Innovative public information programs. Panel Discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emmy Roos; Chuck Vincent; David Knox; Lauretta Kerchma-Olson

2001-01-01

Full text of publication follows: What is new in public information in the nuclear industry? With developments such as deregulation in the United States, the ever-changing global energy market, and constant scientific and technological advances, public information programs are more important than ever. Co-sponsored by the American Nuclear Society (ANS) Public Information Committee, panelists will present news of innovations in a broad spectrum of areas. These include the new research on the views of public opinion leaders about nuclear energy, the new ANS Public Information Web site, volunteer outreach by nuclear professionals at the local level, public information innovations at nuclear utilities, unique international programs, an update on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's strategic plan for public confidence, and recent changes at the U.S. Department of Energy. Invited presentations: New ANS Public Information Web Site International Programs (Emmy Roos (ETCetera)); ANS Teacher Workshops and the Northern Ohio Section's Highly Successful Implementation of Them (Chuck Vincent (ANS)); Innovations at Exelon (David Knox (Exelon)) Innovative Public Information Center Programs (Lauretta Kerchma-Olson (Nucl Mgt, Two Rivers))

Do stages of dentistry training affect anxiety provoking situations ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Getting diagnosis wrong, help in faint episode, not developing radiograph properly and coping with children were the anxiety provoking situations that showed statistically significant difference in the 3 studied training stages of dentistry. Bonferroni post‑hoc analysis significant difference was in the preclinical and clinical ...

The nursing profession: public image, self-concept and professional identity. A discussion paper.

Science.gov (United States)

ten Hoeve, Yvonne; Jansen, Gerard; Roodbol, Petrie

2014-02-01

To discuss the actual public image of nurses and other factors that influence the development of nurses' self-concept and professional identity. Nurses have become healthcare professionals in their own right who possess a great deal of knowledge. However, the public does not always value the skills and competences nurses have acquired through education and innovation. Discussion paper. We identified 1216 relevant studies by searching MEDLINE, CINAHL and PsycINFO databases in the period 1997-2010. Finally, 18 studies met our inclusion criteria. The included studies show that the actual public image of nursing is diverse and incongruous. This image is partly self-created by nurses due to their invisibility and their lack of public discourse. Nurses derive their self-concept and professional identity from their public image, work environment, work values, education and traditional social and cultural values. Nurses should work harder to communicate their professionalism to the public. Social media like the Internet and YouTube can be used to show the public what they really do. To improve their public image and to obtain a stronger position in healthcare organizations, nurses need to increase their visibility. This could be realized by ongoing education and a challenging work environment that encourages nurses to stand up for themselves. Furthermore, nurses should make better use of strategic positions, such as case manager, nurse educator or clinical nurse specialist and use their professionalism to show the public what their work really entails. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The nursing profession: public image, self-concept and professional identity: a discussion paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ten Hoeve, Yvonne; Jansen, Gerard; Roodbol, Petrie

2013-01-01

Aim To discuss the actual public image of nurses and other factors that influence the development of nurses' self-concept and professional identity. Background Nurses have become healthcare professionals in their own right who possess a great deal of knowledge. However, the public does not always

The nursing profession : public image, self-concept and professional identity. A discussion paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

ten Hoeve, Yvonne; Jansen, Gerard; Roodbol, Petrie

Aim To discuss the actual public image of nurses and other factors that influence the development of nurses' self-concept and professional identity. Background Nurses have become healthcare professionals in their own right who possess a great deal of knowledge. However, the public does not always

The nursing profession: public image, self-concept and professional identity : a discussion paper

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Yvonne ten Hoeve; Prof. Dr. Petrie F. Roodbol; Gerard Jansen

2013-01-01

Aim. To discuss the actual public image of nurses and other factors that influence the development of nurses’ self-concept and professional identity. Background. Nurses have become healthcare professionals in their own right who possess a great deal of knowledge. However, the public does not always

77 FR 14856 - Public Meeting With Interested Persons To Discuss the Proposed Federal Aviation Administration...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-13

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Public Meeting With Interested...) AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (DOT). ACTION: Notice of public meetings. SUMMARY: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be holding a public meeting to discuss issuing a new Technical Standard...

Exploring public attitudes towards approaches to discussing costs in the clinical encounter.

Science.gov (United States)

Danis, Marion; Sommers, Roseanna; Logan, Jean; Weidmer, Beverly; Chen, Shirley; Goold, Susan; Pearson, Steven; Donley, Greer; McGlynn, Elizabeth

2014-01-01

Patients' willingness to discuss costs of treatment alternatives with their physicians is uncertain. To explore public attitudes toward doctor-patient discussions of insurer and out-of-pocket costs and to examine whether several possible communication strategies might enhance patient receptivity to discussing costs with their physicians. Focus group discussions and pre-discussion and post-discussion questionnaires. Two hundred and eleven insured individuals with mean age of 48 years, 51 % female, 34 % African American, 27 % Latino, and 50 % with incomes below 300 % of the federal poverty threshold, participated in 22 focus groups in Santa Monica, CA and in the Washington, DC metro area. Attitudes toward discussing out-of-pocket and insurer costs with physicians, and towards physicians' role in controlling costs; receptivity toward recommended communication strategies regarding costs. Participants expressed more willingness to talk to doctors about personal costs than insurer costs. Older participants and sicker participants were more willing to talk to the doctor about all costs than younger and healthier participants (OR = 1.8, p = 0.004; OR = 1.6, p = 0.027 respectively). Participants who face cost-related barriers to accessing health care were in greater agreement than others that doctors should play a role in reducing out-of-pocket costs (OR = 2.4, p = 0.011). Participants did not endorse recommended communication strategies for discussing costs in the clinical encounter. In contrast, participants stated that trust in one's physician would enhance their willingness to discuss costs. Perceived impediments to discussing costs included rushed, impersonal visits, and clinicians who are insufficiently informed about costs. This study suggests that trusting relationships may be more conducive than any particular discussion strategy to facilitating doctor-patient discussions of health care costs. Better public understanding of how medical

Efficacy of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS) in women with provoked vestibulodynia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Morin, Annie; Léonard, Guillaume; Gougeon, Véronique; Waddell, Guy; Bureau, Yves-André; Girard, Isabelle; Morin, Mélanie

2016-05-14

Provoked vestibulodynia is the most common form of vulvodynia. Despite its high prevalence and deleterious sexual, conjugal, and psychological repercussions, effective evidence-based interventions for provoked vestibulodynia remain limited. For a high proportion of women, significant pain persists despite the currently available treatments. Growing evidence suggests that the central nervous system (CNS) could play a key role in provoked vestibulodynia; thus, treatment targeting the CNS, rather than localized dysfunctions, may be beneficial for women suffering from provoked vestibulodynia. In this study, we aim to build on the promising results of a previous case report and evaluate whether transcranial direct-current stimulation, a non-invasive brain stimulation technique targeting the CNS, could be an effective treatment option for women with provoked vestibulodynia. This single-center, triple-blind, parallel group, randomized, controlled trial aims to compare the efficacy of transcranial direct-current stimulation with sham transcranial direct-current stimulation in women with provoked vestibulodynia. Forty women diagnosed with provoked vestibulodynia by a gynecologist, following a standardized treatment protocol, are randomized to either active transcranial direct-current stimulation treatment for ten sessions of 20 minutes at an intensity of 2 mA or sham transcranial direct-current stimulation over a 2-week period. Outcome measures are collected at baseline, 2 weeks after treatment and at 3-month follow-up. The primary outcome is pain during intercourse, assessed with a numerical rating scale. Secondary measurements focus on the sexual function, vestibular pain sensitivity, psychological distress, treatment satisfaction, and the patient's global impression of change. To our knowledge, this study is the first randomized controlled trial to examine the efficacy of transcranial direct-current stimulation in women with provoked vestibulodynia. Findings from this

Oral regurgitation after reflux provoking meals: a possible cause of dental erosion?

Science.gov (United States)

Bartlett, D W; Evans, D F; Smith, B G

1997-02-01

Certain foods and drinks such as alcohol, heavily spiced or fatty meals are known to provoke gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR). This may give rise to symptoms of heartburn, epigastric pain and occasionally oral regurgitation of the gastric contents. Oral regurgitation of gastric juice is important in dentistry because of its association with dental erosion. This study measured oesophageal and oral reflux in 12 healthy subjects after a curry meal taken with alcohol 2 h before sleep. Each subject repeated the test with a bland non-reflux provoking control meal. GOR was measured by recording distal and proximal oesophageal pH on a dual channel, portable pH monitor. Oral pH was measured with a pH sensitive radio-telemetry capsule (RTC) held on the palate in a vacuum formed splint. Signals from the RTC were received by an aerial worn around the head. The pH change produced by GOR was estimated as the percentage time that pH (PTpH) was less than 4 in the distal oesophagus. Similarly, the PTpH was estimated reflux in only two subjects. In one of these subjects the bland meal provoked oral regurgitation with a PTpH < 5.5 of 13.5%. In the remaining subjects little oral regurgitation occurred.

Phenomenon of isomorphic provoking responses in cases of limited scleroderma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Talnikova Е.Е.

2015-09-01

Full Text Available The article presents the historical origin of the term "Koebner phenomenon". The literature data reflect the etiology, pathogenesis and epidemiology of isomorphic mechanisms provoking responses in lichen planus, psoriasis, scleroder-ma, syphilis. Variants of the Koebner phenomenon's classifications are given. The clinical cases of limited scleroderma after mechanical injury are described.

An Art Museum in the Interest of Publicness: A Discussion of Educational Strategies at Tate Exchange

Science.gov (United States)

Christensen-Scheel, Boel

2018-01-01

Influenced by needs to legitimise large collections and the position as public institutions, art museums today are searching to develop rigorous public strategies in order to increase numbers of visitors and public impact. Education is part of those strategies, and the need to discuss art education in relation to publicness and criticality arises.…

Emotions, Public Opinion, and U.S. Presidential Approval Rates: A 5-Year Analysis of Online Political Discussions

Science.gov (United States)

Gonzalez-Bailon, Sandra; Banchs, Rafael E.; Kaltenbrunner, Andreas

2012-01-01

This article examines how emotional reactions to political events shape public opinion. We analyze political discussions in which people voluntarily engage online to approximate the public agenda: Online discussions offer a natural approach to the salience of political issues and the means to analyze emotional reactions as political events take…

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis provoked by furosemide

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andżelika Schwann-Majewska

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP is a skin disease characterized by the sudden appearance of generalized pustules, accompanied by elevated body temperature and neutrophilia. Objective. Presentation of a patient with AGEP provoked by furosemide. Case report. We present a case of a 65-year-old patient diagnosed with and treated for generalized pustular eruption, with fever and changes in laboratory tests. Numerous coexisting medical conditions and a great number of frequently changed drugs (ciprofloxacin, allopurinol, folic acid, calcium carbonate, cyclophosphamide, atorvastatin, betaxolol and furosemide hindered identification of the causative factor. Conclusions. On the basis of the medical history and clinical picture, the patient was diagnosed with generalized exanthematous pustulosis induced by furosemide.

Nuclear safety and public debate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tanguy, P.

1997-01-01

In this article are evoked the question of nuclear safety and the public opinion, from the beginning of nuclear power plants in 1954 where a peaceful use of nuclear energy is developed in minds. If the aim was to avoid any important accident, the Three Miles Island accident and more recently the Chernobyl accident provoked a shock in public opinion and marked a peak of nuclear controversy. From this point, the policy of transparence and a best information of the public taken as a partner are necessary to maintain the dialogue. (N.C.)

Mucosal versus muscle pain sensitivity in provoked vestibulodynia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Witzeman K

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Kathryn Witzeman,1 Ruby HN Nguyen,2 Alisa Eanes,3 Sawsan As-Sanie,4 Denniz Zolnoun51Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, 2Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, 3Pelvic Pain Research Unit, Division of Advanced Laparoscopy and Pelvic Pain, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Center for Neurosensory Disorders, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USABackground: An estimated 8.3%–16% of women experience vulvovaginal discomfort during their lifetime. Frequently these patients report provoked pain on contact or with attempted intercourse, commonly referred to as provoked vestibulodynia (PVD. Despite the burden of this condition, little is known about its potential etiologies including pelvic floor muscular dysfunction and mucosal components. This knowledge would be beneficial in developing targeted therapies including physical therapy.Objective: To explore the relative contribution of mucosal versus muscle pain sensitivity on pain report from intercourse among women with PVD.Design: In this proof of concept study, 54 women with PVD underwent a structured examination assessing mucosal and pelvic muscle sensitivity.Methods: We examined three mucosal sites in the upper and lower vestibule. Patients were asked to rate their pain on cotton swab palpation of the mucosa using a 10-point visual analog scale. Muscle pain was assessed using transvaginal application of pressure on right and left puborectalis, and the perineal muscle complex. The Gracely pain scale (0–100 was used to assess the severity of pain with intercourse, with women rating the lowest, average, and highest pain levels; a 100 rating the

Multiple Pseudomonas species secrete exolysin-like toxins and provoke Caspase-1-dependent macrophage death.

Science.gov (United States)

Basso, Pauline; Wallet, Pierre; Elsen, Sylvie; Soleilhac, Emmanuelle; Henry, Thomas; Faudry, Eric; Attrée, Ina

2017-10-01

Pathogenic bacteria secrete protein toxins that provoke apoptosis or necrosis of eukaryotic cells. Here, we developed a live-imaging method, based on incorporation of a DNA-intercalating dye into membrane-damaged host cells, to study the kinetics of primary bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) mortality induced by opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa expressing either Type III Secretion System (T3SS) toxins or the pore-forming toxin, Exolysin (ExlA). We found that ExlA promotes the activation of Caspase-1 and maturation of interleukin-1β. BMDMs deficient for Caspase-1 and Caspase-11 were resistant to ExlA-induced death. Furthermore, by using KO BMDMs, we determined that the upstream NLRP3/ASC complex leads to the Caspase-1 activation. We also demonstrated that Pseudomonas putida and Pseudomonas protegens and the Drosophila pathogen Pseudomonas entomophila, which naturally express ExlA-like toxins, are cytotoxic toward macrophages and provoke the same type of pro-inflammatory death as does ExlA + P. aeruginosa. These results demonstrate that ExlA-like toxins of two-partner secretion systems from diverse Pseudomonas species activate the NLRP3 inflammasome and provoke inflammatory pyroptotic death of macrophages. © 2017 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Noncoherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion

KAUST Repository

Agrawal, Anurag

2011-09-01

We study the noncoherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion over independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading wireless channels, where neither the sender nor the receivers have access to instantaneous channel state information (CSI). We present two results. At high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the secret-key capacity is bounded in SNR, regardless of the number of antennas at each terminal. Second, for a system with a single antenna at both the legitimate and the eavesdropper terminals and an arbitrary number of transmit antennas, the secret-key capacity-achieving input distribution is discrete, with a finite number of mass points. Numerically we observe that at low SNR, the capacity achieving distribution has two mass points with one of them at the origin. © 2011 IEEE.

Noncoherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion

KAUST Repository

Agrawal, Anurag; Rezki, Zouheir; Khisti, Ashish J.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2011-01-01

We study the noncoherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion over independent identically distributed (i.i.d.) Rayleigh fading wireless channels, where neither the sender nor the receivers have access to instantaneous channel state information (CSI). We present two results. At high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the secret-key capacity is bounded in SNR, regardless of the number of antennas at each terminal. Second, for a system with a single antenna at both the legitimate and the eavesdropper terminals and an arbitrary number of transmit antennas, the secret-key capacity-achieving input distribution is discrete, with a finite number of mass points. Numerically we observe that at low SNR, the capacity achieving distribution has two mass points with one of them at the origin. © 2011 IEEE.

Evaluation of pro-convulsant risk in the rat: spontaneous and provoked convulsions.

Science.gov (United States)

Esneault, Elise; Peyon, Guillaume; Froger-Colléaux, Christelle; Castagné, Vincent

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the utility of different tests performed in the absence or presence of factors promoting seizures in order to evaluate the pro-convulsant effects of drugs. We studied the effects of theophylline in the rat since this is a well-known pro-convulsant substance in humans. The occurrence of spontaneous convulsions following administration of theophylline was evaluated by observation in the Irwin Test and by measuring brain activity using video-EEG recording in conscious telemetered animals. Theophylline was also tested in the electroconvulsive shock (ECS) threshold and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced convulsions tests, two commonly used models of provoked convulsions. In the Irwin test, theophylline induced convulsions in 1 out of 6 rats at 128 mg/kg. Paroxysmal/seizure activity was also observed by video-EEG recording in 4 out of the 12 animals tested at 128 mg/kg, in presence of clonic convulsions in 3 out of the 4 rats. Paroxysmal activity was observed in two rats in the absence of clear behavioral symptoms, indicating that some precursor signs can be detected using video-EEG. Clear pro-convulsant activity was shown over the dose-range 32-128 mg/kg in the ECS threshold and PTZ-induced convulsions tests. Evaluation of spontaneous convulsions provides information on the therapeutic window of a drug and the translational value of the approach is increased by the use of video-EEG. Tests based on provoked convulsions further complement the evaluation since they try to mimic high risk situations. Measurement of both spontaneous and provoked convulsions improves the evaluation of the pro-convulsant risk of novel pharmacological substances. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Rapid issue tracking: A method for taking the pulse of the public discussion of environmental policy

Science.gov (United States)

David N. Bengston; David P. Fan; Patrick Reed; Ashley. Goldhor-Wilcock

2009-01-01

Environmental communication professionals and other decision makers need to understand public sentiment toward environmental issues to effectively carry out their stewardship responsibilities. However, it is often difficult to obtain timely and reliable information about public discussion and debate regarding these issues. This paper describes an approach designed to...

Inhibition of Bcl-2 or IAP proteins does not provoke mutations in surviving cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shekhar, Tanmay M. [Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3083 (Australia); Green, Maja M. [Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3083 (Australia); Department of Anatomy & Neuroscience, The University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010 (Australia); Rayner, David M.; Miles, Mark A.; Cutts, Suzanne M. [Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3083 (Australia); Hawkins, Christine J., E-mail: c.hawkins@latrobe.edu.au [Department of Biochemistry, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora 3083 (Australia)

2015-07-15

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Mutagenicities of anti-cancer drugs were tested using HPRT, γH2AX and comet assays. • TRAIL, doxorubicin and etoposide were more mutagenic than BH3- or Smac-mimetics. • Physiologically achievable levels of the BH3-mimetic ABT-737 were not mutagenic. • High concentrations of ABT-737 provoked mutations via an off-target mechanism. • Even very high concentrations of IAP antagonists were not mutagenic. - Abstract: Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause permanent damage to the genomes of surviving cells, provoking severe side effects such as second malignancies in some cancer survivors. Drugs that mimic the activity of death ligands, or antagonise pro-survival proteins of the Bcl-2 or IAP families have yielded encouraging results in animal experiments and early phase clinical trials. Because these agents directly engage apoptosis pathways, rather than damaging DNA to indirectly provoke tumour cell death, we reasoned that they may offer another important advantage over conventional therapies: minimisation or elimination of side effects such as second cancers that result from mutation of surviving normal cells. Disappointingly, however, we previously found that concentrations of death receptor agonists like TRAIL that would be present in vivo in clinical settings provoked DNA damage in surviving cells. In this study, we used cell line model systems to investigate the mutagenic capacity of drugs from two other classes of direct apoptosis-inducing agents: the BH3-mimetic ABT-737 and the IAP antagonists LCL161 and AT-406. Encouragingly, our data suggest that IAP antagonists possess negligible genotoxic activity. Doses of ABT-737 that were required to damage DNA stimulated Bax/Bak-independent signalling and exceeded concentrations detected in the plasma of animals treated with this drug. These findings provide hope that cancer patients treated by BH3-mimetics or IAP antagonists may avoid mutation-related illnesses that afflict

Inhibition of Bcl-2 or IAP proteins does not provoke mutations in surviving cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shekhar, Tanmay M.; Green, Maja M.; Rayner, David M.; Miles, Mark A.; Cutts, Suzanne M.; Hawkins, Christine J.

2015-01-01

Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Mutagenicities of anti-cancer drugs were tested using HPRT, γH2AX and comet assays. • TRAIL, doxorubicin and etoposide were more mutagenic than BH3- or Smac-mimetics. • Physiologically achievable levels of the BH3-mimetic ABT-737 were not mutagenic. • High concentrations of ABT-737 provoked mutations via an off-target mechanism. • Even very high concentrations of IAP antagonists were not mutagenic. - Abstract: Chemotherapy and radiotherapy can cause permanent damage to the genomes of surviving cells, provoking severe side effects such as second malignancies in some cancer survivors. Drugs that mimic the activity of death ligands, or antagonise pro-survival proteins of the Bcl-2 or IAP families have yielded encouraging results in animal experiments and early phase clinical trials. Because these agents directly engage apoptosis pathways, rather than damaging DNA to indirectly provoke tumour cell death, we reasoned that they may offer another important advantage over conventional therapies: minimisation or elimination of side effects such as second cancers that result from mutation of surviving normal cells. Disappointingly, however, we previously found that concentrations of death receptor agonists like TRAIL that would be present in vivo in clinical settings provoked DNA damage in surviving cells. In this study, we used cell line model systems to investigate the mutagenic capacity of drugs from two other classes of direct apoptosis-inducing agents: the BH3-mimetic ABT-737 and the IAP antagonists LCL161 and AT-406. Encouragingly, our data suggest that IAP antagonists possess negligible genotoxic activity. Doses of ABT-737 that were required to damage DNA stimulated Bax/Bak-independent signalling and exceeded concentrations detected in the plasma of animals treated with this drug. These findings provide hope that cancer patients treated by BH3-mimetics or IAP antagonists may avoid mutation-related illnesses that afflict

Addressing public concerns about ethical and environmental issues in the discussion on nuclear waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Luthi, A.

1996-01-01

According to Swiss Federal Law, the producers of radioactive waste are responsible for its safe disposal. The government, therefore, plays a relatively modest role in the public debate on nuclear waste management. Whenever asked to express an opinion, it tries to inform openly. Active public relations campaigns are led by the National Co-operative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (NAGRA). The operators of nuclear power plants are ready to compensate the siting community and its Canton for services rendered in the public interest. An important way to deal with ethical and environmental issues is the inclusion of opponents in every step of the time-consuming licensing procedure. This paper discusses the upcoming vote on a concession for a low and intermediate-level waste repository for which NAGRA is actively preparing. NAGRA's public relations work is based on recognition of the fact that the only way to diminish fear and gain credibility is to inform openly and regularly over many years, and to show that results achieved are based on serious, careful and transparent scientific work. Another aspect of radioactive waste management communication lies in the explanation of the ethics of 'inter-generational' and 'intra-generational' equity. Compensation will never make up for lack of safety. The ways in which the public voices its views are discussed, as well as the concept of seeking the co-operation of opponents in working groups. (author)

Non-coherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion

KAUST Repository

Agrawal, Anurag

2011-06-01

We study the Rayleigh fading non-coherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion, where neither the sender nor the receivers have access to instantaneous channel state information (CSI) of any channel. We present two results. At high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), the secret-key capacity is bounded in SNR, regardless of the number of antennas at each terminal. Second, for a system with a single antenna at both the legitimate and the eavesdropper terminals and an arbitrary number of transmit antennas, the secret-key capacity-achieving input distribution is discrete, with a finite number of mass points. Numerically we observe that at low-SNR, the capacity achieving distribution has two mass points with one of them at the origin. © 2011 IEEE.

Public Discussion about Completion of Mochovce Units 3 and 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon

2014-01-01

After the introduction of the Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NRA) reopened NRA, the participants familiarised themselves with the history of M.I.5 (1980-2008), with the decisions of the NRA issued in 2008, with the law-suit and the judgement of the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic, with the course of the procedure after the judgement, and with the comments, proposals and suggestions of the procedure participants delivered to the Authority within the specified period. The public hearing of the comments was followed by technical comments of the procedure participants focused on events at one unit that can affect the neighbouring unit, containment concept, seismic threat and accidents with fuel melting, which were fully answered by the competent persons. The hearing ended with a discussion.

Non-coherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion

KAUST Repository

Agrawal, Anurag; Rezki, Zouheir; Khisti, Ashish J.; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2011-01-01

We study the Rayleigh fading non-coherent capacity of secret-key agreement with public discussion, where neither the sender nor the receivers have access to instantaneous channel state information (CSI) of any channel. We present two results. At high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), the secret-key capacity is bounded in SNR, regardless of the number of antennas at each terminal. Second, for a system with a single antenna at both the legitimate and the eavesdropper terminals and an arbitrary number of transmit antennas, the secret-key capacity-achieving input distribution is discrete, with a finite number of mass points. Numerically we observe that at low-SNR, the capacity achieving distribution has two mass points with one of them at the origin. © 2011 IEEE.

Emotional stimuli-provoked seizures potentially misdiagnosed as psychogenic non-epileptic attacks: A case of temporal lobe epilepsy with amygdala enlargement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hidetaka Tamune

Full Text Available The association between emotional stimuli and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE is largely unknown. Here, we report the case of a depressed, 50-year-old female complaining of episodes of a “spaced out” experience precipitated by emotional stimuli. Psychogenic non-epileptic attacks were suspected. However, video-EEG coupled with emotional stimuli-provoked procedures and MRI findings of amygdala enlargement, led to the diagnosis of left TLE. Accurate diagnosis and explanation improved her subjective depression and seizure frequency. This case demonstrated that emotional stimuli can provoke seizures in TLE and suggested the involvement of the enlarged amygdala and the modulation of emotion-related neural circuits. Keywords: Video-EEG, Psychogenic non-epileptic attacks, Temporal lobe epilepsy, Amygdala enlargement, Reflex seizure, Provoked seizure

Contribution to the european discussion on the energy strategy; Contribution au debat europeen sur la strategie energetique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Revol, H.; Valade, J

2001-07-01

If no change occurs, the European Union will cover in 2020, 70% of its energy need by importation, for 50% today. This situation leads to a discussion on the energy dependence. In this context the European Commission provoked a discussion by publishing a ''green book'' on the european strategy concerning the energy supply. This document presents the point of view of the Senate Energy Study Group. (A.L.B.)

Social media as a platform for health-related public debates and discussions: the Polio vaccine on Facebook.

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, Daniela; Baram-Tsabari, Ayelet; Landsman, Keren

2016-01-01

Social media can act as an important platform for debating, discussing, and disseminating information about vaccines. Our objectives were to map and describe the roles played by web-based mainstream media and social media as platforms for vaccination-related public debates and discussions during the Polio crisis in Israel in 2013: where and how did the public debate and discuss the issue, and how can these debates and discussions be characterized? Polio-related coverage was collected from May 28 to October 31, 2013, from seven online Hebrew media platforms and the Facebook groups discussing the Polio vaccination were mapped and described. In addition, 2,289 items from the Facebook group "Parents talk about Polio vaccination" were analyzed for socio-demographic and thematic characteristics. The traditional media mainly echoed formal voices from the Ministry of Health. The comments on the Facebook vaccination opposition groups could be divided into four groups: comments with individualistic perceptions, comments that expressed concerns about the safety of the OPV, comments that expressed distrust in the Ministry of Health, and comments denying Polio as a disease. In the Facebook group "Parents talk about the Polio vaccination", an active group with various participants, 321 commentators submitted 2289 comments, with 64 % of the comments written by women. Most (92 %) people involved were parents. The comments were both personal (referring to specific situations) and general in nature (referring to symptoms or wide implications). A few (13 %) of the commentators were physicians ( n  = 44), who were responsible for 909 (40 %) of the items in the sample. Half the doctors and 6 % of the non-doctors wrote over 10 items each. This Facebook group formed a unique platform where unmediated debates and discussions between the public and medical experts took place. The comments on the social media, as well as the socio-demographic profiles of the commentators, suggest

Breaching barriers to collaboration in public spaces

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heinemann, Trine; Mitchell, Robb

2014-01-01

Technology provoking disparate individuals to collaborate or share experiences in the public space faces a difficult barrier, namely the ordinary social order of urban places. We employed the notion of the breaching experiment to explore how this barrier might be overcome. We analyse responses...... of life in public spaces. Arising from this, we argue for the importance of qualities such as availability, facilitation, perspicuous settings, and perspicuous participants to encourage and support co-located strangers to collaborate and share experiences....

Sports celebrities and public health: Diego Maradona's influence on drug use prevention.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, William J; de Matviuk, Marcela Alejandra Chavan

2010-06-01

Exposure to a sports celebrity through media and sporting events can have important influences on a public health issue associated with that celebrity. The battle against drug use by Argentinean soccer icon Diego Maradona has provoked concerns about drug abuse and prevention in Argentina, particularly among young people. The present study analyzes how two forms of involvement with Maradona affected the public's concern and perceptions of drug use after Maradona's drug-related health crisis in 2004. Results indicate that those who had a greater degree of parasocial interaction with Maradona were more likely to have an increased awareness of drug abuse, a greater personal concern about drug abuse, abstained from drug use, and more strongly support drug abuse prevention programs. In contrast, identification with Maradona had a mitigating effect on drug use prevention. Implications of these findings regarding the influence of sports celebrities on substance abuse are discussed.

Changes provoked by boiling, steaming and sous-vide cooking in the lipid and volatile profile of European sea bass.

Science.gov (United States)

Nieva-Echevarría, Bárbara; Manzanos, María J; Goicoechea, Encarnación; Guillén, María D

2017-09-01

This study aims to shed light on the changes provoked by boiling, steaming and sous-vide cooking on the lipids and volatile profile of farmed and wild European sea bass meat. None of the cooking techniques provoked changes due to hydrolytic or oxidation processes detectable by 1 H NMR on sea bass lipids. The lipid profile of main and minor lipidic components was maintained after cooking. However, study by SPME-GC/MS evidenced that steaming and sous-vide cooking modified the volatile profile of sea bass meat, especially in farmed specimens. The compounds generated came from the occurrence, to a very small extent, of lipid and protein degradation. By contrast, boiling scarcely modified the initial characteristics of raw sea bass. Thus, from a sensory point of view and considering the odour-active compounds generated, steaming and sous-vide cooking provoked more noticeable changes than boiling, especially in farmed sea bass meat. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Lack of effect of laboratory-provoked anxiety on plasma homovanillic acid concentration in normal subjects.

Science.gov (United States)

Zemishlany, Z; Davidson, M

1996-08-15

The present study was undertaken to investigate if acute anxiety can affect plasma concentrations of homovanillic acid (pHVA). Since elevated pHVA levels have been associated with severity of schizophrenic symptoms, the results of this study will help determine if the pHVA elevations are directly related to psychosis or if anxiety is also a contributory factor. Anxiety was provoked in 10 young normal subjects by a combined paradigm of mental arithmetic task and threat of electrical shock. A significant increase in self-ratings of anxiety, blood pressure, and plasma levels of norepinephrine, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol and growth hormone indicated that the paradigm used was effective in provoking anxiety; however, anxiety did not affect pHVA concentrations. The results may support the notion that increased pHVA levels in severely ill schizophrenic patients are related to the schizophrenic pathophysiology rather than to anxiety.

Writing a scientific publication for a management journal.

Science.gov (United States)

Øvretveit, John

2008-01-01

The aim of this paper is to stimulate debate about criteria for assessing the scientific contribution of a piece of management research and to guide and encourage researchers in writing papers for publication. The paper also seeks to reduce the number of papers submitted to journals and reviewers which are really unfinished early drafts or which do provide knowledge which could contribute to reducing suffering. The paper draws on and discusses the difference between practical research for a manager and scientific research, as well as the author's experience as researcher, writer, reviewer, editor, research methods course leader and director of research. The discussion highlights that the author should draft the paper under the suggested headings and fulfil criteria of validity, reliability, supported conclusions, generalisability, ensuring that each section follows on from the other, and that the findings are related to previous research. This is the author's personal view about how to carry out and write research to get published, without discussions of other views. The findings in this paper may provoke more debate about management science and the role of this journal. The guidance may help many researchers publish their management research. The paper links practical guidance with discussion of criteria for scientific contribution in a readable way.

Epitaxial strain relaxation by provoking edge dislocation dipoles

Science.gov (United States)

Soufi, A.; El-Hami, K.

2018-02-01

Thin solid films have been used in various devices and engineering systems such as rapid development of highly integrated electronic circuits, the use of surface coatings to protect structural materials in high temperature environments, and thin films are integral parts of many micro-electro-mechanical systems designed to serve as sensors, actuators. Among techniques of ultra-thin films deposition, the heteroepitaxial method becomes the most useful at nanoscale level to obtain performed materials in various applications areas. On the other hand, stresses that appeared during the elaboration of thin films could rise deformations and fractures in materials. The key solution to solve this problem at the nanoscale level is the nucleation of interface dislocations from free surfaces. By provoking edge dislocation dipoles we obtained a strain relaxation in thin films. Moreover, the dynamic of nucleation in edge dislocations from free lateral surfaces was also studied.

Study of the generation and suppression of runaway currents in provoked disruptions in J-TEXT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Z.Y., E-mail: zychen@mail.hust.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, College of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 (China); Chen, Z.P., E-mail: zpchen@mail.hust.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, College of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 (China); Zhang, Y.; Jin, W.; Fang, D.; Ba, W.G.; Wang, Z.J.; Zhang, M.; Yang, Z.J.; Ding, Y.H.; Zhuang, G. [State Key Laboratory of Advanced Electromagnetic Engineering and Technology, College of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074 (China)

2012-05-14

Runaway currents following disruptions have an important effect on the first wall for the next generation tokamak. The behaviors of runaway currents following intentional provoked disruptions have been investigated in the J-TEXT tokamak. It is found that the runaway current generation following provoked disruptions depends on both the toroidal magnetic field and the plasma current. The conversion efficiency of pre-disruptive plasma currents into runaway currents is in the ranges of 30% to 60% in J-TEXT. The runaway currents can be avoided by the intensive gas puffing of H{sub 2} due to the low multiplication factor in J-TEXT. -- Highlights: ► The regime of runaway generation in disruptions in J-TEXT has been established. ► The magnetic field threshold for runaway current generation in disruptions is 2.2 T. ► The conversion efficiency of runaway current is in the ranges of 30% to 60%. ► The runaway currents can be avoided by the intensive gas puffing of H{sub 2}.

Study of the generation and suppression of runaway currents in provoked disruptions in J-TEXT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Z.Y.; Chen, Z.P.; Zhang, Y.; Jin, W.; Fang, D.; Ba, W.G.; Wang, Z.J.; Zhang, M.; Yang, Z.J.; Ding, Y.H.; Zhuang, G.

2012-01-01

Runaway currents following disruptions have an important effect on the first wall for the next generation tokamak. The behaviors of runaway currents following intentional provoked disruptions have been investigated in the J-TEXT tokamak. It is found that the runaway current generation following provoked disruptions depends on both the toroidal magnetic field and the plasma current. The conversion efficiency of pre-disruptive plasma currents into runaway currents is in the ranges of 30% to 60% in J-TEXT. The runaway currents can be avoided by the intensive gas puffing of H 2 due to the low multiplication factor in J-TEXT. -- Highlights: ► The regime of runaway generation in disruptions in J-TEXT has been established. ► The magnetic field threshold for runaway current generation in disruptions is 2.2 T. ► The conversion efficiency of runaway current is in the ranges of 30% to 60%. ► The runaway currents can be avoided by the intensive gas puffing of H 2 .

78 FR 53138 - South Carolina Public Service Authority; Notice of Meeting to Discuss Santee-Cooper Biological...

Science.gov (United States)

2013-08-28

... DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 199-205] South Carolina Public Service Authority; Notice of Meeting to Discuss Santee-Cooper Biological Opinion On July 15, 2010, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) filed its Biological Opinion (BO) on the relicensing of...

Secret-Key Agreement with Public Discussion subject to an Amplitude Constraint

KAUST Repository

Zorgui, Marwen

2016-04-06

This paper considers the problem of secret-key agreement with public discussion subject to a peak power constraint A on the channel input. The optimal input distribution is proved to be discrete with finite support. To overcome the computationally heavy search for the optimal discrete distribution, several suboptimal schemes are proposed and shown numerically to perform close to the capacity. Moreover, lower and upper bounds for the secret-key capacity are provided and used to prove that the secret-key capacity converges for asymptotic high values of A, to the secret-key capacity with an average power constraint A2. Finally, when the amplitude constraint A is small (A ! 0), the secret-key capacity is proved to be asymptotically equal to the capacity of the legitimate user with an amplitude constraint A and no secrecy constraint.

Secret-Key Agreement with Public Discussion subject to an Amplitude Constraint

KAUST Repository

Zorgui, Marwen; Rezki, Zouheir; Alomair, Basel; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2016-01-01

This paper considers the problem of secret-key agreement with public discussion subject to a peak power constraint A on the channel input. The optimal input distribution is proved to be discrete with finite support. To overcome the computationally heavy search for the optimal discrete distribution, several suboptimal schemes are proposed and shown numerically to perform close to the capacity. Moreover, lower and upper bounds for the secret-key capacity are provided and used to prove that the secret-key capacity converges for asymptotic high values of A, to the secret-key capacity with an average power constraint A2. Finally, when the amplitude constraint A is small (A ! 0), the secret-key capacity is proved to be asymptotically equal to the capacity of the legitimate user with an amplitude constraint A and no secrecy constraint.

A survey on virtual environment applications to fear of public speaking.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanni, F; Conversano, C; Del Debbio, A; Landi, P; Carlini, M; Fanciullacci, C; Bergamasco, M; Di Fiorino, A; Dell'Osso, L

2013-06-01

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders in Europe and comprises the fear of public speaking as its typical sub-type. Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is the intervention of choice for SAD, and it includes exposure to anxiety-provoking stimuli to induce systematic desensitization and reduce anxiety. Similarly, exposure therapy per se has been used and found effective, although it is not as specific as CBT for the treatment of SAD. Interestingly, exposure to anxiety-provoking situations can be achieved in Virtual Environments (VEs) through the simulation of social situations allowing individuals with public speaking anxiety to live and develop real exposure-like reactions. The Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) is the treatment of anxiety disorders based on such VEs. This article aims to provide an overview of the scientific literature related to the applications of Virtual Reality to the treatment of fear of public speaking. We conducted the literature review on PubMed and Google Scholar for studies including the fear-of-public-speaking VEs. Reviewed studies addressed two main aspects: the design parameters of the VEs for adequate reactions to synthetic social stimuli, and the efficacy of VEs for fear of public speaking treatment. VEs resulted effective for triggering as-if-real reactions in relation to public speaking. VE-based exposures reduced public speaking anxiety measurements, decreased scores and maintained them at 3 month follow-up. Studies comparing VRET to pharmacological therapy are lacking, and there are few randomized controlled trials that compare VRET to CBT, especially on fear of public speaking treatment.

Epilepsy provoked by television and video games: safety of 100-Hz screens.

Science.gov (United States)

Ricci, S; Vigevano, F; Manfredi, M; Kasteleijn-Nolst Trenité, D G

1998-03-01

Television (TV) and video games (VG) can provoke seizures in patients with photosensitive epilepsies. Flicker frequency is the most important factor in screen activation. We tested conventional 50-Hz versus 100-Hz monitors during TV viewing and VG playing in 30 photosensitive subjects, 23 of whom had a history of TV or VG seizures or both. Fifteen subjects' discharges were activated by 50-Hz TV; 17 by 50-Hz VG; and one by a 100-Hz screen. Thus, 100-Hz screens protect against screen activation.

Ombud’s Corner: Respect@CERN - the discussion has started…

CERN Multimedia

Sudeshna Datta-Cockerill

2015-01-01

The on-going campaign Respect@CERN was re-launched this year on Tuesday 5 May with a discussion forum led by Alan Richter, an expert consultant in ethics and diversity. Seeing so many colleagues in the Council Chamber for this kick-off event was a clear indication of interest in the topic as well as a willingness to engage in promoting a respectful workplace. Now, the discussion continues through the dedicated website.   “Accelerating Respect @ CERN” was the thought-provoking title of the kick-off event of our campaign and, indeed, the speaker presented several ways of achieving workplace respect with a selection of models that provided us with a springboard for the conversation to start. Participants were invited through an interactive survey to consider four of the building blocks that serve to shape a respectful working place: swift and deep trust; awareness of possible unconscious bias; awareness of cultural differences in ways to address conflict; and an appreciative...

Ethical aspects of radioactive waste management and public information. The Belgian situation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Minon, J.P.

1996-01-01

Belgium has a well-developed nuclear programme and has elaborated several research and nuclear fuel cycle facilities on its territory since the beginning of the nineteen fifties. About 60 per cent of the electricity produced is of nuclear origin. All these facilities produce waste. In 1980, waste management was entrusted by law to the ONDRAF. The Agency new controls all aspects of waste management and has indicated the direction for final disposal of waste. Both public information and the justification, from an ethical point of view, of the solutions proposed have become an essential topic in radioactive waste management. The situation as it exists today in Belgium is described in this paper. The paper indicates that all decision-making process now pass through an objective information phase, involving the public and the various decision makers. This is intended to provoke discussion and encourage the public to become more active and responsible, and should be based on new ethical concepts. We need to be sure that we put into place for the future, systems based on passive technology, full information and with sufficient financial provision for future needs. (authors)

Does Feedback Influence Student Postings to Online Discussions?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katrina A. Meyer, Ph.D.

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Feedback theory proposes that feedback influences the behavior of a system and its parts and that is governed by rules. This exploratory study attempts to test this theory in a graduate-level class on leadership theory. Twelve students were asked to participate in five online discussions, each lasting one week. The questions for each discussion were selected to be provocative and rich, without having any correct answer. At the end of the discussion, students were asked to indicate which posting and poster they felt was “best” or most valuable and why they felt the posting was “best.” There is mixed evidence that the voting influenced subsequent postings; some individuals did improve while others were consistently good or poor posters. Students selected postings that were (in declining frequency of occurrence: thoughtful or thought-provoking, well written or justified, uplifting, presented new information, same as their own opinions, changed me, or complex. These reasons are similar to those of the instructor, although the students’ difficulty in choosing and rationalizing a choice and the frequency at which students chose posts that captured their own thoughts and opinions are of some concern. This study provides some evidence that these graduate students could evaluate their own discussions without the instructor intruding or dictating an evaluation scheme, although this may not be true for other groups of online students.

Emotional reaction evaluation provoked by the vestibular caloric test through physiological variables monitoring.

Science.gov (United States)

Barona-de-Guzmán, Rafael; Krstulovic-Roa, Claudio; Donderis-Malea, Elena; Barona-Lleó, Luz

2018-03-08

The emotional evaluation of the causes of vertigo is made using the clinical records and several subjective questionnaires. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the emotional response objectively, in normal subjects, during an induced vertigo crisis. A caloric vestibular test with cold water was performed on 30 healthy subjects. The following physiological parameters were monitored during the 60seconds prior to and the 60seconds after the stimulation: Skin Conductivity, Peripheral Pulse Volume, Body Temperature, Muscle Contraction, Heart Rate, and Respiratory Rate. The maximum angular speed of the nystagmus slow phase at each stimulation was assessed. Skin conductance presented a statistically significant increase during the vertigo crisis in relation to the prior period while the peripheral pulse volume presented a statistically significant decrease. There was no relationship between the slow phase of the provoked nystagmus angular speed and skin conductance and peripheral pulse volume changes. The decrease in peripheral pulse volume was significantly higher in the second vertigo crisis. Skin conductance and peripheral pulse volume changed significantly during a vertigo crisis. There was no relation between the provoked vertiginous crisis intensity and the changes produced in those variables. The stress generated by the caloric stimulation is higher in the second crisis, when the subject has experience of the vertigo caused by the stimulation. Copyright © 2018 Sociedad Española de Otorrinolaringología y Cirugía de Cabeza y Cuello. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

The Concept of a Single-sex Optional Discussion Session in Introductory Astronomy at a Publicly Funded University

Science.gov (United States)

Shawl, S.

1996-12-01

The concept of single-sex education for science and mathematics has recently received renewed discussion in both the popular and professional literature. So important is the topic within higher education that the Duke Journal of Gender Law and Policy sponsored a symposium called "Gender & The Higher Education Classroom: Maximizing the Learning Environment" in February 1996 (http://www.duke.edu/ jrd4/djgcnf96.htm). The concept is especially controversial in publicly supported educational institutions. The idea of offering an optional discussion session limited to a single sex in a university-level introductory astronomy course at a State-supported school was considered through discussions with a number of faculty and administrators, and through a questionnaire aimed at determining student attitudes toward the concept. The results of the student questionnaire will be presented. (While the questionnaire results will be seen to be in favor of such an optional discussion session, such sessions have not been offered.)

Conflicting perspectives compromising discussions on cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Groarke, J

2010-09-01

Healthcare professionals, patients and their relatives are expected to discuss resuscitation together. This study aims to identify the differences in the knowledge base and understanding of these parties. Questionnaires examining knowledge and opinion on resuscitation matters were completed during interviews of randomly selected doctors, nurses and the general public. 70% doctors, 24% nurses and 0% of a public group correctly estimated survival to discharge following in-hospital resuscitation attempts. Deficiencies were identified in doctor and nurse knowledge of ethics governing resuscitation decisions. Public opinion often conflicts with ethical guidelines. Public understanding of the nature of cardiopulmonary arrests and resuscitation attempts; and of the implications of a \\'Do Not Attempt Resuscitation (DNAR)\\' order is poor. Television medical dramas are the primary source of resuscitation knowledge. Deficiencies in healthcare professionals\\' knowledge of resuscitation ethics and outcomes may compromise resuscitation decisions. Educational initiatives to address deficiencies are necessary. Parties involved in discussion on resuscitation do not share the same knowledge base reducing the likelihood of meaningful discussion. Public misapprehensions surrounding resuscitation must be identified and corrected during discussion.

Treatment of Provoked Vulvodynia in a Swedish cohort using desensitization exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy

OpenAIRE

Lindstr?m, Suzanne; Kvist, Linda J.

2015-01-01

Background Problems related to pain during vaginal penetration are complex and the etiology is multi-factorial. It was the aim of the present study to measure whether treatment using desensitization exercises and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for women with provoked vulvodynia (PVD) could increase sexual interest, sexual satisfaction and response whilst decreasing experiences of sexual pain. Methods and outcome measures Sixty women suffering from PVD were treated during a 10-week period ...

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation as an Additional Treatment for Women Suffering from Therapy-Resistant Provoked Vestibulodynia : A Feasibility Study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vallinga, Marleen S.; Spoelstra, Symen K.; Hemel, Inge L. M.; van de Wiel, Harry B. M.; Schultz, Willibrord C. M. Weijnnar

IntroductionThe current approach to women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) comprises a multidimensional, multidisciplinary therapeutic protocol. As PVD is considered to be a chronic pain disorder, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) can be used as an additional therapy for women

Public educational policy in Rio Grande do Sul: Indicators for discussion and analysis in the area of the High Abilities/ Giftedness

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nara Joyce Wellausen Vieira

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The actions to settle the proposal of public educational policy in Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil are discussed and analyzed in this paper, based upon Prieto’s indicators (2001, 2002, 2003: legal guidelines; theoretical conception; educational organization and functioning; educational system management; investments in the educational field; and teachers’ working conditions. Finally, a new paradigm of Special Education and the relevance of proposing public policies considering this model are highlighted, as well as the importance of an articulation among the different state departments to reinforce the public policy actions.

Using Technology to Support Discussions on Sensitive Topics in the Study of Business Ethics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michelle WL Fong

2015-06-01

Full Text Available There is a dearth of research into teaching strategies and learning approaches for units involving sensitive topics that can provoke an emotional response in students. In a business ethics unit, attempts to strike a balance between conceptual knowledge and theory and skills training can be challenging because the unit can involve personal, sensitive or controversial topics. When engaging in deep and meaningful face-to-face discussion, students may unknowingly divulge personal opinions that they later regret or become identified with by other students over time. Value-laden topics may also lead to clashes between students if face-to-face discussions are not managed properly. This paper considers the use of technology in blended learning to provide an optimal learning environment for student discussion on sensitive topics via role-play and simulation in a first-year business ethics unit. The Audience Response System (ARS, online discussion boards and blogs, and wikis are assessed for their suitability in supporting online role-play and simulation. Among these online tools, asynchronous online discussion boards and blogs are the ideal tools for supporting student discussion on sensitive topics in online role-play and simulation.

Activation of vestibule-associated lymphoid tissue in localized provoked vulvodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Tommola, Päivi; Bützow, Ralf; Unkila-Kallio, Leila; Paavonen, Jorma; Meri, Seppo

2015-04-01

Localized provoked vulvodynia (LPV) may have inflammatory etiology. We wanted to find out whether the cell-mediated immune system becomes activated in the vestibular mucosa in LPV. This was a controlled cross-sectional study. Vestibular mucosal specimens were obtained from 27 patients with severe LPV and 15 controls. Detailed clinical history of the patients was obtained. For immunohistochemistry, antibodies against CD3 (T cells), CD20 (B cells), IgA (mucosal plasma cells), CD163 (dendritic cells [DCs]), CD68 (macrophages), and CD117 (mast cells) were employed. Mann-Whitney U test and χ(2) test were used for statistical analyses. More B lymphocytes and mature mucosal IgA-plasma cells were found in patients than in controls (P associated lymphoid tissue analogous to mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. Vestibule-associated lymphoid tissue may emerge as a response to local infection or inflammation in LPV. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synergism between endotoxin priming and exotoxin challenge in provoking severe vascular leakage in rabbit lungs.

