Valuation of medical resource units collected in health economic studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Copley-Merriman, C; Lair, T J

1994-01-01

This paper reviews the issues that are critical for the valuation of medical resources in the context of health economic studies. There are several points to consider when undertaking the valuation of medical resources. The perspective of the analysis should be established before determining the valuation process. Future costs should be discounted to present values, and time and effort spent in assigning a monetary value to a medical resource should be proportional to its importance in the analysis. Prices vary considerably based on location of the service and the severity of the illness episode. Because of the wide variability in pricing data, sensitivity analysis is an important component of validation of study results. A variety of data sources have been applied to the valuation of medical resources. Several types of data are reviewed in this paper, including claims data, national survey data, administrative data, and marketing research data. Valuation of medical resources collected in clinical trials is complex because of the lack of standardization of the data sources. A national pricing data source for health economic valuation would greatly facilitate study analysis and make comparisons between results more meaningful.

Are wildfire management resources in the United States efficiently allocated to protect resources at risk? A case study from Montana

Science.gov (United States)

Derek T. O' Donnell; Tyron J. Venna; David E. Calkin

2014-01-01

Federal wildfire management agencies in the United States are under substantial pressure to reduce and economically justify their expenditures. To support economically efficient management of wildfires, managers need better estimates of the resource benefits and avoided damage costs associated with alternative wildfire management strategies. This paper reports findings...

Effectiveness of classroom based crew resource management training in the intensive care unit: Study design of a controlled trial

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemper, P.F.; de Bruijne, M.C.; van Dyck, C.; Wagner, C.

2011-01-01

Background: Crew resource management (CRM) has the potential to enhance patient safety in intensive care units (ICU) by improving the use of non-technical skills. However, CRM evaluation studies in health care are inconclusive with regard to the effect of this training on behaviour and

Effectiveness of classroom based crew resource management training in the intensive care unit: study design of a controlled trial.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemper, P.F.; Bruijne, M. de; Dyck, C. van; Wagner, C.

2011-01-01

Background: Crew resource management (CRM) has the potential to enhance patient safety in intensive care units (ICU) by improving the use of non-technical skills. However, CRM evaluation studies in health care are inconclusive with regard to the effect of this training on behaviour and

Human resource development for the new nuclear power plant unit in Armenia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gevorgyan, A.; Galstyan, A.; Donovan, M.

2008-01-01

This paper presents a discussion of a study to define the programs for development of the human resource infrastructure needed for a new nuclear power plant unit in the Republic of Armenia. While Armenia has a workforce experienced in operation and regulation of a nuclear power plant (NPP), a significant portion of the current Armenia Nuclear Power Plant (ANPP) workforce is approaching retirement age and will not be available for the new plant. The Government of Armenia is performing a human resource infrastructure study in cooperation with the International Project on Innovative Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycles (INPRO), sponsored by the JAEA. The study of Human Resource Development for Armenia uses the INPRO methodology for assessment of human resources. The results of this study will provide the basis for decisions on human resource development programs for nuclear power in Armenia and provide a model for countries with the limited resources that are working to develop nuclear energy in the future. (authors)

Critical mineral resources of the United States—An introduction

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung, John H.; Seal, Robert R.; Bradley, Dwight C.; Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung,, John H.; Seal, Robert R.; Bradley, Dwight C.

2017-12-19

Many changes have taken place in the mineral resource sector since the publication by the U.S. Geological Survey of Professional Paper 820, “United States Mineral Resources,” which is a review of the long-term United States resource position for 65 mineral commodities or commodity groups. For example, since 1973, the United States has continued to become increasingly dependent on imports to meet its demands for an increasing number of mineral commodities. The global demand for mineral commodities is at an alltime high and is expected to continue to increase, and the development of new technologies and products has led to the use of a greater number of mineral commodities in increasing quantities to the point that, today, essentially all naturally occurring elements have several significant industrial uses. Although most mineral commodities are present in sufficient amounts in the earth to provide adequate supplies for many years to come, their availability can be affected by such factors as social constraints, politics, laws, environmental regulations, land-use restrictions, economics, and infrastructure.This volume presents updated reviews of 23 mineral commodities and commodity groups viewed as critical to a broad range of existing and emerging technologies, renewable energy, and national security. The commodities or commodity groups included are antimony, barite, beryllium, cobalt, fluorine, gallium, germanium, graphite, hafnium, indium, lithium, manganese, niobium, platinum-group elements, rare-earth elements, rhenium, selenium, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, vanadium, and zirconium. All these commodities have been listed as critical and (or) strategic in one or more of the recent studies based on assessed likelihood of supply interruption and the possible cost of such a disruption to the assessor. For some of the minerals, current production is limited to only one or a few countries. For many, the United States currently has no mine production or any

An Estimate of Shallow, Low-Temperature Geothermal Resources of the United States: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mullane, Michelle; Gleason, Michael; McCabe, Kevin; Mooney, Meghan; Reber, Timothy; Young, Katherine R.

2016-10-01

Low-temperature geothermal resources in the United States potentially hold an enormous quantity of thermal energy, useful for direct use in residential, commercial and industrial applications such as space and water heating, greenhouse warming, pool heating, aquaculture, and low-temperature manufacturing processes. Several studies published over the past 40 years have provided assessments of the resource potential for multiple types of low-temperature geothermal systems (e.g. hydrothermal convection, hydrothermal conduction, and enhanced geothermal systems) with varying temperature ranges and depths. This paper provides a summary and additional analysis of these assessments of shallow (= 3 km), low-temperature (30-150 degrees C) geothermal resources in the United States, suitable for use in direct-use applications. This analysis considers six types of geothermal systems, spanning both hydrothermal and enhanced geothermal systems (EGS). We outline the primary data sources and quantitative parameters used to describe resources in each of these categories, and present summary statistics of the total resources available. In sum, we find that low-temperature hydrothermal resources and EGS resources contain approximately 8 million and 800 million TWh of heat-in-place, respectively. In future work, these resource potential estimates will be used for modeling of the technical and market potential for direct-use geothermal applications for the U.S. Department of Energy's Geothermal Vision Study.

The Training Resource Unit--An Outreach Model.

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Meredith A.

1991-01-01

The Training Resource Unit is a New South Wales (Australia) community services initiative that provides services such as direct client training, career training, and consultation to individuals with severe intellectual disability and severe challenging behaviors. The service is provided in the person's place of residence, workplace, or school…

Crew resource management training in the intensive care unit. A multisite controlled before–after study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemper, Peter F.; de Bruijne, Martine; van Dyck, C.; Wagner, Cordula

Introduction There is a growing awareness today that adverse events in the intensive care unit (ICU) are more often caused by problems related to non-technical skills than by a lack of technical, or clinical, expertise. Team training, such as crew resource management (CRM), aims to improve these

Crew resource management training in the intensive care unit: a multisite controlled before-after study.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemper, P.F.; Bruijne, M. de; Dyck, C. van; So, R.L.; Tangkau, P.; Wagner, C.

2016-01-01

Introduction There is a growing awareness today that adverse events in the intensive care unit (ICU) are more often caused by problems related to non-technical skills than by a lack of technical, or clinical, expertise. Team training, such as crew resource management (CRM), aims to improve these

[Activity-based costing methodology to manage resources in intensive care units].

Science.gov (United States)

Alvear V, Sandra; Canteros G, Jorge; Jara M, Juan; Rodríguez C, Patricia

2013-11-01

An accurate estimation of resources use by individual patients is crucial in hospital management. To measure financial costs of health care actions in intensive care units of two public regional hospitals in Chile. Prospective follow up of 716 patients admitted to two intensive care units during 2011. The financial costs of health care activities was calculated using the Activity-Based Costing methodology. The main activities recorded were procedures and treatments, monitoring, response to patient needs, patient maintenance and coordination. Activity-Based Costs, including human resources and assorted indirect costs correspond to 81 to 88% of costs per disease in one hospital and 69 to 80% in the other. The costs associated to procedures and treatments are the most significant and are approximately $100,000 (Chilean pesos) per day of hospitalization. The second most significant cost corresponds to coordination activities, which fluctuates between $86,000 and 122,000 (Chilean pesos). There are significant differences in resources use between the two hospitals studied. Therefore cost estimation methodologies should be incorporated in the management of these clinical services.

The United Nations Framework Classification for World Petroleum Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Ahlbrandt, T.S.; Blystad, P.; Young, E.D.; Slavov, S.; Heiberg, S.

2003-01-01

The United Nations has developed an international framework classification for solid fuels and minerals (UNFC). This is now being extended to petroleum by building on the joint classification of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the World Petroleum Congresses (WPC) and the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG). The UNFC is a 3-dimansional classification. This: Is necessary in order to migrate accounts of resource quantities that are developed on one or two of the axes to the common basis; Provides for more precise reporting and analysis. This is particularly useful in analyses of contingent resources. The characteristics of the SPE/WPC/AAPG classification has been preserved and enhanced to facilitate improved international and national petroleum resource management, corporate business process management and financial reporting. A UN intergovernmental committee responsible for extending the UNFC to extractive energy resources (coal, petroleum and uranium) will meet in Geneva on October 30th and 31st to review experiences gained and comments received during 2003. A recommended classification will then be delivered for consideration to the United Nations through the Committee on Sustainable Energy of the Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE).

The United Nations' endeavour to standardize mineral resource classification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schanz, J.J. Jr.

1980-01-01

The United Nations' Economic and Social Council passed a resolution in July 1975 calling for the development of a mineral resources classification system to be used in reporting data to the United Nations. Following preparation of background papers and an agenda by the UN Centre for Natural Resources, Energy and Transport, a panel of experts recommended a classification system to the Council's Committee on Natural Resources. The Committee met in Turkey in June 1979 and has reported favourably to the Council on the proposed system. The classification system is designed to provide maximum capability for requesting and receiving data from the resources data systems already used internally by major mineral producing nations. In addition, the system provides for flexibility in adjusting to the particular needs of individual mineral commodities. The proposed system involves three basic categories of in-situ resources: R-1, reliable estimates of known deposits; R-2, preliminary estimates of the extensions of known deposits; and, R-3, tentative estimates of quantities to be found in undiscovered deposits. As an option for given countries and commodities, the R-1 category can be further sub-divided into: R-1-E, economic; R-1-M, marginal; and R-1-S, sub-economic. Finally, the classification scheme provides for all categories to have a parallel set of estimates of recoverable mineral quantities. (author)

Timber resource of Wisconsin's Northwest Survey Unit, 1983.

Science.gov (United States)

W. Brad Smith

1984-01-01

The fourth inventory of the timber resource of the Northwest Wisconsin Survey Unit shows a 1.8% decline in commercial forest area and a 36% gain in growing-stock volume between 1968 and 1983. Presented are highlights and statistics on area, volume, growth, mortality, removals, utilization, and biomass.

Low resource ventilation unit; Ressourcebesparende ventilationsenhed

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drivsholm, C.

2012-03-15

In the project a resource-saving ventilation device was developed which is based on the use of a regenerator and a reversible air flow. The regenerator is placed in the building envelope, and the concept works in the way that the heat in the air during ventilation is stored in the regenerator and brought back into the building by a reversible air change. The heated air is blown from inside the building out through the regenerator. In this way the regenerator accumulates the heat in the air. Over a period of 30-120 seconds, the regenerator capacity is utilized. When the regenerator cannot be further heated, the air flow is reversed and there is now blown cold air through the regenerator. Thereby the heat from the regenerator is released to the cold fresh air. Thus, the fresh air brings heat back into the building, whereby the air is replaced with a limited heat loss. Ventilation with a regenerator is described as micro-ventilation. The developed micro-ventilation unit was tested by the Danish Technological Institute. The test results shows that the unit performs according to expectations: 1) The heat recovery is 85%; 2) The flow through the unit is 80m3 per hour in a 5 section unit; 3) The noise level is 30 db(A) in a representative room; 4) The energy consumption is <300 J/m3. The unit is introduced into the market, and the first plants have been sold. (LN)

Unit Commitment Towards Decarbonized Network Facing Fixed and Stochastic Resources Applying Water Cycle Optimization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heba-Allah I. ElAzab

2018-05-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a trustworthy unit commitment study to schedule both Renewable Energy Resources (RERs with conventional power plants to potentially decarbonize the electrical network. The study has employed a system with three IEEE thermal (coal-fired power plants as dispatchable distributed generators, one wind plant, one solar plant as stochastic distributed generators, and Plug-in Electric Vehicles (PEVs which can work either loads or generators based on their charging schedule. This paper investigates the unit commitment scheduling objective to minimize the Combined Economic Emission Dispatch (CEED. To reduce combined emission costs, integrating more renewable energy resources (RER and PEVs, there is an essential need to decarbonize the existing system. Decarbonizing the system means reducing the percentage of CO2 emissions. The uncertain behavior of wind and solar energies causes imbalance penalty costs. PEVs are proposed to overcome the intermittent nature of wind and solar energies. It is important to optimally integrate and schedule stochastic resources including the wind and solar energies, and PEVs charge and discharge processes with dispatched resources; the three IEEE thermal (coal-fired power plants. The Water Cycle Optimization Algorithm (WCOA is an efficient and intelligent meta-heuristic technique employed to solve the economically emission dispatch problem for both scheduling dispatchable and stochastic resources. The goal of this study is to obtain the solution for unit commitment to minimize the combined cost function including CO2 emission costs applying the Water Cycle Optimization Algorithm (WCOA. To validate the WCOA technique, the results are compared with the results obtained from applying the Dynamic Programming (DP algorithm, which is considered as a conventional numerical technique, and with the Genetic Algorithm (GA as a meta-heuristic technique.

Mapping and Assessment of the United States Ocean Wave Energy Resource

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobson, Paul T; Hagerman, George; Scott, George

2011-12-01

This project estimates the naturally available and technically recoverable U.S. wave energy resources, using a 51-month Wavewatch III hindcast database developed especially for this study by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) National Centers for Environmental Prediction. For total resource estimation, wave power density in terms of kilowatts per meter is aggregated across a unit diameter circle. This approach is fully consistent with accepted global practice and includes the resource made available by the lateral transfer of wave energy along wave crests, which enables wave diffraction to substantially reestablish wave power densities within a few kilometers of a linear array, even for fixed terminator devices. The total available wave energy resource along the U.S. continental shelf edge, based on accumulating unit circle wave power densities, is estimated to be 2,640 TWh/yr, broken down as follows: 590 TWh/yr for the West Coast, 240 TWh/yr for the East Coast, 80 TWh/yr for the Gulf of Mexico, 1570 TWh/yr for Alaska, 130 TWh/yr for Hawaii, and 30 TWh/yr for Puerto Rico. The total recoverable wave energy resource, as constrained by an array capacity packing density of 15 megawatts per kilometer of coastline, with a 100-fold operating range between threshold and maximum operating conditions in terms of input wave power density available to such arrays, yields a total recoverable resource along the U.S. continental shelf edge of 1,170 TWh/yr, broken down as follows: 250 TWh/yr for the West Coast, 160 TWh/yr for the East Coast, 60 TWh/yr for the Gulf of Mexico, 620 TWh/yr for Alaska, 80 TWh/yr for Hawaii, and 20 TWh/yr for Puerto Rico.

China, the United States, and competition for resources that enable emerging technologies

Science.gov (United States)

Gulley, Andrew L.; Nassar, Nedal T.; Xun, Sean

2018-01-01

Historically, resource conflicts have often centered on fuel minerals (particularly oil). Future resource conflicts may, however, focus more on competition for nonfuel minerals that enable emerging technologies. Whether it is rhenium in jet engines, indium in flat panel displays, or gallium in smart phones, obscure elements empower smarter, smaller, and faster technologies, and nations seek stable supplies of these and other nonfuel minerals for their industries. No nation has all of the resources it needs domestically. International trade may lead to international competition for these resources if supplies are deemed at risk or insufficient to satisfy growing demand, especially for minerals used in technologies important to economic development and national security. Here, we compare the net import reliance of China and the United States to inform mineral resource competition and foreign supply risk. Our analysis indicates that China relies on imports for over half of its consumption for 19 of 42 nonfuel minerals, compared with 24 for the United States—11 of which are common to both. It is for these 11 nonfuel minerals that competition between the United States and China may become the most contentious, especially for those with highly concentrated production that prove irreplaceable in pivotal emerging technologies.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT AMONG INTENSIVE CARE NURSES: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY.

Science.gov (United States)

Heydari, Abbas; Najar, Ali Vafaee; Bakhshi, Mahmoud

2015-12-01

Nurses are the main users of supplies and equipment applied in the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) which are high-priced and costly. Therefore, understanding ICU nurses' experiences about resource management contributes to the better control of the costs. This study aimed to investigate the culture of nurses' working environment regarding the resource management in the ICUs in Iran. In this study, a focused ethnographic method was used. Twenty-eight informants among ICU nurses and other professional individuals were purposively selected and interviewed. As well, 400 hours of ethnographic observations as a participant observer was used for data gathering. Data analysis was performed using the methods described by Miles and Huberman (1994). Two main themes describing the culture of ICU nurses regarding resource management included (a) consumption monitoring and auditing, and (b) prudent use. The results revealed that the efforts for resource management are conducted in the conditions of scarcity and uncertainty in supply. ICU nurses had a sense of futurism in the supply and use of resources in the unit and do the planning through taking the rules and guidelines as well as the available resources and their values into account. Improper storage of some supplies and equipment was a reaction to this uncertain condition among nurses. To manage the resources effectively, improvement of supply chain management in hospital seems essential. It is also necessary to hold educational classes in order to enhance the nurses' awareness on effective supply chain and storage of the items in the unit stock.

Human resource management and unit performance in knowledge-intensive work.

Science.gov (United States)

Kehoe, Rebecca R; Collins, Christopher J

2017-08-01

To clarify the potential value of a targeted system of human resource (HR) practices, we explore the unique effects of a relationship-oriented HR system and the more commonly studied high commitment HR system on unit performance in the context of knowledge-intensive work. We develop theoretical arguments suggesting that the high commitment HR system contributes to unit performance through its positive effects on employees' collective organizational commitment, general and firm-specific human capital, and access to knowledge. We argue that the relationship-oriented HR system contributes to unit performance through its positive effects on employees' collective access to knowledge by fostering a social context and interpersonal exchange conditions which support employees' ongoing access to knowledge flows within and outside their unit and broader organization. Based on unit-level data collected from a matched sample of employees and managers in 128 units in the science and engineering division of a large hydroelectric power organization, our results suggest that the targeted, relationship-oriented HR system is related to firm performance and may complement a broader, high commitment approach to managing knowledge workers. Specifically, the positive relationship between the high commitment HR system and unit performance is mediated by employees' collective organizational commitment, firm-specific human capital, and access to knowledge in other organizational units; whereas the positive relationship between the relationship-oriented HR system and unit performance is mediated by units' access to knowledge within the unit, in other units, and outside the organization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Application of United Nations Framework Classification – 2009 (UNFC-2009) to nuclear fuel resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tulsidas, Harikrishnan; Li Shengxiang; Van Gosen, Bradley

2014-01-01

United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Fuel and Mineral Reserves and Resources 2009: • Generic, principles-based system: – Applicable to both solid minerals and fluids; • Applications in: – International energy studies; – National resource reporting; – Company project management; – Financial reporting; • 3-D classification of resources on the basis of: – Socio-economic criteria (E); – Project maturity (technical feasibility) (F); – Geological knowledge (G); • A key goal of UNFC-2009 is to provide a tool to facilitate global communications: – Uses a numerical coding system; – Language independent reporting

A document analysis of drowning prevention education resources in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Katchmarchi, Adam Bradley; Taliaferro, Andrea R; Kipfer, Hannah Joy

2018-03-01

There have been long-standing calls to better educate the public at large on risks of drowning; yet limited evaluation has taken place on current resources in circulation. The purpose of this qualitative research is to develop an understanding of the content in currently circulated drowning prevention resources in the United States. Data points (n = 451) consisting of specific content within 25 different drowning prevention educational resources were analyzed using document analysis methods; a grounded theory approach was employed to allow for categorical development and indexing of the data. Results revealed six emerging categories, including safety precautions (n = 152), supervision (n = 109), preventing access (n = 57), safety equipment (n = 46), emergency procedures (n = 46), and aquatic education (n = 41). Results provide an initial insight into the composition of drowning prevention resources in the United States and provide a foundation for future research.

Human Resource Evaluation in Hotel Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George Aspridis

2012-03-01

Full Text Available This paper aims at presenting and analysing the performance appraisalsystems and the human potential development in hotelunits. It aims at integrating and updating many aspects of performanceappraisal while concentrating on the hotel units systemto prove the importance of human resource evaluation in hotelunits and the procedure that is to be followed by the enterprisefor further development of hotel employees. HR evaluation analysisis presented through relevant theoretical background on theevaluation method and the presentation of the practical problematicalissues in order to create an image for a whole evaluationsystem of HR in Greek hotel enterprises.

Timber resource of Michigan's Southern Lower Peninsula Unit, 1980.

Science.gov (United States)

Jerold T. Hahn

1982-01-01

The fourth inventory of the timber resource of Michigan's Southern Lower Peninsula Survey Unit shows a 12% decline in commercial forest area and a 26% gain in growing-stock volume between 1966 and 1980. Presented are highlights and statistics on area, volume, growth, mortality, removals, utilization, and biomass.

A Resource Conservation Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Porter, Philip D.

1979-01-01

Describes a variety of learning activities for teaching elementary and junior high students about air, water, and energy conservation techniques. Suggests community resources, social studies objectives, language skills, and 20 activities. (CK)

Crew resource management training in the intensive care unit. A multisite controlled before-after study.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemper, Peter F; de Bruijne, Martine; van Dyck, Cathy; So, Ralph L; Tangkau, Peter; Wagner, Cordula

2016-08-01

There is a growing awareness today that adverse events in the intensive care unit (ICU) are more often caused by problems related to non-technical skills than by a lack of technical, or clinical, expertise. Team training, such as crew resource management (CRM), aims to improve these non-technical skills. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of CRM in the ICU. Six ICUs participated in a paired controlled trial, with one pretest and two post-test measurements (after 3 and 12 months). Three ICUs received CRM training and were compared with a matched control unit. The 2-day classroom-based training was delivered to multidisciplinary groups (ie, ICU physicians, nurses, managers). All levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework were assessed using a mixed method design, including questionnaires, observations and routinely administered patient outcome data. Level I-reaction: participants were very positive directly after the training. Level II-learning: attitudes towards behaviour aimed at optimising situational awareness were relatively high at baseline and remained stable. Level III-behaviour: self-reported behaviour aimed at optimising situational awareness improved in the intervention group. No changes were found in observed explicit professional oral communication. Level IV-organisation: patient outcomes were unaffected. Error management culture and job satisfaction improved in the intervention group. Patient safety culture improved in both control and intervention units. We can conclude that CRM, as delivered in the present study, does not change behaviour or patient outcomes by itself, yet changes how participants think about errors and risks. This indicates that CRM requires a combination with other initiatives in order to improve clinical outcomes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

15 CFR 971.501 - Resource assessment, recovery plan, and logical mining unit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

..., and logical mining unit. 971.501 Section 971.501 Commerce and Foreign Trade Regulations Relating to... COMMERCE GENERAL REGULATIONS OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR... mining unit. (a) The applicant must submit with the application a resource assessment to provide a basis...

United States History: From Community to Society. Unit Four: Revolutionary America. Grade Six. Project Social Studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

Revolution is the theme of this resource unit, which is the fourth in a social studies series designed for sixth grade students. In the first part of the unit, case studies are used to examine 18th century Boston, Williamsburg, and Philadelphia, contrasting them to 17th century Jamestown and Plymouth settlements. Emphasis is upon examining causes…

Remapping of the Wind Energy Resource in the Midwestern United States: Preprint

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schwartz, M.; Elliot, D.

2001-01-01

A recent increase in interest and development of wind energy in the Midwestern United States has focused the need for updating wind resource maps of this area. The wind resource assessment group at the National Renewable Energy Lab., a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) laboratory, has produced updated high-resolution (1-km) wind resource maps for several states in this region. This abstract describes the computerized tools and methodology used by NREL to create the higher resolution maps

Quantifying the undiscovered geothermal resources of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Colin F.; Reed, Marshall J.; DeAngelo, Jacob; Galanis, S. Peter

2009-01-01

In 2008, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) released summary results of an assessment of the electric power production potential from the moderate- and high-temperature geothermal resources of the United States (Williams et al., 2008a; USGS Fact Sheet 2008-3082; http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2008/3082). In the assessment, the estimated mean power production potential from undiscovered geothermal resources is 30,033 Megawatts-electric (MWe), more than three times the estimated mean potential from identified geothermal systems: 9057 MWe. The presence of significant undiscovered geothermal resources has major implications for future exploration and development activities by both the government and private industry. Previous reports summarize the results of techniques applied by the USGS and others to map the spatial distribution of undiscovered resources. This paper describes the approach applied in developing estimates of the magnitude of the undiscovered geothermal resource, as well as the manner in which that resource is likely to be distributed among geothermal systems of varying volume and temperature. A number of key issues constrain the overall estimate. One is the degree to which characteristics of the undiscovered resources correspond to those observed among identified geothermal systems. Another is the evaluation of exploration history, including both the spatial distribution of geothermal exploration activities relative to the postulated spatial distribution of undiscovered resources and the probability of successful discoveries from the application of standard geothermal exploration techniques. Also significant are the physical, chemical, and geological constraints on the formation and longevity of geothermal systems. Important observations from this study include the following. (1) Some of the largest identified geothermal systems, such as The Geysers vapor-dominated system in northern California and the diverse geothermal manifestations found in Yellowstone

Evaluation of Selected Resource Allocation and Scheduling Methods in Heterogeneous Many-Core Processors and Graphics Processing Units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ciznicki Milosz

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Heterogeneous many-core computing resources are increasingly popular among users due to their improved performance over homogeneous systems. Many developers have realized that heterogeneous systems, e.g. a combination of a shared memory multi-core CPU machine with massively parallel Graphics Processing Units (GPUs, can provide significant performance opportunities to a wide range of applications. However, the best overall performance can only be achieved if application tasks are efficiently assigned to different types of processor units in time taking into account their specific resource requirements. Additionally, one should note that available heterogeneous resources have been designed as general purpose units, however, with many built-in features accelerating specific application operations. In other words, the same algorithm or application functionality can be implemented as a different task for CPU or GPU. Nevertheless, from the perspective of various evaluation criteria, e.g. the total execution time or energy consumption, we may observe completely different results. Therefore, as tasks can be scheduled and managed in many alternative ways on both many-core CPUs or GPUs and consequently have a huge impact on the overall computing resources performance, there are needs for new and improved resource management techniques. In this paper we discuss results achieved during experimental performance studies of selected task scheduling methods in heterogeneous computing systems. Additionally, we present a new architecture for resource allocation and task scheduling library which provides a generic application programming interface at the operating system level for improving scheduling polices taking into account a diversity of tasks and heterogeneous computing resources characteristics.

Uranium prospecting program: memorandum of request United Nations Assistance Rotatory Fund for Naturals resources in Uranium Prospecting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

The Uruguayan government required assistance to Unit Nations funds with the aim of studies the Natural resources in Uranium prospecting, their antecedent, actual and projected works, equipment and end considerations

Evaluation of a filmed clinical scenario as a teaching resource for an introductory pharmacology unit for undergraduate health students: A pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

East, Leah; Hutchinson, Marie

2015-12-01

Simulation is frequently being used as a learning and teaching resource for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, however reporting of the effectiveness of simulation particularly within the pharmacology context is scant. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate a filmed simulated pharmacological clinical scenario as a teaching resource in an undergraduate pharmacological unit. Pilot cross-sectional quantitative survey. An Australian university. 32 undergraduate students completing a healthcare degree including nursing, midwifery, clinical science, health science, naturopathy, and osteopathy. As a part of an undergraduate online pharmacology unit, students were required to watch a filmed simulated pharmacological clinical scenario. To evaluate student learning, a measurement instrument developed from Bloom's cognitive domains (knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation) was employed to assess pharmacological knowledge conceptualisation and knowledge application within the following fields: medication errors; medication adverse effects; medication interactions; and, general pharmacology. The majority of participants were enrolled in an undergraduate nursing or midwifery programme (72%). Results demonstrated that the majority of nursing and midwifery students (56.52%) found the teaching resource complementary or more useful compared to a lecture although less so compared to a tutorial. Students' self-assessment of learning according to Bloom's cognitive domains indicated that the filmed scenario was a valuable learning tool. Analysis of variance indicated that health science students reported higher levels of learning compared to midwifery and nursing. Students' self-report of the learning benefits of a filmed simulated clinical scenario as a teaching resource suggest enhanced critical thinking skills and knowledge conceptualisation regarding pharmacology, in addition to being useful and complementary to other teaching and

Model for Estimating Power and Downtime Effects on Teletherapy Units in Low-Resource Settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel McCarroll

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose: More than 6,500 megavoltage teletherapy units are needed worldwide, many in low-resource settings. Cobalt-60 units or linear accelerators (linacs can fill this need. We have evaluated machine performance on the basis of patient throughput to provide insight into machine viability under various conditions in such a way that conclusions can be generalized to a vast array of clinical scenarios. Materials and Methods: Data from patient treatment plans, peer-reviewed studies, and international organizations were combined to assess the relative patient throughput of linacs and cobalt-60 units that deliver radiotherapy with standard techniques under various power and maintenance support conditions. Data concerning the frequency and duration of power outages and downtime characteristics of the machines were used to model teletherapy operation in low-resource settings. Results: Modeled average daily throughput was decreased for linacs because of lack of power infrastructure and for cobalt-60 units because of limited and decaying source strength. For conformal radiotherapy delivered with multileaf collimators, average daily patient throughput over 8 years of operation was equal for cobalt-60 units and linacs when an average of 1.83 hours of power outage occurred per 10-hour working day. Relative to conformal treatments delivered with multileaf collimators on the respective machines, the use of advanced techniques on linacs decreased throughput between 20% and 32% and, for cobalt machines, the need to manually place blocks reduced throughput up to 37%. Conclusion: Our patient throughput data indicate that cobalt-60 units are generally best suited for implementation when machine operation might be 70% or less of total operable time because of power outages or mechanical repair. However, each implementation scenario is unique and requires consideration of all variables affecting implementation.

Assessment of Offshore Wind Energy Resources for the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schwartz, M.; Heimiller, D.; Haymes, S.; Musial, W.

2010-06-01

This report summarizes the offshore wind resource potential for the contiguous United States and Hawaii as of May 2009. The development of this assessment has evolved over multiple stages as new regional meso-scale assessments became available, new validation data was obtained, and better modeling capabilities were implemented. It is expected that further updates to the current assessment will be made in future reports.

THE UNITED RESCUE SYSTEM IN BULGARIA. CURRENT RESOURCE RELATED ISSUES AND PROSPECTIVE SOLUTIONS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daniela Baleva

2017-11-01

Full Text Available The article presents some problems related to securing the Bulgarian system for disaster management with the necessary resources for its proper functioning. The main challenges for the united rescue system in the country are analyzed, including those related to ensuring the system with the necessary material, financial and human resources. Some possibilities for solving these problems with the use of funds from the European Union are presented.

Resources predicting positive and negative affect during the experience of stress: a study of older Asian Indian immigrants in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Diwan, Sadhna; Jonnalagadda, Satya S; Balaswamy, Shantha

2004-10-01

Using the life stress model of psychological well-being, in this study we examined risks and resources predicting the occurrence of both positive and negative affect among older Asian Indian immigrants who experienced stressful life events. We collected data through a telephone survey of 226 respondents (aged 50 years and older) in the Southeastern United States. We used hierarchical, negative binomial regression analyses to examine correlates of positive and negative affect. Different coping resources influenced positive and negative affect when stressful life events were controlled for. Being female was a common risk factor for poorer positive and increased negative affect. Satisfaction with friendships and a cultural or ethnic identity that is either bicultural or more American were predictive of greater positive affect. Greater religiosity and increased mastery were resources predicting less negative affect. Cognitive and structural interventions that increase opportunities for social integration, increasing mastery, and addressing spiritual concerns are discussed as ways of coping with stress to improve the well-being of individuals in this immigrant community.

Pediatric traumatic amputations and hospital resource utilization in the United States, 2003.

Science.gov (United States)

Conner, Kristen A; McKenzie, Lara B; Xiang, Huiyun; Smith, Gary A

2010-01-01

Despite the severity of consequences associated with traumatic amputation, little is known about the epidemiology or healthcare resource burden of amputation injuries, and even less is known about these injuries in the pediatric population. An analysis of patients aged lawn mower, motorized vehicle or explosives/fireworks, and children's hospital type were associated with longer LOS. Pediatric traumatic amputations contribute substantially to the health resource burden in the United States, resulting in 21 million dollars in inpatient charges annually. More effective interventions to prevent these costly injuries among children must be implemented.

Practical Robust Optimization Method for Unit Commitment of a System with Integrated Wind Resource

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuanchao Yang

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Unit commitment, one of the significant tasks in power system operations, faces new challenges as the system uncertainty increases dramatically due to the integration of time-varying resources, such as wind. To address these challenges, we propose the formulation and solution of a generalized unit commitment problem for a system with integrated wind resources. Given the prespecified interval information acquired from real central wind forecasting system for uncertainty representation of nodal wind injections with their correlation information, the proposed unit commitment problem solution is computationally tractable and robust against all uncertain wind power injection realizations. We provide a solution approach to tackle this problem with complex mathematical basics and illustrate the capabilities of the proposed mixed integer solution approach on the large-scale power system of the Northwest China Grid. The numerical results demonstrate that the approach is realistic and not overly conservative in terms of the resulting dispatch cost outcomes.

Families Around the World. The Quechua Family of Peru. Teacher's Resource Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Minnesota Univ., Minneapolis. Project Social Studies Curriculum Center.

This resource guide outlines one of four units designed for grade 1. Some background material on the Quecha speaking Indians of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador is presented for the teacher on the family structure and the economy, emphasizing subsistence, technology, clothing, division of labor, and sexual differentiation of labor. Major concepts…

Litter Control, Waste Management, and Recycling Resource Unit, K-6. Bulletin 1722.

Science.gov (United States)

Louisiana State Dept. of Education, Baton Rouge.

This unit provides elementary teachers with ideas for assisting their students in developing an understanding and appreciation of sound resource use. It contains projects and activities that focus on both the litter problem and on waste management solutions. These materials can be adapted and modified to accommodate different grade levels and…

The United Nations framework classification for fossil energy and mineral reserves and resources 2009

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, D.; Lynch-Bell, M.; Ross, J.; Heiberg, S.; Griffiths, C.; Klett, T.

2011-01-01

Effective resource management in a globalizing economy requires accurate assessments of fossil energy and minerals resources. The recoverable quantities must be described and categorized in a manner that is consistent with scientific and social/economic information describing the economy as well as with the information describing the projects to recover them. A number of different standards have evolved over time in response to various professional needs Under a mandate given by the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has cooperated with Governments, regulatory agencies, industry, international organizations, and professional organizations (including Committee for Mineral Reserves International Reporting Standards (CRIRSCO), the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), and the Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers (SPEE)), as well as with outstanding experts, to define a global classification for extractive activities (including oil, gas, heavy oil and bitumen extraction) that reflects the principal concerns of existing petroleum and mineral classifications. The United Nations Framework Classification for Fossil Energy and Mineral Reserves and Resources-2009 (UNFC-2009) aims to serve the following four principal needs: 1. The needs in international energy and mineral studies to formulate robust and long-sighted policies. 2. The needs of governments in managing their resources accordingly, allowing market prices to be transferred to the wellhead with as little loss as possible. 3. The industries' needs for information while deploying technology, management and finance to secure energy supplies and capture value efficiently within the established frameworks to serve its host countries, shareholders and stakeholders. 4. The financial community's need for information to allocate capital appropriately, providing reduced costs and improved long

Wildlife resource trends in the United States: A technical document supporting the 2000 RPA Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Curtis H. Flather; Stephen J. Brady; Michael S. Knowles

1999-01-01

This report documents trends in wildlife resources for the nation as required by the Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA) of 1974. The report focuses on recent historical trends in wildlife as one indicator of ecosystem health across the United States and updates wildlife trends presented in previous RPA Assessments. The report also shows short- and long-term...

Effectiveness of classroom based crew resource management training in the intensive care unit: study design of a controlled trial

Science.gov (United States)

2011-01-01

Background Crew resource management (CRM) has the potential to enhance patient safety in intensive care units (ICU) by improving the use of non-technical skills. However, CRM evaluation studies in health care are inconclusive with regard to the effect of this training on behaviour and organizational outcomes, due to weak study designs and the scarce use of direct observations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of CRM training on attitude, behaviour and organization after one year, using a multi-method approach and matched control units. The purpose of the present article is to describe the study protocol and the underlying choices of this evaluation study of CRM in the ICU in detail. Methods/Design Six ICUs participated in a paired controlled trial, with one pre-test and two post test measurements (respectively three months and one year after the training). Three ICUs were trained and compared to matched control ICUs. The 2-day classroom-based training was delivered to multidisciplinary groups. Typical CRM topics on the individual, team and organizational level were discussed, such as situational awareness, leadership and communication. All levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework (reaction, learning, behaviour and organisation) were assessed using questionnaires, direct observations, interviews and routine ICU administration data. Discussion It is expected that the CRM training acts as a generic intervention that stimulates specific interventions. Besides effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, the assessment of the barriers and facilitators will provide insight in the implementation process of CRM. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register (NTR): NTR1976 PMID:22073981

Effectiveness of classroom based crew resource management training in the intensive care unit: study design of a controlled trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kemper Peter F

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Crew resource management (CRM has the potential to enhance patient safety in intensive care units (ICU by improving the use of non-technical skills. However, CRM evaluation studies in health care are inconclusive with regard to the effect of this training on behaviour and organizational outcomes, due to weak study designs and the scarce use of direct observations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of CRM training on attitude, behaviour and organization after one year, using a multi-method approach and matched control units. The purpose of the present article is to describe the study protocol and the underlying choices of this evaluation study of CRM in the ICU in detail. Methods/Design Six ICUs participated in a paired controlled trial, with one pre-test and two post test measurements (respectively three months and one year after the training. Three ICUs were trained and compared to matched control ICUs. The 2-day classroom-based training was delivered to multidisciplinary groups. Typical CRM topics on the individual, team and organizational level were discussed, such as situational awareness, leadership and communication. All levels of Kirkpatrick's evaluation framework (reaction, learning, behaviour and organisation were assessed using questionnaires, direct observations, interviews and routine ICU administration data. Discussion It is expected that the CRM training acts as a generic intervention that stimulates specific interventions. Besides effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, the assessment of the barriers and facilitators will provide insight in the implementation process of CRM. Trial registration Netherlands Trial Register (NTR: NTR1976

Cost of wind energy: comparing distant wind resources to local resources in the midwestern United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Hoppock, David C; Patiño-Echeverri, Dalia

2010-11-15

The best wind sites in the United States are often located far from electricity demand centers and lack transmission access. Local sites that have lower quality wind resources but do not require as much power transmission capacity are an alternative to distant wind resources. In this paper, we explore the trade-offs between developing new wind generation at local sites and installing wind farms at remote sites. We first examine the general relationship between the high capital costs required for local wind development and the relatively lower capital costs required to install a wind farm capable of generating the same electrical output at a remote site,with the results representing the maximum amount an investor should be willing to pay for transmission access. We suggest that this analysis can be used as a first step in comparing potential wind resources to meet a state renewable portfolio standard (RPS). To illustrate, we compare the cost of local wind (∼50 km from the load) to the cost of distant wind requiring new transmission (∼550-750 km from the load) to meet the Illinois RPS. We find that local, lower capacity factor wind sites are the lowest cost option for meeting the Illinois RPS if new long distance transmission is required to access distant, higher capacity factor wind resources. If higher capacity wind sites can be connected to the existing grid at minimal cost, in many cases they will have lower costs.

Solar Resource Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renne, D.; George, R.; Wilcox, S.; Stoffel, T.; Myers, D.; Heimiller, D.

2008-02-01

This report covers the solar resource assessment aspects of the Renewable Systems Interconnection study. The status of solar resource assessment in the United States is described, and summaries of the availability of modeled data sets are provided.

Benefits of greenhouse gas mitigation on the supply, management, and use of water resources in the United States

OpenAIRE

Strzepek, Kenneth; Neumann, J.; SMith, J.; Martinich, J.; Boehlert, B.; Hejazi, M.; Henderson, J.; Wobus, C.; Jones, R.; Calvin, K.; Johnson, D.; Monier, Erwan; Strzepek, J.; Yoon, J.-H.

2013-01-01

Climate change impacts on water resources in the United States are likely to be far-reaching and substantial because the water is integral to climate, and the water sector spans many parts of the economy. This paper estimates impacts and damages from five water resource-related models addressing runoff, drought risk, economics of water supply/demand, water stress, and flooding damages. The models differ in the water system assessed, spatial scale, and unit of assessment, but together provide ...

Water Energy Resources of the United States with Emphasis on Low Head/Low Power Resources: Appendix A - Assessment Results by Hydrologic Region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hall, Douglas [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States). Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Lab. (INEEL)

2004-04-01

Analytical assessments of the water energy resources in the 20 hydrologic regions of the United States were performed using state-of-the-art digital elevation models and geographic information system tools. The principal focus of the study was on low head (less than 30 ft)/low power (less than 1 MW) resources in each region. The assessments were made by estimating the power potential of all the stream segments in a region, which averaged 2 miles in length. These calculations were performed using hydrography and hydraulic heads that were obtained from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Elevation Derivatives for National Applications dataset and stream flow predictions from a regression equation or equations developed specifically for the region. Stream segments excluded from development and developed hydropower were accounted for to produce an estimate of total available power potential. The total available power potential was subdivided into high power (1 MW or more), high head (30 ft or more)/low power, and low head/low power total potentials. The low head/low power potential was further divided to obtain the fractions of this potential corresponding to the operating envelopes of three classes of hydropower technologies: conventional turbines, unconventional systems, and microhydro (less than 100 kW). Summing information for all the regions provided total power potential in various power classes for the entire United States. Distribution maps show the location and concentrations of the various classes of low power potential. No aspect of the feasibility of developing these potential resources was evaluated. Results for each of the 20 hydrologic regions are presented in Appendix A

Critical mineral resources of the United States—Economic and environmental geology and prospects for future supply

Science.gov (United States)

Schulz, Klaus J.; DeYoung,, John H.; Seal, Robert R.; Bradley, Dwight C.

2017-12-19

��for example, graphite, manganese, niobium, and tantalum—the United States is currently wholly dependent on imports to meet its needs. The first two chapters (A and B) deal with general information pertinent to the study of mineral resources. Chapters C through V describe individual mineral commodities and include an overview of current uses of the commodity, identified resources and their distribution nationally and globally, the state of current geologic knowledge, the potential for finding additional deposits nationally and globally, and geoenvironmental issues that may be related to the production and uses of the commodity. These chapters are updates of the commodity chapters published in 1973 in U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 820, “United States Mineral Resources.”

THE METHODOLOGY OF DEVELOPING VALUE INDICATORS TO INTEGRALLY ASSESS RESOURCE POTENTIAL IN AGRICULTURAL UNITS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elena TIMOFTI

2014-06-01

Full Text Available The problem of increasing the economic efficiency of resource use in agricultural production is very important. Its solution directly depends on the economic security of the country and its constant supply with agricultural products.There are three basic factors in agricultural production: nature (land, labour and capital, which have differentmeasure units. Comparability is necessary to express the value of the integral potential that gives the possibility totake into account the main resources involved in producing and obtaining results from the agricultural sector.

Low Temperature Geothermal Resource Assessment for Membrane Distillation Desalination in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akar, Sertac; Turchi, Craig

2017-05-01

Substantial drought and declines in potable groundwater in the United States over the last decade has increased the demand for fresh water. Desalination of saline water such as brackish surface or groundwater, seawater, brines co-produced from oil and gas operations, industrial wastewater, blow-down water from power plant cooling towers, and agriculture drainage water can reduce the volume of water that requires disposal while providing a source of high-quality fresh water for industrial or commercial use. Membrane distillation (MD) is a developing technology that uses low-temperature thermal energy for desalination. Geothermal heat can be an ideal thermal-energy source for MD desalination technology, with a target range of $1/m3 to $2/m3 for desalinated water depending on the cost of heat. Three different cases were analyzed to estimate levelized cost of heat (LCOH) for integration of MD desalination technology with low-grade geothermal heat: (1) residual heat from injection brine at a geothermal power plant, (2) heat from existing underutilized low-temperature wells, and (3) drilling new wells for low-temperature resources. The Central and Western United States have important low-temperature (<90 degrees C) geothermal resource potential with wide geographic distribution, but these resources are highly underutilized because they are inefficient for power production. According to the USGS, there are 1,075 identified low temperature hydrothermal systems, 55 low temperature sedimentary systems and 248 identified medium to high temperature geothermal systems in the United States. The estimated total beneficial heat potential from identified low temperature hydrothermal geothermal systems and residual beneficial heat from medium to high temperature systems is estimated as 36,300 MWth, which could theoretically produce 1.4 to 7 million m3/day of potable water, depending on desalination efficiency.

Implementation of crew resource management: a qualitative study in 3 intensive care units.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kemper, P.F.; Dyck, C. van; Wagner, C.; Bruijne, M. de

2017-01-01

Objectives: Classroom-based crew resource management (CRM) training has been increasingly applied in health care to improve safe patient care. Crew resource management aims to increase participants' understanding of how certain threats can develop as well as provides tools and skills to respond to

Geothermal energy in the western United States and Hawaii: Resources and projected electricity generation supplies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-09-01

Geothermal energy comes from the internal heat of the Earth, and has been continuously exploited for the production of electricity in the United States since 1960. Currently, geothermal power is one of the ready-to-use baseload electricity generating technologies that is competing in the western United States with fossil fuel, nuclear and hydroelectric generation technologies to provide utilities and their customers with a reliable and economic source of electric power. Furthermore, the development of domestic geothermal resources, as an alternative to fossil fuel combustion technologies, has a number of associated environmental benefits. This report serves two functions. First, it provides a description of geothermal technology and a progress report on the commercial status of geothermal electric power generation. Second, it addresses the question of how much electricity might be competitively produced from the geothermal resource base. 19 figs., 15 tabs

Ecologia: Spanish Ecology Packet Resource Units and Materials for Intermediate and Advanced Spanish Classes.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Mozelle Sawyer; Arribas, E. Jaime

This Spanish ecology packet contains resource units and materials for intermediate and advanced Spanish classes. It is designed to be used for individual and small-group instruction in the senior high school to supplement the Spanish language curriculum. Included are articles, pictures, and cartoons from Spanish-language newspapers and magazines…

Forest resources of the United States, 1992

Science.gov (United States)

Douglas S. Powell; Joanne L. Faulkner; David R. Darr; Zhiliang Zhu; Douglas W. MacCleery

1993-01-01

The 1987 Resources Planning Act (RPA) Assessment forest resources statistics are updated to 1992, to provide current information on the Nation's forests. Resource tables present estimates of forest area, volume, mortality, growth, removals, and timber products output. Resource data are analyzed, and trends since 1987 are noted. A forest type map produced from...

Using NASA Satellite Observations to Map Wildfire Risk in the United States for Allocation of Fire Management Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Farahmand, A.; Reager, J. T., II; Behrangi, A.; Stavros, E. N.; Randerson, J. T.

2017-12-01

Fires are a key disturbance globally acting as a catalyst for terrestrial ecosystem change and contributing significantly to both carbon emissions and changes in surface albedo. The socioeconomic impacts of wildfire activities are also significant with wildfire activity results in billions of dollars of losses every year. Fire size, area burned and frequency are increasing, thus the likelihood of fire danger, defined by United States National Interagency Fire Center (NFIC) as the demand of fire management resources as a function of how flammable fuels (a function of ignitability, consumability and availability) are from normal, is an important step toward reducing costs associated with wildfires. Numerous studies have aimed to predict the likelihood of fire danger, but few studies use remote sensing data to map fire danger at scales commensurate with regional management decisions (e.g., deployment of resources nationally throughout fire season with seasonal and monthly prediction). Here, we use NASA Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) assimilated surface soil moisture, NASA Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) vapor pressure deficit, NASA Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) enhanced vegetation index products and landcover products, along with US Forest Service historical fire activity data to generate probabilistic monthly fire potential maps in the United States. These maps can be useful in not only government operational allocation of fire management resources, but also improving understanding of the Earth System and how it is changing in order to refine predictions of fire extremes.

Heat Transfer Reactor Experiment (HTRE)-3 Container Storage Unit Resource Conservation Recovery Act closure plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spry, M.J.

1992-11-01

This document describes the closure of the HTRE-3 Container Storage Unit under the requirements of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. The unit's location, size, history, and current status are described. The document also summarizes the decontamination and decommissioning efforts performed in 1983 and provides an estimate of,waste residues remaining in the HTRE-3 assembly. A risk evaluation was performed that demonstrates that the residue does not pose a hazard to public health or the environment. Based on the risk evaluation, it is proposed that the HTRE-3 Container Storage Unit be closed in its present condition, without further decontamination or removal activities

Assssment and Mapping of the Riverine Hydrokinetic Resource in the Continental United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacobson, Paul T. [Electric Power Research Institute; Ravens, Thomas M. [University of Alaska Anchorage; Cunningham, Keith W. [University of Alaska Fairbanks; Scott, George [National Renewable Energy Laboratory

2012-12-14

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funded the Electric Power Research Institute and its collaborative partners, University of Alaska ? Anchorage, University of Alaska ? Fairbanks, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to provide an assessment of the riverine hydrokinetic resource in the continental United States. The assessment benefited from input obtained during two workshops attended by individuals with relevant expertise and from a National Research Council panel commissioned by DOE to provide guidance to this and other concurrent, DOE-funded assessments of water based renewable energy. These sources of expertise provided valuable advice regarding data sources and assessment methodology. The assessment of the hydrokinetic resource in the 48 contiguous states is derived from spatially-explicit data contained in NHDPlus ?a GIS-based database containing river segment-specific information on discharge characteristics and channel slope. 71,398 river segments with mean annual flow greater than 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) mean discharge were included in the assessment. Segments with discharge less than 1,000 cfs were dropped from the assessment, as were river segments with hydroelectric dams. The results for the theoretical and technical resource in the 48 contiguous states were found to be relatively insensitive to the cutoff chosen. Raising the cutoff to 1,500 cfs had no effect on estimate of the technically recoverable resource, and the theoretical resource was reduced by 5.3%. The segment-specific theoretical resource was estimated from these data using the standard hydrological engineering equation that relates theoretical hydraulic power (Pth, Watts) to discharge (Q, m3 s-1) and hydraulic head or change in elevation (??, m) over the length of the segment, where ? is the specific weight of water (9800 N m-3): ??? = ? ? ?? For Alaska, which is not encompassed by NPDPlus, hydraulic head and discharge data were manually obtained from Idaho National

Information contracting tools in a cancer specialist unit:the role of Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carol Marlow

1998-01-01

Full Text Available The need for high quality management information within the contracting process has driven many of the major developments in health service computing. These have often merged clinical and financial requirements, usually along patient-centred lines. In order to identify a common currency for a range of clinical activities that are inherently variable, price tariffs have been drawn up on the basis of 'episodes of care' within specialties. Healthcare Resource Groups (HRGs were designed to meet the need for a common information currency. However, they were designed for acute care. The study on which this paper is based aims to examine their applicability to chronic care in a cancer specialist unit. The data were drawn from the patient information system within a major cancer unit. The focus of the investigation is encapsulated in the following questions: a Do HRGs really work as a grouping and costing methodology? b How relevant are HRG classifications for long-term patient care? The investigation demonstrated that not all HRGs are iso-resource within this environment. The findings from the data analysis are echoed by the NHS Executive's own evaluation . This does not negate advantages in their use. Furthermore, the development of Health Benefit Groups as information management tools, through a focus on health conditions and interventions rather than on purely on treatments, offers potential for greater validity within a chronic care situation.

Low Temperature Geothermal Resource Assessment for Membrane Distillation Desalination in the United States: Preprint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Akar, Sertac; Turchi, Craig

2016-10-01

Substantial drought and declines in potable groundwater in the United States over the last decade has increased the demand for fresh water. Desalination of saline water such as brackish surface or groundwater, seawater, brines co-produced from oil and gas operations, industrial wastewater, blow-down water from power plant cooling towers, and agriculture drainage water can reduce the volume of water that requires disposal while providing a source of high-quality fresh water for industrial or commercial use. Membrane distillation (MD) is a developing technology that uses low-temperature thermal energy for desalination. Geothermal heat can be an ideal thermal-energy source for MD desalination technology, with a target range of $1/m3 to $2/m3 for desalinated water depending on the cost of heat. Three different cases were analyzed to estimate levelized cost of heat (LCOH) for integration of MD desalination technology with low-grade geothermal heat: (1) residual heat from injection brine at a geothermal power plant, (2) heat from existing underutilized low-temperature wells, and (3) drilling new wells for low-temperature resources. The Central and Western United States have important low-temperature (<90 degrees C) geothermal resource potential with wide geographic distribution, but these resources are highly underutilized because they are inefficient for power production. According to the USGS, there are 1,075 identified low temperature hydrothermal systems, 55 low temperature sedimentary systems and 248 identified medium to high temperature geothermal systems in the United States. The estimated total beneficial heat potential from identified low temperature hydrothermal geothermal systems and residual beneficial heat from medium to high temperature systems is estimated as 36,300 MWth, which could theoretically produce 1.4 to 7 million m3/day of potable water, depending on desalination efficiency.

United States uranium resources: an analysis of historical data

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lieberman, M.A.

1976-01-01

Using historical data, a study of U.S. uranium resources was performed with emphasis on discovery and drilling rates for the time interval from 1948 until the present. The ultimate recoverable resource up to a forward cost category of $30 or less per pound is estimated to be 1,134,000 short tons--about one third the estimate offered by ERDA. A serious shortfall in uranium supply is predicted for the late 1980's if nuclear power proceeds as planned; and courses of action are recommended for uranium resource management

Local government units initiatives on coastal resource management in adjacent municipalities in Camarines Sur, Philippines

Science.gov (United States)

Faustino, A. Z.; Madela, H. L.

2018-03-01

This research was conducted to determine the local government units (LGUs) initiatives on coastal resource management (CRM) in adjacent municipalities in Camarines Sur, Philippines. The respondents of this study are 100 fisherfolk leaders in the municipalities of Calabanga, Tinambac and Siruma. Descriptive, comparative and evaluative methods of research were employed and a survey questionnaire was used as the primary tool in data gathering. On the test of difference, the computed F-value of 12.038 and p-value of .001 revealed a very high difference in the implementation of CRM initiatives in the adjacent municipalities. The respondents in this study live below the poverty threshold. The intrusion of commercial fishers and the use of active fishing gears inside the 15-km municipal waters significantly affect the marine habitat while fishpond conversion kills the natural cycle in the mangrove forests. However, the FOs membership in the Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council empower them to engage in governance which can be a venue for them to recommend policies related to CRM. As a result of this study, a CRM monitoring and evaluation model was crafted to guide the LGUs in the review, revision and crafting of CRM programs.

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Transmission in a Ghanaian Burn Unit: The Importance of Active Surveillance in Resource-Limited Settings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nana Ama Amissah

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Objectives:Staphylococcus aureus infections in burn patients can lead to serious complications and death. The frequency of S. aureus infection is high in low- and middle-income countries presumably due to limited resources, misuse of antibiotics and poor infection control. The objective of the present study was to apply population genomics to precisely define, for the first time, the transmission of antibiotic resistant S. aureus in a resource-limited setting in sub-Saharan Africa.Methods:Staphylococcus aureus surveillance was performed amongst burn patients and healthcare workers during a 7-months survey within the burn unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana.Results: Sixty-six S. aureus isolates (59 colonizing and 7 clinical were obtained from 31 patients and 10 healthcare workers. Twenty-one of these isolates were ST250-IV methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA. Notably, 25 (81% of the 31 patients carried or were infected with S. aureus within 24 h of admission. Genome comparisons revealed six distinct S. aureus clones circulating in the burn unit, and demonstrated multiple transmission events between patients and healthcare workers. Further, the collected S. aureus isolates exhibited a wide range of genotypic resistances to antibiotics, including trimethoprim (21%, aminoglycosides (33%, oxacillin (33%, chloramphenicol (50%, tetracycline (59% and fluoroquinolones (100%.Conclusion: Population genomics uncovered multiple transmission events of S. aureus, especially MRSA, within the investigated burn unit. Our findings highlight lapses in infection control and prevention, and underscore the great importance of active surveillance to protect burn victims against multi-drug resistant pathogens in resource-limited settings.

Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Transmission in a Ghanaian Burn Unit: The Importance of Active Surveillance in Resource-Limited Settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Amissah, Nana Ama; Buultjens, Andrew H; Ablordey, Anthony; van Dam, Lieke; Opoku-Ware, Ampomah; Baines, Sarah L; Bulach, Dieter; Tetteh, Caitlin S; Prah, Isaac; van der Werf, Tjip S; Friedrich, Alexander W; Seemann, Torsten; van Dijl, Jan Maarten; Stienstra, Ymkje; Stinear, Timothy P; Rossen, John W

2017-01-01

Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus infections in burn patients can lead to serious complications and death. The frequency of S. aureus infection is high in low- and middle-income countries presumably due to limited resources, misuse of antibiotics and poor infection control. The objective of the present study was to apply population genomics to precisely define, for the first time, the transmission of antibiotic resistant S. aureus in a resource-limited setting in sub-Saharan Africa. Methods: Staphylococcus aureus surveillance was performed amongst burn patients and healthcare workers during a 7-months survey within the burn unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Results: Sixty-six S. aureus isolates (59 colonizing and 7 clinical) were obtained from 31 patients and 10 healthcare workers. Twenty-one of these isolates were ST250-IV methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Notably, 25 (81%) of the 31 patients carried or were infected with S. aureus within 24 h of admission. Genome comparisons revealed six distinct S. aureus clones circulating in the burn unit, and demonstrated multiple transmission events between patients and healthcare workers. Further, the collected S. aureus isolates exhibited a wide range of genotypic resistances to antibiotics, including trimethoprim (21%), aminoglycosides (33%), oxacillin (33%), chloramphenicol (50%), tetracycline (59%) and fluoroquinolones (100%). Conclusion: Population genomics uncovered multiple transmission events of S. aureus , especially MRSA, within the investigated burn unit. Our findings highlight lapses in infection control and prevention, and underscore the great importance of active surveillance to protect burn victims against multi-drug resistant pathogens in resource-limited settings.

EnviroAtlas - Annual average potential wind energy resource by 12-digit HUC for the Conterminous United States

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — This EnviroAtlas dataset shows the annual average potential wind energy resource in kilowatt hours per square kilometer per day for each 12-digit Hydrologic Unit...

Explaining Direct Care Resource Use of Nursing Home Residents: Findings from Time Studies in Four States

Science.gov (United States)

Arling, Greg; Kane, Robert L; Mueller, Christine; Lewis, Teresa

2007-01-01

Objective To explain variation in direct care resource use (RU) of nursing home residents based on the Resource Utilization Groups III (RUG-III) classification system and other resident- and unit-level explanatory variables. Data Sources/Study Setting Primary data were collected on 5,314 nursing home residents in 156 nursing units in 105 facilities from four states (CO, IN, MN, MS) from 1998 to 2004. Study Design Nurses and other direct care staff recorded resident-specific and other time caring for all residents on sampled nursing units. Care time was linked to resident data from the Minimum Data Set assessment instrument. Major variables were: RUG-III group (34-group), other health and functional conditions, licensed and other professional minutes per day, unlicensed minutes per day, and direct care RU (wage-weighted minutes). Resident- and unit-level relationships were examined through hierarchical linear modeling. Data Collection/Extraction Methods Time study data were recorded with hand-held computers, verified for accuracy by project staff at the data collection sites and then merged into resident and unit-level data sets. Principal Findings Resident care time and RU varied between and within nursing units. RUG-III group was related to RU; variables such as length of stay and unit percentage of high acuity residents also were significantly related. Case-mix indices (CMIs) constructed from study data displayed much less variation across RUG-III groups than CMIs from earlier time studies. Conclusions Results from earlier time studies may not be representative of care patterns of Medicaid and private pay residents. New RUG-III CMIs should be developed to better reflect the relative costs of caring for these residents. PMID:17362220

Establishing a pediatric cardiac intensive care unit - Special considerations in a limited resources environment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nair Suresh

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Pediatric cardiac intensive care has evolved as a distinct discipline in well-established pediatric cardiac programs in developed nations. With increasing demand for pediatric heart surgery in emerging economies, a number of new programs are being established. The development of robust pediatric cardiac intensive care units (PCICU is critical to the success of these programs. Because of substantial resource limitations existing models of PCICU care cannot be applied in their existing forms and structure. A number of challenges need to be addressed to deliver pediatric cardiac intensive care in the developing world. Limitations in infrastructure, human, and material resources call for a number of innovations and adaptations. Additionally, a variety of strategies are required to minimize costs of care to the individual patient. This review provides a framework for the establishment of a new PCICU program in face of resource limitations typically encountered in the developing world and emerging economies.

Recreation and protected land resources in the United States: a technical document supporting the Forest Service 2010 RPA Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

H. Ken Cordell; Carter J. Betz; Stanley J. Zarnoch

2013-01-01

This report provides an overview of the public and private land and water resources of the United States. Described is use of natural and developed land as recreation resources with an emphasis on nature-based recreation. Also described is land protection through conservation organizations and public funding programs, with an emphasis on protecting private land through...

The management of human resources in the Basic Units of Cooperative Production in Cuba: An essential challenge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deysi Alfonso Porraspita

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The socioeconomic structure of Cuba has undergone a stage of profound transformation, with various factors that have intervened in this process, where different forms of business structures have converged, one of which has been represented by the cooperative sector, fundamentally developed in agriculture from the country. In this scenario the issue of the effectiveness of these entities has been subject to dissimilar analyzes and debates from different sides, where what is related to the human factor has played an essential role, this implies a detailed observation of the adequate management of human resources in the integral management of these organizations. In this line, the fundamental challenge will be to manage human resources in a way that contributes to the continuous improvement of the Cooperative Production Units as one of the representative structures of the agrarian cooperative sector in Cuba. Carrying out an analysis highlighting the importance of the management of human resources as a contribution to affectivity of the Basic Units of Cooperative production constituted the objective of the work. Through analysis, synthesis and use of the logical historical in the system analysis, the work addressed the theoretical pillars and methodological aspects that support the management of human resources in the cooperative entities analyzed as a tribute to the effectiveness of their results.

Effect of Population Growths on Water Resources in Dubai Emirate, United Arab Emirates

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Nuaimi, Hind S.; Murad, Ahmed A.

The Emirate of Dubai is situated to the north of the United Arab Emirates on the Arabian Gulf. Due to its political stability and strong economy, people are continuing to immigrate to Dubai and this will enhance the stress on water resources. Therefore, demands for water will increase significantly in Dubai. The scarcity of water resources in Dubai is evident. The total production of water in the Dubai has increased to 61,478 million gallons in 2004. About 58,808 million gallons has been produced from the desalination plants in 2004. The production of freshwater from the main aquifers is about 2763 and 2655 million gallons for the years 2003 and 2004, respectively. The reduction of groundwater in 2004 may be ascribed to the low amount of rainfall and to the decreasing capacity of the aquifers. Treated wastewater is another source for water whose quantity was increased from 72 m3 to about 107 m3 in 2000 and 2004, respectively. The increase in water production in Dubai to meet the demand corresponds to population growth and this might be attributed to the political stability and strong economy. Moreover, major problems related to the water resources have appeared and affected the availability of freshwater in Dubai. These problems include: lowering water level and groundwater deterioration. This paper is aimed to assess the impacts of population growth on water resources in Dubai.

Hunger in Our World: A Social Studies Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Totten, Sam

1984-01-01

Describes activities of a unit on world hunger which include presenting a lexicon, topic overview, and guest speakers; reading topically related novels; creating scrapbooks; discussing pertinent quotations; exploring government role in ameliorating hunger; and completing final papers or projects. Resource materials are listed, including pertinent…

Managing carbon regulatory risk in utility resource planning: Current practices in the Western United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbose, Galen; Wiser, Ryan; Phadke, Amol; Goldman, Charles

2008-01-01

Concerns about global climate change have substantially increased the likelihood that future policy will seek to minimize carbon dioxide emissions. As such, even today, electric utilities are making resource planning and investment decisions that consider the possible implications of these future carbon regulations. In this article, we examine the manner in which utilities assess the financial risks associated with future carbon regulations within their long-term resource plans. We base our analysis on a review of the most recent resource plans filed by 15 electric utilities in the Western United States. Virtually all of these utilities made some effort to quantitatively evaluate the potential cost of future carbon regulations when analyzing alternate supply- and demand-side resource options for meeting customer load. Even without federal climate regulation in the US, the prospect of that regulation is already having an impact on utility decision-making and resource choices. That said, the methods and assumptions used by utilities to analyze carbon regulatory risk, and the impact of that analysis on their choice of a particular resource strategy, vary considerably, revealing a number of opportunities for analytic improvement. Though our review focuses on a subset of US electric utilities, this work holds implications for all electric utilities and energy policymakers who are seeking to minimize the compliance costs associated with future carbon regulations

Cotton gin trash in the western United States: Resource inventory and energy conversion characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Haase, S.G.; Quinn, M.W.; Whittier, J.P. [NEOS Corp., Lakewood, CO (United States); Cohen, T.M.; Lansford, R.R. [New Mexico State Univ., Las Cruces, NM (United States); Craig, J.D. [Cratech Inc., Tahoka, TX (United States); Swanson, D.S.; Morgan, G. [Western Regional Biomass Energy Program, Golden, CO (United States)

1993-12-31

The disposal of wastes associated with the processing of cotton is posing increasing problems for cotton gin operators in the western United States. Traditional disposal methods, such as open-air incineration and landfilling are no longer adequate due to increasing environmental concerns. This paper evaluates the technical, economic and environmental feasibility for cotton gin trash to serve as an energy resource. Cotton gin trash has been quantified, by county, in the five cotton-growing states of the western United States. The energy conversion technology that appears to offer the most promise is gasification. An economic evaluation model has been developed that will allow gin operators to analyze their own situation to determine the profitability of converting gin trash to energy.

Systemic approach in rural administration: Study of the family production unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Adilson R. Paz Stamberg

2015-06-01

Full Text Available This paper focuses on understanding the rationality of production management and available resources in agricultural production unit (UPA, identifying its main technical and socioeconomic characteristics in order to make a diagnosis to subsidize the rural manager in decision making.This study was part of the extension project approved in the Institutional Incentive Extension Program of the Farroupilha Federal Institute (Brazil, prioritizing as object of study a family UPA in the municipality of Santo Antônio das Missões/RS/Brazil, being conducted between October-November 2014.As methodological procedure a survey was done with qualitative and quantitative data, such as natural resources, utilized agricultural area, herd, plant, machinery and equipment, availability of labor force and yields of the various cultivation subsystems, breeding and processing. This data was organized in a spreadsheet, which identifies the adopted production system and its main technical and socioeconomic characteristics. As proposed, technical and managerial intervention in the production system, proposed strategically to enhance milk production opposed to the soybean production, considering its high contribution in relation to the value added per unit area.Key Words: Rural Administration - Production management - Systemic approach.

Managing Natural Resources for Sustainable Livelihoods: Uniting ...

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

31 juil. 2003 ... Management of local resources has a greater chance of a sustainable outcome when there is partnership between local people and external agencies, and agendas relevant to their aspirations and circumstances. Managing Natural Resources for Sustainable Livelihoods analyses and extends this premise ...

Photovoltaic power stations in Germany and the United States: A comparative study by data envelopment analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki; Goto, Mika

2014-01-01

This study compares Photovoltaic (PV) power stations between Germany and the United States to examine which country more efficiently provides renewable energy in their usages. For the comparative analysis, this study utilizes Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) as a methodology to evaluate the performance of PV power stations from the perspective of both solar and land usages. A total of one hundred sixty PV power stations (eighty in Germany and eighty in the United States) are used for this comparison. The demand for sustainable energy and energy security has been rapidly increasing over the past decade because of concerns about environment and limited resources. PV solutions are one of many renewable technologies that are being developed to satisfy a recent demand of electricity. Germany is the world's top installer and consumer of PV power and the United States is one of the top five nations. Germany leads the way in installed PV capacity even though the nation has less solar resources and land area. Due to limited solar resources, low insolation and sunshine, and land area, the United States should have a clear advantage over Germany. However, the empirical result of this study exhibits that PV power stations in Germany operate more efficiently than those of the United States even if the latter has many solar and land advantages. The surprising result indicates that the United States has room for improvement when it comes to utilizing solar and land resources and needs to reform the solar policy. For such a purpose, Feed-In Tariff (FIT) may be an effective energy policy at the state level in the United States because the FIT provides investors such as utility companies and other types of energy firms with financial incentives to develop large PV power stations and generation facilities for other renewable energy. It may be true that the FIT is a powerful policy tool to promote PV and other renewable installation and support a reduction of an amount of greenhouse

Iron-ore resources of the United States including Alaska and Puerto Rico, 1955

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, Martha S.; Dutton, Carl E.

1959-01-01

The importance of iron ore, the basic raw material of steel, as a fundamental mineral, resource is shown by the fact that about 100 million long tons of steel is used annually in the economy of the United States, as compared with a combined total of about 5 million long tons of copper, lead, zinc, and aluminum. Satisfying this annual demand for steel requires about 110 million tons of iron ore and 70 million tons of scrap iron and steel. The average annual consumption of iron ore in the United States from 1951 to 1955, inclusive, was about 110 million long tons, which is about twice the annual average from 1900 to 1930. Production of iron ore in the United States in this 5-year period averaged approximately 100 million long tons annually, divided by regions as follows (in percent): Lake Superior, 84.1; southeastern, 6.7; western, 6.7; northeastern, 1.4; and central and gulf, 1.1. Mining of iron ore began in the American Colonies about 1619, and for 225 years it was limited to eastern United States where fuel and markets were readily available. Production of iron ore from the Lake Superior region began in 1846; the region became the leading domestic source by 1890, and the Mesabi range in Minnesota has been the world's most productive area since 1896. Proximity of raw materials, water transportation, and markets has resulted in centralization of the country's iron and steel industry in the lower Great Lakes area. Increased imports of iron ore being delivered to eastern United States as well as demands for steel in nearby markets have given impetus to expansion in the steel-making capacity in this area. The four chief iron-ore minerals - hematite, liminite, magnetite, and siderite - are widely distributed but only locally form deposits of sufficient tonnage and grade to be commercially valuable at the present time. The iron content of these minerals, of which hematite is the most important, ranges from 48 percent in siderite to 72 percent in magnetite, but as these

a Study on the Introduction of Total Natural Resources Management System Using the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map

Science.gov (United States)

Hwang, J.; Lee, K.; Jang, R.; Jeon, S.

2018-04-01

The environmental impact assessment system and the environmental plan for the preservation of the land environment are carried out with the aim of preventing damage to the environment caused by human activities, improving the quality of life and creating a pleasant environment. However, despite these various systems, the natural resources have been continuously damaged, and the system to cope with them has been advanced, but there has been a limit to fully conserve natural resources from development. The total amount of natural resources is being promoted as a part of the purpose of supplementing the system, but the evaluation method of the total amount of natural resources suitable for domestic situation is not presented yet. Natural resources are diverse and complicated in their categories and elements, and their measurement units are also diverse, making it difficult to synthesize them into one unit. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a method to calculate the total amount by using the evaluation map of the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map (ECVAM) which derives the final achievement with 5 grades using 65 evaluation items. However, we consistently applied the weight twice as much as the grade and did not utilize any information other than the map of ECVAM. The results of this study can be applied to the Total Natural Resources Management System through follow-up study such as application of various environmental information and weighting method.

A STUDY ON THE INTRODUCTION OF TOTAL NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SYSTEM USING THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION VALUE ASSESSMENT MAP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. Hwang

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The environmental impact assessment system and the environmental plan for the preservation of the land environment are carried out with the aim of preventing damage to the environment caused by human activities, improving the quality of life and creating a pleasant environment. However, despite these various systems, the natural resources have been continuously damaged, and the system to cope with them has been advanced, but there has been a limit to fully conserve natural resources from development. The total amount of natural resources is being promoted as a part of the purpose of supplementing the system, but the evaluation method of the total amount of natural resources suitable for domestic situation is not presented yet. Natural resources are diverse and complicated in their categories and elements, and their measurement units are also diverse, making it difficult to synthesize them into one unit. Therefore, in this study, we proposed a method to calculate the total amount by using the evaluation map of the Environmental Conservation Value Assessment Map (ECVAM which derives the final achievement with 5 grades using 65 evaluation items. However, we consistently applied the weight twice as much as the grade and did not utilize any information other than the map of ECVAM. The results of this study can be applied to the Total Natural Resources Management System through follow-up study such as application of various environmental information and weighting method.

A Case Study of Resources Management Planning with Multiple Objectives and Projects

Science.gov (United States)

David L. Peterson; David G. Silsbee; Daniel L. Schmoldt

1995-01-01

Each National Park Service unit in the United States produces a resources management plan (RMP) every four years or less. The plans commit budgets and personnel to specific projects for four years, but they are prepared with little quantitative and analytical rigor and without formal decisionmaking tools. We have previously described a multiple objective planning...

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) closure sumamry for the Uranium Treatment Unit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-05-01

This closure summary has been prepared for the Uranium Treatment Unit (UTU) located at the Y-12 Plant in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The actions required to achieve closure of the UTU area are outlined in the Closure Plan, submitted to and approved by the Tennessee Department of Environmental and Conservation staff, respectively. The UTU was used to store and treat waste materials that are regulated by the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. This closure summary details all steps that were performed to close the UTU in accordance with the approved plan

1993 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1993-12-01

The Loads and Resources Study is presented in three documents: (1) this summary of Federal system and Pacific Northwest region loads and resources; (2) a technical appendix detailing forecasted Pacific Northwest economic trends and loads, and (3) a technical appendix detailing the loads and resources for each major Pacific Northwest generating utility. In this loads and resources study, resource availability is compared with a range of forecasted electricity consumption. The forecasted future electricity demands -- firm loads -- are subtracted from the projected capability of existing and {open_quotes}contracted for{close_quotes} resources to determine whether Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the region will be surplus or deficit. If resources are greater than loads in any particular year or month, there is a surplus of energy and/or capacity, which BPA can sell to increase revenues. Conversely, if firm loads exceed available resources, there is a deficit of energy and/or capacity, and additional conservation, contract purchases, or generating resources will be needed to meet load growth. The Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study analyzes the Pacific Northwest`s projected loads and available generating resources in two parts: (1) the loads and resources of the Federal system, for which BPA is the marketing agency; and (2) the larger Pacific Northwest regional power system, which includes loads and resource in addition to the Federal system. The loads and resources analysis in this study simulates the operation of the power system under the Pacific Northwest Coordination Agreement (PNCA) produced by the Pacific Northwest Coordinating Group. This study presents the Federal system and regional analyses for five load forecasts: high, medium-high, medium, medium-low, and low. This analysis projects the yearly average energy consumption and resource availability for Operating Years (OY) 1994--95 through 2003--04.

Potential implications for expansion of freeze-tolerant eucalyptus plantations on water resources in the southern United States

Science.gov (United States)

James M. Vose; Chelcy F. Miniat; Ge Sun; Peter V. Caldwell

2014-01-01

The potential expansion of freeze-tolerant (FT) Eucalyptus plantations in the United States has raised concerns about the implications for water resources. Modeling was used to examine the potential effects of expanding the distribution of FT Eucalyptus plantations in US Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 8b and...

Occurrence of human pharmaceuticals in water resources of the United States: A review

Science.gov (United States)

Focazio, M.J.; Kolpin, D.W.; Furlong, E.T.

2004-01-01

The widespread environmental presence of some pharmaceuticals and other organic wastewater compounds has been documented globally (e.g. Buser et al. 1998; Ternes 1998; Stumpf et al.1999; Heberer et al. 2001; Kümmerer 2001; Ternes et al. 2001; Scheytt et al. 2001; Golet et al. 2002; Kolpin et al. 2002; Boyd et al. 2003; Metcalf et al. 2003). Recently, there have been several literature reviews and summary studies of the occurrence, fate, transport, and treatment of targeted human pharmaceuticals in wastewater effluent and associated environmental waters across the globe (e.g. Daughton and Ternes 1999; Sedlak et al. 2000; Suter and Giger 2000; Daughton and Jones-Lepp 2001; Jones et al. 2001; Heberer 2002; and Drewes et al. 2002). The occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in water resources is explained by their ubiquitous use, excretion of large percentages of the mass consumed, and incomplete removal during wastewater treatment (Stumpf et al.1999). The recent increase in detection of trace concentrations (typically less than a part per billion) of pharmaceuticals in water resources across the globe reflects improvements in laboratory analytical methods (Sedlak et al. 2000) and the associated increases in field surveys. The detection of pharmaceutical compounds in large rivers in Europe and in the North Sea (Buser et al. 1998; Ternes 1998; Stumpf et al. 1999) highlighted the fact that highly soluble, trace organic compounds, such as pharmaceuticals, may escape removal in wastewater treatment, and the mixing and concentration of wastewaters through conventional wastewater treatment processes could provide a means of delivering these chemicals to environmental waters in a manner that would contaminate water resources on a large scale at trace levels (Richardson and Bowron 1985). In the United States, some of the first detections of a limited number of pharmaceutically active compounds or their transformation products were found in waters associated with landfill

Dementia care worker stress associations with unit type, resident, and work environment characteristics: a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of the Swiss Nursing Homes Human Resources Project (SHURP).

Science.gov (United States)

Vogel, Barbara; De Geest, Sabina; Fierz, Katharina; Beckmann, Sonja; Zúñiga, Franziska

2017-03-01

Although caring for residents with dementia in nursing homes is associated with various stressors for care workers, the role of the unit type, and particularly the proportion of residents with dementia, remains unclear. This study aimed to explore associations between unit type and care worker stress, taking into account additional potential stressors. This cross-sectional study was a secondary data analysis in the Swiss Nursing Homes Human Resources Project, which included data from 3,922 care workers from 156 Swiss nursing homes. Care workers' stress was measured with a shortened version of the Health Professions Stress Inventory. Generalized estimating equation models were used to assess care worker stress and its relationships with three unit types (special care units and others with high or low proportions of residents with dementia), work environment factors, and aggressive resident behavior. After including all potential stressors in the models, no significant differences between the three unit types regarding care worker stress were found. However, increased care worker stress levels were significantly related to lower ratings of staffing and resources adequacy, the experience of verbal aggression, and the observation of verbal or physical aggression among residents. Although the unit type plays only a minor role regarding care worker stress, this study confirms that work environment and aggressive behavior of residents are important factors associated with work-related stress. To prevent increases of care worker stress, interventions to improve the work environment and strengthen care workers' ability to cope with aggressive behavior are suggested.

Time-constrained project scheduling with adjacent resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hurink, Johann L.; Kok, A.L.; Paulus, J.J.; Schutten, Johannes M.J.

We develop a decomposition method for the Time-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (TCPSP) with adjacent resources. For adjacent resources the resource units are ordered and the units assigned to a job have to be adjacent. On top of that, adjacent resources are not required by single jobs, but by

Time-constrained project scheduling with adjacent resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hurink, Johann L.; Kok, A.L.; Paulus, J.J.; Schutten, Johannes M.J.

2008-01-01

We develop a decomposition method for the Time-Constrained Project Scheduling Problem (TCPSP) with Adjacent Resources. For adjacent resources the resource units are ordered and the units assigned to a job have to be adjacent. On top of that, adjacent resources are not required by single jobs, but by

Evolving Distributed Generation Support Mechanisms: Case Studies from United States, Germany, United Kingdom, and Australia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lowder, Travis [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zhou, Ella [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Tian, Tian [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-03-14

This report expands on a previous National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) technical report (Lowder et al. 2015) that focused on the United States' unique approach to distributed generation photovoltaics (DGPV) support policies and business models. While the focus of that report was largely historical (i.e., detailing the policies and market developments that led to the growth of DGPV in the United States), this report looks forward, narrating recent changes to laws and regulations as well as the ongoing dialogues over how to incorporate distributed generation (DG) resources onto the electric grid. This report also broadens the scope of Lowder et al. (2015) to include additional countries and technologies. DGPV and storage are the principal technologies under consideration (owing to market readiness and deployment volumes), but the report also contemplates any generation resource that is (1) on the customer side of the meter, (2) used to, at least partly, offset a host's energy consumption, and/or (3) potentially available to provide grid support (e.g., through peak shaving and load shifting, ancillary services, and other means).

Challenges encountered by critical care unit managers in the large intensive care units.

Science.gov (United States)

Matlakala, Mokgadi C; Bezuidenhout, Martie C; Botha, Annali D H

2014-04-04

Nurses in intensive care units (ICUs) are exposed regularly to huge demands interms of fulfilling the many roles that are placed upon them. Unit managers, in particular, are responsible for the efficient management of the units and have the responsibilities of planning, organising, leading and controlling the daily activities in order to facilitate the achievement of the unit objectives. The objective of this study was to explore and present the challenges encountered by ICU managers in the management of large ICUs. A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted at five hospital ICUs in Gauteng province, South Africa. Data were collected through individual interviews from purposively-selected critical care unit managers, then analysed using the matic coding. Five themes emerged from the data: challenges related to the layout and structure of the unit, human resources provision and staffing, provision of material resources, stressors in the unit and visitors in the ICU. Unit managers in large ICUs face multifaceted challenges which include the demand for efficient and sufficient specialised nurses; lack of or inadequate equipment that goes along with technology in ICU and supplies; and stressors in the ICU that limit the efficiency to plan, organise, lead and control the daily activities in the unit. The challenges identified call for multiple strategies to assist in the efficient management of large ICUs.

Challenges encountered by critical care unit managers in the large intensive care units

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mokgadi C. Matlakala

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Background: Nurses in intensive care units (ICUs are exposed regularly to huge demands interms of fulfilling the many roles that are placed upon them. Unit managers, in particular, are responsible for the efficient management of the units and have the responsibilities of planning, organising, leading and controlling the daily activities in order to facilitate the achievement of the unit objectives. Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore and present the challenges encountered by ICU managers in the management of large ICUs. Method: A qualitative, exploratory and descriptive study was conducted at five hospital ICUs in Gauteng province, South Africa. Data were collected through individual interviews from purposively-selected critical care unit managers, then analysed using the matic coding. Results: Five themes emerged from the data: challenges related to the layout and structure of the unit, human resources provision and staffing, provision of material resources, stressors in the unit and visitors in the ICU. Conclusion: Unit managers in large ICUs face multifaceted challenges which include the demand for efficient and sufficient specialised nurses; lack of or inadequate equipment that goes along with technology in ICU and supplies; and stressors in the ICU that limit the efficiency to plan, organise, lead and control the daily activities in the unit. The challenges identified call for multiple strategies to assist in the efficient management of large ICUs.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act closure plan for the Intermediate-Level Transuranic Storage Facility mixed waste container storage units

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nolte, E.P.; Spry, M.J.; Stanisich, S.N.

1992-11-01

This document describes the proposed plan for clean closure of the Intermediate-Level Transuranic Storage Facility mixed waste container storage units at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory in accordance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act closure requirements. Descriptions of the location, size, capacity, history, and current status of the units are included. The units will be closed by removing waste containers in storage, and decontamination structures and equipment that may have contacted waste. Sufficient sampling and documentation of all activities will be performed to demonstrate clean closure. A tentative schedule is provided in the form of a milestone chart

A Resource Curriculum in Public Address.

Science.gov (United States)

Bergman, Richard F.

Developed as part of a series of teacher resource curriculum units in communication arts, this resource unit on public speaking includes several components organized for direct teacher use. The seven units that are offered include introduction to public communication, delivery, language, organization, speaking to share information, speaking to…

The Development of an Individualized Instructional Program in Beginning College Mathematics Utilizing Computer Based Resource Units. Final Report.

Science.gov (United States)

Rockhill, Theron D.

Reported is an attempt to develop and evaluate an individualized instructional program in pre-calculus college mathematics. Four computer based resource units were developed in the areas of set theory, relations and function, algebra, trigonometry, and analytic geometry. Objectives were determined by experienced calculus teachers, and…

Trends in resource utilization by children with neurological impairment in the United States inpatient health care system: a repeat cross-sectional study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay G Berry

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Care advances in the United States (US have led to improved survival of children with neurological impairment (NI. Children with NI may account for an increasing proportion of hospital resources. However, this assumption has not been tested at a national level.We conducted a study of 25,747,016 US hospitalizations of children recorded in the Kids' Inpatient Database (years 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2006. Children with NI were identified with International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification diagnoses resulting in functional and/or intellectual impairment. We assessed trends in inpatient resource utilization for children with NI with a Mantel-Haenszel chi-square test using all 4 y of data combined. Across the 4 y combined, children with NI accounted for 5.2% (1,338,590 of all hospitalizations. Epilepsy (52.2% [n = 538,978] and cerebral palsy (15.9% [n = 164,665] were the most prevalent NI diagnoses. The proportion of hospitalizations attributable to children with NI did not change significantly (p = 0.32 over time. In 2006, children with NI accounted for 5.3% (n = 345,621 of all hospitalizations, 13.9% (n = 3.4 million of bed days, and 21.6% (US$17.7 billion of all hospital charges within all hospitals. Over time, the proportion of hospitalizations attributable to children with NI decreased within non-children's hospitals (3.0% [n = 146,324] in 1997 to 2.5% [n = 113,097] in 2006, p<.001 and increased within children's hospitals (11.7% [n = 179,324] in 1997 to 13.5% [n = 209,708] in 2006, p<0.001. In 2006, children with NI accounted for 24.7% (2.1 million of bed days and 29.0% (US$12.0 billion of hospital charges within children's hospitals.Children with NI account for a substantial proportion of inpatient resources utilized in the US. Their impact is growing within children's hospitals. We must ensure that the current health care system is staffed, educated, and equipped to serve this growing segment of vulnerable children.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) Part B permit application for tank storage units at the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-05-01

In compliance with the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), this report discusses information relating to permit applications for three tank storage units at Y-12. The storage units are: Building 9811-1 RCRA Tank Storage Unit (OD-7); Waste Oil/Solvent Storage Unit (OD-9); and Liquid Organic Solvent Storage Unit (OD-10). Numerous sections discuss the following: Facility description; waste characteristics; process information; groundwater monitoring; procedures to prevent hazards; contingency plan; personnel training; closure plan, post closure plan, and financial requirements; record keeping; other federal laws; organic air emissions; solid waste management units; and certification. Sixteen appendices contain such items as maps, waste analyses and forms, inspection logs, equipment identification, etc

Regional Resource Planning Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

Natural gas and electricity commodities are among the most volatile commodities in the world. Spurred on by the recent significant increases in the price of natural gas, the BC Utilities Commission initiated an investigation into factors impacting on natural gas prices, and the validity of the Sumas index (a market trading point, or interchange where multiple pipelines interconnect, allowing the purchase and sale of gas among market participants) as a price setting mechanism. The Commission also sought the opinions and perspectives of the the province's natural gas industry regarding the high volatility of the Sumas gas prices, and as to what could be done to alleviate the wild fluctuations. Following review of the responses from stakeholders, the Commission issued a directive to BC Gas to undertake discussions on regional resource planning with full representation from all stakeholders. This study is the result of the Commission's directive, and is intended to address the issues contained in the directives. Accordingly, the study examined gas demand in the region, demand growth, including power generation, natural gas resource balance in the region, the California impacts on demand and on supply to the region, supply shortfalls on a peak day, and on a seasonal and annual basis, near term remedies, possible resource additions in the longer term, the economic justification for adding major resources and proposed actions to develop needed resource additions. The study confirmed the existence of a growing capacity deficit, which limits the supply of natural gas to the region. Near term options to alleviate the regional capacity deficit were found to be limited to discouraging power generation from serving export markets, demand side management efforts, and expansion of the WEI's systems by 105 mmcf/d. Longer term solutions would involve larger scale expansion of WEI's T-South capacity, the BC Gas' Inland Pacific Connector Project and the Washington Lateral proposed by

Evaluation of Human Resource Needs for a New Nuclear Power Plant: Armenian Case Study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2011-05-01

Rising expectations of an increased role for nuclear power in providing energy for future national and global sustainable development have become a reality in many Member States of the IAEA. Over the last several years, dozens of Member States have announced plans to embark on or expand nuclear power programmes. Reflecting on these developments, the IAEA has adjusted its priorities to focus more on the nuclear power programmes of newcomers. Specifically, the IAEA has produced publications providing guidance on the development of a national infrastructure for nuclear power (IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NG-G-3.1) and on managing human resources in the field of nuclear energy (IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NG-G-2.1). Additionally, assistance to eligible Member States through new technical cooperation (TC) projects has been increased, including direct support through on-site assist visits. In 2007-2008, the IAEA carried out a TC project titled 'Feasibility study of nuclear energy development in Armenia: Evaluation of human resource needs in conjunction with new NPP build' (ARM-005). The project analysed the human resource demands required to support work at all stages of the life cycle of a new power unit planned for Armenia. This included drafting proposals for the means, conditions and requirements for development of human resource capabilities needed to carry out the work. This report is intended to complement the previous IAEA publications by providing an in-depth technical consideration into this critical area of human resource development. The report summarizes major findings of the TC project and details the tasks linked to management of the human resources that will be required by a country planning to build a new NPP. Additional guidance on the development of a national nuclear infrastructure can be found in the IAEA publication 'Milestones in the Development of a National Infrastructure for Nuclear Power', IAEA Nuclear Energy Series No. NG-G-3.1. The

Taxonomic classification of world map units in crop producing areas of Argentina and Brazil with representative US soil series and major land resource areas in which they occur

Science.gov (United States)

Huckle, H. F. (Principal Investigator)

1980-01-01

The most probable current U.S. taxonomic classification of the soils estimated to dominate world soil map units (WSM)) in selected crop producing states of Argentina and Brazil are presented. Representative U.S. soil series the units are given. The map units occurring in each state are listed with areal extent and major U.S. land resource areas in which similar soils most probably occur. Soil series sampled in LARS Technical Report 111579 and major land resource areas in which they occur with corresponding similar WSM units at the taxonomic subgroup levels are given.

Groundwater-quality data in the northern Coast Ranges study unit, 2009: Results from the California GAMA Program

Science.gov (United States)

Mathany, Timothy M.; Dawson, Barbara J.; Shelton, Jennifer L.; Belitz, Kenneth

2011-01-01

Groundwater quality in the 633-square-mile Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from June to November 2009, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program's Priority Basin Project (PBP) and the U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA). The GAMA-PBP was developed in response to the California Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 and is being conducted in collaboration with the SWRCB and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NOCO study unit was the thirtieth study unit to be sampled as part of the GAMA-PBP.

Geothermal resource areas database for monitoring the progress of development in the United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lawrence, J.D.; Lepman, S.R.; Leung, K.; Phillips, S.L.

1981-01-01

The Geothermal Resource Areas Database (GRAD) and associated data system provide broad coverage of information on the development of geothermal resources in the United States. The system is designed to serve the information requirements of the National Progress Monitoring System. GRAD covers development from the initial exploratory phase through plant construction and operation. Emphasis is on actual facts or events rather than projections and scenarios. The selection and organization of data are based on a model of geothermal development. Subjects in GRAD include: names and addresses, leases, area descriptions, geothermal wells, power plants, direct use facilities, and environmental and regulatory aspects of development. Data collected in the various subject areas are critically evaluated, and then entered into an on-line interactive computer system. The system is publically available for retrieval and use. The background of the project, conceptual development, software development, and data collection are described here. Appendices describe the structure of the database in detail.

Taxation, depletion, and welfare: A simulation study of the US petroleum resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deacon, R.T.

1993-01-01

Exhaustible resources in the United States are subject to taxes on property value, production, and corporate income. As applied in practice each tax can cause high-grading - the elimination of incentives to explore, develop, and produce marginal resources - and each can tilt the time path of production toward the present or the future. The potential for such tax-induced distortions has been shown in the theoretical literature. Due to the dynamic nature of resource exploitation and the resulting complexity of models developed to study it, however, purely theoretical exercises have been unable to provide detailed results of a sort that could help guide tax policy. The present paper develops a simulation model of the US petroleum resource and uses it to study the effects of taxation on exploration and production. The model is partial equilibrium in scope and views the industry as a present value maximizing representative firm. Given expectations on the future time path of price, and a function that relates reserve additions to exploratory effort, the industry chooses time paths for exploration and production. Parameters of relevant functions are estimated with data for US petroleum operations in the onshore region of the lower 48 states. The simulated outcomes indicate that property and production (severance) taxes cause substantial deadweight losses, a tax on corporate income from extraction imposes a very small deadweight loss, and the property tax significantly biases utilization of the resource away from the future and toward the present. 33 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs

Bed Utilisation in an Irish Regional Paediatric Unit A Cross-Sectional Study Using the Paediatric Appropriateness Evaluation Protocol (PAEP)

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Ó hAiseadha, Coilín

2016-05-01

Increasing demand for limited healthcare resources raises questions about appropriate use of inpatient beds. In the first paediatric bed utilisation study at a regional university centre in Ireland, we conducted a cross-sectional study to audit the utilisation of inpatient beds at the Regional Paediatric Unit (RPU) in University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Limerick, Ireland and also examined hospital activity data, to make recommendations for optimal use of inpatient resources.

EnviroAtlas - Average Direct Normal Solar resources kWh/m2/Day by 12-Digit HUC for the Conterminous United States

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — The annual average direct normal solar resources by 12-Digit Hydrologic Unit (HUC) was estimated from maps produced by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for...

The United States Polar Rock Repository: A geological resource for the Earth science community

Science.gov (United States)

Grunow, Annie M.; Elliot, David H.; Codispoti, Julie E.

2007-01-01

The United States Polar Rock Repository (USPRR) is a U. S. national facility designed for the permanent curatorial preservation of rock samples, along with associated materials such as field notes, annotated air photos and maps, raw analytic data, paleomagnetic cores, ground rock and mineral residues, thin sections, and microfossil mounts, microslides and residues from Polar areas. This facility was established by the Office of Polar Programs at the U. S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to minimize redundant sample collecting, and also because the extreme cold and hazardous field conditions make fieldwork costly and difficult. The repository provides, along with an on-line database of sample information, an essential resource for proposal preparation, pilot studies and other sample based research that should make fieldwork more efficient and effective. This latter aspect should reduce the environmental impact of conducting research in sensitive Polar Regions. The USPRR also provides samples for educational outreach. Rock samples may be borrowed for research or educational purposes as well as for museum exhibits.

Negotiating Power and Access to Second Language Resources: A Study on Short-Term Chinese MBA Students in America

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Xingsong

2011-01-01

By looking into a group of 13 Chinese master's in business administration students' study abroad experience in the United States, this study contends that being situated in the second language (L2) communicative context does not guarantee international students complete access to language and cultural resources in the host society. Due to limited…

Coal resources available for development; a methodology and pilot study

Science.gov (United States)

Eggleston, Jane R.; Carter, M. Devereux; Cobb, James C.

1990-01-01

Coal accounts for a major portion of our Nation's energy supply in projections for the future. A demonstrated reserve base of more than 475 billion short tons, as the Department of Energy currently estimates, indicates that, on the basis of today's rate of consumption, the United States has enough coal to meet projected energy needs for almost 200 years. However, the traditional procedures used for estimating the demonstrated reserve base do not account for many environmental and technological restrictions placed on coal mining. A new methodology has been developed to determine the quantity of coal that might actually be available for mining under current and foreseeable conditions. This methodology is unique in its approach, because it applies restrictions to the coal resource before it is mined. Previous methodologies incorporated restrictions into the recovery factor (a percentage), which was then globally applied to the reserve (minable coal) tonnage to derive a recoverable coal tonnage. None of the previous methodologies define the restrictions and their area and amount of impact specifically. Because these restrictions and their impacts are defined in this new methodology, it is possible to achieve more accurate and specific assessments of available resources. This methodology has been tested in a cooperative project between the U.S. Geological Survey and the Kentucky Geological Survey on the Matewan 7.5-minute quadrangle in eastern Kentucky. Pertinent geologic, mining, land-use, and technological data were collected, assimilated, and plotted. The National Coal Resources Data System was used as the repository for data, and its geographic information system software was applied to these data to eliminate restricted coal and quantify that which is available for mining. This methodology does not consider recovery factors or the economic factors that would be considered by a company before mining. Results of the pilot study indicate that, of the estimated

Earth, Air, Fire, & Water: Resource Guide 6. The Arts and Learning, Interdisciplinary Resources for Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ronald T., Ed.

This resource guide is intended to aid practitioners in the design of new curriculum units or the enrichment of existing units by suggesting activities and resources in the topic areas of earth, air, fire, and water. Special projects and trips relating to these topic areas are proposed. A sample arts networking system used to integrate various…

Professionals' perceptions about healthcare resources for co-occuring disorders in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Roncero, Carlos; Vega, Pablo; Martínez-Raga, Jose; Barral, Carmen; Basurte-Villamor, Ignacio; Rodríguez-Cintas, Laia; Mesías, Beatriz; Grau-López, Lara; Casas, Miguel; Szerman, Nestor

2014-01-01

Since provision of integrated services for patients with dual pathology or dual disorders (coexistence of an addictive disorder and other psychiatric disorders) constitutes an important challenge, this study compared the perceptions of health-care professionals with the existing, current state of specific resources for patients with dual pathology in Spain. Epidemiological, observational, cross-sectional, multicenter study with a large, representative sample of health care professionals attending patients with dual pathology in treatment resources throughout Spain. Participants completed a specifically designed ad-hoc on-line questionnaire about their perceptions on the existence of available resources and treatment needs for patients with dual pathology. To compare professionals' perceptions with existing available resources, the same on-line questionnaire was also completed by commissioners and managers responsible for national and regional healthcare plans on drug abuse. A total of 659 professionals, mostly psychologists (43.40%) or psychiatrists (32.93%) agreed to participate in the study. The highest degree of concordance between the perceptions of professional and the actual situation was found regarding the existence of mental health and addiction networks (either separately or unified) (74.48%), followed by specific workshops (73.08%) and sub-acute inpatient units (67.38%), specific hospitalization units (66.26%), detoxification units (63.15%) and outpatient programs (60.73%). We detected a lower degree of agreement regarding specific occupational rehabilitation centers (59.34%) day hospitals (58.93%), day centers (57.88%), outpatient intermediate resources (48.87%), psychiatric acute admission units (46.54%) and therapeutic communities (43.77%). In addition, on average, health care professionals underestimated the number of resources present in their respective communities. Relevant differences exist between the perceptions of professional and existing

Assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System, Taranaki Basin Assessment Unit, New Zealand

Science.gov (United States)

Wandrey, Craig J.; Schenk, Christopher J.; Klett, Timothy R.; Brownfield, Michael E.; Charpentier, Ronald R.; Cook, Troy A.; Pollastro, Richard M.; Tennyson, Marilyn E.

2013-01-01

The Cretaceous-Tertiary Composite Total Petroleum System coincident Taranaki Basin Assessment Unit was recently assessed for undiscovered technically recoverable oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids resources as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) World Energy Resources Project, World Oil and Gas Assessment. Using a geology-based assessment methodology, the USGS estimated mean volumes of 487 million barrels of oil, 9.8 trillion cubic feet of gas, and 408 million barrels of natural gas liquids.

Evidence-based human resource management: a study of nurse leaders' resource allocation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fagerström, Lisbeth

2009-05-01

The aims were to illustrate how the RAFAELA system can be used to facilitate evidence-based human resource management. The theoretical framework of the RAFAELA system is based on a holistic view of humankind and a view of leadership founded on human resource management. Nine wards from three central hospitals in Finland participated in the study. The data, stemming from 2006-2007, were taken from the critical indicators (ward-related and nursing intensity information) for national benchmarking used in the RAFAELA system. The data were analysed descriptively. The daily nursing resources per classified patient ratio is a more specific method of measurement than the nurse-to-patient ratio. For four wards, the nursing intensity per nurse surpassed the optimal level 34% to 62.2% of days. Resource allocation was clearly improved in that a better balance between patients' care needs and available nursing resources was maintained. The RAFAELA system provides a rational, systematic and objective foundation for evidence-based human resource management. Data from a systematic use of the RAFAELA system offer objective facts and motives for evidence-based decision making in human resource management, and will therefore enhance the nurse leaders' evidence and scientific based way of working.

Improved methods and resources for paramecium genomics: transcription units, gene annotation and gene expression.

Science.gov (United States)

Arnaiz, Olivier; Van Dijk, Erwin; Bétermier, Mireille; Lhuillier-Akakpo, Maoussi; de Vanssay, Augustin; Duharcourt, Sandra; Sallet, Erika; Gouzy, Jérôme; Sperling, Linda

2017-06-26

The 15 sibling species of the Paramecium aurelia cryptic species complex emerged after a whole genome duplication that occurred tens of millions of years ago. Given extensive knowledge of the genetics and epigenetics of Paramecium acquired over the last century, this species complex offers a uniquely powerful system to investigate the consequences of whole genome duplication in a unicellular eukaryote as well as the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that drive speciation. High quality Paramecium gene models are important for research using this system. The major aim of the work reported here was to build an improved gene annotation pipeline for the Paramecium lineage. We generated oriented RNA-Seq transcriptome data across the sexual process of autogamy for the model species Paramecium tetraurelia. We determined, for the first time in a ciliate, candidate P. tetraurelia transcription start sites using an adapted Cap-Seq protocol. We developed TrUC, multi-threaded Perl software that in conjunction with TopHat mapping of RNA-Seq data to a reference genome, predicts transcription units for the annotation pipeline. We used EuGene software to combine annotation evidence. The high quality gene structural annotations obtained for P. tetraurelia were used as evidence to improve published annotations for 3 other Paramecium species. The RNA-Seq data were also used for differential gene expression analysis, providing a gene expression atlas that is more sensitive than the previously established microarray resource. We have developed a gene annotation pipeline tailored for the compact genomes and tiny introns of Paramecium species. A novel component of this pipeline, TrUC, predicts transcription units using Cap-Seq and oriented RNA-Seq data. TrUC could prove useful beyond Paramecium, especially in the case of high gene density. Accurate predictions of 3' and 5' UTR will be particularly valuable for studies of gene expression (e.g. nucleosome positioning, identification of cis

Health care units and human resources management trends.

Science.gov (United States)

André, Adriana Maria; Ciampone, Maria Helena Trench; Santelle, Odete

2013-02-01

To identify factors producing new trends in basic health care unit management and changes in management models. This was a prospective study with ten health care unit managers and ten specialists in the field of Health in São Paulo, Southeastern Brazil, in 2010. The Delphi methodology was adopted. There were four stages of data collection, three quantitative and the fourth qualitative. The first three rounds dealt with changing trends in management models, manager profiles and required competencies, and the Mann-Whitney test was used in the analysis. The fourth round took the form of a panel of those involved, using thematic analysis. The main factors which are driving change in basic health care units were identified, as were changes in management models. There was consensus that this process is influenced by the difficulties in managing teams and by politics. The managers were found to be up-to-date with trends in the wider context, with the arrival of social health organizations, but they are not yet anticipating these within the institutions. Not only the content, but the professional development aspect of training courses in this area should be reviewed. Selection and recruitment, training and assessment of these professionals should be guided by these competencies aligned to the health service mission, vision, values and management models.

Project CHOICE: #26. A Career Education Unit for Junior High School. Careers in Conservation of the Environment and Natural Resources. (Agriculture and Ecological Studies Cluster; Science and Engineering Occupations Cluster).

Science.gov (United States)

Kern County Superintendent of Schools, Bakersfield, CA.

This junior high teaching unit on careers in conservation of the environment and natural resources is one in a series of career guidebooks developed by Project CHOICE (Children Have Options in Career Education) to provide the classroom teacher with a source of career-related activities linking classroom experiences with the world of work. The unit…

Mackenzie Gas Project : gas resource and supply study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harris, D.G.; Braaten, K.M.

2004-01-01

A study was conducted to assess the future gas supply for the Mackenzie Gas Project. The economically recoverable gas resources and deliverability in the region were assessed in order to support construction of the Mackenzie Valley pipeline and the associated gathering system. This supply study was based on a 25 year timeframe for resource development. Production forecasts were also prepared for 50 years following the date of the study. Natural gas forecasts for the general area to be served by the proposed pipeline were also presented. This report includes an introduction to the final gas resource and supply study as well as the regional geology relating to discovered and undiscovered resources. The following regions were included in the study area: onshore Mackenzie Delta including the Niglintgak, Parsons Lake and Taglu anchor fields; central Mackenzie Valley region extending from the Mackenzie Delta south to 63 degrees latitude; northern portion of the Yukon Territory; and, portions of the offshore Mackenzie Delta region limited to a water depth of 30 metres. Forecasts and economic analyses were prepared for the following 3 scenarios: contingent onshore resources only; contingent and prospective onshore resources; and, contingent and prospective onshore and offshore resources. Sensitivity forecasts were prepared for a fully expanded pipeline capacity of 1.8 bcf/day with an equal capacity gathering system. In addition, the National Energy Board estimates of resources for the 3 anchor field were used in place of the operator's estimates. A geological review was included for the plays in the study area. 15 refs., 43 tabs., 38 figs

Citizenship Education: Instructional Materials/Resources for High School Citizenship.

Science.gov (United States)

Kinoshita, Jane

This resource guide contains six units of study on citizenship education for use at the secondary level. The purpose of the units is to help students examine the political and legal processes of American society and the rights, responsibilities, and roles of its citizens. The units can be used as the basis for a one-semester elective course in…

Completing the land resource hierarchy

Science.gov (United States)

The Land Resource Hierarchy of the NRCS is a hierarchal landscape classification consisting of resource areas which represent both conceptual and spatially discrete landscape units stratifying agency programs and practices. The Land Resource Hierarchy (LRH) scales from discrete points (soil pedon an...

Four Generations of Maintenance Resource Management Programs in the United States: An Analysis of the Past, Present, and Future

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, James C.; Patankar, Manoj S.

2001-01-01

This paper analyzes four generations of Maintenance Resource Management (MRM) programs implemented by aviation maintenance organizations in the United States. Data collected from over ten years of survey research and field observations are used for this analysis; they are presented in a case-study format. The first three generations of MRM programs were episodic efforts to increase safety through teamwork, focus group discussions, and awareness courses, respectively. Now, the fourth generation programs, characterized by a commitment to long-term communication and behavioral changes in maintenance, are set to build on those earlier generations, toward a culture of mutual trust between mechanics, their managers, and regulators.

Competence and Human Resource Development in Multinational Companies in Three European Union Member States: A Comparative Analysis between Austria, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. CEDEFOP Panorama Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Markowitsch, Jorg; Kollinger, Iris; Warmerdam, John; Moerel, Hans; Konrad, John; Burell, Catherine; Guile, David

A comparative analysis of human resources development and management in the subsidiaries of three multinational companies (Xerox, Glaxo Wellcome, and AXA Nordstern Colonia) was conducted in these three European Union (EU) member states: Austria, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Case studies were used, focusing on competence needs and…

A study on effects of the best human resource management methods on employee performance based on Guest model: A case study of Charmahal-Bakhtiari Gas distribution firm

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mashallah Valikhani Dehaghani

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Human resource management plays an essential role on the success of any business units such as utility firms. In this paper, we present a study to investigate the effects of different human resource management on employee performance. The proposed study is applied on one of gas distribution units in province of Charmahal-Bakhtiari, which is located west part of Iran. There were 161 people working for this firm where 75 employees were working in center of province and 86 employees were working in other sides of province. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.83, which is well above the minimum desirable limit. The study uses Pearson correlation test to investigate the effects of Hiring system, Training system, Job design, Organizational relationship and Share ownership programs on employee performance. The results of our survey indicate that job design is the most important technique for employee management followed by training system, organizational relationship and share ownership programs.

An exploration study to find important factors influencing on enterprise resource planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Naser Azad

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Enterprise resource planning (ERP has become a necessary in many organizations and many business units have been trying to emerge into an integrated system. There are many advantages on having an efficient ERP but many corporations fail to reach a full operational ERP for many reasons. In this paper, we present an empirical investigation to find important factors influencing ERP implementation in one of the biggest Iranian automakers named Iran Khodro. The proposed study designs a questionnaire in Likert scale consists of 46 questions, distributes it among some managers in this firm. Cronbach alpha is calculated as 0.802. In addition, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy and Approx. Chi-Square are 0.788 and 1677.307, respectively. Based on the results of our survey, we have derived eight factors including intelligence information, customer comfort, structure oriented, resource management, process oriented, customer oriented, flexible structure and knowledge management.

Brine contamination to aquatic resources from oil and gas development in the Williston Basin, United States

Science.gov (United States)

Gleason, Robert A.; Contributions by Chesley-Preston, Tara L.; Coleman, James L.; Haines, Seth S.; Jenni, Karen E.; Nieman, Timothy L.; Peterman, Zell E.; van der Burg, Max Post; Preston, Todd M.; Smith, Bruce D.; Tangen, Brian A.; Thamke, Joanna N.; Gleason, Robert A.; Tangen, Brian A.

2014-01-01

The Williston Basin, which includes parts of Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota in the United States and the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan in Canada, has been a leading domestic oil and gas producing region for more than one-half a century. Currently, there are renewed efforts to develop oil and gas resources from deep geologic formations, spurred by advances in recovery technologies and economic incentives associated with the price of oil. Domestic oil and gas production has many economic benefits and provides a means for the United States to fulfill a part of domestic energy demands; however, environmental hazards can be associated with this type of energy production in the Williston Basin, particularly to aquatic resources (surface water and shallow groundwater) by extremely saline water, or brine, which is produced with oil and gas. The primary source of concern is the migration of brine from buried reserve pits that were used to store produced water during recovery operations; however, there also are considerable risks of brine release from pipeline failures, poor infrastructure construction, and flow-back water from hydraulic fracturing associated with modern oilfield operations. During 2008, a multidisciplinary (biology, geology, water) team of U.S. Geological Survey researchers was assembled to investigate potential energy production effects in the Williston Basin. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey participated in field tours and met with representatives from county, State, tribal, and Federal agencies to identify information needs and focus research objectives. Common questions from agency personnel, especially those from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, were “are the brine plumes (plumes of brine-contaminated groundwater) from abandoned oil wells affecting wetlands on Waterfowl Production Areas and National Wildlife Refuges?” and “are newer wells related to Bakken and Three Forks development different than the older

Differences and similarities of motivating and demotivating factors of emergency nursing care in rural and urban emergency units – A study of selected rural and urban emergency units in the Volta Region of Ghana

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Confidence Alorse Atakro

Full Text Available Objective: The objective of this study was to explore differences and similarities of motivating and demotivating factors of emergency nursing care in selected rural and urban emergency units in the Volta Region of Ghana. Materials and methods: This study was conducted at selected rural and urban emergency units in the Volta Region of Ghana. The study utilised qualitative exploratory descriptive design. Purposive sampling technique was employed in selecting emergency units and nurses. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews of 30 nurses. Data saturation was determined after interviewing 30 participants. Data analysis was done through qualitative content analysis. Results: Twenty-six (26 out of a total of thirty (30 participants were between the ages of twenty-five (25 and twenty-nine (29. Nurses working in the emergency units studied general nursing at the Nurses Training Colleges (NTCs. None of the respondents studied emergency nursing as a degree programme. Twenty four (24 out of thirty (30 participants had worked for about two years in emergency units. Four thematic categories that represented differences and similarities of motivating and demotivating factors for nurses in rural and urban emergency units were extracted from data. The thematic categories are: a Support from hospital management for provision of material resources; b Task shifting to nurses; c Stimulant for learning; d Interpersonal relations. Discussions: Evidence available in this study suggests that there are differences as well as similarities of motivating and demotivating factors within emergency units of rural and urban settings in the Volta Region of Ghana. Differences in resource allocation and task shifting was identified. Stimulating environments of emergency unit for learning and excellent interpersonal relations were found to be common motivations for both rural and urban emergency unit nurses. Keywords: Motivating, Demotivating, Emergency

Timing of nurses activities: human resources management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Hosein Poor

2016-11-01

Full Text Available Costs of human resources include a high percentage of hospital’s costs; therefore, determination of number of real and optimal employees needed for organizations is very important. In the meantime, the optimal organization of nurses, as the biggest human resource in health care organizations, is of great importance. The present study aimed to assess the distribution of nurses’ activities in shifts and the results of productivity in human resources management in Imam Khomeini hospital in Shirvan. The present cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016. All nurses, working in three shifts of morning, afternoon, and evening in emergency unit and general units of Imam Khomeini hospital, Shirvan, were enrolled into the study through census methods. The instrument, used in this study, was the checklist of timing activities and patients’ satisfaction from nurses. The statistical software SPSS was used for analysis. Mean age of employees in these two units/wards was 31 years and mean duration of work experience was 5.24 years, The difference was significant between the two wards. necessity of the work, especially in emergency unit, are issues that need more assessment and need to be adjusted. Given the high volume of non-care matters of nursing staff, including writing services, including completing paper records and work with HIS (Hospital Information System, which has been emphasized in several studies, new definition of service and use of artificial intelligence with high efficacy is proposed. The status of the available equipment, availability, and efficiency of digital equipment and hoteling state of wards and hospitals also play an important factor in the distribution of time of nursing care activities. Employment of nurses to perform non-nursing duties, because of the shortage of other classes or lack of their permanent presence and based on Although there were differences in standard time of direct and indirect care in emergency unit and

Mineral Resource Assessment of Marine Sand Resources in Cape- and Ridge-Associated Marine Sand Deposits in Three Tracts, New York and New Jersey, United States Atlantic Continental Shelf

Science.gov (United States)

Bliss, James D.; Williams, S. Jeffress; Arsenault, Matthew A.

2009-01-01

Demand is growing in the United States and worldwide for information about the geology of offshore continental shelf regions, the character of the seafloor, and sediments comprising the seafloor and subbottom. Interest in locating sand bodies or high quality deposits that have potential as sources for beach nourishment and ecosystem restoration is especially great in some regions of the country. The Atlantic coast, particularly New York and New Jersey, has been the focus of these studies for the past 40 years with widely varying results. This study is the first attempt at applying probability statistics to modeling Holocene-age cape-and ridge-associated sand deposits and thus focuses on distinct sand body morphology. This modeling technique may have application for other continental shelf regions that have similar geologic character and late Quaternary sea-level transgression history. An estimated volume of 3.9 billion m3 of marine sand resources is predicted in the cape-and ridge-associated marine sand deposits in three representative regions or tracts on the continental shelf offshore of New York and New Jersey. These estimates are taken from probabilistic distributions of sand resources and are produced using deposit models and Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) techniques. The estimated sand resources presented here are for only three tracts as described below and for Holocene age sand resources contained in cape-and ridge-associated marine sand deposit types within this area. Other areas may qualify as tracts for this deposit type and other deposit types and geologic ages (for example, paleo-stream channels, blanket and outwash deposits, ebb-tide shoals, and lower sea level-stand deltas), which are present on the New Jersey and New York continental shelf area but are not delineated and modeled in this initial evaluation. Admittedly, only a portion of these probable sand resources will ultimately be available and suitable for production, dependent largely on

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Sierra Nevada Regional study unit, 2008: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Science.gov (United States)

Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth

2014-01-01

Groundwater quality in the Sierra Nevada Regional (SNR) study unit was investigated as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment Program Priority Basin Project. The study was designed to provide statistically unbiased assessments of the quality of untreated groundwater within the primary aquifer system of the Sierra Nevada. The primary aquifer system for the SNR study unit was delineated by the depth intervals over which wells in the State of California’s database of public drinking-water supply wells are open or screened. Two types of assessments were made: (1) a status assessment that described the current quality of the groundwater resource, and (2) an evaluation of relations between groundwater quality and potential explanatory factors that represent characteristics of the primary aquifer system. The assessments characterize untreated groundwater quality, rather than the quality of treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water distributors.

Metric System Resource Units = Unidades de Trabajo del Sistema Metrico Decimal. K-12. Project C.A.M.B.I.O., Changing Attitudes towards Metrics for Bilingual Instruction & Operations.

Science.gov (United States)

Pulido, Josefina; Almendares, Simon

Four resource units are included in this document. For each, general objectives on knowledge and concepts, skills, and attitudes are given; content is outlined; and some suggestions for initiating the unit are listed. The first unit, on measuring length, provides six lesson plans, to teach about the meter, the smaller units of the meter, units…

Study on Resource Configuration on Cloud Manufacturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yanlong Cao

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The purpose of manufacturing is to realize the requirement of customer. In manufacturing process of cloud system, there exist a lot of resource services which have similar functional characteristics to realize the requirement. It makes the manufacturing process more diverse. To develop the quality and reduce cost, a resource configuration model on cloud-manufacturing platform is put forward in this paper. According to the generalized six-point location principle, a growth design from the requirement of customers to entities with geometric constraints is proposed. By the requirement growing up to product, a configuration process is used to match the entities with the instances which the resources in the database could supply. Different from most existing studies, this paper studies the tolerance design with multiple candidate resource suppliers on cloud manufacturing to make the market play a two-level game considering the benefit of customers and the profit of resources to give an optimal result. A numerical case study is used to illustrate the proposed model and configuration process. The performance and advantage of the proposed method are discussed at the end.

Resource costing for multinational neurologic clinical trials: methods and results.

Science.gov (United States)

Schulman, K; Burke, J; Drummond, M; Davies, L; Carlsson, P; Gruger, J; Harris, A; Lucioni, C; Gisbert, R; Llana, T; Tom, E; Bloom, B; Willke, R; Glick, H

1998-11-01

We present the results of a multinational resource costing study for a prospective economic evaluation of a new medical technology for treatment of subarachnoid hemorrhage within a clinical trial. The study describes a framework for the collection and analysis of international resource cost data that can contribute to a consistent and accurate intercountry estimation of cost. Of the 15 countries that participated in the clinical trial, we collected cost information in the following seven: Australia, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, and Sweden. The collection of cost data in these countries was structured through the use of worksheets to provide accurate and efficient cost reporting. We converted total average costs to average variable costs and then aggregated the data to develop study unit costs. When unit costs were unavailable, we developed an index table, based on a market-basket approach, to estimate unit costs. To estimate the cost of a given procedure, the market-basket estimation process required that cost information be available for at least one country. When cost information was unavailable in all countries for a given procedure, we estimated costs using a method based on physician-work and practice-expense resource-based relative value units. Finally, we converted study unit costs to a common currency using purchasing power parity measures. Through this costing exercise we developed a set of unit costs for patient services and per diem hospital services. We conclude by discussing the implications of our costing exercise and suggest guidelines to facilitate more effective multinational costing exercises.

Minority Threat, Crime Control, and Police Resource Allocation in the Southwestern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Holmes, Malcolm D.; Smith, Brad W.; Freng, Adrienne B.; Munoz, Ed A.

2008-01-01

Numerous studies have examined political influences on communities' allocations of fiscal and personnel resources to policing. Rational choice theory maintains that these resources are distributed in accordance with the need for crime control, whereas conflict theory argues that they are allocated with the aim of controlling racial and ethnic…

Green electricity policies in the United States: case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Menz, Fredric C.

2005-01-01

While there has been interest in promoting the use of renewable energy in electricity production for a number of years in the United States, the market share of non-hydro renewable energy sources in electricity production has remained at about 2 percent over the past decade. The paper reviews the principal energy resources used for electricity production, considers the changing regulatory environment for the electricity industry, and describes government policies that have been used to promote green electricity in the United States, with an emphasis on measures adopted by state governments. Factors influencing the development of green power markets are also discussed, including underlying economic issues, public policy measures, the regulatory environment, external costs, and subsidies. Without significant increases in fossil fuel prices, much more stringent environmental regulations, or significant changes in electricity customer preferences, green electricity markets are likely to develop slowly in the United States

Evolving Distributed Generation Support Mechanisms: Case Studies from United States, Germany, United Kingdom, and Australia (Chinese translation)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhou, Shengru [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Lowder, Travis R [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Tian, Tian [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

2017-09-07

This is the Chinese translation of NREL/TP-6A20-67613. This report expands on a previous National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) technical report (Lowder et al. 2015) that focused on the United States' unique approach to distributed generation photovoltaics (DGPV) support policies and business models. While the focus of that report was largely historical (i.e., detailing the policies and market developments that led to the growth of DGPV in the United States), this report looks forward, narrating recent changes to laws and regulations as well as the ongoing dialogues over how to incorporate distributed generation (DG) resources onto the electric grid. This report also broadens the scope of Lowder et al. (2015) to include additional countries and technologies. DGPV and storage are the principal technologies under consideration (owing to market readiness and deployment volumes), but the report also contemplates any generation resource that is (1) on the customer side of the meter, (2) used to, at least partly, offset a host's energy consumption, and/or (3) potentially available to provide grid support (e.g., through peak shaving and load shifting, ancillary services, and other means).

United Cerebral Palsy

Science.gov (United States)

... your local affiliate Find your local affiliate United Cerebral Palsy United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is a trusted resource for individuals with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities and their networks. Individuals with ...

Low-rank coal study : national needs for resource development. Volume 2. Resource characterization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1980-11-01

Comprehensive data are presented on the quantity, quality, and distribution of low-rank coal (subbituminous and lignite) deposits in the United States. The major lignite-bearing areas are the Fort Union Region and the Gulf Lignite Region, with the predominant strippable reserves being in the states of North Dakota, Montana, and Texas. The largest subbituminous coal deposits are in the Powder River Region of Montana and Wyoming, The San Juan Basin of New Mexico, and in Northern Alaska. For each of the low-rank coal-bearing regions, descriptions are provided of the geology; strippable reserves; active and planned mines; classification of identified resources by depth, seam thickness, sulfur content, and ash content; overburden characteristics; aquifers; and coal properties and characteristics. Low-rank coals are distinguished from bituminous coals by unique chemical and physical properties that affect their behavior in extraction, utilization, or conversion processes. The most characteristic properties of the organic fraction of low-rank coals are the high inherent moisture and oxygen contents, and the correspondingly low heating value. Mineral matter (ash) contents and compositions of all coals are highly variable; however, low-rank coals tend to have a higher proportion of the alkali components CaO, MgO, and Na/sub 2/O. About 90% of the reserve base of US low-rank coal has less than one percent sulfur. Water resources in the major low-rank coal-bearing regions tend to have highly seasonal availabilities. Some areas appear to have ample water resources to support major new coal projects; in other areas such as Texas, water supplies may be constraining factor on development.

OAS :: Accountability :: Human Resources

Science.gov (United States)

OAS, including its organizational structure, each organizational unit's staffing, vacant posts, and a list of procurement notices for formal bids, links to the performance contract and travel control Plan Human Resources Organizational Structure Functions of each organizational unit Vacant Posts

Human Trafficking in the United States. Part II. Survey of U.S. Government Web Resources for Publications and Data

Science.gov (United States)

Panigabutra-Roberts, Anchalee

2012-01-01

This second part of a two-part series is a survey of U.S. government web resources on human trafficking in the United States, particularly of the online publications and data included on agencies' websites. Overall, the goal is to provide an introduction, an overview, and a guide on this topic for library staff to use in their research and…

Family resources study: part 1: family resources, family function and caregiver strain in childhood cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Panganiban-Corales, Avegeille T; Medina, Manuel F

2011-10-31

Severe illness can disrupt family life, cause family dysfunction, strain resources, and cause caregiver burden. The family's ability to cope with crises depends on their resources. This study sought to assess families of children with cancer in terms of family function-dysfunction, family caregiver strain and the adequacy of family resources using a new family resources assessment instrument. This is a cross-sectional study involving 90 Filipino family caregivers of children undergoing cancer treatment. This used a self-administered questionnaire composed of a new 12-item family resources questionnaire (SCREEM-RES) based on the SCREEM method of analysis, Family APGAR to assess family function-dysfunction; and Modified Caregiver Strain Index to assess strain in caring for the patient. More than half of families were either moderately or severely dysfunctional. Close to half of caregivers were either predisposed to strain or experienced severe strain, majority disclosed that their families have inadequate economic resources; many also report inaccessibility to medical help in the community and insufficient educational resources to understand and care for their patients. Resources most often reported as adequate were: family's faith and religion; help from within the family and from health providers. SCREEM-RES showed to be reliable with Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. There is good inter-item correlation between items in each domain: 0.24-0.70. Internal consistency reliability for each domain was also good: 0.40-0.92. Using 2-point scoring system, Cronbach's alpha were slightly lower: full scale (0.70) and for each domain 0.26-.82. Results showed evidence of association between family resources and family function based on the family APGAR but none between family resources and caregiver strain and between family function and caregiver strain. Many Filipino families of children with cancer have inadequate resources, especially economic; and are moderately or severely

Family resources study: part 1: family resources, family function and caregiver strain in childhood cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Panganiban-Corales Avegeille T

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Severe illness can disrupt family life, cause family dysfunction, strain resources, and cause caregiver burden. The family's ability to cope with crises depends on their resources. This study sought to assess families of children with cancer in terms of family function-dysfunction, family caregiver strain and the adequacy of family resources using a new family resources assessment instrument. Methods This is a cross-sectional study involving 90 Filipino family caregivers of children undergoing cancer treatment. This used a self-administered questionnaire composed of a new 12-item family resources questionnaire (SCREEM-RES based on the SCREEM method of analysis, Family APGAR to assess family function-dysfunction; and Modified Caregiver Strain Index to assess strain in caring for the patient. Results More than half of families were either moderately or severely dysfunctional. Close to half of caregivers were either predisposed to strain or experienced severe strain, majority disclosed that their families have inadequate economic resources; many also report inaccessibility to medical help in the community and insufficient educational resources to understand and care for their patients. Resources most often reported as adequate were: family's faith and religion; help from within the family and from health providers. SCREEM-RES showed to be reliable with Cronbach's alpha of 0.80. There is good inter-item correlation between items in each domain: 0.24-0.70. Internal consistency reliability for each domain was also good: 0.40-0.92. Using 2-point scoring system, Cronbach's alpha were slightly lower: full scale (0.70 and for each domain 0.26-.82. Results showed evidence of association between family resources and family function based on the family APGAR but none between family resources and caregiver strain and between family function and caregiver strain. Conclusion Many Filipino families of children with cancer have inadequate

Mud Bugs: Supply, Demand, and Natural Resources in Louisiana

Science.gov (United States)

Nagel, Paul

2010-01-01

Louisiana's land, coast, and inland waterways are home to many natural resources such as seafood, petroleum, natural gas, and timber--and freshwater crawfish, or "mudbugs" as the locals like to call them. These natural resources are vital to Louisiana's economy. The author describes a unit of study on economics in which a teacher taught…

Human Resources Management in Educational Faculties of State Universities in Turkey

Science.gov (United States)

Öztürk, Sevim

2016-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the human resources management in the faculties of education of state universities in Turkey within the context of Human Resources Management Principles. The study population consisted of 40 academic members in the faculties of education of 20 different state universities and 10 academic unit administrators at different…

Case Study of Multi-Unit Risk: Multi-Unit Station Black-Out

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Kyemin; Jang, Seung-cheol [KAERI, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Heo, Gyunyoung [Kyung Hee University, Yongin (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

After Fukushima Daiichi Accident, importance and public concern for Multi-Unit Risk (MUR) or Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) have been increased. Most of nuclear power plant sites in the world have more than two units. These sites have been facing the problems of MUR or accident such as Fukushima. In case of South Korea, there are generally more than four units on the same site and even more than ten units are also expected. In other words, sites in South Korea also have been facing same problems. Considering number of units on the same site, potential of these problems may be larger than other countries. The purpose of this paper is to perform case study based on another paper submitted in the conference. MUR is depended on various site features such as design, shared systems/structures, layout, environmental condition, and so on. Considering various dependencies, we assessed Multi-Unit Station Black-out (MSBO) accident based on Hanul Unit 3 and 4 model. In this paper, case study for multi-unit risk or PSA had been performed. Our result was incomplete to assess total multi-unit risk because of two challenging issues. First, economic impact had not been evaluated to estimate multi-unit risk. Second, large uncertainties were included in our result because of various assumptions. These issues must be resolved in the future.

Case Study of Multi-Unit Risk: Multi-Unit Station Black-Out

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Kyemin; Jang, Seung-cheol; Heo, Gyunyoung

2015-01-01

After Fukushima Daiichi Accident, importance and public concern for Multi-Unit Risk (MUR) or Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) have been increased. Most of nuclear power plant sites in the world have more than two units. These sites have been facing the problems of MUR or accident such as Fukushima. In case of South Korea, there are generally more than four units on the same site and even more than ten units are also expected. In other words, sites in South Korea also have been facing same problems. Considering number of units on the same site, potential of these problems may be larger than other countries. The purpose of this paper is to perform case study based on another paper submitted in the conference. MUR is depended on various site features such as design, shared systems/structures, layout, environmental condition, and so on. Considering various dependencies, we assessed Multi-Unit Station Black-out (MSBO) accident based on Hanul Unit 3 and 4 model. In this paper, case study for multi-unit risk or PSA had been performed. Our result was incomplete to assess total multi-unit risk because of two challenging issues. First, economic impact had not been evaluated to estimate multi-unit risk. Second, large uncertainties were included in our result because of various assumptions. These issues must be resolved in the future

Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas: Impacts from the Hydraulic Fracturing Water Cycle on Drinking Water Resources in the United States (Final Report)

Science.gov (United States)

This final report provides a review and synthesis of available scientific information concerning the relationship between hydraulic fracturing activities and drinking water resources in the United States. The report is organized around activities in the hydraulic...

A Method of Evaluating Water Resource Assets and Liabilities: A Case Study of Jinan City, Shandong Province

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuheng Yang

2017-08-01

Full Text Available The traditional concepts of water resource development and utilization have caused serious hydrological and environmental issues in some regions. In addition, policy issues in China have led to a severe water crisis. The quantitative accounting of water resources is a theoretical approach to solving these problems. In this paper, 13 indicators were selected from four classes, including resources, the environment, society, and efficiency, and a case study of Jinan, Shandong Province, was performed using a set pair analysis model to calculate the water resource assets from 2011–2015. In previous methods of water resource accounting, the water quality was not considered; therefore, the loss coefficient of water resource assets was proposed to improve the reliability of accounting. According to the relationships among the unit price of water, water quantity, and water quality, physical and quantitative accounting methods were used to create water balance sheets from 2011–2015. The calculation results showed that the physical change in water resource assets in Jinan City was −30 million m 3 , and water resource assets initially increased and then decreased. In 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015, water resource assets totalled 36.5 million USD, 45.9 million USD, 66.7 million USD, 35.5 million USD, and 37.5 million USD, respectively (at 6.4588, 6.3125, 6.1932, 6.2166, 6.2284 USRMB, respectively. This initial accounting provides quantitative and physical support for the improved management of water resources.

Groundwater-quality data in the North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer study unit, 2012: results from the California GAMA Program

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.

2014-01-01

Groundwater quality in the 1,850-square-mile North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer (NSF-SA) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from April to August 2012, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program’s Priority Basin Project (PBP). The GAMA-PBP was developed in response to the California Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 and is being conducted in collaboration with the SWRCB and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The NSF-SA study unit was the first study unit to be sampled as part of the second phase of the GAMA-PBP, which focuses on the shallow aquifer system.

Helping Young People Stay Afloat: A Qualitative Study of Community Resources and Supports for LGBTQ Adolescents in the United States and Canada.

Science.gov (United States)

Eisenberg, Marla E; Mehus, Christopher J; Saewyc, Elizabeth M; Corliss, Heather L; Gower, Amy L; Sullivan, Richard; Porta, Carolyn M

2018-01-01

LGBTQ youth are at increased risk of poor health outcomes. This qualitative study gathered data from LGBTQ adolescents regarding their communities and describes the resources they draw on for support. We conducted 66 go-along interviews with diverse LGBTQ adolescents (mean age = 16.6) in Minnesota, Massachusetts, and British Columbia in 2014-2015, in which interviewers accompanied participants in their communities to better understand those contexts. Their responses were systematically organized and coded for common themes, reflecting levels of the social ecological model. Participants described resources at each level, emphasizing organizational, community, and social factors such as LGBTQ youth organizations and events, media presence, and visibility of LGBTQ adults. Numerous resources were identified, and representative themes were highly consistent across locations, genders, orientations, racial/ethnic groups, and city size. Findings suggest new avenues for research with LGBTQ youth and many opportunities for communities to create and expand resources and supports for this population.

The Politics of Defence Budgeting: A Study of Organisation and Resource Allocation in the United Kingdom and the United States,

Science.gov (United States)

1983-01-01

COMM. COMD. ASST SECDEF CNTR & INTEL) (HEALTH AFFAIRS) ASST TO THE SECDEF (ATOMIC ENERGY ) R DEFENSE LLIGENCE SE AGENCIES DEESEDFES)EFENSE DEFENSE...important, but did not directly affect resource allocation procedures, being more concerned with achieving realistic cost estimates, decentralising and...Brown, 1976. Webster. Charles and Frankland, Noble. The Strategic Air Of’ensive Against Germany 1939-45, vol. 3. London: 1961. Wildavsky, Aaron. The

Urban Waste Grease Resource Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiltsee, G.

1999-03-17

This study collected and analyzed data on urban waste grease resources in 30 randomly selected metropolitan areas in the United States. Two major categories (yellow grease feedstock collected from restaurants by rendering companies; and grease trap wastes from restaurants, which can either be pumped into tank trucks for disposal or flow through municipal sewage systems into wastewater treatment plants) were considered in this study.

World resources 1992-93

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1992-01-01

The World Resources series is intended to meet the critical need for accessible, accurate information on some of the most pressing issues of our time. Wise management of natural resources and protection of the global environment are essential to achieve sustainable economic development and hence to alleviate poverty, improve the human condition, and preserve the biological systems on which all life depends. This volume has a special focus on sustainable development, in support of the upcoming 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). Part 1 consists of four special chapters on sustainable development: an overview chapter and three case studies of what sustainable development might mean in industrial countries, low-income countries, and rapidly industrializing countries. Additional material pertinent to this topic is found throughout the volume. Part 2 continues the tradition of examining in each volume a particular region in more detail - in this case, an overview of the severe environmental and resource problems faced by Central Europe as that region makes a difficult transition to more democratic governments and more market-oriented economies. Part 3 reports on basic conditions and trends, key issues, major problems and efforts to resolve them, and recent developments in each of the major resource categories, from population and human development to energy to atmosphere and climate. Where data exist, the chapters give a 20-year perspective on trends in the physical environment - spanning the time between the first United Nations Conference on the Environment and UNCED. Supporting data, as well as the core data tables from the World Resources Data Base, are found in Part 4. Chapters have been processed separately for inclusion on the data base

Readmission to the Intensive Care Unit: Incidence, Risk Factors, Resource Use, and Outcomes. A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ponzoni, Carolina R; Corrêa, Thiago D; Filho, Roberto R; Serpa Neto, Ary; Assunção, Murillo S C; Pardini, Andreia; Schettino, Guilherme P P

2017-08-01

Readmission to the intensive care unit (ICU) is associated with poor clinical outcomes, increased length of ICU and hospital stay, and higher costs. Nevertheless, knowledge of epidemiology of ICU readmissions, risk factors, and attributable outcomes is restricted to developed countries. To determine the effect of ICU readmissions on in-hospital mortality, determine incidence of ICU readmissions, identify predictors of ICU readmissions and hospital mortality, and compare resource use and outcomes between readmitted and nonreadmitted patients in a developing country. This retrospective single-center cohort study was conducted in a 40-bed, open medical-surgical ICU of a private, tertiary care hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. The Local Ethics Committee at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein approved the study protocol, and the need for informed consent was waived. All consecutive adult (≥18 yr) patients admitted to the ICU between June 1, 2013 and July 1, 2015 were enrolled in this study. Comparisons were made between patients readmitted and not readmitted to the ICU. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of ICU readmissions and hospital mortality. Out of 5,779 patients admitted to the ICU, 576 (10%) were readmitted to the ICU during the same hospitalization. Compared with nonreadmitted patients, patients readmitted to the ICU were more often men (349 of 576 patients [60.6%] vs. 2,919 of 5,203 patients [56.1%]; P = 0.042), showed a higher (median [interquartile range]) severity of illness (Simplified Acute Physiology III score) at index ICU admission (50 [41-61] vs. 42 [32-54], respectively, for readmitted and nonreadmitted patients; P Simplified Acute Physiology III score (P < 0.001), ICU admission from the ward (odds ratio [OR], 1.907; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.463-2.487; P < 0.001), vasopressors need during index ICU stay (OR, 1.391; 95% CI, 1.130-1.713; P = 0.002), and length of ICU stay (P = 0.001) were

The Impact of Resources on Education: A Position Paper on How Theories of Social Capital Provide Insight on the Achievement Gap in the United States Education System

Science.gov (United States)

Zeisler, Kayla

2012-01-01

Research has shown that there is a gap in educational achievement between socioeconomic and racial groups in the public education system in the United States. This paper identifies the link between resources and academic achievement. Through examining educational resources, from in-school factors, such as facilities and teacher quality, to…

Islands of biogeodiversity in arid lands on a polygons map study: Detecting scale invariance patterns from natural resources maps.

Science.gov (United States)

Ibáñez, J J; Pérez-Gómez, R; Brevik, Eric C; Cerdà, A

2016-12-15

Many maps (geology, hydrology, soil, vegetation, etc.) are created to inventory natural resources. Each of these resources is mapped using a unique set of criteria, including scales and taxonomies. Past research indicates that comparing results of related maps (e.g., soil and geology maps) may aid in identifying mapping deficiencies. Therefore, this study was undertaken in Almeria Province, Spain to (i) compare the underlying map structures of soil and vegetation maps and (ii) investigate if a vegetation map can provide useful soil information that was not shown on a soil map. Soil and vegetation maps were imported into ArcGIS 10.1 for spatial analysis, and results then exported to Microsoft Excel worksheets for statistical analyses to evaluate fits to linear and power law regression models. Vegetative units were grouped according to the driving forces that determined their presence or absence: (i) climatophilous (ii) lithologic-climate; and (iii) edaphophylous. The rank abundance plots for both the soil and vegetation maps conformed to Willis or Hollow Curves, meaning the underlying structures of both maps were the same. Edaphophylous map units, which represent 58.5% of the vegetation units in the study area, did not show a good correlation with the soil map. Further investigation revealed that 87% of the edaphohygrophilous units were found in ramblas, ephemeral riverbeds that are not typically classified and mapped as soils in modern systems, even though they meet the definition of soil given by the most commonly used and most modern soil taxonomic systems. Furthermore, these edaphophylous map units tend to be islands of biodiversity that are threatened by anthropogenic activity in the region. Therefore, this study revealed areas that need to be revisited and studied pedologically. The vegetation mapped in these areas and the soils that support it are key components of the earth's critical zone that must be studied, understood, and preserved. Copyright © 2016

A Retrospective Analysis on the Occurrence of Arsenic in Ground-Water Resources of the United States and Limitations in Drinking-Water-Supply Characterizations

Science.gov (United States)

Focazio, Michael J.; Welch, Alan H.; Watkins, Sharon A.; Helsel, Dennis R.; Horn, Marilee A.

2000-01-01

The Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended in 1996, requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to review current drinking-water standards for arsenic, propose a maximum contaminant level for arsenic by January 1, 2000, and issue a final regulation by January, 2001. Quantification of the national occurrence of targeted ranges in arsenic concentration in ground water used for public drinking-water supplies is an important component of USEPA's regulatory process. Data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water Information System (NWIS) were used in a retrospective analysis of arsenic in the ground-water resources of the United States. The analysis augments other existing sources of data on the occurrence of arsenic collected in ground water at public water-supply systems.The USGS, through its District offices and national programs, has been compiling data for many years on arsenic concentrations collected from wells used for public water supply, research, agriculture, industry, and domestic water supply throughout the United States. These data have been collected for a variety of purposes ranging from simple descriptions of the occurrence of arsenic in local or regional ground-water resources to detailed studies on arsenic geochemistry associated with contamination sites. A total of 18,864 sample locations were selected from the USGS NWIS data base regardless of well type, of which 2,262 were taken from public water-supply sources. Samples with non-potable water (dissolved-solids concentration greater than 2,000 milligrams per liter and water temperature greater than 50o Celsius) were not selected for the retrospective analysis and other criteria for selection included the amount and type of ancillary data available for each sample. The 1,528 counties with sufficient data included 76 percent of all large public water-supply systems (serving more than 10,000 people) and 61 percent of all small public water-supply systems (serving more than 1

International Uranium Resources Evaluation Project (IUREP) national favourability studies: United Arab Emirates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-11-01

While most of the rocks in the United Arab Emirates are of sedimentary marine origin there are also some granites and metamorphic rock areas. It is understood that Hunting Geology and Geophysics Ltd were contracted in 1975 to carry out a mineral survey over 11,500 square kilometres utilising, among others, gamma-ray spectrometry. The results of this survey are not known. A report in 1974 of a large occurrence of uranium in Fujairah was later discredited but at least two radioactive anomalies are known in the country. The existence of granitic rocks and the appropriate conditions for calcareous duricrust formations may indicate some slight potential for uranium. The Speculative Potential may be in the 1000 to 10,000 tonnes uranium category. (author)

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act permit modifications and the functional equivalency demonstration: a case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elsberry, K.; Garcia, P.; Carnes, R.; Kinker, J.; Loehr, C.; Lyon, W.

