Improving Access to Health Through Collaboration: Lessons Learned from The Colorado Trust's Partnerships for Health Initiative Evaluation

This report presents findings from the evaluation of four Partnerships in Health Initiative grantees that were addressing access to health in their communities through the formation of collaboratives. Outcomes achieved by the grantees as well as lessons learned for others embarking on collaborative processes are described

Designing a Voluntary Beef Checkoff

Recently, the U.S. Supreme Court considered whether the mandatory fees imposed by the beef checkoff violates the First Amendment. As a precaution, many states began forming voluntary beef checkoffs, where funds would be raised through voluntary contributions. This study conducted a survey of Oklahoma cattle producers to determine what type ofvoluntary checkoff design would receive the greatest support. The most popular checkoff placed a large emphasis on advertising and a slightly lower checkoff fee. The survey also tested the ability of a provision point mechanism to limit free-riding. The mechanism was not as effective as in other studies which used laboratory experiments.beef marketing, checkoff, free-rider, provision point mechanism, public good, Agricultural and Food Policy, Livestock Production/Industries,

The Effect of the Diving/Wet Suit on the Survival Time in Cold Water Immersion

In this study, we will compare the effect of normal clothes (assumed as bare skin) with effect of wetsuit in maintaining the core body temperature, produced by metabolic heat generations and blood flow heat generation, using COMSOL. A passenger is immersed in cold water after Titanic has shipwrecked, and the individual is waiting for rescue to come in time before his metabolic functions stop and die. We will compare two cases: with and without wetsuit on the passenger. Skin temperature or wetsuit temperature is assumed to be equal to cold water temperature, which is at 10 degrees Celsius, and the distribution of temperature throughout the body will be graphically shown as the time of body immersion in water increases. It is shown from the results that wetsuit can help maintain the normal core body temperature much longer than normal clothes/bare skin can in cold water immersion

Beyond nationality: international experience as a key dimension for subsidiary staffing choices in MNEs

Purpose: The literature on international staffing in MNEs often focuses on staffing choices based on nationality categories (e.g. PCNs, HCNs, TCNs) for key positions in subsidiaries when examining their impacts on subsidiary outcomes. Considering both nationality and international experience, we suggest an integrative typology to identify and classify various types of traditional and alternative subsidiary staffing options and evaluate them in relation to social capital and knowledge flows across MNE organizations. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a social capital view of MNEs, we propose a typology of subsidiary staffing options founded on the dimensions of nationality and the location of prior international experience of incumbents of key positions. Then traditional as well as alternative staffing options from the literature are identified and evaluated corresponding to each type of staffing option in the framework. Findings: Our typology identifies nine types of subsidiary staffing options. It includes and classifies the traditional and alternative staffing options, while highlighting types which need further research. The study also suggests impacts of the traditional and alternative staffing type on social capital and knowledge flows in MNEs. Originality/value: The new typology identifies various types of subsidiary staffing options comprehensively and evaluates them systematically. HRM specialists can classify subsidiary managers based on the typology and examine which staffing option would be desirable given a specific subsidiary context. Our research also provides novel insights on what needs to be considered to select and develop subsidiary managers who can build internal and external social capital in MNEs

The liability of mimicry: Implementing “global human resource management standards” in United States and Indian subsidiaries of a South Korean multinational enterprise

There is increasing evidence that multinational enterprises (MNEs) from less dominant economies tend to mimic and disseminate human resource management (HRM) practices sourced from a dominant economy, usually the United States, to overcome their “liabilities of origin.” However, our understanding of the specific challenges involved in the implementation of such practices by firms across different national and subsidiary contexts remains limited. Drawing on evidence from a case study of a South Korean MNE, we examine the extent to which, and ways in which, global HRM policies mimicking U.S. practices are implemented across its sales, manufacturing, and research and development subsidiaries in the United States and India. We find discernible differences in the implementation of the global policies both between the two host country sites and across the three function‐specific subsidiaries in each country, identifying a range of national and subsidiary‐specific factors that inform these variable implementation outcomes. In addition to legitimacy challenges related to the source, appropriateness, and process of transfer, we note a unique form of legitimacy challenge—“the liability of mimicry”—whereby local actors can challenge head office policies on the basis of a claim to superior expertise in the dominant practices, as a particular concern of MNEs from emerging economies

Reviewing the epigenetics of schizophrenia

Background: Epigenetic research in mental health has grown exponentially during the last decade and holds what some claim are “revolutionary” potentials for the development of new interdisciplinary models of mental ill health. Schizophrenia is the most appropriate diagnosis against which to assess progress in this regard. Method: Papers on epigenetics and schizophrenia identified in a systematic literature search are subject to a conceptually-driven narrative review that assesses the relations between schizophrenia and epigenetics; considers some issues associated with empirical studies; and thereby identifies key assumptions guiding this research. Findings: The revolutionary potentials of epigenetics are thus far not being realised due to various influences, including a preponderance of hypotheses that begin from a primarily biological question; the “condensation” of environmental influences and their effective reduction to their molecular consequences; and a frequent reliance upon animal studies that effectively preclude some important influences already established as relevant to this diagnosis. Conclusion: Epigenetic research in schizophrenia (and mental health generally) could benefit from being more thoroughly interdisciplinary, from testing hypotheses that foreground social as well as biological influences, and from reconsidering its reliance upon psychiatric diagnoses

Simulation of radiowave propagation in a dense urban environment

One objective of this thesis was to investigate the effect of details, such as the windows of high-rise buildings, on the radiowave propagation in the dense urban environment through modeling and simulations. If adding windows does not significantly change the signal distribution on average, it may not be necessary to build such a detailed model. Simulations are performed using several levels of detail and the results compared to estimate the impact of the fine details on the signal level. A second issue is base station antenna coverage. The antenna gain, half power beamwidth (HPBW), location, and pointing angle should be chosen to give the maximum coverage over a specified sector. Simulations can be used to select the optimums set of base station properties. Specifically this research looks at the coverage from the two sectored antennas versus a single one over a quadrant.http://archive.org/details/simulationofradi109453640Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB author (civilian).Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited