The Accessibility Quotient: A New Measure of Open Access

INTRODUCTION The Accessibility Quotient (AQ), a new measure for assisting authors and librarians in assessing and characterizing the degree of accessibility for a group of papers, is proposed and described. The AQ offers a concise measure that assesses the accessibility of peer-reviewed research produced by an individual or group, by incorporating data on open availability to readers worldwide, the degree of financial barrier to access, and journal quality. The paper reports on the context for developing this measure, how the AQ is calculated, how it can be used in faculty outreach, and why it is a useful lens to use in assessing progress towards more open access to research. METHODS Journal articles published in 2009 and 2010 by faculty members from one department in each of MIT’s five schools were examined. The AQ was calculated using economist Ted Bergstrom’s Relative Price Index to assess affordability and quality, and data from SHERPA/RoMEO to assess the right to share the peer-reviewed version of an article. RESULTS The results show that 2009 and 2010 publications by the Media Lab and Physics have the potential to be more open than those of Sloan (Management), Mechanical Engineering, and Linguistics & Philosophy. DISCUSSION Appropriate interpretation and applications of the AQ are discussed and some limitations of the measure are examined, with suggestions for future studies which may improve the accuracy and relevance of the AQ. CONCLUSION The AQ offers a concise assessment of accessibility for authors, departments, disciplines, or universities who wish to characterize or understand the degree of access to their research output, capturing additional dimensions of accessibility that matter to faculty

End-of-life vehicle recycling : state of the art of resource recovery from shredder residue.

Each year, more than 25 million vehicles reach the end of their service life throughout the world, and this number is rising rapidly because the number of vehicles on the roads is rapidly increasing. In the United States, more than 95% of the 10-15 million scrapped vehicles annually enter a comprehensive recycling infrastructure that includes auto parts recyclers/dismantlers, remanufacturers, and material recyclers (shredders). Today, over 75% of automotive materials, primarily the metals, are profitably recycled via (1) parts reuse and parts and components remanufacturing and (2) ultimately by the scrap processing (shredding) industry. The process by which the scrap processors recover metal scrap from automobiles involves shredding the obsolete automobile hulks, along with other obsolete metal-containing products (such as white goods, industrial scrap, and demolition debris), and recovering the metals from the shredded material. The single largest source of recycled ferrous scrap for the iron and steel industry is obsolete automobiles. The non-metallic fraction that remains after the metals are recovered from the shredded materials - commonly called shredder residue - constitutes about 25% of the weight of the vehicle, and it is disposed of in landfills. This practice is not environmentally friendly, wastes valuable resources, and may become uneconomical. Therefore, it is not sustainable. Over the past 15-20 years, a significant amount of research and development has been undertaken to enhance the recycle rate of end-of-life vehicles, including enhancing dismantling techniques and improving remanufacturing operations. However, most of the effort has been focused on developing technology to separate and recover non-metallic materials, such as polymers, from shredder residue. To make future vehicles more energy efficient, more lightweighting materials - primarily polymers, polymer composites, high-strength steels, and aluminum - will be used in manufacturing these vehicles. Many of these materials increase the percentage of shredder residue that must be disposed of, compared with the percentage of metals that are recovered. In addition, the number of hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles on the road is rapidly increasing. This trend will also introduce new materials for disposal at the end of their useful lives, including batteries. Therefore, as the complexity of automotive materials and systems increases, new technologies will be required to sustain and maximize the ultimate recycling of these materials and systems. Argonne National Laboratory (Argonne), the Vehicle Recycling Partnership, LLC. (VRP) of the United States Council for Automotive Research, LLC. (USCAR), and the American Chemistry Council-Plastics Division (ACC-PD) are working to develop technology for recovering materials from end-of-life vehicles, including separating and recovering polymers and residual metals from shredder residue. Several other organizations worldwide are also working on developing technology for recycling materials from shredder residue. Without a commercially viable shredder industry, our nation and the world will most likely face greater environmental challenges and a decreased supply of quality scrap, and thereby be forced to turn to primary ores for the production of finished metals. This will result in increased energy consumption and increased damage to the environment, including increased greenhouse gas emissions. The recycling of polymers, other organics, and residual metals in shredder residue saves the equivalent of over 23 million barrels of oil annually. This results in a 12-million-ton reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. This document presents a review of the state-of-the-art in the recycling of automotive materials