1996-01-01

Hazardous waste operating permits issued under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) often impose requirements that specific components and equipment be used. Consequently, changing these items, may first require that the owner/operator request a potentially time-consuming and costly permit modification. However, the owner/operator may demonstrate that a modification is not required because the planned changes are ''functionally equivalent.'' The Controlled-Air Incinerator at Los Alamos National Laboratory is scheduled for maintenance and improvements. The incinerator's carbon adsorption unit/high efficiency particulate air filtration system, was redesigned to improve reliability and minimize maintenance. A study was performed to determine whether the redesigned unit would qualify as functionally equivalent to the original component. In performing this study, the following steps were taken: (a) the key performance factors were identified; (b) performance data describing the existing unit were obtained; (c) performance of both the existing and redesigned units was simulated; and (d) the performance data were compared to ascertain whether the components could qualify as functionally equivalent. In this case, the key performance data included gas residence time and distribution of flow over the activated carbon. Because both units were custom designed and fabricated, a simple comparison of manufacturers' specifications was impossible. Therefore, numerical simulation of each unit design was performed using the TEMPEST thermal-hydraulic computer code to model isothermal hydrodynamic performance under steady-state conditions. The results of residence time calculations from the model were coupled with flow proportion and sampled using a Monte Carlo-style simulation to derive distributions that describe the predicted residence times

Psychological career resources and coping resources of the young unemployed African graduate: An exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Melinde Coetzee

2010-05-01

Research purpose: This study explored the relationship between the psychological career resources(as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory and coping resources (as measured by the Coping Resources Inventory of a sample of 196 young unemployed African graduates. Motivation for study: There is an increasing need for career counsellors and practitioners to explore the psychological attributes and career-related resources that young people employ or require to help them deal with the challenges posed by unemployment during the school-to-work transition phase of their lives. Research design, approach and method: A survey design and quantitative statistical procedures were used to achieve the research objective. Convenience sampling was used on a population of 500 unemployed graduate black people who attended a 12-week Work Readiness Programme (39% response rate. Main findings: Multiple regression analyses indicated that dimensions of psychological career resources contribute signifcantly to explaining the proportion of variance in the participants’coping resources scores. Practical implications: The insights derived from the findings can be employed by career counsellors and practitioners to construct a more comprehensive career framework for the individual in the school-to-work transition phase. Contribution/value-add: The findings add valuable new knowledge that can be used to inform career services concerned with guiding and counselling young graduates in the school-to-work transition phase.

The Eldicus prospective, observational study of triage decision making in European intensive care units. Part II: Intensive care benefit for the elderly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sprung, Charles L; Artigas, Antonio; Kesecioglu, Jozef

2012-01-01

on mortality and intensive care unit benefit, specifically for elderly patients. DESIGN:: Prospective, observational study of triage decisions from September 2003 until March 2005. SETTING:: Eleven intensive care units in seven European countries. PATIENTS:: All patients >18 yrs with an explicit request......RATIONALE:: Life and death triage decisions are made daily by intensive care unit physicians. Admission to an intensive care unit is denied when intensive care unit resources are constrained, especially for the elderly. OBJECTIVE:: To determine the effect of intensive care unit triage decisions...... care unit rejections than younger patients and have a higher mortality when admitted, the mortality benefit appears greater for the elderly. Physicians should consider changing their intensive care unit triage practices for the elderly....

Two-stage stochastic day-ahead optimal resource scheduling in a distribution network with intensive use of distributed energy resources

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sousa, Tiago; Ghazvini, Mohammad Ali Fotouhi; Morais, Hugo

2015-01-01

The integration of renewable sources and electric vehicles will introduce new uncertainties to the optimal resource scheduling, namely at the distribution level. These uncertainties are mainly originated by the power generated by renewables sources and by the electric vehicles charge requirements....... This paper proposes a two-state stochastic programming approach to solve the day-ahead optimal resource scheduling problem. The case study considers a 33-bus distribution network with 66 distributed generation units and 1000 electric vehicles....

Vegetable Genetic Resources in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haiping WANG

2018-03-01

Full Text Available China is recognized as an important region for plant biodiversity based on its vast and historical collection of vegetable germplasm. The aim of this review is to describe the exploration status of vegetable genetic resources in China, including their collection, preservation, evaluation, and utilization. China has established a number of national-level vegetable genetic resources preservation units, including the National Mid-term Genebank for Vegetable Germplasm Resources, the National Germplasm Repository for Vegetatively-Propagated Vegetables, and the National Germplasm Repository for Aquatic Vegetables. In 2015, at least 36 000 accessions were collected and preserved in these units. In the past decade, 44 descriptors and data standards for different species have been published, and most accessions have been evaluated for screening the germplasms for specific important traits such as morphological characteristics, disease resistance, pest resistance, and stress tolerance. Moreover, the genetic diversity and evolution of some vegetable germplasms have been evaluated at the molecular level. Recently, more than 1 000 accessions were distributed to researchers and breeders each year by various means for vegetable research and production. However, additional wild-relative and abroad germplasms from other regions need to be collected and preserved in the units to expand genetic diversity. Furthermore, there is a need to utilize advanced techniques to better understand the background and genetic diversity of a wide range of vegetable genetic resources. This review will provide agricultural scientists’ insights into the genetic diversity in China and provide information on the distribution and potential utilization of these valuable genetic resources. Keywords: vegetable, genetic resource, preservation, evaluation, utilization

Dual diagnosis resource needs in Spain: a national survey of professionals.

Science.gov (United States)

Szerman, Nestor; Vega, Pablo; Grau-López, Lara; Barral, Carmen; Basurte-Villamor, Ignacio; Mesías, Beatriz; Rodríguez-Cintas, Laia; Martínez-Raga, José; Casas, Miguel; Roncero, Carlos

2014-01-01

Since provision of integrated services for patients with dual pathology or dual disorders (coexistence of an addictive disorder and another mental health disorder) is an important challenge in mental health, this study assessed health care professionals' perceptions and knowledge of the current state of specific resources for patients with dual pathology in Spain. We conducted a national survey of health care professionals seeing patients with dual pathology in treatment facilities throughout Spain. Participants completed a specific online questionnaire about the needs of and available resources for patients with dual pathology. A total of 659 professionals, mostly psychologists (n = 286, 43.4%) or psychiatrists (n = 217, 32.9%), participated in the study. Nearly all participants who responded to these items reported that specific resources for dual pathology were needed (n = 592/635, 93.2%); 76.7% (n = 487) identified intermediate resources, 68.8% (n = 437) acute detoxification units, and 64.6% (n = 410) medium-stay rehabilitation units as particularly necessary. In the opinion of 54.0% of respondents (n = 343), integrated mental health and addiction treatment services were available. Of the participants who answered these items, only a small proportion (n = 162/605, 26.8%) reported that there were appropriate outpatient programs for dual pathology, 30.4% (n = 184/605) specific hospitalization units, 16.9% (n = 99/587) subacute inpatient units, 34.2% (n = 201/587) outpatient intermediate resources, 15.5% (n = 91/587) day hospitals, and 21.5% (n = 126/587) day centers. Conversely, 62.5% (n = 378/587) of participants reported a greater presence of specific detoxification/withdrawal units, 47.3% (n = 286/587) psychiatric acute admission units, and 41.9% (n = 246/587) therapeutic communities. In the professionals' opinion, the presence of specialty programs was low; 11.6% of respondents (n = 68/587) reported that vocational programs and 16.7% (n = 98/587) reported

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Northern Coast Ranges study unit, 2009: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Science.gov (United States)

Mathany, Timothy M.; Belitz, Kenneth

2015-01-01

Groundwater quality in the 633-square-mile (1,639-square-kilometer) Northern Coast Ranges (NOCO) study unit was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program. The study unit is composed of two study areas (Interior Basins and Coastal Basins) and is located in northern California in Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Colusa, Mendocino, Glenn, Humboldt, and Del Norte Counties. The GAMA-PBP is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the USGS and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

76 FR 53885 - Patent and Trademark Resource Centers Metrics

Science.gov (United States)

2011-08-30

... DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE United States Patent and Trademark Office Patent and Trademark Resource Centers Metrics ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request. SUMMARY: The United States Patent and... ``Patent and Trademark Resource Centers Metrics comment'' in the subject line of the message. Mail: Susan K...

Lithium reserves and resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, R.K.

1978-01-01

As a result of accelerating research efforts in the fields of secondary batteries and thermonuclear power generation, concern has been expressed in certain quarters regarding the availability, in sufficient quantities, of lithium. As part of a recent study by the National Research Council on behalf of the Energy Research and Development Administration, a subpanel was formed to consider the outlook for lithium. Principal areas of concern were reserves, resources and the 'surplus' available for energy applications after allowing for the growth in current lithium applications. Reserves and resources were categorized into four classes ranging from fully proved reserves to resources which are probably dependent upon the marketing of co-products to become economically attractive. Because of the proprietary nature of data on beneficiation and processing recoveries, the tonnages of available lithium are expressed in terms of plant feed. However, highly conservative assumptions have been made concerning mining recoveries and these go a considerable way to accounting for total losses. Western World reserves and resources of all classes are estimated at 10.6 million tonnes Li of which 3.5 million tonnes Li are located in the United States. Current United States capacity, virtually equivalent to Western World capacity, is 4700 tonnes Li and production in 1976 approximated to 3500 tonnes Li. Production for current applications is expected to grow to approx. 10,000 tonnes in year 2000 and 13,000 tonnes a decade later. The massive excess of reserves and resources over that necessary to support conventional requirements has limited the amount of justifiable exploration expenditures; on the last occasion, there was a a major increase in demand (by the USAEA) reserves and capacity were increased rapidly. There are no foreseeable reasons why this shouldn't happen again when the need is clear. (author)

Manajemen Unit Produksi Berbasis Inovasi Produk (Studi pada SMK Negeri 7 Purworejo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Budi Swityastuti

2015-07-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to obtain an overview of: planning, implementation and supervision of the production unit based product innovations developed in SMK Negeri 7Purworedjo. This research was qualitative by ethnography design. The research was was SMK 7 Purworedjo focusing on innovation sanitary napkins that can be washed and reused brand “Siklus”. Data collection was conducted in a natural setting and techniques of data collection were through participant observation, in-depth interviews and documentation. Data analysis techniques were done through four phases namely data collection, data reduction, data display and conclusion. The results of the study are (1 Planning UPJ (Unit Production/Services consider factors: purpose, type of production, targeting, marketing, resources, sharing, managing, availability of raw materials and place of execution, (2 Implementation of UPJ includes : organizing, production, delivery and implementation prakerin students, (3 Supervision UPJ includes: the quality of the product by the management, administration by the principal, and students prakerin by tutors. This study recommends that the product innovations of UPJ SMK 7 Purworedjo are circulated out of the city product innovations of UPJ SMK 7 Purworedjo are circulated out of the city.

Urban Wood Waste Resource Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiltsee, G.

1998-11-20

This study collected and analyzed data on urban wood waste resources in 30 randomly selected metropolitan areas in the United States. Three major categories wood wastes disposed with, or recovered from, the municipal solid waste stream; industrial wood wastes such as wood scraps and sawdust from pallet recycling, woodworking shops, and lumberyards; and wood in construction/demolition and land clearing debris.

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau study unit, 2010: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Science.gov (United States)

Fram, Miranda S.; Shelton, Jennifer L.

2015-01-01

Groundwater quality in the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau study unit was investigated as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board’s Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project. The study was designed to provide a statistically unbiased assessment of untreated groundwater quality in the primary aquifer system. The depth of the primary aquifer system for the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau study unit was delineated by the depths of the screened or open intervals of wells in the State of California’s database of public-supply wells. Two types of assessments were made: a status assessment that described the current quality of the groundwater resource, and an understanding assessment that made evaluations of relations between groundwater quality and potential explanatory factors representing characteristics of the primary aquifer system. The assessments characterize the quality of untreated groundwater, not the quality of treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water distributors.

Positive Gain Spirals at Work: From Job Resources to Work Engagement, Personal Initiative and Work-Unit Innovativeness

Science.gov (United States)

Hakanen, Jari J.; Perhoniemi, Riku; Toppinen-Tanner, Salla

2008-01-01

The present cross-lagged panel study aimed to investigate the energizing power of job resources and related gain spirals. Drawing on Hobfoll's Conservation of Resources (COR) theory's rarely tested assumptions of cumulative resource gains and gain spirals a reciprocal process was expected: (1) job resources lead to work engagement and work…

United States of America National Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The United States has produced this report as part of the preparations for the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) to be held in Brazil in June 1992. It summarizes this nation's efforts to protect and enhance the quality of the human environment in concert with its efforts to provide economic well-being during the two decades since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment was held in Stockholm. The information presented in this report is primarily and deliberately retrospective. It is an attempt to portray the many human, economic and natural resources of the United States, to describe resource use and the principal national laws and programs established to protect these resources, and to analyze key issues on the agenda of UNCED. This analysis is presented in terms of past and present conditions and trends, measures of progress made in responding to the key issues, and a summary of government activities, underway or pending, to address ongoing or newly emerging national environmental and resource management problems

Maintaining the Uranium Resources Assessment Data System and assessing the 1990 US uranium potential resources

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCammon, R.B.; Finch, W.I.; Grundy, W.D.; Pierson, C.T.

1991-01-01

The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Uranium Resource Assessment Data System contains information on potential resources (undiscovered) of uranium in the United States. The purpose of this report is: (1) to describe the work carried out to maintain and update the Uranium Resource Assessment Data (URAD) System, (2) to assess the 1990 US uranium potential resources in various cost categories, and (3) to identify problems and to recommend changes that are needed to improve the URAD System. 13 refs., 5 figs., 4 tabs

Western states uranium resource survey

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tinney, J.F.

1977-01-01

ERDA's National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) program was established to provide a comprehensive description of uranium resources in the United States. To carry out this task, ERDA has contracted with various facilities, including universities, private companies, and state agencies, to undertake projects such as airborne radiometric surveys, geological and geochemical studies, and the development of advanced geophysical technology. LLL is one of four ERDA laboratories systematically studying uranium distribution in surface water, groundwater, and lake and stream sediments. We are specifically responsible for surveying seven western states. This past year we have designed and installed facilities for delayed-neutron counting and neutron-activation analysis, completed seven orientation surveys, and analyzed several thousand field samples. Full-scale reconnaissance surveys began last fall

NASA Ames DEVELOP Interns: Helping the Western United States Manage Natural Resources One Project at a Time

Science.gov (United States)

Justice, Erin; Newcomer, Michelle

2010-01-01

The western half of the United States is made up of a number of diverse ecosystems ranging from arid desert to coastal wetlands and rugged forests. Every summer for the past 7 years students ranging from high school to graduate level gather at NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) as part of the DEVELOP Internship Program. Under the guidance of Jay Skiles [Ames Research Center (ARC) - Ames DEVELOP Manager] and Cindy Schmidt [ARC/San Jose State University Ames DEVELOP Coordinator] they work as a team on projects exploring topics including: invasive species, carbon flux, wetland restoration, air quality monitoring, storm visualizations, and forest fires. The study areas for these projects have been in Washington, Utah, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska and California. Interns combine data from NASA and partner satellites with models and in situ measurements to complete prototype projects demonstrating how NASA data and resources can help communities tackle their Earth Science related problems.

Groundwater quality in the Western San Joaquin Valley study unit, 2010: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Science.gov (United States)

Fram, Miranda S.

2017-06-09

Water quality in groundwater resources used for public drinking-water supply in the Western San Joaquin Valley (WSJV) was investigated by the USGS in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) as part of its Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program Priority Basin Project. The WSJV includes two study areas: the Delta–Mendota and Westside subbasins of the San Joaquin Valley groundwater basin. Study objectives for the WSJV study unit included two assessment types: (1) a status assessment yielding quantitative estimates of the current (2010) status of groundwater quality in the groundwater resources used for public drinking water, and (2) an evaluation of natural and anthropogenic factors that could be affecting the groundwater quality. The assessments characterized the quality of untreated groundwater, not the quality of treated drinking water delivered to consumers by water distributors.The status assessment was based on data collected from 43 wells sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey for the GAMA Priority Basin Project (USGS-GAMA) in 2010 and data compiled in the SWRCB Division of Drinking Water (SWRCB-DDW) database for 74 additional public-supply wells sampled for regulatory compliance purposes between 2007 and 2010. To provide context, concentrations of constituents measured in groundwater were compared to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and SWRCB-DDW regulatory and non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. The status assessment used a spatially weighted, grid-based method to estimate the proportion of the groundwater resources used for public drinking water that has concentrations for particular constituents or class of constituents approaching or above benchmark concentrations. This method provides statistically unbiased results at the study-area scale within the WSJV study unit, and permits comparison of the two study areas to other areas assessed by the GAMA Priority Basin Project

Experience in the United States with a secondary resource curriculum on ''Science, society and America's nuclear waste''

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, G.P.

1994-01-01

The nuclear power and nuclear waste situation in the Usa, is first reviewed. In order to enhance information concerning these topics among pupils and teachers, a resource curriculum, 'Science, society, and America's Nuclear Waste', was developed by teachers for teachers; it consists of four units: nuclear waste, ionizing radiation, the nuclear waste policy act, and the waste management system. It has been well received by teachers. Within nine months after its national introduction, 350000 teacher and student curriculum documents were requested by teachers from all 50 states. Requests have been also received from 250 foreign colleges and universities

Wind deployment in the United States: states, resources, policy, and discourse.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Elizabeth J; Stephens, Jennie C

2009-12-15

A transformation in the way the United States produces and uses energy is needed to achieve greenhouse gas reduction targets for climate change mitigation. Wind power is an important low-carbon technology and the most rapidly growing renewable energy technology in the U.S. Despite recent advances in wind deployment, significant state-by-state variation in wind power distribution cannot be explained solely by wind resource patterns nor by state policy. Other factors embedded within the state-level socio-political context also contribute to wind deployment patterns. We explore this socio-political context in four U.S. states by integrating multiple research methods. Through comparative state-level analysis of the energy system, energy policy, and public discourse as represented in the media, we examine variation in the context for wind deployment in Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, and Texas. Our results demonstrate that these states have different patterns of wind deployment, are engaged in different debates about wind power, and appear to frame the risks and benefits of wind power in different ways. This comparative assessment highlights the complex variation of the state-level socio-political context and contributes depth to our understanding of energy technology deployment processes, decision-making, and outcomes.

The effects of climate change on agriculture, land resources, water resources, and biodiversity in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

2008-06-01

This report provides an assessment of the effects of climate change on U.S. agriculture, land resources, water resources, and biodiversity. It is one of a series of 21 Synthesis and Assessment Products (SAP) that are being produced under the auspices...

Wind Energy Resource Atlas of Mongolia

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elliott, D; Schwartz, M; Scott, G.; Haymes, S.; Heimiller, D.; George, R.

2001-08-27

The United States Department of Energy (DOE) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) sponsored a project to help accelerate the large-scale use of wind energy technologies in Mongolia through the development of a wind energy resource atlas of Mongolia. DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) administered and conducted this project in collaboration with USAID and Mongolia. The Mongolian organizations participating in this project were the Scientific, Production, and Trade Corporation for Renewable Energy (REC) and the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (IMH). The primary goals of the project were to develop detailed wind resource maps for all regions of Mongolia for a comprehensive wind resource atlas, and to establish a wind-monitoring program to identify prospective sites for wind energy projects and help validate some of the wind resource estimates.

Improving decision making for massive transfusions in a resource poor setting: a preliminary study in Kenya.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elisabeth D Riviello

Full Text Available The reality of finite resources has a real-world impact on a patient's ability to receive life-saving care in resource-poor settings. Blood for transfusion is an example of a scarce resource. Very few studies have looked at predictors of survival in patients requiring massive transfusion. We used data from a rural hospital in Kenya to develop a prediction model of survival among patients receiving massive transfusion.Patients who received five or more units of whole blood within 48 hours between 2004 and 2010 were identified from a blood registry in a rural hospital in Kenya. Presenting characteristics and in-hospital survival were collected from charts. Using stepwise selection, a logistic model was developed to predict who would survive with massive transfusion versus those who would die despite transfusion. An ROC curve was created from this model to quantify its predictive power.Ninety-five patients with data available met inclusion criteria, and 74% survived to discharge. The number of units transfused was not a predictor of mortality, and no threshold for futility could be identified. Preliminary results suggest that initial blood pressure, lack of comorbidities, and indication for transfusion are the most important predictors of survival. The ROC curve derived from our model demonstrates an area under the curve (AUC equal to 0.757, with optimism of 0.023 based on a bootstrap validation.This study provides a framework for making prioritization decisions for the use of whole blood in the setting of massive bleeding. Our analysis demonstrated an overall survival rate for patients receiving massive transfusion that was higher than clinical perception. Our analysis also produced a preliminary model to predict survival in patients with massive bleeding. Prediction analyses can contribute to more efficient prioritization decisions; these decisions must also include other considerations such as equity, acceptability, affordability and

Does a single specialty intensive care unit make better business sense than a multi-specialty intensive care unit? A costing study in a trauma center in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Parmeshwar; Jithesh, Vishwanathan; Gupta, Shakti Kumar

2015-01-01

Though intensive care units (ICUs) only account for 10% of hospital beds, they consume nearly 22% of hospital resources. Few definitive costing studies have been conducted in Indian settings that would help determine appropriate resource allocation. To evaluate and compare the cost of intensive care delivery between multi-specialty and neurosurgery ICU in an apex trauma care facility in India. The study was conducted in a polytrauma and neurosurgery ICU at a 203 bedded level IV trauma care facility in New Delhi, India from May, 2012 to June 2012. The study was cross-sectional, retrospective, and record-based. Traditional costing was used to arrive at the cost for both direct and indirect cost estimates. The cost centers included in study were building cost, equipment cost, human resources, materials and supplies, clinical and nonclinical support services, engineering maintenance cost, and biomedical waste management. Fisher's two-tailed t-test. Total cost/bed/day for the multi-specialty ICU was Rs. 14,976.9/- and for the neurosurgery ICU was Rs. 14,306.7/-, manpower constituting nearly half of the expenditure in both ICUs. The cost center wise and overall difference in the cost among the ICUs were statistically significant. Quantification of expenditure in running an ICU in a trauma center would assist healthcare decision makers in better allocation of resources. Although multi-specialty ICUs are more expensive, other factors will also play a role in defining the kind of ICU that need to be designed.

Patient-driven resource planning of a health care facility evacuation.

Science.gov (United States)

Petinaux, Bruno; Yadav, Kabir

2013-04-01

The evacuation of a health care facility is a complex undertaking, especially if done in an immediate fashion, ie, within minutes. Patient factors, such as continuous medical care needs, mobility, and comprehension, will affect the efficiency of the evacuation and translate into evacuation resource needs. Prior evacuation resource estimates are 30 years old. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey of charge nurses of the clinical units in an urban, academic, adult trauma health care facility (HCF), the evacuation needs of hospitalized patients were assessed periodically over a two-year period. Survey data were collected on 2,050 patients. Units with patients having low continuous medical care needs during an emergency evacuation were the postpartum, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, surgical, and preoperative anesthesia care units, the Emergency Department, and Labor and Delivery Department (with the exception of patients in Stage II labor). Units with patients having high continuous medical care needs during an evacuation included the neonatal and adult intensive care units, special procedures unit, and operating and post-anesthesia care units. With the exception of the neonate group, 908 (47%) of the patients would be able to walk out of the facility, 492 (25.5%) would require a wheelchair, and 530 (27.5%) would require a stretcher to exit the HCF. A total of 1,639 patients (84.9%) were deemed able to comprehend the need to evacuate and to follow directions; the remainder were sedated, blind, or deaf. The charge nurses also determined that 17 (6.9%) of the 248 adult intensive care unit patients were too ill to survive an evacuation, and that in 10 (16.4%) of the 61 ongoing surgery cases, stopping the case was not considered to be safe. Heath care facilities can utilize the results of this study to model their anticipated resource requirements for an emergency evacuation. This will permit the Incident Management Team to mobilize the necessary resources both within

Timber resource of Minnesota's Prairie unit, 1977.

Science.gov (United States)

Jerold T. Hahn; W. Brad Smith

1980-01-01

The fourth inventory of Minnesota's Prairie Unit shows that although commercial forest area decreased 31.7% between 1962 and 1977, growing-stock volume increased 22%. This report gives statistical highlights and contains detailed tables of forest area as well as timber volume, growth, mortality, ownership, and use.

Opportunities and Barriers to Resource Recovery and Recycling from Shredder Residue in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Nayak, Naren; Apelian, Diran

2014-11-01

Shredder residue is the by-product remaining after ferrous and nonferrous metals have been recovered from the processing of vehicles, white goods, and peddler scrap. Shredder residue consists of glass, plastics, rubber, dirt, and small amounts of metal. It is estimated that 5-7 million tons of this shredder residue are landfilled each year in the United States. Technical advancements, coupled with European Union directives and the economic climate, have transformed the recycling of shredder residue in Europe. In the United States, however, regulatory controls and the cheap cost of landfill have worked against the advancement of recycling and recovery of this resource. The Argonne National Laboratory, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, has investigated the effectiveness of recycling shredder residue into polymers. Other research has examined the use of shredder residue in waste-to-energy applications. To improve our ability to process and recycle shredder residue, an investigation of the regulatory, economic, and technological challenges was undertaken. The objective was to conduct a comprehensive review of work done to date, to document the composition of typical shredder output and to identify potential recoverable items (residual metals, plastics, rubber, foam, etc.). Along with uncovering potential new markets, the research would identify the technical, regulatory, and economic barriers to developing those markets.

Edison Home Community Study Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee County School District, Ft. Myers, FL. Dept. of Environmental Education and Instructional Development Services.

History is not merely events that occurred in the past. The past has influenced the present, as the present will influence the future. The purpose of this community study unit is to provide fourth grade students with an opportunity to investigate some of the history of Lee County, Florida. The unit's focus is on Thomas Edison, who built a home in…

Maintaining the uranium resources data system and assessing the 1991 US uranium potential resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCammon, R.B. (Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States)); Finch, W.I.; Grundy, W.D.; Pierson, C.T. (Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States))

1992-12-31

The Energy Information Administration's (EIA) Uranium Resource Assessment Data (URAD) System contains information on potential resources (undiscovered) of uranium in the United States. The purpose of this report is: (1) to describe the work carried out to maintain and update the URAD system; (2) to assess the 1991 U.S. uranium potential resources in various cost categories; and (3) to describe the progress that has been made to automate the generation of the assessment reports and their subsequent transmittal by diskette.

Resources for Functional Genomics Studies in Drosophila melanogaster

Science.gov (United States)

Mohr, Stephanie E.; Hu, Yanhui; Kim, Kevin; Housden, Benjamin E.; Perrimon, Norbert

2014-01-01

Drosophila melanogaster has become a system of choice for functional genomic studies. Many resources, including online databases and software tools, are now available to support design or identification of relevant fly stocks and reagents or analysis and mining of existing functional genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, etc. datasets. These include large community collections of fly stocks and plasmid clones, “meta” information sites like FlyBase and FlyMine, and an increasing number of more specialized reagents, databases, and online tools. Here, we introduce key resources useful to plan large-scale functional genomics studies in Drosophila and to analyze, integrate, and mine the results of those studies in ways that facilitate identification of highest-confidence results and generation of new hypotheses. We also discuss ways in which existing resources can be used and might be improved and suggest a few areas of future development that would further support large- and small-scale studies in Drosophila and facilitate use of Drosophila information by the research community more generally. PMID:24653003

Differences in nursing practice environment among US acute care unit types: a descriptive study.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, JiSun; Boyle, Diane K

2014-11-01

The hospital nursing practice environment has been found to be crucial for better nurse and patient outcomes. Yet little is known about the professional nursing practice environment at the unit level where nurses provide 24-hour bedside care to patients. To examine differences in nursing practice environments among 11 unit types (critical care, step-down, medical, surgical, combined medical-surgical, obstetric, neonatal, pediatric, psychiatric, perioperative, and emergency) and by Magnet status overall, as well as four specific aspects of the practice environment. Cross-sectional study. 5322 nursing units in 519 US acute care hospitals. The nursing practice environment was measured by the Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index mean composite and four subscale scores were computed at the unit level. Two statistical approaches (one-way analysis of covariance and multivariate analysis of covariance analysis) were employed with a Tukey-Kramer post hoc test. In general, the nursing practice environment was favorable in all unit types. There were significant differences in the nursing practice environment among the 11 unit types and by Magnet status. Pediatric units had the most favorable practice environment and medical-surgical units had the least favorable. A consistent finding across all unit types except neonatal units was that the staffing and resource adequacy subscale scored the lowest compared with all other Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index subscales (nursing foundations for quality of care, nurse manager ability, leadership, and support, and nurse-physician relations). Unit nursing practice environments were more favorable in Magnet than non-Magnet hospitals. Findings indicate that there are significant variations in unit nursing practice environments among 11 unit types and by hospital Magnet status. Both hospital-level and unit-specific strategies should be considered

[Analysis of the workload and the use of the nursing resources in an intensive care unit].

Science.gov (United States)

Valls-Matarín, J; Salamero-Amorós, M; Roldán-Gil, C

2015-01-01

To evaluate and assess the nursing workload (NW) scales by means of three scales and to determine the theoretical and real nurse/patient relationship in a polyvalent ICU. Cross-sectional descriptive study between July 2012 and June 2013 in patients over 18 years old, for which 3 nurses quantified, in randomized days, the NW by the Nursing Activities Score (NAS), Nine Equivalents Manpower Score (NEMS) and Valoración de Cargas de Trabajo y Tiempos de Enfermería (VACTE). Efficiency parameters of nursing resources were calculated: "work utilization ratio" (WUR), "level of care" operative (LOCop) and planned (LOCp). Data on demographics, length of stay and number of nurses were collected. 720 records were collected. The mean age was 64 (13.6) years. 73% were male and the median of length of stay was 3 (1-12) days. 60% were admitted for medical causes. The average total score was: NAS: 696.8 (111.6), NEMS: 311.8 (55.3) and VACTE: 4,978 (897.7). The required number of nurses according to NAS was 7 and 6,7 according to NEMS and VACTE. The actual average was 5.5. On all 3 scales the WUR was >1 and LOCop was 1.6 pacients/nurse. The LOCp was 2 patients/nurse. Assessing NW allows to know the reality of each unit. According to the scales and efficiency parameters of the nursing resources used, there is a shortage of nurses in relation to the work generated. NAS reflects more parameters of NW. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

Health care resource utilization before and after perampanel initiation among patients with epilepsy in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Faught, Edward; Laliberté, François; Wang, Zhixiao; Barghout, Victoria; Haider, Batool; Lejeune, Dominique; Germain, Guillaume; Choi, Jiyoon; Wagh, Aneesha; Duh, Mei Sheng

2017-10-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in health care resource utilization following the initiation of perampanel for the treatment of epilepsy in the United States. Health care claims from Symphony Health's Integrated Dataverse database between December 2012 and November 2015 were analyzed. Patients newly initiated on perampanel, having ≥1 epilepsy (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code 345.xx, ICD-10-CM code G40.xxx) or nonfebrile convulsion (ICD-9-CM code 780.39, ICD-10-CM code R56.9) diagnosis, and having ≥6 months of baseline and observation periods were included. Patients <12 years old at perampanel initiation were excluded. Of the 2,508 perampanel patients included in the study, the mean [median] (±standard deviation [SD]) age was 35.8 [34] (±16.0) years and 56.2% were female. The mean [median] (±SD) observation duration was 459.8 [462] (±146.3) days in the postperampanel period. The postperampanel period was associated with significantly lower rates of all health care resource utilization outcomes than the pre-period. For the post- versus pre-period, perampanel users had 42.3 versus 53.8 overall hospitalizations per 100 person-years (rate ratio [RR] = 0.80, p < 0.001) and 1,240.2 versus 1,343.8 outpatient visits per 100 person-years (RR = 0.91, p < 0.001). Epilepsy-related hospitalizations and outpatient visits were 25.2 versus 33.6 per 100 person-years (RR = 0.76, p < 0.001) and 327.0 versus 389.0 per 100 person-years (RR = 0.84, p < 0.001), respectively. Additionally, a significantly lower rate of status epilepticus in the post-period (1.8 events per 100 person-years) was observed compared to the pre-period (4.4 events per 100 person-years; RR = 0.43, p < 0.001). The monthly time trend of hospitalizations showed an increasing trend leading up to the initiation of perampanel, after which the hospitalizations decreased steadily. Use of perampanel for the treatment of epilepsy was

Social Studies Online Resources. Media Corner.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Jeri, Ed.

1995-01-01

Maintains that three types of social studies activities are found on the information highway: (1) electronic mail; (2) information; and (3) conferencing. Describes examples of each. Discusses commercial services and resource materials and provides references to online services. (CFR)

Direct and Indirect Healthcare Resource Utilization and Costs Among Migraine Patients in the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonafede, Machaon; Sapra, Sandhya; Shah, Neel; Tepper, Stewart; Cappell, Katherine; Desai, Pooja

2018-05-01

The goal of this analysis was to provide a contemporary estimate of the burden of migraine, incorporating both direct and indirect costs, by comparing the costs of migraine patients to a matched group of patients without migraine in a large, nationally representative sample of commercially insured patients in the United States. Previous studies have shown that the economic burden of migraine in the United States is substantial for payers, patients, and employers. Despite the availability of multiple acute and preventive pharmacological treatment options and a relatively stable migraine prevalence in the United States, there has been a documented increase in migraine-related healthcare resource and pharmacy use. Given the frequently disabling nature of migraine and its high prevalence, especially during peak productive years, and the lack of recent estimates of the burden of migraine, there is a need to update the existing literature with more current data. This retrospective, observational cohort study identified migraine patients in the Truven Health Market Scan Research Databases between January 2008 and June 2013. Adult patients had 12 months of continuous enrollment before (baseline period) and after (follow-up period) the day they received migraine diagnoses and/or medications (index) and no diagnosis of HIV or malignancy during the study period. The patients with migraine were matched 1:1 to a group of patients without migraine on demographic variables and index date. Direct healthcare utilization and costs and indirect (absenteeism, short-term disability, and long-term disability) costs were assessed during the 12-month follow-up period and differences between patients with vs without migraine were assessed. Two additional multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted. First, an analysis was conducted comparing the odds of having a short-term disability claim between patients with and without migraine after controlling for patient demographic and

Urban Wood Waste Resource Assessment; TOPICAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiltsee, G.

1998-01-01

This study collected and analyzed data on urban wood waste resources in 30 randomly selected metropolitan areas in the United States. Three major categories wood wastes disposed with, or recovered from, the municipal solid waste stream; industrial wood wastes such as wood scraps and sawdust from pallet recycling, woodworking shops, and lumberyards; and wood in construction/demolition and land clearing debris

Enterprise resource planning: An assessment for readiness to change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ali Ashraf Nazari

2014-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents an empirical investigation for the implementation of enterprise resource planning among 58 production units in province of Ilam, Iran. The proposed study of this paper considers the readiness in terms of six factors including human resources, financial resources, infrastructures, quality control, and information systems and communication technology. Using structural equation modeling, the study examines six hypotheses and the implementation is accomplished on LISREL software package. Cronbach alpha has been calculated as 0.91, which is well above the minimum desirable level. The results of the survey have indicated that all six mentioned factors influence positively on ERP implementation and for a successful implementation of ERP, it is suggested to consider these factors, seriously.

Does a single specialty intensive care unit make better business sense than a multi-specialty intensive care unit? A costing study in a trauma center in India

Science.gov (United States)

Kumar, Parmeshwar; Jithesh, Vishwanathan; Gupta, Shakti Kumar

2015-01-01

Context: Though intensive care units (ICUs) only account for 10% of hospital beds, they consume nearly 22% of hospital resources. Few definitive costing studies have been conducted in Indian settings that would help determine appropriate resource allocation. Aim: To evaluate and compare the cost of intensive care delivery between multi-specialty and neurosurgery ICU in an apex trauma care facility in India. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a polytrauma and neurosurgery ICU at a 203 bedded level IV trauma care facility in New Delhi, India from May, 2012 to June 2012. The study was cross-sectional, retrospective, and record-based. Traditional costing was used to arrive at the cost for both direct and indirect cost estimates. The cost centers included in study were building cost, equipment cost, human resources, materials and supplies, clinical and nonclinical support services, engineering maintenance cost, and biomedical waste management. Statistical Analysis: Fisher's two-tailed t-test. Results: Total cost/bed/day for the multi-specialty ICU was Rs. 14,976.9/- and for the neurosurgery ICU was Rs. 14,306.7/-, manpower constituting nearly half of the expenditure in both ICUs. The cost center wise and overall difference in the cost among the ICUs were statistically significant. Conclusions: Quantification of expenditure in running an ICU in a trauma center would assist healthcare decision makers in better allocation of resources. Although multi-specialty ICUs are more expensive, other factors will also play a role in defining the kind of ICU that need to be designed. PMID:25829909

Does a single specialty intensive care unit make better business sense than a multi-specialty intensive care unit? A costing study in a trauma center in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parmeshwar Kumar

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Though intensive care units (ICUs only account for 10% of hospital beds, they consume nearly 22% of hospital resources. Few definitive costing studies have been conducted in Indian settings that would help determine appropriate resource allocation. Aim: To evaluate and compare the cost of intensive care delivery between multi-specialty and neurosurgery ICU in an apex trauma care facility in India. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in a polytrauma and neurosurgery ICU at a 203 bedded level IV trauma care facility in New Delhi, India from May, 2012 to June 2012. The study was cross-sectional, retrospective, and record-based. Traditional costing was used to arrive at the cost for both direct and indirect cost estimates. The cost centers included in study were building cost, equipment cost, human resources, materials and supplies, clinical and nonclinical support services, engineering maintenance cost, and biomedical waste management. Statistical Analysis: Fisher′s two-tailed t-test. Results: Total cost/bed/day for the multi-specialty ICU was Rs. 14,976.9/- and for the neurosurgery ICU was Rs. 14,306.7/-, manpower constituting nearly half of the expenditure in both ICUs. The cost center wise and overall difference in the cost among the ICUs were statistically significant. Conclusions: Quantification of expenditure in running an ICU in a trauma center would assist healthcare decision makers in better allocation of resources. Although multi-specialty ICUs are more expensive, other factors will also play a role in defining the kind of ICU that need to be designed.

22 CFR 1104.12 - Custody of archaeological resources.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Custody of archaeological resources. 1104.12 Section 1104.12 Foreign Relations INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION, UNITED STATES AND MEXICO... resources. (a) Archaeological resources excavated or removed from the public lands remain the property of...

19 CFR 213.5 - Access to Commission resources.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Access to Commission resources. 213.5 Section 213.5 Customs Duties UNITED STATES INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION INVESTIGATIONS OF UNFAIR PRACTICES IN IMPORT TRADE TRADE REMEDY ASSISTANCE § 213.5 Access to Commission resources. Commission resources, in...

Tribal-federal collaboration in resource management

Science.gov (United States)

Ellen M. Donoghue; Sara A. Thompson; John C. Bliss

2010-01-01

The increase in collaborative projects involving American Indian tribes and natural resource management agencies in the United States reflects two emergent trends: 1) the use of collaborative approaches between agencies and groups in managing natural resources; and 2) the concurrent increased recognition of American Indian rights, institutionalization of consultation...

Water management - management actions applied to water resources system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petkovski, Ljupcho; Tanchev, Ljubomir

2001-01-01

In this paper are presented a general description of water resource systems, a systematisation of the management tasks and the approaches for solution, including a review of methods used for solution of water management tasks and the fundamental postulates in the management. The management of water resources is a synonym for the management actions applied to water resource systems. It is a general term that unites planning and exploitation of the systems. The modern planning assumes separating the water racecourse part from the hydro technical part of the project. The water resource study is concerned with the solution for the resource problem. This means the parameters of the system are determined in parallel with the definition of the water utilisation regime. The hydro-technical part of the project is the design of structures necessary for the water resource solution. (Original)

Groundwater-quality data in the Santa Cruz, San Gabriel, and Peninsular Ranges Hard Rock Aquifers study unit, 2011-2012: results from the California GAMA program

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Tracy A.; Shelton, Jennifer L.

2014-01-01

Groundwater quality in the 2,400-square-mile Santa Cruz, San Gabriel, and Peninsular Ranges Hard Rock Aquifers (Hard Rock) study unit was investigated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) from March 2011 through March 2012, as part of the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program’s Priority Basin Project (PBP). The GAMA-PBP was developed in response to the California Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 and is being conducted in collaboration with the SWRCB and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The Hard Rock study unit was the 35th study unit to be sampled as part of the GAMA-PBP.

Geothermal energy in the western United States and Hawaii: Resources and projected electricity generation supplies. [Contains glossary and address list of geothermal project developers and owners

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1991-09-01

Geothermal energy comes from the internal heat of the Earth, and has been continuously exploited for the production of electricity in the United States since 1960. Currently, geothermal power is one of the ready-to-use baseload electricity generating technologies that is competing in the western United States with fossil fuel, nuclear and hydroelectric generation technologies to provide utilities and their customers with a reliable and economic source of electric power. Furthermore, the development of domestic geothermal resources, as an alternative to fossil fuel combustion technologies, has a number of associated environmental benefits. This report serves two functions. First, it provides a description of geothermal technology and a progress report on the commercial status of geothermal electric power generation. Second, it addresses the question of how much electricity might be competitively produced from the geothermal resource base. 19 figs., 15 tabs.

American Polonia’s Resources Of Ifluence And Us Foreign Policy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. D. Loshkariov

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article analyzes resources of political influence on the foreign policy of the country of residence that Polish diaspora in the United States possesses. This analysis is useful for two reasons. Firstly, it will expand the focus of research in the study of pressure groups and their influence on the American foreign policy. Secondly, the Polish diaspora in the United States is rarely the object of research in migrant and ethnic lobbying, despite its the significant share of the country’s population. Analysis of the given resources that the Polish diaspora (American Polonia has leads to the following. Firstly, the foreign policy agenda of the Polish diaspora in the United States faces no strong opponents. This fact means the diaspora has sufficiently developed structural resource. In addition, the Polish diaspora possesses an organizational resource: its institutions are in close cooperation and are coordinated by the Polish American Congress. Secondly, the Polish diaspora in the US is a significant group of the population, especially in the states of Wisconsin, Michigan, Connecticut, New York and Illinois. However, its electoral and financial capacities are not used to the fullest extent. Finally, there are certain difficulties with the discursive political resource of Polish diaspora. The social and political perception provides of Polonia in the USA two opposing narratives. The first one stresses that it is important for the Americans of Polish descent to share such values as democracy, defending his position, including by military means. The second narrative is a reproduction of widespread stereotypes about Poles, including in the popular culture. Thus, institutions of the American Polonia face several tasks. The most important tasks are the search for new ways of political mobilization of the diaspora and the formation of a balanced image of Polish Americans in the social and political perception in the United States.

Developing a clinical trial unit to advance research in an academic institution.

Science.gov (United States)

Croghan, Ivana T; Viker, Steven D; Limper, Andrew H; Evans, Tamara K; Cornell, Alissa R; Ebbert, Jon O; Gertz, Morie A

2015-11-01

Research, clinical care, and education are the three cornerstones of academic health centers in the United States. The research climate has always been riddled with ebbs and flows, depending on funding availability. During a time of reduced funding, the number and scope of research studies have been reduced, and in some instances, a field of study has been eliminated. Recent reductions in the research funding landscape have led institutions to explore new ways to continue supporting research. Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN has developed a clinical trial unit within the Department of Medicine, which provides shared resources for many researchers and serves as a solution for training and mentoring new investigators and study teams. By building on existing infrastructure and providing supplemental resources to existing research, the Department of Medicine clinical trial unit has evolved into an effective mechanism for conducting research. This article discusses the creation of a central unit to provide research support in clinical trials and presents the advantages, disadvantages, and required building blocks for such a unit. Copyright © 2015 Mayo Clinic. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Operational resource theory of total quantum coherence

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Si-ren; Yu, Chang-shui

2018-01-01

Quantum coherence is an essential feature of quantum mechanics and is an important physical resource in quantum information. Recently, the resource theory of quantum coherence has been established parallel with that of entanglement. In the resource theory, a resource can be well defined if given three ingredients: the free states, the resource, the (restricted) free operations. In this paper, we study the resource theory of coherence in a different light, that is, we consider the total coherence defined by the basis-free coherence maximized among all potential basis. We define the distillable total coherence and the total coherence cost and in both the asymptotic regime and the single-copy regime show the reversible transformation between a state with certain total coherence and the state with the unit reference total coherence. Extensively, we demonstrate that the total coherence can also be completely converted to the total correlation with the equal amount by the free operations. We also provide the alternative understanding of the total coherence, respectively, based on the entanglement and the total correlation in a different way.

Online Resources for Teaching Units on: Ecological Footprint of Human Food

Science.gov (United States)

Marrocco, Aldo T.

2011-01-01

The modern food system involves high consumption of natural resources and other forms of environmental degradation. This paper is a presentation of internet resources such as scientific contributions, graphics, tables, images, animations and interactive atlases that can help to teach this subject. The discussion contains some subjects considered…

History of United States Energy. A Basic Teaching Unit on Energy. Revised.

Science.gov (United States)

McDermott, Hugh, Ed.; Scharmann, Larry, Ed.

Intended as a supplement to the units "Oil: Fuel of the Past" and "Coal: Fuel of the Past, Hope of the Future," this 3-4 day unit contains three activities which briefly explain the chronological development of energy resources and the formation and development of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). The…

Canadian gas resource

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1989-01-01

Canadian exports of gas to the United States are a critical component of EMF-9 (North American Gas Supplies). However, it has been noted that there are differences between US expectations for imports and Canadian forecasts of export supply capacity. Recent studies by the National Petroleum Council (NPC) and the US Department of Energy (DOE) indicate that 1.8 to 2.4 Tcf of imports may be required in the mid to late 1990's; A recent study by Canada's National Energy Board (NEB) indicates that the conventional resource base may not be able to provide continued gas exports to the US after the mid 1990's and that frontier sources would need to be developed to meet US expectations. The discrepancies between US expectations and Canadian estimates of capacity are of great concern to US policymakers because they call into question the availability of secure supplies of natural gas and suggest that the cost of imports (if available) will be high. By implication, if shortages are to be averted, massive investment may be required to bring these higher cost sources to market. Since the long-term supply picture will be determined by the underlying resource base, EMF-9 participants have been asked to provide estimates of critical components of the Canadian resource base. This paper provides a summary of ICF-Lewin's recent investigation of both the Conventional and Tight Gas resource in Canada's Western Sedimentary Basin, which includes both quantitative estimates and a brief sketch of the analysis methodology

Investigating the Marine Environment and Its Resources, Part II.