Science.gov (United States)

Schütte, H; Rosseau, S; Czymek, R; Ermert, L; Walmrath, D; Krämer, H J; Seeger, W; Grimminger, F

1997-09-01

Lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of gram-negative bacteria prime rabbit lungs for enhanced thromboxane-mediated vasoconstriction upon subsequent challenge with the exotoxin Escherichia coli hemolysin (HlyA) (Walmrath et al. J. Exp. Med. 1994;180:1437-1443). We investigated the impact of endotoxin priming and subsequent HlyA challenge on lung vascular permeability while maintaining constancy of capillary pressure. Rabbit lungs were perfused in a pressure-controlled mode in the presence of the thromboxane receptor antagonist BM 13.505, with continuous monitoring of flow. Perfusion for 180 min with 10 ng/ml LPS did not provoke vasoconstriction or alteration of capillary filtration coefficient (Kfc) values. HlyA (0.021 hemolytic units/ml) induced thromboxane release and a transient decrease in perfusion flow in the absence of significant changes in Kfc. Similar results were obtained when LPS and HlyA were coapplied simultaneously. However, when the HlyA challenge was undertaken after 180 min of LPS priming, a manifold increase in Kfc values was noted, with concomitant severe lung edema formation, although capillary pressure remained unchanged. Thus, endotoxin primes the lung vasculature to respond with a severe increase in vascular permeability to a subsequent low-dose application of HlyA. Such synergism between endotoxin priming and exotoxin challenge in provoking lung vascular leakage may contribute to the pathogenesis of respiratory failure in sepsis and severe lung infection.

SaskEnergy small volume customers - direct gas purchase stakeholder discussion and public input report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davidson, M. A.

1998-01-01

With the approval of the Provincial Government of Saskatchewan, SaskEnergy, the provincial utility decided to extend the premise of natural gas deregulation to all sizes of customers by opening the core market for natural gas commodity sales to private sector natural gas agents, brokers and marketers (ABMs). SaskEnergy will continue to provide natural gas transportation and storage related services. Before doing so, the Utility sought to discuss with various stakeholders the terms and conditions that would need to be met by industry to enter into the Saskatchewan market. To assure a balanced interest during the discussions that would include a perspective on consumer protection requirements, the Utility contracted KPMG Regina to chair the stakeholders discussion table and facilitate a public input process for interested individuals to channel comments and seek responses to questions. This report contains the edited summary of the four meetings held by stakeholders. The stakeholders were successful in providing SaskEnergy with insight and suggestions to ensure that a direct purchase market will be developed in Saskatchewan, and that consumers will have objective information to make informed choices about their natural gas purchase options. The meetings also produced an ABMs Code of Conduct, a Direct Purchase 'Enrollment Agreement' and a 'Disclosure Agreement' and delivery terms and conditions for the core market that are similar to industry requirements in the rest of Canada. Copies of the draft forms are included in appendices to this summary report

75 FR 9586 - Solicitation of Participation In and Public Meeting to Discuss Public Safety 700 MHz Broadband...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-03-03

... to local, state and tribal public safety agencies (i.e. fire, police, emergency medical services...\\ Implementing a Nationwide, Broadband, Interoperable Public Safety Network in the 700 MHz Band, FCC WT Docket No... technology deployed in the 700 MHz bands, specific to the needs of public safety agencies. NIST has developed...

Muscular hypertrophy and atrophy in normal rats provoked by the administration of normal and denervated muscle extracts.

Science.gov (United States)

Agüera, Eduardo; Castilla, Salvador; Luque, Evelio; Jimena, Ignacio; Leiva-Cepas, Fernando; Ruz-Caracuel, Ignacio; Peña, José

2016-12-01

This study was conducted to determine the effects of extracts obtained from both normal and denervated muscles on different muscle types. Wistar rats were used and were divided into a control group and four experimental groups. Each experimental group was treated intraperitoneally during 10 consecutive days with a different extract. These extracts were obtained from normal soleus muscle, denervated soleus, normal extensor digitorum longus, and denervated extensor digitorum longus. Following treatment, the soleus and extensor digitorum longus muscles were obtained for study under optic and transmission electron microscope; morphometric parameters and myogenic responses were also analyzed. The results demonstrated that the treatment with normal soleus muscle and denervated soleus muscle extracts provoked hypertrophy and increased myogenic activity. In contrast, treatment with extracts from the normal and denervated EDL had a different effect depending on the muscle analyzed. In the soleus muscle it provoked hypertrophy of type I fibers and increased myogenic activity, while in the extensor digitorum longus atrophy of the type II fibers was observed without changes in myogenic activity. This suggests that the muscular responses of atrophy and hypertrophy may depend on different factors related to the muscle type which could be related to innervation.

Dig1 protects against cell death provoked by glyphosate-based herbicides in human liver cell lines

OpenAIRE

Gasnier, C?line; Benachour, Nora; Clair, Emilie; Travert, Carine; Langlois, Fr?d?ric; Laurant, Claire; Decroix-Laporte, C?cile; S?ralini, Gilles-Eric

2010-01-01

Abstract Background Worldwide used pesticides containing different adjuvants like Roundup formulations, which are glyphosate-based herbicides, can provoke some in vivo toxicity and in human cells. These pesticides are commonly found in the environment, surface waters and as food residues of Roundup tolerant genetically modified plants. In order to know their effects on cells from liver, a major detoxification organ, we have studied their mechanism of action and possible protection by precise ...

Provoking, disturbing, hacking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Groth, Sanne Krogh

2013-01-01

The article is a discussion of works by two Danish composers who both, with self-constructed instruments challenge computer music both as genre, the understanding and use of conventional technology and the relation to history. At first glance, the use of the homemade instruments appears as a comm...

Dig1 protects against cell death provoked by glyphosate-based herbicides in human liver cell lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Travert Carine

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Worldwide used pesticides containing different adjuvants like Roundup formulations, which are glyphosate-based herbicides, can provoke some in vivo toxicity and in human cells. These pesticides are commonly found in the environment, surface waters and as food residues of Roundup tolerant genetically modified plants. In order to know their effects on cells from liver, a major detoxification organ, we have studied their mechanism of action and possible protection by precise medicinal plant extracts called Dig1. Methods The cytotoxicity pathways of four formulations of glyphosate-based herbicides were studied using human hepatic cell lines HepG2 and Hep3B, known models to study xenobiotic effects. We monitored mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase activity and caspases 3/7 for cell mortality and protection by Dig1, as well as cytochromes P450 1A1, 1A2, 3A4 and 2C9 and glutathione-S-transferase to approach the mechanism of actions. Results All the four Roundup formulations provoke liver cell death, with adjuvants having stronger effects than glyphosate alone. Hep3B are 3-5 times more sensitive over 48 h. Caspases 3/7 are greatly activated in HepG2 by Roundup at non-cytotoxic levels, and some apoptosis induction by Roundup is possible together with necrosis. CYP3A4 is specifically enhanced by Roundup at doses 400 times less than used in agriculture (2%. CYP1A2 is increased to a lesser extent together with glutathione-S-transferase (GST down-regulation. Dig 1, non cytotoxic and not inducing caspases by itself, is able to prevent Roundup-induced cell death in a time-dependant manner with an important efficiency of up to 89%, within 48 h. In addition, we evidenced that it prevents Caspases 3/7 activation and CYP3A4 enhancement, and not GST reduction, but in turn it slightly inhibited CYP2C9 when added before Roundup. Conclusion Roundup is able to provoke intracellular disruption in hepatic cell lines at different levels, but a

Towards an understanding of British public attitudes concerning human cloning.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, Richard; Barnett, Julie; Cooper, Helen; Coyle, Adrian; Moran-Ellis, Jo; Senior, Victoria; Walton, Chris

2007-07-01

The ability of scientists to apply cloning technology to humans has provoked public discussion and media coverage. The present paper reports on a series of studies examining public attitudes to human cloning in the UK, bringing together a range of quantitative and qualitative methods to address this question. These included a nationally representative survey, an experimental vignette study, focus groups and analyses of media coverage. Overall the research presents a complex picture of attitude to and constructions of human cloning. In all of the analyses, therapeutic cloning was viewed more favourably than reproductive cloning. However, while participants in the focus groups were generally negative about both forms of cloning, and this was also reflected in the media analyses, quantitative results showed more positive responses. In the quantitative research, therapeutic cloning was generally accepted when the benefits of such procedures were clear, and although reproductive cloning was less accepted there was still substantial support. Participants in the focus groups only differentiated between therapeutic and reproductive cloning after the issue of therapeutic cloning was explicitly raised; initially they saw cloning as being reproductive cloning and saw no real benefits. Attitudes were shown to be associated with underlying values associated with scientific progress rather than with age, gender or education, and although there were a few differences in the quantitative data based on religious affiliation, these tended to be small effects. Likewise in the focus groups there was little direct appeal to religion, but the main themes were 'interfering with nature' and the 'status of the embryo', with the latter being used more effectively to try to close down further discussion. In general there was a close correspondence between the media analysis and focus group responses, possibly demonstrating the importance of media as a resource, or that the media reflect

Psychophysiological and self-reported reactivity associated with social anxiety and public speaking fear symptoms: Effects of fear versus distress.

Science.gov (United States)

Panayiotou, Georgia; Karekla, Maria; Georgiou, Dora; Constantinou, Elena; Paraskeva-Siamata, Michaela

2017-09-01

This study examines psychophysiological and subjective reactivity to anxiety-provoking situations in relation to social anxiety and public speaking fear. We hypothesized that social anxiety symptoms would be associated with similar reactivity across types of imaginary anxiety scenes and not specifically to social anxiety-related scenes. This would be attributed to co-existing depression symptoms. Public speaking fear was expected to be associated with more circumscribed reactivity to survival-threat scenes, due to its association with fearfulness. Community participants imagined standardized anxiety situations, including social anxiety and animal fear scenes, while their physiological reactivity and self-reported emotions were assessed. Findings supported that social anxiety was associated with undifferentiated physiological reactivity across anxiety-provoking situations, except with regards to skin conductance level, which was higher during social anxiety imagery. Public speaking fear was associated with increased reactivity to animal phobia and panic scenes. Covariance analyses indicated that the lack of response specificity associated with social anxiety could be attributed to depression levels, while the specificity associated with public speaking fear could be explained by fearfulness. Findings highlight the need to assess not only primary anxiety symptoms but also depression and fearfulness, which likely predict discrepant reactions of individuals to anxiogenic situations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Remarks presented (questions/answers discussed) at public regional meetings to discuss regulations (10 CFR Part 21) for reporting of defects and noncompliance, July 12--26, 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-09-01

In enacting the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, Congress included Section 206 which requires the reporting of defects and noncompliances directly to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). This congressional action required that the NRC promulgate rules and regulations, as necessary, to assure appropriate implementation of Section 206. In response to this mandate, the NRC drafted a new regulation. Following a period of public comment and revision, the regulation identified as 10 CFR Part 21, Reporting Defects and Noncompliance, was published in a Federal Register Notice on June 6, 1977. To assist NRC licensees and other firms and organizations covered by the new Part 21 regulation, public regional meetings were conducted by staff representatives to explain the rule. At these meetings the staff presented prepared remarks and answered questions on the meaning and application of the rule. Staff remarks contained in the original publication of this document were also provided to those in attendance. At each meeting the staff received a request for the questions and answers discussed by the staff to be made available for use as guidance by the nuclear industry covered by the rule. It was announced that a consolidation of the staff position question/answer guidance would be made available to each organization or firm attending these meetings and for others where a request is made in accordance with the directions printed insidethe front cover of the document. The staff will be guided in its implementation and enforcement of Part 21 by the positions set forth in the document. The revision of NUREG-0302 includes the following three parts relating to 10 CFR Part 21: (1) remarks presented by staff representatives; (2) Federal Register Notice material; and (3) a consolidation of questions and answers from the public regional meetings

Violência e Saúde Coletiva: contribuições teóricas das ciências sociais à discussão sobre o desvio Violence and Public Health: theoretical contributions from the social sciences to the discussion about deviation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Walter Ferreira de Oliveira

2008-09-01

Full Text Available Saúde Coletiva e Ciências Sociais e Humanas são campos reconhecidamente inseparáveis, o que se afirma por uma tradição de grupos e linhas de pesquisa em programas de pós-graduação em Saúde Coletiva. Várias dificuldades têm sido apontadas, entretanto, em inserir discussões sobre temas tradicionalmente estudados nas ciências sociais, como a violência, no campo da saúde, ao mesmo tempo em que tal discussão tem sido vista como crucial para o entendimento de determinações de condições de saúde e qualidade de vida das populações. O foco de discussão sobre esse fenômeno carece de aportes teóricos de outras disciplinas, como a Sociologia, cujas teorias sobre o crime e sobre o desvio da norma constituem importante marco no estudo das violências. Neste artigo, o autor examina as teorias clássicas da sociologia nesse âmbito, buscando contribuir para a ampliação da discussão no campo da Saúde Coletiva, particularmente no que concerne a uma base de pensamento sobre a promoção, a prevenção e a reabilitação de agravos, considerando-a, assim, numa perspectiva interdisciplinar e de abrangência intersetorial.Public Health and the Human and Social Sciences are inseparable fields of knowledge, as attested by a tradition of research groups and research lines located in Public Health post-graduate programs. Several difficulties have been pointed when discussions about various themes traditionally identified with the social sciences, as is the case of violence, are inserted in the health field. At the same time, such discussions are considered essential to the understanding of the determination of populations' health conditions and quality of life. The discussion focus regarding this phenomenon lacks theoretical contributions from other disciplines, such as Sociology, whose theories on crime and deviance constitute an important benchmark in the study of the various forms of violence. In this article, the author examines the

Effect of the systemic inflammatory response, as provoked by elective orthopaedic surgery, on HbA1c.

Science.gov (United States)

Chadburn, Andrew J; Garman, Elizabeth; Abbas, Raad; Modupe, Anu; Ford, Clare; Thomas, Osmond L; Chugh, Sanjiv; Deshpande, Shreeram; Gama, Rousseau

2017-07-01

Background In acutely ill patients with new onset hyperglycaemia, plasma glucose cannot reliably distinguish between stress hyperglycaemia and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus. We, therefore, investigated the diagnostic reliability of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) in acute illness by prospectively evaluating the effect of the systemic inflammatory response, as provoked by elective orthopaedic surgery, on HbA 1c . Methods HbA 1c and serum C-reactive protein concentrations were compared before and two days after elective knee or hip surgery in 30 patients without diabetes. C-reactive protein was used to assess the systemic inflammatory response. Results The mean (standard deviation) serum C-reactive protein increased following surgery (4.8 [7.5] vs. 179.7 [61.9] mg/L; P<0.0001). HbA 1c was similar before and after surgery (39.2 [5.4] vs. 38.1 [5.1] mmol/moL, respectively; P = 0.4363). Conclusions HbA 1c is unaffected within two days of a systemic inflammatory response as provoked by elective orthopaedic surgery. This suggests that HbA 1c may be able to differentiate newly presenting type 2 diabetes mellitus from stress hyperglycaemia in acutely ill patients with new onset hyperglycaemia.

Ictal brain SPET during seizures pharmacologically provoked with pentylenetetrazol: a new diagnostic procedure in drug-resistant epileptic patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Calcagni, Maria Lucia; Giordano, Alessandro; Bruno, Isabella; Di Giuda, Daniela; De Rossi, Giuseppe; Troncone, Luigi; Parbonetti, Giovanni; Colicchio, Gabriella

2002-01-01

Functional brain imaging plays an important role in seizure focus localisation. However, truly ictal single-photon emission tomography (SPET) studies are not routinely performed owing to technical problems associated with the use of tracers and methodological and logistical difficulties. In this study we tried to resolve both of these issues by means of a new procedure: technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (ECD) brain SPET performed during seizures pharmacologically provoked with pentylenetetrazol, a well-known central and respiratory stimulant. We studied 33 drug-resistant epileptic patients. All patients underwent anamnestic evaluation, neuropsychological and psychodynamic assessment, magnetic resonance imaging, interictal and ictal video-EEG monitoring, and interictal and ictal SPET with 99m Tc-ECD. In order to obtain truly ictal SPET, 65 mg of pentylenetetrazol was injected every 2 minutes and, immediately the seizure began, 740 MBq of 99m Tc-ECD was injected. The scintigraphic findings were considered abnormal if a single area of hyperperfusion was present and corresponded to the site of a single area of hypoperfusion at interictal SPET: the ''hypo-hyperperfusion'' SPET pattern. In 27 of the 33 patients (82%), interictal-ictal SPET showed the hypo-hyperperfusion SPET pattern. Video-EEG showed a single epileptogenic zone in 21/33 patients (64%), and MRI showed anatomical lesions in 19/33 patients (57%). Twenty-two of the 27 patients with hypo-hyperperfusion SPET pattern underwent ablative or palliative surgery and were seizure-free at 3 years of follow-up. No adverse effects were noted during pharmacologically provoked seizure. It is concluded that ictal brain SPET performed during pharmacologically provoked seizure provides truly ictal images because 99m Tc-ECD is injected immediately upon seizure onset. Using this feasible procedure it is possible to localise the focus, to avoid the limitations due to the unpredictability of seizures, to avoid pitfalls due

Massage treatment and medial tibial stress syndrome; A commentary to provoke thought about the way massage therapy is used in the treatment of MTSS.

Science.gov (United States)

Fogarty, Sarah

2015-07-01

As students and practitioners we are taught about the treatment and causative factors of medial shin pain, in particular' shin splints' or the more recent term; medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS). During the years there have been many theories, conjecture and misunderstandings about the mechanisms of 'shin splints/medial tibial stress syndrome' however the ramifications of these mechanisms on how massage treatment is delivered have not being discussed. The evidence for the treatment of MTSS is largely clinical with little evidence of any treatment being proven to be effective in treating MTSS. The aim of this article is to present a summary of the mechanisms of MTSS and a commentary to provoke thought about the way massage therapy is used in the treatment of MTSS based on these mechanisms. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Role of Public Interaction with the Juno Mission: Documentation, Discussion, Selection and Processing of JunoCam Images of Jovian Cloud Features

Science.gov (United States)

Orton, Glenn; Hansen, Candice; Momary, Thomas; Bolton, Scott

2017-04-01

Among the many "firsts" of the Juno mission is the open enlistment of the public in the operation of its visible camera, JunoCam. Although the scientific thrust of the Juno mission is largely focused on innovative approaches to understanding the structure and composition of Jupiter's interior, JunoCam was added to the payload largely to function in the role of education and public outreach (E/PO). For the first time, the public was able to engage in the discussion and choice of targets for a major NASA mission. The discussion about which features to image is enabled by a continuously updated map of Jupiter's cloud system while Jupiter is far enough from the sun to be observable by non-professional astronomers. Contributors range from very devoted astrophotographers to telescope and video 'hobbyists'. Juno therefore engages the world-wide amateur-astronomy community as a vast network of co-investigators, whose products stimulate conversation and global public awareness of Jupiter and Juno's investigative role. Contributed images also provide a temporal context to inform the Juno atmospheric investigation team of the state and evolution of the atmosphere. The contributed images are used to create s global map on a bi-weekly basis. These bi-weekly maps provide the focus for ongoing discussion about various planetary features over a long time frame. Approximately two weeks before Juno's closest approach to Jupiter on each orbit ("perijove" or PJ), starting in mid-November of 2016 in preparation for PJ3 on December 11, the atmospheric features that have been under discussion and available to JunoCam on that perijove were nominated for voting, and the public at large voted on where to point JunoCam's "elective" features. In addition, JunoCam provides the first close-up images of Jupiter's polar regions from a non-oblique viewpoint for the first time in over 40 years since the passage of Pioneer 11 over Jupiter's north pole. The Juno mission science team also provides

Understanding the Uncanny: Both Atypical Features and Category Ambiguity Provoke Aversion toward Humanlike Robots

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Megan K. Strait

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Robots intended for social contexts are often designed with explicit humanlike attributes in order to facilitate their reception by (and communication with people. However, observation of an “uncanny valley”—a phenomenon in which highly humanlike entities provoke aversion in human observers—has lead some to caution against this practice. Both of these contrasting perspectives on the anthropomorphic design of social robots find some support in empirical investigations to date. Yet, owing to outstanding empirical limitations and theoretical disputes, the uncanny valley and its implications for human-robot interaction remains poorly understood. We thus explored the relationship between human similarity and people's aversion toward humanlike robots via manipulation of the agents' appearances. To that end, we employed a picture-viewing task (Nagents = 60 to conduct an experimental test (Nparticipants = 72 of the uncanny valley's existence and the visual features that cause certain humanlike robots to be unnerving. Across the levels of human similarity, we further manipulated agent appearance on two dimensions, typicality (prototypic, atypical, and ambiguous and agent identity (robot, person, and measured participants' aversion using both subjective and behavioral indices. Our findings were as follows: (1 Further substantiating its existence, the data show a clear and consistent uncanny valley in the current design space of humanoid robots. (2 Both category ambiguity, and more so, atypicalities provoke aversive responding, thus shedding light on the visual factors that drive people's discomfort. (3 Use of the Negative Attitudes toward Robots Scale did not reveal any significant relationships between people's pre-existing attitudes toward humanlike robots and their aversive responding—suggesting positive exposure and/or additional experience with robots is unlikely to affect the occurrence of an uncanny valley effect in humanoid robotics

Understanding the Uncanny: Both Atypical Features and Category Ambiguity Provoke Aversion toward Humanlike Robots.

Science.gov (United States)

Strait, Megan K; Floerke, Victoria A; Ju, Wendy; Maddox, Keith; Remedios, Jessica D; Jung, Malte F; Urry, Heather L

2017-01-01

Robots intended for social contexts are often designed with explicit humanlike attributes in order to facilitate their reception by (and communication with) people. However, observation of an "uncanny valley"-a phenomenon in which highly humanlike entities provoke aversion in human observers-has lead some to caution against this practice. Both of these contrasting perspectives on the anthropomorphic design of social robots find some support in empirical investigations to date. Yet, owing to outstanding empirical limitations and theoretical disputes, the uncanny valley and its implications for human-robot interaction remains poorly understood. We thus explored the relationship between human similarity and people's aversion toward humanlike robots via manipulation of the agents' appearances. To that end, we employed a picture-viewing task ( N agents = 60) to conduct an experimental test ( N participants = 72) of the uncanny valley's existence and the visual features that cause certain humanlike robots to be unnerving. Across the levels of human similarity, we further manipulated agent appearance on two dimensions, typicality (prototypic, atypical, and ambiguous) and agent identity (robot, person), and measured participants' aversion using both subjective and behavioral indices. Our findings were as follows: (1) Further substantiating its existence, the data show a clear and consistent uncanny valley in the current design space of humanoid robots. (2) Both category ambiguity, and more so, atypicalities provoke aversive responding, thus shedding light on the visual factors that drive people's discomfort. (3) Use of the Negative Attitudes toward Robots Scale did not reveal any significant relationships between people's pre-existing attitudes toward humanlike robots and their aversive responding-suggesting positive exposure and/or additional experience with robots is unlikely to affect the occurrence of an uncanny valley effect in humanoid robotics. This work furthers

Lumbar internal disc derangement in patients with chronic low back pain: diagnostic value of the MR imaging findings as compared with provoked discography as the standard

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Park, Hyeon Seon; Park, Jee Young; Lee, Sang Ho; Ahn, Yong [Wooridul spine Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Sang Yeun [Puchon Daesung Hospital, Puchon (Korea, Republic of)

2006-04-15

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the MR imaging findings with provoked discography used as the standard for painful lumbar disc derangement. Two hundred patients (412 discs), (age rang: 21-77 year), with chronic low back pain underwent MRI and provoked discography. We evaluated the MRI T2-WI findings such as disc degeneration, high-Intensity zones and endplate abnormalities. Subsequently, provocative discography was independently performed with using MR imaging, and a painful disc was defined when moderate to severe and concordant pain was provoked. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the MRI findings with using provoked discography as the standard. 400 discs showed abnormal findings such as disc degeneration, HIZ and endplate abnormalities on the T2-WI images. 12 discs showed normal finding. HIZ or endplate abnormalities were always combined with disc degeneration. The prevalence of each findings were disc degeneration (400 discs: 97.1%), HIZ (111 discs: 26.9%), type I endplate abnormalities (34 discs: 8.3%), type II endplate abnormalities (75 discs: 18.2%), the combined findings of HIZ and type I endplate abnormalities (2 discs: 0.5%) and the combined findings of HIZ and type II endplate abnormalities (7 discs: 1.7%). The disc degeneration showed high sensitivity (99.5%) and low specificity (5.0%), so only the NPV (91.7%) was significant, and not the PPV (47.8%). Each findings of HIZ (sensitivity, 36.5%, specificity, 81.4%; PPV, 63.18%; NPV, 59.5%), type I endplate abnormalities (11.0%, 94.1%, 61.8% and 54.8%, respectively), type II endplate abnormalities (19.8%, 83.2%, 50.7% and 54.3%, respectively), the combined findings of HIZ and type I endplate abnormalities (0.5%, 99.6%, 50.0% and 53.4%, respectively) and the combined findings of HIZ and type II endplate abnormalities (26.0%, 99.1%, 71.4% and 53.8%, respectively) show high specificity, but low

Lumbar internal disc derangement in patients with chronic low back pain: diagnostic value of the MR imaging findings as compared with provoked discography as the standard

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Hyeon Seon; Park, Jee Young; Lee, Sang Ho; Ahn, Yong; Lee, Sang Yeun

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the MR imaging findings with provoked discography used as the standard for painful lumbar disc derangement. Two hundred patients (412 discs), (age rang: 21-77 year), with chronic low back pain underwent MRI and provoked discography. We evaluated the MRI T2-WI findings such as disc degeneration, high-Intensity zones and endplate abnormalities. Subsequently, provocative discography was independently performed with using MR imaging, and a painful disc was defined when moderate to severe and concordant pain was provoked. We calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of the MRI findings with using provoked discography as the standard. 400 discs showed abnormal findings such as disc degeneration, HIZ and endplate abnormalities on the T2-WI images. 12 discs showed normal finding. HIZ or endplate abnormalities were always combined with disc degeneration. The prevalence of each findings were disc degeneration (400 discs: 97.1%), HIZ (111 discs: 26.9%), type I endplate abnormalities (34 discs: 8.3%), type II endplate abnormalities (75 discs: 18.2%), the combined findings of HIZ and type I endplate abnormalities (2 discs: 0.5%) and the combined findings of HIZ and type II endplate abnormalities (7 discs: 1.7%). The disc degeneration showed high sensitivity (99.5%) and low specificity (5.0%), so only the NPV (91.7%) was significant, and not the PPV (47.8%). Each findings of HIZ (sensitivity, 36.5%, specificity, 81.4%; PPV, 63.18%; NPV, 59.5%), type I endplate abnormalities (11.0%, 94.1%, 61.8% and 54.8%, respectively), type II endplate abnormalities (19.8%, 83.2%, 50.7% and 54.3%, respectively), the combined findings of HIZ and type I endplate abnormalities (0.5%, 99.6%, 50.0% and 53.4%, respectively) and the combined findings of HIZ and type II endplate abnormalities (26.0%, 99.1%, 71.4% and 53.8%, respectively) show high specificity, but low

Intermediate report. Base for the Broad Public Discussion on Energy Policy in the Netherlands. Het tussenrapport. Basis voor de Brede Maatschappelijke Discussie

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1983-01-01

The Broad Public Djiscussion on Energy Policy (BMD) in the Netherlands is subdivided in an informative and a discussion stage. This intermediate report gives a summary of the first stage. In Ch. 2 the concept of energy and the utilized unities are discussed. Ch. 3 gives information about the actual energy consumption in the world and in the Netherlands and about the varying estimations for the future energy consumption. In Ch. 4 various possibilities for economization of energy in the Netherlands are discussed. Ch. 5 to 7 give the necessary information about the various energy sources. By source respectively the storages, applications, costs, effects on men and environment and public consequences are under discussion. Ch. 8 presents a comparative summary of the advantages and the drawbacks of various energy sources, the estimations for the future use and possibilities for energy economization. Also some attention is paid to the question on which grounds a choice from the policy possibilities may be based. Ch. 9 and 10 deal with the actual energy policy: how it is realized and what it holds. In Ch. 11 the results are discussed of four scenario-studies: how does the future energy consumption look like under different economical circumstances. What could be the effects of this on the environment at different applications of coal, natural gas, nuclear energy etc.. Furthermore the alternatives, which anounce themselves on the ground of the scenario studies, for the future energy policy are discussed. Finally the discussion questions are presented which following the coordination group will be the centre of interest in the second stage of the BMD. 427 refs.; figs.; tabs.

Secret-key agreement over spatially correlated fast-fading multiple-antenna channels with public discussion

KAUST Repository

Zorgui, Marwen

2015-06-14

We consider secret-key agreement with public discussion over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Rayleigh fast-fading channels under correlated environment. We assume that transmit, legitimate receiver and eavesdropper antennas are correlated. The legitimate receiver and the eavesdropper are assumed to have perfect channel knowledge while the transmitter has only knowledge of the correlation matrices. First, we derive the expression of the secret-key capacity under the considered setup. Then, we prove that the optimal transmit strategy achieving the secret-key capacity consists in transmitting independent Gaussian signals along the eingenvectors of the transmit correlation matrix. The powers allocated to each channel mode are determined as the solution to a numerical optimization problem that we derive. A necessary and sufficient condition for beamforming (i.e., transmitting along the strongest channel mode) to be capacity-achieving is derived. Finally, we analyze the impact of correlation matrices on the system performance and provide closed-form expressions of the gain/loss due to correlation in the high power regime.

Defensible space in the news: public discussion of a neglected topic

Science.gov (United States)

Jayne Fingerman Johnson; David N. Bengston; David P. Fan

2006-01-01

Managers have an opportunity during times of peak media coverage of wildfire to expand the discussion about defensible space from the current focus on vegetation clearing to include the full range of activities a homeowner can undertake to mitigate damage. Currently, news media discussion of wildfire is overwhelmingly dominated by firefighting, and discussion of...

Perceiving the target's state or state provoked by the target? An analysis of the descriptive and evaluative knowledge in person perception.

Science.gov (United States)

Mignon, Astrid; Mollaret, Patrick

2012-12-01

In line with the theory of traits as generalized affordances, the present article argues that target's states (TSs) and states provoked by a target (other's states (OSs) towards target) are two components of the meaning of traits referring, respectively, to a descriptive and to an evaluative knowledge of people. A preliminary study confirmed that TS and OS were equally representative of a trait. Two studies were designed to study the effects of practising the use of traits as either TS or OS categories (an induction procedure) on a subsequent person perception task, requiring participants to rate photographed targets on a series of traits. Results show that both the differentiation between targets and evaluative consistency of ratings were enhanced under the OS condition compared to TS and control (with no practice of traits) conditions. Importantly, Study 2 tends to show that the effects of the induction procedure are not limited to the practised traits but also generalize to unpractised traits. Implications of these findings for social perception research are discussed. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Accountability in Ontario's Public Colleges: A Discussion Paper. ACAATO Document

Science.gov (United States)

Hook, Richard

2012-01-01

Accountability, "the extent to which one must answer to higher authority for one's actions" (Shafritz & Russell, 2000, p. 343), is a critical part of corporate and democratic life. In public institutions, sound accountability processes assure those in executive, governance, audit and "elected official" roles that public…

Measurement of Bitumen Viscosity in a Room-Temperature Drop Experiment: Student Education, Public Outreach and Modern Science in One

Science.gov (United States)

Widdicombe, A. T.; Ravindrarajah, P.; Sapelkin, A.; Phillips, A. E.; Dunstan, D.; Dove, M. T.; Brazhkin, V. V.; Trachenko, K.

2014-01-01

The slow flow of a viscous liquid is a thought-provoking experiment that challenges students, academics and the public to think about some fundamental questions in modern science. In the Queensland demonstration--the world's longest-running experiment, which has earned the Ig Nobel prize--one drop of pitch takes about ten years to fall, leading to…

Discussion 2: David Dobbs

OpenAIRE

Dobbs, David; Murray-Rust, Peter; Hatcher, Jordan; Pollock, Rufus

2010-01-01

David Dobbs writes on science, medicine and culture. He has contributed to a diversity of publications, including Scientific American, Slate magazine, Wired, Audubon, Atlantic Monthly, and the New York Times magazine. He has also authored a number of books. Other participants in this discussion were Peter Murray-Rust, Jordan Hatcher, and Rufus Pollock.

Indonesia's Public Diplomacy in the Internet Era: Bringing the State Back In

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ludiro Madu

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This paper argues that the increasing use of internet and its social media in Indonesia’s diplomacy has inevitably promoted the role of the state in enhancing public diplomacy (PD. On the one hand, Indonesia’s PD had found new ‘vehicles’ to reach society through various internet-based applications. These tendencies are in line with the serious effort of involving people or non-state actors in diplomacy. On the other hands, Indonesia’s PD has also had to deal with several problems and threats of the internet’s use, which have inevitably provoked governments’ authority in order to manage and coordinate responses and policies. This paper seeks to discuss to what extent the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFAor Kementerian Luar Negeri (Kemlu has responded to manage the growing use of internet in PD for achieving national interest.Therefore, an analysis on the way the MOFA has maximized social media and digital diplomacy platforms and integrated them into Indonesia’s diplomatic practices is of importance.

Relationship between non-genital tender point tenderness and intra-vaginal muscle pain intensity: Ratings in women with provoked vestibulodynia and implications for treatment

Science.gov (United States)

PHILLIPS, Nancy; BROWN, Candace; BACHMANN, Gloria; WAN, Jim; WOOD, Ronald; ULRICH, Dagny; BACHOUR, Candi; FOSTER, David

2016-01-01

Background Vulvodynia is a chronic vulvar pain disorder and fibromyalgia is a chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain disorder; both of unknown etiology. Association of these conditions is well documented. Intra-vaginal algometer measurement of tenderness to pressure applied to the pelvic floor muscles helps to define vulvodynia associated with musculoskeletal factors. Women with both vulvodynia and fibromyalgia might have increased pelvic muscle pain compared to women with vulvodynia alone, defining the possible link of these two conditions. Objective 1) correlate pain intensity during the non-genital tender point tenderness examination to pain intensity with the vaginal algometer in women with provoked vestibulodynia, 2) determine whether subjects with provoked vestibulodynia and fibromyalgia had higher pain intensity scores with the vaginal algometer than those without fibromyalgia. Study Design Ninety-two subjects referred for vulvar pain were confirmed to have provoked vestibulodynia using the cotton swab test. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia was made if pain was present (Numerical rating scale> 1) in at least 11 sites of the 18-point non-genital tender point tenderness exam. Vaginal pain sensitivity was measured using an intra-vaginal pressure algometer, where 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 kg/cm2 forces were applied digitally in random assignment by force and location to the right and left iliococcygeus muscle regions and the posterior vaginal wall. Both tender point tenderness and algometer pain intensity were reported on a 0 (no pain) to 10 (worse pain) numeric rating scale. Correlations were computed between the composite pain intensity (total of rating scale from each pressure threshold at specified site) of non-genital and those of iliococcygeus regions and the posterior vaginal wall. Independent t-tests were used to determine differences in iliococcygeus regions and the posterior vaginal algometer pain ratings and presence or absence of fibromyalgia. The significance

Konstruksi Prinsip Kinerja Public Relations Dalam Pandangan Syariat Islam

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mubarok Mubarok

2016-07-01

Full Text Available PR performance principle formulated as part of the management functions to achieve the objectives of an organization. Likewise with the influence of religious scriptures embraced by every individual involved in the communication process. One scripture that the reference human life is the Qur'an as a way of life of Muslims. Related to the practice and science of public relations it is interesting to look at dikontruksi how Islamic law principle of PR performance. The scales of the Shari'a as an integral part of the life of a Muslim will guide how he practice the principles of PR performance. Institutions are trying to get support through activities that can provoke support from the public without coercion or through a stage of conflict. Arthur W. Page mentions a number of principles that can be used in practice and as a philosophical PR in maintaining relations with the public institutions.

Online Discussion about Sexuality Education in Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Broadbear, James T.; Broadbear, Barbara C.

2012-01-01

Sexuality education in schools continues to be a controversial issue although public debate has seemingly calmed in recent years. Dialogue about the value and purpose of sexuality education for adolescents can provide health education specialists a better understanding of public opinion and online discussion may be a potentially ideal way to…

The Effectiveness of the Process of Socialisation to Behavioural Conformity Within the Public Schools Is Their Strength and also their Weakness: Some Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Whitton, D. J.

1977-01-01

Analyzes the effectiveness of the process of socialization within the public schools (known as private schools in the United States) and seeks to provoke a reappraisal of their function in Australia. Available from: Australian College of Education, 916 Swanston Street, Carlton, Victoria 3053, Australia, $2.50 single copy. (Author/MLF)

Public Values and Public Service Motivation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Lotte Bøgh; Beck Jørgensen, Torben; Kjeldsen, Anne Mette

2013-01-01

The literatures on public values (PV) and public service motivation (PSM) both address whether public service delivery is driven by something more than self-interest. They have developed separately, although they can benefit from insights developed by the other, and this article discusses...... conceptual and empirical relationships between them. Based on a survey of 501 public managers, we find that PSM and PV are associated empirically, but not in a manner allowing total integration. The conceptual discussion reveals how the two concepts cannot be totally separated, as values can be motivating...

Peak provoked craving: an alternative to smoking cue-reactivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Sayette, Michael A; Tiffany, Stephen T

2013-06-01

Smoking cue-exposure research has provided a powerful tool for examining cravings in the laboratory. A key attraction of this method is that tightly controlled experimental procedures can model craving experiences that are presumed to relate to addiction. Despite its appeal, key assumptions underlying the clinical relevance of smoking cue-reactivity studies have been questioned recently. For both conceptual and methodological reasons it may be difficult to tease apart cue-based and abstinence-based cravings. Moreover, conventional cue-reactivity procedures typically generate levels of craving with only minimal clinical relevance. We argue here that sometimes it is unfeasible-and in some instances conceptually misguided-to disentangle abstinence-based and cued components of cigarette cravings. In light of the challenges associated with cue-reactivity research, we offer an alternative approach to smoking cue-exposure experimental research focusing on peak provoked craving (PPC) states. The PPC approach uses nicotine-deprived smokers and focuses on urges during smoking cue-exposure without subtracting out urge ratings during control cue or baseline assessments. This design relies on two factors found in many cue-exposure studies-nicotine deprivation and exposure to explicit smoking cues-which, when combined, can create powerful craving states. The PPC approach retains key aspects of the cue-exposure method, and in many circumstances may be a viable design for studies examining robust laboratory-induced cravings. © 2012 The Authors, Addiction © 2012 Society for the Study of Addiction.

Systematic Review of the Effectiveness of Physical Therapy Modalities in Women With Provoked Vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Morin, Mélanie; Carroll, Marie-Soleil; Bergeron, Sophie

2017-07-01

Pelvic floor muscle physical therapy is recommended in clinical guidelines for women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD). Including isolated or combined treatment modalities, physical therapy is viewed as an effective first-line intervention, yet no systematic review concerning the effectiveness of physical therapy has been conducted. To systematically appraise the current literature on the effectiveness of physical therapy modalities for decreasing pain during intercourse and improving sexual function in women with PVD. A systematic literature search using PubMed, Scopus, CINHAL, and PEDro was conducted until October 2016. Moreover, a manual search from reference lists of included articles was performed. Ongoing trials also were reviewed using clinicaltrial.gov and ISRCTNregistry. Randomized controlled trials, prospective and retrospective cohorts, and case reports evaluating the effect of isolated or combined physical therapy modalities in women with PVD were included in the review. Main outcome measures were pain during intercourse, sexual function, and patient's perceived improvement. The literature search resulted in 43 eligible studies including 7 randomized controlled trials, 20 prospective studies, 5 retrospective studies, 6 case reports, and 6 study protocols. Most studies had a high risk of bias mainly associated with the lack of a comparison group. Another common bias was related to insufficient sample size, non-validated outcomes, non-standardized intervention, and use of other ongoing treatment. The vast majority of studies showed that physical therapy modalities such as biofeedback, dilators, electrical stimulation, education, multimodal physical therapy, and multidisciplinary approaches were effective for decreasing pain during intercourse and improving sexual function. The positive findings for the effectiveness of physical therapy modalities in women with PVD should be investigated further in robust and well-designed randomized controlled trials

Construction of public discussions and the strategies of deproblimatization in the debate on Russia's accession to the WTO

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kazun Anastasia, D.

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Russia's accession to the WTO remained one of the most talked economic events for a long time. Representatives of various interest groups (both supporters and opponents of joining the organization attended in the public debate on this issue. The paper presents the results of the analysis of publications in the print media on Russia's accession to the WTO over a period from December 2010 to December 2013. The focuses of our attention are two time slots: one and a half years prior to the entry and one and a half years after. The total number of analyzed articles is 397. As a result of the research we made some conclusions about the features of the construction of the WTO's media image. The paper presents an analysis of the positions of representatives of different groups and an evaluation of their involvement in the discussion. In addition, we provide illustrations of basic strategies used for deproblematization of the Russia's accession to the WTO, as well as to make assumptions about the reasons for which such actions became necessary.

Modelling the Effects of Public Support to Small Firms in the UK - Paradise Gained?

OpenAIRE

Mark Hart; Stephen Roper

2003-01-01

The evaluation of the impact of public policies to improve the performance of the small business sector has provoked a great deal of debate and research activity in recent years. The debate can be categorised in two broad ways. First, it can be seen in terms of the actual impact measures and schemes of small business support may have in terms of enhanced growth performance of SMEs. Second, the search for appropriate evaluation methodologies which reflect the range of problems associated with ...

Editorial research and the publication process in biomedicine and health: Report from the Esteve Foundation Discussion Group, December 2012

Science.gov (United States)

Marušić, Ana; Malički, Mario; von Elm, Erik

2014-01-01

Despite the fact that there are more than twenty thousand biomedical journals in the world, research into the work of editors and publication process in biomedical and health care journals is rare. In December 2012, the Esteve Foundation, a non-profit scientific institution that fosters progress in pharmacotherapy by means of scientific communication and discussion organized a discussion group of 7 editors and/or experts in peer review biomedical publishing. They presented findings of past editorial research, discussed the lack of competitive funding schemes and specialized journals for dissemination of editorial research, and reported on the great diversity of misconduct and conflict of interest policies, as well as adherence to reporting guidelines. Furthermore, they reported on the reluctance of editors to investigate allegations of misconduct or increase the level of data sharing in health research. In the end, they concluded that if editors are to remain gatekeepers of scientific knowledge they should reaffirm their focus on the integrity of the scientific record and completeness of the data they publish. Additionally, more research should be undertaken to understand why many journals are not adhering to editorial standards, and what obstacles editors face when engaging in editorial research. PMID:24969914

Experimental public speaking: contributions to the understanding of the serotonergic modulation of fear.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia-Leal, Cybele; Graeff, Frederico Guilherme; Del-Ben, Cristina Marta

2014-10-01

Public speaking is widely used as a model of experimental fear and anxiety. This review aimed to evaluate the effects of pharmacological challenges on public speaking responses and their implications for the understanding of the neurobiology of normal and pathological anxiety, specifically panic disorder. We also describe methodological features of experimental paradigms using public speaking as an inducer of fear and stress. Public speaking is a potent stressor that can provoke significant subjective and physiological responses. However, variations in the manners in which public speaking is modelled can lead to different responses that need to be considered when interpreting the results. Results from pharmacological studies with healthy volunteers submitted to simulated public speaking tests have similarities with the pharmacological responses of panic patients observed in clinical practice and panic patients differ from controls in the response to the public speaking test. These data are compatible with the Deakin and Graeff hypothesis that serotonin inhibits fear, as accessed by public speaking tasks, and that this inhibition is likely related to the actions of serotonin in the dorsal periaqueductal grey matter. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Public Relations Strategies for Scholastic Publication Staffs.

Science.gov (United States)

Konkle, Bruce E.

2000-01-01

Discusses the importance to scholastic publications staffs of four public relations strategies: meticulous research, systematic planning, strengthening communication efforts, and evaluation. Notes internal and external factors crucial to good public relations. Lists activities to consider. (SR)

Expanding the understanding of motivation in the theory of public service contracting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lindholst, Christian

The understanding of what drives efficient performance is only partial in the standard theory of public service contracting where performance essentially is explained as dependent on extrinsic incentives. In this paper I claim that intrinsic motivations and the dynamics between intrinsic...... motivations and extrinsic incentives also have a role for explaining performance. This role is not limited to shifts from the public to the private service sector, as suggested by current supplements to standard theory, but it is also extended to play a part in on-going and recurrent contractual relationships...... that motivations among staff are rooted in both intrinsic as well as extrinsic motives and the provision of extrinsic incentives through the performance management scheme provokes different motivational reactions among staff with importance for both performance and management....

What do the JAMA editors say when they discuss manuscripts that they are considering for publication? Developing a schema for classifying the content of editorial discussion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rennie Drummond

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In an effort to identify previously unrecognized aspects of editorial decision-making, we explored the words and phrases that one group of editors used during their meetings. Methods We performed an observational study of discussions at manuscript meetings at JAMA, a major US general medical journal. One of us (KD attended 12 editorial meetings in 2003 as a visitor and took notes recording phrases from discussion surrounding 102 manuscripts. In addition, editors attending the meetings completed a form for each manuscript considered, listing the reasons they were inclined to proceed to the next step in publication and reasons they were not (DR attended 4/12 meetings. We entered the spoken and written phrases into NVivo 2.0. We then developed a schema for classifying the editors' phrases, using an iterative approach. Results Our classification schema has three main themes: science, journalism, and writing. We considered 2,463 phrases, of which 87 related mainly to the manuscript topic and were not classified (total 2,376 classified. Phrases related to science predominated (1,274 or 54%. The editors, most of whom were physicians, also placed major weight on goals important to JAMA's mission (journalism goals such as importance to medicine, strategic emphasis for the journal, interest to the readership, and results (729 or 31% of phrases. About 16% (n = 373 of the phrases used related to writing issues, such as clarity and responses to the referees' comments. Conclusion Classification of editorial discourse provides insight into editorial decision making and concepts that need exploration in future studies.

What do the JAMA editors say when they discuss manuscripts that they are considering for publication? Developing a schema for classifying the content of editorial discussion.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickersin, Kay; Ssemanda, Elizabeth; Mansell, Catherine; Rennie, Drummond

2007-09-25

In an effort to identify previously unrecognized aspects of editorial decision-making, we explored the words and phrases that one group of editors used during their meetings. We performed an observational study of discussions at manuscript meetings at JAMA, a major US general medical journal. One of us (KD) attended 12 editorial meetings in 2003 as a visitor and took notes recording phrases from discussion surrounding 102 manuscripts. In addition, editors attending the meetings completed a form for each manuscript considered, listing the reasons they were inclined to proceed to the next step in publication and reasons they were not (DR attended 4/12 meetings). We entered the spoken and written phrases into NVivo 2.0. We then developed a schema for classifying the editors' phrases, using an iterative approach. Our classification schema has three main themes: science, journalism, and writing. We considered 2,463 phrases, of which 87 related mainly to the manuscript topic and were not classified (total 2,376 classified). Phrases related to science predominated (1,274 or 54%). The editors, most of whom were physicians, also placed major weight on goals important to JAMA's mission (journalism goals) such as importance to medicine, strategic emphasis for the journal, interest to the readership, and results (729 or 31% of phrases). About 16% (n = 373) of the phrases used related to writing issues, such as clarity and responses to the referees' comments. Classification of editorial discourse provides insight into editorial decision making and concepts that need exploration in future studies.

What do the JAMA editors say when they discuss manuscripts that they are considering for publication? Developing a schema for classifying the content of editorial discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Dickersin, Kay; Ssemanda, Elizabeth; Mansell, Catherine; Rennie, Drummond

2007-01-01

Background In an effort to identify previously unrecognized aspects of editorial decision-making, we explored the words and phrases that one group of editors used during their meetings. Methods We performed an observational study of discussions at manuscript meetings at JAMA, a major US general medical journal. One of us (KD) attended 12 editorial meetings in 2003 as a visitor and took notes recording phrases from discussion surrounding 102 manuscripts. In addition, editors attending the meetings completed a form for each manuscript considered, listing the reasons they were inclined to proceed to the next step in publication and reasons they were not (DR attended 4/12 meetings). We entered the spoken and written phrases into NVivo 2.0. We then developed a schema for classifying the editors' phrases, using an iterative approach. Results Our classification schema has three main themes: science, journalism, and writing. We considered 2,463 phrases, of which 87 related mainly to the manuscript topic and were not classified (total 2,376 classified). Phrases related to science predominated (1,274 or 54%). The editors, most of whom were physicians, also placed major weight on goals important to JAMA's mission (journalism goals) such as importance to medicine, strategic emphasis for the journal, interest to the readership, and results (729 or 31% of phrases). About 16% (n = 373) of the phrases used related to writing issues, such as clarity and responses to the referees' comments. Conclusion Classification of editorial discourse provides insight into editorial decision making and concepts that need exploration in future studies. PMID:17894854

Experience of the use of comparative evaluations of risks in the public discussion about nuclear energy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borsch, P.

