RTBS: Your Audio Companion

Radio Talking Book Service, a non-profit organization that assists the visually impaired by providing a free radio reading service, came to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a challenge: increase brand and service awareness throughout Nebraska. We began by conducting both secondary and primary research, developing key insights and examining all possible target audiences. We investigated the day-to-day life of the visually impaired, learning that many who have experienced vision loss suffer from decreasing independence and increasing feelings of loneliness. Our primary research revealed that these individuals turn first to eye care professionals, resource organizations for the visually impaired and residential healthcare facilities to seek practical and medical assistance with blindness. This research helped us to uncover our target audience, primary marketing objectives and brand message. Since our research showed that many RTBS listeners listen to the radio alone, we have positioned RTBS as a resource for the psychological transition from a sighted world to a nonsighted world. RTBS can aid this transition by providing a constant flow of entertainment, information and a human voice. RTBS serves as “Your Audio Companion.” Our goal is to inform influencers, educate the public and connect our fan base. By informing our target markets, we hope for them to become RTBS advocates. The tactics for meeting our objectives include: creating starter kits for influencers, writing new press releases and public service announcements for the local media, developing attentiongrabbing radio spots, proposing social media strategy, rebranding collateral pieces, and creating an internship program to assist with executing the campaign

Factors influencing performance by contracted non-state providers implementing a basic package of health services in Afghanistan

Abstract Background In 2002 Afghanistan’s Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and its development partners initiated a new paradigm for the health sector by electing to Contract-Out (CO) the Basic Package of Health Services (BPHS) to non-state providers (NSPs). This model is generally regarded as successful, but literature is scarce that examines the motivations underlying implementation and factors influencing program success. This paper uses relevant theories and qualitative data to describe how and why contracting out delivery of primary health care services to NSPs has been effective. The main aim of this study was to assess the contextual, institutional, and contractual factors that influenced the performance of NSPs delivering the BPHS in Afghanistan. Methods The qualitative study design involved individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions conducted in six provinces of Afghanistan, as well as a desk review. The framework for assessing key factors of the contracting mechanism proposed by Liu et al. was utilized in the design, data collection and data analysis. Results While some contextual factors facilitated the CO (e.g. MoPH leadership, NSP innovation and community participation), harsh geography, political interference and insecurity in some provinces had negative effects. Contractual factors, such as effective input and output management, guided health service delivery. Institutional factors were important; management capacity of contracted NSPs affects their ability to deliver outcomes. Effective human resources and pharmaceutical management were notable elements that contributed to the successful delivery of the BPHS. The contextual, contractual and institutional factors interacted with each other. Conclusion Three sets of factors influenced the implementation of the BPHS: contextual, contractual and institutional. The MoPH should consider all of these factors when contracting out the BPHS and other functions to NSPs. Other fragile states and countries emerging from a period of conflict could learn from Afghanistan’s example in contracting out primary health care services, keeping in mind that generic or universal contracting policies might not work in all geographical areas within a country or between countries

Multi-laboratory compilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide data for the period 1957-2019; obspack_co2_1_GLOBALVIEWplus_v6.0_2020-09-11

A full list of all creators for this product can be found at www.esrl.noaa.gov/gmd/ccgg/obspack/providerlist/obspack_co2_1_GLOBALVIEWplus_v6.0_2020-09-11.html. This product is constructed using the Observation Package (ObsPack) framework [Masarie et al., 2014; www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/6/375/2014/]. The framework is designed to bring together atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) observations from a variety of sampling platforms, prepare them with specific applications in mind, and package and distribute them in a self-consistent and well-documented product. ObsPack products are intended to support GHG budget studies and represent a new generation of cooperative value-added GHG data products. This product includes 471 atmospheric carbon dioxide datasets derived from observations made by 54 laboratories from 21 countries. Data for the period 1957-2019 (where available) are included

Multi-laboratory compilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide data for the period 1957-2020; obspack_co2_1_GLOBALVIEWplus_v7.0_2021-08-18

This product is constructed using the Observation Package (ObsPack) framework [Masarie et al., 2014; www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/6/375/2014/]. The framework is designed to bring together atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) observations from a variety of sampling platforms, prepare them with specific applications in mind, and package and distribute them in a self-consistent and well-documented product. ObsPack products are intended to support GHG budget studies and represent a new generation of cooperative value-added GHG data products. This product includes 524 atmospheric carbon dioxide datasets derived from observations made by 63 laboratories from 21 countries. Data for the period 1957-2020 (where available) are included

Multi-laboratory compilation of atmospheric carbon dioxide data for the period 1957-2020 [Dataset]

This product is constructed using the Observation Package (ObsPack) framework [Masarie et al., 2014; www.earth-syst-sci-data.net/6/375/2014/]. The framework is designed to bring together atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) observations from a variety of sampling platforms, prepare them with specific applications in mind, and package and distribute them in a self-consistent and well-documented product. ObsPack products are intended to support GHG budget studies and represent a new generation of cooperative value-added GHG data products. This product includes 524 atmospheric carbon dioxide datasets derived from observations made by 63 laboratories from 21 countries. Data for the period 1957-2020 (where available) are included