Nuclear emergency decision support : a behavioural OR perspective

Operational researchers, risk and decision analysts need consider many behavioural issues. Despite many OR applications in nuclear emergency decision support, the literature has not paid sufficient attention to behavioural matters. In working on designing decision support processes for nuclear emergency management, we have encountered many behavioural issues. In this paper we synthesise the findings in the literature with our experience and identify a number of behavioural challenges to nuclear emergency decision support. In addition to challenges in model-building and interaction, we pay attention to a behavioural issue that is often neglected: the analysis itself and the communication of its implications may have behavioural consequences. We introduce proposals to address these challenges. First, we propose the use of models relying on incomplete preference information, outlining a framework and illustrating it with data from a previous decision analysis for the Chernobyl Project. Moreover, we reflect on the responsibility that rests on the analyst in addressing behavioural issues sensitively in order to lessen the effects on public stress. In doing so we make a distinction between System 1 Societal Deliberation and System 2 Societal Deliberation and discuss how this can help structure societal deliberation in the context of nuclear emergencies

Risk-Based Decision Making During Public Health Emergencies Involving Environmental Contamination

When major contamination emergencies involving chemical, biological, and radiological hazards occur, decisions about actions to protect public health are often needed very quickly. However, there is very little guidance for leaders about how to make these decisions, which may be very consequential. The goal of this research is to learn from disparate disciplines that deal with crisis decision making and risk-based decision making in order to understand the elements that are important for successful decision making in contamination emergencies, and translate those findings into a framework that can help guide risk assessors and decision makers through the process in future contamination emergencies. This research was conducted in three parts. First, a case study on biological threat characterization was conducted using a modified Delphi approach to gather subject-matter expert opinion on the process of characterizing contaminants and conducting human-health risk assessment prior to an emergency. Second, an integrative literature review was conducted to bring together relevant findings from different types of literature from the fields of risk-based and crisis decision making. Finally, building on the findings of the literature review, semi-structured interviews with subject matter experts were held to discuss the important elements, information needs, and processes that can support a political-level decision maker such as a mayor or governor, who may be in the position of making these difficult decisions. Findings from the Delphi case study revealed the importance of characterizing potential hazards before an emergency occurs, so that data about a contaminant and information about risk to human health can be used to make more-accurate decisions to protect the public’s health. The literature review uncovered a number of key findings regarding cognitive factors affecting decisions, key sources and topics to incorporate into decisions, and decision-making processes and supporting structures that can improve the quality of decision making in a time-pressured and uncertain environment. Interviews with subject matter experts helped to further explore and validate the themes derived from the literature review, which were then condensed into a decision-making framework. This framework is intended to inform future development of guidance for mayors and governors

Designing Medical Legal Exhibits: A Guide to Creating Successful Presentations

This thesis provides design instruction for medical illustrators, including ideas and facts about design, literacy, attention, retention, and recall. It is designed to help illustrators create persuasive printed exhibits to serve as demonstrative evidence in court cases

The phenomenon of Living Close to Nuclear power Plants

Communities near nuclear power plants are at potential risk from natural and man-made failures at the nuclear power plants located within those communities. This study explored the concerns and rationalizations of residents of a community who live within a 10-mile evacuation zone of the nuclear power plant located there. Using the general theory of deliberative democracy, the purpose of this qualitative study was to understand and explore why individuals continue to live close to nuclear power plants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 individuals who live within a 10- mile radius of a nuclear power plant in the western US. These interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using a modified Van Kaam procedure. Findings indicated that members of the community had concerns that natural or man-made disasters could lead to catastrophic failure of the nuclear power plant but rationalized living in proximity. Another key finding was that the community itself was supported by the revenue generated from the plant which led many of the participants to live in the community and this contributed to their rationalizing for why they should live close to the plant. The social change implications of this study included recommendations to mayors, city councils, and regulatory bodies to provide more information about nuclear power plants to communities to help them cope with fear and feelings of helplessness. Residents living near nuclear power plants would benefit from the recommendations made in this study because it would help them understand the risks of living near nuclear power plants

Financial Decision Making, Price, and Consumer Financial Well-being: A Multiple Methodology Inquiry of the Cognitions, Emotional Coping Responses, and Brand Measures in the Healthcare Service Industry

Article 1: Financial bankruptcy, particularly those as a result of healthcare expenses, has become a pervasive issue in the United States. This article examines a basic premise for the research, that healthcare is not viewed, by consumers, consistently with other exchanges, leading to detachment and disengagement within the purchase experience (e.g., a lack of price searching and price comparison behaviors) and disadvantageous consequences for financial well-being. Subsequently, the studies test cognitive (i.e., knowledge structures) and emotional constructs (i.e., emotion regulation), with a between-subjects experimental methodology (three studies), that may further unfurl the decision process for healthcare consumers. Contributions to the marketing, psychology, and public policy literatures yield implications for marketers and public policy makers, which are discussed subsequently.;Article 2: A qualitative exploration of mindfulness and emotion regulation is proffered, in an effort to identify and understand the cognitive processes used by consumers during healthcare financial decision making. Two complementary methodologies (i.e., stimulated recall, think-aloud protocol) are used for data collection, and two rounds of coding analysis offer themes which inform the literatures of psychology and marketing. Data from 16 participants supports the proposal of a preliminary framework. Implications for marketers and public policy makers are discussed.;Article 3: Healthcare organizations (HCO) are a critical portion of the continually burgeoning healthcare industry. Recent revenue estimates for the industry now exceed {dollar}3 trillion in the U.S. (Phillips 2015). As such, HCOs, embedded within a unique service context, have turned their attention and resources towards managing, cultivating, and promoting their brands. Brand equity and brand image are examined for their impact on price (i.e., average charge price ), a dependent variable derived from data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and price premiums within the healthcare industry. Implications for the theory of services marketing and healthcare marketing are discussed, as well as for managers

Proceedings of the 1993 Conference on Intelligent Computer-Aided Training and Virtual Environment Technology

The volume 2 proceedings from the 1993 Conference on Intelligent Computer-Aided Training and Virtual Environment Technology are presented. Topics discussed include intelligent computer assisted training (ICAT) systems architectures, ICAT educational and medical applications, virtual environment (VE) training and assessment, human factors engineering and VE, ICAT theory and natural language processing, ICAT military applications, VE engineering applications, ICAT knowledge acquisition processes and applications, and ICAT aerospace applications