1983-01-01

In the nuclear controversy the risks of nuclear facilities play a major role. An evaluation of these risks is possible only by comparison with other risks to which people are exposed. For this purpose the selection of suitable comparative risk sources is important. But even if appropriate risk sources have been chosen, there will always be some rest dimensions which are difficult to encompass into the comparison. Among these problems are: the maximum damage, the time frame, the practical experience with a risk source, the different composition of the risk (death, injuries, cancers etc.), the uncertainty of risk assessment results, especially for chronic and late effects. One has to pay attention to these obstacles of comparing risks in the public discussion. Experience shows that risk comparison will be easier accepted if one explicitly refers to this difficulty. Also the different components of risks have to be presented, at least from its basic concept. An interesting possibility is the comparison of different risks with regard to their shortening of life expectancy. This common delimiter has to be used with care, since some comparisons decrease the probability of public acceptance for this method. Nevertheless this method provides a good illustration, of how small e.g. the risk of low doses of ionizing radiation is in comparison to smoking cigarettes. In any case it has to be pointed out that risk is not the only criterion for decisions about a technology, but that other factors like economics, fuel supply, degree of technical development have to be taken into account

The Brazilian Public Health in Contemporary Capitalism.

Science.gov (United States)

Junqueira, Virgínia; Mendes, Áquilas N

2018-01-01

This article examines some political and economic facts that led to an intensification of austerity measures by the Brazilian government, including ones against the Unified Health System (SUS) and its progressive dismantling. In a country where fundamental human rights were never fully respected, nowadays social and labor rights are under severe attacks. The deepening of the capital crisis and the rise of interest-bearing capital dominance have been causing unemployment, social insecurity growth, and resulting public fund appropriation by the private capital. The Brazilian governments in the 1990s and 2000s have implemented deeper cuts in social policy expenditure, freezing security benefits, privatizing services, and prioritizing the payment of public debt interests. The right wing's project involves the demoralization of not only the Workers' Party but also the left as a whole, so that the adoption of austerity measures could be achieved without popular resistance. It is the duty of the Brazilian left wing to denounce such a project and to provoke firm initiatives to rebuild its bonds with the working class.

Effect of subdepressor clonidine on flushing reactions in rosacea. Change in malar thermal circulation index during provoked flushing reactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkin, J K

1983-03-01

The effects of clonidine hydrochloride, an agent effective in suppressing other types of flushing reactions, were investigated in patients with erythematotelangiectatic rosacea. Clonidine hydrochloride, 0.05 mg, was given orally twice daily for two weeks. Mean arterial BP was not altered during clonidine treatment. Flushing reactions provoked with water at 60 degrees C, red wine, and chocolate were not suppressed during clonidine treatment. Clonidine did lead to malar hypothermia. It may be that any treatment benefit obtained from the reduction in vascular reactivity by clonidine in rosacea is offset by the malar hypothermia.

Antithrombotic Protective Effects of Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro Peptide during Emotional Stress Provoked by Forced Swimming Test in Rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Grigor'eva, M E; Lyapina, L A

2017-01-01

Blood coagulation was enhanced and all factors (total, enzyme, and non-enzyme) of the fibrinolytic system were suppressed in rats in 60 min after forced swimming test. Argininecontaining tetrapeptide glyproline Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro administered prior to this test activated fibrinolysis and prevented hypercoagulation. Administration of this peptide in 5 min after swimming test also enhanced anticoagulant, fibrinolytic, and antithrombotic activity of the blood. Therefore, glyproline Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro exerted both preventive and curative effects on the hemostasis system and prevented enhancement of blood coagulation provoked by emotional stress modeled by forced swimming test.

Public health economics: a systematic review of guidance for the economic evaluation of public health interventions and discussion of key methodological issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, Rhiannon Tudor; Charles, Joanna Mary; Lloyd-Williams, Huw

2013-10-24

If Public Health is the science and art of how society collectively aims to improve health, and reduce inequalities in health, then Public Health Economics is the science and art of supporting decision making as to how society can use its available resources to best meet these objectives and minimise opportunity cost. A systematic review of published guidance for the economic evaluation of public health interventions within this broad public policy paradigm was conducted. Electronic databases and organisation websites were searched using a 22 year time horizon (1990-2012). References of papers were hand searched for additional papers for inclusion. Government reports or peer-reviewed published papers were included if they; referred to the methods of economic evaluation of public health interventions, identified key challenges of conducting economic evaluations of public health interventions or made recommendations for conducting economic evaluations of public health interventions. Guidance was divided into three categories UK guidance, international guidance and observations or guidance provided by individual commentators in the field of public health economics. An assessment of the theoretical frameworks underpinning the guidance was made and served as a rationale for categorising the papers. We identified 5 international guidance documents, 7 UK guidance documents and 4 documents by individual commentators. The papers reviewed identify the main methodological challenges that face analysts when conducting such evaluations. There is a consensus within the guidance that wider social and environmental costs and benefits should be looked at due to the complex nature of public health. This was reflected in the theoretical underpinning as the majority of guidance was categorised as extra-welfarist. In this novel review we argue that health economics may have come full circle from its roots in broad public policy economics. We may find it useful to think in this broader

A Powerful Public Sphere?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fiig, Christina

The paper holds a critical discussion of the Habermasian model of the public sphere and proposes a revised model of a general public......The paper holds a critical discussion of the Habermasian model of the public sphere and proposes a revised model of a general public...

Adrenal crisis provoked by dental infection: case report and review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Milenkovic, Ana; Markovic, Dejan; Zdravkovic, Dragan; Peric, Tamara; Milenkovic, Tatjana; Vukovic, Rade

2010-09-01

Primary adrenal insufficiency is an endocrine disorder characterized by cortisol and aldosterone deficiency caused by destruction of the adrenal cortex. Adrenal crisis is a medical emergency with acute symptoms: nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, fever, hypoglycemia, seizures, hypovolemic shock, and cardiovascular failure. It occurs in patients with chronic adrenal insufficiency who are exposed to additional stress, such as infection, trauma, or surgical procedures. Dental infection is a possible cause of adrenal crisis in patients with chronic adrenal insufficiency, so pediatric endocrinologists and pediatric dentists should be aware of this risk. The purpose of this report was to present a 6-year-old patient in whom Addison disease was diagnosed through adrenal crisis provoked by dental infection. The patient was treated with intravenous rehydration, intravenous hydrocortisone and antibiotics, and extraction of the infected primary tooth. Multidisciplinary approach and collaboration between the pediatric endocrinologist and the pediatric dentist are necessary to enable adequate medical and dental treatment in children with primary adrenal insufficiency. Copyright (c) 2010 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Bible in discussion: Three recent South African publications on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Three recent South African books on Scripture from various theological trad itio n s and social circles (one Reformed, one Dutch Reformed and one Methodist, two by white authors and one by a black author) are discussed in order to evaluate their arguments and ascertain their points of difference, with a view to enhancing ...

Public health economics: a systematic review of guidance for the economic evaluation of public health interventions and discussion of key methodological issues

Science.gov (United States)

2013-01-01

Background If Public Health is the science and art of how society collectively aims to improve health, and reduce inequalities in health, then Public Health Economics is the science and art of supporting decision making as to how society can use its available resources to best meet these objectives and minimise opportunity cost. A systematic review of published guidance for the economic evaluation of public health interventions within this broad public policy paradigm was conducted. Methods Electronic databases and organisation websites were searched using a 22 year time horizon (1990–2012). References of papers were hand searched for additional papers for inclusion. Government reports or peer-reviewed published papers were included if they; referred to the methods of economic evaluation of public health interventions, identified key challenges of conducting economic evaluations of public health interventions or made recommendations for conducting economic evaluations of public health interventions. Guidance was divided into three categories UK guidance, international guidance and observations or guidance provided by individual commentators in the field of public health economics. An assessment of the theoretical frameworks underpinning the guidance was made and served as a rationale for categorising the papers. Results We identified 5 international guidance documents, 7 UK guidance documents and 4 documents by individual commentators. The papers reviewed identify the main methodological challenges that face analysts when conducting such evaluations. There is a consensus within the guidance that wider social and environmental costs and benefits should be looked at due to the complex nature of public health. This was reflected in the theoretical underpinning as the majority of guidance was categorised as extra-welfarist. Conclusions In this novel review we argue that health economics may have come full circle from its roots in broad public policy economics. We may

The nuclear power discussion in change. Nuclear controversy has shifted

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt-Kuester, Wolf J.; Popp, Manfred

2015-01-01

The public discussion on nuclear energy is not focused on power plant safety anymore. A globally good safety statistic and years of information activity on safety technology provided progress, even though all incidents are still discussed with great dedication. Nevertheless the field of disposal receives more prominence in public discussions since 1976; reprocessing of irradiated fuels and storage of nuclear waste follow the topic of nuclear power plants with temporary shift. During a long preparation time technical and operational know-how was gathered for both fields that is now available for use on large technical scale. For the entire disposal complex exists a comprehensive concept prepared by the federal government, which has to be put into practice together with the industry. The priority assignment for a dialogue with the public is to comprehensively inform on extend and quality of problem solutions and to highlight that even here the safety of the biological-cycle is the guiding principle for all considerations.

The Impact of School Accountability Laws on Measures of Trust between Indiana Public School Superintendents and Teacher Union Leaders within the Forum of Mandatory Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Downs, Philip G.

2012-01-01

This study examines the impact of the school accountability laws "No Child Left Behind" and Indiana's Public Law 221 on Superintendents' perception of their relationship with the Teachers' Union Leader in their mandatory discussion meetings. Both school accountability laws contain provisions for the Indiana's Department of Education to…

76 FR 10810 - Public Workshop to Discuss Low-Level Radioactive Waste Management

Science.gov (United States)

2011-02-28

... Radioactive Waste Management AGENCY: Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Public Workshop and Request for... regulatory framework for the management of commercial low-level radioactive waste (LLW). The purpose of this...-level radioactive wastes that did not exist at the time part 61 was promulgated. The developments...

75 FR 65281 - Public Meeting To Discuss NIOSH's Respirator Standards Development Efforts

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-22

... Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC... meeting will be open to the public, limited only by the space available. The meeting room accommodates... development of the concepts being considered for performance criteria of various classes of respirators...

The implications of ICRP publication (60) 1990 for public exposure to natural radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laughlin, J.Mc.

1992-01-01

The implications of the new ICRP recommendations on the control of public exposure to natural radiation are described. As ICRP differentiates between Practices and Interventions the application of the basic recommendations in the case of natural radiation exposures will be discussed in this context. Particular emphasis will be placed on public exposure to indoor radon with some discussion on situations in which occupational and public exposure to this source occur together. This major source of public exposure i discussed in relation to both ICRP 60 and ICRP 39. Some of the difficulties that the new recommendations may give rise to in the management of natural radiation exposures are discussed. One of the major changes in the new recommendations concerns the area of risk. This will be briefly discussed as regards the ways in which the risk arising from public exposure to natural radiation may be assessed. (author)

Women in the workplace: a panel discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perrin, E.V.; Hunt, V.R.; Murray, F.J.; Krekel, S.; Allan, R.R.

1978-01-01

The following topics are discussed: problems of women in the workplace; public policy concerning human reproduction; toxic effects of lead in human populations; health hazards of occupational radiation exposure; reproductive hazards on the job; considerations for protecting the unborn; and legal implications

Postmodern Public Administration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bogason, Peter

2005-01-01

Discussion of the trends towards more uses of postmodern analysis within the discipline of public administration, particularly in the USA......Discussion of the trends towards more uses of postmodern analysis within the discipline of public administration, particularly in the USA...

On the Ergodic Secret-Key Agreement over Spatially Correlated Multiple-Antenna Channels with Public Discussion

KAUST Repository

Zorgui, Marwen

2015-09-28

We consider secret-key agreement with public discussion over multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Rayleigh fast-fading channels under correlated environment. We assume that transmit, legitimate receiver and eavesdropper antennas are correlated. The legitimate receiver and the eavesdropper are assumed to have perfect channel knowledge while the transmitter has only knowledge of the correlation matrices. First, we derive the expression of the secret-key capacity under the considered setup. We prove that the optimal transmit strategy achieving the secret-key capacity consists in transmitting independent Gaussian signals along the eingenvectors of the transmit correlation matrix. The powers allocated to each channel mode are determined as the solution to a numerical optimization problem. A necessary and sufficient condition for beamforming (i.e., transmitting along the strongest channel mode) to be capacity-achieving is derived. Moreover, we analyze the impact of correlation matrices on the system performance. Finally, we study the system’s performance in the two extreme power regimes. In the high-power regime, we provide closed-form expressions of the gain/loss due to correlation. In the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regime, we investigate the energy efficiency of the system by determining the minimum energy required for sharing a secret-key bit and the wideband slope while highlighting the impact of correlation matrices.

Getting Digital Assets from Public-Private Partnership Research Projects through "The Valley of Death," and Making Them Sustainable.

Science.gov (United States)

Aartsen, Wendy; Peeters, Paul; Wagers, Scott; Williams-Jones, Bryn

2018-01-01

Projects in public-private partnerships, such as the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI), produce data services and platforms (digital assets) to help support the use of medical research data and IT tools. Maintaining these assets beyond the funding period of a project can be a challenge. The reason for that is the need to develop a business model that integrates the perspectives of all different stakeholders involved in the project, and these digital assets might not necessarily be addressing a problem for which there is an addressable market of paying customers. In this manuscript, we review four IMI projects and the digital assets they produced as a means of illustrating the challenges in making digital assets sustainable and the lessons learned. To progress digital assets beyond proof-of-concept into widely adopted tools, there is a need for continuation of multi-stakeholder support tailored to these assets. This would be best done by implementing a structure similar to the accelerators that are in place to help transform startup businesses into growing and thriving businesses. The aim of this article is to highlight the risk of digital asset loss and to provoke discussion on the concept of developing an "accelerator" for digital assets from public-private partnership research projects to increase the chance that digital assets will be sustained and continue to add value long after a project has ended.

Relationship between nongenital tender point tenderness and intravaginal muscle pain intensity: ratings in women with provoked vestibulodynia and implications for treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Phillips, Nancy; Brown, Candace; Bachmann, Gloria; Wan, Jim; Wood, Ronald; Ulrich, Dagny; Bachour, Candi; Foster, David

2016-12-01

Vulvodynia is a chronic vulvar pain disorder and fibromyalgia is a chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain disorder, both of unknown etiology. Association of these conditions is well documented. Intravaginal algometer measurement of tenderness to pressure applied to the pelvic floor muscles helps define vulvodynia associated with musculoskeletal factors. Women with both vulvodynia and fibromyalgia might have increased pelvic muscle pain compared to women with vulvodynia alone, defining the possible link of these 2 conditions. We sought to: (1) correlate pain intensity during the nongenital tender point tenderness examination to pain intensity with the vaginal algometer in women with provoked vestibulodynia, and (2) determine whether subjects with provoked vestibulodynia and fibromyalgia had higher pain intensity scores with the vaginal algometer than those without fibromyalgia. In all, 92 subjects referred for vulvar pain were confirmed to have provoked vestibulodynia using the cotton swab test. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia was made if pain was present (numeric rating scale >1) in at least 11 sites of the 18-point nongenital tender point tenderness exam. Vaginal pain sensitivity was measured using an intravaginal pressure algometer, where 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 kg/cm 2 forces were applied digitally in random assignment by force and location to the right and left iliococcygeus muscle regions and the posterior vaginal wall. Both tender point tenderness and algometer pain intensity were reported on a 0 (no pain) to 10 (worse pain) numeric rating scale. Correlations were computed between the composite pain intensity (total of rating scale from each pressure threshold at specified site) of nongenital and those of iliococcygeus regions and the posterior vaginal wall. Independent t tests were used to determine differences in iliococcygeus regions and the posterior vaginal algometer pain ratings and presence or absence of fibromyalgia. The significance level was at P pain

Cognitive, psychophysical, and neural correlates of vulvar pain in primary and secondary provoked vestibulodynia: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Sutton, Katherine; Pukall, Caroline; Wild, Conor; Johnsrude, Ingrid; Chamberlain, Susan

2015-05-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a common condition characterized by localized, provoked pain that can be present since first vaginal penetration attempt (primary) or can develop after a period of pain-free penetration (secondary). Research has demonstrated psychosocial and psychophysical differences between women with these subtypes of PVD, but the question of whether neural responses to pain also differ remains to be investigated. This study aims to examine whether cognitive, psychophysical, and neural responses to vulvar pressure pain differ between women with PVD1 and PVD2. Women with PVD1 and PVD2 were compared for group differences using multiple modalities, including questionnaires, psychophysical testing, and neuroimaging. Pain ratings were held constant across groups, rather than amount of pressure applied. Demographics, sexual functioning, four questionnaires examining anxiety and catastrophizing, quantitative sensory testing at the vulvar vestibule using a vulvalgesiometer, and functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Findings suggest that women with PVD1 are more anxious and that they catastrophize more about their vulvar and nonvulvar pain than women with PVD2. Overall, MRI results demonstrated structural and functional similarities to other chronic pain findings for both groups of women. Gray matter (GM) density also differed between groups: women with PVD1 showed significant decreases in GM throughout areas associated with pain processing. Functionally, between-groups differences were found during painful vulvar stimulation despite lower pressures applied to the vulva for women with PVD1 because of their heightened sensitivity; the determination of the level of vulvar pressure to elicit pain was based on subjective ratings. Findings are limited by sample size and liberal alpha values; however, future research is certainly warranted based on the preliminary findings of this study suggesting both similarities and differences between

Adoption Concerns for the Deployment of Interactive Public Displays at Schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Alberto Lencastre

2014-12-01

Full Text Available JuxtaLearn is a research project focused on ‘performance’ as a means of provoking students’ understanding of science and technology through the creation and sharing of educational videos. As the videos will be shared in public displays, the Portuguese research team developed three workshops with twelve teachers from a Portuguese Secondary School representing different school departments and sharing organizational responsibilities. The aim was to generate scenarios of possible features and interaction for the curricular integration of the technological device. Our findings suggest that teachers are not motivated to use, on their own, technologies in the classroom, but receptive to new and challenging technologies when properly stimulated. They were able to generate scenarios that take advantage of the possibilities offered by digital public displays to stimulate learning processes. However, there are pedagogical, organizational and ethical concerns in the management and control of content that need to be resolved before they feel confortable to deal with change and technological innovation.

Public conceptions of publicness in the wake of the Copenhagen killings

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Horsbøl, Anders

2016-01-01

The deadly attacks on a public meeting and on a Jewish citizen in Copenhagen in February 2015 have given rise to a vast amount of public discussion and interpretation of the events themselves, their background, their causes, their significance and their repercussions. During these discussions, va...

Cortisol responses to a group public speaking task for adolescents: variations by age, gender, and race.

Science.gov (United States)

Hostinar, Camelia E; McQuillan, Mollie T; Mirous, Heather J; Grant, Kathryn E; Adam, Emma K

2014-12-01

Laboratory social stress tests involving public speaking challenges are widely used for eliciting an acute stress response in older children, adolescents, and adults. Recently, a group protocol for a social stress test (the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups, TSST-G) was shown to be effective in adults and is dramatically less time-consuming and resource-intensive compared to the single-subject version of the task. The present study sought to test the feasibility and effectiveness of an adapted group public speaking task conducted with a racially diverse, urban sample of U.S. adolescents (N=191; 52.4% female) between the ages of 11 and 18 (M=14.4 years, SD=1.93). Analyses revealed that this Group Public Speaking Task for Adolescents (GPST-A) provoked a significant increase in cortisol production (on average, approximately 60% above baseline) and in self-reported negative affect, while at the same time avoiding excessive stress responses that would raise ethical concerns or provoke substantial participant attrition. Approximately 63.4% of participants exhibited an increase in cortisol levels in response to the task, with 59.2% of the total sample showing a 10% or greater increase from baseline. Results also suggested that groups of five adolescents might be ideal for achieving more uniform cortisol responses across various serial positions for speech delivery. Basal cortisol levels increased with age and participants belonging to U.S. national minorities tended to have either lower basal cortisol or diminished cortisol reactivity compared to non-Hispanic Whites. This protocol facilitates the recruitment of larger sample sizes compared to prior research and may show great utility in answering new questions about adolescent stress reactivity and development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Contested embryonic culture in Japan--public discussion, and human embryonic stem cell research in an aging welfare society.

Science.gov (United States)

Sleeboom-Faulkner, Margaret

2010-01-01

This article explores the reasons for the lack of a broad discussion on bioethical regulation of human embryonic stem cell research (hESR) in Japan and asks why scientists experience difficulties accessing resources for hESR despite the acclaimed indifference of dominant Japanese culture to embryo research. The article shows how various social actors express their views on the embryo and oocyte donation in terms of dominant Japanese culture, foiled against what is regarded as Western culture. Second, it shows how the lack of concern with hESR should be understood in the context of public health policies and communications and bioethics decision making in Japan. Finally, it interprets the meaning of the embryo in the context of Japan as an aging modern welfare society, explaining how policymakers have come to emphasize the urgency of infertility problems over issues around abortion and embryonic life.

Safety goals for nuclear power plants: a discussion paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-02-01

This report includes a proposed policy statement on safety goals for nuclear power plants published by the Commission for public comment and a supporting discussion paper. Proposed qualitative goals and associated numerical guidelines for nuclear power-plant accident risks are presented. The significance of the goals and guidelines, their bases and rationale, and their proposed mode of implementation are discussed

Behavioral Public Administration:Combining Insights from Public Administration and Psychology

OpenAIRE

Grimmelikhuijsen, Stephan; Jilke, Sebastian; Olsen, Asmus Leth; Tummers, Lars

2017-01-01

We propose behavioral public administration as a designated subfield in public administration which explicitly deals with the integration of theories and methods from psychology into the study of public administration. We discuss how scholars in public administration currently draw on both methodological and theoretical innovations in psychology and point to research questions in public administration which could benefit from further integration. Behavioral public administration cannot, and s...

Provoked Vestibulodynia: Does Pain Intensity Correlate With Sexual Dysfunction and Dissatisfaction?

Science.gov (United States)

Aerts, Leen; Bergeron, Sophie; Pukall, Caroline F; Khalifé, Samir

2016-06-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is suspected to be the most frequent cause of vulvodynia in premenopausal women. Previous research has been inconclusive as to whether higher vulvovaginal pain ratings are associated with lower sexual function and satisfaction in women with PVD. Whether pain intensity correlates with sexual impairment is an important question given its implications for treatment recommendations. To examine the associations among self-reported and objective pain measurements, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction in a large combined clinical and community sample of premenopausal women diagnosed with PVD. Ninety-eight women with PVD underwent a cotton-swab test, a vestibular friction pain measurement, and a vestibular pressure-pain threshold measurement. In addition to sociodemographics, participants completed measurements of pain, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction. Self-report measurements were the pain numerical rating scale (0-10), the McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index, and the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction. Objective measurements were pain during a cotton-swab test, pain during a vestibular friction procedure, and the vestibular pressure-pain threshold measurement. Age and relationship duration were significantly correlated with the Female Sexual Function Index total score (r = -0.31, P sexual function and satisfaction in women with PVD. The findings show that in women with PVD, self-report and objective pain ratings are not associated with sexual function and satisfaction. The results support the biopsychosocial nature of PVD and underscore the importance of a patient-focused multidisciplinary treatment approach for PVD. Copyright © 2016 International Society for Sexual Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance-based regulation. Panel Discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Youngblood, Robert; Bier, Vicki M.; Bukowski, Richard W.; Prasad Kadambi, N.; Koonce, James F.

2001-01-01

Full text of publication follows: Performance-based regulation is a part of the NRC's Strategic Plan and is realizing steady progress in conceptual development for actual applications. For example, high-level, conceptual guidelines have been proposed that would apply to reactors, materials, and waste areas. Performance-based approaches are also being applied in other regulated industries such as FAA and OSHA. The discussion will include comments from speakers from different parts of the nuclear industry and other industries regarding benefits and weaknesses of performance-based regulation. (authors)

Behavioral Public Administration : Combining Insights from Public Administration and Psychology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Grimmelikhuijsen, S.G.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/313875405; Jilke, Sebastian; Leth Olsen, Asmus; Tummers, L.G.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/341028274

2016-01-01

Behavioral public administration is the analysis of public administration from the micro-perspective of individual behavior and attitudes by drawing upon insights from psychology on behavior of individuals and groups. We discuss how scholars in public administration currently draw on theories and

Assessment of current cybersecurity practices in the public domain : cyber indications and warnings domain.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hamlet, Jason R.; Keliiaa, Curtis M.

2010-09-01

This report assesses current public domain cyber security practices with respect to cyber indications and warnings. It describes cybersecurity industry and government activities, including cybersecurity tools, methods, practices, and international and government-wide initiatives known to be impacting current practice. Of particular note are the U.S. Government's Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) and 'Einstein' programs, which are serving to consolidate the Government's internet access points and to provide some capability to monitor and mitigate cyber attacks. Next, this report catalogs activities undertaken by various industry and government entities. In addition, it assesses the benchmarks of HPC capability and other HPC attributes that may lend themselves to assist in the solution of this problem. This report draws few conclusions, as it is intended to assess current practice in preparation for future work, however, no explicit references to HPC usage for the purpose of analyzing cyber infrastructure in near-real-time were found in the current practice. This report and a related SAND2010-4766 National Cyber Defense High Performance Computing and Analysis: Concepts, Planning and Roadmap report are intended to provoke discussion throughout a broad audience about developing a cohesive HPC centric solution to wide-area cybersecurity problems.

Parents' views on childhood obesity: qualitative analysis of discussion board postings.

Science.gov (United States)

Appleton, Jessica; Fowler, Cathrine; Brown, Nicola

2017-08-01

Childhood obesity is an increasing concern for parents and health professionals alike. Parents' perception of obesity as a current health issue for their children is important for the everyday parenting and health choices parents make. As parents are frequently going online to seek and exchange information about parenting and child health, asynchronous online discussion forums provide an opportunity to investigate their perceptions and concerns. Understanding parents' perceptions, beliefs and attitudes is important in any childhood obesity prevention and intervention. To explore parents' perceptions, perspectives and concerns regarding childhood obesity expressed on asynchronous online discussion forums. A qualitative descriptive approach using template analysis to analyse a novel data collection strategy of 34 purposefully sampled threads from two Australian-based asynchronous online discussion forums. Parents on the discussion forum displayed an understanding of childhood obesity as a public health concern, the discussion incorporated issues such as providing a healthy diet and lifestyle for children. Parents shared their own opinions and experiences that challenged or conceded to the status quo of the discussion. Parents discussed the role of health professionals in obesity prevention. There were varied opinions on the relevance of health professionals, particularly nurses, monitoring of growth and risk of obesity. This exploratory study highlights that parents perceive childhood obesity as an important public health concern, and that they understand the key public health messages of prevention and intervention. Yet, for many it is difficult to successfully implement these messages into their everyday lives. Health professionals need to play a key role in providing non-judgemental, innovative support and advice to parents to successfully implement prevention and intervention strategies.

The Bible in discussion: Three recent South African publications on Scripture

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F. E. Deist

1991-01-01

Full Text Available Three recent South African books on Scripture from various theological trad itio n s and social circles (one Reformed, one Dutch Reformed and one Methodist, two by white authors and one by a black author are discussed in order to evaluate their arguments and ascertain their points of difference, with a view to enhancing a meaningful South African dialogue on Scripture.

Using Technology to Support Discussions on Sensitive Topics in the Study of Business Ethics

Science.gov (United States)

Fong, Michelle

2015-01-01

There is a dearth of research into teaching strategies and learning approaches for units involving sensitive topics that can provoke an emotional response in students. In a business ethics unit, attempts to strike a balance between conceptual knowledge and theory and skills training can be challenging because the unit can involve personal,…

It Takes Two: Sexual Communication Patterns and the Sexual and Relational Adjustment of Couples Coping With Provoked Vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Rancourt, Kate M; Flynn, Michelle; Bergeron, Sophie; Rosen, Natalie O

2017-03-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a prevalent vulvovaginal pain condition that is associated with sexual and relational consequences for women and their partners. Greater perceived quality of sexual communication has been associated with women's lower pain during intercourse and with couples' better sexual and relational well-being. Whether couples' collaborative (eg, expressing feelings or problem solving) and negative (eg, withdrawing or criticizing) sexual communication patterns (SCPs) are differentially associated with couples' adjustment to PVD is unknown. To examine associations between collaborative and negative SCPs and women's pain and the sexual and relationship adjustment of women with PVD and their partners. Women diagnosed with PVD (N = 87) and their partners completed the Sexual Communication Patterns Questionnaire and measurements of pain (women only), sexual functioning, sexual satisfaction, sexual distress, and relationship satisfaction. (i) Numerical rating scale of pain during intercourse, (ii) Female Sexual Function Index and International Index of Erectile Function, (iii) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, (iv) Female Sexual Distress Scale-Revised, and (v) Couple Satisfaction Index. When women reported greater collaborative SCP, they also reported higher sexual and relationship satisfaction. When women reported greater negative SCP, they reported less relationship satisfaction and had partners who reported greater sexual distress. When partners reported greater collaborative SCP, they also reported higher relationship satisfaction and had female partners who were less sexually distressed. When partners reported higher negative SCP, they also reported less relationship satisfaction. There were no associations between SCP and women's or partners' sexual functioning or women's pain. Collaborative SCP may benefit couples' sexual and relational well-being, whereas negative SCP may impede sexual and relational adjustment to PVD. Findings

Public relations effectiveness in public health institutions.

Science.gov (United States)

Springston, Jeffrey K; Weaver Lariscy, Ruth Ann

2005-01-01

This article explores public relations effectiveness in public health institutions. First, the two major elements that comprise public relations effectiveness are discussed: reputation management and stakeholder relations. The factors that define effective reputation management are examined, as are the roles of issues and crisis management in building and maintaining reputation. The article also examines the major facets of stakeholder relations, including an inventory of stakeholder linkages and key audiences, such as the media. Finally, methods of evaluating public relations effectiveness at both the program level and the institutional level are explored.

How did the public respond to the 2015 expert consensus public health guidance statement on workplace sedentary behaviour? A qualitative analysis

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Benjamin Gardner

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background In June 2015, an expert consensus guidance statement was published recommending that office workers accumulate 2–4 h of standing and light activity daily and take regular breaks from prolonged sitting. This paper describes public responses to media coverage of the guidance, so as to understand public acceptability of the recommendations within the guidance, and perceptions of sitting and standing as health behaviours. Methods UK news media websites that had reported on the sedentary workplace guidance statement, and permitted viewers to post comments responding to the story, were identified. 493 public comments, posted in a one-month period to one of six eligible news media websites, were thematically analysed. Results Three themes were extracted: (1 challenges to the credibility of the sedentary workplace guidance; (2 challenges to the credibility of public health; and (3 the guidance as a spur to knowledge exchange. Challenges were made to the novelty of the guidance, the credibility of its authors, the strength of its evidence base, and its applicability to UK workplaces. Public health was commonly mistrusted and viewed as a tool for controlling the public, to serve a paternalistic agenda set by a conspiracy of stakeholders with hidden non-health interests. Knowledge exchanges focused on correcting others’ misinterpretations, raising awareness of historical or scientific context, debating current workplace health policies, and sharing experiences around sitting and standing. Conclusions The guidance provoked exchanges of health-promoting ideas among some, thus demonstrating the potential for sitting reduction messages to be translated into everyday contexts by lay champions. However, findings also demonstrated confusion, misunderstanding and misapprehension among some respondents about the health value of sitting and standing. Predominantly unfavourable, mistrusting responses reveal significant hostility towards

Visible technologies, invisible organisations: An empirical study of public beliefs about electricity supply networks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devine-Wright, Patrick; Devine-Wright, Hannah; Sherry-Brennan, Fionnguala

2010-01-01

Reducing carbon emissions in the energy system poses significant challenges to electricity transmission and distribution networks. Whilst these challenges are as much social as economic or technical, to date few research studies have investigated public beliefs about electricity supply networks. This research aimed to address this gap by means of a nationally representative study of UK adults (n=1041), probing beliefs about how electricity reaches the home, responsibility for electricity supply, associations with the words 'National Grid', as well as beliefs about the planning of new infrastructure. Findings suggest that electricity networks are represented predominantly in terms of technologies rather than organisations, specifically in terms of familiar, visible components such as cables or wires, rather than more systemic concepts such as networks. Transmission and distribution network operators were largely invisible to members of the public. In terms of planning new lines, most respondents assumed that government ministers were involved in decision-making, while local residents were widely perceived to have little influence; moreover, there was strong public support for placing new power lines underground, regardless of the cost. In conclusion, organisational invisibility, coupled with low expectations of participatory involvement, could provoke public opposition and delay siting new network infrastructure.

High voltage electricity installations a planning perspective

CERN Document Server

Jay, Stephen Andrew

2006-01-01

The presence of high voltage power lines has provoked widespread concern for many years. High Voltage Electricity Installations presents an in-depth study of policy surrounding the planning of high voltage installations, discussing the manner in which they are percieved by the public, and the associated environmental issues. An analysis of these concerns, along with the geographical, environmental and political influences that shape their expression, is presented. Investigates local planning policy in an area of the energy sector that is of highly topical environmental and public concern Cover

Intranasal oxytocin reduces provoked symptoms in female patients with posttraumatic stress disorder despite exerting sympathomimetic and positive chronotropic effects in a randomized controlled trial.

Science.gov (United States)

Sack, M; Spieler, D; Wizelman, L; Epple, G; Stich, J; Zaba, M; Schmidt, U

2017-02-17

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe psychiatric disease accompanied by neuroendocrine changes such as adrenergic overdrive and hence an elevated cardiovascular morbidity. Current pharmacotherapeutic options for PTSD are less than suboptimal, necessitating the development of PTSD-specific drugs. Although the neuropeptide oxytocin has been repeatedly suggested to be effective in PTSD treatment, there are, to our knowledge, only three studies that have assessed its efficacy on the intensity of PTSD symptoms in PTSD patients - among them one symptom provocation study in male veterans. To evaluate for the first time how oxytocin influences the intensity of provoked PTSD symptoms and, furthermore, cardiac control in female PTSD patients, we assessed their psychic and cardiac response to trauma-script exposure with and without oxytocin pretreatment in a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. We used a within-subject design to study 35 female PTSD patients who received oxytocin and placebo in a 2-week interval. Furthermore, we performed a small pilot study to get an idea of the relation of the stress-modulated endogenous oxytocin levels and heart rate - we correlated oxytocin serum levels with the heart rate of 10 healthy individuals before and after exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST). Intranasal oxytocin treatment was followed by a reduction of provoked total PTSD symptoms, in particular of avoidance, and by an elevation in baseline and maximum heart rate together with a drop in the pre-ejection period, a marker for sympathetic cardiac control. Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between endogenous oxytocin levels and heart rate both before and after TSST challenge in healthy control subjects. This study provides the first evidence that oxytocin treatment reduces the intensity of provoked PTSD symptoms in female PTSD patients. The small size of both samples and the heterogeneity of the patient sample restrict the

Provoked Vestibulodynia and the Health Care Implications of Comorbid Pain Conditions.

Science.gov (United States)

Lester, Robynn A; Brotto, Lori A; Sadownik, Leslie A

2015-11-01

Sexual pain secondary to provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a chronic pain condition affecting up to 16% of women. Women with PVD may report other chronic pain conditions. The goals of this study were (1) to identify the prevalence of self-reported chronic pain conditions in a sample of women with a diagnosis of PVD and seeking treatment, and (2) to compare demographic and clinical characteristics and health care needs of women with PVD alone and women with PVD and two or more self-reported chronic pain conditions. We assessed the characteristics of 236 women with PVD alone and 55 women with PVD and comorbid chronic pain using a standardized questionnaire, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Pain Vigilance and Awareness Questionnaire, and the Female Sexual Distress Scale. Compared with women with PVD alone, women with PVD and other concurrent pain reported a significantly longer duration of pain, pain radiating to other parts of the vulva, and pain interfering in a variety of daily activities. This group was also significantly more likely to have seen more gynaecologists, and to have had more office visits with their gynaecologist than women with PVD alone. They were more likely to have tried anticonvulsants, antidepressants, and stress/relaxation therapy for their PVD and were also more likely to have allergies and skin sensitivities. Finally, this group of women had higher symptoms of depression, trait anxiety, and showed a trend towards more pain vigilance. Taken together, these findings suggest that physicians caring for women with PVD and concurrent chronic pain must be alert to the potentially greater health needs among this subsample of women.

capital. A discussion paper

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ewa Chojnacka

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study is to confront certain propositions presented in Lesław Niemczyk’s publication Rachunkowość finansowa aktywów kompetencyjnych i kapitału intelektualnego. Nowy dział rachunkowości(Accounting for Competence Assets and Intellectual Capital. A New Area in Accounting with ideas published in other studies. The authors discuss issues concerning firm value, selected definitions of intellectual capital, as well as certain methods of intellectual capital measurement and valuation. Other problems analysed include accounting for and reporting of intellectual capital and similarities and differences between the way those issues are presented in Polish and in international studies as well as in existing legal regulations and standards.

Starry Cities and Astrolies - Books to communicate with the public

Science.gov (United States)

Stanic, N.

2008-06-01

Extragalactic worlds have been presented as star cities in a book of original design - STARRY CITIES - galaxies and time travel, the first book about galaxies written in Serbian for the general public. This book isn't written just for those interested in science, but for all kind of artists, philosophers and thinkers. A second book, ASTROLIES deals with common confusions concerning astronomy and astrology. These two books don't only offer interesting illustrations, data from the latest astronomical observations and currently accepted cosmological theories - they induce, by provoking curiosity in a specific and witty way, a sense of adventure and a challenge to explore. The publisher of both books is the oldest and the biggest publisher of text-books in Serbia, Zavod za udzbenike i nastavna sredstva2, currently celebrating 50 years in publishing (1957-2007). They already publish a dozen books in popular astronomy, but a special astronomical series for the general public was introduced in 2004. STARRY CITIES and ASTROLIES are part of the ongoing multidisciplinary project Astronomy. Inspiration. Art that started at the end of 2004 at the Public Observatory in Belgrade. This project intends to inspire (or perhaps even "infect") artists with cosmic themes and the fantastic scenery of the Universe.

A prospective 2-year examination of cognitive and behavioral correlates of provoked vestibulodynia outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Seth N P; Bergeron, Sophie; Bois, Katy; Sadikaj, Gentiana; Binik, Yitzchak M; Steben, Marc

2015-04-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a common genital pain disorder in women that is associated with sexual dysfunction and lowered sexual satisfaction. A potentially applicable cognitive-behavioral model of chronic pain and disability is the fear-avoidance model (FAM) of pain. The FAM posits that cognitive variables, such as pain catastrophizing, fear, and anxiety lead to avoidance of pain-provoking behaviors (eg, intercourse), resulting in continued pain and disability. Although some of the FAM variables have been shown to be associated with PVD pain and sexuality outcomes, the model as a whole has never been tested in this population. An additional protective factor, pain self-efficacy (SE), is also associated with PVD, but has not been tested within the FAM model. Using a 2-year longitudinal design, we examine (1) whether initial levels (T1) of the independent FAM variables and pain SE were associated with changes in pain, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction over the 2-year time period; (2) the prospective contribution of changes in cognitive-affective (FAM) variables to changes in pain, and sexuality outcomes; and (3) whether these were mediated by behavioral change (avoidance of intercourse). A sample of 222 women with PVD completed self-report measures of FAM variables, SE, pain, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction at time 1 and at a 2-year follow-up. Structural equation modeling with Latent Difference Scores was used to examine changes and to examine mediation between variables. Questionnaires included the Pain Catastrophizing Scale, McGill Pain Questionnaire, Trait Anxiety Inventory, Pain Self-Efficacy Scale, and Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, Female Sexual Function Index. Participants who reported higher SE at T1 reported greater declines in pain, greater increases in sexual satisfaction, and greater declines in sexual function over the 2 time points. The overall change model did not support the FAM using negative cognitive

Illuminating a dialectical transformative activist stance in education

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchie, Stephen M.

2008-07-01

In this essay I comment on Stetsenko's (2008) essay that draws together the work of Vygotsky, Piaget and Dewey, as she attempts to counter the `new' reductionist synthesis in public educational policy. While this theoretical work is helpful, it could be enhanced further by illuminating everyday practices of learners. I pose some questions that might provoke ongoing discussions by researchers as they transform collaboratively cultural-historical activity theory.

Attitudes towards conscientious objection among community pharmacists in Poland

OpenAIRE

Piecuch, Anna; Gryka, Malwina; Kozłowska-Wojciechowska, Małgorzata

2013-01-01

Background The European Council Resolution 1763 (2010), “The right to conscientious objection in lawful medical care”, provoked a discussion among Polish pharmacists on the necessity for granting them the right to refuse to dispense medicinal products which invoke conscientious objection. Objective To explore attitudes of Polish pharmacists towards the conscience clause. Setting Pharmacies with public e-mail addresses in various parts of Poland (Lower Silesia Province, Mazovia Province, Kuyav...

Public safety around dams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bourassa, H. [Centre d' expertise hydrique du Quebec, Quebec, PQ (Canada)

2009-07-01

Fourty public dams are managed on a real-time basis by the Centre d'expertise hydrique du Quebec (CEHQ). This presentation described the public dams owned by the CEHQ and discussed the public safety measures at the dams. The dams serve various purposes, including protection against floods; industrial or drinking water supply; resort or recreational activities; hydroelectric development; and wildlife conservation. Trigger events were also discussed, such as the complaint at Rapides-des-Cedres dam and deaths that occurred in 2004 when water from a dam was released without warning. Several photographs were presented to illustrate that people were unaware of the danger. Initiatives aimed at raising awareness and studying public safety issues were discussed. A pilot project was launched and a permanent committee was created to evaluate all aspects of public safety at the dams owned by CEHQ. The first tasks of the committee were to establish requirements for waterway safety barriers, both upstream and downstream, for all public dams; to establish requirements for safety signage for all public dams; and to develop criteria to decide on safety signage at each dam. figs.

Public safety around dams

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bourassa, H [Centre d' expertise hydrique du Quebec, Quebec, PQ (Canada)

2009-07-01

Fourty public dams are managed on a real-time basis by the Centre d'expertise hydrique du Quebec (CEHQ). This presentation described the public dams owned by the CEHQ and discussed the public safety measures at the dams. The dams serve various purposes, including protection against floods; industrial or drinking water supply; resort or recreational activities; hydroelectric development; and wildlife conservation. Trigger events were also discussed, such as the complaint at Rapides-des-Cedres dam and deaths that occurred in 2004 when water from a dam was released without warning. Several photographs were presented to illustrate that people were unaware of the danger. Initiatives aimed at raising awareness and studying public safety issues were discussed. A pilot project was launched and a permanent committee was created to evaluate all aspects of public safety at the dams owned by CEHQ. The first tasks of the committee were to establish requirements for waterway safety barriers, both upstream and downstream, for all public dams; to establish requirements for safety signage for all public dams; and to develop criteria to decide on safety signage at each dam. figs.

Democratic discussion in newspaper reporting of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement.

Science.gov (United States)

Sykes, Robbie

2008-10-01

This article presents a Habermasian analysis of newspaper reporting of the debate surrounding the effect of the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (the FTA) on access to medicines through Australian patent law. Habermas's concept of the public sphere is utilised in determining whether discussion within the print media adequately conveyed complex legal issues to the public and facilitated democratic discussion. It was found that newspaper reporting generally failed to meet this standard.

Effects of electrocautery to provoke endovascular thermal injury Efeitos do eletrocautério para provocar lesão térmica endovascular

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabio Henrique Rossi

2011-10-01

Full Text Available PURPOSE: To investigate the effects of a new electrocautery device to provoke endovascular venous thermal injury. METHODS: An experimental endovascular electrocautery was placed inside eight ex-vivo bovine saphenous veins models. Each one was divided in eight segments and progressive intensities of electric energy liberated. The macroscopic and microscopic effects were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty bovine saphenous veins segments were studied. The higher the electric energy applied the greater the nuclear picnosis and more intense the cytoplasmatic shrinkage and electrocoagulation effects. CONCLUSION: The experimental endovascular electrocautery device demonstrated to be both capable of inducing the destruction of the intimal layers of the studied vein model and provoke endovascular thermal injury.OBJETIVO: Investigar os efeitos de um modelo experimental de eletrocautério em provocar lesão venosa térmica endovascular. MÉTODOS: O eletrocautério endovascular foi colocado dentro de oito modelos experimentais de veia safena bovina. Cada uma foi dividida em oito segmentos e intensidades progressivas de energia elétrica liberada. Os efeitos macroscópicos e microscópicos foram analisados. RESULTADOS: Foram estudados quarenta segmentos de veia safena bovina. Quanto maior a energia elétrica aplicada pelo eletrocauterizador endovascular maiores foram as alteraçoes de picnose nuclear e mais intensa a retração citoplasmática observada. CONCLUSÃO: O eletrocautério endovascular experimental demonstrou ser capaz de induzir a destruição da camada íntima e provocar lesão térmica endovascular.

Pertinent Discussions Toward Modeling the Social Edition: Annotated Bibliographies

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Siemens, R.; Timney, M.; Leitch, C.; Koolen, C.; Garnett, A.

2012-01-01

The two annotated bibliographies present in this publication document and feature pertinent discussions toward the activity of modeling the social edition, first exploring reading devices, tools and social media issues and, second, social networking tools for professional readers in the Humanities.

Benefit and Risk Perceptions of Controversial Facilities: A Comparison between Local Officials and the Public in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Qingduo Mao

2018-04-01

Full Text Available This article investigates the perception biases of local government officials and the general public by comparing their benefit and risk perceptions towards controversial facilities. The analysis framework of Social Judgement Theory (SJT—i.e., (a economic benefits, (b environmental health, and (c social and political factors—was used to design the research. SJT is a widely recognized theoretical framework that includes experimental approaches to the study of cognitive conflicts. An experimental survey was conducted to collect data in order to make a comparison of the weight of different elements. Results demonstrate that there are perception differences between the general public and local officials on controversial facilities. Local officials responsible for endorsing and supervising plants attach more significance to environmental factors than the public, while the public focuses more on social and political factors than officials. There is no significant difference in the cognition of economic benefits. Factors such as demolition compensation and legitimacy may provoke these perception gaps. This paper enriches the current understanding of SJT and policy making for controversial facilities by investigating the perception gaps between officials and the general public.

Internationalizing the Public Relations Curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Maureen

2001-01-01

Discusses broadening public relations to an international level by incorporating the topics of culture, international practices, and culturally sensitive theory development. Discusses rationale, design, and execution of an undergraduate course in international public relations. Suggests ways to incorporate assignments addressing international…

A world wide public health problem: the principal re-emerging infectious diseases.

Science.gov (United States)

De Luca D'Alessandro, E; Giraldi, G

2011-01-01

The extraordinary progress in the knowledge of infectious disease, the discovery of antibiotics and effective vaccines are among the great achievement of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These achievement have led to a dramatic reduction in the levels of mortality from these diseases. According to the World Health Organization, the term "re-emerging infectious diseases" refers to infectious diseases, which although well known, have not been of recent public health importance. However, climate change, migration, changes in health services, antibiotic resistance, population increase, international travel, the increase in the number of immune-depressed patients ,etc have lead to the re-emergence of these diseases. The climate changes are exposing sectors of the population to inadequate fresh air, water, food and resources for survival which, in consequence, provoke increases in both internal and international migration. In this particular period in which we find ourselves, characterized by globalization, the international community has become aware that the re-emergence of these diseases poses an important risk for public health underlines the necessity to adopt appropriate strategies for their prevention and control. The re-emerging diseases of the twenty-first century are a serious problem for public health and even though there has been enormous progress in medical science and in the battle against infectious diseases, they are still a long way from being really brought under control. A well organized monitoring system would enable the epidemiological characteristics of the infectious diseases to be analyzed and the success or otherwise of preventive interventions to be precisely evaluated. For this reason, the World Health Organization and the European Union have discussed the formation of a collaborative network for the monitoring and control of re-emerging diseases and has initiated special programmes. The battle between humanity and infectious disease

Estimating the Fiscal Effects of Public Pharmaceutical Expenditure Reduction in Greece.

Science.gov (United States)

Souliotis, Kyriakos; Papageorgiou, Manto; Politi, Anastasia; Frangos, Nikolaos; Tountas, Yiannis

2015-01-01

The purpose of the present study is to estimate the impact of pharmaceutical spending reduction on public revenue, based on data from the national health accounts as well as on reports of Greece's organizations. The methodology of the analysis is structured in two basic parts. The first part presents the urgency for rapid cutbacks on public pharmaceutical costs due to the financial crisis and provides a conceptual framework for the contribution of the Greek pharmaceutical branch to the country's economy. In the second part, we perform a quantitative analysis for the estimation of multiplier effects of public pharmaceutical expenditure reduction on main revenue sources, such as taxes and social contributions. We also fit projection models with multipliers as regressands for the evaluation of the efficiency of the particular fiscal measure in the short run. According to the results, nearly half of the gains from the measure's application is offset by financially equivalent decreases in the government's revenue, i.e., losses in tax revenues and social security contributions alone, not considering any other direct or indirect costs. The findings of multipliers' high value and increasing short-term trend imply the measure's inefficiency henceforward and signal the risk of vicious circles that will provoke the economy's deprivation of useful resources.

77 FR 46766 - Public Meeting To Discuss Revision of “Criteria for Preparation and Evaluation of Radiological...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-08-06

.... Tele- and Web conferencing: Interested members of the public unable to attend the meeting may..., submitting this information makes it public. Please be aware that anyone is able to search the electronic...

