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Sample records for providing role models

  1. Provider role attitudes, marital satisfaction, role overload, and housework: a dyadic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Helms, Heather M; Walls, Jill K; Crouter, Ann C; McHale, Susan M

    2010-10-01

    Treating the marital dyad as the unit of analysis, this study examined the within-couple patterning of 272 dual-earner spouses' provider role attitudes and their longitudinal associations with marital satisfaction, role overload, and the division of housework. Based on the congruence of husbands' and wives' provider role attitudes, couples were classified into one of four types: (a) main-secondary, (b) coprovider, (c) ambivalent coprovider, and (d) mismatched couples. Nearly half of all spouses differed in their attitudes about breadwinning. A series of mixed model ANCOVAs revealed significant between- and within-couple differences in human capital characteristics, spouses' perceptions of marital satisfaction and role overload, and the division of housework across 3 years of measurement. Coprovider couples reported higher levels of marital satisfaction and a more equitable division of housework than the other couple groups. Wives in the ambivalent coprovider couples' group reported higher levels of role overload than their husbands to a greater extent than was found in the other couple groups. As the first study to adopt a dyadic approach that considers the meanings that both spouses in dual-earner couples ascribe to paid employment, these findings advance understanding of how dual-earner spouses' provider role attitudes serve as contexts for marital quality, behavior, and role-related stress.

  2. New Provider Models for Sweden and Spain: Public, Private or Non-profit? Comment on "Governance, Government, and the Search for New Provider Models".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeurissen, Patrick P T; Maarse, Hans

    2016-06-29

    Sweden and Spain experiment with different provider models to reform healthcare provision. Both models have in common that they extend the role of the for-profit sector in healthcare. As the analysis of Saltman and Duran demonstrates, privatisation is an ambiguous and contested strategy that is used for quite different purposes. In our comment, we emphasize that their analysis leaves questions open on the consequences of privatisation for the performance of healthcare and the role of the public sector in healthcare provision. Furthermore, we briefly address the absence of the option of healthcare provision by not-for-profit providers in the privatisation strategy of Sweden and Spain. © 2016 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

  3. The motivational theory of role modeling : How role models influence role aspirants' goals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Morgenroth, Thekla; Ryan, Michelle K.; Peters, Kim

    2015-01-01

    Role models are often suggested as a way of motivating individuals to set and achieve ambitious goals, especially for members of stigmatized groups in achievement settings. Yet, the literature on role models tends not to draw on the motivational literature to explain how role models may help role

  4. Towards A Model of Identity and Role Exit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jason S. Milne

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Explanations of role exit often focus on how factors associated with a specific role that affect whether the individual will exit a role or not. Other research explains how identities affect our performance in a role. However, no one has yet to demonstrate the connection between role-set factors and identities, and role exit. Using data from a survey of 940 current and former soccer referees, this paper provides a model of role exit that involves a complex of processes that include role-set factors (structural and cultural factors associated with a specific role and identity processes. Specifically, this paper demonstrates that, other than role conflict, identity processes explain the relationship between role-set factors and role exit. The model provides a beginning method for understanding the connection between identities and role exit.

  5. Levels of Interaction Provided by Online Distance Education Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alhih, Mohammed; Ossiannilsson, Ebba; Berigel, Muhammet

    2017-01-01

    Interaction plays a significant role to foster usability and quality in online education. It is one of the quality standard to reveal the evidence of practice in online distance education models. This research study aims to evaluate levels of interaction in the practices of distance education centres. It is aimed to provide online distance…

  6. Creating Role models for Japanese Learners

    OpenAIRE

    Brown, Howard

    2009-01-01

    English classes in Japan are often taught through the medium of Japanese. This sends the message that English is a subject of study rather than a means of communication. A great deal of recent research and pedagogical work has gone into encouraging more classroom English use by Japanese Teachers of English in order to provide positive role models of language use to students. Along with this, other content area faculty members can become role models for students' English success. Results of th...

  7. An improved mixing model providing joint statistics of scalar and scalar dissipation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Meyer, Daniel W. [Department of Energy Resources Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA (United States); Jenny, Patrick [Institute of Fluid Dynamics, ETH Zurich (Switzerland)

    2008-11-15

    For the calculation of nonpremixed turbulent flames with thin reaction zones the joint probability density function (PDF) of the mixture fraction and its dissipation rate plays an important role. The corresponding PDF transport equation involves a mixing model for the closure of the molecular mixing term. Here, the parameterized scalar profile (PSP) mixing model is extended to provide the required joint statistics. Model predictions are validated using direct numerical simulation (DNS) data of a passive scalar mixing in a statistically homogeneous turbulent flow. Comparisons between the DNS and the model predictions are provided, which involve different initial scalar-field lengthscales. (author)

  8. The role of money in modern macro models

    OpenAIRE

    Seitz, Franz; Schmidt, Markus A.

    2013-01-01

    This paper is the starting point of a series of analyses aiming at re-discovering the role of money for monetary policy purposes. It provides an overview of the role of money in modern macro models. In particular, we are focussing on New Keynesian and New Monetarist models to investigate their main findings and most significant shortcomings in considering money properly. As a further step, we ask about the role of financial intermediaries in this respect. In dealing with these issues, we dist...

  9. Role modelling in medical education: the importance of teaching skills.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgess, Annette; Oates, Kim; Goulston, Kerry

    2016-04-01

    By observation of role models, and participation in activities, students develop their attitudes, values and professional competencies. Literature suggests that clinical skills and knowledge, personality, and teaching skills are three main areas that students consider central to the identification of positive role models. The aim of this study was to explore junior medical students' opinions of the ideal attributes of a good role model in clinical tutors. The study was conducted with one cohort (n = 301) of students who had completed year 1 of the medical programme in 2013. All students were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding the ideal attributes of a good role model in a clinical tutor. The questionnaire consisted of seven closed items and one open-ended question. The response rate to the questionnaire was 265/301 (88%). Although students found all three key areas important in a good role model, students emphasised the importance of excellence in teaching skills. Specifically, students see good role models as being able to provide a constructive learning environment, a good understanding of the curriculum and an ability to cater to the learning needs of all students. Students see good role models as being able to provide a constructive learning environment While acknowledging the importance of a patient-centred approach, as well as clinical knowledge and skills, our findings reinforce the importance of the actual teaching abilities of role models within medical education. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. Governance, Government, and the Search for New Provider Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard B. Saltman

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A central problem in designing effective models of provider governance in health systems has been to ensure an appropriate balance between the concerns of public sector and/or government decision-makers, on the one hand, and of non-governmental health services actors in civil society and private life, on the other. In tax-funded European health systems up to the 1980s, the state and other public sector decision-makers played a dominant role over health service provision, typically operating hospitals through national or regional governments on a command-and-control basis. In a number of countries, however, this state role has started to change, with governments first stepping out of direct service provision and now de facto pushed to focus more on steering provider organizations rather than on direct public management. In this new approach to provider governance, the state has pulled back into a regulatory role that introduces market-like incentives and management structures, which then apply to both public and private sector providers alike. This article examines some of the main operational complexities in implementing this new governance reality/strategy, specifically from a service provision (as opposed to mostly a financing or even regulatory perspective. After briefly reviewing some of the key theoretical dilemmas, the paper presents two case studies where this new approach was put into practice: primary care in Sweden and hospitals in Spain. The article concludes that good governance today needs to reflect practical operational realities if it is to have the desired effect on health sector reform outcome.

  11. Governance, Government, and the Search for New Provider Models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saltman, Richard B; Duran, Antonio

    2015-11-03

    A central problem in designing effective models of provider governance in health systems has been to ensure an appropriate balance between the concerns of public sector and/or government decision-makers, on the one hand, and of non-governmental health services actors in civil society and private life, on the other. In tax-funded European health systems up to the 1980s, the state and other public sector decision-makers played a dominant role over health service provision, typically operating hospitals through national or regional governments on a command-and-control basis. In a number of countries, however, this state role has started to change, with governments first stepping out of direct service provision and now de facto pushed to focus more on steering provider organizations rather than on direct public management. In this new approach to provider governance, the state has pulled back into a regulatory role that introduces market-like incentives and management structures, which then apply to both public and private sector providers alike. This article examines some of the main operational complexities in implementing this new governance reality/strategy, specifically from a service provision (as opposed to mostly a financing or even regulatory) perspective. After briefly reviewing some of the key theoretical dilemmas, the paper presents two case studies where this new approach was put into practice: primary care in Sweden and hospitals in Spain. The article concludes that good governance today needs to reflect practical operational realities if it is to have the desired effect on health sector reform outcome. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  12. Evolving provider payment models and patient access to innovative medical technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Long, Genia; Mortimer, Richard; Sanzenbacher, Geoffrey

    2014-12-01

    Abstract Objective: To investigate the evolving use and expected impact of pay-for-performance (P4P) and risk-based provider reimbursement on patient access to innovative medical technology. Structured interviews with leading private payers representing over 110 million commercially-insured lives exploring current and planned use of P4P provider payment models, evidence requirements for technology assessment and new technology coverage, and the evolving relationship between the two topics. Respondents reported rapid increases in the use of P4P and risk-sharing programs, with roughly half of commercial lives affected 3 years ago, just under two-thirds today, and an expected three-quarters in 3 years. All reported well-established systems for evaluating new technology coverage. Five of nine reported becoming more selective in the past 3 years in approving new technologies; four anticipated that in the next 3 years there will be a higher evidence requirement for new technology access. Similarly, four expected it will become more difficult for clinically appropriate but costly technologies to gain coverage. All reported planning to rely more on these types of provider payment incentives to control costs, but didn't see them as a substitute for payer technology reviews and coverage limitations; they each have a role to play. Interviews limited to nine leading payers with models in place; self-reported data. Likely implications include a more uncertain payment environment for providers, and indirectly for innovative medical technology and future investment, greater reliance on quality and financial metrics, and increased evidence requirements for favorable coverage and utilization decisions. Increasing provider financial risk may challenge the traditional technology adoption paradigm, where payers assumed a 'gatekeeping' role and providers a countervailing patient advocacy role with regard to access to new technology. Increased provider financial risk may result in an

  13. Disentangling the Role of Domain-Specific Knowledge in Student Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruppert, John; Duncan, Ravit Golan; Chinn, Clark A.

    2017-08-01

    This study explores the role of domain-specific knowledge in students' modeling practice and how this knowledge interacts with two domain-general modeling strategies: use of evidence and developing a causal mechanism. We analyzed models made by middle school students who had a year of intensive model-based instruction. These models were made to explain a familiar but unstudied biological phenomenon: late onset muscle pain. Students were provided with three pieces of evidence related to this phenomenon and asked to construct a model to account for this evidence. Findings indicate that domain-specific resources play a significant role in the extent to which the models accounted for provided evidence. On the other hand, familiarity with the situation appeared to contribute to the mechanistic character of models. Our results indicate that modeling strategies alone are insufficient for the development of a mechanistic model that accounts for provided evidence and that, while learners can develop a tentative model with a basic familiarity of the situation, scaffolding certain domain-specific knowledge is necessary to assist students with incorporating evidence in modeling tasks.

  14. Men's Provider-Role Attitudes: Implications for Household Work and Marital Satisfaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry-Jenkins, Maureen; Crouter, Ann C.

    1990-01-01

    Examined spousal division of work inside and outside family home in couples (N=43) and cognitions men attach to their work and family roles. Found men's provider-role attitudes were related to their family work involvement. Found congruence of role beliefs and role behavior within home related to higher levels of marital satisfaction for men.…

  15. Empowering Effective STEM Role Models to Promote STEM Equity in Local Communities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harte, T.; Taylor, J.

    2017-12-01

    Empowering Effective STEM Role Models, a three-hour training developed and successfully implemented by NASA Langley Research Center's Science Directorate, is an effort to encourage STEM professionals to serve as role models within their community. The training is designed to help participants reflect on their identity as a role model and provide research-based strategies to effectively engage youth, particularly girls, in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). Research shows that even though girls and boys do not demonstrate a significant difference in their ability to be successful in mathematics and science, there is a significant difference in their confidence level when participating in STEM subject matter and pursuing STEM careers. The Langley training model prepares professionals to disrupt this pattern and take on the habits and skills of effective role models. The training model is based on other successful models and resources for role modeling in STEM including SciGirls; the National Girls Collaborative; and publications by the American Association of University Women and the National Academies. It includes a significant reflection component, and participants walk through situation-based scenarios to practice a focused suite of research-based strategies. These strategies can be implemented in a variety of situations and adapted to the needs of groups that are underrepresented in STEM fields. Underpinning the training and the discussions is the fostering of a growth mindset and promoting perseverance. "The Power of Yet" becomes a means whereby role models encourage students to believe in themselves, working toward reaching their goals and dreams in the area of STEM. To provide additional support, NASA Langley role model trainers are available to work with a champion at other organizations to facilitate the training. This champion helps recruit participants, seeks leadership buy-in, and helps provide valuable insights for needs and

  16. The Role(s) of Process Models in Design Practice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iversen, Søren; Jensen, Mads Kunø Nyegaard; Vistisen, Peter

    2018-01-01

    This paper investigates how design process models are implemented and used in design-driven organisations. The archetypical theoretical framing of process models, describe their primary role as guiding the design process, and assign roles and deliverables throughout the process. We hypothesise...... that the process models also take more communicative roles in practice, both in terms of creating an internal design rationale, as well as demystifying the black box of design thinking to external stakeholders. We investigate this hypothesis through an interview study of four major danish design......-driven organisations, and analyse the different roles their archetypical process models take in their organisations. The main contribution is the identification of three, often overlapping roles, which design process models showed to assume in design-driven organisations: process guidance, adding transparency...

  17. The Relationship between Race and Students' Identified Career Role Models and Perceived Role Model Influence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karunanayake, Danesh; Nauta, Margaret M.

    2004-01-01

    The authors examined whether college students' race was related to the modal race of their identified career role models, the number of identified career role models, and their perceived influence from such models. Consistent with A. Bandura's (1977, 1986) social learning theory, students tended to have role models whose race was the same as…

  18. The influence of role models in undergraduate nurse education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jack, Kirsten; Hamshire, Claire; Chambers, Alison

    2017-12-01

    To explore the concept of role modelling in undergraduate nurse education and its effect on the personal and professional development of student nurses. Effective educative strategies are important for student nurses, who have to cope with learning in both clinical and university settings. Given the contemporary issues facing nurse education and practice in the United Kingdom (UK), it is timely and important to undertake pedagogical research into the concept of role modelling as an effective educative method. A descriptive narrative approach. Unstructured interviews were conducted with 14 current/recently discontinued students from Adult and Mental Health branches of nursing degree programmes in the north-west region of England, United Kingdom (UK). Data were thematically analysed. Students valued exposure to positive role models in clinical and university settings and viewed them as beneficial to their learning. Exposure to negative role models occurred, and this provided students with opportunities to consider the type of nurse they aspired to become. In some cases, students' exposure to perceived poor practice had an adverse effect on their learning and led to negative feelings about nursing work. Clinical staff might be perceived as more relevant role models than those in the university setting although there were still opportunities for academic staff to model professional behaviours. The study found that role modelling is an effective way to support learning and led to student satisfaction across both clinical and university settings. The findings support the use of role models in nurse education, and further research about conscious positive modelling of practice is required. Exploring the use of role models is important when examining ways in which the quality of nurse education might be developed. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Rethinking board role performance: Towards an integrative model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Babić Verica M.

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available This research focuses on the board role evolution analysis which took place simultaneously with the development of different corporate governance theories and perspectives. The purpose of this paper is to provide understanding of key factors that make a board effective in the performance of its role. We argue that analysis of board role performance should incorporate both structural and process variables. This paper’s contribution is the development of an integrative model that aims to establish the relationship between the board structure and processes on the one hand, and board role performance on the other.

  20. The Work-Family Support Roles of Child Care Providers across Settings

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bromer, Juliet; Henly, Julia R.

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents a qualitative investigation of the work-family support roles of a sample of 29 child care providers serving low-income families in the Chicago area (16 family, friend, and neighbor providers (FFN), 7 licensed family child care providers (FCC), and 6 center-based teachers). Providers report offering low-income parents…

  1. Assessment of the Clinical Trainer as a Role Model: A Role Model Apperception Tool (RoMAT)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Jochemsen-van der Leeuw, H. G. A. Ria; van Dijk, Nynke; Wieringa-de Waard, Margreet

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Positive role modeling by clinical trainers is important for helping trainees learn professional and competent behavior. The authors developed and validated an instrument to assess clinical trainers as role models: the Role Model Apperception Tool (RoMAT). Method On the basis of a 2011

  2. Role Model, Hero or Champion? Children's Views Concerning Role Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bricheno, Patricia; Thornton, Mary

    2007-01-01

    Background: Claims that male role models can improve the behaviour and achievement of boys are familiar and persistent. However, research has not confirmed such a link; recent UK studies indicate that peers and relatives may be far more important to boys than their teachers. Given the seemingly relentless reference to male teachers as role models…

  3. The ambiguous role of healthcare providers: a new perspective in Human Resources Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panari, Chiara; Levati, W; Bonini, A; Tonelli, M; Alfieri, E; Artioli, Giovanna

    2016-05-26

    A strategic Human Resources Management approach, that overcomes anadministrative Personnel Management, is becoming crucial for hospital organizations. In this sense, the aimof this work was to examine the figure of healthcare provider using the concept of role, as expected behaviourin term of integration in the organizational culture. The instrument used to analyse the healthcareprovider figure was "role mapping". Particularly, semistructured interviews were conducted and involved to36 health professionals of four units in order to examine the behaviour expectations system towards thehealthcare providers. The analysis revealed that the expectations of different professionals relatedto the healthcare provider were dissimilar. Physicians' expectations referred to technical preparation and efficiency,while nurses and nurse coordinators required collaboration in equip work and emotional support forpatients. In all Operating Units, directors were perceived as missing persons with vague expectations of efficiency.Differences concerned also the four Units. For example, in intensive care Unit, the role of healthcareprovider was clearer and this figure was perceived as essential for patients' care and for the equip teamwork.On the contrary, in Recovery Unit the healthcare provider was underestimated, the role was ambiguous andnot integrated in the equip even if there was a clear division of tasks between nurses and healthcare providers. The "role mapping" instrument allows to identify healthcare provider profile and find possible roleambiguity and conflicts in order to plan adequate human resources management interventions.

  4. Customer-Provider Strategic Alignment: A Maturity Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luftman, Jerry; Brown, Carol V.; Balaji, S.

    This chapter presents a new model for assessing the maturity of a ­customer-provider relationship from a collaborative service delivery perspective: the Customer-Provider Strategic Alignment Maturity (CPSAM) Model. This model builds on recent research for effectively managing the customer-provider relationship in IT service outsourcing contexts and a validated model for assessing alignment across internal IT service units and their business customers within the same organization. After reviewing relevant literature by service science and information systems researchers, the six overarching components of the maturity model are presented: value measurements, governance, partnership, communications, human resources and skills, and scope and architecture. A key assumption of the model is that all of the components need be addressed to assess and improve customer-provider alignment. Examples of specific metrics for measuring the maturity level of each component over the five levels of maturity are also presented.

  5. Ocular hemodynamics and glaucoma: the role of mathematical modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Alon; Guidoboni, Giovanna; Arciero, Julia C; Amireskandari, Annahita; Tobe, Leslie A; Siesky, Brent A

    2013-01-01

    To discuss the role of mathematical modeling in studying ocular hemodynamics, with a focus on glaucoma. We reviewed recent literature on glaucoma, ocular blood flow, autoregulation, the optic nerve head, and the use of mathematical modeling in ocular circulation. Many studies suggest that alterations in ocular hemodynamics play a significant role in the development, progression, and incidence of glaucoma. Although there is currently a limited number of studies involving mathematical modeling of ocular blood flow, regulation, and diseases (such as glaucoma), preliminary modeling work shows the potential of mathematical models to elucidate the mechanisms that contribute most significantly to glaucoma progression. Mathematical modeling is a useful tool when used synergistically with clinical and laboratory data in the study of ocular blood flow and glaucoma. The development of models to investigate the relationship between ocular hemodynamic alterations and glaucoma progression will provide a unique and useful method for studying the pathophysiology of glaucoma.

  6. PROVIDER CHOICE FOR OUTPATIENT HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN INDONESIA: THE ROLE OF HEALTH INSURANCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Budi Hidayat

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Background: Indonesian's health care system is characterized by underutilized of the health-care infrastructure. One of the ways to improve the demand for formal health care is through health insurance. Responding to this potentially effective policy leads the Government of Indonesia to expand health insurance coverage by enacting the National Social Security Act in 2004. In this particular issue, understanding provider choice is therefore a key to address the broader policy question as to how the current low uptake of health care services could be turned in to an optimal utilization. Objective:To estimate a model of provider choice for outpatient care in Indonesia with specific attention being paid to the role of health insurance. Methods: A total of 16485 individuals were obtained from the second wave of the Indonesian Family Life survey. A multinomial logit regression model was applied to a estimate provider choice for outpatient care in three provider alternative (public, private and self-treatment. A policy simulation is reported as to how expanding insurance benefits could change the patterns of provider choice for outpatient health care services. Results: Individuals who are covered by civil servant insurance (Askes are more likely to use public providers, while the beneficiaries of private employees insurance (Jamsostek are more likely to use private ones compared with the uninsured population. The results also reveal that less healthy, unmarried, wealthier and better educated individuals are more likely to choose private providers than public providers. Conclusions: Any efforts to improve access to health care through health insurance will fail if policy-makers do not accommodate peoples' preferences for choosing health care providers. The likely changes in demand from public providers to private ones need to be considered in the current social health insurance reform process, especially in devising premium policies and benefit packages

  7. Role model and prototype matching

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lykkegaard, Eva; Ulriksen, Lars

    2016-01-01

    ’ meetings with the role models affected their thoughts concerning STEM students and attending university. The regular self-to-prototype matching process was shown in real-life role-models meetings to be extended to a more complex three-way matching process between students’ self-perceptions, prototype...

  8. Scientists as role models in space science outreach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, D.

    The direct participation of scientists significantly enhances the impact of any E/PO effort. This is particularly true when the scientists come from minority or traditionally under-represented groups and, consequently, become role models for a large number of students while presenting positive counter-examples to the usual stereotypes. In this paper I will discuss the impact of scientists as role models through the successful implementation of a set of space physics games and activities, called Solar Week. Targetted at middle-school girls, the key feature of Solar Week is the "Ask a Scientist" section enabling direct interaction between participating students and volunteer scientists. All of the contributing scientists are women, serving as experts in their field and providing role models to whom the students can relate. Solar Week has completed four sessions with a total of some 140 edcuators and 12,000+ students in over 28 states and 9 countries. A major success of the Solar Week program has been the ability of the students to learn more about the scientists as people, through online biographies, and to discuss a variety of topics ranging from science, to careers and common hobbies.

  9. Role of accrediting bodies in providing education leadership in medical education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sam Leinster

    2014-01-01

    Role of accreditation authorities: If accreditation authorities are to provide leadership in medical education they must undertake regular review of their standards. This should be informed by all stakeholders and include experts in medical education. The format of the standards must provide clear direction to medical schools. Accreditation should take place regularly and should result in the production of a publicly accessible report.

  10. Exploring the Role of Farm Animals in Providing Care at Care Farms.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hassink, Jan; De Bruin, Simone R; Berget, Bente; Elings, Marjolein

    2017-01-01

    We explore the role of farm animals in providing care to different types of participants at care farms (e.g., youngsters with behavioural problems, people with severe mental problems and people with dementia). Care farms provide alternative and promising settings where people can interact with

  11. Exploring the role of farm animals in providing care at care farms

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hassink, Jan; Bruin, de Simone R.; Berget, Bente; Elings, Marjolein

    2017-01-01

    We explore the role of farm animals in providing care to different types of participants at care farms (e.g., youngsters with behavioural problems, people with severe mental problems and people with dementia). Care farms provide alternative and promising settings where people can interact with

  12. Modeling Market Shares of Competing (e)Care Providers

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Ooteghem, Jan; Tesch, Tom; Verbrugge, Sofie; Ackaert, Ann; Colle, Didier; Pickavet, Mario; Demeester, Piet

    In order to address the increasing costs of providing care to the growing group of elderly, efficiency gains through eCare solutions seem an obvious solution. Unfortunately not many techno-economic business models to evaluate the return of these investments are available. The construction of a business case for care for the elderly as they move through different levels of dependency and the effect of introducing an eCare service, is the intended application of the model. The simulation model presented in this paper allows for modeling evolution of market shares of competing care providers. Four tiers are defined, based on the dependency level of the elderly, for which the market shares are determined. The model takes into account available capacity of the different care providers, in- and outflow distribution between tiers and churn between providers within tiers.

  13. "We Don't Need Another Hero:" Heroes and Role Models in Germany and Israel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yair, Gad; Girsh, Yaron; Alayan, Samira; Hues, Henning; Or, Elad

    2014-01-01

    This study provides insights about attitudes toward heroes and role models in Germany and Israel. We expected German and Israeli school textbooks and teachers to provide varying renditions for the traumatic effects of World War II and the Holocaust, and for students to express different attitudes about the role of heroes in their lives. In…

  14. The Expanding Role of Advanced Practice Providers in Urologic Procedural Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langston, Joshua P; Duszak, Richard; Orcutt, Venetia L; Schultz, Heather; Hornberger, Brad; Jenkins, Lawrence C; Hemingway, Jennifer; Hughes, Danny R; Pruthi, Raj S; Nielsen, Matthew E

    2017-08-01

    To understand the role of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) in urologic procedural care and its change over time. As the population ages and the urologic workforce struggles to meet patient access demands, the role of APPs in the provision of all aspects of urologic care is increasing. However, little is currently known about their role in procedural care. Commonly performed urologic procedures were linked to Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes from 1994 to 2012. National Medicare Part B beneficiary claims frequency was identified using Physician Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files. Trends were studied for APPs, urologists, and all other providers nationally across numerous procedures spanning complexity, acuity, and technical skill set requirements. Between 1994 and 2012, annual Medicare claims for urologic procedures by APPs increased dramatically. Cystoscopy increased from 24 to 1820 (+7483%), transrectal prostate biopsy from 17 to 834 (+4806%), complex Foley catheter placement from 471 to 2929 (+522%), urodynamics testing from 41 to 9358 (+22,727%), and renal ultrasound from 18 to 4500 (+24,900%) CONCLUSION: We found dramatic growth in the provision of urologic procedural care by APPs over the past 2 decades. These data reinforce the known expansion of the APP role in urology and support the timeliness of ongoing collaborative multidisciplinary educational efforts to address unmet needs in education, training, and guideline formation to maximize access to urologic procedural services. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Modeling patients' acceptance of provider-delivered e-health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, E Vance; Lankton, Nancy K

    2004-01-01

    Health care providers are beginning to deliver a range of Internet-based services to patients; however, it is not clear which of these e-health services patients need or desire. The authors propose that patients' acceptance of provider-delivered e-health can be modeled in advance of application development by measuring the effects of several key antecedents to e-health use and applying models of acceptance developed in the information technology (IT) field. This study tested three theoretical models of IT acceptance among patients who had recently registered for access to provider-delivered e-health. An online questionnaire administered items measuring perceptual constructs from the IT acceptance models (intrinsic motivation, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness/extrinsic motivation, and behavioral intention to use e-health) and five hypothesized antecedents (satisfaction with medical care, health care knowledge, Internet dependence, information-seeking preference, and health care need). Responses were collected and stored in a central database. All tested IT acceptance models performed well in predicting patients' behavioral intention to use e-health. Antecedent factors of satisfaction with provider, information-seeking preference, and Internet dependence uniquely predicted constructs in the models. Information technology acceptance models provide a means to understand which aspects of e-health are valued by patients and how this may affect future use. In addition, antecedents to the models can be used to predict e-health acceptance in advance of system development.

  16. The Role Of Commercially Provided Security in Africa's Patrimonial Security Complexes

    OpenAIRE

    Kinsey, Christopher; Krieg, Andreas

    2014-01-01

    With the concept of public security generally absent in Africa and a factionalized security sector of both state and non-state actors delivering security exclusively to certain groups affiliated with patrimonial elites, this paper examines the role of commercial providers of security within African security sectors. In factionalized security sectors with limited territorial reach, the state unable or unwilling to provide security as a public good within its boundaries has long lost its monopo...

  17. Predicting Intentions to Read Suicide Awareness Stories. The Role of Depression and Characteristics of the Suicidal Role Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niederkrotenthaler, Thomas; Arendt, Florian; Till, Benedikt

    2015-01-01

    Research on factors that influence the intention to read suicide awareness material is lacking. To identify how social and state similarities between the featured protagonist of a suicide awareness story and the audience impact on the intent to read similar stories. Laboratory experiment with n = 104 students. Participants were randomly assigned to study groups. In the first group, the role model provided his personal story of crisis and was a student. In the second group, the content was identical but the model was socially dissimilar. The third group read about a topic unrelated to suicide. Depression, identification, and exposure intent were measured after the experiment. Conditional process analysis was carried out. In the group featuring a once-suicidal role model with high social similarity, depression in the audience increased the intention to read similar material in the future via identification with the role model; 82% of individuals wanted to read similar material in the future, but only 50% wanted to do so in the group featuring a dissimilar person. Exposure intention increases via identification when role model and audience characteristics align regarding social traits and the experience of depression. These factors are relevant when developing campaigns targeting individuals with stories of recovery.

  18. A test of the California competency-based differentiated role model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keating, Sarah B; Rutledge, Dana N; Sargent, Arlene; Walker, Polly

    2003-01-01

    To address the incongruence between the expectations of nursing service and education in California, the Education Industry Interface Task Force of the California Strategic Planning Committee for Nursing developed descriptions to assist employers and educators in clearly differentiating practice and educational competencies. The completion of the Competency-Based Role Differentiation Model resulted in the need to test the model for its utility in the service setting, in education, and for career planning for nurses. Three alpha demonstration sites were selected based on representative geographical regions of California. The sites were composed of tri-partnerships consisting of a medical center, an associate degree in nursing program, and a baccalaureate nursing program. Observers rated senior students and new graduates in medical-surgical units on their behaviors in teacher and leadership care provider and care coordinator roles. The alpha demonstration study results were as expected. That is, senior students practice predominantly at a novice level in teacher and management/leadership care provider functions and new graduates practice predominately at the competent level. New graduates are more likely to take on novice and competent care coordinator roles. The CBRDM may be useful for practice and education settings to evaluate student and nurse performance, to define role expectations, and to identify the preparation necessary for the roles. It is useful for all of nursing as it continues to define its levels of practice and their relationship to on-the-job performance, curriculum development, and carrier planning.

  19. Sex trafficking of adolescents and young adults in the United States: healthcare provider's role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaffee, Tonya; English, Abigail

    2015-10-01

    Sex trafficking of adolescents and young adults is both a human rights violation and a public health problem, globally and in the United States. Healthcare providers, including obstetricians and gynecologists, interact with victims, often while they remain under their traffickers' control, but because of providers' lack of training in identification and response many victims go unrecognized and unaided. This review provides an overview of the definitions of sex trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, contributing factors, health consequences, recruitment of victims, and identification and response by healthcare providers. The literature on definitions and risk factors associated with sex trafficking is growing; however, literature on healthcare providers' role in addressing sex trafficking remains more limited. It is increasingly recognized that healthcare providers have an important role in victim identification and response and as advocates, collaborating with national, regional, and local agencies to increase awareness of sex trafficking as a public health problem and to address the needs of adolescent and young adult victims and survivors globally and in the United States. As professionals who interact with adolescent and young adult victims of sex trafficking, healthcare providers have an important role: in collaboration with other professionals and agencies they can help to identify, respond to, extricate, protect, and advocate for victims and survivors.

  20. An Approach to Enforcing Clark-Wilson Model in Role-based Access Control Model

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LIANGBin; SHIWenchang; SUNYufang; SUNBo

    2004-01-01

    Using one security model to enforce another is a prospective solution to multi-policy support. In this paper, an approach to the enforcing Clark-Wilson data integrity model in the Role-based access control (RBAC) model is proposed. An enforcement construction with great feasibility is presented. In this construction, a direct way to enforce the Clark-Wilson model is provided, the corresponding relations among users, transformation procedures, and constrained data items are strengthened; the concepts of task and subtask are introduced to enhance the support to least-privilege. The proposed approach widens the applicability of RBAC. The theoretical foundation for adopting Clark-Wilson model in a RBAC system with small cost is offered to meet the requirements of multi-policy support and policy flexibility.

  1. Homeostatic role of heterosynaptic plasticity: Models and experiments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina eChistiakova

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Homosynaptic Hebbian-type plasticity provides a cellular mechanism of learning and refinement of connectivity during development in a variety of biological systems. In this review we argue that a complimentary form of plasticity - heterosynaptic plasticity - represents a necessary cellular component for homeostatic regulation of synaptic weights and neuronal activity. The required properties of a homeostatic mechanism which acutely constrains the runaway dynamics imposed by Hebbian associative plasticity have been well-articulated by theoretical and modeling studies. Such mechanism(s should robustly support the stability of operation of neuronal networks and synaptic competition, include changes at non-active synapses, and operate on a similar time scale to Hebbian-type plasticity. The experimentally observed properties of heterosynaptic plasticity have introduced it as a strong candidate to fulfill this homeostatic role. Subsequent modeling studies which incorporate heterosynaptic plasticity into model neurons with Hebbian synapses (utilizing an STDP learning rule have confirmed its ability to robustly provide stability and competition. In contrast, properties of homeostatic synaptic scaling, which is triggered by extreme and long lasting (hours and days changes of neuronal activity, do not fit two crucial requirements for a hypothetical homeostatic mechanism needed to provide stability of operation in the face of on-going synaptic changes driven by Hebbian-type learning rules. Both the trigger and the time scale of homeostatic synaptic scaling are fundamentally different from those of the Hebbian-type plasticity. We conclude that heterosynaptic plasticity, which is triggered by the same episodes of strong postsynaptic activity and operates on the same time scale as Hebbian-type associative plasticity, is ideally suited to serve homeostatic role during on-going synaptic plasticity.

  2. 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.

  3. On the foundation for roles in RM-ODP: contributions from conceptual modelling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Guizzardi, G.; Andrade Almeida, João; Linington, P.F.; Vallecillo, A.; Wood, B.

    2007-01-01

    In this paper, we attempt to provide a semantic foundation for the role-related concepts in the RM-ODP. We believe that some theories of conceptual modelling may help us to provide a well-founded underpinning for these concepts, and to harmonize competing proposals for them. As a starting point of

  4. Models and role models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    ten Cate, Jacob M

    2015-01-01

    Developing experimental models to understand dental caries has been the theme in our research group. Our first, the pH-cycling model, was developed to investigate the chemical reactions in enamel or dentine, which lead to dental caries. It aimed to leverage our understanding of the fluoride mode of action and was also utilized for the formulation of oral care products. In addition, we made use of intra-oral (in situ) models to study other features of the oral environment that drive the de/remineralization balance in individual patients. This model addressed basic questions, such as how enamel and dentine are affected by challenges in the oral cavity, as well as practical issues related to fluoride toothpaste efficacy. The observation that perhaps fluoride is not sufficiently potent to reduce dental caries in the present-day society triggered us to expand our knowledge in the bacterial aetiology of dental caries. For this we developed the Amsterdam Active Attachment biofilm model. Different from studies on planktonic ('single') bacteria, this biofilm model captures bacteria in a habitat similar to dental plaque. With data from the combination of these models, it should be possible to study separate processes which together may lead to dental caries. Also products and novel agents could be evaluated that interfere with either of the processes. Having these separate models in place, a suggestion is made to design computer models to encompass the available information. Models but also role models are of the utmost importance in bringing and guiding research and researchers. 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel

  5. A Role Model Mother/caregiver Programme to Expand Home-based ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In Nigeria, a Role Model Mother/Caregiver (RMM/C) programme was initiated by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) to provide home-based management of malaria. Criteria for RMM/C selection were developed centrally by the Nigerian NMCP for community use. RMM/Cs were identified and recruited by the ...

  6. Cameroon mid-level providers offer a promising public health dentistry model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Achembong Leo

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Background Oral health services are inadequate and unevenly distributed in many developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa. Rural areas in these countries and poorer sections of the population in urban areas often do not have access to oral health services mainly because of a significant shortage of dentists and the high costs of care. We reviewed Cameroon’s experience with deploying a mid-level cadre of oral health professionals and the feasibility of establishing a more formal and predictable role for these health workers. We anticipate that a task-shifting approach in the provision of dental care will significantly improve the uneven distribution of oral health services particularly in the rural areas of Cameroon, which is currently served by only 3% of the total number of dentists. Methods The setting of this study was the Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board (BCHB, which has four dentists and 42 mid-level providers. De-identified data were collected manually from the registries of 10 Baptist Convention clinics located in six of Cameroon’s 10 regions and then entered into an Excel format before importing into STATA. A retrospective abstraction of all entries for patient visits starting October 2010, and going back in time until 1500 visits were extracted from each clinic. Results This study showed that mid-level providers in BCHB clinics are offering a full scope of dental work across the 10 clinics, with the exception of treatment for major facial injuries. Mid-level providers alone performed 93.5% of all extractions, 87.5% of all fillings, 96.5% of all root canals, 97.5% of all cleanings, and 98.1% of all dentures. The dentists also typically played a teaching role in training the mid-level providers. Conclusions The Ministry of Health in Cameroon has an opportunity to learn from the BCHB model to expand access to oral health care across the country. This study shows the benefits of using a simple, workable, low

  7. Role Coastumer Service PT. Bank Danamon Provide Service to Customers

    OpenAIRE

    ", NURJANAH; Hardani, Ninda

    2015-01-01

    PT. Bank Danamon Pekanbaru is the bank engaged in banking goods and services that always seeks to prioritize the satisfaction of its customers. The employee on duty and deal directly with the customer in providing services commonly known as customer service that are required to have the ability to serve customers accurately and quickly and have good communication skills. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of customer service as a receptionist, Deskman, salesman, customer rela...

  8. Exploring the Role of Farm Animals in Providing Care at Care Farms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hassink, Jan; De Bruin, Simone R.; Berget, Bente; Elings, Marjolein

    2017-01-01

    Simple Summary This paper provides insight into the role of farm animals in farm-based programs and their importance to different types of participants. Farm animals provide real work, close relationships, challenging tasks and opportunities for reflection. They also contribute to a welcoming atmosphere for various types of participants. Abstract We explore the role of farm animals in providing care to different types of participants at care farms (e.g., youngsters with behavioural problems, people with severe mental problems and people with dementia). Care farms provide alternative and promising settings where people can interact with animals compared to a therapeutic healthcare setting. We performed a literature review, conducted focus group meetings and carried out secondary data-analysis of qualitative studies involving care farmers and different types of participants. We found that farm animals are important to many participants and have a large number of potential benefits. They can (i) provide meaningful day occupation; (ii) generate valued relationships; (iii) help people master tasks; (iv) provide opportunities for reciprocity; (v) can distract people from them problems; (vi) provide relaxation; (vii) facilitate customized care; (viii) facilitate relationships with other people; (ix) stimulate healthy behavior; (x) contribute to a welcoming environment; (xi) make it possible to experience basic elements of life; and (xii) provide opportunities for reflection and feedback. This shows the multi-facetted importance of interacting with animals on care farms. In this study the types of activities with animals and their value to different types of participants varied. Farm animals are an important element of the care farm environment that can address the care needs of different types of participants. PMID:28574435

  9. Are Universities Role Models for Communities? A Gender Perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Felicia Cornelia MACARIE

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The present paper explores the degree in which universities could/should serve as role models for communities from the perspective of gender integration. Although the theoretical/ moral answer would be affirmative (universities should be in such a position that would allow local communities to regard them as role models of gender integration, the primary empirical analysis leads to another conclusion. A brief theoretical review (that connects gender discrimination, sustainable development, universities and local communities is followed by an empirical analysis that compares the management structures of 12 Romanian Universities of Advanced Research and Education (the best Romanian universities according to a national ranking with those of four local communities where they are located (as geographic proximity would lead to a better diffusion of best practices. Contrary to initial expectations, even in higher education institutions, women are underrepresented both in executive and legislative positions. Since universities are subject to the same major patterns of gender discrimination (such as role theory, glass ceiling and glass elevator as private and public organizations, they lose the moral high ground that theory would suggest. However, medicine and pharmacy universities that can be connected with the traditional roles attributed to women provide better gender integration, but glass escalator phenomena remain present even in these limited fields.

  10. Role modeling excellence in clinical nursing practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perry, R N Beth

    2009-01-01

    Role modeling excellence in clinical nursing practice is the focus of this paper. The phenomenological research study reported involved a group of 8 nurses identified by their colleagues as exemplary. The major theme revealed in this study was that these exemplary nurses were also excellent role models in the clinical setting. This paper details approaches used by these nurses that made them excellent role models. Specifically, the themes of attending to the little things, making connections, maintaining a light-hearted attitude, modeling, and affirming others are presented. These themes are discussed within the framework of Watson [Watson, J., 1989. Human caring and suffering: a subjective model for health services. In: Watson, J., Taylor, R. (Eds.), They Shall Not Hurt: Human Suffering and Human Caring. Colorado University, Boulder, CO] "transpersonal caring" and [Bandura, A., 1997. Social Learning Theory. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ] "Social Learning Theory." Particular emphasis in the discussion is on how positive role modeling by exemplary practitioners can contribute to the education of clinical nurses in the practice setting.

  11. Improving Providers' Role Definitions to Decrease Overcrowding and Improve In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leary, Marion; Schweickert, William; Neefe, Stacie; Tsypenyuk, Boris; Falk, Scott Austin; Holena, Daniel N

    2016-07-01

    How nontechnical factors such as inadequate role definition and overcrowding affect outcomes of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) is unknown. Using a bundled intervention, we sought to improve providers' role definitions and decrease overcrowding during IHCA events. To determine if a bundled intervention consisting of a nurse/physician leadership dyad, visual cues for provider roles, and a "role check" would lead to reductions in crowding and improve perceptions of communication and team leadership. Baseline data on the number and type of IHCA providers were collected. Providers were asked to complete a postevent survey rating communication and leadership. A bundled intervention was then introduced. Data were then obtained for the subsequent IHCA events. Twenty ICHA events were captured before and 34 after the intervention. The number of physicians present at pulse checks 2 (median [interquartile range]: 6 [5-8] before vs 5 [3-6] after, P = .02) and 3 (7 [5-9] vs 4 [4-5], P = .004) decreased significantly after the intervention. The overall number of providers at the third pulse check (18 [14-22] before vs 14 [12-16] after, P = .04) also decreased after the intervention. On a 10-point Likert scale, ratings of communication (8 [7-8]) and physician leadership (8 [7-9]) did not differ significantly from before to after the intervention. Both the physician leads (90%) and patients' primary nurses (97%) were able to identify clear nurse leaders. A bundled intervention targeted at improving IHCA response led to a decrease in overcrowding at ICHA events without substantial changes in the perceptions of communication or physician leadership. ©2016 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

  12. Can role models boost entrepreneurial attitudes?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellnhofer, Katharina; Puumalainen, Kaisu

    2017-01-01

    This multi-country study used role models to boost perceptions of entrepreneurial feasibility and desirability. The results of a structural equation model based on a sample comprising 426 individuals who were primarily from Austria, Finland and Greece revealed a significant positive influence on perceived entrepreneurial desirability and feasibility. These findings support the argument for embedding entrepreneurial role models in entrepreneurship education courses to promote entrepreneurial activities. This direction is not only relevant for the academic community but also essential for nascent entrepreneurs, policymakers and society at large.

  13. A Diverging View of Role Modeling in Medical Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gurjit Sandhu

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Research in the area of role modeling has primarily focused on the qualities and attributes of exceptional role models, and less attention has been given to the act of role modeling itself (Elzubeir & Rizk, 2001; Jochemsen-van der Leeuw, van Dijk, van Etten-Jamaludin, & Wieringa-de Waard, 2013; Wright, 1996; Wright, Wong, & Newill, 1997. A standardized understanding of role modeling in medical education remains elusive (Kenny, Mann, & MacLeod, 2003. This is problematic given that role modeling is pervasively documented as an approach to teaching (Reuler & Nardone, 1994. Our study attempts to fill a void in this body of research by looking at what faculty are thinking, saying, and doing when they say they are role modeling. Individual semi-structured interviews with faculty members were conducted in the Department of General Surgery at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using qualitative methods for themes surrounding teaching and role modeling. Three major themes emerged from the data: (1 faculty members think they are teaching when they are acting professionally; (2 faculty members become aware of teaching opportunities and act on them; and (3 faculty members employ evidence-based teaching methods, but they are incorrectly labeling them as “role modeling.” As a whole, our findings should help distinguish between role modeling as roles and responsibilities enacted while doing one’s job well, and teaching as facilitated instruction that helps connect knowledge with action (Clayton, 2006; Fassbinder, 2007. Contributing to a better understanding of how teaching is separate from role modeling has the potential to improve the scope and quality of teaching, ultimately enhancing the learning experience for trainees.

  14. Food Safety Management in a Global Environment: The Role of Risk Assessment Models

    OpenAIRE

    Fuentes-Pila, Joaquin; Jimeno, Vicente; Manzano, Amparo; Rodriguez Monroy, Carlos; Mar Fernandez, Maria Del

    2006-01-01

    Quantitative risk assessment models are playing a minor role in the development of the new EU legal framework for food safety. There is a tendency of the EU institutions to apply the precautionary principle versus the predisposition of the USA institutions to rely on risk analysis. This paper provides a comparison of the role played by quantitative risk assessment models in the development of new policies on food safety in the EU and in the USA, focusing on a study case: the supply chain of s...

  15. The Role of Telemedicine in Providing Thoracic Oncology Care to Remote Areas of British Columbia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humer, Michael F; Campling, Barbara G

    2017-08-01

    The purpose of this study is to review the role of telemedicine in providing oncology care; we describe our long-standing, high-volume telemedicine experience. The Interior Health Thoracic Surgical Group (IHTSG) uses telemedicine, through Virtual Thoracic Surgical Clinics (VTSC), to provide service to remote patients. The IHTSG serves a population of 1.01 million people over an area of 807,538 km 2 (1.3 persons/km 2 ) in the Interior and North of British Columbia, Canada. Between 2003 and 2015, the IHTSG conducted 15,073 telemedicine patient encounters at 63 geographic sites. Telemedicine saved these patients a total travel distance of 11.5 million km-an average of 766 km per patient. VTSC supports and strengthens the Hub and Spoke model of healthcare delivery-patients residing remotely can easily access centrally delivered service. Telemedicine makes specialized care available to all patients by overcoming a major impediment to access, namely distance.

  16. Building new roles and relationships in research: a model of patient engagement research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marlett, Nancy; Shklarov, Svetlana; Marshall, Deborah; Santana, Maria Jose; Wasylak, Tracy

    2015-05-01

    Patient engagement is influenced by institutional ideologies, professional attitudes and patient readiness to accept new, engaged roles. This article provides an opportunity to consider a new role for patients who are trained to conduct patient experience research using qualitative methods. The emergence of the role of patient engagement researcher was studied using a grounded theory with 21 patients over one-year internship and 125 research participants. Data were collected using tape recordings, field notes and student assignments. These were analyzed using open and selective coding, memoing, categorizing themes. Patients' education level (from high school to PhD), cultural background (immigrant experience, seniors), employment (employed full or part time, receiving disability benefits or retired), age (late 30 s-75) and gender (17 women and four men) were diverse. Main categories (emancipating patient experience; qualifying for research; leading sitting down; working data together; seeding change) are organized by the dialectic of co-creation as the roles of patient and researcher merge. A theoretical model is proposed. The theoretical model provides a glimpse into the process of merging two distinct roles of patient and researcher and in the process unleashes a force for change. The emergence of a dialectic from polar opposite roles is difficult to locate in health or other institutions where power differentials exist but there are indications that this new role might become a template for other merged roles in patient-led medical teams.

  17. Pharmacists providing care in the outpatient setting through telemedicine models: a narrative review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Littauer SL

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Telemedicine refers to the delivery of clinical services using technology that allows two-way, real time, interactive communication between the patient and the clinician at a distant site. Commonly, telemedicine is used to improve access to general and specialty care for patients in rural areas. This review aims to provide an overview of existing telemedicine models involving the delivery of care by pharmacists via telemedicine (including telemonitoring and video, but excluding follow-up telephone calls and to highlight the main areas of chronic-disease management where these models have been applied. Studies within the areas of hypertension, diabetes, asthma, anticoagulation and depression were identified, but only two randomized controlled trials with adequate sample size demonstrating the positive impact of telemonitoring combined with pharmacist care in hypertension were identified. The evidence for the impact of pharmacist-based telemedicine models is sparse and weak, with the studies conducted presenting serious threats to internal and external validity. Therefore, no definitive conclusions about the impact of pharmacist-led telemedicine models can be made at this time. In the Unites States, the increasing shortage of primary care providers and specialists represents an opportunity for pharmacists to assume a more prominent role managing patients with chronic disease in the ambulatory care setting. However, lack of reimbursement may pose a barrier to the provision of care by pharmacists using telemedicine.

  18. Simulation modelling: educational development roles for learning technologists

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Riley

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Simulation modelling was in the mainstream of CAL development in the 1980s when the late David Squires introduced this author to the Dynamic Modelling System. Since those early days, it seems that simulation modelling has drifted into a learning technology backwater to become a member of Laurillard's underutilized, 'adaptive and productive' media. Referring to her Conversational Framework, Laurillard constructs a pedagogic case for modelling as a productive student activity but provides few references to current practice and available resources. This paper seeks to complement her account by highlighting the pioneering initiatives of the Computers in the Curriculum Project and more recent developments in systems modelling within geographic and business education. The latter include improvements to system dynamics modelling programs such as STELLA®, the publication of introductory textbooks, and the emergence of online resources. The paper indicates several ways in which modelling activities may be approached and identifies some educational development roles for learning technologists. The paper concludes by advocating simulation modelling as an exemplary use of learning technologies - one that realizes their creative-transformative potential.

  19. Defining role models for staff orientation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinley, H

    This article examines the need for a formal role model to help integrate new staff within a unit. While acknowledging the range of titles and functions ascribed to such a role in the literature, the author suggests that the essence of the role and its formal recognition has benefits for experienced staff and orientees alike.

  20. Comprehensive Care For Joint Replacement Model - Provider Data

    Data.gov (United States)

    U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement Model - provider data. This data set includes provider data for two quality measures tracked during an episode of care:...

  1. Role of nursing leadership in providing compassionate care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quinn, Barry

    2017-12-13

    This article encourages nurses to explore the concept of leadership in the constantly changing field of health and social care. All nurses have an important role in leadership, and they should consider what type of leader they want to be and what leadership skills they might wish to develop. This article examines what leadership might involve, exploring various leadership styles and characteristics and how these could be applied in nurses' practice. A core component of nursing and nursing leadership is the ability to provide compassionate care. This could correspond with the idea of servant leadership, an approach that moves the leader from a position of power to serving the team and supporting individuals to develop their potential. ©2017 RCN Publishing Company Ltd. All rights reserved. Not to be copied, transmitted or recorded in any way, in whole or part, without prior permission of the publishers.

  2. Gender role models in fictional novels for emerging adult lesbians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cook, Jennifer R; Rostosky, Sharon S; Riggle, Ellen D B

    2013-01-01

    Novels provide role models for young adult lesbians and thus may influence their identity development. This study focused on 16 lesbian protagonists identified in 11 young adult novels that received 2011 Lambda Literary Award nominations. Content analyses revealed six themes. Three themes defied traditional gender stereotypes: Asserting Oneself, Pursuing Intimacy with Another Woman, and Breaking Free of Constraints to Authentic Self-Expression. Three themes reinforced gender stereotypes: Negative Emotional Experiences Associated with Lesbian Identity, Traditional Masculine Gender Expression, and Traditional Gender Role-Based Sexual Scripts. Each theme is discussed in light of its possible contribution to lesbian identity development.

  3. Patient-provider connectivity and the role of e-health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmes, Suzanne C; Kearns, Ellen Hope

    2003-01-01

    Patient-provider connectivity (PPC) offers innovative approaches to control costs, improve quality, and sustain a healthy workforce. The application of e-commerce to health care is one facet of PPC and provides solutions to educating, informing, and more efficiently using scarce resources to sustain the nation's health. Technology is available to provide real-time access to clinical results, medical records, health-care providers, and other time-sensitive patient information. This is the first article in a series on PPC that explores the application of e-commerce to the health-care industry from the consumers' and providers' points of view and examines and assesses trends and data from various interdisciplinary sources and studies. Two models exemplifying PPC are explored including the Science Business & Education, Inc., proof-of-concept patient demonstration project, and the emerging application of peer-to-peer (P2P) technology. PPC promises to improve efficiency, facilitate communication between physician and patient, monitor compliance with medical regimens, and positively affect the quality of health care provided and the overall health of the patient. Future articles will address the growth of telemedicine, issues of confidentiality and e-risk, and other PPC applications.

  4. Teachers Providing Social and Emotional Support: A Study of Advisor Role Enactment in Small High Schools

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phillippo, Kate L.

    2010-01-01

    Background/Context: This study investigates the teacher's role in the student advisory process, which to date has generated limited research literature. Teachers who serve as student advisors assume a role that extends beyond the more traditional instructional role, and includes implied or explicit expectations to provide student advisees with…

  5. School health promotion providers' roles in practice and theory: results from a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teutsch, Friedrich; Gugglberger, Lisa; Dür, Wolfgang

    2015-01-01

    Implementation is critical to the success of health promotion (HP) in schools, but little is known about how schools can best be assisted during this process. This article focuses on Austrian HP providers and aspects their roles incorporate. To investigate the providers' role in the practice of HP implementation and how it differs from its official description. On the basis of these findings, implications are suggested. The data were gathered within the framework of an explorative case study of complex HP interventions. We draw on four interviews with HP organisation staff, five documents from the providers' organisations and seven interviews with school staff from three schools. In practice, providers took up different responsibilities, e.g., acting as emotional support to school staff and supporting the documentation of projects, guided more by the schools' needs than by the programmes they are helping to implement. Providers focused mostly on the implementation of single activities and did little to emphasize the necessity of organisational change. Our findings suggest that providers' background in health should be complemented by a deeper understanding of the importance of organisational change to further support HP implementation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Modeling the role of environment in addiction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caprioli, Daniele; Celentano, Michele; Paolone, Giovanna; Badiani, Aldo

    2007-11-15

    The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the main types of animal models used to investigate the modulatory role of environment on drug addiction. The environment can alter the responsiveness to addictive drugs in at least three major ways. First, adverse life experiences can make an individual more vulnerable to develop drug addiction or to relapse into drug seeking. Second, neutral environmental cues can acquire, through Pavlovian conditioning, the ability to trigger drug seeking even after long periods of abstinence. Third, the environment immediately surrounding drug taking can alter the behavioral, subjective, and rewarding effects of a given drug, thus influencing the propensity to use the same drug again. We have focused in particular on the results obtained using an animal model we have developed to study the latter type of drug-environment interaction.

  7. Comparing Video Modeling and Graduated Guidance Together and Video Modeling Alone for Teaching Role Playing Skills to Children with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akmanoglu, Nurgul; Yanardag, Mehmet; Batu, E. Sema

    2014-01-01

    Teaching play skills is important for children with autism. The purpose of the present study was to compare effectiveness and efficiency of providing video modeling and graduated guidance together and video modeling alone for teaching role playing skills to children with autism. The study was conducted with four students. The study was conducted…

  8. Perceptions of school nurses and principals towards nurse role in providing school health services in Qatar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    A L-Dahnaim, Layla; Said, Hana; Salama, Rasha; Bella, Hassan; Malo, Denise

    2013-04-01

    The school nurse plays a crucial role in the provision of comprehensive health services to students. This role encompasses both health and educational goals. The perception of the school nurse's role and its relation to health promotion is fundamental to the development of school nursing. This study aimed to determine the perception of school nurses and principals toward the role of school nurses in providing school health services in Qatar. A cross-sectional study was carried out among all school nurses (n=159) and principals (n=159) of governmental schools in Qatar. The participants were assessed for their perception toward the role of the school nurse in the school using 19-Likert-type scaled items Questionnaire. The response rates were 100% for nurses and 94% for principals. The most commonly perceived roles of the school nurse by both nurses and principals were 'following up of chronically ill students', 'providing first aid', and 'referral of students with health problems', whereas most of the roles that were not perceived as school nurse roles were related to student academic achievements. School nurses and principals agreed on the clinical/medical aspects of nurses' role within schools, but disagreed on nurses' involvement in issues related to the school performance of students. The study recommends raising awareness of school principals on the school nursing role, especially in issues related to the school performance of students.

  9. Development of Model for Providing Feasible Scholarship

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Harry Dhika

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The current work focuses on the development of a model to determine a feasible scholarship recipient on the basis of the naiv¨e Bayes’ method using very simple and limited attributes. Those attributes are the applicants academic year, represented by their semester, academic performance, represented by their GPa, socioeconomic ability, which represented the economic capability to attend a higher education institution, and their level of social involvement. To establish and evaluate the model performance, empirical data are collected, and the data of 100 students are divided into 80 student data for the model training and the remaining of 20 student data are for the model testing. The results suggest that the model is capable to provide recommendations for the potential scholarship recipient at the level of accuracy of 95%.

  10. Wind farms providing secondary frequency regulation: evaluating the performance of model-based receding horizon control

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. R. Shapiro

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper is an extended version of our paper presented at the 2016 TORQUE conference (Shapiro et al., 2016. We investigate the use of wind farms to provide secondary frequency regulation for a power grid using a model-based receding horizon control framework. In order to enable real-time implementation, the control actions are computed based on a time-varying one-dimensional wake model. This model describes wake advection and wake interactions, both of which play an important role in wind farm power production. In order to test the control strategy, it is implemented in a large-eddy simulation (LES model of an 84-turbine wind farm using the actuator disk turbine representation. Rotor-averaged velocity measurements at each turbine are used to provide feedback for error correction. The importance of including the dynamics of wake advection in the underlying wake model is tested by comparing the performance of this dynamic-model control approach to a comparable static-model control approach that relies on a modified Jensen model. We compare the performance of both control approaches using two types of regulation signals, RegA and RegD, which are used by PJM, an independent system operator in the eastern United States. The poor performance of the static-model control relative to the dynamic-model control demonstrates that modeling the dynamics of wake advection is key to providing the proposed type of model-based coordinated control of large wind farms. We further explore the performance of the dynamic-model control via composite performance scores used by PJM to qualify plants for regulation services or markets. Our results demonstrate that the dynamic-model-controlled wind farm consistently performs well, passing the qualification threshold for all fast-acting RegD signals. For the RegA signal, which changes over slower timescales, the dynamic-model control leads to average performance that surpasses the qualification threshold, but further

  11. Mentoring and role models in recruitment and retention: a study of junior medical faculty perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steele, Margaret M; Fisman, Sandra; Davidson, Brenda

    2013-05-01

    This study explored the views of junior faculty toward informing mentorship program development. Mixed sampling methodologies including questionnaires (n = 175), focus groups (female, n = 4; male, n = 4), and individual interviews (female n = 10; male, n = 9) of junior faculty were conducted in clinical departments at one academic health sciences center. Questionnaire results indicated that having role models increased commitment to an academic career; mentorship experience during residency training was a high incentive to pursue an academic career; and junior faculty did have identifiable mentorship experiences. Focus group results revealed that mentoring as well as the presence of role models a few years ahead of the junior faculty would promote career development. Females preferred similar age role models who spoke the same language, particularly in the area of promotion. Females identified several challenges and issues including a lack of researcher role models, a range of perceptions regarding the merits of formal versus informal mentoring, and the idea that mentors should provide advice on promotion and grants. Males valued advice on finances while females wanted advice on work-life balance. Mentorship emerged as an important factor in academic faculty recruitment and retention, with varying perceptions of how it should be institutionalized. Role models were viewed as important for retention, and a paucity of mid-career, female researcher role models suggests a gap to be filled in future programmatic efforts.