Science.gov (United States)

Lien, Violetta F.

This is the second of two volumes comprising a resource unit designed to help students become more knowledgeable about the marine environment and its resources. Included in this volume are discussions of changes in the human and marine environment, human needs, marine resources, living marine resources, marine transportation, marine energy…

Burnout: Job Resources and Job Demands Associated With Low Personal Accomplishment in United States Radiology Residents.

Science.gov (United States)

Guenette, Jeffrey P; Smith, Stacy E

2018-06-01

We aimed to identify job resources and job demands associated with measures of personal accomplishment (PA) in radiology residents in the United States. A 34-item online survey was administered between May and June 2017 to U.S. radiology residents and included the 8 Likert-type PA questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey, 19 visual analog scale job demands-resources questions, and 7 demographic questions. Multiple linear regression was calculated to predict PA based on job demands-resources. Effects of binomial demographic factors on PA scores were compared with independent-samples t tests. Effects of categorical demographic factors on PA scores were compared with one-way between-subjects analysis of variance tests. A linear regression was calculated to evaluate the relationship of age on PA scores. "The skills and knowledge that I am building are important and helpful to society" (P = 2 × 10 -16 ), "I have good social support from my co-residents" (P = 4 × 10 -5 ), and "I regularly receive adequate constructive feedback" (P = 4 × 10 -6 ) all positively correlated with PA. PA scores were significantly lower for individuals who were single vs those married or partnered (P = .01). Radiology residents score higher in the PA domain of burnout when they receive adequate constructive feedback, have good co-resident social support, and feel that the skills and knowledge they are building are important to society. Improving constructive feedback mechanisms, enabling resident-only social time, and supporting opportunities that reinforce the importance of their contributions may therefore improve radiology residents' sense of PA. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

An empirical study on human resource competencies and its relationship with productivity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hasan Darvish

2012-10-01

Full Text Available This study evaluates the impact of human resource competencies on productivity. The proposed study considers different issues such as different competencies associated with human resources, how we can persuade and strengthen such competencies in organizations and whether human resource competencies impact organizational productivity or not. There are one main hypothesis six minor hypotheses in this study. The proposed study uses descriptive and regression technique to perform the study. The population of this study includes all managers who work for an Iranian petroleum company. This result of this survey shows that that human resource competencies impact organizational productivity. In addition, all dimensions of human resource competencies had significant relationship on organizational productivity.

Cultural Resources, Studies, Eastern North Carolina Above Cape Lookout, Literature Review and Preliminary Research Design.

Science.gov (United States)

1986-05-01

Archeology Unit of NCDAH. The site lists, found in appendices D-F were compiled by Richard H. Lewis from the state site files (Cultural Resource Evalution ...overclouds our political horizon." Though they deplored "the anticipated evils of war," they preferred war "with all its horrors , to submission without a

Cultural Landscapes as a Methodology for Understanding Natural Resource Management Impacts in the Western United States

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rebecca S. Toupal

2003-07-01

Full Text Available Multicultural demands on public lands in the United States continue to challenge federal land managers to address social and cultural concerns in their planning efforts. Specifically, they lack adequate knowledge of cultural concerns, as well as a consistent strategy for acquiring that knowledge for use in decision-making. Current federal approaches to understanding such issues as access, use, and control of resources include public participation, conservation partnerships, government-to-government consultations with American Indian tribes, cultural resource inventories, and landscape analysis. Given that cultural knowledge arises from human-nature relationships and shared perceptions of natural environments, and that landscapes are the ultimate expression of such knowledge, an exploratory methodology was developed to provide a different approach to understanding cultural concerns through landscape perceptions. Using cultural landscape theories and applications from the natural and social sciences, this study examines the landscape perceptions of four groups concerned with management planning of the Baboquivari Wilderness Area in southern Arizona: the Bureau of Land Management, the landowners of the Altar Valley, recreationists, and members of the Tohono O'odham Nation. The methodology is based on a human-nature relationship rather than cultural aspects or features. It takes a holistic approach that differs from other perception studies in that it includes: emic aspects of data collection and analysis; a spatial component (triangulation of data collection through narrative and graphic descriptions; ethnographic, on-site interviews; and cultural consensus analysis and small-sample theory. The results include: verification of four cultural groups; two levels of consensus (in the population of concern, and in each group that overlap in some aspects of landscape perception; descriptions of four cultural landscapes that illustrate similarities and

Improving Nursing Communication Skills in an Intensive Care Unit Using Simulation and Nursing Crew Resource Management Strategies: An Implementation Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Turkelson, Carman; Aebersold, Michelle; Redman, Richard; Tschannen, Dana

Effective interprofessional communication is critical to patient safety. This pre-/postimplementation project used a multifaceted educational strategy with high-fidelity simulation to introduce evidence-based communication tools, adapted from Nursing Crew Resource Management, to intensive care unit nurses. Results indicated that participants were satisfied with the education, and their perceptions of interprofessional communication and knowledge improved. Teams (n = 16) that used the communication tools during simulation were more likely to identify the problem, initiate key interventions, and have positive outcomes.

Opportunities and Challenges in Establishing a Cohort Study: An Example From Cleft Lip/Palate Research in the United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Stock, Nicola Marie; Humphries, Kerry; Pourcain, Beate St; Bailey, Maggie; Persson, Martin; Ho, Karen M; Ring, Susan; Marsh, Cathy; Albery, Liz; Rumsey, Nichola; Sandy, Jonathan

2016-05-01

Cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) is one of the most common birth conditions in the world, but little is known about its causes. Professional opinion remains divided as to which treatments may be the most beneficial for patients with CL/P, and the factors that contribute to psychological adjustment are poorly understood. The use of different methodological approaches and tools plays a key role in hampering efforts to address discrepancies within the evidence base. A new UK-wide program of research, The Cleft Collective, was established to combat many of these methodological challenges and to address some of the key research questions important to all CL/P stakeholders. To describe the establishment of CL/P cohort studies in the United Kingdom and to consider the many opportunities this resource will generate. To date, protocols have been developed and implemented within most UK cleft teams. Biological samples, environmental information, and data pertaining to parental psychological well-being and child development are being collected successfully. Recruitment is currently on track to meet the ambitious target of approximately 9800 individuals from just more than 3000 families. The Cleft Collective cohort studies represent a significant step forward for research in the field of CL/P. The data collected will form a comprehensive resource of information about individuals with CL/P and their families. This resource will provide the basis for many future projects and collaborations, both in the United Kingdom and around the world.

ABOUT SYSTEM MAPPING OF BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES FOR SUBSTANTIATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT OF THE ADMINISTRATED UNIT ON THE EXAMPLE OF NOVOSIBIRSK REGION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. N. Nikolaeva

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The article considers the issues of systematization, modeling and presentation of regional biological resources data. The problem of providing regional state authorities with actual biological resources data and an analysis tool has been stated. The necessity of complex analysis of heterogeneous biological resources data in connection with the landscape factors has been articulated. The system of biological resources’ cartographic models (BRCM is proposed as tools for the regional authorities to develop the BRCM for practical appliances. The goal and the target audience of the system are named. The principles of cartographic visualization of information in the BRCM are formulated. The main sources of biological resources data are listed. These sources include state cadastres, monitoring and statistics. The scales for regional and topical biological resources’ cartographic models are stated. These scales comprise two scale groups for depicting the region itself and its units of internal administrative division. The specifics of cartographic modeling and visualization of relief according to legal requirements to public cartographic data are described. Various options of presentation of biological resources’ cartographic models, such as digital maps, 3Dmodels and cartographic animation are described. Examples of maps and cartographic 3D-models of Novosibirsk Region forests are shown. The conclusion about practical challenges solved with BRCM has been made.

Geothermal Resource Utilization

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lienau, Paul J.

1998-01-03

Man has utilized the natural heat of the earth for centuries. Worldwide direct use of geothermal currently amounts to about 7,000 MWt, as compared to 1,500 MWe, now being used for the generation of electricity. Since the early 1970s, dwindling domestic reservoirs of oil and gas, continued price escalation of oil on the world market and environmental concerns associated with coal and nuclear energy have created a growing interest in the use of geothermal energy in the United States. The Department of Energy goals for hydrothermal resources utilization in the United States, expressed in barrels of oil equivalent, is 50 to 90 million bbl/yr by 1985 and 350 to 900 million bbl/yr by the year 2000. This relatively clean and highly versatile resource is now being used in a multitude of diverse applications (e.g., space heating and cooling, vegetable dehydration, agriculture, aquaculture, light manufacturing), and other applications requiring a reliable and economic source of heat.

Organizational evaluation of an interprofessional study unit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Didde Cramer; Nørgaard, Birgitte; Draborg, Eva

2012-01-01

This article presents results from an organizational evaluation of an interprofessional clinical study unit (ICS) in Denmark. The aim of this study was to test whether the ICS was based on a durable organizational concept and to identify the prerequisites for the unit to be successful...

Use value, exchange value, and resource scarcity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stern, D.I.

1999-01-01

The literature on natural resource scarcity indicators is reviewed. Scarcity indicators can be classified by what is being measured: value of the resource stock or value of extracted resource commodities; whose value is considered: social vs. private scarcity; and by the mode of valuation considered: exchange value and use value. Prices and rents are common measures of exchange value or indicators of ''exchange scarcity'' and unit costs can be seen as use value indicators or indicators of u se scarcity . The major aim of this paper is to demonstrate the links between productivity indicators such as unit costs and the classical concept of use value. The two classes of indicator relate to John Commons' discussions of scarcity and efficiency, and a marginal vs. a non-marginal approach to value and scarcity. The classical use value concept also has wider relevance for issues of valuation in energy, resource, and environmental policy. (author)

Evaluating renewable natural resources flow and net primary productivity with a GIS-Emergy approach: A case study of Hokkaido, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chengdong; Zhang, Shenyan; Yan, Wanglin; Wang, Renqing; Liu, Jian; Wang, Yutao

2016-11-18

Renewable natural resources, such as solar radiation, rainfall, wind, and geothermal heat, together with ecosystem services, provide the elementary supports for the sustainable development of human society. To improve regional sustainability, we studied the spatial distributions and quantities of renewable natural resources and net primary productivity (NPP) in Hokkaido, which is the second largest island of Japan. With the help of Geographic Information System (GIS) software, distribution maps for each type of renewable natural resource were generated by kriging interpolation based on statistical records. A composite map of the flow of all types of renewable natural resources was also generated by map layer overlapping. Additionally, we utilized emergy analysis to convert each renewable flow with different attributes into a unified unit (i.e., solar equivalent joules [sej]). As a result, the spatial distributions of the flow of renewable natural resources of the Hokkaido region are presented in the form of thematic emergy maps. Thus, the areas with higher renewable emergy can be easily visualized and identified. The dominant renewable flow in certain areas can also be directly distinguished. The results can provide useful information for regional sustainable development, environmental conservation and ecological management.

Understanding nursing units with data and theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Diers, Donna; Hendrickson, Karrie; Rimar, Joan; Donovan, Donna

2013-01-01

Nursing units are social systems whose function depends on many variables. Available nursing data, combined with a theory of organizational diagnosis, can be used to understand nursing unit performance. One troubled unit served as a case study in organizational diagnosis and treatment using modern methods of data mining and performance improvement. Systems theory did not prescribe how to fix an underbounded system. The theory did suggest, however, that addressing the characteristics of overbounded and underbounded systems can provide some order and structure and identify helpful resources. In this instance, the data analysis served to help define the unit's problems in conjunction with information gained from talking with the nurses and touring the unit, but it was the theory that gave hints for direction for change.

Mineral resources of the Hawk Mountain Wilderness Study Area, Honey County, Oregon

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Turrin, B.D.; Conrad, J.E.; Plouff, D.; King, H.D.; Swischer, C.C.; Mayerle, R.T.; Rains, R.L.

1989-01-01

The Hawk Mountain Wildeness Study Area in south-central Oregon is underlain by Miocene age basalt, welded tuff, and interbedded sedimentary rock. The western part of this study area has a low mineral resource potential for gold. There is a low mineral resource potential for small deposits of uranium in the sedimentary rocks. This entire study area has a low potential for geothermal and oil and gas resources. There are no mineral claims or identified resources in this study area

The changing nature of ICU charge nurses' decision making: from supervision of care delivery to unit resource management.

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Anne; Buerhaus, Peter I

2013-01-01

Recent findings that variations in nursing workload may affect inpatient outcomes now highlight nurse workload management and the need for an updated analysis of the role of the charge nurse (CN). Observational data for eight CNs, each at one of eight ICUs in a not-for-profit Level 1 Trauma Center, coded to capture interprofessional interactions, decision making, team coordination phases, and support tools. A researcher shadowed each participant for 12 hours. Each shift began and ended with a face-to-face handoff that included summaries of each patient's condition; the current bed census; anticipated admissions, discharges, and transfers; and the number of nurses available to work the current and coming two shifts. The researcher, using a notebook, recorded the substantive content of all work conversations initiated by or directed to the CN from physicians, staff nurses, allied health workers, other employees, and patients/families. The tools used to support conversations were collected as blank forms or computer screen prints and annotated to describe how they were used, when, and for what purpose. Statistically significant three-way interactions suggest that CNs' conversations with colleagues depend on the team coordination phase and the decision-making level, and that the support tools that CNs use when talking to colleagues depend on the decision-making level and the team coordination phase. The role of ICU CNs appears to be continuing to evolve, now encompassing unit resource management in addition to supervising care delivery. Effective support tools, together with education that would enhance communication and resource management skills, will be essential to CNs' ability to support unit resilience and adaptability in an increasingly complex environment.

Uranium prospecting program: memorandum of request United Nations Assistance Rotatory Fund for Naturals resources in Uranium Prospecting; Programa prospeccion Uranio: memorando de solicitud de asistencia al fondo Rotatorio de Naciones Unidas para el estudio de los Recursos Naturales para la prospeccion de Uranio

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1976-07-01

The Uruguayan government required assistance to Unit Nations funds with the aim of studies the Natural resources in Uranium prospecting, their antecedent, actual and projected works, equipment and end considerations.

Resource Letter OSE-1: Observing Solar Eclipses

Science.gov (United States)

Pasachoff, Jay M.; Fraknoi, Andrew

2017-07-01

This Resource Letter provides a guide to the available literature, listing selected books, articles, and online resources about scientific, cultural, and practical issues related to observing solar eclipses. It is timely, given that a total solar eclipse will cross the continental United States on August 21, 2017. The next total solar eclipse path crossing the U.S. and Canada will be on April 8, 2024. In 2023, the path of annularity of an annular eclipse will cross Mexico, the United States, and Canada, with partial phases visible throughout those countries.

Maintaining the uranium resources data system and assessing the 1991 US uranium potential resources. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

McCammon, R.B. [Geological Survey, Reston, VA (United States); Finch, W.I.; Grundy, W.D.; Pierson, C.T. [Geological Survey, Denver, CO (United States)

1992-12-31

The Energy Information Administration`s (EIA) Uranium Resource Assessment Data (URAD) System contains information on potential resources (undiscovered) of uranium in the United States. The purpose of this report is: (1) to describe the work carried out to maintain and update the URAD system; (2)to assess the 1991 U.S. uranium potential resources in various cost categories; and (3) to describe the progress that has been made to automate the generation of the assessment reports and their subsequent transmittal by diskette.

A diary study on the happy worker: how job resources generate positive emotions and generate personal resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Xanthopoulou, D.; Bakker, A.B.; Demerouti, E.; Schaufeli, W.B.

2012-01-01

This diary study tests the broaden-and-build theory in the work context and expands it by examining job resources as potential antecedents of positive emotions on a daily basis. We hypothesized that general perceptions of job resources (autonomy, supervisory coaching, and the psychological climate

Unmasking decoupling: Redefining the Resource Intensity of the Economy.

Science.gov (United States)

Bithas, Kostas; Kalimeris, Panos

2018-04-01

Interest in investigating the complex link between resources and developments has revived recently following studies which support striking "dematerialized" growth over the last hundred years or so. This so-called decoupling effect is defined as the declining quantity of resources required for producing one unit of GDP. Decoupling studies adopt aggregate GDP as the measure of the outcome of the economy. However, this outcome is contributed by the total population which differs over time and between countries. A valid comparison should use a comparable, standardized indicator that adjusts for population size. GDP per capita, the income index, defines in monetary terms the ultimate outcome of the economy and is adopted by international organizations as the standard index for comparing economies. The income index approximates, in monetary terms, the welfare produced by the economic system and enjoyed by individuals. Recently developed alternative indexes of welfare lack broad data coverage and have limited empirical application as yet. For this reason and for ensuring direct comparison with the standard decoupling estimates, our study remains within the monetary context. The present paper re-evaluates the resources-economy link from the perspective of "the resources required for the production of one unit of GDP per capita (Income)" and hence evaluates the efficiency of turning resources into the actual outcome of the economic system. Our estimates suggest that the dependence of global economic growth on natural resources has increased by over 60% in the last 110years (1900-2009), contrasting with the prevailing decoupling estimates which suggest a reduction by 63%. We find that the actual decoupling, which began in the mid-1970s in post-industrial economies, is counterbalanced by the intensified resource intensity of several developing economies. Accordingly, in the pursuit of sustainability, the dematerialization target needs to be more clearly incorporated into

Library and Archival Resources for Social Science Research in the Spanish, French, Dutch Caribbean.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Thomas G.

The working paper describes how a social scientist might go about locating resources for any particular study. Researchers are directed to non-Caribbean based material in European Archives as well as collections in the United States. Caribbean resources are analyzed by county. The countries include Cuba, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico,…

Sampling design and procedures for fixed surface-water sites in the Georgia-Florida coastal plain study unit, 1993

Science.gov (United States)

Hatzell, H.H.; Oaksford, E.T.; Asbury, C.E.

1995-01-01

The implementation of design guidelines for the National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program has resulted in the development of new sampling procedures and the modification of existing procedures commonly used in the Water Resources Division of the U.S. Geological Survey. The Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain (GAFL) study unit began the intensive data collection phase of the program in October 1992. This report documents the implementation of the NAWQA guidelines by describing the sampling design and procedures for collecting surface-water samples in the GAFL study unit in 1993. This documentation is provided for agencies that use water-quality data and for future study units that will be entering the intensive phase of data collection. The sampling design is intended to account for large- and small-scale spatial variations, and temporal variations in water quality for the study area. Nine fixed sites were selected in drainage basins of different sizes and different land-use characteristics located in different land-resource provinces. Each of the nine fixed sites was sampled regularly for a combination of six constituent groups composed of physical and chemical constituents: field measurements, major ions and metals, nutrients, organic carbon, pesticides, and suspended sediments. Some sites were also sampled during high-flow conditions and storm events. Discussion of the sampling procedure is divided into three phases: sample collection, sample splitting, and sample processing. A cone splitter was used to split water samples for the analysis of the sampling constituent groups except organic carbon from approximately nine liters of stream water collected at four fixed sites that were sampled intensively. An example of the sample splitting schemes designed to provide the sample volumes required for each sample constituent group is described in detail. Information about onsite sample processing has been organized into a flowchart that describes a pathway for each of

Final Technical Report: Renewable Energy Feasibility Study and Resources Assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rivero, Mariah [BEC Environmental, Inc., Las Vegas, NV (United States)

2016-02-28

In March 2011, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) awarded White Pine County, Nevada, a grant to assess the feasibility of renewable resource-related economic development activities in the area. The grant project included a public outreach and training component and was to include a demonstration project; however, the demonstration project was not completed due to lack of identification of an entity willing to locate a project in White Pine County. White Pine County completed the assessment of renewable resources and a feasibility study on the potential for a renewable energy-focused economic sector within the County. The feasibility study concluded "all resources studied were present and in sufficient quantity and quality to warrant consideration for development" and there were varying degrees of potential economic impact based on the resource type and project size. The feasibility study and its components were to be used as tools to attract potential developers and other business ventures to the local market. White Pine County also marketed the County’s resources to the renewable energy business community in an effort to develop contracts for demonstration projects. The County also worked to develop partnerships with local educational institutions, including the White Pine County School District, conducted outreach and training for the local community.

The Energy Puzzle Between the United States and China

Science.gov (United States)

2013-03-01

securing China’s status as a great power.2 As of 2011, China is the second largest consumer of natural resources (oil, liquefied petroleum gas ( LPG ...pursuit of natural resources, (oil, natural gas , coal or renewable energy sources) is reshaping the world’s energy security. The United States is...pursuit of natural resources, (oil, natural gas , coal or renewable energy sources) is reshaping the world’s energy security. The United States is

A case study of resources management planning with multiple objectives and projects

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, David L.; Silsbee, David G.; Schmoldt, Daniel L.

1994-09-01

Each National Park Service unit in the United States produces a resources management plan (RMP) every four years or less. The plans commit budgets and personnel to specific projects for four years, but they are prepared with little quantitative and analytical rigor and without formal decision-making tools. We have previously described a multiple objective planning process for inventory and monitoring programs (Schmoldt and others 1994). To test the applicability of that process for the more general needs of resources management planning, we conducted an exercise on the Olympic National Park (NP) in Washington State, USA. Eight projects were selected as typical of those considered in RMPs and five members of the Olympic NP staff used the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize the eight projects with respect to their implicit management objectives. By altering management priorities for the park, three scenarios were generated. All three contained some similarities in rankings for the eight projects, as well as some differences. Mathematical allocations of money and people differed among these scenarios and differed substantially from what the actual 1990 Olympic NP RMP contains. Combining subjective priority measures with budget dollars and personnel time into an objective function creates a subjective economic metric for comparing different RMP’s. By applying this planning procedure, actual expenditures of budget and personnel in Olympic NP can agree more closely with the staff’s management objectives for the park.

Practice development units: a study of teamwork.

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, M; Walsh, A

In this report of a study using the Team Climate Inventory (TCI) tool, the researchers explain how the tool can be used in preparation for creating a practice development unit (PDU). The TCI provides a picture of the level and quality of teamwork in a unit using a series of Likert scales. The ward in this study was found to lack the necessary level of teamwork for successful PDU development and the researchers show how this information shaped trust plans. They recommend that units contemplating PDU accreditation should assess their level of teamwork prior to proceeding with bids.

Association between addiction treatment staff professional and educational levels and perceptions of organizational climate and resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Krull, Ivy; Lundgren, Lena; Beltrame, Clelia

2014-01-01

Research studies have identified addiction treatment staff who have higher levels of education as having more positive attitudes about evidence-based treatment practices, science-based training, and the usefulness of evidence-based practices. This study examined associations between addiction treatment staff level of education and their perceptions of 3 measures of organizational change: organizational stress, training resources and staffing resources in their treatment unit. The sample included 588 clinical staff from community-based substance abuse treatment organizations who received Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) funding (2003-2008) to implement evidence-based practices (EBPs). Bivariate analysis and regression modeling methods examined the relationship between staff education level (no high school education, high school education, some college, associate's degree, bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctoral degree, and other type of degree such as medical assistant, registered nurse [RN], or postdoctoral) and attitudes about organizational climate (stress), training resources, and staffing resources while controlling for staff and treatment unit characteristics. Multivariable models identified staff with lower levels of education as having significantly more positive attitudes about their unit's organizational capacity. These results contradict findings that addiction treatment staff with higher levels of education work in units with greater levels of organizational readiness for change. It cannot be inferred that higher levels of education among treatment staff is necessarily associated with high levels of organizational readiness for change.

Dataset for case studies of hydropower unit commitment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jinwen Wang

2018-06-01

Full Text Available This paper presents the data all needed for nine case studies of hydropower unit commitment, which determines the optimal operating zones and generating discharges of units after the quarter-hourly releases and water heads are derived by the operation of cascaded hydropower reservoirs. The power output function and feasible operating zones of units are provided, and optimization solvers are used to acquire the results in detail for the case studies, including the quarter-hourly generating discharges, power generations, as well as operating zones of individual units. Performance indices, including the spillage, energy production, and the low-efficiency generating rate, are summarized for all case studies and can be readily used for comparison between algorithms in future.

Two-Way Interpretation about Climate Change: Preliminary Results from a Study in Select Units of the United States National Park System

Science.gov (United States)

Forist, B. E.; Knapp, D.

2014-12-01

Much interpretation in units of the National Park System, conducted by National Park Service (NPS) rangers and partners today is done in a didactic, lecture style. This "one-way" communication runs counter to research suggesting that long-term impacts of park interpretive experiences must be established through direct connections with the visitor. Previous research in interpretation has suggested that interpretive experiences utilizing a "two-way" dialogue approach are more successful at facilitating long-term memories than "one-way" approaches where visitors have few, if any, opportunities to ask questions, offer opinions, or share interests and experiences. Long-term memories are indicators of connections to places and resources. Global anthropogenic change poses critical threats to NPS sites, resources, and visitor experiences. As climate change plays an ever-expanding role in public, political, social, economic, and environmental discourse it stands to reason that park visitors may also be interested in engaging in this discourse. Indeed, NPS Director Jonathan Jarvis stated in the agency's Climate Change Action Plan 2012 - 2014 that, "We now know through social science conducted in parks that our visitors are looking to NPS staff for honest dialogue about this critical issue." Researchers from Indiana University will present preliminary findings from a multiple park study that assessed basic visitor knowledge and the impact of two-way interpretation related to climate change. Observations from park interpretive program addressing climate change will be presented. Basic visitor knowledge of climate change impacts in the select parks as well as immediate and long-term visitor recollections will be presented. Select units of the National Park System in this research included Cape Cod National Seashore, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Cascades National Park, Shenandoah National Park, and Zion National Park.

Data Resources for Biodemographic Studies on Familial Clustering of Human Longevity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

1999-09-01

Full Text Available The main cause that hampered many previous biodemographic studies of human longevity is the lack of appropriate data. At the same time, many existing data resources (millions of genealogical records are under-utilized, because their very existence is not widely known, let alone the quality and scientific value of these data sets are not yet validated. The purpose of this work is to review the data resources that could be used in familial studies of human longevity. This is an extended and supplemented version of the previous study made by the authors upon the request of the National Institute on Aging (1998 NIH Professional Service Contract. The review describes: (1 data resources developed for biodemographic studies, (2 data collected in the projects on historical demography, (3 data resources for long lived individuals and their families, (4 publicly available computerized genealogical data resources, (5 published genealogical and family history data. The review also contains the description of databases developed by the participants of the Research Workshops "Genes, Genealogies, and Longevity" organized by the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research.

Educational inequalities in parental care time: Cross-national evidence from Belgium, Denmark, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

Science.gov (United States)

Gracia, Pablo; Ghysels, Joris

2017-03-01

This study uses time-diary data for dual-earner couples from Belgium, Denmark, Spain, and the United Kingdom to analyze educational inequalities in parental care time in different national contexts. For mothers, education is significantly associated with parenting involvement only in Spain and the United Kingdom. In Spain these differences are largely explained by inequalities in mothers' time and monetary resources, but not in the United Kingdom, where less-educated mothers disproportionally work in short part-time jobs. For fathers, education is associated with parenting time in Denmark, and particularly in Spain, while the wife's resources substantially drive these associations. On weekends, the educational gradient in parental care time applies only to Spain and the United Kingdom, two countries with particularly large inequalities in parents' opportunities to engage in parenting. The study shows country variations in educational inequalities in parenting, suggesting that socioeconomic resources, especially from mothers, shape important variations in parenting involvement. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

The Defense Resource Allocation Process

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Keller, William

1997-01-01

Above all, this book is about DECISION MAKING. In particular, it attempts to describe the formalized process by which we in the United States make and implement decisions about resources for our national security...

Evaluation of resource usage and throughput processes in a ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A systems theory approach was used to structure a discussion of the interactive contribution of the resources towards the operation of the clothing production system. A clothing production company in the Bronkhorstspruit area, Gauteng, was selected as a unit of analysis for the case study. The sample consisted of 103 ...

Resource evaluation and site selection for microalgae production systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Maxwell, E.L.; Folger, A.G.; Hogg, S.E.

1985-05-01

Climate, land, and water resource requirements of microalgae production systems (MPS) were examined relative to construction costs, operating costs, and biomass productivity. The objective was the stratification of the southwestern United States into zones of relative suitability for MPS. Maps of climate (insolation, freeze-free period, precipitation, evaporation, thunderstorm days), land (use/cover, ownership, slope), and water (saline groundwater) resource parameters were obtained. These maps were transformed into digital overlays permitting the cell-by-cell compositing of selected resource parameters to form maps representing relative productivity, make-up water, climate suitability, land suitability, water suitability, and overall suitability. The Southwest was selected for this study because of its high levels of insolation, saline water resources, and large areas of relatively low valued land. The stratification maps cannot be used for the selection of specific sites because of their low resolution (12,455-acre cells). They can be used to guide future resource studies and site selection efforts, however, by limiting these efforts to the most suitable regions. Future efforts should concentrate on saline water resources, for which only limited data are currently available. 13 refs., 44 figs., 5 tabs.

Resource variation in colorectal surgery: a national centre level analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Drake, T M; Lee, M J; Senapati, A; Brown, S R

2017-07-01

Delivery of quality colorectal surgery requires adequate resources. We set out to assess the relationship between resources and outcomes in English colorectal units. Data were extracted from the Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland resource questionnaire to profile resources. This was correlated with Hospital Episode Statistics outcome data including 90-day mortality and readmissions. Patient satisfaction measures were extracted from the Cancer Experience Patient Survey and compared at unit level. Centres were divided by workload into low, middle and top tertile. Completed questionnaires were received from 75 centres in England. Service resources were similar between low and top tertiles in access to Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (CEPOD) theatre, level two or three beds per 250 000 population or the likelihood of having a dedicated colorectal ward. There was no difference in staffing levels per 250 000 unit of population. Each 10% increase in the proportion of cases attempted laparoscopically was associated with reduced 90-day unplanned readmission (relative risk 0.94, 95% CI 0.91-0.97, P colorectal ward (relative risk 0.85, 95% CI 0.73-0.99, P = 0.040) was also associated with a significant reduction in unplanned readmissions. There was no association between staffing or service factors and patient satisfaction. Resource levels do not vary based on unit of population. There is benefit associated with increased use of laparoscopy and a dedicated surgical ward. Alternative measures to assess the relationship between resources and outcome, such as failure to rescue, should be explored in UK practice. Colorectal Disease © 2017 The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland.

Mineral resources of the Turtle Mountains Wilderness Study Area, San Bernardino County, California

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Keith A.; Nielson, Jane E.; Simpson, Robert W.; Hazlett, Richard W.; Alminas, Henry V.; Nakata, John K.; McDonnell, John R.

1988-01-01

At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, approximately 105,200 acres of the Turtle Mountains Wilderness Study Area (CDCA-307) were evaluated for mineral resources (known) and resource potential (undiscovered). In this report, the area studied is referred to as "the wilderness study area" or simply "the study area"; any reference to the Turtle Mountain Wilderness Study Area refers only to that part of the wilderness study area for which a mineral survey was requested by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.The wilderness study area is in southeastern San Bernardino County, Calif. Gold, silver, copper, and lead have been mined within and adjacent to the study area. Copper-zinc-silver-gold mineral occurrences are found in the southern part and gold-silver mineral occurrences are found in the northern part of the study area; identified low- to moderate-grade gold-silver resources occur adjacent to the study area along the western boundary. Six areas in the south-central and northwestern parts of the study area have high resource potential, two broad areas have moderate resource potential, and part of the southwest corner has low resource potential for lode gold, silver, and associated copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, and tungsten. Alluvium locally within one of these areas has moderate resource potential for placer gold and silver, and the entire area has low resource potential for placer gold and silver. There is low resource potential for perlite, ornamental stone (onyx marble and opal), manganese, uranium and thorium, pegmatite minerals, and oil and gas within the study area. Sand and gravel are abundant but are readily available outside the wilderness study area.

Food Processing Curriculum Material and Resource Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Louisiana State Dept. of Education, Baton Rouge.

Intended for secondary vocational agriculture teachers, this curriculum guide contains a course outline and a resource manual for a seven-unit food processing course on meats. Within the course outline, units are divided into separate lessons. Materials provided for each lesson include preparation for instruction (student objectives, review of…

Discovery and Use of Online Learning Resources: Case Study Findings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laurie Miller Nelson

2004-04-01

Full Text Available Much recent research and funding have focused on building Internet-based repositories that contain collections of high-quality learning resources, often called ‘learning objects.’ Yet little is known about how non-specialist users, in particular teachers, find, access, and use digital learning resources. To address this gap, this article describes a case study of mathematics and science teachers’ practices and desires surrounding the discovery, selection, and use of digital library resources for instructional purposes. Findings suggest that the teacher participants used a broad range of search strategies in order to find resources that they deemed were age-appropriate, current, and accurate. They intended to include these resources with little modifications into planned instructional activities. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings for improving the design of educational digital library systems, including tools supporting resource reuse.

Discovery and Use of Online Learning Resources: Case Study Findings

OpenAIRE

Laurie Miller Nelson; James Dorward; Mimi M. Recker

2004-01-01

Much recent research and funding have focused on building Internet-based repositories that contain collections of high-quality learning resources, often called learning objects. Yet little is known about how non-specialist users, in particular teachers, find, access, and use digital learning resources. To address this gap, this article describes a case study of mathematics and science teachers practices and desires surrounding the discovery, selection, and use of digital library resources for...

Uranium resources evaluation model as an exploration tool

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruzicka, V.

1976-01-01

Evaluation of uranium resources, as conducted by the Uranium Resources Evaluation Section of the Geological Survey of Canada, comprises operations analogous with those performed during the preparatory stages of uranium exploration. The uranium resources evaluation model, simulating the estimation process, can be divided into four steps. The first step includes definition of major areas and ''unit subdivisions'' for which geological data are gathered, coded, computerized and retrieved. Selection of these areas and ''unit subdivisions'' is based on a preliminary appraisal of their favourability for uranium mineralization. The second step includes analyses of the data, definition of factors controlling uranium minearlization, classification of uranium occurrences into genetic types, and final delineation of favourable areas; this step corresponds to the selection of targets for uranium exploration. The third step includes geological field work; it is equivalent to geological reconnaissance in exploration. The fourth step comprises computation of resources; the preliminary evaluation techniques in the exploration are, as a rule, analogous with the simplest methods employed in the resource evaluation. The uranium resources evaluation model can be conceptually applied for decision-making during exploration or for formulation of exploration strategy using the quantified data as weighting factors. (author)

Mineral Resources of the Morey and Fandango Wilderness Study Areas, Nye County, Nevada

Science.gov (United States)

John, David A.; Nash, J. Thomas; Plouff, Donald; McDonnell, John R.

1987-01-01

The Morey (NV-060-191) and Fandango (NV-060-190) Wilderness Study Areas are located in the northern Hot Creek Range about 25 mi north of Warm Springs, Nev. At the request of the Bureau of Land Management, 46,300 acres of the Morey and Fandango Wilderness Study Areas were studied. In this report, the area studied is referred to as 'the wilderness study area', or simply 'the study area'. Geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and mineral surveys were conducted by the USGS and the USBM in 1984 to appraise the identified mineral resources and to assess the mineral resource potential of the study areas. These studies indicate that there are small identified resources of zinc, lead, and silver at the Lead Pipe property in the Fandango Wilderness Study Area, several areas of high potential for the occurrence of gold resources in the Fandango study area, small areas of low and moderate potential for the occurrence of silver, lead, and zinc resources in the Fandango study area, areas of moderate and high potential for the occurrence of silver, lead, and zinc resources in the Morey study area, and an area of low potential for copper, molybdenum, and tin in the Morey study area. Both study areas have low resource potential for petroleum, natural gas, uranium, and geothermal energy.

Information needs of health technology assessment units and agencies in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Galnares-Cordero, Lorea; Gutiérrez-Ibarluzea, Iñaki

2010-10-01

The aim of this study was to analyze the information needs of Spanish health technology assessment (HTA) agencies and units to facilitate access to the resources they require to substantiate their reports. A questionnaire was designed and distributed among HTA bodies to ascertain the actual situation of subscriptions to information resources and what information specialists from these bodies considered would be the ideal subscription situation. Their information needs were then studied, and the resources that best met these needs were put forward. Following this definition, a subscriptions policy was adopted with suppliers and publishers. The survey showed that HTA bodies share a minimum of core subscriptions that includes open sources (MEDLINE, DARE) and sources that the government subscribes to for the health community (ISI Web of Science, Cochrane Library Plus). There was no common approach to determining which databases to subscribe to (UpToDate, EMBASE, Ovid EBMR, CINAHL, or ECRI). After identifying the information needs, a list of resources was proposed that would best cover these needs and, of these, subscription to the following was proposed: Scopus, Ovid EBMR, Clinical Evidence, DynaMed, ECRI, and Hayes. There are differences in the way that HTA agencies and units access the different resources of biomedical information. Combined subscription to several resources for documentation services was suggested as a way of resolving these differences.

Incorporating energy efficiency into electric power transmission planning: A western United States case study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barbose, Galen L.; Sanstad, Alan H.; Goldman, Charles A.

2014-01-01

Driven by system reliability goals and the need to integrate significantly increased renewable power generation, long-range, bulk-power transmission planning processes in the United States are undergoing major changes. At the same time, energy efficiency is an increasing share of the electricity resource mix in many regions, and has become a centerpiece of many utility resource plans and state policies as a means of meeting electricity demand, complementing supply-side sources, and reducing carbon dioxide emissions from the electric power system. The paper describes an innovative project in the western United States to explicitly incorporate end-use efficiency into load forecasts – projections of electricity consumption and demand – that are a critical input into transmission planning and transmission planning studies. Institutional and regulatory background and context are reviewed, along with a detailed discussion of data sources and analytical procedures used to integrate efficiency into load forecasts. The analysis is intended as a practical example to illustrate the kinds of technical and institutional issues that must be addressed in order to incorporate energy efficiency into regional transmission planning activities. - Highlights: • Incorporating energy efficiency into electric power transmission planning is an emergent analytical and policy priority. • A new methodology for this purpose was developed and applied in the western U.S. transmission system. • Efficiency scenarios were created and incorporated into multiple load forecasts. • Aggressive deployment of efficiency policies and programs can significantly reduce projected load. • The approach is broadly applicable in long-range transmission planning

GapMap: Enabling Comprehensive Autism Resource Epidemiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Albert, Nikhila; Daniels, Jena; Schwartz, Jessey; Du, Michael; Wall, Dennis P

2017-05-04

For individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), finding resources can be a lengthy and difficult process. The difficulty in obtaining global, fine-grained autism epidemiological data hinders researchers from quickly and efficiently studying large-scale correlations among ASD, environmental factors, and geographical and cultural factors. The objective of this study was to define resource load and resource availability for families affected by autism and subsequently create a platform to enable a more accurate representation of prevalence rates and resource epidemiology. We created a mobile application, GapMap, to collect locational, diagnostic, and resource use information from individuals with autism to compute accurate prevalence rates and better understand autism resource epidemiology. GapMap is hosted on AWS S3, running on a React and Redux front-end framework. The backend framework is comprised of an AWS API Gateway and Lambda Function setup, with secure and scalable end points for retrieving prevalence and resource data, and for submitting participant data. Measures of autism resource scarcity, including resource load, resource availability, and resource gaps were defined and preliminarily computed using simulated or scraped data. The average distance from an individual in the United States to the nearest diagnostic center is approximately 182 km (50 miles), with a standard deviation of 235 km (146 miles). The average distance from an individual with ASD to the nearest diagnostic center, however, is only 32 km (20 miles), suggesting that individuals who live closer to diagnostic services are more likely to be diagnosed. This study confirmed that individuals closer to diagnostic services are more likely to be diagnosed and proposes GapMap, a means to measure and enable the alleviation of increasingly overburdened diagnostic centers and resource-poor areas where parents are unable to diagnose their children as quickly and easily as needed. GapMap will

Characteristics of the Nursing Practice Environment Associated With Lower Unit-Level RN Turnover.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson-Brantley, Heather V; Park, Shin Hye; Bergquist-Beringer, Sandra

2018-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine characteristics of the nursing practice environment associated with lower RN turnover. Identifying characteristics of the practice environment that contribute to lower RN turnover is important for meeting the national quality strategy priority of reducing healthcare costs. Data from 1002 adult care units in 162 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators participating hospitals were analyzed using multivariate linear regression. The Practice Environment Scale of the Nursing Work Index was used to measure practice environment characteristics. RN turnover was measured at the unit level. Nursing units with higher overall ratings of the nursing practice environment had lower rates of RN turnover. Units with higher RN perceived staffing and resource adequacy experienced significantly lower RN turnover. Unit managers and hospital administrators should consider RN perception of staffing and resource adequacy and the overall practice environment when developing targeted strategies for decreasing RN turnover.

Strategic Human Resource Metrics: A Perspective of the General Systems Theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chux Gervase Iwu

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Measuring and quantifying strategic human resource outcomes in relation to key performance criteria is essential to developing value-adding metrics. Objectives This paper posits (using a general systems lens that strategic human resource metrics should interpret the relationship between attitudinal human resource outcomes and performance criteria such as profitability, quality or customer service. Approach Using the general systems model as underpinning theory, the study assesses the variation in response to a Likert type questionnaire with twenty-four (24 items measuring the major attitudinal dispositions of HRM outcomes (employee commitment, satisfaction, engagement and embeddedness. Results A Chi-square test (Chi-square test statistic = 54.898, p=0.173 showed that variation in responses to the attitudinal statements occurred due to chance. This was interpreted to mean that attitudinal human resource outcomes influence performance as a unit of system components. The neutral response was found to be associated with the ‘reject’ response than the ‘acceptance’ response. Value The study offers suggestion on the determination of strategic HR metrics and recommends the use of systems theory in HRM related studies. Implications This study provides another dimension to human resource metrics by arguing that strategic human resource metrics should measure the relationship between attitudinal human resource outcomes and performance using a systems perspective.

National uranium resource evaluation, NURE 1979: annual activity report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-03-01

NURE is a DOE-directed program with the major goal of establishing reliable and timely comprehensive estimates of the uranium resources of the nation. To develop and compile geologic, geophysical, and other information which will contribute to assessing the distribution and magnitude of uranium resources and to determine areas favorable for the occurrence of uranium in the United States, NURE has been organized into the following elements: (1) quadrangle evaluation; (2) aerial radiometric reconnaissance; (3) subsurface investigations; (4) hydrogeochemical and stream-sediment reconnaissance; (5) geologic studies; (6) technology applications; and (7) information dissemination. The extensive effort now under way on each of these NURE program elements will result in a systematic collection and compilation of data which will be culminating in a comprehensive report covering certain priority areas of the United States. This report summarizes the technical activities undertaken during 1979 to support this program

Barriers to sustainable water resources management : Case study in Omnogovi province, Mongolia

OpenAIRE

Enkhtsetseg, Mandukhai

2017-01-01

This study examines the barriers to sustainable water resources management in water vulnerable, yet a mining booming area. The case study is conducted in Omnogovi province of Mongolia in Nov-Dec 2016. This study presents how the Omnogovi province manages its water with increased mining and examines what hinders the province from practicing sustainable water resources management and examines the involvement of residents in the water resources management of Omnogovi province. Qualitative approa...

Forest owner representation of forest management and perception of resource efficiency: a structural equation modeling study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrej Ficko

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Underuse of nonindustrial private forests in developed countries has been interpreted mostly as a consequence of the prevailing noncommodity objectives of their owners. Recent empirical studies have indicated a correlation between the harvesting behavior of forest owners and the specific conceptualization of appropriate forest management described as "nonintervention" or "hands-off" management. We aimed to fill the huge gap in knowledge of social representations of forest management in Europe and are the first to be so rigorous in eliciting forest owner representations in Europe. We conducted 3099 telephone interviews with randomly selected forest owners in Slovenia, asking them whether they thought they managed their forest efficiently, what the possible reasons for underuse were, and what they understood by forest management. Building on social representations theory and applying a series of structural equation models, we tested the existence of three latent constructs of forest management and estimated whether and how much these constructs correlated to the perception of resource efficiency. Forest owners conceptualized forest management as a mixture of maintenance and ecosystem-centered and economics-centered management. None of the representations had a strong association with the perception of resource efficiency, nor could it be considered a factor preventing forest owners from cutting more. The underuse of wood resources was mostly because of biophysical constraints in the environment and not a deep-seated philosophical objection to harvesting. The difference between our findings and other empirical studies is primarily explained by historical differences in forestland ownership in different parts of Europe and the United States, the rising number of nonresidential owners, alternative lifestyle, and environmental protectionism, but also as a consequence of our high methodological rigor in testing the relationships between the constructs

Support Resources Demand Parameters - Aircraft. Revision A

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-15

Maintenance Squadron A- ST Advance Medium STOL Transport APU Auxillary Power Unit ASSY Assembly ATC Air Training Command AVG Average BAC Boeing Aerospace...entire study that will result in an organized and prioritized body of decision criteria and parameters that may be used by logistics managers, supervisors...technicians, and other decision makers in the process of predicting resource demand rates for operational and new emerging aircraft weapon systems

Exploring the Relationship of Outdoor Recreational Resources to Physical Inactivity, Obesity and Diabetes for the Continental United States

Science.gov (United States)

Background: Access to outdoor recreational resources is important for promoting healthy behavior and physical activity, which may decrease the risk of disease. To date, no study has examined the relationship between access to outdoor recreational resources (including protected l...

Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve: Geologic resources inventory report

Science.gov (United States)

Hults, Chad P.; Neal, Christina

2015-01-01

This GRI report is a companion document to previously completed GRI digital geologic map data. It was written for resource managers to support science-informed decision making. It may also be useful for interpretation. The report was prepared using available geologic information, and the NPS Geologic Resources Division conducted no new fieldwork in association with its preparation. Sections of the report discuss distinctive geologic features and processes within the park, highlight geologic issues facing resource managers, describe the geologic history leading to the present-day landscape, and provide information about the GRI geologic map data. A poster illustrates these data. The Map Unit Properties Table summarizes report content for each geologic map unit.

U.S. Hydropower Resource Assessment - California

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A. M. Conner; B. N. Rinehart; J. E. Francfort

1998-10-01

The U.S. Department of Energy is developing an estimate of the underdeveloped hydropower potential in the United States. For this purpose, the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory developed a computer model called Hydropower Evaluation Software (HES). HES measures the undeveloped hydropower resources available in the United States, using uniform criteria for measurement. The software was developed and tested using hydropower information and data provided by the Southwestern Power Administration. It is a menu-driven program that allows the personal computer user to assign environmental attributes to potential hydropower sites, calculate development suitability factors for each site based on the environmental attributes present, and generate reports based on these suitability factors. This report describes the resource assessment results for the State of California.