The public's needs drive the public's receptivity to information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cramer, E.N.

1999-01-01

Customers want high-quality products at low prices, and they want them now. The message is clear: The Public compares perceived alternatives. The communication problem of the nuclear industry is the same as any other nonmonopoly provider of products or services, i.e., to show the public that nuclear electricity is superior even though nuclear electricity itself is indistinguishable from any other electricity. The following topics are discussed in this paper: (1) What the public needs in general; (2) what the public wants of information delivered; (3) the nuclear information that the public wants; (4) the ANS public information web page; and (5) wider use of issues information

CERN in discussions with its neighbours

CERN Multimedia

2009-01-01

CERN recently invited local partners, elected representatives, and representatives of local administrations and associations to an information and discussion evening, giving those invited an opportunity to raise various topics linked to CERN’s presence in the local area. On Tuesday, 20 October the Globe of Science and Innovation took on a distinctly regional flavour when some 60 representatives of local administrations and public bodies in Switzerland and France as well as teachers, heads of local schools and chairs of local associations attended an information and discussion evening at the invitation of the Director-General. In his opening address, the Director-General underlined CERN’s commitment to transparency and the desire to enhance its communication with the local community. This address was followed by four presentations. Philippe Bloch, head of the Physics Department, explained the scientific goals of the LHC and the L...

Reducing Preschoolers' Disruptive Behavior in Public with a Brief Parent Discussion Group

Science.gov (United States)

Joachim, Sabine; Sanders, Matthew R.; Turner, Karen M. T.

2010-01-01

This study examined the efficacy of a brief 2-h discussion group for parents of preschool children that show disruptive behavior on shopping trips. Forty-six parents with children aged 2-6 years were randomly assigned to either the intervention condition or a waitlist control group. Significant intervention effects were found for measures of…

Politics, proximity and the pipeline: Mapping public attitudes toward Keystone XL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gravelle, Timothy B.; Lachapelle, Erick

2015-01-01

The politics of oil pipelines have become increasingly salient in American politics in recent years. In particular, debates about economic benefits, energy security and environmental impact have been provoked by the proposed Keystone XL pipeline expansion intended to take bitumen from northern Alberta in Canada to refineries on the Gulf Coast in Texas. Drawing on data from recent surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center, this article asks a series of questions. What levels of support for (and opposition to) the pipeline exist among the American public? What are the roles of political factors (such as party identification and ideology), economic attitudes, environmental attitudes and proximity to the proposed pipeline route in shaping attitudes toward the pipeline? And how do political factors and proximity to the pipeline interact? We find that partisanship and ideology drive attitudes toward the Keystone XL pipeline, and that the effect of ideology is attenuated by proximity to the proposed route. The policy implications of these findings for energy infrastructure siting controversies are discussed. -- Highlights: •Americans are divided on the Keystone XL energy pipeline. •Attitudes toward Keystone XL are driven by political party identification and ideology. •Attitudes toward the pipeline are also shaped by attitudes toward the economy and global warming. •The effect of proximity on attitudes toward Keystone XL is non-linear. •Spatial proximity to the pipeline attenuates the effect of ideology

Interrupting Everyday Life: Public Interventionist Art as Critical Public Pedagogy

Science.gov (United States)

Desai, Dipti; Darts, David

2016-01-01

In this article we explore two urban interventions art projects in the public sphere designed by our Masters' students at New York University as they set the stage for a discussion on how urban art interventions can function as a form of critical public pedagogy. We argue that these kinds of public art projects provided a space for dialogue with…

Medical humanities in nursing: thought provoking?

Science.gov (United States)

Robb, A J; Murray, R

1992-10-01

Medical humanities is an innovative way of learning. Discussing literary texts of nursing practice has been used to help students analyse attitudes, values and ethics; it has also been used to help practitioners review and reflect on their own experience and philosophy of nursing. In nursing education, it has been used to explore difficult issues in a safe environment. The value of this approach in nursing education and practice is that it can encourage reflection, promote self-awareness and stimulate debate on difficult issues: for example, death and dying, power and institutionalization (of patients and staff) and pain. This paper gives a detailed worked example of how a literary text can be used in this way, the aim being to provide a resource which readers can then use with a group of students or colleagues. Finally, the authors explore the question of where medical humanities might have a place in the curriculum: as a lecture/tutorial in a course (e.g. Ethics), as a module in the curriculum, as a method of teaching nursing subjects (e.g. communication skills), as a discussion group (outside the curriculum), as a study guide, using literary texts alongside nursing text books. Any of these strategies can be a powerful vehicle for preserving the 'human factor' in both nursing education and continuing professional development.

A study on environment public spending

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wellington Bueno

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This text deals with the importance of studying environment public spending. Initially, we discuss the concept of environment public spending and how it became a public accounting function. Later, an analysis of several studies on the theme was carried out to promote a discussion on the environment public funds allocated by governments. Next, a discussion on the relevance of the theme and the need for further studies is presented, since investments on environment management still need to be better allocated and duly dimensioned. Currently, transparence in public spending has promoted the realization of more studies, leading to a more careful observation of environmental issues by the society, showing that these issues still need more attention from the goverment.

CIVIL ENGINEERS' ROLES IN PUBLIC WORKS

Science.gov (United States)

Murata, Teruaki

Recently, the public interests are becoming high in the way of executing public works and the future direction of infrastructure development, which raises nation-wide discussion on these issues. How should we make our country's growth strategy for sustainable development? How should we realize the grand design of infrastructure needed for the implementation of such a strategy? It is obvious that further discussions are needed for these challenging questions. With an aim to promote such discussions, this paper reviews the history of public works and the professional practices (or accomplishments) of our great civil engineers, and discusses the future of public works and the roles of civil engineers based on their origin. Further, in this paper, the author, as the chairman of the Public Works Committee of Japan Civil Engineering Contractors Association, introduces the Association's proposal of "realization of an attractive construction industry." However, for its realization, sustainable institutional arrangements under social consensus are indispensable. Also, individual engineer must establish his/her own identity based on sense of social ethics. It is the author's hope that, through these journals, the professional practices of civil engineers will be widely known to the public with objective logics and discussed to achieve social consensus.

Public safety around dams guidelines

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennett, T [Canadian Dam Association, Edmonton, AB (Canada)

2010-07-01

This presentation discussed Canadian and international initiatives for improving dam safety and described some of the drivers for the development of new Canadian Dam Association (CDA) public safety guidelines for dams. The CDA guidelines were divided into the following 3 principal sections: (1) managed system elements, (2) risk assessment and management, and (3) technical bulletins. Public and media responses to the drownings have called for improved safety guidelines. While the public remains unaware of the hazards of dams, public interaction with dams is increasing as a result of interest in extreme sports and perceived rights of access. Guidelines are needed for dam owners in order to provide due diligence. Various organizations in Canada are preparing technical and public safety dam guidelines. CDA guidelines have also been prepared for signage, booms and buoys, and audible and visual alerts bulletins. Working groups are also discussing recommended practices for spill procedures, spillways and the role of professional engineers in ensuring public safety. Methods of assessing risk were also reviewed. Managed system elements for risk assessment and public interactions were also discussed, and stepped control measures were presented. tabs., figs.

The corporate practice of health care ... a panel discussion.

Science.gov (United States)

Calhoun, M J; Collins, M; Hasan, M; Klein, J I; Lundberg, G D; Mulligan, D H; Restuccia, R; Sapers, C M; Schram, R B; Woolhandler, S

1996-06-01

The pros and cons of treating health care as a profit-making business got a lively airing in Boston May 16, when the Harvard School of Public Health's "Second Conference on Strategic Alliances in the Evolving Health Care Market" presented what was billed as a "Socratic panel." The moderator was Charles R. Nesson, J.D., a Harvard Law School professor of 30 years' standing whose knack for guiding lively discussions is well known to viewers of such Public Broadcasting Service series as "The Constitution: That Delicate Balance. "As one panelist mentioned, Boston was an interesting place for this conversation. With a large and eminent medical establishment consisting mostly of traditionally not-for-profit institutions, the metropolis of the only state carried in 1972 by liberal Presidential candidate George McGovern is in one sense a skeptical holdout against the wave of aggressive investment capitalism that has been sweeping the health care industry since the 1994 failure of the Clinton health plan. In another sense, though, managed care-heavy Boston is an innovative crucible of change, just like its dominant HMO, the not-for-profit but merger-minded Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. Both of these facets of Beantown's health care psychology could be discerned in the comments heard during the panel discussion. With the permission of the Harvard School of Public Health--and asking due indulgence for the limitations of tape-recording technology in a room often buzzing with amateur comment--MANAGED CARE is pleased to present selections from the discussion in the hope that they will shed light on the business of health care.

Memory-provoked rCBF-SPECT as a diagnostic tool in Alzheimer's disease?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundstroem, Torbjoern; Riklund, Katrine Aa.; Elgh, Eva; Naesman, Birgitta; Larsson, Anne; Nyberg, Lars

2006-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a primary degenerative disease that progressively affects all brain functions, with devastating consequences for the patient, the patient's family and society. Rest regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) could have a strategic role in differentiating between AD patients and normal controls, but its use for this purpose has a low discriminatory capacity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the diagnostic sensitivity of rCBF single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) could be increased by using an episodic memory task provocation, i.e. memory-provoked rCBF-SPECT (MP-SPECT). Eighteen persons (73.2±4.8 years) with mild AD and 18 healthy elderly (69.4±3.9 years) were included in the study. The subjects were injected with 99m Tc-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO) during memory provocation with faces and names, followed by an rCBF-SPECT study. The rCBF 99m Tc-HMPAO SPECT images were analysed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM2). Peaks with a false discovery rate corrected value of 0.05 were considered significant. On MP-SPECT, the AD group showed a significant rCBF reduction in the left parietal cortex in comparison with healthy elderly. At rest, no significant group differences were seen. Memory provocation increased the sensitivity of rCBF-SPECT for the detection of AD-related blood flow changes in the brain at the group level. Further studies are needed to evaluate MP-SPECT as a diagnostic tool at the individual level. If a higher sensitivity for AD at the individual level is verified in future studies, a single MP-SPECT study might be sufficient in the clinical setting. (orig.)

Making Common Sense of Vaccines: An Example of Discussing the Recombinant Attenuated Salmonella Vaccine with the Public.

Science.gov (United States)

Dankel, Dorothy J; Roland, Kenneth L; Fisher, Michael; Brenneman, Karen; Delgado, Ana; Santander, Javier; Baek, Chang-Ho; Clark-Curtiss, Josephine; Strand, Roger; Curtiss, Roy

2014-01-01

Researchers have iterated that the future of synthetic biology and biotechnology lies in novel consumer applications of crossing biology with engineering. However, if the new biology's future is to be sustainable, early and serious efforts must be made towards social sustainability. Therefore, the crux of new applications of synthetic biology and biotechnology is public understanding and acceptance. The RASVaccine is a novel recombinant design not found in nature that re-engineers a common bacteria ( Salmonella ) to produce a strong immune response in humans. Synthesis of the RASVaccine has the potential to improve public health as an inexpensive, non-injectable product. But how can scientists move forward to create a dialogue of creating a 'common sense' of this new technology in order to promote social sustainability? This paper delves into public issues raised around these novel technologies and uses the RASVaccine as an example of meeting the public with a common sense of its possibilities and limitations.

Radiation risk and public education

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faden, R.R.

1983-01-01

Two issues which deal with the public's perception of radiation hazards are discussed. The goal of public education about radiation, and the relative role of scientific and moral beliefs in public education are examined

Public Domain; Public Interest; Public Funding: Focussing on the ‘three Ps’ in Scientific Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mags McGinley

2005-03-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to discuss the ‘three Ps’ of scientific research: Public Domain; Public Interest; Public Funding. This is done by examining some of the difficulties faced by scientists engaged in scientific research who may have problems working within the constraints of current copyright and database legislation, where property claims can place obstacles in the way of research, in other words, the public domain. The article then looks at perceptions of the public interest and asks whether copyright and the database right reflect understandings of how this concept should operate. Thirdly, it considers the relevance of public funding for scientific research in the context of both the public domain and of the public interest. Finally, some recent initiatives seeking to change the contours of the legal framework are be examined.

Toponymic Lexicography and Methods of Fieldwork Material Collection (1900-1920s

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadezhda M. Ivashova

2012-06-01

Full Text Available The author studies the early stage of the history of toponymic lexicography and field studies in Russia. More particularly the article focuses on the discussion provoked by I. P. Filevitch’s report “On elaboration of geographic nomenclature” at the Archeological Congress in Odessa (1896, as well as on some publications of 1920s containing results of toponymic research, revealing the importance of collecting toponyms, considering different aspects of toponymic studies, elaborating methods of fieldwork.

Group Work Publication-1991.

Science.gov (United States)

Zimpfer, David G.

1992-01-01

Lists 21 new publications in group work, of which 9 are reviewed. Those discussed include publications on group counseling and psychotherapy, structured groups, support groups, psychodrama, and social group work. (Author/NB)

Intracellular scFvs against the viral E6 oncoprotein provoke apoptosis in human papillomavirus-positive cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lagrange, Magali; Boulade-Ladame, Charlotte; Mailly, Laurent; Weiss, Etienne; Orfanoudakis, Georges; Deryckere, Francois

2007-01-01

The E6 protein of human papillomavirus type 16 (16E6) is involved in the tumorigenesis of human cervical cells by targeting numerous cellular proteins. We have designed a strategy for neutralizing 16E6 based on the intracellular expression of single-chain Fv antibodies (scFvs) specific to 16E6. Recombinant adenovirus vectors were constructed to allow expression of two 16E6-binding scFvs and one 16E6-non-binding scFv in HPV16-positive and -negative cells. Expression of the scFvs provoked two types of effects: (i) inhibition of proliferation of all cell lines tested, this aspecific toxicity being likely due to the aggregation of unfolded scFvs; and (ii) apoptosis observed only in HPV16-positive cervical cancer cell lines after expression of 16E6-binding scFvs, this specific effect being proportional to the intracellular solubility of the scFvs. These data demonstrate the feasibility of intracellular immunization with anti-16E6 scFvs and highlight the importance of the solubility of the intracellular antibodies

Optical coherence tomography and low-frequency mechanics: A moderated discussion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Freeman, Dennis M. [Research Laboratory of Electronics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States); Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts (United States); Ruggero, Mario A. [Knowles Hearing Center, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois (United States)

2015-12-31

The following is an edited transcript of a recorded discussion session on the topics of “Optical Coherence Tomography” and “Low-Frequency Mechanics”. The discussion, moderated by the authors, took place at the 12{sup th} International Workshop on the Mechanics of Hearing held at Cape Sounio, Greece, in June 2014. All participants knew that the session was being recorded. In view of both the spontaneous nature of the discussion and the editing, however, this transcript may not represent the considered or final views of the participants, and may not represent a consensus of experts in the field. The reader is advised to consult additional independent publications.

GCH1-polymorphism and pain sensitivity among women with provoked vestibulodynia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heddini Ulrika

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD is a pain disorder localized in the vestibular mucosa. It is the most common cause of dyspareunia among young women and it is associated with general pain hypersensitivity and other chronic pain conditions. Polymorphism in the guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase (GCH1 gene has been found to influence general pain sensitivity and the risk of developing a longstanding pain condition. The aim of this study was to investigate GCH1-polymorphism in women with PVD and healthy controls, in correlation to pain sensitivity. Results We found no correlation between the previously defined pain-protective GCH1-SNP combination and the diagnosis of PVD. Nor any correlation with pain sensitivity measured as pressure pain thresholds on the arm, leg and in the vestibule, coital pain scored on a visual analog scale and prevalence of other bodily pain conditions among women with PVD (n = 98 and healthy controls (n = 102. However, among patients with current treatment (n = 36, there was a significant interaction effect of GCH1-gene polymorphism and hormonal contraceptive (HC therapy on coital pain (p = 0.04 as well as on pressure pain thresholds on the arm (p = 0.04. PVD patients carrying the specified SNP combination and using HCs had higher pain sensitivity compared to non-carriers. In non-HC-users, carriers had lower pain sensitivity. Conclusions The results of this study gave no support to the hypothesis that polymorphism in the GCH1-gene contributes to the etiology of PVD. However, among patients currently receiving treatment an interaction effect of the defined SNP combination and use of hormonal contraceptives on pain sensitivity was found. This finding offers a possible explanation to the clinically known fact that some PVD patients improve after cessation of hormonal contraceptives, indicating that PVD patients carrying the defined SNP combination of GCH1 would benefit from this

Nuclear power engineering: Public understanding and public opinion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kryshev, A.I.; Sazykina, T.G.

1998-01-01

Subjective and objective reasons for the formation of public opinion about nuclear power engineering of Russia were analyzed. Some methodological errors in work with the Russian public on the problems of nuclear energy and possible methods of their correction were discussed. The social groups of the general public, which are of greatest importance in forming the attitude towards nuclear power engineering were indicated. The conclusion was reached that opinion of the ordinary population is often indicative of real drawbacks in the work of specialists in the nuclear fuel cycle. Consequently, careful surveys of public opinion about the problems of the nuclear industry should be very useful in organizing research work properly and improving the radiation safety. (author)

An obesity provoking behaviour negatively influences young normal weight subjects' health related quality of life and causes depressive symptoms.

Science.gov (United States)

Ernersson, Asa; Frisman, Gunilla Hollman; Sepa Frostell, Anneli; Nyström, Fredrik H; Lindström, Torbjörn

2010-12-01

In many parts of the world the prevalence of a sedentary lifestyle in combination with high consumption of food has increased, which contributes to increased risk for becoming overweight. Our primary aim was, in an intervention, to examine the influence on health related quality of life (HRQoL) and mood in young normal weight subjects of both sexes, when adopting an obesity provoking behaviour by increasing the energy intake via fast food and simultaneously adopting a sedentary lifestyle. A secondary aim was to follow-up possible long-term effects on HRQoL and mood 6 and 12 months after this short-term intervention. In this prospective study, 18 healthy normal weight subjects (mean age 26±6.6 years), mainly university students were prescribed doubled energy intake, and maximum 5000 steps/day, during 4 weeks. An age and sex matched control group (n=18), who were asked to have unchanged eating habits and physical activity, was recruited. Before and after the intervention questionnaires including Short Form-36, Hospital Anxiety Depression scale, Center of Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, Sense of Coherence and Mastery scale were completed by the subjects in the intervention group and by the controls with 4 weeks interval. Six and 12 months after the intervention the subjects underwent the same procedure as at baseline and the controls completed the same questionnaires. During the intervention, subjects in the intervention group increased their bodyweight and developed markedly lower physical and mental health scores on Short Form-36 as well as depressive symptoms while no changes appeared in the controls. The increase of depressive symptoms was associated with increases of energy intake, body weight and body fat. When followed up, 6 and 12 months after the intervention, physical and mental health had returned completely to baseline values, despite somewhat increased body weight. In conclusion, adopting obesity provoking behaviour for 4 weeks decreases HRQo

Estimating the fiscal effects of public pharmaceutical expenditure reduction in Greece

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kyriakos eSouliotis

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The purpose of the present study is to estimate the impact of pharmaceutical spending reduction on public revenue, based on data from the national health accounts as well as on reports of Greece’s organizations. The methodology of the analysis is structured in two basic parts. The first part presents the urgency for rapid cutbacks on public pharmaceutical costs due to the financial crisis and provides a conceptual framework for the contribution of the Greek pharmaceutical branch to the country’s economy. In the second part, we perform a quantitative analysis for the estimation of multiplier effects of public pharmaceutical expenditure reduction on main revenue sources such as taxes and social contributions. We also fit projection models with multipliers as regressands for the evaluation of the efficiency of the particular fiscal measure in the short run. According to the results, near half of the gains from the measure’s application is offset by financially equivalent decreases in the government’s revenue, i.e. losses in tax revenues and social security contributions alone, not considering any other direct or indirect costs. The findings of multipliers’ high value and increasing short-term trend imply the measure’s inefficiency henceforward and signal the risk of vicious circles that will provoke the economy’s deprivation of useful resources.

Estudos sobre o regime de competência no setor público brasileiro: os desencontros da discussão acadêmica = Accrual basis in Brazilian public sector studies: the mismatches of Academic discussion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neuton Alcedir de Lima Amaral Amaral

2014-12-01

of national studies that deal with the subject. There were selected articles that discuss accrual basis in the public sector from 2005 to 2012 published in periodicals and events punctuated by Capes related to accounting and/or public sector accounting. The results indicate that there is no stablished trend lines of research and the findings of one study does not tend to be compared with others. The searches have not been carried out forward, nor by other authors, or by themselves, and the authors have not exploited gaps left by previous searches, whether they are domestic or foreign. Comparisons between studies have also been affected, in some cases, due to methodological weaknesses. Thus, the Academy contributions to the understanding of the accrual basis applied to the public sector are rather fragmented, which can make it slow the progress in the subject.

Discussing euthanasia in two German states: scientific terminology and public discourse in the German Democratic Republic and the Federal Republic of Germany.

Science.gov (United States)

Bettin, Hartmut; Nowak, Andreas; Roccia, Maria Gracia; Salloch, Sabine

2017-08-18

Discussions on euthanasia ("Sterbehilfe") that took place in the German Democratic Republic (GDR) have remained widely unnoticed by the historical sciences. By referring to various publications dating from the 1950s until today, this paper presents the basic ideas of the debate on euthanasia in the GDR and compares them-partly synchronically, partly diachronically-with the situation in the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG). A special focus is placed on positions and terminology related to medical ethics at the end of life in the former two German states. The methodical approach of the paper allows a transparent analysis of the question of whether the GDR debates on euthanasia are significant and independent, and whether they are relevant to current ethical debates on end-of-life practices in Germany.

Public Access; Public Interest. The Network Project. Notebook Number 11.

Science.gov (United States)

Columbia Univ., New York, NY. Network Project.

The transcript of a panel discussion and an essay on public access to and control of society's information resources are presented. It is contended that the electronic Media--including radio, television, and communication satellites--are controlled by a select group of individuals and corporations and that they are not meeting the public interest.…

Public perception of analytical risk assessments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Waite, D.A.; McCormack, W.D.

1990-01-01

Most analytical assessments of potential impacts on the environment from US Department of Energy (DOE) activities receive, at some point in their development, public scrutiny. The objective of this paper is to discuss the apparent perception of these assessments held by the public reviewers, based on written and verbal comments that they have offered. The discussion begins with a short overview of the analytical assessment process most often used on DOE projects. The process is described in terms of the basic process elements and data sources involved. Based on this outline of the assessment process, the key elements from the public's perspective are identified and examined on the basis of Importance Criteria and the Perception Framework in which the Importance Criteria appear to be applied. The paper is concluded with an analysis of the key elements of the public's perception. This section of the discussion is formatted to couple observational evidence of public perception difficulties with key assessment elements, and these difficulties with potential alternative approaches that serve the same purpose but are more acceptable to the public

Online discussions with pregnant and parenting adolescents: perspectives and possibilities.

Science.gov (United States)

Valaitis, Ruta K; Sword, Wendy A

2005-10-01

The Internet is an innovative strategy to increase public participation. It is important to include pregnant and parenting teens' perspectives when planning programs to meet their needs. This qualitative study explored online discussions as a strategy to enhance participation by this population. Findings showed that online communication was preferred over face-to-face group discussions. Being anonymous online encouraged open and honest feedback. Participants experienced various forms of social support, however, there was an overall lack of teen involvement online. Strategies to engage adolescents in online discussions and reduce barriers are discussed. Strategies included the use of teen moderators, home computer access, technical support, and engagement in naturally flowing online discussions to meet social support needs. Blending researchers' with teens' needs for social support in an online environment is encouraged. With careful planning and design, online communications can result in mutual benefits for researchers, service providers, and pregnant and parenting adolescents.

Behavioral Public Administration

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grimmelikhuijsen, Stephan; Jilke, Sebastian; Olsen, Asmus Leth

2017-01-01

on theories and methods from psychology and related fields and point to research in public administration that could benefit from further integration. An analysis of public administration topics through a psychological lens can be useful to confirm, add nuance to, or extend classical public administration...... theories. As such, behavioral public administration complements traditional public administration. Furthermore, it could be a two-way street for psychologists who want to test the external validity of their theories in a political-administrative setting. Finally, four principles are proposed to narrow......Behavioral public administration is the analysis of public administration from the micro-level perspective of individual behavior and attitudes by drawing on insights from psychology on the behavior of individuals and groups. The authors discuss how scholars in public administration currently draw...

The clinical relevance of the duration of loss of consciousness provoked by tilt testing.

Science.gov (United States)

Zyśko, Dorota; Gajek, Jacek; Kozluk, Edward; Agrawal, Anil Kumar; Smereka, Jacek; Checiński, Igor

2010-04-01

The authors assessed the relationships between the duration of loss of consciousness (dLOC) during tilt testing-induced syncope (TTS) and demographics, medical history as well as tilt testing results. Previous research focused on the relevance of the type of neurocardiogenic reaction during TTS. The importance of dLOC has not been assessed so far. The study was carried out in 274 patients with suspected neurally mediated syncope and total loss of consciousness during tilt testing. The syncope burden, demographics, and data regarding spontaneous syncope orTTS were compared between group I with dLOC > or =47 seconds and group 2 with dLOC <47 seconds. Medical history revealed that patients in group I had more syncopal spells, more frequent syncope-related traumatic injuries, urine incontinence, jerking movements and typical vasovagal history than in group 2. Moreover, group I patients had more frequently a cardioinhibitory type of reaction and a shorter active phase duration. In addition, they manifested more frequent accompanying cerebral hypoperfusion signs and reproduction of symptoms during TTS than patients in group 2. The loss of consciousness during tilt testing-induced syncope differs in terms of duration among patients with neurally mediated syncope. The dLOC during TTS is associated with medical history and tilt-testing data which confirm the vasovagal aetiology of spontaneous events. The longer dLOC suggests deeper cerebral haemodynamic disturbances during either spontaneous or provoked syncope.

Fragmentation and Polarization of the Public Sphere in the 2000s: Evidence from Italy and Russia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Svetlana S. Bodrunova

2013-05-01

Full Text Available After the Arab spring, direct linkage between growth of technological hybridization of media systems and political online-to-offline protest spill-overs seemed evident, at least in several aspects, as ‘twitter revolutions’ showed organizational potential of the mediated communication of today. But in de-facto politically transitional countries hybridization of media systems is capable of performing not just organizational but also ‘cultivational’ roles in terms of creating communicative milieus where protest consensus is formed, provoking spill-overs from expressing political opinions online to street protest.The two cases of Italy and Russia are discussed in terms of their nonfinished process of transition to democracy and the media’s role within the recent political process. In the two cases, media-political conditions have called into being major cleavages in national deliberative space that may be conceptualized like formation of nation-wide public counter-spheres based upon alternative agenda and new means of communication. The structure and features of these counter-spheres are reconstructed; to check whether regional specifics are involved into the formation of this growing social gap, quantitative analysis of regional online news media (website menus is conducted. Several indicators for spotting the formation of counter-spheres and criteria for further estimation of democratic quality of such counter-spheres are suggested.

Active and Passive Components of Pelvic Floor Muscle Tone in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia: A Perspective Based on a Review of the Literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Thibault-Gagnon, Stéphanie; Morin, Mélanie

2015-11-01

Pelvic floor muscle (PFM) dysfunctions, especially elevated tone or tension, are suggested to play an important role in the pathophysiology of provoked vestibulodynia (PVD). However, the involvement of the PFMs remains misunderstood as the assessment of muscle tone is complex and requires a thorough understanding of muscle physiology in relation to the characteristics and limitations of current PFM assessment tools. The aim of this review was to describe the structures and mechanisms involved in muscle tone in normally innervated muscle, and to discuss and relate these concepts to the PFM findings in women with PVD. A narrative overview of the literature retrieved from searches of electronic databases and hand searches. Muscle tone in a normally innervated muscle comprises both active (contractile) and passive (viscoelastic) components. Current methods for evaluating PFM tone such as digital palpation, ultrasound imaging, pressure perineometry, dynamometry, and electromyography may evaluate different components. Research findings suggestive of PFM hypertonicity in women with PVD include elevated general PFM tone, changes in viscoelastic properties, and at least in some women, abnormal increases in electrogenic activity. There is a growing body of evidence to support the involvement of PFM hypertonicity in the pathophysiology of PVD. Limitations of the instruments as well as their properties should be considered when evaluating PFM tone in order to obtain better insight into which component of PFM tone is assessed. Future research is required for further investigating the underlying mechanisms of PFM hypertonicity, and studying the specific effects of physiotherapeutic interventions on PFM tone in women with PVD. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Productivity in Public Services

OpenAIRE

Helen Simpson

2007-01-01

This paper discusses issues arising in the measurement of productivity in public services. Compared to measuring productivity in the private sector difficulties arise because the output of public services is often un-priced and because some public services are consumed collectively. A key problem is measuring the full range of outputs and quality improvements delivered by public sector organisations that are valued by society. Without comprehensive measures of output productivity statistics m...

Development of technology and public acceptance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shibata, Shun-ichi

1984-01-01

The author, as a professor, has many years' experience in the design, construction and operation of a research reactor and a critical assembly. The author has also ample experience in the conversation and discussion on the safety of nuclear facilities with concerned public. The effective ways of gaining public acceptance are discussed based on many examples. These examples show that understanding and confidence are the keys to gaining public acceptance. Showing the facilities and experimental works to the public or the fact that the residence of the personnel and their family are located very near the reactor are much more effective than any argument for improving public understanding and confidence. (Aoki, K.)

Proactive Public Disclosure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boll, Karen; Tell, Michael

2015-01-01

This article discusses proactive public disclosure of taxpayer information and how this may form a new strategy for securing tax compliance by tax administrators. It reports a case study from the Danish Customs and Tax Administration in which consumers of services–over a short period of time...... proactive public disclosure is compatible with the Duty of Confidentiality, but incompatible with Good Public Governance. Furthermore, the analyses show that there are a number of strong organizational rationales for using proactive public disclosure, despite its apparent incompatibility with Good Public...... Governance. The article is innovative in that it combines a legal and organizational approach to analyse a new regulatory strategy within tax administration....

Meeting the needs of tomorrow's public service: Guidelines for professional education in public administration

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, R. L.; Cleaveland, F. N.

1973-01-01

The educational programs for public administration were studied to develop guidelines for meeting the requirements of public service in the 1980's. The current state of education for public service is discussed along with a prospective view of the service over the next decade. Criteria for evaluating graduate programs are presented.

Lighting and public health.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ierland, J. van & Schreuder, D.A.

1969-01-01

The following topics; are discussed with respect to public health: - the effect of visible and ultraviolet radiation upon man. - vision with respect to lighting. interior lighting. - artificial lighting of work environments. - day light and windows. - recommendations for lighting. public lighting. -

Pain management discussion forum: prevention of chronic postoperative pain.

Science.gov (United States)

Breivik, Harald

2014-09-01

ABSTRACT A case of a 35-year-old woman scheduled for removal of a painful breast tumor is discussed. Ways to reduce risk of chronic pain developing postoperatively are described. Preoperative medications, nerve blocks, local anesthetics, and postoperative epidural pharmacotherapy are described. This report is adapted from paineurope 2014; Issue 1, Haymarket Medical Publications Ltd., and is presented with permission. paineurope is provided as a service to pain management by Mundipharma International, Ltd., and is distributed free of charge to health care professionals in Europe. Archival issues can be accessed via the Web site: http://www.paineurope.com, at which European health professionals can register online to receive copies of the quarterly publication.

From Confrontation to Understanding: In/exclusion of Alternative Voices in Online Discussion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tamara Witschge

2011-05-01

Full Text Available This article examines the potential and limitations of the internet’s use for democratic debate. Academic literature on the potential uses of the internet to enhance democratic discussion in Western democracies almost always falls exclusively on one side of the optimist/pessimist divide. This article responds to the need for more situated knowledge, using an in-depth critical discourse analysis of the public debate on immigration in the Netherlands. The Dutch public debate on immigration and integration has been dominated in the past decade by a sense of deep ideological differences. The analysis conducted in this article reveals the power relations between the dominant and alternative discourses on immigration. It shows the ways in which online alternative voices deemed too radical by the mainstream public are excluded from participation in the public debate. The paper furthermore addresses the potential for understanding and for meaningful interaction across difference and illustrates the role of alternative styles of communication in online discussions. As such it contributes to our understanding of cross-cultural communication as well as that of online interaction. The study, though limited to case studies in the Netherlands, addresses a question relevant beyond the specific case and national context examined: how to establish meaningful interaction in light of difference?

Public participation and environmental impact assessment: Purposes, implications, and lessons for public policy making

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Faircheallaigh, Ciaran

2010-01-01

In recent years the need to enhance public participation in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and the efficacy of alternative mechanisms in achieving this goal, have been central themes in the EIA literature. The benefits of public participation are often taken for granted, and partly for this reason the underlying rationale for greater public participation is sometimes poorly articulated, making it more difficult to determine how to pursue it effectively. The reasons for seeking public participation are also highly diverse and not always mutually consistent. There has been limited analysis of the implications of different forms and degrees of public participation for public decision making based on EIA, and little discussion of how experience with public participation in EIA relates to debates about participation in policy making generally. This paper distinguishes various purposes for public participation in EIA, and discusses their implications for decision making. It then draws on some general models of public participation in policy making to consider how approaches to participation in EIA can be interpreted and valued, and asks what EIA experience reveals about the utility of these models. It argues that the models pay insufficient attention to the interaction that can occur between different forms of public participation; and to the fact that public participation raises issues regarding control over decision making that are not subject to resolution, but must be managed through ongoing processes of negotiation.

Public Outreach Guerilla Style: Just Add Science to Existing Events

Science.gov (United States)

Gelderman, Richard

2016-01-01

We report on a campaign to use the visual appeal of astronomy as a gateway drug to inject public outreach into settings where people aren't expecting an encounter with science. Our inspiration came from the team at guerillascience.org, who have earned a reputation for creating, at sites around the world, "experiences and events that are unexpected, thought-provoking, but, above all, that delight and entertain." Our goal is to insert astronomy into existing festivals of music, culture, and art; county and state fairs; sporting events; and local farmer's markets. With volunteers and near-zero budgets, we have been able to meaningfully engage with audience members who would never willingly attend an event advertised as science related. By purposefully relating astronomy to the non-science aspects of the event that caused the audience members to attend, new learning experiences are created that alter the often negative pre-conceived notions about science that many of them held before our encounter.

Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Provokes Neuroplasticity in Repetitive Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in Rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ho Jeong Kim

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (rmTBI provokes behavioral and cognitive changes. But the study about electrophysiologic findings and managements of rmTBI is limited. In this study, we investigate the effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS on rmTBI. Thirty-one Sprague Dawley rats were divided into the following groups: sham, rmTBI, and rmTBI treated by tDCS. Animals received closed head mTBI three consecutive times a day. Anodal tDCS was applied to the left motor cortex. We evaluated the motor-evoked potential (MEP and the somatosensory-evoked potential (SEP. T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging was performed 12 days after rmTBI. After rmTBI, the latency of MEP was prolonged and the amplitude in the right hind limb was reduced in the rmTBI group. The latency of SEP was delayed and the amplitude was decreased after rmTBI in the rmTBI group. In the tDCS group, the amplitude in both hind limbs was increased after tDCS in comparison with the values before rmTBI. Anodal tDCS after rmTBI seems to be a useful tool for promoting transient motor recovery through increasing the synchronicity of cortical firing, and it induces early recovery of consciousness. It can contribute to management of concussion in humans if further study is performed.

The Future of Public Administration.

Science.gov (United States)

Cleveland, Harlan

Past approaches to public administration, the diminishing distinctions between foreign and domestic policy, the role of the public administrator, and leadership qualities are discussed. As a relatively young discipline, public administration first focused on scientific management (1920's). It then shifted to the art and science of getting things…

Net Neutrality: Media Discourses and Public Perception

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christine Quail

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper analyzes media and public discourses surrounding net neutrality, with particular attention to public utility philosophy, from a critical perspective. The article suggests that further public education about net neutrality would be beneficial. The first portion of this paper provides a survey of the existing literature surrounding net neutrality, highlighting the contentious debate between market-based and public interest perspectives. In order to contextualize the debate, an overview of public utility philosophy is provided, shedding light on how the Internet can be conceptualized as a public good. Following this discussion, an analysis of mainstream media is presented, exploring how the media represents the issue of net neutrality and whether or not the Internet is discussed through the lens of public utility. To further examine how the net neutrality debate is being addressed, and to see the potential impacts of media discourses on the general public, the results of a focus group are reported and analyzed. Finally, a discussion assesses the implications of the net neutrality debate as presented through media discourses, highlighting the future of net neutrality as an important policy issue.

On the Madness of Lecturing on Gender: A Psychoanalytic Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Britzman, Deborah P.

2010-01-01

This essay comments on the emotional difficulties psychoanalytic discussion introduces to conceptualising the poesis of gender through its reconsideration of the valence of aggression and its development in psychical reality. It returns to the 1936 lectures on the emotional life of gender given by Melanie Klein and Joan Riviere to a public about…

Public meetings

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2017-01-01

Do you have questions about the elections to the Staff Council, 2017 MERIT exercise, EVE and School, LD to IC exercise, CHIS, the Pension Fund… Come get informed and ask your questions at our public meetings. These public meetings are also an opportunity to get the more information on current issues. Benefit from this occasion to get the latest news and to discuss with the representatives of the statutory body that is the Staff Association!

Public Service Motivation and Paternalism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Holm Pedersen, Lene; Qvistgaard, Lars

holds a potential to improve public service provision (Belle, 2013, Andersen et al., 2014), it also has dark sides (Van Loon et al., 2015, forthcoming). The aim of this paper is to analyze and discuss how one type of public service motivated individuals (paternalistic knights) and constitute a problem...... of democratic accountability. The setting of this discussion is unusual for the PSM literature, and takes PSM into the analysis and discussion of motivation and paternalism in trade unions. This setting is relevant and interesting as the election of representatives is based on elections, and hence trade unions...... variables are two dimensions of the PSM construct; namely self-sacrifice and commitment to the public interest, whereas the central independent variable is paternalistic orientation. All three variables are measured with survey constructs in a cross sectional survey design. The survey is made among...

The data envelopment analysis efficiency of public power suppliers. A contribution to the discussion of deregulation; Die DEA-Effizienz oeffentlicher Stromversorger. Ein Beitrag zur Deregulierungsdiskussion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cantner, U; Hanusch, H; Westermann, G

1994-03-01

The emphasis of a draft on the reform of energy legislation from the Federal Ministry of Economics and the emphasis of the general discussion is the so-called third party access and unbundling as well as the new approach to the granting of regional monopolies. In the final analysis the point of all these suggestions is to unbundle supplies and make sure that more competition creates more efficiency. This contribution looks at the empirical aspects of the problem. Some public power supply companies in Germany were selected in order to identify and describe inefficiencies of public power supply in Germany. Part two briefly describes the situation on the sector of ``public power supply`` which the emphasis on the commitment of the public. Part three describes the basics of data envelopment analysis which is then used in part 4 in order to analyse power suppliers. A distinction is made between private and public industry analysis. Part 5 contains some conclusions. (orig./UA) [Deutsch] Im Zentrum des Referentenentwurfs zur Energierechtsreform des Bundeswirtschaftsministeriums sowie in der allgemeinen Diskussion stehen der sogenannte ``third party access``, das ``unbundling`` sowie die Neuregelung der Vergabe von Gebietsmonopolen. Letztendlich geht es bei all diesen Vorschlaegen darum, die Versorgungsleistungen ganz oder teilweise (``unbundling``) aus dem Schutzwall der regulierten Gebietsmonopole herauszunehmen und damit dafuer zu sorgen, dass ueber verstaerkten Wettbewerb eine effizientere Leistungserstellung bewerkstelligt wird. Der vorliegende Beitrag moechte zu diesem Problembereich von empirischer Seite aus Stellung nehmen. Mit Hilfe ausgewaehlter Unternehmen des oeffentlichen Stromversorgungssektors in Deutschland soll untersucht werden, ob und welche Ineffizienzen bei der oeffentlichen Stromversorgung auftreten. Abschnitt 2 beschreibt kurz die Situation im Sektor ``Oeffentlichen Stromversorgung``, wobei ein Schwerpunkt dessen oeffentlicher Auftrag ist. Abschnitt

Sexual Assertiveness Mediates the Associations Between Partner Facilitative Responses and Sexual Outcomes in Women With Provoked Vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

McNicoll, Gabrielle; Corsini-Munt, Serena; O Rosen, Natalie; McDuff, Pierre; Bergeron, Sophie

2017-10-03

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a recurrent idiopathic vulvo-vaginal pain associated with negative sexual and psychological consequences. Facilitative partner responses to pain are currently receiving empirical attention because they are positively associated with women's sexual outcomes. However, the mechanisms through which facilitative responses to pain are associated with these outcomes have not been examined. One potential mechanism is sexual assertiveness, which has been found to be associated with better sexual function and satisfaction in women with PVD. The present study examined whether women's sexual assertiveness mediated the association between women's perception of facilitative partner responses and women's sexual function and satisfaction. Women (N = 140) with PVD symptomatology completed self-reported questionnaires evaluating their perception of their partners' facilitative responses, and their own sexual assertiveness, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction. Dependent measures were sexual function measured by the Female Sexual Function Index and sexual satisfaction assessed by the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale. Results indicated that women's higher sexual assertiveness mediated the association between their greater perceived facilitative partner responses and their improved sexual function and satisfaction. Findings suggest a potential mechanism through which partner responses may be associated with women's sexual outcomes.

Public Reason Renaturalized

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tønder, Lars

2014-01-01

. The article develops this argument via a sensorial orientation to politics that not only re-frames existing critiques of neo-Kantianism but also includes an alternative, renaturalized conception of public reason, one that allows us to overcome the disconnect between the account we give of reason and the way......This article takes up recent discussions of nature and the sensorium in order to rethink public reason in deeply divided societies. The aim is not to reject the role of reason-giving but rather to infuse it with new meaning, bringing the reasonable back to its sensorially inflected circumstances...... it is mobilized in a world of deep pluralism. The article concludes with a discussion of how a renaturalized conception of public reason might change the positioning of contemporary democratic theory vis-a-vis the struggle for empowerment and pluralization in an age of neo-liberalism and state-surveillance....

Bridging interpersonal installation art with tangible business modeling

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mitchell, Robb

2012-01-01

This position paper introduces an exploration of what deploying physical artefacts to enliven discussions about business innovation has in common with building room sized mechanical installations to provoke social interaction.......This position paper introduces an exploration of what deploying physical artefacts to enliven discussions about business innovation has in common with building room sized mechanical installations to provoke social interaction....

Speak Up! Public Speaking for Libraries

OpenAIRE

Felkar, Sarah; Mallette, Michelle; Meunier, Shanna

2010-01-01

Learn about public speaking for libraries in a session that is fun, friendly and not intimidating (as public speaking often can be). The speakers will discuss how public speaking is often an important part of working in a library.

Public-Private Partnership in the EU Public Procurement Regime

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andrecka, Marta

, poses legal challenges for the procurement of PPP contracts. The overall research objective of my doctoral thesis is to analyse, clarify and discuss potential legal challenges resulting from European Union public procurement law - provided in Directive 2004/18/EC – which a public authority is obliged......My PhD research focuses on the relationship between the formation and operation of a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) and public procurement law as a legal framework for the award of the PPP contract. The complex nature of PPP projects including long term high value contracts, long award process...... to apply when awarding a Public-Private Partnership contract, as well as to analyse if a deregulation of PPP’s award framework could potentially resolve these potential legal challenges. The latter consideration of deregulation of PPP award framework is based on comparison of highly regulated European...

Resources for Public Relations Teaching: Facilitating the Growth of Public Relations Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Coombs, Timothy

2001-01-01

Discusses briefly events (including a 1998 summer conference, a report, and a 1999 Pre-Conference) leading up to this themed issue on public relations teaching. Introduces the seven remaining articles in the issue which represent six different content areas to be covered in a public relations curriculum, and which reflects recommendations for…

Discussion and acceptance of technology-induced risks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Esser, R.

1986-01-01

The Gesellschaft fuer Sicherheitswissenschaft (GfS) chose as the main topic of its 7th International Summer Symposium held from May 26-28, 1986 the question of how our highly industrialized society, which not only lives on industry's efficiency, but also has to live with its technological risks, copes with this challenge. About 200 experts gathered for the seminar and discussed about 30 lectures presented, dealing with subjects such as: Technological risks between law and practice; - Risk minimization as a public good; - Risks and related problems, and safety science; - Do the institutionalized procedures create more safety. (orig./HP) [de

Innovation in the ‘Public Sector’

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perry, Kevin

Governments around the world advance innovation as a significant means to improving public services (Walker, 2006:311). Within this discussion the word innovation seems to be used habitually by policy makers where there are high expectations in relation to reviving, boosting and renewing the flag......Governments around the world advance innovation as a significant means to improving public services (Walker, 2006:311). Within this discussion the word innovation seems to be used habitually by policy makers where there are high expectations in relation to reviving, boosting and renewing...... the flagging economies and the public sector services. Within this context, innovation in the public sector is recognized as a vital factor in meeting the challenges of globalization and demographic changes, and simultaneously sustaining a high level of public services to citizens and businesses. However...

PhD by Publication: A Student's Perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Kanowski

2008-01-01

Full Text Available This article presents the first author's experiences as an Australian doctoral student undertaking a PhD by publication in the arena of the social sciences. She published nine articles in refereed journals and a peer-reviewed book chapter during the course of her PhD. We situate this experience in the context of current discussion about doctoral publication practices, in order to inform both postgraduate students and academics in general. The article discusses recent thinking about PhD by publication and identifies the factors that students should consider prior to adopting this approach, in terms of university requirements, supervisors' attitudes, the research subject matter, intellectual property, capacity and working style, and issues of co-authorship. It then outlines our perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of undertaking a PhD by publication. We suggest that, in general, the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. We conclude by reflecting on how the first author's experiences relate to current discussions about fostering publications by doctoral students.

Howell John HARRIS. Bloodless Victories : The Rise and Fall of the Open Shop in the Philadelphia Metal Trades, 1890-1940.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Joseph A. McCartin

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Howell John Harris’s magisterial history of labor relations in the Philadelphia metal trades has provoked surprisingly little discussion thus far in the United States. Three years after its publication, the book had garnered only a smattering of reviews by labor historians. Indeed, the U.S. journal of record, Labor History, had yet to review the book. Nor had this long-awaited volume by a well-known and passionate participant in U.S. labor historians’ debates drawn the attention of scholarly ...

“Revising Nabokov Revising”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marie Bouchet

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Nabokov revised his works as he translated them and, on another plane, canon revisionism has been having its backlash and provoked other refracting waves. The purpose of the conference was to advance Nabokov studies through the discussion of how our view of Nabokov’s standing and his works today should be revised, especially after the publication of The Original of Laura. However the conference was not confined to just this theme, since “revising” is a word rich with implications. To borrow s...

Summary of presentations and discussions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Takeuchi, Mitsuo

2008-01-01

In December 2007, the Forum on Stakeholder Confidence discussed its theme entitled 'Link between research, development and demonstration (RD and D) and stakeholder confidence'. It was remarked that regulators need a technical demonstration to aid in evaluating the safety case. Local stakeholders appreciate the opportunity to visualise technological arrangements. In both cases, demonstration adds to confidence in the feasibility of solutions. Some believe there is an important role for analogues in communication with stakeholders, if handled with integrity. To explore and benchmark current practices, it was decided to hold a topical session at the 9. regular meeting of the FSC on 4 June 2008 regarding the use of analogues for confidence building. The session opened with an introductory presentation by the session rapporteur. This incorporated input provided for the purpose by FSC members in cooperation with their country's representative to the NEA RWMC 'Integration Group on the Safety Case'. Three speakers then presented the various uses of analogues by implementers, regulators and scientists to build their own confidence; a fourth speaker dealt with the experience of using natural analogues in public information. The presentations addressed the use of analogues in the field of geological disposal of high-level waste (HLW) and long-lived intermediate level (ILW-LL) radioactive waste. Then the FSC participants split into two working groups for discussion. The outcome of these discussions was reported in plenary on 6 June 2008 and it was agreed to publish proceedings of the session. The present summary, prepared by the session rapporteur with input from the NEA Secretariat, captures the main points heard in the course of the event. It combines data from the formal presentations and remarks made in discussion. The latter represent viewpoints expressed by a group whose primary focus is not natural analogues but rather stakeholder interests. The summary and viewpoints

Disease-Related Microstructural Differences in the Brain in Women With Provoked Vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Arpana; Woodworth, Davis C; Ellingson, Benjamin M; Rapkin, Andrea J; Naliboff, Bruce; Kilpatrick, Lisa A; Stains, Jean; Masghati, Salome; Tillisch, Kirsten; Mayer, Emeran A; Labus, Jennifer S

2018-05-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a chronic pelvic pain disorder affecting 16% of the female population. Neuroimaging studies have highlighted central abnormalities in PVD, similar to other chronic pelvic pain disorders, including brain regions involved in sensory processing and modulation of pain. The aim of the study was to determine alterations in the subvoxel, microstructural organization within tissues in PVD compared with healthy control participants (HCs) and a disease control group (irritable bowel syndrome [IBS]). Diffusion tensor imaging magnetic resonance imaging was conducted in 87 age-matched premenopausal women (29 PVD, 29 HCs, 29 IBS). Statistical parameter mapping of fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) maps were used to identify microstructural difference in the brain specific to PVD or shared with IBS. PVD alterations in microstructural organization of the brain were predominantly observed in fibers associated with sensorimotor integration and pain processing that relay information between the thalamus, basal ganglia, sensorimotor, and insular cortex. PVD, compared with HCs, showed extensive increases in the FA of somatosensory and basal ganglia regions. In contrast, PVD and IBS subjects did not show any FA-related group differences. PVD subjects showed greater MD in the basal ganglia compared with HCs (higher MD in the internal capsule and pallidum) and IBS (higher MD in the putamen and pallidum). Increases in MD were associated with increased vaginal muscle tenderness and vulvar pain. The current findings highlight possible shared mechanisms between 2 different pelvic pain disorders, but also highlight the widespread alterations observed specifically in PVD compared with HCs. Alterations in microstructure in PVD were observed in fibers associated with sensorimotor integration and pain processing, which were also associated with increased vaginal muscle tenderness and vulvar pain. These alterations may be contributing to increased

Going Public: Networking Globally and Locally

Science.gov (United States)

Sachs, Carolyn E.