  12. Molecular modeling of human neutral sphingomyelinase provides insight into its molecular interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dinesh; Goswami, Angshumala; Suresh, Panneer Selvam; Thirunavukkarasu, Chinnasamy; Weiergräber, Oliver H; Kumar, Muthuvel Suresh

    2011-01-01

    The neutral sphingomyelinase (N-SMase) is considered a major candidate for mediating the stress-induced production of ceramide, and it plays an important role in cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis, inflammation, and eukaryotic stress responses. Recent studies have identified a small region at the very N-terminus of the 55 kDa tumour necrosis factor receptor (TNF-R55), designated the neutral sphingomyelinase activating domain (NSD) that is responsible for the TNF-induced activation of N-SMase. There is no direct association between TNF-R55 NSD and N-SMase; instead, a protein named factor associated with N-SMase activation (FAN) has been reported to couple the TNF-R55 NSD to N-SMase. Since the three-dimensional fold of N-SMase is still unknown, we have modeled the structure using the protein fold recognition and threading method. Moreover, we propose models for the TNF-R55 NSD as well as the FAN protein in order to study the structural basis of N-SMase activation and regulation. Protein-protein interaction studies suggest that FAN is crucially involved in mediating TNF-induced activation of the N-SMase pathway, which in turn regulates mitogenic and proinflammatory responses. Inhibition of N-SMase may lead to reduction of ceramide levels and hence may provide a novel therapeutic strategy for inflammation and autoimmune diseases. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed to check the stability of the predicted model and protein-protein complex; indeed, stable RMS deviations were obtained throughout the simulation. Furthermore, in silico docking of low molecular mass ligands into the active site of N-SMase suggests that His135, Glu48, Asp177, and Asn179 residues play crucial roles in this interaction. Based on our results, these ligands are proposed to be potent and selective N-SMase inhibitors, which may ultimately prove useful as lead compounds for drug development.

  13. Adapting to change: The role of the right hemisphere in mental model building and updating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Filipowicz, Alex; Anderson, Britt; Danckert, James

    2016-09-01

    We recently proposed that the right hemisphere plays a crucial role in the processes underlying mental model building and updating. Here, we review the evidence we and others have garnered to support this novel account of right hemisphere function. We begin by presenting evidence from patient work that suggests a critical role for the right hemisphere in the ability to learn from the statistics in the environment (model building) and adapt to environmental change (model updating). We then provide a review of neuroimaging research that highlights a network of brain regions involved in mental model updating. Next, we outline specific roles for particular regions within the network such that the anterior insula is purported to maintain the current model of the environment, the medial prefrontal cortex determines when to explore new or alternative models, and the inferior parietal lobule represents salient and surprising information with respect to the current model. We conclude by proposing some future directions that address some of the outstanding questions in the field of mental model building and updating. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  14. The Role of Work-Related Skills and Career Role Models in Adolescent Career Maturity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Flouri, Eirini; Buchanan, Ann

    2002-01-01

    Using data for 2,722 British adolescents explores whether work-related skills and career role models are associated with career maturity when sociodemographic characteristics, family support, and personal characteristics are controlled. Having work-related skills and having a career role model were positively associated with career maturity.…

  15. Modelling the fathering role: Experience in the family of origin and father involvement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mihić Ivana

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The study presented in this paper deals with the effects of experiences with father in the family of origin on the fathering role in the family of procreation. The results of the studies so far point to great importance of such experiences in parental role modelling, while recent approaches have suggested the concept of introjected notion or an internal working model of the fathering role as the way to operationalise the transgenerational transfer. The study included 247 two-parent couple families whose oldest child attended preschool education. Fathers provided information on self-assessed involvement via the Inventory of father involvement, while both fathers and mothers gave information on introjected experiences from the family of origin via the inventory Presence of the father in the family of origin. It was shown that father’s experiences from the family of origin had significant direct effects on his involvement in child-care. Very important experiences were those of negative emotional exchange, physical closeness and availability of the father, as well as beliefs about the importance of the father as a parent. Although maternal experiences from the family of origin did not contribute significantly to father involvement, shared beliefs about father’s importance as a parent in the parenting alliance had an effect on greater involvement in child-care. The data provide confirmation of the hypotheses on modelling of the fathering role, but also open the issue of the factor of intergenerational maintenance of traditional forms of father involvement in families in Serbia.

  16. Role-modeling and conversations about giving in the socialization of adolescent charitable giving and volunteering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ottoni-Wilhelm, Mark; Estell, David B; Perdue, Neil H

    2014-01-01

    This study investigated the relationship between the monetary giving and volunteering behavior of adolescents and the role-modeling and conversations about giving provided by their parents. The participants are a large nationally-representative sample of 12-18 year-olds from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics' Child Development Supplement (n = 1244). Adolescents reported whether they gave money and whether they volunteered. In a separate interview parents reported whether they talked to their adolescent about giving. In a third interview, parents reported whether they gave money and volunteered. The results show that both role-modeling and conversations about giving are strongly related to adolescents' giving and volunteering. Knowing that both role-modeling and conversation are strongly related to adolescents' giving and volunteering suggests an often over-looked way for practitioners and policy-makers to nurture giving and volunteering among adults: start earlier, during adolescence, by guiding parents in their role-modeling of, and conversations about, charitable giving and volunteering. Copyright © 2013 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Worldwide Diversity in Funded Pension Plans : Four Role Models on Choice and Participation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Garcia Huitron, Manuel; Ponds, Eduard

    2015-01-01

    This paper provides an in-depth comparison of funded pension savings plans around the world. The large variety in plan designs is a reflection of historical, cultural and institutional diversity. We postulate a new classification of four role models of funded pension plans, primarily based on choice

  18. Good mentors and role models

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Lawrence

    Today, as a teacher and researcher, I look forward to my day ... essential for women, and that it would prove to be more valuable ... mentors, who have been my role models. ... benefit to make the workplace gender friendly by including more.

  19. Role model identification by medical radiation science practitioners - a pilot study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lewis, S.J.; Robinson, J.W.

    2003-01-01

    Purpose: The objective of this study was to address the paucity of research in role modeling and to develop a greater understanding of role modeling within the occupations of diagnostic radiography and radiation therapy. It can be postulated that the shaping of professional growth may rest with the behavioural models accepted by the workplace or the individuals themselves; thus, role modeling is a vital ingredient in professionalization. The benefits of this research are to advance the attainment of professional development and awareness by diagnostic radiographers and radiation therapists through the processes of identification, classification and construction of generic role models. Method: A study was conducted with eight target centres representing diagnostic and therapy workplaces. The centres ranged from large teaching hospitals to small community hospitals with the inclusion of two large private practices; and geographically, these centres were all located within the Sydney Area Health Services. The research methodology consisted of a structured interview and a short written task. A hierarchical percentage of participants, ranging from chief/manager, senior/charge, junior to recently graduated diagnostic radiographers and radiation therapists were invited to participate in the study. Results and discussion: The results indicated that the generic role models were established for both diagnostic radiographers and radiation therapists despite their varying clinical roles. Also similar was the participants' identification of attributes while viewing themselves as suitable role models. The selection of choice of workplace role model was different for the two occupations. Interestingly, the results indicate a mismatch between the ideal characteristic composition of a role model and the self-perception of the participants as professional role models on the subject of ethical conduct

  20. Role model identification by medical radiation science practitioners - a pilot study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lewis, S.J. E-mail: s.lewis@cchs.usyd.edu.au; Robinson, J.W

    2003-02-01

    Purpose: The objective of this study was to address the paucity of research in role modeling and to develop a greater understanding of role modeling within the occupations of diagnostic radiography and radiation therapy. It can be postulated that the shaping of professional growth may rest with the behavioural models accepted by the workplace or the individuals themselves; thus, role modeling is a vital ingredient in professionalization. The benefits of this research are to advance the attainment of professional development and awareness by diagnostic radiographers and radiation therapists through the processes of identification, classification and construction of generic role models. Method: A study was conducted with eight target centres representing diagnostic and therapy workplaces. The centres ranged from large teaching hospitals to small community hospitals with the inclusion of two large private practices; and geographically, these centres were all located within the Sydney Area Health Services. The research methodology consisted of a structured interview and a short written task. A hierarchical percentage of participants, ranging from chief/manager, senior/charge, junior to recently graduated diagnostic radiographers and radiation therapists were invited to participate in the study. Results and discussion: The results indicated that the generic role models were established for both diagnostic radiographers and radiation therapists despite their varying clinical roles. Also similar was the participants' identification of attributes while viewing themselves as suitable role models. The selection of choice of workplace role model was different for the two occupations. Interestingly, the results indicate a mismatch between the ideal characteristic composition of a role model and the self-perception of the participants as professional role models on the subject of ethical conduct.

  1. Role models and occupational ambitions of in-school male adolescents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suhail Ahmad Azmi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: A role model is perceived as worthy of imitation, their selection can indicate significant elements of psychosocial health and self-projection in adolescents. Patterns of behavior and lifestyle choices established during adolescence can have immediate and lasting effects on health. Materials and Methods: Cross-sectional study was undertaken in the schools of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. The sample frame was 2347, out of which a sample of 390 students was studied. Data collected were entered and analyzed by SPSS for Windows version 10%. Results: Majority (62.7% of adolescents revealed that their role models were Film Star (34.8% and their Teachers (27.9%, Parents (14.3%, Sportsman (12.0%. Politicians as the role models were opted by least proportion (1.2%. Desire of future occupation was Businessmen (27.9%, Doctor (18.6, and Engineer (14.4%. Conclusion: Nearly all adolescents had a role model. There is greater impact of cinema on the minds of adolescents, which resulted in choosing film actors as their role model. Aspiration of future occupation was not related to the characteristics of the role model.

  2. The Role of Geochemistry and Basin Modelling in the Exploration of Mature province

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katz, A.J.

    2002-01-01

    Petroleum geochemistry and basin modelling has been an important tool in the reduction of risks in poorly explored basins. Historically the role of geochemistry is usually reduced once production is established and often in mature province is nonexistent. However, attempts to add reserves in mature provinces require an expansion of exploration programs based on new play concepts. Consequently, there is a clear role for geochemistry and basin modelling as this revitalization occurs.These new basin modelling and geochemical programs are aimed at answering three questions: . Can the petroleum system be extended? . Is a change in hydrocarbon character to be expected? . How much hydrocarbon potential remains?Unlike frontier exploration a significant sample base is normally available that can be used to more effectively constrain interpretations. Such programs have clearly aided exploration in the Niger Delta. For example, the collection of an extensive piston core dataset in conjunction with a basin modelling program provided strong support for the Niger Delta's petroleum system extending into deep water areas. While the geochemical character of the oils established the presence of multiple effective generative systems, each of which has different source characteristics and often-different ages. This information constraints model construction and hydrocarbon volume estimates. Oil data also established the importance of phase segregation. The presence of fractionated oils and maturation modelling results provides evidence for deeper hydrocarbon potential within the geographic limits of established hydrocarbon pays

  3. A Flexible Collaborative Innovation Model for SOA Services Providers

    OpenAIRE

    Santanna-Filho , João ,; Rabelo , Ricardo ,; Pereira-Klen , Alexandra ,

    2015-01-01

    Part 5: Innovation Networks; International audience; Software sector plays a very relevant role in current world economy. One of its characteristics is that they are mostly composed of SMEs. SMEs have been pushed to invest in innovation to keep competitive. Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a recent and powerful ICT paradigm for more sustainable business models. A SOA product has many differences when compared to manufacturing sector. Besides that, SOA projects are however very complex, ...

  4. Role of Primary Care Providers in Tobacco Cessation, Tobacco Dependence Treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rohini Ruhil

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Background: Tobacco use is very common among Indian society. In fact, tobacco use is responsible for majority of morbidity and mortality in India and worldwide. Tobacco has been identified as “addictive” and tobacco dependence has been defined as a health problem in ICD-10. Aims & Objectives: This review article aims to emphasize the role of primary health care providers in tobacco cessation and to give recommendations after identifying barriers and exploring the present scenario. Material Methods: Several studies, journals and web-based articles have been referred to support the evidence that a brief tobacco cessation advice from physicians could help the patient quit. Result: Studies show that there is lack of participation from primary health care providers for tobacco cessation. Several barriers have been identified in many studies and also there exist some solutions to these barriers. Conclusion: It has been concluded in the article that primary health care providers should be trained and supported with all possible resources so that they can screen tobacco use in patients and could help them quit.

  5. Role Modeling for Clinical Educators.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ettinger, Ellen Richter

    1991-01-01

    To become better role models, higher educators in institutions of clinical education should be conscious of the behaviors they demonstrate and the broad range of activities and attitudes that students observe and emulate, including clinical competence, professional demeanor, doctor-patient interactions, ethical values, and social consciousness.…

  6. Towards a Definition of Role-related Concepts for Business Modeling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Meertens, Lucas Onno; Iacob, Maria Eugenia; Nieuwenhuis, Lambertus Johannes Maria

    2010-01-01

    Abstract—While several role-related concepts play an important role in business modeling, their definitions, relations, and use differ greatly between languages, papers, and reports. Due to this, the knowledge captured by models is not transferred correctly, and models are incomparable. In this

  7. Adding intrapreneurial role in HR business partner model: (an extension in the HR business partner model)

    OpenAIRE

    Bashir, Jibran; Afzal, Sara

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: The Purpose of this paper is to introduce a concept, whereby extending the Dave Ulrich’s HR business partner model by adding fifth Role – The HR Intrapreneur Role – in the existing model. This will be done by combining two separate concepts “Four Roles HR Business Partner Model” and “Intrapreneurial HR”, resulting in a five roles HR Business Partner Model. Design/methodology/approach: This paper is introducing a new concept through theoretical research. Findings: H...

  8. Close but no cigar: Spatial precision deficits following medial temporal lobe lesions provide novel insight into theoretical models of navigation and memory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolarik, Branden S; Baer, Trevor; Shahlaie, Kiarash; Yonelinas, Andrew P; Ekstrom, Arne D

    2018-01-01

    Increasing evidence suggests that the human hippocampus contributes to a range of different behaviors, including episodic memory, language, short-term memory, and navigation. A novel theoretical framework, the Precision and Binding Model, accounts for these phenomenon by describing a role for the hippocampus in high-resolution, complex binding. Other theories like Cognitive Map Theory, in contrast, predict a specific role for the hippocampus in allocentric navigation, while Declarative Memory Theory predicts a specific role in delay-dependent conscious memory. Navigation provides a unique venue for testing these predictions, with past results from research with humans providing inconsistent findings regarding the role of the human hippocampus in spatial navigation. Here, we tested five patients with lesions primarily restricted to the hippocampus and those extending out into the surrounding medial temporal lobe cortex on a virtual water maze task. Consistent with the Precision and Binding Model, we found partially intact allocentric memory in all patients, with impairments in the spatial precision of their searches for a hidden target. We found similar impairments at both immediate and delayed testing. Our findings are consistent with the Precision and Binding Model of hippocampal function, arguing for its role across domains in high-resolution, complex binding. Remembering goal locations in one's environment is a critical skill for survival. How this information is represented in the brain is still not fully understood, but is believed to rely in some capacity on structures in the medial temporal lobe. Contradictory findings from studies of both humans and animals have been difficult to reconcile with regard to the role of the MTL, specifically the hippocampus. By assessing impairments observed during navigation to a goal in patients with medial temporal lobe damage we can better understand the role these structures play in such behavior. Utilizing virtual reality

  9. The role of private health providers in HIV testing: analysis of data from 18 countries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Doug; Cheng, Xi

    2014-05-12

    HIV testing and counseling is a critical component of the overall response to the HIV epidemic in low and middle income countries. To date, little attention has been paid to the role of private for-profit providers in HIV testing. We use data from Demographic and Health Surveys and AIDS Indicators Surveys to explore the extent to which this sector provides HIV testing in 18 developing countries. We find that use of the private sector for HIV testing varies significantly by country, with private for-profit providers playing a significant role in some countries and a relatively minor one in others. At the country level, use of private providers for HIV testing is correlated with use of private providers for other health services yet, in many countries, significant differences between use of the private sector for HIV testing and other services exist. Within countries, we find that wealth is strongly associated with use of the private sector for HIV testing in most countries, but the relative socio-economic profile of clients who receive an HIV test from a private provider varies considerably across countries. On the one measure of quality to which we have access, reported adherence to antenatal care testing guidelines, there are no statistically significant differences in performance between public and private for-profit providers in most countries after controlling for wealth. These results suggest that strategies for supervising and engaging private health providers with regard to HIV testing should be country specific and take into account local context.

  10. Effects of work-family-school role conflicts and role-related social support on burnout in Registered Nurses: a structural equation modelling approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goong, Hwasoo; Xu, Lijuan; Li, Chun-Yu

    2016-11-01

    To examine the effects of work-family-school role conflicts and role-related social support (RRSS) on burnout of nurses pursuing an advanced degree. A predictive correlational cross-sectional study design was used. Nurses were found to be a high-risk group for burnout, even more so among nurses pursuing an advanced degree. When nurses with a professional career marry and decide to become students, inter-role conflicts and burnout are possible outcomes of the resulting multiple roles. Using convenience sampling, data were collected from October 2011-May 2012. A questionnaire about work-family-school role conflicts, RRSS, burnout and general information was completed by 286 nurses pursuing an advanced degree at 12 hospitals in Korea. Data were analysed using SPSS and structural equation modelling with the Analysis of Moment Structures program. The proposed model provided a good fit to the obtained data. Work-family-school role conflicts and social support exerted significant effects on burnout. Role-related social support was found to play a partial mediating role between work-family-school role conflicts and burnout. The findings of this study imply that RRSS significantly directly and indirectly influences burnout among the nurses pursuing an advanced degree. It is necessary for nursing managers to consider implementing family- and school-friendly policies (e.g. flexible work schedules) to help nurses to manage their multiple roles and thereby decrease their burnout rate. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. Science teacher candidates' perceptions about roles and nature of scientific models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yenilmez Turkoglu, Ayse; Oztekin, Ceren

    2016-05-01

    Background: Scientific models have important roles in science and science education. For scientists, they provide a means for generating new knowledge or function as an accessible summary of scientific studies. In science education, on the other hand, they are accessible representations of abstract concepts, and are also organizational frameworks to teach and learn inaccessible facts. As being indispensable parts of learning and doing science, use of scientific models in science classes should be reinforced. At this point, uncovering pre-service science teachers' (PSTs) understandings of scientific models are of great importance since they will design and conduct teaching situations for their students. Purpose: The study aimed to provide an answer to the research question: What understandings do PSTs possess about scientific models? Sample: The sample of the study consisted of 14 PSTs enrolled in an Elementary Science Education program in a public university in Ankara, Turkey. Design and methods: Data were collected by using an open-item instrument and semi-structured interviews, and were analyzed by using qualitative data analysis methods. Results: Findings showed that PSTs held fragmented views of models by having informed views in some aspects while having naïve views on others. That is, although they displayed a constructivist orientation by acknowledging the presence of multiple models for the same phenomenon depending on scientists' perspectives or creativity involved in the production of scientific knowledge, PSTs also expressed logical positivist views by believing that models should be close to the real phenomena that they represent. Findings further revealed that PSTs generally conceptualized models' materialistic uses, yet they did not think much about their theoretical and conceptual uses. It was observed that roles like reifying and visualizing were overestimated and models were dominantly characterized as three-dimensional representations

  12. Role models in pathology. A new look at an old issue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vance, R P

    1989-01-01

    Recent trends indicate that pathology is becoming a less attractive specialty to US medical graduates. This article discusses role models as an important but underutilized tool in medical education, and pathology education, in particular. Historically, the term role model has been used to describe a hero or a good teacher. Social scientists who study specialty choices in medicine, however, consider role model to be a much more heterogeneous concept. The information gained from these studies, therefore, needs to be sorted out carefully if erroneous conclusions about role models are to be avoided. For example, personality traits and attitudinal assessment studies encourage, unfortunately, either a totally passive stance toward recruitment, or a selective approach to those students who fit the specialty profile. However, there is no available evidence to support such approaches in pathology. Indeed, faculty role models have consistently been found to be influential recruiters into specialties that are not well known to the students (eg, pathology). Many different types of role models are present in pathology. Two important types are clinical consultants and physician-researchers. Positive faculty role models are an effective way to remove false impressions and negative assumptions about the practice of pathology, and they should be used more explicitly in recruiting efforts.

  13. 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.

  14. Adolescents of the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study: male role models, gender role traits, and psychological adjustment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, H.; Goldberg, N.; van Gelderen, L.; Gartrell, N.

    2012-01-01

    This article focuses on the influence of male role models on the lives of adolescents (N = 78) in the U.S. National Longitudinal Lesbian Family Study. Half of the adolescents had male role models; those with and those without male role models had similar scores on the feminine and masculine scales

  15. On the role of passion for work in burnout: a process model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vallerand, Robert J; Paquet, Yvan; Philippe, Frederick L; Charest, Julie

    2010-02-01

    The purpose of the present research was to test a model on the role of passion for work in professional burnout. This model posits that obsessive passion produces conflict between work and other life activities because the person cannot let go of the work activity. Conversely, harmonious passion is expected to prevent conflict while positively contributing to work satisfaction. Finally, conflict is expected to contribute to burnout, whereas work satisfaction should prevent its occurrence. This model was tested in 2 studies with nurses in 2 cultures. Using a cross-sectional design, Study 1 (n=97) provided support for the model with nurses from France. In Study 2 (n=258), a prospective design was used to further test the model with nurses from the Province of Quebec over a 6-month period. Results provided support for the model. Specifically, harmonious passion predicted an increase in work satisfaction and a decrease in conflict. Conversely, obsessive passion predicted an increase of conflict. In turn, work satisfaction and conflict predicted decreases and increases in burnout changes that took place over time. The results have important implications for theory and research on passion as well as burnout.

  16. Conceptual Models of the Individual Public Service Provider

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Lotte Bøgh; Pedersen, Lene Holm; Bhatti, Yosef

    are used to gain insight on the motivation of public service providers; namely principal-agent theory, self-determination theory and public service motivation theory. We situate the theoretical discussions in the context of public service providers being transferred to private organizations......Individual public service providers’ motivation can be conceptualized as either extrinsic, autonomous or prosocial, and the question is how we can best theoretically understand this complexity without losing too much coherence and parsimony. Drawing on Allison’s approach (1969), three perspectives...... theoretical – to develop a coherent model of individual public service providers – but the empirical illustration also contributes to our understanding of motivation in the context of public sector outsourcing....

  17. CENTRAL EUROPE: Role models

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    1993-12-15

    Hungary is one of the newcomers to the CERN fold, having joined in 1992. The country's contributions are naturally in line with its slender resources and are not as immediately visible as those of the major Western European Member States. However the approach used and its consequent successes provide a good role model for a smaller nation in an international research environment. This was reflected on 24 September at a meeting of the European Committee for Future Accelerators (ECFA) convened in Budapest, continuing an ECFA tradition of holding meetings in national centres to learn more about the physics programmes of different countries. This tradition started with visits to major West European Centres, but last year ECFA held a meeting in Warsaw, its first in a central European country. By far the largest Hungarian population centre, Budapest is also a hub for national research in this sector, with university centres and the KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics of the National Academy of Sciences. However important research work is also carried out in the eastern city of Debrecen. Hungarians look back to the classic investigations of Eotvos early this century as the starting point of their national tradition in fundamental physics. (In the mid-80s, these experiments briefly came back into vogue when there was a suggestion of an additional 'fifth force' contribution to nuclear masses.)

  18. The role of non-governmental organizations in providing curative health services in North Darfur State, Sudan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yagub, Abdallah I A; Mtshali, Khondlo

    2015-09-01

    Conflict in North Darfur state, Western Sudan started in 2003, and the delivering of curative health services was becoming a greater challenge for the country's limited resources. NGOs have played an important role in providing curative health services. To examine the role that Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have played in providing curative health services, as well as to identify the difficulties and challenges that affect NGOs in delivering curative health services. Secondary data was collected from different sources, including government offices and medical organizations in Sudan and in North Darfur state. Primary data was obtained through interviews with government and NGOs representatives. The interviews were conducted with (1) expatriates working for international NGOs (N=15) (2) health professionals and administrators working in health sector (N= 45) in the period from November 2010 to January 2011. The government in North Darfur state spent 70% of its financial budget on security, while it spent it less than 1% on providing health services. The international NGOs have been providing 70% of curative health services to the State's population by contributing 52.9% of the health budget and 1 390 health personnel. Since 2003 NGOs have provided technical assistance to the health staff. As a result, more than fifty nurses have been trained to provide care and treatment, more than twenty-three doctors have been trained in laboratory equipment operation, and approximately six senior doctors and hospital directors have received management training. NGOs have been managing and supporting 89 public health facilities, and established 24 health centres in IDP camps, and 20 health centres across all the districts in North Darfur state. The NGOs have played an important role in providing curative health services and in establishing good health facilities, but a future problem is how the government will run these health facilities after a peaceful settlement has been

  19. Nontraditional or noncentralized models of diabetes care: models in which other HCPs take on a leading role in managing patients' diabetes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, K C

    2011-11-01

    Nurse practitioners (NPs) are advanced practice nurses who have increased responsibility,such as prescribing authority. In the NP-led model, the NP is the primary care provider for clinic patients and takes on an autonomous role in patient management. In some states, NP-led clinics are required to have a supervising or collaborating physician. There is evidence that NP-led and physician-led primary care is comparable for multiple health outcomes. The NP-led model emphasizes the strong interaction between health care provider and patient. Challenges of NP-led care include physician resistance, legal restrictions, inaccessibility and cost of malpractice insurance, and limited payouts from insurance companies

  20. Economic Models of OPEC Behaviour and the Role of Saudi Arabia

    OpenAIRE

    Nourah A. Al-Yousef

    1998-01-01

    Previous studies of OPEC have suggested ways of explaining the behaviour of OPEC as a group. The specific role of Saudi Arabia in the market and within OPEC has received attention from some authors. This study analyses the role of Saudi Arabia in these models and tries to find how much they explain the role of Saudi Arabia in the period from 1973 to the present. Models of OPEC behaviour are divided into four sets. The first set of models does not address the role of Saudi Arabia; they include...

  1. Introduction to the role of model of value-based medicine in the development of private hospitals

    OpenAIRE

    Shou-ping CHEN

    2014-01-01

    Value-based medicine is the tendency of modern medicine.This paper elaborated the properties of value-based medicine,analyzed the role of model of value-based medicine in modern medicine,and put forward ideas and related measures with the model of value-based medicine to promote the development of private hospitals, which provided some reference for development of private hospitals. 

  2. Medical students on the value of role models for developing 'soft skills'

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Adele

    of medical students, especially their doctor-patient interaction skills and .... how they adapted their own personalities with patients…] ... students learning from role models. Students .... Role models and the learning environment: essential elements in ... Paice E, Heard S, Moss F. How important are role models in making.

  3. Men, prostitution and the provider role: understanding the intersections of economic exchange, sex, crime and violence in South Africa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jewkes, Rachel; Morrell, Robert; Sikweyiya, Yandisa; Dunkle, Kristin; Penn-Kekana, Loveday

    2012-01-01

    South African policy makers are reviewing legislation of prostitution, concerned that criminalisation hampers HIV prevention. They seek to understand the relationship between transactional sex, prostitution, and the nature of the involved men. 1645 randomly-selected adult South African men participated in a household study, disclosing whether they had sex with a woman in prostitution or had had a provider relationship (or sex), participation in crime and violence and completing psychological measures. These became outcomes in multivariable regression models, where the former were exposure variables. 51% of men had had a provider relationship and expected sex in return, 3% had had sex with a woman in prostitution, 15% men had done both of these and 31% neither. Provider role men, and those who had just had sex with a woman in prostitution, were socially conservative and quite violent. Yet the men who had done both (75% of those having sex with a woman in prostitution) were significantly more misogynist, highly scoring on dimensions of psychopathy, more sexually and physically violent to women, and extensively engaged in crime. They had often bullied at school, suggesting that this instrumental, self-seeking masculinity was manifest in childhood. The men who had not engaged in sex for economic exchange expressed a much less violent, more law abiding and gender equitable masculinity; challenging assumptions about the inevitability of intersections of age, poverty, crime and misogyny. Provider role relationships (or sex) are normative for low income men, but not having sex with a woman in prostitution. Men who do the latter operate extensively outside the law and their violence poses a substantial threat to women. Those drafting legislation and policy on the sex industry in South Africa need to distinguish between these two groups to avoid criminalising the normal, and consider measures to protect women.

  4. Men, Prostitution and the Provider Role: Understanding the Intersections of Economic Exchange, Sex, Crime and Violence in South Africa

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jewkes, Rachel; Morrell, Robert; Sikweyiya, Yandisa; Dunkle, Kristin; Penn-Kekana, Loveday

    2012-01-01

    Background South African policy makers are reviewing legislation of prostitution, concerned that criminalisation hampers HIV prevention. They seek to understand the relationship between transactional sex, prostitution, and the nature of the involved men. Methods 1645 randomly-selected adult South African men participated in a household study, disclosing whether they had sex with a woman in prostitution or had had a provider relationship (or sex), participation in crime and violence and completing psychological measures. These became outcomes in multivariable regression models, where the former were exposure variables. Results 51% of men had had a provider relationship and expected sex in return, 3% had had sex with a woman in prostitution, 15% men had done both of these and 31% neither. Provider role men, and those who had just had sex with a woman in prostitution, were socially conservative and quite violent. Yet the men who had done both (75% of those having sex with a woman in prostitution) were significantly more misogynist, highly scoring on dimensions of psychopathy, more sexually and physically violent to women, and extensively engaged in crime. They had often bullied at school, suggesting that this instrumental, self-seeking masculinity was manifest in childhood. The men who had not engaged in sex for economic exchange expressed a much less violent, more law abiding and gender equitable masculinity; challenging assumptions about the inevitability of intersections of age, poverty, crime and misogyny. Conclusions Provider role relationships (or sex) are normative for low income men, but not having sex with a woman in prostitution. Men who do the latter operate extensively outside the law and their violence poses a substantial threat to women. Those drafting legislation and policy on the sex industry in South Africa need to distinguish between these two groups to avoid criminalising the normal, and consider measures to protect women. PMID:22911711

  5. The role of advanced practice providers in pediatric otolaryngology academic practices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reilly, Brian K; Brandon, Gretchen; Shah, Rahul; Preciado, Diego; Zalzal, George

    2013-01-01

    The goal of this study was to examine the roles of Physician Assistants (PAs) and Nurse Practitioners (NPs) in pediatric academic otolaryngology programs to provide a better understanding of their scope of practice, levels of autonomy, clinical duties, teaching opportunities and research participation. An anonymous web-based electronic survey tool was sent to all pediatric otolaryngology fellowship program directors in the United States. Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants are utilized in approximately 3 out of every 4 pediatric otolaryngology practices. The top three job activities of both the PA and NP were: (1) seeing patients independently, (2) working alongside doctors in clinic, and (3) answering phone lines/parental calls. A higher percentage of PAs (83%), worked alongside doctors in clinic, as compared to NPs, where only 55% work alongside MDs. Over half of PAs round with the in-patient team and see consults as compared to just over one third of NPs who participate in such activities. Twenty-five percent of practices reported that PAs cover call and assist in the OR. Most PAs/NPs saw between 11 and 15 patients per clinic which provides a clear productivity advantage when looking to screen patients, provide medical care, generate surgical cases, and maximize billings. NPs and PAs have complimentary skill sets ideal for the pediatric otolaryngology workplace, although job activities and "best fit" are hospital and practice dependent. Our study suggests that the use of PAs and NPs will continue to grow to meet increased demand for services in the field of pediatric otolaryngology. Employing advanced practice providers enables academic centers to improve access, provide additional financial remuneration, reduce wait times for new patients, and allow attending physicians to meet increased practice demands. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Simulation model for transcervical laryngeal injection providing real-time feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ainsworth, Tiffiny A; Kobler, James B; Loan, Gregory J; Burns, James A

    2014-12-01

    This study aimed to develop and evaluate a model for teaching transcervical laryngeal injections. A 3-dimensional printer was used to create a laryngotracheal framework based on de-identified computed tomography images of a human larynx. The arytenoid cartilages and intrinsic laryngeal musculature were created in silicone from clay casts and thermoplastic molds. The thyroarytenoid (TA) muscle was created with electrically conductive silicone using metallic filaments embedded in silicone. Wires connected TA muscles to an electrical circuit incorporating a cell phone and speaker. A needle electrode completed the circuit when inserted in the TA during simulated injection, providing real-time feedback of successful needle placement by producing an audible sound. Face validation by the senior author confirmed appropriate tactile feedback and anatomical realism. Otolaryngologists pilot tested the model and completed presimulation and postsimulation questionnaires. The high-fidelity simulation model provided tactile and audio feedback during needle placement, simulating transcervical vocal fold injections. Otolaryngology residents demonstrated higher comfort levels with transcervical thyroarytenoid injection on postsimulation questionnaires. This is the first study to describe a simulator for developing transcervical vocal fold injection skills. The model provides real-time tactile and auditory feedback that aids in skill acquisition. Otolaryngologists reported increased confidence with transcervical injection after using the simulator. © The Author(s) 2014.

  7. Role Models on Dope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christiansen, Ask Vest; Gleaves, John

    2014-01-01

    Compared to football-players cyclists are virtuous role models. Yes, Lance Armstrong, Michael Rasmussen and other riders have doped, and because of this they have received the predicate as the most immoral athletes in the sporting world. But if morality is not only a question of whether a person ...... has enhanced his or hers performances by the use of various drugs (and lied about it), but also is about human beings’ relations and interactions, then cycling isn’t as depraved as we like to tell each other. Football is much worse....

  8. Model of Providing Assistive Technologies in Special Education Schools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lersilp, Suchitporn; Putthinoi, Supawadee; Chakpitak, Nopasit

    2015-05-14

    Most students diagnosed with disabilities in Thai special education schools received assistive technologies, but this did not guarantee the greatest benefits. The purpose of this study was to survey the provision, use and needs of assistive technologies, as well as the perspectives of key informants regarding a model of providing them in special education schools. The participants were selected by the purposive sampling method, and they comprised 120 students with visual, physical, hearing or intellectual disabilities from four special education schools in Chiang Mai, Thailand; and 24 key informants such as parents or caregivers, teachers, school principals and school therapists. The instruments consisted of an assistive technology checklist and a semi-structured interview. Results showed that a category of assistive technologies was provided for students with disabilities, with the highest being "services", followed by "media" and then "facilities". Furthermore, mostly students with physical disabilities were provided with assistive technologies, but those with visual disabilities needed it more. Finally, the model of providing assistive technologies was composed of 5 components: Collaboration; Holistic perspective; Independent management of schools; Learning systems and a production manual for users; and Development of an assistive technology center, driven by 3 major sources such as Government and Private organizations, and Schools.

  9. The Nordic welfare model providing energy transition? A political geography approach to the EU RES directive

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Westholm, Erik; Beland Lindahl, Karin

    2012-01-01

    The EU Renewable Energy Strategy (RES) Directive requires that each member state obtain 20% of its energy supply from renewable sources by 2020. If fully implemented, this implies major changes in institutions, infrastructure, land use, and natural resource flows. This study applies a political geography perspective to explore the transition to renewable energy use in the heating and cooling segment of the Swedish energy system, 1980–2010. The Nordic welfare model, which developed mainly after the Second World War, required relatively uniform, standardized local and regional authorities functioning as implementation agents for national politics. Since 1980, the welfare orientation has gradually been complemented by competition politics promoting technological change, innovation, and entrepreneurship. This combination of welfare state organization and competition politics provided the dynamics necessary for energy transition, which occurred in a semi-public sphere of actors at various geographical scales. However, our analysis, suggest that this was partly an unintended policy outcome, since it was based on a welfare model with no significant energy aims. Our case study suggests that state organization plays a significant role, and that the EU RES Directive implementation will be uneven across Europe, reflecting various welfare models with different institutional pre-requisites for energy transition. - Highlights: ► We explore the energy transition in the heating/cooling sector in Sweden 1980–2000. ► The role of the state is studied from a political geography perspective. ► The changing welfare model offered the necessary institutional framework. ► Institutional arrangements stand out as central to explain the relative success. ► The use of renewables in EU member states will continue to vary significantly.

  10. THE BIGGS AND MOORE MODEL IN E-LEARNING: The Role of Motivation and Collaboration as Moderators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matti J. HAVERILA

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a research conducted to evaluate the effect of e-learning experience on students’ perceived learning outcomes, and more specifically the role of motivation and collaboration as moderators between the e-learning experience and the learning outcome. The perceived learning outcome was measured with whether the students perceived to learn more in e-learning vis-à-vis traditional learning context. The participants came from an undergraduate course at Tamk University of Applied Sciences in Tampere, Finland. The Biggs and Moore learning model indicates that the process variables (motivation and collaboration in this study have a mediating role. It was found out in this study, however, that these process variables have a moderating role rather than mediating role. Specific recommendations for the practitioners are provided, and implications for educators are discussed. Finally suggestions for further research on e-learning are provided.

  11. CENTRAL EUROPE: Role models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1993-01-01

    Hungary is one of the newcomers to the CERN fold, having joined in 1992. The country's contributions are naturally in line with its slender resources and are not as immediately visible as those of the major Western European Member States. However the approach used and its consequent successes provide a good role model for a smaller nation in an international research environment. This was reflected on 24 September at a meeting of the European Committee for Future Accelerators (ECFA) convened in Budapest, continuing an ECFA tradition of holding meetings in national centres to learn more about the physics programmes of different countries. This tradition started with visits to major West European Centres, but last year ECFA held a meeting in Warsaw, its first in a central European country. By far the largest Hungarian population centre, Budapest is also a hub for national research in this sector, with university centres and the KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics of the National Academy of Sciences. However important research work is also carried out in the eastern city of Debrecen. Hungarians look back to the classic investigations of Eotvos early this century as the starting point of their national tradition in fundamental physics. (In the mid-80s, these experiments briefly came back into vogue when there was a suggestion of an additional 'fifth force' contribution to nuclear masses.)

  12. Introduction to the role of model of value-based medicine in the development of private hospitals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shou-ping CHEN

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Value-based medicine is the tendency of modern medicine.This paper elaborated the properties of value-based medicine,analyzed the role of model of value-based medicine in modern medicine,and put forward ideas and related measures with the model of value-based medicine to promote the development of private hospitals, which provided some reference for development of private hospitals. 

  13. Are Universities Role Models for Communities? A Gender Perspective

    OpenAIRE

    Felicia Cornelia MACARIE; Octavian MOLDOVAN

    2012-01-01

    The present paper explores the degree in which universities could/should serve as role models for communities from the perspective of gender integration. Although the theoretical/ moral answer would be affirmative (universities should be in such a position that would allow local communities to regard them as role models of gender integration), the primary empirical analysis leads to another conclusion. A brief theoretical review (that connects gender discrimination, sustainable development, u...

  14. Task-role-based Access Control Model in Smart Health-care System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wang Peng

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available As the development of computer science and smart health-care technology, there is a trend for patients to enjoy medical care at home. Taking enormous users in the Smart Health-care System into consideration, access control is an important issue. Traditional access control models, discretionary access control, mandatory access control, and role-based access control, do not properly reflect the characteristics of Smart Health-care System. This paper proposes an advanced access control model for the medical health-care environment, task-role-based access control model, which overcomes the disadvantages of traditional access control models. The task-role-based access control (T-RBAC model introduces a task concept, dividing tasks into four categories. It also supports supervision role hierarchy. T-RBAC is a proper access control model for Smart Health-care System, and it improves the management of access rights. This paper also proposes an implementation of T-RBAC, a binary two-key-lock pair access control scheme using prime factorization.

  15. 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…

  16. Final-year diagnostic radiography students' perception of role models within the profession.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conway, Alinya; Lewis, Sarah; Robinson, John

    2008-01-01

    Within a clinical education setting, the value of role models and prescribed mentors can be seen as an important influence in shaping the student's future as a diagnostic radiographer. A study was undertaken to create a new understanding of how diagnostic radiography students perceive role models and professional behavior in the workforce. The study aimed to determine the impact of clinical education in determining modeling expectations, role model identification and attributes, and the integration of academic education and "hands-on" clinical practice in preparing diagnostic radiography students to enter the workplace. Thirteen final-year (third-year) diagnostic radiography students completed an hour-long interview regarding their experiences and perceptions of role models while on clinical placement. The key concepts that emerged illustrated that students gravitate toward radiographers who enjoy sharing practical experiences with students and are good communicators. Unique to diagnostic radiography, students made distinctions about the presence of role models in private versus public service delivery. This study gives insight to clinical educators in diagnostic radiography and wider allied health into how students perceive role models, interact with preceptors, and combine real-life experiences with formal learning.

  17. The Role of Flow Diagnostic Techniques in Fan and Open Rotor Noise Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Envia, Edmane

    2016-01-01

    A principal source of turbomachinery noise is the interaction of the rotating and stationary blade rows with the perturbations in the airstream through the engine. As such, a lot of research has been devoted to the study of the turbomachinery noise generation mechanisms. This is particularly true of fan and open rotors, both of which are the major contributors to the overall noise output of modern aircraft engines. Much of the research in fan and open rotor noise has been focused on developing theoretical models for predicting their noise characteristics. These models, which run the gamut from the semi-empirical to fully computational ones, are, in one form or another, informed by the description of the unsteady flow-field in which the propulsors (i.e., the fan and open rotors) operate. Not surprisingly, the fidelity of the theoretical models is dependent, to a large extent, on capturing the nuances of the unsteady flowfield that have a direct role in the noise generation process. As such, flow diagnostic techniques have proven to be indispensible in identifying the shortcoming of theoretical models and in helping to improve them. This presentation will provide a few examples of the role of flow diagnostic techniques in assessing the fidelity and robustness of the fan and open rotor noise prediction models.

  18. Communication: Role of explicit water models in the helix folding/unfolding processes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palazzesi, Ferruccio; Salvalaglio, Matteo; Barducci, Alessandro; Parrinello, Michele

    2016-09-01

    In the last years, it has become evident that computer simulations can assume a relevant role in modelling protein dynamical motions for their ability to provide a full atomistic image of the processes under investigation. The ability of the current protein force-fields in reproducing the correct thermodynamics and kinetics systems behaviour is thus an essential ingredient to improve our understanding of many relevant biological functionalities. In this work, employing the last developments of the metadynamics framework, we compare the ability of state-of-the-art all-atom empirical functions and water models to consistently reproduce the folding and unfolding of a helix turn motif in a model peptide. This theoretical study puts in evidence that the choice of the water models can influence the thermodynamic and the kinetics of the system under investigation, and for this reason cannot be considered trivial.

  19. Role of frameworks, models, data, and judgment in human reliability analysis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hannaman, G W

    1986-05-01

    Many advancements in the methods for treating human interactions in PRA studies have occurred in the last decade. These advancements appear to increase the capability of PRAs to extend beyond just the assessment of the human's importance to safety. However, variations in the application of these advanced models, data, and judgements in recent PRAs make quantitative comparisons among studies extremely difficult. This uncertainty in the analysis diminishes the usefulness of the PRA study for upgrading procedures, enhancing traning, simulator design, technical specification guidance, and for aid in designing the man-machine interface. Hence, there is a need for a framework to guide analysts in incorporating human interactions into the PRA systems analyses so that future users of a PRA study will have a clear understanding of the approaches, models, data, and assumptions which were employed in the initial study. This paper describes the role of the systematic human action reliability procedure (SHARP) in providing a road map through the complex terrain of human reliability that promises to improve the reproducibility of such analysis in the areas of selecting the models, data, representations, and assumptions. Also described is the role that a human cognitive reliability model can have in collecting data from simulators and helping analysts assign human reliability parameters in a PRA study. Use of these systematic approaches to perform or upgrade existing PRAs promises to make PRA studies more useful as risk management tools.

  20. Role of Private Sector in Providing Tuberculosis Care: Evidence from a Population-based Survey in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazarika, Indrajit

    2011-01-01

    In India, a large segment of the population seeks health care services from individual or institutional private health-care providers for health care. We analyzed a nationally representative data to identify the role of private providers in delivering health care for patients with tuberculosis. The primary data source for the present analysis was the 60(th) round of the National Sample Survey. Distribution frequencies were used to analyze the distribution of key sociodemographic variables and multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between these variables and healthcare seeking behavior. A sample of 2203 respondents who had received ambulatory care for tuberculosis, and 4568 respondents who had received inpatient treatment were analyzed. About half of the respondents had attended private facilities for TB care. Sociodemographic variables such as paediatric age group, females, higher level of education, and economic groups were associated with attendance at private sector. Dissatisfaction with services in government facilities was cited as the main reason for preferring private facilities. Private providers play an important role in providing health care services to a large proportion of patients with tuberculosis. There is a need for innovative measures to increase participation of the private sector in the national TB control program and to improve the quality of services in government facilities.

  1. BAD knockout provides metabolic seizure resistance in a genetic model of epilepsy with sudden unexplained death in epilepsy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foley, Jeannine; Burnham, Veronica; Tedoldi, Meghan; Danial, Nika N; Yellen, Gary

    2018-01-01

    Metabolic alteration, either through the ketogenic diet (KD) or by genetic alteration of the BAD protein, can produce seizure protection in acute chemoconvulsant models of epilepsy. To assess the seizure-protective role of knocking out (KO) the Bad gene in a chronic epilepsy model, we used the Kcna1 -/- model of epilepsy, which displays progressively increased seizure severity and recapitulates the early death seen in sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Beginning on postnatal day 24 (P24), we continuously video monitored Kcna1 -/- and Kcna1 -/- Bad -/- double knockout mice to assess survival and seizure severity. We found that Kcna1 -/- Bad -/- mice outlived Kcna1 -/- mice by approximately 2 weeks. Kcna1 -/- Bad -/- mice also spent significantly less time in seizure than Kcna1 -/- mice on P24 and the day of death, showing that BadKO provides seizure resistance in a genetic model of chronic epilepsy. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 International League Against Epilepsy.

  2. Cartographic modeling: The role and importance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ikonović Vesna

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim and sense of cartographic modeling is to represent essential, typical and characteristically attributes of mapping territory. Cartographic modeling is applying in two phases: 1. trough theoretical modeling and creating mind models (by notice relevant factors of space, modeling is in cartographer’s mind and 2. trough practical modeling and making prototype model (continuing and objectification of mind model which one has bigger degree of concrezation and experimented role. The maps are mathematical and logical models, which are not just representing the contents of the real space, but also their specific and relational traits which can’t be seen at first sight. Atlas is modeled contexture contents of treated thematic of space on optimal map union. Atlases are higher form of cartography. Modern computer's technology and specific software make possible better and faster making of all kinds of maps, atlases and spatial analysis connections and relationships among all elements of contents from concrete space which is, until now, demand much more time or they can not imagine.

  3. Entering the Fray: The Role of Outdoor Education in Providing Nature-Based Experiences that Matter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nicol, Robbie

    2014-01-01

    This article draws on different bodies of knowledge in order to review the potential role of outdoor education in providing nature-based experiences that might contribute to sustainable living. A pragmatic perspective is adopted to critique what outdoor education is, and then what it might be. Phenomenology is used to challenge the belief that…

  4. Cost Calculation Model for Logistics Service Providers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zoltán Bokor

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available The exact calculation of logistics costs has become a real challenge in logistics and supply chain management. It is essential to gain reliable and accurate costing information to attain efficient resource allocation within the logistics service provider companies. Traditional costing approaches, however, may not be sufficient to reach this aim in case of complex and heterogeneous logistics service structures. So this paper intends to explore the ways of improving the cost calculation regimes of logistics service providers and show how to adopt the multi-level full cost allocation technique in logistics practice. After determining the methodological framework, a sample cost calculation scheme is developed and tested by using estimated input data. Based on the theoretical findings and the experiences of the pilot project it can be concluded that the improved costing model contributes to making logistics costing more accurate and transparent. Moreover, the relations between costs and performances also become more visible, which enhances the effectiveness of logistics planning and controlling significantly

  5. Wind farms providing secondary frequency regulation: Evaluating the performance of model-based receding horizon control

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shapiro, Carl R.; Meneveau, Charles; Gayme, Dennice F.; Meyers, Johan

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the use of wind farms to provide secondary frequency regulation for a power grid. Our approach uses model-based receding horizon control of a wind farm that is tested using a large eddy simulation (LES) framework. In order to enable real-time implementation, the control actions are computed based on a time-varying one-dimensional wake model. This model describes wake advection and interactions, both of which play an important role in wind farm power production. This controller is implemented in an LES model of an 84-turbine wind farm represented by actuator disk turbine models. Differences between the velocities at each turbine predicted by the wake model and measured in LES are used for closed-loop feedback. The controller is tested on two types of regulation signals, “RegA” and “RegD”, obtained from PJM, an independent system operator in the eastern United States. Composite performance scores, which are used by PJM to qualify plants for regulation, are used to evaluate the performance of the controlled wind farm. Our results demonstrate that the controlled wind farm consistently performs well, passing the qualification threshold for all fastacting RegD signals. For the RegA signal, which changes over slower time scales, the controlled wind farm's average performance surpasses the threshold, but further work is needed to enable the controlled system to achieve qualifying performance all of the time. (paper)

  6. MODEL ROLE PLAYING DALAM PEMBELAJARAN SIKLUS AKUNTANSI PERUSAHAAN DAGANG

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jarot Tri Tri Bowo Santoso

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Accounting lesson is considered as a difficult lesson by most students in SMK/SMA. It is even sometimes worse with the less ability of accounting teachers to select learning methods thatcan attract students’ attention and thought. Therefore, it is necessary to find an alternative learning which can help students to involve in the real situation which is fun and memorable. The learning model which can fulfill the fun situation is the role playing. The steps to implement this model in the learning of accounting cycle for trade firm are to divide students in groups and to give each of them an opportunity to play a role. In practice, each student changers the role weekly based on the order. The model makesstuents easier to understand the basic accounting and leads the teachers evaluate the materials if the lack of conformity occurs during the learning.

  7. A new role-model for the future humanities?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Caviglia, Francesco; Pedersen, Alex Young

    The Knowledge Building approach (henceforth, KB) is a constructionist approach to learn-ing that builds on a Popperian epistemology and the idea of bringing to education “both the goals and the processes of knowledge-creating organizations – as represented, for instance, in scientific research...... of citizens” who work together to design solutions for living better together, which the authors suggest being an equally productive role-model as the idea of a “scientific research groups and industrial design teams”, which is the standard role-model for KB prac-tice. The authors sees this alternative model...... groups and industrial design teams” (Scardamalia & Bereiter, 2014). KB is becoming a signature pedagogy (Shulman, 2005) for scientific disciplines, with nearly all educational interventions quoted by Scardamalia & Bereiter (2014) or presented at con-ferences focusing on natural sciences. Although...

  8. Communication Skills Training in Pediatric Oncology: Moving Beyond Role Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feraco, Angela M.; Brand, Sarah R.; Mack, Jennifer W.; Kesselheim, Jennifer C.; Block, Susan D.; Wolfe, Joanne

    2018-01-01

    Communication is central to pediatric oncology care. Pediatric oncologists disclose life-threatening diagnoses, explain complicated treatment options, and endeavor to give honest prognoses, to maintain hope, to describe treatment complications, and to support families in difficult circumstances ranging from loss of function and fertility to treatment-related or disease-related death. However, parents, patients, and providers report substantial communication deficits. Poor communication outcomes may stem, in part, from insufficient communication skills training, overreliance on role modeling, and failure to utilize best practices. This review summarizes evidence for existing methods to enhance communication skills and calls for revitalizing communication skills training within pediatric oncology. PMID:26822066

  9. Communication Skills Training in Pediatric Oncology: Moving Beyond Role Modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feraco, Angela M; Brand, Sarah R; Mack, Jennifer W; Kesselheim, Jennifer C; Block, Susan D; Wolfe, Joanne

    2016-06-01

    Communication is central to pediatric oncology care. Pediatric oncologists disclose life-threatening diagnoses, explain complicated treatment options, and endeavor to give honest prognoses, to maintain hope, to describe treatment complications, and to support families in difficult circumstances ranging from loss of function and fertility to treatment-related or disease-related death. However, parents, patients, and providers report substantial communication deficits. Poor communication outcomes may stem, in part, from insufficient communication skills training, overreliance on role modeling, and failure to utilize best practices. This review summarizes evidence for existing methods to enhance communication skills and calls for revitalizing communication skills training within pediatric oncology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. The Adoption of Roles by Primary Care Providers during Implementation of the New Chronic Disease Guidelines in Urban Mongolia: A Qualitative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oyun Chimeddamba

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available (1 Background: In 2011, new chronic disease guidelines were introduced across Mongolia. No formal advice was provided regarding role delineation. This study aimed to analyse the roles that different primary care providers adopted, and the variations in these, in the implementation of the guidelines in urban Mongolia; (2 Methods: Ten group interviews with nurses and ten individual interviews each with practice doctors and practice directors were conducted. Data was analysed using a thematic approach based on the identified themes relevant to role delineation; (3 Results: There was some variability and flexibility in role delineation. Factors involving teamwork, task rotation and practice flexibility facilitated well the guideline implementation. However, factors including expectations and decision making, nursing shortage, and training gaps adversely influenced in the roles and responsibilities. Some role confusion and dissatisfaction was identified, often associated with a lack of training or staff turnover; (4 Conclusions: Findings suggest that adequate ongoing training is required to maximize the range of roles particular provider types, especially primary care nurses, are competent to perform. Ensuring that role delineation is specified in guidelines could remove confusion and enhance implementation of such guidelines.

  11. Task-and-role-based access-control model for computational grid

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    LONG Tao; HONG Fan; WU Chi; SUN Ling-li

    2007-01-01

    Access control in a grid environment is a challenging issue because the heterogeneous nature and independent administration of geographically dispersed resources in grid require access control to use fine-grained policies. We established a task-and-role-based access-control model for computational grid (CG-TRBAC model), integrating the concepts of role-based access control (RBAC) and task-based access control (TBAC). In this model, condition restrictions are defined and concepts specifically tailored to Workflow Management System are simplified or omitted so that role assignment and security administration fit computational grid better than traditional models; permissions are mutable with the task status and system variables, and can be dynamically controlled. The CG-TRBAC model is proved flexible and extendible. It can implement different control policies. It embodies the security principle of least privilege and executes active dynamic authorization. A task attribute can be extended to satisfy different requirements in a real grid system.

  12. The Role of the Medical Provider in the Evaluation of Sexually Abused Children and Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newton, Alice Whittier; Vandeven, Andrea Marie

    2010-01-01

    It was only 30 years ago that the medical community began to develop an increased awareness of child sexual abuse, and the role of the medical provider in the evaluation of sexually abused children has evolved significantly. As clinicians worldwide develop a greater understanding of the impact of the sexual abuse evaluation on the child, the roles…

  13. The role of outside-school factors in science education: a two-stage theoretical model linking Bourdieu and Sen, with a case study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gokpinar, Tuba; Reiss, Michael

    2016-05-01

    The literature in science education highlights the potentially significant role of outside-school factors such as parents, cultural contexts and role models in students' formation of science attitudes and aspirations, and their attainment in science classes. In this paper, building on and linking Bourdieu's key concepts of habitus, cultural and social capital, and field with Sen's capability approach, we develop a model of students' science-related capability development. Our model proposes that the role of outside-school factors is twofold, first, in providing an initial set of science-related resources (i.e. habitus, cultural and social capital), and then in conversion of these resources to science-related capabilities. The model also highlights the distinction between science-related functionings (outcomes achieved by individuals) and science-related capabilities (ability to achieve desired functionings), and argues that it is necessary to consider science-related capability development in evaluating the effectiveness of science education. We then test our theoretical model with an account of three Turkish immigrant students' science-related capabilities and the role of outside-school factors in forming and extending these capabilities. We use student and parent interviews, student questionnaires and in-class observations to provide an analysis of how outside-school factors influence these students' attitudes, aspirations and attainment in science.

  14. Achieving health care cost containment through provider payment reform that engages patients and providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ginsburg, Paul B

    2013-05-01

    The best opportunity to pursue cost containment in the next five to ten years is through reforming provider payment to gradually diminish the role of fee-for-service reimbursement. Public and private payers have launched many promising payment reform pilots aimed at blending fee-for-service with payment approaches based on broader units of care, such as an episode or patients' total needs over a period of time, a crucial first step. But meaningful cost containment from payment reform will not be achieved until Medicare and Medicaid establish stronger incentives for providers to contract in this way, with discouragement of nonparticipation increasing over time. In addition, the models need to evolve to engage beneficiaries, perhaps through incentives for patients to enroll in an accountable care organization and to seek care within that organization's network of providers.

  15. Drosophila as a model to study the role of blood cells in inflammation, innate immunity and cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lihui; Kounatidis, Ilias; Ligoxygakis, Petros

    2014-01-01

    Drosophila has a primitive yet effective blood system with three types of haemocytes which function throughout different developmental stages and environmental stimuli. Haemocytes play essential roles in tissue modeling during embryogenesis and morphogenesis, and also in innate immunity. The open circulatory system of Drosophila makes haemocytes ideal signal mediators to cells and tissues in response to events such as infection and wounding. The application of recently developed and sophisticated genetic tools to the relatively simple genome of Drosophila has made the fly a popular system for modeling human tumorigensis and metastasis. Drosophila is now used for screening and investigation of genes implicated in human leukemia and also in modeling development of solid tumors. This second line of research offers promising opportunities to determine the seemingly conflicting roles of blood cells in tumor progression and invasion. This review provides an overview of the signaling pathways conserved in Drosophila during haematopoiesis, haemostasis, innate immunity, wound healing and inflammation. We also review the most recent progress in the use of Drosophila as a cancer research model with an emphasis on the roles haemocytes can play in various cancer models and in the links between inflammation and cancer. PMID:24409421

  16. Outcomes of role stress: a multisample constructive replication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemery, E R; Bedeian, A G; Mossholder, K W; Touliatos, J

    1985-06-01

    Responses from four separate samples of accountants and hospital employees provided a constructive replication of the Bedeian and Armenakis (1981) model of the causal nexus between role stress and selected outcome variables. We investigated the relationship between both role ambiguity and role conflict--as specific forms of role stress--and job-related tension, job satisfaction, and propensity to leave, using LISREL IV, a technique capable of providing statistical data for a hypothesized population model, as well as for specific causal paths. Results, which support the Bedeian and Armenakis model, are discussed in light of previous research.

  17. Role of private sector in providing tuberculosis care: Evidence from a population-based survey in India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Indrajit Hazarika

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: In India, a large segment of the population seeks health care services from individual or institutional private health-care providers for health care. We analyzed a nationally representative data to identify the role of private providers in delivering health care for patients with tuberculosis. Materials and Methods: The primary data source for the present analysis was the 60 th round of the National Sample Survey. Distribution frequencies were used to analyze the distribution of key sociodemographic variables and multiple logistic regression was used to analyze the association between these variables and healthcare seeking behavior. Results: A sample of 2203 respondents who had received ambulatory care for tuberculosis, and 4568 respondents who had received inpatient treatment were analyzed. About half of the respondents had attended private facilities for TB care. Sociodemographic variables such as paediatric age group, females, higher level of education, and economic groups were associated with attendance at private sector. Dissatisfaction with services in government facilities was cited as the main reason for preferring private facilities. Conclusions: Private providers play an important role in providing health care services to a large proportion of patients with tuberculosis. There is a need for innovative measures to increase participation of the private sector in the national TB control program and to improve the quality of services in government facilities.