US Hydropower Resource Assessment for Massachusetts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Francfort, J.E.; Rinehart, B.N.

1995-07-01

The Department of Energy is developing an estimate of the undeveloped hydropower potential in the United States. The Hydropower Evaluation Software (HES) is a computer model that was developed by the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory for this purpose. The software measures the undeveloped hydropower resources available in the United States, using uniform criteria for measurement. The software was developed and tested using hydropower information and data provided by the Southwestern Power Administration. It is a menu-driven software program that allows the personal computer user to assign environmental attributes to potential hydropower sites, calculate development suitability factors for each site based on the environmental attributes present, and generate reports based on these suitability factors. This report details the resource assessment results for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Water Quality Instructional Resources Information System (IRIS): A Compilation of Abstracts to Water Quality and Water Resources Materials. Supplement 34, 1988.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH. Information Reference Center for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education.

The Environmental Quality Instructional Resources Center in Columbus, Ohio, acquires, reviews, indexes, and announces both print (books, modules, units, etc.) and non-print (films, slides, video tapes, etc.) materials related to water quality and water resources education and instruction. In addition some materials related to pesticides, hazardous…

Water Quality Instructional Resources Information System (IRIS): A Compilation of Abstracts to Water Quality and Water Resources Materials. Supplement 32, 1987.

Science.gov (United States)

Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH. Information Reference Center for Science, Mathematics, and Environmental Education.

The Environmental Quality Instructional Resources Center in Columbus, Ohio, acquires, reviews, indexes, and announces both print (books, modules, units, etc.) and non-print (films, slides, video tapes, etc.) materials related to water quality and water resources education and instruction. In addition some materials related to pesticides, hazardous…

Företaget Manchester United : En kontraktsekonomisk studie

OpenAIRE

Ellermann, Daniel; Lönnefelt, Hans

2004-01-01

Denna kontraktsekonomiska studie behandlar fotbollsklubben och företaget Manchester United, en av världens största och framgångsrika klubbar alla kategorier. Syftet med uppsatsen är att dels kartlägga Manchester Uniteds kontraktsnät, dels att begripliggöra de kontraktsrelationer som särskiljer Manchester United från vanliga nuvärdesmaximerande företag utifrån kontraktsekonomisk teori. Den ekonomiska teori som ihuvudsak används i uppsatsen är kontraktsekonomisk teori som innefattar teorier om...

Brazil - Raising the Quality of Public Spending and Resource Management in the Health Sector

OpenAIRE

Bernard Couttolenc; Gerard La Forgia; Yasuhiko Matsuda

2007-01-01

The report assesses how the processes of allocation, transfer, and utilization of resources are conducted at the different levels of the system. The study provides valuable information regarding the reality of the executing units of the system and how these relate to the central levels. It also seeks to identify problems related to financial flows, analyze how resources are used at the loc...

Analysis of development achievement of overseas resources and study of plans of system improvement (bituminous coal, general mineral resources)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hwang, J N [Korea Energy Economics Institute, Euiwang (Korea, Republic of)

1998-05-01

Development policy of overseas resources of Korea should be carried out as a part of long-term resources security policy that can prepare for the stable supply and demand of needed resources under the proper economic size and industrial structure. This study tried to search for the ways to promote overseas development of bituminous coal and, general mineral resources, and support them more effectively per field. For this, development achievements so far, domestic and foreign pending issues, and operation status of the support system are studied, analyzed, and the improvement plans are drafted per field. Financial support for overseas resources development should be more expanded than the present in the future. For this, the current collateral system centered on real right should be improved and financial support centered on the credit of enterprise should be reinforced. Besides, in the related tax support system, related tax laws and systems should be improved in order to alleviate the tax burden of business operators so that they can carry out the overseas resources development business with more advantageous conditions through the additive introduction of current deduction system of indirect payment tax. Since payback period of overseas resources development business tends to become long-term, it should be continuously carried out based on future-oriented development investment plan and will of more than twenty (20) years rather than on temporary development support plan based on short-term market trend. 25 refs., 73 tabs.

A Survey of K-12 Teachers' Utilization of Social Networks as a Professional Resource

Science.gov (United States)

Hunter, Leah J.; Hall, Cristin M.

2018-01-01

Teachers are increasingly using social networks, including social media and other Internet applications, to look for educational resources. This study shares results from a survey examining patterns of social network application use among K-12 teachers in the United States. A sample of 154 teachers (18 males, 136 females) in the United States…

Study of methanization resource and potential development in Aquitaine - Technical report. To keep on developing the methanization sector in the Dordogne district

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Priarollo, Jeremie; Michels, Julie; Jimenez, Julien

2015-05-01

This study aims at characterising territories of the Aquitaine region in terms of potential of development of individual, collective and territorial methanization units. The territory organic resource potential has first been assessed, and then combined with energetic outlets for biogas and outlets for digestates. A first phase aimed at providing a situational analysis of the methanization sector in the region. During a second phase, different resources of mobilisable organic wastes have been quantified, characterised and mapped at the district level in combination with energetic outlets (gas and heat) and digestate outlets. A third phase aimed at identifying and characterising areas of the different districts of the region displaying a methanization potential. After this report, a set of Power Point presentations is proposed which present this study under another form. Thus, these presentations contain graphs and data which illustrate these different aspects and issues: presentation of the different methanizable resources (quantitative results and maps), energy valorisation potential (co-generation and thermal outlets, injection into natural gas networks, definition and characterisation of areas displaying an interesting potential), presentation of a regional support arrangement (Methaqtion)

Remedial investigation/feasibility study work plan for the 100-BC-5 Operable Unit, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-04-01

Four areas of the Hanford Site (the 100, 200, 300 and 1100 Areas) have been included on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Figure 1-1 shows the location of these areas. Under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement, Ecology et al. 1990a), signed by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), EPA, and the US Department of Energy (DOE), more than 1,000 inactive waste disposal and unplanned release sites on the Hanford Site have been grouped into a number of source and groundwater operable units. These operable units contain contamination in the form of hazardous waste, radioactive/hazardous mixed waste and other CERCLA hazardous substances. Also included in the Tri-Party Agreement are 55 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) treatment, storage, or disposal (TSD) facilities that will be closed or permitted to operate in accordance with RCRA regulations, under the authority of Chapter 173-303 Washington Administrative Code (WAC). Some of the TSD facilities are included in the operable units. This work plant and the attached supporting project plans establish the operable unit setting and the objectives, procedures, tasks, and schedule for conducting the CERCLA remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) for the 100-BC-5 operable unit. The 100-B/C Area consists of the 100-BC-5 groundwater operable unit and four source operable units. The 100-BC-5 operable unit includes all contamination found in the aquifer soils and water beneath the 100-B/C Area. Source operable units include facilities and unplanned release sites that are potential sources of contamination

Assessing U.S. coal resources and reserves

Science.gov (United States)

Shaffer, Brian N.

2017-09-27

The U.S. Coal Resources and Reserves Assessment Project, as part of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Energy Resources Program, conducts systematic, geology-based, regional assessments of significant coal beds in major coal basins in the United States. These assessments detail the quantity, quality, location, and economic potential of the Nation’s remaining coal resources and reserves and provide objective scientific information that assists in the formulation of energy strategies, environmental policies, land-use management practices, and economic projections.

15 CFR 970.601 - Logical mining unit.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 15 Commerce and Foreign Trade 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Logical mining unit. 970.601 Section... ENVIRONMENTAL DATA SERVICE DEEP SEABED MINING REGULATIONS FOR EXPLORATION LICENSES Resource Development Concepts § 970.601 Logical mining unit. (a) In the case of an exploration license, a logical mining unit is an...

Decentering resources: a phenomenological study of interpretive pedagogies in patient education.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheckel, Martha; Hedrick-Erickson, Jennifer

2009-01-01

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to document an innovative approach to teaching patient education where RN-Bachelor of Science in Nursing students, through an online course, learned and applied the interpretive pedagogies in patient education. The online course was the educational intervention which laid the groundwork of the study. Data were then collected from 9 of 18 students who took the course and agreed to participate. Interviews were audiotaped face to face or by telephone and transcribed and interpreted for meanings. Two themes that emerged for teaching patient education included "Decentering Resources: Listening Through Questioning" and "Decentering Resources: Empowering Through Questioning." This study revealed that, as students learned the interpretive pedagogies, resources (brochures, handouts, videos, etc.) took on less importance in their patient education practice. They recognized how resources frequently impeded patient-nurse interactions in teaching and learning encounters. Once students understood that they were perhaps depending too much on resources, they began engaging in questioning practices where significant meanings of listening and empowering in patient education unfolded. This study encourages nurse educators to teach students interpretive pedagogies in patient education to promote pedagogical literacy, which preserves the time-honored tradition of working together with patients during teaching and learning encounters.

[Unit cost variation in a social security company in Querétaro, México].

Science.gov (United States)

Villarreal-Ríos, Enrique; Campos-Esparza, Maribel; Garza-Elizondo, María E; Martínez-González, Lidia; Núñez-Rocha, Georgina M; Romero-Islas, Nestor R

2006-01-01

Comparing unit cost variation between departments and reasons for consultation in outpatient health services provided by a social security company from Querétaro, Mexico. A study of costs (in US dollars) was carried out in outpatient health service units during 2004. Fixed unit costs were estimated per department and adjusted for one year's productivity. Material, physical and consumer resources were included. Weighting was assigned to resources invested in each department. Unit cost was estimated by using the micro cost technique; medicaments, materials used during treatment and reagents were considered to be consumer items. Unit cost resulted from adding fixed unit cost to the variable unit cost corresponding to the reason for consulting. Units costs were then compared between the medical units. Unit cost per month for diabetic treatment varied from 34.8 US dollars, 32,2 US dollars to US 34 US dollars, pap smear screening test costs were 7,2 US dollars, 8,7 US dollars and 7,3 US dollars and dental treatment 27 US dollars, 33 US dollars, 6 and 28,7 US dollars. Unit cost variation was more important in the emergency room and the dental service.

Exploration and Description of Faith-Based Health Resources: Findings Inform Advancing Holistic Health Care.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyess, Susan MacLeod

2015-01-01

It is important to use all holistic resource opportunities in communities, such as integrative healing centers, and mind-body-spirit approaches to health. These holistic approaches may be realized through nontraditional avenues, such as faith-based resources. This article reports on an exploratory study that describes faith-based resources supporting holistic health in a southeastern region of the United States. A working definition for "faith-based health resources" was "ecumenical and interfaith community-based, open-access health resources that include in mission for service a reference to faith." Excluded from the definition were institutional services from hospitals, focused social services from area agencies, and federally funded services.

1998 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study: The White Book

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

The Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study (White Book) is published annually by BPA and establishes the planning basis for supplying electricity to customers. It serves a dual purpose. First, the White Book presents projections of regional and Federal system load and resource capabilities, along with relevant definitions and explanations. Second, the White Book serves as a benchmark for annual BPA determinations made pursuant to the 1981 regional power sales contracts. Specifically, BPA uses the information in the White Book for determining the notice required when customers request to increase or decrease the amount of power purchased from BPA. The White Book compiles information obtained from several formalized resource planning reports and data submittals, including those from the Northwest Power Planning Council (Council) and the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC). The White Book is not an operational planning guide, nor is it used for inventory planning to determine BPA revenues. Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) is based on a set of criteria different from that used for resource planning decisions. Operational planning is dependent upon real-time or near-term knowledge of system conditions, including expectations of river flows and runoff, market opportunities, availability of reservoir storage, energy exchanges, and other factors affecting the dynamics of operating a power system. The 1998 White Book is presented in two documents: (1) this summary of Federal system and Pacific Northwest region loads and resources; and (2) a technical appendix detailing the loads and resources for each major Pacific Northwest generating utility. This analysis updates the December 1997 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study

1998 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study: The White Book.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1998-12-01

The Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study (White Book) is published annually by BPA and establishes the planning basis for supplying electricity to customers. It serves a dual purpose. First, the White Book presents projections of regional and Federal system load and resource capabilities, along with relevant definitions and explanations. Second, the White Book serves as a benchmark for annual BPA determinations made pursuant to the 1981 regional power sales contracts. Specifically, BPA uses the information in the White Book for determining the notice required when customers request to increase or decrease the amount of power purchased from BPA. The White Book compiles information obtained from several formalized resource planning reports and data submittals, including those from the Northwest Power Planning Council (Council) and the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC). The White Book is not an operational planning guide, nor is it used for inventory planning to determine BPA revenues. Operation of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) is based on a set of criteria different from that used for resource planning decisions. Operational planning is dependent upon real-time or near-term knowledge of system conditions, including expectations of river flows and runoff, market opportunities, availability of reservoir storage, energy exchanges, and other factors affecting the dynamics of operating a power system. The 1998 White Book is presented in two documents: (1) this summary of Federal system and Pacific Northwest region loads and resources; and (2) a technical appendix detailing the loads and resources for each major Pacific Northwest generating utility. This analysis updates the December 1997 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study.

22 CFR 1104.17 - Confidentiality of archaeological resource information.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 22 Foreign Relations 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 true Confidentiality of archaeological resource information. 1104.17 Section 1104.17 Foreign Relations INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY AND WATER COMMISSION, UNITED... of archaeological resource information. (a) The Commissioner shall not make available to the public...

NICU OUTCOME IN A LOW RESOURCE TEACHING HOSPITAL SETTING

OpenAIRE

Sunil; Adarsh; Sahana; Prema; Tamil; Purushotham; Rajanish; Sebastain

2013-01-01

OBJECTIVE : To study the mortality pattern in a level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU)in a low resource teaching hospital. METHODS : A retrospective study was conducted over a period of three years from January 2011 to December 2013. The medical records of all babies who died after being admitte d to the NICU were reviewed. Survival was defined as the discharge of a live infant from the hospital. Data regarding...

Hydrologic resources management program and underground test area operable unit fy 1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smith, D. F., LLNL

1998-05-01

This report present the results of FY 1997 technical studies conducted by the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) as part of the Hydrology and Radionuclide Migration Program (HRMP) and Underground Test Area Operable Unit (UGTA). The HRMP is sponsored by the US Department of Energy to assess the environmental (radiochemical and hydrologic) consequences of underground nuclear weapons testing at the Nevada Test Site.

Remedial investigation/feasibility study work plan for the 100-KR-1 operable unit, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-07-01

Four areas of the Hanford Site (the 100, 200, 300, and 1100 Areas) have been included on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Figure 1-1 shows the location of these areas. Under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement, Ecology et al. 1990a), signed by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), EPA, and the US Department of Energy (DOE), more than 1,000 inactive waste disposal and unplanned release sites on the Hanford Site have been grouped into a number of source and groundwater operable units. These operable units contain contamination in the form of hazardous waste, radioactive/hazardous mixed waste, and other CERCLA hazardous substances. Also included in the Tri-Party Agreement are 55 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) treatment, storage, or disposal (TSD) facilities that will be closed or permitted to operate in accordance with RCRA regulations, under the authority of Chapter 173-303 Washington Administrative Code (WAC). Some of the TSD facilities are included in the operable units. This work plan and the attached supporting project plans establish the objectives, procedures, tasks, and schedule for conducting the CERCLA remedial investigation/feasibility study (RI/FS) for the 100-KR-1 operable unit. The 100-KR-1 source operable unit is one of three source operable units in the 100-K Area. Source operable units include facilities and unplanned release sites that are potential sources of hazardous substance contamination

Water-resources activities, North Dakota District, Fiscal Year 1992

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Cathy R.

1993-01-01

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, is to provide the hydrologic information and understanding needed for the optimum utilization and management of the Nation's water resources for the overall benefit of the people of the United States. This report describes water-resources activities of the Water Resources Division in North Dakota in fiscal year 1992. Information on each project includes objectives, approach, progress, plans for fiscal year 1993, and completed and planned report products.

Bringing climate change into natural resource management: proceedings.

Science.gov (United States)

L. Joyce; R. Haynes; R. White; R.J. Barbour

2007-01-01

These are the proceedings of the 2005 workshop titled implications of bringing climate into natural resource management in the Western United States. This workshop was an attempt to further the dialogue among scientists, land managers, landowners, interested stakeholders and the public about how individuals are addressing climate change in natural resource management....

Application of random effects to the study of resource selection by animals.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillies, Cameron S; Hebblewhite, Mark; Nielsen, Scott E; Krawchuk, Meg A; Aldridge, Cameron L; Frair, Jacqueline L; Saher, D Joanne; Stevens, Cameron E; Jerde, Christopher L

2006-07-01

1. Resource selection estimated by logistic regression is used increasingly in studies to identify critical resources for animal populations and to predict species occurrence. 2. Most frequently, individual animals are monitored and pooled to estimate population-level effects without regard to group or individual-level variation. Pooling assumes that both observations and their errors are independent, and resource selection is constant given individual variation in resource availability. 3. Although researchers have identified ways to minimize autocorrelation, variation between individuals caused by differences in selection or available resources, including functional responses in resource selection, have not been well addressed. 4. Here we review random-effects models and their application to resource selection modelling to overcome these common limitations. We present a simple case study of an analysis of resource selection by grizzly bears in the foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains with and without random effects. 5. Both categorical and continuous variables in the grizzly bear model differed in interpretation, both in statistical significance and coefficient sign, depending on how a random effect was included. We used a simulation approach to clarify the application of random effects under three common situations for telemetry studies: (a) discrepancies in sample sizes among individuals; (b) differences among individuals in selection where availability is constant; and (c) differences in availability with and without a functional response in resource selection. 6. We found that random intercepts accounted for unbalanced sample designs, and models with random intercepts and coefficients improved model fit given the variation in selection among individuals and functional responses in selection. Our empirical example and simulations demonstrate how including random effects in resource selection models can aid interpretation and address difficult assumptions

Implications of Boy Scout group use of public lands for natural resource managers: a regional comparison

Science.gov (United States)

Gail A. Vander Stoep

1992-01-01

Resource managers can apply group-specific rather than generic communications and management strategies to different public land user groups. This study compares use patterns of one user group, Boy Scout troops, from two regions of the United States. It identifies their public land use patterns, activities, needs, and motivations. Results can be used by resource...

The new UN international framework classification for reserves/resources and its relation to uranium resource classification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barthel, F.H.; Kelter, D.

2001-01-01

Resources traditionally are classified according to the degree of geological confidence and economic attractiveness. Various names are in use to describe nationally the different resource categories. Commonly, proven, probable or A+B are terms for the category RESERVES, meaning the recoverable portion of a resource under prevailing economic conditions. Since 1965 uranium resources are classified by the Nuclear Energy Agency of OECD and International Atomic Energy Agency using the terms Reasonably Assured Resources (RAR) and Estimated Additional Resources (EAR) in combination with cost categories. The definitions for RAR and EAR have been refined over the time and cost categories have been adapted according to market developments. For practical purposes a comparison of RAR and EAR with major national classification systems is provided in each of the NEA-IAEA publication on 'Uranium Resources Production and Demand' (Red Book). RAR of uranium are defined as quantities recoverable at given production costs with proven mining and processing technology, commonly RAR of the lowest cost category are referred to as Reserves. In 1992 the Committee on Energy - Working Party on Coal of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) started to develop a new scheme for resource classification under the coordination of one of the authors (Kelter). The main purpose was to create an instrument permitting the classification of reserves and resources on an internationally consistent and uniform basis using market economic criteria. In April 1997 the UN/ECE approved the new 'United Nations International Framework Classification for Reserves/Resources-Solid Fuels and Mineral Commodities' at its 50th Anniversary Session. The new classification will enable the incorporation of national systems into an unified framework in order to make them compatible and comparable. Assistance will be given to economies in transition in reassessing their deposits according to market economy criteria and

Resource utilization in children with tuberous sclerosis complex and associated seizures: a retrospective chart review study.

Science.gov (United States)

Lennert, Barb; Farrelly, Eileen; Sacco, Patricia; Pira, Geraldine; Frost, Michael

2013-04-01

Seizures are a hallmark manifestation of tuberous sclerosis complex, yet data characterizing resource utilization are lacking. This retrospective chart review was performed to assess the economic burden of tuberous sclerosis complex with neurologic manifestations. Demographic and resource utilization data were collected for 95 patients for up to 5 years after tuberous sclerosis complex diagnosis. Mean age at diagnosis was 3.1 years, with complex partial and infantile spasms as the most common seizure types. In the first 5 years post-diagnosis, 83.2% required hospitalization, 30.5% underwent surgery, and the majority of patients (90.5%) underwent ≥3 testing procedures. In 79 patients with a full 5 years of data, hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays, diagnostic testing, and rehabilitation services decreased over the 5-year period. Resource utilization is cost-intensive in children with tuberous sclerosis complex and associated seizures during the first few years following diagnosis. Improving seizure control and reducing health care costs in this population remain unmet needs.

Measuring Resource Inequality: The Gini Coefficient

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael T. Catalano

2009-07-01

Full Text Available This paper stems from work done by the authors at the Mathematics for Social Justice Workshop held in June of 2007 at Middlebury College. We provide a description of the Gini coefficient and some discussion of how it can be used to promote quantitative literacy skills in mathematics courses. The Gini Coefficient was introduced in 1921 by Italian statistician Corrado Gini as a measure of inequality. It is defined as twice the area between two curves. One, the Lorenz curve for a given population with respect to a given resource, represents the cumulative percentage of the resource as a function of the cumulative percentage of the population that shares that percentage of the resource. The second curve is the line y = x which is the Lorenz curve for a population which shares the resource equally. The Gini coefficient can be interpreted as the percentage of inequality represented in the population with respect to the given resource. We propose that the Gini coefficient can be used to enhance students’ understanding of calculus concepts and provide practice for students in using both calculus and quantitative literacy skills. Our examples are based mainly on distribution of energy resources using publicly available data from the Energy Information Agency of the United States Government. For energy resources within the United States, we find that by household, the Gini coefficient is 0.346, while using the 51 data points represented by the states and Washington D.C., the Gini coefficient is 0.158. When we consider the countries of the world as a population of 210, the Gini coefficient is 0.670. We close with ideas for questions which can be posed to students and discussion of the experiences two other mathematics instructors have had incorporating the Gini coefficient into pre-calculus-level mathematics classes.

Innovative Approaches to Collaborative Groundwater Governance in the United States: Case Studies from Three High-Growth Regions in the Sun Belt

Science.gov (United States)

Megdal, Sharon B.; Gerlak, Andrea K.; Huang, Ling-Yee; Delano, Nathaniel; Varady, Robert G.; Petersen-Perlman, Jacob D.

2017-05-01

Groundwater is an increasingly important source of freshwater, especially where surface water resources are fully or over-allocated or becoming less reliable due to climate change. Groundwater reliance has created new challenges for sustainable management. This article examines how regional groundwater users coordinate and collaborate to manage shared groundwater resources, including attention to what drives collaboration. To identify and illustrate these facets, this article examines three geographically diverse cases of groundwater governance and management from the United States Sun Belt: Orange County Water District in southern California; Prescott Active Management Area in north-central Arizona; and the Central Florida Water Initiative in central Florida. These regions have different surface water laws, groundwater allocation and management laws and regulations, demographics, economics, topographies, and climate. These cases were selected because the Sun Belt faces similar pressures on groundwater due to historical and projected population growth and limited availability of usable surface water supplies. Collectively, they demonstrate groundwater governance trends in the United States, and illustrate distinctive features of regional groundwater management strategies. Our research shows how geophysical realities and state-level legislation have enabled and/or stimulated regions to develop groundwater management plans and strategies to address the specific issues associated with their groundwater resources. We find that litigation involvement and avoidance, along with the need to finance projects, are additional drivers of regional collaboration to manage groundwater. This case study underscores the importance of regionally coordinated and sustained efforts to address serious groundwater utilization challenges faced by the regions studied and around the world.

ANALYTICAL REVIEW OF ELECTRONIC RESOURCES FOR THE STUDY OF LATIN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Olena Yu. Balalaieva

2014-04-01

Full Text Available The article investigates the current state of development of e-learning content in the Latin language. It is noted that the introduction of ICT in the educational space has expanded the possibility of studying Latin, opened access to digital libraries resources, made it possible to use scientific and educational potential and teaching Latin best practices of world's leading universities. A review of foreign and Ukrainian information resources and electronic editions for the study of Latin is given. Much attention was paid to the didactic potential of local and online multimedia courses of Latin, electronic textbooks, workbooks of interactive tests and exercises, various dictionaries and software translators, databases and digital libraries. Based on analysis of the world market of educational services and products the main trends in the development of information resources and electronic books are examined. It was found that multimedia courses with interactive exercises or workbooks with interactive tests, online dictionaries and translators are the most widely represented and demanded. The noticeable lagging of Ukrainian education and computer linguistics in quantitative and qualitative measures in this industry is established. The obvious drawback of existing Ukrainian resources and electronic editions for the study of Latin is their noninteractive nature. The prospects of e-learning content in Latin in Ukraine are outlined.

[Pressure sores unit--a one year study].

Science.gov (United States)

Jaul, E

2001-10-01

The phenomenon of pressure sores in the elderly patient often requires an alternative management policy to that of the standard treatment. In general, the therapeutic approach to pressure sores in the elderly should be different to that in younger patients. This modification is due to the accompanying comorbidity so often associated with aging. Due to accompanying illnesses, the aging population is at high risk and more predisposed to the development of pressure sores. The importance of the establishment of a unit for pressure sores arises from the specific geriatric team approach to the patient and the need to focus carefully on the pressure sores. The management of this special Pressure Sores Unit with a permanent capable staff requires skilled treatment, both localized and systemic, since pressure sores are very often a result of systemic failure or an indication of a terminal condition in the elderly patient. Over six months we followed-up on the number and location of the pressure sores in 47 patients in addition to other functional and nutritional parameters, in order to investigate any connection between the pressure sores and nutritional parameters. The results of the study indicate that the nutritional state of the patients admitted for pressure sores was very poor. Two thirds of the patients suffered from either dementia or stroke, and 90 percent were bedridden, incontinent and enterally fed. Despite the poor general condition of the patient, the study shows improvement in the pressure sores with a reduction from an average of 2.8 to 1.8 pressure sores per patient. The improvement in the pressure sore located on the legs was three times greater than those located in the pelvic area. By the end of the study, 50% of the patients had died, 33% of the original patients who were still in the unit showed improvement in the pressure sores and 15% were discharged showing complete recovery from the sores. No significant correlation was found between changes in the

Generation of EST and Microarray Resources for Functional Genomic Studies on Chicken Intestinal Health

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hemert, van S.; Ebbelaar, B.H.; Smits, M.A.; Rebel, J.M.J.

2003-01-01

Expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) and microarray resources have a great impact on the ability to study host response in mice and humans. Unfortunately, these resources are not yet available for domestic farm animals. The aim of this study was to provide genomic resources to study chicken intestinal

1993 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study, Technical Appendix: Volume 2, Book 1, Energy.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1993-12-01

The 1993 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study establishes the Bonneville Power Administration`s (BPA) planning basis for supplying electricity to BPA customers. The Loads and Resources Study is presented in three documents: (1) this technical appendix detailing loads and resources for each major Pacific and Northwest generating utility, (2) a summary of Federal system and Pacific Northwest region loads and resources, and (3) a technical appendix detailing forecasted Pacific Northwest economic trends and loads. This analysis updates the 1992 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study Technical Appendix published in December 1992. This technical appendix provides utility-specific information that BPA uses in its long-range planning. It incorporates the following for each utility (1) Electrical demand firm loads; (2) Generating resources; and (3) Contracts both inside and outside the region. This document should be used in combination with the 1993 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study, published in December 1993, because much of the information in that document is not duplicated here.

Seeking optimal renal replacement therapy delivery in intensive care units.

Science.gov (United States)

Kocjan, Marinka; Brunet, Fabrice P

2010-01-01

Globally, critical care environments within health care organizations strive to provide optimal quality renal replacement therapy (RRT), an artificial replacement for lost kidney function. Examination of RRT delivery model literature and a case study review of the multidisciplinary-mixed RRT delivery model utilized within a closed medical surgical intensive care unit illustrates the organizational and clinical management of specialized resource and multidisciplinary roles. The successful utilization of a specific RRT delivery model is dependent upon resource availability.

Psychosocial safety climate moderates the job demand-resource interaction in predicting workgroup distress.

Science.gov (United States)

Dollard, Maureen F; Tuckey, Michelle R; Dormann, Christian

2012-03-01

Psychosocial safety climate (PSC) arises from workplace policies, practices, and procedures for the protection of worker psychological health and safety that are largely driven by management. Many work stress theories are based on the fundamental interaction hypothesis - that a high level of job demands (D) will lead to psychological distress and that this relationship will be offset when there are high job resources (R). However we proposed that this interaction really depends on the organizational context; in particular high levels of psychosocial safety climate will enable the safe utilization of resources to reduce demands. The study sample consisted of police constables from 23 police units (stations) with longitudinal survey responses at two time points separated by 14 months (Time 1, N=319, Time 2, N=139). We used hierarchical linear modeling to assess the effect of the proposed three-way interaction term (PSC×D×R) on change in workgroup distress variance over time. Specifically we confirmed the interaction between emotional demands and emotional resources (assessed at the individual level), in the context of unit psychosocial safety climate (aggregated individual data). As predicted, high emotional resources moderated the positive relationship between emotional demands and change in workgroup distress but only when there were high levels of unit psychosocial safety climate. Results were confirmed using a split-sample analysis. Results support psychosocial safety climate as a property of the organization and a target for higher order controls for reducing work stress. The 'right' climate enables resources to do their job. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multilevel selection in a resource-based model

Science.gov (United States)

Ferreira, Fernando Fagundes; Campos, Paulo R. A.

2013-07-01

In the present work we investigate the emergence of cooperation in a multilevel selection model that assumes limiting resources. Following the work by R. J. Requejo and J. Camacho [Phys. Rev. Lett.0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.108.038701 108, 038701 (2012)], the interaction among individuals is initially ruled by a prisoner's dilemma (PD) game. The payoff matrix may change, influenced by the resource availability, and hence may also evolve to a non-PD game. Furthermore, one assumes that the population is divided into groups, whose local dynamics is driven by the payoff matrix, whereas an intergroup competition results from the nonuniformity of the growth rate of groups. We study the probability that a single cooperator can invade and establish in a population initially dominated by defectors. Cooperation is strongly favored when group sizes are small. We observe the existence of a critical group size beyond which cooperation becomes counterselected. Although the critical size depends on the parameters of the model, it is seen that a saturation value for the critical group size is achieved. The results conform to the thought that the evolutionary history of life repeatedly involved transitions from smaller selective units to larger selective units.

Teaching and sharing about the Sun in the United States and with Spanish language resources

Science.gov (United States)

Peticolas, L. M.; Craig, N.; Hawkins, I.; Walker, C.

2007-05-01

The United States has many different scientific agencies that fund research on solar science, including the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). Because there is a large population of Spanish-speaking people in the US, some of the resources developed by the education components of research projects take into account broader cultural perspectives on science and are developed in Spanish. We will describe the education and outreach programs of three solar programs funded by NASA and NSF, the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) program, the "We Are One Under the Sun" Program, and the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) education program. The STEREO program aims to teach about the Sun through different venues including teacher workshops and courses, teacher materials, turning solar data from STEREO into sound, working with museums, and creating solar posters, CDs, DVDs, and lenticulars. The "We are One Under the Sun" program focuses on Native Americans and Hispanics of Native heritage. It works by merging culture, ancient observatories, and the latest NASA solar science to engage children, youth, and the general public in science and technology through solar traditions in their own indigenous culture. The NOAO Educational Outreach Program was established to make the science and scientists of NOAO more accessible to the K-12 and college-level communities. We will focus on the NOAO solar projects and Spanish-Language Astronomy Materials Educational Center program, which provides multiple types of Spanish- language materials for teachers. These programs have had different levels of outreach in Spanish-speaking countries, namely Mexico (STEREO and "We are One Under the Sun") and Chile (NOAO). We will describe these efforts and give links to the Spanish and English resources available to learn and teach about the Sun.

First steps of integrated spatial modeling of titanium, zirconium, and rare earth element resources within the Coastal Plain sediments of the southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Ellefsen, Karl J.; Van Gosen, Bradley S.; Fey, David L.; Budahn, James R.; Smith, Steven M.; Shah, Anjana K.

2015-01-01

The Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States has extensive, unconsolidated sedimentary deposits that are enriched in heavy minerals containing titanium, zirconium, and rare earth element resources. Areas favorable for exploration and development of these resources are being identified by geochemical data, which are supplemented with geological, geophysical, hydrological, and geographical data. The first steps of this analysis have been completed. The concentrations of lanthanum, yttrium, and titanium tend to decrease as distance from the Piedmont (which is the likely source of these resources) increases and are moderately correlated with airborne measurements of equivalent thorium concentration. The concentrations of lanthanum, yttrium, and titanium are relatively high in those watersheds that adjoin the Piedmont, south of the Cape Fear Arch. Although this relation suggests that the concentrations are related to the watersheds, it may be simply an independent regional trend. The concentration of zirconium is unrelated to the distance from the Piedmont, the equivalent thorium concentration, and the watershed. These findings establish a foundation for more sophisticated analyses using integrated spatial modeling.

Climate change implications for wind power resources in the Northwest United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sailor, David J.; Smith, Michael; Hart, Melissa

2008-01-01

Using statistically downscaled output from four general circulation models (GCMs), we have investigated scenarios of climate change impacts on wind power generation potential in a five-state region within the Northwest United States (Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming). All GCM simulations were extracted from the standardized set of runs created for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Analysis of model runs for the 20th century (20c3m) simulations revealed that the direct output of wind statistics from these models is of relatively poor quality compared with observations at airport weather stations within each state. When the GCM output was statistically downscaled, the resulting estimates of current climate wind statistics are substantially better. Furthermore, in looking at the GCM wind statistics for two IPCC future climate scenarios from the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES A1B and A2), there was significant disagreement in the direct model output from the four GCMs. When statistical downscaling was applied to the future climate simulations, a more coherent story unfolded related to the likely impact of climate change on the region's wind power resource. Specifically, the results suggest that summertime wind speeds in the Northwest may decrease by 5-10%, while wintertime wind speeds may decrease by relatively little, or possibly increase slightly. When these wind statistics are projected to typical turbine hub heights and nominal wind turbine power curves are applied, the impact of the climate change scenarios on wind power may be as high as a 40% reduction in summertime generation potential. (author)

Ozone Layer Research and Technical Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Access information on research and technical resources related to ozone layer science. This page provides links to research efforts led by organizations such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the United Nations Environment Program, an

Differences between resource control types revisited : A short term longitudinal study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Reijntjes, Albert|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/265818494; Vermande, Marjolijn|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/138483515; Olthof, Tjeert; Goossens, Frits A; Vink, Gerko|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/323348793; Aleva, Liesbeth|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/141299789; van der Meulen, Matty

2018-01-01

Hawley's influential resource control theory (RCT) posits that both coercive and prosocial strategies may yield social dominance, as indexed by resource control. Based on differences in youths’ relative use of these strategies, RCT a priori defines five distinct subtypes. Several studies by Hawley

Decentralizing Governance of Natural Resources in India: Lessons from the Case Study of Thanagazi Block, Alwar, Rajasthan, India - Comment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maria Costanza Torri

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Numerous countries have undergone decentralisation reforms in the management of natural resources. However, the policies implemented are often not applied in ways compatible with the democratic potential with which decentralisation is conceived. The paper analyses the issue of decentralisation in resource management, in Thanagazi block, Alwar District, Rajasthan. In this paper I present a case of community initiated decentralisation carried out through village organisations. The aim is to contrast it with the state initiated decentralisation system carried out through the local administrative unit, the Gram Panchayat. Some conclusive remarks will be made on the importance of promoting more inclusive and democratic institutions which take into account the local needs and priorities regarding the management of natural resources and development interventions.

Analysis of the key competitive advantage resources - the case of BRF Foods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacir Favretto

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship between organizational capabilities and the competitive performance of BRF Foods, using the Resource Based View method. It is a case study, developed in agribusiness with the controller of the BRF unit located in Concordia, Santa Catarina. A document analysis of sustainability and management reports was also conducted for the year 2014. It was found that technology, central planning of raw materials and centrally planned sales are considered valuable resources. Improvement of the usage conditions of natural resources (finite, through the reduction of water and energy consumption and programs for the sustainability of agriculture, pig farming and poultry farming are considered rare resources. Design, R & D, given technology, market vision and the existence of exclusive contract are difficult resources to imitate. Among the organizational resources, brand, structured distribution capacity, development of new products and market niches are particularly important.

The impact of market and organizational characteristics on nursing care facility service innovation: a resource dependency perspective.

Science.gov (United States)

Banaszak-Holl, J; Zinn, J S; Mor, V

1996-04-01

Using resource dependency theory as a conceptual framework, this study investigates both the organizational and environmental factors associated with an emerging health care service delivery innovation, the provision of specialty care in designated units in nursing care facilities. We consider two types of specialty units, Alzheimer's Disease and subacute care. The Medicare/Medicaid Automated Certification Survey (MMACS) data file was merged with local market area data obtained from the 1992 Area Resource File and with state level regulatory data. The likelihood of providing Alzheimer's Disease or subacute care in dedicated units was estimated by separate logistic regressions. Results indicate that facilities with fewer Medicare patients are more likely to operate a dedicated Alzheimer's care unit, while facilities located in markets with a large HMO population and greater hospital supply are more likely to operate a subacute care unit. While competition among nursing homes, for the most part, is an incentive to innovate, greater regulatory stringency appears to constrain the development of specialty care units of both types. Finally, organizational characteristics (e.g., size and proprietary status) appear to be important enabling factors influencing the propensity to provide specialty care in dedicated units. Nursing care facilities are moving toward providing specialty care units partly as a response to a growing demand by resource providers and to maintain a competitive edge in tighter markets. Loosening regulation directed at cost containment would further encourage the development of specialty care but should be preceded by some evaluation of population needs for specialty care and the effectiveness of specialty care units.

Development and human resources in the Islamic world: a study of selected countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Duza, M B

1987-01-01

"The present paper attempts to provide an analytical profile of development and human resources in [12] selected [Islamic] countries." The countries--Bangladesh, Somalia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, Turkey, Malaysia, Algeria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates--vary in income levels from low to high and in population size from 1 million to 159 million. Using data from the World Bank and the Population Council, comparisons are made on the basis of mortality and fertility levels, family size, income, urbanization, labor force size and growth, education, nutrition, and health. Governmental policy changes and future directions are discussed. excerpt

Geology and assessment of undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province, 2008

Science.gov (United States)

Klett, Timothy; Pitman, Janet K.; Moore, T.E.; Gautier, D.L.

2017-11-22

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently assessed the potential for undiscovered oil and gas resources of the Zyryanka Basin Province as part of the 2008 USGS Circum-Arctic Resource Appraisal program. The province is in the Russian Federation and is situated on the Omolon superterrane of the Kolyma block. The one assessment unit (AU) that was defined for this study, called the Zyryanka Basin AU, which coincides with the province, was assessed for undiscovered, technically recoverable, conventional resources. The estimated mean volumes of undiscovered resources in the Zyryanka Basin Province are ~72 million barrels of crude oil, 2,282 billion cubic feet of natural gas, and 61 million barrels of natural-gas liquids. About 66 percent of the study area and undiscovered petroleum resources are north of the Arctic Circle.

Ecological footprint accounting for energy and resource in China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, B.; Chen, G.Q.; Yang, Z.F.; Jiang, M.M.

2007-01-01

Resource consumption of the Chinese society from 1981 to 2001 is represented by ecological footprint (EF) as an aggregate indicator. The debate, advances and implications of EF are investigated in detail. EF intensity is also provided to depict the resource consumption level corresponding to unit economic output. The results show that the EF per capita always exceeded the biocapacity and the EF intensity increased steadily over the study period. In addition, sectoral analysis for each EF component is also conducted. The appropriation in the global ecological sense of Chinese society with the second largest energy consumption in the world is therefore quantified and evaluated

Explanatory Resources on Energy in High School Physics Classes: A Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

María Alejandra Domínguez

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This paper examines and reflects on the explanatory resources that are used in high school physics classes for studying the topic of energy. Explanatory resources are a means of constructing and negotiating meaning. The research is an instrumental case study focusing on four years of high school physics classes on energy. The theoretical principles of sociocultural approaches and conversation analysis are taken as benchmarks for understanding how we construct and reconstruct meanings (on energy. The identification of the resources used in the process of meaning construction is of importance for understanding certain scientific phenomena addressed in the curricula. Among the resources most commonly employed to enhance explanation were definitions and the causes of phenomena. We also found that teachers’ interventions, either through verbal explanations or instructional proposals, were crucial for certain kinds of explanations and for the presence or absence of other resources associated with explanations.

Nurse managers' decision-making in daily unit operation in peri-operative settings: a cross-sectional descriptive study.

Science.gov (United States)

Siirala, Eriikka; Peltonen, Laura-Maria; Lundgrén-Laine, Heljä; Salanterä, Sanna; Junttila, Kristiina

2016-09-01

To describe the tactical and the operational decisions made by nurse managers when managing the daily unit operation in peri-operative settings. Management is challenging as situations change rapidly and decisions are constantly made. Understanding decision-making in this complex environment helps to develop decision support systems to support nurse managers' operative and tactical decision-making. Descriptive cross-sectional design. Data were collected from 20 nurse managers with the think-aloud method during the busiest working hours and analysed using thematic content analysis. Nurse managers made over 700 decisions; either ad hoc (n = 289), near future (n = 268) or long-term (n = 187) by nature. Decisions were often made simultaneously with many interruptions. Ad hoc decisions covered staff allocation, ensuring adequate staff, rescheduling surgical procedures, confirmation tangible resources and following-up the daily unit operation. Decisions in the near future were: planning of surgical procedures and tangible resources, and planning staff allocation. Long-term decisions were: human recourses, nursing development, supplies and equipment, and finances in the unit. Decision-making was vulnerable to interruptions, which sometimes complicated the managing tasks. The results can be used when planning decision support systems and when defining the nurse managers' tasks in peri-operative settings. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

RCRA facility investigation/corrective measures study work plan for the 100-DR-1 operable unit, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-09-01

Four areas of the Hanford Site (the 100, 200, 300, and 1100 Areas) have been included on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order (Tri-Party Agreement, Ecology et. al. 1990a), signed by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), EPA, and the US Department of Energy (DOE), more than 1,000 inactive waste disposal and unplanned release sites on the Hanford Site have been grouped into a number of source and groundwater operable units. These operable units contain contamination in the form of hazardous waste, radioactive/hazardous mixed waste, and other CERCLA hazardous substances. Also included in the Tri-Party Agreement are 55 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) treatment, storage, or disposal (TSD) facilities that will be closed or permitted to operate in accordance with RCRA regulations. Some of the TSD facilities are included in the operable units. This work plan and the attached supporting project plans establish the operable unit setting and the objectives, procedures, tasks, and schedule for conducting the RCRA facility investigation/corrective measures study (RFI/CMS) for the 100-DR-1 source operable unit Source operable units include facilities and unplanned release sites that are potential sources of contamination

The Economics of an Admissions Holding Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Schreyer, Kraftin E; Martin, Richard

2017-06-01

With increasing attention to the actual cost of delivering care, return-on-investment calculations take on new significance. Boarded patients in the emergency department (ED) are harmful to clinical care and have significant financial opportunity costs. We hypothesize that investment in an admissions holding unit for admitted ED patients not only captures opportunity cost but also significantly lowers direct cost of care. This was a three-phase study at a busy urban teaching center with significant walkout rate. We first determined the true cost of maintaining a staffed ED bed for one patient-hour and compared it to alternative settings. The opportunity cost for patients leaving without being seen was then conservatively estimated. Lastly, a convenience sample of admitted patients boarding in the ED was observed continuously from one hour after decision-to-admit until physical departure from the ED to capture a record of every interaction with a nurse or physician. Personnel costs per patient bed-hour were $58.20 for the ED, $24.80 for an inpatient floor, $19.20 for the inpatient observation unit, and $10.40 for an admissions holding area. An eight-bed holding unit operating at practical capacity would free 57.4 hours of bed space in the ED and allow treatment of 20 additional patients. This could yield increased revenues of $27,796 per day and capture opportunity cost of $6.09 million over 219 days, in return for extra staffing costs of $218,650. Analysis of resources used for boarded patients was determined by continuous observation of a convenience sample of ED-boarded patients, which found near-zero interactions with both nursing and physicians during the boarding interval. Resource expense per ED bed-hour is more than twice that in non-critical care inpatient units. Despite the high cost of available resources, boarded non-critical patients receive virtually no nursing or physician attention. An admissions holding unit is remarkably effective in avoiding the

The Economics of an Admissions Holding Unit

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kraftin E. Schreyer

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: With increasing attention to the actual cost of delivering care, return-on-investment calculations take on new significance. Boarded patients in the emergency department (ED are harmful to clinical care and have significant financial opportunity costs. We hypothesize that investment in an admissions holding unit for admitted ED patients not only captures opportunity cost but also significantly lowers direct cost of care. Methods: This was a three-phase study at a busy urban teaching center with significant walkout rate. We first determined the true cost of maintaining a staffed ED bed for one patient-hour and compared it to alternative settings. The opportunity cost for patients leaving without being seen was then conservatively estimated. Lastly, a convenience sample of admitted patients boarding in the ED was observed continuously from one hour after decision-to-admit until physical departure from the ED to capture a record of every interaction with a nurse or physician. Results: Personnel costs per patient bed-hour were $58.20 for the ED, $24.80 for an inpatient floor, $19.20 for the inpatient observation unit, and $10.40 for an admissions holding area. An eight-bed holding unit operating at practical capacity would free 57.4 hours of bed space in the ED and allow treatment of 20 additional patients. This could yield increased revenues of $27,796 per day and capture opportunity cost of $6.09 million over 219 days, in return for extra staffing costs of $218,650. Analysis of resources used for boarded patients was determined by continuous observation of a convenience sample of ED-boarded patients, which found near-zero interactions with both nursing and physicians during the boarding interval. Conclusion: Resource expense per ED bed-hour is more than twice that in non-critical care inpatient units. Despite the high cost of available resources, boarded non-critical patients receive virtually no nursing or physician attention. An

Mineral resources of Slovakia, questions of classification and valuation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baláž Peter

1999-06-01

Full Text Available According to the Constitution of Slovak Republic, mineral resources of Slovakia are in the ownership of Slovak Republic. In 1997, 721 exclusive mineral deposits of mineral fuels, metals and industrial minerals were registered in Slovakia. The classification for economic and uneconomic reserves/resources requires an annual updating, concerning changes of market mineral prices and mine production costs. In terms of economic valuation of mineral resources, a new United Nations international classification for reserves/resources appears as a perspective alternative. Changes of geological and mining legislation are necessary for real valuation of Slovak mineral resources.