2007-01-01

Rural sociologists figure prominently in the move towards public sociology. The paper takes up Michael Burawoy's call for public sociology and discusses what rural sociologists have to offer to publics and how we stand to gain as a discipline in working with publics. The paper argues that rural sociologists' ability to adopt a cosmopolitan view…

Background discussion document on energy in New Brunswick, 1990-2000

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1990-01-01

Outline of the role of governments and the private sector in energy development and detailed discussion of energy supply and demand, including indigenous and imported energy supplies and projections of electrical energy demand to 2000. Energy efficiency and conservation is presented as a cornerstone and major initiative to help meet the expected energy needs of the future. A number of major projects being considered in the electrical energy development area are outlined for the 1990s. Details are given on environmental effects and the need for sustainable development. The report concludes with a discussion of transportion and the need for R D. This document is the initial step in the development of a provincial energy policy and is intended to serve as a background discussion paper for the public consultation process.

'The Public Spectre'

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jepsen, Kim Sune Karrasch; Bertilsson, Margareta; Delgado, Ana

2016-01-01

This paper is concerned with how forms of publics come into being in situations of technological innovation and change. The paper attends to sudden social formations which arise as responses to what is perceived of as threatening socio-technical inventions into the routine of everyday social life....... We revisit the Dewey-Lippmann debate, and we look at spontaneous citizens’ reactions towards emerging technologies such as Google Street View as well as we discuss some institutionally organized events of public engagement with science. As we explore the formation of publics inside and outside...

Public health services and systems research: current state of finance research.

Science.gov (United States)

Ingram, Richard C; Bernet, Patrick M; Costich, Julia F

2012-11-01

There is a growing recognition that the US public health system should strive for efficiency-that it should determine the optimal ways to utilize limited resources to improve and protect public health. The field of public health finance research is a critical part of efforts to understand the most efficient ways to use resources. This article discusses the current state of public health finance research through a review of public health finance literature, chronicles important lessons learned from public health finance research to date, discusses the challenges faced by those seeking to conduct financial research on the public health system, and discusses the role of public health finance research in relation to the broader endeavor of Public Health Services and Systems Research.

Determination Public Acceptance Segmentation for Nuclear Power Program Interest

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Syirrazie Che Soh; Aini Wahidah Abdul Wahab

2012-01-01

This paper is focus to discuss segmentation aspect among inter-disciplinary group of public. This discussion is the pre-stage to ensure the right initiative strategies are implemented to gain public interest and acceptance towards on developing nuclear power plant. The applied strategies are implemented based on different interest among the different groups of public. These strategies may increase public acceptance level towards developing nuclear power plant. (author)

ENS PIME '98: 10th international workshop on nuclear public information in practice. Transactions. Case studies, discussion documents, posters, videos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

This proceedings includes papers dealing with public acceptance of nuclear power, young generation project; descriptions of visitor centres; internet usage in advertising and public information; role of nuclear power under market deregulation circumstances; waste issues; role of WANO and WIN (Women in nuclear) organizations in public education and/or information; political aspects; dealing with environmentalists and opponents; education and motivation of 'nuclear' workers

ENS PIME '98: 10th international workshop on nuclear public information in practice. Transactions. Case studies, discussion documents, posters, videos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

This proceedings includes papers dealing with public acceptance of nuclear power, young generation project; descriptions of visitor centres; internet usage in advertising and public information; role of nuclear power under market deregulation circumstances; waste issues; role of WANO and WIN (Women in nuclear) organizations in public education and/or information; political aspects; dealing with environmentalists and opponents; education and motivation of 'nuclear' workers.

76 FR 53454 - Exposure Modeling Public Meeting; Notice of Public Meeting

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-26

... Exposure Modeling Public Meeting will be held for presentation and discussion of current issues related to... Exponential Concentration Decline with Application to Riparian-Aquatic Pesticide Ecotoxicity. 4. Pesticide...

Reclaiming public space: designing for public interaction with private devices

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Eriksson, Eva; Hansen, Thomas Riisgaard; Lykke-Olesen, Andreas

2007-01-01

. In this paper we explore the implications of interacting in public space and how technology can be rethought to not only act as personal devices, but be the tool to reclaim the right and possibility to interact in public spaces. We introduce information exchange, social support and regulation as three central......Public spaces are changing from being ungoverned places for interaction to be more formalized, controlled, less interactive, and designed places aimed at fulfilling a purpose. Simultaneously, new personal mobile technology aims at providing private individual spaces in the public domain...... aspects for reclaiming public space. The PhotoSwapper application is presented as an example of a system designed to integrate pervasive technology in a public setting. The system is strongly inspired by the activities at a traditional market place. Based on the design of the application we discuss four...

Fructose during pregnancy provokes fetal oxidative stress: The key role of the placental heme oxygenase-1.

Science.gov (United States)

Rodrigo, Silvia; Rodríguez, Lourdes; Otero, Paola; Panadero, María I; García, Antonia; Barbas, Coral; Roglans, Núria; Ramos, Sonia; Goya, Luis; Laguna, Juan C; Álvarez-Millán, Juan J; Bocos, Carlos

2016-12-01

One of the features of metabolic syndrome caused by liquid fructose intake is an impairment of redox status. We have investigated whether maternal fructose ingestion modifies the redox status in pregnant rats and their fetuses. Fructose (10% wt/vol) in the drinking water of rats throughout gestation, leads to maternal hepatic oxidative stress. However, this change was also observed in glucose-fed rats and, in fact, both carbohydrates produced a decrease in antioxidant enzyme activity. Surprisingly, mothers fed carbohydrates displayed low plasma lipid oxidation. In contrast, fetuses from fructose-fed mothers showed elevated levels of plasma lipoperoxides versus fetuses from control or glucose-fed mothers. Interestingly, a clearly augmented oxidative stress was observed in placenta of fructose-fed mothers, accompanied by a lower expression of the transcription factor Nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) and its target gene, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), a potent antioxidant molecule. Moreover, histone deacetylase 3 (HDAC3) that has been proposed to upregulate HO-1 expression by stabilizing Nrf2, exhibited a diminished expression in placenta of fructose-supplemented mothers. Maternal fructose intake provoked an imbalanced redox status in placenta and a clear diminution of HO-1 expression, which could be responsible for the augmented oxidative stress found in their fetuses. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Upregulations of Clcn3 and P-Gp Provoked by Lens Osmotic Expansion in Rat Galactosemic Cataract

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lixia Ji

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Objective. Lens osmotic expansion, provoked by overactivated aldose reductase (AR, is the most essential event of sugar cataract. Chloride channel 3 (Clcn3 is a volume-sensitive channel, mainly participating in the regulation of cell fundamental volume, and P-glycoprotein (P-gp acts as its modulator. We aim to study whether P-gp and Clcn3 are involved in lens osmotic expansion of galactosemic cataract. Methods and Results. In vitro, lens epithelial cells (LECs were primarily cultured in gradient galactose medium (10–60 mM, more and more vacuoles appeared in LEC cytoplasm, and mRNA and protein levels of AR, P-gp, and Clcn3 were synchronously upregulated along with the increase of galactose concentration. In vivo, we focused on the early stage of rat galactosemic cataract, amount of vacuoles arose from equatorial area and scattered to the whole anterior capsule of lenses from the 3rd day to the 9th day, and mRNA and protein levels of P-gp and Clcn3 reached the peak around the 9th or 12th day. Conclusion. Galactosemia caused the osmotic stress in lenses; it also markedly leads to the upregulations of AR, P-gp, and Clcn3 in LECs, together resulting in obvious osmotic expansion in vitro and in vivo.

Optimal duration of anticoagulation. Provoked versus unprovoked VTE and role of adjunctive thrombophilia and imaging tests.

Science.gov (United States)

Prandoni, Paolo; Barbar, Sofia; Milan, Marta; Campello, Elena; Spiezia, Luca; Piovella, Chiara; Pesavento, Raffaele

2015-06-01

Once anticoagulation is stopped, the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) over years after a first episode is consistently around 30%. This risk is higher in patients with unprovoked than in those with (transient) provoked VTE, and among the latter in patients with medical than in those with surgical risk factors. Baseline parameters that have been found to be related to the risk of recurrent VTE are the proximal location of deep-vein thrombosis, obesity, old age, male sex and non-0 blood group, whereas the role of inherited thrombophilia is controversial. The persistence of residual vein thrombosis at ultrasound assessment has consistently been shown to increase the risk, as do persistently high values of D-dimer and the early development of the post-thrombotic syndrome. Although the latest international guidelines suggest indefinite anticoagulation for most patients with the first episode of unprovoked VTE, strategies that incorporate the assessment of residual vein thrombosis and D-dimer have the potential to identify subjects in whom anticoagulation can be safely discontinued. Moreover, new opportunities are offered by a few emerging anti-Xa and anti-IIa oral compounds, which are likely to induce fewer haemorrhagic complications than vitamin K antagonists while preserving the same effectiveness; and by low-dose aspirin, which has the potential to prevent the occurrence of both venous and arterial thrombotic events.

The Materiality of Territorial Production - A Conceptual Discussion of Territoriality, Materiality and the Everyday Life of Public Space

OpenAIRE

Kärrholm, Mattias

2007-01-01

This article brings together research on territoriality and actor-network theory in order to develop new ways of investigating the role of materiality and material design in the territorial power relations of urban public places. Using the public square as a main example, I suggest some new ways of conceptualizing the production and stabilization of territories in the everyday urban environment. Setting out from a brief outline of the history of territoriality research, I re-appropriate the t...

Competence Development in the Public Sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hjort, Katrin

2009-01-01

The article analyses the popular concept of Competence Development as constructed of at least three different discourses (Life Long Learning, New Public Management and professionalisation) and discusses the relations between the transformations of the public sectors in Scandinavian Welfare States......, Competence Development and Professionalisation/Deprofessionalisation among the public employees....

Tris-(2,3-Dibromopropyl Isocyanurate, a New Emerging Pollutant, Impairs Cognition and Provokes Depression-Like Behaviors in Adult Rats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Liang Ye

Full Text Available Tris-(2,3-dibromopropyl isocyanurate (TDBP-TAZTO, an emerging brominated flame retardant, possesses the characteristics of candidate persistent organic pollutants and has displayed toxicity to fish and rodents. TDBP-TAZTO can pass through the blood brain barrier and accumulate in brain. However, the neurotoxicity of TDBP-TAZTO has not yet studied in rodents. We hypothesize that TDBP-TAZTO could induce the neurotoxicity in rat hippocampal neurons. The male adult rats were exposed to TDBP-TAZTO of 5 and 50 mg/kg by gavage, daily for 6 months. TDBP-TAZTO resulted in cognitive impairment and depression-like behaviors, which may be related with TDBP-TAZTO-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis hyperactivation, upregulation of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers, overexpression of pro-apoptotic proteins, downexpression of neurogenesis-related proteins in hippocampus, and hippocampal neurons damage in DG, CA1 and CA3 areas. Our findings suggested that TDBP-TAZTO induces significant hippocampal neurotoxicity, which provokes cognitive impairment and depression-like behaviors in adult rats. Therefore, this research will contribute to evaluate the neurotoxic effects of TDBP-TAZTO in human.

Public participation in nuclear waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schilling, A.H.; Nealey, S.M.

1979-04-01

The recent report of the Interagency Review Group (IRG) on Nuclear Waste Management formalized what has become increasingly clear in recent years: public participation in nuclear waste management decisions is a fact of life and will be more emphasized in the future than in the past. The purpose of this paper is to discuss, and stimulate discussion, of major issues which must be considered before attempting to design and implement a program to encourage public participation in this complex and sensitive area. Public participation is a term with many possible meanings. The term is used here to stand for a very wide range of activities including: providing information about programs and intended actions, seeking advice or permission from state or local officials, conducting public meetings to announce plans and receive reactions, conducting hearings, establishing consultative panels of outside experts or special interest group members, and even conducting surveys of public opinion and concern. This paper is not a proposal or a set of specific recommendations, but a stimulus to thought and discussion. It was prepared with DOE's role in waste management in mind, and benefits from the authors' opportunity to observe the public participation process in this topic area to data. The paper is organized into four sections that take account of (1) past participation efforts, (2) why public participation is necessary and what might be gained by it, (3) considerations in designing a participation program, and (4) major principles involved in conducting a public participation program, including a brief review of participation procedures

Summary of panel discussion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Alang Md Rashid, Nahrul Khair [Malaysian Inst. for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT), Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Durante, R W [American Nuclear Society (United States); Hagiwara, Miyuki [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment; Gupta, M; Nitschke, R L [Lockheed Martin Idaho Technologies Co., Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Basfar, A A [Inst. of Atomic Energy Research, Riyadh (Saudi Arabia); Osman, Mohamad [National Univ. of Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia). Dept. of Genetics

1997-12-01

The chairman noted that the main item raised is still public acceptance. other items being safety, financial, and the economics of technology. On public acceptance the chairman commented that the weight of the `displeasure` of the public is not uniform across the spectrum of applications of nuclear science and technology thus the nuclear science and technology should capitalise on the areas in which the public has little apprehension. Further, since public acceptance is a crucial factor, then it must be strengthened. One of the means by which this could be achieved is by exploiting the non-power applications of the technology in various other sectors. sectors.

Summary of panel discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nahrul Khair Alang Md Rashid; Durante, R.W.; Miyuki Hagiwara; Basfar, A. A.; Mohamad Osman

1997-01-01

The chairman noted that the main item raised is still public acceptance. other items being safety, financial, and the economics of technology. On public acceptance the chairman commented that the weight of the 'displeasure' of the public is not uniform across the spectrum of applications of nuclear science and technology thus the nuclear science and technology should capitalise on the areas in which the public has little apprehension. Further, since public acceptance is a crucial factor, then it must be strengthened. One of the means by which this could be achieved is by exploiting the non-power applications of the technology in various other sectors. sectors

Student-Created Public Relations for Gifted Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Bisland, Amy

2003-01-01

This article discusses the benefits of student participation in a gifted public relations campaign, including creating public support for gifted programming and developing leadership skills. Steps for developing a formal unit of instruction on public relations are described, along with ideas for public relations activities. (Contains references.)…

Can Fear, Pain, and Muscle Tension Discriminate Vaginismus from Dyspareunia/Provoked Vestibulodynia? Implications for the New DSM-5 Diagnosis of Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Lahaie, Marie-Andrée; Amsel, Rhonda; Khalifé, Samir; Boyer, Stephanie; Faaborg-Andersen, Marie; Binik, Yitzchak M

2015-08-01

Fear has been suggested as the crucial diagnostic variable that may distinguish vaginismus from dyspareunia. Unfortunately, this has not been systematically investigated. The primary purpose of this study, therefore, was to investigate whether fear as evaluated by subjective, behavioral, and psychophysiological measures could differentiate women with vaginismus from those with dyspareunia/provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) and controls. A second aim was to re-examine whether genital pain and pelvic floor muscle tension differed between vaginismus and dyspareunia/PVD sufferers. Fifty women with vaginismus, 50 women with dyspareunia/PVD, and 43 controls participated in an experimental session comprising a structured interview, pain sensitivity testing, a filmed gynecological examination, and several self-report measures. Results demonstrated that fear and vaginal muscle tension were significantly greater in the vaginismus group as compared to the dyspareunia/PVD and no-pain control groups. Moreover, behavioral measures of fear and vaginal muscle tension were found to discriminate the vaginismus group from the dyspareunia/PVD and no-pain control groups. Genital pain did not differ significantly between the vaginismus and dyspareunia/PVD groups; however, genital pain was found to discriminate both clinical groups from controls. Despite significant statistical differences on fear and vaginal muscle tension variables between women suffering from vaginismus and dyspareunia/PVD, a large overlap was observed between these conditions. These findings may explain the great difficulty health professionals experience in attempting to reliably differentiate vaginismus from dyspareunia/PVD. The implications of these data for the new DSM-5 diagnosis of Genito-Pelvic Pain/Penetration Disorder are discussed.

Suppression and repression: A theoretical discussion illustrated by a movie

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Lucia de Souza Campos Paiva

2012-02-01

Full Text Available The first translations of Freud's work into Portuguese have presented problems because they were not translated from the German language. More than a hundred years after the beginning of Psychoanalysis, there are still many discussions on Freud's metapsychology and a considerable difficulty in obtaining a consensus on the translation of some concepts. This paper refers back to Freud's concepts of primal repression, repression and suppression. In order to discuss such concepts, we have made use of a film, co-produced by Germans and Argentineans, which is named "The Song in me" (Das Lied in mir, released to the public in 2011 and directed by Florian Micoud Cossen. Through this motion picture, the following of Freud's concepts are analyzed, and the differentiation between them is discussed: suppression and repression, as well as the importance of their precise translation.

An instance of secularization? The Finnish online discussion of the issue of same-sex marriages

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenni Hokka

2013-01-01

Full Text Available In October 2010 one of Finland’s four national TV channels aired a panel discussion dealing with gay and lesbian rights in society. Among the debaters were members of parliament from various parties, well-known actors and other public figures, as well as a priest, a bishop and other religious spokespeople. Afterwards, a great number of people publicly expressed their views on same-sex marriages. The ways the Lutheran Church treated the same-sex couples, as well as the reasons and outcomes of a vast number of resignations from the Church were discussed, particularly in the online discussion forums. The public discussion spread rapidly, especially through the social media. Resignations from the Church are often perceived as a clear sign of the decline of religious beliefs and practices, which is an integral aspect of the secularization process. But lately the whole notion of a secularization of society has been questioned and a growing number of researchers have stated that the concepts of resacralization, desecularization, or a resurgence of religion would actually better describe the current situation than the theory of secularization. The aim of this article is to examine whether the concept of secularization still has some explanatory power at least in the Nordic countries. Another aim is to contemplate what kind of knowledge this special case has to offer when rethinking secularization.

Public perceptions of risk

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mann, J.M.

1983-01-01

Public perceptions of risk will probably always be unsatisfying to a scientist. Public perceptions are formed by the actions of institutions which have goals other than formation of an informed public opinion, such as the schools, the media, business and the government. In this environment, it seems unrealistic to expect public opinion to reflect scientific realities. The talk will focus on the media as an opinion-former and will discuss several non-nuclear issues as illustrations: plague in New Mexico, Toxic Shock Syndrome, and Injuries as a Public Health Problem. Ultimately however, we are confronted with two wonderfully complex matters: can risk be adequately expressed or measured in universally comprehensible or broadly acceptable terms; and the mysterious movements of the public and collective mind

Public power costs less

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moody, D.

1993-01-01

The reasons why residential customers of public power utilities paid less for power than private sector customers is discussed. Residential customers of investor-owned utilities (IOU's) paid average rates that were 28% above those paid by customers by possibly owned systems during 1990. The reasons for this disparity are that management costs faced by public power systems are below those of private power companies, indicating a greater efficiency of management among public power systems, and customer accounts expenses averaged $33.00 per customer for publicly owned electric utilities compared to $39.00 per customer for private utilities

Corruption, Growth, and Public Finances

OpenAIRE

Vito Tanzi; Hamid R Davoodi

2000-01-01

The paper discusses some channels through which corruption affects growth such as the impact of corruption on enterprises, on the allocation of talent, and on investment. It also discusses the impact of corruption on some aspects of public finance.

Parents' online discussions about children's dental caries: A critical content analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Milne, Avery; Weijs, Cynthia A; Haines-Saah, Rebecca J; McLaren, Lindsay

2017-09-14

Through an analysis of postings to an online parenting forum, we aimed to explore the many ways in which parents orient to (i.e., take up, challenge, re-articulate) information about child dental health in the context of their online interactions. Our analysis is anchored in Nettleton's theoretical work on dental authority and power, which we apply in a digital context. We examined discussion threads from the public online forums on BabyCenter Canada. We identified relevant threads using the site search function and keywords related to dental health, with a focus on dental caries (tooth decay), related care behaviours (e.g., toothbrushing), and the controversial issue of fluoride. Following descriptive content coding, we applied a critical lens to unpack themes related to expert knowledge, gender and parenting online cultures. We analyzed 479 relevant threads. Our findings focus on two central themes: the tension between parents' views and those of dental health professionals; and, the gendered, cultural roles and expectations that position mothers as primarily responsible for the care of children's dental health. Though these themes are not new, our findings show that they persist in the digital context where social divisions (e.g., expert/non-expert) may be blurred. Our analysis of online discussions provides an opportunity to think critically about ways in which parents engage with public health, in digital contexts. Although some mothers express disconnect when communicating with dental professionals, they are very engaged and concerned with dental health issues for their children. A challenge for dental public health is to find ways to shift perspective towards recognizing that the target population is empowered and already engaged in discussions of research evidence and clinical encounters on their own terms, facilitated by an online context.

Public meetings

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2014-01-01

  Public meetings : Come and talk about your future employment conditions !   The Staff Association will come and present the results of our survey on the 2015 five-yearly review. Following the survey, the topics discussed, will be contract policy, recognition of merit (MARS), working time arrangements and family policy. After each meeting and around a cup of coffee or tea you will be able to continue the discussions. Do not hesitate to join us, the five-yearly review, it is with YOU!

Business challenges in the vendor community. Panel Discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamm, Steve; Sauger, John; Marano, Mark; Shave, Dana; Pierce, Robert; Smiarowski, Michael W.

2001-01-01

Full text of publication follows: The nuclear business community is undergoing immense changes and challenges due to consolidation of the power industry and plant owners, shifts in the needs of plant owners, addition of new competitors, loss of old competitors, aging of the workforce, loss of personnel to competing industries, and the advances in electronic communications. These changes have significantly perturbed existing business models and relationships in the nuclear industry as well as the broader power, engineering, construction, equipment, and commodities fields. Vendors have responded to these challenges in a number of different ways. The participants for this panel have been selected from a diverse set of vendor organization types so that a broad spectrum of evaluation and approaches will be discussed. The participants in this panel discussion will provide insights into their views of the challenges to a successful nuclear business. They will provide insights into the expectations and approaches by each party in the client vendor relationship. Also discussed will be an overview of the strategies that each panelist views as potential success paths to nurture and grow the client-vendor relationship today with their insights into the future. (authors)

Publics and vaccinomics: beyond public understanding of science.

Science.gov (United States)

Einsiedel, Edna F

2011-09-01

Vaccines have been among the most effective tools for addressing global public health challenges. With the advent of genomics, novel approaches for vaccine discovery are opening up new opportunities for vaccine development and applications, particularly with the expectation of personalized vaccines and the possibility of addressing a broader range of infectious diseases. In this context, it is useful to reflect on the social contexts of vaccine development as these have been influenced by social, ethical, political challenges. This article discusses the historical context of vaccine controversies and factors that help explain public acceptance and resistance, illustrating that these challenges go well beyond simple public misunderstandings. The broader vaccine challenges evident along the innovation trajectory, from development to commercialization and implementation include problems in research and development, organizational issues, and legal and regulatory challenges that may collectively contribute to public resistance or confidence. The recent history of genomics provides further lessons that the developing field of vaccinomics can learn from.

IRIS Bimonthly Public Meeting (Apr 2014)

Science.gov (United States)

EPA hosted a public meeting/webinar to provide an opportunity for the public to give input and participate in an open discussion regarding several IRIS chemical assessments for Diethyl Phthalate (DEP) and Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD).

Financing Public Service Broadcasting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Berg, Christian Edelvold; Lund, Anker Brink

2012-01-01

Broadcasting (PSB) financing regimes in Europe, concluding that Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden may still be considered conventional, licence fee PSB countries, but with some interesting differences in relation to competitive and market oriented alternatives of resource provision......Recently several European countries have abolished the traditional public service licence fee system, replacing it with direct public funding. But except for Iceland, the Nordic countries have not followed suit. The article discusses this development within a comparative framework of Public Service...

The Oregon Public Health Policy Institute: Building Competencies for Public Health Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Yoon, Jangho; Bernell, Stephanie; Tynan, Michael; Alvarado, Carla Sarai; Eversole, Tom; Mosbaek, Craig; Beathard, Candice

2015-01-01

The Oregon Public Health Policy Institute (PHPI) was designed to enhance public health policy competencies among state and local health department staff. The Oregon Health Authority funded the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University to develop the PHPI curriculum in 2012 and offer it to participants from 4 state public health programs and 5 local health departments in 2013. The curriculum interspersed short instructional sessions on policy development, implementation, and evaluation with longer hands-on team exercises in which participants applied these skills to policy topics their teams had selected. Panel discussions provided insights from legislators and senior Oregon health experts. Participants reported statistically significant increases in public health policy competencies and high satisfaction with PHPI overall. PMID:26066925

Public scientific communication: reflections on the public and its participation forms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter Sekloča

2009-09-01

Full Text Available Scientific communication also pertains to the domain of society, where the formation of public opinion about science and technology is taking place. Concerning this process, two main points are exposed in the commentary. The first is a proposition on how the public as a social category may be conceptualized, and the second is the extent of the participation of members of the public in strengthening socialization and democratization practices in new, highly complex, contexts of scientific research. The public is conceptualized to include all citizens no matter their professional origin, including scientists, which promotes the idea of openness and equality of the public sphere where scientific issues are discussed. To be democratic in its practical-political setting, such a conception needs to deal with the problems of participation in a highly mediatized world, where not every member of the public could be included into scientific research. The author thus reflects on the mechanisms which would enable the formation of public forums where the trust of influential public actors as stakeholders of research can be tested.

Measuring effects of public procurement of innovation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rolfstam, Max

Underway for quite some time now has been the discussion on using public procurement as a means to stimulate innovation. However - with some exceptions this has been mainly a conceptual discussion vastly surpassed a corresponding development of appropriate monitoring tools. Also, even if both...... qualitative and quantitative studies have been made, they tend to lack connection to the underlying mechanisms envisaged in the conceptual and/or case based literature. A challenge in this endeavour prevails in the nature of how public procurement of innovation works. Some of the effects rendered may...... about the usefulness of public procurement of innovation are at all realistic and feasible in practice. After reviewing different currently available means to measure both public procurement of innovation measures, as well as public procurement of innovation, the paper outlines a case-based approach...

Public relations in Europe: A kaleidoscopic picture

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Ruler, A.A.; Vercic, D.; Flodin, B.; Buetschi, G.

2001-01-01

Focuses on the Delphi research project, a part of the European Public Relations Body of Knowledge project, which questions the existence of a European authenticity of public relations. Description of the study design; Discussion on public relations as a professional management function; Conclusions.

A New Agenda for Teaching Public Administration and Public Policy in Brazil: Institutional Opportunities and Educational Reasons

Science.gov (United States)

Gomes, Sandra; Almeida, Lindijane S. B.; Lucio, Magda L.

2016-01-01

This article discusses the reasons and teaching objectives of an array of new undergraduate courses on public administration and public policy management which have emerged recently in Brazil. While in 2001 there were only two undergraduate courses teaching formal public administration in the country, by 2015, they had risen to 40, and also…

Compliance with public dose limits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mason, G.C.

1991-01-01

Radiation, in various forms, is ubiquitous in the environment. Natural background radiation leads to an average radiation exposure for the general population of about 2 mSv per year. The mining and milling of radioactive ores - uranium and mineral sands - may cause a small increase in radiation exposure for some members of the public. Because any such increment in exposure is small compared with a natural exposure that is variable and difficult to quantify accurately, it is not easy to determine what proportion of the total dose received by a member of the public can be attributed to mining and milling activities. Consequently, because public dose limits apply and to those doses caused by human activity, such as mining and milling, the task of demonstrating compliance can be hampered by uncertainty. Some strategies for handling this situation are discussed. While the discussion concentrates on public dose limits, much of it may also be applicable, or adaptable, to occupational exposure. 4 refs., 2 figs

The public debate on CIGEO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

This document first indicates the two laws which govern the public debate on the storage of high activity and long life wastes. It reports the progress of this public debate which started with a statement of 45 associations committed in the protection of environment saying they will not participate to this debate. A first debate in Bures had to be very quickly stopped as these opponents irrupted into the room. The vision of these opponents is very briefly presented. The reaction of public debate organizers is indicated. The results of the debate are briefly discussed. It appears that the ethical aspect is often raised by the opponents and this document outlines that their reactions were mostly irrational. The major issues of the debate have been: risks related to water, hydrogen and earthquake, costs and financing, transport safety, the loss of geological resources, job creation, and governance. The various aspects of this public debate are commented and discussed

Barriers to public participation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patten, E.

1986-01-01

When one talks of public involvement, one immediately thinks of a public hearing. Six problems with the public hearing system are listed and discussed. The constraints involved in the public hearing process are: 1) asking for technical information from general folks; 2) overwhelming the public with complex information; 3) having a format that intimidates the speaker and allows no opportunity for useful dialogue; 4) obtaining a skewed picture of an issue because one hasn't had truly representative comments; 5) citizens having overblown expectations of what public involvement means, and becoming frustrated and cynical when their advice isn't heeded; and 6) convincing the powers that be that a comprehensive program is a wise investment. The second half of this paper lists 21 other forms of public participation, giving a description of each form, its purpose, and brief comments on its advantages

Policy for setting and assessing regulatory safety goals. Peer discussions on regulatory practices

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-10-01

This publication pertains to future planning for enhancement of good practices and it describes the experience to date in developing and implementing the policy for setting and assessing regulatory safety goals for nuclear facilities in 22 Member States. Senior regulators from these 22 Member States participated in four Peer Group discussions in 1993/94 which considered the policy used for setting and assessing regulatory safety goals. This publication presents the consensus views reached by the majority of these senior regulators.

Policy for setting and assessing regulatory safety goals. Peer discussions on regulatory practices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-10-01

This publication pertains to future planning for enhancement of good practices and it describes the experience to date in developing and implementing the policy for setting and assessing regulatory safety goals for nuclear facilities in 22 Member States. Senior regulators from these 22 Member States participated in four Peer Group discussions in 1993/94 which considered the policy used for setting and assessing regulatory safety goals. This publication presents the consensus views reached by the majority of these senior regulators

Scientists Shaping the Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

Abraham, J. A.; Weymann, R.; Mandia, S. A.; Ashley, M.

2011-12-01

Scientific studies which directly impact the larger society require an engagement between the scientists and the larger public. With respect to research on climate change, many third-party groups report on scientific findings and thereby serve as an intermediary between the scientist and the public. In many cases, the third-party reporting misinterprets the findings and conveys inaccurate information to the media and the public. To remedy this, many scientists are now taking a more active role in conveying their work directly to interested parties. In addition, some scientists are taking the further step of engaging with the general public to answer basic questions related to climate change - even on sub-topics which are unrelated to scientists' own research. Nevertheless, many scientists are reluctant to engage the general public or the media. The reasons for scientific reticence are varied but most commonly are related to fear of public engagement, concern about the time required to properly engage the public, or concerns about the impact to their professional reputations. However, for those scientists who are successful, these engagement activities provide many benefits. Scientists can increase the impact of their work, and they can help society make informed choices on significant issues, such as mitigating global warming. Here we provide some concrete steps that scientists can take to ensure that their public engagement is successful. These steps include: (1) cultivating relationships with reporters, (2) crafting clear, easy to understand messages that summarize their work, (3) relating science to everyday experiences, and (4) constructing arguments which appeal to a wide-ranging audience. With these steps, we show that scientists can efficiently deal with concerns that would otherwise inhibit their public engagement. Various resources will be provided that allow scientists to continue work on these key steps.

Energy and society in 2050. The Netherlands in different worlds. Discussion paper

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noordhoek, J.

2000-01-01

This publication is intended to stimulate ideas and discussion about the Netherlands energy supply in the long term. The text is in two parts: (1) the central section: Energy and society in 2050: the Netherlands in Different Worlds; and (2) the factual background in Annexes 1 and 2

Discussion on the impact of large commercial airplane to nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tang Bo

2010-01-01

Briefly introducing the 10CFR50.150, draft guide and technical document of United States which is issued recently by NRC and NEI on impact of large commercial airplane to nuclear power plant, introducing comments from society and public and responses from NRC, and briefly discussing relevant issues. (author)

Religion in the public sphere: What can public theology learn from Habermas’s latest work?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaco S. Dreyer

2010-10-01

Full Text Available The complex and problematic role of religion in the public sphere in modern, democratic societies raises many questions for a public theology. The aim of this article is to contribute to the ongoing debate about the task and methods of public theology by asking what we can learn from the ideas of Jürgen Habermas. Habermas was a leading participant in the thinking process on the secularisation thesis in Western societies. His view was that religion will eventually disappear from the public scene due to the rationalisation of society. In recent years he seems to have changed this view in the light of new developments in the world. He now maintains that religion has something important to offer in the public sphere. Religion could thus participate in this public discussion, provided that it satisfies strict conditions. We argue that public theology can learn from Habermas’s recent ideas regarding religion in the public sphere: attention should be paid to the cognitive potential of religion, especially regarding the importance of the lifeworld and the role of religion in social solidarity with the needy and vulnerable; hermeneutical self-reflection is important; a distinction should be made between the role of religion in faith communities and in public life; we have to accept that we live in a secular state; and we have to learn the possibilities and impossibilities of translating from religious vocabulary into a secular vocabulary in order to be able to participate in the discussions in the public sphere.

Let’s Talk About Race, Baby! When Whites’ and Blacks’ Interracial Contact Experiences Diverge

OpenAIRE

Trawalter, Sophie; Richeson, Jennifer A.

2008-01-01

The present study investigated whether the conditions that make interracial contact anxiety-provoking for Whites differ from those that make it anxiety-provoking for Blacks. Specifically, the present work examined interracial anxiety as a function of discussant race (i.e., White or Black) and discussion topic (i.e., race-related or race-neutral). To that end, we examined the non-verbal behavior of White and Black participants during brief interpersonal interactions. Consistent with previous r...

Scientist's Perceptions of Uncertainty During Discussions of Global Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Romanello, S.; Fortner, R.; Dervin, B.

2003-04-01

This research examines the nature of disagreements between natural and social scientists during discussions of global climate change. In particular, it explores whether the disagreements between natural and social scientists are related to the ontological, epistemological, or methodological nature of the uncertainty of global climate change during these discussions. A purposeful sample of 30 natural and social scientists recognized as experts in global climate change by the United States Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and National Academies Committee on Global Change were interviewed to elicit their perceptions of disagreements during their three most troublesome discussions on global climate change. A mixed-method (qualitative plus quantitative research) approach with three independent variables was used to explore nature of uncertainty as a mediating variable in the relationships between academic training, level of sureness, level of knowledge, and position on global climate change, and the nature of disagreements and bridging strategies of natural and social scientists (Patton, 1997; Frechtling et al., 1997). This dissertation posits that it is the differences in the nature of uncertainty communicated by natural and social scientists and not sureness, knowledge, and position on global climate change that causes disagreements between the groups. By describing the nature of disagreements between natural and social scientists and illuminating bridging techniques scientists use during these disagreements, it is hoped that information collected from this research will create a better dialogue between the scientists studying global climate change by providing communication strategies which will allow those versed in one particular area to speak to non-experts whether they be other scientists, media officials, or the public. These tangible strategies can then be used by government agencies to create better communications and education plans, which can

The public relations in the public administration of the Republic of Srpska

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vranješ Nevenko

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The Public administration the Republic of Srpska is finally becoming a service to the citizens and businesses as an instrument which meets their needs. Even though some inequalities still exist in communication between public and administration, there is an opinion in the world today that the public has a right to be informed about all activities of funded subjects including the state administration. The Transparency of conducting administrative activities is regulated by law and it is also a subject of reforms, especially on the way to achieve a modern administration and European integration. The aim of this paper is to describe the system of the Public Relations in the Public administration of the Republic of Srpska. The authors of the paper discuss about theoretical importance of public relations, with special emphasis on the process of the legal access to information in the Republic of Srpska and current organizational capacities of the communication with public in the state administration of the Republic of Srpska.

Preferential loss of dorsal-hippocampus synapses underlies memory impairments provoked by short, multimodal stress.

Science.gov (United States)

Maras, P M; Molet, J; Chen, Y; Rice, C; Ji, S G; Solodkin, A; Baram, T Z

2014-07-01

The cognitive effects of stress are profound, yet it is unknown if the consequences of concurrent multiple stresses on learning and memory differ from those of a single stress of equal intensity and duration. We compared the effects on hippocampus-dependent memory of concurrent, hours-long light, loud noise, jostling and restraint (multimodal stress) with those of restraint or of loud noise alone. We then examined if differences in memory impairment following these two stress types might derive from their differential impact on hippocampal synapses, distinguishing dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Mice exposed to hours-long restraint or loud noise were modestly or minimally impaired in novel object recognition, whereas similar-duration multimodal stress provoked severe deficits. Differences in memory were not explained by differences in plasma corticosterone levels or numbers of Fos-labeled neurons in stress-sensitive hypothalamic neurons. However, although synapses in hippocampal CA3 were impacted by both restraint and multimodal stress, multimodal stress alone reduced synapse numbers severely in dorsal CA1, a region crucial for hippocampus-dependent memory. Ventral CA1 synapses were not significantly affected by either stress modality. Probing the basis of the preferential loss of dorsal synapses after multimodal stress, we found differential patterns of neuronal activation by the two stress types. Cross-correlation matrices, reflecting functional connectivity among activated regions, demonstrated that multimodal stress reduced hippocampal correlations with septum and thalamus and increased correlations with amygdala and BST. Thus, despite similar effects on plasma corticosterone and on hypothalamic stress-sensitive cells, multimodal and restraint stress differ in their activation of brain networks and in their impact on hippocampal synapses. Both of these processes might contribute to amplified memory impairments following short, multimodal stress.

Memory-provoked rCBF-SPECT as a diagnostic tool in Alzheimer's disease?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sundstroem, Torbjoern; Riklund, Katrine Aa. [Umeaa University, Umeaa University Hospital, Department of Radiation Sciences, Diagnostic Radiology, Umeaa (Sweden); Elgh, Eva; Naesman, Birgitta [Umeaa University, Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Geriatric Medicine, Umeaa (Sweden); Larsson, Anne [Umeaa University, Department of Radiation Sciences, Radiation Physics, Umeaa (Sweden); Nyberg, Lars [Umeaa University, Department of Psychology, Umeaa (Sweden)

2006-01-01

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a primary degenerative disease that progressively affects all brain functions, with devastating consequences for the patient, the patient's family and society. Rest regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) could have a strategic role in differentiating between AD patients and normal controls, but its use for this purpose has a low discriminatory capacity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the diagnostic sensitivity of rCBF single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) could be increased by using an episodic memory task provocation, i.e. memory-provoked rCBF-SPECT (MP-SPECT). Eighteen persons (73.2{+-}4.8 years) with mild AD and 18 healthy elderly (69.4{+-}3.9 years) were included in the study. The subjects were injected with{sup 99m}Tc-hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO) during memory provocation with faces and names, followed by an rCBF-SPECT study. The rCBF{sup 99m}Tc-HMPAO SPECT images were analysed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM2). Peaks with a false discovery rate corrected value of 0.05 were considered significant. On MP-SPECT, the AD group showed a significant rCBF reduction in the left parietal cortex in comparison with healthy elderly. At rest, no significant group differences were seen. Memory provocation increased the sensitivity of rCBF-SPECT for the detection of AD-related blood flow changes in the brain at the group level. Further studies are needed to evaluate MP-SPECT as a diagnostic tool at the individual level. If a higher sensitivity for AD at the individual level is verified in future studies, a single MP-SPECT study might be sufficient in the clinical setting. (orig.)

Preferential loss of dorsal-hippocampus synapses underlies memory impairments provoked by short, multimodal stress

Science.gov (United States)

Maras, P M; Molet, J; Chen, Y; Rice, C; Ji, S G; Solodkin, A; Baram, T Z

2014-01-01

The cognitive effects of stress are profound, yet it is unknown if the consequences of concurrent multiple stresses on learning and memory differ from those of a single stress of equal intensity and duration. We compared the effects on hippocampus-dependent memory of concurrent, hours-long light, loud noise, jostling and restraint (multimodal stress) with those of restraint or of loud noise alone. We then examined if differences in memory impairment following these two stress types might derive from their differential impact on hippocampal synapses, distinguishing dorsal and ventral hippocampus. Mice exposed to hours-long restraint or loud noise were modestly or minimally impaired in novel object recognition, whereas similar-duration multimodal stress provoked severe deficits. Differences in memory were not explained by differences in plasma corticosterone levels or numbers of Fos-labeled neurons in stress-sensitive hypothalamic neurons. However, although synapses in hippocampal CA3 were impacted by both restraint and multimodal stress, multimodal stress alone reduced synapse numbers severely in dorsal CA1, a region crucial for hippocampus-dependent memory. Ventral CA1 synapses were not significantly affected by either stress modality. Probing the basis of the preferential loss of dorsal synapses after multimodal stress, we found differential patterns of neuronal activation by the two stress types. Cross-correlation matrices, reflecting functional connectivity among activated regions, demonstrated that multimodal stress reduced hippocampal correlations with septum and thalamus and increased correlations with amygdala and BST. Thus, despite similar effects on plasma corticosterone and on hypothalamic stress-sensitive cells, multimodal and restraint stress differ in their activation of brain networks and in their impact on hippocampal synapses. Both of these processes might contribute to amplified memory impairments following short, multimodal stress. PMID:24589888

Public deliberation in the function of overcoming the democratic deficit, public debate and delineation from public hearing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vukadinović Slobodan

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyses forms of direct democracy from its historical forms, in Ancient Greece, to the modern ones, in Switzerland and the USA. Pointing towards the modern flaws of representative democracy, which dominates the present world, the author explores the forms of citizen participation - from participation to influence, which assists the overcoming of the democratic deficit in practice. Besides the traditional (classical ones, the analysis also focuses on the innovative mechanisms, from informal to formal ones, from individual to collective mechanisms. The focus is on the procedures of direct citizen participation such as: elections, referendum (with its modalities, plebiscite and popular veto, citizens' initiatives, the right of legislative initiative, public meetings, as well as seeking new constructive solutions which enable the citizens not only to express their opinions through selecting the option for or against, but to actively participate and express their own opinions, positions, experiences and arguments - to participate in public deliberation. These are: public debate, public hearing, public consultations and public discussions, round tables and public presence in the form of mini-audiences, public opinion polls and participation in surveys, cooperation of state bodies with civil society organisations, public call for submission of proposals, remarks and petitions, public-private dialogue, focus groups, citizen panels, citizen conferences, citizens' advisory committees, town hall meetings, citizens juries, consensus conferences, the world cafe. In particular, the article points out that e-participation is nowadays utilised more often and gains significance, since it enables citizens to submit their proposals and remarks electronically, in the form of discussion and interaction via social networks and on-line dialogue platforms. It points towards the positive effects and advantages of direct involvement of citizens in the

Public Sector Employee Assistance Programs.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, Donna R.; Verlinde, Beverly

This document discusses employee assistance programs (EAPs), programs which have been developed to help employees deal with personal problems that seriously affect job performance. It reviews literature which specifically addresses EAPs in the public sector, noting that there are no exact figures on how many public entities have EAPs. Previous…

Sibutramine provokes apoptosis of aortic endothelial cells through altered production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species.

Science.gov (United States)

Morikawa, Yoshifumi; Shibata, Akinobu; Okumura, Naoko; Ikari, Akira; Sasajima, Yasuhide; Suenami, Koichi; Sato, Kiyohito; Takekoshi, Yuji; El-Kabbani, Ossama; Matsunaga, Toshiyuki

2017-01-01

Overdose administration of sibutramine, a serotonin-noradrenalin reuptake inhibitor, is considered to elicit severe side effects including hypertension, whose pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. Here, we found that 48-h incubation with >10μM sibutramine provokes apoptosis of human aortic endothelial (HAE) cells. Treatment with the lethal concentration of sibutramine facilitated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), altered expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress response genes (heat shock protein 70 and C/EBP homologous protein), and inactivated 26S proteasome-based proteolysis. The treatment also decreased cellular level of nitric oxide (NO) through lowering of expression and activity of endothelial NO synthase. These results suggest that ROS production and depletion of NO are crucial events in the apoptotic mechanism and may be linked to the pathogenesis of vasoconstriction elicited by the drug. Compared to sibutramine, its metabolites (N-desmethylsibutramine and N-didesmethylsibutramine) were much less cytotoxic to HAE cells, which hardly metabolized sibutramine. In contrast, both the drug and metabolites showed low cytotoxicity to hepatic HepG2 cells with high metabolic potency and expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4. The cytotoxicity of sibutramine to HepG2 and Chang Liver cells was remarkably augmented by inhibition and knockdown of CYP3A4. This study also suggests an inverse relationship between sibutramine cytotoxicity and CYP3A4-mediated metabolism into the N-desmethyl metabolites. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Body image in women with primary and secondary provoked vestibulodynia: a controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Maillé, Delphine L; Bergeron, Sophie; Lambert, Bernard

2015-02-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a women's genito-pelvic pain condition associated with psychosexual impairments, including depression. Body image (BI) has been found to be different in women with primary (PVD1) and secondary (PVD2) PVD. No controlled study has compared BI in women with PVD1 and PVD2 and investigated its associations with sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain. The aims of this study were to (i) compare BI in women with PVD1, PVD2, and asymptomatic controls and (ii) to examine associations between BI and sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain during intercourse in women with PVD. Fifty-seven women (20 with PVD1, 19 with PVD2, and 18 controls) completed measures of BI, sexual satisfaction, sexual function, pain during intercourse, and depression. The main outcome measures were (i) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale, (ii) Female Sexual Function Index, and (iii) pain numerical rating scale. Controlling for depression, women with PVD1 reported more body exposure anxiety during sexual activities than women with PVD2 and controls F(2,51)=4.23, P=0.02. For women with PVD, more negative BI during sexual activities was associated with lower sexual satisfaction (β=-0.45, P=0.02) and function (β=-0.39, P=0.04) and higher pain during intercourse (β=0.59, P=0.004). More positive body esteem was associated with higher sexual function (β=0.34, P=0.05). Findings suggest that women with PVD1 present more body exposure anxiety during sexual activities than women with PVD2 and asymptomatic women. Body esteem and general attitudes toward women's genitalia were not significantly different between groups. Higher body exposure anxiety during sexual activities was associated with poorer sexual outcomes in women with PVD. Further studies assessing interventions targeting BI during sexual activities in this population are needed, as improving BI during sexual interactions may enhance sexual outcomes in women with PVD. © 2014 International

Public diplomacy: Basic marketing issues

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Radenović Rada

2008-01-01

Full Text Available Paper discuss the general features build in international activities known under term public diplomacy. Public diplomacy is not one-side process as well as strictly official but have a lot meanings - from economic to cultural. Linking up to economic side of the global national appearance, paper stressing an impact public diplomacy developed on the micro or company level. Some general remarks are mentioned in the case of Montenegro experience.

Nuclear power: restoring public confidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arnold, L.

1986-01-01

The paper concerns a one day conference on nuclear power organised by the Centre for Science Studies and Science Policy, Lancaster, April 1986. Following the Chernobyl reactor accident, the conference concentrated on public confidence in nuclear power. Causes of lack of public confidence, public perceptions of risk, and the effect of Chernobyl in the United Kingdom, were all discussed. A Select Committee on the Environment examined the problems of radioactive waste disposal. (U.K.)

Public opinions and antinuclear contestations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silveira, P.R.N. da

1978-01-01

With the aim of demonstrating the importance of public opinion in the development of a nuclear program, a historical analysis of the different forms of anti-technological reactions is shown, starting with a study of the general aspects of mass communication and public opinion. The world-wide communication strategy adopted in the implantation of nuclear programs is discussed and, finally, the nuclear energy issue and public opinion in Brazil are analysed. (F.E.) [pt

Utility and justice in public health.

Science.gov (United States)

MacKay, Kathryn

2017-12-11

Many public health practitioners and organizations view themselves as engaged in the promotion or achievement of equity. However, discussions around public health frequently assume that practitioners and policy-makers take a utilitarian approach to this work. I argue that public health is better understood as a social justice endeavor. I begin by presenting the utility view of public health and then discuss the equity view. This is a theoretical argument, which should help public health to justify interventions for communicable and non-communicable diseases equally, and which contributes to breaking down the 'old/new' public health divide. This argument captures practitioners' views of the work they are engaged in and allows for the moral and policy justification of important interventions in communicable and non-communicable diseases. Systemic interventions are necessary to remedy high rates of disease among certain groups and, generally, to improve the health of entire populations. By viewing diseases as partly the result of failures of health protective systems in society, public health may justify interventions in communicable and non-communicable diseases equally. Public health holds a duty to improve the health of the worst-off in society; by prioritizing this group, the health of the whole community may improve. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Beyond “Political” Communicative Spaces : Talking Politics on the Wife Swap Discussion Forum

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Graham, T.S.