  18. An Opportunity for Healing and Holistic Care: Exploring the Roles of Health Care Providers Working Within Northern Canadian Aboriginal Communities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahaman, Zaida; Holmes, Dave; Chartrand, Larry

    2016-05-22

    The purpose of this qualitative study was exploring what the roles and challenges of health care providers working within Northern Canadian Aboriginal communities are and what resources can help support or impede their efforts in working toward addressing health inequities within these communities. The qualitative research conducted was influenced by a postcolonial epistemology. The works of theorists Fanon on colonization and racial construction, Kristeva on semiotics and abjection, and Foucault on power/knowledge, governmentality, and biopower were used in providing a theoretical framework. Critical discourse analysis of 25 semistructured interviews with health care providers was used to gain a better understanding of their roles and challenges while working within Northern Canadian Aboriginal communities. Within this research study, three significant findings emerged from the data. First, the Aboriginal person's identity was constructed in relation to the health care provider's role of delivering essential health services. Second, health care providers were not treating the "ill" patient, but rather treating the patient for being "ill." Third, health care providers were treating the Aboriginal person for being "Aboriginal" by separating the patient from his or her identity. The treatment involved reforming the Aboriginal patient from the condition of being "Aboriginal." © The Author(s) 2016.

  19. Bring Your Own Device - Providing Reliable Model of Data Access

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stąpór Paweł

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The article presents a model of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD as a model network, which provides the user reliable access to network resources. BYOD is a model dynamically developing, which can be applied in many areas. Research network has been launched in order to carry out the test, in which as a service of BYOD model Work Folders service was used. This service allows the user to synchronize files between the device and the server. An access to the network is completed through the wireless communication by the 802.11n standard. Obtained results are shown and analyzed in this article.

  20. Role of the primary care provider in the diagnosis and management of heartburn.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kushner, Pamela R

    2010-04-01

    Heartburn affects an estimated 42% of the US population. Often, patients are able to recognize symptoms and self-treat heartburn; however, patients with more persistent and/or troublesome symptoms should be evaluated by a physician or other healthcare provider. This review focuses on the role of the primary care provider in the diagnosis and treatment of heartburn. A search was conducted on PubMed (to November 2009) and articles relevant to the management of heartburn by a primary care provider topic were selected. Diagnostic tools, such as endoscopy, and ambulatory pH monitoring, are recommended for advanced assessment of patients with frequent heartburn to avert misdiagnosis and to identify complications of reflux disease. Over-the-counter and prescription treatments for frequent heartburn symptoms include antacids, histamine(2)-receptor antagonists (H(2)RAs), antacid/H(2)RA combinations, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Among these, PPIs represent the mainstay of acute and maintenance treatment regimens in reflux disorders and are more effective than H(2)RAs for long-term use due to the development of tolerance to the latter therapy. While once-daily PPI therapy may be sufficient in most patients, a few may require twice-daily PPI therapy to alleviate their symptoms. This review is limited by its relatively narrow focus on articles cited in PubMed. The primary care provider is ideally situated to advise patients on the best treatment option for their condition and to provide follow-up care if required.

  1. [Barriers to the normalization of telemedicine in a healthcare system model based on purchasing of healthcare services using providers' contracts].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roig, Francesc; Saigí, Francesc

    2011-01-01

    Despite the clear political will to promote telemedicine and the large number of initiatives, the incorporation of this modality in clinical practice remains limited. The objective of this study was to identify the barriers perceived by key professionals who actively participate in the design and implementation of telemedicine in a healthcare system model based on purchasing of healthcare services using providers' contracts. We performed a qualitative study based on data from semi-structured interviews with 17 key informants belonging to distinct Catalan health organizations. The barriers identified were grouped in four areas: technological, organizational, human and economic. The main barriers identified were changes in the healthcare model caused by telemedicine, problems with strategic alignment, resistance to change in the (re)definition of roles, responsibilities and new skills, and lack of a business model that incorporates telemedicine in the services portfolio to ensure its sustainability. In addition to suitable management of change and of the necessary strategic alignment, the definitive normalization of telemedicine in a mixed healthcare model based on purchasing of healthcare services using providers' contracts requires a clear and stable business model that incorporates this modality in the services portfolio and allows healthcare organizations to obtain reimbursement from the payer. 2010 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  2. Role model and prototype matching: Upper-secondary school students’ meetings with tertiary STEM students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Lykkegaard

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Previous research has found that young people’s prototypes of science students and scientists affect their inclination to choose tertiary STEM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Consequently, many recruitment initiatives include role models to challenge these prototypes. The present study followed 15 STEM-oriented upper-secondary school students from university-distant backgrounds during and after their participation in an 18-months long university-based recruitment and outreach project involving tertiary STEM students as role models. The analysis focusses on how the students’ meetings with the role models affected their thoughts concerning STEM students and attending university. The regular self-to-prototype matching process was shown in real-life role-models meetings to be extended to a more complex three-way matching process between students’ self-perceptions, prototype images and situation-specific conceptions of role models. Furthermore, the study underlined the positive effect of prolonged role-model contact, the importance of using several role models and that traditional school subjects catered more resistant prototype images than unfamiliar ones did.

  3. The role of UK district nurses in providing care for adult patients with a terminal diagnosis: a meta-ethnography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Offen, John

    2015-03-01

    To explore the role of UK district nurses in providing care for adult patients with a terminal diagnosis by reviewing qualitative research. Meta-ethnography was used to conduct the synthesis. CINAHL, MEDLINE and British Nursing Index (BNI) were searched comprehensively for primary research relating to the role of UK district nurses in palliative care. The abstracts and titles of 700 papers were screened against inclusion criteria, of these 97 full papers were appraised. Some 24 studies reported in 25 papers were selected for inclusion in the synthesis. In total, five key themes were identified: valuing the role; practical role; relationships with patients and families; providing psychological support; and role uncertainty. Further synthesis yielded two 'lines of argument'. The concept of the 'expert friend' argues that the atypical relationship district nurses cultivate with patients underpins district nurses' provision of palliative care and profoundly influences the nature of psychological support given. Secondly, the concept of 'threat and opportunity' encapsulates the threat district nurses can feel to their traditional role in palliative care through changing health and social policy, while recognising the benefits that access to specialist knowledge and better training can bring. The findings have implications for understanding the motivators and barriers experienced by district nurses delivering palliative care in a time of unprecedented change to community health services.

  4. Computer simulation models as a tool to investigate the role of microRNAs in osteoarthritis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carole J Proctor

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to show how computational models can be used to increase our understanding of the role of microRNAs in osteoarthritis (OA using miR-140 as an example. Bioinformatics analysis and experimental results from the literature were used to create and calibrate models of gene regulatory networks in OA involving miR-140 along with key regulators such as NF-κB, SMAD3, and RUNX2. The individual models were created with the modelling standard, Systems Biology Markup Language, and integrated to examine the overall effect of miR-140 on cartilage homeostasis. Down-regulation of miR-140 may have either detrimental or protective effects for cartilage, indicating that the role of miR-140 is complex. Studies of individual networks in isolation may therefore lead to different conclusions. This indicated the need to combine the five chosen individual networks involving miR-140 into an integrated model. This model suggests that the overall effect of miR-140 is to change the response to an IL-1 stimulus from a prolonged increase in matrix degrading enzymes to a pulse-like response so that cartilage degradation is temporary. Our current model can easily be modified and extended as more experimental data become available about the role of miR-140 in OA. In addition, networks of other microRNAs that are important in OA could be incorporated. A fully integrated model could not only aid our understanding of the mechanisms of microRNAs in ageing cartilage but could also provide a useful tool to investigate the effect of potential interventions to prevent cartilage loss.

  5. Sugar enrichment provides evidence for a role of nitrogen fixation in coral bleaching

    KAUST Repository

    Pogoreutz, Claudia; Radecker, Nils; Cardenas, Anny; Gä rdes, Astrid; Voolstra, Christian R.; Wild, Christian

    2017-01-01

    The disruption of the coral-algae symbiosis (coral bleaching) due to rising sea surface temperatures has become an unprecedented global threat to coral reefs. Despite decades of research, our ability to manage mass bleaching events remains hampered by an incomplete mechanistic understanding of the processes involved. In this study, we induced a coral bleaching phenotype in the absence of heat and light stress by adding sugars. The sugar addition resulted in coral symbiotic breakdown accompanied by a fourfold increase of coral-associated microbial nitrogen fixation. Concomitantly, increased N:P ratios by the coral host and algal symbionts suggest excess availability of nitrogen and a disruption of the nitrogen limitation within the coral holobiont. As nitrogen fixation is similarly stimulated in ocean warming scenarios, here we propose a refined coral bleaching model integrating the cascading effects of stimulated microbial nitrogen fixation. This model highlights the putative role of nitrogen-fixing microbes in coral holobiont functioning and breakdown.

  6. Sugar enrichment provides evidence for a role of nitrogen fixation in coral bleaching

    KAUST Repository

    Pogoreutz, Claudia

    2017-04-21

    The disruption of the coral-algae symbiosis (coral bleaching) due to rising sea surface temperatures has become an unprecedented global threat to coral reefs. Despite decades of research, our ability to manage mass bleaching events remains hampered by an incomplete mechanistic understanding of the processes involved. In this study, we induced a coral bleaching phenotype in the absence of heat and light stress by adding sugars. The sugar addition resulted in coral symbiotic breakdown accompanied by a fourfold increase of coral-associated microbial nitrogen fixation. Concomitantly, increased N:P ratios by the coral host and algal symbionts suggest excess availability of nitrogen and a disruption of the nitrogen limitation within the coral holobiont. As nitrogen fixation is similarly stimulated in ocean warming scenarios, here we propose a refined coral bleaching model integrating the cascading effects of stimulated microbial nitrogen fixation. This model highlights the putative role of nitrogen-fixing microbes in coral holobiont functioning and breakdown.

  7. A role based coordination model in agent systems

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    ZHANG Ya-ying; YOU Jin-yuan

    2005-01-01

    Coordination technology addresses the construction of open, flexible systems from active and independent software agents in concurrent and distributed systems. In most open distributed applications, multiple agents need interaction and communication to achieve their overall goal. Coordination technologies for the Internet typically are concerned with enabling interaction among agents and helping them cooperate with each other.At the same time, access control should also be considered to constrain interaction to make it harmless. Access control should be regarded as the security counterpart of coordination. At present, the combination of coordination and access control remains an open problem. Thus, we propose a role based coordination model with policy enforcement in agent application systems. In this model, coordination is combined with access control so as to fully characterize the interactions in agent systems. A set of agents interacting with each other for a common global system task constitutes a coordination group. Role based access control is applied in this model to prevent unauthorized accesses. Coordination policy is enforced in a distributed manner so that the model can be applied to the open distributed systems such as Intemet. An Internet online auction system is presented as a case study to illustrate the proposed coordination model and finally the performance analysis of the model is introduced.

  8. A modified model of pharmacists' job stress: the role of organizational, extra-role, and individual factors on work-related outcomes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaither, Caroline A; Kahaleh, Abir A; Doucette, William R; Mott, David A; Pederson, Craig A; Schommer, Jon C

    2008-09-01

    Understanding the effects of job stress continues to be a concern for health-care providers as workload and personnel needs increase. The overall objective of this study was to test a direct effects model of job stress that examines the characteristics of the organizational environment (interpersonal interactions, environmental aspects, the level of compensation and advancement, role stress, and availability of alternative jobs); extra-role factors (work-home conflict); job stress; individual factors (career commitment); and the work-related psychological outcomes of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job turnover intention. A cross-sectional mail survey was sent to a nationwide random sample of 4895 licensed pharmacists in the United States. Previously validated summated Likert-type scales measured each of the study variables. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the final model. A response rate of 46% was achieved. Psychometric analyses indicated acceptable reliability and validity. The study model fit the data well (CFI[comparative fit index] = 0.90, RMSEA[root mean square error of approximation] = 0.05). Organizational factors in the form of role overload (standardized beta = 0.45) and conflict (0.31) and ease of finding a job with better interpersonal characteristics (0.26) had the largest effects on job stress. Interpersonal characteristics were also one of the strongest predictors of job satisfaction (-0.61) and organizational commitment (-0.70). Work-home conflict directly affected job turnover intention (0.11) and career commitment (-0.16). Other significant, but sometimes, opposite direct effects were found. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment directly affected job turnover intention. Given the increased demand for pharmacy services, health-care organizations will benefit from increasing positive and reducing negative work

  9. The role of advection in a two-species competition model

    CERN Document Server

    Averill, Isabel; Lou, Yuan

    2017-01-01

    The effects of weak and strong advection on the dynamics of reaction-diffusion models have long been studied. In contrast, the role of intermediate advection remains poorly understood. For example, concentration phenomena can occur when advection is strong, providing a mechanism for the coexistence of multiple populations, in contrast with the situation of weak advection where coexistence may not be possible. The transition of the dynamics from weak to strong advection is generally difficult to determine. In this work the authors consider a mathematical model of two competing populations in a spatially varying but temporally constant environment, where both species have the same population dynamics but different dispersal strategies: one species adopts random dispersal, while the dispersal strategy for the other species is a combination of random dispersal and advection upward along the resource gradient. For any given diffusion rates the authors consider the bifurcation diagram of positive steady states by u...

  10. Wanted: role models - medical students’ perceptions of professionalism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Byszewski Anna

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Transformation of medical students to become medical professionals is a core competency required for physicians in the 21st century. Role modeling was traditionally the key method of transmitting this skill. Medical schools are developing medical curricula which are explicit in ensuring students develop the professional competency and understand the values and attributes of this role. The purpose of this study was to determine student perception of professionalism at the University of Ottawa and gain insights for improvement in promotion of professionalism in undergraduate medical education. Methods Survey on student perception of professionalism in general, the curriculum and learning environment at the University of Ottawa, and the perception of student behaviors, was developed by faculty and students and sent electronically to all University of Ottawa medical students. The survey included both quantitative items including an adapted Pritzker list and qualitative responses to eight open ended questions on professionalism at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. All analyses were performed using SAS version 9.1 (SAS Institute Inc. Cary, NC, USA. Chi-square and Fischer’s exact test (for cell count less than 5 were used to derive p-values for categorical variables by level of student learning. Results The response rate was 45.6% (255 of 559 students for all four years of the curriculum. 63% of the responses were from students in years 1 and 2 (preclerkship. Students identified role modeling as the single most important aspect of professionalism. The strongest curricular recommendations included faculty-led case scenario sessions, enhancing interprofessional interactions and the creation of special awards to staff and students to “celebrate” professionalism. Current evaluation systems were considered least effective. The importance of role modeling and information on how to report lapses and breaches was

  11. Value-added strategy models to provide quality services in senior health business.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Ya-Ting; Lin, Neng-Pai; Su, Shyi; Chen, Ya-Mei; Chang, Yao-Mao; Handa, Yujiro; Khan, Hafsah Arshed Ali; Elsa Hsu, Yi-Hsin

    2017-06-20

    The rapid population aging is now a global issue. The increase in the elderly population will impact the health care industry and health enterprises; various senior needs will promote the growth of the senior health industry. Most senior health studies are focused on the demand side and scarcely on supply. Our study selected quality enterprises focused on aging health and analyzed different strategies to provide excellent quality services to senior health enterprises. We selected 33 quality senior health enterprises in Taiwan and investigated their excellent quality services strategies by face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews with CEO and managers of each enterprise in 2013. A total of 33 senior health enterprises in Taiwan. Overall, 65 CEOs and managers of 33 enterprises were interviewed individually. None. Core values and vision, organization structure, quality services provided, strategies for quality services. This study's results indicated four type of value-added strategy models adopted by senior enterprises to offer quality services: (i) residential care and co-residence model, (ii) home care and living in place model, (iii) community e-business experience model and (iv) virtual and physical portable device model. The common part in these four strategy models is that the services provided are elderly centered. These models offer virtual and physical integrations, and also offer total solutions for the elderly and their caregivers. Through investigation of successful strategy models for providing quality services to seniors, we identified opportunities to develop innovative service models and successful characteristics, also policy implications were summarized. The observations from this study will serve as a primary evidenced base for enterprises developing their senior market and, also for promoting the value co-creation possibility through dialogue between customers and those that deliver service. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford

  12. Role Model Influencers of Nontraditional Professional Women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lunneborg, Patricia W.

    1982-01-01

    Tested the influence of a supportive family on 142 women employed in or studying for nontraditional careers. Results showed the importance of emotional support by parents, siblings, peers and teachers. Suggests counselors encourage women to locate role models and mentors if preparing for nontraditional careers. (Author/JAC)

  13. Modelling catchment areas for secondary care providers: a case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Simon; Wardlaw, Jessica; Crouch, Susan; Carolan, Michelle

    2011-09-01

    Hospitals need to understand patient flows in an increasingly competitive health economy. New initiatives like Patient Choice and the Darzi Review further increase this demand. Essential to understanding patient flows are demographic and geographic profiles of health care service providers, known as 'catchment areas' and 'catchment populations'. This information helps Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to review how their populations are accessing services, measure inequalities and commission services; likewise it assists Secondary Care Providers (SCPs) to measure and assess potential gains in market share, redesign services, evaluate admission thresholds and plan financial budgets. Unlike PCTs, SCPs do not operate within fixed geographic boundaries. Traditionally, SCPs have used administrative boundaries or arbitrary drive times to model catchment areas. Neither approach satisfactorily represents current patient flows. Furthermore, these techniques are time-consuming and can be challenging for healthcare managers to exploit. This paper presents three different approaches to define catchment areas, each more detailed than the previous method. The first approach 'First Past the Post' defines catchment areas by allocating a dominant SCP to each Census Output Area (OA). The SCP with the highest proportion of activity within each OA is considered the dominant SCP. The second approach 'Proportional Flow' allocates activity proportionally to each OA. This approach allows for cross-boundary flows to be captured in a catchment area. The third and final approach uses a gravity model to define a catchment area, which incorporates drive or travel time into the analysis. Comparing approaches helps healthcare providers to understand whether using more traditional and simplistic approaches to define catchment areas and populations achieves the same or similar results as complex mathematical modelling. This paper has demonstrated, using a case study of Manchester, that when estimating

  14. Scientist Role Models in the Classroom: How Important Is Gender Matching?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conner, Laura D. Carsten; Danielson, Jennifer

    2016-01-01

    Gender-matched role models are often proposed as a mechanism to increase identification with science among girls, with the ultimate aim of broadening participation in science. While there is a great deal of evidence suggesting that role models can be effective, there is mixed support in the literature for the importance of gender matching. We used…

  15. Occupant-vehicle dynamics and the role of the internal model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cole, David J.

    2018-05-01

    With the increasing need to reduce time and cost of vehicle development there is increasing advantage in simulating mathematically the dynamic interaction of a vehicle and its occupant. The larger design space arising from the introduction of automated vehicles further increases the potential advantage. The aim of the paper is to outline the role of the internal model hypothesis in understanding and modelling occupant-vehicle dynamics, specifically the dynamics associated with direction and speed control of the vehicle. The internal model is the driver's or passenger's understanding of the vehicle dynamics and is thought to be employed in the perception, cognition and action processes of the brain. The internal model aids the estimation of the states of the vehicle from noisy sensory measurements. It can also be used to optimise cognitive control action by predicting the consequence of the action; thus model predictive control (MPC) theory provides a foundation for modelling the cognition process. The stretch reflex of the neuromuscular system also makes use of the prediction of the internal model. Extensions to the MPC approach are described which account for: interaction with an automated vehicle; robust control; intermittent control; and cognitive workload. Further work to extend understanding of occupant-vehicle dynamic interaction is outlined. This paper is based on a keynote presentation given by the author to the 13th International Symposium on Advanced Vehicle Control (AVEC) conference held in Munich, September 2016.

  16. Entrepreneurship education revisited: perceived entrepreneurial role models increase perceived behavioural control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellnhofer, Katharina

    2017-01-01

    Relying on Bandura’s (1986) social learning theory, Ajzen’s (1988) theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and Dyer’s (1994) model of entrepreneurial careers, this study aims to highlight the potential of entrepreneurial role models to entrepreneurship education. The results suggest that entrepreneurial courses would greatly benefit from real-life experiences, either positive or negative. The results of regression analysis based on 426 individuals, primarily from Austria, Finland, and Greece, show that role models increase learners’ entrepreneurial perceived behaviour control (PBC) by increasing their self-efficacy. This study can inform the research and business communities and governments about the importance of integrating entrepreneurs into education to stimulate entrepreneurial PBC. This study is the first of its kind using its approach, and its results warrant more in-depth studies of storytelling by entrepreneurial role models in the context of multimedia entrepreneurship education. PMID:29104604

  17. Entrepreneurship education revisited: perceived entrepreneurial role models increase perceived behavioural control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellnhofer, Katharina

    2017-01-01

    Relying on Bandura's (1986) social learning theory, Ajzen's (1988) theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and Dyer's (1994) model of entrepreneurial careers, this study aims to highlight the potential of entrepreneurial role models to entrepreneurship education. The results suggest that entrepreneurial courses would greatly benefit from real-life experiences, either positive or negative. The results of regression analysis based on 426 individuals, primarily from Austria, Finland, and Greece, show that role models increase learners' entrepreneurial perceived behaviour control (PBC) by increasing their self-efficacy. This study can inform the research and business communities and governments about the importance of integrating entrepreneurs into education to stimulate entrepreneurial PBC. This study is the first of its kind using its approach, and its results warrant more in-depth studies of storytelling by entrepreneurial role models in the context of multimedia entrepreneurship education.

  18. An Overview on the Role of α -Synuclein in Experimental Models of Parkinson's Disease from Pathogenesis to Therapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Javed, Hayate; Kamal, Mohammad Amjad; Ojha, Shreesh

    2016-01-01

    Parkinson's disease (PD) is a devastating and progressive movement disorder characterized by symptoms of muscles rigidity, tremor, postural instability and slow physical movements. Biochemically, PD is characterized by lack of dopamine production and its action due to loss of dopaminergic neurons and neuropathologically by the presence of intracytoplasmic inclusions known as Lewy bodies, which mainly consist of presynaptic neuronal protein, α-synuclein (α-syn). It is believed that alteration in α-syn homeostasis leads to increased accumulation and aggregation of α-syn in Lewy body. Based on the important role of α-syn from pathogenesis to therapeutics, the recent researches are mainly focused on deciphering the critical role of α-syn at advanced level. Being a major protein in Lewy body that has a key role in pathogenesis of PD, several model systems including immortalized cell lines (SH-SY5Y), primary neuronal cultures, yeast (saccharomyces cerevisiae), drosophila (fruit flies), nematodes (Caenorhabditis elegans) and rodents are being employed to understand the PD pathogenesis and treatment. In order to study the etiopathogensis and develop novel therapeutic target for α -syn aggregation, majority of investigators rely on toxin (rotenone, 1-Methyl-4-Phenyl-1,2,3,6-Tetrahydropyridine, 6-hydroxydopamine, paraquat)-induced animal models of PD as a tool for basic research. Whereas, cell and tissue based models are mostly utilized to elucidate the mechanistic and molecular pathways underlying the α -syn induced toxicity and therapeutic approaches in PD. Gene modified mouse models based on α-syn expression are fascinating for modeling familial PD and toxin induced models provide a suitable approach for sporadic PD. The purpose of this review is to provide a summary and a critical review of the involvement of α-syn in various in vitro and in vivo models of PD based on use of neurotoxins as well as genetic modifications.

  19. Simple analytical model reveals the functional role of embodied sensorimotor interaction in hexapod gaits

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aoi, Shinya; Nachstedt, Timo; Manoonpong, Poramate; Wörgötter, Florentin; Matsuno, Fumitoshi

    2018-01-01

    Insects have various gaits with specific characteristics and can change their gaits smoothly in accordance with their speed. These gaits emerge from the embodied sensorimotor interactions that occur between the insect’s neural control and body dynamic systems through sensory feedback. Sensory feedback plays a critical role in coordinated movements such as locomotion, particularly in stick insects. While many previously developed insect models can generate different insect gaits, the functional role of embodied sensorimotor interactions in the interlimb coordination of insects remains unclear because of their complexity. In this study, we propose a simple physical model that is amenable to mathematical analysis to explain the functional role of these interactions clearly. We focus on a foot contact sensory feedback called phase resetting, which regulates leg retraction timing based on touchdown information. First, we used a hexapod robot to determine whether the distributed decoupled oscillators used for legs with the sensory feedback generate insect-like gaits through embodied sensorimotor interactions. The robot generated two different gaits and one had similar characteristics to insect gaits. Next, we proposed the simple model as a minimal model that allowed us to analyze and explain the gait mechanism through the embodied sensorimotor interactions. The simple model consists of a rigid body with massless springs acting as legs, where the legs are controlled using oscillator phases with phase resetting, and the governed equations are reduced such that they can be explained using only the oscillator phases with some approximations. This simplicity leads to analytical solutions for the hexapod gaits via perturbation analysis, despite the complexity of the embodied sensorimotor interactions. This is the first study to provide an analytical model for insect gaits under these interaction conditions. Our results clarified how this specific foot contact sensory

  20. Promoting success or preventing failure: cultural differences in motivation by positive and negative role models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockwood, Penelope; Marshall, Tara C; Sadler, Pamela

    2005-03-01

    In two studies, cross-cultural differences in reactions to positive and negative role models were examined. The authors predicted that individuals from collectivistic cultures, who have a stronger prevention orientation, would be most motivated by negative role models, who highlight a strategy of avoiding failure; individuals from individualistic cultures, who have a stronger promotion focus, would be most motivated by positive role models, who highlight a strategy of pursuing success. In Study 1, the authors examined participants' reported preferences for positive and negative role models. Asian Canadian participants reported finding negative models more motivating than did European Canadians; self-construals and regulatory focus mediated cultural differences in reactions to role models. In Study 2, the authors examined the impact of role models on the academic motivation of Asian Canadian and European Canadian participants. Asian Canadians were motivated only by a negative model, and European Canadians were motivated only by a positive model.

  1. Value Creation in the Internet of Things: Mapping Business Models and Ecosystem Roles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heini Ikävalko

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The increasing connectivity provided by the Internet of Things (IoT supports novel business opportunities for actors in overlapping service systems. Therefore, the co-creative nature of IoT business needs to be further studied. This article reports an empirical study on a European IoT initiative. It contributes to the understudied area of IoT ecosystem dynamics by describing different actor roles and activities in the IoT use cases, and their implications for value creation in IoT ecosystems. Our findings show how IoT ecosystem actors may take the roles of ideator, designer, or intermediary in different IoT design layers, and we recommend this perspective to better understand and describe ecosystem business models. We also discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our findings.

  2. Reconciling professional identity: A grounded theory of nurse academics' role modelling for undergraduate students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldwin, A; Mills, J; Birks, M; Budden, L

    2017-12-01

    Role modelling by experienced nurses, including nurse academics, is a key factor in the process of preparing undergraduate nursing students for practice, and may contribute to longevity in the workforce. A grounded theory study was undertaken to investigate the phenomenon of nurse academics' role modelling for undergraduate students. The study sought to answer the research question: how do nurse academics role model positive professional behaviours for undergraduate students? The aims of this study were to: theorise a process of nurse academic role modelling for undergraduate students; describe the elements that support positive role modelling by nurse academics; and explain the factors that influence the implementation of academic role modelling. The study sample included five second year nursing students and sixteen nurse academics from Australia and the United Kingdom. Data was collected from observation, focus groups and individual interviews. This study found that in order for nurse academics to role model professional behaviours for nursing students, they must reconcile their own professional identity. This paper introduces the theory of reconciling professional identity and discusses the three categories that comprise the theory, creating a context for learning, creating a context for authentic rehearsal and mirroring identity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Newly evolved introns in human retrogenes provide novel insights into their evolutionary roles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kang Li-Fang

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Retrogenes generally do not contain introns. However, in some instances, retrogenes may recruit internal exonic sequences as introns, which is known as intronization. A retrogene that undergoes intronization is a good model with which to investigate the origin of introns. Nevertheless, previously, only two cases in vertebrates have been reported. Results In this study, we systematically screened the human (Homo sapiens genome for retrogenes that evolved introns and analyzed their patterns in structure, expression and origin. In total, we identified nine intron-containing retrogenes. Alignment of pairs of retrogenes and their parents indicated that, in addition to intronization (five cases, retrogenes also may have gained introns by insertion of external sequences into the genes (one case or reversal of the orientation of transcription (three cases. Interestingly, many intronizations were promoted not by base substitutions but by cryptic splice sites, which were silent in the parental genes but active in the retrogenes. We also observed that the majority of introns generated by intronization did not involve frameshifts. Conclusions Intron gains in retrogenes are not as rare as previously thought. Furthermore, diverse mechanisms may lead to intron creation in retrogenes. The activation of cryptic splice sites in the intronization of retrogenes may be triggered by the change of gene structure after retroposition. A high percentage of non-frameshift introns in retrogenes may be because non-frameshift introns do not dramatically affect host proteins. Introns generated by intronization in human retrogenes are generally young, which is consistent with previous findings for Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results provide novel insights into the evolutionary role of introns.

  4. Role of Stat in Skin Carcinogenesis: Insights Gained from Relevant Mouse Models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Macias, E.; Rao, D.; DiGiovanni, J.; DiGiovanni, J.; DiGiovanni, J.

    2013-01-01

    Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat) is a cytoplasmic protein that is activated in response to cytokines and growth factors and acts as a transcription factor. Stat plays critical roles in various biological activities including cell proliferation, migration, and survival. Studies using keratinocyte-specific Stat-deficient mice have revealed that Stat plays an important role in skin homeostasis including keratinocyte migration, wound healing, and hair follicle growth. Use of both constitutive and inducible keratinocyte-specific Stat-deficient mouse models has demonstrated that Stat is required for both the initiation and promotion stages of multistage skin carcinogenesis. Further studies using a transgenic mouse model with a gain of function mutant of Stat (Stat3C) expressed in the basal layer of the epidermis revealed a novel role for Stat in skin tumor progression. Studies using similar Stat-deficient and gain-of-function mouse models have indicated its similar roles in ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation-mediated skin carcinogenesis. This paper summarizes the use of these various mouse models for studying the role and underlying mechanisms for the function of Stat in skin carcinogenesis. Given its significant role throughout the skin carcinogenesis process, Stat is an attractive target for skin cancer prevention and treatment.

  5. The Managerial Roles of Academic Library Directors: The Mintzberg Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moskowitz, Michael Ann

    1986-01-01

    A study based on a model developed by Henry Mintzberg examined the internal and external managerial roles of 126 New England college and university library directors. Survey results indicate that the 97 responding directors were primarily involved with internal managerial roles and work contacts. (CDD)

  6. Governance in Health - The Need for Exchange and Evidence Comment on "Governance, Government, and the Search for New Provider Models".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chanturidze, Tata; Obermann, Konrad

    2016-05-17

    Governance in health is cited as one of the key factors in balancing the concerns of the government and public sector with the interests of civil society/private players, but often remains poorly described and operationalized. Richard Saltman and Antonio Duran look at two aspects in the search for new provider models in a context of health markets signalling liberalisation: (i) the role of the government to balance public and private interests and responsibilities in delivering care through modernised governance arrangements, and (ii) the finding that operational complexities may hinder well-designed provider governance models, unless governance reflects country-specific realities. This commentary builds on the discussion by Saltman and Duran, and argues that the concept of governance needs to be clearly defined and operationalized in order to be helpful for policy debate as well as for the development of an applicable framework for performance improvement. It provides a working definition of governance and includes a reflection on the prevailing cultural norms in an organization or society upon which any governance needs to be build. It proposes to explore whether the "evidence-based governance" concept can be introduced to generate knowledge about innovative and effective governance models, and concludes that studies similar to the one by Saltman and Duran can inform this debate. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  7. The complexity of role balance: support for the Model of Juggling Occupations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Evans, Kiah L; Millsteed, Jeannine; Richmond, Janet E; Falkmer, Marita; Falkmer, Torbjorn; Girdler, Sonya J

    2014-09-01

    This pilot study aimed to establish the appropriateness of the Model of Juggling Occupations in exploring the complex experience of role balance amongst working women with family responsibilities living in Perth, Australia. In meeting this aim, an evaluation was conducted of a case study design, where data were collected through a questionnaire, time diary, and interview. Overall role balance varied over time and across participants. Positive indicators of role balance occurred frequently in the questionnaires and time diaries, despite the interviews revealing a predominance of negative evaluations of role balance. Between-role balance was achieved through compatible role overlap, buffering, and renewal. An exploration of within-role balance factors demonstrated that occupational participation, values, interests, personal causation, and habits were related to role balance. This pilot study concluded that the Model of Juggling Occupations is an appropriate conceptual framework to explore the complex and dynamic experience of role balance amongst working women with family responsibilities. It was also confirmed that the case study design, including the questionnaire, time diary, and interview methods, is suitable for researching role balance from this perspective.

  8. Role-modelling and the hidden curriculum: New graduate nurses' professional socialisation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Kiri; Cook, Catherine

    2018-05-12

    To explore new graduate nurses' experiences of professional socialisation by registered nurses in hospital-based practice settings, and identify strategies that support professional identity development. Professionalism is reinforced and stabilised in the clinical environment through the 'hidden curriculum', with major learning coming from practice role-models. New graduates observe attitudes, behaviours, decision-making and skills, and gain feedback from registered nurses, which they translate into their own practice. Professional socialisation occurs through encounters with desirable and undesirable role-modelling; both are significant in professional identity formation. Qualitative descriptive design. Data collection was undertaken through semi-structured interviews with five new graduate nurse participants. A general inductive approach guided analysis. The meaningful descriptions gained provided insight into their experiences. Three main themes identified from the data include: 'Lessons from the wilderness'; 'Life in the wild'; and 'Belonging to a wolf pack'. The data set highlighted the major transitional process from student identity to registered nurse. New graduates' rethinking of beliefs and professional nursing identities were influenced by organisational pressures and experienced nurses role-modelling practices contrary to professional values. Despite encountering a range of professional behaviours, attitudes and dilemmas, new graduates were capable of moral agency and critical thinking. However, they rapidly acculturated and described compromises to cope. To promote high morale and a sense of belonging, a concerted effort is required by all nurses to facilitate the socialisation process to encourage self-authorship. A well-developed professional identity enhances nursing as a profession, contributing towards better healthcare delivery and outcomes. It is critically important how professional values are learnt within the culture of nursing. Tensions in

  9. Role of the cerebellum in reaching movements in humans. II. A neural model of the intermediate cerebellum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schweighofer, N; Spoelstra, J; Arbib, M A; Kawato, M

    1998-01-01

    The cerebellum is essential for the control of multijoint movements; when the cerebellum is lesioned, the performance error is more than the summed errors produced by single joints. In the companion paper (Schweighofer et al., 1998), a functional anatomical model for visually guided arm movement was proposed. The model comprised a basic feedforward/feedback controller with realistic transmission delays and was connected to a two-link, six-muscle, planar arm. In the present study, we examined the role of the cerebellum in reaching movements by embedding a novel, detailed cerebellar neural network in this functional control model. We could derive realistic cerebellar inputs and the role of the cerebellum in learning to control the arm was assessed. This cerebellar network learned the part of the inverse dynamics of the arm not provided by the basic feedforward/feedback controller. Despite realistically low inferior olive firing rates and noisy mossy fibre inputs, the model could reduce the error between intended and planned movements. The responses of the different cell groups were comparable to those of biological cell groups. In particular, the modelled Purkinje cells exhibited directional tuning after learning and the parallel fibres, due to their length, provide Purkinje cells with the input required for this coordination task. The inferior olive responses contained two different components; the earlier response, locked to movement onset, was always present and the later response disappeared after learning. These results support the theory that the cerebellum is involved in motor learning.

  10. The role of kaizen in creating radical performance results in a logistics service provider

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erez Agmoni

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Background: This study investigates the role of an incremental change in organizational process in creating radical performance results in a service provider company. The role of Kaizen is established prominently in manufacturing, but is nascent in service applications. This study examines the impact of introducing Kaizen as an ODI tool-how it is applied, how it works, and whether participants believe it helps service groups form more effective working relationships that result in significant performance improvements. Methods: Exploring the evolving role of Kaizen in service contexts, this study explores a variety of facets of human communication in the context of continuous improvement and teamwork inter-organizationally. The paper consists of an archival study and an action research case study. A pre-intervention study consisting of observations, interviews, and submission of questionnaires to employees of a manufacturing and air-sea freight firm was conducted. A Kaizen intervention occurred subsequently, and a post-intervention study was then conducted. Results: Radical improvements in both companies such as 30% financial growth, 81% productivity improvement and more are demonstrated in this paper. Conclusions: Findings offer unique insights into the effects of Kaizen in creating radical performance improvements in a service company and its customer. Both qualitative and quantitative results of business, satisfaction, and productivity suggest time invested in introducing Kaizen into a service organization helps the companies improve relationships and improve the bottom line dramatically.

  11. Generalized role for the cerebellum in encoding internal models: evidence from semantic processing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moberget, Torgeir; Gullesen, Eva Hilland; Andersson, Stein; Ivry, Richard B; Endestad, Tor

    2014-02-19

    The striking homogeneity of cerebellar microanatomy is strongly suggestive of a corresponding uniformity of function. Consequently, theoretical models of the cerebellum's role in motor control should offer important clues regarding cerebellar contributions to cognition. One such influential theory holds that the cerebellum encodes internal models, neural representations of the context-specific dynamic properties of an object, to facilitate predictive control when manipulating the object. The present study examined whether this theoretical construct can shed light on the contribution of the cerebellum to language processing. We reasoned that the cerebellum might perform a similar coordinative function when the context provided by the initial part of a sentence can be highly predictive of the end of the sentence. Using functional MRI in humans we tested two predictions derived from this hypothesis, building on previous neuroimaging studies of internal models in motor control. First, focal cerebellar activation-reflecting the operation of acquired internal models-should be enhanced when the linguistic context leads terminal words to be predictable. Second, more widespread activation should be observed when such predictions are violated, reflecting the processing of error signals that can be used to update internal models. Both predictions were confirmed, with predictability and prediction violations associated with increased blood oxygenation level-dependent signal in the posterior cerebellum (Crus I/II). Our results provide further evidence for cerebellar involvement in predictive language processing and suggest that the notion of cerebellar internal models may be extended to the language domain.

  12. The role of the autonomic nervous system in hypertension: a bond graph model study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Shuzhen; Gong, Yuexian; Dai, Kaiyong; Sui, Meirong; Yu, Yi; Ning, Gangmin; Zhang, Shaowen

    2008-01-01

    A bond graph model of the cardiovascular system with embedded autonomic nervous regulation was developed for a better understanding of the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in hypertension. The model is described by a pump model of the heart and a detailed representation of the head and neck, pulmonary, coronary, abdomen and extremity circulation. It responds to sympathetic and parasympathetic activities by modifying systemic peripheral vascular resistance, heart rate, ventricular end-systolic elastance and venous unstressed volumes. The impairment of ANS is represented by an elevation of the baroreflex set point. The simulation results show that, compared with normotensive, in hypertension the systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP/DBP) rose from 112/77 mmHg to 144/94 mmHg and the left ventricular wall thickness (LVWT) increased from 10 mm to 12.74 mm. In the case that ANS regulation was absent, both the SBP and DBP further increased by 8 mmHg and the LVWT increased to 13.22 mm. The results also demonstrate that when ANS regulation is not severely damaged, e.g. the baroreflex set point is 97 mmHg, it still has an effect in preventing the rapid rise of blood pressure in hypertension; however, with the worsening of ANS regulation, its protective role weakens. The results agree with human physiological and pathological features in hemodynamic parameters and carotid baroreflex function curves, and indicate the role of ANS in blood pressure regulation and heart protection. In conclusion, the present model may provide a valid approach to study the pathophysiological conditions of the cardiovascular system and the mechanism of ANS regulation

  13. Modelling the effect of perceived interdependence among mental healthcare professionals on their work role performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markon, Marie-Pierre; Chiocchio, François; Fleury, Marie-Josée

    2017-07-01

    The purpose of mental healthcare system reform was to enhance service efficiency by strengthening primary mental healthcare and increasing service integration in communities. Reinforcing interprofessional teamwork also intended to address the extensive and multidimensional needs of patients with mental disorders by bringing together a broader array of expertise. In this context, mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) from various health and social care professions are more interdependent in many aspects of their work (tasks, resources, and goals). We wanted to examine the effect of perceived interdependence among MHCPs on their work role performance in the context of mental healthcare. For this purpose, we developed and tested a model coherent with the Input-Mediator-Outcome-Input (IMOI) framework of team effectiveness. Data from questionnaires administered to 315 MHCPs from four local health service networks in Quebec, Canada were analysed through structural equation modelling and mediation analysis. The structural equation model provided a good fit for the data and explained 51% of the variance of work role performance. Perceived collaboration, confidence in the advantages of interprofessional collaboration, involvement in the decision process, knowledge sharing, and satisfaction with the nature of the work partially mediated the effect of perceived interdependence among team members on work role performance. Therefore, perceived interdependence among team members had a positive impact on the work role performance of MHCPs mostly through its effect on favourable team functioning features. This implies, in practice, that increased interdependence of MHCPs would be more likely to truly enhance work role performance if team-based interventions to promote collaborative work and interprofessional teaching and training programs to support work within interprofessional teams were jointly implemented. Participation in the decision process and knowledge sharing should

  14. Video Modeling Training Effects on Types of Attention Delivered by Educational Care-Providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Taber, Traci A; Lambright, Nathan; Luiselli, James K

    2017-06-01

    We evaluated the effects of abbreviated (i.e., one-session) video modeling on delivery of student-preferred attention by educational care-providers. The video depicted a novel care-provider interacting with and delivering attention to the student. Within a concurrent multiple baseline design, video modeling increased delivery of the targeted attention for all participants as well as their delivery of another type of attention that was not trained although these effects were variable within and between care-providers. We discuss the clinical and training implications from these findings.

  15. "We definitely are role models": Exploring how clinical instructors' influence nursing students' attitudes towards older adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbs, Sheena Simpkins; Kulig, Judith C

    2017-09-01

    The world's population is getting older, which will inevitably cause increased demands for nurses to provide high quality care to this demographic. Attitudes have been shown to influence the quality of care that older adults receive. It is therefore important to gain a better understanding of what influences nursing students' attitudes towards older adults. This article reports on one of three inter-connected research questions of a mixed methods study that explored the relationship between clinical instructors' attitudes and nursing students' attitudes towards older adults. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 6 clinical instructors and 13 nursing students. Interview data was analyzed using thematic analysis. A conceptual model was developed from the research findings, which revealed that nursing instructors are seen as strong role models for their students, and as role models, they influence students through demonstrations, expectations and support. As a result, nursing students mirror the attitudes of their instructors towards older adults. Findings from this study highlight the strong connection between nursing instructors' and students' attitudes. This has important implications for nursing education including strategies that instructors can employ to enhance students' attitudes towards older adults. Insights from this study also have the potential to improve the quality of care that future nurses provide to older adults. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Social models provide a norm of appropriate food intake for young women.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lenny R Vartanian

    Full Text Available It is often assumed that social models influence people's eating behavior by providing a norm of appropriate food intake, but this hypothesis has not been directly tested. In three experiments, female participants were exposed to a low-intake model, a high-intake model, or no model (control condition. Experiments 1 and 2 used a remote-confederate manipulation and were conducted in the context of a cookie taste test. Experiment 3 used a live confederate and was conducted in the context of a task during which participants were given incidental access to food. Participants also rated the extent to which their food intake was influenced by a variety of factors (e.g., hunger, taste, how much others ate. In all three experiments, participants in the low-intake conditions ate less than did participants in the high-intake conditions, and also reported a lower perceived norm of appropriate intake. Furthermore, perceived norms of appropriate intake mediated the effects of the social model on participants' food intake. Despite the observed effects of the social models, participants were much more likely to indicate that their food intake was influenced by taste and hunger than by the behavior of the social models. Thus, social models appear to influence food intake by providing a norm of appropriate eating behavior, but people may be unaware of the influence of a social model on their behavior.

  17. Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Bermain Peran (Role Playing dalam Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Ekonomi

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tri Hartati

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Berdasarkan observasi di SMA N 1 Wadaslintang proses pembelajararan masih didominasi guru, ini membuat siswa pasif sehingga hasil belajar rendah. Upaya mencapai kompetensi pembelajaran adalah melakukan perbaikan dengan menerapkan model pembelajaran Role playing. Permasalahan: (1 apakah keaktifan siswa dengan penerapan model pembelajaran Role Playing dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar?, (2 bagaimana respon/tanggapan siswa dengan penerapan model Role Playing?. Tujuan: (1 mengetahui aktifitas siswa yang dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar, (2 mengetahui respon/tanggapan siswa terhadap model Role Playing. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian tindakan kelas yang dilaksanakan dalam 2 siklus, masing-masing siklus dua kali pertemuan dan beberapa tahap yaitu perencanaan, pelaksanaan, pengamatan dan refleksi. Data yang diperoleh dalam penelitian ini meliputi: keaktifan siswa, hasil belajar, dan respon siswa. Siklus I aktifitas siswa sebesar 57,82% (cukup aktif, rata-rata nilai hasil belajar 72 ketuntasan klasikal 68,18% dan respon siswa 64,58% (positif. Siklus II keaktifan siswa menjadi 78,9% (aktif, rata-rata nilai hasil belajar 84 ketuntasan klasikal 95,45% dan respon siswa meningkat menjadi 77,56% (positif. Simpulan dari penelitian ini adalah (1 meningkatnya keaktifan siswa dengan model pembelajaran Role Playing dapat meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa, (2 respon/tanggapan siswa menunjukan respon positif selama proses pembelajaran. Saran dari penelitian ini yaitu (1 Pembelajaran menggunakan model role playing dapat disesuaikan dengan materi yang ada dengan catatan guru harus menerangkan terlebih dahulu materi yang akan dipelajari, (2 model pembelajaran role playing memerlukan penguasaan materi yang baik jadi sebelum melakukan proses role playing disarankan siswa lebih banyak membaca materi agar proses pembelajaran lebih aktif. � Based on observation, economic teacher at SMA N 1 Wadaslintang implement teacher center learning, student being pasive and student

  18. The changing roles of natural resource professionals: providing tools to students to teach the public about fire

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pat Stephens Williams; Brian P. Oswald; Karen Stafford; Justice Jones; David. Kulhavy

    2011-01-01

    The Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture (ATCOFA) at Stephen F. Austin State University is taking a proactive stance toward preparing forestry students to work closely with the public on fire planning in wildland-urban interface areas. ATCOFA's incorporation of the "Changing Roles" curriculum provides lessons on how natural resource managers...

  19. The role of personal practice in therapist skill development: a model to guide therapists, educators, supervisors and researchers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennett-Levy, James; Finlay-Jones, Amy

    2018-05-01

    Prior to 2000, personal practice (PP) for therapists mostly meant personal therapy. Recently a new landscape of PPs has emerged, with meditation-based programs and therapy self-practice/self-reflection (SP/SR) programs playing an increasing role in training and personal/professional development. The challenge now for practitioners and researchers is to refocus on the role of PPs in training and professional development. Are PPs of value - or not? Do they have a role in therapist development? How might PPs enhance therapist skilfulness? Do different PPs act in similar or different ways? Currently, the PP literature lacks a theoretical framework to guide practitioners in their choice of PPs or researchers in their choice of research questions and measures. The purpose of this article is to provide such a framework, the Personal Practice (PP) model. The PP model proposes primary impacts of PPs in four domains: personal development/wellbeing, self-awareness, interpersonal beliefs/attitudes/skills and reflective skills. The model also suggests a secondary impact on therapists' conceptual/technical skills when therapists use reflection to consider the implications of their PP for their "therapist self". We offer some suggestions to enhance the quality of future research, and conclude that PPs may play an important and perhaps unique role in therapist training.

  20. Growing up and Role Modeling: A Theory in Iranian Nursing Students? Education

    OpenAIRE

    Nouri, Jamileh Mokhtari; Ebadi, Abbas; Alhani, Fatemeh; Rejeh, Nahid

    2014-01-01

    One of the key strategies in students? learning is being affected by models. Understanding the role-modeling process in education will help to make greater use of this training strategy. The aim of this grounded theory study was to explore Iranian nursing students and instructors? experiences about role modeling process. Data was analyzed by Glaserian?s Grounded Theory methodology through semi-structured interviews with 7 faculty members, 2 nursing students; the three focus group discussions ...

  1. Role Models for boosting mobility of women scientists in geosciences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avellis, Giovanna; Theodoridou, Magdalini

    2017-04-01

    More and more women today are choosing to study science and undertake scientific careers. Likewise mobility during one's career is increasingly important as research tends to be undertaken via international collaboration, often within networks based on the researchers mobility, especially in geosciences. We have developed an ebook on Role Models for boosting mobility of women scientists to showcase the careers of women scientists who have undertaken mobility during their careers. It is hoped that their stories will provide young women who are just starting out in their science careers with inspirational role models, and that these stories give them realistic information about career opportunities: many of them are women scientists in geosciences. These are not famous scientists, but rather real examples of people who express all the passion of the world of science. It is hoped that reading about successful scientists who have achieved a healthy work-life balance while moving to new locations will be particularly helpful for those individuals considering mobility in their own career. The ebook is available to be used by programs that support the development of systematic approaches to increasing the representation and advancement of women in science, engineering and technology, since mobility plays a key role in these programs. The stories contained herein will be useful to mentoring or advising program focusing on career, networking opportunities, discussion and grants opportunities in conjunction with mobility. There is still a gap between female graduates and the pool of female job applicants - even though the proportion of female graduate students and postdocs in most scientific fields is higher today than it is ever been. Therefore we suggest that focus should be placed on examining the real challenges which women need to overcome, particularly when "mobility" comes into play. Role models who have overcome these challenges will continue to play an important

  2. Enduring Influence of Stereotypical Computer Science Role Models on Women's Academic Aspirations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheryan, Sapna; Drury, Benjamin J.; Vichayapai, Marissa

    2013-01-01

    The current work examines whether a brief exposure to a computer science role model who fits stereotypes of computer scientists has a lasting influence on women's interest in the field. One-hundred undergraduate women who were not computer science majors met a female or male peer role model who embodied computer science stereotypes in appearance…

  3. Modeling the Role of Networks and Individual Differences in Inter-Group Violence.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander Isakov

    Full Text Available There is significant heterogeneity within and between populations in their propensity to engage in conflict. Most research has neglected the role of within-group effects in social networks in contributing to between-group violence and focused instead on the precursors and consequences of violence, or on the role of between-group ties. Here, we explore the role of individual variation and of network structure within a population in promoting and inhibiting group violence towards other populations. Motivated by ethnographic observations of collective behavior in a small-scale society, we describe a model with differentiated roles for individuals embedded within friendship networks. Using a simple model based on voting-like dynamics, we explore several strategies for influencing group-level behavior. When we consider changing population level attitude changes and introducing control nodes separately, we find that a particularly effective control strategy relies on exploiting network degree. We also suggest refinements to our model such as tracking fine-grained information spread dynamics that can lead to further enrichment in using evolutionary game theory models for sociological phenomena.

  4. I can do that: the impact of implicit theories on leadership role model effectiveness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyt, Crystal L; Burnette, Jeni L; Innella, Audrey N

    2012-02-01

    This research investigates the role of implicit theories in influencing the effectiveness of successful role models in the leadership domain. Across two studies, the authors test the prediction that incremental theorists ("leaders are made") compared to entity theorists ("leaders are born") will respond more positively to being presented with a role model before undertaking a leadership task. In Study 1, measuring people's naturally occurring implicit theories of leadership, the authors showed that after being primed with a role model, incremental theorists reported greater leadership confidence and less anxious-depressed affect than entity theorists following the leadership task. In Study 2, the authors demonstrated the causal role of implicit theories by manipulating participants' theory of leadership ability. They replicated the findings from Study 1 and demonstrated that identification with the role model mediated the relationship between implicit theories and both confidence and affect. In addition, incremental theorists outperformed entity theorists on the leadership task.

  5. Role of community pharmacists in asthma - Australian research highlighting pathways for future primary care models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saini, B; Krass, I; Smith, L; Bosnic-Anticevich, S; Armour, C

    2011-01-01

    Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting the Australian population. Amongst primary healthcare professionals, pharmacists are the most accessible and this places pharmacists in an excellent position to play a role in the management of asthma. Globally, trials of many community pharmacy-based asthma care models have provided evidence that pharmacist delivered interventions can improve clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes for asthma patients. In Australia, a decade of coordinated research efforts, in various aspects of asthma care, has culminated in the implementation trial of the Pharmacy Asthma Management Service (PAMS), a comprehensive disease management model.There has been research investigating asthma medication adherence through data mining, ways in which usual asthma care can be improved. Our research has focused on self-management education, inhaler technique interventions, spirometry trials, interprofessional models of care, and regional trials addressing the particular needs of rural communities. We have determined that inhaler technique education is a necessity and should be repeated if correct technique is to be maintained. We have identified this effectiveness of health promotion and health education, conducted within and outside the confines of the pharmacy, in public for a and settings such as schools, and established that this outreach role is particularly well received and increases the opportunity for people with asthma to engage in their asthma management.Our research has identified that asthma patients have needs which pharmacists delivering specialized models of care, can address. There is a lot of evidence for the effectiveness of asthma care by pharmacists, the future must involve integration of this role into primary care.

  6. Defining the role of polyamines in colon carcinogenesis using mouse models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Natalia A Ignatenko

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Genetics and diet are both considered important risk determinants for colorectal cancer, a leading cause of death in the US and worldwide. Genetically engineered mouse (GEM models have made a significant contribution to the characterization of colorectal cancer risk factors. Reliable, reproducible, and clinically relevant animal models help in the identification of the molecular events associated with disease progression and in the development of effictive treatment strategies. This review is focused on the use of mouse models for studying the role of polyamines in colon carcinogenesis. We describe how the available mouse models of colon cancer such as the multiple intestinal neoplasia (Min mice and knockout genetic models facilitate understanding of the role of polyamines in colon carcinogenesis and help in the development of a rational strategy for colon cancer chemoprevention.

  7. A Model for the Growth of Network Service Providers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-01

    Service Provider O-D Origin-Destination POP Point of Presence UCG Unilateral Connection Game xiv THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK xv EXECUTIVE...xvi We make use of the Abilene dataset as input to the network provisioning model and assume that the NSP is new to the market and is building an...has to decide on the connections to build and the markets to serve in order to maximize its profits. The NSP makes these decisions based on the market

  8. The anti-human trafficking collaboration model and serving victims: Providers' perspectives on the impact and experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hea-Won; Park, Taekyung; Quiring, Stephanie; Barrett, Diana

    2018-01-01

    A coalition model is often used to serve victims of human trafficking but little is known about whether the model is adequately meeting the needs of the victims. The purpose of this study was to examine anti-human trafficking collaboration model in terms of its impact and the collaborative experience, including challenges and lessons learned from the service providers' perspective. Mixed methods study was conducted to evaluate the impact of a citywide anti-trafficking coalition model from the providers' perspectives. Web-based survey was administered with service providers (n = 32) and focus groups were conducted with Core Group members (n = 10). Providers reported the coalition model has made important impacts in the community by increasing coordination among the key agencies, law enforcement, and service providers and improving quality of service provision. Providers identified the improved and expanded partnerships among coalition members as the key contributing factor to the success of the coalition model. Several key strategies were suggested to improve the coalition model: improved referral tracking, key partner and protocol development, and information sharing.

  9. New jobs old roles - working for prevention in a whole-system model of health and social care for older people.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Naomi; Barnes, Marian

    2013-01-01

    The Partnerships for Older People Projects programme provided government funding for local and health authorities to pilot prevention and intervention services in partnership with the voluntary sector and older people between 2006 and 2009. This local evaluation of a pilot in southern England undertaken between 2007 and 2009 used a Theory of Change approach to gathering and reflecting on data with different groups involved in the delivery of this whole-system based model of prevention. The model was delivered in the same way in seven social services locality areas within a large county authority. The method of data gathering enabled structured reflection on the implementation, development and projected outcomes of the model and a consideration of the key learning of working in a whole-system way with partners and stakeholders. The whole-system model, although complex and challenging to implement, was considered overall to have been a success and provided significant learning for partners and stakeholders on the challenges and benefits of working across professional and sectoral boundaries. New posts were created as part of the model. Two of these, recruited to and managed by voluntary sector partners, were identified as 'new jobs', but echoed 'old roles' within community and voluntary sector based health and social care. The authors reflect on the parallels of these roles with previously existing roles and ways of working and reflect on how the whole-system approach of this particular pilot enabled these new jobs to develop in particularly appropriate and successful ways. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  10. Growing up and role modeling: a theory in Iranian nursing students' education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mokhtari Nouri, Jamileh; Ebadi, Abbas; Alhani, Fatemeh; Rejeh, Nahid

    2014-11-16

    One of the key strategies in students' learning is being affected by models. Understanding the role-modeling process in education will help to make greater use of this training strategy. The aim of this grounded theory study was to explore Iranian nursing students and instructors' experiences about role modeling process. Data was analyzed by Glaserian's Grounded Theory methodology through semi-structured interviews with 7 faculty members, 2 nursing students; the three focus group discussions with 20 nursing students based on purposive and theoretical sampling was done for explaining role modeling process from four nursing faculties in Tehran. Through basic coding, an effort to comprehensive growth and excellence was made with the basic social process consisting the core category and through selective coding three phases were identified as: realizing and exposure to inadequate human and professional growth, facilitating human and professional growth and evolution. The role modeling process is taking place unconscious, involuntary, dynamic and with positive progressive process in order to facilitate overall growth in nursing student. Accordingly, the design and implementation of the designed model can be used to make this unconscious to conscious, active and voluntarily processes a process to help education administrators of nursing colleges and supra organization to prevent threats to human and professional in nursing students' education and promote nursing students' growth.

  11. National Water Model: Providing the Nation with Actionable Water Intelligence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aggett, G. R.; Bates, B.

    2017-12-01

    The National Water Model (NWM) provides national, street-level detail of water movement through time and space. Operating hourly, this flood of information offers enormous benefits in the form of water resource management, natural disaster preparedness, and the protection of life and property. The Geo-Intelligence Division at the NOAA National Water Center supplies forecasters and decision-makers with timely, actionable water intelligence through the processing of billions of NWM data points every hour. These datasets include current streamflow estimates, short and medium range streamflow forecasts, and many other ancillary datasets. The sheer amount of NWM data produced yields a dataset too large to allow for direct human comprehension. As such, it is necessary to undergo model data post-processing, filtering, and data ingestion by visualization web apps that make use of cartographic techniques to bring attention to the areas of highest urgency. This poster illustrates NWM output post-processing and cartographic visualization techniques being developed and employed by the Geo-Intelligence Division at the NOAA National Water Center to provide national actionable water intelligence.

  12. Modelling job support, job fit, job role and job satisfaction for school of nursing sessional academic staff.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cowin, Leanne S; Moroney, Robyn

    2018-01-01

    Sessional academic staff are an important part of nursing education. Increases in casualisation of the academic workforce continue and satisfaction with the job role is an important bench mark for quality curricula delivery and influences recruitment and retention. This study examined relations between four job constructs - organisation fit, organisation support, staff role and job satisfaction for Sessional Academic Staff at a School of Nursing by creating two path analysis models. A cross-sectional correlational survey design was utilised. Participants who were currently working as sessional or casual teaching staff members were invited to complete an online anonymous survey. The data represents a convenience sample of Sessional Academic Staff in 2016 at a large school of Nursing and Midwifery in Australia. After psychometric evaluation of each of the job construct measures in this study we utilised Structural Equation Modelling to better understand the relations of the variables. The measures used in this study were found to be both valid and reliable for this sample. Job support and job fit are positively linked to job satisfaction. Although the hypothesised model did not meet model fit standards, a new 'nested' model made substantive sense. This small study explored a new scale for measuring academic job role, and demonstrated how it promotes the constructs of job fit and job supports. All four job constructs are important in providing job satisfaction - an outcome that in turn supports staffing stability, retention, and motivation.