Global mineral resource assessment: porphyry copper assessment of Mexico: Chapter A in Global mineral resource assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Hammarstrom, Jane M.; Robinson, Gilpin R.; Ludington, Steve; Gray, Floyd; Drenth, Benjamin J.; Cendejas-Cruz, Francisco; Espinosa, Enrique; Pérez-Segura, Efrén; Valencia-Moreno, Martín; Rodríguez-Castañeda, José Luis; Vásquez-Mendoza, Rigobert; Zürcher, Lukas

2010-01-01

Mineral resource assessments provide a synthesis of available information about distributions of mineral deposits in the Earth’s crust. A probabilistic mineral resource assessment of undiscovered resources in porphyry copper deposits in Mexico was done as part of a global mineral resource assessment. The purpose of the study was to (1) delineate permissive areas (tracts) for undiscovered porphyry copper deposits within 1 km of the surface at a scale of 1:1,000,000; (2) provide a database of known porphyry copper deposits and significant prospects; (3) estimate numbers of undiscovered deposits within those permissive tracts; and (4) provide probabilistic estimates of amounts of copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), gold (Au), and silver (Ag) that could be contained in undiscovered deposits for each permissive tract. The assessment was conducted using a three-part form of mineral resource assessment based on mineral deposit models (Singer, 1993). Delineation of permissive tracts primarily was based on distributions of mapped igneous rocks related to magmatic arcs that formed in tectonic settings associated with subduction boundary zones. Using a GIS, map units were selected from digital geologic maps based on lithology and age to delineate twelve permissive tracts associated with Jurassic, Laramide (~90 to 34 Ma), and younger Tertiary magmatic arcs. Stream-sediment geochemistry, mapped alteration, regional aeromagnetic data, and exploration history were considered in conjunction with descriptive deposit models and grade and tonnage models to guide estimates.

Status of groundwater quality in the Southern, Middle, and Northern Sacramento Valley study units, 2005-08: California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, George L.; Fram, Miranda S.; Belitz, Kenneth

2011-01-01

Groundwater quality in the Southern, Middle, and Northern Sacramento Valley study units was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study units are located in California's Central Valley and include parts of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Placer, Sacramento, Shasta, Solano, Sutter, Tehama, Yolo, and Yuba Counties. The GAMA Priority Basin Project is being conducted by the California State Water Resources Control Board in collaboration with the U.S. Geological Survey and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. The three study units were designated to provide spatially-unbiased assessments of the quality of untreated groundwater in three parts of the Central Valley hydrogeologic province, as well as to provide a statistically consistent basis for comparing water quality regionally and statewide. Samples were collected in 2005 (Southern Sacramento Valley), 2006 (Middle Sacramento Valley), and 2007-08 (Northern Sacramento Valley). The GAMA studies in the Southern, Middle, and Northern Sacramento Valley were designed to provide statistically robust assessments of the quality of untreated groundwater in the primary aquifer systems that are used for drinking-water supply. The assessments are based on water-quality data collected by the USGS from 235 wells in the three study units in 2005-08, and water-quality data from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) database. The primary aquifer systems (hereinafter, referred to as primary aquifers) assessed in this study are defined by the depth intervals of the wells in the CDPH database for each study unit. The quality of groundwater in shallow or deep water-bearing zones may differ from quality of groundwater in the primary aquifers; shallow groundwater may be more vulnerable to contamination from the surface. The status of the current quality of the groundwater resource was assessed by using data from samples analyzed for volatile organic

Subsidiarity in Principle: Decentralization of Water Resources Management

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ryan Stoa

2014-05-01

Full Text Available The subsidiarity principle of water resources management suggests that water management and service delivery should take place at the lowest appropriate governance level. The principle is attractive for several reasons, primarily because: 1 the governance level can be reduced to reflect environmental characteristics, such as the hydrological borders of a watershed that would otherwise cross administrative boundaries; 2 decentralization promotes community and stakeholder engagement when decision-making is localized; 3 inefficiencies are reduced by eliminating reliance on central government bureaucracies and budgetary constraints; and 4 laws and institutions can be adapted to reflect localized conditions at a scale where integrated natural resources management and climate change adaptation is more focused. Accordingly, the principle of subsidiarity has been welcomed by many states committed to decentralized governance, integrated water resources management, and/or civic participation. However, applications of decentralization have not been uniform, and in some cases have produced frustrating outcomes for states and water resources. Successful decentralization strategies are heavily dependent on dedicated financial resources and human resource capacity. This article explores the nexus between the principle of subsidiarity and the enabling environment, in the hope of articulating factors likely to contribute to, or detract from, the success of decentralized water resources management. Case studies from Haiti, Rwanda, and the United States’ Florida Water Management Districts provide examples of the varied stages of decentralization.

Reciprocal Relationships between Job Resources, Personal Resources, and Work Engagement

Science.gov (United States)

Xanthopoulou, Despoina; Bakker, Arnold B.; Demerouti, Evangelia; Schaufeli, Wilmar B.

2009-01-01

This study examined longitudinal relationships between job resources, personal resources, and work engagement. On the basis of Conservation of Resources theory, we hypothesized that job resources, personal resources, and work engagement are reciprocal over time. The study was conducted among 163 employees, who were followed-up over a period of 18…

National forecast for geothermal resource exploration and development with techniques for policy analysis and resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cassel, T.A.V.; Shimamoto, G.T.; Amundsen, C.B.; Blair, P.D.; Finan, W.F.; Smith, M.R.; Edeistein, R.H.

1982-03-31

The backgrund, structure and use of modern forecasting methods for estimating the future development of geothermal energy in the United States are documented. The forecasting instrument may be divided into two sequential submodels. The first predicts the timing and quality of future geothermal resource discoveries from an underlying resource base. This resource base represents an expansion of the widely-publicized USGS Circular 790. The second submodel forecasts the rate and extent of utilization of geothermal resource discoveries. It is based on the joint investment behavior of resource developers and potential users as statistically determined from extensive industry interviews. It is concluded that geothermal resource development, especially for electric power development, will play an increasingly significant role in meeting US energy demands over the next 2 decades. Depending on the extent of R and D achievements in related areas of geosciences and technology, expected geothermal power development will reach between 7700 and 17300 Mwe by the year 2000. This represents between 8 and 18% of the expected electric energy demand (GWh) in western and northwestern states.

Feasibility study of NaOH regeneration in acid gas removal unit using membrane electrolysis

Science.gov (United States)

Taufany, Fadlilatul; Pratama, Alvian; Romzuddin, Muhammad

2017-05-01

The world's energy demand is increasing with the development of human civilization. Due to limited energy resource, after 2020 fossil fuels thus is predicted will be replaced by renewable resources. Taking an example, one of the potential renewable energy to be considered is biogas, as its high content of methane, which can be produced via the fermentation process of the organic compounds under controlled anaerobic environment by utilizing the methanogen bacteria. However, prior the further use, this biogas must be purified from its impurities contents, i.e. acid gas of CO2 and H2S, up to 4% and 16 ppmv, respectively, in the acid gas removal unit. This such of purification efforts, will significantly increase the higher heating value of biogas, approximately from 600 to 900 Btu/Scf. During the purification process in this acid gas removal unit, NaOH solution is used as a liquid absorbent to reduce those acid gases content, in which the by-product of alkali salt (brine) was produced as waste. Here we report the feasibility study of the NaOH regeneration process in acid gas removal unit via membrane electrolysis technology, in which both the technical and economic aspects are taken account. To be precise in procedure, the anode semi-cell was filled with the brine solution, while the cathode semi-cell was filled with demineralized water, and those electrodes were separated by the cation exchange membrane. Furthermore, the applied potential was varied ranging from 5, 10, 15 and to 20 V, while the concentration of KCl electrolyte solutions were varied ranging from 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, and to 0.03 M. This study was conducted under controlled temperatures of 30 and 50 °C. Here we found that the % sodium recovery was increased along with the applied potential, temperature, and the decrease in KCl electrolyte concentration. We found that the best results, by means of the highest % sodium recovery, i.e. 97.26 %, was achieved under the experimental condition of temperature at 30

Supporting Instruction By Defining Conceptual Relevance Of Materials: Alignment Of Resources To An Earth Systems Framework

Science.gov (United States)

Menicucci, A. J.; Bean, J. R.

2017-12-01

Environmental, geological, and climatological sciences are important facets of physical science education. However, it is often difficult for educators to acquire the necessary resources to facilitate content explanations, and demonstration of the conceptual links between individual lessons. The Understanding Global Change (UGC) Project at the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) at UC Berkeley is aligning new and existing Earth systems educational resources that are high-quality, interactive and inquiry based. Learning resources are organized by the UGC framework topics (Causes of Change, How the Earth System Works, and Measurable Changes), and focus on exploring topic relationships. Resources are currently aligned with both the UGC framework and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), facilitating broad utility among K-16 educators. The overarching goal of the UGC Project is to provide the necessary resources that guide the construction of coherent, interdisciplinary instructional units. These units can be reinforced through system models, providing visual learning scaffolds for assessments of student content knowledge. Utilizing the central framework of UGC alleviates the long-standing problem of creating coherent instructional units from multiple learning resources, each organized and categorized independently across multiple platforms that may not provide explicit connections among Earth science subjects UGC topic cross listing of learning modules establishes conceptual links. Each resource is linked across several Earth system components, facilitating exploration of relationships and feedbacks between processes. Cross listed topics are therefore useful for development of broad picture learning goals via targeted instructional units. We also anticipate cultivating summaries of the explicit conceptual links explored in each resource from both current teachers and content specialists. Insructional units currated and aligned under the UGC

Economical analysis and study on a solar desalination unit

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

of desalination unit and electrical power, the life time of solar desalination unit and the yearly yield of fresh water, on the cost of the fresh water production of the solar desalination unit are studied. It is helpful for the further investigation of solar desalination and for reducing the cost of fresh water...

1991 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study, Technical Appendix: Volume 1.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1992-03-01

This publication provides detailed documentation of the load forecast scenarios and assumptions used in preparing BPA's 1991 Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study (the Study). This is one of two technical appendices to the Study; the other appendix details the utility-specific loads and resources used in the Study. The load forecasts and assumption were developed jointly by Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and Northwest Power Planning Council (Council) staff. This forecast is also used in the Council's 1991 Northwest Conservation and Electric Power Plan (1991 Plan).

Environmental setting and factors that affect water quality in the Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain study unit

Science.gov (United States)

Berndt, M.P.; Oaksford, E.T.; Darst, M.R.; Marella, R.L.

1996-01-01

The Georgia-Florida Coastal Plain study unit covers an area of nearly 62,000 square miles in the southeastern United States, mostly in the Coastal Plain physiographic province. Land resource provinces have been designated based on generalized soil classifications. Land resource provinces in the study area include: the Coastal Flatwoods, the Southern Coastal Plain, the Central Florida Ridge, the Sand Hills, and the Southern Piedmont. The study area includes all or parts of seven hydrologic subregions: the Ogeechee-Savannah, the Altamaha- St.Marys, the Suwannee, the Ochlockonee, the St. Johns, the Peace-Tampa Bay, and the Southern Florida. The primary source of water for public supply in the study area is ground water from the Upper Floridan aquifer. In 1990, more than 90 percent of the 2,888 million gallons per day of ground water used came from this aquifer. The population of the study area was 9.3 million in 1990. The cities of Jacksonville, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee, and Tampa, Florida, and parts of Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia, are located in the study area. Forest and agricultural areas are the most common land uses in the study area, accounting for 48 percent and 25 percent of the study area, respectively. Climatic conditions range from temperate in Atlanta, Georgia, where mean annual temperature is about 61.3 degrees Fahrenheit, to subtropical in Tampa, Florida, where mean annual temperature is about 72.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Long-term average precipitation (1961-90) ranges from 43.9 inches per year in Tampa, Florida, and 44.6 in Macon, Georgia, to 65.7 inches per year in Tallahassee, Florida. Floods in the study area result from frontal systems, hurricanes, tropical storms, or severe thunderstorms. Droughts are not common in the study area,especially in the Florida part of the study area due to extensive maritime exposure. The primary physical and cultural characteristics in the study area include physiography, soils and land resource provinces

US Coast Guard national spill response resource inventory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Giraitis, D.M.

1993-01-01

The Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA 90) mandated the establishment of a National Response Unit, now renamed the National Strike Force Coordination Center (NSFCC). Among the duties OPA 90 assigned to this new Coast Guard unit was to compile and maintain a comprehensive list of spill removal resources, personnel, and equipment that is available to Federal and State agencies and to the public. The Coast Guard's Research and Development Center has been developing this project, the Response Resource Inventory (RRI), for one year. The RRI is expected to be operational, with resource data from industry in the data base, by the time of the International Oil Spill Conference in March 1993. The RRI will contain data on skimmers, specialized oil recovery vessels, oil/water separators, dispersants and delivery systems, etc. Previous attempts to maintain a national data base of these response resources, including an earlier Coast Guard system called the Spill Cleanup Equipment Inventory System (SKIM), fell into disuse for a number of reasons. Inaccuracies caused by inadvertent double counting of equipment and outdated information coupled with difficulties in accessing the information were common shortfalls of early systems. During the development of the RRI, user-group meetings were held to determine system requirements and study the failures of previous systems. Methods of obtaining and entering data were a major concern during RRI development. A data collection system that supplies the resource holder with a DOS-formatted diskette containing a collection program will be used. The program will make extensive use of pick lists to minimize the data entry burden on the resource holder and maintain standard entries. When the program is completed, the diskette will be mailed to the NSFCC, where the data will be transferred quickly to the RRI data base. Easy access to the data for the public and industry will be afforded mainly through a computer bulletin board

Water-resources activities, North Dakota District, fiscal year 1994-95

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Cathy R.

1995-01-01

The mission of the U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division, is to provide the hydrologic information and understanding needed for the optimum utilization and management of the Nation's water resources for the overall benefit of the people of the United States. This report describes water-resources activities of the Water Resources Division in North Dakota in fiscal year 1994. Information on each project includes objectives, approach, progress, plans for fiscal year 1995, and completed and planned report products.

A study on the utilization of serial resources in selected tertiary ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A study on the utilization of serial resources in selected tertiary institutions in Ogun State. ... Lagos Journal of Library and Information Science ... Serial resources are publications either in printed form or electronic format issued in successive parts usually having numerical or chronological designations and intended to be ...

Status and understanding of groundwater quality in the North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer study unit, 2012; California GAMA Priority Basin Project (ver. 1.1, February 2018)

Science.gov (United States)

Bennett, George L.

2017-07-20

Groundwater quality in the North San Francisco Bay Shallow Aquifer study unit (NSF-SA) was investigated as part of the Priority Basin Project of the California Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) Program. The study unit is in Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Solano, and Sonoma Counties and included two physiographic study areas: the Valleys and Plains area and the surrounding Highlands area. The NSF-SA focused on groundwater resources used for domestic drinking water supply, which generally correspond to shallower parts of aquifer systems than that of groundwater resources used for public drinking water supply in the same area. The assessments characterized the quality of untreated groundwater, not the quality of drinking water.This study included three components: (1) a status assessment, which characterized the status of the quality of the groundwater resources used for domestic supply for 2012; (2) an understanding assessment, which evaluated the natural and human factors potentially affecting water quality in those resources; and (3) a comparison between the groundwater resources used for domestic supply and those used for public supply.The status assessment was based on data collected from 71 sites sampled by the U.S. Geological Survey for the GAMA Priority Basin Project in 2012. To provide context, concentrations of constituents measured in groundwater were compared to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and California State Water Resources Control Board Division of Drinking Water regulatory and non-regulatory benchmarks for drinking-water quality. The status assessment used a grid-based method to estimate the proportion of the groundwater resources that has concentrations of water-quality constituents approaching or above benchmark concentrations. This method provides statistically unbiased results at the study-area scale and permits comparisons to other GAMA Priority Basin Project study areas.In the NSF-SA study unit as a whole, inorganic

The daily cost of ICU patients: A micro-costing study in 23 French Intensive Care Units.

Science.gov (United States)

Lefrant, Jean-Yves; Garrigues, Bernard; Pribil, Céline; Bardoulat, Isabelle; Courtial, Frédéric; Maurel, Frédérique; Bazin, Jean-Étienne

2015-06-01

To estimate the daily cost of intensive care unit (ICU) stays via micro-costing. A multicentre, prospective, observational, cost analysis study was carried out among 21 out of 23 French ICUs randomly selected from French National Hospitals. Each ICU randomly enrolled 5 admitted adult patients with a simplified acute physiology II score ≥ 15 and with at least one major intensive care medical procedure. All health-care human resources used by each patient over a 24-hour period were recorded, as well as all medications, laboratory analyses, investigations, tests, consumables and administrative expenses. All resource costs were estimated from the hospital's perspective (reference year 2009) based on unitary cost data. One hundred and four patients were included (mean age: 62.3 ± 14.9 years, mean SAPS II: 51.5 ± 16.1, mean SOFA on the study day: 6.9 ± 4.3). Over 24 hours, 29 to 186 interventions per patient were performed by different caregivers, leading to a mean total time spent for patient care of 13:32 ± 05:00 h. The total daily cost per patient was € 1425 ± € 520 (95% CI = € 1323 to € 1526). ICU human resources represented 43% of total daily cost. Patient-dependent expenses (€ 842 ± € 521) represented 59% of the total daily cost. The total daily cost was correlated with the daily SOFA score (r = 0.271, P = 0.006) and the bedside-time given by caregivers (r = 0.716, P average cost of one day of ICU care in French National Hospitals is strongly correlated with the duration of bedside-care carried out by human resources. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

7 CFR 600.9 - Major land resource area soil survey offices.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 6 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Major land resource area soil survey offices. 600.9 Section 600.9 Agriculture Regulations of the Department of Agriculture (Continued) NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SERVICE, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE GENERAL ORGANIZATION § 600.9 Major land resource area soil survey offices. The United States is divide...

Associations among unit leadership and unit climates for implementation in acute care: a cross-sectional study.

Science.gov (United States)

Shuman, Clayton J; Liu, Xuefeng; Aebersold, Michelle L; Tschannen, Dana; Banaszak-Holl, Jane; Titler, Marita G

2018-04-25

Nurse managers have a pivotal role in fostering unit climates supportive of implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) in care delivery. EBP leadership behaviors and competencies of nurse managers and their impact on practice climates are widely overlooked in implementation science. The purpose of this study was to examine the contributions of nurse manager EBP leadership behaviors and nurse manager EBP competencies in explaining unit climates for EBP implementation in adult medical-surgical units. A multi-site, multi-unit cross-sectional research design was used to recruit the sample of 24 nurse managers and 553 randomly selected staff nurses from 24 adult medical-surgical units from 7 acute care hospitals in the Northeast and Midwestern USA. Staff nurse perceptions of nurse manager EBP leadership behaviors and unit climates for EBP implementation were measured using the Implementation Leadership Scale and Implementation Climate Scale, respectively. EBP competencies of nurse managers were measured using the Nurse Manager EBP Competency Scale. Participants were emailed a link to an electronic questionnaire and asked to respond within 1 month. The contributions of nurse manager EBP leadership behaviors and competencies in explaining unit climates for EBP implementation were estimated using mixed-effects models controlling for nurse education and years of experience on current unit and accounting for the variability across hospitals and units. Significance level was set at α < .05. Two hundred sixty-four staff nurses and 22 nurse managers were included in the final sample, representing 22 units in 7 hospitals. Nurse manager EBP leadership behaviors (p < .001) and EBP competency (p = .008) explained 52.4% of marginal variance in unit climate for EBP implementation. Leadership behaviors uniquely explained 45.2% variance. The variance accounted for by the random intercepts for hospitals and units (p < .001) and years of nursing experience in current unit

Geothermal resource utilization: paper and cane sugar industries. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hornburg, C.D.; Morin, O.J.

1975-03-01

This study was made as a specific contribution to an overall report by the United States in the area of industrial utilization of geothermal resources. This is part of an overall study in non-electrical uses of geothermal resources for a sub-committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. This study was restricted to the geopressured zone along the Northern Gulf of Mexico Coast. Also, it was limited to utilizing the thermal energy of this ''geoenergy'' resource for process use in the Pulp and Paper Industry and Cane Sugar Industry. For the selected industries and resource area, this report sets forth energy requirements; identifies specific plant and sites; includes diagrams of main processes used; describes process and equipment modifications required; describes energy recovery systems; sets forth waste disposal schemes and problems; and establishes the economics involved. The scope of work included considerable data collection, analysis and documentation. Detailed technical work was done concerning existing processes and modifications to effectively utilize geothermal energy. A brief survey was made of other industries to determine which of these has a high potential for utilizing geothermal energy.

Developing an efficient scheduling template of a chemotherapy treatment unit: A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmed, Z; Elmekkawy, Ty; Bates, S

2011-01-01

This study was undertaken to improve the performance of a Chemotherapy Treatment Unit by increasing the throughput and reducing the average patient's waiting time. In order to achieve this objective, a scheduling template has been built. The scheduling template is a simple tool that can be used to schedule patients' arrival to the clinic. A simulation model of this system was built and several scenarios, that target match the arrival pattern of the patients and resources availability, were designed and evaluated. After performing detailed analysis, one scenario provide the best system's performance. A scheduling template has been developed based on this scenario. After implementing the new scheduling template, 22.5% more patients can be served. 1. CancerCare Manitoba is a provincially mandated cancer care agency. It is dedicated to provide quality care to those who have been diagnosed and are living with cancer. MacCharles Chemotherapy unit is specially built to provide chemotherapy treatment to the cancer patients of Winnipeg. In order to maintain an excellent service, it tries to ensure that patients get their treatment in a timely manner. It is challenging to maintain that goal because of the lack of a proper roster, the workload distribution and inefficient resource allotment. In order to maintain the satisfaction of the patients and the healthcare providers, by serving the maximum number of patients in a timely manner, it is necessary to develop an efficient scheduling template that matches the required demand with the availability of resources. This goal can be reached using simulation modelling. Simulation has proven to be an excellent modelling tool. It can be defined as building computer models that represent real world or hypothetical systems, and hence experimenting with these models to study system behaviour under different scenarios.1, 2 A study was undertaken at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario to identify the issues behind the long waiting

SERI Solar Radiation Resource Assessment Project: Fiscal Year 1990 Annual Progress Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Riordan, C; Maxwell, E; Stoffel, T; Rymes, M; Wilcox, S

1991-07-01

The purpose of the Solar Radiation Resource Project is to help meet the needs of the public, government, industry, and utilities for solar radiation data, models, and assessments as required to develop, design, deploy, and operate solar energy conversion systems. The project scientists produce information on the spatial (geographic), temporal (hourly, daily, and seasonal), and spectral (wavelength distribution) variability of solar radiation at different locations in the United States. Resources committed to the project in FY 1990 supported about four staff members, including part-time administrative support. With these resources, the staff must concentrate on solar radiation resource assessment in the United States; funds do not allow for significant efforts to respond to a common need for improved worldwide data. 34 refs., 21 figs., 6 tabs.

Creating a Library of Climate Change Education Resources for Audiences in the Southeast United States

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, J.; McNeal, K. S.; Williams, C. C.; Paz, J. O.; Cho, H. "; Nair, U. S.; Geroux, J.; Guthrie, C.; Wright, K.; Hill, J.

2011-12-01

The Climate Literacy Partnership in the Southeast (CLiPSE) is a part of the Climate Change Education Program supported by the National Science Foundation (http://CLiPSE-project.org). The established CLiPSE partnership is dedicated to improving climate literacy in the southeast and promoting scientifically accurate, formal educational resources for the K-12 classroom audience, as well as informal educational resources for audiences such as agriculture, education, leisure, and religious organizations, to name a few. The CLiPSE project has been successful in creating partnerships with the National Geographic Alliances, Departments of Education, and Mississippi Environmental Education Alliance, among others, to determine an effective strategic plan for reaching K-12 audiences. One goal in the strategic plan is to create a catalog of climate change education resources that are aligned to state standards in the SE. Eighty-seven resources from the Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness Network (http://cleanet.org) have been aligned with the state education standards for grades six through twelve in the southeast, beginning with science in Mississippi and expanding to include science and math in the remaining SE states. The criteria for aligning the existing resources includes: matching key terms, topics, and lesson activities with the content strands and essential skills included in the state science framework. By developing a searchable database containing climate resources already aligned with state standards, CLiPSE will have made these resources more appealing to educators in the SE, increasing the likelihood of resources being implemented in the classroom. The CLiPSE Climate Science Team has also created an inventory of scientifically sound, informal resources, which will be available for dispersion to appropriate audiences and communities. Cataloged resources, both formal and informal, grouped by a variety of means, to include audience, grade level, and resource

Material flow cost accounting as a tool for improved resource efficiency in the hotel sector: A case of emerging market

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Celani John Nyide

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA is one of the Environmental Management Accounting (EMA tools that has been developed to enable environmentally and economically efficient material usage and thus improve resource efficiency. However, the use of this tool to improve resource efficiency in the South African hotel sector remains unknown. An exploratory study, qualitative in nature, was conducted using a single case study with embedded units approach. A Hotel Management Group that met the selection criteria formed part of this study. In-depth interviews were conducted with 10 participants and additional documents were analysed. The investigated hotels have developed technologies that provide an environmental account in both physical and monetary units which constitute the use of MFCA to improve resource efficiencies. However, the study established a number of factors that affect the implementation of MFCA by the hotel sector in a South African context

Health care aides use of time in a residential long-term care unit: a time and motion study.

Science.gov (United States)

Mallidou, Anastasia A; Cummings, Greta G; Schalm, Corinne; Estabrooks, Carole A

2013-09-01

Organizational resources such as caregiver time use with older adults in residential long-term care facilities (nursing homes) have not been extensively studied, while levels of nurse staffing and staffing-mix are the focus of many publications on all types of healthcare organizations. Evidence shows that front-line caregivers' sufficient working time with residents is associated with performance, excellence, comprehensive care, quality of outcomes (e.g., reductions in pressure ulcers, urinary tract infections, and falls), quality of life, cost savings, and may be affiliated with transformation of organizational culture. To explore organizational resources in a long-term care unit within a multilevel residential facility, to measure healthcare aides' use of time with residents, and to describe working environment and unit culture. An observational pilot study was conducted in a Canadian urban 52-bed long-term care unit within a faith-based residential multilevel care facility. A convenience sample of seven healthcare aides consented to participate. To collect the data, we used an observational sheet (to monitor caregiver time use on certain activities such as personal care, assisting with eating, socializing, helping residents to be involved in therapeutic activities, paperwork, networking, personal time, and others), semi-structured interview (to assess caregiver perceptions of their working environment), and field notes (to illustrate the unit culture). Three hundred and eighty seven hours of observation were completed. The findings indicate that healthcare aides spent most of their working time (on an eight-hour day-shift) in "personal care" (52%) and in "other" activities (23%). One-to-three minute activities consumed about 35% of the time spent in personal care and 20% of time spent in assisting with eating. Overall, caregivers' time spent socializing was less than 1%, about 6% in networking, and less than 4% in paperwork. Re-organizing healthcare aides

Assessment report on uranium in the United States of America

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-10-01

Assessment of the uranium resources in the United States as of October 1, 1980, indicates a range of reserves, in mean values, from 645 thousand tons of U 3 O 8 (in the $30 per pound of U 3 O 8 cost category) to 1.122 million tons (in the $100 per pound of U 3 O 8 category). Ranges of potential resources are also shown for the same cost categories: from 885 thousand to over 2 million tons of U 3 O 8 in the probable class; 346 thousand to over 1 million tons in the possible class; and 311 thousand to nearly 700 thousand tons in the speculative class. There are an estimated 140 thousand tons of U 3 O 8 that could be recovered as a byproduct of phosphate and copper mining through the year 2009. Production capability studies indicate that the demand could be satisfied from currently estimated resources if there is a transition from current production of lower cost resources to production from the $50 per pound of U 3 O 8 resources by the mid 1990s. If, due to foreign competition or other market forces, production incentives are not maintained, domestic production potential will not be realized, and the United States could become dependent on foreign sources for much of its U 3 O 8

Study the impact of rainfall on the United Arab Emirates dams using remote sensing and image processing techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Al Marzouqi, Fatima A.; Al Besher, Shaikha A.; Al Mansoori, Saeed H.

2017-10-01

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has given great attention to the environment and sustainable development through applications of best practices of global standards that ensure optimal investment in natural resources. Since the UAE is located in an arid region which is known as dry, sandy and get a small amount of rainfall, thus the water resources are limited and accordingly, the government has initiated an integrated water resources management (IWRM) strategy to meet the increasing demands of water. Dams are considered as one of the important strategies that are suitable for this arid region. An event of rainfall if between heavy to severe in a short duration could cause flash floods and damages to population centers and areas of agriculture nearby. To prevent that from happening, several dams and barriers were built to protect human life and infrastructure. Besides contribution to enhance the water resources and use them optimally to irrigate the growing agricultural areas across the country. Geographically, most of the dams were located in the northern and eastern part of the UAE, around mountainous areas. This study aims to monitor the changes that occurred to five dams of the north-eastern region of the UAE during 2015 and 2016 through the use of remote sensing technology of optical images captured by "DubaiSat-2". The segmentation approach utilized in this study is based on a band ratio technique called Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI). The experimental results revealed that the proposed approach is efficient in detecting dams from multispectral satellite images.

Evaluating Educational Resources for Inclusion in the Dig Texas Instructional Blueprints for Earth & Space Science

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, B. E.; Bohls-Graham, E.; Martinez, A. O.; Ellins, K. K.; Riggs, E. M.; Serpa, L. F.; Stocks, E.; Fox, S.; Kent, M.

2014-12-01

Today's instruction in Earth's systems requires thoughtful selection of curricula, and in turn, high quality learning activities that address modern Earth science. The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), which are intended to guide K-12 science instruction, further demand a discriminating selection process. The DIG (Diversity & Innovation in Geoscience) Texas Instructional Blueprints attempt to fulfill this practice by compiling vetted educational resources freely available online into units that are the building blocks of the blueprints. Each blueprint is composed of 9 three-week teaching units and serves as a scope and sequence for teaching a one-year Earth science course. In the earliest stages of the project, teams explored the Internet for classroom-worthy resources, including laboratory investigations, videos, visualizations, and readings, and submitted the educational resources deemed suitable for the project into the project's online review tool. Each team member evaluated the educational resources chosen by fellow team members according to a set of predetermined criteria that had been incorporated into the review tool. Resources rated as very good or excellent by all team members were submitted to the project PIs for approval. At this stage, approved resources became candidates for inclusion in the blueprint units. Team members tagged approved resources with descriptors for the type of resource and instructional strategy, and aligned these to the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Earth and Space Science and the Earth Science Literacy Principles. Each team then assembled and sequenced resources according to content strand, balancing the types of learning experiences within each unit. Once units were packaged, teams then considered how they addressed the NGSS and identified the relevant disciplinary core ideas, crosscutting concepts, and science and engineering practices. In addition to providing a brief overview of the project, this

Stressors and coping resources of Australian kidney transplant recipients related to medication taking: a qualitative study.

Science.gov (United States)

Low, Jac Kee; Crawford, Kimberley; Manias, Elizabeth; Williams, Allison

2017-06-01

To understand the stressors related to life post kidney transplantation, with a focus on medication adherence, and the coping resources people use to deal with these stressors. Although kidney transplantation offers enhanced quality and years of life for patients, the management of a kidney transplant post surgery is a complex process. A descriptive exploratory study. Participants were recruited from five kidney transplant units in Victoria, Australia. From March-May 2014, patients who had either maintained their kidney transplant for ≥8 months or had experienced a kidney graft loss due to medication nonadherence were interviewed. All audio-recordings of interviews were transcribed verbatim and underwent Ritchie and Spencer's framework analysis. Participants consisted of 15 men and 10 women aged 26-72 years old. All identified themes were categorised into: (1) Causes of distress and (2) Coping resources. Post kidney transplantation, causes of distress included the regimented routine necessary for graft maintenance, and the everlasting fear of potential graft rejection, contracting infections and developing cancer. Coping resources used to manage the stressors were first, a shift in perspective about how easy it was to manage a kidney transplant than to be dialysis-dependent and second, receiving external help from fellow patients, family members and health care professionals in addition to using electronic reminders. An individual well-equipped with coping resources is able to deal with stressors better. It is recommended that changes, such as providing regular reminders about the lifestyle benefits of kidney transplantation, creating opportunities for patients to share their experiences and promoting the usage of a reminder alarm to take medications, will reduce the stress of managing a kidney transplant. Using these findings to make informed changes to the usual care of a kidney transplant recipient is likely to result in better patient outcomes. © 2016 John

Analytical Study of Usage of Electronic Information Resources at Pharmacopoeial Libraries in India

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sunil Tyagi

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study is to know the rate and purpose of the use of e-resource by the scientists at pharmacopoeial libraries in India. Among other things, this study examined the preferences of the scientists toward printed books and journals, electronic information resources, and pattern of using e-resources. Non-probability sampling specially accidental and purposive technique was applied in the collection of primary data through administration of user questionnaire. The sample respondents chosen for the study consists of principle scientific officer, senior scientific officer, scientific officer, and scientific assistant of different division of the laboratories, namely, research and development, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacovigilance, pharmacology, pharmacogonosy, and microbiology. The findings of the study reveal the personal experiences and perceptions they have had on practice and research activity using e-resource. The major findings indicate that of the total anticipated participants, 78% indicated that they perceived the ability to use computer for electronic information resources. The data analysis shows that all the scientists belonging to the pharmacopoeial libraries used electronic information resources to address issues relating to drug indexes and compendia, monographs, drugs obtained through online databases, e-journals, and the Internet sources—especially polices by regulatory agencies, contacts, drug promotional literature, and standards.

Resource utilization in home health care: results of a prospective study.

Science.gov (United States)

Trisolini, M G; Thomas, C P; Cashman, S B; Payne, S M

1994-01-01

Resource utilization in home health care has become an issue of concern due to rising costs and recent initiatives to develop prospective payment systems for home health care. A number of issues remain unresolved for the development of prospective reimbursement in this sector, including the types of variables to be included as payment variables and appropriate measures of resource use. This study supplements previous work on home health case-mix by analyzing the factors affecting one aspect of resource use for skilled nursing visits--visit length--and explores the usefulness of several specially collected variables which are not routinely available in administrative records. A data collection instrument was developed with a focus group of skilled nurses, identifying a range of variables hypothesized to affect visit length. Five categories of variables were studied using multiple regression analysis: provider-related; patient's socio-economic status; patient's clinical status; patient's support services; and visit-specific. The final regression model identifies 9 variables which significantly affect visit time. Five of the 9 are visit-specific variables, a significant finding since these are not routinely collected. Case-mix systems which include visit time as a measure of resource use will need to investigate visit-specific variables, as this study indicates they could have the largest influence on visit time. Two other types of resources used in home health care, supplies and security drivers, were also investigated in less detail.

Mineral resources in Afghanistan. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-02-01

Despite Afghanistan's wide variety of mineral resources and long history of small-scale mining of gems, gold, copper, and coal, it was not until the 1950's that the country's mineral resources were subject to systematic exploration. The report documents the past and present status of these resources and examines alternative strategies for their exploitation. Chapter 2 provides a brief history of minerals exploration, exploitation, and planning in Afghanistan, including the roles of Great Britain, France, Germany, the Soviet bloc, and the United States in Afghanistan's mineral sector; mineral policy in the five national plans during the years 1962-83; and sector assessments conducted by the World Bank (1978) and the US Department of Energy (1989). Chapter 3 discusses three strategies for developing the country's mineral and hydrocarbon resources. (1) a national orientation focusing on domestic needs; (2) a regional strategy that would consider markets in countries close to Afghanistan; and (3) an international strategy that would place Afghan resources on the international market

A test-bed modeling study for wave resource assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Z.; Neary, V. S.; Wang, T.; Gunawan, B.; Dallman, A.

2016-02-01

Hindcasts from phase-averaged wave models are commonly used to estimate standard statistics used in wave energy resource assessments. However, the research community and wave energy converter industry is lacking a well-documented and consistent modeling approach for conducting these resource assessments at different phases of WEC project development, and at different spatial scales, e.g., from small-scale pilot study to large-scale commercial deployment. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate current wave model codes, as well as limitations and knowledge gaps for predicting sea states, in order to establish best wave modeling practices, and to identify future research needs to improve wave prediction for resource assessment. This paper presents the first phase of an on-going modeling study to address these concerns. The modeling study is being conducted at a test-bed site off the Central Oregon Coast using two of the most widely-used third-generation wave models - WaveWatchIII and SWAN. A nested-grid modeling approach, with domain dimension ranging from global to regional scales, was used to provide wave spectral boundary condition to a local scale model domain, which has a spatial dimension around 60km by 60km and a grid resolution of 250m - 300m. Model results simulated by WaveWatchIII and SWAN in a structured-grid framework are compared to NOAA wave buoy data for the six wave parameters, including omnidirectional wave power, significant wave height, energy period, spectral width, direction of maximum directionally resolved wave power, and directionality coefficient. Model performance and computational efficiency are evaluated, and the best practices for wave resource assessments are discussed, based on a set of standard error statistics and model run times.

Psychological career resources in relation to organisational commitment: An exploratory study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nadia Ferreira

2010-10-01

Research purpose: The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between the psychological career resources (as measured by the Psychological Career Resources Inventory and organisational commitment (as measured by the Organisational Commitment Scale. Motivation for study: There appears to be a need for research on the psychological career resources that enhance individuals’ career agency in proactively managing their career and the way in which these attributes influence their psychological attachment to the organisation in order to guide human resource and career-development support practices in retaining valuable staff. Research design, approach and method: A quantitative survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 358 employed adults at managerial and staff levels in the field of economic and management services. Main findings/results: Correlational and stepwise regression analyses revealed a number of significant relationships between the two variables. Practical implications: Managers and human resource practitioners need to recognise how people’s career preferences and career meta-competencies influence their sense of psychological attachment to the organisation. Contribution: The findings add to existing career literature on the psychological factors that affect the retention of staff and provide valuable information that can be used to inform career-development support practices in the contemporary world of work.

Assessment of undiscovered conventional oil and gas resources, onshore Claiborne Group, United Statespart of the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin

Science.gov (United States)

Hackley, P.C.; Ewing, T.E.

2010-01-01

The middle Eocene Claiborne Group was assessed for undiscovered conventional hydrocarbon resources using established U.S. Geological Survey assessment methodology. This work was conducted as part of a 2007 assessment of Paleogene-Neogene strata of the northern Gulf of Mexico Basin, including the United States onshore and state waters (Dubiel et al., 2007). The assessed area is within the Upper Jurassic-CretaceousTertiary composite total petroleum system, which was defined for the assessment. Source rocks for Claiborne oil accumulations are interpreted to be organic-rich, downdip, shaley facies of the Wilcox Group and the Sparta Sand of the Claiborne Group; gas accumulations may have originated from multiple sources, including the Jurassic Smackover Formation and the Haynesville and Bossier shales, the Cretaceous Eagle Ford and Pearsall (?) formations, and the Paleogene Wilcox Group and Sparta Sand. Hydrocarbon generation in the basin started prior to deposition of Claiborne sediments and is currently ongoing. Primary reservoir sandstones in the Claiborne Group include, from oldest to youngest, the Queen City Sand, Cook Mountain Formation, Sparta Sand, Yegua Formation, and the laterally equivalent Cockfield Formation. A geologic model, supported by spatial analysis of petroleum geology data, including discovered reservoir depths, thicknesses, temperatures, porosities, permeabilities, and pressures, was used to divide the Claiborne Group into seven assessment units (AUs) with three distinctive structural and depositional settings. The three structural and depositional settings are (1) stable shelf, (2) expanded fault zone, and (3) slope and basin floor; the seven AUs are (1) lower Claiborne stable-shelf gas and oil, (2) lower Claiborne expanded fault-zone gas, (3) lower Claiborne slope and basin-floor gas, (4) lower Claiborne Cane River, (5) upper Claiborne stable-shelf gas and oil, (6) upper Claiborne expanded fault-zone gas, and (7) upper Claiborne slope and basin

Studies and Application of Remote Sensing Retrieval Method of Soil Moisture Content in Land Parcel Units in Irrigation Area

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, H.; Zhao, H. L.; Jiang, Y. Z.; Zang, W. B.

2018-05-01

Soil moisture is one of the important hydrological elements. Obtaining soil moisture accurately and effectively is of great significance for water resource management in irrigation area. During the process of soil moisture content retrieval with multiremote sensing data, multi- remote sensing data always brings multi-spatial scale problems which results in inconformity of soil moisture content retrieved by remote sensing in different spatial scale. In addition, agricultural water use management has suitable spatial scale of soil moisture information so as to satisfy the demands of dynamic management of water use and water demand in certain unit. We have proposed to use land parcel unit as the minimum unit to do soil moisture content research in agricultural water using area, according to soil characteristics, vegetation coverage characteristics in underlying layer, and hydrological characteristic into the basis of study unit division. We have proposed division method of land parcel units. Based on multi thermal infrared and near infrared remote sensing data, we calculate the ndvi and tvdi index and make a statistical model between the tvdi index and soil moisture of ground monitoring station. Then we move forward to study soil moisture remote sensing retrieval method on land parcel unit scale. And the method has been applied in Hetao irrigation area. Results show that compared with pixel scale the soil moisture content in land parcel unit scale has displayed stronger correlation with true value. Hence, remote sensing retrieval method of soil moisture content in land parcel unit scale has shown good applicability in Hetao irrigation area. We converted the research unit into the scale of land parcel unit. Using the land parcel units with unified crops and soil attributes as the research units more complies with the characteristics of agricultural water areas, avoids the problems such as decomposition of mixed pixels and excessive dependence on high-resolution data

Water resources in the next millennium

Science.gov (United States)

Wood, Warren

As pressures from an exponentially increasing population and economic expectations rise against a finite water resource, how do we address management? This was the main focus of the Dubai International Conference on Water Resources and Integrated Management in the Third Millennium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 2-6 February 2002. The invited forum attracted an eclectic mix of international thinkers from five continents. Presentations and discussions on hydrology policy/property rights, and management strategies focused mainly on problems of water supply, irrigation, and/or ecosystems.

Ecoregions of the conterminous United States: evolution of a hierarchical spatial framework

Science.gov (United States)

Omernik, James M.; Griffith, Glenn E.

2014-01-01

A map of ecological regions of the conterminous United States, first published in 1987, has been greatly refined and expanded into a hierarchical spatial framework in response to user needs, particularly by state resource management agencies. In collaboration with scientists and resource managers from numerous agencies and institutions in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the framework has been expanded to cover North America, and the original ecoregions (now termed Level III) have been refined, subdivided, and aggregated to identify coarser as well as more detailed spatial units. The most generalized units (Level I) define 10 ecoregions in the conterminous U.S., while the finest-scale units (Level IV) identify 967 ecoregions. In this paper, we explain the logic underpinning the approach, discuss the evolution of the regional mapping process, and provide examples of how the ecoregions were distinguished at each hierarchical level. The variety of applications of the ecoregion framework illustrates its utility in resource assessment and management.

A comparative study of forestry in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States, with special emphasis on policy measures for nonindustrial private forests in Norway and the United States.

Science.gov (United States)

Berit Hauger. Lindstad

2002-01-01

In recognition of the cultural, economic, and ecological importance of forestry in Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the United States, this paper compares forest resource data, ownership patterns, management issues, and the impact the forest sector has on the national economies of these four countries. There is particular emphasis on the analysis of policy measures that...

Whale Teaching Unit.

Science.gov (United States)

Peninsula Humane Society, San Mateo, CA.

Materials in this teaching unit are designed to foster an interest in whale preservation among intermediate grade and junior high school students. Several readings provide background information on various types of whales and the economic value of whales. Student activities include a true and false game, a crossword, and a mobile. A resource list…

Patients’ Admissions in Intensive Care Units: A Clustering Overview

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Ribeiro

2017-02-01

Full Text Available Intensive care is a critical area of medicine having a multidisciplinary nature requiring all types of healthcare professionals. Given the critical environment of intensive care units (ICUs, the need to use information technologies, like decision support systems, to improve healthcare services and ICU management is evident. It is proven that unplanned and prolonged admission to the ICU is not only prejudicial to a patient's health, but also such a situation implies a readjustment of ICU resources, including beds, doctors, nurses, financial resources, among others. By discovering the common characteristics of the admitted patients, it is possible to improve these outcomes. In this study clustering techniques were applied to data collected from admitted patients in an intensive care unit. The best results presented a silhouette of 1, with a distance to centroids of 6.2 × 10−17 and a Davies–Bouldin index of −0.652.

The Health and Retirement Study: A Public Data Resource for Research on Aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Amanda Sonnega

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The Health and Retirement Study (HRS is a nationally representative longitudinal survey of more than 37,000 individuals in 23,000 households over age 50 in the United States. Fielded biennially since 1992, it was established to provide a national resource for data on the changing health and economic circumstances associated with aging. HRS covers four broad topic areas—income and wealth; health, cognition, and use of health care services; work and retirement; and family connections. HRS data are also linked at the individual level to administrative records from Social Security and Medicare, Veteran’s Administration, the National Death Index, and employer-provided pension plan information. In 2006, data collection expanded to include biomarkers and genetics and greater depth in psychosocial well-being and social context. This blend of economic, health, and psychosocial information provides unprecedented potential to study increasingly complex questions about aging and retirement. HRS prioritizes rapid release of data while simultaneously protecting the confidentiality of respondents. Three categories of data—public, sensitive, and restricted—can be accessed through procedures described on the HRS website (hrsonline.isr.umich.edu.

Impacts of Demand-Side Resources on Electric Transmission Planning

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hadley, Stanton W. [Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Sanstad, Alan H. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

2015-01-01

Will demand resources such as energy efficiency (EE), demand response (DR), and distributed generation (DG) have an impact on electricity transmission requirements? Five drivers for transmission expansion are discussed: interconnection, reliability, economics, replacement, and policy. With that background, we review the results of a set of transmission studies that were conducted between 2010 and 2013 by electricity regulators, industry representatives, and other stakeholders in the three physical interconnections within the United States. These broad-based studies were funded by the US Department of Energy and included scenarios of reduced load growth due to EE, DR, and DG. While the studies were independent and used different modeling tools and interconnect-specific assumptions, all provided valuable results and insights. However, some caveats exist. Demand resources were evaluated in conjunction with other factors, and limitations on transmission additions between scenarios made understanding the role of demand resources difficult. One study, the western study, included analyses over both 10- and 20-year planning horizons; the 10-year analysis did not show near-term reductions in transmission, but the 20-year indicated fewer transmission additions, yielding a 36percent capital cost reduction. In the eastern study the reductions in demand largely led to reductions in local generation capacity and an increased opportunity for low-cost and renewable generation to export to other regions. The Texas study evaluated generation changes due to demand, and is in the process of examining demand resource impacts on transmission.