2012-01-01

Net-based public sphere researchers have examined online deliberation in numerous ways. However, most studies have focused exclusively on political discussion forums. This article moves beyond such spaces by analyzing political talk from an online forum dedicated to reality television. The purpose

Bullying Prevention for Public Health Practitioners

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2012-01-19

This podcast discusses bullying as a public health problem, and provides information and resources for public health practitioners.  Created: 1/19/2012 by National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC).   Date Released: 1/19/2012.

Public-Private Partnerships in Chronic Disease Prevention-Part 6

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

This podcast is the sixth of a seven part series discussing public health partnerships with the private sector. In this segment, CDC's Elizabeth Majestic and Georgia State University's Michael Eriksen discuss whether the tobacco industry has forfeited its opportunity to participate in traditional public-private partnerships.

Using Twitter to Measure Public Discussion of Diseases: A Case Study

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, H Andrew; Hill, Shawndra; Merchant, Raina M; Arango, Catalina; Ungar, Lyle

2015-01-01

underrepresented. Conclusions Twitter is a potentially useful tool to measure public interest in and concerns about different diseases, but when comparing diseases, improvements can be made by adjusting for population demographics and word ambiguity. PMID:26925459

Life and Death Decisions: Using School-Based Health Education to Facilitate Family Discussion about Organ and Tissue Donation

Science.gov (United States)

Waldrop, Deborah P.; Tamburlin, Judith A.; Thompson, Sanna J.; Simon, Mark

2004-01-01

Public education that encourages family discussions about organ and tissue donation can enhance understanding, facilitate a donor's wishes and increase the numbers of donations. Action research methods were used to explore the impact of a student-initiated family discussion about donation. Most discussions were positive; only 7% middle school and…

The economics of wind energy. Collection of papers for discussions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vihriaelae, H [ed.

1996-12-31

This publication contains the proceedings of EWEA Special Topic Conference `95 on the economics of wind energy, held in Helsinki, Finland, on 5-7 September, 1995. The programme consisted of panel discussions and poster presentations on National Programmes and Operational Experience of Wind Energy, Grid Issues and Avoided Direct Costs of Wind Energy, Avoided External Costs of Wind Energy, The Role of Wind Energy in Future Energy Supply and Technical Innovations of Wind Energy

The economics of wind energy. Collection of papers for discussions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vihriaelae, H.

1995-01-01

This publication contains the proceedings of EWEA Special Topic Conference '95 on the economics of wind energy, held in Helsinki, Finland, on 5-7 September, 1995. The programme consisted of panel discussions and poster presentations on National Programmes and Operational Experience of Wind Energy, Grid Issues and Avoided Direct Costs of Wind Energy, Avoided External Costs of Wind Energy, The Role of Wind Energy in Future Energy Supply and Technical Innovations of Wind Energy

The economics of wind energy. Collection of papers for discussions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vihriaelae, H. [ed.

1995-12-31

This publication contains the proceedings of EWEA Special Topic Conference `95 on the economics of wind energy, held in Helsinki, Finland, on 5-7 September, 1995. The programme consisted of panel discussions and poster presentations on National Programmes and Operational Experience of Wind Energy, Grid Issues and Avoided Direct Costs of Wind Energy, Avoided External Costs of Wind Energy, The Role of Wind Energy in Future Energy Supply and Technical Innovations of Wind Energy

Future Public Policy and Ethical Issues Facing the Agricultural and Microbial Genomics Sectors of the Biotechnology Industry: A Roundtable Discussion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diane E. Hoffmann

2003-09-12

On September 12, 2003, the University of Maryland School of Law's Intellectual Property and Law & Health Care Programs jointly sponsored and convened a roundtable discussion on the future public policy and ethical issues that will likely face the agricultural and microbial genomics sectors of the biotechnology industry. As this industry has developed over the last two decades, societal concerns have moved from what were often local issues, e.g., the safety of laboratories where scientists conducted recombinant DNA research on transgenic microbes, animals and crops, to more global issues. These newer issues include intellectual property, international trade, risks of genetically engineered foods and microbes, bioterrorism, and marketing and labeling of new products sold worldwide. The fast paced nature of the biotechnology industry and its new developments often mean that legislators, regulators and society, in general, must play ''catch up'' in their efforts to understand the issues, the risks, and even the benefits, that may result from the industry's new ways of conducting research, new products, and novel methods of product marketing and distribution. The goal of the roundtable was to develop a short list of the most significant public policy and ethical issues that will emerge as a result of advances in these sectors of the biotechnology industry over the next five to six years. More concretely, by ''most significant'' the conveners meant the types of issues that would come to the attention of members of Congress or state legislators during this time frame and for which they would be better prepared if they had well researched and timely background information. A concomitant goal was to provide a set of focused issues for academic debate and scholarship so that policy makers, industry leaders and regulators would have the intellectual resources they need to better understand the issues and concerns at stake. The

Developing an academia-based public health observatory: the new global public health observatory with emphasis on urban health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carlos Castillo-Salgado

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Health observatories may differ according to their mission, institutional setting, topical emphasis or geographic coverage. This paper discusses the development of a new urban-focused health observatory, and its operational research and training infrastructure under the academic umbrella of the Department of Epidemiology and the Institute of Urban Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH in Baltimore, USA. Recognizing the higher education mission of the BSPH, the development of a new professional training in public health was an important first step for the development of this observatory. This new academia-based observatory is an innovative public health research and training platform offering faculty, investigators, professional epidemiology students and research partners a physical and methodological infrastructure for their operational research and training activities with both a local urban focus and a global reach. The concept of a public health observatory and its role in addressing social health inequalities in local urban settings is discussed.

Developing an academia-based public health observatory: the new global public health observatory with emphasis on urban health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Castillo-Salgado, Carlos

2015-11-01

Health observatories may differ according to their mission, institutional setting, topical emphasis or geographic coverage. This paper discusses the development of a new urban-focused health observatory, and its operational research and training infrastructure under the academic umbrella of the Department of Epidemiology and the Institute of Urban Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH) in Baltimore, USA. Recognizing the higher education mission of the BSPH, the development of a new professional training in public health was an important first step for the development of this observatory. This new academia-based observatory is an innovative public health research and training platform offering faculty, investigators, professional epidemiology students and research partners a physical and methodological infrastructure for their operational research and training activities with both a local urban focus and a global reach. The concept of a public health observatory and its role in addressing social health inequalities in local urban settings is discussed.

Caffeine provokes adverse interactions with 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’) and related psychostimulants: mechanisms and mediators

Science.gov (United States)

Vanattou-Saïfoudine, N; McNamara, R; Harkin, A

2012-01-01

Concomitant consumption of caffeine with recreational psychostimulant drugs of abuse can provoke severe acute adverse reactions in addition to longer term consequences. The mechanisms by which caffeine increases the toxicity of psychostimulants include changes in body temperature regulation, cardiotoxicity and lowering of the seizure threshold. Caffeine also influences the stimulatory, discriminative and reinforcing effects of psychostimulant drugs. In this review, we consider our current understanding of such caffeine-related drug interactions, placing a particular emphasis on an adverse interaction between caffeine and the substituted amphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA, ‘ecstasy’), which has been most recently described and characterized. Co-administration of caffeine profoundly enhances the acute toxicity of MDMA in rats, as manifested by high core body temperature, tachycardia and increased mortality. In addition, co-administration of caffeine enhances the long-term serotonergic neurotoxicity induced by MDMA. Observations to date support an interactive model of drug-induced toxicity comprising MDMA-related enhancement of dopamine release coupled to a caffeine-mediated antagonism of adenosine receptors in addition to inhibition of PDE. These experiments are reviewed together with reports of caffeine-related drug interactions with cocaine, d-amphetamine and ephedrine where similar mechanisms are implicated. Understanding the underlying mechanisms will guide appropriate intervention strategies for the management of severe reactions and potential for increased drug-related toxicity, resulting from concomitant caffeine consumption. PMID:22671762

Micro-computed tomography derived anisotropy detects tumor provoked deviations in bone in an orthotopic osteosarcoma murine model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heather A Cole

Full Text Available Radiographic imaging plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of osteosarcoma. Currently, computed-tomography (CT is used to measure tumor-induced osteolysis as a marker for tumor growth by monitoring the bone fractional volume. As most tumors primarily induce osteolysis, lower bone fractional volume has been found to correlate with tumor aggressiveness. However, osteosarcoma is an exception as it induces osteolysis and produces mineralized osteoid simultaneously. Given that competent bone is highly anisotropic (systematic variance in its architectural order renders its physical properties dependent on direction of load and that tumor induced osteolysis and osteogenesis are structurally disorganized relative to competent bone, we hypothesized that μCT-derived measures of anisotropy could be used to qualitatively and quantitatively detect osteosarcoma provoked deviations in bone, both osteolysis and osteogenesis, in vivo. We tested this hypothesis in a murine model of osteosarcoma cells orthotopically injected into the tibia. We demonstrate that, in addition to bone fractional volume, μCT-derived measure of anisotropy is a complete and accurate method to monitor osteosarcoma-induced osteolysis. Additionally, we found that unlike bone fractional volume, anisotropy could also detect tumor-induced osteogenesis. These findings suggest that monitoring tumor-induced changes in the structural property isotropy of the invaded bone may represent a novel means of diagnosing primary and metastatic bone tumors.

Spent nuclear fuel transportation: public issues and answers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffman, W.D.

1986-01-01

The court-ordered shipping of 750 spent nuclear fuel assemblies from West Valley, New York back to their utility owners has generated considerable public and media interest. This paper discusses the specific concerns of the general public over the West Valley shipments, the issues raised by opposition groups, the interest of public officials and emergency preparedness teams as well as the media coverage generated. An analysis is performed on the effectiveness of the West Valley and utility public information programs utilized in addressing these issues, concerns and interests. Emphasis is placed on communications which work to facilitate the shipments and generate fuel transport acceptance. Information programs are discussed which increase preparedness for nuclear shipments by emergency response teams and build public confidence in their safety. The paper also examines communications which could have further enhanced the shipping campaign to date. Finally, plans are discussed for media preparation with interview training and press conferences. Emphasis is placed on materials provided for the media which have served to generate more favorable print and air time

Spent nuclear fuel transportation: Public issues and answers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffman, W.D.

1986-01-01

The court-ordered shipping of 750 spent nuclear fuel assemblies from West Valley, New York back to their utility owners has generated considerable public and media interest. This paper discusses the specific concerns of the general public over the West Valley shipments, the issues raised by opposition groups, the interests of public officials and emergency preparedness teams as well as the media coverage generated. An analysis is performed on the effectiveness of the West Valley and utility public information programs utilized in addressing these issues, concerns and interests. Emphasis is placed on communications which work to facilitate the shipments and generate fuel transport acceptance. Information programs are discussed which increase preparedness for nuclear shipments by emergency response teams and build public confidence in their safety. The paper also examines communications which could have further enhanced the shipping campaigns to date. Finally, plans are discussed for media preparation with interview training and press conferences. Emphasis is placed on materials provided for the media which has served to generate more favorable print and air time

Exploring public perceptions of energy security risks in the UK

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Demski, Christina; Poortinga, Wouter; Pidgeon, Nick

2014-01-01

Along with climate change and affordability, concerns about energy security are key drivers behind proposals for major energy system change in the UK and numerous other countries. Unlike climate change we know very little about how the public thinks and feels about this aspect of sustainability and energy policy. Beyond engaging critically with conceptual and theoretical discussions, empirical data from two surveys (Cardiff postal survey, N=520; online UK survey, N=499) using a ten item energy security scale are presented and discussed. Here we show that aspects of energy security are certainly of concern to the UK public, with particularly high concern around dependence on fossil fuels/imports and relatively lower expressed concern for actual disruption of energy supply. However public concerns around energy security are only emerging, and likely to change depending on the context in which it is discussed (e.g. in comparison to climate change). In addition, findings from public interviews are used to further contextualise the survey findings, showing unfamiliarity among the UK public with regards to the term “energy security”. We discuss implications, and further work that would be useful for understanding public perceptions in more depth. - highlights: • Exploring public views on energy security using a 10 item scale. • Concerns over energy security is relatively high but susceptible to framing. • Patterns of concern for different energy security aspects examined. • The term energy security is unfamiliar, only an emerging concern among UK publics. • Further discussion on the meanings and implications of these perceptions

Opening, at the Senate, of the discussion on the public service of the electric power; Ouverture du debat devant le Senat sur le service public de l'electricite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2000-01-01

This paper presents a chronological account of the talks presented since october 1999 and concerning the public service of the electrical power. The author criticizes the different law articles law of the law project and the government policy in this domain. In particular he analyses:1) the public service missions; 2) the part of EDF as an integrated enterprise of production, transport and distribution of electric power; 3) the public policy of the energy; 4) the gradual and controlled opening of the market to the competition. (A.L.B.)

Modernize the Public Sector Through Innovation?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansson, Finn; Norn, Maria Theresa; Vad, Torben Bundgaard

2013-01-01

. The paper will discuss how to plan and execute research-based knowledge in innovation in the public sector. The paper discusses and criticizes the often-met linear thinking in the application of new knowledge, especially in relation to innovation. It also suggests, by the help of a model based on ideas from...... organizational learning, another strategy for organizing the use of social science research for innovation in the public sector. As a consequence the paper advocates new evaluation strategies, where learning and dialogue is in focus....

IRIS Bimonthly Public Meeting (Jun 2014)

Science.gov (United States)

On June 25-27, 2014, EPA hosted a public meeting/webinar, to provide an opportunity for the public to give input and participate in an open discussion regarding several IRIS chemical assessments of Hexavalent Chromium (Cr(VI)) and Inorganic Arsenic (iAs).

What Cultural Values Influence American Public Relations Practitioners?

Science.gov (United States)

Vasquez, Gabriel M.; Taylor, Maureen

1999-01-01

Examines the role of culture as a key variable in public relations research and practice. Finds (1) American practitioners continue to practice one-way models of public relations; and (2) public relations practitioners who have collectivistic values tend to practice two-way models of public relations. Discusses implications for theory and…

How the "Public Relations Journal" Responds to Criticism of Public Relations Ethics: A Qualitative Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Olasky, Marvin N.

A quantitative analysis of 40 years of articles appearing in the "Public Relations Journal" was made to determine how the journal has responded to ethical criticism of public relations over the years. While 17% of the articles during one eight-year period discussed questions touching on ethics in some way, quantitative analytical tools…

How To Become a Great Public Space.

Science.gov (United States)

Block, Marylaine

2003-01-01

Presents interviews with Fred Kent, founder of the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) and Phil Myrick, PPS's assistant vice president, about transforming libraries into desirable public spaces. Discusses qualities people value in public spaces; great library buildings and what they are doing right; the first thing library directors should do when…

Creative communication in public relations activities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dalibor Jakus

2013-12-01

Full Text Available This article discusses several approaches to new waves of public relations. Emphasis is given to the creative impulse since many public relations professionals are less familiar with it than other forms of communication. Five criteria are suggested for structuring creative communications: 1. learning how to be a good storyteller; 2. visual communication is the content that could increasingly build strong relationships with audiences; 3. the PR practitioner’s challenge is to evaluate what people are discussing and identify the recurring issues in their marketplace; 4. recognizing that local is new global; and 5. predicate that PR is constantly changing. People who work in public relations possess the skill of offering arguments that will convince the people themselves of something. However, these skills can be offered in traditional or creative forms of expression. If we define public relations as the management of an organization’s communication with its public, then we are referring to the traditional dimension of public relations, the basis and ultimate goal of which are to cultivate relationships with the participants of the process in order to obtain support and to build trust and reputation.

Interactive Healthcare Systems in the Home: Vestibular Rehabilitation

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aarhus, Rikke; Grönvall, Erik; Larsen, Simon Bo

2010-01-01

Vestibular dysfunction is a balance disorder, causing dizziness that provokes discomfort and fall situations. This paper discusses early results from a project that aims to develop assistive technologies to support home-based rehabilitation for elderly affected by Vestibular dysfunction.......Vestibular dysfunction is a balance disorder, causing dizziness that provokes discomfort and fall situations. This paper discusses early results from a project that aims to develop assistive technologies to support home-based rehabilitation for elderly affected by Vestibular dysfunction....

Sustainable Public Bids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gil César Costa de Paula

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this article we will discuss the issue of sustainability in public procurement, given that the government in Brazil is constituted as a great promoter of economic development and needs to adapt its acquisitions worldwide sustainability agenda.

Encouraging Classroom Discussion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert Joseph McKee

2014-10-01

Full Text Available Classroom discussion has the potential to enhance the learning environment and encourages students to become active participants in the educational process. Student participation in classroom discussion has been shown to significantly improve the student learning experience. Research suggests that classroom discussion is an effective method for encouraging student classroom participation and for motivating student learning beyond the classroom. Participation in classroom discussion encourages students to become active collaborators in the learning process, while at the same time providing instructors with a practical method of assessing student learning. Classroom discussion is an effective tool for developing higher-level cognitive skills like critical thinking. Despite the potential discussion holds for student learning, many in academia lament the lack of participation in the classroom. The lack of student participation in classroom discussion is not a recent problem; it is one that has frustrated instructors for decades. Instructors report that some of the more current methods for encouraging classroom discussion can be exasperating and at times non-productive. This two-year study of 510 college and university students provides insight into the reasons why some students do not participate in classroom discussion. This study, which also elicited input from sixteen college and university professors and two high school teachers, offers some suggestions for creating and encouraging an environment conducive to student participation in the classroom.

Balancing radiation benefits and risks: The needs of an informed public

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1994-04-01

The American public`s perceptions regarding ionizing radiation do not always conform to or correlate with scientific evidence. The ultimate purpose of this coordinated Federal effort and report is to increase the public`s knowledge of the benefits and risks associated with ionizing radiation. This report is divided into five sections. The first section, Introduction, discusses the public`s knowledge of radiation, their perceptions of benefits versus risks, and the Federal government`s role in public education. The section also outlines the charge to the Subpanel. Radiation Issues and Public Reactions discusses several radiation issues important to Federal agencies for which public education programs need to be established or enhanced. Federal Programs describes Federal agencies with public education programs on radiation and the nature of the programs they support. Education Issues and Federal Strategies explores the elements identified by the Subpanel as critical to the development and implementation of an effective Federal program in the area of public education on radiation issues and nuclear technologies. An important issue repeatedly brought up during the public sector presentations to the Subpanel was the perceived lack of Federal credibility on radiation issues in the eyes of the public. To some degree, this concern was factored into all of the recommendations developed by the subpanel. The issues discussed in this section include the fragmented nature of Federal radiation programs and the need to improve credibility, promote agency responsiveness, and support the enhancement of scientific literacy. Finally, under Recommendations, the Subpanel discusses its overall findings and conclusions.

In Search of Public Value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Dorthe

This paper takes it point of departure in the vision of educating public leaders and managers with the ability to create public value in networked governance structure. The purpose of the paper it to revise this vision by unpacking the notion of public value in contemporary governance and discuss...... the implications for the public leadership and public leadership programs. Drawing on insights from sociology of law and governmentality a set of key tensions inherent in public value discourse are identified as the diagnostic impetus to consider the somewhat excessive leadership figure put forward...... in the literature. The paper shows that the notion of public value is rather contested and that it imply a certain kind of hybridization of public administration into opposing identity spheres. Instead of forming af 'whole system' as suggested in the literature, the hybridization implicate an ongoing suspension...

Building Public Confidence in Nuclear Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaacs, T

2002-01-01

Achieving public acceptance has become a central issue in discussions regarding the future of nuclear power and associated nuclear activities. Effective public communication and public participation are often put forward as the key building blocks in garnering public acceptance. A recent international workshop in Finland provided insights into other features that might also be important to building and sustaining public confidence in nuclear activities. The workshop was held in Finland in close cooperation with Finnish stakeholders. This was most appropriate because of the recent successes in achieving positive decisions at the municipal, governmental, and Parliamentary levels, allowing the Finnish high-level radioactive waste repository program to proceed, including the identification and approval of a proposed candidate repository site. Much of the workshop discussion appropriately focused on the roles of public participation and public communications in building public confidence. It was clear that well constructed and implemented programs of public involvement and communication and a sense of fairness were essential in building the extent of public confidence needed to allow the repository program in Finland to proceed. It was also clear that there were a number of other elements beyond public involvement that contributed substantially to the success in Finland to date. And, in fact, it appeared that these other factors were also necessary to achieving the Finnish public acceptance. In other words, successful public participation and communication were necessary but not sufficient. What else was important? Culture, politics, and history vary from country to country, providing differing contexts for establishing and maintaining public confidence. What works in one country will not necessarily be effective in another. Nonetheless, there appear to be certain elements that might be common to programs that are successful in sustaining public confidence and some of

Building Public Confidence in Nuclear Activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Isaacs, T

2002-01-01

Achieving public acceptance has become a central issue in discussions regarding the future of nuclear power and associated nuclear activities. Effective public communication and public participation are often put forward as the key building blocks in garnering public acceptance. A recent international workshop in Finland provided insights into other features that might also be important to building and sustaining public confidence in nuclear activities. The workshop was held in Finland in close cooperation with Finnish stakeholders. This was most appropriate because of the recent successes in achieving positive decisions at the municipal, governmental, and Parliamentary levels, allowing the Finnish high-level radioactive waste repository program to proceed, including the identification and approval of a proposed candidate repository site Much of the workshop discussion appropriately focused on the roles of public participation and public communications in building public confidence. It was clear that well constructed and implemented programs of public involvement and communication and a sense of fairness were essential in building the extent of public confidence needed to allow the repository program in Finland to proceed. It was also clear that there were a number of other elements beyond public involvement that contributed substantially to the success in Finland to date. And, in fact, it appeared that these other factors were also necessary to achieving the Finnish public acceptance. In other words, successful public participation and communication were necessary but not sufficient. What else was important? Culture, politics, and history vary from country to country, providing differing contexts for establishing and maintaining public confidence. What works in one country will not necessarily be effective in another. Nonetheless, there appear to be certain elements that might be common to programs that are successful in sustaining public confidence, and some of

The Definition, Dimensions, and Domain of Public Relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutton, James G.

1999-01-01

Discusses how the field of public relations has left itself vulnerable to other fields that are making inroads into public relations' traditional domain, and to critics who are filling in their own definitions of public relations. Proposes a definition and a three-dimensional framework to compare competing philosophies of public relations and to…

Cybersickness provoked by head-mounted display affects cutaneous vascular tone, heart rate and reaction time.

Science.gov (United States)

Nalivaiko, Eugene; Davis, Simon L; Blackmore, Karen L; Vakulin, Andrew; Nesbitt, Keith V

2015-11-01

Evidence from studies of provocative motion indicates that motion sickness is tightly linked to the disturbances of thermoregulation. The major aim of the current study was to determine whether provocative visual stimuli (immersion into the virtual reality simulating rides on a rollercoaster) affect skin temperature that reflects thermoregulatory cutaneous responses, and to test whether such stimuli alter cognitive functions. In 26 healthy young volunteers wearing head-mounted display (Oculus Rift), simulated rides consistently provoked vection and nausea, with a significant difference between the two versions of simulation software (Parrot Coaster and Helix). Basal finger temperature had bimodal distribution, with low-temperature group (n=8) having values of 23-29 °C, and high-temperature group (n=18) having values of 32-36 °C. Effects of cybersickness on finger temperature depended on the basal level of this variable: in subjects from former group it raised by 3-4 °C, while in most subjects from the latter group it either did not change or transiently reduced by 1.5-2 °C. There was no correlation between the magnitude of changes in the finger temperature and nausea score at the end of simulated ride. Provocative visual stimulation caused prolongation of simple reaction time by 20-50 ms; this increase closely correlated with the subjective rating of nausea. Lastly, in subjects who experienced pronounced nausea, heart rate was elevated. We conclude that cybersickness is associated with changes in cutaneous thermoregulatory vascular tone; this further supports the idea of a tight link between motion sickness and thermoregulation. Cybersickness-induced prolongation of reaction time raises obvious concerns regarding the safety of this technology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Risk in the public's eyes: Incorporating risks and public outreach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saulnier, J.-E.

2005-01-01

New social risk management: perceived risk and actual risk - Risks at the heart of public concerns (health, environment) - Refusal to delegate power to a centralized authority - Calling scientific beliefs into doubt A new context: dialog with stakeholders and general public - 1980s: questions not taken into account/negative debate/Chernobyl - New context: increase in the price of oil/fossil fuel reserves/energy mix - Arbitration between perceived risks/advantages can only occur during this period Time for transparency: a new corporate attitude - Work on explaining and listening to rationalize the public's perception - Assume one's role and responsibilities as an industry that is socially aware: transparency policy/participation in the discussion/dialog with stakeholders Concrete example: AREVA communications policy since 1999 (web cam, etc.) in France and abroad. (author)

Enhanced interoceptive awareness during anticipation of public speaking is associated with fear of negative evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Durlik, Caroline; Brown, Gary; Tsakiris, Manos

2014-04-01

Interoceptive awareness (IA)--the ability to detect internal body signals--has been linked to various aspects of emotional processing. However, it has been examined mostly as a trait variable, with few studies also investigating state dependent fluctuations in IA. Based on the known positive correlation between IA and emotional reactivity, negative affectivity, and trait anxiety, the current study examined whether IA, as indexed by heartbeat detection accuracy, would change during an anxiety-provoking situation. Participants in the experimental condition, in which they anticipated giving a speech in front of a small audience, displayed significant IA increases from baseline to anticipation. Enhancement in IA was positively correlated with fear of negative evaluation. Implications of the results are discussed in relation to the role of trait and state IA in emotional experience.

Public Sector and Europeanization Challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucica Matei

2006-02-01

Accepting the market-type mechanisms instead of bureaucratic mechanisms, meaning not the simple provision of public services but the creation of some governmental “actors”, functioning completely on commercial bases, supporting the development of the partnerships between the public and private sector, introducing privatisation is achieved in view of creating “the facilitating state”. We discuss about “facilities” such as citizens and society involvement in public businesses, making public administration more citizen-friendly and the state closer to the public need. The citizens’ involvement, as customers in the flow of the public service contributes to creating an organic ensemble characterised by two fundamental dimensions: level and type of influence of the customers and the private-public dichotomy. Synthesising, the relationships and market mechanisms enable to the public sector to get closer to the public needs and to create a modern administration based on efficiency, effectiveness and openness towards change.

76 FR 58281 - Magnetic Resonance Imaging Safety; Public Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

2011-09-20

...] Magnetic Resonance Imaging Safety; Public Workshop AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS. ACTION... announcing a public workshop entitled: ``Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Safety Public Workshop.'' The purpose of the public workshop is to discuss factors affecting the safe use of magnetic resonance imaging...

Constituting Public Engagement

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Davies, Sarah Rachael

2013-01-01

understanding of science to those of public engagement with science and technology (PEST), and the histories, or genealogies, of such models. Data from two qualitative studies-a case study of one of the United Kingdom'ssix Beacons for Public Engagement and a study of contract research staff-are used......This article uses data from two U.K. studies in order to explore the meanings attached to public engagement. It focuses on two issues of importance to contemporary discussions of science communication: the degree to which there has been a smooth transition, in practice, from models of public...... to characterize the ways in which U.K. academic communities understand PEST. It is argued that engagement is construed as multiple, relational, and outcomes oriented, with seven key outcomes ranging from better research to empowered individuals. These differences are traced to personal and professional...

76 FR 23513 - Public and Closed Meeting To Discuss Comments on Draft Regulatory Basis for Rulemaking Revising...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-27

... of the meeting, this includes cell phones, laptops, pagers, PDA's, etc. All attendees are to use rear... assurance of adequate protection of public health and safety, the common defense and security, and the... their social security number, phone number, acknowledgement of current access to Safeguards Information...

Going public

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Meyer, Gitte; Sandøe, Peter

2012-01-01

conduct, contains a tacit maxim of openness which may naturally be extended to cover the public relations of science. Discussing openness as access, accountability, transparency and receptiveness, the argumentation concentrates on the possible prevention of misconduct with respect to, on the one hand......The paper addresses issues of scientific conduct regarding relations between science and the media, relations between scientists and journalists, and attitudes towards the public at large. In the large and increasing body of literature on scientific conduct and misconduct, these issues seem...... deal with ethical public relations issues, guided by a norm or maxim of openness. Drawing on and rethinking the CUDOS codification of the scientific ethos, as it was worked out by Robert K. Merton in 1942, we propose that this, which is echoed in current codifications of norms for good scientific...

NASA Publications Guide for Authors

Science.gov (United States)

2015-01-01

This document presents guidelines for use by NASA authors in preparation and publication of their scientific and technical information (STI). Section 2 gives an overview. Section 2 describes types of publication. Section 3 discusses technical, data/information, and dissemination reviews. Section 4 provides recommended standards and gives the elements of a typical report. Section 5 presents miscellaneous preparation recommendations.

The formation of public attitudes to nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hill, J.

1983-01-01

The following aspects are discussed: public attitudes and the media; reluctance of affluent societies to accept changes; methods developed by objectors; role of universities; public perceptions of hazards compared with objective statistical ranking; effect of public concern on government decisions. (U.K.)

Climate Change and Public Health.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciesielski, Timothy

2017-05-01

It is clear that the public health community is concerned about the human health impacts of climate change, but are we inadvertently underestimating the scope of the problem and obfuscating potentially useful interventions by using a narrow intellectual frame in our discussions with policy makers? If we take a more holistic approach, we see that the public health impacts of climate change are only one subset of the enormous public health impacts of fossil fuel burning. This broader perspective can provide a more accurate and comprehensive assessment that is more useful for decision making in public policy settings.

Debunking public service? Meta-academic and personal reflections from inside the Swedish Public Service Broadcasting Commission

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pelle Snickars

2016-12-01

Full Text Available During the last half of 2015, a number of Swedish publishing and broadcasting companies—Bonnier, Schibsted Sweden, Mittmedia, Bauer Group—agreed to fund and establish a national Public Service Broadcasting Commission. The purpose was to initiate a public debate about the behaviour and operation of Swedish public service broadcasters—in particular, how they affected the commercial media market, and generally, to discuss the role of national public service broadcasting in a networked media environment. I was a Commission member, and this article describes the background, debates and proposals put forward by the Commission. On one hand, it focuses the work of the Commission with an emphasis on the different public debates the Commission stirred. On the other hand, the article will in a meta-scholarly fashion elaborate on the academic tradition of doing scholarly work focused on public service in Sweden. A recurrent notion in the article is hence meta-academic. Importantly, the article stresses the scholarly bias in favour of public service that is usually present within this tradition (primarily emanating from the field of political communication. Thus, the article is devoted to various debates surrounding the work of the Commission and the role of academics within these discussions (including myself. Finally, the article presents a few thoughts about what it might mean for academics to be (or become lobbyists.

Public private partnership as a last resort for traditional public procurement

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojović Viktorija

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper discusses recent changes in the way public services are delivered A marked increase in the cooperation between the public and private sector in the realization of complex projects, mostly concerning development of infrastructure, is the main characteristic of present-day developing economies. The creation of new, innovative agreements is driven by the limitation of public funds and an ever-growing demand for an increase in the quality of public services. Looking upon the western economies experience alternatives to the traditional public sector procurement are identified in the public/private partnership. The public/private partnership can be seen as one component in the rearrangement of the public sector with a management culture that focuses on the citizen or customer. Also included in this are accountability for results, investigation of a wide variety of alternative service delivery mechanisms, and competition between public and private bodies for contracts to deliver services consistent with cost recovery and the achievement of value for money. The partnership can be realized through an array of models and in this paper priority is given to the DBFO (design-build-finance-operate model, due to its importance in implementation. The DBFO model is considered to be a synonym for the public/private partnership, as it is the most suitable for complex projects and gains the most benefits.

Public and nuclear waste management

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zinberg, D.

1979-01-01

Public concern on nuclear power is centered on the waste disposal problem. Some of the environmentalist and anti-nuclear movements are discussed, both in USA and abroad. The public is skeptical in part because of the secrecy legacy, although scientists are still largely trusted. However, the scientists are far from united in their viewpoints on the nuclear issue. The task for scientists are to put into perspective the limits to scientific knowledge and to interpret this knowledge to the public

Engaging Young People: Deliberative Preferences in Discussions About News and Politics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cynthia Peacock

2016-03-01

Full Text Available The Internet affords users a unique and low-cost way to engage with news, politics, and one another. Although young people are the most likely age cohort to go online, it is questionable whether young people take advantage of the Internet as a deliberative space. We examine the way college students perceive the online world as a venue for political discussion by analyzing responses from six focus groups conducted with college students across the United States. Using deliberative theory as a guide, we examine focus group participants’ thoughts about political discussion both online and offline. Our findings indicate that young people’s preferences for online discussions about politics and the news consistently link to the ideals of deliberation. Young people prefer engaging with others who are knowledgeable and remain flexible and calm during discussions. Goals for engaging in conversations about politics primarily revolved around sharing information and opinions. Participants preferred civil discourse that focuses on commonalities rather than differences between people. This study provides greater insight into how the rising generation currently engages with politics and the news and reasons why many people hesitate to participate in online discussions about public affairs.

The impact of globalization on public health: implications for the UK Faculty of Public Health Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, K

2000-09-01

There has been substantial discussion of globalization in the scholarly and popular press yet limited attention so far among public health professionals. This is so despite the many potential impacts of globalization on public health. Defining public health broadly, as focused on the collective health of populations requiring a range of intersectoral activities, globalization can be seen to have particular relevance. Globalization, in turn, can be defined as a process that is changing the nature of human interaction across a wide range of spheres and along at least three dimensions. Understanding public health and globalization in these ways suggests the urgent need for research to better understand the linkages between the two, and effective policy responses by a range of public health institutions, including the UK Faculty of Public Health Medicine. The paper is based on a review of secondary literature on globalization that led to the development of a conceptual framework for understanding potential impacts on the determinants of health and public health. The paper then discusses major areas of public health in relation to these potential impacts. It concludes with recommendations on how the UK Faculty of Public Health Medicine might contribute to addressing these impacts through its various activities. Although there is growing attention to the importance of globalization to public health, there has been limited research and policy development in the United Kingdom. The UK Faculty of Public Health Medicine needs to play an active role in bringing relevant issues to the attention of policy makers, and encourage its members to take up research, teaching and policy initiatives. The potential impacts of globalization support a broader understanding and practice of public health that embraces a wide range of health determinants.

Transparency as an element of public confidence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H.K.

2007-01-01

In the modern society, there is increasing demands for greater transparency. It has been discussed with respect to corruption or ethics issues in social science. The need for greater openness and transparency in nuclear regulation is widely recognised as public expectations on regulator grow. It is also related to the digital and information technology that enables disclosures of every activity and information of individual and organisation, characterised by numerous 'small brothers'. Transparency has become a key word in this ubiquitous era. Transparency in regulatory activities needs to be understood in following contexts. First, transparency is one of elements to build public confidence in regulator and eventually to achieve regulatory goal of providing the public with satisfaction at nuclear safety. Transparent bases of competence, independence, ethics and integrity of working process of regulatory body would enhance public confidence. Second, activities transmitting information on nuclear safety and preparedness to be accessed are different types of transparency. Communication is an active method of transparency. With increasing use of web-sites, 'digital transparency' is also discussed as passive one. Transparency in regulatory process may be more important than that of contents. Simply providing more information is of little value and specific information may need to be protected for security reason. Third, transparency should be discussed in international, national and organizational perspectives. It has been demanded through international instruments. for each country, transparency is demanded by residents, public, NGOs, media and other stakeholders. Employees also demand more transparency in operating and regulatory organisations. Whistle-blower may appear unless they are satisfied. Fourth, pursuing transparency may cause undue social cost or adverse effects. Over-transparency may decrease public confidence and the process for transparency may also hinder

Public opinion on environmental and energy issues. Result of the census after 3 years of the Great East Japan Earthquake

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosugi, Motoko

2014-01-01

The public opinion on the energy and environmental issues has changed greatly in Japan through experiences in and along the Great East Japan Earthquake. We conducted a social survey in order to grasp public opinions for environment and energy issues in March, 2014, which obtained 2313 valid responses (response rate was 64.3%). For the energy and environmental issues, while respondents show high interests in matters related to the Fukushima accident and nuclear power generation as well as electricity prices, they show relatively low interest in every other aspect. With regard to Japan's energy policy in the future, as expectations for renewable and natural sources of energy are large, about 60% of respondents have negative attitude in restart of nuclear power. For nuclear power, as compared to the previous survey conducted in August 2008, evaluation of 'control-ability of environmental impacts' and 'the power companies' risk management ability' was greatly reduced in particular. These results suggest the importance of provoke interest in the energy issues in general, as a premise to seek an understanding of the activities of the government and power companies. Furthermore, in order for the power companies to restore trust from the public, it is important to sympathize to public's anticipations of impacts on the health and environment through uses of nuclear power in the future. (author)

78 FR 17624 - Wireline Competition Bureau Adds New Discussion Topic To Connect America Cost Model Virtual Workshop

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-22

... Competition Bureau Adds New Discussion Topic To Connect America Cost Model Virtual Workshop AGENCY: Federal... a new virtual workshop discussion topic, entitled ``Rate of Return for Connect America Cost Model,'' to seek public input on what cost of money should be utilized in the forward-looking cost model that...

Public education and media relations in psychology.

Science.gov (United States)

Wedding, Danny

2017-11-01

This article reviews psychology's attempts to influence public attitudes about both the science and the profession of psychology. The early history of the profession is reviewed, and the efforts of the American Psychological Association (APA) to shape the public's perception of psychology are discussed. The rise of social media is reviewed, and important social media outlets relevant to psychology are identified. The activities of the Society for Media Psychology and Technology (APA Division 46) are illustrated, and the presidents of the Division are identified. The work of those psychologists who are noted public intellectuals or who have received Nobel prizes or National Medal of Science awards for their research is briefly reviewed, and the public notoriety of 4 prominent media celebrities (Joy Browne, Joyce Brothers, Laura Schlessinger, and Phil McGraw) is discussed. Several controversies in the field of psychology that have influenced the public and their attitudes about psychology are also briefly reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

A comprehensive analysis of gene expression changes provoked by bacterial and fungal infection in C. elegans.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ilka Engelmann

Full Text Available While Caenorhabditis elegans specifically responds to infection by the up-regulation of certain genes, distinct pathogens trigger the expression of a common set of genes. We applied new methods to conduct a comprehensive and comparative study of the transcriptional response of C. elegans to bacterial and fungal infection. Using tiling arrays and/or RNA-sequencing, we have characterized the genome-wide transcriptional changes that underlie the host's response to infection by three bacterial (Serratia marcescens, Enterococcus faecalis and otorhabdus luminescens and two fungal pathogens (Drechmeria coniospora and Harposporium sp.. We developed a flexible tool, the WormBase Converter (available at http://wormbasemanager.sourceforge.net/, to allow cross-study comparisons. The new data sets provided more extensive lists of differentially regulated genes than previous studies. Annotation analysis confirmed that genes commonly up-regulated by bacterial infections are related to stress responses. We found substantial overlaps between the genes regulated upon intestinal infection by the bacterial pathogens and Harposporium, and between those regulated by Harposporium and D. coniospora, which infects the epidermis. Among the fungus-regulated genes, there was a significant bias towards genes that are evolving rapidly and potentially encode small proteins. The results obtained using new methods reveal that the response to infection in C. elegans is determined by the nature of the pathogen, the site of infection and the physiological imbalance provoked by infection. They form the basis for future functional dissection of innate immune signaling. Finally, we also propose alternative methods to identify differentially regulated genes that take into account the greater variability in lowly expressed genes.

Sibutramine provokes apoptosis of aortic endothelial cells through altered production of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Morikawa, Yoshifumi [Forensic Science Laboratory, Gifu Prefectural Police Headquarters, Gifu 500-8501 (Japan); Shibata, Akinobu; Okumura, Naoko; Ikari, Akira [Laboratory of Biochemistry, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu 501-1196 (Japan); Sasajima, Yasuhide; Suenami, Koichi; Sato, Kiyohito; Takekoshi, Yuji [Forensic Science Laboratory, Gifu Prefectural Police Headquarters, Gifu 500-8501 (Japan); El-Kabbani, Ossama [Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya 466-8550 (Japan); Matsunaga, Toshiyuki, E-mail: matsunagat@gifu-pu.ac.jp [Laboratory of Biochemistry, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu 501-1196 (Japan)

2017-01-01

Overdose administration of sibutramine, a serotonin-noradrenalin reuptake inhibitor, is considered to elicit severe side effects including hypertension, whose pathogenic mechanism remains unclear. Here, we found that 48-h incubation with > 10 μM sibutramine provokes apoptosis of human aortic endothelial (HAE) cells. Treatment with the lethal concentration of sibutramine facilitated production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), altered expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress response genes (heat shock protein 70 and C/EBP homologous protein), and inactivated 26S proteasome-based proteolysis. The treatment also decreased cellular level of nitric oxide (NO) through lowering of expression and activity of endothelial NO synthase. These results suggest that ROS production and depletion of NO are crucial events in the apoptotic mechanism and may be linked to the pathogenesis of vasoconstriction elicited by the drug. Compared to sibutramine, its metabolites (N-desmethylsibutramine and N-didesmethylsibutramine) were much less cytotoxic to HAE cells, which hardly metabolized sibutramine. In contrast, both the drug and metabolites showed low cytotoxicity to hepatic HepG2 cells with high metabolic potency and expression of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 3A4. The cytotoxicity of sibutramine to HepG2 and Chang Liver cells was remarkably augmented by inhibition and knockdown of CYP3A4. This study also suggests an inverse relationship between sibutramine cytotoxicity and CYP3A4-mediated metabolism into the N-desmethyl metabolites. - Highlights: • Treatment with sibutramine, an anorexiant, induces endothelial cell apoptosis. • The apoptotic mechanism includes induction of ROS and NO depletion. • There is an inverse relationship between sibutramine cytotoxicity and its metabolism.

Sexual and relationship intimacy among women with provoked vestibulodynia and their partners: associations with sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain self-efficacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bois, Katy; Bergeron, Sophie; Rosen, Natalie O; McDuff, Pierre; Grégoire, Catherine

2013-08-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is the most frequent subtype of vulvodynia. Women report negative consequences of PVD on their sexual and romantic relationships. Researchers have recently highlighted the importance of examining interpersonal factors such as intimacy, and of including both women and their partners in study designs. The aim of this study was to investigate sexual and relationship intimacy as defined by the Interpersonal Process Model of Intimacy and their associations with sexual satisfaction, sexual function, pain self-efficacy, and pain intensity among women with PVD and their partners. Ninety-one heterosexual women (M age = 27.38, SD = 6.04) diagnosed with PVD and their partners (M age = 29.37, SD = 7.79) completed measures of sexual and relationship intimacy, sexual satisfaction, sexual function, pain self-efficacy, and pain intensity. Dependent measures were the (i) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale; (ii) Female Sexual Function Index; (iii) Painful Intercourse Self-Efficacy Scale; and (iv) visual analog scale of pain intensity during intercourse. After controlling for women's age, women's greater sexual intimacy (β = 0.49, P sexual satisfaction and higher pain self-efficacy (β = 0.39, P = 0.001), beyond the effects of partners' sexual intimacy. Also, women's greater sexual intimacy (β = 0.24, P = 0.05) and women's greater relationship intimacy (β = 0.54, P = 0.003) were associated with greater women's sexual function, beyond the effects of partners' sexual and relationship intimacy. Women's self-reported sexual and relationship intimacy in the couple relationship may promote higher sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain self-efficacy, as well as possibly foster greater sexual well-being among women with PVD. The authors discuss implications for the inclusion of emotional and interpersonal aspects of the couple's dynamic in clinical interventions and future research in PVD. © 2013

Recent public attitudes to nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, J.E.O.

This paper reviews recent public attitudes to nuclear power in Canada and the state of empirical knowledge about these attitudes referring specifically to studies carried out in Ontario. It discusses interest groups as a factor in public attitudes and suggests some lines of investigation for social research. (author)

Nature and scope of public administration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Uchem, R.O.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available The success and survival of any organizations be they government or not is contingent upon group efforts and cooperation to achieve set goals. This paper discusses the nature and scope of public administration to say that in modern day societies, any administration in the public interest transcends beyond government circles and finds expression in other spheres of human endeavors including the church, mosques, postal services as well as international relations and diplomacy, respectively. The paper discusses the concepts of administration and public administration thereby creating a distinction between the two concepts. Furthermore, the understanding of the scope of administration through the various schools of thought have also been captured, the essence of which is to generate a clearer understanding of the discourse under review. The paper ends with conclusions.

Migration: a core public health ethics issue.

Science.gov (United States)

Wild, V; Dawson, A

2018-05-01

In this article, we outline the link between migration, public health and ethics. Discussing relevant arguments about migration from the perspective of public health and public health ethics. Critical review of theories and frameworks, case-based analysis and systematic identification and discussion of challenges. Migration is a core issue of public health ethics and must take a case-based approach: seeking to identify the specific ethical dimensions and vulnerabilities in each particular context. Public health as a practice, built upon the core value of justice, requires the protection and promotion of migrants' well-being (even if this produces tension with immigration services). Ethical analysis should take all phases of migration into account: before, during and after transit. We argue that migration policies, at least as they relate to migrants' well-being, should be founded upon a shared humanity, respect for human rights and on the idea that effective public health cannot and should not be confined within the borders and to the citizens of any host country. We make the case for migration to be seen as a core issue of public health ethics. Copyright © 2018 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

LGBT Roundtable Discussion: Meet-up and Mentoring Discussion

Science.gov (United States)

2014-03-01

The LGBT+ Physicists group welcomes those who identify as gender sexual minorities, as LGBTQQIAAP+, or as allies to participate in a round-table discussion on mentoring physicists. The session will provide an opportunity to learn and discuss successful mentoring strategies at different career stages for physicists in all environments, including academia, industry, etc. Attendees are encouraged to attend a social event to follow the panel to continue to network. Allies are especially welcome at this event to learn how to support and mentor LGBT+ physicists.

Methods for communicating technical information as public information

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zara, S.A.

1987-01-01

Many challenges face the nuclear industry, especially in the waste management area. One of the biggest challenges is effective communication with the general public. Technical complexity, combined with the public's lack of knowledge and negative emotional response, complicate clear communication of radioactive waste management issues. The purpose of this session is to present and discuss methods for overcoming these obstacles and effectively transmitting technical information as public information. The methods presented encompass audio, visual, and print approaches to message transmission. To support these methods, the author also discusses techniques, based on current research, for improving the communication process

Tumores perianais provocados pelo herpes simples Perianal tumors provoked by herpes simplex

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sidney Roberto Nadal

2007-03-01

Full Text Available O Herpes simplex (HSV é um DNA vírus que provoca afecções perianais, sendo considerada a causa mais comum das úlceras na região. Apesar da forma ulcerativa ser a mais conhecida, a literatura relata o aparecimento de lesões tumorais, nodulares ou hipertróficas relacionadas ao vírus. O exame proctológico mostra tumores dolorosos, achatados, com superfície recoberta por ulceração rasa e com bordas bem delimitadas, elevadas e lobuladas, localizados na margem anal e/ou no sulco interglúteo, algumas vezes imitando condilomas virais ou carcinoma. A anamnese revela instalação insidiosa com crescimento lento e progressivo, além da história de tratamentos anteriores para úlceras herpéticas. O diagnóstico diferencial com carcinoma impõe a realização de biópsia para confirmação histológica. Esse exame revela hiperplasia epitelial moderada e denso processo inflamatório com linfócitos e plasmócitos. Células gigantes e multinucleadas são observadas na epiderme. Os testes imunohistoquímicos sugerem o HSV. A opção terapêutica inicial deve ser o tratamento medicamentoso. Importante definir o diagnóstico etiológico para aliviar o desconforto e evitar operação radical desnecessária, e introduzir medicação anti-retroviral nos portadores do HIV para melhora da imunidade.Herpes simplex is a DNA virus which provokes perianal lesions, and it is the most frequent etiology of anal ulcer. Despite the ulcerative herpes being known worldwide, literature relates a tumoral, or nodular, or hypertrophic form related to this virus. Proctological examination showed nodules with a verrucous appearance and an ulcerated surface at the anal margin, sometimes mimicking viral condylomas or carcinomas. Anamnesis reveals insidious installation, slow growth and prior treatments for herpetic ulcers. The differential diagnoses with cancer allow us to perform biopsies for histological confirmation. This exam reveals mild epithelial hyperplasia and

Perceived and real barriers for men entering nursing: implications for gender diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Roth, Jay E; Coleman, Christopher Lance

2008-01-01

The objective of this literature review is to describe the perceived or real barriers to men seeking a career in nursing, and to suggest strategies for ameliorating barriers. A literature search exploring barriers existing for men pursuing nursing was conducted. Although the literature underscored the structure of nursing has changed substantially over the last fifty years, these changes have not always provoked a change in the public's perception of nursing. Barriers for men entering nursing still exist. Implications for gender diversity in nursing are discussed. Strategies for decreasing barriers experienced by males entering nursing are warranted.