  13. Business model change : Managerial roles and tactics in decision-making

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van den Oever, Koen; Martin, Xavier; Baden-Fuller, Charles; Mangematin, Vincent

    2015-01-01

    We study the decision-making process behind business model change, focusing specifically on the tactics managers employ to gain support for such changes. We first argue for the prominent role of middle management in business model change, and second, we revisit the literature on issue selling and

  14. Professional Ethical Competence in nursing: the role of nursing instructors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borhani, Fariba; Alhani, Fatemeh; Mohammadi, Easa; Abbaszadeh, Abbas

    2010-01-01

    Teaching ethics to nurses leads to their involvement in providing high quality care, enable them to duly encounter ethical issues. One of the key elements of educational systems is nursing instructors. Even though lots of studies show the role of instructors in students' learning, their role in promotion of professional ethics has been attended to less. The objective of this study is surveying the experience of nursing students with respect to the role of instructors in promotion of professional ethics. This qualitative study enrolled 15 undergraduate nursing students from three nursing schools in Teheran whom depth interview was performed. The interview was semi-structured with open ended questions. The analysis was accomplished by use of qualitative content-analysis method. Data analysis demonstrated 2 main themes and 7 subcategories in regard to the role of instructors in promotion of professional ethics in nursing students including: 1) the effective professional role model 2) facilitating creative learning. The effective professional role model encompasses individual characteristics and beliefs, clinical skills and professional commitment of role model. Creative learning facilitates by encouraging critical thinking and decision-making, Providing supportive learning conditions, providing proper space for sharing knowledge followed by evaluation and creative feedback. The findings of this study provides a background for strengthening the role of instructors in promotion of professional ethics with more emphasis on research which increase capability of instructors at nursing education centers.

  15. Consistency maintenance for constraint in role-based access control model

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    韩伟力; 陈刚; 尹建伟; 董金祥

    2002-01-01

    Constraint is an important aspect of role-based access control and is sometimes argued to be the principal motivation for role-based access control (RBAC). But so far few authors have discussed consistency maintenance for constraint in RBAC model. Based on researches of constraints among roles and types of inconsistency among constraints, this paper introduces corresponding formal rules, rule-based reasoning and corresponding methods to detect, avoid and resolve these inconsistencies. Finally, the paper introduces briefly the application of consistency maintenance in ZD-PDM, an enterprise-oriented product data management (PDM) system.

  16. Consistency maintenance for constraint in role-based access control model

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    韩伟力; 陈刚; 尹建伟; 董金祥

    2002-01-01

    Constraint is an important aspect of role-based access control and is sometimes argued to be the principal motivation for role-based access control (RBAC). But so far'few authors have discussed consistency maintenance for constraint in RBAC model. Based on researches of constraints among roles and types of inconsistency among constraints, this paper introduces correaponding formal rules, rulebased reasoning and corresponding methods to detect, avoid and resolve these inconsistencies. Finally,the paper introduces briefly the application of consistency maintenance in ZD-PDM, an enterprise-ori-ented product data management (PDM) system.

  17. 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.

  18. Reliability constrained decision model for energy service provider incorporating demand response programs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mahboubi-Moghaddam, Esmaeil; Nayeripour, Majid; Aghaei, Jamshid

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • The operation of Energy Service Providers (ESPs) in electricity markets is modeled. • Demand response as the cost-effective solution is used for energy service provider. • The market price uncertainty is modeled using the robust optimization technique. • The reliability of the distribution network is embedded into the framework. • The simulation results demonstrate the benefits of robust framework for ESPs. - Abstract: Demand response (DR) programs are becoming a critical concept for the efficiency of current electric power industries. Therefore, its various capabilities and barriers have to be investigated. In this paper, an effective decision model is presented for the strategic behavior of energy service providers (ESPs) to demonstrate how to participate in the day-ahead electricity market and how to allocate demand in the smart distribution network. Since market price affects DR and vice versa, a new two-step sequential framework is proposed, in which unit commitment problem (UC) is solved to forecast the expected locational marginal prices (LMPs), and successively DR program is applied to optimize the total cost of providing energy for the distribution network customers. This total cost includes the cost of purchased power from the market and distributed generation (DG) units, incentive cost paid to the customers, and compensation cost of power interruptions. To obtain compensation cost, the reliability evaluation of the distribution network is embedded into the framework using some innovative constraints. Furthermore, to consider the unexpected behaviors of the other market participants, the LMP prices are modeled as the uncertainty parameters using the robust optimization technique, which is more practical compared to the conventional stochastic approach. The simulation results demonstrate the significant benefits of the presented framework for the strategic performance of ESPs.

  19. Working Sandwich Generation Women Utilize Strategies within and between Roles to Achieve Role Balance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girdler, Sonya J.

    2016-01-01

    Increasingly, women simultaneously balance the roles of mother, parental carer and worker. However, individual role balance strategies among these working ‘sandwich’ generation women have not been thoroughly explored. Eighteen women combining these three roles were interviewed about their individual role balance strategies. Findings were identified through the framework analysis technique, underpinned by the Model of Juggling Occupations. Achieving and maintaining role balance was explained as a complex process accomplished through a range of strategies. Findings revealed the women used six within-role balance strategies: living with integrity, being the best you can, doing what you love, loving what you do, remembering why and searching for signs of success. The women also described six between-role balance strategies: maintaining health and wellbeing, repressing perfectionism, managing time and energy, releasing responsibility, nurturing social connection and reciprocating. These findings provide a basis for health care providers to understand and potentially support working ‘sandwich’ generation women. PMID:27305074

  20. The Otolaryngologist's Role in Providing Gender-Affirming Care: An Opportunity for Improved Education and Training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaiet, Scott R; Yoshikawa, Noriko; Sturm, Angela; Flanary, Valerie; Ishman, Stacey; Streed, Carl G

    2018-06-01

    Currently, there are limited resources and training available for otolaryngologists and otolaryngology practice personnel to provide gender-affirming care for transgender or gender nonconforming patients. This unique patient population may present to our offices for gender-specific care or with complaints of the ear, nose, and throat unrelated to gender identity. Our current practice has unintentional but direct consequences on our patients care, as transgender patients often report negative experiences in the healthcare setting related to their gender identity. The absence of resources and training is also seen in other specialties. Physicians who create an environment where patients of all gender identities feel welcome can better meet their patients' health care needs. In addition, otolaryngologists can play a role in easing the gender dysphoria experienced by transgender patients. We suggest educational content should be created for and made available to otolaryngologists and office staff to provide gender-affirming care.

  1. The role of provider-patient communication and trust in online sources in Internet use for health-related activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Jiran; Shim, Minsun

    2010-01-01

    Provider-patient communication is an important factor influencing patients' satisfaction and health outcomes. This study draws upon the uses and gratification theory to examine how individuals' perception of communication with healthcare providers is associated with their Internet use for health-related activities. Using the data from the 2007 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS), we found that as individuals perceived their communication with providers to be less patient-centered, they were more likely to engage in various types of online health activities, such as using websites for healthy lifestyles, searching for healthcare providers, and seeking health information. Trust in online health information was also found to be a significant predictor of online health activities. The results of this study emphasized the important role of provider-patient communication in motivating individuals to turn to the Internet for health purposes.

  2. Outsourcing customer support : The role of provider customer focus

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wuyts, S.H.K.; Rindfleisch, A.; Citrin, A.

    An increasing number of firms are outsourcing customer support to external service providers. This creates a triadic setting in which an outsourcing provider serves end customers on behalf of its clients. While outsourcing presents an opportunity to serve customers, service providers differ in their

  3. Setting a good example: supervisors as work-life-friendly role models within the context of boundary management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Anna R; Binnewies, Carmen

    2015-01-01

    This multisource, multilevel study examined the importance of supervisors as work-life-friendly role models for employees' boundary management. Particularly, we tested whether supervisors' work-home segmentation behavior represents work-life-friendly role modeling for their employees. Furthermore, we tested whether work-life-friendly role modeling is positively related to employees' work-home segmentation behavior. Also, we examined whether work-life-friendly role modeling is positively related to employees' well-being in terms of feeling less exhausted and disengaged. In total, 237 employees and their 75 supervisors participated in our study. Results from hierarchical linear models revealed that supervisors who showed more segmentation behavior to separate work and home were more likely perceived as work-life-friendly role models. Employees with work-life-friendly role models were more likely to segment between work and home, and they felt less exhausted and disengaged. One may conclude that supervisors as work-life-friendly role models are highly important for employees' work-home segmentation behavior and gatekeepers to implement a work-life-friendly organizational culture. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

  4. Guide to Working with Model Providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walter, Katie; Hassel, Bryan C.

    Often a central feature of a school's improvement efforts is the adoption of a Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) model, an externally developed research-based design for school improvement. Adopting a model is only the first step in CSR. Another important step is forging partnerships with developers of CSR models. This guide aims to help schools…

  5. Critical role of LuxS in the virulence of Campylobacter jejuni in a guinea pig model of abortion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plummer, Paul; Sahin, Orhan; Burrough, Eric; Sippy, Rachel; Mou, Kathy; Rabenold, Jessica; Yaeger, Mike; Zhang, Qijing

    2012-02-01

    Previous studies on Campylobacter jejuni have demonstrated the role of LuxS in motility, cytolethal distending toxin production, agglutination, and intestinal colonization; however, its direct involvement in virulence has not been reported. In this study, we demonstrate a direct role of luxS in the virulence of C. jejuni in two different animal hosts. The IA3902 strain, a highly virulent sheep abortion strain recently described by our laboratory, along with its isogenic luxS mutant and luxS complement strains, was inoculated by the oral route into both a pregnant guinea pig virulence model and a chicken colonization model. In both cases, the IA3902 luxS mutant demonstrated a complete loss of ability to colonize the intestinal tract. In the pregnant model, the mutant also failed to induce abortion, while the wild-type strain was highly abortifacient. Genetic complementation of the luxS gene fully restored the virulent phenotype in both models. Interestingly, when the organism was inoculated into guinea pigs by the intraperitoneal route, no difference in virulence (abortion induction) was observed between the luxS mutant and the wild-type strain, suggesting that the defect in virulence following oral inoculation is likely associated with a defect in colonization and/or translocation of the organism out of the intestine. These studies provide the first direct evidence that LuxS plays an important role in the virulence of C. jejuni using an in vivo model of natural disease.

  6. Gender and work-family conflict: testing the rational model and the gender role expectations model in the Spanish cultural context.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvo-Salguero, Antonia; Martínez-de-Lecea, José-María Salinas; del Carmen Aguilar-Luzón, María

    2012-01-01

    Gutek, Searle, and Klepa (1991) proposed two models to explain the gender differences in work-family conflict: the rational model and the gender role expectations model. Both models have mostly been tested on American and Canadian samples, and have obtained partial support. Given the cultural differences between North American countries and Spain, we should question whether the two models are equally applicable to Spanish society or whether one of them captures Spanish men and women's experience of work-family conflict better than the other. So, the aim of this study is to test which of the models better explains the gender differences in work-family conflict in the Spanish cultural context (or if, indeed, the two models apply equally well). Given the typical cultural dimensions of Spanish society, we expected to find greater support for the gender role expectations model than for the rational model. However, the results obtained in this study indicated that, while the rational model can explain the gender differences that were found, the gender role expectations model cannot capture Spanish people's work-family conflict experiences. The results are interpreted in terms of cultural dimensions characteristic of the Spanish context.

  7. Dissolving decision making? : Models and their roles in decision-making processes and policy at large

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zeiss, Ragna; van Egmond, S.

    2014-01-01

    This article studies the roles three science-based models play in Dutch policy and decision making processes. Key is the interaction between model construction and environment. Their political and scientific environments form contexts that shape the roles of models in policy decision making.

  8. A General Attribute and Rule Based Role-Based Access Control Model

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    2007-01-01

    Growing numbers of users and many access control policies which involve many different resource attributes in service-oriented environments bring various problems in protecting resource. This paper analyzes the relationships of resource attributes to user attributes in all policies, and propose a general attribute and rule based role-based access control(GAR-RBAC) model to meet the security needs. The model can dynamically assign users to roles via rules to meet the need of growing numbers of users. These rules use different attribute expression and permission as a part of authorization constraints, and are defined by analyzing relations of resource attributes to user attributes in many access policies that are defined by the enterprise. The model is a general access control model, and can support many access control policies, and also can be used to wider application for service. The paper also describes how to use the GAR-RBAC model in Web service environments.

  9. runjags: An R Package Providing Interface Utilities, Model Templates, Parallel Computing Methods and Additional Distributions for MCMC Models in JAGS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew J. Denwood

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available The runjags package provides a set of interface functions to facilitate running Markov chain Monte Carlo models in JAGS from within R. Automated calculation of appropriate convergence and sample length diagnostics, user-friendly access to commonly used graphical outputs and summary statistics, and parallelized methods of running JAGS are provided. Template model specifications can be generated using a standard lme4-style formula interface to assist users less familiar with the BUGS syntax. Automated simulation study functions are implemented to facilitate model performance assessment, as well as drop-k type cross-validation studies, using high performance computing clusters such as those provided by parallel. A module extension for JAGS is also included within runjags, providing the Pareto family of distributions and a series of minimally-informative priors including the DuMouchel and half-Cauchy priors. This paper outlines the primary functions of this package, and gives an illustration of a simulation study to assess the sensitivity of two equivalent model formulations to different prior distributions.

  10. Exploring Service-led Growth Trajectories for Analytical Equipment Providers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raja, Jawwad; Frandsen, Thomas; Mouritsen, Jan

    2016-01-01

    This paper examines the dilemmas encountered by advanced analytical equipment providers in developing service-led growth strategies to expand their business in pursuit of more attractive revenue models. It does so by adopting a case based research approach. The findings detail the capabilities...... and solutions-in different contexts, with a view to expanding markets and developing solution based business models, are discussed. It is argued that analytical equipment providers encounter dilemmas as managing these different trajectories implies different needs in terms of the technological sophistication...... of equipment required. This does not necessarily imply that one context is less complex than the other, but rather suggests that the role of integration is qualitatively different and that the relationship between product and service varies when developing solutions in these different arenas....

  11. Role model and prototype matching: Upper-secondary school students’ meetings with tertiary STEM students

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lykkegaard, Eva; Ulriksen, Lars

    2016-01-01

    concerning STEM students and attending university. The regular self-to-prototype matching process was shown in real-life role-models meetings to be extended to a more complex three-way matching process between students’ self-perceptions, prototype images and situation-specific conceptions of role models...

  12. Ecosystem services provided by waterbirds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, Andy J; Elmberg, Johan

    2014-02-01

    Ecosystem services are ecosystem processes that directly or indirectly benefit human well-being. There has been much recent literature identifying different services and the communities and species that provide them. This is a vital first step towards management and maintenance of these services. In this review, we specifically address the waterbirds, which play key functional roles in many aquatic ecosystems, including as predators, herbivores and vectors of seeds, invertebrates and nutrients, although these roles have often been overlooked. Waterbirds can maintain the diversity of other organisms, control pests, be effective bioindicators of ecological conditions, and act as sentinels of potential disease outbreaks. They also provide important provisioning (meat, feathers, eggs, etc.) and cultural services to both indigenous and westernized societies. We identify key gaps in the understanding of ecosystem services provided by waterbirds and areas for future research required to clarify their functional role in ecosystems and the services they provide. We consider how the economic value of these services could be calculated, giving some examples. Such valuation will provide powerful arguments for waterbird conservation. © 2013 The Authors. Biological Reviews © 2013 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

  13. The Iowa new practice model: Advancing technician roles to increase pharmacists' time to provide patient care services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andreski, Michael; Myers, Megan; Gainer, Kate; Pudlo, Anthony

    Determine the effects of an 18-month pilot project using tech-check-tech in 7 community pharmacies on 1) rate of dispensing errors not identified during refill prescription final product verification; 2) pharmacist workday task composition; and 3) amount of patient care services provided and the reimbursement status of those services. Pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study where baseline and study periods were compared. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in 7 community pharmacies in Iowa. The outcome measures were 1) percentage of technician verified refill prescriptions where dispensing errors were not identified on final product verification; 2) percentage of time spent by pharmacists in dispensing, management, patient care, practice development, and other activities; 3) the number of pharmacist patient care services provided per pharmacist hours worked; and 4) percentage of time that technician product verification was used. There was no significant difference in overall errors (0.2729% vs. 0.5124%, P = 0.513), patient safety errors (0.0525% vs. 0.0651%, P = 0.837), or administrative errors (0.2204% vs. 0.4784%, P = 0.411). Pharmacist's time in dispensing significantly decreased (67.3% vs. 49.06%, P = 0.005), and time in direct patient care (19.96% vs. 34.72%, P = 0.003), increased significantly. Time in other activities did not significantly change. Reimbursable services per pharmacist hour (0.11 vs. 0.30, P = 0.129), did not significantly change. Non-reimbursable services increased significantly (2.77 vs. 4.80, P = 0.042). Total services significantly increased (2.88 vs. 5.16, P = 0.044). Pharmacy technician product verification of refill prescriptions preserved dispensing safety while significantly increasing the time spent in delivery of pharmacist provided patient care services. The total number of pharmacist services provided per hour also increased significantly, driven primarily by a significant increase in the number of non

  14. Role modelling of clinical tutors: a focus group study among medical students.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burgess, Annette; Goulston, Kerry; Oates, Kim

    2015-02-14

    Role modelling by clinicians assists in development of medical students' professional competencies, values and attitudes. Three core characteristics of a positive role model include 1) clinical attributes, 2) teaching skills, and 3) personal qualities. This study was designed to explore medical students' perceptions of their bedside clinical tutors as role models during the first year of a medical program. The study was conducted with one cohort (n = 301) of students who had completed Year 1 of the Sydney Medical Program in 2013. A total of nine focus groups (n = 59) were conducted with medical students following completion of Year 1. Data were transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was used to code and categorise data into themes. Students identified both positive and negative characteristics and behaviour displayed by their clinical tutors. Characteristics and behaviour that students would like to emulate as medical practitioners in the future included: 1) Clinical attributes: a good knowledge base; articulate history taking skills; the ability to explain and demonstrate skills at the appropriate level for students; and empathy, respect and genuine compassion for patients. 2) Teaching skills: development of a rapport with students; provision of time towards the growth of students academically and professionally; provision of a positive learning environment; an understanding of the student curriculum and assessment requirements; immediate and useful feedback; and provision of patient interaction. 3) Personal qualities: respectful interprofessional staff interactions; preparedness for tutorials; demonstration of a passion for teaching; and demonstration of a passion for their career choice. Excellence in role modelling entails demonstration of excellent clinical care, teaching skills and personal characteristics. Our findings reinforce the important function of clinical bedside tutors as role models, which has implications for faculty development and

  15. Entrepreneurial Women in Radiology: Role Models of Success.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anzai, Yoshimi; Meltzer, Carolyn C; DeStigter, Kristen K; Destounis, Stamatia; Pawley, Barbara K; Oates, M Elizabeth

    2016-11-01

    Radiology is undeniably male dominated. Alongside surgery and orthopedic surgery, academic radiology ranks near the bottom in having the lowest proportion of full-time female faculty members. Despite many efforts to recruit talented women, the pipeline entering the radiologic disciplines continues to flow at a trickle. One factor is the relative lack of role models for female medical students. Entrepreneurial women in radiology can lead the field with their innovation and creativity, courage, and commitment. In this article, the authors highlight two entrepreneurial female radiologists who shared their success stories at the American Association for Women Radiologists' session at the 2015 ACR annual meeting. Their successes underscore the potential for such women to serve as role models to female medical students and even college undergraduates. Despite the gender gap in radiology, the field has yielded some exceptional women who can take on challenges, overcome barriers and assume risks, create strategies and processes to operationalize their visions, secure funding, and expand their enterprises to make sustainable impacts both at home and abroad. As we move toward more patient- and family-centered care models and become increasingly visible to diverse populations, there is no better time for female leaders in radiology to inspire the next generation to join our essential and rewarding specialty. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Elucidating the role of recovery experiences in the job demands-resources model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Jiménez, Bernardo; Rodríguez-Muñoz, Alfredo; Sanz-Vergel, Ana Isabel; Garrosa, Eva

    2012-07-01

    Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, the current study examined the moderating role of recovery experiences (i.e., psychological detachment from work, relaxation, mastery experiences, and control over leisure time) on the relationship between one job demand (i.e., role conflict) and work- and health-related outcomes. Results from our sample of 990 employees from Spain showed that psychological detachment from work and relaxation buffered the negative impact of role conflict on some of the proposed outcomes. Contrary to our expectations, we did not find significant results for mastery and control regarding moderating effects. Overall, findings suggest a differential pattern of the recovery experiences in the health impairment process proposed by the JD-R model.

  17. The Role of Vocational Educators in Planning Vocational Assessment Activities for Handicapped Students: An Indepth Review of a Six Step Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stodden, Robert A.; Boone, Rosalie

    1986-01-01

    Discusses the role of teachers in providing vocational assessment to disabled students. Steps in this process include (1) establish planning team and conduct information search, (2) define purpose, (3) establish basic considerations, (4) formulate assessment model, (5) establish implementation focus, and (6) pilot test and evaluate assessment…

  18. Uranium sorption to natural substrates-insights provided by isotope exchange, selective extraction and surface complexation modelling approaches

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Waite, T.D.; Payne T.E.; Davis, J.A.

    1993-01-01

    An extensive experimental program has been conducted over the last three years into the interaction of U(VI) with both single oxides and clays and complex natural substrates from the weathered zone in the vicinity of a uranium ore body in northern Australia. While iron oxides have frequently been considered to account for much of the uptake on such natural substrates, the results of laboratory open-quotes pH edgeclose quotes studies and of isotope exchange and selective extraction studies suggest that other phases must also play a significant role in controlling the partitioning of U(VI) between solid and solution phases. Supporting studies on kaolinite, the dominant clay in this system, provide insight into the most appropriate method of modelling the interaction of U(VI) with these natural substrates. The problems still remaining in adequately describing sorption of radionuclides and trace elements to complex natural substrates are discussed

  19. Role of fluctuations in the phase transitions of coupled plaquette spin models of glasses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giulio Biroli, Charlotte Rulquin, Gilles Tarjus, Marco Tarzia

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available We study the role of fluctuations on the thermodynamic glassy properties of plaquette spin models, more specifically on the transition involving an overlap order parameter in the presence of an attractive coupling between different replicas of the system. We consider both short-range fluctuations associated with the local environment on Bethe lattices and long-range fluctuations that distinguish Euclidean from Bethe lattices with the same local environment. We find that the phase diagram in the temperature-coupling plane is very sensitive to the former but, at least for the $3$-dimensional (square pyramid model, appears qualitatively or semi-quantitatively unchanged by the latter. This surprising result suggests that the mean-field theory of glasses provides a reasonable account of the glassy thermodynamics of models otherwise described in terms of the kinetically constrained motion of localized defects and taken as a paradigm for the theory of dynamic facilitation. We discuss the possible implications for the dynamical behavior.

  20. Role of community pharmacists in asthma – Australian research highlighting pathways for future primary care models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Saini B

    2011-04-01

    Full Text Available Asthma is one of the most common chronic conditions affecting the Australian population. Amongst primary healthcare professionals, pharmacists are the most accessible and this places pharmacists in an excellent position to play a role in the management of asthma. Globally, trials of many community pharmacy-based asthma care models have provided evidence that pharmacist delivered interventions can improve clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes for asthma patients. In Australia, a decade of coordinated research efforts, in various aspects of asthma care, has culminated in the implementation trial of the Pharmacy Asthma Management Service (PAMS, a comprehensive disease management model. There has been research investigating asthma medication adherence through data mining, ways in which usual asthma care can be improved. Our research has focused on self-management education, inhaler technique interventions, spirometry trials, interprofessional models of care, and regional trials addressing the particular needs of rural communities. We have determined that inhaler technique education is a necessity and should be repeated if correct technique is to be maintained. We have identified this effectiveness of health promotion and health education, conducted within and outside the confines of the pharmacy, in public for a and settings such as schools, and established that this outreach role is particularly well received and increases the opportunity for people with asthma to engage in their asthma management. Our research has identified that asthma patients have needs which pharmacists delivering specialized models of care, can address. There is a lot of evidence for the effectiveness of asthma care by pharmacists, the future must involve integration of this role into primary care.

  1. Cutting Edge PBPK Models and Analyses: Providing the Basis for Future Modeling Efforts and Bridges to Emerging Toxicology Paradigms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jane C. Caldwell

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Physiologically based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK models are used for predictions of internal or target dose from environmental and pharmacologic chemical exposures. Their use in human risk assessment is dependent on the nature of databases (animal or human used to develop and test them, and includes extrapolations across species, experimental paradigms, and determination of variability of response within human populations. Integration of state-of-the science PBPK modeling with emerging computational toxicology models is critical for extrapolation between in vitro exposures, in vivo physiologic exposure, whole organism responses, and long-term health outcomes. This special issue contains papers that can provide the basis for future modeling efforts and provide bridges to emerging toxicology paradigms. In this overview paper, we present an overview of the field and introduction for these papers that includes discussions of model development, best practices, risk-assessment applications of PBPK models, and limitations and bridges of modeling approaches for future applications. Specifically, issues addressed include: (a increased understanding of human variability of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in the population, (b exploration of mode of action hypotheses (MOA, (c application of biological modeling in the risk assessment of individual chemicals and chemical mixtures, and (d identification and discussion of uncertainties in the modeling process.

  2. An agent-based simulation model of patient choice of health care providers in accountable care organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alibrahim, Abdullah; Wu, Shinyi

    2018-03-01

    Accountable care organizations (ACO) in the United States show promise in controlling health care costs while preserving patients' choice of providers. Understanding the effects of patient choice is critical in novel payment and delivery models like ACO that depend on continuity of care and accountability. The financial, utilization, and behavioral implications associated with a patient's decision to forego local health care providers for more distant ones to access higher quality care remain unknown. To study this question, we used an agent-based simulation model of a health care market composed of providers able to form ACO serving patients and embedded it in a conditional logit decision model to examine patients capable of choosing their care providers. This simulation focuses on Medicare beneficiaries and their congestive heart failure (CHF) outcomes. We place the patient agents in an ACO delivery system model in which provider agents decide if they remain in an ACO and perform a quality improving CHF disease management intervention. Illustrative results show that allowing patients to choose their providers reduces the yearly payment per CHF patient by $320, reduces mortality rates by 0.12 percentage points and hospitalization rates by 0.44 percentage points, and marginally increases provider participation in ACO. This study demonstrates a model capable of quantifying the effects of patient choice in a theoretical ACO system and provides a potential tool for policymakers to understand implications of patient choice and assess potential policy controls.

  3. Being a Deaf Role Model: Deaf People's Experiences of Working with Families and Deaf Young People

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rogers, Katherine D.; Young, Alys M.

    2011-01-01

    The experiences of being a deaf role model have been little explored in the literature. This paper explores the role of the deaf role model as perceived by d/Deaf adults who carried out this role, when working with deaf young people, parents of deaf children, and professionals who work with them. The data were collected from part of the evaluation…

  4. Parental role modeling of fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks is associated with children's adequate consumption.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Draxten, Michelle; Fulkerson, Jayne A; Friend, Sarah; Flattum, Colleen F; Schow, Robin

    2014-07-01

    Research has shown that parental role modeling of healthful eating behaviors is positively correlated to children's dietary intake and fruit and vegetable (F&V) preferences. The purpose of this study is to (1) examine associations between parent and child report of parental role modeling of F&V consumption at snacks and dinner and (2) determine whether parental role modeling is associated with children meeting daily F&V recommendations. Parent-child dyads (N = 160) participating in the HOME Plus study completed baseline surveys on parental role modeling of F&V at snacks and dinner. Children also completed 24-hour dietary recalls. Spearman correlations and chi-square/Fisher's exact tests were used to examine relationships between parent and child report of parental role modeling of F&V at snacks and dinner and whether children met daily recommendations. On average, children consumed less than three daily servings of F&V with only 23% consuming the recommended servings. Statistically significant correlations were seen between parent and child report of parental role modeling fruit at dinner and green salad at dinner. Children who reported parental role modeling of vegetables at snack and salad at dinner were significantly more likely, than those who did not, to meet daily F&V recommendations. Parents who reported role modeling fruit at snack were significantly more likely to have children who met daily F&V recommendations. Results indicate that children are aware of their parents' eating behaviors and on occasion report this behavior similarly to their parents. Parents should be encouraged to utilize the opportunity to role model healthful dietary intake, especially at snacks, where consumption of F&V appears low. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The Role of Hosting Providers in Web Security : Understanding and Improving Security Incentives and Performance via Analysis of Large-scale Incident Data

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tajalizadehkhoob, S.

    2018-01-01

    In theory, hosting providers can play an important role in fighting cybercrime and misuse. This is because many online threats, be they high-profile or mundane, use online storage infrastructure maintained by hosting providers at the core of their criminal operations.
    However, in practice, we

  6. The Role of Career Competencies in the Job Demands-Resources Model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Akkermans, J.; Schaufeli, W.B.; Brenninkmeijer, V.; Blonk, R.W.B.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the role of career competencies as a mediator in the Job Demands - Resources model. Structural equation modeling with data from 305 young employed persons aged 16-30 years showed that career competencies are positively related to job resources and work engagement, but not to

  7. Entrepreneurship Education Revisited: Perceived Entrepreneurial Role Models Increase Perceived Behavioural Control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellnhofer, Katharina

    2017-01-01

    Relying on Bandura's (1986) social learning theory, Ajzen's (1988) theory of planned behaviour (TPB), and Dyer's (1994) model of entrepreneurial careers, this study aims to highlight the potential of entrepreneurial role models to entrepreneurship education. The results suggest that entrepreneurial courses would greatly benefit from real-life…

  8. The role of extreme drought events in modelling the distribution of beech at its xeric limit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rasztovits, Ervin; Berki, Imre; Eredics, Attila; Móricz, Norbert

    2014-05-01

    Context: Projections of species distribution models (SDMs) for future climate conditions are based on long term mean climate data. For management and conservation issues SDMs have been extensively used, but it is not tested whether models that are successful in predicting current distributions are equally powerful in predicting distributions under future climates. Methods: Observations after 2003 confirms that extreme drought events played an important role in driving beech mortality at low-elevation xeric limits. The objective of this study was (1) to set up a simple extreme drought event based vitality model (EDM) using sanitary logging information as a proxy of vitality response of beech and (2) to compare the spatial pattern of the predicted vitality loss provided by the EDM with the distribution limits of the SDMs for three terms (2025, 2050 and 2100) in Hungary to assess model performance. Results: Prediction for vitality loss for 2025 obtained from the EDM was in agreement with those of the SDM, but for the end of the century the EDM predicted a more serious decline in almost all regions of Hungary. Conclusion: The result of the comparison suggests that the increasing frequency and severity of extremes might play a more important role in limiting the distribution of beech in the future near to the xeric limit than long-term means.

  9. Family child care providers' self-perceived role in obesity prevention: working with children, parents, and external influences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenthal, Marjorie S; Crowley, Angela A; Curry, Leslie

    2013-01-01

    To describe the perspective and strategies of family child care providers (FCCPs) to reduce children's suboptimal weight trajectories. In-person, in-depth interviews with FCCPs. Family child care homes. Seventeen FCCPs caring for children 6 weeks to 9 years old; 94% caring for children paying with a state subsidy. Strategies of FCCP to reduce children's suboptimal weight trajectories. Constant comparative method of qualitative data analysis. Family child care providers described 3 core strategies: (1) improving children's behavior, (2) engaging and educating parents, and (3) leveraging influences external to their relationship with parents to effect positive change and to avoid parental conflict. These strategies were framed within their knowledge of child development, parental communication, and community services. The findings suggest that FCCPs' role in obesity prevention may be framed within knowledge that may be commonly expected of a child care provider. Partnerships between public health policy makers and FCCP may reduce obesigenic environments by employing training and resources that link obesity prevention and child care provider expertise. Copyright © 2013 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Modeling Flight: The Role of Dynamically Scaled Free-Flight Models in Support of NASA's Aerospace Programs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chambers, Joseph

    2010-01-01

    community, Leonardo da Vinci, George Cayley, and the Wright brothers are examples of early aviation pioneers who frequently used models during their scientific efforts to understand and develop flying machines. Progress in the technology associated with model testing in worldwide applications has firmly established model aircraft as a key element in new aerospace research and development programs. Models are now routinely used in many applications and roles, including aerodynamic data gathering in wind tunnel investigations for the analysis of full-scale aircraft designs, proof-of-concept demonstrators for radical aeronautical concepts, and problem-solving exercises for vehicles already in production. The most critical contributions of aerospace models are to provide confidence and risk reduction for new designs and to enhance the safety and efficiency of existing configurations.

  11. Factors Affecting the Choice of Professors as a Role Model from the Viewpoint of Medical Students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Masome Rahimi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available The role of professors as a model can have a beneficial impact on the mental, psychological and educational conditions of medical students. This also plays an important role in improving professionalism and academic achievements among medical students. Therefore, the present study was aimed at evaluating the standpoint of students on factors influencing the selection of professors as a role model. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on the students of different disciplines studying in Jahrom University of Medical Sciences in 2016. A randomized sampling method was conducted on 217 students. Their viewpoints were collected using a 30- question researcher-made questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of three parts, each containing ten items. In addition, this questionnaire was distributed among 20 people (as a pilot survey, the alpha coefficient of which was equal to 0.88; and its measurement was based on Likert scale "from very low to very high". Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 and descriptive statistics. Most respondents were nursing students and the highest influence of professors as a role model was associated with their role as a research leader (future specialized courses in the clinical choices and selection of future specialized fields. The factors influencing the selection of professors as a role model included their respectful attitude toward students, and the high level of their knowledge and skills. On the other hand, the most important factors that caused professors not to be regarded as a role model included their inappropriate relationship with the students and refusing to listen to them. Role model professors can have a beneficial impact on the future of students and scientific communities, as far as the science and education is concerned. Therefore, it is necessary for professors to pay particular attention to strengthening their role as a model at universities.

  12. The effect of patient-centeredness and gender of professional role models on trainees' mentalization responses. Implications for film-aided education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bálint, Katalin; Nagy, Tamás; Csabai, Márta

    2014-10-01

    To examine how certain characteristics of film-presented practitioner role-models influence trainees' mentalization. In an experimental setting, psychology students watched four film clips presenting a patient-practitioner session; the clips varied in the practitioner's patient-centeredness (positive vs. negative) and gender. Participants commented on the practitioner's thoughts, emotions and intentions through the session. Analysis of 116 comments focused on the effect of patient-centeredness and gender variables on mentalization and judgment utterances. Negative role-models and female role-models induced higher levels of mentalization compared to positive and male role-models. There was no gender difference in the level of mentalization; however male participants gave more judgmental responses than female participants. The patient-centeredness had a larger effect on mentalization when trainees described the opposite gender role-model. In a systematic comparison, students' capacity for mentalization differed according to role-models' patient-centeredness and gender, as well as the gender-match of students with role-models. When working with film-presented role-models, educators should be aware of the differences in the level of mentalization elicited by positive and male role-models, as opposed to negative and female role-models. Educators should also consider the gender-match between trainees and role-models, therefore students should be exposed to both cross- and same-gender role-models. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. The role of non-epistemic values in engineering models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Diekmann, S.; Peterson, M.B.

    2013-01-01

    We argue that non-epistemic values, including moral ones, play an important role in the construction and choice of models in science and engineering. Our main claim is that non-epistemic values are not only "secondary values" that become important just in case epistemic values leave some issues

  14. The Power of Passion in Entrepreneurship Education: Entrepreneurial Role Models Encourage Passion?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellnhofer, Katharina

    2018-01-01

    This study of Entrepreneurship Education (EE) centers on the impact of entrepreneurial role models on entrepreneurial passion, which also is expected to influence entrepreneurial intention. Based on 426 individuals recruited primarily from Austria, Finland, and Greece, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) reveals the significant direct and indirect effects of entrepreneurial role models on entrepreneurial intention, mediated by entrepreneurial passion. These effects were found to be stronger following multimedia presentation of entrepreneurial stories, confirming the fruitful spillover effects of the innovative educational use of computers on entrepreneurial intentions among nascent entrepreneurs. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social learning theory, this study confirms both the positive impact of entrepreneurial role models and significant short-term effects of web-based multimedia in the context of EE. This narrative approach is shown to be an effective pedagogical instrument in enhancing individual orientation toward entrepreneurship to facilitate entrepreneurial intention. This study identifies the great potential of these pioneering methods and tools, both for further research in the academic community and for entrepreneurship educators who hope to promote entrepreneurial intention in aspiring entrepreneurs. The findings are also relevant for policy makers designing effective instruments to achieve long-term goals. PMID:29877516

  15. The Power of Passion in Entrepreneurship Education: Entrepreneurial Role Models Encourage Passion?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellnhofer, Katharina

    2017-07-01

    This study of Entrepreneurship Education (EE) centers on the impact of entrepreneurial role models on entrepreneurial passion, which also is expected to influence entrepreneurial intention. Based on 426 individuals recruited primarily from Austria, Finland, and Greece, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) reveals the significant direct and indirect effects of entrepreneurial role models on entrepreneurial intention, mediated by entrepreneurial passion. These effects were found to be stronger following multimedia presentation of entrepreneurial stories, confirming the fruitful spillover effects of the innovative educational use of computers on entrepreneurial intentions among nascent entrepreneurs. Drawing on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and social learning theory, this study confirms both the positive impact of entrepreneurial role models and significant short-term effects of web-based multimedia in the context of EE. This narrative approach is shown to be an effective pedagogical instrument in enhancing individual orientation toward entrepreneurship to facilitate entrepreneurial intention. This study identifies the great potential of these pioneering methods and tools, both for further research in the academic community and for entrepreneurship educators who hope to promote entrepreneurial intention in aspiring entrepreneurs. The findings are also relevant for policy makers designing effective instruments to achieve long-term goals.

  16. Postgraduate internal medicine residents' roles at patient discharge - do their perceived roles and perceptions by other health care providers correlate?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Card, Sharon Elizabeth; Ward, Heather A; Chipperfield, Dylan; Sheppard, M Suzanne

    2014-01-01

    Knowing one's own role is a key collaboration competency for postgraduate trainees in the Canadian competency framework (CanMEDS®). To explore methods to teach collaborative competency to internal medicine postgraduate trainees, baseline role knowledge of the trainees was explored. The perceptions of roles (self and others) at patient discharge from an acute care internal medicine teaching unit amongst 69 participants, 34 physicians (25 internal medicine postgraduate trainees and 9 faculty physicians) and 35 health care professionals from different professions were assessed using an adapted previously validated survey (Jenkins et al., 2001). Internal medicine postgraduate trainees agreed on 8/13 (62%) discharge roles, but for 5/13 (38%), there was a substantial disagreement. Other professions had similar lack of clarity about the postgraduate internal medicine residents' roles at discharge. The lack of interprofessional and intraprofessional clarity about roles needs to be explored to develop methods to enhance collaborative competence in internal medicine postgraduate trainees.

  17. The role of career competencies in the Job Demands: Resources model

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Akkermans, J.; Schaufeli, W.B.; Brenninkmeijer, V.; Blonk, R.W.B.

    2013-01-01

    This study investigated the role of career competencies as a mediator in the Job Demands — Resources model. Structural equation modeling with data from 305 young employed persons aged 16–30 years showed that career competencies are positively related to job resources and work engagement, but not to

  18. The Impact of Role Modeling on Proteges' Personal Learning and Work-to-Family Enrichment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwan, Ho Kwong; Mao, Yina; Zhang, Haina

    2010-01-01

    The present study investigates the impact of role modeling as perceived by proteges on their personal learning (i.e., relational job learning and personal skill development) and work-to-family enrichment (WFE). Results from a two-wave field survey of 173 proteges in the People's Republic of China indicate that role modeling positively affects…

  19. The "P2P" Educational Model Providing Innovative Learning by Linking Technology, Business and Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickinson, Paul Gordon

    2017-01-01

    This paper evaluates the effect and potential of a new educational learning model called Peer to Peer (P2P). The study was focused on Laurea, Hyvinkaa's Finland campus and its response to bridging the gap between traditional educational methods and working reality, where modern technology plays an important role. The study describes and evaluates…

  20. The role of the corporate nurse executive: providing balance and perspective for patient care and the corporate structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ameigh, A Y

    1996-01-01

    The nurse executive at the corporate level is in a pivotal position to provide balance between the provision of integrated patient care and success of the corporate mission. In this role, the nurse executive shifts the spotlight from a solely nursing perspective to the systems approach in support of patient care. The response that follows is often a redoubling of the efforts of health care providers to render more efficient and cohesive care to patients. In the end, success is an outgrowth of strong teamwork combined with the ability of the executive to connect the corporate business strategy with the provision of patient care wherever it is delivered.

  1. The inadequacy of role models for educating medical students in ethics with some reflections on virtue theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erde, E L

    1997-01-01

    Persons concerned with medical education sometimes argued that medical students need no formal education in ethics. They contended that if admissions were restricted to persons of good character and those students were exposed to good role models, the ethics of medicine would take care of itself. However, no one seems to give much philosophic attention to the ideas of model or role model. In this essay, I undertake such an analysis and add an analysis of role. I show the weakness in relying on role models exclusively and draw implications from these for appeals to virtue theory. Furthermore, I indicate some of the problems about how virtue theory is invoked as the ethical theory that would most closely be associated to the role model rhetoric and consider some of the problems with virtue theory. Although Socrates was interested in the character of the (young) persons with whom he spoke, Socratic education is much more than what role modeling and virtue theory endorse. It-that is, philosophy-is invaluable for ethics education.

  2. Building positive self-image in adolescents in foster care: the use of role models in an interactive group approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yancey, A K

    1998-01-01

    In a previous article (Yancey, 1992), the literature on identity development in individuals from socially devalued racial and ethnic groups was summarized. It was postulated that the social maladaptation of adolescents in residential group foster care is reflective of identity disturbances created by the negative images of African-Americans and Latinos perpetuated by the dominant society and unfiltered by optimal parental racial/ethnic socialization. The present article describes the development of a pilot preventive mental health intervention, the PRIDE (Personal and Racial/ethnic Identity Development and Enhancement) program, designed to provide components of parenting that are necessary for promoting positive self-image in ethnically marginalized adolescents and that are typically lacking in the group foster care milieu. PRIDE utilizes successful, ethnically relevant role models in interactive group sessions to create a significant cognitive and emotional experience for teens. While the utility of role modeling for at-risk youth is widely accepted, there is little research on the packaging, delivery, and influence of this intervention modality. This study demonstrates the feasibility of a "hybrid" role-modeling approach (intermediate in intensity of exposure and cost between one-to-one mentoring and career-day programs). Implications for further research on this type of intervention are discussed.

  3. A Hybrid Artificial Reputation Model Involving Interaction Trust, Witness Information and the Trust Model to Calculate the Trust Value of Service Providers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gurdeep Singh Ransi

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available Agent interaction in a community, such as the online buyer-seller scenario, is often uncertain, as when an agent comes in contact with other agents they initially know nothing about each other. Currently, many reputation models are developed that help service consumers select better service providers. Reputation models also help agents to make a decision on who they should trust and transact with in the future. These reputation models are either built on interaction trust that involves direct experience as a source of information or they are built upon witness information also known as word-of-mouth that involves the reports provided by others. Neither the interaction trust nor the witness information models alone succeed in such uncertain interactions. In this paper we propose a hybrid reputation model involving both interaction trust and witness information to address the shortcomings of existing reputation models when taken separately. A sample simulation is built to setup buyer-seller services and uncertain interactions. Experiments reveal that the hybrid approach leads to better selection of trustworthy agents where consumers select more reputable service providers, eventually helping consumers obtain more gains. Furthermore, the trust model developed is used in calculating trust values of service providers.

  4. Female Leaders: Injurious or Inspiring Role Models for Women?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoyt, Crystal L.; Simon, Stefanie

    2011-01-01

    The impact of female role models on women's leadership aspirations and self-perceptions after a leadership task were assessed across two laboratory studies. These studies tested the prediction that upward social comparisons to high-level female leaders will have a relatively detrimental impact on women's self-perceptions and leadership aspirations…

  5. Teacher’s role model ingender education of students

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elvira Dode

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Gender education as an important part of education, affects by the role and attitudes of teachers. Including gender perspective in schools is a prerequisite in alienable of human development, instead insuring gender equality it is considered as respecting human rights. Elimination of the gender stereotypes has a two-fold significance since itemsurest gender equality not only in the school system but even in the society as a whole. Gender stereotype messages, regardless by hidden or displayed form, unilaterally influence the development of the personality in its appearance as well as the formation of the individual. Children learn about gender identity simply by observing what happens in different circumstances around. In education exist gender disparities, which can be assessed by means of measurable indicators. So, the content of the curricula and instructive texts, the interactive relationships teacher-students, the institutional ambiance, etc. play an important role into the preservation and transmission of the gender disparity stereotypes through the messages they convey. The purpose of thestudy is to perform a systematic research in order to show the scale and shape in which gender stereotypes are portrayed and shown in social life, even through the role model of teacher and their affecting the education for a democratic society. To achieve this goal, we use the method of studying the existing literature; a detailed analysis of the questionnaires and interviews content with school directors and teachers of pre-university education in city: Shkodër, Tiranë, Elbasan, Pogradec, Korçë. Parents and teachers attitudes, seems to be a role model and affect the education of students. Therefore it is necessary before to teach students about gender equality, teachers need to be careful in their behavior about gender equality as an integral part of thinking. Need to have successful teacher, to get successful students otherwise should be successful

  6. Investigating the Role of Management Accountants in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arief Fadhilah

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Literature highlight the role of  management accountants as business partners in managerial decision making process besides the traditional role as information providers. This study investigates the role of management accountants in Indonesia by adopting the DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model (2003. Data were collected by conducting surveys to acquire the perception of managers on the role of management accountants. Using structural equation modeling, the results show that both management accounting information quality and management accounting service quality have significant relationship with user satisfaction. Furthermore, the satisfaction of managers is positively related to net benefits received by managers. Therefore, management accountants in Indonesia may have fulfilled the role as business partners. Keywords: business partner, information quality,service quality,user satisfaction,DeLone and McLean IS Success Model

  7. Role Performance and Role Valuation Among Occupational Therapy Students in Norway

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tore Bonsaksen

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: The Model of Human Occupation describes roles as providing the person with a framework around which to organize daily occupations. Role performance and role valuation in young adults may be related to gender, but there are few research studies to date to support this view. Methods: This study is a cross-sectional design using a sample of 87 occupational therapy students in Norway. We used the Role Checklist to assess the students’ performance and valuation of roles, and a variety of statistical procedures were employed in the analysis. Results: Compared to the female participants, males performed roles in the community, social, and civic life area of participation more frequently. Otherwise, male and female participants were largely equal in current role performance. For most roles, we found associations between role performance and high valuation of the respective roles. Discussion: Gender appears to be a factor of relevance for our understanding of role performance. This study suggests that occupational therapists should consider the societal as well as the personal aspects of roles. In addition, occupational therapy interventions could aim toward improving congruence between the roles clients perform and the value these roles have for them

  8. Parental role modeling of fruits and vegetables at meals and snacks is associated with children’s adequate consumption

    Science.gov (United States)

    Draxten, Michelle; Fulkerson, Jayne A.; Friend, Sarah; Flattum, Colleen F.; Schow, Robin

    2014-01-01

    Parental role modeling of healthful eating behaviors has been shown to be positively correlated to children’s dietary intake and preference for fruits and vegetables. However, no study to date has utilized both parent and child report of parental role modeling and assessed role modeling at snacks and dinner. The purpose of this study is to 1) examine associations between parent and child report of parental role modeling of fruit and vegetable consumption at snacks and dinner and 2) determine whether parental role modeling is associated with children meeting daily fruit and vegetable recommendations. Parent-child dyads (N=160) participating in the Healthy Home Offerings via the Mealtime Environment (HOME) Plus study completed baseline surveys that included questions regarding parental role modeling of fruits and vegetables at dinner and snacks. Children also completed 24-hour dietary recalls. Spearman correlations and chi-square/Fisher’s exact test were used to examine relationships between parent and child report of parental role modeling of fruit and vegetable consumption at snacks and dinner and whether children met daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables. On average, children consumed less than three servings of fruits and vegetables per day with only 23% of children consuming the recommended four daily servings. Similarities between parent and child reports of parental role modeling of fruits and vegetables at snacks and dinner varied by food type (e.g., fruit versus green salad) and whether the role modeling behavior was at snack or dinner. Statistically significant correlations were seen between parent and child report of parental role modeling consumption of fruit at dinner and green salad at dinner. Children who reported parental role modeling of vegetable consumption at snack and green salad at dinner were significantly more likely, than those who did not, to meet the daily fruit and vegetable consumption recommendations. Parents who

  9. Perception of CPR quality: Influence of CPR feedback, Just-in-Time CPR training and provider role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Adam; Overly, Frank; Kessler, David; Nadkarni, Vinay M; Lin, Yiqun; Doan, Quynh; Duff, Jonathan P; Tofil, Nancy M; Bhanji, Farhan; Adler, Mark; Charnovich, Alex; Hunt, Elizabeth A; Brown, Linda L

    2015-02-01

    Many healthcare providers rely on visual perception to guide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but little is known about the accuracy of provider perceptions of CPR quality. We aimed to describe the difference between perceived versus measured CPR quality, and to determine the impact of provider role, real-time visual CPR feedback and Just-in-Time (JIT) CPR training on provider perceptions. We conducted secondary analyses of data collected from a prospective, multicenter, randomized trial of 324 healthcare providers who participated in a simulated cardiac arrest scenario between July 2012 and April 2014. Participants were randomized to one of four permutations of: JIT CPR training and real-time visual CPR feedback. We calculated the difference between perceived and measured quality of CPR and reported the proportion of subjects accurately estimating the quality of CPR within each study arm. Participants overestimated achieving adequate chest compression depth (mean difference range: 16.1-60.6%) and rate (range: 0.2-51%), and underestimated chest compression fraction (0.2-2.9%) across all arms. Compared to no intervention, the use of real-time feedback and JIT CPR training (alone or in combination) improved perception of depth (pCPR quality was poor for chest compression depth (0-13%), rate (5-46%) and chest compression fraction (60-63%). Perception of depth is more accurate in CPR providers versus team leaders (27.8% vs. 7.4%; p=0.043) when using real-time feedback. Healthcare providers' visual perception of CPR quality is poor. Perceptions of CPR depth are improved by using real-time visual feedback and with prior JIT CPR training. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Biological Model Development as an Opportunity to Provide Content Auditing for the Foundational Model of Anatomy Ontology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lucy L; Grunblatt, Eli; Jung, Hyunggu; Kalet, Ira J; Whipple, Mark E

    2015-01-01

    Constructing a biological model using an established ontology provides a unique opportunity to perform content auditing on the ontology. We built a Markov chain model to study tumor metastasis in the regional lymphatics of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The model attempts to determine regions with high likelihood for metastasis, which guides surgeons and radiation oncologists in selecting the boundaries of treatment. To achieve consistent anatomical relationships, the nodes in our model are populated using lymphatic objects extracted from the Foundational Model of Anatomy (FMA) ontology. During this process, we discovered several classes of inconsistencies in the lymphatic representations within the FMA. We were able to use this model building opportunity to audit the entities and connections in this region of interest (ROI). We found five subclasses of errors that are computationally detectable and resolvable, one subclass of errors that is computationally detectable but unresolvable, requiring the assistance of a content expert, and also errors of content, which cannot be detected through computational means. Mathematical descriptions of detectable errors along with expert review were used to discover inconsistencies and suggest concepts for addition and removal. Out of 106 organ and organ parts in the ROI, 8 unique entities were affected, leading to the suggestion of 30 concepts for addition and 4 for removal. Out of 27 lymphatic chain instances, 23 were found to have errors, with a total of 32 concepts suggested for addition and 15 concepts for removal. These content corrections are necessary for the accurate functioning of the FMA and provide benefits for future research and educational uses.

  11. Comparing consumer-directed and agency models for providing supportive services at home.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benjamin, A E; Matthias, R; Franke, T M

    2000-04-01

    To examine the service experiences and outcomes of low-income Medicaid beneficiaries with disabilities under two different models for organizing home-based personal assistance services: agency-directed and consumer-directed. A survey of a random sample of 1,095 clients, age 18 and over, who receive services in California's In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program funded primarily by Medicaid. Other data were obtained from the California Management and Payrolling System (CMIPS). The sample was stratified by service model (agency-directed or consumer-directed), client age (over or under age 65), and severity. Data were collected on client demographics, condition/functional status, and supportive service experience. Outcome measures were developed in three areas: safety, unmet need, and service satisfaction. Factor analysis was used to reduce multiple outcome measures to nine dimensions. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the effect of service model on each outcome dimension, taking into account the client-provider relationship, client demographics, and case mix. Recipients of IHSS services as of mid-1996 were interviewed by telephone. The survey was conducted in late 1996 and early 1997. On various outcomes, recipients in the consumer-directed model report more positive outcomes than those in the agency model, or they report no difference. Statistically significant differences emerge on recipient safety, unmet needs, and service satisfaction. A family member present as a paid provider is also associated with more positive reported outcomes within the consumer-directed model, but model differences persist even when this is taken into account. Although both models have strengths and weaknesses, from a recipient perspective the consumer-directed model is associated with more positive outcomes. Although health professionals have expressed concerns about the capacity of consumer direction to assure quality, particularly with respect to safety, meeting unmet

  12. Modelling cholera epidemics: the role of waterways, human mobility and sanitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mari, L; Bertuzzo, E; Righetto, L; Casagrandi, R; Gatto, M; Rodriguez-Iturbe, I; Rinaldo, A

    2012-02-07

    We investigate the role of human mobility as a driver for long-range spreading of cholera infections, which primarily propagate through hydrologically controlled ecological corridors. Our aim is to build a spatially explicit model of a disease epidemic, which is relevant to both social and scientific issues. We present a two-layer network model that accounts for the interplay between epidemiological dynamics, hydrological transport and long-distance dissemination of the pathogen Vibrio cholerae owing to host movement, described here by means of a gravity-model approach. We test our model against epidemiological data recorded during the extensive cholera outbreak occurred in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa during 2000-2001. We show that long-range human movement is fundamental in quantifying otherwise unexplained inter-catchment transport of V. cholerae, thus playing a key role in the formation of regional patterns of cholera epidemics. We also show quantitatively how heterogeneously distributed drinking water supplies and sanitation conditions may affect large-scale cholera transmission, and analyse the effects of different sanitation policies.

  13. Modelling cholera epidemics: the role of waterways, human mobility and sanitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mari, L.; Bertuzzo, E.; Righetto, L.; Casagrandi, R.; Gatto, M.; Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.; Rinaldo, A.

    2012-01-01

    We investigate the role of human mobility as a driver for long-range spreading of cholera infections, which primarily propagate through hydrologically controlled ecological corridors. Our aim is to build a spatially explicit model of a disease epidemic, which is relevant to both social and scientific issues. We present a two-layer network model that accounts for the interplay between epidemiological dynamics, hydrological transport and long-distance dissemination of the pathogen Vibrio cholerae owing to host movement, described here by means of a gravity-model approach. We test our model against epidemiological data recorded during the extensive cholera outbreak occurred in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa during 2000–2001. We show that long-range human movement is fundamental in quantifying otherwise unexplained inter-catchment transport of V. cholerae, thus playing a key role in the formation of regional patterns of cholera epidemics. We also show quantitatively how heterogeneously distributed drinking water supplies and sanitation conditions may affect large-scale cholera transmission, and analyse the effects of different sanitation policies. PMID:21752809

  14. On the need and use of models to explore the role of economic confidence:a survey.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sprigg, James A.; Paez, Paul J. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM); Hand, Michael S. (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM)

    2005-04-01

    Empirical studies suggest that consumption is more sensitive to current income than suggested under the permanent income hypothesis, which raises questions regarding expectations for future income, risk aversion, and the role of economic confidence measures. This report surveys a body of fundamental economic literature as well as burgeoning computational modeling methods to support efforts to better anticipate cascading economic responses to terrorist threats and attacks. This is a three part survey to support the incorporation of models of economic confidence into agent-based microeconomic simulations. We first review broad underlying economic principles related to this topic. We then review the economic principle of confidence and related empirical studies. Finally, we provide a brief survey of efforts and publications related to agent-based economic simulation.

  15. The role of information in a lifetime process - a model of weight maintenance by women over long time periods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Judit Bar-Ilan

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. This paper proposes a model of information behaviour of women during their life-long struggle to maintain normal weight. Method. The model is integrative and contextual, built on existing models in information science and several other disciplines, and the life stories of about fifty Israeli women aged 25-55 and interviews with professionals. Analysis. The life stories of the participating women were analyzed qualitatively, major themes and phases were identified. Results. Weight loss and/or maintenance behaviour is a lifetime process in which distinctive stages were identified. In most cases the weight gain - weight loss - maintenance cycle is a recurring cycle. Information is a major resource during the process: several roles of information were defined: enabling, motivating, reinforcing, providing background information related to weight problems and creating the internal cognitive schema related to food and weight. Information behaviour and the roles of information vary with the different stages. Information needs are also influenced by the specific stage of the process. Information gathered at previous cycles is reused, and information gained through previous experience effects behaviour in the current cycle. Conclusion. The model has both theoretical and practical implications.

  16. Investigating the Role of Management Accountants in Indonesia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arief Fadhilah

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Literature highlight the role of management accountants as business partners in managerial decision making process besides the traditional role as information providers. This study investigates the role of management accountants in Indonesia by adopting the DeLone and McLean Information System Success Model (2003. Data were collected by conducting surveys to acquire the perception of managers on the role of management accountants. Using structural equation modeling, the results show that both management accounting information quality and management accounting service quality have significant relationship with user satisfaction. Furthermore, the satisfaction of managers is positively related to net benefits received by managers. Therefore, management accountants in Indonesia may have fulfilled the role as business partners.

  17. Perceptions of Pennsylvania School Librarians Regarding Their Role in Providing Copyright Advice to Students, Teacher, and Administrators in Their School

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kell, Susan E.

    2014-01-01

    This qualitative study examined the perceptions of Pennsylvania school librarians about the role they play in providing copyright guidance to the students, teachers, and administrators in their school during the 2011-2012 school year. Using two electronic mailing lists for Pennsylvania school librarians, the researcher posted an email asking…

  18. The role of computer modelling in participatory integrated assessments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Siebenhuener, Bernd; Barth, Volker

    2005-01-01

    In a number of recent research projects, computer models have been included in participatory procedures to assess global environmental change. The intention was to support knowledge production and to help the involved non-scientists to develop a deeper understanding of the interactions between natural and social systems. This paper analyses the experiences made in three projects with the use of computer models from a participatory and a risk management perspective. Our cross-cutting analysis of the objectives, the employed project designs and moderation schemes and the observed learning processes in participatory processes with model use shows that models play a mixed role in informing participants and stimulating discussions. However, no deeper reflection on values and belief systems could be achieved. In terms of the risk management phases, computer models serve best the purposes of problem definition and option assessment within participatory integrated assessment (PIA) processes

  19. The role of bioenergy in the UK's energy future formulation and modelling of long-term UK bioenergy scenarios

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jablonski, Sophie; Bauen, Ausilio; Strachan, Neil; Brand, Christian

    2010-01-01

    This paper explores the prospects and policy implications for bioenergy to contribute to a long-term sustainable UK energy system. The UK MARKAL technology-focused energy systems dynamic cost optimisation model - which has been used to quantify the costs and benefits of alternative energy strategies in UK policy making - is enhanced with detailed representation of bio-energy chains and end-uses. This provides an important advance in linking bioenergy expert-knowledge with a whole system modelling approach, in order to better understand the potential role of bioenergy in an evolving energy system. The new BIOSYS-MARKAL model is used to run four scenarios constructed along the pillars of UK energy policy objectives (low carbon and energy security). The results are analysed in terms of bioenergy resources use and bioenergy pathways penetration in different end use sectors. The main findings suggest that the complexity of different bioenergy pathways may have been overlooked in previous modelling exercises. A range of bioenergy pathways - notably bio-heat and biofuels for transport - may have a much wider potential role to play. The extent to which this potential is fulfilled will be further determined by resources availability, and market segment constraints, as well as policy measures to improve deployment. (author)

  20. Quantifying the role of woody debris in providing bioenergetically favorable habitat for juvenile salmon

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrison, L.; Hafs, A. W.; Utz, R.; Dunne, T.

