewable energies; Investissement local dans les energies renouvelables - depliant d'information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2003-11-01

Although the vast majority of renewable energies projects are established by commercial developers, some of them are financed by ''ordinary citizens'' pooling together through different schemes. This is particularly frequent in Denmark and Germany, possibly a key reason for the continuous and so successful growth of various renewable energies sources in these countries. This guideline aims to define the term of local investment and provides examples of development and recommendations. (A.L.B.)

Reputation-based secure sensor localization in wireless sensor networks.

Science.gov (United States)

He, Jingsha; Xu, Jing; Zhu, Xingye; Zhang, Yuqiang; Zhang, Ting; Fu, Wanqing

2014-01-01

Location information of sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) is very important, for it makes information that is collected and reported by the sensor nodes spatially meaningful for applications. Since most current sensor localization schemes rely on location information that is provided by beacon nodes for the regular sensor nodes to locate themselves, the accuracy of localization depends on the accuracy of location information from the beacon nodes. Therefore, the security and reliability of the beacon nodes become critical in the localization of regular sensor nodes. In this paper, we propose a reputation-based security scheme for sensor localization to improve the security and the accuracy of sensor localization in hostile or untrusted environments. In our proposed scheme, the reputation of each beacon node is evaluated based on a reputation evaluation model so that regular sensor nodes can get credible location information from highly reputable beacon nodes to accomplish localization. We also perform a set of simulation experiments to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed reputation-based security scheme. And our simulation results show that the proposed security scheme can enhance the security and, hence, improve the accuracy of sensor localization in hostile or untrusted environments.

Does a ban on informal health providers save lives? Evidence from Malawi

Science.gov (United States)

Godlonton, Susan; Okeke, Edward N.

2015-01-01

Informal health providers ranging from drug vendors to traditional healers account for a large fraction of health care provision in developing countries. They are, however, largely unlicensed and unregulated leading to concern that they provide ineffective and, in some cases, even harmful care. A new and controversial policy tool that has been proposed to alter household health seeking behavior is an outright ban on these informal providers. The theoretical effects of such a ban are ambiguous. In this paper, we study the effect of a ban on informal (traditional) birth attendants imposed by the Malawi government in 2007. To measure the effect of the ban, we use a difference-in-difference strategy exploiting variation across time and space in the intensity of exposure to the ban. Our most conservative estimates suggest that the ban decreased use of traditional attendants by about 15 percentage points. Approximately three quarters of this decline can be attributed to an increase in use of the formal sector and the remainder is accounted for by an increase in relative/friend-attended births. Despite the rather large shift from the informal to the formal sector, we do not find any evidence of a statistically significant reduction in newborn mortality on average. The results are robust to a triple difference specification using young children as a control group. We examine several explanations for this result and find evidence consistent with quality of formal care acting as a constraint on improvements in newborn health. PMID:26681821

Health care providers' use of a drug information service for pregnancy-related inquiries.

Science.gov (United States)

Patil, Avinash S; Patil, Neelima P; Lewis, Ashley N; Swamy, Geeta K; Murtha, Amy P

2014-01-01

To characterize pregnancy and lactation-related medication inquiries to a drug information center to identify classes of medications of most concern to providers. A secondary objective was to identify any trends in provider inquiries over the study period. A retrospective descriptive study of pregnancy and lactation-related inquiries to the University of North Carolina Health Care System Drug Information Center database between January 2001 and December 2010. University of North Carolina Health Care System Drug Information Center. Provider inquiries and responses were extracted and characterized by indication for treatment and reason for inquiry. Comparison of the first and second 5-year periods was performed to delineate trends. Descriptive statistics, Fisher's Exact and χ2 tests were used for analysis. Inquiry origin, time, and subject. 433 inquiries were retrieved over the study period from physicians (50%), pharmacists (21%), and nurses (18%). Inquiries were most often made during the antepartum period (34%), followed by the postpartum (28%) and preconception (22%) periods. The most frequent indications for inquiry were psychiatry (15%) and infectious diseases (14%), which remained constant throughout the study period. Safety was the most common reason for inquiry (52%). The responses provided to callers were limited due to lack of information availability 37% of the time. Psychiatry and infectious disease-related indications are the most frequent subjects of provider inquiry regarding medication use in pregnancy. Rates of inquiry remained constant throughout the past decade in most therapeutic areas. These findings are consistent with previous observations in other developed countries and suggest high-yield areas for pharmacist education.

Energy information sheets, July 1998

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

The National Energy Information Center (NEIC), as part of its mission, provides energy information and referral assistance to Federal, State, and local governments, the academic community, business and industrial organizations, and the public. The Energy Information Sheets was developed to provide general information on various aspects of fuel production, prices, consumption, and capability. Additional information on related subject matter can be found in other Energy Information Administration (EIA) publications as referenced at the end of each sheet.

Energy information sheets, September 1996

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-09-01

The National Energy Information Center (NEIC), as part of its mission, provides energy information and referral assistance to Federal, State, and local governments, the academic community, business and industrial organizations, and the public. The Energy Information Sheets was developed to provide general information on various aspects of fuel production, prices, consumption, and capability. Additional information on related subject matter can be found in other Energy Information Administration (EIA) publications as referenced at the end of each sheet.

Sharing Remote and Local Information for Tracking Spring Breakup in the Mackenzie Delta and Beaufort Sea

Science.gov (United States)

Forbes, D. L.; Whalen, D.; Fraser, P.

2015-12-01

The Mackenzie Delta is the second largest on the Arctic Ocean, covering 13 000 km2. The annual flood regime in the delta is dominated by the spring snowmelt freshet and associated ice breakup, as water from the south arrives in the ice-covered delta and spreads over bottomfast and adjacent floating sea ice at the delta front. The complex processes of water-ice interaction, flow partitioning, and overbank flooding to replenish waters in 43 000 delta lakes threaten community, transportation, subsistence, and energy infrastructure in the delta. The annual breakup season is a time of rejuvenation, excitement, and anxiety for delta residents and stakeholders. To track the progress of breakup and meet the need for knowledge dissemination to the local communities, a Mackenzie-Beaufort breakup newsletter has been produced by Natural Resources Canada on a quasi-daily basis during the May-June spring flood season for 10 years, and distributed to an e-mail list that grew to over 300 subscribers. This provides near real-time tracking of water levels and breakup using on-line gauges (Environment Canada), daily MODIS satellite imagery (NASA), Landsat imagery (USGS) and intermittent radar imagery (various sources). In earlier years, information was also supplied from field programs operating in the delta during breakup, but changing priorities and funding have reduced the number of outside researchers present during these critical weeks. Meanwhile the number of local contributors has grown, providing observations and photographs to share with the local, regional and global readership. In this way the newsletter evolved into a two-way communication tool and community portal. The newsletter is a chronicle of each breakup season and a key resource for territorial and municipal managers, subsistence organizations, and emergency response agencies, with routine requests for specific imagery in areas of concern. With the completion of 10 years under the present model, we are exploring

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 ...

Using EarthScope Construction of the Plate Boundary Observatory to Provide Locally Based Experiential Education and Outreach

Science.gov (United States)

Jackson, M.; Eriksson, S.; Barbour, K.; Venator, S.; Mencin, D.; Prescott, W.

2006-12-01

EarthScope is an NSF-funded, national science initiative to explore the structure and evolution of the North American continent and to understand the physical processes controlling earthquakes and volcanoes. This large-scale experiment provides locally based opportunities for education and outreach which engage students at various levels and the public. UNAVCO is responsible for the Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) component of EarthScope. PBO includes the installation and operations and maintenance of large networks of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS), strainmeter, seismometer, and tiltmeter instruments and the acquisition of satellite radar imagery, all of which will be used to measure and map the smallest movements across faults, the magma movement inside active volcanoes and the very wide areas of deformation associated with plate tectonic motion. UNAVCO, through its own education and outreach activities and in collaboration with the EarthScope E&O Program, uses the PBO construction activities to increase the understanding and public appreciation of geodynamics, earth deformation processes, and their relevance to society. These include programs for public outreach via various media, events associated with local installations, a program to employ students in the construction of PBO, and development of curricular materials by use in local schools associated with the EarthScope geographic areas of focus. PBO provides information to the media to serve the needs of various groups and localities, including interpretive centers at national parks and forests, such as Mt. St. Helens. UNAVCO staff contributed to a television special with the Spanish language network Univision Aquí y Ahora program focused on the San Andreas Fault and volcanoes in Alaska. PBO participated in an Education Day at the Pathfinder Ranch Science and Outdoor Education School in Mountain Center, California. Pathfinder Ranch hosts two of the eight EarthScope borehole strainmeters in the Anza

Characterization of Patient Interest in Provider-Based Consumer Health Information Technology: Survey Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Featherall, Joseph; Lapin, Brittany; Chaitoff, Alexander; Havele, Sonia A; Thompson, Nicolas; Katzan, Irene

2018-04-19

Consumer health information technology can improve patient engagement in their health care and assist in navigating the complexities of health care delivery. However, the consumer health information technology offerings of health systems are often driven by provider rather than patient perspectives and inadequately address patient needs, thus limiting their adoption by patients. Consideration given to patients as stakeholders in the development of such technologies may improve adoption, efficacy, and consumer health information technology resource allocation. The aims of this paper were to measure patient interest in different health system consumer health information technology apps and determine the influence of patient characteristics on consumer health information technology interest. Patients seen at the Cleveland Clinic Neurological Institute were electronically surveyed on their interest in using different consumer health information technology apps. A self-efficacy scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 depression screen, and EuroQol 5 dimensions health-related quality of life scale were also completed by patients. Logistic regression was used to determine the influence of patient characteristics on interest in consumer health information technology in the categories of self-management, education, and communication. The majority of 3852 patient respondents had an interest in all technology categories assessed in the survey. The highest interest was in apps that allow patients to ask questions of providers (3476/3852, 90.24%) and to schedule appointments (3211/3839, 83.64%). Patient interest in consumer health information technology was significantly associated with greater depression symptoms, worse quality of life, greater health self-efficacy, and smartphone ownership (Pinformation technology development and their perspectives should consistently guide development efforts. Health systems should consider focusing on consumer health information technologies

Non-local correlations via Wigner-Yanase skew information in two SC-qubit having mutual interaction under phase decoherence

Science.gov (United States)

Mohamed, Abdel-Baset A.

2017-10-01

An analytical solution of the master equation that describes a superconducting cavity containing two coupled superconducting charge qubits is obtained. Quantum-mechanical correlations based on Wigner-Yanase skew information, as local quantum uncertainty and uncertainty-induced quantum non-locality, are compared to the concurrence under the effects of the phase decoherence. Local quantum uncertainty exhibits sudden changes during its time evolution and revival process. Sudden death and sudden birth occur only for entanglement, depending on the initial state of the two coupled charge qubits, while the correlations of skew information does not vanish. The quantum correlations of skew information are found to be sensitive to the dephasing rate, the photons number in the cavity, the interaction strength between the two qubits, and the qubit distribution angle of the initial state. With a proper initial state, the stationary correlation of the skew information has a non-zero stationary value for a long time interval under the phase decoherence, that it may be useful in quantum information and computation processes.

Involvement of local stakeholders in the development of new information schemes for the displaying of environmental radiological monitoring results

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rollinger, Francoise; Lebeau, Audrey; Petitfrere, Michael; Eimer, Michel; Ganay, Claude de; Gadbois, Serge; Leprieur, Fabrice; Vaillant, Ludovic

2008-01-01

Evolution of radionuclides concentration in the environment and associated potential health impacts are key and legitimate questions for the population living around nuclear facilities. In spite of the efforts from authorities, public experts and operators to make this information available and understandable, mainly through Local Liaison Committees (LLC), the way it is usually formalized makes it difficult to meet non-expert expectations. In this context, the IRSN launched a pilot project in the Loire Valley to define new schemes for the displaying of this information. This project brings together representatives from LLCs - local elected people, trade unions and environmental NGOs -, experts from the IRSN - environment and radiation protection departments - and facilitators - CEPN and MUTADIS -. Its objectives are: 1-) To identify all nuclear facilities and producers of measurements in the environment within the Valley; 2-) To clearly define local population expectations regards environmental radiological survey; 3-) To select adequate measurements values and presentational schemes; 4-) To provide recommendations regarding the environment monitoring strategy. This project is also connected with the French national measurement network. Within this national network, the IRSN is in charge of developing a database that brings together all the results from environmental radiological monitoring, in order to provide all these data to the population, including elements about impacts on human health. This network will take advantage of the work achieved within the pilot project. The facilitation process mainly consisted in fostering relations of trust (notably with the preparation of detailed minutes of the project meetings), and supporting both local stakeholders and IRSN experts in the project management and the development of a common language at the crossroad between scientific and technical knowledge and local actors' understanding of their own environment. This

Localized real-time information on outdoor air quality at kindergartens in Oslo, Norway using low-cost sensor nodes.

Science.gov (United States)

Castell, Nuria; Schneider, Philipp; Grossberndt, Sonja; Fredriksen, Mirjam F; Sousa-Santos, Gabriela; Vogt, Mathias; Bartonova, Alena

2018-08-01

In Norway, children in kindergartens spend significant time outdoors under all weather conditions, and there is thus a natural concern about the quality of outdoor air. It is well known that air pollution is associated with a wide variety of adverse health impacts for children, with greater impact on children with asthma. Especially during winter and spring, kindergartens in Oslo that are situated close to streets with busy traffic, or in areas where wood burning is used for house heating, can experience many days with bad air quality. During these periods, updated information on air quality levels can help the kindergarten teachers to plan appropriate outdoor activities and thus protect children's health. We have installed 17 low-cost air quality nodes in kindergartens in Oslo. These nodes are smaller, cheaper and less complex to use than traditional equipment. Performance evaluation shows that while they are less accurate and suffer from higher uncertainty than reference equipment, they still can provide reliable coarse information about local pollution. The main challenge when using this technology is that calibration parameters might change with time depending on the atmospheric conditions. Thus, even if the sensors are calibrated a priori, once deployed, and especially if they are deployed for a long time, it is not possible to determine if a node is over- or under-estimating the concentration levels. To enhance the data from the sensors, we employed a data fusion technique that allows generating a detailed air quality map merging the data from the sensors and the data from an urban model, thus being able to offer air quality information to any location within Oslo. We arranged a focus group with the participation of local administration, kindergarten staff and parents to understand their opinion and needs related to the air quality information that was provided to the participant kindergartens. They expressed concern about the data quality but agree that

Composite Indexes Economic and Social Performance: Do they Provide Valuable Information?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nasierowski Wojciech

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper examines the information content of the selected composite indexes, namely the Global Competitiveness Report Index, the Human Development Index, the Knowledge Economy Index, the Innovation Union Scoreboard, and the like. These indexes are examined from the viewpoint of country rankings. It is argued that these indexes provide highly similar information, which brings to question the usefulness of such a variety of approaches. This paper also explores the drawbacks of composite indexes, and questions whether these indexes can adequately serve as policy-setting mechanisms.

78 FR 11654 - Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Providing Information About...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-02-19

...] Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff; Providing Information About... Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug Administration Staff: Providing Information About Pediatric Uses of...ComplianceRegulatoryInformation/default.htm . To receive ``Draft Guidance for Industry and Food and Drug...

Globally COnstrained Local Function Approximation via Hierarchical Modelling, a Framework for System Modelling under Partial Information

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Øjelund, Henrik; Sadegh, Payman

2000-01-01

be obtained. This paper presents a new approach for system modelling under partial (global) information (or the so called Gray-box modelling) that seeks to perserve the benefits of the global as well as local methodologies sithin a unified framework. While the proposed technique relies on local approximations......Local function approximations concern fitting low order models to weighted data in neighbourhoods of the points where the approximations are desired. Despite their generality and convenience of use, local models typically suffer, among others, from difficulties arising in physical interpretation...... simultaneously with the (local estimates of) function values. The approach is applied to modelling of a linear time variant dynamic system under prior linear time invariant structure where local regression fails as a result of high dimensionality....

Learning Local Components to Understand Large Bayesian Networks

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zeng, Yifeng; Xiang, Yanping; Cordero, Jorge

2009-01-01

(domain experts) to extract accurate information from a large Bayesian network due to dimensional difficulty. We define a formulation of local components and propose a clustering algorithm to learn such local components given complete data. The algorithm groups together most inter-relevant attributes......Bayesian networks are known for providing an intuitive and compact representation of probabilistic information and allowing the creation of models over a large and complex domain. Bayesian learning and reasoning are nontrivial for a large Bayesian network. In parallel, it is a tough job for users...... in a domain. We evaluate its performance on three benchmark Bayesian networks and provide results in support. We further show that the learned components may represent local knowledge more precisely in comparison to the full Bayesian networks when working with a small amount of data....

Localizing Climate Information for Municipal Planning in the Central U.S.

Science.gov (United States)

Shulski, M.; Umphlett, N.; Abdel-Monem, T.; Tang, Z.; Uhlarik, F.

2017-12-01

The impacts of projected climate change are an ongoing concern for municipalities. Planning at the local level often involves investigations of multiple hazards on decadal timescales. Of particular interest to cities are implications of too much or too little water, snow storms, heat waves, and freeze/thaw cycles on infrastructure, health, energy demands and water quality and availability. A two-year project led by the University of Nebraska - Lincoln has brought together scientist and stakeholder for the purpose of informing municipal planning and climate adaptation for 12 cities in the lower Missouri River Basin states (IA, NE, KS, MO). City-specific climate reports have been developed with municipal input to aid local planning efforts. Surveys to assess municipal climate data usage were distributed to all cities with a population greater than 5,000 in the four-state region. In addition, planning efforts for 18 municipalities have been evaluated for nearly 20 cities in the region to investigate local hazard mitigation, emergency, and comprehensive plans. This presentation will outline key outcomes of the project and discuss decision support tools developed in co-production with city planners.

Characterizing Urban Air Quality to Provide Actionable Information

Science.gov (United States)

Lary, D. J.

2017-12-01

The urbanization of national and global populations is associated with increasing challenges to creation of sustainable and livable communities. In urban environments, there is currently a lack of accurate actionable information on atmospheric composition on fine spatial and temporal scales. There is a pressing need to better characterize the complex spatial distribution of environmental features of cityscapes and improve understanding of their relationship to health and quality of life. This talk gives an overview of integrating sensing of atmospheric composition on multiple scales using a wide range of devices from distributed low cost-sensors, to aerial vehicles, to satellites. Machine learning plays a key role in providing both the cross-calibration and turning the exposure dosimetry into actionable insights for urban environments.

Scientific support, soil information and education provided by the Austrian Soil Science Society

Science.gov (United States)

Huber, Sigbert; Baumgarten, Andreas; Birli, Barbara; Englisch, Michael; Tulipan, Monika; Zechmeister-Boltenstern, Sophie

2015-04-01

The Austrian Soil Science Society (ASSS), founded in 1954, is a non-profit organisation aiming at furthering all branches of soil science in Austria. The ASSS provides information on the current state of soil research in Austria and abroad. It organizes annual conferences for scientists from soil and related sciences to exchange their recent studies and offers a journal for scientific publications. Annually, ASSS awards the Kubiena Research Prize for excellent scientific studies provided by young scientists. In order to conserve and improve soil science in the field, excursions are organized, also in cooperation with other scientific organisations. Due to well-established contacts with soil scientists and soil science societies in many countries, the ASSS is able to provide its members with information about the most recent developments in the field of soil science. This contributes to a broadening of the current scientific knowledge on soils. The ASSS also co-operates in the organisation of excursions and meetings with neighbouring countries. Several members of the ASSS teach soil science at various Austrian universities. More detail on said conferences, excursions, publications and awards will be given in the presentation. Beside its own scientific journal, published once or twice a year, and special editions such as guidebooks for soil classification, the ASSS runs a website providing information on the Society, its activities, meetings, publications, awards and projects. Together with the Environment Agency Austria the ASSS runs a soil platform on the internet. It is accessible for the public and thus informs society about soil issues. This platform offers a calendar with national and international soil events, contacts of soil related organisations and networks, information on national projects and publications. The society has access to products, information material and information on educational courses. Last but not least information on specific soil

Mapping local knowledge of hazards to inform research, practice and policy in the Americas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coles, Ashley; Eosco, Gina; Norton, Todd; Ruiz, Jorge; Tate, Eric; Weathers, Melinda

2011-01-01

Hazards are fundamentally understood and experienced spatially; therefore, it is not surprising that hazards research, management, communication, and policy have relied heavily on spatial representations using geomatics tools such as remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). As powerful and useful as these tools have been, they tend to privilege the collection and utilization of quantifiable data at the expense of qualitative data (e.g., experiential local knowledge). Local knowledge has been increasingly used both to challenge and to supplement mapping strategies, although less so in the realm of hazards than in other areas such as natural resource management. In this paper, we propose a unique framework for taking these approaches one-step further through the development of a knowledge management system that integrates local knowledge of hazards with spatial visualization tools. First, we discuss relevant literature related to current tools and practices for visualizing hazard information. Next we propose a methodology for mapping mental models of individuals. Finally, we discuss the potential applications of such a framework for hazards research, practice, and policy, as well as discuss the challenges associated with this framework.

The Utility of Social Media in Providing Information on Zika Virus.

Science.gov (United States)

Chandrasekaran, Neeraja; Gressick, Kimberly; Singh, Vivek; Kwal, Jaclyn; Cap, Natalia; Koru-Sengul, Tulay; Curry, Christine L

2017-10-23

Introduction In 2015, there was an outbreak of Zika virus in Brazil that spread throughout the Americas. The association of Zika virus with birth defects in infants born to infected pregnant women created concern for women of childbearing age. Social media is an important platform for health promotion, communication, and education on preventative methods during Zika virus outbreaks. Methods We evaluated the utility of social media on providing information regarding Zika virus. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube were utilized for our study. A search of the term "#Zikavirus" on Twitter and Instagram, and "Zika virus" on Facebook and YouTube was performed. The first 50 search results were analyzed from each source. Only English, Spanish, or Portuguese results were included. Results were categorized into three groups: "Useful", "Not Useful", or "Misleading". Results Search was conducted on December 17th, 2016, with 185 results. Forty (21.6%) were from Facebook, 50 (27%) from Twitter, 48 (25.9%) from YouTube, and 47 (25.4%) from Instagram. A total of 104 (56.22%) results were "Useful", 67 (36.2%) "Not Useful", and 14 (7.5%) were "Misleading". There were significantly more "Useful" results compared to "Not Useful" and "Misleading" results (Fisher's exact: p < 0.0001). Conclusion Social media is a useful resource for providing relevant information on Zika virus. Young women can utilize social media for Zika virus information. The role of social media in public health should be further investigated and established. Patient education interventions should focus on social media impact on behavior modification and education of public to recognize useful information.