Exploring early public responses to geoengineering.

Science.gov (United States)

Pidgeon, Nick; Corner, Adam; Parkhill, Karen; Spence, Alexa; Butler, Catherine; Poortinga, Wouter

2012-09-13

Proposals for geoengineering the Earth's climate are prime examples of emerging or 'upstream' technologies, because many aspects of their effectiveness, cost and risks are yet to be researched, and in many cases are highly uncertain. This paper contributes to the emerging debate about the social acceptability of geoengineering technologies by presenting preliminary evidence on public responses to geoengineering from two of the very first UK studies of public perceptions and responses. The discussion draws upon two datasets: qualitative data (from an interview study conducted in 42 households in 2009), and quantitative data (from a subsequent nationwide survey (n=1822) of British public opinion). Unsurprisingly, baseline awareness of geoengineering was extremely low in both cases. The data from the survey indicate that, when briefly explained to people, carbon dioxide removal approaches were preferred to solar radiation management, while significant positive correlations were also found between concern about climate change and support for different geoengineering approaches. We discuss some of the wider considerations that are likely to shape public perceptions of geoengineering as it enters the media and public sphere, and conclude that, aside from technical considerations, public perceptions are likely to prove a key element influencing the debate over questions of the acceptability of geoengineering proposals.

The role of public initiatives facilitating investments in broadband infrastructures

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Falch, Morten; Tadayoni, Reza; Henten, Anders

2015-01-01

This paper discusses the role of a developmental approach to broadband policy. The policy approaches made in Denmark and Sweden are compared, and the scope for public intervention at the broadband market is discussed. The paper includes a case study on public intervention in the rural areas of th...

A Survey of Public Opinion on Cat (Felis catus) Predation and the Future Direction of Cat Management in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Walker, Jessica K; Bruce, Stephanie J; Dale, Arnja R

2017-07-03

Cat predation is a prominent issue in New Zealand that provokes strong and opposing views. We explored, via 1011 face-to-face questionnaires, public opinion on (a) support for a National Cat Management Strategy (78% support); (b) concern regarding predation of wildlife by owned and un-owned cats (managed stray, unmanaged stray, and feral cats); (c) the acceptability of management techniques for owned cats; and (d) the acceptability of population management techniques for un-owned cats. The highest concern was expressed regarding the predation of non-native and native wildlife by feral cats (60 and 86% repectively), followed by unmanaged stray cats (59 and 86% respectively), managed stray cats (54 and 82% respectively), and finally owned cats (38 and 69% repectively). Limits to the number of cats owned and cat restriction zones received high levels of support (>65%), and compulsory microchipping, Council registration, and de-sexing were supported by the majority (>58%). Public support of population control methods for unowned cats was explored, and the influence of participant demographic variables on responses is described. These findings provide insight into public opinion regarding the management of cats in New Zealand, which should be considered during the development of legislation in this area.

A Survey of Public Opinion on Cat (Felis catus Predation and the Future Direction of Cat Management in New Zealand

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jessica K. Walker

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Cat predation is a prominent issue in New Zealand that provokes strong and opposing views. We explored, via 1011 face-to-face questionnaires, public opinion on (a support for a National Cat Management Strategy (78% support; (b concern regarding predation of wildlife by owned and un-owned cats (managed stray, unmanaged stray, and feral cats; (c the acceptability of management techniques for owned cats; and (d the acceptability of population management techniques for un-owned cats. The highest concern was expressed regarding the predation of non-native and native wildlife by feral cats (60 and 86% repectively, followed by unmanaged stray cats (59 and 86% respectively, managed stray cats (54 and 82% respectively, and finally owned cats (38 and 69% repectively. Limits to the number of cats owned and cat restriction zones received high levels of support (>65%, and compulsory microchipping, Council registration, and de-sexing were supported by the majority (>58%. Public support of population control methods for unowned cats was explored, and the influence of participant demographic variables on responses is described. These findings provide insight into public opinion regarding the management of cats in New Zealand, which should be considered during the development of legislation in this area.

NASPAA and Professionalism: Public Service or Guild Protectionism?

Science.gov (United States)

Fox, Charles J.

1996-01-01

The role of the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA) in promoting professionalism in public administration is explored, and potential problems associated with that role are discussed. The recent movement toward accreditation in public administration education based on a Total Quality Management mission is…

Attachment, Sexual Assertiveness, and Sexual Outcomes in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia and Their Partners: A Mediation Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Leclerc, Bianca; Bergeron, Sophie; Brassard, Audrey; Bélanger, Claude; Steben, Marc; Lambert, Bernard

2015-08-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a prevalent women's sexual pain disorder, which is associated with sexual function difficulties. Attachment theory has been used to understand adult sexual outcomes, providing a useful framework for examining sexual adaptation in couples confronted with PVD. Research to date indicates that anxious and avoidant attachment dimensions correlate with worse sexual outcomes in community and clinical samples. The present study examined the association between attachment, pain, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction in a sample of 101 couples in which the women presented with PVD. The actor-partner interdependence model was used in order to investigate both actor and partner effects. This study also examined the role of sexual assertiveness as a mediator of these associations via structural equation modeling. Women completed measures of pain intensity and both members of the couple completed measures of romantic attachment, sexual assertiveness, sexual function, and satisfaction. Results indicated that attachment dimensions did not predict pain intensity. Both anxious and avoidant attachment were associated with lower sexual satisfaction. Only attachment avoidance predicted lower sexual function in women. Partner effects indicated that higher sexual assertiveness in women predicted higher sexual satisfaction in men. Finally, women's sexual assertiveness was found to be a significant mediator of the relationship between their attachment dimensions, sexual function, and satisfaction. Findings highlight the importance of examining how anxious and avoidant attachment may lead to difficulties in sexual assertiveness and to less satisfying sexual interactions in couples where women suffer from PVD.

Elevated expression of NEU1 sialidase in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis provokes pulmonary collagen deposition, lymphocytosis, and fibrosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Luzina, Irina G; Lockatell, Virginia; Hyun, Sang W; Kopach, Pavel; Kang, Phillip H; Noor, Zahid; Liu, Anguo; Lillehoj, Erik P; Lee, Chunsik; Miranda-Ribera, Alba; Todd, Nevins W; Goldblum, Simeon E; Atamas, Sergei P

2016-05-15

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) poses challenges to understanding its underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms and the development of better therapies. Previous studies suggest a pathophysiological role for neuraminidase 1 (NEU1), an enzyme that removes terminal sialic acid from glycoproteins. We observed increased NEU1 expression in epithelial and endothelial cells, as well as fibroblasts, in the lungs of patients with IPF compared with healthy control lungs. Recombinant adenovirus-mediated gene delivery of NEU1 to cultured primary human cells elicited profound changes in cellular phenotypes. Small airway epithelial cell migration was impaired in wounding assays, whereas, in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells, NEU1 overexpression strongly impacted global gene expression, increased T cell adhesion to endothelial monolayers, and disrupted endothelial capillary-like tube formation. NEU1 overexpression in fibroblasts provoked increased levels of collagen types I and III, substantial changes in global gene expression, and accelerated degradation of matrix metalloproteinase-14. Intratracheal instillation of NEU1 encoding, but not control adenovirus, induced lymphocyte accumulation in bronchoalveolar lavage samples and lung tissues and elevations of pulmonary transforming growth factor-β and collagen. The lymphocytes were predominantly T cells, with CD8(+) cells exceeding CD4(+) cells by nearly twofold. These combined data indicate that elevated NEU1 expression alters functional activities of distinct lung cell types in vitro and recapitulates lymphocytic infiltration and collagen accumulation in vivo, consistent with mechanisms implicated in lung fibrosis.

Nuclear Energy. Communicating with the Public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-01-01

Information and communication with the public often appear to be the Achilles heel of nuclear energy, despite the considerable effort devoted to them. This report is based on the conclusions of several workshops organised by the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency for public information specialists. It discusses the principles and practices leading to better communication with the public in four nuclear energy fields: radiation protection, radiological emergencies, routine operation of nuclear plants and radioactive waste management

Public acceptance and public relations. Communication approach to related pre-public relation problems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tanaka, Y [Gakushuin Univ., Tokyo (Japan)

1977-07-01

A set of problems are discussed, which must be studied before the public relations are dealt with. Firstly, the trade-off between energy and health must be considered. Although the probability of death caused by atomic accidents is very small (one three hundred millionth a year), many peoples hate atomic power and oppose to the construction of nuclear power plants. Four reasons for this are considered: (1) social diffusion of innovation, (2) nuclear allergy, (3) shortage of the conception of risk-benefit, and (4) heterogeneity of the public. According to the investigation of the relationship between electric power and livelihood, carried out by the policyand science research institute in Tokyo, the highly subjective decision for the acceptance of atomic power is independent of the objective knowledge on atomic power.

Philippine Public Relations: An Industry and Practitioner Profile.

Science.gov (United States)

Panol, Zenaida Sarabia

2000-01-01

Provides a comprehensive look at public relations in the Philippines; traces how public relations evolved in this Southeast Asian country; and discusses the current status of the industry and its practitioners. (NH)

A prospective study of pelvic floor physical therapy: pain and psychosexual outcomes in provoked vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Goldfinger, Corrie; Pukall, Caroline F; Gentilcore-Saulnier, Evelyne; McLean, Linda; Chamberlain, Susan

2009-07-01

Research suggests that increased tension in the pelvic floor muscles of women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD, the most common form of chronic vulvar pain) may play an important role in maintaining and exacerbating their pain. However, no prospective studies of pelvic floor physical therapy (PFPT) for PVD have been carried out. This study prospectively examined the effectiveness of a PFPT intervention in treating the pain and sexual and psychological components of PVD, and determined predictors of greater treatment success. Thirteen women with PVD completed eight sessions of PFPT. Participants were assessed at pre- and post-treatment via gynecological examinations, vestibular pain threshold testing, structured interviews, and standardized questionnaires. A 3-month follow-up interview assessed any further changes. Outcome measures included: vestibular pain thresholds, gynecological examination and intercourse pain ratings, sexual function and intercourse frequency, mental health, negative pain cognitions, and success rates. Following treatment, participants had significantly higher vestibular pain thresholds and significantly lower pain ratings during the gynecological examination. Participants reported significant reductions in pain intensity during intercourse and were able to engage in significantly more pain-free activities. Although overall sexual function significantly improved, various components of sexual function and frequency of intercourse did not. Participants' mental health did not significantly improve; however, pain catastrophizing and pain-related anxiety significantly decreased. The treatment was considered to be successful for 10 of the 13 participants, and predictors of greater treatment success included greater reductions in helplessness and a longer period of time in treatment. Results provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of PFPT in treating the pain of PVD, as well as some of the sexual and cognitive correlates of PVD. The

Associations Between Penetration Cognitions, Genital Pain, and Sexual Well-being in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Alexandra B; Rosen, Natalie O; Price, Lisa; Bergeron, Sophie

2016-03-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a common vulvovaginal pain condition that negatively impacts women's psychological and sexual well-being. Controlled studies have found that women with PVD report greater negative and less positive cognitions about penetration; however, associations between these types of cognitions and women's pain and sexual well-being remain unknown. Further, researchers have yet to examine how interpersonal variables such as sexual communication may impact the association between women's penetration cognitions and PVD outcomes. We examined associations between vaginal penetration cognitions and sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain in women with PVD, as well as the moderating role of sexual communication. Seventy-seven women (M age = 28.32, SD = 6.19) diagnosed with PVD completed the catastrophic and pain cognitions and positive cognitions subscales of the Vaginal Penetration Cognition Questionnaire, as well as the Dyadic Sexual Communication Scale. Participants also completed measures of sexual satisfaction, sexual function, and pain. Dependent measures were the (i) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale; (ii) Female Sexual Function Index; and (iii) Present Pain Intensity scale of the McGill Pain Questionnaire, with reference to pain during vaginal intercourse. Women's lower catastrophic and pain cognitions, higher positive cognitions, and higher sexual communication were each uniquely associated with higher sexual satisfaction and sexual function. Lower catastrophic and pain cognitions also were associated with women's lower pain. For women who reported higher sexual communication, as positive cognitions increased, there was a significantly greater decrease in pain intensity during intercourse compared to women who reported lower levels of sexual communication. Findings may inform cognitive-behavioral interventions aimed at improving the pain and sexual well-being of women with PVD. Targeting the couple's sexual communication

Observing back pain provoking lifting actions modulates corticomotor excitability of the observer's primary motor cortex.

Science.gov (United States)

Lehner, Rea; Meesen, Raf; Wenderoth, Nicole

2017-07-01

Observing another person experiencing exogenously inflicted pain (e.g. by a sharp object penetrating a finger) modulates the excitability of the observer' primary motor cortex (M1). By contrast, far less is known about the response to endogenously evoked pain such as sudden back pain provoked by lifting a heavy object. Here, participants (n=26) observed the lifting of a heavy object. During this action the actor (1) flexed and extended the legs (LEG), (2) flexed and extended the back (BACK) or (3) flexed and extended the back which caused visible pain (BACKPAIN). Corticomotor excitability was measured by applying a single transcranial magnetic stimulation pulse to the M1 representation of the muscle erector spinae and participants scored their perception of the actor's pain on the numeric pain rating scale (NPRS). The participants scored vicarious pain as highest during the BACKPAIN condition and lowest during the LEG condition. MEP size was significantly lower for the LEG than the BACK and BACKPAIN condition. Although we found no statistical difference in the motor-evoked potential (MEP) size between the conditions BACK and BACKPAIN, there was a significant correlation between the difference in NPRS scores between the conditions BACKPAIN and BACK and the difference in MEP size between these conditions. Participants who believed the vicarious pain to be much stronger in the BACKPAIN than in the BACK condition also exhibited higher MEPs for the BACKPAIN than the BACK condition. Our results indicate that observing how others lift heavy objects facilitates motor representations of back muscles in the observer. Modulation occurs in a movement-specific manner and is additionally modulated by the extent to which the participants perceived the actor's pain. Our findings suggest that movement observation might be a promising paradigm to study the brain's response to back pain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sutcliffe, W.G.

1991-01-01

This is an edited transcript of the recorded discussions that followed the presentation of each paper and on the general comments at the conclusion of the session. No attempt was made to identity those who offered comments or asked questions

Hype and public trust in science.

Science.gov (United States)

Master, Zubin; Resnik, David B

2013-06-01

Social scientists have begun elucidating the variables that influence public trust in science, yet little is known about hype in biotechnology and its effects on public trust. Many scholars claim that hyping biotechnology results in a loss of public trust, and possibly public enthusiasm or support for science, because public expectations of the biotechnological promises will be unmet. We argue for the need for empirical research that examines the relationships between hype, public trust, and public enthusiasm/support. We discuss the complexities in designing empirical studies that provide evidence for a causal link between hype, public trust, and public enthusiasm/support, but also illustrate how this may be remedied. Further empirical research on hype and public trust is needed in order to improve public communication of science and to design evidence-based education on the responsible conduct of research for scientists. We conclude that conceptual arguments made on hype and public trust must be nuanced to reflect our current understanding of this relationship.

Bioethics and multiculturalism: nuancing the discussion.

Science.gov (United States)

Durante, Chris

2018-02-01

In his recent analysis of multiculturalism, Tom Beauchamp has argued that those who implement multicultural reasoning in their arguments against common morality theories, such as his own, have failed to understand that multiculturalism is neither a form of moral pluralism nor ethical relativism but is rather a universalistic moral theory in its own right. Beauchamp's position is indeed on the right track in that multiculturalists do not consider themselves ethical relativists. Yet, Beauchamp tends to miss the mark when he argues that multiculturalism is in effect a school of thought that endorses a form of moral universalism that is akin to his own vision of a common morality. As a supporter of multiculturalism, I would like to discuss some aspects of Beauchamp's comments on multiculturalism and clarify what a multicultural account of public bioethics might look like. Ultimately, multiculturalism is purported as a means of managing diversity in the public arena and should not be thought of as endorsing either a version of moral relativism or a universal morality. By simultaneously refraining from the promotion of a comprehensive common moral system while it attempts to avoid a collapse into relativism, multiculturalism can serve as the ethico-political framework in which diverse moralities can be managed and in which opportunities for ethical dialogue, debate and deliberation on the prospects of common bioethical norms are made possible. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Revision by means of computer-mediated peer discussions

Science.gov (United States)

Soong, Benson; Mercer, Neil; Er, Siew Shin

2010-05-01

In this article, we provide a discussion on our revision method (termed prescriptive tutoring) aimed at revealing students' misconceptions and misunderstandings by getting them to solve physics problems with an anonymous partner via the computer. It is currently being implemented and evaluated in a public secondary school in Singapore, and statistical analysis of our initial small-scale study shows that students in the experimental group significantly outperformed students in both the control and alternative intervention groups. In addition, students in the experimental group perceived that they had gained improved understanding of the physics concepts covered during the intervention, and reported that they would like to continue revising physics concepts using the intervention methods.

Balancing radiation benefits and risks: The needs of an informed public

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-04-01

The American public's perceptions regarding ionizing radiation do not always conform to or correlate with scientific evidence. The ultimate purpose of this coordinated Federal effort and report is to increase the public's knowledge of the benefits and risks associated with ionizing radiation. This report is divided into five sections. The first section, Introduction, discusses the public's knowledge of radiation, their perceptions of benefits versus risks, and the Federal government's role in public education. The section also outlines the charge to the Subpanel. Radiation Issues and Public Reactions discusses several radiation issues important to Federal agencies for which public education programs need to be established or enhanced. Federal Programs describes Federal agencies with public education programs on radiation and the nature of the programs they support. Education Issues and Federal Strategies explores the elements identified by the Subpanel as critical to the development and implementation of an effective Federal program in the area of public education on radiation issues and nuclear technologies. An important issue repeatedly brought up during the public sector presentations to the Subpanel was the perceived lack of Federal credibility on radiation issues in the eyes of the public. To some degree, this concern was factored into all of the recommendations developed by the subpanel. The issues discussed in this section include the fragmented nature of Federal radiation programs and the need to improve credibility, promote agency responsiveness, and support the enhancement of scientific literacy. Finally, under Recommendations, the Subpanel discusses its overall findings and conclusions

Reproduction and mode of delivery in women with vaginismus or localised provoked vestibulodynia: a Swedish register-based study.

Science.gov (United States)

Möller, L; Josefsson, A; Bladh, M; Lilliecreutz, C; Sydsjö, G

2015-02-01

To compare sociodemographics, parity and mode of delivery between women diagnosed with vaginismus or localised provoked vestibulodynia (LPV) to women without a diagnosis before first pregnancy. Retrospective, population-based register study. Sweden. All women born in Sweden 1973-83 who gave birth for the first time or remained nulliparous during the years 2001-09. Nationally linked registries were used to identify the study population. Women diagnosed with vaginismus or LPV were compared to all other women. Odds ratios for parity and mode of delivery were calculated using multinominal regression analysis and logistic regression. Parity and mode of delivery. Women with vaginismus/LPV were more likely to be unmarried (P = 0.001), unemployed (P = 0.012), have a higher educational level (P vaginismus/LPV more often delivered by caesarean section (P vaginismus/LPV were more likely to suffer a perineal laceration (adjusted OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.56-2.25). Women with vaginismus/LPV are less likely to give birth and those that do are more likely to deliver by caesarean section and have a caesarean section based upon maternal request. Those women delivering vaginally are more likely to suffer perineal laceration. These findings point to the importance of not only addressing sexual function in women with vaginismus/LPV but reproductive function as well. © 2014 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Contradictions in participatory public art

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kortbek, Hjørdis Brandrup

2018-01-01

This article addresses the current focus within urban cultural policy on using art as a tool in urban development. Based on theories of participation, democracy and public art, the article sets out to investigate critically the concept of placemaking. The discussion is based on an analysis...... of the public art project, Placemaking that took place during 2015 in eight municipalities around Copenhagen in Denmark. I argue that, when used as a tool in urban development, participatory public art engenders contradictory encounters. These encounters challenge the cultural political effort to democratise...

The Public Health Innovation Model: Merging Private Sector Processes with Public Health Strengths.

Science.gov (United States)

Lister, Cameron; Payne, Hannah; Hanson, Carl L; Barnes, Michael D; Davis, Siena F; Manwaring, Todd

2017-01-01

Public health enjoyed a number of successes over the twentieth century. However, public health agencies have arguably been ill equipped to sustain these successes and address the complex threats we face today, including morbidity and mortality associated with persistent chronic diseases and emerging infectious diseases, in the context of flat funding and new and changing health care legislation. Transformational leaders, who are not afraid of taking risks to develop innovative approaches to combat present-day threats, are needed within public health agencies. We propose the Public Health Innovation Model (PHIM) as a tool for public health leaders who wish to integrate innovation into public health practice. This model merges traditional public health program planning models with innovation principles adapted from the private sector, including design thinking, seeking funding from private sector entities, and more strongly emphasizing program outcomes. We also discuss principles that leaders should consider adopting when transitioning to the PHIM, including cross-collaboration, community buy-in, human-centered assessment, autonomy and creativity, rapid experimentation and prototyping, and accountability to outcomes.

The Public Health Innovation Model: Merging Private Sector Processes with Public Health Strengths

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cameron Lister

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Public health enjoyed a number of successes over the twentieth century. However, public health agencies have arguably been ill equipped to sustain these successes and address the complex threats we face today, including morbidity and mortality associated with persistent chronic diseases and emerging infectious diseases, in the context of flat funding and new and changing health care legislation. Transformational leaders, who are not afraid of taking risks to develop innovative approaches to combat present-day threats, are needed within public health agencies. We propose the Public Health Innovation Model (PHIM as a tool for public health leaders who wish to integrate innovation into public health practice. This model merges traditional public health program planning models with innovation principles adapted from the private sector, including design thinking, seeking funding from private sector entities, and more strongly emphasizing program outcomes. We also discuss principles that leaders should consider adopting when transitioning to the PHIM, including cross-collaboration, community buy-in, human-centered assessment, autonomy and creativity, rapid experimentation and prototyping, and accountability to outcomes.

Entrepreneurs in the Public Library: Reinventing an Institution.

Science.gov (United States)

Clay, Edwin S. III; Bangs, Patricia C.

2000-01-01

Presents a case study that describes how the Fairfax County Public (VA) has reinvented itself as a public service corporation by developing a public-private model for fund development using a top managerial committee. Discusses volunteer programs, partnerships with local utility companies, and staff training in managing patron problem behavior.…

Radiation protection of the public: Past, present, and future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kocher, D.C.

1990-01-01

This paper discusses the historical development of radiation protection standards for the public, the present system in the United States for limiting radiation exposures of the public primarily by means of environmental radiation standards for specific practices or sources, and recent developments that may affect future standards and policies for radiation protection of the public. The radiobiological and epidemiological basis for radiation protection standards and policies is emphasized. Difficulties associated with the current regulatory framework are discussed, and proposal for addressing these difficulties are presented. 16 refs., 1 tab

Public meetings

CERN Multimedia

Staff Association

2012-01-01

MARS PENSIONS CONTRACT POLICY GENERAL INFORMATION   PUBLIC MEETINGS COME AND BE INFORMED! Public meetings Monday 15 Oct. 2 pm Amphi IT, 31-3-004 Meyrin Wednesday 17 Oct. 10 am Amphi BE, 864-1-D02 Prévessin Thursday 18 Oct. 10 am Salle du Conseil/ Council Chamber 503-1-001 Meyrin Thursday 18 Oct. 2 pm Filtration Plant, 222-R-001(in English) Meyrin   Overview of the topics to be discussed Recognition of Merit – MARS Outcome of last exercise 2007 to 2012 : lessons learned Pension Fund Capital preservation policy : what is it ? Contract policy LC2IC statistics SA proposal General information CVI 2013 Voluntary programmes (PRP, SLS)  

Public perception process of nuclear power risk and some enlightenment to public education for nuclear power acceptance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Bo

2013-01-01

This paper, based on the international research literatures on perception of risks, designs a conceptual model of public perception of nuclear power risk. In this model, it is considered that the public perception of nuclear power risk is a dynamic, complicate and closed system and is a process from subjective perception to objective risk. Based on the features of the public perception of nuclear power risk and multi-faceted dimension influences as discussed, suggestions for the public education for nuclear power acceptance are given in five aspects with indication that the public education for nuclear power acceptance plays an important role in maintaining the public perception of nuclear power risk system. (author)

I'm Right and You're and Idiot — Jim Hoggan discusses the toxic state of public discourse and how to clean it up, by changing the communication climate

Science.gov (United States)

Hoggan, J. C.

2016-12-01

Just as the natural environment can be polluted, so too can public discourse. I'm Right and You're an Idiot: The Toxic State of Public Discourse and How to Clean it Up examines the sorry state of today's public square, showing how polluted, polarized conversations discourage people from taking action on critical issues such as climate change, and demonstrating how we can clear the air and become more powerful and effective communicators. The most urgent environmental threat today is not climate change, species extinction or the declining health of oceans. Author Jim Hoggan says the more pressing problem is resistance to change that results from pollution in the public square. A smog of adversarial rhetoric, propaganda and polarization that comes from all sides, is stifling discussion and our ability to solve problems collectively. Hoggan has investigated this troubling state of public dialogue and in his new book he asks leading intellectuals why, despite overwhelming scientific evidence, so little is being done to address today's critical environmental challenges. As chair of the David Suzuki Foundation and founder of one of Canada's most successful PR firms, he is uniquely positioned to probe this question. During Hoggan's 30 years in crisis management he has dealt with food poisonings, labour disputes, multi-million dollar bank fraud, sawmill explosions, even bodies disappearing from funeral homes. He also authored the bestseller Climate Cover-Up, which took a critical look at science propaganda and the widespread echo chamber of media and think tanks that magnifies it. How do we improve public discourse and curb over-the-top advocacy, corrupt conversations and propaganda. How do we counteract polarization and gridlock? Hoggan sought answers from more than 60 outstanding scholars, ranging from a NASA scientist to deep-sea oceanographer. He tapped the brains of cognitive researchers, political pundits, philosophers, moral psychologists, corporate analysts and

Higher Education Public Relations at the Year 2000: Assessing the Status of Public Relations at Colleges and Universities.

Science.gov (United States)

Peyronel, Anthony C.

2000-01-01

Discusses the importance of higher education public relations professionals playing a key role in institutional decision making and not being limited to the role of communication technician or information processor. Reviews studies on relationships between higher education and the media and between public relations professionals and…

End of life discussion in an academic family health team in Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reta French

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Background: End-of-life (EOL discussions remain difficult in non-terminal patients as death is often perceived as a taboo and uncertainty. However, the call for proper EOL discussions has recently received public attention and media coverage. Evidence also reveals that non-terminal patients are more satisfied with health-care encounters when EOL has been discussed. Objectives and Methods: The objective of this study was to explore the prevalence of EOL discussions in non-terminal adult patients, the perceived barriers to such discussions and suggested methods for improvement. A study mixed-methods study was performed by a group of PGY1 family medicine residents in an academic health team in Kingston, Ontario. Results: EOL discussion was performed in a very small proportion of non-terminal patient encounters. Compared with attending physicians, residents were less likely to discuss EOL issues and reported more perceived barriers. Conclusion: Our findings reflect the need for an early and open approach in conducting EOL discussion for non-terminal healthy patients.

Comprehensive Plan for Public Confidence in Nuclear Regulator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Kwang Sik; Choi, Young Sung; Kim, Ho ki

2008-01-01

Public confidence in nuclear regulator has been discussed internationally. Public trust or confidence is needed for achieving regulatory goal of assuring nuclear safety to the level that is acceptable by the public or providing public ease for nuclear safety. In Korea, public ease or public confidence has been suggested as major policy goal in the 'Nuclear regulatory policy direction' annually announced. This paper reviews theory of trust, its definitions and defines nuclear safety regulation, elements of public trust or public confidence developed based on the study conducted so far. Public ease model developed and 10 measures for ensuring public confidence are also presented and future study directions are suggested

How to report and discuss ADME data in medicinal chemistry publications: in vitro data or in vivo extrapolations?

Science.gov (United States)

Svennebring, Andreas M

2015-01-01

Early drug discovery projects often utilize data from ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination) assays to benchmark data and guide discussion, rather than the predicted in vivo consequences of these data. Here, the two paradigms are compared, using evaluations of metabolic stability based on either microsomal clearance assay data or from the predicted in vivo hepatic clearance and half-life calculated through the combination of the venous well-stirred model and Øie-Tozer's model. The need for a shift in paradigm is presented, and its implications discussed. It is suggested that discussions about ADME data should revolve around potential clinical problems that are most likely to surface during the development phase, each benchmarked with a suitable variable derived from the assay data.

Gender and Diversity in the European Public Spheres

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Siim, Birte

The increasing institutionalization of rights in EU has inspired a debate about the gap between the EU polity and citizens' abilities to influence multilevel governance and politics. The objective of the paper is to discuss diversity in the European public spheres from a gender perspective....... It first gives an overview of different feminist approaches to diversity and intersectionality. It explores the arguments for and against creating a democratic European Public Sphere and discusses the tensions between universal principles of equality at the one hand and concerns for inequalities...... state and to link feminist proposals for gender justice with frames for a multilayered trans-national citizenship. The paper aims to contribute to debates about theoretical approaches and models to study gender and diversity in the public sphere in general and in particular The European Public Sphere...

Discussion in Postsecondary Classrooms

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Curt Dudley-Marling

2013-11-01

Full Text Available Spoken language is, arguably, the primary means by which teachers teach and students learn. Much of the literature on language in classrooms has focused on discussion that is seen as both a method of instruction and a curricular outcome. While much of the research on discussion has focused on K-12 classrooms, there is also a body of research examining the efficacy of discussion in postsecondary settings. This article provides a review of this literature in order to consider the effect of discussion on student learning in college and university classrooms, the prevalence of discussion in postsecondary settings, and the quality of discussion in these settings. In general, the results of research on the efficacy of discussion in postsecondary settings are mixed. More seriously, researchers have not been explicit about the meaning of discussion and much of what is called discussion in this body of research is merely recitation with minimal levels of student participation. Although the research on discussion in college and university classrooms is inconclusive, some implications can be drawn from this review of the research including the need for future researchers to clearly define what they mean by “discussion.”

Duplicate editorial on duplicate publication.

Science.gov (United States)

Corson, Stephen L; Decherney, Alan H

2005-04-01

The authors define and discuss the various forms taken by duplicate publications, and provide suggested remedies to help authors, editors, reviewers, and readers avoid this form of internal plagiarism.

OPG waterways public safety program

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bennett, T [Ontario Power Generation Inc., Niagara Falls, ON (Canada)

2009-07-01

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) has 64 hydroelectric generating stations, 241 dams, and 109 dams in Ontario's registry with the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD). In 1986, it launched a formal dam safety program. This presentation addressed the importance of public safety around dams. The safety measures are timely because of increasing public interaction around dams; the public's unawareness of hazards; public interest in extreme sports; easier access by recreational vehicles; the perceived right of public to access sites; and the remote operation of hydroelectric stations. The presentation outlined the OPG managed system approach, with particular reference to governance; principles; standards and procedures; and aspects of implementation. Specific guidelines and governing documents for public safety around dams were identified, including guidelines for public safety of waterways; booms and buoys; audible warning devices and lights; public safety signage; fencing and barricades; and risk assessment for public safety around waterways. The presentation concluded with a discussion of audits and management reviews to determine if safety objectives and targets have been met. figs.

From Public Outrage to the Burst of Public Violence

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nizamani, Sarwat; Memon, Nasrullah; Galam, Serge

2014-01-01

This study extends classical models of spreading epidemics to describe the phenomenon of contagious public outrage, which eventually leads to the spread of violence following a disclosure of some unpopular political decisions and/or activity. Accordingly, a mathematical model is proposed...... in turn yield the dynamics of spreading of each type of agents among the population. The process is stopped with the deactivation of the associated issue. Conditions coinciding with a twofold spreading of public violence are singled out. The results shed a new light to understand terror activity...... and provides some hint on how to curb the spreading of violence within population globally sensitive to specific world issues. Recent world violent events are discussed....

Survey Research as a Public Relations Tool

Science.gov (United States)

O'Neill, Harry W.

1977-01-01

Offers information concerning a study conducted among the general public and discusses essential parts of the more comprehensive type of corporate image or corporate reputation. Available from: Public Relations Review, Ray Hiebert, Dean, College of Journalism, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742. (MH)

Protecting Health and Saving Lives: The Part-Time/Internet-Based Master of Public Health Program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Science.gov (United States)

Bruce, Linda; Gresh, Kathy; Vanchiswaran, Rohini; Werapitiya, Deepthi

2007-01-01

This article discusses the part-time/Internet-based Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH). The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health was the first school of public health in the United States to offer a Master of Public Health program via the Internet. The JHSPH MPH Program…

Controversies in hybrid banking: attitudes of Swiss public umbilical cord blood donors toward private and public banking.

Science.gov (United States)

Manegold, Gwendolin; Meyer-Monard, Sandrine; Tichelli, André; Granado, Christina; Hösli, Irene; Troeger, Carolyn

2011-07-01

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) stored in public inventories has become an alternative stem cell source for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. The potential use of autologous UCB from private banks is a matter of debate. In the face of the limited resources of public inventories, a discussion on "hybrid" public and private UCB banking has evolved. We aimed to explore the attitudes of the donating parents toward public and private UCB banking. A standardized, anonymous questionnaire was sent to the most recent 621 public UCB donors including items regarding satisfaction with recruitment process, the need for a second consent before release of the UCB unit for stem cell transplantation, and the donors' views on public and private UCB banking. Furthermore, we asked about their views on UCB research. Of the questionnaires, 48% were returned, and 16% were lost due to mail contact. Of our donors, 95% would donate to the public bank again. As much as 35% of them were convinced that public banking was useful. Whereas 27% had never heard about private UCB banking, 34% discussed both options. Nearly 70% of donors opted for public banking due to altruism and the high costs of private banking. Of our public UCB donors, 81% stated that they did not need a re-consent before UCB release for stem cell transplantation. In case of sample rejection, 53.5% wanted to know details about the particular research project. A total of 9% would not consent. Almost all donors would choose public banking again due to altruism and the high costs of private banking. Shortly after donation, mail contact with former UCB donors was difficult. This might be a relevant issue in any sequential hybrid banking.

Leadership in Search of Public Value

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Dorthe

2016-01-01

Purpose: This chapter takes its point of departure in the vision of educating public leaders and managers with the ability to create public value in a networked governance structure. The purpose of the chapter is to revise this vision by unpacking the notion of public value in contemporary...... governance and discuss the implications for public leadership and for public leadership and management programs. Design/methodology/approach: The chapter explores the notion of public value as a conceptual framework for emergent forms of networked governance. Drawing on insights from sociology of law...... and governmentality studies, a set of key tensions inherent in the public value discourse are identified as the diagnostic impetus to consider the somewhat excessive leadership figure put forward in the literature. The chapter shows that the discourse of networked governance and public value thinking is rather...

Innovative probabilistic risk assessment applications: barrier impairments and fracture toughness. Panel Discussion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Osterman, Michael; Root, Steven; Li, F.; Modarres, Mohammad; Reinhart, F. Mark; Bradley, Biff; Calhoun, David J.

2001-01-01

Full text of publication follows: New probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) applications promise to improve the overall safety and efficiency of nuclear plant operations. This discussion will explore the use of PRA in evaluating barrier integrity with respect to the consequences of natural phenomena such as tornadoes, floods, and harsh environments. Additionally, the session will explore proposals to improve fracture toughness techniques using PRA. (authors)

Daily associations between partner responses and sexual and relationship satisfaction in couples coping with provoked vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Natalie O; Muise, Amy; Bergeron, Sophie; Delisle, Isabelle; Baxter, Mary Lou

2015-04-01

Women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) experience a recurrent vulvo-vaginal pain triggered primarily during sexual intercourse. Although affected couples report adverse effects on their sexual and global romantic relationships, few studies have examined interpersonal factors that may influence their sexual and relationship satisfaction. Cross-sectional studies have shown that greater partner solicitous and negative responses and lower facilitative responses are associated with poorer sexual and relationship satisfaction in women with PVD. The aim of this study was to investigate the within-person associations between partner responses to painful intercourse and the sexual and relationship satisfaction of affected couples. In a dyadic daily experience study, 69 women (M(age) = 28.46, SD = 6.66) diagnosed with PVD and their cohabitating male partners (M(age) = 30.29, SD = 8.13) reported on male partner responses, as well as sexual and relationship satisfaction on sexual intercourse days (M = 6.81; SD = 5.40) over 8 weeks. Dependent measures were the (i) Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale and (ii) Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale. On sexual intercourse days when women perceived more facilitative partner responses than usual and on days when they perceived lower negative partner responses than usual, they reported higher sexual and relationship satisfaction. On sexual intercourse days when men reported more solicitous responses than usual, both they and their female partners reported lower sexual satisfaction. Interventions aimed at improving the day-to-day sexual and relationship satisfaction of couples with PVD should target increasing facilitative and decreasing negative and solicitous partner responses. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Woman and partner-perceived partner responses predict pain and sexual satisfaction in provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) couples.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosen, Natalie O; Bergeron, Sophie; Leclerc, Bianca; Lambert, Bernard; Steben, Marc

2010-11-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is a highly prevalent vulvovaginal pain condition that results in significant sexual dysfunction, psychological distress, and reduced quality of life. Although some intra-individual psychological factors have been associated with PVD, studies to date have neglected the interpersonal context of this condition. We examined whether partner responses to women's pain experience-from the perspective of both the woman and her partner-are associated with pain intensity, sexual function, and sexual satisfaction. One hundred ninety-one couples (M age for women=33.28, standard deviation [SD]=12.07, M age for men=35.79, SD=12.44) in which the woman suffered from PVD completed the spouse response scale of the Multidimensional Pain Inventory, assessing perceptions of partners' responses to the pain. Women with PVD also completed measures of pain, sexual function, sexual satisfaction, depression, and dyadic adjustment. Dependent measures were women's responses to: (i) a horizontal analog scale assessing the intensity of their pain during intercourse; (ii) the Female Sexual Function Index; and (iii) the Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction Scale. Controlling for depression, higher solicitous partner responses were associated with higher levels of women's vulvovaginal pain intensity. This association was significant for partner-perceived responses (β=0.29, Psexual function and dyadic adjustment, woman-perceived greater solicitous partner responses (β=0.16, P=0.02) predicted greater sexual satisfaction. Partner-perceived responses did not predict women's sexual satisfaction. Partner responses were not associated with women's sexual function. Findings support the integration of dyadic processes in the conceptualization and treatment of PVD by suggesting that partner responses to pain affect pain intensity and sexual satisfaction in affected women. © 2010 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Public relations policy: The Electronuclear experience

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soares, Luiz

2000-01-01

This presentation discusses the following topics: Historical and Cultural Aspects of Electrical Sector in Brazil; Nuclear Power and Public Acceptance in Brazil; The chances decision of Angra 3; Community Activities of the ELETRONUCLEAR Regional Programs and Emergency Planning Department whose function is to promote activities with or for the communities of Angra dos Reis region; Public Relations Actions

Strategic principles workshops: Discussion drafts and workshop notes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1991-09-01

The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste-Management in the Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for disposing of this nation`s spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste in a manner that protects the health and safety of the public and the quality of the environment. Although embodied in the Federal repository program that began with studies in the late 1950s, this mission was explicitly established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and reaffirmed by the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. To fulfill our mission, we are developing a waste management system consisting of a geologic repository for permanent disposal deep beneath the surface of the earth, a facility for monitored retrievable storage, and a system for transporting the waste. This discussion draft was developed to help involve parties affected by or interested in the waste-management program in the formulation of the basic principles on which the program will be based. It reviews existing objectives, policies, and strategic principles under which the system is currently being developed. Then discussed are issues of strategic importance for which additional strategic principles may be needed. For these issues in particular, views from affected and interested parties is solicited, but comments regarding alternative approaches to the issues presented as well as suggestions for additional issues will also be welcome. Finally, background information on the waste-management program pertinent to the issues discussion is presented.

Strategic principles workshops: Discussion drafts and workshop notes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-09-01

The Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste-Management in the Department of Energy (DOE) is responsible for disposing of this nation's spent fuel and high-level radioactive waste in a manner that protects the health and safety of the public and the quality of the environment. Although embodied in the Federal repository program that began with studies in the late 1950s, this mission was explicitly established by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982 and reaffirmed by the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987. To fulfill our mission, we are developing a waste management system consisting of a geologic repository for permanent disposal deep beneath the surface of the earth, a facility for monitored retrievable storage, and a system for transporting the waste. This discussion draft was developed to help involve parties affected by or interested in the waste-management program in the formulation of the basic principles on which the program will be based. It reviews existing objectives, policies, and strategic principles under which the system is currently being developed. Then discussed are issues of strategic importance for which additional strategic principles may be needed. For these issues in particular, views from affected and interested parties is solicited, but comments regarding alternative approaches to the issues presented as well as suggestions for additional issues will also be welcome. Finally, background information on the waste-management program pertinent to the issues discussion is presented

National Strategies for Public Library Development

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kann-Christensen, Nanna

2010-01-01

policies on the local level are discussed. according to the national goals and cultural policies for libraries. This is done in order to point towards a possible relationship between the political means and ends regarding library development. The two models to be discussed are the systems practiced...... by The Danish Agency for Libraries and Media, and The Swedish Arts Council, who both administer development grants to public libraries. The paper identifies both differences and similarities in both the means to (the political agendas) and the objectives of governmental influence in the libraries.......The economic rationale of New Public Management (NPM) is used in both Sweden and Denmark in order to employ the national cultural policies in local development projects. The paper discusses two different organizational models that are used in order for the national level to be able to exercise...

How to implement a successful business-to-business public relations program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Narup, C.; Narup, W.J.

1991-01-01

This paper discusses public relations as it relates to marketing of business or industrial products. While the paper is written generically, it is submitted as part of a conference for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industry. The idea of public relations is defined and goes on to discuss using public relations to introduce new products and services, generate sales, evaluate media response, develop community relationships, and carry out initial research on the product or service. The article gives case studies of good public relation campaigns and the results on the company image and business profits

Costs and benefits with public and investor-owned electric systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bronner, K.M.

1990-01-01

This article discusses the analysis of the costs and benefits associated with public ownership of major utility projects and systems as opposed to private ownership. The topics discussed include the alleged benefits of public power systems, principles of cost benefit analysis, tax-exempt debt, state and local taxes and federal income taxes, benefit of 100 percent debt financing

Security technology discussion for emergency command system of nuclear power plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu Zhenjun

2014-01-01

Nuclear power plant emergency command system can provide valuable data for emergency personnel, such as the unit data, weather data, environmental radiation data. In the course of emergency response, the emergency command system provides decision support to quickly and effectively control and mitigate the consequences of the nuclear accident, to avoid and reduce the dose received by staff and the public, to protect the environment and the public. There are high performance requirements on the security of the system and the data transmission. Based on the previous project and new demand after the Fukushima incident, the security technology design of emergency system in nuclear power plant was discussed. The results show that the introduction of information security technology can effectively ensure the security of emergency systems, and enhance the capacity of nuclear power plant to deal with nuclear accidents. (author)

Public Speaking: Revisited.

Science.gov (United States)

Taufen, Phyllis M.

There is a simple but effective process for developing public speakers in elementary and junior high schools. After discussing the importance of effective speaking, the teacher puts a topic sentence, on favorite desserts for example, on the board or overhead projector and students think of their favorite desserts and some related words and…

Applying strategic management theories in public sector organizations

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hansen, Jesper Rosenberg; Ewan, Ferlie

2016-01-01

This article discusses the utility of two different strategic management theories in different types of public organizations including contemporary New Public Management-based public organizations, namely Porter's strategic positioning model and the resource-based view of strategy. We argue...... conditions: the degree of administrative autonomy, performance-based budgeting and market-like competition. We give empirical examples drawn from public servives in the UK and Denmark. We call for more exploration of these (and other) strategic management approaches within contemporary public services...

Reflections and Challenges for the Public Administration Community

Science.gov (United States)

Bouckaert, Geert

2013-01-01

The question of whether the field of public administration education is prepared for the future of the public sector in Europe is a complex one, which needs to be unpacked to give a grounded answer. Unpacking this question means that there needs to be discussions on not just what educating the field of public administration means, but also…

The Reformed tradition as public theology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vuyani S. Vellem

2013-05-01

Full Text Available This article is a South African perspective of a Black African reflection on the publicity of Reformed faith. Whilst the notion of public theology is fairly new, the article argues, it is important to define the ‘public’ of the type of public theology to which Reformed faith and tradition could be linked. As a confessional tradition, Reformed faith is intrinsically public, the article demonstrates. The publicity of this tradition is however ambivalent and tainted. I attempt to show this by discussing two important tenets of the Reformed Tradition: sola scriptura and sola fide, within the festering wounds of Black African colonialism, apartheid and the hegemony of the neoliberal paradigm in the 21st century.

Approach of the public acceptation problem of nuclear enterprises

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spitalnik, J.

1993-01-01

Among many electric energy sources, the nuclear energy presents proper characteristics that distinguish it on the treatment of public acceptation. The licensing process, based on security considerations of operation and to diminish risks for the population and the environment, aim at attend the preoccupations and apprehensions of public. The information is fundamental for the establishment of public confidence. In Brazil, the licensing of nuclear power plants involve federal, state and municipal agencies, assuring the population participation in discussion of environmental problems. This paper shows the importance of discussion with the population about nuclear enterprises. (C.M.)

Public protection strategies for potential nuclear reactor accidents: sheltering concepts with existing public and private structures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldrich, D.C.; Ericson, D.M. Jr.; Johnson, J.D.

1978-02-01

Three generic sheltering/relocation strategies are identified and discussed. They are: population relocation only (no specific sheltering response initiated); sheltering at location following by relocation; and preferential sheltering followed by relocation. Shielding factors representative of these strategies are calculated, and the adequacy of using average shielding factors for the calculation of public health effects is discussed

Public Relations: The Route to Success and Influence. Public Relations for Your Library: A Tool for Effective Communications; Tooting Your Own Horn: Web-Based Public Relations for the School Media Specialist; Bookmarks as a Teaching Tool; Customers and Culture: The Who and What of Library Public Relations Efforts; Strategies for Successful Job Transition.

Science.gov (United States)

Lyon, Linda; Silverstein, Roberta; Fisher, Julieta Dias; Hill, Ann; Hegel, Claudette; Miller, Donna; Moyer, Mary

2002-01-01

This special section includes five articles that discuss public relations strategies for school librarians. Highlights include effective communication, including measuring and evaluating the success of public relations efforts; Web-based public relations; giving bookmarks to students; customers and cultural contexts; and successful job…

Vision for a Global Registry of Anticipated Public Health Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Bernard C.K.; Frank, John; Mindell, Jennifer S.; Orlova, Anna; Lin, Vivian; Vaillancourt, Alain D.M.G.; Puska, Pekka; Pang, Tikki; Skinner, Harvey A.; Marsh, Marsha; Mokdad, Ali H.; Yu, Shun-Zhang; Lindner, M. Cristina; Sherman, Gregory; Barreto, Sandhi M.; Green, Lawrence W.; Svenson, Lawrence W.; Sainsbury, Peter; Yan, Yongping; Zhang, Zuo-Feng; Zevallos, Juan C.; Ho, Suzanne C.; de Salazar, Ligia M.

2007-01-01

In public health, the generation, management, and transfer of knowledge all need major improvement. Problems in generating knowledge include an imbalance in research funding, publication bias, unnecessary studies, adherence to fashion, and undue interest in novel and immediate issues. Impaired generation of knowledge, combined with a dated and inadequate process for managing knowledge and an inefficient system for transferring knowledge, mean a distorted body of evidence available for decisionmaking in public health. This article hopes to stimulate discussion by proposing a Global Registry of Anticipated Public Health Studies. This prospective, comprehensive system for tracking research in public health could help enhance collaboration and improve efficiency. Practical problems must be discussed before such a vision can be further developed. PMID:17413073

Morale’s role in the public sector

OpenAIRE

DeRousse, John W.

2015-01-01

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited This thesis examines the factors that help and hinder employee morale at public safety agencies within the homeland security enterprise. The Department of Homeland Security, and the various agencies that support it, have reported low levels of job satisfaction. Through an in-depth analysis of literature that discusses workplace morale in the public sector, this document provides recommendations for agencies interested in improving it. ...

Standards regulations and public acceptance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fernandez, E.C.

1977-01-01

Spanish nuclear legislation and the associated procedure for the authorization of installations is summarized. Public acceptance is discussed in the context of the needs for and hazards of nuclear energy. (U.K.)

Opening science: New publication forms in science

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Scheliga, Kaja

2014-12-01

Full Text Available [english] Digital technologies change how scientists access and process information and consequently impact publication forms in science. Even though the core of scientific publications has remained the same, established publication formats, such as the scientific paper or book, are succumbing to the transitions caused by digital technologies. At the same time, new online tools enable new publication forms, such as blogs, microblogs or wikis, to emerge. This article explores the changing and emerging publications forms in science and also reflects upon the changing role of libraries. The transformations of publishing forms are discussed in the context of open science.