    2013-12-01

    The habitat complexity of a riverine ecosystem substantially influences aquatic communities, and especially the bioenergetics of drift feeding fish. We coupled hydrodynamic and bioenergetic models to assess the influence of habitat complexity, generated via large woody debris (LWD) additions, on juvenile Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) growth potential in a river that lacked large wood. Model simulations indicated that LWD diversified the flow field, creating pronounced velocity gradients, which enhanced fish feeding and resting activities at the micro-habitat (sub-meter) scale. Fluid drag created by individual wood structures was increased under higher wood loading rates, leading to a 5-19% reduction in the reach-averaged velocity. We found that wood loading was asymptotically related to the reach-scale growth potential, suggesting that the river became saturated with LWD and additional loading would produce minimal benefit. In our study reach, LWD additions could potentially quadruple the potential growth area available before that limit was reached. Wood depletion in the world's rivers has been widely documented, leading to widespread attempts by river managers to reverse this trend by adding wood to simplified aquatic habitats, though systematic prediction of the effects of wood on fish growth has not been previously accomplished. We offer a quantitative, theory-based approach for assessing the role of wood on habitat potential as it affects fish growth at the micro-habitat and reach-scales. Fig. 1. Predicted flow field and salmon growth potential maps produced from model simulations with no woody debris (Graphs A and D), a low density (Graphs B and E), and a high density (Graphs C and E) of woody debris.

  1. The climate4impact platform: Providing, tailoring and facilitating climate model data access

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pagé, Christian; Pagani, Andrea; Plieger, Maarten; Som de Cerff, Wim; Mihajlovski, Andrej; de Vreede, Ernst; Spinuso, Alessandro; Hutjes, Ronald; de Jong, Fokke; Bärring, Lars; Vega, Manuel; Cofiño, Antonio; d'Anca, Alessandro; Fiore, Sandro; Kolax, Michael

    2017-04-01

    One of the main objectives of climate4impact is to provide standardized web services and tools that are reusable in other portals. These services include web processing services, web coverage services and web mapping services (WPS, WCS and WMS). Tailored portals can be targeted to specific communities and/or countries/regions while making use of those services. Easier access to climate data is very important for the climate change impact communities. To fulfill this objective, the climate4impact (http://climate4impact.eu/) web portal and services has been developed, targeting climate change impact modellers, impact and adaptation consultants, as well as other experts using climate change data. It provides to users harmonized access to climate model data through tailored services. It features static and dynamic documentation, Use Cases and best practice examples, an advanced search interface, an integrated authentication and authorization system with the Earth System Grid Federation (ESGF), a visualization interface with ADAGUC web mapping tools. In the latest version, statistical downscaling services, provided by the Santander Meteorology Group Downscaling Portal, were integrated. An innovative interface to integrate statistical downscaling services will be released in the upcoming version. The latter will be a big step in bridging the gap between climate scientists and the climate change impact communities. The climate4impact portal builds on the infrastructure of an international distributed database that has been set to disseminate the results from the global climate model results of the Coupled Model Intercomparison project Phase 5 (CMIP5). This database, the ESGF, is an international collaboration that develops, deploys and maintains software infrastructure for the management, dissemination, and analysis of climate model data. The European FP7 project IS-ENES, Infrastructure for the European Network for Earth System modelling, supports the European

  2. Developing Students' Reflections on the Function and Status of Mathematical Modeling in Different Scientific Practices: History as a Provider of Cases

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kjeldsen, Tinne Hoff; Blomhøj, Morten

    2013-01-01

    Mathematical models and mathematical modeling play different roles in the different areas and problems in which they are used. The function and status of mathematical modeling and models in the different areas depend on the scientific practice as well as the underlying philosophical and theoretical position held by the modeler(s) and the…

  3. Providing surgical care in Somalia: A model of task shifting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Kathryn M; Ford, Nathan P; Trelles, Miguel

    2011-07-15

    Somalia is one of the most political unstable countries in the world. Ongoing insecurity has forced an inconsistent medical response by the international community, with little data collection. This paper describes the "remote" model of surgical care by Medecins Sans Frontieres, in Guri-El, Somalia. The challenges of providing the necessary prerequisites for safe surgery are discussed as well as the successes and limitations of task shifting in this resource-limited context. In January 2006, MSF opened a project in Guri-El located between Mogadishu and Galcayo. The objectives were to reduce mortality due to complications of pregnancy and childbirth and from violent and non-violent trauma. At the start of the program, expatriate surgeons and anesthesiologists established safe surgical practices and performed surgical procedures. After January 2008, expatriates were evacuated due to insecurity and surgical care has been provided by local Somalian doctors and nurses with periodic supervisory visits from expatriate staff. Between October 2006 and December 2009, 2086 operations were performed on 1602 patients. The majority (1049, 65%) were male and the median age was 22 (interquartile range, 17-30). 1460 (70%) of interventions were emergent. Trauma accounted for 76% (1585) of all surgical pathology; gunshot wounds accounted for 89% (584) of violent injuries. Operative mortality (0.5% of all surgical interventions) was not higher when Somalian staff provided care compared to when expatriate surgeons and anesthesiologists. The delivery of surgical care in any conflict-settings is difficult, but in situations where international support is limited, the challenges are more extreme. In this model, task shifting, or the provision of services by less trained cadres, was utilized and peri-operative mortality remained low demonstrating that safe surgical practices can be accomplished even without the presence of fully trained surgeon and anesthesiologists. If security improves

  4. Probing the role of interfacial waters in protein-DNA recognition using a hybrid implicit/explicit solvation model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Shen; Bradley, Philip

    2013-01-01

    When proteins bind to their DNA target sites, ordered water molecules are often present at the protein-DNA interface bridging protein and DNA through hydrogen bonds. What is the role of these ordered interfacial waters? Are they important determinants of the specificity of DNA sequence recognition, or do they act in binding in a primarily non-specific manner, by improving packing of the interface, shielding unfavorable electrostatic interactions, and solvating unsatisfied polar groups that are inaccessible to bulk solvent? When modeling details of structure and binding preferences, can fully implicit solvent models be fruitfully applied to protein-DNA interfaces, or must the individualistic properties of these interfacial waters be accounted for? To address these questions, we have developed a hybrid implicit/explicit solvation model that specifically accounts for the locations and orientations of small numbers of DNA-bound water molecules while treating the majority of the solvent implicitly. Comparing the performance of this model to its fully implicit counterpart, we find that explicit treatment of interfacial waters results in a modest but significant improvement in protein sidechain placement and DNA sequence recovery. Base-by-base comparison of the performance of the two models highlights DNA sequence positions whose recognition may be dependent on interfacial water. Our study offers large-scale statistical evidence for the role of ordered water for protein DNA recognition, together with detailed examination of several well-characterized systems. In addition, our approach provides a template for modeling explicit water molecules at interfaces that should be extensible to other systems. PMID:23444044

  5. Attributes Enhanced Role-Based Access Control Model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mahmood Rajpoot, Qasim; Jensen, Christian D.; Krishnan, Ram

    2015-01-01

    as an important area of research. In this paper, we propose an access control model that combines the two models in a novel way in order to unify their benefits. Our approach provides a fine-grained access control mechanism that not only takes contextual information into account while making the access control...... decisions but is also suitable for applications where access to resources is controlled by exploiting contents of the resources in the policy....

  6. Comparisons of aerosol optical depth provided by seviri satellite observations and CAMx air quality modelling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernandes, A.; Riffler, M.; Ferreira, J.; Wunderle, S.; Borrego, C.; Tchepel, O.

    2015-04-01

    Satellite data provide high spatial coverage and characterization of atmospheric components for vertical column. Additionally, the use of air pollution modelling in combination with satellite data opens the challenging perspective to analyse the contribution of different pollution sources and transport processes. The main objective of this work is to study the AOD over Portugal using satellite observations in combination with air pollution modelling. For this purpose, satellite data provided by Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infra-Red Imager (SEVIRI) on-board the geostationary Meteosat-9 satellite on AOD at 550 nm and modelling results from the Chemical Transport Model (CAMx - Comprehensive Air quality Model) were analysed. The study period was May 2011 and the aim was to analyse the spatial variations of AOD over Portugal. In this study, a multi-temporal technique to retrieve AOD over land from SEVIRI was used. The proposed method takes advantage of SEVIRI's high temporal resolution of 15 minutes and high spatial resolution. CAMx provides the size distribution of each aerosol constituent among a number of fixed size sections. For post processing, CAMx output species per size bin have been grouped into total particulate sulphate (PSO4), total primary and secondary organic aerosols (POA + SOA), total primary elemental carbon (PEC) and primary inert material per size bin (CRST1 to CRST_4) to be used in AOD quantification. The AOD was calculated by integration of aerosol extinction coefficient (Qext) on the vertical column. The results were analysed in terms of temporal and spatial variations. The analysis points out that the implemented methodology provides a good spatial agreement between modelling results and satellite observation for dust outbreak studied (10th -17th of May 2011). A correlation coefficient of r=0.79 was found between the two datasets. This work provides relevant background to start the integration of these two different types of the data in order

  7. Modelling small groundwater systems - the role of targeted field investigations and observational data in reducing model uncertainty

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abesser, Corinna; Hughes, Andrew; Boon, David

    2017-04-01

    Coastal dunes are delicate systems that are under threat from a variety of human and natural influences. Groundwater modelling can provide a better understanding of how these systems operate and can be a useful tool towards the effective management of a coastal dune system, e.g. through predicting impacts from climatic change, sea level rise and land use management. Because of their small size, typically 10 - 100 km2, models representing small dune aquifer systems are more sensitive to uncertainties in input data, model geometry and model parameterisation as well as to the availability of observational data. This study describes the development of a groundwater flow model for a small (8 km2) spit dune system, Braunton Burrows, on the Southwest coast of England, UK. The system has been extensively studied and its hydrology is thought to be well understood. However, model development revealed a high degree of uncertainty relating to model structure (definition of model boundary conditions) and parameterisation (e.g., transmissivity distributions within the model domain). An iterative approach was employed, integrating (1) sensitivity analyses, (2) targeted field investigations and (3) Monte Carlo simulations within a cycle of repeated interrogation of the model outputs, observed data and conceptual understanding. Assessment of "soft information" and targeted field investigations were an important part of this iterative modelling process. For example, a passive seismic survey (TROMINO®) provided valuable new data for the characterisation of concealed bedrock topography and thickness of superficial deposits. The data confirmed a generally inclined underlying wave cut rock shelf platform (as suggested by literature sources), revealed a buried valley, and led to a more detailed delineation of transmissivity zones within the model domain. Constructing models with increasingly more complex spatial distributions of transmissivity, resulted in considerable improvements in

  8. Data governance for health care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andronis, Katerina; Moysey, Kevin

    2013-01-01

    Data governance is characterised from broader definitions of governance. These characteristics are then mapped to a framework that provides a practical representation of the concepts. This representation is further developed with operating models and roles. Several information related scenarios covering both clinical and non-clinical domains are considered in information terms and then related back to the data governance framework. This assists the reader in understanding how data governance would help address the issues or achieve a better outcome. These elements together enable the reader to gain an understanding of the data governance framework and how it applies in practice. Finally, some practical advice is offered for establishing and operating data governance as well as approaches for justifying the investment.

  9. The Roy Adaptation Model: A Theoretical Framework for Nurses Providing Care to Individuals With Anorexia Nervosa.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jennings, Karen M

    Using a nursing theoretical framework to understand, elucidate, and propose nursing research is fundamental to knowledge development. This article presents the Roy Adaptation Model as a theoretical framework to better understand individuals with anorexia nervosa during acute treatment, and the role of nursing assessments and interventions in the promotion of weight restoration. Nursing assessments and interventions situated within the Roy Adaptation Model take into consideration how weight restoration does not occur in isolation but rather reflects an adaptive process within external and internal environments, and has the potential for more holistic care.

  10. “Stories from No-Man’s Land?” Situated language learning through the use of role models in the context of international Higher Education

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haines, Kevin

    2012-01-01

    This article discusses the value of role models in the language acquisition process of international students following an English as Medium of Instruction (EMI) programme in the Netherlands. Narrative interpretations of qualitative data provide insights into the identity work involved in the use of

  11. Effective communication with primary care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Karen

    2014-08-01

    Effective communication requires direct interaction between the hospitalist and the primary care provider using a standardized method of information exchange with the opportunity to ask questions and assign accountability for follow-up roles. The discharge summary is part of the process but does not provide the important aspects of handoff, such as closed loop communication and role assignments. Hospital discharge is a significant safety risk for patients, with more than half of discharged patients experiencing at least one error. Hospitalist and primary care providers need to collaborate to develop a standardized system to communicate about shared patients that meets handoff requirements. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Challenging Obesity: Patient, Provider, and Expert Perspectives on the Roles of Available and Emerging Nonsurgical Therapies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apovian, Caroline M.; Garvey, W. Timothy; Ryan, Donna H.

    2015-01-01

    Objective Adult obesity is recognized as a chronic disease. According to principles of chronic disease management, healthcare professionals should work collaboratively with patients to determine appropriate therapeutic strategies that address overweight and obesity, specifically considering a patient’s disease status in addition to their individual needs, preferences, and attitudes regarding treatment. A central role and responsibility of healthcare professionals in this process is to inform and educate patients about their treatment options. Although current recommendations for the management of adult obesity provide general guidance regarding safe and proper implementation of lifestyle, pharmacological, and surgical interventions, healthcare professionals need awareness of specific evidence-based information that supports individualized clinical application of these therapies. More specifically, healthcare professionals should be up-to-date on approaches that promote successful lifestyle management and be knowledgeable about newer weight loss pharmacotherapies, so they can offer patients with obesity a wide range of options to personalize their treatment. Accordingly, this educational activity has been developed to provide participants with the latest information on treatment recommendations and therapeutic advances in lifestyle intervention and pharmacotherapy for adult obesity management. Design and Methods This supplement is based on the content presented at a live CME symposium held in conjunction with ObesityWeek 2014. Results This supplement provides an expert summary of current treatment recommendations and recent advances in nonsurgical therapies for the management of adult obesity. Patient and provider perspectives on obesity management are highlighted in embedded video clips available via QR codes, and new evidence will be applied using clinically relevant case studies. Conclusions This supplement provides a topical update of obesity management

  13. A Global Remote Laboratory Experimentation Network and the Experiment Service Provider Business Model and Plans

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tor Ivar Eikaas

    2003-07-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents results from the IST KAII Trial project ReLAX - Remote LAboratory eXperimentation trial (IST 1999-20827, and contributes with a framework for a global remote laboratory experimentation network supported by a new business model. The paper presents this new Experiment Service Provider business model that aims at bringing physical experimentation back into the learning arena, where remotely operable laboratory experiments used in advanced education and training schemes are made available to a global education and training market in industry and academia. The business model is based on an approach where individual experiment owners offer remote access to their high-quality laboratory facilities to users around the world. The usage can be for research, education, on-the-job training etc. The access to these facilities is offered via an independent operating company - the Experiment Service Provider. The Experiment Service Provider offers eCommerce services like booking, access control, invoicing, dispute resolution, quality control, customer evaluation services and a unified Lab Portal.

  14. Applications of the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) to provide input to photochemical grid models for the Lake Michigan Ozone Study (LMOS)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lyons, W.A.; Tremback, C.J.; Pielke, R.A. [ASTeR, Inc., Ft. Collins, CO (United States); Eastman, J.L. [Colorado State Univ., Ft. Collins, CO (United States)

    1994-12-31

    In spite of stringent emission controls, numerous exceedances of the US ozone air quality standard have continued in the Lake Michigan region, especially during the very hot summers of 1987 and 1988. Analyses revealed that exceedances of the 120 PPB hourly standard were 400% more likely at monitors located within 20 km of the lakeshore. While the role of Lake Michigan in exacerbating regional air quality problems has been investigated for almost 20 years, the relative impacts of various phenomena upon regional photochemical air quality have yet to be quantified. In order to design a defensible regional emission control policy, LMOS sponsored the development of a comprehensive regional photochemical modeling system. This is comprised of an emission model, an advanced regional photochemical model, and a prognostic meteorological model.

  15. Providing the meta-model of development of competency using the meta-ethnography approach: Part 2. Synthesis of the available competency development models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahram Yazdani

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Purpose: ConsideringBackground and Purpose: Considering the importance and necessity of competency-based education at a global level and with respect to globalization and the requirement of minimum competencies in medical fields, medical education communities and organizations worldwide have tried to determine the competencies, present frameworks and education models to respond to be sure of the ability of all graduates. In the literature, we observed numerous competency development models that refer to the same issues with different terminologies. It seems that evaluation and synthesis of all these models can finally result in designing a comprehensive meta-model for competency development.Methods: Meta-ethnography is a useful method for synthesis of qualitative research that is used to develop models that interpret the results in several studies. Considering that the aim of this study is to ultimately provide a competency development meta-model, in the previous section of the study, the literature review was conducted to achieve competency development models. Models obtained through the search were studied in details, and the key concepts of the models and overarching concepts were extracted in this section, models’ concepts were reciprocally translated and the available competency development models were synthesized.Results: A presentation of the competency development meta-model and providing a redefinition of the Dreyfus brothers model.Conclusions: Given the importance of competency-based education at a global level and the need to review curricula and competency-based curriculum design, it is required to provide competency development as well as meta-model to be the basis for curriculum development. As there are a variety of competency development models available, in this study, it was tried to develop the curriculum using them.Keywords: Meta-ethnography, Competency development, Meta-model, Qualitative synthesis

  16. Helping parents live with the hole in their heart: The role of health care providers and institutions in the bereaved parents' grief journeys.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Snaman, Jennifer M; Kaye, Erica C; Torres, Carlos; Gibson, Deborah V; Baker, Justin N

    2016-09-01

    Bereaved parents experience significant psychosocial and health sequelae, suggesting that this population may benefit from the ongoing extension of support and resources throughout the grief journey. The interaction of hospital staff with patients and families at the end of a child's life and after death profoundly affects parental grief, offering a unique opportunity for the medical community to positively impact the bereavement experience. The current study was conducted to explore the role of the health care team and medical institutions in the grief journeys of parents whose child died a cancer-related death. Eleven bereaved parents participated in 2 focus groups. Responses to each of the 3 main prompts were coded and analyzed independently using semantic content analysis techniques. Four main concepts were identified within the parental narratives, including the importance of strong and ongoing relationships between providers and bereaved families, the importance of high-quality communication, the effect of negative experiences between providers and families on parental grief, and the importance of the institution's role in the grief journeys of bereaved parents. Bereaved parents consistently identified the critical role played by medical staff and medical institutions throughout the grief journey. Key components of bereavement support identified by parents should serve to guide the actions of providers as well as provide a template for the development of a comprehensive bereavement program within an institution. Cancer 2016. © 2016 American Cancer Society. Cancer 2016;122:2757-2765. © 2016 American Cancer Society. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

  17. Providing Quality Therapeutics in Switzerland: Role of the Stakeholders and Recent Incentives for Further Improvements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besson, Marie; Samer, Caroline; Rollason, Victoria; Dayer, Pierre; Desmeules, Jules

    2015-07-01

    Quality therapeutics play an important role in Switzerland's health care and economy. Switzerland holds a key position in the world of research and development, as well as in drug production. Recently, new emphasis has been placed on promoting clinical research and maintaining Switzerland's position as a center of excellence in the field. Recent revisions to the law regarding medical trials in human research allow for better allocation of regulatory resources and simplified procedures for drugs already authorized in Switzerland. The country has its own regulatory agency, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic), which is a public institution of the Swiss government. Swissmedic is responsible for ensuring safety in medicines, particularly regarding authorizations and market surveillance in the sector of medicinal products and medical devices. Although the centralized authorization procedure of the European Union for medicines does not apply to Switzerland, there are mutual recognition mechanisms between the Swiss medicine regulatory authority and the European Medicines Agency. Swissmedic is also in charge of postmarketing safety and oversees the national pharmacovigilance center, which collaborates closely with the World Health Organization center in Uppsala. In addition, university hospital-based clinical pharmacologists, who are involved in basic science and clinical research, regulatory affairs, ethics committees, and pharmacovigilance, promote quality therapeutics. This article discusses the role of the various stakeholders and the recent efforts made to provide a better allocation of resources aimed at further improving quality therapeutics in Switzerland. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Integrating advanced practice providers into medical critical care teams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarthy, Christine; O'Rourke, Nancy C; Madison, J Mark

    2013-03-01

    Because there is increasing demand for critical care providers in the United States, many medical ICUs for adults have begun to integrate nurse practitioners and physician assistants into their medical teams. Studies suggest that such advanced practice providers (APPs), when appropriately trained in acute care, can be highly effective in helping to deliver high-quality medical critical care and can be important elements of teams with multiple providers, including those with medical house staff. One aspect of building an integrated team is a practice model that features appropriate coding and billing of services by all providers. Therefore, it is important to understand an APP's scope of practice, when they are qualified for reimbursement, and how they may appropriately coordinate coding and billing with other team providers. In particular, understanding when and how to appropriately code for critical care services (Current Procedural Terminology [CPT] code 99291, critical care, evaluation and management of the critically ill or critically injured patient, first 30-74 min; CPT code 99292, critical care, each additional 30 min) and procedures is vital for creating a sustainable program. Because APPs will likely play a growing role in medical critical care units in the future, more studies are needed to compare different practice models and to determine the best way to deploy this talent in specific ICU settings.

  19. Models and role models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ten Cate, J.M.

    2015-01-01

    Developing experimental models to understand dental caries has been the theme in our research group. Our first, the pH-cycling model, was developed to investigate the chemical reactions in enamel or dentine, which lead to dental caries. It aimed to leverage our understanding of the fluoride mode of

  20. A Primer for Model Selection: The Decisive Role of Model Complexity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Höge, Marvin; Wöhling, Thomas; Nowak, Wolfgang

    2018-03-01

    Selecting a "best" model among several competing candidate models poses an often encountered problem in water resources modeling (and other disciplines which employ models). For a modeler, the best model fulfills a certain purpose best (e.g., flood prediction), which is typically assessed by comparing model simulations to data (e.g., stream flow). Model selection methods find the "best" trade-off between good fit with data and model complexity. In this context, the interpretations of model complexity implied by different model selection methods are crucial, because they represent different underlying goals of modeling. Over the last decades, numerous model selection criteria have been proposed, but modelers who primarily want to apply a model selection criterion often face a lack of guidance for choosing the right criterion that matches their goal. We propose a classification scheme for model selection criteria that helps to find the right criterion for a specific goal, i.e., which employs the correct complexity interpretation. We identify four model selection classes which seek to achieve high predictive density, low predictive error, high model probability, or shortest compression of data. These goals can be achieved by following either nonconsistent or consistent model selection and by either incorporating a Bayesian parameter prior or not. We allocate commonly used criteria to these four classes, analyze how they represent model complexity and what this means for the model selection task. Finally, we provide guidance on choosing the right type of criteria for specific model selection tasks. (A quick guide through all key points is given at the end of the introduction.)

  1. Improved workflow modelling using role activity diagram-based modelling with application to a radiology service case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shukla, Nagesh; Keast, John E; Ceglarek, Darek

    2014-10-01

    The modelling of complex workflows is an important problem-solving technique within healthcare settings. However, currently most of the workflow models use a simplified flow chart of patient flow obtained using on-site observations, group-based debates and brainstorming sessions, together with historic patient data. This paper presents a systematic and semi-automatic methodology for knowledge acquisition with detailed process representation using sequential interviews of people in the key roles involved in the service delivery process. The proposed methodology allows the modelling of roles, interactions, actions, and decisions involved in the service delivery process. This approach is based on protocol generation and analysis techniques such as: (i) initial protocol generation based on qualitative interviews of radiology staff, (ii) extraction of key features of the service delivery process, (iii) discovering the relationships among the key features extracted, and, (iv) a graphical representation of the final structured model of the service delivery process. The methodology is demonstrated through a case study of a magnetic resonance (MR) scanning service-delivery process in the radiology department of a large hospital. A set of guidelines is also presented in this paper to visually analyze the resulting process model for identifying process vulnerabilities. A comparative analysis of different workflow models is also conducted. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. The role of networks in business model innovation : three shaping processes supporting cognitive shifts

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oskam, Inge; de Man, Ard-Pieter; Bossink, Bart

    2017-01-01

    Stakeholders and in particular customers are an important source for business model innovation. Especially for sustainable business models, stakeholder integration may radically change the business logic and help to revise the business model. In this process cognition plays a central role,

  3. The Evolving Role of Physicians - Don't Forget the Generalist Primary Care Providers Comment on "Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cubaka, Vincent Kalumire; Schriver, Michael; Flinkenflögel, Maaike; Cotton, Philip

    2016-06-12

    The editorial "Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians" by Eyal et al describes non-physician clinicians' (NPC) need for mentorship and support from physicians. We emphasise the same need of support for front line generalist primary healthcare providers who carry out complex tasks yet may have an inadequate skill mix. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  4. A bridge role metric model for nodes in software networks.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bo Li

    Full Text Available A bridge role metric model is put forward in this paper. Compared with previous metric models, our solution of a large-scale object-oriented software system as a complex network is inherently more realistic. To acquire nodes and links in an undirected network, a new model that presents the crucial connectivity of a module or the hub instead of only centrality as in previous metric models is presented. Two previous metric models are described for comparison. In addition, it is obvious that the fitting curve between the Bre results and degrees can well be fitted by a power law. The model represents many realistic characteristics of actual software structures, and a hydropower simulation system is taken as an example. This paper makes additional contributions to an accurate understanding of module design of software systems and is expected to be beneficial to software engineering practices.

  5. TRANSIT: model for providing generic transportation input for preliminary siting analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McNair, G.W.; Cashwell, J.W.

    1985-02-01

    To assist the US Department of Energy's efforts in potential facility site screening in the nuclear waste management program, a computerized model, TRANSIT, is being developed. Utilizing existing data on the location and inventory characteristics of spent nuclear fuel at reactor sites, TRANSIT derives isopleths of transportation mileage, costs, risks and fleet requirements for shipments to storage sites and/or repository sites. This technique provides a graphic, first-order method for use by the Department in future site screening efforts. 2 refs

  6. The economic role of the Emergency Department in the health care continuum: applying Michael Porter's five forces model to Emergency Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pines, Jesse M

    2006-05-01

    Emergency Medicine plays a vital role in the health care continuum in the United States. Michael Porters' five forces model of industry analysis provides an insight into the economics of emergency care by showing how the forces of supplier power, buyer power, threat of substitution, barriers to entry, and internal rivalry affect Emergency Medicine. Illustrating these relationships provides a view into the complexities of the emergency care industry and offers opportunities for Emergency Departments, groups of physicians, and the individual emergency physician to maximize the relationship with other market players.

  7. Family planning providers' role in offering PrEP to women.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seidman, Dominika; Weber, Shannon; Carlson, Kimberly; Witt, Jacki

    2018-03-09

    Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) provides a radically different HIV prevention option for women. Not only is PrEP the first discrete, woman-controlled method that is taken in advance of exposure, but it is both safe and highly effective, offering over 90% protection if taken daily. While multiple modalities of PrEP are in development ranging from vaginal rings to injectables and implants, only PrEP with oral tenofovir/emtricitabine is currently FDA-approved. Family planning clinics provide key access points for many women to learn about and obtain PrEP. By incorporating PrEP services into family planning care, family planning providers have the opportunity to meet women's expectations, ensure women are aware of and offered comprehensive HIV prevention options, and reverse emerging disparities in PrEP access. Despite real and perceived barriers to integrating PrEP into family planning care, providing PrEP services, ranging from education to onsite provision, is not only possible but an important component of providing high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare to women. Lessons learned from early adopters will help guide those in family planning settings initiating or enhancing PrEP services. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Measuring Provider Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice: Consideration of Organizational Context and Individual Differences

    OpenAIRE

    Aarons, Gregory A.

    2005-01-01

    Mental health provider attitudes toward adoption of innovation in general, and toward evidence-based practice (EBP) in particular, are important in considering how best to disseminate and implement EBPs. This article first explores the role of attitudes in acceptance of innovation and proposes a model of organizational and individual factors that may affect or be affected by attitudes toward adoption of EBP. Next, a recently developed measure of mental health provider attitudes toward adoptio...

  9. Evaluation of the role of access providers. Discussion of Dutch Pirate Bay case law and introducing principles on directness, effectiveness, costs, relevance, and time

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lodder, A.R.; van der Meulen, N.S.

    2013-01-01

    Internet service providers (ISPs) play a pivotal role in contemporary society because they provide access to the Internet. The primary task of ISPs – to blindly transfer information across the network – has recently come under pressure, as has their status as neutral third parties. Both the public

  10. An evaluation of substance misuse treatment providers used by an employee assistance program.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, N A

    1992-05-01

    Structural measures of access, continuity, and quality of substance misuse treatment services were compared in 30 fee-for-service (FFS) facilities and nine health maintenance organizations (HMOs). Probit models related effects of the provider system (FFS or HMO) and the system's structural characteristics to 243 employees' access to and outcomes from treatment. Access was decreased in Independent Practice Association (IPA)/network HMOs and in all facilities which did not employ an addictionologist or provide coordinated treatment services. When bivariate correlations were examined, both use of copayments and imposing limits to the levels of treatment covered were negatively related to access, while a facility's provision of ongoing professional development was positively associated with access. These correlations did not remain significant in the multivariate probits. Receiving treatment in a staff model HMO and facing limits to the levels of treatment covered were negatively associated with attaining sufficient progress, while receiving treatment in a facility which provided ongoing professional development was positively related to progress: these effects did not remain significant in multivariate analyses. Implications for employee assistance program (EAP) staff in their role as case managers and for EAP staff and employers in their shared role as purchasers of treatment are discussed.

  11. Uncertainty, sensitivity analysis and the role of data based mechanistic modeling in hydrology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ratto, M.; Young, P. C.; Romanowicz, R.; Pappenberger, F.; Saltelli, A.; Pagano, A.

    2007-05-01

    In this paper, we discuss a joint approach to calibration and uncertainty estimation for hydrologic systems that combines a top-down, data-based mechanistic (DBM) modelling methodology; and a bottom-up, reductionist modelling methodology. The combined approach is applied to the modelling of the River Hodder catchment in North-West England. The top-down DBM model provides a well identified, statistically sound yet physically meaningful description of the rainfall-flow data, revealing important characteristics of the catchment-scale response, such as the nature of the effective rainfall nonlinearity and the partitioning of the effective rainfall into different flow pathways. These characteristics are defined inductively from the data without prior assumptions about the model structure, other than it is within the generic class of nonlinear differential-delay equations. The bottom-up modelling is developed using the TOPMODEL, whose structure is assumed a priori and is evaluated by global sensitivity analysis (GSA) in order to specify the most sensitive and important parameters. The subsequent exercises in calibration and validation, performed with Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation (GLUE), are carried out in the light of the GSA and DBM analyses. This allows for the pre-calibration of the the priors used for GLUE, in order to eliminate dynamical features of the TOPMODEL that have little effect on the model output and would be rejected at the structure identification phase of the DBM modelling analysis. In this way, the elements of meaningful subjectivity in the GLUE approach, which allow the modeler to interact in the modelling process by constraining the model to have a specific form prior to calibration, are combined with other more objective, data-based benchmarks for the final uncertainty estimation. GSA plays a major role in building a bridge between the hypothetico-deductive (bottom-up) and inductive (top-down) approaches and helps to improve the

  12. Task-role-based Access Control Model in Smart Health-care System

    OpenAIRE

    Wang Peng; Jiang Lingyun

    2015-01-01

    As the development of computer science and smart health-care technology, there is a trend for patients to enjoy medical care at home. Taking enormous users in the Smart Health-care System into consideration, access control is an important issue. Traditional access control models, discretionary access control, mandatory access control, and role-based access control, do not properly reflect the characteristics of Smart Health-care System. This paper proposes an advanced access control model for...

  13. Modelling cholera epidemics: the role of waterways, human mobility and sanitation

    OpenAIRE

    Mari, L.; Bertuzzo, E.; Righetto, L.; Casagrandi, R.; Gatto, M.; Rodriguez-Iturbe, I.; Rinaldo, A.

    2011-01-01

    We investigate the role of human mobility as a driver for long-range spreading of cholera infections, which primarily propagate through hydrologically controlled ecological corridors. Our aim is to build a spatially explicit model of a disease epidemic, which is relevant to both social and scientific issues. We present a two-layer network model that accounts for the interplay between epidemiological dynamics, hydrological transport and long-distance dissemination of the pathogen Vibrio choler...

  14. Do NHS walk-in centres in England provide a model of integrated care?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Salisbury

    2003-08-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: To undertake a comprehensive evaluation of NHS walk-in centres against criteria of improved access, quality, user satisfaction and efficiency. Context: Forty NHS walk-in centres have been opened in England, as part of the UK governments agenda to modernise the NHS. They are intended to improve access to primary care, provide high quality treatment at convenient times, and reduce inappropriate demand on other NHS providers. Care is provided by nurses rather than doctors, using computerised algorithms, and nurses use protocols to supply treatments previously only available from doctors. Data sources: Several linked studies were conducted using different sources of data and methodologies. These included routinely collected data, site visits, patient interviews, a survey of users of walk-in centres, a study using simulated patients to assess quality of care, analysis of consultation rates in NHS services near to walk-in centres, and audit of compliance with protocols. Conclusion & discussion: The findings illustrate many of the issues described in a recent WHO reflective paper on Integrated Care, including tensions between professional judgement and use of protocols, problems with incompatible IT systems, balancing users' demands and needs, the importance of understanding health professionals' roles and issues of technical versus allocative efficiency.

  15. The Evolving Role of Physicians - Don’t Forget the Generalist Primary Care Providers; Comment on “Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vincent Kalumire Cubaka

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The editorial “Non-physician Clinicians in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Evolving Role of Physicians” by Eyal et al describes non-physician clinicians’ (NPC need for mentorship and support from physicians. We emphasise the same need of support for front line generalist primary healthcare providers who carry out complex tasks yet may have an inadequate skill mix.

  16. On the Scene: Developing a Nurse Care Coordinator Role at City of Hope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Shirley A; Giesie, Pamela D; Ireland, Anne M; Rice, Robert David; Thomson, Brenda K

    2016-01-01

    We describe the development of an oncology solid tumor disease-focused care coordination model. Consistent with our strategic plan to provide patient- and family-centered care and to organize care around disease management teams, we developed the role of nurse care coordinator as an integral team member in our care delivery model. Managing a defined high-risk patient population across the care trajectory, these nurses provide stable points of contact and continuity for patients and families as they navigate the complex treatments and systems required to deliver cancer care. We describe role delineation and staffing models; role clarity between the role of the nurse care coordinator and the case manager; core curriculum development; the use of workflow management tools to support the touch points of the patient and members of the care team; and the incorporation of electronic medical records and data streams to inform the care delivery model. We identify measures that we will use to evaluate the success of our program.

  17. Governance: Blending Bureaucratic Rules with Day to Day Operational Realities Comment on "Governance, Government, and the Search for New Provider Models".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chinitz, David P

    2016-05-31

    Richard Saltman and Antonio Duran take up the challenging issue of governance in their article "Governance, Government and the Search for New Provider Models," and use two case studies of health policy changes in Sweden and Spain to shed light on the subject. In this commentary, I seek to link their conceptualization of governance, especially its interrelated roles at the macro, meso, and micro levels of health systems, with the case studies on which they report. While the case studies focus on the shifts in governance between the macro and meso levels and their impacts on achievement of desired policy outcomes, they also highlight the need to better integrate the dynamics of day to day operations within micro organizations into the overall governance picture. © 2016 by Kerman University of Medical Sciences.

  18. A Novel Stackelberg-Bertrand Game Model for Pricing Content Provider

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cheng Zhang

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available With the popularity of smart devices such as smartphone, tablet, contents that traditionally be viewed on a personal computer, can also be viewed on these smart devices. The demand for contents thus is increasing year by year, which makes the content providers (CPs get great revenue from either users’ subscription or advertisement. On the other hand, Internet service providers (ISPs, who keep investing in the network technology or capacity capacity to support the huge traffic generated by contents, do not benefit directly from the content traffic. One choice for ISPs is to charge CPs to share the revenue from the huge content traffic. Then ISPs have enough incentives to invest in network infrastructure to improve quality of services (QoS, which eventually benefit CPs and users. This paper presents a novel economic model called Stackelberg-Bertrand game to capture the interaction and competitions among ISPs, CPs and users when ISPs charge CPs. A generic user demand function is assumed to capture the sensitivity of demand to prices of ISPs and CPs. The numerical results show that the price elasticity of ISP and CP plays an important part on the payoff of the ISP and CP.

  19. Provide a model to improve the performance of intrusion detection systems in the cloud

    OpenAIRE

    Foroogh Sedighi

    2016-01-01

    High availability of tools and service providers in cloud computing and the fact that cloud computing services are provided by internet and deal with public, have caused important challenges for new computing model. Cloud computing faces problems and challenges such as user privacy, data security, data ownership, availability of services, and recovery after breaking down, performance, scalability, programmability. So far, many different methods are presented for detection of intrusion in clou...

  20. Increasing women's aspirations and achievement in science: The effect of role models on implicit cognitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phelan, Julie E.

    This research investigated the role of implicit science beliefs in the gender gap in science aspirations and achievement, with the goal of testing identification with a female role model as a potential intervention strategy for increasing women's representation in science careers. At Time 1, women's implicit science stereotyping (i.e., associating men more than women with science) was linked to more negative (implicit and explicit) attitudes towards science and less identification with science. For men, stereotypes were either non-significantly or positively related to science attitudes and identification. Time 2 examined the influence of implicit and explicit science cognitions on students' science aspirations and achievement, and found that implicit stereotyping, attitudes, and identification were all unique predictors of science aspirations, but not achievement. Of more importance, Time 2 examined the influence of science role models, and found that identification with a role model of either gender reduced women's implicit science stereotyping and increased their positive attitudes toward science. Implications for decreasing the gender gap in advanced science achievement are discussed.

  1. On the Use of Structural Equation Models in Marketing Modeling

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Steenkamp, J.E.B.M.; Baumgartner, H.

    2000-01-01

    We reflect on the role of structural equation modeling (SEM) in marketing modeling and managerial decision making. We discuss some benefits provided by SEM and alert marketing modelers to several recent developments in SEM in three areas: measurement analysis, analysis of cross-sectional data, and

  2. Performative Pedagogy and the Creation of Desire: The Indigenous Athlete/Role Model and Implications for Learning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coram, Stella

    2007-01-01

    The athlete role model has emerged as the new pastor invested with the task of leading young people classed "at-risk" from entering into self-destructive pathways. The logic invested in the athlete role model is that young people identify with their sporting heroes and in the process try to emulate them. This holds for the major sporting…

  3. Impact of Providing Information to Parents in Texas about the Role of Algebra II in College Admission. REL 2018-290

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stoker, Ginger; Mellor, Lynn

    2018-01-01

    This study examines the impact of providing parents with an informational brochure about the role of algebra II in college access on students' grade 11 algebra II completion rates in Texas. One hundred nine schools, covering all 20 Educational Service Center regions in Texas, participated in the study. Parents in the 54 treatment schools were…

  4. Modeling fMRI signals can provide insights into neural processing in the cerebral cortex.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanni, Simo; Sharifian, Fariba; Heikkinen, Hanna; Vigário, Ricardo

    2015-08-01

    Every stimulus or task activates multiple areas in the mammalian cortex. These distributed activations can be measured with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which has the best spatial resolution among the noninvasive brain imaging methods. Unfortunately, the relationship between the fMRI activations and distributed cortical processing has remained unclear, both because the coupling between neural and fMRI activations has remained poorly understood and because fMRI voxels are too large to directly sense the local neural events. To get an idea of the local processing given the macroscopic data, we need models to simulate the neural activity and to provide output that can be compared with fMRI data. Such models can describe neural mechanisms as mathematical functions between input and output in a specific system, with little correspondence to physiological mechanisms. Alternatively, models can be biomimetic, including biological details with straightforward correspondence to experimental data. After careful balancing between complexity, computational efficiency, and realism, a biomimetic simulation should be able to provide insight into how biological structures or functions contribute to actual data processing as well as to promote theory-driven neuroscience experiments. This review analyzes the requirements for validating system-level computational models with fMRI. In particular, we study mesoscopic biomimetic models, which include a limited set of details from real-life networks and enable system-level simulations of neural mass action. In addition, we discuss how recent developments in neurophysiology and biophysics may significantly advance the modelling of fMRI signals. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  5. Non-physician providers of obstetric care in Mexico: Perspectives of physicians, obstetric nurses and professional midwives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    DeMaria Lisa M

    2012-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In Mexico 87% of births are attended by physicians. However, the decline in the national maternal mortality rate has been slower than expected. The Mexican Ministry of Health’s 2009 strategy to reduce maternal mortality gives a role to two non-physician models that meet criteria for skilled attendants: obstetric nurses and professional midwives. This study compares and contrasts these two provider types with the medical model, analyzing perspectives on their respective training, scope of practice, and also their perception and/or experiences with integration into the public system as skilled birth attendants. Methodology This paper synthesizes qualitative research that was obtained as a component of the quantitative and qualitative study that evaluated three models of obstetric care: professional midwives (PM, obstetric nurses (ON and general physicians (GP. A total of 27 individual interviews using a semi-structured guide were carried out with PMs, ONs, GPs and specialists. Interviews were transcribed following the principles of grounded theory, codes and categories were created as they emerged from the data. We analyzed data in ATLAS.ti. Results All provider types interviewed expressed confidence in their professional training and acknowledge that both professional midwives and obstetric nurses have the necessary skills and knowledge to care for women during normal pregnancy and childbirth. The three types of providers recognize limits to their practice, namely in the area of managing complications. We found differences in how each type of practitioner perceived the concept and process of birth and their role in this process. The barriers to incorporation as a model to attend birth faced by PMs and ONs are at the individual, hospital and system level. GPs question their ability and training to handle deliveries, in particular those that become complicated, and the professional midwifery model particularly as it relates to

  6. Factors Influencing Self Employment Media Service Providers ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Factors Influencing Self Employment Media Service Providers among Tertiary ... role stereotype and common business practices on media self employment in ... Sex, Psycho-social Characteristics, self Employment, Providing Media Services.

  7. The mental health consumer movement and peer providers in Israel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moran, G S

    2018-04-16

    Self-help peer-support groups in Israel emerged in the 1980s and, over time, dynamically interacted and co-developed with the statutory mental health (MH) system. In this editorial, I outline historical milestones of how the evolution of the Israeli mental health system was influenced by the consumer movement. A brief depiction of the consumer movement history. At first, consumers operated outside of the mainstream MH system. Gradually, consumer groups and institutional personnel joined efforts towards community integration and enhancement of quality of life, pushing forward a person-centered recovery orientation. In turn, some administrators and key stakeholders in rehabilitation community services grew to value the impact of knowledge-by-experience in contemporary mental health care. In this context, over the past decade, peer roles were developed in the mental health system, including consumer-providers in community services and peer specialists in inpatient psychiatric hospitals. The insertion of peer roles into the mainstream MH system is far-reaching, including the placement of a peer-project coordinator within the ministry of health. I describe the unique contribution of peers, as experts-by-experience, to mainstream professional knowledge and practice. I also highlight the potential challenges involved when peer models of care are added to traditional medical models of care. The Israeli case demonstrates how the consumer movement can play an active role in MH systems and be acknowledged and recognised as a partner for changing policy, practice and reshaping formal institutions. In addition, they play a vital role in the development of peer-support services.

  8. Effectiveness of Video Modeling Provided by Mothers in Teaching Play Skills to Children with Autism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Besler, Fatma; Kurt, Onur

    2016-01-01

    Video modeling is an evidence-based practice that can be used to provide instruction to individuals with autism. Studies show that this instructional practice is effective in teaching many types of skills such as self-help skills, social skills, and academic skills. However, in previous studies, videos used in the video modeling process were…

  9. The Role of Infographics for the Development of Skills for Cognitive Modeling in Education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ivo Damyanov

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Contemporary culture is a visual culture. Visual images become the predominant form of communication. Students should be visually literate and be able to read and use visual language, to decode, interpret and evaluate visual messages successfully, and, last but not least, to encode and compose meaningful visual communication. The combination of modeling with other methods in scientific knowledge increases its potential as a cognitive method. Infographics can play a significant role in the process as tool or target according to the age and cognitive abilities of the students. Information images (infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. The use of infographics as a modeling method can develop different cognitive skills such as interpretation, analysis, assessment, conclusion, explanation, which are all part of the modeling process. In fact, they can be a tool for achieving the next stage of literacy - visual literacy. All this necessitates the exploration of infographics as an instrument in the development of a comprehensive system of cognitive tasks in education related to the formation of skills for modeling. In the paper, six types of cognitive tasks in education are analyzed as well as their relation to the visual literacy competence standards approved by the Association of College & Research Libraries. A comparison of freely available infographics tools is provided and the suitability of different infographics templates is discussed.

  10. Educational role-play: moving beyond entertainment

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duus Henriksen, Thomas

    This paper presents a controversial approach to innovating educational role-play. It is argued that we should stop thinking games as an entertaining mean for facilitating participation, and instead try to see games as a content provider and feedback mechanism. A theoretical model is presented...

  11. A system model of the effects of exercise on plasma Interleukin-6 dynamics in healthy individuals: Role of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morettini, Micaela; Palumbo, Maria Concetta; Sacchetti, Massimo; Castiglione, Filippo; Mazzà, Claudia

    2017-01-01

    Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been recently shown to play a central role in glucose homeostasis, since it stimulates the production and secretion of Glucagon-like Peptide-1 (GLP-1) from intestinal L-cells and pancreas, leading to an enhanced insulin response. In resting conditions, IL-6 is mainly produced by the adipose tissue whereas, during exercise, skeletal muscle contractions stimulate a marked IL-6 secretion as well. Available mathematical models describing the effects of exercise on glucose homeostasis, however, do not account for this IL-6 contribution. This study aimed at developing and validating a system model of exercise's effects on plasma IL-6 dynamics in healthy humans, combining the contributions of both adipose tissue and skeletal muscle. A two-compartment description was adopted to model plasma IL-6 changes in response to oxygen uptake's variation during an exercise bout. The free parameters of the model were estimated by means of a cross-validation procedure performed on four different datasets. A low coefficient of variation (dynamics during exercise and post-exercise were consistent with literature data from exercise protocols differing in intensity, duration and modality. The model successfully emulated the physiological effects of exercise on plasma IL-6 levels and provided a reliable description of the role of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue on the dynamics of plasma IL-6. The system model here proposed is suitable to simulate IL-6 response to different exercise modalities. Its future integration with existing models of GLP-1-induced insulin secretion might provide a more reliable description of exercise's effects on glucose homeostasis and hence support the definition of more tailored interventions for the treatment of type 2 diabetes.

  12. The role of initial values in nonstationary fractional time series models

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, Søren; Nielsen, Morten Ørregaard

    We consider the nonstationary fractional model $\\Delta^{d}X_{t}=\\varepsilon _{t}$ with $\\varepsilon_{t}$ i.i.d.$(0,\\sigma^{2})$ and $d>1/2$. We derive an analytical expression for the main term of the asymptotic bias of the maximum likelihood estimator of $d$ conditional on initial values, and we...... discuss the role of the initial values for the bias. The results are partially extended to other fractional models, and three different applications of the theoretical results are given....

  13. The eSourcing Capability Model for Service Providers: Knowledge Manage-ment across the Sourcing Life-cycle

    OpenAIRE

    Laaksonen, Pekka

    2011-01-01

    Laaksonen, Pekka The eSourcing Capability Model for Service Providers: Knowledge Manage-ment across the Sourcing Life-cycle Jyväskylä: Jyväskylän yliopisto, 2011, 42 s. Tietojärjestelmätiede, kandidaatintutkielma Ohjaaja(t): Käkölä, Timo Tässä kandidaatintutkielmassa selvitettiin sitä, miten the eSourcing Capability Model for Service Providers-mallin käytännöt (practices) ovat liittyneet tietä-myksenhallinnan neljään prosessiin: tiedon luominen, varastointi/noutaminen, jakamine...

  14. Female role models in physics education in Ireland

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chormaic, Síle Nic; Fee, Sandra; Tobin, Laura; Hennessy, Tara

    2013-03-01

    In this paper we consider the statistics on undergraduate student representation in Irish universities and look at student numbers in secondary (high) schools in one region in Ireland. There seems to be no significant change in female participation in physics from 2002 to 2011. Additionally, we have studied the influence of an educator's gender on the prevalence of girls studying physics in secondary schools in Co. Louth, Ireland, and at the postgraduate level in Irish universities. It would appear that strong female role models have a positive influence and lead to an increase in girls' participation in physics.

  15. Modelling intentions to provide smoking cessation support among mental health professionals in the Netherlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blankers, Matthijs; Buisman, Renate; Hopman, Petra; van Gool, Ronald; van Laar, Margriet

    2016-01-01

    Tobacco use prevalence is elevated among people with mental illnesses, leading to elevated rates of premature smoking-related mortality. Opportunities to encourage smoking cessation among them are currently underused by mental health professionals. In this paper, we aim to explore mechanisms to invigorate professionals' intentions to help patients stop smoking. Data stem from a recent staff survey on the provision of smoking cessation support to patients with mental illnesses in the Netherlands. Items and underlying constructs were based on the theory of planned behaviour and literature on habitual behaviour. Data were weighted and only data from staff members with regular patient contact (n = 506) were included. Descriptive statistics of the survey items are presented and in a second step using structural equation modelling (SEM), we regressed the latent variables attitudes, subjective norms (SN), perceived behavioural control (PBC), past cessation support behaviour (PB) and current smoking behaviour on intentions to provide support. In optimisation steps, models comprising a subset of this initial model were evaluated. A sample of 506 mental health workers who had direct contact with patients completed the survey. The majority of them were females (70.0 %), respondents had an average age of 42.5 years (SD = 12.0). Seventy-five percent had at least a BSc educational background. Of the respondents, 76 % indicated that patients should be encouraged more to quit smoking. Respondents were supportive to train their direct colleagues to provide cessation support more often (71 %) and also supported the involvement of mental health care facilities in providing cessation support to patients (69 %). The majority of the respondents feels capable to provide cessation support (66 %). Two thirds of the respondents wants to provide support, however only a minority (35 %) intends to actually do so during the coming year. Next, using SEM an acceptable fit was

  16. Providing comprehensive and consistent access to astronomical observatory archive data: the NASA archive model

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGlynn, Thomas; Fabbiano, Giuseppina; Accomazzi, Alberto; Smale, Alan; White, Richard L.; Donaldson, Thomas; Aloisi, Alessandra; Dower, Theresa; Mazzerella, Joseph M.; Ebert, Rick; Pevunova, Olga; Imel, David; Berriman, Graham B.; Teplitz, Harry I.; Groom, Steve L.; Desai, Vandana R.; Landry, Walter

    2016-07-01

    Since the turn of the millennium a constant concern of astronomical archives have begun providing data to the public through standardized protocols unifying data from disparate physical sources and wavebands across the electromagnetic spectrum into an astronomical virtual observatory (VO). In October 2014, NASA began support for the NASA Astronomical Virtual Observatories (NAVO) program to coordinate the efforts of NASA astronomy archives in providing data to users through implementation of protocols agreed within the International Virtual Observatory Alliance (IVOA). A major goal of the NAVO collaboration has been to step back from a piecemeal implementation of IVOA standards and define what the appropriate presence for the US and NASA astronomy archives in the VO should be. This includes evaluating what optional capabilities in the standards need to be supported, the specific versions of standards that should be used, and returning feedback to the IVOA, to support modifications as needed. We discuss a standard archive model developed by the NAVO for data archive presence in the virtual observatory built upon a consistent framework of standards defined by the IVOA. Our standard model provides for discovery of resources through the VO registries, access to observation and object data, downloads of image and spectral data and general access to archival datasets. It defines specific protocol versions, minimum capabilities, and all dependencies. The model will evolve as the capabilities of the virtual observatory and needs of the community change.

  17. S-nitrosoglutathione reduces tau hyper-phosphorylation and provides neuroprotection in rat model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Won, Je-Seong; Annamalai, Balasubramaniam; Choi, Seungho; Singh, Inderjit; Singh, Avtar K

    2015-10-22

    We have previously reported that treatment of rats subjected to permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (pBCCAO), a model of chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH), with S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO), an endogenous nitric oxide carrier, improved cognitive functions and decreased amyloid-β accumulation in the brains. Since CCH has been implicated in tau hyperphosphorylation induced neurodegeneration, we investigated the role of GSNO in regulation of tau hyperphosphorylation in rat pBCCAO model. The rats subjected to pBCCAO had a significant increase in tau hyperphosphorylation with increased neuronal loss in hippocampal/cortical areas. GSNO treatment attenuated not only the tau hyperphosphorylation, but also the neurodegeneration in pBCCAO rat brains. The pBCCAO rat brains also showed increased activities of GSK-3β and Cdk5 (major tau kinases) and GSNO treatment significantly attenuated their activities. GSNO attenuated the increased calpain activities and calpain-mediated cleavage of p35 leading to production of p25 and aberrant Cdk5 activation. In in vitro studies using purified calpain protein, GSNO treatment inhibited calpain activities while 3-morpholinosydnonimine (a donor of peroxynitrite) treatment increased its activities, suggesting the opposing role of GSNO vs. peroxynitrite in regulation of calpain activities. In pBCCAO rat brains, GSNO treatment attenuated the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression and also reduced the brain levels of nitro-tyrosine formation, thereby indicating the protective role of GSNO in iNOS/nitrosative-stress mediated calpain/tau pathologies under CCH conditions. Taken together with our previous report, these data support the therapeutic potential of GSNO, a biological NO carrier, as a neuro- and cognitive-protective agent under conditions of CCH. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  18. Using peer-assisted learning and role-playing to teach generic skills to dental students: the health care simulation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Tantawi, Maha M A; Abdelaziz, Hytham; AbdelRaheem, Amira S; Mahrous, Ahmed A

    2014-01-01

    Increasing importance is attached to teaching generic skills to undergraduate students in various disciplines. This article describes an extracurricular, student-led activity for teaching generic skills using the Model United Nations over three months. The activity used the Health Care Simulation Model (HCSM) with peer learning and role-playing to accomplish its objectives. An interview was used to select from undergraduate and postgraduate dental students at Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt, to develop a group of staff to act as peer teachers after receiving training (n=77). These peer teachers provided training for 123 undergraduate dental students to serve as delegates who acted as trainees or peer learners. At the end of the training sessions, a conference was held in which the students played the roles of delegates representing officials responsible for health care systems in ten countries. The students reported improvement in generic skills, enjoyed several aspects of the experience, and disliked other aspects of the model to a lesser extent. In multivariate analysis, perceived usefulness of the HCSM was significantly greater for staff than delegates and increased as self-reported improvement in knowledge of health care systems increased. This study suggests that innovative, student-centered educational methods can be effective for teaching generic skills and factual information.

  19. Spdef null mice lack conjunctival goblet cells and provide a model of dry eye.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marko, Christina K; Menon, Balaraj B; Chen, Gang; Whitsett, Jeffrey A; Clevers, Hans; Gipson, Ilene K

    2013-07-01

    Goblet cell numbers decrease within the conjunctival epithelium in drying and cicatrizing ocular surface diseases. Factors regulating goblet cell differentiation in conjunctival epithelium are unknown. Recent data indicate that the transcription factor SAM-pointed domain epithelial-specific transcription factor (Spdef) is essential for goblet cell differentiation in tracheobronchial and gastrointestinal epithelium of mice. Using Spdef(-/-) mice, we determined that Spdef is required for conjunctival goblet cell differentiation and that Spdef(-/-) mice, which lack conjunctival goblet cells, have significantly increased corneal surface fluorescein staining and tear volume, a phenotype consistent with dry eye. Microarray analysis of conjunctival epithelium in Spdef(-/-) mice revealed down-regulation of goblet cell-specific genes (Muc5ac, Tff1, Gcnt3). Up-regulated genes included epithelial cell differentiation/keratinization genes (Sprr2h, Tgm1) and proinflammatory genes (Il1-α, Il-1β, Tnf-α), all of which are up-regulated in dry eye. Interestingly, four Wnt pathway genes were down-regulated. SPDEF expression was significantly decreased in the conjunctival epithelium of Sjögren syndrome patients with dry eye and decreased goblet cell mucin expression. These data demonstrate that Spdef is required for conjunctival goblet cell differentiation and down-regulation of SPDEF may play a role in human dry eye with goblet cell loss. Spdef(-/-) mice have an ocular surface phenotype similar to that in moderate dry eye, providing a new, more convenient model for the disease. Copyright © 2013 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Genomic survey, gene expression analysis and structural modeling suggest diverse roles of DNA methyltransferases in legumes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rohini Garg

    Full Text Available DNA methylation plays a crucial role in development through inheritable gene silencing. Plants possess three types of DNA methyltransferases (MTases, namely Methyltransferase (MET, Chromomethylase (CMT and Domains Rearranged Methyltransferase (DRM, which maintain methylation at CG, CHG and CHH sites. DNA MTases have not been studied in legumes so far. Here, we report the identification and analysis of putative DNA MTases in five legumes, including chickpea, soybean, pigeonpea, Medicago and Lotus. MTases in legumes could be classified in known MET, CMT, DRM and DNA nucleotide methyltransferases (DNMT2 subfamilies based on their domain organization. First three MTases represent DNA MTases, whereas DNMT2 represents a transfer RNA (tRNA MTase. Structural comparison of all the MTases in plants with known MTases in mammalian and plant systems have been reported to assign structural features in context of biological functions of these proteins. The structure analysis clearly specified regions crucial for protein-protein interactions and regions important for nucleosome binding in various domains of CMT and MET proteins. In addition, structural model of DRM suggested that circular permutation of motifs does not have any effect on overall structure of DNA methyltransferase domain. These results provide valuable insights into role of various domains in molecular recognition and should facilitate mechanistic understanding of their function in mediating specific methylation patterns. Further, the comprehensive gene expression analyses of MTases in legumes provided evidence of their role in various developmental processes throughout the plant life cycle and response to various abiotic stresses. Overall, our study will be very helpful in establishing the specific functions of DNA MTases in legumes.

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

    Science.gov (United States)

    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…

  2. PENGEMBANGAN MODEL KOLABORASI JIGSAW ROLE PLAYING SEBAGAI UPAYA PENINGKATAN KEMAMPUAN BEKERJASAMA SISWA KELAS V SD PADA PELAJARAN IPS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ika Ari Pratiwi

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Penelitian bertujuan untuk mengembangkan model kolaborasi jigsaw, role playing untuk meningkatkan kemampuan bekerjasama siswa yang valid, efektif dan praktis. Metode penelitian adalah penelitian dan pengembangan (R&D. Tahap uji coba pengembangan terdiri atas uji coba ahli, uji coba skala terbatas dan uji coba skala luas. Keefektifan model kolaborasi jigsaw role playing  diperoleh rata-rata 51,83 dalam kategori baik diterapkan dalam pelajaran IPS, peningkatan kemampuan bekerjasama siswa hasil N-gain = 0,56 dengan kategori sedang, peningkatan hasil belajar IPS N-gain = 0,50 dengan kategori sedang dan hasil ketuntasan klasikal pembelajaran IPS 97,14%.  Hasil respon guru dan siswa terhadap model yang digunakan adalah berkriteria baik. Model final penelitian ini menghasilkan model kolaborasi jigsaw role playing yang dikemas dalam suatu buku pedoman.

  3. Pairing experimentation and computational modelling to understand the role of tissue inducer cells in the development of lymphoid organs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kieran eAlden

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The use of genetic tools, imaging technologies and ex vivo culture systems has provided significant insights into the role of tissue inducer cells and associated signalling pathways in the formation and function of lymphoid organs. Despite advances in experimental technologies, the molecular and cellular process orchestrating the formation of a complex 3-dimensional tissue is difficult to dissect using current approaches. Therefore, a robust set of simulation tools have been developed to model the processes involved in lymphoid tissue development. Specifically the role of different tissue inducer cell populations in the dynamic formation of Peyer's Patches has been examined. Utilising approaches from critical systems engineering an unbiased model of lymphoid tissue inducer cell function has been developed, that permits the development of emerging behaviours that are statistically not different from that observed in vivo. These results provide the confidence to utilise statistical methods to explore how the simulator predicts cellular behaviour and outcomes under different physiological conditions. Such methods, known as sensitivity analysis techniques, can provide insight into when a component part of the system (such as a particular cell type, adhesion molecule, or chemokine begins to have an influence on observed behaviour, and quantifies the effect a component part has on the end result: the formation of lymphoid tissue. Through use of such a principled approach in the design, calibration, and analysis of a computer simulation, a robust in silico tool can be developed which can both further the understanding of a biological system being explored, and act as a tool for the generation of hypotheses which can be tested utilising experimental approaches.