Incorporating Informal Learning Environments and Local Fossil Specimens in Earth Science Classrooms: A Recipe for Success

Science.gov (United States)

Clary, Renee M.; Wandersee, James H.

2009-01-01

In an online graduate paleontology course taken by practicing Earth Science teachers, we designed an investigation using teachers' local informal educational environments. Teachers (N = 28) were responsible for photographing, describing, and integrating fossil specimens from two informal sites into a paleoenvironmental analysis of the landscape in…

Using time-of-flight for WLAN localization: feasibility study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kavitha Muthukrishnan, K.; Koprinkov, G.T.; Meratnia, Nirvana; Lijding, M.E.M.

Although signal strength based techniques are widely employed for WLAN localization, they generally suffer from providing highly accurate location information. In this paper, we first present the general shortcomings of the signal strength based approaches used for WLANbased localization and then

Infrared and visible images registration with adaptable local-global feature integration for rail inspection

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Chaoqing; Tian, Gui Yun; Chen, Xiaotian; Wu, Jianbo; Li, Kongjing; Meng, Hongying

2017-12-01

Active thermography provides infrared images that contain sub-surface defect information, while visible images only reveal surface information. Mapping infrared information to visible images offers more comprehensive visualization for decision-making in rail inspection. However, the common information for registration is limited due to different modalities in both local and global level. For example, rail track which has low temperature contrast reveals rich details in visible images, but turns blurry in the infrared counterparts. This paper proposes a registration algorithm called Edge-Guided Speeded-Up-Robust-Features (EG-SURF) to address this issue. Rather than sequentially integrating local and global information in matching stage which suffered from buckets effect, this algorithm adaptively integrates local and global information into a descriptor to gather more common information before matching. This adaptability consists of two facets, an adaptable weighting factor between local and global information, and an adaptable main direction accuracy. The local information is extracted using SURF while the global information is represented by shape context from edges. Meanwhile, in shape context generation process, edges are weighted according to local scale and decomposed into bins using a vector decomposition manner to provide more accurate descriptor. The proposed algorithm is qualitatively and quantitatively validated using eddy current pulsed thermography scene in the experiments. In comparison with other algorithms, better performance has been achieved.

Perceptions of informal care givers: health and support services provided to people with multiple sclerosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Buchanan, Robert; Radin, Dagmar; Chakravorty, Bonnie J; Tyry, Tuula

2010-01-01

About 30% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) need some form of home care assistance, with 80% of that assistance provided by informal or unpaid care givers. This study focuses on the care givers to 530 more disabled people with MS, with the objective to learn more about informal care giving to people with greater dependency and need for assistance. The data presented in this study were collected in a national survey of 530 informal care givers to people with MS who have greater levels of physical dependency. About 70% of informal care givers responded that assisting the person with MS perform daily activities or personal care took up the largest amount of their care giving time. Care givers also reported a range of home and community-based services that would make care giving easier or improve the care provided. However, informal care givers generally reported low satisfaction with health insurance coverage of these services, especially coverage by health maintenance organizations and other managed care plans. Lack of health insurance coverage of needed home and community-based services can reduce the quality of informal care provided, as well as increase the burden of informal care giving.

Twenty years of providing information on nuclear power. The experience of EDF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durr, M.; Ansel, P.; Chaussade, J.P.; Haller, P.; Hezard, L.; Hue, L.

1995-01-01

In France, the anti-nuclear protest movement became a real problem after 1968, as new sites were sought. Initially, information on nuclear power involved communication by the entities responsible for building the plants. Once Government officials and politicians overcame their initial hesitation, their support, which underscores the continuity of France's energy policy, came to play a major role in the public acceptance of nuclear power. Electricite de France (EDF) then had to master the art of informing and communicating with the public. The change in the parliamentary majority in 1981 did not call into question the nuclear programme, and new plants were commissioned with relative ease. The situation changed dramatically with the Chernobyl disaster. It therefore became vital to establish an efficient structure for crisis communications, and transparency became crucial. The focus shifted from launching new plants to operating existing facilities and restoring public confidence. While not neglecting the general public, the emphasis was on certain strategic segments of the population, notably teachers and health care professionals. Advertising campaigns are today aimed at certain segments of the public, whose opinion could well shift in favour of nuclear power. Lastly, EDF, as power plant operator, has to realize the importance of providing information on nuclear waste. Starting from a strategic policy of informing politicians and senior decision makers, in 1974 EDF began to focus on providing information that would 'educate' the public. This information was issued via technicians who had no specific training in communications techniques. In addition to the need to explain and justify its projects, EDF had to adopt a policy of transparency, and to dispense with the esoteric language of specialists and their preference for secrecy. After Chernobyl, EDF's managers made communications with the 'outside world' an integral part of their jobs. Nuclear information became a

Local Information Processing in Adults with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Usefulness of Neuropsychological Tests and Self-Reports

Science.gov (United States)

Spek, Annelies A.; Scholte, Evert M.; Van Berckelaer-Onnes, Ina A.

2011-01-01

Local information processing in 42 adults with high functioning autism, 41 adults with Asperger syndrome and 41 neurotypical adults was examined. Contrary to our expectations, the disorder groups did not outperform the neurotypical group in the neuropsychological measures of local information processing. In line with our hypotheses, the…

Energy information directory 1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-10-01

The National Energy Information Center provides energy information and referral assistance to Federal, State, and local governments, the academic community, business and industrial organizations, and the general public. This Energy Information Directory is used to assist the Center staff as well as other DOE staff in directing inquires to the proper offices.

Endothelin: Visualization of mRNAs by in situ hybridization provides evidence for local action

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacCumber, M.W.; Ross, C.A.; Glaser, B.M.; Snyder, S.H.

1989-01-01

Endothelin (ET) is a recently identified vasoactive peptide with three isoforms for which three genes have been cloned. The cellular sites of synthesis of this peptide have not yet been identified in vivo. Using Northern blot analysis, we have detected two forms of ET mRNA in rat tissues: a 3.7-kilobase form in the kidney, eye, and brain, a 2.5-kilobase form in the intestine, and both forms in the lung. We have localized these forms of ET mRNA in several rat tissues using in situ hybridization. In the 19-day rat fetus, ET mRNA is highest in the lung, intestine, and meninges. At high resolution, ET mRNA is localized in the lung to respiratory epithelial cells of bronchioles and apparently in blood vessels. In adult tissues, ET mRNA is present throughout the lung, in the renal medulla vasa recta, and in the iris of the eye. ET mRNA is synthesized in close proximity to ET binding sites in many organs (e.g., lung, kidney, intestine, and eye), suggesting a local action of this peptide. However, in other areas (e.g., heart and renal cortex), ET binding sites are present in the absence of ET mRNA, suggesting an action of ET from the bloodstream or from neurons. Northern blot analysis of ET mRNA in microvascular endothelial cells in culture indicates that ET is synthesized in small blood vessels and regulated similarly to its regulation in large vessels. Our results provide evidence that ET, like other regulatory peptides, may serve in several tissues as a neuromodulator or local hormone

Fishing site mapping using local knowledge provides accurate and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Accurate fishing ground maps are necessary for fisheries monitoring. In Velondriake locally managed marine area (LMMA) we observed that the nomenclature of shared fishing sites (FS) is villages dependent. Additionally, the level of illiteracy makes data collection more complicated, leading to data collectors improvising ...

Nevada Applied Ecology Information Center: a review of technical information support provided to the Nevada Applied Ecology Group

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fore, C.S.; Pfuderer, H.A.

1983-01-01

The Nevada Applied Ecology Information Center (NAEIC) was established in January 1972 to serve the needs of the Nevada Applied Ecology Group (NAEG) by identifying, collecting, analyzing, and disseminating technical information relevant to NAEG programs. Since its inception, the NAEIC has been active in providing specialized information support to NAEG staff in the following research areas: (1) environmental aspects of the transuranics; (2) historic literature (pre-1962) on plutonium and uranium; (3) cleanup and treatment of radioactively contaminated land; (4) bioenvironmental aspects of europium and rhodium; (5) NAEG contractor reports; and (6) uptake of radioactivity by food crops

Motivation and challenges for use of malaria rapid diagnostic tests among informal providers in Myanmar: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sudhinaraset, May; Briegleb, Christina; Aung, Moe; Khin, Hnin Su Su; Aung, Tin

2015-02-06

Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for malaria enable proper diagnosis and have been shown to reduce overuse of artemisinin combination therapy. Few studies have evaluated the feasibility and use of RDTs in the private sector in Myanmar. The objectives of the study were to: 1) understand the acceptability of using RDTs in the informal sector in Myanmar; 2) examine motivations for use among informal providers; and, 3) highlight decision-making and knowledge of providers for diagnostic testing and treatment. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 30 informal providers. Purposeful sampling was used to enrol study participants in the Mon and Shan State in Myanmar. All interviews were conducted in Burmese, translated into English, and two researchers coded all interviews using Atlas ti. Major themes identified included: 1) informal provider and outlet characteristics, including demographic and background characteristics; 2) the benefits and challenges of using RDTs according to providers; 3) provider experiences with using RDTs, including motivations for using the RDT; 4) adherence to test results, either positive or negative; and, 5) recommendations from informal providers to promote increased use of RDTs in their communities. This study found that introducing RDTs to informal providers in Myanmar was feasible, resulting in improved provider empowerment and patient-provider relationships. Specific challenges included facility infrastructure to use and dispose RDTs and provider knowledge. This varied across the type of informal provider, with itinerant drug vendors more comfortable and knowledgeable about RDTs compared to general retail sellers and medical drug representatives. This study found informal providers in Myanmar found the introduction of RDTs to be highly acceptable. Providers discussed improvement in service quality including provider empowerment and patient-provider relationships. The study also highlighted a number of challenges that informal providers

Communication at an online infertility expert forum: provider responses to patients' emotional and informational cues.

Science.gov (United States)

Aarts, J W M; van Oers, A M; Faber, M J; Cohlen, B J; Nelen, W L D M; Kremer, J A M; van Dulmen, A M

2015-01-01

Online patient-provider communication has become increasingly popular in fertility care. However, it is not known to what extent patients express cues or concerns and how providers respond. In this study, we investigated cues and responses that occur in online patient-provider communication at an infertility-specific expert forum. We extracted 106 threads from the multidisciplinary expert forum of two Dutch IVF clinics. We performed the following analyses: (1) thematic analysis of patients' questions; and (2) rating patients' emotional and informational cues and subsequent professionals' responses using an adaptation of the validated Medical Interview Aural Rating Scale. Frequencies of themes, frequencies of cues and responses, and sequences (what cue is followed by what response) were extracted. Sixty-five infertile patients and 19 providers participated. The most common themes included medication and lifestyle. Patients gave more informational than emotional cues (106 versus 64). Responses to informational cues were mostly adequate (61%). The most common response to emotional cues was empathic acknowledgment (72%). Results indicate that an online expert forum could have a positive effect on patient outcomes, which should guide future research. Offering infertile patients an expert forum to communicate with providers can be a promising supplement to usual care in both providing information and addressing patients' concerns.

Attitudes toward health care providers, collecting information about patients' race, ethnicity, and language.

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, David W; Hasnain-Wynia, Romana; Kandula, Namratha R; Thompson, Jason A; Brown, E Richard

2007-11-01

Experts recommend that health care providers (HCPs) collect patients' race/ethnicity and language, but we know little about public attitudes towards this. To determine attitudes towards HCPs collecting race/ethnicity and language data. A telephone survey was held with 563 Californians, including 105 whites, 97 blacks, 199 Hispanics (162 Spanish-speaking), 129 Asians (73 Chinese-speaking), and 33 multiracial individuals. Attitudes towards HCPs asking patients their race/ethnicity and preferred language, concerns about providing their own information, reactions to statements explaining the rationale for data collection, and attitudes towards possible policies. Most (87.8%) somewhat or strongly agreed that HCPs should collect race/ethnicity information and use this to monitor disparities, and 73.6% supported state legislation requiring this. Support for collection of patients' preferred language was even higher. However, 17.2% were uncomfortable (score 1-4 on 10-point scale) reporting their own race/ethnicity, and 46.3% of participants were somewhat or very worried that providing information could be used to discriminate against them. In addition, 35.9% of Hispanics were uncomfortable reporting their English proficiency. All statements explaining the rationale for data collection modestly increased participants' comfort level; the statement that this would be used for staff training increased comfort the most. Although most surveyed believe that HCPs should collect information about race/ethnicity and language, many feel uncomfortable giving this information and worry it could be misused. Statements explaining the rationale for collecting data may assuage concerns, but community engagement and legislation to prevent misuse may be needed to gain more widespread trust and comfort.

Local Risk-Minimization for Defaultable Claims with Recovery Process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Biagini, Francesca; Cretarola, Alessandra

2012-01-01

We study the local risk-minimization approach for defaultable claims with random recovery at default time, seen as payment streams on the random interval [0,τ∧T], where T denotes the fixed time-horizon. We find the pseudo-locally risk-minimizing strategy in the case when the agent information takes into account the possibility of a default event (local risk-minimization with G-strategies) and we provide an application in the case of a corporate bond. We also discuss the problem of finding a pseudo-locally risk-minimizing strategy if we suppose the agent obtains her information only by observing the non-defaultable assets.

Self-Localization at Street Intersections.

Science.gov (United States)

Fusco, Giovanni; Shen, Huiying; Coughlan, James M

2014-05-01

There is growing interest among smartphone users in the ability to determine their precise location in their environment for a variety of applications related to wayfinding, travel and shopping. While GPS provides valuable self-localization estimates, its accuracy is limited to approximately 10 meters in most urban locations. This paper focuses on the self-localization needs of blind or visually impaired travelers, who are faced with the challenge of negotiating street intersections. These travelers need more precise self-localization to help them align themselves properly to crosswalks, signal lights and other features such as walk light pushbuttons. We demonstrate a novel computer vision-based localization approach that is tailored to the street intersection domain. Unlike most work on computer vision-based localization techniques, which typically assume the presence of detailed, high-quality 3D models of urban environments, our technique harnesses the availability of simple, ubiquitous satellite imagery (e.g., Google Maps) to create simple maps of each intersection. Not only does this technique scale naturally to the great majority of street intersections in urban areas, but it has the added advantage of incorporating the specific metric information that blind or visually impaired travelers need, namely, the locations of intersection features such as crosswalks. Key to our approach is the integration of IMU (inertial measurement unit) information with geometric information obtained from image panorama stitchings. Finally, we evaluate the localization performance of our algorithm on a dataset of intersection panoramas, demonstrating the feasibility of our approach.

The Persistence of Informality: Small-Scale Water Providers in Manila’s Post-Privatisation Era

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deborah Cheng

2014-02-01

Full Text Available This article troubles the notion of a formal-informal dichotomy in urban water provision. Whereas expansion of a water utility typically involves the replacement of informal providers, the experience in Manila demonstrates that the rapid connection of low-income areas actually hinges, in part, on the selective inclusion and exclusion of these smaller actors. In this sense, privatisation has not eliminated small-scale water provision, but has led to the reconfiguration of its usage, blurring the boundaries between formal and informal. By examining the spatial and temporal evolution of small-scale water provision in Manila’s post-privatisation era, I show how certain spaces are seen as less serviceable than others. Critically, small providers working in partnership with the utilities are sanctioned because they supplement the utilities’ operations. The areas in which they work are considered served, factoring into aggregate coverage statistics, even though their terms of service are often less desirable than those of households directly connected to the utilities. In contrast, small providers that operate outside of the utilities’ zones of coverage are considered inferior, to be replaced. The result is a differentiation in informality – one in which the private utilities largely determine modes of access and thus the spatialisation of informal water provision.

Ethical principles of informed consent: exploring nurses' dual role of care provider and researcher.

Science.gov (United States)

Judkins-Cohn, Tanya M; Kielwasser-Withrow, Kiersten; Owen, Melissa; Ward, Jessica

2014-01-01

This article describes the ethical principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice within the nurse researcher-participant relationship as these principles relate to the informed consent process for research. Within this process, the nurse is confronted with a dual role. This article describes how nurses, who are in the dual role of care provider and researcher, can apply these ethical principles to their practice in conjunction with the American Nurses Association's code of ethics for nurses. This article also describes, as an element of ethical practice, the importance of using participant-centered quality measures to aid informed decision making of participants in research. In addition, the article provides strategies for improving the informed consent process in nursing research. Finally, case scenarios are discussed, along with the application of ethical principles within the awareness of the dual role of the nurse as care provider and researcher. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Telecommunications: Issues in Providing Cable and Satellite Television Services

Science.gov (United States)

2002-10-01

This report provides information on (1) whether the availability of cable modem Internet access service appears to be affecting the competitiveness of direct broadcast satellite (DBS) companies in the provision of video services, (2) whether cable prices and DBS penetration rates appear to be affected in areas where the DBS companies offer local broadcast channels, and (3) whether the two individual DBS companies are technologically capable of expanding local broadcast channel services into all 210 television markets in the United States.

Global and Local Processing of Incidental Information and Memory Retrieval at 6 Months.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhatt, Ramesh S.; And Others

1994-01-01

Five experiments examined the role of global and local cues in memory retrieval in infancy. Results showed that infants encode and remember for substantial periods of time not only the shape of figures displayed in their periphery but also the global organization of these figures. They also adapt this information when responding to new events.…

The informal recycling in the international and local context: theoretical Elements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yepes P, Dora Luz

2002-01-01

This article is a synthesis of the theoretical aspects related with the urban problem of the informal recycling in our means, and it is framed inside the denominated investigation project alternatives for their invigoration of the informal recycling in Medellin, which is a thesis of the grade that looks for to strengthen the informal recycling through the study of the factors associated to the labor productivity of the informal recycle. Specifically, the study will identify options of improvement of its work y points to propose alternatives to dignify the labor of these people integrally by the light of environmental precepts, technicians, normative, institutional social and of sustainability. This document describe the theoretical elements in which this investigation will be based, showing the informal recycling inside of an international context, and their situation in a national and local environment. As a result of the bibliographical revision carried out, can be said, that it glimpses a low interest in to improve the conditions of work a International level of the informal recycle, unless the strategies that it outlines the international labor organization, with regard to the strengthening of the informal economy; in Latin America, it has not been possible to go further of the official rhetoric and the pro motion of the groups environmentalists, but in the issue of the recovery policies, reuse, and the recycling of solid wastes, if there. Has been a sustained advance; at national level clear strategies to improve the informal work of the recycle are being identified, however, lacks many efforts to develop the committed actions with these strategies, in spite of the fact that has been advancing the creation of recycle organizations little by little

Adequacy of pharmacological information provided in pharmaceutical drug advertisements in African medical journals.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oshikoya KA

2009-06-01

manufacturer on both the container and pack of the drug} were mentioned in 65.6% and 50% adverts, respectively. The product and package descriptions were provided in 57 (72.2% Nigerian medical journals, which was significantly higher than in other African medical journals 39 (37.9% (P<0.001.Conclusions: None of the drug advertisements in the journals adequately provided the basic information required by the WHO for appropriate prescribing. More guidance and regulation is needed to ensure adequate information is provided.

Economic Evaluation of the Information Security Levels Achieved by Electric Energy Providers in North Arctic Region

Science.gov (United States)

Sushko, O. P.; Kaznin, A. A.; Babkin, A. V.; Bogdanov, D. A.

2017-10-01

The study we are conducting involves the analysis of information security levels achieved by energy providers operating in the North Arctic Region. We look into whether the energy providers’ current information security levels meet reliability standards and determine what further actions may be needed for upgrading information security in the context of the digital transformation that the world community is undergoing. When developing the information security systems for electric energy providers or selecting the protection means for them, we are governed by the fact that the assets to be protected are process technologies. While information security risk can be assessed using different methods, the evaluation of the economic damage from these risks appears to be a difficult task. The most probable and harmful risks we have identified when evaluating the electric energy providers’ information security will be used by us as variables. To provide the evaluation, it is necessary to calculate the costs relating to elimination of the risks identified. The final stage of the study will involve the development of an operation algorithm for the North Arctic Region’s energy provider’s business information protection security system - a set of information security services, and security software and hardware.

Clearly written, easily comprehended? The readability of websites providing information on epilepsy.

Science.gov (United States)

Brigo, Francesco; Otte, Willem M; Igwe, Stanley C; Tezzon, Frediano; Nardone, Raffaele

2015-03-01

There is a general need for high-quality, easily accessible, and comprehensive health-care information on epilepsy to better inform the general population about this highly stigmatized neurological disorder. The aim of this study was to evaluate the health literacy level of eight popular English-written websites that provide information on epilepsy in quantitative terms of readability. Educational epilepsy material on these websites, including 41 Wikipedia articles, were analyzed for their overall level of readability and the corresponding academic grade level needed to comprehend the published texts on the first reading. The Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) was used to assess ease of comprehension while the Gunning Fog Index, Coleman-Liau Index, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Automated Readability Index, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook scales estimated the corresponding academic grade level needed for comprehension. The average readability of websites yielded results indicative of a difficult-to-fairly-difficult readability level (FRE results: 44.0±8.2), with text readability corresponding to an 11th academic grade level (11.3±1.9). The average FRE score of the Wikipedia articles was indicative of a difficult readability level (25.6±9.5), with the other readability scales yielding results corresponding to a 14th grade level (14.3±1.7). Popular websites providing information on epilepsy, including Wikipedia, often demonstrate a low level of readability. This can be ameliorated by increasing access to clear and concise online information on epilepsy and health in general. Short "basic" summaries targeted to patients and nonmedical users should be added to articles published in specialist websites and Wikipedia to ease readability. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An evaluation of dental information sessions provided to childcare educators in NSW in 2010-2011.

Science.gov (United States)

Noller, Jennifer M

2013-12-01

Childcare services provide ideal settings to promote good oral health and help reduce tooth decay in young children. This paper reports the results of an evaluation of the dental information session component of the NSW Little Smiles Program provided by public oral health service professionals to childcare educators in NSW in 2010-2011. The evaluation sought to determine if a face-to-face information session provided to childcare educators by oral health professionals: (i) can improve the confidence of childcare educators to reach national quality standards that relate to oral health; and (ii) is an appropriate model to use. In 2010-2011, 163 dental information sessions were provided to 1716 participants from over 526 childcare centres across NSW. Results showed that a dental information session can improve the confidence of childcare educators to assist their service to reach the required national quality standards for oral hygiene and diet-related oral health issues. Further evaluation is required to determine if oral health can be embedded in the daily practice of childcare services and other options need to be explored to deliver the sessions in a more cost-effective way.