New Public Management (NPM): Pendekatan Baru Manajemen Sektor Publik

OpenAIRE

Mahmudi, Mahmudi

2003-01-01

This article discussed about the concept of New Public Management and its im¬pact to the developing countries, i.e. Indonesia. As a global movement, New Public Manage¬ment became the paramount issues in modernizing management of public sector organization around the world. Besides New Public Management, there are several concepts of manageri¬alism in public sector, i.e Reinventing Government, Market-Based Public Administration, and Post-Bureaucratic Paradigm. All that concepts support manager...

New Public Management (NPM): Pendekatan Baru Manajemen Sektor Publik

OpenAIRE

Mahmudi, Mahmudi

2009-01-01

This article discussed about the concept of New Public Management and its im¬pact to the developing countries, i.e. Indonesia. As a global movement, New Public Manage¬ment became the paramount issues in modernizing management of public sector organization around the world. Besides New Public Management, there are several concepts of manageri¬alism in public sector, i.e Reinventing Government, Market-Based Public Administration, and Post-Bureaucratic Paradigm. All that concepts support manager...

Public-Private Partnerships in Chronic Disease Prevention-Part 6

Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Podcasts

2009-04-06

This podcast is the sixth of a seven part series discussing public health partnerships with the private sector. In this segment, CDC's Elizabeth Majestic and Georgia State University's Michael Eriksen discuss whether the tobacco industry has forfeited its opportunity to participate in traditional public-private partnerships.  Created: 4/6/2009 by National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP).   Date Released: 4/6/2009.

Gender-specific Regulatory Challenges to Product Approval: a panel discussion.

Science.gov (United States)

McGregor, Alyson J; Barr, Helen; Greenberg, Marna R; Safdar, Basmah; Wildgoose, Peter; Wright, David W; Hollander, Judd E

2014-12-01

On May 13, 2014, a 1-hour panel discussion session titled "Gender-specific Regulatory Challenges to Product Approval" was held during the Academic Emergency Medicine consensus conference, "Gender-specific Research in Emergency Medicine: Investigate, Understand, and Translate How Gender Affects Patient Outcomes." The session sought to bring together leaders in emergency medicine (EM) research, authors, and reviewers in EM research publications, as well as faculty, fellows, residents, and students engaged in research and clinical practice. A panel was convened involving a representative from the Office of Women's Health of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, two pharmaceutical executives, and a clinical EM researcher. The moderated discussion also involved audience members who contributed significantly to the dialogue. Historical background leading up to the session along with the main themes of the discussion are reproduced in this article. These revolve around sex- and gender-specific research, statistical analysis of sex and gender, clinical practice, financial costs associated with pharmaceutical development, adaptive design, and specific recommendations on the regulatory process as it affects the specialty of EM. © 2014 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

The public spending crisis: a case study of Nigeria public sector

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

PhD(AccountingMBA.Mukoro Dick Oluku

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The objective of this paper is to discuss the differences in the concept and measurement of efficiency between the private and public sectors, stressing that the lessons from the private sector can only be transferred to the public sector if there is a proper awareness of these issues and constrains imposed by considerations of equity. In evaluating policy initiatives, the governments method for all the talk of “rolling back the public sector” and opposition companies of “cuts,” the public expenditure/EDP ration went up steadily during Obasanjo’s first term. However deep the divisions over what ought to be in the public sector, it is of paramount importance to all concerned that the resources are managed effectively. The paper argued that an attempt to instill into the public sector the cost consciousness of the best parts of the private sector is wholly admirable. In conclusion, the severity of the impending budgetary crises will make the search for greater efficiency in the public sector of paramount importance. The paper recommends that the common theme of all these cases in that an appropriate set of relative prices can encourage resources to be minimized. very great care has to be taken when introducing piecemeal charging in order to ensure that this does not have side-effects at odds with programme objectives

Round-table discussion on food irradiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1973-01-01

The possibilities of using radiation for food preservation as a way of alleviating the food deficiency problem in a large part of the world has been studied for some 20 years. Since the idea was recognized as a viable one, scientists had to develop it along three levels: firstly, the technological problems and economic viability had to be faced; at the same time tests had to be initiated to prove the wholesomeness of the irradiated foodstuffs, and then public acceptance and confidence in the end product had to be established. Work is proceeding along these three lines and in some cases, success has been won on all fronts. In others, it is continuing. As a FLASHBACK to the situation TWO YEARS AGO, we thought it interesting to reprint excerpts from a round-table discussion at which scientists from five countries sat down to discuss the pros and cons of food irradiation. ost at the gathering was Dr. Rocco Basson, Director of Chemistry at Pelindaba, South Africa, and the man responsible for directing radiation processing in that country. With him were Dr. Lapidot, Head of the Radiation and Engineering and Processing Section of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission at Soreq; Dr. Saint-Lebe of the Radioagronomy Service, French Atomic Energy Commission, at Cadarache; Dr. Ulmann, then Director of the Food Irradiation Pilot Plant at Wageningen in Holland; and Mr. Roy Hickman, leader of the International Project in the Field of Irradiation, sponsored by the FAO, IAEA and the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency, centred at Karlsruhe in Germany. (author)

Doubts about Religious Education in Public Schooling

Science.gov (United States)

Moulin, Daniel

2015-01-01

This article considers potential problems concerning Religious Education in public (state-funded) secondary schools in England in order to inform ongoing debates about religion in public education in the United States and elsewhere. Findings of empirical studies conducted in England are discussed in relation to arguments that critique Religious…

Washington Public Libraries Online: Collaborating in Cyberspace.

Science.gov (United States)

Wildin, Nancy

1997-01-01

Discussion of public libraries, the Internet, and the World Wide Web focuses on development of a Web site in Washington. Highlights include access to the Internet through online public access catalogs; partnerships between various types of libraries; hardware and software; HTML training; content design; graphics design; marketing; evaluation; and…

Public Journalism Challenges to Curriculum and Instruction.

Science.gov (United States)

Haas, Tanni

2000-01-01

Considers some challenges of teaching public journalism. Discusses how journalism educators can help students prepare for a career in the service of public life by teaching them how to actively involve citizens in the journalistic processes of gathering information, writing stories, and evaluating performance. Offers teaching applications and…

Publicity and Egalitarian Justice

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lippert-Rasmussen, Kasper

2008-01-01

Recently, the issue of publicity has surfaced in discussions of the correct interpretation of the Rawlsian principles of justice. In an intriguing critique of G.A. Cohen's preferred interpretation of the difference principle as a principle that is incompatible with incentive-based inequalities...

Putting the public (back) into public health: leadership, evidence and action.

Science.gov (United States)

South, J; Connolly, A M; Stansfield, J A; Johnstone, P; Henderson, G; Fenton, K A

2018-03-13

There is a strong evidence-based rationale for community capacity building and community empowerment as part of a strategic response to reduce health inequalities. Within the current UK policy context, there are calls for increased public engagement in prevention and local decision-making in order to give people greater control over the conditions that determine health. With reference to the challenges and opportunities within the English public health system, this essay seeks to open debate about what is required to mainstream community-centred approaches and ensure that the public is central to public health. The essay sets out the case for a reorientation of public health practice in order to build impactful action with communities at scale leading to a reduction in the health gap. National frameworks that support local practice are described. Four areas of challenge that could potentially drive an implementation gap are discussed: (i) achieving integration and scale, (ii) effective community mobilization, (iii) evidencing impact and (iv) achieving a shift in power. The essay concludes with a call to action for developing a contemporary public health practice that is rooted in communities and offers local leadership to strengthen local assets, increase community control and reduce health inequalities.

Controllable dose: the ICRP discussion paper does not go far enough

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter, M.W.

2000-01-01

The current ICRP recommendations and the associated dosimetry have confused the public, lawyers and politicians and have been the subject of dissension within the Health Physics Community. Currently recommended limits are different for occupational exposure, exposure of the public, exposure to radon in dwellings and exposure to radon in workplaces. Current recommendations do not cover exposure in accident situations. The recommended limits do not apply to natural background radiation exposures. This suggests that the unit of radiation dose is variable depending on the circumstances and that artificially produced radiation is more harmful than natural radiation. The use of collective dose and the LNT model has resulted, in the opinion of some, in waste of money spent in trying to reduce doses that may be already too small to produce detectable harm. The recent discussion papers (Clarke, 1998, Clarke 1999), introducing the concept of controllable dose, are a valuable starting point for changing and improving the basis on which regulations are made. It is the author's opinion that the discussion paper does not go far enough and that the confusion is largely the result of failing to separate the scientific aspects from the regulatory aspects of controlling radiation dose. Only by making such a separation can we provide understandable regulations without compromising scientific research into radiation risks. Copyright (2000) Australasian Radiation Protection Society Inc

Operation of the online forum for the discussion of high level radioactive waste and related issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Furihata, Shiori; Sugiyama, Naoki; Kikuchi, AKiko; Takizawa, Masayuki

2002-03-01

JNC is releasing information on the technical reliability for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) to public. However, the recognition and understanding of general public on the geological disposal of HLW are not satisfied. Recently more and more people are using the Internet, which is two-way, instant and open communication network. So JNC has offered the opportunity for discussing the topics related to geological disposal of HLW on the Internet web site since fiscal year 1999. In this fiscal year, the online forum was opened from January 25 to March 11. The forum was held on the web server independent from JNC so that discussion is done as fairly and objectively as possible. The event, which is the online discussion by university students in nation-wide, was specially held. The number of accesses to the forum significantly increased in this period compared to that of last two fiscal years. The adequate operation of the forum and the presentation of the information about geological disposal of HLW were surveyed by the questionnaire distributed to the participants. (author)

The European Public on Social Media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tarta, Ancuta-Gabriela

This study explorers the European public on social media by discussing the case of communicative interactions taking place on the official Facebook page of the European Parliament. Based on the theoretical framework conceptualizing the public and the public sphere on social network sites, the study...... examines the European social media public from two perspectives. The first is a top-down, institutional perspective of European Parliament, based on a case-study approach to the way this European institution constructs and addresses the public through its social media communication. The second is a bottom......-up perspective of the public of social media users, informed by a content analysis of Facebook comments and a discourse analysis of live chat interactions with Members of the European Parliament. Results confirm a discursive potential of the Facebook public of users. In the case of the Facebook comment threads...

Public relations in risk communication: risk pr. The importance of public relations for risk communication; Public Relations in der Risikokommunikation: Risiko-PR. Die Bedeutung von Public Relations fuer die Risikokommunikation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lehmann, K.

2001-07-01

Risks have become a central problem of our time, as is reflected in concepts like 'society at risk' and 'anti-technological attitude', in group protest against risks and against those who cause them, and last but not least in the critical attitude of the media. Against this background, organisations must needs enter the public discussion and be able to communicate professionally and convincingly in order to ensure their own success and further existence. The book describes the basic problems of risk research and risk communications and discusses inhowfar, and how, public relations strategies and instruments can help here. [German] Risiken werden verstaerkt zum Problem unserer Zeit. Das belegen nicht nur Begriffe wie 'Risikogesellschaft' und 'Technikfeindlichkeit', die in letzter Zeit an Bedeutung gewonnen haben, sondern auch und vor allem nachhaltige Proteste von engagierten Gruppierungen gegen Risiken und deren Verursacher oder auch die kritische Berichterstattung der Medien. Vor diesem Hintergrund ist es fuer Organisationen erforderlich, in die oeffentliche Auseinandersetzung um Risiken einzusteigen und hier professionell und ueberzeugend zu kommunizieren, um den Organisationserfolg und Organisationsbestand zu sichern. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt die Grundprobleme der Risikoforschung und Risikokommunikation und diskutiert, ob und inwieweit Public Relations bei der Loesung dieser Probleme helfen koennen, da insbesondere Public Relations gezielt Strategien und Instrumente nutzen, um beispielsweise den Wissensstand der Oeffentlichkeit zu verbessern und den Dialog mit relevanten Teiloeffentlichkeiten zu foerdern. (orig.)

Promoting Discussion in Peer Instruction: Discussion Partner Assignment and Accountability Scoring Mechanisms

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Chih-Yueh; Lin, Pin-Hsun

2015-01-01

Peer instruction (PI) involves students answering questions and peer discussion learning activities. PI can enhance student performance and engagement in classroom instruction. However, some students do not engage in the discussions. This study proposes two mechanisms, discussion partner assignment and accountability scoring mechanisms, to form…

Wisconsin Certification Manual for Public Librarians. Bulletin No. 7075.

Science.gov (United States)

Wisconsin State Dept. of Public Instruction, Madison. Div. of Library Services.

Designed to be used as a guide for public librarians and boards of trustees in meeting the requirements of Wisconsin's public librarian certification law, this manual is divided into two major sections covering public librarian certification and certification renewal/continuing education requirements. The first section includes discussions of…

Proceedings of the 2010 Canadian Dam Association's public safety around dams workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2010-07-01

Nearly 30 people have drowned in dam-related incidents over the last 10 years in Canada. The Canadian public is now calling for improved safety guidelines. Public interaction with dams is increasing as a result of interest in extreme sports and perceived rights of access. However, many members of the public are not aware of the dangers posed by dams. This workshop provided a forum to discuss proposals for a draft publication of the Canadian Dam Association (CDA) guidelines for public safety and security around dams. Issues related to current legislation and liability were discussed. Methods of increasing public awareness of the hazards posed by dams included increased signage in dam locations, the use of audible and visual alert systems, and the use of booms and buoys. The responsibilities of dam owners in ensuring the safety of dams were also discussed. The conference featured 5 presentations, of which 2 have been catalogued separately for inclusion in this database. tabs., figs.

The Challenges and Future of Public Higher Education Leadership in Kenya

Science.gov (United States)

Odhiambo, George

2014-01-01

This article discusses some of the key challenges and points of tension pertaining to leadership in higher education in Kenya. Effective leadership approaches are discussed including an exploration of why effective leadership is more important in Kenyan public higher education now than ever. Given the complex context within which public higher…

Understanding Where Americas Public Discussion Takes Place In Todays Society: Case Studies of Concealed Weapons Carry Reform

Science.gov (United States)

2016-06-01

arguing that concealed carry permit holders are a danger to public safety and that mass shootings are taking place by citizens who are legally armed.2...who worked at an abortion clinic that had recently been bombed and whose life had been threatened was denied a license to carry because he was not...populace. The new law laid out new prohibitions and penalties enforceable statewide. Additionally, the Preemption Act was necessary to set the legal

Literature promotion in Public Libraries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kann-Christensen, Nanna; Balling, Gitte

2011-01-01

This article discusses a model that can be used in order to analyse notions on literature promotion in public libraries. The model integrates different issues which interact with how literature promotion is understood and thought of in public libraries. Besides cultural policy we regard the logics...... of new public management (NPM) and professional logics in the field of public libraries. Cultural policy along with the identification of underlying logics present among politicians, government officials, managers and librarians/promoters of literature, play an important part in creating an understanding...... of literature promotion in Danish libraries. Thus the basic premise for the development of the model is that cultural policy (Policy) has an important influence on notions on literature promotion and other activities in public libraries, but that cultural policy must be seen in some kind of interaction...

Communicating with the Public: Getting It into Print.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyal, Donald

1988-01-01

Discusses the advantages for libraries of utilizing print media for public information and public relations. News releases, interest stories, and feature stories are described, and hints on writing style for each format and on getting items printed are offered. (MES)

[About development of public health of the Russian Federation].

Science.gov (United States)

Shchepin, O P

2013-01-01

The article presents public health system characterized by public responsibility for health of citizen under various forms of property. The issues of management, planning, financing and organization of health care are discussed.

The new genetics and the public's health

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Bunton, Robin; Petersen, Alan R., Ph. D

2002-01-01

...; discusses the role of the media in framing debate about genetics, health and medicine. The New Genetics and the Public's Health addresses the emerging social and political consequences of the new genetics and provides a stimulating critique of current research and practice in public health. Alan Petersen is Professor in Sociolo...

Acute, but not Chronic, Exposure to Arsenic Provokes Glucose Intolerance in Rats: Possible Roles for Oxidative Stress and the Adrenergic Pathway.

Science.gov (United States)

Rezaei, Mohsen; Khodayar, Mohammd Javad; Seydi, Enayatollah; Soheila, Alboghobeish; Parsi, Isa Kazemzadeh

2017-06-01

Health problems due to heavy metals have become a worldwide concern. Along with its carcinogenicity, arsenic exposure results in impairment of glucose metabolism and insulin secretion as well as altered gene expression and signal transduction. However, the exact mechanism behind the behaviour of arsenic on glucose homeostasis and insulin secretion has not yet been fully understood. Fasting blood sugar and glucose tolerance tests were evaluated. In this study, we demonstrated that arsenic, when acutely administered, induced glucose intolerance in rats, although its chronic oral exposure did not provoke any glucose intolerance or hyperglycemia in rats. The protective activity of N-acetylcysteine, carvedilol and propranolol in male rats exposed to arsenic were also assessed, and N-acetylcysteine, particularly at 40 and 80 mg/kg, prevented the glucose intolerance induced in rats by arsenic. The present study showed that acute, but not chronic, contact with arsenic generates significant changes in the normal glucose tolerance pattern that may be due fundamentally to overproduction of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress and is preventable by using N-acetylcysteine, a thiol-containing antioxidant. Copyright © 2017 Diabetes Canada. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Public-policy responsibilities in a restructured electricity industry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tonn, B.; Hirst, E.; Bauer, D.

1995-06-01

In this report, we identify and define the key public-policy values, objectives, and actions that the US electricity industry currently meets. We also discuss the opportunities for meeting these objectives in a restructured industry that relies primarily on market forces rather than on government mandates. And we discuss those functions that governments might undertake, presumably because they will not be fully met by a restructured industry on its own. These discussions are based on a variety of inputs. The most important inputs came from participants in an April 1995 workshop on Public-Policy Responsibilities and Electric Industry Restructuring: Shaping the Research Agenda. Other sources of information and insights include the reviews of a draft of this report by workshop participants and others and the rapidly growing literature on electric-industry restructuring and its implications. One of the major concerns about the future of the electricity industry is the fate of numerous social and environmental programs supported by today`s electric utilities. Many people worry that a market-driven industry may not meet the public-policy objectives that electric utilities have met in the past. Examples of potentially at-risk programs include demand-side management (DSM), renewable energy, low-income weatherization, and fuel diversity. Workshop participants represented electric utilities, public utility commissions (PUCs), state energy offices, public-interest groups, other energy providers, and the research community.

Perspectives on User-Driven Innovation in Public Sector Services

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langergaard, Luise Li

2015-01-01

of citizenship. Thus, we need to be aware of what different perspectives of user involvement imply for citizenship and collaborative innovation in the public sector. The chapter is based on a literature study and uses an empirical case as an example to illustrate and discuss differences in democratic......The chapter presents and discusses how we can conceptualize user involvement in the public sector, as well as users, in very different ways: As consumers, co-producers, lead users or citizens. One important question which is subsequently discussed, is what such different conceptualizations imply...... for citizenship understood in more traditional terms, i.e. defined by political deliberation and rights. This question is important because conceptualizations of users imply certain ideas about the public sector, state and society, which have political implications as well as implications for our understanding...

The ethics of research using electronic mail discussion groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Kralik, Debbie; Warren, Jim; Price, Kay; Koch, Tina; Pignone, Gino

2005-12-01

The aim of this paper is to identify and discuss the ethical considerations that have confronted and challenged the research team when researchers facilitate conversations using private electronic mail discussion lists. The use of electronic mail group conversations, as a collaborative data generation method, remains underdeveloped in nursing. Ethical challenges associated with this approach to data generation have only begun to be considered. As receipt of ethics approval for a study titled; 'Describing transition with people who live with chronic illness' we have been challenged by many ethical dilemmas, hence we believe it is timely to share the issues that have confronted the research team. These discussions are essential so we can understand the possibilities for research interaction, communication, and collaboration made possible by advanced information technologies. Our experiences in this study have increased our awareness for ongoing ethical discussions about privacy, confidentiality, consent, accountability and openness underpinning research with human participants when generating data using an electronic mail discussion group. We describe how we work at upholding these ethical principles focusing on informed consent, participant confidentiality and privacy, the participants as threats to themselves and one another, public-private confusion, employees with access, hackers and threats from the researchers. A variety of complex issues arise during cyberspace research that can make the application of traditional ethical standards troublesome. Communication in cyberspace alters the temporal, spatial and sensory components of human interaction, thereby challenging traditional ethical definitions and calling to question some basic assumptions about identity and ones right to keep aspects of it confidential. Nurse researchers are bound by human research ethics protocols; however, the nature of research by electronic mail generates moral issues as well as ethical

Private Arbitration of Incidental Public Law Issues

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Werlauff, Erik

2009-01-01

 The article discusses the incidental public law issues which can arise in an arbitration case, e.g. concerning power, heating, natural gas and other public facility legislation, national or Community legal restrictive trade practices law, and rules on state administration approval of the terms...... by arbitration, and where the award is nullifiable only if its findings are in violation of public policy, the ordre public. The article relies on UNCITRAL's Model Arbitration Law, the new Danish arbitration act (DAA), national European case law, and literature and case law of the European Court....

Coopetition Segments in a Public-Sector Context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stentoft, Jan; Mikkelsen, Ole Stegmann; Ingstrup, Mads Bruun

2018-01-01

The concept of coopetition is well-known in a private-sector context, but it is greatly neglected in a public-sector context. In continuation of this, the article sets out to explore and further position coopetition in the public sector. This is achieved through a study of coopetition among seven...... municipalities located in a Danish business region named the Triangle Region. The article concludes by identifying and describing four public-sector coopetition segments, and by providing a segmentation model to categorize and discuss different coopetition initiatives. Furthermore, the model can help public...

Online Public Deliberation in China

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Medaglia, Rony; Yang, Yang

2017-01-01

Internet discussion platforms in China provide a hugely interesting and relevant source for understanding dynamics of online discussions in a unique context. Adopting the theoretical lens of public deliberation, this paper investigates the evolution of patterns of similar-minded and different......-minded interactions over time on a Chinese online discussion forum. We analyse the content and reply networks of 18,000+ messages on four highly debated topics on the Bulletin Board System (BBS) platform Tianya. Findings provide nuanced evidence to the phenomenon of increased network homophily over time, mitigated...... investigation on independent variables for understanding dynamics of online discussions, and for studies comparing cases across different contexts....

The need for public-health veterinarians as seen by future employers.

Science.gov (United States)

Maccabe, Andrew T; Matchett, Karin E; Hueston, William D

2008-01-01

Future employers of veterinarians working in public health see a fast-growing demand. Emerging zoonotic diseases, bio-security threats, and food-safety problems all require the expertise of veterinarians with a focus on complex, global problems that span both human and animal health. The Public Health Task Force of the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges convened a group of stakeholders representing various branches of the US federal government, state and local governments, and professional societies to discuss their needs for public-health veterinarians. This article discusses those needs, the broader societal needs that require veterinarians with public-health expertise, and the implications of these for educational programs to train DVMs in public-health issues.

77 FR 16811 - Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council (MAFMC); Public Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2012-03-22

... meet. 5 p.m. until 6 p.m.--There will be a public listening session. Wednesday, April 11, 2012 9 a.m... Coral and discussion of Mid-Atlantic Council action will follow. The public listening session will focus..., finalize goals and objectives, purpose and need, discuss transition strategies to move EBFM, and...

Uranium tailings in the public eye

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyon, B.

1976-01-01

The ORNL field team visits to Grand Junction, Colorado, and to other sources of uranium mill tailings, are described. The radioactive hazards of these tailings, which are principally due to Th, Ra, Rn, and radon daughters, are discussed briefly. Government actions which were taken as a result of public concern are listed. The ORNL Health Physics Division mobile laboratory van and its use in assessing the tailings piles at Salt Lake City and elsewhere are described. The highest γ-ray background found was 155 mRem/y, with levels being as high as 1750 mRem/y near points of public access to piles. Some possible solutions to the problem are discussed

Social Media and the Transformation of Public Space

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Dijck, J.; Poell, T.

2015-01-01

This introduction to the Special Issue of Social Media + Society discusses the key theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches needed to gain insight into how social platforms intervene in public space. It starts by highlighting how in the emerging platform society public and private

Looking beyond superficial knowledge gaps: understanding public representations of biodiversity

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Buijs, A.E.; Fischer, A.; Rink, D.; Young, J.C.

2008-01-01

Lack of public support for, and protest against, biodiversity management measures have often been explained by the apparently inadequate knowledge of biodiversity in the general public. In stark contrast to this assumption of public ignorance, our results from focus group discussions in The

Crime, Controversy and the Comments Section: Discussing archaeological looting, trafficking, and the illicit antiquities trade online

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Meg Lambert

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In this article we will discuss the challenges involved in presenting the looting of archaeological sites and the illicit trade in cultural property to the interested public. We will contrast our experiences of building two popular illicit antiquities-focused blogs (Things You Can't Take Back and Anonymous Swiss Collector with the process of developing an informative academic website on the same topic (Trafficking Culture. We will discuss our motivations for starting these blogs, our struggles with the tone of the popular discourse on this topic, and our inability to escape our own emotions; why we have moved away from illicit antiquities blogging in the past year and why we are coming back. Finally, having learned from our mistakes, we will make recommendations to others wishing to engage with the public about sensitive issues via social media.

Public attitudes to nuclear energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

van der Pligt, J; Eiser, J R; Spears, R

1984-09-01

The last decade has seen a marked increase in public concern about nuclear energy. As a consequence, it is now recognized that the future of nuclear energy will not only depend on technical and economic factors, but that public acceptability of this technology will play a crucial role in its long-term future. This paper summarizes trends in public reactions to nuclear power in various countries and discusses a number of studies on public beliefs and attitudes to nuclear power in general, and to the building of a nuclear power plant near to one's home. It is concluded that the qualitative aspects of the possible risks of nuclear energy play an important role in the public's perception of this technology. It is also clear, however, that differences in perception of the risks do not embrace all the relevant aspects of the public's assessment of nuclear energy. Public reaction is also related to more-general beliefs and values, such as emphasis on economic versus social priorities, attitudes to technology and environmental concern. 11 references.

A glossary for big data in population and public health: discussion and commentary on terminology and research methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Fuller, Daniel; Buote, Richard; Stanley, Kevin

2017-11-01

The volume and velocity of data are growing rapidly and big data analytics are being applied to these data in many fields. Population and public health researchers may be unfamiliar with the terminology and statistical methods used in big data. This creates a barrier to the application of big data analytics. The purpose of this glossary is to define terms used in big data and big data analytics and to contextualise these terms. We define the five Vs of big data and provide definitions and distinctions for data mining, machine learning and deep learning, among other terms. We provide key distinctions between big data and statistical analysis methods applied to big data. We contextualise the glossary by providing examples where big data analysis methods have been applied to population and public health research problems and provide brief guidance on how to learn big data analysis methods. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Discussing Climate Change with the Public: Presenting the Science is Necessary but Insufficient

Science.gov (United States)

Vincelli, P.; Humble, J.

2012-12-01

Social science literature shows that the topic of climate change is imbued with cultural meaning for most Americans, such that sound scientific information alone is likely to be unpersuasive to people already doubtful about climate change. A current educational program on climate change emphasizes the following: *Less reliance on geophysical data *Positive messages as frequently as possible *Making the subject personal and concrete *Focusing on scientific aspects of climate change while refraining from promotion of particular policy solutions *Seeking ways to speak to core identities of diverse audiences *Assuring that communication efforts on this highly divisive topic are based on sensitivity to, and respect for, the diversity of worldviews present in citizens *To the extent possible, emphasizing optimism as well as our personal and collective capability to solve the problem of climate change. While this may seem self-evident, we also remind ourselves of the importance of avoiding criticism, blame, demonization, or arrogance in building a more inclusive community of public leaders on climate literacy.; Citing the recognition of climate-change science by trusted organizations is probably more convincing than showing reams of geophysical data. In particular, citing the Department of Defense may speak to the values of many who remain skeptical. ; This image is intended to speak to people that deeply value passing on a way of life to their descendants. Although nationalism can be carried to an extreme, this imagery can convey the notion that protecting our world from climate change is actually patriotic, something few Americans may realize.

International Policy Framework for Protecting Critical Information Infrastructure: A Discussion Paper Outlining Key Policy Issues

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Brown, B.; Goetz, E.; Verhoest, P.; Helmus, S.; Luiijf, H.A.M.; Bruce, R.; Dynes, S.; Brechbuhl, H.

2005-01-01

Cyber security is a uniquely challenging policy issue with a wide range of public and private stakeholders within countries and beyond national boundaries. This executive summary and the full discussion paper delineate the need on a high priority basis to address cyber security issues and develop an

Strategies for the public communication of eclipses

Science.gov (United States)

Bretones, P. S.

2015-03-01

Eclipses are among the celestial events that draw the attention of the public. This paper discusses strategies for using eclipses as public communication opportunities in the media. It discusses the impact of articles written by the author and analysis of published material for 25 observed eclipses over the last 30 years by mass media in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. On each occasion, a standard article was posted on the Internet and sent to newspapers, radio and TV with information, such as: date, time and local circumstances; type of the eclipse; area of visibility; explanation; diagram of the phenomenon, and the Moon's path through Earth's shadow; eclipses in history; techniques of observation; getting photographs; place and event for public observation. Over the years, direct contact was maintained with the media and jounralists by the press offices of the institutions.

Reliability and Convergent Validity of the Algometer for Vestibular Pain Assessment in Women with Provoked Vestibulodynia.

Science.gov (United States)

Cyr, Marie-Pierre; Bourbonnais, Daniel; Pinard, Alexandra; Dubois, Olivia; Morin, Mélanie

2016-07-01

Women with provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) suffer pain at the entry of the vagina elicited by pressure as during vaginal penetration. To quantify vestibular pain, we developed a new instrument, an algometer. The aim of this study was to investigate the test-retest reliability of the algometer and evaluate its convergent validity for vestibular pain assessment in women with PVD. Twenty-six women with PVD participated in the study. Vestibular pain was assessed with the new algometer and the already known vulvalgesiometer during two different sessions 2 to 4 weeks apart. At each session, the pressure pain threshold (PPT) and pressure pain tolerance (PPTol) were measured twice at the 3, 6, and 9 o'clock sites of the vestibule in random order. The test-retest reliability (intra- and inter-session) of the algometer was calculated using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM). Its convergent validity was evaluated by the correlation coefficients between PPTs and PPTols measured by the algometer and those measured with the vulvalgesiometer. Intra-session reliability at all three sites for PPTs and PPTols in both sessions was excellent (ICC = 0.859 to 0.988, P ≤ 0.002). Inter-session reliability was good to excellent (ICC = 0.683 to 0.922, SEM = 15.06 to 47.04 g, P ≤ 0.001). Significant correlations were found between the two tools for all sites for PPTs (r = 0.500 to 0.614, P ≤ 0.009) and PPTols (r = 0.809 to 0.842, P algometer is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring PPTs and PPTols in the vestibular area in women with PVD. This technology is promising for pinpointing treatment mechanisms and efficacy. © 2015 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Ethics in public health: call for shared moral public health literacy.

Science.gov (United States)

Maeckelberghe, Els L M; Schröder-Bäck, Peter

2017-10-01

Public Health (PH) in Europe has become much more vocal about its moral understandings since 1992. The rising awareness that PH issues were inseparable from issues of human rights and social justice almost self-evidently directed the agenda of EUPHA and the European Public Health (EPH)-conferences. Problems of cultural and behavioural change, and environmental issues on a global scale were also added. The Section Ethics in PH invited the EPH community to join in 'arm chair thinking': coming together at conferences not only to share the 'how' and 'what' of PH research, practices and policies but also the 'why'. Time has been reserved to genuinely discuss what moral values are at stake in the work of PH and to actively develop a moral language and framework for PH Ethics. The challenge for the next decades is to find ways to involve the general public in the cultivation of a shared moral PH literacy. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Teaching Mediated Public Relations.

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, Michael L.

2001-01-01

Discusses approaches to teaching a mediated public relations course, emphasizing the World Wide Web. Outlines five course objectives, assignments and activities, evaluation, texts, and lecture topics. Argues that students mastering these course objectives will understand ethical issues relating to media use, using mediated technology in public…

Tales from the Body Public

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Thelle, Mikkel

2016-01-01

contradictory spectacle of the public egalitarian crowd and the singular subject of the secret ballot. The analysis then turns to political marches of the period, considering the way participants in these marches produced and appropriated their routes during the intensified political tensions of the 1880s......English abstract: How can we approach the interaction between body and city as political? This article moves through a sequence of cases in which bodies - groups, crowds, or swarms of people - have affected the public space of Copenhagen around 1900. First, election day is investigated for its...... in the discussion of public space in cultural history that has for some time been focusing on materiality....

Public Management Reform without Managers: The Case of German Public Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Mintrop, Rick

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of principals in light of public management reforms taking place in the German educational system and in reference to the empirical patterns uncovered by the papers contained in the Special Issue. Policy makers have created new expectations and new technologies that seem to suggest to…

Midwifery education roundtable discussion: transitions to the workplace.

Science.gov (United States)

Lydon-Rochelle, Mona T; Kantrowitz-Gordon, Ira; Tower, Martha J Jody; Trego, Lori; Lagerberg, Ruth

2002-01-01

A snapshot of four graduates' views on their educational experience at a research institution as well as their perspective on how it prepared them for the challenges they faced in entering the workplace is presented. Discussants stated that research knowledge is a critical aspect to clinical practice. Their educational experience provided them with the ability to understand information technology applications, identify and access relevant scientific research, evaluate the integrity and comparability of research findings, and apply research findings to clinical practice. Areas within the curriculum that were identified as needing more content and/or greater emphasis included primary health care, how to work competently and effectively with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and racial and ethnic backgrounds, experience with public health providers, and content such as intimate partner violence and adolescent behaviors.

Proceedings from the 9th Annual Meeting of International Society for Medical Publication Professionals Roundtable Session: key insights.

Science.gov (United States)

Simcoe, Donna; Juneja, Renu; Scott, Gayle Nicholas; Sridharan, Kanaka; Williams-Hughes, Celeste

2014-03-01

During the 9th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP, April 29-May 1, 2013 in Baltimore, MD), ∼650 participants attended two of 13 available roundtable sessions. Participants included medical publication professionals from industry, communication agencies, and journals. DISCUSSION TOPICS: Roundtable participants discussed how to best interpret and implement various guidances, such as Good Publication Practices 2 (GPP2), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines, and the Physician Payment Sunshine Act. The impact of and compliance with Corporate Integrity agreements (CIAs) on medical publication planning practices was debated. Roundtable participants also discussed ways of advancing both advocacy for the medical publication professional field and internal and external collaborations. The development of review manuscripts, publications from regions newly emerging in publication planning, medical devices publications, and real-world experience publications were discussed. Participants also considered the benefits and uncertainties of new technologies in medical publications such as multimedia and social media. This is the first ever article to be published following the well-attended ISMPP roundtable sessions. The objective of this manuscript is to summarize key learnings that will aid continued discussions about challenges and opportunities facing medical publication professionals.

Public Relations: Too Little Emphasis on Communication

OpenAIRE

van Ruler, Betteke

2016-01-01

Examining the literature on public relations, the notion emerges that all major public relations approaches recognize communication as a means to “do” public relations; some even use “communication” in the name of their approach. However, as a key concept that needs to be defined and discussed, communication is largely overlooked. After close reading of relevant literature in order to understand what is really understood under “communication”, there is hardly any reference to be found to (rec...

Migration Processes Provoked yy the Break-Up of Yugoslavia and the Agression against Croatia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mirjana Domini

1999-10-01

Full Text Available The paper deals with forced migration caused by Serb aggression in areas of Croatia and the neighbouring countries. The first part presents the relevant facts relating to Croatia and important for an understanding of the migration flows (some demographic data as well as the basic guidelines of migration policy, legal regulations and most important problems connected with expellees, refugees and displaced persons. The main elements of contemporary migration movements in Croatia are indicated – migration based on economic causes (traditional migration, migration provoked by crisis and war destruction in former Yugoslavia and migration flows that are difficult to register (mainly clandestine crossings of the border of the Republic of Croatia and the irregular labour market. The author states that the expellee, refugee and displaced persons crisis (with psychological and material repercussions began in 1991 and reached a climax in 1992 when Croatia became one of the most pronounced refugee countries in the world, with refugees accounting for about 15% of its population. As the war crisis shifted, the areas from which intense forced migration to and from Croatia resulted also shifted as did the mechanisms for regulating these forced migrations (dual citizenship, transit visas, accords with "third countries" for accepting refugees and expellees, ways of resolving and caring for the refugee-expellee populations in the Republic of Croatia. The author concludes that even after seven years from the start of the aggression against Croatia, this humanitarian crisis among expellees, refugees and displaced persons has not yet finished, as testified by the new military conflict in Kosovo and by many open questions in regard to the future organisation of states in this crisis area as well as the creation of mechanisms for monitoring potential conflicts. A fundamental idea is expressed throughout the paper – i.e. the notion that now it is maybe more

The Theory of Dynamic Public Transit Priority with Dynamic Stochastic Park and Ride

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chengming Zhu

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Public transit priority is very important for relieving traffic congestion. The connotation of dynamic public transit priority and dynamic stochastic park and ride is presented. Based on the point that the travel cost of public transit is not higher than the travel cost of car, how to determine the level of dynamic public transit priority is discussed. The traffic organization method of dynamic public transit priority is introduced. For dynamic stochastic park and ride, layout principle, scale, and charging standard are discussed. Traveler acceptability is high through the analysis of questionnaire survey. Dynamic public transit priority with dynamic stochastic park and ride has application feasibility.

Visceral hypersensitivity is provoked by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced ileitis in rats

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Manoj Kumar Shah

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Background and Aims: Crohn’s Disease (CD, a chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease, can occur in any part of the gastrointestinal tract, but most frequently in the ileum. Visceral hypersensitivity contributes for development of chronic abdominal pain in this disease. Currently, the understanding of the mechanism underlying hypersensitivity of Crohn’s ileitis has been hindered by a lack of specific animal model. The present study is undertaken to investigate the visceral hypersensitivity provoked by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic (TNBS-induced ileitis rats.Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anaesthetized and laparotomized for intraileal injection of TNBS (0.6 ml, 80 mg/kg body weight in 30% ethanol, n = 48, an equal volume of 30% Ethanol (n = 24 and Saline (n = 24, respectively. Visceral hypersensitivity was assessed by visceromotor responses (VMR to 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mmHg colorectal distension pressure (CRD at day 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Immediately after CRD test, the rats were euthanized for collecting the terminal ileal segment for histopathological examinations and ELISA of myleoperoxidase and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and dorsal root ganglia (T11 for determination of calcitonin gene-related peptide by immunohistochemistry, respectively. Results: Among all groups, TNBS-treatment showed transmural inflammation initially at 3 days, reached maximum at 7 days and persisted up to 21 days. The rats with ileitis exhibited (P < 0.05 VMR to CRD at day 7 to day 21. The calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive positive cells increased (P < 0.05 in dorsal root ganglia at day 7 to 21, which was persistently consistent with visceral hypersensitivity in TNBS-treated rats.Conclusions: TNBS injection into the ileum induced transmural ileitis including granuloma and visceral hypersensitivity. As this model mimics clinical manifestations of CD, it may provide a road map to probe the pathogenesis of gut inflammation and visceral

78 FR 69048 - Caribbean Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

Science.gov (United States)

2013-11-18

.... Kate Quigley Comprehensive Island Based FMP Update --Discussion of Option Paper Comprehensive Amendment... completion of discussion relevant to the agenda items. To further accommodate discussion and completion of... in this notice. The meetings are open to the public, and will be conducted in English. Fishers and...

Learning through Discussions

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Robert A.; Calvo, Rafael; Levy, David; Tan, Kelvin

2004-01-01

Students studying a third-year e-commerce subject experienced face-to-face and online discussions as an important part of their learning experience. The quality of the students' experiences of learning through those discussions is investigated in this study. This study uses qualitative approaches to investigate the variation in the students'…

Coping with Computer Viruses: General Discussion and Review of Symantec Anti-Virus for the Macintosh.

Science.gov (United States)

Primich, Tracy

1992-01-01

Discusses computer viruses that attack the Macintosh and describes Symantec AntiVirus for Macintosh (SAM), a commercial program designed to detect and eliminate viruses; sample screen displays are included. SAM is recommended for use in library settings as well as two public domain virus protection programs. (four references) (MES)

Analyzing Gender in Public Places: Rethinking Goffman's Vision of Everyday Life.

Science.gov (United States)

Gardner, Carol Brooks

1989-01-01

Discusses Erving Goffman's work on public places with regard to how that work represents women's experience in public places. Reviews strategies that women devise to manage appearances in public places in order to illustrate how gender-conscious appraisal is necessary to appreciate the character of public places. (Author/LS)

A Disciplinary Perspective: The Internationalization of Australian Public Relations Education

Science.gov (United States)

Fitch, Kate

2013-01-01

This article investigates the internationalization of public relations education, by examining public relations education in Australia, its relation with the public relations industry, and its growth in response to international student- and market-led demand. The discussion highlights the tensions within what is essentially an education project…

Intellectual Capital and New Public Management: Reintroducing Enterprise

Science.gov (United States)

Mouritsen, Jan; Thorbjornsen, Stefan; Bukh, Per N.; Johansen, Mette R.

2004-01-01

The paper reports on public sector organisations'/institutions' work to develop knowledge management and intellectual capital statements. Building on experiences collected during 2001-2002 where 26 public sector institutions in Denmark sought to develop intellectual capital statements, this paper discusses their experiences and in particular, it…

Analysis of public attitude to nuclear power

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trofimenko, A.P.; Pisanko, Zh.I.

2001-01-01

Psychological features of nuclear power public perception, reasons of anti-nuclear movement and social components of its participants are considered. The results of some public opinion polls on nuclear power are analyzed, and factors, which influence on opinion, are discussed. Arguments are presented which indicate that part population imagination about nuclear power hazard is strongly exaggerated

Public acceptance for centralized storage and repositories of low-level waste session (Panel)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lutz, H.R.

1995-12-31

Participants from various parts of the world will provide a summary of their particular country`s approach to low-level waste management and the cost of public acceptance for low-level waste management facilities. Participants will discuss the number, geographic location, and type of low-level waste repositories and centralized storage facilities located in their countries. Each will discuss the amount, distribution, and duration of funds to gain public acceptance of these facilities. Participants will provide an estimated $/meter for centralized storage facilities and repositories. The panel will include a brief discussion about the ethical aspects of public acceptance costs, approaches for negotiating acceptance, and lessons learned in each country. The audience is invited to participate in the discussion.

'Quicksand' of public opinion - trust in nuclear after Fukushima

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gieci, Adam; Maly, Stanislav; Palecek, Milos

2012-01-01

The following public opinion surveys are described: public opinion on nuclear power plants by the end of 2010; first public opinion polls after Fukushima in the US, UK and France; and public opinion and the future of nuclear in Japan. The following issues are discussed: Has nuclear any perspective after Fukushima? Will public opinion change after the Fukushima accident like it did after the TMI event? Will public opinion change after the Fukushima accident like it did after the oil spill accident in the Gulf of Mexico? In conclusion the new approaches to the fight for public confidence after Fukushima are described. (orig.)

Enhancing collaborative innovation in the public sector

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sørensen, Eva; Torfing, Jacob

2011-01-01

demand for public innovation, and demonstrates how it can be enhanced through multiactor collaboration. The case for collaborative innovation is supported by insights from three different social science theories. The theoretical discussion leads to the formulation of an analytical model that can be used......Encouraged by the proliferation of governance networks and the growing demands for public innovation, this article aims to advance “collaborative innovation” as a cross-disciplinary approach to studying and enhancing public innovation. The article explains the special conditions and the growing...... in future studies of collaborative innovation in the public sector....

Public health challenges in sun protection.

Science.gov (United States)

Eide, Melody J; Weinstock, Martin A

2006-01-01

Sunscreens are a popular choice for protection from ultraviolet radiation, and hence, important components in the public health campaign to reduce the burden of skin cancer. Public health messages in skin cancer prevention have been used effectively in educational campaigns. The benefits of sunscreen extend beyond skin cancer prevention into other aspects of health and disease prevention: sunscreen decreases the risk for sunburn during physical activity outdoors and seems not to increase the risk for osteoporosis. Public health efforts have laid a solid foundation on which to face the continuing challenge of promoting and developing effective public health campaigns and health policies that encourage sunscreen use, sun protection, and the primary prevention of skin cancer. In this article, the controversies, concerns, and challenges of sunscreen use as it relates to public health are discussed.

Environmental sustainability in European public healthcare.

Science.gov (United States)

Chiarini, Andrea; Vagnoni, Emidia

2016-01-01

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to enlarge the debate concerning the influence of leadership on environmental sustainability implementation in European public healthcare organisations. Design/methodology/approach - This paper is a viewpoint. It is based on preliminary analysis of European standards dedicated to environmental sustainability and their spread across Europe in public healthcare organisations. Viewpoints concerning leadership are then discussed and asserted. Findings - This paper found a limited implementation of standards such as Green Public Procurement criteria, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme and ISO 14001 in public healthcare. Some clues indicate that the lack of implementation is related to leadership and management commitment. Originality/value - For the first time, this paper investigates relationships between leadership and environmental sustainability in European public healthcare opening further avenues of research on the subject.

Public Communication Strategies for Public Engagement with RFT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, H. S.; Cho, S. K.; Kim, H. D.

2006-12-01

The objective of this study is to provide a discussion for improving the public understanding of products RFT by investigation the following: - perception of nuclear, radiation and products. This study conducted a telephone survey using nationally sampled 800 adults. The sample was selected using probabilistic quota sampling based on sex, age and region. The different communication strategies are required for different types of products using RFT. And government and related institutes should consider and access cautiously in promoting the radiation technology industry.

[Study on medical service supply public-private partnership mode: based on the view of public economics].

Science.gov (United States)

Dai, Yue; Sun, Hong; Zhou, Li

2015-02-01

Due to the quasi-public attributes of medical service, the supply mode and system could influence equity and fairness of general people's health. Based on the view of public economics, the purpose of this paper was to explain the economic nature of medical service supply. By analyzing the practice of public-private partnership (PPP) mode in medical care supply and the related public economic issues, we summarized the feasibility and risks of PPP model in Chinese medical care supply market. Finally, we discussed the innovative medical service system provided by government, public hospitals, and social capitals together. Therefore, to guarantee further development of this new medical service supply--PPP mode, we should pay attention to some practical problems, such as the share of cooperation cost and the balance between the benefit and risk among all partners.

Are primary and secondary provoked vestibulodynia two different entities? A comparison of pain, psychosocial, and sexual characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Aerts, Leen; Bergeron, Sophie; Corsini-Munt, Serena; Steben, Marc; Pâquet, Myriam

2015-06-01

Provoked vestibulodynia (PVD) is suspected to be the most frequent cause of vulvodynia in premenopausal women. Based on the onset of PVD relative to the start of sexual experience, PVD can be divided into primary (PVD1) and secondary PVD (PVD2). Studies comparing these PVD subgroups are inconclusive as to whether differences exist in sexual and psychosocial functioning. The aim of this study was to compare the pain, sexual and psychosocial functioning of a large clinical and community-based sample of premenopausal women with PVD1 and PVD2. A total of 269 women (n = 94 PVD1; n = 175 PVD2) completed measures on sociodemographics, pain, sexual, and psychosocial functioning. Dependent variables were the 0-10 pain numerical rating scale, McGill-Melzack Pain Questionnaire, Female Sexual Function Index, Global Measure of Sexual Satisfaction, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Painful Intercourse Self-Efficacy Scale, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Trait Subscale, Ambivalence over Emotional Expression Questionnaire, Hurlbert Index of Sexual Assertiveness, Experiences in Close Relationships Scale--Revised, and Dyadic Adjustment Scale-Revised. At first sexual relationship, women with PVD2 were significantly younger than women with PVD1 (P sexual, psychological, and relational functioning between the PVD subgroups. Nevertheless, on average, both groups were in the clinical range of sexual dysfunction and reported impaired psychological functioning. The findings show that there are no significant differences in the sexual and psychosocial profiles of women with PVD1 and PVD2. Results suggest that similar psychosocial and sex therapy interventions should be offered to both subgroups of PVD. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Experimental provocation of 'ice-cream headache' by ice cubes and ice water.

Science.gov (United States)

Mages, Stephan; Hensel, Ole; Zierz, Antonia Maria; Kraya, Torsten; Zierz, Stephan

2017-04-01

Background There are various studies on experimentally provoked 'ice-cream headache' or 'headache attributed to ingestion or inhalation of a cold stimulus' (HICS) using different provocation protocols. The aim of this study was to compare two provocation protocols. Methods Ice cubes pressed to the palate and fast ingestion of ice water were used to provoke HICS and clinical features were compared. Results The ice-water stimulus provoked HICS significantly more often than the ice-cube stimulus (9/77 vs. 39/77). Ice-water-provoked HICS had a significantly shorter latency (median 15 s, range 4-97 s vs. median 68 s, range 27-96 s). There was no difference in pain localisation. Character after ice-cube stimulation was predominantly described as pressing and after ice-water stimulation as stabbing. A second HICS followed in 10/39 (26%) of the headaches provoked by ice water. Lacrimation occurred significantly more often in volunteers with than in those without HICS. Discussion HICS provoked by ice water was more frequent, had a shorter latency, different pain character and higher pain intensity than HICS provoked by ice cubes. The finding of two subsequent HICS attacks in the same volunteers supports the notion that two types of HICS exist. Lacrimation during HICS indicates involvement of the trigeminal-autonomic reflex.