  4. How a Training Program Is Transforming the Role of Traditional Birth Attendants from Cultural Practitioners to Unique Health-care Providers: A Community Case Study in Rural Guatemala

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sasha Hernandez

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs, where the rates of maternal mortality continue to be inappropriately high, there has been recognition of the importance of training traditional birth attendants (TBAs to help improve outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth. In Guatemala, there is no national comprehensive training program in place despite the fact that the majority of women rely on TBAs during pregnancy and childbirth. This community case study presents a unique education program led by TBAs for TBAs in rural Guatemala. Discussion of this training program focuses on programming implementation, curriculum development, sustainable methodology, and how an educational partnership with the current national health-care system can increase access to health care for women in LMICs. Recent modifications to this training model are also discussed including how a change in the clinical curriculum is further integrating TBAs into the national health infrastructure. The training program has demonstrated that Guatemalan TBAs are able to improve their basic obstetrical knowledge, are capable of identifying and referring early complications of pregnancy and labor, and can deliver basic prenatal care that would otherwise not be provided. This training model is helping transform the role of the TBA from a sole cultural practitioner to a validated health-care provider within the health-care infrastructure of Guatemala and has the potential to do the same in other LMICs.

  5. How a Training Program Is Transforming the Role of Traditional Birth Attendants from Cultural Practitioners to Unique Health-care Providers: A Community Case Study in Rural Guatemala.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Sasha; Oliveira, Jessica Bastos; Shirazian, Taraneh

    2017-01-01

    In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the rates of maternal mortality continue to be inappropriately high, there has been recognition of the importance of training traditional birth attendants (TBAs) to help improve outcomes during pregnancy and childbirth. In Guatemala, there is no national comprehensive training program in place despite the fact that the majority of women rely on TBAs during pregnancy and childbirth. This community case study presents a unique education program led by TBAs for TBAs in rural Guatemala. Discussion of this training program focuses on programming implementation, curriculum development, sustainable methodology, and how an educational partnership with the current national health-care system can increase access to health care for women in LMICs. Recent modifications to this training model are also discussed including how a change in the clinical curriculum is further integrating TBAs into the national health infrastructure. The training program has demonstrated that Guatemalan TBAs are able to improve their basic obstetrical knowledge, are capable of identifying and referring early complications of pregnancy and labor, and can deliver basic prenatal care that would otherwise not be provided. This training model is helping transform the role of the TBA from a sole cultural practitioner to a validated health-care provider within the health-care infrastructure of Guatemala and has the potential to do the same in other LMICs.

  6. Understanding the Role of Chemokines and Cytokines in Experimental Models of Herpes Simplex Keratitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tayaba N. Azher

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Herpes simplex keratitis is a disease of the cornea caused by HSV-1. It is a leading cause of corneal blindness in the world. Underlying molecular mechanism is still unknown, but experimental models have helped give a better understanding of the underlying molecular pathology. Cytokines and chemokines are small proteins released by cells that play an important proinflammatory or anti-inflammatory role in modulating the disease process. Cytokines such as IL-17, IL-6, IL-1α, and IFN-γ and chemokines such as MIP-2, MCP-1, MIP-1α, and MIP-1β have proinflammatory role in the destruction caused by HSV including neutrophil infiltration and corneal inflammation, and other chemokines and cytokines such as IL-10 and CCL3 can have a protective role. Most of the damage results from neutrophil infiltration and neovascularization. While many more studies are needed to better understand the role of these molecules in both experimental models and human corneas, current studies indicate that these molecules hold potential to be targets of future therapy.

  7. A Technology-Neutral Role-Based Collaboration Model for Software Ecosystems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stanciulescu, Stefan; Rabiser, Daniela; Seidl, Christoph

    2016-01-01

    by contributing a role-based collaboration model for software ecosystems to make such implicit similarities explicit and to raise awareness among developers during their ongoing efforts. We extract this model based on realization artifacts in a specific programming language located in a particular source code......In large-scale software ecosystems, many developers contribute extensions to a common software platform. Due to the independent development efforts and the lack of a central steering mechanism, similar functionality may be developed multiple times by different developers. We tackle this problem...... efforts and information of ongoing development efforts. Finally, using the collaborations defined in the formalism we model real artifacts from Marlin, a firmware for 3D printers, and we show that for the selected scenarios, the five collaborations were sufficient to raise awareness and make implicit...

  8. The Role of Economic Strain on Adolescent Delinquency: A Microsocial Process Model

    OpenAIRE

    Low, Sabina; Sinclair, Ryan; Shortt, Joann Wu

    2012-01-01

    The current study examines the role of economic strain as a moderator of the microsocial processes influencing younger siblings’ delinquency (externalizing behavior and substance use) in a longitudinal design. The younger siblings (122 younger brothers and 122 younger sisters) were from 244 families with same-sex biological siblings. Structural equation modeling was utilized to examine a process model whereby mothers’ harsh/inconsistent parenting and older sibling delinquency influence younge...

  9. The role of economic strain on adolescent delinquency: a microsocial process model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, Sabina; Sinclair, Ryan; Shortt, Joann Wu

    2012-08-01

    The current study examines the role of economic strain as a moderator of the microsocial processes influencing younger siblings' delinquency (externalizing behavior and substance use) in a longitudinal design. The younger siblings (122 younger brothers and 122 younger sisters) were from 244 families with same-sex biological siblings. Structural equation modeling was utilized to examine a process model whereby mothers' harsh/inconsistent parenting and older sibling delinquency influence younger siblings' delinquent behavior via sibling aggression and delinquent peer affiliation. Findings suggest that indirect mechanisms vary as a function of economic strain, with sibling aggression having a stronger, more detrimental effect on adolescent delinquency in economically strained families. Data suggest that familial economic conditions contextualize the relative roles of parenting, sibling, and peer processes in the transmission of risk to adolescent delinquency. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved.

  10. Field Validation of the Host Country National Liaison Role

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    van Bakel, Marian; Andersen, Torben; Vance, Charles

    resource for guiding the selection, training, and management of HCNL performance to ultimately benefit the local subsidiary. However, although the development of this local HCNL role model was based both on theoretical constructs and the authors’ international experience, it remains to be validated......Recent conceptual work by Vance et al. (2014) has explored various aspects of the important liaison role of HCN managers and other HCN support staff between the assigned expatriate and local employees as well as the surrounding host country work environment. They identified five different...... components for this important HCNL role, including cultural interpreter, communication manager, information resource broker, talent manager, and internal change agent. They further identified specific behavioral functions for each role component. This behavior-based model provides a potentially valuable...

  11. Collaboration using roles. [in computer network security

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bishop, Matt

    1990-01-01

    Segregation of roles into alternative accounts is a model which provides not only the ability to collaborate but also enables accurate accounting of resources consumed by collaborative projects, protects the resources and objects of such a project, and does not introduce new security vulnerabilities. The implementation presented here does not require users to remember additional passwords and provides a very simple consistent interface.

  12. Centromeric DNA characterization in the model grass Brachypodium distachyon provides insights on the evolution of the genus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yinjia; Zuo, Sheng; Zhang, Zhiliang; Li, Zhanjie; Han, Jinlei; Chu, Zhaoqing; Hasterok, Robert; Wang, Kai

    2018-03-01

    Brachypodium distachyon is a well-established model monocot plant, and its small and compact genome has been used as an accurate reference for the much larger and often polyploid genomes of cereals such as Avena sativa (oats), Hordeum vulgare (barley) and Triticum aestivum (wheat). Centromeres are indispensable functional units of chromosomes and they play a core role in genome polyploidization events during evolution. As the Brachypodium genus contains about 20 species that differ significantly in terms of their basic chromosome numbers, genome size, ploidy levels and life strategies, studying their centromeres may provide important insight into the structure and evolution of the genome in this interesting and important genus. In this study, we isolated the centromeric DNA of the B. distachyon reference line Bd21 and characterized its composition via the chromatin immunoprecipitation of the nucleosomes that contain the centromere-specific histone CENH3. We revealed that the centromeres of Bd21 have the features of typical multicellular eukaryotic centromeres. Strikingly, these centromeres contain relatively few centromeric satellite DNAs; in particular, the centromere of chromosome 5 (Bd5) consists of only ~40 kb. Moreover, the centromeric retrotransposons in B. distachyon (CRBds) are evolutionarily young. These transposable elements are located both within and adjacent to the CENH3 binding domains, and have similar compositions. Moreover, based on the presence of CRBds in the centromeres, the species in this study can be grouped into two distinct lineages. This may provide new evidence regarding the phylogenetic relationships within the Brachypodium genus. © 2018 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  13. The Other partner: The changing role of good provider for men's union formation in industrialized countries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Goldscheider, Frances

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available EnglishMost studies of union formation behaviors have focused on women and children,with less emphasis on men. Using comparable retrospective survey data, this study looks at the waysCanadian, Italian and Swedish men begin conjugal life (distinguishing between marriage andcohabitation and at how the effects of their good provider status qualifications have changed in thelast 30 years. Results for Canadian men have shown that the simple patterns that have been assumed toshape separate and symmetrical roles for men and women are taking new shapes with the growth incohabitation and changes in women's economic roles. Our study will extend these results to examine twocountries at very different levels of cohabitation prevalence: Italy, where the growth in cohabitationhas just begun, and Sweden, where it has been underway much longer than in Canada. Our results showstrongly parallel changes underway in each country, indicating that it is important to continue tocompare, both between countries and over time, if we are to understand the situations fostering (ornot changing gender roles for men as good providers.FrenchLa plupart des études sur les comportements durant le passage à la vie de coupleont porté sur les femmes et les enfants, avec moins d’emphase sur le comportement des hommes. En se servant de données comparables d’enquêtesrétrospectives, cet article examine les différentes façons dont les Canadiens, lesItaliens et les Suédois commencent leur vie conjugale (en distinguant entre lemarriage et la cohabitation ainsi que les effets causés par les changements destrente dernières années dans leur statut de pourvoyeur. Chez les Canadiens, lesrésultats démontrent que les habitudes de vie qui avaient été prises pour modelerdes rôles masculins et féminins séparés et symétriques sont en train de prendrede nouvelles formes, avec une croissance dans les taux de cohabitation et deschangements dans les rôles économiques des femmes

  14. The dynamic information architecture system : a simulation framework to provide interoperability for process models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hummel, J. R.; Christiansen, J. H.

    2002-01-01

    As modeling and simulation becomes a more important part of the day-to-day activities in industry and government, organizations are being faced with the vexing problem of how to integrate a growing suite of heterogeneous models both within their own organizations and between organizations. The Argonne National Laboratory, which is operated by the University of Chicago for the United States Department of Energy, has developed the Dynamic Information Architecture System (DIAS) to address such problems. DIAS is an object-oriented, subject domain independent framework that is used to integrate legacy or custom-built models and applications. In this paper we will give an overview of the features of DIAS and give examples of how it has been used to integrate models in a number of applications. We shall also describe some of the key supporting DIAS tools that provide seamless interoperability between models and applications

  15. Mobile-based patient-provider communication in cancer survivors: The roles of health literacy and patient activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Shaohai; Hong, Y Alicia

    2018-03-01

    Thanks to rapid penetration of mobile tools, more and more cancer survivors have adopted mobile-based patient-provider communication (MBPPC). The relationship between MBPPC and patients' health outcomes, however, remains unclear; how health literacy and patient activation interact with such relationship is unexplored. Data were drawn from National Cancer Institute's Health Information National Trends Survey 4 Cycle 3. A sample of 459 cancer survivors were included in the analysis. Based on the 3-stage model of health promotion using interactive media, this study empirically tested a moderated mediation model. MBPPC (eg, patient use of email, text message, mobile app, and social media to communicate with providers) had no direct effect on cancer survivors' emotional health. Instead, health literacy completely mediated this path. Patient activation positively moderated the effect of health literacy on emotional health and further increased the indirect effect of MBPPC on emotional health. MBPPC alone does not directly result in better emotional health outcomes; health literacy is the key to realize its health benefits; patient activation significantly strengthens the effects of MBPPC. As we embrace the mHealth movement, innovative programs are needed to promote MBPPC, and improve health literacy and activation of cancer survivors, particularly in underserved communities, to reduce health disparities. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Keeping experience at the bedside: the emergency consultant nurse role.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Currie, Jane

    The consultant nurse concept has not yet been transferred to the military setting. The motivation for developing the role in the NHS was to improve the quality of patient care by strengthening professional leadership and extending the clinical career ladder. The consultant nurse may be defined as an expert in their clinical field, possessing expert leadership and visionary skills. The role is based on four domains: expert practice, professional leadership, education and research. Typically, the emergency consultant nurse spends 50% of their time working clinically, thereby providing senior clinical expertise and adding value to the clinical role. In a military context the consultant nurse role could be perceived as the coming together of the senior command and administrative role and the clinical role. The military has the opportunity to develop a senior clinical emergency nurse role encompassing elements of the civilian consultant nurse model, which may strengthen leadership, provide a central resource of expertise and raise the profile of military nursing. This has the added potential to provide inspiration for junior nurses and retain experienced emergency nurses in the clinical arena.

  17. The role of medical staff in providing patients rights.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masic, Izet; Izetbegovic, Sebija

    2014-01-01

    Among the priority basic human rights, without a doubt, are the right to life and health-social protection. The process of implementation of human rights in the everyday life of an ordinary citizen in the post-war recovery of Bosnia and Herzegovina faces huge objective and subjective difficulties. Citizens need to be affordable adequate healthcare facilities that will be open to all on equal terms. The term hospital activity implies a set of measures, activities and procedures that are undertaken for the purpose of treatment, diagnosis and medical rehabilitation of patients in the respective health institutions. Principles of hospital care should include: Comprehensiveness (Hospital care is available to all citizens equally); Continuity (Provided is continuous medical care to all users); Availability (Provided approximately equal protection of rights for all citizens). Education of health professionals: The usual threats to patient safety include medical errors, infections occurred in the hospital, unnecessary exposure to high doses of radiation and the use of the wrong drug. Everyday continuing education in the profession of a doctor is lifelong.

  18. Creating a market: an economic analysis of the purchaser-provider model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shackley, P; Healey, A

    1993-09-01

    The focus of this paper is the extent to which the purchaser-provider split and the creation of a market in the provision of health care can be expected to bring about greater efficiency within the new NHS. The starting point is a theoretical discussion of markets and competition. In particular, emphasis is placed upon the economic model of perfect competition. It is argued that because of the existence of externalities, uncertainty and a lack of perfect information, an unregulated market in health care will almost certainly fail. In view of this, the imperfect provider markets of monopoly and contestable markets, which are of particular relevance to health care, are discussed. A description of the new health care market and the principal actors within it is followed by an evaluation of the new health care market. It is argued that in view of the restrictions to competition that exist between providers, some form of price regulation will be necessary to prevent monopolistic behaviour in the hospital sector. Regulation of purchasers is also suggested as a means of improving efficiency. It is concluded that competition may be a necessary condition for increased efficiency in health care provision, but is not sufficient in itself. Other incentives in the hospital sector are necessary to assist the market process and to enhance its impact on efficiency.

  19. Results of an Oncology Clinical Trial Nurse Role Delineation Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Purdom, Michelle A; Petersen, Sandra; Haas, Barbara K

    2017-09-01

    To evaluate the relevance of a five-dimensional model of clinical trial nursing practice in an oncology clinical trial nurse population. 
. Web-based cross-sectional survey.
. Online via Qualtrics.
. 167 oncology nurses throughout the United States, including 41 study coordinators, 35 direct care providers, and 91 dual-role nurses who provide direct patient care and trial coordination.
. Principal components analysis was used to determine the dimensions of oncology clinical trial nursing practice.
. Self-reported frequency of 59 activities.
. The results did not support the original five-dimensional model of nursing care but revealed a more multidimensional model.
. An analysis of frequency data revealed an eight-dimensional model of oncology research nursing, including care, manage study, expert, lead, prepare, data, advance science, and ethics.
. This evidence-based model expands understanding of the multidimensional roles of oncology nurses caring for patients with cancer enrolled in clinical trials.

  20. A study comparing public and medical librarians' perceptions of the role and duties of health information-providing librarians.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noh, Younghee

    2015-12-01

    This study proposed to define the role and duties of librarians who provide health information service in public and medical libraries. Appropriate education, career experience and starting salary for this position are also presented. This study analysed previous research and job advertisements to understand the current needs for this position. Almost all job advertisements studied were eventually retrieved from Salary.com (US job posting site). Public libraries seeking to fill health informationist positions were even more difficult to find in any of the above locations. Therefore, the researcher attempted to find cases using various search engines, including Google, and noticed that public libraries usually post job advertisements on their website. Finally, 32 job postings were selected as suitable. Fifty-four public and medical librarians were surveyed to validate the results in Korea. Public librarians chose 'health information librarian' as the most appropriate title for this position, while medical librarians answered 'medical librarian'. Therefore, librarians providing health information service in public libraries should be called 'health information librarians', while the position in medical libraries should be called 'medical librarian'. Accordingly, job postings and academic articles will be easily accessible. Both groups marked that the position should require a bachelor's degree in both LIS and a health science field, 2 years library experience and health-related user training. Other requirements included knowledge of health resources and medical terminology, search capabilities and a focus on user-centric service. For required duties, public librarians chose accessing information resources, while medical librarians selected collection management. Health information librarians will play a vital role in the future and must therefore be educated accordingly. © 2015 Health Libraries Group.

  1. The Use of Role Play in the Training of Hypnotherapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanders, Shirley

    A model has been developed for using role play in the supervision and training of hypnotherapy. Specific techniques can be role played by trainee and supervisor which can enable the trainee to develop skill and confidence in the use of hypnotic techniques. Hypnotic induction, listening, observing and providing feedback, relaxation,…

  2. Glycogen metabolism has a key role in the cancer microenvironment and provides new targets for cancer therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zois, Christos E; Harris, Adrian L

    2016-02-01

    Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer cells and contributes to their adaption within the tumour microenvironment and resistance to anticancer therapies. Recently, glycogen metabolism has become a recognised feature of cancer cells since it is upregulated in many tumour types, suggesting that it is an important aspect of cancer cell pathophysiology. Here, we provide an overview of glycogen metabolism and its regulation, with a focus on its role in metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells under stress conditions such as hypoxia, glucose deprivation and anticancer treatment. The various methods to detect glycogen in tumours in vivo as well as pharmacological modulators of glycogen metabolism are also reviewed. Finally, we discuss the therapeutic value of targeting glycogen metabolism as a strategy for combinational approaches in cancer treatment.

  3. Role of equipotential and equidensity surfaces for constructing models of galaxies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kutuzov, S.A.; Osipkov, L.P.

    1987-01-01

    The role played by the specification of the equipotential surfaces and equidensity surfaces in the general problem of constructing models of galaxies is examined. If the equipotential surfaces are specified, Poisson's equation makes it possible to find the spatial density from the circular velocity. The problem of determining the potential and the spatial density from the equatorial density is considered. If equidensity surfaces are specified, then the kernel of the integral equation that relates the density to the circular velocity can be determined. The corresponding expressions for known models are obtained

  4. What role can simulation model predictions play in environmental decisions: carbon dioxide as an example

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Emanuel, W.R.

    1979-01-01

    Frequently, when an environmental issue requiring quantitative analysis surfaces, the development of a model synthesizing all aspects of the problem and applicable at each stage of the decision process is proposed. A more desirable alternative is to generate models specifically designed to meet the requirements of each level in decision making and which can be adapted in response to the changing status of the environmental issue. Various models of the global carbon cycle constructed to predict levels of CO 2 in the atmosphere as a result of man's activities are described to illustrate this point. In summary, the progression of models developed to analyze the global carbon cycle in resolving the CO 2 /climate issue indicates the changing character of models depending on the immediate role they play in environmental decision making. The dominant and successful role served by models in the carbon cycle problem points to the desirability of this flexible approach

  5. A Mid-Level Dental Provider in Oregon: Dental hygienists' perceptions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coplen, Amy E; Bell, Kathryn; Aamodt, Gail L; Ironside, Lynn

    2017-10-01

    Purpose: Many states are exploring alternative provider models and examining the role of the dental hygienist to address access to care challenges as the United States continues to face increasing demands for oral healthcare services. The purpose of this study was to assess dental hygienists' opinions in the state of Oregon regarding the current limitations of dental hygienists' scope of practice, perceived need for a mid-level provider in Oregon, and personal interest in becoming a mid-level provider. Methods: In December 2013 a survey was mailed to a sample of 1,231 dental hygienists registered in Oregon representing 30% of the licentiates. All licentiates holding expanded practice permits (EPP) were included in the sample (n=351). The following categories were included in the 32-question survey: scope of practice, mid-level provider, current practice, and demographics. Results: A total of 440 surveys were returned for a response rate of 36%. Of the EPP holders, 51% responded to the survey. Over half of respondents (59%) believe that a mid-level provider is needed in the state. Respondents holding membership in the American Dental Hygienists' Association, as well as EPP holders, were significantly more likely to respond that a mid-level dental provider was needed in the state (plevel provider was introduced in Oregon, the new provider should be a registered dental hygienist model. Forty-three percent (n=186) of respondents were interested in becoming mid-level providers and 47% (n=203) of respondents believed that the minimum education for a mid-level provider should be a bachelor's degree. The majority, 74% (n=137), of those interested in becoming a mid-level provider indicated a preference in completing their education through online teaching combined with a clinical internship. Conclusion: There is strong support from dental hygienists in Oregon that a need exists for a mid-level dental provider and that this provider model should be dental hygiene based

  6. The Role of Architectural and Learning Constraints in Neural Network Models: A Case Study on Visual Space Coding.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Testolin, Alberto; De Filippo De Grazia, Michele; Zorzi, Marco

    2017-01-01

    The recent "deep learning revolution" in artificial neural networks had strong impact and widespread deployment for engineering applications, but the use of deep learning for neurocomputational modeling has been so far limited. In this article we argue that unsupervised deep learning represents an important step forward for improving neurocomputational models of perception and cognition, because it emphasizes the role of generative learning as opposed to discriminative (supervised) learning. As a case study, we present a series of simulations investigating the emergence of neural coding of visual space for sensorimotor transformations. We compare different network architectures commonly used as building blocks for unsupervised deep learning by systematically testing the type of receptive fields and gain modulation developed by the hidden neurons. In particular, we compare Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs), which are stochastic, generative networks with bidirectional connections trained using contrastive divergence, with autoencoders, which are deterministic networks trained using error backpropagation. For both learning architectures we also explore the role of sparse coding, which has been identified as a fundamental principle of neural computation. The unsupervised models are then compared with supervised, feed-forward networks that learn an explicit mapping between different spatial reference frames. Our simulations show that both architectural and learning constraints strongly influenced the emergent coding of visual space in terms of distribution of tuning functions at the level of single neurons. Unsupervised models, and particularly RBMs, were found to more closely adhere to neurophysiological data from single-cell recordings in the primate parietal cortex. These results provide new insights into how basic properties of artificial neural networks might be relevant for modeling neural information processing in biological systems.

  7. Factors influencing residents' evaluations of clinical faculty member teaching qualities and role model status.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arah, Onyebuchi A; Heineman, Maas J; Lombarts, Kiki M J M H

    2012-04-01

      Evaluations of faculty members are widely used to identify excellent or substandard teaching performance. In order to enable such evaluations to be properly interpreted and used in faculty development, it is essential to understand the factors that influence resident doctors' (residents) evaluations of the teaching qualities of faculty members and their perceptions of faculty members as role-model specialists.   We carried out a cross-sectional survey within a longitudinal study of the System for Evaluation of Teaching Qualities (SETQ) of clinical teachers. The study sample included 889 residents and 1014 faculty members in 61 teaching programmes spanning 22 specialties in 20 hospitals in the Netherlands. Main outcome measures included residents' (i) global and (ii) specific ratings of faculty member teaching qualities, and (iii) global ratings of faculty members as role-model specialists. Statistical analysis was conducted using adjusted multivariable logistic generalised estimating equations.   In total, 690 residents (77.6%) completed 6485 evaluations of 962 faculty members, 848 (83.6%) of whom also self-evaluated. More recently certified faculty members, those who had attended a teacher training programme, and those who spent more time teaching than seeing patients or conducting research were more likely to score highly on most teaching qualities. However, faculty members who had undergone teacher training were less likely to be seen as role models (odds ratio [OR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.59-0.88). In addition, faculty members were evaluated slightly higher by male than female residents on core teaching domains and overall teaching quality, but were less likely to be seen as role models by male residents (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.67-0.97). Lastly, faculty members had higher odds of receiving top scores in specific teaching domains from residents in the first 4 years of residency and were less likely to be considered as role models by more

  8. The Role of Neutrophil Myeloperoxidase in Models of Lung Tumor Development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rymaszewski, Amy L.; Tate, Everett; Yimbesalu, Joannes P.; Gelman, Andrew E.; Jarzembowski, Jason A.; Zhang, Hao; Pritchard, Kirkwood A. Jr.; Vikis, Haris G.

    2014-01-01

    Chronic inflammation plays a key tumor-promoting role in lung cancer. Our previous studies in mice demonstrated that neutrophils are critical mediators of tumor promotion in methylcholanthrene (MCA)-initiated, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-promoted lung carcinogenesis. In the present study we investigated the role of neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in this inflammation promoted model. Increased levels of MPO protein and activity were present in the lungs of mice administered BHT. Treatment of mice with N-acetyl lysyltyrosylcysteine amide (KYC), a novel tripeptide inhibitor of MPO, during the inflammatory stage reduced tumor burden. In a separate tumor model, KYC treatment of a Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) tumor graft in mice had no effect on tumor growth, however, mice genetically deficient in MPO had significantly reduced LLC tumor growth. Our observations suggest that MPO catalytic activity is critical during the early stages of tumor development. However, during the later stages of tumor progression, MPO expression independent of catalytic activity appears to be required. Our studies advocate for the use of MPO inhibitors in a lung cancer prevention setting

  9. The role of neutrophil myeloperoxidase in models of lung tumor development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rymaszewski, Amy L; Tate, Everett; Yimbesalu, Joannes P; Gelman, Andrew E; Jarzembowski, Jason A; Zhang, Hao; Pritchard, Kirkwood A; Vikis, Haris G

    2014-05-09

    Chronic inflammation plays a key tumor-promoting role in lung cancer. Our previous studies in mice demonstrated that neutrophils are critical mediators of tumor promotion in methylcholanthrene (MCA)-initiated, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-promoted lung carcinogenesis. In the present study we investigated the role of neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in this inflammation promoted model. Increased levels of MPO protein and activity were present in the lungs of mice administered BHT. Treatment of mice with N-acetyl lysyltyrosylcysteine amide (KYC), a novel tripeptide inhibitor of MPO, during the inflammatory stage reduced tumor burden. In a separate tumor model, KYC treatment of a Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) tumor graft in mice had no effect on tumor growth, however, mice genetically deficient in MPO had significantly reduced LLC tumor growth. Our observations suggest that MPO catalytic activity is critical during the early stages of tumor development. However, during the later stages of tumor progression, MPO expression independent of catalytic activity appears to be required. Our studies advocate for the use of MPO inhibitors in a lung cancer prevention setting.

  10. The Role of Neutrophil Myeloperoxidase in Models of Lung Tumor Development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rymaszewski, Amy L.; Tate, Everett; Yimbesalu, Joannes P. [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and MCW Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (United States); Gelman, Andrew E. [Department of Surgery, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States); Jarzembowski, Jason A. [Department of Pathology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (United States); Zhang, Hao; Pritchard, Kirkwood A. Jr. [Department of Surgery and MCW Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (United States); Vikis, Haris G., E-mail: hvikis@mcw.edu [Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology and MCW Cancer Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI 53226 (United States)

    2014-05-09

    Chronic inflammation plays a key tumor-promoting role in lung cancer. Our previous studies in mice demonstrated that neutrophils are critical mediators of tumor promotion in methylcholanthrene (MCA)-initiated, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT)-promoted lung carcinogenesis. In the present study we investigated the role of neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity in this inflammation promoted model. Increased levels of MPO protein and activity were present in the lungs of mice administered BHT. Treatment of mice with N-acetyl lysyltyrosylcysteine amide (KYC), a novel tripeptide inhibitor of MPO, during the inflammatory stage reduced tumor burden. In a separate tumor model, KYC treatment of a Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) tumor graft in mice had no effect on tumor growth, however, mice genetically deficient in MPO had significantly reduced LLC tumor growth. Our observations suggest that MPO catalytic activity is critical during the early stages of tumor development. However, during the later stages of tumor progression, MPO expression independent of catalytic activity appears to be required. Our studies advocate for the use of MPO inhibitors in a lung cancer prevention setting.

  11. The Role of Neutrophil Myeloperoxidase in Models of Lung Tumor Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amy L. Rymaszewski

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Chronic inflammation plays a key tumor-promoting role in lung cancer. Our previous studies in mice demonstrated that neutrophils are critical mediators of tumor promotion in methylcholanthrene (MCA-initiated, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT-promoted lung carcinogenesis. In the present study we investigated the role of neutrophil myeloperoxidase (MPO activity in this inflammation promoted model. Increased levels of MPO protein and activity were present in the lungs of mice administered BHT. Treatment of mice with N-acetyl lysyltyrosylcysteine amide (KYC, a novel tripeptide inhibitor of MPO, during the inflammatory stage reduced tumor burden. In a separate tumor model, KYC treatment of a Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC tumor graft in mice had no effect on tumor growth, however, mice genetically deficient in MPO had significantly reduced LLC tumor growth. Our observations suggest that MPO catalytic activity is critical during the early stages of tumor development. However, during the later stages of tumor progression, MPO expression independent of catalytic activity appears to be required. Our studies advocate for the use of MPO inhibitors in a lung cancer prevention setting.

  12. Using probability modelling and genetic parentage assignment to test the role of local mate availability in mating system variation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blyton, Michaela D J; Banks, Sam C; Peakall, Rod; Lindenmayer, David B

    2012-02-01

    The formal testing of mating system theories with empirical data is important for evaluating the relative importance of different processes in shaping mating systems in wild populations. Here, we present a generally applicable probability modelling framework to test the role of local mate availability in determining a population's level of genetic monogamy. We provide a significance test for detecting departures in observed mating patterns from model expectations based on mate availability alone, allowing the presence and direction of behavioural effects to be inferred. The assessment of mate availability can be flexible and in this study it was based on population density, sex ratio and spatial arrangement. This approach provides a useful tool for (1) isolating the effect of mate availability in variable mating systems and (2) in combination with genetic parentage analyses, gaining insights into the nature of mating behaviours in elusive species. To illustrate this modelling approach, we have applied it to investigate the variable mating system of the mountain brushtail possum (Trichosurus cunninghami) and compared the model expectations with the outcomes of genetic parentage analysis over an 18-year study. The observed level of monogamy was higher than predicted under the model. Thus, behavioural traits, such as mate guarding or selective mate choice, may increase the population level of monogamy. We show that combining genetic parentage data with probability modelling can facilitate an improved understanding of the complex interactions between behavioural adaptations and demographic dynamics in driving mating system variation. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  13. The extended RBAC model based on grid computing

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    CHEN Jian-gang; WANG Ru-chuan; WANG Hai-yan

    2006-01-01

    This article proposes the extended role-based access control (RBAC) model for solving dynamic and multidomain problems in grid computing, The formulated description of the model has been provided. The introduction of context and the mapping relations of context-to-role and context-to-permission help the model adapt to dynamic property in grid environment.The multidomain role inheritance relation by the authorization agent service realizes the multidomain authorization amongst the autonomy domain. A function has been proposed for solving the role inheritance conflict during the establishment of the multidomain role inheritance relation.

  14. Provider-Independent Use of the Cloud

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harmer, Terence; Wright, Peter; Cunningham, Christina; Perrott, Ron

    Utility computing offers researchers and businesses the potential of significant cost-savings, making it possible for them to match the cost of their computing and storage to their demand for such resources. A utility compute provider enables the purchase of compute infrastructures on-demand; when a user requires computing resources a provider will provision a resource for them and charge them only for their period of use of that resource. There has been a significant growth in the number of cloud computing resource providers and each has a different resource usage model, application process and application programming interface (API)-developing generic multi-resource provider applications is thus difficult and time consuming. We have developed an abstraction layer that provides a single resource usage model, user authentication model and API for compute providers that enables cloud-provider neutral applications to be developed. In this paper we outline the issues in using external resource providers, give examples of using a number of the most popular cloud providers and provide examples of developing provider neutral applications. In addition, we discuss the development of the API to create a generic provisioning model based on a common architecture for cloud computing providers.

  15. European larch phenology in the Alps: can we grasp the role of ecological factors by combining field observations and inverse modelling?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Migliavacca, M.; Cremonese, E.; Colombo, R.; Busetto, L.; Galvagno, M.; Ganis, L.; Meroni, M.; Pari, E.; Rossini, M.; Siniscalco, C.; Morra di Cella, U.

    2008-09-01

    Vegetation phenology is strongly influenced by climatic factors. Climate changes may cause phenological variations, especially in the Alps which are considered to be extremely vulnerable to global warming. The main goal of our study is to analyze European larch ( Larix decidua Mill.) phenology in alpine environments and the role of the ecological factors involved, using an integrated approach based on accurate field observations and modelling techniques. We present 2 years of field-collected larch phenological data, obtained following a specifically designed observation protocol. We observed that both spring and autumn larch phenology is strongly influenced by altitude. We propose an approach for the optimization of a spring warming model (SW) and the growing season index model (GSI) consisting of a model inversion technique, based on simulated look-up tables (LUTs), that provides robust parameter estimates. The optimized models showed excellent agreement between modelled and observed data: the SW model predicts the beginning of the growing season (BGS) with a mean RMSE of 4 days, while GSI gives a prediction of the growing season length (LGS) with a RMSE of 5 days. Moreover, we showed that the original GSI parameters led to consistent errors, while the optimized ones significantly increased model accuracy. Finally, we used GSI to investigate interactions of ecological factors during springtime development and autumn senescence. We found that temperature is the most effective factor during spring recovery while photoperiod plays an important role during autumn senescence: photoperiod shows a contrasting effect with altitude decreasing its influence with increasing altitude.

  16. A simple simulation model as a tool to assess alternative health care provider payment reform options in Vietnam.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cashin, Cheryl; Phuong, Nguyen Khanh; Shain, Ryan; Oanh, Tran Thi Mai; Thuy, Nguyen Thi

    2015-01-01

    Vietnam is currently considering a revision of its 2008 Health Insurance Law, including the regulation of provider payment methods. This study uses a simple spreadsheet-based, micro-simulation model to analyse the potential impacts of different provider payment reform scenarios on resource allocation across health care providers in three provinces in Vietnam, as well as on the total expenditure of the provincial branches of the public health insurance agency (Provincial Social Security [PSS]). The results show that currently more than 50% of PSS spending is concentrated at the provincial level with less than half at the district level. There is also a high degree of financial risk on district hospitals with the current fund-holding arrangement. Results of the simulation model show that several alternative scenarios for provider payment reform could improve the current payment system by reducing the high financial risk currently borne by district hospitals without dramatically shifting the current level and distribution of PSS expenditure. The results of the simulation analysis provided an empirical basis for health policy-makers in Vietnam to assess different provider payment reform options and make decisions about new models to support health system objectives.

  17. Empathy for Adolescents' Role Model Selection and Learning of DVD Content

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvert, Sandra L.; Strouse, Gabrielle A.; Murray, Katherine J.

    2006-01-01

    Male and female high school and college students viewed a DVD about a love story. Youth who more readily empathized with media characters were more likely to perceive same-sex characters as role models and were better able to understand the story content. The findings suggest that fantasy empathy, in which viewers become deeply involved in…

  18. A central role for TOR signalling in a yeast model for juvenile CLN3 disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael E. Bond

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Yeasts provide an excellent genetically tractable eukaryotic system for investigating the function of genes in their biological context, and are especially relevant for those conserved genes that cause disease. We study the role of btn1, the orthologue of a human gene that underlies an early onset neurodegenerative disease (juvenile CLN3 disease, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCLs or Batten disease in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. A global screen for genetic interactions with btn1 highlighted a conserved key signalling hub in which multiple components functionally relate to this conserved disease gene. This signalling hub includes two major mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK cascades, and centers on the Tor kinase complexes TORC1 and TORC2. We confirmed that yeast cells modelling CLN3 disease exhibit features consistent with dysfunction in the TORC pathways, and showed that modulating TORC function leads to a comprehensive rescue of defects in this yeast disease model. The same pathways may be novel targets in the development of therapies for the NCLs and related diseases.

  19. The role of neuroticism, perfectionism and depression in chronic fatigue syndrome. A structural equation modeling approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valero, Sergi; Sáez-Francàs, Naia; Calvo, Natalia; Alegre, José; Casas, Miquel

    2013-10-01

    Previous studies have reported consistent associations between Neuroticism, maladaptive perfectionism and depression with severity of fatigue in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Depression has been considered a mediator factor between maladaptive perfectionism and fatigue severity, but no studies have explored the role of neuroticism in a comparable theoretical framework. This study aims to examine for the first time, the role of neuroticism, maladaptive perfectionism and depression on the severity of CFS, analyzing several explanation models. A sample of 229 CFS patients were studied comparing four structural equation models, testing the role of mediation effect of depression severity in the association of Neuroticism and/or Maladaptive perfectionism on fatigue severity. The model considering depression severity as mediator factor between Neuroticism and fatigue severity is the only one of the explored models where all the structural modeling indexes have fitted satisfactorily (Chi square=27.01, p=0.079; RMSE=0.047, CFI=0.994; SRMR=0.033). Neuroticism is associated with CFS by the mediation effect of depression severity. This personality variable constitutes a more consistent factor than maladaptive perfectionism in the conceptualization of CFS severity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Measured and modeled humidification factors of fresh smoke particles from biomass burning: role of inorganic constituents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. L. Hand

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available During the 2006 FLAME study (Fire Laboratory at Missoula Experiment, laboratory burns of biomass fuels were performed to investigate the physico-chemical, optical, and hygroscopic properties of fresh biomass smoke. As part of the experiment, two nephelometers simultaneously measured dry and humidified light scattering coefficients (bsp(dry and bsp(RH, respectively in order to explore the role of relative humidity (RH on the optical properties of biomass smoke aerosols. Results from burns of several biomass fuels from the west and southeast United States showed large variability in the humidification factor (f(RH=bsp(RH/bsp(dry. Values of f(RH at RH=80–85% ranged from 0.99 to 1.81 depending on fuel type. We incorporated measured chemical composition and size distribution data to model the smoke hygroscopic growth to investigate the role of inorganic compounds on water uptake for these aerosols. By assuming only inorganic constituents were hygroscopic, we were able to model the water uptake within experimental uncertainty, suggesting that inorganic species were responsible for most of the hygroscopic growth. In addition, humidification factors at 80–85% RH increased for smoke with increasing inorganic salt to carbon ratios. Particle morphology as observed from scanning electron microscopy revealed that samples of hygroscopic particles contained soot chains either internally or externally mixed with inorganic potassium salts, while samples of weak to non-hygroscopic particles were dominated by soot and organic constituents. This study provides further understanding of the compounds responsible for water uptake by young biomass smoke, and is important for accurately assessing the role of smoke in climate change studies and visibility regulatory efforts.

  1. Exploring a two-dimensional model of mentor teacher roles in mentoring dialogues

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dr. F.J.A.J. Crasborn; Dr. Paul Hennissen; Dr. Niels Brouwer; Prof. Dr. Fred Korthagen; Prof. Dr. Theo Bergen

    2011-01-01

    The extent to which mentor teachers are able to address mentees' individual needs is an important factor in the success of mentoring. A two-dimensional model of mentor teacher roles in mentoring dialogues, entitled MERID, is explored empirically. Data regarding five aspects of mentoring dialogues

  2. Exploring a two-dimensional model of mentor teacher roles in mentoring dialogues

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Crasborn, F.J.A.J.; Hennissen, P.P.M.; Brouwer, C.N.; Korthagen, F.A.J.; Bergen, T.C.M.

    2011-01-01

    In this study, a two-dimensional model of mentor teacher roles in mentoring dialogues, entitled MERID, is explored empirically. Data regarding five aspects of mentoring dialogues were collected, using a sample of 20 transcriptions of mentoring dialogues, in which 112 topics were discussed and 440

  3. Modelling and simulation in nuclear safety and the role of experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baek, W-P.

    2015-01-01

    'Full text:' Modeling and simulation (M&S) technology is a key element in assuring and enhancing the safety of nuclear installations. The M&S technology has been progressed continuously with the introduction of new designs, improved understanding on relevant physical processes, and the improvement of computing environment. This presentation covers the role, progresses and prospect of M&S technology relevant to nuclear safety. Special attention is given to the effective interaction between M&S and experiment. The expected role of experiment to motivate the advancement of M&S technology is emphasized with some typical examples. Finally, relevant R&D activities of Korea are introduced for thermal-hydraulics and severe accident safety. (author)

  4. An Efficient Role and Object Based Access Control Model Implemented in a PDM System

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    HUANG Xiaowen; TAN Jian; HUANG Xiangguo

    2006-01-01

    An effective and reliable access control is crucial to a PDM system. This article has discussed the commonly used access control models, analyzed their advantages and disadvantages, and proposed a new Role and Object based access control model that suits the particular needs of a PDM system. The new model has been implemented in a commercial PDM system, which has demonstrated enhanced flexibility and convenience.

  5. Agent-based organizational modelling for analysis of safety culture at an air navigation service provider

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stroeve, Sybert H.; Sharpanskykh, Alexei; Kirwan, Barry

    2011-01-01

    Assessment of safety culture is done predominantly by questionnaire-based studies, which tend to reveal attitudes on immaterial characteristics (values, beliefs, norms). There is a need for a better understanding of the implications of the material aspects of an organization (structures, processes, etc.) for safety culture and their interactions with the immaterial characteristics. This paper presents a new agent-based organizational modelling approach for integrated and systematic evaluation of material and immaterial characteristics of socio-technical organizations in safety culture analysis. It uniquely considers both the formal organization and the value- and belief-driven behaviour of individuals in the organization. Results are presented of a model for safety occurrence reporting at an air navigation service provider. Model predictions consistent with questionnaire-based results are achieved. A sensitivity analysis provides insight in organizational factors that strongly influence safety culture indicators. The modelling approach can be used in combination with attitude-focused safety culture research, towards an integrated evaluation of material and immaterial characteristics of socio-technical organizations. By using this approach an organization is able to gain a deeper understanding of causes of diverse problems and inefficiencies both in the formal organization and in the behaviour of organizational agents, and to systematically identify and evaluate improvement options.

  6. Health promotion competencies: providing a road map for health promotion to assume a prominent role in global health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shilton, Trevor

    2009-06-01

    Understanding of health and its determinants is rapidly expanding and changing. The emergence of chronic diseases as the leading cause of global disease burden and improved understanding of social determinants of health has brought greater focus to the role of prevention in health. The IUHPE has shown outstanding leadership through the Galway Consensus Statement. Its three recommendations appropriately focus on stimulating dialogue, developing global consensus and communicating the results to key stakeholders. The IUHPE can further enhance progress of the statement by developing participative processes to ensure engagement and ownership by its members. The Galway Consensus Statement can be used to advance professional standards in global health promotion by: (1) providing a common language by which health promotion and its meaning can be communicated to others; (2) providing a framework for building capacity in the health promotion workforce and in the health workforce in general; (3) providing international consensus for consistency in university health promotion courses; (4) providing a framework for credentialing in health promotion; (5) better informing health promotion engagement with other significant workforce sectors and advancing partnership as a key way of working. A vital further application of the Galway Consensus Statement is to inform advocacy. Advocacy is vital to ensure health promotion is better resourced and prioritized by policy makers. Advocacy and communication are vital tools to highlight the evidence, establish the policy fit and infrastructure requirements of health promotion, and present health promotion solutions based on evidence of effectiveness.

  7. The role of decentralized systems in providing universal electricity access in Sub-Saharan Africa – A model-based approach

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Dagnachew, Anteneh G.; Lucas, Paul L.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/272607444; Hof, Andries F.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/240412397; Gernaat, David E.H.J.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/372664636; de Boer, Harmen Sytze; van Vuuren, Detlef P.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/11522016X

    2017-01-01

    Poverty and lack of access to electricity are highly correlated. In Sub-Saharan Africa, one of the poorest regions in the world, two in every three people have no access to electricity. This paper describes a purpose designed model to explore and project the development in the Sub-Saharan African

  8. The role of learning-related dopamine signals in addiction vulnerability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huys, Quentin J M; Tobler, Philippe N; Hasler, Gregor; Flagel, Shelly B

    2014-01-01

    Dopaminergic signals play a mathematically precise role in reward-related learning, and variations in dopaminergic signaling have been implicated in vulnerability to addiction. Here, we provide a detailed overview of the relationship between theoretical, mathematical, and experimental accounts of phasic dopamine signaling, with implications for the role of learning-related dopamine signaling in addiction and related disorders. We describe the theoretical and behavioral characteristics of model-free learning based on errors in the prediction of reward, including step-by-step explanations of the underlying equations. We then use recent insights from an animal model that highlights individual variation in learning during a Pavlovian conditioning paradigm to describe overlapping aspects of incentive salience attribution and model-free learning. We argue that this provides a computationally coherent account of some features of addiction. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Tobacco Truths: The Impact of Role Models on Children's Attitudes toward Smoking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meier, Kathryn S.

    1991-01-01

    A survey of 1,085 seventh and eleventh graders assessed the impact of parents, peers, siblings, advertising, and sponsorship as role models influencing attitudes toward smoking and smoking behavior. Results suggest that intervention programs need to address nicotine addiction and be in place before grade seven. (JOW)

  10. THE POLISH BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT FOR LANGUAGE SERVICE PROVIDERS IN VIEW OF THE PORTER’S FIVE FORCES MODEL

    OpenAIRE

    Kowalska, Monika

    2014-01-01

    After the Polish accession to the European Union in 2004, language services have considerably grown in importance. Intensive contacts with foreign companies and institutions coupled with information technology developments have increased the role of English as a linguistic medium of international cooperation. The overall aim of this paper is to examine the Polish business environment for Language Service Providers (LSPs) offering specialized English courses and translation services (EN-PL and...

  11. Potential role of biotic transport models in low-level-waste management

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kennedy, W.E. Jr.; Soldat, J.K.; Cadwell, L.L.; McKenzie, D.H.

    1982-01-01

    This paper is a summary of the initial results of a study being conducted for the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to determine the relevance of biotic pathways to the regulation of nuclear waste disposal. Biotic transport is defined as the actions of plants and animals that result in the transport of radioactive materials from a LLW burial ground to a location where they can enter exposure pathways to man. A critical review of the role of modeling in evaluating biotic transport is given. Both current applications and the need for future modeling development are discussed

  12. Quantitative Hydraulic Models Of Early Land Plants Provide Insight Into Middle Paleozoic Terrestrial Paleoenvironmental Conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, J. P.; Fischer, W. W.

    2010-12-01

    Fossil plants provide useful proxies of Earth’s climate because plants are closely connected, through physiology and morphology, to the environments in which they lived. Recent advances in quantitative hydraulic models of plant water transport provide new insight into the history of climate by allowing fossils to speak directly to environmental conditions based on preserved internal anatomy. We report results of a quantitative hydraulic model applied to one of the earliest terrestrial plants preserved in three dimensions, the ~396 million-year-old vascular plant Asteroxylon mackei. This model combines equations describing the rate of fluid flow through plant tissues with detailed observations of plant anatomy; this allows quantitative estimates of two critical aspects of plant function. First and foremost, results from these models quantify the supply of water to evaporative surfaces; second, results describe the ability of plant vascular systems to resist tensile damage from extreme environmental events, such as drought or frost. This approach permits quantitative comparisons of functional aspects of Asteroxylon with other extinct and extant plants, informs the quality of plant-based environmental proxies, and provides concrete data that can be input into climate models. Results indicate that despite their small size, water transport cells in Asteroxylon could supply a large volume of water to the plant's leaves--even greater than cells from some later-evolved seed plants. The smallest Asteroxylon tracheids have conductivities exceeding 0.015 m^2 / MPa * s, whereas Paleozoic conifer tracheids do not reach this threshold until they are three times wider. However, this increase in conductivity came at the cost of little to no adaptations for transport safety, placing the plant’s vegetative organs in jeopardy during drought events. Analysis of the thickness-to-span ratio of Asteroxylon’s tracheids suggests that environmental conditions of reduced relative

  13. The role of models in managing the uncertainty of software-intensive systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Littlewood, Bev; Neil, Martin; Ostrolenk, Gary

    1995-01-01

    It is increasingly argued that uncertainty is an inescapable feature of the design and operational behaviour of software-intensive systems. This paper elaborates the role of models in managing such uncertainty, in relation to evidence and claims for dependability. Personal and group models are considered with regard to abstraction, consensus and corroboration. The paper focuses on the predictive property of models, arguing for the need for empirical validation of their trustworthiness through experimentation and observation. The impact on trustworthiness of human fallibility, formality of expression and expressiveness is discussed. The paper identifies two criteria for deciding the degree of trust to be placed in a model, and hence also for choosing between models, namely accuracy and informativeness. Finally, analogy and reuse are proposed as the only means by which empirical evidence can be established for models in software engineering

  14. Balancing the Roles of a Family Medicine Residency Faculty: A Grounded Theory Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reitz, Randall; Sudano, Laura; Siler, Anne; Trimble, Kristopher

    2016-05-01

    Great variety exists in the roles that family medicine residency faculty fill in the lives of their residents. A family medicine-specific model has never been created to describe and promote effective training relationships. This research aims to create a consensus model for faculty development, ethics education, and policy creation. Using a modified grounded theory methods, researchers conducted phone interviews with 22 key informants from US family medicine residencies. Data were analyzed to delineate faculty roles, common role conflicts, and ethical principles for avoiding and managing role conflicts. Key informants were asked to apply their experience and preferences to adapt an existing model to fit with family medicine residency settings. The primary result of this research is the creation of a family medicine-specific model that describes faculty roles and provides insight into how to manage role conflicts with residents. Primary faculty roles include Role Model, Advisor, Teacher, Supervisor, and Evaluator. Secondary faculty roles include Friendly Colleague, Wellness Supporter, and Helping Hand. The secondary roles exist on a continuum from disengaged to enmeshed. When not balanced, the secondary roles can detract from the primary roles. Differences were found between role expectations of physician versus behavioral science faculty and larger/university/urban residencies versus smaller/community/rural residencies. Diversity of opinion exists related to the types of roles that are appropriate for family medicine faculty to maintain with residents. This new model is a first attempt to build consensus in the field and has application to faculty development, ethics education, and policy creation.

  15. Structural equation modelling of determinants of customer satisfaction of mobile network providers: Case of Kolkata, India

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shibashish Chakraborty

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The Indian market of mobile network providers is growing rapidly. India is the second largest market of mobile network providers in the world and there is intense competition among existing players. In such a competitive market, customer satisfaction becomes a key issue. The objective of this paper is to develop a customer satisfaction model of mobile network providers in Kolkata. The results indicate that generic requirements (an aggregation of output quality and perceived value, flexibility, and price are the determinants of customer satisfaction. This study offers insights for mobile network providers to understand the determinants of customer satisfaction.

  16. Sibling Influence on Mexican-Origin Adolescents’ Deviant and Sexual Risk Behaviors: The Role of Sibling Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whiteman, Shawn D.; Zeiders, Katharine H.; Killoren, Sarah E.; Rodriguez, Sue Annie; Updegraff, Kimberly A.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose A growing body of research indicates that siblings uniquely influence each other’s health risk behaviors during adolescence and young adulthood. Mechanisms underlying these associations, however, are largely unknown because they are rarely tested directly. The present study addressed this gap by examining the role of sibling modeling in explaining changes in Mexican-origin youths’ deviant and sexual risk behaviors over time. Methods The sample included 380 Mexican-origin siblings (older sibling age: M = 21.18, SD = 1.59; younger sibling age: M = 18.19, SD = .46) from (N = 190) families. Participants provided self-reports of their sibling relationship qualities, including modeling, as well as their engagement in deviant and sexual risk taking behaviors in two home interviews across a two-year span. Results A series of residualized regression models revealed that younger siblings’ perceptions of modeling moderated the links between older siblings’ deviant and sexual risk behaviors and younger siblings’ subsequent behaviors in those same domains. Specifically, high levels of modeling predicted stronger associations between older siblings’ earlier and younger siblings’ later risk behaviors controlling for younger siblings’ earlier behaviors as well as variables that have been used as proxies for social learning in previous research. Conclusions Social learning mechanisms, especially modeling, are salient processes through which older siblings transmit norms and expectations regarding participation in health risk behaviors. Future research should continue to explore the ways in which siblings influence each other because such processes are emerging targets for intervention and prevention. PMID:24287013

  17. PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN MALAYSIA: COMPETING, COMPLEMENTARY OR CROSSBREEDS AS EDUCATION PROVIDERS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wan Chang Da

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Delivery of higher education used to be exclusive to the public sector in Malaysia. However, legislative changes made in 1996 led to the coexistence of public and private higher education institutions. In 2007, there were 20 public universities compared to more than 500 private institutions, of which 30 are currently categorised as universities or university colleges. Looking at their respective roles as higher education providers, public and private institutions display characteristics of being substitutes while at the same time serving complementary roles to one another. This dichotomy between public and private higher education institutions can, in fact, be seen as inclining towards a hybrid model that allows both to operate within a single system of higher education provision in the country. Such a hybrid model is evident in how the clientele is being divided between public and private higher institutions. It is also evident in the different roles played by the respective faculty members as well as in the programmes being made available in either type of institutions.

  18. The Role of Principles, Character, and Professional Values in Ethical Decision-Making

    Science.gov (United States)

    Humphrey, Elaine; Janosik, Steven M.; Creamer, Don G.

    2004-01-01

    The role of ethical principles, character traits, and professional values in ethical decision-making is examined and depicted through an integrated and comprehensive model. A case study provides an illustration of improved decision-making when using the model.

  19. Early Prostate Cancer: Hedonic Prices Model of Provider-Patient Interactions and Decisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jani, Ashesh B.; Hellman, Samuel

    2008-01-01

    Purpose: To determine the relative influence of treatment features and treatment availabilities on final treatment decisions in early prostate cancer. Methods and Materials: We describe and apply a model, based on hedonic prices, to understand provider-patient interactions in prostate cancer. This model included four treatments (observation, external beam radiotherapy, brachytherapy, and prostatectomy) and five treatment features (one efficacy and four treatment complication features). We performed a literature search to estimate (1) the intersections of the 'bid' functions and 'offer' functions with the price function along different treatment feature axes, and (2) the treatments actually rendered in different patient subgroups based on age. We performed regressions to determine the relative weight of each feature in the overall interaction and the relative availability of each treatment modality to explain differences between observed vs. predicted use of different modalities in different patient subpopulations. Results: Treatment efficacy and potency preservation are the major factors influencing decisions for young patients, whereas preservation of urinary and rectal function is much more important for very elderly patients. Referral patterns seem to be responsible for most of the deviations of observed use of different treatments from those predicted by idealized provider-patient interactions. Specifically, prostatectomy is used far more commonly in young patients and radiotherapy and observation used far more commonly in elderly patients than predicted by a uniform referral pattern. Conclusions: The hedonic prices approach facilitated identifying the relative importance of treatment features and quantification of the impact of the prevailing referral pattern on prostate cancer treatment decisions

  20. Parents as Role Models: Parental Behavior Affects Adolescents' Plans for Work Involvement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiese, Bettina S.; Freund, Alexandra M.

    2011-01-01

    This study (N = 520 high-school students) investigates the influence of parental work involvement on adolescents' own plans regarding their future work involvement. As expected, adolescents' perceptions of parental work behavior affected their plans for own work involvement. Same-sex parents served as main role models for the adolescents' own…

  1. Extending the Challenge-Hindrance Model of Occupational Stress: The Role of Appraisal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Webster, Jennica R.; Beehr, Terry A.; Love, Kevin

    2011-01-01

    Interest regarding the challenge-hindrance occupational stress model has increased in recent years, however its theoretical foundation has not been tested. Drawing from the transactional theory of stress, this study tests the assumptions made in past research (1) that workload and responsibility are appraised as challenges and role ambiguity and…

  2. Emergency management at the boundary between expertise and decision: which role for CBRN-E atmospheric dispersion and impact assessment modeling?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Benamrane, Yasmine

    2015-01-01

    Environmental and health impact assessment of accidental or intentional releases of potentially hazardous materials in the atmosphere is increasingly supported by the development of modeling tools. Their potential to assess the spatial and temporal extent and severity of toxic plumes contributes to their growing development as CBRN-E emergency support tools. However, the Fukushima nuclear accident underlined that their support is not yet optimal regarding civil security organizations in charge of population protection. This research therefore tends to clarify the role of these modelling tools in emergency management. For this purpose, interviews and observations of crisis exercises have been conducted. This study suggests that nowadays, CBRN-E emergency management takes place in a sense making co-constructing process between CBRN-E experts and emergency managers contributing to the achievement of consensus in the decision making process. This study also highlights the key role played by the crisis center, regarding its proper organizational structure as a sharing place between actors with complementary expertise and experience, in the perception and response to changing circumstances. Thus, this study suggests that by providing situation assessment results, modeling tools meet the current practices both in terms of emergency support tools used for civilian protection organization and in respect of each actors' contributions. In this perspective, these modelling tools are likely to end up being part of the development of crisis management support tools for building a collective representation of the CBRN-E situation between expertise and decision. (author) [fr

  3. Modelling environmental change in Europe: towards a model inventory (SEIS/Forward)

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jaeger, Annekathrin; Henrichs, Thomas

    This technical report provides a non-exhaustive overview of modelling tools currently available to simulate future environmental change at a European scale. Modelling tools have become an important cornerstone of environmental assessments, and play an important role in providing the data......, many of which have been used by the European Environment Agency in its recent environmental assessments and reports, a limited number of which are described in more detail. This review identifies gaps in the availability, accessibility and applicability of current modelling tools, and stresses the need...

  4. Evolving technologies drive the new roles of Biomedical Engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frisch, P H; St Germain, J; Lui, W

    2008-01-01

    Rapidly changing technology coupled with the financial impact of organized health care, has required hospital Biomedical Engineering organizations to augment their traditional operational and business models to increase their role in developing enhanced clinical applications utilizing new and evolving technologies. The deployment of these technology based applications has required Biomedical Engineering organizations to re-organize to optimize the manner in which they provide and manage services. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has implemented a strategy to explore evolving technologies integrating them into enhanced clinical applications while optimally utilizing the expertise of the traditional Biomedical Engineering component (Clinical Engineering) to provide expanded support in technology / equipment management, device repair, preventive maintenance and integration with legacy clinical systems. Specifically, Biomedical Engineering is an integral component of the Medical Physics Department which provides comprehensive and integrated support to the Center in advanced physical, technical and engineering technology. This organizational structure emphasizes the integration and collaboration between a spectrum of technical expertise for clinical support and equipment management roles. The high cost of clinical equipment purchases coupled with the increasing cost of service has driven equipment management responsibilities to include significant business and financial aspects to provide a cost effective service model. This case study details the dynamics of these expanded roles, future initiatives and benefits for Biomedical Engineering and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

  5. Wanted: Active Role Models for Today's Kids | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... American children more likely to tap a video game controller than bounce a ball, problems of obesity should be no surprise. And with obesity already a growing problem for their parents, kids today need all the active role models they can get. "With childhood obesity at an all-time high, we need ...