Information-Fusion Methods Based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping for Robot Adapting to Search and Rescue Postdisaster Environments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hongling Wang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The first application of utilizing unique information-fusion SLAM (IF-SLAM methods is developed for mobile robots performing simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM adapting to search and rescue (SAR environments in this paper. Several fusion approaches, parallel measurements filtering, exploration trajectories fusing, and combination sensors’ measurements and mobile robots’ trajectories, are proposed. The novel integration particle filter (IPF and optimal improved EKF (IEKF algorithms are derived for information-fusion systems to perform SLAM task in SAR scenarios. The information-fusion architecture consists of multirobots and multisensors (MAM; multiple robots mount on-board laser range finder (LRF sensors, localization sonars, gyro odometry, Kinect-sensor, RGB-D camera, and other proprioceptive sensors. This information-fusion SLAM (IF-SLAM is compared with conventional methods, which indicates that fusion trajectory is more consistent with estimated trajectories and real observation trajectories. The simulations and experiments of SLAM process are conducted in both cluttered indoor environment and outdoor collapsed unstructured scenario, and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed information-fusion methods in improving SLAM performances adapting to SAR scenarios.

LOTIR: A Routing Protocol for Multi-hop V-to-I Communication Using Local Traffic Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kun-chan Lan

2012-08-01

Full Text Available Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET is an emerging technology that can be applied to safety, transport efficiency, or infotainment applications for roads and highways. However, due to its unique features, such as dynamic mobility patterns and uneven distributions of vehicles, VANET faces many challenging research issues for robust data dissemination in the network. Many routing protocols have been proposed for VANET in the past few years, and the idea of utilizing a navigation system to assist the routing protocol for selecting the next best forwarder has become increasingly popular. However, it might not be realistic to assume that every vehicle is equipped with a navigation system. In addition, due to privacy concerns, drivers might not want to reveal their planned routes to other cars. In this work, we propose a new routing protocol, called LOTIR (LOcal Traffic Information Routing, that relies on only local traffic information and does not require the assistance of a navigation system. LOTIR is a DTN-based routing protocol that utilizes the car-following theory and traffic light information to decide the next carrier to forward the data to. We implement LOTIR in NS-2, and our results show that it can achieve similar performance as prior work which depends on the availability of global network topology information.

Information Expensiveness Perceived by Vietnamese Patients with Respect to Healthcare Provider's Choice.

Science.gov (United States)

Quan-Hoang, Vuong

2016-10-01

Patients have to acquire information to support their decision on choosing a suitable healthcare provider. But in developing countries like Vietnam, accessibility issues remain an obstacle, thus adversely affect both quality and costliness of healthcare information. Vietnamese use both sources from health professionals and friends/relatives, especially when quality of the Internet-based cheaper sources appear to be still questionable. The search of information from both professionals and friends/relatives incurs some cost, which can be viewed as low or high depending low or high accessibility to the sources. These views potentially affect their choices. To investigate the effects that medical/health services information on perceived expensiveness of patients' labor costs. Two related objectives are a) establishing empirical relations between accessibility to sources and expensiveness; and, b) probabilistic trends of probabilities for perceived expensiveness. There is evidence for established relations among the variables "Convexp" and "Convrel" (all p's perceived expensiveness. a) Probabilistic trends show Vietnamese patients have propensity to value healthcare information highly and do not see it as "expensive"; b) The majority of Vietnamese households still take non-professional advices at their own risks; c) There is more for the public healthcare information system to do to reduce costliness and risk of information. The Internet-based health service users communities cannot replace this system.

Risk-informed local action planning against flooding: lessons learnt and way forward for a case study in Spain

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Castillo-Rodríguez J.T.

2016-01-01

Full Text Available After 29 years of the largest flood event in modern times (with the highest recorded rainfall rate at the Iberian Peninsula with 817 mm in 24 hours, the municipality of Oliva faces the challenge of mitigating flood risk through the development and implementation of a local action plan, in line with other existent and ongoing structural measures for flood risk reduction. Located 65 km from Valencia, on the South-Eastern coast of Spain, Oliva is affected by pluvial, river and coastal flooding and it is characterized by a complex and wide-ranging geography and high seasonal variation in population. A quantitative flood risk analysis has been performed to support the definition of flood risk management strategies. This paper shows how hazard, exposure and vulnerability analyses provide valuable information for the development of a local action plan against flooding, for example by identifying areas with highest societal and economic risk levels. It is concluded that flood risk management actions, such as flood warning and monitoring or evacuation, should not be applied homogenously at local scale, but instead actions should be adapted based on spatial clustering. Implications about the impact of education and training on flood risk reduction are also addressed and discusse

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...

Local measles vaccination gaps in Germany and the role of vaccination providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Eichner, Linda; Wjst, Stephanie; Brockmann, Stefan O; Wolfers, Kerstin; Eichner, Martin

2017-08-14

Measles elimination in Europe is an urgent public health goal, yet despite the efforts of its member states, vaccination gaps and outbreaks occur. This study explores local vaccination heterogeneity in kindergartens and municipalities of a German county. Data on children from mandatory school enrolment examinations in 2014/15 in Reutlingen county were used. Children with unknown vaccination status were either removed from the analysis (best case) or assumed to be unvaccinated (worst case). Vaccination data were translated into expected outbreak probabilities. Physicians and kindergartens with statistically outstanding numbers of under-vaccinated children were identified. A total of 170 (7.1%) of 2388 children did not provide a vaccination certificate; 88.3% (worst case) or 95.1% (best case) were vaccinated at least once against measles. Based on the worst case vaccination coverage, measles introduction lies between 39.5% (best case) and 73.0% (worst case). Four paediatricians were identified who accounted for 41 of 109 unvaccinated children and for 47 of 138 incomplete vaccinations; GPs showed significantly higher rates of missing vaccination certificates and unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children than paediatricians. Missing vaccination certificates pose a severe problem regarding the interpretability of vaccination data. Although the coverage for at least one measles vaccination is higher in the studied county than in most South German counties and higher than the European average, many severe and potentially dangerous vaccination gaps occur locally. If other federal German states and EU countries show similar vaccination variability, measles elimination may not succeed in Europe.

Tailoring Healthy Workplace Interventions to Local Healthcare Settings: A Complexity Theory-Informed Workplace of Well-Being Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Sarah L; Fleming, Lora E; Wyatt, Katrina M

2015-01-01

Many healthy workplace interventions have been developed for healthcare settings to address the consistently low scores of healthcare professionals on assessments of mental and physical well-being. Complex healthcare settings present challenges for the scale-up and spread of successful interventions from one setting to another. Despite general agreement regarding the importance of the local setting in affecting intervention success across different settings, there is no consensus on what it is about a local setting that needs to be taken into account to design healthy workplace interventions appropriate for different local settings. Complexity theory principles were used to understand a workplace as a complex adaptive system and to create a framework of eight domains (system characteristics) that affect the emergence of system-level behaviour. This Workplace of Well-being (WoW) framework is responsive and adaptive to local settings and allows a shared understanding of the enablers and barriers to behaviour change by capturing local information for each of the eight domains. We use the results of applying the WoW framework to one workplace, a UK National Health Service ward, to describe the utility of this approach in informing design of setting-appropriate healthy workplace interventions that create workplaces conducive to healthy behaviour change.

Tailoring Healthy Workplace Interventions to Local Healthcare Settings: A Complexity Theory-Informed Workplace of Well-Being Framework

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah L. Brand

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Many healthy workplace interventions have been developed for healthcare settings to address the consistently low scores of healthcare professionals on assessments of mental and physical well-being. Complex healthcare settings present challenges for the scale-up and spread of successful interventions from one setting to another. Despite general agreement regarding the importance of the local setting in affecting intervention success across different settings, there is no consensus on what it is about a local setting that needs to be taken into account to design healthy workplace interventions appropriate for different local settings. Complexity theory principles were used to understand a workplace as a complex adaptive system and to create a framework of eight domains (system characteristics that affect the emergence of system-level behaviour. This Workplace of Well-being (WoW framework is responsive and adaptive to local settings and allows a shared understanding of the enablers and barriers to behaviour change by capturing local information for each of the eight domains. We use the results of applying the WoW framework to one workplace, a UK National Health Service ward, to describe the utility of this approach in informing design of setting-appropriate healthy workplace interventions that create workplaces conducive to healthy behaviour change.

Tailoring Healthy Workplace Interventions to Local Healthcare Settings: A Complexity Theory-Informed Workplace of Well-Being Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Brand, Sarah L.; Fleming, Lora E.; Wyatt, Katrina M.

2015-01-01

Many healthy workplace interventions have been developed for healthcare settings to address the consistently low scores of healthcare professionals on assessments of mental and physical well-being. Complex healthcare settings present challenges for the scale-up and spread of successful interventions from one setting to another. Despite general agreement regarding the importance of the local setting in affecting intervention success across different settings, there is no consensus on what it is about a local setting that needs to be taken into account to design healthy workplace interventions appropriate for different local settings. Complexity theory principles were used to understand a workplace as a complex adaptive system and to create a framework of eight domains (system characteristics) that affect the emergence of system-level behaviour. This Workplace of Well-being (WoW) framework is responsive and adaptive to local settings and allows a shared understanding of the enablers and barriers to behaviour change by capturing local information for each of the eight domains. We use the results of applying the WoW framework to one workplace, a UK National Health Service ward, to describe the utility of this approach in informing design of setting-appropriate healthy workplace interventions that create workplaces conducive to healthy behaviour change. PMID:26380358

32 CFR 705.2 - Chief of Information and the Office of Information (CHINFO).

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... providing direct liaison with local and regional mass communications media. (1) The function of the NAVINFOs..., film, publishing, and other mass-media organizations including minority-group-oriented media. (ii) Seek ways through these media to inform the public about naval personnel and activities. (iii) Provide...

Energy-Efficient Collaborative Outdoor Localization for Participatory Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wendong Wang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Location information is a key element of participatory sensing. Many mobile and sensing applications require location information to provide better recommendations, object search and trip planning. However, continuous GPS positioning consumes much energy, which may drain the battery of mobile devices quickly. Although WiFi and cell tower positioning are alternatives, they provide lower accuracy compared to GPS. This paper solves the above problem by proposing a novel localization scheme through the collaboration of multiple mobile devices to reduce energy consumption and provide accurate positioning. Under our scheme, the mobile devices are divided into three groups, namely the broadcaster group, the location information receiver group and the normal participant group. Only the broadcaster group and the normal participant group use their GPS. The location information receiver group, on the other hand, makes use of the locations broadcast by the broadcaster group to estimate their locations. We formulate the broadcaster set selection problem and propose two novel algorithms to minimize the energy consumption in collaborative localization. Simulations with real traces show that our proposed solution can save up to 68% of the energy of all of the participants and provide more accurate locations than WiFi and cellular network positioning.

Japan's nuclear PA activity in local governments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujii, Nobuyuki

1995-01-01

This presentation emphasises some points of PA activities, based on the experience of 'cooperation projects for local governments'. Local governments distribute the public information directly to the residents. This is very important because officers of the local government can be the opinion leaders of the region. Local government exist very close to the residents, while the central government is a distant and faceless existence for the local people. It is believed that the local governments play an imperative role in PA activities. In other words, we must further utilize the organizations and functions of the local governments to implement PA activities. In conclusion, three recommendations are offered. Firstly, enough budget and authority should be given to the local governments as far as PA activities in their areas are concerned, and most of such activities should be entrusted to the local governments. Local governments should place more public relations officers, and continue the manpower development. Second, with regard to highly technical or specialized issues which a local governments cannot treat alone, related organizations like JAERO should support their PA activities. Third, such related organizations should also cooperate with local government including assistance in providing know-how, when their public information activities focus on educators, journalists, or the women. These three points should be given due consideration in our cooperation projects for the local governments, and JAERO is doing its best every day

Observability and Estimation of Distributed Space Systems via Local Information-Exchange Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Fathpour, Nanaz; Hadaegh, Fred Y.; Mesbahi, Mehran; Rahmani, Amirreza

2011-01-01

Spacecraft formation flying involves the coordination of states among multiple spacecraft through relative sensing, inter-spacecraft communication, and control. Most existing formation-flying estimation algorithms can only be supported via highly centralized, all-to-all, static relative sensing. New algorithms are proposed that are scalable, modular, and robust to variations in the topology and link characteristics of the formation exchange network. These distributed algorithms rely on a local information exchange network, relaxing the assumptions on existing algorithms. Distributed space systems rely on a signal transmission network among multiple spacecraft for their operation. Control and coordination among multiple spacecraft in a formation is facilitated via a network of relative sensing and interspacecraft communications. Guidance, navigation, and control rely on the sensing network. This network becomes more complex the more spacecraft are added, or as mission requirements become more complex. The observability of a formation state was observed by a set of local observations from a particular node in the formation. Formation observability can be parameterized in terms of the matrices appearing in the formation dynamics and observation matrices. An agreement protocol was used as a mechanism for observing formation states from local measurements. An agreement protocol is essentially an unforced dynamic system whose trajectory is governed by the interconnection geometry and initial condition of each node, with a goal of reaching a common value of interest. The observability of the interconnected system depends on the geometry of the network, as well as the position of the observer relative to the topology. For the first time, critical GN&C (guidance, navigation, and control estimation) subsystems are synthesized by bringing the contribution of the spacecraft information-exchange network to the forefront of algorithmic analysis and design. The result is a

Informed consent for phase I studies: evaluation of quantity and quality of information provided to patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Tomamichel, M; Sessa, C; Herzig, S; de Jong, J; Pagani, O; Willems, Y; Cavalli, F

1995-04-01

the patients. In 71% of the consultations the three dimensions of information scored more than 3 and balanced one another, indicating a successful consultation by the Meerwein model. The informed consent procedure applied was satisfactory from a quantitative point of view, and the main items of information were acceptable to the patients. Meerweins's model proved to be applicable and useful for identifying pitfalls in communication. Greater attention should be paid to the indirect messages and implied criticisms of the patients to improve their participation in decision making. Physicians should become more skillful in providing adequate information and improve their methods of communication.

Visitor centres at nuclear facility sites how are they organized: what information do they provide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sorin, F.

1993-01-01

A large proportion of visitors consists in school children. The centre receives an average of 12 000 visitors a year. It regularly advertises its services through information campaigns and sometimes pays for advertising. Not a target for anti-nuclear demonstrations, it may receive some support from local authorities. Designed for the lay public, the Centre gives out concise and condensed information relating in equal measure to the nuclear power plant to which it is attached and nuclear energy in general (mentioning other applications of nuclear power and other energy sources). The information given is a neutral account of the facts rather than arguments justifying and promoting the use of nuclear energy. These Visitor Centres can be considered as an essential element in educating public opinion about nuclear energy. Furthermore, beyond the nuclear debate properly so-called, these Visitor Centres, together with science and technology museums, constitute one of the first vehicles in the world for disseminating scientific and technical knowledge to the general public

Effect of providing risk information on undergoing cervical cancer screening: a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Fujiwara, Hiroyuki; Shimoda, Akihiro; Ishikawa, Yoshiki; Taneichi, Akiyo; Ohashi, Mai; Takahashi, Yoshifumi; Koyanagi, Takahiro; Morisawa, Hiroyuki; Takahashi, Suzuyo; Sato, Naoto; Machida, Shizuo; Takei, Yuji; Saga, Yasushi; Suzuki, Mitsuaki

2015-01-01

In Japan, the cervical cancer screening rate is extremely low. Towards improving the cervical cancer screening rate, encouraging eligible people to make an informed choice, which is a decision-making process that relies on beliefs informed by adequate information about the possible benefits and risks of screening, has attracted increased attention in the public health domain. However, there is concern that providing information on possible risks of screening might prevent deter from participating. In total, 1,912 women aged 20-39 years who had not participated in screening in the fiscal year were selected from a Japanese urban community setting. Participants were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group A received a printed reminder with information about the possible benefits of screening, group B received a printed reminder with information about possible benefits and risks, and group C received a printed reminder with simple information only (control group). Out of 1,912 participants, 169 (8.8%) participated in cervical cancer screening. In the intervention groups, 137 (10.9%) participated in cervical cancer screening, compared to only 32 (4.9%) of the control group (p < 0.001). In addition, logistic regression analysis revealed that there was no significant difference in screening rate between group A and group B (p = 0.372). Providing information on the possible risks of screening may not prevent people from taking part in cervical cancer screening among a Japanese non-adherent population.

Can Raters with Reduced Job Descriptive Information Provide Accurate Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) Ratings?

Science.gov (United States)

Friedman, Lee; Harvey, Robert J.

1986-01-01

Job-naive raters provided with job descriptive information made Position Analysis Questionnaire (PAQ) ratings which were validated against ratings of job analysts who were also job content experts. None of the reduced job descriptive information conditions enabled job-naive raters to obtain either acceptable levels of convergent validity with…

Networking CD-ROMs: The Decision Maker's Guide to Local Area Network Solutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Elshami, Ahmed M.

In an era when patrons want access to CD-ROM resources but few libraries can afford to buy multiple copies, CD-ROM local area networks (LANs) are emerging as a cost-effective way to provide shared access. To help librarians make informed decisions, this manual offers information on: (1) the basics of LANs, a "local area network primer";…

Availability and accessibility of evidence-based information resources provided by medical libraries in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchie, A; Sowter, B

2000-01-01

This article reports on the results of an exploratory survey of the availability and accessibility of evidence-based information resources provided by medical libraries in Australia. Although barriers impede access to evidence-based information for hospital clinicians, the survey revealed that Medline and Cinahl are available in over 90% of facilities. In most cases they are widely accessible via internal networks and the Internet. The Cochrane Library is available in 69% of cases. The Internet is widely accessible and most libraries provide access to some full-text, electronic journals. Strategies for overcoming restrictions and integrating information resources with clinical workflow are being pursued. State, regional and national public and private consortia are developing agreements utilising on-line technology. These could produce cost savings and more equitable access to a greater range of evidence-based resources.

Medicare Provider Data - Hospice Providers

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — The Hospice Utilization and Payment Public Use File provides information on services provided to Medicare beneficiaries by hospice providers. The Hospice PUF...

Greek Academic Librarians' Perceptions of the Impact of Google on Their Role as Information Providers

Science.gov (United States)

Garoufallou, Emmanouel; Balatsoukas, Panos; Siatri, Rania; Zafeiriou, Georgia; Asderi, S.; Ekizoglou; P.

2008-01-01

The increased popularity of Google search engine in the daily routine in one's workplace and in the academic information seeking process is undeniable. "Googling" challenges the traditional skills of librarians as information providers and the role of library and information service provision in the digital era. This paper reports on the…

Prediction of N2O emission from local information with Random Forest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Philibert, Aurore; Loyce, Chantal; Makowski, David

2013-01-01

Nitrous oxide is a potent greenhouse gas, with a global warming potential 298 times greater than that of CO 2 . In agricultural soils, N 2 O emissions are influenced by a large number of environmental characteristics and crop management techniques that are not systematically reported in experiments. Random Forest (RF) is a machine learning method that can handle missing data and ranks input variables on the basis of their importance. We aimed to predict N 2 O emission on the basis of local information, to rank environmental and crop management variables according to their influence on N 2 O emission, and to compare the performances of RF with several regression models. RF outperformed the regression models for predictive purposes, and this approach led to the identification of three important input variables: N fertilization, type of crop, and experiment duration. This method could be used in the future for prediction of N 2 O emissions from local information. -- Highlights: ► Random Forest gave more accurate N 2 O predictions than regression. ► Missing data were well handled by Random Forest. ► The most important factors were nitrogen rate, type of crop and experiment duration. -- Random Forest, a machine learning method, outperformed the regression models for predicting N 2 O emissions and led to the identification of three important input variables

Do Dogs Provide Information Helpfully?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Patrizia Piotti

Full Text Available Dogs are particularly skilful during communicative interactions with humans. Dogs' abilities to use human communicative cues in cooperative contexts outcompete those of other species, and might be the result of selection pressures during domestication. Dogs also produce signals to direct the attention of humans towards outside entities, a behaviour often referred to as showing behaviour. This showing behaviour in dogs is thought to be something dogs use intentionally and referentially. However, there is currently no evidence that dogs communicate helpfully, i.e. to inform an ignorant human about a target that is of interest to the human but not to the dog. Communicating with a helpful motive is particularly interesting because it might suggest that dogs understand the human's goals and need for information. In study 1, we assessed whether dogs would abandon an object that they find interesting in favour of an object useful for their human partner, a random novel distractor, or an empty container. Results showed that it was mainly self-interest that was driving the dogs' behaviour. The dogs mainly directed their behaviour towards the object they had an interest in, but dogs were more persistent when showing the object relevant to the human, suggesting that to some extent they took the humans interest into account. Another possibility is that dogs' behaviour was driven by an egocentric motivation to interact with novel targets and that the dogs' neophila might have masked their helpful tendencies. Therefore, in study 2 the dogs had initial access to both objects, and were expected to indicate only one (relevant or distractor. The human partner interacted with the dog using vocal communication in half of the trials, and remaining silent in the other half. Dogs from both experimental groups, i.e. indicating the relevant object or indicating the distractor, established joint attention with the human. However, the human's vocal communication and the

Do Dogs Provide Information Helpfully?

Science.gov (United States)

Piotti, Patrizia; Kaminski, Juliane

2016-01-01

Dogs are particularly skilful during communicative interactions with humans. Dogs' abilities to use human communicative cues in cooperative contexts outcompete those of other species, and might be the result of selection pressures during domestication. Dogs also produce signals to direct the attention of humans towards outside entities, a behaviour often referred to as showing behaviour. This showing behaviour in dogs is thought to be something dogs use intentionally and referentially. However, there is currently no evidence that dogs communicate helpfully, i.e. to inform an ignorant human about a target that is of interest to the human but not to the dog. Communicating with a helpful motive is particularly interesting because it might suggest that dogs understand the human's goals and need for information. In study 1, we assessed whether dogs would abandon an object that they find interesting in favour of an object useful for their human partner, a random novel distractor, or an empty container. Results showed that it was mainly self-interest that was driving the dogs' behaviour. The dogs mainly directed their behaviour towards the object they had an interest in, but dogs were more persistent when showing the object relevant to the human, suggesting that to some extent they took the humans interest into account. Another possibility is that dogs' behaviour was driven by an egocentric motivation to interact with novel targets and that the dogs' neophila might have masked their helpful tendencies. Therefore, in study 2 the dogs had initial access to both objects, and were expected to indicate only one (relevant or distractor). The human partner interacted with the dog using vocal communication in half of the trials, and remaining silent in the other half. Dogs from both experimental groups, i.e. indicating the relevant object or indicating the distractor, established joint attention with the human. However, the human's vocal communication and the presence of the

INFORMATIVE ADVERTISING: A MARKET INFORMATION PROVIDER OR A SEED OF MARKET POWER?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anzhelika G. GERASYMENKO

2012-07-01

Full Text Available This paper investigates the role of informative advertising in creation and augment of market power as well as the ability of an advertiser to maximize the value of its economic rent. Informative advertising is considered to be a merit good unlike a persuasive one that is mostly associated with a bad. But analysis of the advertisement breakdown in Ukraine shows that the share of price advertisements, which are the most beneficial for the public, is negligible today. Further still those advertisements are mostly situated in the sectors, where price competition is the least strong. Another kind of informative advertising – differentiating advertising – turns from an instrument of informing consumers into the vehicle of manipulation of consumer choice. Using the blind tests the author has compared the quality and the prices of the range of advertised goods and has found out a low level of correlation between the variables. That means that informative advertising serves a function of informing consumers inefficiently. At the same time phantom differentiation and misleading advertising proliferation as well as informative advertising concentration on experience and credible goods instead search ones testify to effective serving a function of maximizing advertiser welfare.