Organizational impact of evidence-informed decision making training initiatives : a case study comparison of two approaches

Background The impact of efforts by healthcare organizations to enhance the use of evidence to improve organizational processes through training programs has seldom been assessed. We therefore endeavored to assess whether and how the training of mid- and senior-level healthcare managers could lead to organizational change. Methods We conducted a theory-driven evaluation of the organizational impact of healthcare leaders’ participation in two training programs using a logic model based on Nonaka’s theory of knowledge conversion. We analyzed six case studies nested within the two programs using three embedded units of analysis (individual, group and organization). Interviews were conducted during intensive one-week data collection site visits. A total of 84 people were interviewed. Results We found that the impact of training could primarily be felt in trainees’ immediate work environments. The conversion of attitudes was found to be easier to achieve than the conversion of skills. Our results show that, although socialization and externalization were common in all cases, a lack of combination impeded the conversion of skills. We also identified several individual, organizational and program design factors that facilitated and/or impeded the dissemination of the attitudes and skills gained by trainees to other organizational members. Conclusions Our theory-driven evaluation showed that factors before, during and after training can influence the extent of skills and knowledge transfer. Our evaluation went further than previous research by revealing the influence—both positive and negative—of specific organizational factors on extending the impact of training programs

Worldwide Esophageal Cancer Collaboration : clinical staging data

Peer reviewe

Using Oxidation–Reduction Potential To Manage Media Filters Treating Sulfide-Laden Groundwater

An evaluation studying the use of oxidation–reduction potential (ORP) for optimizing a 10,500 m3/d (2.8 MGD) oxidizing media filter (OMF) process treating Floridan groundwater containing between 1.6 and 1.8 mg/L sulfide has been completed. One year after placing the OMFs on-line, colored water complaints were reported within the municipal water system. It was determined that the filter beds required regeneration as they were insufficiently oxidized, and the media’s manganese dioxide coating was being released into the finished water. ORP, free chlorine residual, total manganese and turbidity measurements were recorded during filter run cycles before and after each regeneration event. Results showed that below 500 mV ORP was a more useful measurement for monitoring regeneration events within the media bed than chlorine residual which was not detectable. Results showed a significant increase in turbidity (\u3e2 NTU) and total manganese (\u3e 0.05 mg/L) when the ORP within the filter bed dropped below 400 mV. More frequent cycling of the filters was found to be an effective treatment option to maintain ORP values above 600 mV as an operational threshold

Using Existing Cascade Tray Aeration Infrastructure To Strip Total Trihalomethanes

To assess the efficacy of using falling-cascade tray aeration to reduce total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) from potable water, a pilot aerator was constructed and operated in a recirculated mode. In addition, a full-scale water treatment plant and distribution system serving less than 10,000 people were monitored for eight months while operating a falling-cascade tray aerator with and without recirculation. Pilot results showed that 56.5 μg/L of TTHMs could be reduced to below the detection limit after five passes through the tray aerator. Full-scale results showed an approximate 40 μg/L TTHM reduction at several monitoring locations. Although pilot and full-scale results confirmed that recirculation will not significantly impact THM re-formation postaeration, both pilot and full-scale monitoring results indicated that recirculated cascade tray aerators could reduce TTHM content to concentrations below regulated levels. The average increase in operating cost, resulting from an increase in electrical power when recirculating water on site, approximated $850/month

The staging of severity in gastroesopageal reflux disease

The concept of staging gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has evolved in past decades. In 1974, it was recommended that a standardized method be used to assess the severity and degree of reflux; in 1988, it was proposed that staging be used to evaluate and to report GERD objectively. Some clinicians have since experimented with the staging system by reporting on definite forms of GERD, and others have offered ideas to improve the objectivity of evaluating and reporting GERD

Evidence-based investigation for reflux disease

Hiatal hernia and gastroesophageal reflux disease are measurable conditions. Evidence-based evaluation techniques should be applied to quantify these conditions, to standardize investigations, to define indications, and to provide objective results