  6. The Relationship between Smoker Role Models and Intentions to Smoke among Adolescents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiium, Nora; Breivik, Kyrre; Wold, Bente

    2006-01-01

    The study examines how adolescents' perceptions of exposure to smoker role models relate to their intentions to smoke, both directly, and indirectly through attitudes, norms, and perceived behavioural control. The data is based on a national representative sample of 15-year-olds (n=1670) in Norway. Path analysis indicates that perceptions of model…

  7. The Role of Emotion in Informal Science Learning: Testing an Exploratory Model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Staus, Nancy L.; Falk, John H.

    2017-01-01

    Although there is substantial research on the effect of emotions on educational outcomes in the classroom, relatively little is known about how emotion affects learning in informal science contexts. We examined the role of emotion in the context of an informal science learning experience by utilizing a path model to investigate the relationships…

  8. Changing Lives? Critical Evaluation of a School-Based Athlete Role Model Intervention

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armour, Kathleen; Duncombe, Rebecca

    2012-01-01

    There would appear to be an enduring belief that successful sportsmen and women can act as powerful motivational role models for young people, especially disaffected, disadvantaged or disengaged youth. In the UK, for example, this belief has been expressed recently in the development of programmes, such as changingLIVES, the Respect Athlete Mentor…

  9. Adult daughters providing post-stroke care to a parent: a qualitative study of the impact that role overload has on lifestyle, participation and family relationships.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bastawrous, Marina; Gignac, Monique A; Kapral, Moira K; Cameron, Jill I

    2015-06-01

    To qualitatively explore daughters' experiences with and response to holding multiple roles while providing post-stroke care to a parent. Qualitative study using a descriptive approach. Semi-structured interviewing was used. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analyzed to develop themes. General community of a metropolitan city. Twenty-three adult daughters caring for a community-dwelling parent who had suffered a stroke. Not applicable. Not applicable. Role overload is a salient issue for daughter caregivers. This overload is best captured by the analogy of "juggling" multiple role demands and responsibilities. Two key themes suggest that role overload resulting from parent care affects daughters': 1) valued relationships (e.g. challenges develop in their relationship with children and partner); and 2) ability to participate in valued activities (e.g. reduced involvement in leisure activities and restricted employment). Future support efforts should help daughters manage the caregiving role in light of other responsibilities. This can mitigate overload-related strain in valued relationships and decreased participation in valued activities, thereby contributing to better health and well-being for daughter caregivers. © The Author(s) 2014.

  10. Modeling and Deorphanization of Orphan GPCRs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz, Constantino; Angelloz-Nicoud, Patricia; Pihan, Emilie

    2018-01-01

    Despite tremendous efforts, approximately 120 GPCRs remain orphan. Their physiological functions and their potential roles in diseases are poorly understood. Orphan GPCRs are extremely important because they may provide novel therapeutic targets for unmet medical needs. As a complement to experimental approaches, molecular modeling and virtual screening are efficient techniques to discover synthetic surrogate ligands which can help to elucidate the role of oGPCRs. Constitutively activated mutants and recently published active structures of GPCRs provide stimulating opportunities for building active molecular models for oGPCRs and identifying activators using virtual screening of compound libraries. We describe the molecular modeling and virtual screening process we have applied in the discovery of surrogate ligands, and provide examples for CCKA, a simulated oGPCR, and for two oGPCRs, GPR52 and GPR34.

  11. Paternity protection can provide a kick-start for the evolution of male-only parental care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kahn, Andrew T; Schwanz, Lisa E; Kokko, Hanna

    2013-08-01

    Sperm competition and uncertainty of paternity hamper the evolution of male parental care. Thus, maternal care predominates in most taxa. What if males can, however, limit cuckoldry by guarding the eggs postmating? Here, we show that this provides a reason to reconsider an old and nowadays rather discredited hypothesis: that external fertilization is associated with male care because the parent who releases its gametes first can depart leaving the other in a "cruel bind," having to care for the offspring. In our model, protection of paternity provides an additional incentive for the male to stay associated with its young. When we then assume that offspring survive better if guarded, paternity protection proves enough to kick-start the evolution of male-only parental care from a scenario with no care. This fits with data from fishes, where male-only care is associated with external fertilization, whereas female-only care almost always evolves after an initial transition to internal fertilization. Our model unifies disparate hypotheses regarding parental care roles and provides support for the idea that care roles can be influenced by sex differences in selection to be physically close to the offspring, including selection that is initially not based on offspring survival. © 2013 The Author(s). Evolution © 2013 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

  12. Industry growth, work role characteristics, and job satisfaction: a cross-level mediation model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ford, Michael T; Wooldridge, Jessica D

    2012-10-01

    The associations between industry revenue growth, individual work role characteristics, and job satisfaction were examined in this cross-level mediation analysis. Work roles were expected to be more autonomous, involve greater skill variety, and offer more opportunities for growth and development for workers in growing industries than for workers in declining industries. Supervisor support was also hypothesized to be stronger for workers in high-growth industries. Results from a nationally representative (U.S.) sample of service industry workers, using multilevel modeling, supported these propositions and suggest that job enrichment mediates relations between industry growth and job satisfaction. Associations between industry growth and autonomy were also stronger among workers in occupations that are less normatively autonomous, suggesting that industry growth fosters a weakening, and industry decline a strengthening, of traditional differences in autonomy across work roles. These results contribute to a multilevel perspective on organizational environments, individual work roles, and worker attitudes and well-being.

  13. Funding issues and options for pharmacists providing sessional services to rural hospitals in Australia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Amy Cw; Emmerton, Lynne M; Hattingh, H Laetitia; La Caze, Adam

    2015-06-01

    Many of Australia' s rural hospitals operate without an on-site pharmacist. In some, community pharmacists have sessional contracts to provide medication management services to inpatients. This paper discusses the funding arrangements of identified sessional employment models to raise awareness of options for other rural hospitals. Semistructured one-on-one interviews were conducted with rural pharmacists with experience in a sessional employment role (n =8) or who were seeking sessional arrangements (n = 4). Participants were identified via publicity and referrals. Interviews were conducted via telephone or Skype for ~40-55 min each, recorded and analysed descriptively. A shortage of state funding and reliance on federal funding was reported. Pharmacists accredited to provide medication reviews claimed remuneration via these federal schemes; however, restrictive criteria limited their scope of services. Funds pooling to subsidise remuneration for the pharmacists was evident and arrangements with local community pharmacies provided business frameworks to support sessional services. Participants were unaware of each other's models of practice, highlighting the need to share information and these findings. Several similarities existed, namely, pooling funds and use of federal medication review remuneration. Findings highlighted the need for a stable remuneration pathway and business model to enable wider implementation of sessional pharmacist models.

  14. An essential regulatory role of downstream of kinase-1 in the ovalbumin-induced murine model of asthma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang-Min Lee

    Full Text Available The downstream of kinase (DOK-1 is involved in the protein tyrosine kinase (PTK pathway in mast cells, but the role of DOK-1 in the pathogenesis of asthma has not been defined. In this study, we have demonstrated a novel regulatory role of DOK-1 in airway inflammation and physiologic responses in a murine model of asthma using lentiviral vector containing DOK-1 cDNA or DOK-1-specific ShRNA. The OVA-induced inflammatory cells, airway hyperresponsiveness, Th2 cytokine expression, and mucus response were significantly reduced in DOK-1 overexpressing mice compared to OVA-challenged control mice. The transgenic introduction of DOK-1 significantly stimulated the activation and expression of STAT-4 and T-bet, while impressively inhibiting the activation and expression of STAT-6 and GATA-3 in airway epithelial cells. On the other hand, DOK-1 knockdown mice enhanced STAT-6 expression and its nuclear translocation compared to OVA-challenged control mice. When viewed in combination, our studies demonstrate DOK-1 regulates allergen-induced Th2 immune responses by selective stimulation and inhibition of STAT-4 and STAT-6 signaling pathways, respectively. These studies provide a novel insight on the regulatory role of DOK-1 in allergen-induced Th2 inflammation and airway responses, which has therapeutic potential for asthma and other allergic diseases.

  15. Transgenic mouse models to study the role of the macrophage scavenger receptor class A in atherosclerosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Winther, M. P.; Gijbels, M. J.; van Dijk, K. W.; Havekes, L. M.; Hofker, M. H.

    2000-01-01

    Several in vivo studies have been performed on the role of the macrophage scavenger receptor class A (SR-A) in atherosclerosis using SR-A knockout mice. The results indicate both an antiatherogenic and a proatherogenic role of SR-A, depending on the nature of the animal model serving as the

  16. A Stochastic Model of the Yeast Cell Cycle Reveals Roles for Feedback Regulation in Limiting Cellular Variability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barik, Debashis; Ball, David A; Peccoud, Jean; Tyson, John J

    2016-12-01

    The cell division cycle of eukaryotes is governed by a complex network of cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) and auxiliary proteins that govern CDK activities. The control system must function reliably in the context of molecular noise that is inevitable in tiny yeast cells, because mistakes in sequencing cell cycle events are detrimental or fatal to the cell or its progeny. To assess the effects of noise on cell cycle progression requires not only extensive, quantitative, experimental measurements of cellular heterogeneity but also comprehensive, accurate, mathematical models of stochastic fluctuations in the CDK control system. In this paper we provide a stochastic model of the budding yeast cell cycle that accurately accounts for the variable phenotypes of wild-type cells and more than 20 mutant yeast strains simulated in different growth conditions. We specifically tested the role of feedback regulations mediated by G1- and SG2M-phase cyclins to minimize the noise in cell cycle progression. Details of the model are informed and tested by quantitative measurements (by fluorescence in situ hybridization) of the joint distributions of mRNA populations in yeast cells. We use the model to predict the phenotypes of ~30 mutant yeast strains that have not yet been characterized experimentally.

  17. A Stochastic Model of the Yeast Cell Cycle Reveals Roles for Feedback Regulation in Limiting Cellular Variability.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debashis Barik

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available The cell division cycle of eukaryotes is governed by a complex network of cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs and auxiliary proteins that govern CDK activities. The control system must function reliably in the context of molecular noise that is inevitable in tiny yeast cells, because mistakes in sequencing cell cycle events are detrimental or fatal to the cell or its progeny. To assess the effects of noise on cell cycle progression requires not only extensive, quantitative, experimental measurements of cellular heterogeneity but also comprehensive, accurate, mathematical models of stochastic fluctuations in the CDK control system. In this paper we provide a stochastic model of the budding yeast cell cycle that accurately accounts for the variable phenotypes of wild-type cells and more than 20 mutant yeast strains simulated in different growth conditions. We specifically tested the role of feedback regulations mediated by G1- and SG2M-phase cyclins to minimize the noise in cell cycle progression. Details of the model are informed and tested by quantitative measurements (by fluorescence in situ hybridization of the joint distributions of mRNA populations in yeast cells. We use the model to predict the phenotypes of ~30 mutant yeast strains that have not yet been characterized experimentally.

  18. An exploration of role model influence on adult nursing students' professional development: A phenomenological research study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Felstead, Ian S; Springett, Kate

    2016-02-01

    Patients' expectations of being cared for by a nurse who is caring, competent, and professional are particularly pertinent in current health and social care practice. The current drive for NHS values-based recruitment serves to strengthen this. How nursing students' development of professionalism is shaped is not fully known, though it is acknowledged that their practice experience strongly shapes behaviour. This study (in 2013-14) explored twelve adult nursing students' lived experiences of role modelling through an interpretive phenomenological analysis approach, aiming to understand the impact on their development as professional practitioners. Clinical nurses influenced student development consistently. Some students reported that their experiences allowed them to learn how not to behave in practice; a productive learning experience despite content. Students also felt senior staff influence on their development to be strong, citing 'leading by example.' The impact of patients on student professional development was also a key finding. Through analysing information gained, identifying and educating practice-based mentors who are ready, willing, and able to role model professional attributes appear crucial to developing professionalism in nursing students. Those involved in nurse education, whether service providers or universities, may wish to acknowledge the influence of clinical nurse behaviour observed by students both independent of and in direct relation to care delivery and the impact on student nurse professional development. A corollary relates to how students should be guided and briefed/debriefed to work with a staff to ensure their exposure to a variety of practice behaviours. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. EXPLORING MEDIATING ROLE OF INSTITUTIONAL IMAGE THROUGH A COMPLETE STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING (SEM: A PERSPECTVE OF HIGHER EDUCATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abu Osman

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available The prime objective of this study is to investigate the mediating role of institutional image between student satisfaction, program quality, and service quality in the context of higher education. To attain this aim, the Nordic model was used as theoretical foundation of the study. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM was used to analyze the influence of mediating variable and hypotheses testing. The population of this study was fourth-year business students of nine 'grade one' private universities in Bangladesh. Data (n=310 were gathered from students pursuing studies at different private universities in Bangladesh. The findings of this study revealed that image occupied full mediation role between student satisfaction and service quality. Furthermore, it also disclosed that the direct path of student satisfaction and service quality was not statistically significant. These exceptional findings indicate that academic experts should promote the institutional image, student satisfaction and program quality rigorously in order to enhance service quality of education. The outcomes of this study would provide substantial benefits to both practitioners and academics, especially in the context of private higher education. There is a deficiency of indirect link between student satisfaction, program quality and service quality. This study has integrated institutional image as a mediating variable to fulfill the deficiency between student satisfaction, program quality, and service quality.

  20. Role Models and Mentors in Mid-Pipeline Retention of Geoscience Students, Newark, NJ

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gates, A. E.; Kalczynski, M. J.

    2012-12-01

    Undergraduate minority students retained enthusiasm for majoring in the geosciences by a combination of working with advanced minority mentors and role models as well as serving as role models for middle and high school students in Geoscience Education programs in Newark, NJ. An academic year program to interest 8-10th grade students from the Newark Public schools in the Geosciences employs minority undergraduate students from Rutgers University and Essex Community College as assistants. There is an academic year program (Geoexplorers) and a science festival (Dinosaur Day) at the Newark Museum that employs Rutgers University students and a summer program that employs Rutgers and Essex Community College students. All students are members of the Garden State LSAMP and receive any needed academic support from that program. The students receive mentoring from minority graduate students, project personnel and participating Newark Public School teachers, many of whom are from minority groups. The main factor in success and retention, however, is their role as authorities and role models for the K-12 students. The assistants are respected and consulted by the K-12 students for their knowledge and authority in the geosciences. This positive feedback shows them that they can be regarded as geoscientists and reinforces their self-image and enthusiasm. It further reinforces their knowledge of Geoscience concepts. It also binds the assistants together into a self-supporting community that even extends to the non-participating minority students in the Rutgers program. Although the drop-out rate among minority Geoscience majors was high (up to 100%) prior to the initiation of the program, it has dropped to 0% over the past 3 years with 2 participants now in PhD programs and 2 others completing MS degrees this year. Current students are seriously considering graduate education. Prior to this program, only one minority graduate from the program continued to graduate school in the

  1. Achieving Appropriate Gestational Weight Gain: The Role of Healthcare Provider Advice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deputy, Nicholas P; Sharma, Andrea J; Kim, Shin Y; Olson, Christine K

    2018-01-10

    The Institute of Medicine (IOM) revised gestational weight gain recommendations in 2009. We examined associations between healthcare provider advice about gestational weight gain and inadequate or excessive weight gain, stratified by prepregnancy body mass index category. We analyzed cross-sectional data from women delivering full-term (37-42 weeks of gestation), singleton infants from four states that participated in the 2010-2011 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (unweighted n = 7125). Women reported the weight gain range (start and end values) advised by their healthcare provider; advice was categorized as follows: starting below recommendations, starting and ending within recommendations (IOM consistent), ending above recommendations, not remembered, or not received. We examined associations between healthcare provider advice and inadequate or excessive, compared with appropriate, gestational weight gain using adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Overall, 26.3% of women reported receiving IOM-consistent healthcare provider advice; 26.0% received no advice. Compared with IOM-consistent advice, advice below recommendations was associated with higher likelihood of inadequate weight gain among underweight (aPR 2.22, CI 1.29-3.82) and normal weight women (aPR 1.57, CI 1.23-2.02); advice above recommendations was associated with higher likelihood of excessive weight gain among all but underweight women (aPR range 1.36, CI 1.08-1.72 to aPR 1.42, CI 1.19-1.71). Not remembering or not receiving advice was associated with both inadequate and excessive weight gain. Few women reported receiving IOM-consistent advice; not receiving IOM-consistent advice put women at-risk for weight gain outside recommendations. Strategies that raise awareness of IOM recommendations and address barriers to providing advice are needed.

  2. The role of virtual reality and 3D modelling in built environment education

    OpenAIRE

    Horne, Margaret; Thompson, Emine Mine

    2007-01-01

    This study builds upon previous research on the integration of Virtual Reality (VR) within the built environment curriculum and aims to investigate the role of Virtual Reality and three-dimensional (3D) computer modelling on learning and teaching in a school of the built environment. In order to achieve this aim a number of academic experiences were analysed to explore the applicability and viability of 3D computer modelling and Virtual Reality (VR) into built environment subject areas. Altho...

  3. The role of research efficiency in the evolution of scientific productivity and impact: An agent-based model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    You, Zhi-Qiang; Han, Xiao-Pu; Hadzibeganovic, Tarik

    2016-01-01

    We introduce an agent-based model to investigate the effects of production efficiency (PE) and hot field tracing capability (HFTC) on productivity and impact of scientists embedded in a competitive research environment. Agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of a citation network calibrated by real-world citation datasets. Our Monte-Carlo simulations reveal that differences in individual performance are strongly related to PE, whereas HFTC alone cannot provide sustainable academic careers under intensely competitive conditions. Remarkably, the negative effect of high competition levels on productivity can be buffered by elevated research efficiency if simultaneously HFTC is sufficiently low. - Highlights: • We study the role of production efficiency (PE) and research topic selectivity in the evolution of performance in academia. • In our model, agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of an artificial citation network. • Our agent-based model is calibrated by using datasets from the APS journals and the arxiv.org online preprint repository. • Individual performance is strongly affected by PE, whereas topic selectivity cannot significantly enhance academic success. • With even minimal reductions of research efficiency gaps, fairly profound boosts of scientific careers can be achieved.

  4. The role of research efficiency in the evolution of scientific productivity and impact: An agent-based model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    You, Zhi-Qiang [Alibaba Research Center for Complexity Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Institute of Information Economy and Alibaba Business College, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Han, Xiao-Pu, E-mail: xp@hznu.edu.cn [Alibaba Research Center for Complexity Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Institute of Information Economy and Alibaba Business College, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121 (China); Hadzibeganovic, Tarik, E-mail: tarik.hadzibeganovic@gmail.com [Department of Psychology, University of Graz, 8010 Graz (Austria)

    2016-02-22

    We introduce an agent-based model to investigate the effects of production efficiency (PE) and hot field tracing capability (HFTC) on productivity and impact of scientists embedded in a competitive research environment. Agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of a citation network calibrated by real-world citation datasets. Our Monte-Carlo simulations reveal that differences in individual performance are strongly related to PE, whereas HFTC alone cannot provide sustainable academic careers under intensely competitive conditions. Remarkably, the negative effect of high competition levels on productivity can be buffered by elevated research efficiency if simultaneously HFTC is sufficiently low. - Highlights: • We study the role of production efficiency (PE) and research topic selectivity in the evolution of performance in academia. • In our model, agents compete to publish and become cited by occupying the nodes of an artificial citation network. • Our agent-based model is calibrated by using datasets from the APS journals and the arxiv.org online preprint repository. • Individual performance is strongly affected by PE, whereas topic selectivity cannot significantly enhance academic success. • With even minimal reductions of research efficiency gaps, fairly profound boosts of scientific careers can be achieved.

  5. Role of small-scale independent providers in water and sanitation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    M.P. van Dijk (Meine Pieter)

    2008-01-01

    textabstractSmall-scale independent providers (SSIPs) and households are good for 10–69% of the household water supply and sometimes up to 95% of the sanitation solutions in cities in developing countries. Different types of SSIP can be distinguished. They could be allowed to make a more important

  6. Further support for the role of dysfunctional attitudes in models of real-world functioning in schizophrenia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horan, William P; Rassovsky, Yuri; Kern, Robert S; Lee, Junghee; Wynn, Jonathan K; Green, Michael F

    2010-06-01

    According to A.T. Beck and colleagues' cognitive formulation of poor functioning in schizophrenia, maladaptive cognitive appraisals play a key role in the expression and persistence of negative symptoms and associated real-world functioning deficits. They provided initial support for this model by showing that dysfunctional attitudes are elevated in schizophrenia and account for significant variance in negative symptoms and subjective quality of life. The current study used structural equation modeling to further evaluate the contribution of dysfunctional attitudes to outcome in schizophrenia. One hundred eleven outpatients and 67 healthy controls completed a Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, and patients completed a competence measure of functional capacity, clinical ratings of negative symptoms, and interview-based ratings of real-world functioning. Patients reported higher defeatist performance beliefs than controls and these were significantly related to lower functional capacity, higher negative symptoms, and worse community functioning. Consistent with Beck and colleagues' formulation, modeling analyses indicated a significant indirect pathway from functional capacity-->dysfunctional attitudes-->negative symptoms-->real-world functioning. These findings support the value of dysfunctional attitudes for understanding the determinants of outcome in schizophrenia and suggest that therapeutic interventions targeting these attitudes may facilitate functional recovery. (c) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Sibling influence on mexican-origin adolescents' deviant and sexual risk behaviors: the role of sibling modeling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Whiteman, Shawn D; Zeiders, Katharine H; Killoren, Sarah E; Rodriguez, Sue Annie; Updegraff, Kimberly A

    2014-05-01

    A growing body of research indicates that siblings uniquely influence each other's health risk behaviors during adolescence and young adulthood. Mechanisms underlying these associations, however, are largely unknown because they are rarely tested directly. The present study addressed this gap by examining the role of sibling modeling in explaining changes in Mexican-origin youths' deviant and sexual risk behaviors over time. The sample included 380 Mexican-origin siblings (older sibling age: M = 21.18, SD = 1.59; younger sibling age: M = 18.19, SD = .46) from (N = 190) families. Participants provided self-reports of their sibling relationship qualities, including modeling, as well as their engagement in deviant and sexual risk-taking behaviors in two home interviews across a 2-year span. A series of residualized regression models revealed that younger siblings' perceptions of modeling moderated the links between older siblings' deviant and sexual risk behaviors and younger siblings' subsequent behaviors in those same domains. Specifically, high levels of modeling predicted stronger associations between older siblings' earlier and younger siblings' later risk behaviors controlling for younger siblings' earlier behaviors as well as variables that have been used as proxies for social learning in previous research. Social learning mechanisms, especially modeling, are salient processes through which older siblings transmit norms and expectations regarding participation in health risk behaviors. Future research should continue to explore the ways in which siblings influence each other because such processes are emerging targets for intervention and prevention. Copyright © 2014 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. A critical role for the chimpanzee model in the study of hepatitis C.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bukh, Jens

    2004-06-01

    Chimpanzees remain the only recognized animal model for the study of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Studies performed in chimpanzees played a critical role in the discovery of HCV and are continuing to play an essential role in defining the natural history of this important human pathogen. In the absence of a reproducible cell culture system, the infectivity titer of HCV challenge pools can be determined only in chimpanzees. Recent studies in chimpanzees have provided new insight into the nature of host immune responses-particularly the intrahepatic responses-following primary and secondary experimental HCV infections. The immunogenicity and efficacy of vaccine candidates against HCV can be tested only in chimpanzees. Finally, it would not have been possible to demonstrate the infectivity of infectious clones of HCV without chimpanzees. Chimpanzees became infected when RNA transcripts from molecular clones were inoculated directly into the liver. The infection generated by such transfection did not differ significantly from that observed in animals infected intravenously with wild-type HCV. The RNA inoculated into chimpanzees originated from a single sequence, and the animals therefore had a monoclonal HCV infection. Monoclonal infection simplifies studies of HCV, because virus interaction with the host is not confounded by the quasispecies invariably present in a natural infection. It furthermore permits true homologous challenge in studies of protective immunity and in testing the efficacy of vaccine candidates. Finally, this in vivo transfection system has made it possible to test for the first time the importance of genetic elements for HCV infectivity.

  9. Ecosystem Services Provided by Agricultural Land as Modeled by Broad Scale Geospatial Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kokkinidis, Ioannis

    Agricultural ecosystems provide multiple services including food and fiber provision, nutrient cycling, soil retention and water regulation. Objectives of the study were to identify and quantify a selection of ecosystem services provided by agricultural land, using existing geospatial tools and preferably free and open source data, such as the Virginia Land Use Evaluation System (VALUES), the North Carolina Realistic Yield Expectations (RYE) database, and the land cover datasets NLCD and CDL. Furthermore I sought to model tradeoffs between provisioning and other services. First I assessed the accuracy of agricultural land in NLCD and CDL over a four county area in eastern Virginia using cadastral parcels. I uncovered issues concerning the definition of agricultural land. The area and location of agriculture saw little change in the 19 years studied. Furthermore all datasets have significant errors of omission (11.3 to 95.1%) and commission (0 to 71.3%). Location of agriculture was used with spatial crop yield databases I created and combined with models I adapted to calculate baseline values for plant biomass, nutrient composition and requirements, land suitability for and potential production of biofuels and the economic impact of agriculture for the four counties. The study area was then broadened to cover 97 counties in eastern Virginia and North Carolina, investigating the potential for increased regional grain production through intensification and extensification of agriculture. Predicted yield from geospatial crop models was compared with produced yield from the NASS Survey of Agriculture. Area of most crops in CDL was similar to that in the Survey of Agriculture, but a yield gap is present for most years, partially due to weather, thus indicating potential for yield increase through intensification. Using simple criteria I quantified the potential to extend agriculture in high yield land in other uses and modeled the changes in erosion and runoff should

  10. The role of intergenerational similarity and parenting in adolescent self-criticism: An actor-partner interdependence model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bleys, Dries; Soenens, Bart; Boone, Liesbet; Claes, Stephan; Vliegen, Nicole; Luyten, Patrick

    2016-06-01

    Research investigating the development of adolescent self-criticism has typically focused on the role of either parental self-criticism or parenting. This study used an actor-partner interdependence model to examine an integrated theoretical model in which achievement-oriented psychological control has an intervening role in the relation between parental and adolescent self-criticism. Additionally, the relative contribution of both parents and the moderating role of adolescent gender were examined. Participants were 284 adolescents (M = 14 years, range = 12-16 years) and their parents (M = 46 years, range = 32-63 years). Results showed that only maternal self-criticism was directly related to adolescent self-criticism. However, both parents' achievement-oriented psychological control had an intervening role in the relation between parent and adolescent self-criticism in both boys and girls. Moreover, one parent's achievement-oriented psychological control was not predicted by the self-criticism of the other parent. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. A Model-driven Role-based Access Control for SQL Databases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raimundas Matulevičius

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Nowadays security has become an important aspect in information systems engineering. A mainstream method for information system security is Role-based Access Control (RBAC, which restricts system access to authorised users. While the benefits of RBAC are widely acknowledged, the implementation and administration of RBAC policies remains a human intensive activity, typically postponed until the implementation and maintenance phases of system development. This deferred security engineering approach makes it difficult for security requirements to be accurately captured and for the system’s implementation to be kept aligned with these requirements as the system evolves. In this paper we propose a model-driven approach to manage SQL database access under the RBAC paradigm. The starting point of the approach is an RBAC model captured in SecureUML. This model is automatically translated to Oracle Database views and instead-of triggers code, which implements the security constraints. The approach has been fully instrumented as a prototype and its effectiveness has been validated by means of a case study.

  12. RELATION OF COACHING BEHAVIOR AND ROLE AMBIGUITY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karamousalidis G.

    2010-08-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between coaching behavior and role ambiguity in defensive responsibilities using interdependent Greek sport teams. Athlete perceptions of role ambiguity (defense were assessed using a questionnaire developed by Beauchamp, Bray, Eys and Carron (2002 andcoaching behavior was assessed using the Coaching Behavior Questionnaire, (Williams, et. al., 2003. The sample consisted of 409 athletes of basketball, volleyball, handball and soccer. Confirmatory factor analysis provided the construct validity of the questionnaires and correlations among the scales confirmed construct validity. The implications of the results are discussed and future research should continue to investigate the multidimensional models of both coaching behavior and role ambiguity in sport settings.

  13. The mediating role of organizational subcultures in health care organizations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lok, Peter; Rhodes, Jo; Westwood, Bob

    2011-01-01

    This study aims to investigate the mediating role of organizational subculture between job satisfaction, organizational commitment (dependent variables) and leadership, culture (independent variables) in health care organizations. A survey on nurses from 26 wards from various types of hospital was used. A total of 251 usable returns were collected for the analysis (i.e. response rate of 63 per cent). Structural equation analysis was conducted to obtain the best fit model and to determine the direction of the causal effect between job satisfaction and commitment, and the role of subculture as a mediating variable, between commitment of its other antecedents. Comparisons with alternative models confirmed satisfaction as an antecedent of commitment and the role of subculture as a mediating variable. The results of this study contribute to the clarification of the causal relations of the antecedents of commitment, and highlight the important role of local leadership and subculture in determining employees' job satisfaction and commitment. The results of this study should not be generalized to other industries and other national cultural context. Furthermore, a longitudinal study may be necessary to determine the causal relationship of variables used in this study. The findings could provide managers with valuable insight to focus their limited resources on improving the level of organizational commitment via the mediating role of organizational culture. The research findings provide managers with a new lens to examine organizational culture using the three perspectives of: bureaucratic, supportive, and innovative. Furthermore, the results could renew interest in developing other organizational subculture models that determine the relationship between organizational subculture and commitment

  14. Stochastic biomathematical models with applications to neuronal modeling

    CERN Document Server

    Batzel, Jerry; Ditlevsen, Susanne

    2013-01-01

    Stochastic biomathematical models are becoming increasingly important as new light is shed on the role of noise in living systems. In certain biological systems, stochastic effects may even enhance a signal, thus providing a biological motivation for the noise observed in living systems. Recent advances in stochastic analysis and increasing computing power facilitate the analysis of more biophysically realistic models, and this book provides researchers in computational neuroscience and stochastic systems with an overview of recent developments. Key concepts are developed in chapters written by experts in their respective fields. Topics include: one-dimensional homogeneous diffusions and their boundary behavior, large deviation theory and its application in stochastic neurobiological models, a review of mathematical methods for stochastic neuronal integrate-and-fire models, stochastic partial differential equation models in neurobiology, and stochastic modeling of spreading cortical depression.

  15. Role Models in Science - An Effective Dissemination Strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chatzichristou, Eleni; Daglis, Ioannis A.; Anastasiadis, Anastasios; Balasis, George; Bourdarie, Sebastien; Horne, Richard B.; Khotyaintsev, Yuri; Mann, Ian R.; Santolik, Ondrej; Turner, Drew L.; Giannakis, Omiros; Ropokis, George

    2014-05-01

    successful career path to both act as role model and to show the challenges that young scientists are facing today. The work leading to this paper has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7-SPACE-2011-1) under grant agreement no. 284520 for the MAARBLE (Monitoring, Analyzing and Assessing Radiation Belt Energization and Loss) collaborative research project. This paper reflects only the authors' views and the Union is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.

  16. A study of role expansion: a new GP role in cardiology care

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background The National Health Service is reconfiguring health care services in order to meet the increasing challenge of providing care for people with long-term conditions and to reduce the demand on specialised outpatient hospital services by enhancing primary care. A review of cardiology referrals to specialised care and the literature on referral management inspired the development of a new GP role in Cardiology. This new extended role was developed to enable GPs to diagnose and manage patients with mild to moderate heart failure or atrial fibrillation and to use a range of diagnostics effectively in primary care. This entailed GPs participating in a four-session short course with on-going clinical supervision. The new role was piloted in a small number of GP practices in one county in England for four months. This study explores the impact of piloting the Extended Cardiology role on the GP’s role, patients’ experience, service delivery and quality. Methods A mixed methods approach was employed including semi-structured interviews with GPs, a patient experience survey, a quality review of case notes, and analysis on activity and referral data. Results The participating GPs perceived the extended GP role as a professional development opportunity that had the potential to reduce healthcare utilisation and costs, through a reduction in referrals, whilst meeting the patient’s wishes for the provision of care closer to home. Patient experience of the new GP service was positive. The standard of clinical practice was judged acceptable. There was a fall in referrals during the study period. Conclusion This new role in cardiology was broadly welcomed as a model of care by the participating GPs and by patients, because of the potential to improve the quality of care for patients in primary care and reduce costs. As this was a pilot study further development and continuing evaluation of the model is recommended. PMID:24885826

  17. Mathematical modeling provides kinetic details of the human immune response to vaccination

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dustin eLe

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available With major advances in experimental techniques to track antigen-specific immune responses many basic questions on the kinetics of virus-specific immunity in humans remain unanswered. To gain insights into kinetics of T and B cell responses in human volunteers we combine mathematical models and experimental data from recent studies employing vaccines against yellow fever and smallpox. Yellow fever virus-specific CD8 T cell population expanded slowly with the average doubling time of 2 days peaking 2.5 weeks post immunization. Interestingly, we found that the peak of the yellow fever-specific CD8 T cell response is determined by the rate of T cell proliferation and not by the precursor frequency of antigen-specific cells as has been suggested in several studies in mice. We also found that while the frequency of virus-specific T cells increases slowly, the slow increase can still accurately explain clearance of yellow fever virus in the blood. Our additional mathematical model describes well the kinetics of virus-specific antibody-secreting cell and antibody response to vaccinia virus in vaccinated individuals suggesting that most of antibodies in 3 months post immunization are derived from the population of circulating antibody-secreting cells. Taken together, our analysis provides novel insights into mechanisms by which live vaccines induce immunity to viral infections and highlight challenges of applying methods of mathematical modeling to the current, state-of-the-art yet limited immunological data.

  18. Mathematical modeling provides kinetic details of the human immune response to vaccination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Dustin; Miller, Joseph D; Ganusov, Vitaly V

    2014-01-01

    With major advances in experimental techniques to track antigen-specific immune responses many basic questions on the kinetics of virus-specific immunity in humans remain unanswered. To gain insights into kinetics of T and B cell responses in human volunteers we combined mathematical models and experimental data from recent studies employing vaccines against yellow fever and smallpox. Yellow fever virus-specific CD8 T cell population expanded slowly with the average doubling time of 2 days peaking 2.5 weeks post immunization. Interestingly, we found that the peak of the yellow fever-specific CD8 T cell response was determined by the rate of T cell proliferation and not by the precursor frequency of antigen-specific cells as has been suggested in several studies in mice. We also found that while the frequency of virus-specific T cells increased slowly, the slow increase could still accurately explain clearance of yellow fever virus in the blood. Our additional mathematical model described well the kinetics of virus-specific antibody-secreting cell and antibody response to vaccinia virus in vaccinated individuals suggesting that most of antibodies in 3 months post immunization were derived from the population of circulating antibody-secreting cells. Taken together, our analysis provided novel insights into mechanisms by which live vaccines induce immunity to viral infections and highlighted challenges of applying methods of mathematical modeling to the current, state-of-the-art yet limited immunological data.

  19. Coping and compromise: a qualitative study of how primary health care providers respond to health reform in China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Mingji; Wang, Wei; Millar, Ross; Li, Guohong; Yan, Fei

    2017-08-04

    Health reform in China since 2009 has emphasized basic public health services to enhance the function of Community Health Services as a primary health care facility. A variety of studies have documented these efforts, and the challenges these have faced, yet up to now the experience of primary health care (PHC) providers in terms of how they have coped with these changes remains underdeveloped. Despite the abundant literature on psychological coping processes and mechanisms, the application of coping research within the context of human resources for health remains yet to be explored. This research aims to understand how PHC providers coped with the new primary health care model and the job characteristics brought about by these changes. Semi-structured interviews with primary health care workers were conducted in Jinan city of Shandong province in China. A maximum variation sampling method selected 30 PHC providers from different specialties. Thematic analysis was used drawing on a synthesis of theories related to the Job Demands-Resources model, work adjustment, and the model of exit, voice, loyalty and neglect to understand PHC providers' coping strategies. Our interviews identified that the new model of primary health care significantly affected the nature of primary health work and triggered a range of PHC providers' coping processes. The results found that health workers perceived their job as less intensive than hospital medical work but often more trivial, characterized by heavy workload, blurred job description, unsatisfactory income, and a lack of professional development. However, close relationship with community and low work pressure were satisfactory. PHC providers' processing of job demands and resources displayed two ways of interaction: aggravation and alleviation. Processing of job demands and resources led to three coping strategies: exit, passive loyalty, and compromise with new roles and functions. Primary health care providers employed coping

  20. Consumer providers' experiences of recovery and concerns as members of a psychiatric multidisciplinary outreach team: A qualitative descriptive study from the Japan Outreach Model Project 2011-2014.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshifumi Kido

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to clarify consumer providers (CPs subjective experiences as members of a psychiatric multidisciplinary outreach team that provided services to individuals with a mental illness living in the community.A qualitative descriptive study was conducted through semi-structured interviews. Participants were clients hired as CPs in the Japanese Outreach Model Project from September 2011 until March 2014. Of the seventeen CPs, nine participated in this study. We looked at the CPs' subjective experiences of fulfillment and difficulty.In the process of providing services, CPs experienced both achievements and concerns. They had a sense of achievement by caring for their clients and they experienced that they themselves were recovering. They were also concerned about having inadequate knowledge and skills to provide psychiatric services to their clients. Further, there were concerns about their dual role on the multidisciplinary team and being support staff while they were still using mental health services themselves.The results show that the activities of CPs included fulfillment, recovery, and dilemmas. Clarifications will likely contribute to an increase in understanding and cooperation between CPs and other professionals with whom they work. Further studies are needed to investigate policies related to mental health consumers who are also providers of mental health services.

  1. An Exploratory Study of the Role of Human Resource Management in Models of Employee Turnover

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozolina-Ozola, Iveta

    2016-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to present the study results of the human resource management role in the voluntary employee turnover models. The mixed methods design was applied. On the basis of the results of the search and evaluation of publications, the 16 models of employee turnover were selected. Applying the method of content analysis, the…

  2. Emotion-regulation ability, role stress and teachers' mental health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mérida-López, S; Extremera, N; Rey, L

    2017-10-01

    Work-related stressors, including role ambiguity and role conflict, are related to psychological maladjustment and mental ill-health. However, to date, the role of personal resources such as emotion-regulation ability (ERA) in the prediction of mental health indicators has not been addressed. To examine whether ERA would contribute to explaining teachers' depression, anxiety and stress symptoms beyond role ambiguity and role conflict. We carried out a cross-sectional questionnaire survey. We used a correlation matrix and hierarchical regression models to analyse the data. Three hundred and thirty-six Spanish teachers (185 female) from several grade levels completed the surveys (40% response rate). Role ambiguity and role conflict were positively related to depression, anxiety and stress symptoms. ERA was negatively related to teachers' scores on depressive, anxious and stress symptoms, with predictive power above the main effects of role ambiguity and role conflict. An interaction between role ambiguity and ERA was also significant in predicting depression. Our study provides preliminary evidence suggesting the development of integrative models considering work-related stressors along with personal resources such as ERA aiming to prevent teachers' mental ill-health. Future studies should examine the influence of ERA on psychological symptoms using longitudinal designs. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

  3. Determining Nurse Aide Staffing Requirements to Provide Care Based on Resident Workload: A Discrete Event Simulation Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schnelle, John F; Schroyer, L Dale; Saraf, Avantika A; Simmons, Sandra F

    2016-11-01

    Nursing aides provide most of the labor-intensive activities of daily living (ADL) care to nursing home (NH) residents. Currently, most NHs do not determine nurse aide staffing requirements based on the time to provide ADL care for their unique resident population. The lack of an objective method to determine nurse aide staffing requirements suggests that many NHs could be understaffed in their capacity to provide consistent ADL care to all residents in need. Discrete event simulation (DES) mathematically models key work parameters (eg, time to provide an episode of care and available staff) to predict the ability of the work setting to provide care over time and offers an objective method to determine nurse aide staffing needs in NHs. This study had 2 primary objectives: (1) to describe the relationship between ADL workload and the level of nurse aide staffing reported by NHs; and, (2) to use a DES model to determine the relationship between ADL workload and nurse aide staffing necessary for consistent, timely ADL care. Minimum Data Set data related to the level of dependency on staff for ADL care for residents in over 13,500 NHs nationwide were converted into 7 workload categories that captured 98% of all residents. In addition, data related to the time to provide care for the ADLs within each workload category was used to calculate a workload score for each facility. The correlation between workload and reported nurse aide staffing levels was calculated to determine the association between staffing reported by NHs and workload. Simulations to project staffing requirements necessary to provide ADL care were then conducted for 65 different workload scenarios, which included 13 different nurse aide staffing levels (ranging from 1.6 to 4.0 total hours per resident day) and 5 different workload percentiles (ranging from the 5th to the 95th percentile). The purpose of the simulation model was to determine the staffing necessary to provide care within each workload

  4. Achieving and Maintaining Change in Urban Schools: The Role of The School Psychologist

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petry, Bradley; Serbonich, Nadine

    2018-01-01

    School psychologists in Baltimore (MD) City Public Schools are engaged in efforts to expand their professional roles from a traditional to a more comprehensive model. In Baltimore, school psychologists had been in the traditional role as a special education-specific gatekeeper and service provider. Starting in 2013, a group of school…

  5. A multi-objective location-inventory model for 3PL providers with sustainable considerations under uncertainty

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. Daghigh

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, logistics development is considered as an important aspect of any country’s development. Outsourcing logistics activities to third party logistics (3PL providers is a common way to achieve logistics development. On the other hand, globalization and increasing customers’ concern about the environmental impact of activities as well as the appearance of the issue of social responsibility have led companies employ sustainable supply chain management, which considers economic, environmental and social benefits, simultaneously. This paper proposes a multi-objective model to design logistics network for 3PL providers by considering sustainable objectives under uncertainty. Objective functions include minimizing the total cost, minimizing greenhouse gas emission and maximizing social responsibility subject to fair access to products, number of created job opportunities and local community development. It is worth mentioning that in the present paper the perishability of products is also considered. A numerical example is provided to solve and validate model using augmented Epsilon-Constraint method. The results show that three sustainable objectives were in conflict and as the one receives more desirable values, the others fall into more undesirable values. In addition, by increasing maximum perishable time periods and by considering lateral transshipment among facilities of a level one can improve sustainability indices of the problem, which indicates the necessity of such policy in improving network sustainability.

  6. The role of models/and analogies in science education: implications from research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coll, Richard K.; France, Bev; Taylor, Ian

    2005-02-01

    Models and modelling are key tools for scientists, science teachers and science learners. In this paper we argue that classroom-based research evidence demonstrates that the use of models and analogies within the pedagogy of science education may provide a route for students to gain some understanding of the nature of science. A common theme to emerge from the literature reviewed here is that in order to successfully develop conceptual understandings in science, learners need to be able to reflect on and discuss their understandings of scientific concepts as they are developing them. Pedagogies that involve various types of modelling are most effective when students are able to construct and critique their own and scientists' models. Research also suggests that group work and peer discussion are important ways of enhancing students' cognitive and metacognitive thinking skills. Further we argue that an understanding of science models and the modelling process enables students to develop a metacognitive awareness of knowledge development within the science community, as well as providing the tools to reflect on their own scientific understanding.

  7. Decomposing the roles of perseveration and expected value representation in models of the Iowa gambling task.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Worthy, Darrell A; Pang, Bo; Byrne, Kaileigh A

    2013-01-01

    Models of human behavior in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) have played a pivotal role in accounting for behavioral differences during decision-making. One critical difference between models that have been used to account for behavior in the IGT is the inclusion or exclusion of the assumption that participants tend to persevere, or stay with the same option over consecutive trials. Models that allow for this assumption include win-stay-lose-shift (WSLS) models and reinforcement learning (RL) models that include a decay learning rule where expected values for each option decay as they are chosen less often. One shortcoming of RL models that have included decay rules is that the tendency to persevere by sticking with the same option has been conflated with the tendency to select the option with the highest expected value because a single term is used to represent both of these tendencies. In the current work we isolate the tendencies to perseverate and to select the option with the highest expected value by including them as separate terms in a Value-Plus-Perseveration (VPP) RL model. Overall the VPP model provides a better fit to data from a large group of participants than models that include a single term to account for both perseveration and the representation of expected value. Simulations of each model show that the VPP model's simulated choices most closely resemble the decision-making behavior of human subjects. In addition, we also find that parameter estimates of loss aversion are more strongly correlated with performance when perseverative tendencies and expected value representations are decomposed as separate terms within the model. The results suggest that the tendency to persevere and the tendency to select the option that leads to the best net payoff are central components of decision-making behavior in the IGT. Future work should use this model to better examine decision-making behavior.

  8. Emerging Business Models in Education Provisioning: A Case Study on Providing Learning Support as Education-as-a-Service

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Loina Prifti

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available This study aims to give a deeper understanding on emerging business models in the context of education. Industry 4.0/the Industrial Internet in general and especially recent advances in cloud computing enable a new kind of service offering in the education sector and lead to new business models for education: Education-as-a-Service (EaaS. Within EaaS, learning, and teaching contents are delivered as services. By combining a literature review with a qualitative case study, this paper makes a three-fold contribution to the field of business models in education: First, we provide a theoretical definition for a common understanding of EaaS. Second, we present the state-of-the-art research on this new paradigm. Third, in the case study we describe a “best practices” business model of an existing EaaS provider. These insights build a theoretical foundation for further research in this area. The paper concludes with a research agenda for further research in this emerging field.

  9. Keefektifan Konseling Behavioral Teknik Modeling dan Konseling Analisis Transaksional Teknik Role Playing untuk Meminimalkan Kecenderungan Perilaku Agresif Siswa Sekolah Menengah Atas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Ketut Gading

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of behavioral counseling using modeling technique and counseling transactional analysis using role playing technique to minimize student’s tendency of aggressive behavior. This experimental research with pretest-posttest control group design is taking samples using purposive sampling technique. The sample were 18 tenth grade students from Senior High School Laboratorium Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha who have high aggressive behavior. 18 sample were randomly assigned to three group, that is: (1 experimental group of behavioral counseling using modeling technique; (2 counseling transactional analysis using role playing technique group; and (3 control group. Data on aggressive behavior tendency before and after treatment were collected using questionnaire of aggressive behavior, then analyzed by t test. The results show: (1 behavioral counseling using modeling technique were effective to minimize the tendency of aggressive behavior; (2 counseling transactional analysis using role playing technique were effective to minimize the aggressive behavior; and (3 counseling transactional analysis using role playing technique were more effectively minimizes the tendency of aggressive behavior rather than behavioral counseling using modeling technique. Abstrak: Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui keefektifan konseling behavioral teknik modeling dan konseling analisis transaksional teknik role playing untuk meminimalkan kecenderungan perilaku agresif siswa. Penelitian eksperimen dengan rancangan pretest-posttest control group design ini mengambil sampel dengan teknik purposive sampling. Sampel terdiri dari 18 orang siswa kelas X Sekolah Menengah Atas (SMA Laboratorium Universitas Pendidikan Ganesha yang memiliki perilaku agresif tinggi. 18 sampel dibagi secara acak dan merata pada tiga kelompok, yaitu: (1 kelompok eksperimen yang mendapatkan perlakuan konseling behavioral teknik modeling; (2

  10. Balancing the seen and unseen: Nurse educator as role model for critical thinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raymond, Christy; Profetto-McGrath, Joanne; Myrick, Florence; Strean, William B

    2018-05-04

    Critical thinking is an important indicator of student learning and is an essential outcome of baccalaureate nursing education. The role of nurse educators in the development of students' critical thinking has been overlooked despite the importance of their actions to facilitate critical thinking in nursing education. We used a constructivist grounded theory approach within a larger mixed methods triangulation study to explore how nurse educators revealed their critical thinking in practice. From the grounded theory approach, a model emerged from our research, outlining the important aspects of nurse educators' critical thinking and how it is revealed in the clinical setting. The important categories of this model include: a) fostering the student-educator relationship; b) role modeling critical thinking; c) mobilizing and operationalizing resources; as well as d) balancing factors that impact nurse educators' critical thinking. Our findings inform what is known about nurse educators' critical thinking and how it can be implemented in nurse educators' teaching practice. Given our findings, we offer recommendations for future nursing education practice and research, including the need to apply our findings in additional settings and further develop nurse educators' awareness of their own critical thinking. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Intention recognition, commitment and their roles in the evolution of cooperation from artificial intelligence techniques to evolutionary game theory models

    CERN Document Server

    Han, The Anh

    2013-01-01

    This original and timely monograph describes a unique self-contained excursion that reveals to the readers the roles of two basic cognitive abilities, i.e. intention recognition and arranging commitments, in the evolution of cooperative behavior. This book analyses intention recognition, an important ability that helps agents predict others’ behavior, in its artificial intelligence and evolutionary computational modeling aspects, and proposes a novel intention recognition method. Furthermore, the book presents a new framework for intention-based decision making and illustrates several ways in which an ability to recognize intentions of others can enhance a decision making process. By employing the new intention recognition method and the tools of evolutionary game theory, this book introduces computational models demonstrating that intention recognition promotes the emergence of cooperation within populations of self-regarding agents. Finally, the book describes how commitment provides a pathway to the evol...

  12. Team performance in the Italian NHS: the role of reflexivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Urbini, Flavio; Callea, Antonino; Chirumbolo, Antonio; Talamo, Alessandra; Ingusci, Emanuela; Ciavolino, Enrico

    2018-04-09

    Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to investigate the goodness of the input-process-output (IPO) model in order to evaluate work team performance within the Italian National Health Care System (NHS); and second, to test the mediating role of reflexivity as an overarching process factor between input and output. Design/methodology/approach The Italian version of the Aston Team Performance Inventory was administered to 351 employees working in teams in the Italian NHS. Mediation analyses with latent variables were performed via structural equation modeling (SEM); the significance of total, direct, and indirect effect was tested via bootstrapping. Findings Underpinned by the IPO framework, the results of SEM supported mediational hypotheses. First, the application of the IPO model in the Italian NHS showed adequate fit indices, showing that the process mediates the relationship between input and output factors. Second, reflexivity mediated the relationship between input and output, influencing some aspects of team performance. Practical implications The results provide useful information for HRM policies improving process dimensions of the IPO model via the mediating role of reflexivity as a key role in team performance. Originality/value This study is one of a limited number of studies that applied the IPO model in the Italian NHS. Moreover, no study has yet examined the role of reflexivity as a mediator between input and output factors in the IPO model.

  13. Developing a community based service model for disability: Listening to the needs of all beneficiaries and providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Katrina

    2017-12-11

    To inform the strategic and operational development of a community based service model at the Crann Centre, Cork, Ireland for SB children, adults, their families and providers. A needs assessment was conducted by gathering the views of multiple stakeholder perspectives within the SB community in the geographical region the Centre will serve. The intention is to create project deliverables that are responsive to the needs highlighted through this research. The study used a multi method design with a participatory research approach to explore the needs of SB individuals, families and providers. This involved in depth interviews, focus groups and online surveys. One hundred and fifty-nine respondents contributed to this qualitative needs assessment. The research established a range of psychosocial, clinical, vocational and educational issues causing ongoing difficulties for SB individuals and families. Providers highlighted supports that would benefit the social and clinical wellbeing of persons with SB. Collectively participants in the study reported that there was an absence of coordinated, continuous and comprehensive service delivery for the SB community in the region. This was amplified by geographical location of services and access to relevant supports. Consensus across stakeholders in this research pointed to the necessity for an innovative model of community based provision at the Crann Centre. This was described as offering a service with family at the core of an assets based model of practice. A key finding was the lack of importance placed on the social and emotional development of SB individuals. Traditionally participants described a singular focus on physical health through clinically defined treatment models. The desire for a social model of disability that informed health and wellbeing of SB individuals and families emerged as a prominent recommendation from the research.

  14. Role of Statistical Random-Effects Linear Models in Personalized Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Diaz, Francisco J; Yeh, Hung-Wen; de Leon, Jose

    2012-03-01

    Some empirical studies and recent developments in pharmacokinetic theory suggest that statistical random-effects linear models are valuable tools that allow describing simultaneously patient populations as a whole and patients as individuals. This remarkable characteristic indicates that these models may be useful in the development of personalized medicine, which aims at finding treatment regimes that are appropriate for particular patients, not just appropriate for the average patient. In fact, published developments show that random-effects linear models may provide a solid theoretical framework for drug dosage individualization in chronic diseases. In particular, individualized dosages computed with these models by means of an empirical Bayesian approach may produce better results than dosages computed with some methods routinely used in therapeutic drug monitoring. This is further supported by published empirical and theoretical findings that show that random effects linear models may provide accurate representations of phase III and IV steady-state pharmacokinetic data, and may be useful for dosage computations. These models have applications in the design of clinical algorithms for drug dosage individualization in chronic diseases; in the computation of dose correction factors; computation of the minimum number of blood samples from a patient that are necessary for calculating an optimal individualized drug dosage in therapeutic drug monitoring; measure of the clinical importance of clinical, demographic, environmental or genetic covariates; study of drug-drug interactions in clinical settings; the implementation of computational tools for web-site-based evidence farming; design of pharmacogenomic studies; and in the development of a pharmacological theory of dosage individualization.

  15. An integrative model on the role of DMBT1 in epithelial cancer

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mollenhauer, Jan; Helmke, Burkhard; Müller, Hanna

    2002-01-01

    The gene, deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 (DMBT1), has been proposed to play a role in brain and epithelial cancer, but shows unusual features for a classical tumor suppressor gene. We have proposed that its presumptive dual function in protection and differentiation is of importance to under......The gene, deleted in malignant brain tumors 1 (DMBT1), has been proposed to play a role in brain and epithelial cancer, but shows unusual features for a classical tumor suppressor gene. We have proposed that its presumptive dual function in protection and differentiation is of importance...... displayed presumable mutations. However, none of the alterations would be predicted to lead to a complete inactivation of the gene. DMBT1 is mucin-like and shows tissue-specific expression and secretion, pointing to a function in the protection of monolayered epithelia and to an additional function...... in the differentiation of multilayered epithelia. The expression patterns in carcinomas arising from the respective structures support this view. Accepting this functional dualism gives rise to an initial model on the role of DMBT1 in epithelial cancer....

  16. Providing animal health services to the poor in Northern Ghana: rethinking the role of community animal health workers?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mockshell, Jonathan; Ilukor, John; Birner, Regina

    2014-02-01

    The Community Animal Health Workers (CAHWs) system has been promoted as an alternative solution to providing animal health services in marginal areas. Yet, access to quality animal health services still remains a fundamental problem for livestock dependent communities. This paper uses the concepts of accessibility, affordability, and transaction costs to examine the perceptions of livestock keepers about the various animal health service providers. The empirical analysis is based on a survey of 120 livestock-keeping households in the Tolon-Kumbungu and Savelugu-Nanton districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. A multinomial logit model was used to determine the factors that influence households' choice of alternative animal health service providers. The results show that the government para-vets are the most preferred type of animal health service providers while CAHWs are the least preferred. Reasons for this observation include high transaction costs and low performance resulting from limited training. In areas with few or no government para-vets, farmers have resorted to self-treatment or to selling sick animals for consumption, which has undesirable health implications. These practices also result in significant financial losses for farmers. This paper finds that the CAHWs' system is insufficient for providing quality animal health services to the rural poor in marginal areas. Therefore, market-smart alternative solutions requiring strong public sector engagement to support livestock farmers in marginal areas and setting minimum training standards for animal health service providers merit policy consideration.

  17. Role of erosion and isostasy in the Cordillera Blanca uplift: Insights from landscape evolution modeling (northern Peru, Andes)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margirier, Audrey; Braun, Jean; Robert, Xavier; Audin, Laurence

    2018-03-01

    The processes driving uplift and exhumation of the highest Peruvian peaks (the Cordillera Blanca) are not well understood. Uplift and exhumation seem closely linked to the formation and movement on the Cordillera Blanca normal fault (CBNF) that delimits and shapes the western flank of the Cordillera Blanca. Several models have been proposed to explain the presence of this major normal fault in a compressional setting, but the CBNF and the Cordillera Blanca recent rapid uplift remain enigmatic. Whereas the Cordillera Blanca morphology demonstrates important erosion and thus a significant mass of rocks removal, the impact of erosion and isostasy on the evolution of the Cordillera Blanca uplift rates has never been explored. We address the role of erosion and associated flexural rebound in the uplift and exhumation of the Cordillera Blanca with numerical modeling of landscape evolution. We perform inversions of the broad features of the present-day topography, total exhumation and thermochronological data using a landscape evolution model (FastScape) to provide constraints on the erosion efficiency factor, the uplift rate and the temperature gradient. Our results evidence the not negligible contribution of erosion and associated flexural rebound to the uplift of the Cordillera Blanca and allow us to question the models previously proposed for the formation of the CBNF.

  18. Decomposing the Roles of Perseveration and Expected Value Representation in Models of the Iowa Gambling Task

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Darrell A. Worthy

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Models of human behavior in the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT have played a pivotal role in accounting for behavioral differences during decision-making. One critical difference between models that have been used to account for behavior in the IGT is the inclusion or exclusion of the assumption that participants tend to persevere, or stay with the same option over consecutive trials. Models that allow for this assumption include win-stay-lose-shift (WSLS models and reinforcement learning (RL models that include a decay learning rule where expected values for each option decay as they are chosen less often. One shortcoming of RL models that have included decay rules is that the tendency to persevere by sticking with the same option has been conflated with the tendency to select the option with the highest expected value because a single term is used to represent both of these tendencies. In the current work we isolate the tendencies to perseverate and to select the option with the highest expected value by including them as separate terms in a Value-Plus-Perseveration (VPP RL model. Overall the VPP model provides a better fit to data from a large group of participants than models that include a single term to account for both perseveration and the representation of expected value. Simulations of each model show that the VPP model’s simulated choices most closely resemble the decision-making behavior of human subjects. In addition, we also find that parameter estimates of loss aversion are more strongly correlated with performance when perseverative tendencies and expected value representations are decomposed as separate terms within the model. The results suggest that the tendency to persevere and the tendency to select the option that leads to the best net payoff are central components of decision-making behavior in the IGT. Future work should use this model to better examine decision-making behavior.

  19. Interactions between patients and dental care providers: does gender matter?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inglehart, Marita R

    2013-04-01

    Research findings concerning the role of gender in patient-physician interactions can inform considerations about the role of gender in patient-dental care provider interactions. Medical research showed that gender differences in verbal and nonverbal communication in medical settings exist and that they affect the outcomes of these interactions. The process of communication is shaped by gender identities, gender stereotypes, and attitudes. Future research needs to consider the cultural complexity and diversity in which gender issues are embedded and the degree to which ongoing value change will shape gender roles and in turn interactions between dental patients and their providers. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Role Models of Australian Female Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study to Inform Programmes Designed to Increase Physical Activity and Sport Participation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Janet A.; Symons, Caroline M.; Pain, Michelle D.; Harvey, Jack T.; Eime, Rochelle M.; Craike, Melinda J.; Payne, Warren R.