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.

Information filtering in sparse online systems: recommendation via semi-local diffusion.

Science.gov (United States)

Zeng, Wei; Zeng, An; Shang, Ming-Sheng; Zhang, Yi-Cheng

2013-01-01

With the rapid growth of the Internet and overwhelming amount of information and choices that people are confronted with, recommender systems have been developed to effectively support users' decision-making process in the online systems. However, many recommendation algorithms suffer from the data sparsity problem, i.e. the user-object bipartite networks are so sparse that algorithms cannot accurately recommend objects for users. This data sparsity problem makes many well-known recommendation algorithms perform poorly. To solve the problem, we propose a recommendation algorithm based on the semi-local diffusion process on the user-object bipartite network. The simulation results on two sparse datasets, Amazon and Bookcross, show that our method significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art methods especially for those small-degree users. Two personalized semi-local diffusion methods are proposed which further improve the recommendation accuracy. Finally, our work indicates that sparse online systems are essentially different from the dense online systems, so it is necessary to reexamine former algorithms and conclusions based on dense data in sparse systems.

Maternal Healthcare Providers in Uttar Pradesh, India: How to Position Informal Practitioners within the System?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chesta Sharma

2014-12-01

Full Text Available To understand the knowledge and services of informal providers and to explore their role in addressing the human resource gap in Uttar Pradesh, India, within the context of maternal health.The study is exploratory in nature, conducted in four blocks of four districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 114 informal providers.More than one-third (38% providers have some formal education and unrecognized degrees. Approximately three-fourths (74% of them have more than 5 years of work experience. They also provide delivery and in-patient services and have basic equipment available. However, they lack essential knowledge about maternal health. They have mixed opinion about their contribution towards maternal health but the only ones available. Therefore, despite lacking requisite knowledge, training and services, they become indispensable due to lack of emergency and timely public health services, and being the only ones existing in the community.Informal sector practitioners are a critical link in reaching out to population for health services in developing countries. As opposed to the general notion, they possess years of formal education, experience, informal trainings along with trust of communities. Thus, it becomes important to accept their presence and manage them to the best of their abilities even for specialized care like maternal health.

34 CFR 86.302 - What are the procedures used by the Secretary for providing information or technical assistance?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... providing information or technical assistance? 86.302 Section 86.302 Education Office of the Secretary... information or technical assistance? (a) The Secretary provides information or technical assistance to an IHE in writing, through site visits, or by other means. (b) The IHE shall inform the Secretary of any...

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 ...

Entrepreneurship, Information, and Growth

Science.gov (United States)

Bunten, Devin; Weiler, Stephan; Weiler, Stephan; Zahran, Sammy

2016-01-01

We examine the contribution to economic growth of entrepreneurial “marketplace information” within a regional endogenous growth framework. Entrepreneurs are posited to provide an input to economic growth through the information revealed by their successes and failures. We empirically identify this information source with the regional variation in establishment births and deaths, which create geographic information asymmetries that influence subsequent entrepreneurial activity and economic growth. We find that local establishment birth and death rates are significantly and positively correlated with subsequent entrepreneurship for US counties. To account for the potential endogeneity caused by forward-looking entrepreneurs, we utilize instruments based on historic mining activity. We find that the information spillover component of local establishment birth and death rates have significant positive effects on subsequent entrepreneurship and employment growth for US counties and metropolitan areas. With the help of these intruments, we show that establishment births have a positive and significant effect on future employment growth within all counties, and that in line with the information hypothesis, local establishment death rates have a similar positive effect within metropolitan counties. PMID:27516625

Accounting for results: how conservation organizations report performance information.

Science.gov (United States)

Rissman, Adena R; Smail, Robert

2015-04-01

Environmental program performance information is in high demand, but little research suggests why conservation organizations differ in reporting performance information. We compared performance measurement and reporting by four private-land conservation organizations: Partners for Fish and Wildlife in the US Fish and Wildlife Service (national government), Forest Stewardship Council-US (national nonprofit organization), Land and Water Conservation Departments (local government), and land trusts (local nonprofit organization). We asked: (1) How did the pattern of performance reporting relationships vary across organizations? (2) Was political conflict among organizations' principals associated with greater performance information? and (3) Did performance information provide evidence of program effectiveness? Based on our typology of performance information, we found that most organizations reported output measures such as land area or number of contracts, some reported outcome indicators such as adherence to performance standards, but few modeled or measured environmental effects. Local government Land and Water Conservation Departments reported the most types of performance information, while local land trusts reported the fewest. The case studies suggest that governance networks influence the pattern and type of performance reporting, that goal conflict among principles is associated with greater performance information, and that performance information provides unreliable causal evidence of program effectiveness. Challenging simple prescriptions to generate more data as evidence, this analysis suggests (1) complex institutional and political contexts for environmental program performance and (2) the need to supplement performance measures with in-depth evaluations that can provide causal inferences about program effectiveness.

Tapping into community wisdom and integrating local knowledge into revitalization efforts

Science.gov (United States)

Local decision-making is sometimes considered a puzzle by research ecologists, resource managers, and policy researchers. The eternal hope is to find that model or concept that provides the “right” information to support local environmental decisions. Researchers have...

Considerations for Providing Etymological Information in the Advanced Ndebele Dictionary

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Langa Khumalo

2011-10-01

Full Text Available

Abstract: This article discusses the presentation of etymological information in the prospective Advanced Ndebele Dictionary (henceforth the AND which is still in its planning stage. The AND will be a successor to Isichazamazwi SesiNdebele (henceforth the ISN, a medium-sized, general-purpose, monolingual Ndebele dictionary published in 2001. The AND will not just be larger than the ISN, but will be more advanced with regard to the depth and scope of its lexical items and definitions. Whereas the ISN was based on a corpus size of about a million running words, the AND is envisaged to have as basis a corpus size of about five million. To this end, corpus expansion is an ongoing process. Again, unlike its forerunner, the AND will provide additional grammatical information for ach lexical item, including phonetic transcription, tone marking and etymology. It is the inclusion of etymological information in the AND that is critically examined in this article. There is a long tradition of providing etymological information in modern dictionaries from Oxford's New English Dictionary to ALRI's Duramazwi Guru reChiShona.

Keywords: ETYMOLOGY, ADVANCED NDEBELE DICTIONARY, CULTURE, HERITAGE, LANGUAGE CONTACT

Opsomming: Oorwegings vir die verskaffing van etimologiese inligting in die Gevorderde Ndebelewoordeboek. Hierdie artikel bespreek die aanbieding van etimo-logiese inligting in die toekomstige Gevorderde Ndebelewoordeboek (voortaan die GNW wat nog in sy beplanningstadium is. Die GNW sal 'n opvolger wees van die Isichazamazwi SesiNdebele (voortaan die ISN, 'n middelgroot, meerdoelige, eentalige Ndebelewoordeboek wat in 2001 gepubliseer is. Die GNW sal nie net groter as die ISN wees nie, maar sal meer gevorderd wees wat betref die diepte en omvang van sy leksikale items en definisies. Waar die ISN gebaseer was op 'n korpus-grootte van ongeveer 'n miljoen woordoptekeninge, word voorsien dat die GNW 'n korpusgrootte van ongeveer vyf miljoen as

Influence of neighbourhood information on 'Local Climate Zone' mapping in heterogeneous cities

Science.gov (United States)

Verdonck, Marie-Leen; Okujeni, Akpona; van der Linden, Sebastian; Demuzere, Matthias; De Wulf, Robert; Van Coillie, Frieke

2017-10-01

Local climate zone (LCZ) mapping is an emerging field in urban climate research. LCZs potentially provide an objective framework to assess urban form and function worldwide. The scheme is currently being used to globally map LCZs as a part of the World Urban Database and Access Portal Tools (WUDAPT) initiative. So far, most of the LCZ maps lack proper quantitative assessment, challenging the generic character of the WUDAPT workflow. Using the standard method introduced by the WUDAPT community difficulties arose concerning the built zones due to high levels of heterogeneity. To overcome this problem a contextual classifier is adopted in the mapping process. This paper quantitatively assesses the influence of neighbourhood information on the LCZ mapping result of three cities in Belgium: Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent. Overall accuracies for the maps were respectively 85.7 ± 0.5, 79.6 ± 0.9, 90.2 ± 0.4%. The approach presented here results in overall accuracies of 93.6 ± 0.2, 92.6 ± 0.3 and 95.6 ± 0.3% for Antwerp, Brussels and Ghent. The results thus indicate a positive influence of neighbourhood information for all study areas with an increase in overall accuracies of 7.9, 13.0 and 5.4%. This paper reaches two main conclusions. Firstly, evidence was introduced on the relevance of a quantitative accuracy assessment in LCZ mapping, showing that the accuracies reported in previous papers are not easily achieved. Secondly, the method presented in this paper proves to be highly effective in Belgian cities, and given its open character shows promise for application in other heterogeneous cities worldwide.

Linking local retention, self-recruitment, and persistence in marine metapopulations

KAUST Repository

Lett, Christophe

2015-08-01

Three indices of larval retention have been used in the literature to assess the tendency for self-maintenance of local marine populations: local retention (LR), self-recruitment (SR), and relative local retention (RLR). Only one of these, LR, defined as the ratio of locally produced settlement to local egg production, has a clear relationship to self-persistence of individual sites. However, SR, the ratio of locally produced settlement to settlement of all origins at a site, is generally easier to measure experimentally. We use theoretical, simulation, and empirical approaches to bridge the gap between these different indices, and demonstrate that there is a proportional relationship between SR and LR for metapopulations close to a stable state and with lifetime egg production (LEP) approximately uniform over space. Similarly, for systems where larval mortality rates are a relatively uniform function of release site, RLR (defined as the ratio of locally produced settlement to all settlement of local origin) and LR will also be proportional. Therefore, SR and RLR provide information on relative rates of LR for systems satisfying these conditions. Furthermore, the ratio between LR and SR can be used to evaluate global persistence of metapopulations, and therefore provides valuable information not necessarily available if only LR is considered.

Local linear viscoelasticity of confined fluids.

Science.gov (United States)

Hansen, J S; Daivis, P J; Todd, B D

2007-04-14

In this paper the authors propose a novel method to study the local linear viscoelasticity of fluids confined between two walls. The method is based on the linear constitutive equation and provides details about the real and imaginary parts of the local complex viscosity. They apply the method to a simple atomic fluid undergoing zero mean oscillatory flow using nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The method shows that the viscoelastic properties of the fluid exhibit dramatic spatial changes near the wall-fluid boundary due to the high density in this region. It is also shown that the real part of the viscosity converges to the frequency dependent local shear viscosity sufficiently far away from the wall. This also provides valuable information about the transport properties in the fluid, in general. The viscosity is compared with predictions from the local average density model. The two methods disagree in that the local average density model predicts larger viscosity variations near the wall-fluid boundary than what is observed through the method presented here.

Activity assays and immunoassays for plasma Renin and prorenin: information provided and precautions necessary for accurate measurement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Campbell, Duncan J; Nussberger, Juerg; Stowasser, Michael

2009-01-01

into focus the differences in information provided by activity assays and immunoassays for renin and prorenin measurement and has drawn attention to the need for precautions to ensure their accurate measurement. CONTENT: Renin activity assays and immunoassays provide related but different information...... provided by these assays and of the precautions necessary to ensure their accuracy....

Magpies can use local cues to retrieve their food caches.

Science.gov (United States)

Feenders, Gesa; Smulders, Tom V

2011-03-01

Much importance has been placed on the use of spatial cues by food-hoarding birds in the retrieval of their caches. In this study, we investigate whether food-hoarding birds can be trained to use local cues ("beacons") in their cache retrieval. We test magpies (Pica pica) in an active hoarding-retrieval paradigm, where local cues are always reliable, while spatial cues are not. Our results show that the birds use the local cues to retrieve their caches, even when occasionally contradicting spatial information is available. The design of our study does not allow us to test rigorously whether the birds prefer using local over spatial cues, nor to investigate the process through which they learn to use local cues. We furthermore provide evidence that magpies develop landmark preferences, which improve their retrieval accuracy. Our findings support the hypothesis that birds are flexible in their use of memory information, using a combination of the most reliable or salient information to retrieve their caches. © Springer-Verlag 2010

Do Dogs Provide Information Helpfully?

Science.gov (United States)

Piotti, Patrizia; Kaminski, Juliane

2016-01-01

Dogs are particularly skilful during communicative interactions with humans. Dogs’ abilities to use human communicative cues in cooperative contexts outcompete those of other species, and might be the result of selection pressures during domestication. Dogs also produce signals to direct the attention of humans towards outside entities, a behaviour often referred to as showing behaviour. This showing behaviour in dogs is thought to be something dogs use intentionally and referentially. However, there is currently no evidence that dogs communicate helpfully, i.e. to inform an ignorant human about a target that is of interest to the human but not to the dog. Communicating with a helpful motive is particularly interesting because it might suggest that dogs understand the human’s goals and need for information. In study 1, we assessed whether dogs would abandon an object that they find interesting in favour of an object useful for their human partner, a random novel distractor, or an empty container. Results showed that it was mainly self-interest that was driving the dogs’ behaviour. The dogs mainly directed their behaviour towards the object they had an interest in, but dogs were more persistent when showing the object relevant to the human, suggesting that to some extent they took the humans interest into account. Another possibility is that dogs’ behaviour was driven by an egocentric motivation to interact with novel targets and that the dogs’ neophila might have masked their helpful tendencies. Therefore, in study 2 the dogs had initial access to both objects, and were expected to indicate only one (relevant or distractor). The human partner interacted with the dog using vocal communication in half of the trials, and remaining silent in the other half. Dogs from both experimental groups, i.e. indicating the relevant object or indicating the distractor, established joint attention with the human. However, the human’s vocal communication and the presence

Health Equity Impacts of Medical Tourism in the Caribbean: The Need to Provide Actionable Guidance Regarding Balancing Local and Foreign Interests

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L Hoffman

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Medical tourism is a practice where individuals cross international borders with the intention of privately purchasing healthcare. Caribbean countries are increasingly entering into the medical tourism market, which presents both opportunities and dangers. Our previous fieldwork shows that medical tourism requires host countries to balance the interests of private developers and domestic actors, including those accessing healthcare locally. Discussions with stakeholders in Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Barbados and St Lucia demonstrate concrete instances of this problem. Firstly, medical tourism can enhance training and employment opportunities for domestic health-workers. In doing so, it may exacerbate the inequitable distribution of these workers between the public and private sectors. Secondly, the expansion of private medical services can provide locals with more care options. These facilities may also crowd out existing local operators and price out local consumers. Thirdly, medical tourism is hailed as potentially cross-subsidizing and strengthening the local public health system. It may also heighten health inequities and distract local attention from the needs of the public health sector. Caribbean stakeholders are aware of the promise and dangers of medical tourism. However, they lack clear advice from medical tourism researchers about how to navigate these issues, and specifically balancing local and foreign interests. We call on researchers to shift focus from highlighting the theoretical problems associated with medical tourism to providing concrete guidance to stakeholders in a position to decide whether or not to pursue medical tourism development and to shape this development when it takes place.

An Intelligent Virtual Human System For Providing Healthcare Information And Support

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

healthcare system, and also to other SMs and Veterans by way of a variety of social networking tools (e.g., 2nd Life, Facebook, etc.). The user can progress... CyberPsychology and Behavior 8, 3 (2005), 187-211. [2] T. Parsons & A.A. Rizzo, Affective Outcomes of Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy for Anxiety...VH System for Providing Healthcare Information and Support508 [4] G. Riva, Virtual Reality in Psychotherapy: Review, CyberPsychology and Behavior 8

Hepatitis A Virus: Essential Knowledge and a Novel Identify-Isolate-Inform Tool for Frontline Healthcare Providers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kristi L. Koenig

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Infection with hepatitis A virus (HAV causes a highly contagious illness that can lead to serious morbidity and occasional mortality. Although the overall incidence of HAV has been declining since the introduction of the HAV vaccine, there have been an increasing number of outbreaks within the United States and elsewhere between 2016 and 2017. These outbreaks have had far-reaching consequences, with a large number of patients requiring hospitalization and several deaths. Accordingly, HAV is proving to present a renewed public health challenge. Through use of the “Identify-Isolate-Inform” tool as adapted for HAV, emergency physicians can become more familiar with the identification and management of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED with exposure, infection, or risk of contracting disease. While it can be asymptomatic, HAV typically presents with a prodrome of fever, nausea/vomiting, and abdominal pain followed by jaundice. Healthcare providers should maintain strict standard precautions for all patients suspected of having HAV infection as well as contact precautions in special cases. Hand hygiene with soap and warm water should be emphasized, and affected patients should be counseled to avoid food preparation and close contact with vulnerable populations. Additionally, ED providers should offer post-exposure prophylaxis to exposed contacts and encourage vaccination as well as other preventive measures for at-risk individuals. ED personnel should inform local public health departments of any suspected case.

Moessbauer spectroscopy of locally inhomogeneous systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rusakov, V. S.; Kadyrzhanov, K. K.

2004-01-01

Substances with characteristic local inhomogeneities - with different from position to position neighborhood and properties of like atoms - gain recently increased scientific attention and wide practical application. We would call a system locally inhomogeneous if atoms in the system are in non-equivalent atomic locations and reveal different properties. Such systems are, first of all, variable composition phases, amorphous, multi-phase, admixture, defect and other systems. LIS are most convenient model objects for studies of structure, charge, and spin atomic states, interatomic interactions, relations between matter properties and its local characteristics as well as for studies of diffusion kinetics, phase formation, crystallization and atomic ordering; all that explains considerable scientific interest in such LIS. Such systems find their practical application due to wide spectrum of useful, and sometimes unique, properties that can be controlled varying character and degree of local inhomogeneity. Moessbauer spectroscopy is one of the most effective methods for investigation of LIS. Local character of obtained information combined with information on cooperative phenomena makes it possible to run investigations impossible for other methods. Moessbauer spectroscopy may provide with abundant information on peculiarities of macro- and microscopic state of matter including that for materials without regular structure. At the same time, analysis, processing and interpretation of Moessbauer spectra for LIS (that are sets of a large amount of partial spectra) face considerable difficulties. Development of computer technique is accompanied with development of mathematical methods used for obtaining physical information from experimental data. The methods make it possible to improve considerably, with some available a priori information, effectiveness of the research. Utilization of up-to-date mathematical methods in Moessbauer spectroscopy requires not only adaptation

25 CFR 115.803 - What information will be provided in a statement of performance?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What information will be provided in a statement of performance? 115.803 Section 115.803 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FINANCIAL... provided in a statement of performance? The statement of performance will identify the source, type, and...

Citizen’s Voice on Local Cybermedia Balebengong

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cendera Rizky Anugrah Bangun

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The development of technology has played a big role to citizen journalism. Balebengong is an example of Local cyber citizen journalism media. The purpose of this research was to understand how the practices of the public sphere in the local cyber media Balebengong. The used theories in this research were citizen journalism and the public sphere. With interpretive paradigm and qualitative method, this research used interview and online data. The object of research was local cyber media Balebengong and key informant who were the contributor and editor of Balebengong. The implications of this research were expected to provide inputs for traditional media in providing more public space portion citizen journalism or more so that the public could also participate in the nation. The result of this research is Balebengong has provided enough public spheres for the members of its society to contribute to it.  

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

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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.

Multi-information fusion sparse coding with preserving local structure for hyperspectral image classification

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Xiaohui; Zhu, Wen; Liao, Bo; Gu, Changlong; Li, Weibiao

2017-10-01

The key question of sparse coding (SC) is how to exploit the information that already exists to acquire the robust sparse representations (SRs) of distinguishing different objects for hyperspectral image (HSI) classification. We propose a multi-information fusion SC framework, which fuses the spectral, spatial, and label information in the same level, to solve the above question. In particular, pixels from disjointed spatial clusters, which are obtained by cutting the given HSI in space, are individually and sparsely encoded. Then, due to the importance of spatial structure, graph- and hypergraph-based regularizers are enforced to motivate the obtained representations smoothness and to preserve the local consistency for each spatial cluster. The latter simultaneously considers the spectrum, spatial, and label information of multiple pixels that have a great probability with the same label. Finally, a linear support vector machine is selected as the final classifier with the learned SRs as input. Experiments conducted on three frequently used real HSIs show that our methods can achieve satisfactory results compared with other state-of-the-art methods.

The information published by local governments. The websites of Catalonia’s municipal governments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M Corcoy Rius

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Introduction. The information issued by government institutions must be complete and intelligible so that citizens are able to exercise their right to participation based on informed decisions and the media professionals can use consider these institutions as reliable sources of information. This article presents the results of the development and application of a method to evaluate the information offered by the websites of the municipal governments of Catalonia in order to encourage policymakers to introduce improvements to these platforms. Methods. The sample of study includes the institutional websites run by the government of 947 municipalities of Catalonia. The evaluation is based on 41 purpose-created indicators. Results. The results have been represented on an online geographical mapping tool, titled Map of Good Practices in Local Public Communication, which offers individual and general results and statistics. Conclusions. The publication of results has quickly led to improvements in the sample of websites under analysis, which has led the research team to apply the same evaluation method to the websites of the municipal governments of other five Spanish autonomous communities.

Polylysine as a vehicle for extracellular matrix-targeted local drug delivery, providing high accumulation and long-term retention within the vascular wall

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sakharov, D.V.; Jie, A.F.H.; Bekkers, M.E.A.; Emeis, J.J.; Rijken, D.C.

2001-01-01

We present the first steps in the elaboration of an approach of extracellular matrix-targeted local drug delivery (ECM-LDD), designed to provide a high concentration, ubiquitous distribution, and long-term retention of a drug within the vessel wall after local intravascular delivery. The approach is

42 CFR 51.46 - Disclosing information obtained from a provider of mental health services.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... mental health services. 51.46 Section 51.46 Public Health PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND... a provider of mental health services. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, if a... of mental health services, it may not disclose information from such records to the individual who is...

Training NOAA Staff on Effective Communication Methods with Local Climate Users

Science.gov (United States)

Timofeyeva, M. M.; Mayes, B.