Algae Resources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2016-06-01

Algae are highly efficient at producing biomass, and they can be found all over the planet. Many use sunlight and nutrients to create biomass, which contain key components—including lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates— that can be converted and upgraded to a variety of biofuels and products. A functional algal biofuels production system requires resources such as suitable land and climate, sustainable management of water resources, a supplemental carbon dioxide (CO2) supply, and other nutrients (e.g., nitrogen and phosphorus). Algae can be an attractive feedstock for many locations in the United States because their diversity allows for highpotential biomass yields in a variety of climates and environments. Depending on the strain, algae can grow by using fresh, saline, or brackish water from surface water sources, groundwater, or seawater. Additionally, they can grow in water from second-use sources such as treated industrial wastewater; municipal, agricultural, or aquaculture wastewater; or produced water generated from oil and gas drilling operations.

Assessment of physiological performance and perception of pushing different wheelchairs on indoor modular units simulating a surface roughness often encountered in under-resourced settings.

Science.gov (United States)

Sasaki, Kotaro; Rispin, Karen

2017-01-01

In under-resourced settings where motorized wheelchairs are rarely available, manual wheelchair users with limited upper-body strength and functionalities need to rely on assisting pushers for their mobility. Because traveling surfaces in under-resourced settings are often unpaved and rough, wheelchair pushers could experience high physiological loading. In order to evaluate pushers' physiological loading and to improve wheelchair designs, we built indoor modular units that simulate rough surface conditions, and tested a hypothesis that pushing different wheelchairs would result in different physiological performances and pushers' perception of difficulty on the simulated rough surface. Eighteen healthy subjects pushed two different types of pediatric wheelchairs (Moti-Go manufactured by Motivation, and KidChair by Hope Haven) fitted with a 50-kg dummy on the rough and smooth surfaces at self-selected speeds. Oxygen uptake, traveling distance for 6 minutes, and the rating of difficulty were obtained. The results supported our hypothesis, showing that pushing Moti-Go on the rough surface was physiologically less loading than KidChair, but on the smooth surface, the two wheelchairs did not differ significantly. These results indicate wheelchair designs to improve pushers' performance in under-resourced settings should be evaluated on rough surfaces.

Resourcefulness, positive cognitions, relocation controllability and relocation adjustment among older people: a cross-sectional study of cultural differences.

Science.gov (United States)

Bekhet, Abir K; Zauszniewski, Jaclene A

2013-09-01

The population of older people in both the United States and Egypt is expected to double by the year 2030. With ageing, chronic illnesses increase and many older people need to relocate to retirement communities. Research has shown that positive cognitions and resourcefulness are positively correlated with adaptive functioning and better adjustment. The purpose of this study was to examine and compare relocation controllability, positive cognitions, resourcefulness and relocation adjustment between American and Egyptian older people living in retirement communities. The purpose of this cultural comparison is to gain insight into influencing factors in each culture that might lead to interventions to help relocated older adults in both cultures adjust to their new surroundings. A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used to compare relocation controllability, positive cognitions, resourcefulness and relocation adjustment of a convenience sample of American older people (n = 104) and a convenience sample of Egyptian older people (n = 94). The study was a secondary analysis of two studies of older people residing in six retirement communities in Northeast Ohio and in five retirement communities in Alexandria, Egypt. Examination of mean scores and standard deviations on the measure of positive cognitions using independent sample t-tests indicated that on average, the American older people reported more positive cognitions (t (131.16) = 11.29, P difference between Egyptians and Americans in resourcefulness (t (174.16) = -0.97, P > 0.05). The results provide direction for the development of positive cognition interventions and engaging older people in the decision-making process to help them to adjust to relocation. Implications for practice.  Positive thinking and resourcefulness training interventions can be used by nurses to help relocated older people to adjust to the stress of relocation to retirement communities. These interventions can be used on primary

Community-Based Coastal Resource Management (CB-CRM: a Case Study f Mariveles, Bataan, Philippines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrew Lou L. Mungcal

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This paper addressed the issue of sustainable coastal resource management through a successful Community-Based Coastal Resource Management (CB-CRM Program in the Municipality of Mariveles, province of Bataan in the Philippines. The paper investigated how governance and institutional and legislative framework, and the concept of sustainable development complemented each other to promote good local eco-governance in the management and protection of finite local marine resources. Specifically, it analyzed how the local fisherfolk community of Mariveles utilized efficiently their finite marine resources in the context of eco-governance. It also investigated how the cooperative efforts of various stakeholders: peoples’ organizations (POs, local government unit (LGU, and a non-government organization (NGO in Mariveles, Bataan affected their coastal resources against environmental degradation and exploitation. This paper would benefit POs, LGUs, and NGOs in their quest for sustainable management and conservation of their limited coastal resources. This paper yielded the following findings. First, POs and NGOs engage when NGOs can strengthen the POs’ capacity building through the transfer of skills and technology, when NGOs can enhance the POs’ indigenous knowledge, and when NGOs are more knowledgeable of formal venues of LGU participation. Second, LGUs, NGOs and POs engage when POs and NGOs can complement each other to strengthen their capacity building, and when NGOs can help implement environmental programs that are beneficial to the POs. Third, NGOs and POs engage when POs are threatened by elite power, and when NGOs want their environmental issues on LGU’s legislative agenda. Finally, NGOs and POs engage when they see possible LGU cooperation. Participant observation through focus group discussion (FGD and key informants’ interview of different stakeholders was a primary source of information in formulating the aforementioned conclusions

Rebuilding human resources for health: a case study from Liberia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Baba Duza

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Introduction Following twenty years of economic and social growth, Liberia's fourteen-year civil war destroyed its health system, with most of the health workforce leaving the country. Following the inauguration of the Sirleaf administration in 2006, the Ministry of Health & Social Welfare (MOHSW has focused on rebuilding, with an emphasis on increasing the size and capacity of its human resources for health (HRH. Given resource constraints and the high maternal and neonatal mortality rates, MOHSW concentrated on its largest cadre of health workers: nurses. Case description Based on results from a post-war rapid assessment of health workers, facilities and community access, MOHSW developed the Emergency Human Resources (HR Plan for 2007-2011. MOHSW established a central HR Unit and county-level HR officers and prioritized nursing cadres in order to quickly increase workforce numbers, improve equitable distribution of workers and enhance performance. Strategies included increasing and standardizing salaries to attract workers and prevent outflow to the private sector; mobilizing donor funds to improve management capacity and fund incentive packages in order to retain staff in hard to reach areas; reopening training institutions and providing scholarships to increase the pool of available workers. Discussion and evaluation MOHSW has increased the total number of clinical health workers from 1396 in 1998 to 4653 in 2010, 3394 of which are nurses and midwives. From 2006 to 2010, the number of nurses has more than doubled. Certified midwives and nurse aides also increased by 28% and 31% respectively. In 2010, the percentage of the clinical workforce made up by nurses and nurse aides increased to 73%. While the nursing cadre numbers are strong and demonstrate significant improvement since the creation of the Emergency HR Plan, equitable distribution, retention and performance management continue to be challenges. Conclusion This paper

Resources from waste : integrated resource management phase 1 study report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Corps, C.; Salter, S.; Lucey, P.; O'Riordan, J.

2008-01-01

Integrated resource management (IRM) of municipal waste streams and water systems requires a structured analysis of options that consider environmental aspects such as greenhouse gases, carbon taxes and credits. Each option's inputs and outputs are assessed to determine the net highest and best use and value. IRM focuses on resource recovery and extracting maximum value. It considers the overall net impact on the taxpayer and requires the integration of liquid and solid waste streams to maximize values for recovering energy in the form of biofuels, heat, minerals, water and reducing electricity demand. IRM is linked to water management through reuse of treated water for groundwater recharge and to offset potable water use for non-potable purposes such as irrigation, including potential commercial use, which contributes to maintaining or improving the health of watersheds. This report presented a conceptual design for the application of IRM in the province of British Columbia (BC) and analyzed its potential contribution to the provincial climate change agenda. The report discussed traditional waste management, the IRM approach, and resource recovery technology and opportunities. The business case for IRM in BC was also outlined. It was concluded that IRM has the potential to be a viable solution to water, solid and liquid waste management that should be less expensive, result in fewer environmental impacts, and provide greater flexibility than traditional approaches to waste management. 63 refs., 17 tabs., 21 figs., 10 appendices

Selected techniques in water resources investigations, 1965

Science.gov (United States)

Mesnier, Glennon N.; Chase, Edith B.

1966-01-01

Increasing world activity in water-resources development has created an interest in techniques for conducting investigations in the field. In the United States, the Geological Survey has the responsibility for extensive and intensive hydrologic studies, and the Survey places considerable emphasis on discovering better ways to carry out its responsibility. For many years, the dominant interest in field techniques has been "in house," but the emerging world interest has led to a need for published accounts of this progress. In 1963 the Geological Survey published "Selected Techniques in Water Resources Investigations" (Water-Supply Paper 1669-Z) as part of the series "Contributions to the Hydrology of the United States."The report was so favorably received that successive volumes are planned, of which this is the first. The present report contains 25 papers that represent new ideas being tested or applied in the hydrologic field program of the Geological Survey. These ideas range from a proposed system for monitoring fluvial sediment to how to construct stream-gaging wells from steel oil drums. The original papers have been revised and edited by the compilers, but the ideas presented are those of the authors. The general description of the bubble gage on page 2 has been given by the compilers as supplementary information.

Pediatric Early Warning Systems aid in triage to intermediate versus intensive care for pediatric oncology patients in resource-limited hospitals.

Science.gov (United States)

Agulnik, Asya; Nadkarni, Anisha; Mora Robles, Lupe Nataly; Soberanis Vasquez, Dora Judith; Mack, Ricardo; Antillon-Klussmann, Federico; Rodriguez-Galindo, Carlos

2018-04-10

Pediatric oncology patients hospitalized in resource-limited settings are at high risk for clinical deterioration resulting in mortality. Intermediate care units (IMCUs) provide a cost-effective alternative to pediatric intensive care units (PICUs). Inappropriate IMCU triage, however, can lead to poor outcomes and suboptimal resource utilization. In this study, we sought to characterize patients with clinical deterioration requiring unplanned transfer to the IMCU in a resource-limited pediatric oncology hospital. Patients requiring subsequent early PICU transfer had longer PICU length of stay. PEWS results prior to IMCU transfer were higher in patients requiring early PICU transfer, suggesting PEWS can aid in triage between IMCU and PICU care. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An Empirical Study on Low-Carbon: Human Resources Performance Evaluation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Quan Chen

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Human resources are an important part of the great competition in the logistics market and significantly affect the operations of enterprises. Performance evaluations of human resources are particularly important for low-carbon logistics enterprises with scarce talents. Such evaluations in these enterprises are of great significance for their strategic development. This study constructed a human resource performance evaluation system to assess non-managerial employees’ low-carbon job capacity, job performance, and job attitude in the low-carbon logistics sector. The case study results revealed that the investigated company enjoyed initial success after having promoted low-carbon concepts and values to its non-managerial employees, and the success was demonstrated by excellent performance in its employees’ job attitude and knowledge. This study adopts the AHP method to reasonably determine an indicator system of performance evaluation and its weight to avoid certain human-caused bias. This study not only fills the gap in the related literature, but can also be applied to industrial practice.

An Empirical Study on Low-Carbon: Human Resources Performance Evaluation

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Quan; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhou, Jie; Yu, Jian; Chang, Li-Chung; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Wang, Jiangtao

2018-01-01

Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Human resources are an important part of the great competition in the logistics market and significantly affect the operations of enterprises. Performance evaluations of human resources are particularly important for low-carbon logistics enterprises with scarce talents. Such evaluations in these enterprises are of great significance for their strategic development. This study constructed a human resource performance evaluation system to assess non-managerial employees’ low-carbon job capacity, job performance, and job attitude in the low-carbon logistics sector. The case study results revealed that the investigated company enjoyed initial success after having promoted low-carbon concepts and values to its non-managerial employees, and the success was demonstrated by excellent performance in its employees’ job attitude and knowledge. This study adopts the AHP method to reasonably determine an indicator system of performance evaluation and its weight to avoid certain human-caused bias. This study not only fills the gap in the related literature, but can also be applied to industrial practice. PMID:29301375

An Empirical Study on Low-Carbon: Human Resources Performance Evaluation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Quan; Tsai, Sang-Bing; Zhai, Yuming; Zhou, Jie; Yu, Jian; Chang, Li-Chung; Li, Guodong; Zheng, Yuxiang; Wang, Jiangtao

2018-01-03

Low-carbon logistics meets the requirements of a low-carbon economy and is the most effective operating model for logistic development to achieve sustainability by coping with severe energy consumption and global warming. Low-carbon logistics aims to reduce carbon intensity rather than simply reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. Human resources are an important part of the great competition in the logistics market and significantly affect the operations of enterprises. Performance evaluations of human resources are particularly important for low-carbon logistics enterprises with scarce talents. Such evaluations in these enterprises are of great significance for their strategic development. This study constructed a human resource performance evaluation system to assess non-managerial employees' low-carbon job capacity, job performance, and job attitude in the low-carbon logistics sector. The case study results revealed that the investigated company enjoyed initial success after having promoted low-carbon concepts and values to its non-managerial employees, and the success was demonstrated by excellent performance in its employees' job attitude and knowledge. This study adopts the AHP method to reasonably determine an indicator system of performance evaluation and its weight to avoid certain human-caused bias. This study not only fills the gap in the related literature, but can also be applied to industrial practice.

Linking organizational resources and work engagement to employee performance and customer loyalty: the mediation of service climate.

Science.gov (United States)

Salanova, Marisa; Agut, Sonia; Peiró, José María

2005-11-01

This study examined the mediating role of service climate in the prediction of employee performance and customer loyalty. Contact employees (N=342) from 114 service units (58 hotel front desks and 56 restaurants) provided information about organizational resources, engagement, and service climate. Furthermore, customers (N=1,140) from these units provided information on employee performance and customer loyalty. Structural equation modeling analyses were consistent with a full mediation model in which organizational resources and work engagement predict service climate, which in turn predicts employee performance and then customer loyalty. Further analyses revealed a potential reciprocal effect between service climate and customer loyalty. Implications of the study are discussed, together with limitations and suggestions for future research. ((c) 2005 APA, all rights reserved).

RCRA facility investigation/corrective measures study work plan for the 100-HR-3 operable unit, Hanford Site, Richland, Washington

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-09-01

Four areas of the Hanford Site (the 100, 200, 300, and 1100 Areas) have been included on the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) National Priorities List (NPL) under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Under the Hanford Federal Facility Agreement and Consent Order, signed by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), EPA, and the US Department of Energy (DOE), more than 1000 inactive waste disposal and unplanned release sites on the Hanford Site have been grouped into a number of source and groundwater operable units. These operable units contain contamination in the form of hazardous waste, radioactive/hazardous mixed waste, and other CERCLA hazardous substances. Also included in the Tri-Party Agreement are 55 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) treatment, storage, or disposal (TSD) facilities that will be closed or permitted to operate in accordance with RCRA regulations, under the authority of Chapter 173-303 Washington Administrative Code (WAC). Some of the TSD facilities are included in the operable units. This work plan and the attached supporting project plans establish the operable unit setting and the objectives, procedures, tasks, and schedule for conducting the RCRA facility investigation/corrective measures study (RFI/CMS) for the 100-HR-3 operable unit. The 100-HR-3 operable unit underlies the D/DR and H Areas, the 600 Area between them, and the six source operable units these areas contain. The 100-HR-3 operable unit includes all contamination found in the aquifer soils and water within its boundary. Source operable units include facilities and unplanned release sites that are potential sources of contamination. Separate work plans have been initiated for the 100-DR-1 (DOE-RL 1992a) and 100-HR-1 (DOE-RL 1992b) source operable units

Mineral resources of the Swasey Mountain and Howell Peak Wilderness Study Areas, Millard County, Utah

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lindsey, D.A.; Zimbelman, D.R.; Campbell, D.L.; Duval, J.S.; Cook, K.L.; Podwysocki, M.H.; Brickey, D.W.; Yambrick, R.A.; Tuftin, S.E.

1989-01-01

The Swasey Mountain and the Howell Peak Wilderness Study Areas are underlain by an east-dipping sequence of carbonate rocks, shale, and quartzite of Cambrian age. The Sand Pass mineralized area, immediately northwest of the Swasey Mountain Wilderness Study Area, contains numerous occurrences of jasperoid, small igneous intrusions of Tertiary age, and geochemical anomalies; the mineralized area has been explored for gold. Although no identified resources of metals are known in or near the wilderness study areas, the distribution of geologic structures and stream-sediment geochemical anomalies indicates there is a moderate potential for undiscovered resources of lead, zinc, copper, molybdenum, silver, and gold. An area of moderate potential for undiscovered resources of these metals extends south and east into the Swasey Mountain Wilderness Study Area from the Sand Pass mineralized area. A second area of moderate potential for undiscovered resources of these metals extends from the southern part of the Swasey Mountain Wilderness Study Area across the western part of the Howell Peak Wilderness Study Area. Both study areas contain inferred subeconomic resources of quartzite, high-purity limestone, and sand and gravel. Both areas have moderate resource potential for high-purity limestone and dolomite. Fossils, especially trilobites, of interest to collectors are present in both areas. The potential for undiscovered resources is moderate for oil and gas and is low for geothermal energy within the study areas. There is no potential for undiscovered resources of coal.

Generalized hydrogeologic framework and groundwater budget for a groundwater availability study for the glacial aquifer system of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Reeves, Howard W.; Bayless, E. Randall; Dudley, Robert W.; Feinstein, Daniel T.; Fienen, Michael N.; Hoard, Christopher J.; Hodgkins, Glenn A.; Qi, Sharon L.; Roth, Jason L.; Trost, Jared J.

2017-12-14

The glacial aquifer system groundwater availability study seeks to quantify (1) the status of groundwater resources in the glacial aquifer system, (2) how these resources have changed over time, and (3) likely system response to future changes in anthropogenic and environmental conditions. The glacial aquifer system extends from Maine to Alaska, although the focus of this report is the part of the system in the conterminous United States east of the Rocky Mountains. The glacial sand and gravel principal aquifer is the largest source of public and self-supplied industrial supply for any principal aquifer and also is an important source for irrigation supply. Despite its importance for water supply, water levels in the glacial aquifer system are generally stable varying with climate and only locally from pumping. The hydrogeologic framework developed for this study includes the information from waterwell records and classification of material types from surficial geologic maps into likely aquifers dominated by sand and gravel deposits. Generalized groundwater budgets across the study area highlight the variation in recharge and discharge primarily driven by climate.

A LINEAR PROGRAMMING METHOD TO ENHANCE RESOURCE UTILIZATION CASE OF ETHIOPIAN APPAREL SECTOR

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gezahegn Tesfaye

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The Ethiopian industrial development strategy is characterized by export-led and labor intensive industrialization. The country is emerging as the most important investment destination in its apparel sector. Thought this sector is expected to generate more income from the export market, its export earnings remain trivial mainly due to the inefficient organizational resource utilization. One of the competent techniques that help companies to efficiently improve the use of their resources to increase their profit is linear programming. In apparel manufacturing firms, efficient use of materials such as fabrics and sewing threads and processing time at different stages of production as well as minimization of labor and materials cost are necessary to enhance their profitability. Cutting, sewing, and finishing operations deserve more attention for apparel process optimization. However, the issue of proper resource allocation remains an unsolved problem within the Ethiopian apparel industry. The aim of this research is to devise efficient resource utilization mechanism for Ethiopian apparel sector to improve their resource utilization and profitability, taking one of the garment factories engaged in the export market as a case study. Five types of products the company is currently producing, the amount of resources employed to produce each unit of the products, and the value of profit per unit from the sale of each products have been collected from the case company. The monthly availability of resources utilized and the monthly production volume of the five products have also been collected from the company. The data gathered was mathematically modeled using a linear programming technique, and solved using MS-Excel solver. The findings of the study depicts that all of the organizational resources are severely underutilized. This research proved that the resource utilization of the case company can be improved from 46.41% of the current resource

Groundwater quality data in 15 GAMA study units: results from the 2006–10 Initial sampling and the 2009–13 resampling of wells, California GAMA Priority Basin Project

Science.gov (United States)

Kent, Robert

2015-08-31

The Priority Basin Project (PBP) of the Groundwater Ambient Monitoring and Assessment (GAMA) program was developed in response to the Groundwater Quality Monitoring Act of 2001 and is being conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in cooperation with the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB). From May 2004 to March 2012, the GAMA-PBP collected samples from more than 2,300 wells in 35 study units across the State. Selected wells in each study unit were sampled again approximately 3 years after initial sampling as part of an assessment of temporal trends in water quality by the GAMA-PBP. This triennial (every 3 years) trend sampling of GAMA-PBP study units concluded in December 2013. Fifteen of the study units, initially sampled between January 2006 and June 2010 and sampled a second time between April 2009 and April 2013 to assess temporal trends, are the subject of this report.

[Personal resources relevant to psychological well-being in nursing].

Science.gov (United States)

Arrogante, O; Pérez-García, A M; Aparicio-Zaldívar, E G

2016-01-01

To determine differences in social support, resilience, coping, and psychological well-being (PWB) among intensive care nursing and nursing staff of other hospital services, as well as to establish a structural model in these professionals where relevant personal resources to PWB were included. Correlational and cross-sectional study. A sample of 208 nursing professionals from University Hospital of Fuenlabrada (Madrid) took part in the study. This sample consisted of nurses (n=133), nursing assistants (n=61), and midwives (n=14), of whom 44 worked in intensive care unit, 50 in other special units, and 114 in wards. Social Support Subscale, 10-Item CD-RISC (resilience), Brief-Cope (coping), Scales of PWB, and sociodemographic variables. No differences were found in any assessed psychological variables as regards hospital service worked in. A structural model was found and showed that social support, resilience, and coping determined PWB of nursing professionals. The most important personal resource was coping strategies, which determined PWB directly (β=0.68). Social support influenced PWB directly (β=0.33), and indirectly (β=0.32), whereas resilience influenced it indirectly (β=0.57). Differences in PWB, coping, social support and resilience are not determined by hospital service. Coping strategies focused on engagement (or adaptive), social support, and resilience, constitute three relevant personal resources that determine the PWB of nursing staff, which can be developed and improved by specific programs. The most important PWB dimensions are self-acceptance and environment mastery. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

The World of Business. Teacher's Activity and Resource Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Columbus Public Schools, OH.

This activity and resource guide is intended to assist teachers in developing course content and effective teaching methods in business education. (General Business for Economic Understanding," 11th edition, is the adopted textbook for this guide.) The guide is organized into twelve major units and is designed so that each unit builds upon the…

Fusion-fission hybrid studies in the United States

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moir, R.W.; Lee, J.D.; Berwald, D.H.; Cheng, E.T.; Delene, J.G.; Jassby, D.L.

1986-01-01

Systems and conceptual design studies have been carried out on the following three hybrid types: (1) The fission-suppressed hybrid, which maximizes fissile material produced (Pu or 233 U) per unit of total nuclear power by suppressing the fission process and multiplying neutrons by (n,2n) reactions in materials like beryllium. (2) The fast-fission hybrid, which maximizes fissile material produced per unit of fusion power by maximizing fission of 238 U (Pu is produced) in which twice the fissile atoms per unit of fusion power (but only a third per unit of nuclear power) are made. (3) The power hybrid, which amplifies power in the blanket for power production but does not produce fuel to sell. All three types must sell electrical power to be economical

Managing employee well-being: A qualitative study exploring job and personal resources of at-risk employees

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cecile Gauche

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Orientation: Job and personal resources influence the well-being of employees. Currently, limited information exists in literature surrounding the experience of these resources in employees identified as at-risk of burnout. Research purpose: To investigate the experience of job and personal resources from the perspectives of employees identified as at-risk of burnout. Motivation for the study: Empirical evidence on the integrative role and influence of job and personal resources on the well-being of employees in the South African context is currently limited. Attaining a better understanding of the manner in which at-risk employees experience resources can empower organisations to actively work towards creating an environment that allows for optimal employee well-being. Research design, approach and method: A phenomenological approach was taken to conduct the study in a South African-based financial services organisation. A combination of purposive and convenience sampling was used, and 26 employees agreed to participate. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data, and data analysis was performed through the use of thematic analysis. Main findings: Employees identified as at-risk of burnout acknowledged both job and personal resources as factors influencing their well-being. Participants in this study elaborated on received job resources as well as lacking job resources. Information was also shared by participants on personal resources through describing used personal resources as well as lacking personal resources. Practical/managerial implications: Knowledge gained from the study will contribute to empower organisations to better understand the impact of resources on the well-being of employees, and allow organisations to adapt workplace resources to ensure adequate and appropriate resources to facilitate optimal employee well-being. Contribution: This study contributes to the limited research available in the South African context

77 FR 33774 - Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request; Education and Human Resources Project...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-07

... and Human Resources Project Monitoring Clearance AGENCY: National Science Foundation. ACTION: Notice...). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title of Collection: Education and Human Resources Project Monitoring Clearance. OMB... States and internationally. The Directorate for Education and Human Resources (EHR), a unit within NSF...

Wind Tunnel Management and Resource Optimization: A Systems Modeling Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Derya, A.; Aasen, Curtis A.

2000-01-01

Time, money, and, personnel are becoming increasingly scarce resources within government agencies due to a reduction in funding and the desire to demonstrate responsible economic efficiency. The ability of an organization to plan and schedule resources effectively can provide the necessary leverage to improve productivity, provide continuous support to all projects, and insure flexibility in a rapidly changing environment. Without adequate internal controls the organization is forced to rely on external support, waste precious resources, and risk an inefficient response to change. Management systems must be developed and applied that strive to maximize the utility of existing resources in order to achieve the goal of "faster, cheaper, better". An area of concern within NASA Langley Research Center was the scheduling, planning, and resource management of the Wind Tunnel Enterprise operations. Nine wind tunnels make up the Enterprise. Prior to this research, these wind tunnel groups did not employ a rigorous or standardized management planning system. In addition, each wind tunnel unit operated from a position of autonomy, with little coordination of clients, resources, or project control. For operating and planning purposes, each wind tunnel operating unit must balance inputs from a variety of sources. Although each unit is managed by individual Facility Operations groups, other stakeholders influence wind tunnel operations. These groups include, for example, the various researchers and clients who use the facility, the Facility System Engineering Division (FSED) tasked with wind tunnel repair and upgrade, the Langley Research Center (LaRC) Fabrication (FAB) group which fabricates repair parts and provides test model upkeep, the NASA and LARC Strategic Plans, and unscheduled use of the facilities by important clients. Expanding these influences horizontally through nine wind tunnel operations and vertically along the NASA management structure greatly increases the

Isotope techniques in water resources development 1991

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

Water resources are scarce in many parts of the world. Often, the only water resource is groundwater. Overuse usually invites a rapid decline in groundwater resources which are recharged insufficiently, or not at all, by prevailing climatic conditions. These and other problems currently encountered in hydrology and associated environmental fields have prompted an increasing demand for the utilization of isotope methods. Such methods have been recognized as being indispensable for solving problems such as the identification of pollution sources, characterization of palaeowater resources, evaluation of recharge and evaporative discharge under arid and semi-arid conditions, reconstruction of past climates, study of the interrelationships between surface and groundwater, dating of groundwater and validation of contaminant transport models. Moreover, in combination with other hydrogeological and geochemical methods, isotope techniques can provide useful hydrological information, such as data on the origin, replenishment and dynamics of groundwater. It was against this background that the International Atomic Energy Agency, in co-operation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences, organized this symposium on the Use of Isotope Techniques in Water Resources Development, which took place in Vienna from 11 to 15 March 1991. The main themes of the symposium were the use of isotope techniques in solving practical problems of water resources assessment and development, particularly with respect to groundwater protection, and in studying environmental problems related to water, including palaeohydrological and palaeoclimatological problems. A substantial part of the oral presentations was concerned with the present state and trends in groundwater dating, and with some methodological aspects. These proceedings contain the papers of 37 oral and the extended synopses of 47 poster

2012 White Book, Pacific Northwest Loads and Resources Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2013-06-06

The White Book is a planning analysis produced by BPA that informs BPA of its load and resource conditions for sales and purchases. The White Book provides a 10-year look at the expected obligations and resources in the Federal system and PNW region. The White Book is used as a planning tool for the Columbia River Treaty (Treaty) studies, as an information tool for customers and regional interests, and as a publication of information utilized by other planning entities for their analyses. The White Book is not used to guide day-to-day operations of the Federal Columbia River Power System (FCRPS) or determine BPA revenues or rates.

Discrimination against Latina/os: A Meta-Analysis of Individual-Level Resources and Outcomes

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Debbiesiu L.; Ahn, Soyeon

2012-01-01

This meta-analysis synthesizes the findings of 60 independent samples from 51 studies examining racial/ethnic discrimination against Latina/os in the United States. The purpose was to identify individual-level resources and outcomes that most strongly relate to discrimination. Discrimination against Latina/os significantly results in outcomes…

Efektivitas Unit Produksi sebagai Sumber Belajar Kewirausahaan di SMK Kota Yogyakarta

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuliansah Yuliansah

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The objective of this study was to determine how production units can be used effectively as an entreprenuership learning resource to increase the entrepreneurial learning motivation, to clarify the content of the entrepreneurial learning materials and to provide direct experiences for the Vocational High Schools students in Yogyakarta. This study is survey research with quantitative approach. The population of this study were 1.995 students of grade XI and grade XII at 17 Vocational High School in Yogyakarta. 333 students were selected as the sample. Questionnaires and documentation were used for collecting the data. The data was analysed through quantitative descriptive analysis using the Microsoft Excel software. The result of this study indicated that: (1 Production units were effective to increase the intrinsic entrepreneurial learning motivation of the students (2 Production units were ineffective to increase the extrinsic entrepreneurial learning motivation of the students (3 Production units were ineffective to clarify the entrepreneurial learning materials (4 Production units were ineffective to provide direct experiences for the students.

Classification system of the mineral reserves and resources of Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovinyukov, V.I.

1998-01-01

This paper describes the system used to classify the resources and reserves of all minerals and fuels in Ukraine. The classification system is part of an official procedure determined by the Ukrainian State Commission on Reserves. Following preparation of resource estimates the results are registered with the State, which maintains an official inventory of all mineral resources. This paper compares the Ukrainian system to, and finds it compatible with the United Nations International Framework of resource classification. The UN system is based on economics of production and mineability. (author)

Classification system of the mineral reserves and resources of Ukraine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lovyunikov, V.I.

1997-01-01

This paper describes the system used to classify the resources and reserves of all minerals and fuels in Ukraine. The classification system is part of an official procedures determined by the Ukrainian State Commission on Reserves. Following preparation of resource estimates the results are registered with the State, which maintains an official inventory of all mineral resources. This paper compares the Ukrainian system to, and finds it compatible with the United Nations International Framework of resources classification. The UN system is based on economics of production and mineability. (author). 1 tab

Strategic and tactiocal planning for managing national park resources

Science.gov (United States)

Daniel L. Schmoldt; David L. Peterson

2001-01-01

Each National Park Service unit in the United States produces a resource management plan (RMP) every four years or less. These plans constitute a strategic agenda for a park. Later, tactical plans commit budgets and personnel to specific projects over the planning horizon. Yet, neither planning stage incorporates much quantitative and analytical rigor and is devoid of...

A pre-feasibility case study on integrated resource planning including renewables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yilmaz, Pelin; Hakan Hocaoglu, M.; Konukman, Alp Er S.

2008-01-01

In recent years, economical and environmental constraints force governments and energy policy decision-makers to change the prominent characteristics of the electricity markets. Accordingly, depending on local conditions on the demand side, usage of integrated resource planning approaches in conjunction with renewable technologies has gained more importance. In this respect, an integrated resource planning option, which includes the design and optimization of grid-connected renewable energy plants, should be evaluated to facilitate a cost-effective and green solution to a sustainable future. In this paper, an integrated resource planning case is studied for an educational campus, located in Gebze, Turkey. It is found that for the considered campus, the integrated resource planning scenario that includes renewables as a supply-side option with existing time-of-use tariff may provide a cost-effective energy production, particularly for the high penetration level of the renewables

Mineral resources of the South Mccullough Mountains Wilderness Study Area, Clark County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

DeWitt, E.; Anderson, J.L.; Barton, H.N.; Jachens, R.C.; Podwysocki, M.H.; Brickey, D.W.; Close, T.J.

1989-01-01

The authors present a study of 19,558 acres of the South McCullough Mountains Wilderness Study Area. The study area contains no identified mineral resources and has no areas of high mineral resource potential. However, five areas that make up 20 percent of the study area have a moderate potential either for undiscovered silver, gold, lead, copper, and zinc resources in small vein deposits; for lanthanum and other rare-earth elements, uranium, thorium, and niobium in medium-size carbonatite bodies and dikes; for tungsten and copper in small- to medium-size vein deposits; or for silver and gold in small vein or breccia-pipe deposits. Six areas that makeup 24 percent of the study area have an unknown resource potential either for gold, silver, lead, and copper in small vein deposits; for gold, silver, lead, zinc, copper, and arsenic in small vein or breccia-pipe deposits; for lanthanum and other rare-earth elements, uranium, thorium, and niobium in medium-size carbonatite bodies and dikes; or for tungsten and copper in small vein deposits

Lignocellulosic feedstock resource assessment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rooney, T.

1998-09-01

This report provides overall state and national information on the quantity, availability, and costs of current and potential feedstocks for ethanol production in the United States. It characterizes end uses and physical characteristics of feedstocks, and presents relevant information that affects the economic and technical feasibility of ethanol production from these feedstocks. The data can help researchers focus ethanol conversion research efforts on feedstocks that are compatible with the resource base.

Demand side resource operation on the Irish power system with high wind power penetration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Keane, A.; Tuohy, A.; Meibom, P.; Denny, E.; Flynn, D.; Mullane, A.; O'Malley, M.

2011-01-01

The utilisation of demand side resources is set to increase over the coming years with the advent of advanced metering infrastructure, home area networks and the promotion of increased energy efficiency. Demand side resources are proposed as an energy resource that, through aggregation, can form part of the power system plant mix and contribute to the flexible operation of a power system. A model for demand side resources is proposed here that captures its key characteristics for commitment and dispatch calculations. The model is tested on the all island Irish power system, and the operation of the model is simulated over one year in both a stochastic and deterministic mode, to illustrate the impact of wind and load uncertainty. The results illustrate that demand side resources can contribute to the efficient, flexible operation of systems with high penetrations of wind by replacing some of the functions of conventional peaking plant. Demand side resources are also shown to be capable of improving the reliability of the system, with reserve capability identified as a key requirement in this respect. - Highlights: → Demand side resource model presented for use in unit commitment and dispatch calculations. → Benefits of demand side aggregation demonstrated specifically as a peaking unit and provider of reserve. → Potential to displace or defer construction of conventional peaking units.

Brackish groundwater in the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Stanton, Jennifer S.; Anning, David W.; Brown, Craig J.; Moore, Richard B.; McGuire, Virginia L.; Qi, Sharon L.; Harris, Alta C.; Dennehy, Kevin F.; McMahon, Peter B.; Degnan, James R.; Böhlke, John Karl

2017-04-05

in the United States. Previously published digital data relating to brackish groundwater resources were limited to a small number of State- and regional-level studies. Data sources for this assessment ranged from single publications to large datasets and from local studies to national assessments. Geochemical data included concentrations of dissolved solids, major ions, trace elements, nutrients, and radionuclides as well as physical properties of the water (pH, temperature, and specific conductance). Additionally, the database provides selected well information (location, yield, depth, and contributing aquifer) necessary for evaluating the water resource.The assessment was divided into national-, regional-, and aquifer-scale analyses. National-scale analyses included evaluation of the three-dimensional distribution of observed dissolved-solids concentrations in groundwater, the three-dimensional probability of brackish groundwater occurrence, and the geochemical characteristics of saline (greater than or equal to 1,000 mg/L of dissolved solids) groundwater resources. Regional-scale analyses included a summary of the percentage of observed grid cell volume in the region that was occupied by brackish groundwater within the mixture of air, water, and rock for multiple depth intervals. Aquifer-scale analyses focused primarily on four regions that contained the largest amounts of observed brackish groundwater and included a generalized description of hydrogeologic characteristics from previously published work; the distribution of dissolved-solids concentrations; considerations for developing brackish groundwater resources, including a summary of other chemical characteristics that may limit the use of brackish groundwater and the ability of sampled wells producing brackish groundwater to yield useful amounts of water; and the amount of saline groundwater being used in 2010.

Academic Library Consortia in the United States: An Introduction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon L. Bostick

2001-07-01

Full Text Available Library consortia in the United States arose from a need for sharing when resources or funding for those resources were scarce. This is as true today as it was over 100 years ago when the first American consortia were formed. Consortia continue to be a growing and important part of the library profession. This article will give an overview of academic library consortia, with special emphasis on the history and modern developments in the United States and provide a general introduction to the concept of library cooperation.

Western Energy Resources and the Environment: Geothermal Energy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

1977-05-01

This document on geothermal energy is the first in a series of summary reports prepared by the Office of Energy, Minerals and Industry of the Environmental Protection Agency. The series describes what environmental effects are known or expected from new energy resource development in the western third of the United States. The series indicates some of the research and development activities under way and reviews the non-environmental constraints to resource development. It also serves as a reference for planners and policymakers on the entire range of problems and prospects associated with the development of new energy resources. [DJE-2005

The relation between flexibility of human resources and performance indexes of selected hospitals of Tehran Medical Sciences University

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Noushin Alibakhshi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Today, flexibility has turned to one of important issues in management theories and policies and most current discussions about flexibility patterns focus on management policies, so that these patterns are one of important aspects of human resources strategic management. This study was performed with the aim of assessing the flexibility rate of human resources and performance indexes of Tehran Medical Sciences University hospitals and determining the possible relation between these variables. The present study is descriptive – analytical which was conducted in cross-sectional form in 2015. The statistical population was selected by stratifies random sampling method as 317 persons from nursing, administrative and financial personnel of 5 hospitals of Tehran Medical Sciences University. Data collecting toll was hospitals performance indexes form and Wright & Snell flexibility questionnaire of human resources. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 18 software and with the aid of descriptive statistical indexes and linear regression analysis. The results showed that personnel ( human resources had high flexibility = 4.16.\tthere was a significant relation between total flexibility and the index of bed circulation so that by one unit increase in bed circulation space, normally, the average of total flexibility decreased 0.64 units ( p-value<0.05. The results showed that human resources of Tehran Medical Sciences University hospitals have high flexibility, so authorities and policy makers are suggested to adopt policies of human resources management for creating flexibility in human resources and improving hospitals performance and amending hospitals status.

Potential for extending major land resource areas into northern Mexico

Science.gov (United States)

Roy S. Mann; Philip Heilman; Jeffry. Stone

2013-01-01

There is a significant history of cooperative efforts between Mexico and the United States on natural resource management issues. Mexico and the United States have jointly conducted research and developed range management technologies. Bringing these technologies together and improving technical communications are an ongoing process. This paper discusses a potential...

Evaluation of compensation formulae to measure natural resource damages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robilliard, G.A.; Fischel, M.; Desvousges, W.H.; Dunford, R.W.; Mathews, K.

1993-01-01

Most of the oil spills in marine, estuarine, or freshwater environments of the United States are small (less than 1,000 gallons) and result in minimal injury to natural resources or little to no loss of services. However, federal, state, and Indian tribe trustees for natural resources are entitled under a variety of laws, including the Oil Pollution Act of 1990, to collect damages (money) from responsible parties to compensate for the foregone services and restoration of the services provided by the natural resources. Alaska, Washington, and Florida have developed a formula-based approach to calculating natural resource damages resulting from most spills; the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and several other states are considering developing a compensation formula. The ideal compensation formula is a simplified assessment process that (a) can be applied rapidly, (b) requires relatively small transaction or assessment costs, (c) requires minimal site- and spill-specific data as inputs, (d) is based on generally accepted scientific and economic principles and methods, and (e) results in damage values acceptable to both the trustees and the responsible party. In theory, a compensation formula could be applied to most small oil spills in United States waters

Property regime concerning genetic resources and traditional knowledge

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gabriel R. Nemogá Soto

2001-01-01

Full Text Available This article provides an historical account of the changes that have taken place regarding ownership, control and access over genetic resources. Once considered the common heritage of humanity, rights over genetic resources, it is argued, have undergone radical transformations. The global legal framework regarding genetic resources has shifted to legitimize and promote their appropriation and monopolization. This transformation embraced the expansion of intellectual property rights over genetic material and information, including living organisms, through the World Trade Organization´s Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPs. This was coupled by the adoption of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, which recognizes sovereign rights of the countries of origin over their genetic resources and, at the same time, obligates them to permit access to those resources. The Colombian Constitution of 1991 and unparalleled judicial decisions during the last decade reaffirmed sovereign rights over genetic resources in Colombia. Conversely, the genetic resources and the traditional knowledge of Indigenous peoples and local communities continue to be freely accessible resources within the current Colombian legal framework.

Hospital admission planning to optimize major resources utilization under uncertainty

OpenAIRE

Dellaert, N.P.; Jeunet, J.

2010-01-01

Admission policies for elective inpatient services mainly result in the management of a single resource: the operating theatre as it is commonly considered as the most critical and expensive resource in a hospital. However, other bottleneck resources may lead to surgery cancellations, such as bed capacity and nursing staff in Intensive Care (IC) units and bed occupancy in wards or medium care (MC) services. Our incentive is therefore to determine a master schedule of a given number of patient...

The Value of Partial Resource Pooling: Should a Service Network Be Integrated or Product-Focused?

OpenAIRE

Bar{\\i}\\c{s} Ata; Jan A. Van Mieghem

2009-01-01

We investigate how dynamic resource substitution in service systems impacts capacity requirements and responsiveness. Inspired by the contrasting network strategies of FedEx and United Parcel Service (UPS), we study when two service classes (e.g., express or regular) should be served by dedicated resources (e.g., air or ground) or by an integrated network (e.g., air also serves regular). Using call center terminology, the question is whether to operate two independent queues or one N-network....

Physical and Visual Accessibilities in Intensive Care Units: A Comparative Study of Open-Plan and Racetrack Units.

Science.gov (United States)

Rashid, Mahbub; Khan, Nayma; Jones, Belinda

2016-01-01

This study compared physical and visual accessibilities and their associations with staff perception and interaction behaviors in 2 intensive care units (ICUs) with open-plan and racetrack layouts. For the study, physical and visual accessibilities were measured using the spatial analysis techniques of Space Syntax. Data on staff perception were collected from 81 clinicians using a questionnaire survey. The locations of 2233 interactions, and the location and length of another 339 interactions in these units were collected using systematic field observation techniques. According to the study, physical and visual accessibilities were different in the 2 ICUs, and clinicians' primary workspaces were physically and visually more accessible in the open-plan ICU. Physical and visual accessibilities affected how well clinicians' knew their peers and where their peers were located in these units. Physical and visual accessibilities also affected clinicians' perception of interaction and communication and of teamwork and collaboration in these units. Additionally, physical and visual accessibilities showed significant positive associations with interaction behaviors in these units, with the open-plan ICU showing stronger associations. However, physical accessibilities were less important than visual accessibilities in relation to interaction behaviors in these ICUs. The implications of these findings for ICU design are discussed.

The current status of mapping karst areas and availability of public sinkhole-risk resources in karst terrains of the United States

Science.gov (United States)

Kuniansky, Eve L.; Weary, David J.; Kaufmann, James E.

2016-01-01

Subsidence from sinkhole collapse is a common occurrence in areas underlain by water-soluble rocks such as carbonate and evaporite rocks, typical of karst terrain. Almost all 50 States within the United States (excluding Delaware and Rhode Island) have karst areas, with sinkhole damage highest in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. A conservative estimate of losses to all types of ground subsidence was $125 million per year in 1997. This estimate may now be low, as review of cost reports from the last 15 years indicates that the cost of karst collapses in the United States averages more than $300 million per year. Knowing when a catastrophic event will occur is not possible; however, understanding where such occurrences are likely is possible. The US Geological Survey has developed and maintains national-scale maps of karst areas and areas prone to sinkhole formation. Several States provide additional resources for their citizens; Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania maintain databases of sinkholes or karst features, with Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio providing sinkhole reporting mechanisms for the public.

Case studies of scenario analysis for adaptive management of natural resource and infrastructure systems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hamilton, M.C.; Thekdi, S.A.; Jenicek, E.M.

2013-01-01

Management of natural resources and infrastructure systems for sustainability is complicated by uncertainties in the human and natural environment. Moreover, decisions are further complicated by contradictory views, values, and concerns that are rarely made explicit. Scenario analysis can play...... of emergent conditions and help to avoid regret and belated action. The purpose of this paper is to present several case studies in natural resources and infrastructure systems management where scenario analysis has been used to aide decision making under uncertainty. The case studies include several resource...... and infrastructure systems: (1) water resources (2) land-use corridors (3) energy infrastructure, and (4) coastal climate change adaptation. The case studies emphasize a participatory approach, where scenario analysis becomes a means of incorporating diverse stakeholder concerns and experience. This approach...

Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation for Phantom Cellular Networks with Imperfect CSI

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Amr Mohamed Abdelaziz

2017-03-28

Multi-tier heterogeneous networks have become an essential constituent for next generation cellular networks. Meanwhile, energy efficiency (EE) has been considered a critical design criterion along with the traditional spectral efficiency (SE) metric. In this context, we study power and spectrum allocation for a two-tier phantom cellular network, The optimization framework includes both EE and SE. We consider densely deployed phantom cellular networks and model the EE optimization problem taking into consideration the inevitable interference in this setup and imperfect channel estimation impairments. To this end, we propose three resource allocation strategies aiming at optimizing this network EE performance metric. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of changing some system parameters on the performance of these strategies, such as phantom cells resource units share, number of deployed phantom cells within a macro cell , number of pilots, and the phantom cells transmission power budget. It is found that increasing the number of pilots will deteriorate the EE performance of the whole setup, while increasing phantom cells transmission power budget will not affect the EE of the whole setup significantly. In addition, we observed that it is always useful to allocate most of the network resource units to the phantom cells tier.

Energy-Efficient Resource Allocation for Phantom Cellular Networks with Imperfect CSI

KAUST Repository

Abdelhady, Amr Mohamed Abdelaziz; Amin, Osama; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

2017-01-01

Multi-tier heterogeneous networks have become an essential constituent for next generation cellular networks. Meanwhile, energy efficiency (EE) has been considered a critical design criterion along with the traditional spectral efficiency (SE) metric. In this context, we study power and spectrum allocation for a two-tier phantom cellular network, The optimization framework includes both EE and SE. We consider densely deployed phantom cellular networks and model the EE optimization problem taking into consideration the inevitable interference in this setup and imperfect channel estimation impairments. To this end, we propose three resource allocation strategies aiming at optimizing this network EE performance metric. Furthermore, we investigate the effect of changing some system parameters on the performance of these strategies, such as phantom cells resource units share, number of deployed phantom cells within a macro cell , number of pilots, and the phantom cells transmission power budget. It is found that increasing the number of pilots will deteriorate the EE performance of the whole setup, while increasing phantom cells transmission power budget will not affect the EE of the whole setup significantly. In addition, we observed that it is always useful to allocate most of the network resource units to the phantom cells tier.