    2015-01-01

    In light of the importance attributed to the presence of positive role models in promoting physical activity during adolescence, this study examined role models of adolescent girls and their influence on physical activity. Seven hundred and thirty two girls in Years 7 and 11 from metropolitan and non-metropolitan regions of Victoria, Australia,…

  1. Creating a Structurally Realistic Finite Element Geometric Model of a Cardiomyocyte to Study the Role of Cellular Architecture in Cardiomyocyte Systems Biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajagopal, Vijay; Bass, Gregory; Ghosh, Shouryadipta; Hunt, Hilary; Walker, Cameron; Hanssen, Eric; Crampin, Edmund; Soeller, Christian

    2018-04-18

    With the advent of three-dimensional (3D) imaging technologies such as electron tomography, serial-block-face scanning electron microscopy and confocal microscopy, the scientific community has unprecedented access to large datasets at sub-micrometer resolution that characterize the architectural remodeling that accompanies changes in cardiomyocyte function in health and disease. However, these datasets have been under-utilized for investigating the role of cellular architecture remodeling in cardiomyocyte function. The purpose of this protocol is to outline how to create an accurate finite element model of a cardiomyocyte using high resolution electron microscopy and confocal microscopy images. A detailed and accurate model of cellular architecture has significant potential to provide new insights into cardiomyocyte biology, more than experiments alone can garner. The power of this method lies in its ability to computationally fuse information from two disparate imaging modalities of cardiomyocyte ultrastructure to develop one unified and detailed model of the cardiomyocyte. This protocol outlines steps to integrate electron tomography and confocal microscopy images of adult male Wistar (name for a specific breed of albino rat) rat cardiomyocytes to develop a half-sarcomere finite element model of the cardiomyocyte. The procedure generates a 3D finite element model that contains an accurate, high-resolution depiction (on the order of ~35 nm) of the distribution of mitochondria, myofibrils and ryanodine receptor clusters that release the necessary calcium for cardiomyocyte contraction from the sarcoplasmic reticular network (SR) into the myofibril and cytosolic compartment. The model generated here as an illustration does not incorporate details of the transverse-tubule architecture or the sarcoplasmic reticular network and is therefore a minimal model of the cardiomyocyte. Nevertheless, the model can already be applied in simulation-based investigations into the

  2. Job involvement of primary healthcare employees: does a service provision model play a role?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koponen, Anne M; Laamanen, Ritva; Simonsen-Rehn, Nina; Sundell, Jari; Brommels, Mats; Suominen, Sakari

    2010-05-01

    To investigate whether the development of job involvement of primary healthcare (PHC) employees in Southern Municipality (SM), where PHC services were outsourced to an independent non-profit organisation, differed from that in the three comparison municipalities (M1, M2, M3) with municipal service providers. Also, the associations of job involvement with factors describing the psychosocial work environment were investigated. A panel mail survey 2000-02 in Finland (n=369, response rates 73% and 60%). The data were analysed by descriptive statistics and multivariate linear regression analysis. Despite the favourable development in the psychosocial work environment, job involvement decreased most in SM, which faced the biggest organisational changes. Job involvement decreased also in M3, where the psychosocial work environment deteriorated most. Job involvement in 2002 was best predicted by high baseline level of interactional justice and work control, positive change in interactional justice, and higher age. Also other factors, such as organisational stability, seemed to play a role; after controlling for the effect of the psychosocial work characteristics, job involvement was higher in M3 than in SM. Outsourcing of PHC services may decrease job involvement at least during the first years. A particular service provision model is better than the others only if it is superior in providing a favourable and stable psychosocial work environment.

  3. Mixed messages in learning communication skills? Students comparing role model behaviour in clerkships with formal training.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Essers, Geurt; Van Weel-Baumgarten, Evelyn; Bolhuis, Sanneke

    2012-01-01

    Medical students learn professional communication through formal training and in clinical practice. Physicians working in clinical practice have a powerful influence on student learning. However, they may demonstrate communication behaviours not aligning with recommendations in training programs. This study aims to identify more precisely what differences students perceive between role model communication behaviour during clerkships and formal training. In a cross-sectional study, data were collected about physicians' communication performance as perceived by students. Students filled out a questionnaire in four different clerkships in their fourth and fifth year. Just over half of the students reported communication similar to formal training. This was especially true for students in the later clerkships (paediatrics and primary care). Good examples were seen in providing information corresponding to patients' needs and in shared decision making, although students often noted that in fact the doctor made the decision. Bad examples were observed in exploring cognitions and emotions, and in providing information meeting patient's pace. Further study is needed on actual physician behaviour in clinical practice. From our results, we conclude that students need help in reflecting on and learning from the gap in communication patterns they observe in training versus clinical practice.

  4. Does the Role Checklist Measure Occupational Participation?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tore Bonsaksen

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Background: Among the Model of Human Occupation (MOHO assessments, the Role Checklist is one of the most established. In spite of its widespread use, no studies have examined role examples and their association with the three embedded levels of doing, as established in the MOHO theory. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 293 respondents from the US, the UK, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, and Norway produced 7,182 role examples. The respondents completed Part I of the Role Checklist and provided examples of each internalized role they performed. Responses were classified as occupational skill, occupational performance, or occupational participation. Results: Thirty-three percent of the examples were classified as examples of occupational participation, whereas 65% were classified as examples of occupational performance. Four roles linked mostly with occupational participation, another four roles linked mostly with occupational performance, and the two remaining roles were mixed between occupational participation and occupational performance. Discussion: The Role Checklist assesses a person’s involvement in internalized roles at the level of both occupational participation and occupational performance. There are differences among countries with regard to how roles are perceived and exemplified, and different roles relate differently to the occupational performance and occupational participation levels of doing. There are related implications for occupational therapists.

  5. The role of alpha-rhythm states in perceptual learning: insights from experiments and computational models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sigala, Rodrigo; Haufe, Sebastian; Roy, Dipanjan; Dinse, Hubert R.; Ritter, Petra

    2014-01-01

    During the past two decades growing evidence indicates that brain oscillations in the alpha band (~10 Hz) not only reflect an “idle” state of cortical activity, but also take a more active role in the generation of complex cognitive functions. A recent study shows that more than 60% of the observed inter-subject variability in perceptual learning can be ascribed to ongoing alpha activity. This evidence indicates a significant role of alpha oscillations for perceptual learning and hence motivates to explore the potential underlying mechanisms. Hence, it is the purpose of this review to highlight existent evidence that ascribes intrinsic alpha oscillations a role in shaping our ability to learn. In the review, we disentangle the alpha rhythm into different neural signatures that control information processing within individual functional building blocks of perceptual learning. We further highlight computational studies that shed light on potential mechanisms regarding how alpha oscillations may modulate information transfer and connectivity changes relevant for learning. To enable testing of those model based hypotheses, we emphasize the need for multidisciplinary approaches combining assessment of behavior and multi-scale neuronal activity, active modulation of ongoing brain states and computational modeling to reveal the mathematical principles of the complex neuronal interactions. In particular we highlight the relevance of multi-scale modeling frameworks such as the one currently being developed by “The Virtual Brain” project. PMID:24772077

  6. The role of alpha-rhythm states in perceptual learning: insights from experiments and computational models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rodrigo eSigala

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available During the past two decades growing evidence indicates that brain oscillations in the alpha band (~10 Hz not only reflect an ‘idle’ state of cortical activity, but also take a more active role in the generation of complex cognitive functions. A recent study shows that more than 60% of the observed inter-subject variability in perceptual learning can be ascribed to ongoing alpha activity. This evidence indicates a significant role of alpha oscillations for perceptual learning and hence motivates to explore the potential underlying mechanisms. Hence, it is the purpose of this review to highlight existent evidence that ascribes intrinsic alpha oscillations a role in shaping our ability to learn. In the review, we disentangle the alpha rhythm into different neural signatures that control information processing within individual functional building blocks of perceptual learning. We further highlight computational studies that shed light on potential mechanisms regarding how alpha oscillations may modulate information transfer and connectivity changes relevant for learning. To enable testing of those model based hypotheses, we emphasize the need for multidisciplinary approaches combining assessment of behavior and multi-scale neuronal activity, active modulation of ongoing brain states and computational modeling to reveal the mathematical principles of the complex neuronal interactions. In particular we highlight the relevance of multi-scale modeling frameworks such as the one currently being developed by The Virtual Brain project.

  7. Role Models and Teachers: medical students perception of teaching-learning methods in clinical settings, a qualitative study from Sri Lanka.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jayasuriya-Illesinghe, Vathsala; Nazeer, Ishra; Athauda, Lathika; Perera, Jennifer

    2016-02-09

    Medical education research in general, and those focusing on clinical settings in particular, have been a low priority in South Asia. This explorative study from 3 medical schools in Sri Lanka, a South Asian country, describes undergraduate medical students' experiences during their final year clinical training with the aim of understanding the teaching-learning experiences. Using qualitative methods we conducted an exploratory study. Twenty eight graduates from 3 medical schools participated in individual interviews. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using qualitative content analysis method. Emergent themes reveled 2 types of teaching-learning experiences, role modeling, and purposive teaching. In role modelling, students were expected to observe teachers while they conduct their clinical work, however, this method failed to create positive learning experiences. The clinical teachers who predominantly used this method appeared to be 'figurative' role models and were not perceived as modelling professional behaviors. In contrast, purposeful teaching allowed dedicated time for teacher-student interactions and teachers who created these learning experiences were more likely to be seen as 'true' role models. Students' responses and reciprocations to these interactions were influenced by their perception of teachers' behaviors, attitudes, and the type of teaching-learning situations created for them. Making a distinction between role modeling and purposeful teaching is important for students in clinical training settings. Clinical teachers' awareness of their own manifest professional characterizes, attitudes, and behaviors, could help create better teaching-learning experiences. Moreover, broader systemic reforms are needed to address the prevailing culture of teaching by humiliation and subordination.

  8. ROLE STRESSOR AS AN ANTECEDENT OF EMPLOYEES’ FAMILY CONFLICT: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azman ISMAIL

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The role of stressors is recognized as a crucial human resource development and management issue where it can have an overpowering consequence on organizational and employee performance. This study was conducted to discover the relationship between role stressor and family conflict using self-report questionnaires gathered from academic staff of a public comprehensive university in Sarawak, Malaysia. The outcomes of SmartPLS path model revealed three findings: first, role ambiguity significantly correlated with family conflict. Second, role conflict significantly correlated with family conflict. Third, role overload significantly correlated with family conflict. This finding demonstrates that role stressor is recognized in employees’ family conflict. The paper provides discussions, implications and conclusion.

  9. The PDS4 Information Model and its Role in Agile Science Data Curation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, J. S.; Crichton, D.

    2017-12-01

    PDS4 is an information model-driven service architecture supporting the capture, management, distribution and integration of massive planetary science data captured in distributed data archives world-wide. The PDS4 Information Model (IM), the core element of the architecture, was developed using lessons learned from 20 years of archiving Planetary Science Data and best practices for information model development. The foundational principles were adopted from the Open Archival Information System (OAIS) Reference Model (ISO 14721), the Metadata Registry Specification (ISO/IEC 11179), and W3C XML (Extensible Markup Language) specifications. These provided respectively an object oriented model for archive information systems, a comprehensive schema for data dictionaries and hierarchical governance, and rules for rules for encoding documents electronically. The PDS4 Information model is unique in that it drives the PDS4 infrastructure by providing the representation of concepts and their relationships, constraints, rules, and operations; a sharable, stable, and organized set of information requirements; and machine parsable definitions that are suitable for configuring and generating code. This presentation will provide an over of the PDS4 Information Model and how it is being leveraged to develop and evolve the PDS4 infrastructure and enable agile curation of over 30 years of science data collected by the international Planetary Science community.

  10. Role Stress and Work Engagement as Antecedents of Job Satisfaction: Results From Portugal

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniel Moura

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available With more organizations looking for employees who take initiative and respond creatively to the challenges of the job, engagement becomes important at both individual and organizational levels. Engaged employees are generally more satisfied with their work, committed and effective at work. According to the JDR model (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004, engagement may be produced by two types of working conditions: job demands (i.e., role stress and job resources (i.e., self-efficacy. This study examines the role of role stress (role ambiguity and role conflict and work engagement as antecedents of job satisfaction. A cross sectional study using online questionnaires was conducted. The sample consisted of 312 Portuguese workers. Hierarchical multiple regressions analyses have revealed that job satisfaction was significantly predicted by role conflict and work engagement. Results support JDR model by showing that positive outcomes, such as job satisfaction, may be predicted by motivational process and job demands. On a practical level, JDR model provides a framework for understanding motivating workplaces and engaged and satisfied employees.

  11. The role of spatial topology in a toy model of classical electrodynamics in (1+1) dimensions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boozer, A.D.

    2010-01-01

    We discuss the role of spatial topology in a toy model of classical electrodynamics in (1+1) dimensions. The model describes a collection of Newtonian point particles coupled to a pair of scalar fields E(t,x) and B(t,x), which mediate forces between the particles and support freely propagating radiation. We formulate the model on both a line and a circle, and show that the behavior of the model strongly depends on the choice of spatial topology.

  12. Encouraging Girls into Science and Technology with Feminine Role Model: Does This Work?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bamberger, Yael M.

    2014-01-01

    This study examines the effect of a program that aimed to encourage girls to choose a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) career in Israel. The program involved school visits to a high-tech company and meeting with role model female scientists. Sixty ninth-grade female students from a Jewish modern-orthodox single-sex…

  13. Role models and professional development in dentistry: an important resource: The views of early career stage dentists at one academic health science centre in England.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed Osama, O; Gallagher, J E

    2018-02-01

    The importance of role models, and their differing influence in early, mid- and late careers, has been identified in the process of professional development of medical doctors. There is a paucity of evidence within dentistry on role models and their attributes. To explore the views of early career dentists on positive and negative role models across key phases of professional development, together with role models' attributes and perceived influence. This is a phenomenological study collecting qualitative data through semi-structured interviews based on a topic guide. Dentists in junior (core training) hospital posts in one academic health science centre were all invited to participate. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using framework analysis. Twelve early career stage dentists, 10 of whom were female, reported having role models, mainly positive, in their undergraduate and early career phases. Participants defined role models' attributes in relation to three distinct domains: clinical attributes, personal qualities and teaching skills. Positive role models were described as "prioritising the patient's best interests", "delivering learner-centred teaching and training" and "exhibiting a positive personality", whilst negative role models demonstrated the converse. Early career dentists reported having largely positive dentist role models during- and post-dental school and report their impact on professional values and aspirations, learning outcomes and career choice. The findings suggest that these early career dentists in junior hospital posts have largely experienced and benefitted from positive role models, notably dentists, perceived as playing an important and creative influence promoting professionalism and shaping the career choices of early career stage dentists. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. An inducible knockout mouse to model the cell-autonomous role of PTEN in initiating endometrial, prostate and thyroid neoplasias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mirantes, Cristina; Eritja, Núria; Dosil, Maria Alba; Santacana, Maria; Pallares, Judit; Gatius, Sónia; Bergadà, Laura; Maiques, Oscar; Matias-Guiu, Xavier; Dolcet, Xavier

    2013-01-01

    SUMMARY PTEN is one of the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor genes in human cancers. The role of PTEN in carcinogenesis has been validated by knockout mouse models. PTEN heterozygous mice develop neoplasms in multiple organs. Unfortunately, the embryonic lethality of biallelic excision of PTEN has inhibited the study of complete PTEN deletion in the development and progression of cancer. By crossing PTEN conditional knockout mice with transgenic mice expressing a tamoxifen-inducible Cre-ERT under the control of a chicken actin promoter, we have generated a tamoxifen-inducible mouse model that allows temporal control of PTEN deletion. Interestingly, administration of a single dose of tamoxifen resulted in PTEN deletion mainly in epithelial cells, but not in stromal, mesenchymal or hematopoietic cells. Using the mT/mG double-fluorescent Cre reporter mice, we demonstrate that epithelial-specific PTEN excision was caused by differential Cre activity among tissues and cells types. Tamoxifen-induced deletion of PTEN resulted in extremely rapid and consistent formation of endometrial in situ adenocarcinoma, prostate intraepithelial neoplasia and thyroid hyperplasia. We also analyzed the role of PTEN ablation in other epithelial cells, such as the tubular cells of the kidney, hepatocytes, colonic epithelial cells or bronchiolar epithelium, but those tissues did not exhibit neoplastic growth. Finally, to validate this model as a tool to assay the efficacy of anti-tumor drugs in PTEN deficiency, we administered the mTOR inhibitor everolimus to mice with induced PTEN deletion. Everolimus dramatically reduced the progression of endometrial proliferations and significantly reduced thyroid hyperplasia. This model could be a valuable tool to study the cell-autonomous mechanisms involved in PTEN-loss-induced carcinogenesis and provides a good platform to study the effect of anti-neoplastic drugs on PTEN-negative tumors. PMID:23471917

  15. An algorithm to provide UK global radiation for use with models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamer, P.J.C.

    1999-01-01

    Decision support systems which include crop growth models require long-term average values of global radiation to simulate future expected growth. Global radiation is rarely available as there are relatively few meteorological stations with long-term records and so interpolation between sites is difficult. Global radiation data across a good geographical spread throughout the UK were obtained and sub-divided into ‘coastal’ and ‘inland’ sites. Monthly means of global radiation (S) were extracted and analysed in relation to irradiance in the absence of atmosphere (S o ) calculated from site latitude and the time of year. The ratio S/S o was fitted to the month of the year (t) and site latitude using a nonlinear fit function in which 90% of the variance was accounted for. An algorithm is presented which provides long-term daily values of global radiation from information on latitude, time of year and whether the site is inland or close to the coast. (author)

  16. An Integrated Model of Decision-Making in Health Contexts: The Role of Science Education in Health Education

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, Julia C.

    2018-01-01

    Health education is to foster health literacy, informed decision-making and to promote health behaviour. To date, there are several models that seek to explain health behaviour (e.g. the Theory of Planned Behaviour or the Health Belief Model). These models include motivational factors (expectancies and values) that play a role in decision-making…

  17. The Net Neutrality Debate: Analysis of economic implications of net neutrality on internet service providers, content providers and internet users

    OpenAIRE

    Møinichen, Jørgen

    2014-01-01

    This thesis studies the economic implications of a transition from a neutral to a non-neutral network. A mathematical model with an end to end ecosystem is developed, which includes a backbone internet service provider that provides connectivity for the content providers. The model also includes internet users that pay an access internet service provider for connectivity to interact with the content providers, advertisers that pay the content providers, and access internet service providers t...

  18. The entry of logistics service provider (LSP into the wine industry supply chain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fulconis François

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to study the wine industry supply chain (WSC organization from a social network approach, with an emphasis on the role of logistics service providers (LSP could hold in the flow monitoring. We try to understand if LSP can be a substitute to traditional actors for intermediation management. This substitution phenomenon must take account of the wine industry culture that may constitute an obstruction or an accelerator for the development of this activity. We present a conceptual model of the WSC, and we discuss the possible future role of the LSP. This paper introduces a framework contributing to understand worldwide WSC organization, mapping tools and strategies to assess the reasons of their evolution. The cultural impact is underlined in this type of industry showing it could present a boundary to market access for LSP.

  19. Total Productive Maintenance And Role Of Interpretive Structural Modeling And Structural Equation Modeling In Analyzing Barriers In Its Implementation A Literature Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prasanth S. Poduval

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract - The aim of the authors is to present a review of literature of Total Productive Maintenance and the barriers in implementation of Total Productive Maintenance TPM. The paper begins with a brief description of TPM and the barriers in implementation of TPM. Interpretive Structural Modeling ISM and its role in analyzing the barriers in TPM implementation is explained in brief. Applications of ISM in analyzing issues in various fields are highlighted with special emphasis on TPM. The paper moves on to introduction to Structural Equation Modeling SEM and its role in validating ISM in analyzing barriers in implementation of TPM. The paper concludes with a gap analysis from the current literature research that can be carried out and expected outcomes from the proposed research.

  20. Consumer-providers of care for adult clients of statutory mental health services.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitt, Veronica; Lowe, Dianne; Hill, Sophie; Prictor, Megan; Hetrick, Sarah E; Ryan, Rebecca; Berends, Lynda

    2013-03-28

    In mental health services, the past several decades has seen a slow but steady trend towards employment of past or present consumers of the service to work alongside mental health professionals in providing services. However the effects of this employment on clients (service recipients) and services has remained unclear.We conducted a systematic review of randomised trials assessing the effects of employing consumers of mental health services as providers of statutory mental health services to clients. In this review this role is called 'consumer-provider' and the term 'statutory mental health services' refers to public services, those required by statute or law, or public services involving statutory duties. The consumer-provider's role can encompass peer support, coaching, advocacy, case management or outreach, crisis worker or assertive community treatment worker, or providing social support programmes. To assess the effects of employing current or past adult consumers of mental health services as providers of statutory mental health services. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 3), MEDLINE (OvidSP) (1950 to March 2012), EMBASE (OvidSP) (1988 to March 2012), PsycINFO (OvidSP) (1806 to March 2012), CINAHL (EBSCOhost) (1981 to March 2009), Current Contents (OvidSP) (1993 to March 2012), and reference lists of relevant articles. Randomised controlled trials of current or past consumers of mental health services employed as providers ('consumer-providers') in statutory mental health services, comparing either: 1) consumers versus professionals employed to do the same role within a mental health service, or 2) mental health services with and without consumer-providers as an adjunct to the service. Two review authors independently selected studies and extracted data. We contacted trialists for additional information. We conducted analyses using a random-effects model, pooling studies that measured

  1. Role of small-scale independent providers in water and sanitation

    OpenAIRE

    Dijk, Meine Pieter

    2008-01-01

    textabstractSmall-scale independent providers (SSIPs) and households are good for 10–69% of the household water supply and sometimes up to 95% of the sanitation solutions in cities in developing countries. Different types of SSIP can be distinguished. They could be allowed to make a more important contribution to drinking water and sanitation in a situation where many governments cannot be the only one to supply drinking water and sanitary services. Theoretical and practical arguments are use...

  2. Human trafficking: Role of oral health care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nuzzolese, E

    2014-11-30

    Trafficking in human beings is a modern form of slavery and is a well-known phenomenon throughout the European Union and beyond. After drug dealing and the weapons industry, human trafficking is the second largest criminal activity in the world today and it is a growing crime. The aim of governmental and non-governmental agencies, which are either directly or indirectly involved in combating trafficking in human beings, is the identification and referral of victims of trafficking and also to encourage self-referrals. Identification is the most important step to provide protection and assistance to victims of trafficking. Victims often have a variety of physical and mental health needs, including psychological trauma, injuries from violence, head and neck trauma, sexually transmitted infections and other gynaecological problems, dental/oral problems and have poor nutrition. The author's experience in the field of community dentistry in presented within. Volunteer dental services are offered to non-European Union patients held in a centre for asylum seekers in Bari (Italy). Dental professionals can, in fact, contribute to the identification, assistance and protection of trafficked persons, as well as offering forensic services to assist the police investigation in order to identify crimes and find the criminal organizations behind them. As for domestic violence and child abuse cases, there are ethical concerns involved in the identification and protection of the trafficked persons, as well as the need for interdisciplinary work and awareness. Adequate training in behavioural science and intercultural learning is paramount in order to avoid misunderstandings and increase sensitivity.

  3. The Importance of Role Modeling in Mentoring Women: Lessons from Pat Summitt Legacy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Picariello Manuela

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available The role of mentoring for women in sports industry has gathered attention among researchers in the past years (Bower, 2009; Bower, & Hums 2009, 2014; Weaver, & Chelladurai, 1999, 2002. Since few women are in leadership positions (Acosta, & Carpenter, 2014, cross-gender mentoring relationships are more likely to happen (Hopkins et al., 2008. However, according to Kram (1985, cross-gender mentoring relationships are more complex in terms of individual development and quality of the developmental relationship. In particular, role modeling function is limited (Kram, 1985. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the functions of the same gender mentoring relationships looking at coach Pat Summitt, the winningest coach in NCAA Division I basketball history and a woman in leadership position (Becker & Wrisberg, 2008. Due to the exploratory nature of the study and the huge impact of Pat Summitt on sport (Janssen, & Dale, 2002, De Marco, & Mccullick, 1997, a single case study design to analyze her relationships from the staff and players’ perspectives was utilized as the method for data collection. This study collected data published on American news sites located using Internet search engines Google News (http://www.google.com for 7 days. The dataset included content published through national and regional online news media, radio, television and entertainment websites and blogs. Texts were qualitatively reviewed with a content analysis and coded (Patton, 2002. This study identified career and psychosocial functions that were important in developing an effective mentoring relationships. In particular, the psychosocial functions of “role modeling” was identified as the most important for the relationship. In fact a female mentor as a role model can be perceived as a woman that has successfully overcome discriminatory barriers to career advancement.

  4. Information Security Role Model for Staff of Banking Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. O. Vybornov

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Categories roles of information security employees of the banking organization are defined. Functional roles are described. The relationship between functional roles, employees, functions and authority are defined. The role of information security employees of the banking organization for information security system and information security management system are described. Recommendations for the implementation phases of the selection and appointment of the functional roles and to control the selection and role assignment information security employees of the banking organization are stated.

  5. Analysis of an Instructional Coach's Role as Elementary School Language Teachers' Professional Developer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chien, Chin-Wen

    2013-01-01

    Coaches can provide teachers with quality professional development experiences by mentoring, providing workshops, modeling, or encouraging professional growth (York-Barr & Duke, 2004). This study focuses on the instructional coach's role in the professional development of teachers of English language learners (ELLs). The study has the following…

  6. Using Model-Based System Engineering to Provide Artifacts for NASA Project Life-Cycle and Technical Reviews Presentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parrott, Edith L.; Weiland, Karen J.

    2017-01-01

    This is the presentation for the AIAA Space conference in September 2017. It highlights key information from Using Model-Based Systems Engineering to Provide Artifacts for NASA Project Life-cycle and Technical Reviews paper.

  7. Non-physician providers as clinical providers in cystic fibrosis: survey of U.S. programs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Rebekah F; Willey-Courand, Donna Beth; George, Cindy; McMullen, Ann; Dunitz, Jordan; Slovis, Bonnie; Perkett, Elizabeth

    2013-04-01

    Non-physician providers (NPPs) including nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) are important members of CF care teams, but limited data exist about the extent NPPs are involved in CF care. A subcommittee was established by the CF Foundation to gather information about current involvement of NPPs. Surveys were sent to adult, pediatric and affiliate CF program directors (PDs) and NPPs working in US CF programs. Responses were received from 108 PDs (49% pediatric, 34% adult, 17% affiliate). Overall, 53% of the 108 programs had NPPs and 70% had or planned to hire NPPs. Reasons for NPP use included ideal clinical role (75%), expansion of services (72%), and physician shortage (40%). The survey collected 73 responses from NPPs (96% NPs, 4% PAs) who worked in pediatric (49%), adult (29%), affiliate (3%), or multiple programs (19%). Training occurred on the job in 88% and from prior CF experience in 21%. NPPs provided coverage in outpatient clinics (82%), inpatient care (64%), and weekend and/or night call (22%). In addition to clinical roles, NPPs are involved in education (95%), research (81%), and leadership (55%). The major obstacle reported by PDs and NPPs was billing with only 12% of programs reporting NPP salaries covered by billing revenue alone. Salary support included hospital support (67%), billing (39%), center grant (35%), and other grant/contract (25%). NPPs bill for outpatient and inpatient care in 65% and 28% of programs, respectively. NPPs are working with physicians in many centers and have the potential to help meet the increasing clinical workforce demands. Further evaluation of financial issues is indicated to continue the support of NPP jobs in CF. Roles and expectations need to be clearly defined. Initial and ongoing training standards and opportunities should be explored. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Health-related quality of life and working conditions among nursing providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silva, Amanda Aparecida; Souza, José Maria Pacheco de; Borges, Flávio Notarnicola da Silva; Fischer, Frida Marina

    2010-08-01

    To evaluate working conditions associated with health-related quality of life (HRQL) among nursing providers. Cross-sectional study conducted in a university hospital in the city of São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, during 2004-2005. The study sample comprised 696 registered nurses, nurse technicians and nurse assistants, predominantly females (87.8%), who worked day and/or night shifts. Data on sociodemographic information, working and living conditions, lifestyles, and health symptoms were collected using self-administered questionnaires. The following questionnaires were also used: Job Stress Scale, Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) and Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). Ordinal logistic regression analysis using proportional odds model was performed to evaluate each dimension of the SF-36. Around 22% of the sample was found to be have high strain and 8% showed an effort-reward imbalance at work. The dimensions with the lowest mean scores in the SF-36 were vitality, bodily pain and mental health. High-strain job, effort-reward imbalance (ERI>1.01), and being a registered nurse were independently associated with low scores on the role emotional dimension. Those dimensions associated to mental health were the ones most affected by psychosocial factors at work. Effort-reward imbalance was more associated with health than high-strain (high demand and low control). The study results suggest that the joint analysis of psychosocial factors at work such as effort-reward imbalance and demand-control can provide more insight to the discussion of professional roles, working conditions and HRQL of nursing providers.

  9. Computational models of neuromodulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fellous, J M; Linster, C

    1998-05-15

    Computational modeling of neural substrates provides an excellent theoretical framework for the understanding of the computational roles of neuromodulation. In this review, we illustrate, with a large number of modeling studies, the specific computations performed by neuromodulation in the context of various neural models of invertebrate and vertebrate preparations. We base our characterization of neuromodulations on their computational and functional roles rather than on anatomical or chemical criteria. We review the main framework in which neuromodulation has been studied theoretically (central pattern generation and oscillations, sensory processing, memory and information integration). Finally, we present a detailed mathematical overview of how neuromodulation has been implemented at the single cell and network levels in modeling studies. Overall, neuromodulation is found to increase and control computational complexity.

  10. Engaging service providers in improving industry performance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oberth, R.

    2012-01-01

    Effective task leadership is the key to achieving results in the nuclear industry and in most other industries. One of the themes of this conference is to discuss how the nuclear industry can undertake Issue-Identification and Definition as a means of 'identifying what needs attention' and then 'defining what needs to be done to make that happen'. I will explore this theme from the perspective of the 'Service Provider' - which by the definition of this conference includes everyone not within an operating utility - meaning 'those involved in everything from inspection and repair to research and plant architecture' - basically the member companies of my association, OCI. Our members take the definition of the roles and responsibilities of the 'Service Provider' community very seriously. In the context of this discussion a key utility function is the early definition of requirements and expectations of Service Providers in supplying to these requirements. Let's explore for a moment the Service Provider role and perspective. Service Providers are by nature pro-active - they seek ways to engage with utilities (and tier one vendors) to solve problems and achieve good outcomes. They come to industry conferences like this one to learn about upcoming utility programs and supply opportunities and how they can improve performance. Service Providers particularly want to hear senior utility people comment on emerging issues even those at the very early identification stage. Some Clarification of Roles is in Order - as that is the focus of this conference: 'Issue-Identification and Definition'. 'Issue-Identification' is the utility's job - it is the utility's role to identify as early as possible 'what needs attention and what their needs and expectations are'. This takes place before service provider engagement. 'Issue-Definition' is more challenging. It means 'determining and prioritizing what needs to be done to deal with the situation at hand'. This typically involves

  11. The role of business models in Finnish construction companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aki Pekuri

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Business models are seen as an essential part of successful businesses as they define the way companies create value for their customers and subsequently make profit from their operations. A good business model has a potential to separate a company from its competitors by creating a competitive advantage. The purpose of this research is to explore how managers understand and deploy the business model concept in construction. For this, eight experienced managers have been interviewed and their answers have been analysed using the theoretical aspects of business models as a reference. In the interviews, managers deployed business model concept very differently than what is accustomed in practice and in academia; they relate these models to different project delivery and contract structures or to companies’ business segments rather than to analysing how their companies provide value for customers in the selected markets. The results of the interviews indicate that the managers in construction do neither understand the concept properly nor exploit any similar value creation analysis in their business. The interviewees had significant problems describing their companies’ business models and value creation logic, pointing out the lack of analysis and understanding of customer values and needs in the project delivery process. This may be one of the overtones of the persistent client dissatisfaction in the construction industry. 

  12. The role of business models in Finnish construction companies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aki Pekuri

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Business models are seen as an essential part of successful businesses as they define the way companies create value for their customers and subsequently make profit from their operations. A good business model has a potential to separate a company from its competitors by creating a competitive advantage. The purpose of this research is to explore how managers understand and deploy the business model concept in construction. For this, eight experienced managers have been interviewed and their answers have been analysed using the theoretical aspects of business models as a reference. In the interviews, managers deployed business model concept very differently than what is accustomed in practice and in academia; they relate these models to different project delivery and contract structures or to companies’ business segments rather than to analysing how their companies provide value for customers in the selected markets. The results of the interviews indicate that the managers in construction do neither understand the concept properly nor exploit any similar value creation analysis in their business. The interviewees had significant problems describing their companies’ business models and value creation logic, pointing out the lack of analysis and understanding of customer values and needs in the project delivery process. This may be one of the overtones of the persistent client dissatisfaction in the construction industry.

  13. A descriptive qualitative study of the roles of family members in older men's depression treatment from the perspectives of older men and primary care providers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hinton, Ladson; Apesoa-Varano, Ester Carolina; Unützer, Jürgen; Dwight-Johnson, Megan; Park, Mijung; Barker, Judith C

    2015-05-01

    The aim of this study is to describe the roles of family members in older men's depression treatment from the perspectives of older men and primary care physicians (PCPs). Cross-sectional, descriptive qualitative study conducted from 2008-2011 in primary care clinics in an academic medical center and a safety-net county teaching hospital in California's Central Valley. Participants in this study were the following: (1) 77 age ≥ 60, noninstitutionalized men with a 1-year history of clinical depression and/or depression treatment who were identified through screening in primary care clinics and (2) a convenience sample of 15 PCPs from the same recruitment sites. Semi-structured and in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted and audiotaped then transcribed and analyzed thematically. Treatment-promoting roles of family included providing an emotionally supportive home environment, promoting depression self-management and facilitating communication about depression during primary care visits. Treatment-impeding roles of family included triggering or worsening men's depression, hindering depression care during primary care visits, discouraging depression treatment and being unavailable to assist men with their depression care. Overall, more than 90% of the men and the PCPs described one or more treatment-promoting roles of family and over 75% of men and PCPs described one or more treatment-impeding roles of family. Families play important roles in older men's depression treatment with the potential to promote as well as impede care. Interventions and services need to carefully assess the ongoing roles and attitudes of family members and to tailor treatment approaches to build on the positive aspects and mitigate the negative aspects of family support. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Role of rheology in reconstructing slab morphology in global mantle models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bello, Léa; Coltice, Nicolas; Tackley, Paul; Müller, Dietmar

    2015-04-01

    Reconstructing the 3D structure of the Earth's mantle has been a challenge for geodynamicists for about 40 years. Although numerical models and computational capabilities have incredibly progressed, parameterizations used for modeling convection forced by plate motions are far from being Earth-like. Among the set of parameters, rheology is fundamental because it defines in a non-linear way the dynamics of slabs and plumes, and the organization of the lithosphere. Previous studies have employed diverse viscosity laws, most of them being temperature and depth dependent with relatively small viscosity contrasts. In this study, we evaluate the role of the temperature dependence of viscosity (variations up to 6 orders of magnitude) on reconstructing slab evolution in 3D spherical models of convection driven by plate history models. We also investigate the importance of pseudo-plasticity in such models. We show that strong temperature dependence of viscosity combined with pseudo-plasticity produce laterally and vertically continuous slabs, and flat subduction where trench retreat is fast (North, Central and South America). Moreover, pseudo-plasticity allows a consistent coupling between imposed plate motions and global convection, which is not possible with temperature-dependent viscosity only. However, even our most sophisticated model is not able to reproduce unambiguously stagnant slabs probably because of the simplicity of material properties we use here. The differences between models employing different viscosity laws are very large, larger than the differences between two models with the same rheology but using two different plate reconstructions or initial conditions.

  15. Modeling the Role of Working Memory and Episodic Memory in Behavioral Tasks

    OpenAIRE

    Zilli, Eric A.; Hasselmo, Michael E.

    2008-01-01

    The mechanisms of goal-directed behavior have been studied using reinforcement learning theory, but these theoretical techniques have not often been used to address the role of memory systems in performing behavioral tasks. The present work addresses this shortcoming by providing a way in which working memory and episodic memory may be included in the reinforcement learning framework, then simulating the successful acquisition and performance of six behavioral tasks, drawn from or inspired by...

  16. Exploring Health Care Providers' Views About Initiating End-of-Life Care Communication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nedjat-Haiem, Frances R; Carrion, Iraida V; Gonzalez, Krystana; Ell, Kathleen; Thompson, Beti; Mishra, Shiraz I

    2017-05-01

    Numerous factors impede effective and timely end-of-life (EOL) care communication. These factors include delays in communication until patients are seriously ill and/or close to death. Gaps in patient-provider communication negatively affect advance care planning and limit referrals to palliative and hospice care. Confusion about the roles of various health care providers also limits communication, especially when providers do not coordinate care with other health care providers in various disciplines. Although providers receive education regarding EOL communication and care coordination, little is known about the roles of all health care providers, including nonphysician support staff working with physicians to discuss the possibility of dying and help patients prepare for death. This study explores the perspectives of physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains on engaging seriously ill patients and families in EOL care communication. Qualitative data were from 79 (medical and nonmedical) providers practicing at 2 medical centers in Central Los Angeles. Three themes that describe providers' perceptions of their roles and responsibility in talking with seriously ill patients emerged: (1) providers' roles for engaging in EOL discussions, (2) responsibility of physicians for initiating and leading discussions, and (3) need for team co-management patient care. Providers highlighted the importance of beginning discussions early by having physicians lead them, specifically due to their medical training and need to clarify medical information regarding patients' prognosis. Although physicians are a vital part of leading EOL communication, and are at the center of communication of medical information, an interdisciplinary approach that involves nurses, social workers, and chaplains could significantly improve patient care.

  17. Business Model Innovation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahrensbach Rasmussen, Klement

    The topics of business model innovation (BMI) and organizational design have potentially important links. And yet, there has been little cross-fertilization of ideas between the two fields. The purpose of this thesis is to fill that gap by proposing and developing an organizational view of BMI...... that focuses on the missing links between business model innovation and organizational design theory. Guided by the research question—what is the role of organizational design in the process of business model innovation?—the thesis not only investigates how BMI activity unfolds, but also looks at the different...... roles of the firm’s organizational design and where the activity takes place. Moreover, this research provides ample detail on how organizational complementarities emerge or vanish as a result of the fit or misfit between business model elements and design choices. To drive home these important points...

  18. Review of CGE models of water issues

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Calzadilla, Alvaro; Rehdanz, Katrin; Roson, Roberto; Sartori, Martina; Tol, Richard S.J.

    2016-01-01

    Computable general equilibrium (CGE) models offer a method of studying the role of water resources and water scarcity in the context of international trade. This chapter reviews the literature on water-related CGE modeling by providing a survey that focuses on the implications of different modeling

  19. Barriers to becoming a female surgeon and the influence of female surgical role models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kerr, Hui-Ling; Armstrong, Lesley Ann; Cade, Jennifer Ellen

    2016-10-01

    We aim to investigate the reasons that medical students and junior doctors who are women are less likely to pursue a career in surgery compared with their male counterparts. An anonymous questionnaire was distributed to female final year medical students and female junior doctors in two UK hospitals between August and September 2012. Topics included career choice, attitudes to surgery, recognition of female surgical role models and perceived sexual discrimination. 50 medical students and 50 junior doctors were given our survey. We received a 96% response rate; 46 medical students and 50 junior doctors. 6/50 (12%) junior doctors planned a career in surgery compared with 14/46 (30%) medical students. 'Work-life balance' was the main reason cited for not wishing to pursue surgery (29/46 (63%) medical students and 25/50 (50%) junior doctors). 28/46 (61%) medical students and 28/50 (56%) junior doctors had encountered a female surgical role model; only five students and two junior doctors felt that these were influential in their career decision. Of those who had not, approximately 40% in each group felt that if they had, they may have considered surgery. Approximately 30% in each group had encountered female surgeons that had dissuaded them from a surgical career. Work-life balance is still cited by female junior doctors as being the main deterrent to a surgical career. The paucity of female role models and some perceived sexual discrimination may cause female doctors to discount surgery as a career. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

  20. Role of bio-effect models in improving radiotherapy of cancer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rao, B.S.

    2013-01-01

    Application of linear quadratic model of cell survival in radiotherapy has enabled to successfully predict the response of both the normal tissues and tumours. Even the simplest form of BED (biological effective dose) equation for fractionated radiotherapy could precisely predict the late normal tissue complications resulting from large dose per fraction. These observations have led to the development MFD (multiple fractions daily) protocol, with the specific objective of reducing late normal tissue morbidity. Protraction of treatment and consequent loss of BED and tumour control; multiple fractions delivered without adequate intervals resulting in incomplete repair of sub-lethal damage and consequent normal tissue complications, have been explained successfully by the LQ model. In the recent past LDR (low dose rate) brachytherapy is mostly replaced by HDR (high dose rate) technique. A series of calculations based on tumour bio-kinetics parameters, as well as the geometric sparing provides a sound rationale for replacing LDR technique by HDR technique. Some of the calculations relevant to this will be presented during this talk. Bio-effect models can also provide insight in to the rationale of RIT (radio-immunotherapy). With an adequate knowledge of biological half-life of antibodies in the tumour/critical organs, and biological uptake half-time in the tumour, it is possible to evaluate the efficacy of a number of radio-nuclides in RIT. Calculations based on LQ models suggest that longer lived isotopes such as 32 P, 86 Rb, 144m In may have an advantage over the shorter lived radio-nuclides. A clear knowledge of the various parameters like/values, potentially doubling time of tumour and other bio-kinetic parameters may hold the key for successful application of bio-effect models in predicting the response to radiotherapy. Feedback from the clinics will further help in refining and validating the existing models. (author)

  1. Performance modeling, loss networks, and statistical multiplexing

    CERN Document Server

    Mazumdar, Ravi

    2009-01-01

    This monograph presents a concise mathematical approach for modeling and analyzing the performance of communication networks with the aim of understanding the phenomenon of statistical multiplexing. The novelty of the monograph is the fresh approach and insights provided by a sample-path methodology for queueing models that highlights the important ideas of Palm distributions associated with traffic models and their role in performance measures. Also presented are recent ideas of large buffer, and many sources asymptotics that play an important role in understanding statistical multiplexing. I

  2. A computational model clarifies the roles of positive and negative feedback loops in the Drosophila circadian clock

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang Junwei, E-mail: wangjunweilj@yahoo.com.c [Cisco School of Informatics, Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou 510006 (China); Zhou Tianshou [School of Mathematics and Computational Science, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510275 (China)

    2010-06-14

    Previous studies showed that a single negative feedback structure should be sufficient for robust circadian oscillations. It is thus pertinent to ask why current cellular clock models almost universally have interlocked negative feedback loop (NFL) and positive feedback loop (PFL). Here, we propose a molecular model that reflects the essential features of the Drosophila circadian clock to clarify the different roles of negative and positive feedback loops. In agreement with experimental observations, the model can simulate circadian oscillations in constant darkness, entrainment by light-dark cycles, as well as phenotypes of per{sup 01} and clk{sup Jrk} mutants. Moreover, sustained oscillations persist when the PFL is removed, implying the crucial role of NFL for rhythm generation. Through parameter sensitivity analysis, it is revealed that incorporation of PFL increases the robustness of the system to regulatory processes in PFL itself. Such reduced models can aid understanding of the design principles of circadian clocks in Drosophila and other organisms with complex transcriptional feedback structures.

  3. A computational model clarifies the roles of positive and negative feedback loops in the Drosophila circadian clock

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Junwei; Zhou Tianshou

    2010-01-01

    Previous studies showed that a single negative feedback structure should be sufficient for robust circadian oscillations. It is thus pertinent to ask why current cellular clock models almost universally have interlocked negative feedback loop (NFL) and positive feedback loop (PFL). Here, we propose a molecular model that reflects the essential features of the Drosophila circadian clock to clarify the different roles of negative and positive feedback loops. In agreement with experimental observations, the model can simulate circadian oscillations in constant darkness, entrainment by light-dark cycles, as well as phenotypes of per 01 and clk Jrk mutants. Moreover, sustained oscillations persist when the PFL is removed, implying the crucial role of NFL for rhythm generation. Through parameter sensitivity analysis, it is revealed that incorporation of PFL increases the robustness of the system to regulatory processes in PFL itself. Such reduced models can aid understanding of the design principles of circadian clocks in Drosophila and other organisms with complex transcriptional feedback structures.

  4. Care guides: an examination of occupational conflict and role relationships in primary care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wholey, Douglas R; White, Katie M; Adair, Richard; Christianson, Jon B; Lee, Suhna; Elumba, Deborah

    2013-01-01

    Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of primary care treatment of patients with chronic illness is an important goal in reforming the U.S. health care system. Reducing occupational conflicts and creating interdependent primary care teams is crucial for the effective functioning of new models being developed to reorganize chronic care. Occupational conflict, role interdependence, and resistance to change in a proof-of-concept pilot test of one such model that uses a new kind of employee in the primary care office, a "care guide," were analyzed. Care guides are lay individuals who help chronic disease patients and their providers achieve standard health goals. The aim of this study was to examine the development of occupational boundaries, interdependence of care guides and primary care team members, and acceptance by clinic employees of this new kind of health worker. A mixed methods, pilot study was conducted using qualitative analysis; clinic, provider, and patient surveys; administrative data; and multivariate analysis. Qualitative analysis examined the emergence of the care guide role. Administrative data and surveys were used to examine patterns of interdependence between care guides, physicians, team members, and clinic staff; obtain physician evaluations of the care guide role; and evaluate the effect of care guides on patient perceptions of care coordination and follow-up. Evaluation of implementation of the care guide model showed that (a) the care guide scope of practice was clearly defined; (b) interdependent relationships between care guides and providers were formed; (c) relational triads consisting of patient, care guide, and physician were created; (d) patients and providers were supported in managing chronic disease; and (e) resistance to this model among traditional employees was minimized. The feasibility of implementing a new care model for chronic disease management in the primary care setting, identifying factors associated with a positive

  5. Role models for complex networks

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reichardt, J.; White, D. R.

    2007-11-01

    We present a framework for automatically decomposing (“block-modeling”) the functional classes of agents within a complex network. These classes are represented by the nodes of an image graph (“block model”) depicting the main patterns of connectivity and thus functional roles in the network. Using a first principles approach, we derive a measure for the fit of a network to any given image graph allowing objective hypothesis testing. From the properties of an optimal fit, we derive how to find the best fitting image graph directly from the network and present a criterion to avoid overfitting. The method can handle both two-mode and one-mode data, directed and undirected as well as weighted networks and allows for different types of links to be dealt with simultaneously. It is non-parametric and computationally efficient. The concepts of structural equivalence and modularity are found as special cases of our approach. We apply our method to the world trade network and analyze the roles individual countries play in the global economy.

  6. A pilot study on the operationalization of the Model of Occupational Self Efficacy: A model for the reintegration of persons with brain injuries to their worker roles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soeker, Shaheed

    2015-01-01

    Traumatic brain injury causes functional limitations that can cause people to struggle to reintegrate in the workplace despite participating in work rehabilitation programmes. The aim of the study was to explore, and describe the experiences of individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury regarding returning to work through the use of the model of occupational self-efficacy. In the study 10 individuals who were diagnosed with a mild to moderate brain injury participated in the study. The research study was positioned within the qualitative paradigm specifically utilizing case study methodology. In order to gather data from the participants, individual interviews and participant observation techniques were used. Two themes emerged from the findings of the study theme one reflected the barriers related to the use of the model (i.e. Theme one: Effective participation in the model is affected by financial assistance). The second theme related to the enabling factors related to the use of the model (i.e. Theme two: A sense of normality). The findings of this study indicated that the Model of Occupational Self Efficacy (MOS) is a useful model to use in retraining the work skills of individual's who sustained a traumatic brain injury. The participants in this study could maintain employment in the open labour market for a period of at least 12 months and it improved their ability to accept their brain injury as well as adapt to their worker roles. The MOS also provides a framework for facilitating community integration.

  7. The Role Model Effect on Gender Equity: How are Female College Students Influenced by Female Teaching Assistants in Science?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ebert, Darilyn

    The gender gap of women in science is an important and unresolved issue in higher education and occupational opportunities. The present study was motivated by the fact that there are typically fewer females than males advancing in science, and therefore fewer female science instructor role models. This observation inspired the questions: Are female college students influenced in a positive way by female science teaching assistants (TAs), and if so how can their influence be measured? The study tested the hypothesis that female TAs act as role models for female students and thereby encourage interest and increase overall performance. To test this "role model" hypothesis, the reasoning ability and self-efficacy of a sample of 724 introductory college biology students were assessed at the beginning and end of the Spring 2010 semester. Achievement was measured by exams and course work. Performance of four randomly formed groups was compared: 1) female students with female TAs, 2) male students with female TAs, 3) female students with male TAs, and 4) male students with male TAs. Based on the role model hypothesis, female students with female TAs were predicted to perform better than female students with male TAs. However, group comparisons revealed similar performances across all four groups in achievement, reasoning ability and self-efficacy. The slight differences found between the four groups in student exam and coursework scores were not statistically significant. Therefore, the results did not support the role model hypothesis. Given that both lecture professors in the present study were males, and given that professors typically have more teaching experience, finer skills and knowledge of subject matter than do TAs, a future study that includes both female science professors and female TAs, may be more likely to find support for the hypothesis.

  8. Adding Value to Ecological Risk Assessment with Population Modeling

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Forbes, Valery E.; Calow, Peter; Grimm, Volker

    2011-01-01

    population models can provide a powerful basis for expressing ecological risks that better inform the environmental management process and thus that are more likely to be used by managers. Here we provide at least five reasons why population modeling should play an important role in bridging the gap between...

  9. Formal modeling and analysis of the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway: role of O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase in oncogenesis and cancer progression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Tariq Saeed

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The alteration of glucose metabolism, through increased uptake of glucose and glutamine addiction, is essential to cancer cell growth and invasion. Increased flux of glucose through the Hexosamine Biosynthetic Pathway (HBP drives increased cellular O-GlcNAcylation (hyper-O-GlcNAcylation and contributes to cancer progression by regulating key oncogenes. However, the association between hyper-O-GlcNAcylation and activation of these oncogenes remains poorly characterized. Here, we implement a qualitative modeling framework to analyze the role of the Biological Regulatory Network in HBP activation and its potential effects on key oncogenes. Experimental observations are encoded in a temporal language format and model checking is applied to infer the model parameters and qualitative model construction. Using this model, we discover step-wise genetic alterations that promote cancer development and invasion due to an increase in glycolytic flux, and reveal critical trajectories involved in cancer progression. We compute delay constraints to reveal important associations between the production and degradation rates of proteins. O-linked N-acetylglucosamine transferase (OGT, an enzyme used for addition of O-GlcNAc during O-GlcNAcylation, is identified as a key regulator to promote oncogenesis in a feedback mechanism through the stabilization of c-Myc. Silencing of the OGT and c-Myc loop decreases glycolytic flux and leads to programmed cell death. Results of network analyses also identify a significant cycle that highlights the role of p53-Mdm2 circuit oscillations in cancer recovery and homeostasis. Together, our findings suggest that the OGT and c-Myc feedback loop is critical in tumor progression, and targeting these mediators may provide a mechanism-based therapeutic approach to regulate hyper-O-GlcNAcylation in human cancer.

  10. Examining the Relationship between Role Models and Leadership Growth during the Transition to Adulthood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowers, Jill R.; Rosch, David M.; Collier, Daniel A.

    2016-01-01

    Leadership and developmental scholars have highlighted the need to enhance youth leadership skills. Yet, research that explains youths' perceptions of how and when role models influences their leadership growth processes is limited. To address these gaps and begin to develop an understanding of youths' perspectives, we employed a qualitative,…

  11. THE UNIFICATION OF THE CODE LISTS PROVIDED WITHIN THE DATA MODEL ORIGINATING FROM THE INSPIRE TECHNICAL GUIDELINES AND THE ONES PROVIDED FOR GESUT DATABASES IN THE CONTEXT OF POTENTIAL EXPLOITATION IN THE MINING INDUSTRY

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrzej ZYGMUNIAK

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available This study is aimed at exposing differences between two data models in case of code lists values provided there. The first of them is an obligatory one for managing Geodesic Register of Utility Networks databases in Poland [9] and the second is the model originating from the Technical Guidelines issued to the INSPIRE Directive. Since the second one mentioned is the basis for managing spatial databases among European parties, correlating these two data models has an effect in easing the way of harmonizing and, in consequence, exchanging spatial data. Therefore, the study presents the possibilities of increasing compatibility between the values of the code lists concerning attributes for objects provid-ed in both models. In practice, it could lead to an increase of the competitiveness of entities managing or processing such databases and to greater involvement in scientific or research projects when it comes to the mining industry. More-over, since utility networks located on mining areas are under particular protection, the ability of making them more fitted to their own needs will make it possible for mining plants to exchange spatial data in a more efficient way.

  12. A holistic model of behavioural branding: The role of employee behaviours and internal branding

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mazzei, Alessandra; Ravazzani, Silvia

    2015-01-01

    consistent meaning during the interaction with customers. It reviews the literature about behavioural branding and its antecedents, mediating variables and consequences in order to develop a holistic model of the inside-out brand building process, rooted in the theoretical perspectives of proactive...... behaviours, hierarchy of effects and planned behaviour. The paper concludes with a reflection on the role of internal branding in eliciting and managing employee brand consistent behaviours, and with avenues for future empirical research aimed to verify the model, its constructs and related measures....

  13. Investigating the Role of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Bone Development Using Animal Models

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beatrice Y.Y. Lau

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Incorporating n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA in the diet may promote the development of a healthy skeleton and thereby reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis in later life. Studies using developing animal models suggest lowering dietary n-6 PUFA and increasing n-3 PUFA intakes, especially long chain n-3 PUFA, may be beneficial for achieving higher bone mineral content, density and stronger bones. To date, the evidence regarding the effects of α-linolenic acid (ALA remain equivocal, in contrast to evidence from the longer chain products, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA. This review reports the results of investigations into n-3 PUFA supplementation on bone fatty acid composition, strength and mineral content in developing animal models as well as the mechanistic relationships of PUFA and bone, and identifies critical areas for future research. Overall, this review supports a probable role for essential (ALA and long chain (EPA and DHA n-3 PUFA for bone health. Understanding the role of PUFA in optimizing bone health may lead to dietary strategies that promote bone development and maintenance of a healthy skeleton.

  14. Using zebrafish as a model to study the role of epigenetics in hearing loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Yingzi; Bao, Beier; Li, Huawei

    2017-09-01

    The rapid progress of bioinformatics and high-throughput screening techniques in recent years has led to the identification of many candidate genes and small-molecule drugs that have the potential to make significant contributions to our understanding of the developmental and pathological processes of hearing, but it remains unclear how these genes and regulatory factors are coordinated. Increasing evidence suggests that epigenetic mechanisms are essential for establishing gene expression profiles and likely play an important role in the development of inner ear and in the pathology of hearing-associated diseases. Zebrafish are a valuable and tractable in vivo model organism for monitoring changes in the epigenome and for identifying new epigenetic processes and drug molecules that can influence vertebrate development. Areas covered: In this review, the authors focus on zebrafish as a model to summarize recent findings concerning the roles of epigenetics in the development, regeneration, and protection of hair cells. Expert opinion: Using the zebrafish model in combination with high-throughput screening and genome-editing technologies to investigate the function of epigenetics in hearing is crucial to help us better understand the molecular and genetic mechanisms of auditory development and function. It will also contribute to the development of new strategies to restore hearing loss.

  15. Implementation of consumer providers into mental health intensive case management teams.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamilton, Alison B; Chinman, Matthew; Cohen, Amy N; Oberman, Rebecca Shoai; Young, Alexander S

    2015-01-01

    In mental health care, consumer providers (CPs) are individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) who draw upon their lived experiences while providing services to others with SMI. Implementation of CPs has proven to be challenging in a variety of settings. The PEER project (Peers Enhancing Recovery) involved rolling out CPs using an implementation science model and evaluating implementation and impact in mental health treatment settings (three intervention, three control). In qualitative interviews, facilitators and challenges to implementation were described by the CPs, their team members, clients, and study researchers. Site preparation, external facilitation, and positive, reinforcing experiences with CPs facilitated implementation. Role definitions and deficiencies in CPs' technical knowledge posed challenges to implementation. Sustainability was not realized due to insufficient resources. However, implementation was positive overall, characterized by diffusion of innovation concepts of high relative advantage, strong trialability, compatibility with prevailing norms, compelling observability, and relatively low complexity. By preparing and working systematically with intervention sites to incorporate new services, implementation was strengthened and challenges were minimized.

  16. An integrated Biophysical CGE model to provide Sustainable Development Goal insights

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sanchez, Marko; Cicowiez, Martin; Howells, Mark; Zepeda, Eduardo

    2016-04-01

    Future projected changes in the energy system will inevitably result in changes to the level of appropriation of environmental resources, particularly land and water, and this will have wider implications for environmental sustainability, and may affect other sectors of the economy. An integrated climate, land, energy and water (CLEW) system will provide useful insights, particularly with regard to the environmental sustainability. However, it will require adequate integration with other tools to detect economic impacts and broaden the scope for policy analysis. A computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is a well suited tool to channel impacts, as detected in a CLEW analysis, onto all sectors of the economy, and evaluate trade-offs and synergies, including those of possible policy responses. This paper will show an application of such integration in a single-country CGE model with the following key characteristics. Climate is partly exogenous (as proxied by temperature and rainfall) and partly endogenous (as proxied by emissions generated by different sectors) and has an impact on endogenous variables such as land productivity and labor productivity. Land is a factor of production used in agricultural and forestry activities which can be of various types if land use alternatives (e.g., deforestation) are to be considered. Energy is an input to the production process of all economic sectors and a consumption good for households. Because it is possible to allow for substitution among different energy sources (e.g. renewable vs non-renewable) in the generation of electricity, the production process of energy products can consider the use of natural resources such as oil and water. Water, data permitting, can be considered as an input into the production process of agricultural sectors, which is particularly relevant in case of irrigation. It can also be considered as a determinant of total factor productivity in hydro-power generation. The integration of a CLEW

  17. Strategic directions for developing the Australian general practice nurse role in cardiovascular disease management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halcomb, Elizabeth J; Davidson, Patricia M; Yallop, Julie; Griffiths, Rhonda; Daly, John

    2007-08-01

    Practice nursing is an integral component of British and New Zealand primary care, but in Australia it remains an emerging specialty. Despite an increased focus on the Australian practice nurse role, there has been limited strategic role development, particularly relating to national health priority areas. This paper reports the third stage of a Project exploring the Australian practice nurse role in the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This stage involved a consensus development conference, undertaken to identify strategic, priority recommendations for practice nurse role development. 1. Practice nurses have an important role in developing systems and processes for CVD management; 2. A change in the culture of general practice is necessary to promote acceptance of nurse-led CVD management; 3. Future research needs to evaluate specific models of care, incorporating outcome measures sensitive to nursing interventions; 4. Considerable challenges exist in conducting research in general practice; and 5. Changes in funding models are necessary for widespread practice nurse role development. The shifting of funding models provides evidence to support interdisciplinary practice in Australian general practice. The time is ripe, therefore, to engage in prospective and strategic planning to inform development of the practice nurse role.

  18. "Someone like Me Can Be Successful": Do College Students Need Same-Gender Role Models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lockwood, Penelope

    2006-01-01

    Two studies examined the extent to which matching on gender determines the impact of career role models on the self. Because women face negative stereotypes regarding their competence in the workplace, they may derive particular benefit from the example of an outstanding woman who illustrates the possibility of overcoming gender barriers to…

  19. Game Maturity Model for Health Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Boer, Jan C; Adriani, Paul; van Houwelingen, Jan Willem; Geerts, A

    2016-04-01

    This article introduces the Game Maturity Model for the healthcare industry as an extension to the general Game Maturity Model and describes the usage by two case studies of applied health games. The Game Maturity Model for healthcare provides a practical and value-adding method to assess existing games and to determine strategic considerations for application of applied health games. Our forecast is that within 5 years the use and development of applied games will have a role in our daily lives and the way we organize health care that will be similar to the role social media has today.

  20. Semantic Role Labeling

    CERN Document Server

    Palmer, Martha; Xue, Nianwen

    2011-01-01

    This book is aimed at providing an overview of several aspects of semantic role labeling. Chapter 1 begins with linguistic background on the definition of semantic roles and the controversies surrounding them. Chapter 2 describes how the theories have led to structured lexicons such as FrameNet, VerbNet and the PropBank Frame Files that in turn provide the basis for large scale semantic annotation of corpora. This data has facilitated the development of automatic semantic role labeling systems based on supervised machine learning techniques. Chapter 3 presents the general principles of applyin