2011-12-01

Since 2002 NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) Climate Services Division (CSD) offered training opportunities to NWS staff. As a result of eight-year-long development of the training program, NWS offers three training courses and about 25 online distance learning modules covering various climate topics: climate data and observations, climate variability and change, NWS national and local climate products, their tools, skill, and interpretation. Leveraging climate information and expertise available at all NOAA line offices and partners allows delivery of the most advanced knowledge and is a very critical aspect of the training program. NWS challenges in providing local climate services includes effective communication techniques on provide highly technical scientific information to local users. Addressing this challenge requires well trained, climate-literate workforce at local level capable of communicating the NOAA climate products and services as well as provide climate-sensitive decision support. Trained NWS climate service personnel use proactive and reactive approaches and professional education methods in communicating climate variability and change information to local users. Both scientifically-unimpaired messages and amiable communication techniques such as story telling approach are important in developing an engaged dialog between the climate service providers and users. Several pilot projects NWS CSD conducted in the past year applied the NWS climate services training program to training events for NOAA technical user groups. The technical user groups included natural resources managers, engineers, hydrologists, and planners for transportation infrastructure. Training of professional user groups required tailoring the instructions to the potential applications of each group of users. Training technical user identified the following critical issues: (1) Knowledge of target audience expectations, initial knowledge status, and potential use of climate

Computerized analysis of isometric tension studies provides important additional information about vasomotor activity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vincent M.B.

1997-01-01

Full Text Available Concentration-response curves of isometric tension studies on isolated blood vessels are obtained traditionally. Although parameters such as Imax, EC50 and pA2 may be readily calculated, this method does not provide information on the temporal profile of the responses or the actual nature of the reaction curves. Computerized data acquisition systems can be used to obtain average data that represent a new source of otherwise inaccessible information, since early and late responses may be observed separately in detail

Visual Localization by Place Recognition Based on Multifeature (D-λLBP++HOG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yongliang Qiao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Visual localization is widely used in the autonomous navigation system and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS. This paper presents a visual localization method based on multifeature fusion and disparity information using stereo images. We integrate disparity information into complete center-symmetric local binary patterns (CSLBP to obtain a robust global image description (D-CSLBP. In order to represent the scene in depth, multifeature fusion of D-CSLBP and HOG features provides valuable information and permits decreasing the effect of some typical problems in place recognition such as perceptual aliasing. It improves visual recognition performance by taking advantage of depth, texture, and shape information. In addition, for real-time visual localization, local sensitive hashing method (LSH was used to compress the high-dimensional multifeature into binary vectors. It can thus speed up the process of image matching. To show its effectiveness, the proposed method is tested and evaluated using real datasets acquired in outdoor environments. Given the obtained results, our approach allows more effective visual localization compared with the state-of-the-art method FAB-MAP.

Improving maternal and neonatal departments in high and low resource settings: the opinion of local health providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Trevisanuto, Daniele; Bavuusuren, Bayasgalantai; Wickramasinghe, Chandani S; Dharmaratne, Saminda M; Doglioni, Nicoletta; Giordan, Alessia; Zanardo, Vincenzo; Carlo, Waldemar A

2011-10-01

We compared local health caregivers' opinions regarding the priority areas for improving the maternal and neonatal departments in low and high resource countries. Personnel involved in maternal and neonatal care operating in level III, teaching hospitals in four countries (Sri Lanka, Mongolia, USA, and Italy) were asked to fill out an anonymous, written questionnaire. The questionnaire was completed by 1112 out of 1265 (87.9%) participants. "Personnel's education" was classified as the first most important intervention by health providers working in high (49.0%) as well as in low (29.9%) resource countries, respectively. Improvement in salary, equipment, internet access, and organizational protocols were considered as the most important interventions by a significantly larger percentage of personnel from low resource countries in comparison with those from high resource countries. Health providers from high resource countries considered organizational aspects (to define specific roles and responsibilities) as a priority more frequently than their colleagues from low resource countries. Although education of personnel was valued as the highest priority for improving maternal and neonatal departments there are substantial differences in priorities associated with the working setting. Local caregivers' opinion may contribute to better design interventions in settings with high or limited resources.

Pharmacy staff perceptions and self-reported behaviors related to providing contraceptive information and counseling.

Science.gov (United States)

Batra, Peter; Aquilino, Mary L; Farris, Karen B

2015-01-01

To evaluate pharmacy staff perspectives of a 2-year pharmacy intervention aimed at reducing unintended pregnancy in 18- to 30-year-old women. Pharmacy staff completed a 48-item, self-administered paper survey consisting of scaled and open-ended questions. 55 community pharmacies in 12 Iowa counties. All pharmacy staff participated, including pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and other pharmacy employees. Online continuing education (CE) training was made available to all pharmacy staff. Promotional materials including posters, brochures, and shelf talkers were displayed in all of the pharmacies. Pharmacy staff perceptions and self-reported behaviors related to displaying posters, brochures, and shelf talkers in their pharmacies and providing contraceptive information and counseling to patients/customers. A total of 192 (43% return rate) pharmacy staff responded. Only 44% of respondents consistently provided contraceptive information and counseling, yet more than 90% felt that talking with patients/customers about contraceptives was easy, and more than 50% could do so privately. The study showed increased pharmacy staff desire to make this topic a priority. Community pharmacy staff can play a key role in educating and counseling young adult women about contraceptive health and pregnancy planning. This study indicates that staff are comfortable providing this service and that patients/customers are open to receiving guidance from pharmacists. However, pharmacy staff are missing additional opportunities to provide information and counseling. There is also a need for greater attention to provision of nonprescription contraceptive education.

Harnessing information technology to improve women's health information: evidence from Pakistan.

Science.gov (United States)

Zakar, Rubeena; Zakar, Muhammad Z; Qureshi, Shazia; Fischer, Florian

2014-09-04

More than half of Pakistani women are illiterate, marginalized, and experience myriad health problems. These women are also disadvantaged in terms of their restricted mobility and limited access to public space. Nonetheless, user-friendly information and communication technologies (ICTs) have opened up new opportunities to provide them with information that is essential for their health and well-being. We established an Information and Communication Centre (ICC) in a village in Sialkot (Pakistan) on a pilot basis in 2009. The basic philosophy of the ICC was to provide women with health-related information by exposing them to modern sources of information on their doorstep. By design, the ICC was a community-based and community-managed institution where women could access information through online (e.g., internet, mobile phone etc.) and offline (e.g., CDs, TV etc.) resources. The ICC was managed by a group of local volunteer women who had the capacity and skills to use the devices and tools of modern ICTs. We noted an overwhelming participation and interest from local women in the activities of the ICC. The women wanted to receive information on a wide range of issues, from family planning, antenatal care, and childcare to garbage disposal and prevention of domestic violence. Overall, the ICC was successful in initiating a meaningful "information dialogue" at community level, where much-needed information was retrieved, negotiated, mediated, and disseminated through intimate and trusted relations. We conclude that ICTs have the capacity to cross the barriers of illiteracy and can reach out to disadvantaged women living under a conservative patriarchal regime.

The ANCLI White Paper on Local Governance of Nuclear Sites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delalonde, Jean-Claude; Demet, Michel; Gadbois, Serge; Heriard Dubreuil, Gilles

2006-01-01

The 1981 circular, 'Information Commissions attached to Power Stations', was an important regulatory step, which enabled local communities to come together to discuss nuclear issues with the site operators and official inspectorates. However the Local Information Commissions (CLI), have encountered numerous obstacles, both practical and legislative, in fulfilling their role as information providers and, particularly, as monitors. It is now acknowledged in France both by members of commissions at local level and by public authorities that CLI would benefit from a more statutory role in the decision-making process as well as from a specific legal statute associated with independent resources. The forthcoming Nuclear Safety and Transparency Bill should establish a new legal and institutional framework for local commissions. The National Association of CLI (ANCLI) gathers and represents the CLI at national level. In Spring 2005, in the perspective of the Nuclear Safety and Transparency bill, the ANCLI initiated a participatory process involving about 30 delegates from a dozen CLI (elected representatives, NGOs, local experts) in order to raise a common expertise and make recommendations on this new legal statute, on the basis of their own return of experience. The White Paper is structured around four main subject areas: Structure and status of CLIs, local powers; - Role of CLIs and ANCLI in the national and international decision-making process; Local communities' access to specialist expertise; and Waste management. The CLIs reaffirm their local powers and ability to best assure the continued monitoring of nuclear sites and any other nuclear issues in their area. In particular, this local authority allows them to balance different risks as well as political and economic decisions which have a bearing on their region's future. It implies a certain autonomy on the part of CLIs in the exercise of their scrutiny functions, evaluating all the factors impacting both on the

The Drupal Environmental Information Management System Provides Standardization, Flexibility and a Platform for Collaboration

Science.gov (United States)

Gries, C.; Vanderbilt, K.; Reid, D.; Melendez-Colom, E.; San Gil, I.

2013-12-01

Over the last five years several Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) sites have collaboratively developed a standardized yet flexible approach to ecological information management based on the open source Drupal content management system. These LTER sites adopted a common data model for basic metadata necessary to describe data sets, but also used for site management and web presence. Drupal core functionality provides web forms for easy management of information stored in this data model. Custom Drupal extensions were developed to generate XML files conforming to the Ecological Metadata Language (EML) for contribution to the LTER Network Information System (NIS) and other data archives. Each LTER site then took advantage of the flexibility Drupal provides to develop its unique web presence, choosing different themes and adding additional content to the websites. By nature, information presented is highly interlinked which can easily be modeled in Drupal entities and is further supported by a sophisticated tagging system (Fig. 1). Therefore, it is possible to provide the visitor with many different entry points to the site specific information presented. For example, publications and datasets may be grouped for each scientist, for each research project, for each major research theme at the site, making the information presented more accessible for different visitors. Experience gained during the early years was recently used to launch a complete re-write for upgrading to Drupal 7. LTER sites from multiple academic institutions pooled resources in order to partner with professional Drupal developers. Highlights of the new developments are streamlined data entry, improved EML output and integrity, support of IM workflows, a faceted data set search, a highly configurable data exploration tool with intelligent filtering and data download, and, for the mobile age, a responsive web design theme. Seven custom modules and a specific installation profile were developed

Health Information Needs of Men

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, Mark; Robertson, Steve

2014-01-01

Objective: To understand the views of men and service providers concerning the health information needs of men. Design: A men's health programme was implemented aimed at developing new health information resources designed for use by local organizations with men in socially disadvantaged groups. Research was carried out at the scoping stage to…

Towards the prediction of essential genes by integration of network topology, cellular localization and biological process information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lemke Ney

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The identification of essential genes is important for the understanding of the minimal requirements for cellular life and for practical purposes, such as drug design. However, the experimental techniques for essential genes discovery are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Considering these experimental constraints, a computational approach capable of accurately predicting essential genes would be of great value. We therefore present here a machine learning-based computational approach relying on network topological features, cellular localization and biological process information for prediction of essential genes. Results We constructed a decision tree-based meta-classifier and trained it on datasets with individual and grouped attributes-network topological features, cellular compartments and biological processes-to generate various predictors of essential genes. We showed that the predictors with better performances are those generated by datasets with integrated attributes. Using the predictor with all attributes, i.e., network topological features, cellular compartments and biological processes, we obtained the best predictor of essential genes that was then used to classify yeast genes with unknown essentiality status. Finally, we generated decision trees by training the J48 algorithm on datasets with all network topological features, cellular localization and biological process information to discover cellular rules for essentiality. We found that the number of protein physical interactions, the nuclear localization of proteins and the number of regulating transcription factors are the most important factors determining gene essentiality. Conclusion We were able to demonstrate that network topological features, cellular localization and biological process information are reliable predictors of essential genes. Moreover, by constructing decision trees based on these data, we could discover cellular rules governing

41 CFR 102-84.15 - Why must I provide information for the Annual Real Property Inventory?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

...; and (2) Establish information systems, implement inventory controls and conduct surveys, in accordance... information for the Annual Real Property Inventory? 102-84.15 Section 102-84.15 Public Contracts and Property... PROPERTY 84-ANNUAL REAL PROPERTY INVENTORIES § 102-84.15 Why must I provide information for the Annual Real...

Identificação dos desafios do Arranjo Produtivo Local de Tecnologia da Informação de Fortaleza-CE [Identification of the Challenges to the Local Productive Arrangement of Information Technology in Fortaleza-CE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elias Pereira Lopes Júnior

2011-06-01

Full Text Available A coordenação das atividades colaborativas, visando à obtenção e consolidação de vantagens competitivas sustentáveis, é considerada como característica básica de uma governança local indutora de desenvolvimento regional. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de identificar os desafios relacionados com o desenvolvimento do Arranjo Produtivo Local (APL de Tecnologia da Informação (TI de Fortaleza mediante a análise dos conteúdos dos discursos declarados pelas instituições representativas do setor. A pesquisa, realizada entre junho e outubro de 2007, é considerada de caráter exploratório, amparada em dados primários, através da análise de conteúdo como técnica de investigação, havendo a incorporação de elementos quantitativos e qualitativos no tratamento das informações como prevê Godoy (1995. Foram identificados trinta e cinco desafios relacionados com o desenvolvimento do APL de Fortaleza. Estes se agrupam em quatro fatores críticos que refletem as principais demandas, de acordo com as bases para o fortalecimento da infra-estrutura e das relações de mercado do aglomerado. --- Identification of the Challenges to the Local Productive Arrangement of Information Technology in Fortaleza-CE --- Abstract: --- The coordination of collaborative activities in order to collection and consolidation of sustainable competitive advantage is considered a basic feature of local governance induces regional development. This work aims to identify the challenges related to the development of the Local Productive Arrangement (APL of Information Technology (IT from Fortaleza by analysis of the content of the speeches reported by the representative of the sector. The research, conducted from June to October 2007, is considered exploratory in nature, supported by primary data through analysis of content and technical research with the incorporation of quantitative and qualitative elements in the treatment of information as provided Godoy (1995

Telemedicine Provides Non-Inferior Research Informed Consent for Remote Study Enrollment: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Science.gov (United States)

Bobb, Morgan R.; Van Heukelom, Paul G.; Faine, Brett A.; Ahmed, Azeemuddin; Messerly, Jeffrey T.; Bell, Gregory; Harland, Karisa K.; Simon, Christian; Mohr, Nicholas M.

2016-01-01

Objective Telemedicine networks are beginning to provide an avenue for conducting emergency medicine research, but using telemedicine to recruit participants for clinical trials has not been validated. The goal of this consent study is to determine whether patient comprehension of telemedicine-enabled research informed consent is non-inferior to standard face-to-face research informed consent. Methods A prospective, open-label randomized controlled trial was performed in a 60,000-visit Midwestern academic Emergency Department (ED) to test whether telemedicine-enabled research informed consent provided non-inferior comprehension compared with standard consent. This study was conducted as part of a parent clinical trial evaluating the effectiveness of oral chlorhexidine gluconate 0.12% in preventing hospital-acquired pneumonia among adult ED patients with expected hospital admission. Prior to being recruited into the study, potential participants were randomized in a 1:1 allocation ratio to consent by telemedicine versus standard face-to-face consent. Telemedicine connectivity was provided using a commercially available interface (REACH platform, Vidyo Inc., Hackensack, NJ) to an emergency physician located in another part of the ED. Comprehension of research consent (primary outcome) was measured using the modified Quality of Informed Consent (QuIC) instrument, a validated tool for measuring research informed consent comprehension. Parent trial accrual rate and qualitative survey data were secondary outcomes. Results One-hundred thirty-one patients were randomized (n = 64, telemedicine), and 101 QuIC surveys were completed. Comprehension of research informed consent using telemedicine was not inferior to face-to-face consent (QuIC scores 74.4 ± 8.1 vs. 74.4 ± 6.9 on a 100-point scale, p = 0.999). Subjective understanding of consent (p=0.194) and parent trial study accrual rates (56% vs. 69%, p = 0.142) were similar. Conclusion Telemedicine is non-inferior to face

Clinical social networking--a new revolution in provider communication and delivery of clinical information across providers of care?

Science.gov (United States)

Kolowitz, Brian J; Lauro, Gonzalo Romero; Venturella, James; Georgiev, Veliyan; Barone, Michael; Deible, Christopher; Shrestha, Rasu

2014-04-01

The adoption of social media technologies appears to enhance clinical outcomes through improved communications as reported by Bacigalupe (Fam Syst Heal 29(1):1-14, 2011). The ability of providers to more effectively, directly, and rapidly communicate among themselves as well as with patients should strengthen collaboration and treatment as reported by Bacigalupe (Fam Syst Heal 29(1):1-14, 2011). This paper is a case study in one organization's development of an internally designed and developed social technology solution termed "Unite." The Unite system combines social technologies' features including push notifications, messaging, community groups, and user lists with clinical workflow and applications to construct dynamic provider networks, simplify communications, and facilitate clinical workflow optimization. Modeling Unite as a social technology may ease adoption barriers. Developing a social network that is integrated with healthcare information systems in the clinical space opens the doors to capturing and studying the way in which providers communicate. The Unite system appears to have the potential to breaking down existing communication paradigms. With Unite, a rich set of usage data tied to clinical events may unravel alternative networks that can be leveraged to advance patient care.

LOCAL AIR: Local Aerosol monitoring combining in-situ and Remote Sensing observations

Science.gov (United States)

Mona, Lucia; Caggiano, Rosa; Donvito, Angelo; Giannini, Vincenzo; Papagiannopoulos, Nikolaos; Sarli, Valentina; Trippetta, Serena

2015-04-01

The atmospheric aerosols have effects on climate, environment and health. Although the importance of the study of aerosols is well recognized, the current knowledge of the characteristics and their distribution is still insufficient, and there are large uncertainties in the current understanding of the role of aerosols on climate and the environment, both on a regional and local level. Overcoming these uncertainties requires a search strategy that integrates data from multiple platforms (eg, terrestrial, satellite, ships and planes) and the different acquisition techniques (for example, in situ measurements, remote sensing, modeling numerical and data assimilation) (Yu et al., 2006). To this end, in recent years, there have been many efforts such as the creation of networks dedicated to systematic observation of aerosols (eg, European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme-EMEP, European Aerosol Research Lidar NETwork-EARLINET, MicroPulse Lidar Network- MPLNET, and Aerosol Robotic NETwork-AERONET), the development and implementation of new satellite sensors and improvement of numerical models. The recent availability of numerous data to the ground, columnar and profiles of aerosols allows to investigate these aspects. An integrated approach between these different techniques could be able to provide additional information, providing greater insight into the properties of aerosols and their distribution and overcoming the limits of each single technique. In fact, the ground measurements allow direct determination of the physico-chemical properties of aerosols, but cannot be considered representative for large spatial and temporal scales and do not provide any information about the vertical profile of aerosols. On the other hand, the remote sensing techniques from the ground and satellite provide information on the vertical distribution of atmospheric aerosols both in the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL), mainly characterized by the presence of aerosols originating from

Method and Apparatus Providing Deception and/or Altered Operation in an Information System Operating System

Science.gov (United States)

Cohen, Fred; Rogers, Deanna T.; Neagoe, Vicentiu

2008-10-14

A method and/or system and/or apparatus providing deception and/or execution alteration in an information system. In specific embodiments, deceptions and/or protections are provided by intercepting and/or modifying operation of one or more system calls of an operating system.

77 FR 56712 - Agency Information Collection (Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program) Activities Under...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-09-13

... Providers Grant and Per Diem Program) Activities Under OMB Review AGENCY: Veterans Health Administration... Resources and Housing Branch, New Executive Office Building, Room 10235, Washington, DC 20503, (202) 395... . Please refer to ``OMB Control No. 2900-0554.'' SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Titles: a. Homeless Providers...

Public Information Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-06-01

The Public Information Plan is intended to be used in conjunction with the DOE-UMTRA Project ''Public Participation Plan'' to describe the Department of Energy's plan for involving the public in the decision-making process related to the Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) Project. This project was authorized by Congress in the Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control of Act of 1978, PL95-604. The Act provides for a cooperative effort with affected states and Indian tribes for the cleanup of designated abandoned or inactive uranium mill tailings sites. The objective of the Public Information Plan of the UMTRA Project is timely and sufficient dissemination of factual information to promote understanding of the project by federal, state, and local officials, the media, special interest groups, and the general public; and thereby to encourage informed participation in the project by the public and government officials. The Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act provides for public involvement in remedial action planning, with special consideration given to landowners, Indian tribes, and the states. According to the Act, the Secretary of Energy shall hold public hearings in the states where processing sites, vicinity properties, and disposal sites are located. Public participation in the UMTRA Project will not, however, be limited to those mechanisms formally required by law. The public may also be involved informally through informational meetings, workshops, and local citizens' task forces. 12 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

Providing Data Quality Information for Remote Sensing Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Albrecht, F.; Blaschke, T.; Lang, S.; Abdulmutalib, H. M.; Szabó, G.; Barsi, Á.; Batini, C.; Bartsch, A.; Kugler, Zs.; Tiede, D.; Huang, G.

2018-04-01

The availability and accessibility of remote sensing (RS) data, cloud processing platforms and provided information products and services has increased the size and diversity of the RS user community. This development also generates a need for validation approaches to assess data quality. Validation approaches employ quality criteria in their assessment. Data Quality (DQ) dimensions as the basis for quality criteria have been deeply investigated in the database area and in the remote sensing domain. Several standards exist within the RS domain but a general classification - established for databases - has been adapted only recently. For an easier identification of research opportunities, a better understanding is required how quality criteria are employed in the RS lifecycle. Therefore, this research investigates how quality criteria support decisions that guide the RS lifecycle and how they relate to the measured DQ dimensions. Subsequently follows an overview of the relevant standards in the RS domain that is matched to the RS lifecycle. Conclusively, the required research needs are identified that would enable a complete understanding of the interrelationships between the RS lifecycle, the data sources and the DQ dimensions, an understanding that would be very valuable for designing validation approaches in RS.

Local regulation between formal and informal institutions: analysis by application to the case of the town of Ksar-Hellal (Tunisia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Makram GAALICHE

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to detect the relevance degrees of formal and informal institutions at the level of local regulation, as well as their effects on the local companies’ productivity. Indeed, by analyzing the territory of the Ksar-Hellal town, we noted that informal institutions, apprehended by trust and collective punishment, contribute with the formal penal institutions to channel the behavior of Hilalian companies but with less effectiveness. Similarly, the strong contribution of exogenous institutions in boosting productivity compared to that of the endogenous ones states that decision makers should improve the quality of formal regulation and this at the expense of any form of regulation built by values commonly shared by the local community.

TELECOMMUTING AND HRM: A CASE STUDY OF AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICE PROVIDER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

André Fernandes Bernardino

2012-08-01

Full Text Available With the development in information technology resources, a way of working has been standing out: telecommuting. This manner of working from a distance may offer a competitive advantage in attracting and retaining highly skilled professionals. The purpose of the research presented in this article is to identify guidelines for the implementation and management of telecommuting, as an alternative to overcome the shortage of qualified professionals in Information Technology (IT. The results, based on a case study of a Brazilian subsidiary of a multinational organization that provides IT services, shown that telecommuting (1 contributes to attracting and retaining qualified professionals in IT, (2 should be based on trustworthy relationships, (3 has to be supported by a strategy of decentralization of both structure and organizational assets.

Local area networking handbook

OpenAIRE

O'Hara, Patricia A.

1990-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. This thesis provides Navy shore based commands with sufficient information on local area networking to (1) decide if they need a LAN, (2) determine what their networking requirements are, and (3) select a LAN that satisfies their requirements. LAN topologies, transmission media, and medium access methods are described. In addition, the OSI reference model for computer networking and the IEEE 802 LAN standards are explained in detail. ...

Information Service System For Small Forestowners

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shaochen; Li, Yun

Individual owned forests have boomed in the last decade in China. Hundreds of millions of private forest owners have emerged since years of afforestation practice and collective forest ownership reform. Most of those private forest owners are former peasants living in afforestation areas. They thirst for forestry information, such as technique knowledge, forestry policies, finance, marketing, etc. Unfortunately the ways they could get certain information are very limit. Before internet time, Local governments are the main channel they search helps for useful information and technique supports. State and local governments have paid much attention to provide necessary forestry technique supports to those small forest owners and provided varies training projects, issued official forestry information through their websites. While, as state government expands household contract system in the management of collective forestry land, the number of individual forest owners is bumping up in future 5 years. There is still a gap between supplying ability and requirement of forestry information. To construct an effective forestry information service system in next 3-5 year can bridge the gap. This paper discusses the framework of such an information service system.

Does the Internet provide patients or clinicians with useful information regarding faecal incontinence? An observational study.

Science.gov (United States)

Leo, C A; Murphy, J; Hodgkinson, J D; Vaizey, C J; Maeda, Y

2018-01-01

The Internet has become an important platform for information communication. This study aim to investigate the utility of social media and search engines to disseminate faecal incontinence information. We looked into Social media platforms and search engines. There was not a direct patient recruitment and any available information from patients was already on public domain at the time of search. A quantitative analysis of types and volumes of information regarding faecal incontinence was made. Twelve valid pages were identified on Facebook: 5 (41%) pages were advertising commercial incontinence products, 4 (33%) pages were dedicated to patients support groups and 3 (25%) pages provided healthcare information. Also we found 192 Facebook posts. On Twitter, 2890 tweets were found of which 51% tweets provided healthcare information; 675 (45%) were sent by healthcare professionals to patients, 530 tweets (35.3%) were between healthcare professionals, 201 tweets (13.4%) were from medical journals or scientific books and 103 tweets (7%) were from hospitals or clinics with information about events and meetings. The second commonest type of tweets was advertising commercial incontinence products 27%. Patients tweeted to exchange information and advice between themselves (20.5%). In contrast, search engines as Google/Yahoo/Bing had a higher proportion of healthcare information (over 70%). Internet appears to have potential to be a useful platform for patients to learn about faecal incontinence and share information; however, given one lack of focus of available data, patients may struggle to identify valid and useful information.

3D-2D image registration for target localization in spine surgery: investigation of similarity metrics providing robustness to content mismatch

Science.gov (United States)

De Silva, T.; Uneri, A.; Ketcha, M. D.; Reaungamornrat, S.; Kleinszig, G.; Vogt, S.; Aygun, N.; Lo, S.-F.; Wolinsky, J.-P.; Siewerdsen, J. H.

2016-04-01

In image-guided spine surgery, robust three-dimensional to two-dimensional (3D-2D) registration of preoperative computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative radiographs can be challenged by the image content mismatch associated with the presence of surgical instrumentation and implants as well as soft-tissue resection or deformation. This work investigates image similarity metrics in 3D-2D registration offering improved robustness against mismatch, thereby improving performance and reducing or eliminating the need for manual masking. The performance of four gradient-based image similarity metrics (gradient information (GI), gradient correlation (GC), gradient information with linear scaling (GS), and gradient orientation (GO)) with a multi-start optimization strategy was evaluated in an institutional review board-approved retrospective clinical study using 51 preoperative CT images and 115 intraoperative mobile radiographs. Registrations were tested with and without polygonal masks as a function of the number of multistarts employed during optimization. Registration accuracy was evaluated in terms of the projection distance error (PDE) and assessment of failure modes (PDE  >  30 mm) that could impede reliable vertebral level localization. With manual polygonal masking and 200 multistarts, the GC and GO metrics exhibited robust performance with 0% gross failures and median PDE  interquartile range (IQR)) and a median runtime of 84 s (plus upwards of 1-2 min for manual masking). Excluding manual polygonal masks and decreasing the number of multistarts to 50 caused the GC-based registration to fail at a rate of  >14% however, GO maintained robustness with a 0% gross failure rate. Overall, the GI, GC, and GS metrics were susceptible to registration errors associated with content mismatch, but GO provided robust registration (median PDE  =  5.5 mm, 2.6 mm IQR) without manual masking and with an improved runtime (29.3 s). The GO metric

The Wired City; A Handbook on Cable Television for Local Officials.

Science.gov (United States)

Ledbetter, Theodore, Jr.; Mendelson, Gilbert

Viewing cable television systems as a new communications system rather than just another business, this handbook provides a variety of information designed for local officials who must make knowledgeable public interest decisions. After a critical history of franchising procedures and a discussion of the naivete of local governments, the specific…

75 FR 157 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Extension of a Currently Approved Information...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-04

... Officer, for United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Department of Homeland Security, and sent...) of the Immigration and Naturalization Act provides for the reimbursement to States and localities for... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency Information...

Providing Internet Access to the Ohio Career Information System for All Residents: A Feasibility Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, Morgan V.

Expanded Internet access to the Ohio Career Information System (OCIS) would provide adults in Ohio who need to or wish to make career changes with the best available information about occupations, education and training programs, and financial aid. In order to determine the feasibility of improving access without cost to users, an advisory group,…

Energy Information Directory (Formerly: Energy Information Referral Directory). First quarter 1981

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1981-01-01

The National Energy Information Center (NEIC) provides energy information and referral assistance to federal, state, and local governments, the academic community, business and industrial organizations, and the general public. The two principal; functions related to this task are (1) operating a general access telephone line and (2) responding to energy-related correspondence addressed to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). To assist the NEIC staff, as well as other Department of Energy (DOE) staff, in directing inquiries to the proper office within DOE or other federal agencies, the Energy Information Referral Directory was developed. With this issue, the directory has a new title: the Energy Information Directory

A Novel Feature-Level Data Fusion Method for Indoor Autonomous Localization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Minxiang Liu

2013-01-01

Full Text Available We present a novel feature-level data fusion method for autonomous localization in an inactive multiple reference unknown indoor environment. Since monocular sensors cannot provide the depth information directly, the proposed method incorporates the edge information of images from a camera with homologous depth information received from an infrared sensor. Real-time experimental results demonstrate that the accuracies of position and orientation are greatly improved by using the proposed fusion method in an unknown complex indoor environment. Compared to monocular localization, the proposed method is found to have up to 70 percent improvement in accuracy.

What determines providers' stated preference for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria?

Science.gov (United States)

Mangham-Jefferies, Lindsay; Hanson, Kara; Mbacham, Wilfred; Onwujekwe, Obinna; Wiseman, Virginia

2014-03-01

As agents for their patients, providers often make treatment decisions on behalf of patients, and their choices can affect health outcomes. However, providers operate within a network of relationships and are agents not only for their patients, but also other health sector actors, such as their employer, the Ministry of Health, and pharmaceutical suppliers. Providers' stated preferences for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria were examined to determine what factors predict their choice of treatment in the absence of information and institutional constraints, such as the stock of medicines or the patient's ability to pay. 518 providers working at non-profit health facilities and for-profit pharmacies and drug stores in Yaoundé and Bamenda in Cameroon and in Enugu State in Nigeria were surveyed between July and December 2009 to elicit the antimalarial they prefer to supply for uncomplicated malaria. Multilevel modelling was used to determine the effect of financial and non-financial incentives on their preference, while controlling for information and institutional constraints, and accounting for the clustering of providers within facilities and geographic areas. 69% of providers stated a preference for artemisinin-combination therapy (ACT), which is the recommended treatment for uncomplicated malaria in Cameroon and Nigeria. A preference for ACT was significantly associated with working at a for-profit facility, reporting that patients prefer ACT, and working at facilities that obtain antimalarials from drug company representatives. Preferences were similar among colleagues within a facility, and among providers working in the same locality. Knowing the government recommends ACT was a significant predictor, though having access to clinical guidelines was not sufficient. Providers are agents serving multiple principals and their preferences over alternative antimalarials were influenced by patients, drug company representatives, and other providers working at the

Psychometrics of an original measure of barriers to providing family planning information: Implications for social service providers.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Melissa M; Newhill, Christina E

2017-07-01

Social service professionals can face challenges in the course of providing family planning information to their clients. This article reports findings from a study that developed an original 27-item measure, the Reproductive Counseling Obstacle Scale (RCOS) designed to measure such obstacles based conceptually on Bandura's social cognitive theory (1986). We examine the reliability and factor structure of the RCOS using a sample of licensed social workers (N = 197). A 20-item revised version of the RCOS was derived using principal component factor analysis. Results indicate that barriers to discussing family planning, as measured by the RCOS, appear to be best represented by a two-factor solution, reflecting self-efficacy/interest and perceived professional obligation/moral concerns. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.

34 CFR 377.31 - What information must a grantee provide to eligible clients?

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... clients? 377.31 Section 377.31 Education Regulations of the Offices of the Department of Education... PROJECTS TO INCREASE CLIENT CHOICE PROGRAM What Post-Award Conditions Must Be Met by a Grantee? § 377.31 What information must a grantee provide to eligible clients? Each grantee shall advise all clients and...

Computerized emission transaxial tomography and determination of local brain function

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuhl, D.E.; Alavi, A.; Reivich, M.; Edwards, R.Q.; Fenton, C.A.; Zimmerman, R.A.

1975-01-01

Accurate knowledge of regional function in the brain would be of great value for the detection and localization of a wide variety of diseases and for assessment of patients under treatment. The management of patients would be greatly improved with a day-to-day knowledge of the status of blood flow, blood volume, metabolism, permeability, brain swelling, and other functions on a local basis throughout the brain. In the past this kind of information has not been available. Instead, function has usually been examined only for the organ as a whole and regional information has been restricted to morphology as determined by radiographic or radionuclide imaging studies. Three-dimensional radionuclide reconstruction imaging will become more important in the study of the brain, providing accurate measurement of radionuclide concentration within functional structural units of the brain. Measurement of local function with three-dimensional resolution throughout the brain and without the necessity for intracarotid injection of indicator could therefore provide a significant advance over presently available methods

Interoperability of Information Systems Managed and Used by the Local Health Departments.

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Gulzar H; Leider, Jonathon P; Luo, Huabin; Kaur, Ravneet

2016-01-01

In the post-Affordable Care Act era marked by interorganizational collaborations and availability of large amounts of electronic data from other community partners, it is imperative to assess the interoperability of information systems used by the local health departments (LHDs). To describe the level of interoperability of LHD information systems and identify factors associated with lack of interoperability. This mixed-methods research uses data from the 2015 Informatics Capacity and Needs Assessment Survey, with a target population of all LHDs in the United States. A representative sample of 650 LHDs was drawn using a stratified random sampling design. A total of 324 completed responses were received (50% response rate). Qualitative data were used from a key informant interview study of LHD informatics staff from across the United States. Qualitative data were independently coded by 2 researchers and analyzed thematically. Survey data were cleaned, bivariate comparisons were conducted, and a multivariable logistic regression was run to characterize factors associated with interoperability. For 30% of LHDs, no systems were interoperable, and 38% of LHD respondents indicated some of the systems were interoperable. Significant determinants of interoperability included LHDs having leadership support (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 3.54), control of information technology budget allocation (AOR = 2.48), control of data systems (AOR = 2.31), having a strategic plan for information systems (AOR = 1.92), and existence of business process analysis and redesign (AOR = 1.49). Interoperability of all systems may be an informatics goal, but only a small proportion of LHDs reported having interoperable systems, pointing to a substantial need among LHDs nationwide.

Governance and Public Sector Transformation in South Africa: Reporting and Providing Assurance on Service Delivery Information

OpenAIRE

Mariaan Roos

2012-01-01

Reporting on performance was legislatively established in South Africa in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, section 40 (3)(a). The auditing of the reported information was legislated in the Public Audit Act, Act 25 of 2004, section 20(2) (c). The objectives of the article are firstly to provide an overview of the development and application of the reporting and secondly providing assurance on service delivery information and thirdly to reflect on challenges to the imp...

Placoderm Assemblage from the Tetrapod-Bearing Locality of Strud (Belgium, Upper Famennian) Provides Evidence for a Fish Nursery

Science.gov (United States)

Clément, Gaël; Daeschler, Edward B.; Dupret, Vincent

2016-01-01

The placoderm fauna of the upper Famennian tetrapod-bearing locality of Strud, Belgium, includes the antiarch Grossilepis rikiki, the arthrodire groenlandaspidid Turrisaspis strudensis and the phyllolepidid Phyllolepis undulata. Based on morphological and morphometric evidence, the placoderm specimens from Strud are predominantly recognised as immature specimens and this locality as representing a placoderm nursery. The Strud depositional environment corresponds to a channel in an alluvial plain, and the presence of a nursery in such environment could have provided nutrients and protection to the placoderm offspring. This represents one of the earliest pieces of evidence for this sort of habitat partitioning in vertebrate history, with adults living more distantly from the nursery and using the nursery only to spawn or give live birth. PMID:27552196

A STUDY ON INFORMAL MARKET CLUSTER ACTIVITIES CONCENTRATING AROUND MENDI MARKET AREA: IS RELOCATION THE BEST OPTION?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Undiri Kima

2015-02-01

Full Text Available The market provides a means of survival for the local and urban communities. The local farmers, local artisans, and other informal sectors find the market as their source of income and food and a place of relaxation. They find the market as a place where they meet friends. The article seeks to understand and analyze how informal sectors cluster groups agglomerate in and around the Mendi Local Market (LM area of Papua New Guinea. This research has made particular reference to Street Vendors (SV who are operating their daily activities in and along the market corridor and exert their influences to the LM and the public. The study provides the scenario to understand the impact of the social relations of the informal street vendors and their daily associated influences on LM. This article seeks to trace and to understand how informal market clusters are operating and concentrating around the local market. The conclusion suggests that the relationships of the informal sector, street vendors, and local market should be promoted through an appropriate inclusive policy and regulatory environment.The market provides a means of survival for the local and urban communities. The local farmers, local artisans, and other informal sectors find the market as their source of income and food and a place of relaxation. They find the market as a place where they meet friends. The article seeks to understand and analyze how informal sectors cluster groups agglomerate in and around the Mendi Local Market (LM area of Papua New Guinea. This research has made particular reference to Street Vendors (SV who are operating their daily activities in and along the market corridor and exert their influences to the LM and the public. The study provides the scenario to understand the impact of the social relations of the informal street vendors and their daily associated influences on LM. This article seeks to trace and to understand how informal market clusters are operating

E-mail Writing: Providing Background Information in the Core of Computer Assisted Instruction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Behzad NAZARI

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The present study highly supported the effective role of providing background information via e-mail by the teacher to write e-mail by the students in learners’ writing ability. A total number of 50 EFL advanced male students aged between 25 and 40 at different branches of Iran Language Institute in Tehran, Tehran. Through the placement test of Oxford English Language Placement Test (OELPT the students' proficiency level seems to be nearly the same. Participants were randomly assign into two groups of experimental and control, each consisting of 25 students. After the administration of the proficiency test, all groups were assigned to write topic 1 as the pre-test. Next, the teacher involved the learners in the new instruction (treatment. During writing topics 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7 experimental group’s background knowledge was activated through e-mail before writing and e-mailing topics while the control group received no background knowledge activation through e-mail. After the treatment was given to the experimental group, the students in both groups were required to write another composition about the last topic, topic 8. Again, in this phase, none of the groups received any background information. The results indicated that providing background information via e-mail by the teacher to write e-mail by the students significantly improved learners’ writing ability.

Information sharing for effective IT incident resolving in IT service provider networks: A financial service case study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vlietland, J.; Vliet, J.C.

2015-01-01

Information technology (IT)-enabled financial services are typically delivered by a network of interdependent IT service providers. Such networks need information to resolve IT incidents in their delivered IT services. The objective of this research is to identify the set of information that needs

Strategy for OCRWM to provide training assistance to state, tribal, and local governments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-11-01

The US Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) has prepared this strategy to outline the process OCRWM will follow to provide funding and technical assistance to States and Indian Tribes as required by Section 180(c) of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA). A schedule for the various steps to be taken is included. The NWPA directs DOE to dispose of the spent nuclear fuel generated by commercial nuclear power facilities and high-level radioactive waste from defense facilities. OCRWM was established to carry out this mission. OCRWM is developing a transportation system to support shipping of spent nuclear fuel to a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility, and spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to a final disposal repository. A 1987 amendment to the NWPA added Section 180(c) which states that DOE:. . . shall provide technical assistance and funds to States for training for public safety officials of appropriate units of local government and Indian Tribes through whose jurisdiction the Secretary [of Energy] plans to transport spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste .... Training shall cover procedures required for safe routine transportation of these materials, as well as procedures for dealing with emergency response situations. This strategy represents a five-step process to meet the requirements of Section 180(c)

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.

Providing Decision-Relevant Information for a State Climate Change Action Plan

Science.gov (United States)

Wake, C.; Frades, M.; Hurtt, G. C.; Magnusson, M.; Gittell, R.; Skoglund, C.; Morin, J.

2008-12-01

Carbon Solutions New England (CSNE), a public-private partnership formed to promote collective action to achieve a low carbon society, has been working with the Governor appointed New Hampshire Climate Change Policy Task Force (NHCCTF) to support the development of a state Climate Change Action Plan. CSNE's role has been to quantify the potential carbon emissions reduction, implementation costs, and cost savings at three distinct time periods (2012, 2025, 2050) for a range of strategies identified by the Task Force. These strategies were developed for several sectors (transportation and land use, electricity generation and use, building energy use, and agriculture, forestry, and waste).New Hampshire's existing and projected economic and population growth are well above the regional average, creating additional challenges for the state to meet regional emission reduction targets. However, by pursuing an ambitious suite of renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies, New Hampshire may be able to continue growing while reducing emissions at a rate close to 3% per year up to 2025. This suite includes efficiency improvements in new and existing buildings, a renewable portfolio standard for electricity generation, avoiding forested land conversion, fuel economy gains in new vehicles, and a reduction in vehicle miles traveled. Most (over 80%) of these emission reduction strategies are projected to provide net economic savings in 2025.A collaborative and iterative process was developed among the key partners in the project. The foundation for the project's success included: a diverse analysis team with leadership that was committed to the project, an open source analysis approach, weekly meetings and frequent communication among the partners, interim reporting of analysis, and an established and trusting relationship among the partners, in part due to collaboration on previous projects.To develop decision-relevant information for the Task Force, CSNE addressed

Semi-supervised Eigenvectors for Locally-biased Learning

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Toke Jansen; Mahoney, Michael W.

2012-01-01

In many applications, one has side information, e.g., labels that are provided in a semi-supervised manner, about a specific target region of a large data set, and one wants to perform machine learning and data analysis tasks "nearby" that pre-specified target region. Locally-biased problems of t...

Providing information about prenatal screening for Down syndrome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skjøth, Mette Maria; Draborg, Eva; Pedersen, Claus Duedal

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: In recent decades there have been advances in the options for prenatal screening. Screening programmes for Down syndrome are well established in many countries. It is important that pregnant women are well informed about the benefits and risks of screening. A variety of interventions...... screening for Down syndrome. DESIGN: SYSTEMATIC REVIEW: METHODS: A systematic search was performed using the PUBMED and EMBASE databases. The search terms included MeSH terms and free text and were combined by Boolean terms (AND, OR) with no restriction on language or time. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Main...... information about prenatal screening for Down syndrome can improve their ability to make an informed choice. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

A mine of information: can sports analytics provide wisdom from your data?

OpenAIRE

Passfield, Louis; Hopker, James G.

2017-01-01

This paper explores the notion that the availability and analysis of large datasets has the capacity to improve practice and change the nature of science in the sport and exercise setting. The increasing use of data and information technology in sport is giving rise to this change. Websites hold large data repositories and the development of wearable technology, mobile phone applications and related instruments for monitoring physical activity, training and competition, provide large data set...

In private practice, informed consent is interpreted as providing explanations rather than offering choices: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Delany, Clare M

2007-01-01

How do physiotherapists working in private practice understand and interpret the meaning and significance of informed consent in everyday clinical practice? Qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Seventeen physiotherapists purposefully recruited from metropolitan private practices where treatment was on a one-on-one basis. Therapists defined informed consent as an implicit component of their routine clinical explanations, rather than a process of providing explicit patient choices. Therapists' primary concern was to provide information that led to a (therapist-determined) beneficial therapeutic outcome, rather than to enhance autonomous patient choice. Explicit patient choice and explicit informed consent were defined as important only if patients requested information or therapists recognised risks associated with the treatment. Physiotherapists defined informed consent within a context of achieving therapeutic outcomes rather than a context of respect for patient autonomy and autonomous choice. Physiotherapy practice guidelines developed to ensure compliance with ethical and legal obligations may therefore be followed only if they fit with therapists' understanding and interpretation of a desired therapeutic outcome.

Raman Microscopy: A Noninvasive Method to Visualize the Localizations of Biomolecules in the Cornea.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaji, Yuichi; Akiyama, Toshihiro; Segawa, Hiroki; Oshika, Tetsuro; Kano, Hideaki

2017-11-01

In vivo and in situ visualization of biomolecules without pretreatment will be important for diagnosis and treatment of ocular disorders in the future. Recently, multiphoton microscopy, based on the nonlinear interactions between molecules and photons, has been applied to reveal the localizations of various molecules in tissues. We aimed to use multimodal multiphoton microscopy to visualize the localizations of specific biomolecules in rat corneas. Multiphoton images of the corneas were obtained from nonlinear signals of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering, third-order sum frequency generation, and second-harmonic generation. The localizations of the adhesion complex-containing basement membrane and Bowman layer were clearly visible in the third-order sum frequency generation images. The fine structure of type I collagen was observed in the corneal stroma in the second-harmonic generation images. The localizations of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids (DNA/RNA) was obtained in the coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering images. Imaging technologies have progressed significantly and been applied in medical fields. Optical coherence tomography and confocal microscopy are widely used but do not provide information on the molecular structure of the cornea. By contrast, multiphoton microscopy provides information on the molecular structure of living tissues. Using this technique, we successfully visualized the localizations of various biomolecules including lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids in the cornea. We speculate that multiphoton microscopy will provide essential information on the physiological and pathological conditions of the cornea, as well as molecular localizations in tissues without pretreatment.

The Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel Catastrophe: A Case Study of How Isotope Geochemistry Provided Forensic Evidence to Inform Policy Decisions

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, M. W.; Wireman, M.; Liu, F.; Gertson, J.

2008-12-01

A state of emergency was declared in February 2008 because of fears that a blocked drainage tunnel in the Leadville mining district of Colorado could cause a catastrophic flood. An estimated 1 billion gallons of metals-laden water poses an eminent threat to the city of Leadville and the headwaters of the Arkansas river. Within days of the declaration of a state of emergency, Governor Ritter and Senator Salazer of Colorado, along with a host of other local and statewide politicians, visited the site and emphasized the need to develop a fast yet safe mitigation plan. Here we provide information from a case study that illustrates how a suite of isotopic and hydrologic tools enables identification of critical, site-specific variables essential in developing a science plan to guide targeted remediation of the Leadville drainage tunnel. The isotopic tools, including both stable and radiogenic isotopes, provided clear and compelling evidence of water sources and flowpaths in an area that has undergone extensive perturbations, including the drilling of more than 2,000 mine shafts. This forensic evidence was the key information in developing a plan to plug the drainage tunnel several hundred feet underground, divert a major source of polluted water from reaching the collapsed tunnel and piping it to an existing treatment plant, and guidance on where to place pumps in additional mine shafts, and the drilling of new wells to pump water in case the plugging of the tunnel caused water to pool up and raise the water table to dangerous heights. This particular case of forensic hydrology using isotopic tools not only provides the scientific basis for an operational plan to defuse a life- and property-threatening situation, it also provides the basis for decommissioning an existing water treatment plant, which will result in savings of over 1 million annually in operational costs. Decommissioning the existing water treatment plant will pay for the tunnel mitigation within several

Assessing the quality of websites providing information on multiple sclerosis: evaluating tools and comparing sites.

Science.gov (United States)

Harland, Juliet; Bath, Peter

2007-09-01

The quality of health information available on the Internet has proved difficult to assess objectively. The Internet's growing popularity as a source of health information, accompanied by the lack of regulation of websites, has resulted in research that has developed and tested tools to evaluate health website quality. However, only a few studies have tested the validity and reliability of these tools. There is a lack of consensus about appropriate indicators with which to operationalize the concept of quality health information. This study aimed to contribute to this research by testing the validity and reliability of existing tools, through their application to websites that provided information about multiple sclerosis. Furthermore, a specific tool for evaluating multiple sclerosis information was developed, contributing to the debate about suitable criteria for measuring the ;quality' of health information on the web.

Uses and Doses of Local Anesthetics in Fish, Amphibians, and Reptiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Chatigny, Frederic; Kamunde, Collins; Creighton, Catherine M; Stevens, E Don

2017-05-01

Local anesthetics are an integral part of routine pain management in mammals, yet their use is relatively limited in fish, amphibians and reptiles. These animals frequently undergo potentially painful surgical procedures and therefore could possibly benefit from those drugs. Some recommendations are currently available in the literature concerning analgesic use in these animals. However the pharmacological properties, safety and often efficacy of local anesthetic drugs have not been investigated yet in fish, amphibians, or reptiles. This review compiled current information concerning the use of those agents in fish, reptiles and amphibians to help clinicians make an informed decision as to which dose and drug to use. The resulting literature search showed that the literature concerning use of local analgesics in fish and amphibians is very limited while the literature for reptiles is more extensive. We found few experimental studies evaluating the efficacy of local anesthetics. Further studies would provide additional information for developing guidelines to improve the welfare of fish, amphibians and reptiles.

75 FR 39448 - Special Local Regulation; Detroit APBA Gold Cup, Detroit River, Detroit, MI

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-09

... yacht clubs will be provided with information by Coast Guard Station Belle Isle on what to expect during... practices of local sailing and yacht clubs. In the event that this temporary special local regulation..., from July 7, 2010 through July 11, 2010. Prior to the event, local sailing and yacht clubs will be...

Evaluating Pharmacy Student Attitudes Toward the Medium of Comics for Providing Information on Adult Immunizations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jagannath M. Muzumdar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Objectives: This study aimed at designing and assessing educational materials for adult immunizations through the medium of comics. The study design evaluated the effects of two vaccine information flyers (a CDC flyer vs a flyer designed in Comic medium on participants’ attitude towards the flyers. Methods: A between-group, randomized trial was used to compare the effectiveness of two vaccine information flyers on participants’ attitude towards the flyers. Upon approval from the human subjects review committee, student participants (age ≥18 years were randomly assigned either the CDC or comic flyer. They were then asked to respond to survey items developed to measure the flyers’ effect on participants’ attitude towards the flyer. Items were measured using a 7-point semantic differential scale. Cronbach’s alpha was computed for reliability testing of the study instrument. Independent-samples t-test was used to compare means of the two groups with respect to their attitudes toward the flyer. Results: A total of 170 third-year pharmacy students participated in the study (N = 91 for Comic flyer & N = 79 for CDC flyer. There was a significant difference in attitudes toward the flyer between students who read comic flyers (mean = 6.14; SD = 0.62 and those who read CDC flyers (mean = 4.93; SD = 1.20. Additional comments provided by students further confirmed the quantitative findings of the study. Student responses to the use of comics as a medium of providing information on adult immunization were constructive and encouraging. Conclusion: The study findings showed that the flyer with comics was evaluated more attractive than the CDC flyer. The positive findings of our study could provide a new direction for developing educational materials about adult immunizations. Future research on comics, as a medium of communication, could explore its use as a tool for providing healthcare information to consumers.   Type: Original Research

Effect of local information within network layers on the evolution of cooperation in duplex public goods games

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou, Yifeng; Zheng, Xiaoming; Wu, Weiwei

2015-01-01

Traditional works of public goods game (PGG) are often studied in simplex networks where agents play games through the same type of social interactions. In order to promote cooperation against the defection in PGGs in simplex network environment, many mechanisms have been proposed from different perspectives, such as the volunteering mechanisms, and the punishment and reward approaches. However, due to diverse types of interactions between agents in reality, the study of PGG should also consider the characteristic of multiplexity of networks. Hence, we firstly model the public goods game in the duplex network (for simplification of analysis, the duplex network is considered), in which agents have two types of social interactions, and thus the network is modeled as two network layers. This type of PGG is naturally named as duplex public goods game (D-PGG), in which agents can select one of the network layers to allocate their limited resources. Then for the new game environment (D-PGG), we propose a novel perspective to promote cooperation: degrading the information integrity, i.e., agents get information just from one network layer (local information) rather than from the whole duplex network (global information) in the evolution process. Finally, through theoretical analyses and simulations, we find that if agents imitate based on the local information of the payoff in the evolution, cooperation can be generally promoted; and the extent of promotion depends on both the network structure and the similarity of the network layers

Automatic segmentation of myocardium from black-blood MR images using entropy and local neighborhood information.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qian Zheng

Full Text Available By using entropy and local neighborhood information, we present in this study a robust adaptive Gaussian regularizing Chan-Vese (CV model to segment the myocardium from magnetic resonance images with intensity inhomogeneity. By utilizing the circular Hough transformation (CHT our model is able to detect epicardial and endocardial contours of the left ventricle (LV as circles automatically, and the circles are used as the initialization. In the cost functional of our model, the interior and exterior energies are weighted by the entropy to improve the robustness of the evolving curve. Local neighborhood information is used to evolve the level set function to reduce the impact of the heterogeneity inside the regions and to improve the segmentation accuracy. An adaptive window is utilized to reduce the sensitivity to initialization. The Gaussian kernel is used to regularize the level set function, which can not only ensure the smoothness and stability of the level set function, but also eliminate the traditional Euclidean length term and re-initialization. Extensive validation of the proposed method on patient data demonstrates its superior performance over other state-of-the-art methods.

On providing the fault-tolerant operation of information systems based on open content management systems

Science.gov (United States)

Kratov, Sergey

2018-01-01

Modern information systems designed to service a wide range of users, regardless of their subject area, are increasingly based on Web technologies and are available to users via Internet. The article discusses the issues of providing the fault-tolerant operation of such information systems, based on free and open source content management systems. The toolkit available to administrators of similar systems is shown; the scenarios for using these tools are described. Options for organizing backups and restoring the operability of systems after failures are suggested. Application of the proposed methods and approaches allows providing continuous monitoring of the state of systems, timely response to the emergence of possible problems and their prompt solution.

E-Mail Writing: Providing Background Information in the Core of Computer Assisted Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Nazari, Behzad; Ninknejad, Sahar

2015-01-01

The present study highly supported the effective role of providing background information via email by the teacher to write e-mail by the students in learners' writing ability. A total number of 50 EFL advanced male students aged between 25 and 40 at different branches of Iran Language Institute in Tehran, Tehran. Through the placement test of…

Participatory monitoring to connect local and global priorities for forest restoration.

Science.gov (United States)

Evans, Kristen; Guariguata, Manuel R; Brancalion, Pedro H S

2018-03-13

New global initiatives to restore forest landscapes present an unparalleled opportunity to reverse deforestation and forest degradation. Participatory monitoring could play a crucial role in providing accountability, generating local buy in, and catalyzing learning in monitoring systems that need scalability and adaptability to a range of local sites. We synthesized current knowledge from literature searches and interviews to provide lessons for the development of a scalable, multisite participatory monitoring system. Studies show that local people can collect accurate data on forest change, drivers of change, threats to reforestation, and biophysical and socioeconomic impacts that remote sensing cannot. They can do this at one-third the cost of professionals. Successful participatory monitoring systems collect information on a few simple indicators, respond to local priorities, provide appropriate incentives for participation, and catalyze learning and decision making based on frequent analyses and multilevel interactions with other stakeholders. Participatory monitoring could provide a framework for linking global, national, and local needs, aspirations, and capacities for forest restoration. © 2018 The Authors. Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.

Harnessing information technology to improve women’s health information: evidence from Pakistan

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background More than half of Pakistani women are illiterate, marginalized, and experience myriad health problems. These women are also disadvantaged in terms of their restricted mobility and limited access to public space. Nonetheless, user-friendly information and communication technologies (ICTs) have opened up new opportunities to provide them with information that is essential for their health and well-being. Methods We established an Information and Communication Centre (ICC) in a village in Sialkot (Pakistan) on a pilot basis in 2009. The basic philosophy of the ICC was to provide women with health-related information by exposing them to modern sources of information on their doorstep. By design, the ICC was a community-based and community-managed institution where women could access information through online (e.g., internet, mobile phone etc.) and offline (e.g., CDs, TV etc.) resources. The ICC was managed by a group of local volunteer women who had the capacity and skills to use the devices and tools of modern ICTs. Results We noted an overwhelming participation and interest from local women in the activities of the ICC. The women wanted to receive information on a wide range of issues, from family planning, antenatal care, and childcare to garbage disposal and prevention of domestic violence. Overall, the ICC was successful in initiating a meaningful “information dialogue” at community level, where much-needed information was retrieved, negotiated, mediated, and disseminated through intimate and trusted relations. Conclusion We conclude that ICTs have the capacity to cross the barriers of illiteracy and can reach out to disadvantaged women living under a conservative patriarchal regime. PMID:25189632

Engaging Local Communities in Arctic Observing Networks: A Collaborative Shoreline Change Risk WebGIS for Alaska's Arctic Slope Region

Science.gov (United States)

Brady, M.

2017-12-01

This study engaged local community stakeholders in Alaska's Arctic Slope Region to develop a web-based shoreline change risk geographic information system (WebGIS) in collaboration with the North Slope Borough and its residents. The value of the effort includes rich spatial documentation of local risks across the vast, remote, and rapidly changing shoreline, and identification of local manager information needs to direct WebGIS development. The study advances our understanding of shoreline change problems from the perspective of local Arctic communities beyond municipal impacts while building decision support. Over fifty local residents in three communities with collective coastal knowledge that extends across the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska and Arctic National Wildlife Refuge shared their perspectives on hard copy maps. Sixteen managers provided usability perceptions of a beta WebGIS with shoreline change susceptibility information summarized at relevant asset locations such as subsistence camps. The hard copy maps with 300 "problem places" were digitized for analysis, which revealed problems across the coastline, especially challenges to boating for subsistence hunting such as shoaling cutting off access and creating hazards. The usability workshop revealed specific information needs including the need to monitor impacts at decommissioned national defense radar sites repurposed by locals to centralize oil and gas activity. These results were analyzed using an Instructional Systems Design (ISD) framework consisting of front-end and formative WebGIS evaluation phases. The front-end evaluation is the local input on hard copy maps, which provided local verification of coastal risks. The formative evaluation is the usability workshop with managers, which informed WebGIS development while promoting user buy-in. In terms of product and process, the local knowledge and information needs collected are significant because they establish local engagement with the

Inference for local autocorrelations in locally stationary models.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Zhibiao

2015-04-01

For non-stationary processes, the time-varying correlation structure provides useful insights into the underlying model dynamics. We study estimation and inferences for local autocorrelation process in locally stationary time series. Our constructed simultaneous confidence band can be used to address important hypothesis testing problems, such as whether the local autocorrelation process is indeed time-varying and whether the local autocorrelation is zero. In particular, our result provides an important generalization of the R function acf() to locally stationary Gaussian processes. Simulation studies and two empirical applications are developed. For the global temperature series, we find that the local autocorrelations are time-varying and have a "V" shape during 1910-1960. For the S&P 500 index, we conclude that the returns satisfy the efficient-market hypothesis whereas the magnitudes of returns show significant local autocorrelations.

Object localization in handheld thermal images for fireground understanding

Science.gov (United States)

Vandecasteele, Florian; Merci, Bart; Jalalvand, Azarakhsh; Verstockt, Steven

2017-05-01

Despite the broad application of the handheld thermal imaging cameras in firefighting, its usage is mostly limited to subjective interpretation by the person carrying the device. As remedies to overcome this limitation, object localization and classification mechanisms could assist the fireground understanding and help with the automated localization, characterization and spatio-temporal (spreading) analysis of the fire. An automated understanding of thermal images can enrich the conventional knowledge-based firefighting techniques by providing the information from the data and sensing-driven approaches. In this work, transfer learning is applied on multi-labeling convolutional neural network architectures for object localization and recognition in monocular visual, infrared and multispectral dynamic images. Furthermore, the possibility of analyzing fire scene images is studied and their current limitations are discussed. Finally, the understanding of the room configuration (i.e., objects location) for indoor localization in reduced visibility environments and the linking with Building Information Models (BIM) are investigated.

Supplementary Material for: Linking local retention, self-recruitment, and persistence in marine metapopulations

KAUST Repository

Lett, Christophe

2016-01-01

Three indices of larval retention have been used in the literature to assess the tendency for self-maintenance of local marine populations: local retention (LR), self-recruitment (SR), and relative local retention (RLR). Only one of these, LR, defined as the ratio of locally produced settlement to local egg production, has a clear relationship to self-persistence of individual sites. However, SR, the ratio of locally produced settlement to settlement of all origins at a site, is generally easier to measure experimentally. We use theoretical, simulation, and empirical approaches to bridge the gap between these different indices, and demonstrate that there is a proportional relationship between SR and LR for metapopulations close to a stable state and with lifetime egg production (LEP) approximately uniform over space. Similarly, for systems where larval mortality rates are a relatively uniform function of release site, RLR (defined as the ratio of locally produced settlement to all settlement of local origin) and LR will also be proportional. Therefore, SR and RLR provide information on relative rates of LR for systems satisfying these conditions. Furthermore, the ratio between LR and SR can be used to evaluate global persistence of metapopulations, and therefore provides valuable information not necessarily available if only LR is considered.

Adopting the FAB-MAP algorithm for indoor localization with WiFi fingerprints

OpenAIRE

Wietrzykowski, Jan; Nowicki, Michał; Skrzypczyński, Piotr

2016-01-01

Personal indoor localization is usually accomplished by fusing information from various sensors. A common choice is to use the WiFi adapter that provides information about Access Points that can be found in the vicinity. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art approaches to WiFi-based localization often employ very dense maps of the WiFi signal distribution, and require a time-consuming process of parameter selection. On the other hand, camera images are commonly used for visual place recognition, de...

An e-health driven laboratory information system to support HIV treatment in Peru: E-quity for laboratory personnel, health providers and people living with HIV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caballero N Patricia

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Peru has a concentrated HIV epidemic with an estimated 76,000 people living with HIV (PLHIV. Access to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART expanded between 2004-2006 and the Peruvian National Institute of Health was named by the Ministry of Health as the institution responsible for carrying out testing to monitor the effectiveness of HAART. However, a national public health laboratory information system did not exist. We describe the design and implementation of an e-health driven, web-based laboratory information system - NETLAB - to communicate laboratory results for monitoring HAART to laboratory personnel, health providers and PLHIV. Methods We carried out a needs assessment of the existing public health laboratory system, which included the generation and subsequent review of flowcharts of laboratory testing processes to generate better, more efficient streamlined processes, improving them and eliminating duplications. Next, we designed NETLAB as a modular system, integrating key security functions. The system was implemented and evaluated. Results The three main components of the NETLAB system, registration, reporting and education, began operating in early 2007. The number of PLHIV with recorded CD4 counts and viral loads increased by 1.5 times, to reach 18,907. Publication of test results with NETLAB took an average of 1 day, compared to a pre-NETLAB average of 60 days. NETLAB reached 2,037 users, including 944 PLHIV and 1,093 health providers, during its first year and a half. The percentage of overall PLHIV and health providers who were aware of NETLAB and had a NETLAB password has also increased substantially. Conclusion NETLAB is an effective laboratory management tool since it is directly integrated into the national laboratory system and streamlined existing processes at the local, regional and national levels. The system also represents the best possible source of timely laboratory information for

28 CFR 35.163 - Information and signage.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... 28 Judicial Administration 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Information and signage. 35.163 Section... STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES Communications § 35.163 Information and signage. (a) A public entity... entity shall provide signage at all inaccessible entrances to each of its facilities, directing users to...

A Mine of Information: Can Sports Analytics Provide Wisdom From Your Data?

Science.gov (United States)

Passfield, Louis; Hopker, James G

2017-08-01

This paper explores the notion that the availability and analysis of large data sets have the capacity to improve practice and change the nature of science in the sport and exercise setting. The increasing use of data and information technology in sport is giving rise to this change. Web sites hold large data repositories, and the development of wearable technology, mobile phone applications, and related instruments for monitoring physical activity, training, and competition provide large data sets of extensive and detailed measurements. Innovative approaches conceived to more fully exploit these large data sets could provide a basis for more objective evaluation of coaching strategies and new approaches to how science is conducted. An emerging discipline, sports analytics, could help overcome some of the challenges involved in obtaining knowledge and wisdom from these large data sets. Examples of where large data sets have been analyzed, to evaluate the career development of elite cyclists and to characterize and optimize the training load of well-trained runners, are discussed. Careful verification of large data sets is time consuming and imperative before useful conclusions can be drawn. Consequently, it is recommended that prospective studies be preferred over retrospective analyses of data. It is concluded that rigorous analysis of large data sets could enhance our knowledge in the sport and exercise sciences, inform competitive strategies, and allow innovative new research and findings.

MODEL OF PROVIDING WITH DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES IN AN ORGANIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Kuzkin

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Subject of research. The paper presents research and instructional tools for assessment of providing with the development strategy for information technologies in an organization. Method. The corresponding assessment model is developed which takes into consideration IT-processes equilibrium according to selected efficiency factors of information technologies application. Basic results. The model peculiarity resides in applying neuro-fuzzy approximators where the conclusion is drawn upon fuzzy logic, and membership functions are adjusted through the use of neural networks. For the adequacy testing of the suggested model, due diligence result analysis has been carried out for the IT-strategy executed in the “Navigator” group of companies at the stage of implementation and support of new technologies and production methods. Data visualization with a circle diagram is applied for the comparative evaluation of the analysis results. The chosen model adequacy is proved by the agreement between predictive assessments for IT-strategy performance targets derived by means of the fuzzy cognitive model over 12 months planning horizon and the real values of these targets upon the expiry of the given planning term. Practical significance. The developed model application gives the possibility to solve the problem of sustainability assessment for the process of providing the required IT-strategy realization level based upon the fuzzy cognitive map analysis and to reveal IT-objectives changing tendencies for an organization over the stated planning interval.

Cavity quantum electrodynamics with Anderson-localized modes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sapienza, Luca; Nielsen, Henri Thyrrestrup; Stobbe, Søren

2010-01-01

by a factor of 15 on resonance with the Anderson-localized mode, and 94% of the emitted single photons coupled to the mode. Disordered photonic media thus provide an efficient platform for quantum electrodynamics, offering an approach to inherently disorder-robust quantum information devices.......A major challenge in quantum optics and quantum information technology is to enhance the interaction between single photons and single quantum emitters. This requires highly engineered optical cavities that are inherently sensitive to fabrication imperfections. We have demonstrated a fundamentally...... different approach in which disorder is used as a resource rather than a nuisance. We generated strongly confined Anderson-localized cavity modes by deliberately adding disorder to photonic crystal waveguides. The emission rate of a semiconductor quantum dot embedded in the waveguide was enhanced...

Cooperative Robot Localization Using Event-Triggered Estimation

Science.gov (United States)

Iglesias Echevarria, David I.

It is known that multiple robot systems that need to cooperate to perform certain activities or tasks incur in high energy costs that hinder their autonomous functioning and limit the benefits provided to humans by these kinds of platforms. This work presents a communications-based method for cooperative robot localization. Implementing concepts from event-triggered estimation, used with success in the field of wireless sensor networks but rarely to do robot localization, agents are able to only send measurements to their neighbors when the expected novelty in this information is high. Since all agents know the condition that triggers a measurement to be sent or not, the lack of a measurement is therefore informative and fused into state estimates. In the case agents do not receive either direct nor indirect measurements of all others, the agents employ a covariance intersection fusion rule in order to keep the local covariance error metric bounded. A comprehensive analysis of the proposed algorithm and its estimation performance in a variety of scenarios is performed, and the algorithm is compared to similar cooperative localization approaches. Extensive simulations are performed that illustrate the effectiveness of this method.

Policies Supporting Local Food in the United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Steve W. Martinez

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Local food has been the subject of federal, state, and local government policies in recent years throughout the United States as consumer demand has grown. Local foods have been linked to several government priorities—including enhancing the rural economy, the environment, and supporting agricultural producers. This article provides an overview of U.S. Federal, State and regional policies designed to support local food systems. It details the latest economic information on policy, relying on findings from several national surveys and a synthesis of recent literature. Federal policies related to local food systems were greatly expanded by the 2008 Farm Bill, and are further expanded in the Agricultural Act of 2014. United States policies address several barriers to the further expansion of local food markets, including scaling up output of small farms to address the needs of larger commercial outlets, lack of infrastructure for increasing local food sales, ability to trace product source, and producer education regarding local food expansion.

Directions in low-level radioactive-waste management. Incentives and compensation: providing resources for communities hosting low-level waste facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-10-01

State responsibility for the management of low-level radioactive waste necessitates the selection of candidate locations for a disposal facility. Concern over potential impacts can be expected from segments of the citizenry neighboring a proposed site. A number of national organizations comprising state and local officials have recommended the use of incentives and compensation to help offset the negative local impacts. This document explores that concept. Discussion provides background information on potential local impacts from a low-level waste facility and considers the nature and types of incentives and compensation benefits that could be provided. The document then examines realistic options for planning and implementing the benefit program. This information is intended, primarily, to assist state officials - executive, legislative, and agency - in planning for and managing low-level waste disposal facilities

76 FR 11980 - Stakeholder Input: Listening Session to Provide Information and Solicit Suggestions for...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-04

... ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 40 CFR Chapter I [Docket EPA-HQ-OW-2011-0119; FRL-9275-4] Stakeholder Input: Listening Session to Provide Information and Solicit Suggestions for Regulations... stakeholders. DATES: The listening sessions will be held at 210 Holiday Court, Annapolis, Maryland 21401, on...

Measuring transferring similarity via local information

Science.gov (United States)

Yin, Likang; Deng, Yong

2018-05-01

Recommender systems have developed along with the web science, and how to measure the similarity between users is crucial for processing collaborative filtering recommendation. Many efficient models have been proposed (i.g., the Pearson coefficient) to measure the direct correlation. However, the direct correlation measures are greatly affected by the sparsity of dataset. In other words, the direct correlation measures would present an inauthentic similarity if two users have a very few commonly selected objects. Transferring similarity overcomes this drawback by considering their common neighbors (i.e., the intermediates). Yet, the transferring similarity also has its drawback since it can only provide the interval of similarity. To break the limitations, we propose the Belief Transferring Similarity (BTS) model. The contributions of BTS model are: (1) BTS model addresses the issue of the sparsity of dataset by considering the high-order similarity. (2) BTS model transforms uncertain interval to a certain state based on fuzzy systems theory. (3) BTS model is able to combine the transferring similarity of different intermediates using information fusion method. Finally, we compare BTS models with nine different link prediction methods in nine different networks, and we also illustrate the convergence property and efficiency of the BTS model.

THE PERCEPTION OF ADOPTING AN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION ON RURAL BANKS OWNED BY THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elen Puspitasari

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The performance of rural banks owned by the local government showed progress veryproud. Therefore, policies and strategies for the future development of rural banks directedin accordance with the fundamental characteristics of rural banks, which is rural banks ascommunity banks are healthy, strong, productive and spread throughout Indonesia and focusedin the provision of financial services the small, micro and medium enterprises (SME’s andlocal communities, especially in rural areas.The purpose of this study was to find out whichvariables are to be determinant to measure the user’s perceptions of adopting an informationtechnology (IT innovation on the rural banks owned by local government. Respondents in this study were employees as user’s adoption of IT on rural banks. Data obtained from respondents’ answers to the questionnaire. The factors that influence adopting an information technologyinnovation, which is voluntariness, relative advantage, compatibility, image, ease of use, resultdemonstrability, visibility, trial ability, and facilitating conditions to be determined by principlecomponent analysis under Factor Analysis Techniques.The adoption of information technologiesby individuals and organizations has been an area of substantial research to extend informationsystem. One of the important strategies that need to be done by the rural banks in order toincrease competitiveness and outreach is empowering of supporting infrastructure industriesowned by rural banks effectively, especially in information technology.

How doing a dynamical analysis of gait movement may provide information about Autism

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, D.; Torres, E.; Nguyen, J.; Mistry, S.; Whyatt, C.; Kalampratsidou, V.; Kolevzon, A.; Jose, J.

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to have deficits in language and social skills. They also have deficits on how they move. Why individuals get ASD? It is not generally known. There is, however, one particular group of children with a SHANK3 gene deficiency (Phelan-McDermid Syndrome (PMDS)) that present symptoms similar to ASD. We have been searching for universal mechanism in ASD going beyond the usual heterogeneous ASD symptoms. We studied motions in gaits for both PMDS patients and idiopathic ASD. We have examined their motions continuously at milliseconds time scale, away from naked eye detection. Gait is a complex process, requiring a complex integration and coordination of different joints' motions. Significant information about the development and/or deficits in the sensory system is hidden in our gaits. We discovered that the speed smoothness in feet motion during gaits is a critical feature that provides a significant distinction between subjects with ASD and typical controls. The differences in appearance of the speed fluctuations suggested a different coordination mechanism in subjects with disorders. Our work provides a very important feature in gait motion that has significant physiological information.

Provider-to-provider communication in dermatology and implications of missing clinical information in skin biopsy requisition forms: a systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Comfere, Nneka I; Sokumbi, Olayemi; Montori, Victor M; LeBlanc, Annie; Prokop, Larry J; Murad, M Hassan; Tilburt, Jon C

2014-05-01

Various components of the skin biopsy requisition form (SBRF) may contribute to accurate dermatopathologic interpretation. A search of electronic databases, including those of Ovid MEDLINE In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Scopus, was conducted from inception to October 2011. Two authors independently screened all articles for eligibility. Inclusion criteria required material to represent original studies on skin biopsy and pathology requisition forms. Data abstracted from each article that met the inclusion criteria included details of the study characteristics, including the study location, type of pathology practice, specimen type, type of dermatoses, medical specialty of the requesting provider, suggested clinical components, and format of the SBRF. Of 32 titles and abstracts reviewed, seven articles were included. From these, we determined that dermatologists, general practitioners and surgeons completed SBRFs. Commonly included components were patient demographics and requesting clinician characteristics. Clinical information and differential diagnosis were provided in 4% (two of 48 surgeons) to 36% (18 of 50 dermatologists) of requisitions. Most SBRFs did not include information on specimen type, clinical morphology, photographs or clinical history. The limited medical literature demonstrates variation in the content of SBRFs across clinicians and practices, and suggests an important target for improvement in the quality of communication and dermatologic care by requesting clinicians and pathologists. © 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.

Public Access to Government Electronic Information. Policy Framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Bulletin of the American Society for Information Science, 1992

1992-01-01

This policy framework provides guidelines for federal agencies on public access to government electronic information. Highlights include reasons for disseminating information; defining user groups; which technology to use; pricing flexibility; security and privacy issues; and the private sector and state and local government roles. (LRW)

42 CFR 433.127 - Termination of FFP for failure to provide access to claims processing and information retrieval...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... claims processing and information retrieval systems. 433.127 Section 433.127 Public Health CENTERS FOR... PROGRAMS STATE FISCAL ADMINISTRATION Mechanized Claims Processing and Information Retrieval Systems § 433.127 Termination of FFP for failure to provide access to claims processing and information retrieval...

Beacon-based tourist information system to identify visiting trends of tourists

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Akihiro Yamaguchi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In this study, we propose a system that provides tourist information and obtains trends of visiting tourists using beacons and cloud service. As part of our research, we are working on the promotion of local area tourism in cooperation with a local community. A low energy Bluetooth device is used as a beacon to transmit a universally unique identifier. In addition, beacons are placed at sightseeing spots and tourist facilities. Our proposed system comprises two application programs; one is a client-side application program that provides area-specific tourist information corresponding to the detected beacon. The other is a server-side application to record time and location information of the detected beacons. In this paper, we describe the scheme of our system, and present the results of experiments conducted using the prototype system in the local tourist area. In addition, we discuss an open platform for information collection services using beacons.

System to provide 3D information on geological anomaly zone in deep subsea

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, W.; Kwon, O.; Kim, D.

2017-12-01

The study on building the ultra long and deep subsea tunnel of which length is 50km and depth is 200m at least, respectively, is underway in Korea. To analyze the geotechnical information required for designing and building subsea tunnel, topographic/geologiccal information analysis using 2D seabed geophysical prospecting and topographic, geologic, exploration and boring data were analyzed comprehensively and as a result, automation method to identify the geological structure zone under seabed which is needed to design the deep and long seabed tunnel was developed using geostatistical analysis. In addition, software using 3D visualized ground information to provide the information includes Gocad, MVS, Vulcan and DIMINE. This study is intended to analyze the geological anomaly zone for ultra deep seabed l and visualize the geological investigation result so as to develop the exclusive system for processing the ground investigation information which is convenient for the users. Particularly it's compatible depending on file of geophysical prospecting result and is realizable in Layer form and for 3D view as well. The data to be processed by 3D seabed information system includes (1) deep seabed topographic information, (2) geological anomaly zone, (3) geophysical prospecting, (4) boring investigation result and (5) 3D visualization of the section on seabed tunnel route. Each data has own characteristics depending on data and interface to allow interlocking with other data is granted. In each detail function, input data is displayed in a single space and each element is selectable to identify the further information as a project. Program creates the project when initially implemented and all output from detail information is stored by project unit. Each element representing detail information is stored in image file and is supported to store in text file as well. It also has the function to transfer, expand/reduce and rotate the model. To represent the all elements in

3D–2D image registration for target localization in spine surgery: investigation of similarity metrics providing robustness to content mismatch

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Silva, T; Ketcha, M D; Siewerdsen, J H; Uneri, A; Reaungamornrat, S; Kleinszig, G; Vogt, S; Aygun, N; Lo, S-F; Wolinsky, J-P

2016-01-01

In image-guided spine surgery, robust three-dimensional to two-dimensional (3D–2D) registration of preoperative computed tomography (CT) and intraoperative radiographs can be challenged by the image content mismatch associated with the presence of surgical instrumentation and implants as well as soft-tissue resection or deformation. This work investigates image similarity metrics in 3D–2D registration offering improved robustness against mismatch, thereby improving performance and reducing or eliminating the need for manual masking. The performance of four gradient-based image similarity metrics (gradient information (GI), gradient correlation (GC), gradient information with linear scaling (GS), and gradient orientation (GO)) with a multi-start optimization strategy was evaluated in an institutional review board-approved retrospective clinical study using 51 preoperative CT images and 115 intraoperative mobile radiographs. Registrations were tested with and without polygonal masks as a function of the number of multistarts employed during optimization. Registration accuracy was evaluated in terms of the projection distance error (PDE) and assessment of failure modes (PDE  >  30 mm) that could impede reliable vertebral level localization. With manual polygonal masking and 200 multistarts, the GC and GO metrics exhibited robust performance with 0% gross failures and median PDE  <  6.4 mm (±4.4 mm interquartile range (IQR)) and a median runtime of 84 s (plus upwards of 1–2 min for manual masking). Excluding manual polygonal masks and decreasing the number of multistarts to 50 caused the GC-based registration to fail at a rate of  >14%; however, GO maintained robustness with a 0% gross failure rate. Overall, the GI, GC, and GS metrics were susceptible to registration errors associated with content mismatch, but GO provided robust registration (median PDE  =  5.5 mm, 2.6 mm IQR) without manual masking and with an improved

Relative information entropy in cosmology: The problem of information entanglement

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Czinner, Viktor G., E-mail: czinner.viktor@wigner.mta.hu [Centro de Matemática, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal); HAS Wigner Research Centre for Physics, H-1525 Budapest, P.O. Box 49 (Hungary); Mena, Filipe C., E-mail: fmena@math.uminho.pt [Centro de Matemática, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga (Portugal)

2016-07-10

The necessary information to distinguish a local inhomogeneous mass density field from its spatial average on a compact domain of the universe can be measured by relative information entropy. The Kullback–Leibler (KL) formula arises very naturally in this context, however, it provides a very complicated way to compute the mutual information between spatially separated but causally connected regions of the universe in a realistic, inhomogeneous model. To circumvent this issue, by considering a parametric extension of the KL measure, we develop a simple model to describe the mutual information which is entangled via the gravitational field equations. We show that the Tsallis relative entropy can be a good approximation in the case of small inhomogeneities, and for measuring the independent relative information inside the domain, we propose the Rényi relative entropy formula.

Contraceptive security, information flow, and local adaptations ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Methodology : Morocco was selected for the case study. The researchers had ready access to key informants and information about the Logistics Management Information System. Because the study had time and resource constraints, research included desktop reviews and interview, rather than data collection in the field.

Exploring the science–policy interface on climate change: The role of the IPCC in informing local decision-making in the UK

OpenAIRE

Candice Howarth; James Painter

2016-01-01

Building on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) review of\\ud how to make its Assessment Reports (ARs) more accessible in the future, the research\\ud reported here assesses the extent to which the ARs are a useful tool through which scientific\\ud advice informs local decision-making on climate change in the United Kingdom. Results from\\ud interviews with local policy representatives and three workshops with UK academics, practitioners\\ud and local decision makers are present...

Bridging information requirements and information needs assessment: do scenarios and vignettes provide a link?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Urquhart

2001-01-01

Full Text Available The aim of the paper is to compare the philosophies of the vignette and critical incident techniques in information behaviour research, with the methodologies used in object oriented analysis such as use case scenarios and CRC (class, responsibility, collaboration cards. The principles of object oriented analysis are outlined, noting the emphasis on obtaining the "storyline" or "scripts" for information requirements analysis through use cases and CRC cards.  The critical incident technique and vignettes are used to obtain valid interpretations of users" information behaviour, using a storyline approach for data collection (and analysis which is similar to that of object oriented analysis. Some examples illustrate how techniques developed in object oriented analysis could be used for data display in information behaviour studies. Concludes that the methods developed by software engineering could be adapted usefully for information behaviour research.

A novel segmentation method for uneven lighting image with noise injection based on non-local spatial information and intuitionistic fuzzy entropy

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Haiyan; Fan, Jiulun

2017-12-01

Local thresholding methods for uneven lighting image segmentation always have the limitations that they are very sensitive to noise injection and that the performance relies largely upon the choice of the initial window size. This paper proposes a novel algorithm for segmenting uneven lighting images with strong noise injection based on non-local spatial information and intuitionistic fuzzy theory. We regard an image as a gray wave in three-dimensional space, which is composed of many peaks and troughs, and these peaks and troughs can divide the image into many local sub-regions in different directions. Our algorithm computes the relative characteristic of each pixel located in the corresponding sub-region based on fuzzy membership function and uses it to replace its absolute characteristic (its gray level) to reduce the influence of uneven light on image segmentation. At the same time, the non-local adaptive spatial constraints of pixels are introduced to avoid noise interference with the search of local sub-regions and the computation of local characteristics. Moreover, edge information is also taken into account to avoid false peak and trough labeling. Finally, a global method based on intuitionistic fuzzy entropy is employed on the wave transformation image to obtain the segmented result. Experiments on several test images show that the proposed method has excellent capability of decreasing the influence of uneven illumination on images and noise injection and behaves more robustly than several classical global and local thresholding methods.

Governance and Public Sector Transformation in South Africa: Reporting and Providing Assurance on Service Delivery Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariaan Roos

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Reporting on performance was legislatively established in South Africa in terms of the Public Finance Management Act, Act 1 of 1999, section 40 (3(a. The auditing of the reported information was legislated in the Public Audit Act, Act 25 of 2004, section 20(2 (c. The objectives of the article are firstly to provide an overview of the development and application of the reporting and secondly providing assurance on service delivery information and thirdly to reflect on challenges to the implementation thereof in South Africa. The aim through deploying these set objectives is to formulate possible future considerations for improved governance. As central part of the methodology, review of literature on reporting and audit of non-financialwas conducted. The research included scrutiny of the different philosophies and approaches adopted by different countries to the reporting and providing assurance on service delivery information. In this respect, the research reflects a comparative element. In South Africa the Auditor-General adopted a phasing-in approach. The development of the audit approach and audit procedures has reached a stable stage, nine years after the initial process started. The audit of performance information now forms an integral part of the regularity audit process. The analysis of audit findings of the period under study indicates a considerable improvement once initiated, but stagnation persists in subsequent years. Numerous challenges remain around the application of performance reporting in South Africa including non-compliance, the lack of sufficient and appropriate audit evidence, inconsistencies between the various strategic documents and the need to improve the usefulness of performance information. In conclusion the article proposes some steps to address the challenges.

The effect of providing nutritional information about fast-food restaurant menus on parents' meal choices for their children

Science.gov (United States)

Ahn, Jae-Young; Park, Hae-Ryun; Lee, Kiwon; Kwon, Sooyoun; Kim, Soyeong; Yang, Jihye; Song, Kyung-Hee

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES To encourage healthier food choices for children in fast-food restaurants, many initiatives have been proposed. This study aimed to examine the effect of disclosing nutritional information on parents' meal choices for their children at fast-food restaurants in South Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS An online experimental survey using a menu board was conducted with 242 parents of children aged 2-12 years who dined with them at fast-food restaurants at least once a month. Participants were classified into two groups: the low-calorie group (n = 41) who chose at least one of the lowest calorie meals in each menu category, and the high-calorie group (n = 201) who did not. The attributes including perceived empowerment, use of provided nutritional information, and perceived difficulties were compared between the two groups. RESULTS The low-calorie group perceived significantly higher empowerment with the nutritional information provided than did the high-calorie group (P = 0.020). Additionally, the low-calorie group was more interested in nutrition labeling (P nutritional value of menus when selecting restaurants for their children more than did the high-calorie group (P = 0.017). The low-calorie group used the nutritional information provided when choosing meals for their children significantly more than did the high-calorie group (P nutritional information provided (P = 0.012). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that improving the empowerment of parents using nutritional information could be a strategy for promoting healthier parental food choices for their children at fast-food restaurants. PMID:26634057

Local Energy Advising in Sweden: Historical Development and Lessons for Future Policy-Making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Are E. Kjeang

2017-12-01

Full Text Available In Sweden, energy-consulting services, here referred to as local energy advising (LEA, have traditionally contributed to improving household energy efficiency. The aim of this article is to analyze the development of this service from the 1970s, when the consultancy came into being, to the present day, through a review of documents and published literature. The analysis enables the understanding of the evolution of local energy advising as a policy instrument, and provides valuable insights for the future. Local energy advising has often been subsidized by the Swedish government and used as a state policy measure rather than a municipal one. As a policy measure, the function of the service has changed over time. In the early period, the oil crisis was a fact and the local advisers were used to inform households. In the 1980s, however, the task of energy-advising was taken over by the energy companies in the spirit of market liberalization. In the 1990s, Sweden became a member of the European Union, and the emphasis was put on general information campaigns. Recently, the development of decentralized energy systems (including micro-energy systems has necessitated targeting individuals with information. One important lesson to learn from the historical development of LEA is the imperativeness of providing energy advising at the local rather than the state level for better efficiency.

Australians with osteoarthritis: satisfaction with health care providers and the perceived helpfulness of treatments and information sources

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Basedow M

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Martin Basedow,1 Peter Hibbert,1 Tamara Hooper,1 William Runciman,1 Adrian Esterman,2 1School of Psychology, Social Work and Social Policy, 2School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the satisfaction of Australian patients who suffer from osteoarthritis (OA with their health care providers and the perceived helpfulness of treatments and information sources. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was conducted with a sample of 560 Australian patients who suffer from OA with questions about satisfaction with health care providers and the helpfulness of different treatment options and information sources. Logistic regression models were used to assess potential predictors of satisfaction. Thematic analysis was undertaken for attitudinal factors associated with satisfaction. Results: A total of 435 participants returned questionnaires (response rate 78%. Most respondents were highly satisfied with the care provided by their general practitioner (GP (84%, communication with their GP (88%, time spent with their GP (84%, and their ability to talk freely with their GP about their medical problem (93%, but less satisfied with their ability to talk freely about associated emotional problems (77%. Satisfaction with pharmacists (80%, rheumatologists (76%, and orthopedic surgeons (72% was high. Joint replacement surgery (91%, prescription anti-inflammatory medications (66%, aids and assistive devices (65%, intra-articular injections (63%, and prescription painkiller medications (62% were perceived as effective treatments. Less highly rated treatments were exercise (48%, physiotherapy (43%, and complementary medicines (29%. A majority of patients were satisfied with the information to manage their OA (65%. From the multivariable logistic regression analysis, four GP satisfaction factors were found to be predictors of overall satisfaction with GP care: the amount

Characteristics of Kentucky local health departments that influence public health communication during times of crisis: information dissemination associated with H1N1 novel influenza.

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Alex F; Bush, Heather M; Shapiro, Robert M; Dearinger, Angela

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of selected characteristics of local health departments (LHDs) in Kentucky with the receipt of information by external stakeholders, specifically physicians and pharmacists, during the initial H1N1 outbreak of 2009. This study utilized a cross-sectional survey to gather characteristic information from local health departments. In addition, cross sectional surveys of physicians and pharmacists were used to determine information receipt. All 54 LHDs in Kentucky were surveyed; however, only those physicians belonging to the Kentucky Family Physician Association or the Kentucky Ambulatory Network were surveyed. Also, pharmacists included in this survey were members of the Kentucky Pharmacist Association. Descriptive data analyses, including chi-square test of independence, were conducted, and generalized estimating equations were used to calculate odds ratios to depict associations related to information exchange in this study. Response rates for the study were as follows: LHDs 65% (35/54), physicians 18.5% (96/518), and pharmacists 21.1% (211/1000). Of the 35 participating LHDs the most common characteristic identified was the presence of a public information officer (PIO) and a pandemic influenza plan, 76% and 64%, respectively. Despite these factors, 72% of external stakeholders did not receive any information regarding H1N1 from the LHD. Generalized estimating equations also indicated that stakeholders in jurisdictions lacking a PIO had 6 (95% confidence interval, 1.3-26.95) greater odds of not receiving information from the LHD. External stakeholders in jurisdictions without a pandemic influenza plan had 3.38 (95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.17) increased odds of not receiving information but this association was not statistically significant. Observations from this study indicate a need to improve information exchange between LHDs and their external stakeholders, specifically physicians and pharmacists

40 CFR 763.84 - General local education agency responsibilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-07-01

... exterminators) who may come in contact with asbestos in a school are provided information regarding the... 40 Protection of Environment 30 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false General local education agency responsibilities. 763.84 Section 763.84 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) TOXIC...

Providing patient information and education in practice: the role of the health librarian.

Science.gov (United States)

Truccolo, Ivana

2016-06-01

In this article, guest writer Ivana Truccolo presents an overview of her work at the Scientific and Patient Library of a Cancer Comprehensive Centre in Italy coordinating the patient education process. She discusses the historical evolution of the concept of patient education and how this has run alongside the role of the health librarian in the provision of consumer health information. Details are provided about various patient education programmes in place at the Centre. In particular, various activities are discussed including patient education classes, the development of patient education handouts and a narrative medicine programme which includes a literary competition. The article concludes with a specific outline of the role the health librarian can play in the provision of consumer health information and patient education. H.S. © 2016 Health Libraries Group.

Functional Maps of Neocortical Local Circuitry

Science.gov (United States)