The uses of formal and informal plans in top executive decision making : a comparison between U.S. and Canadian executives.

ManagementDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.

Path-programmable logic

Journal ArticlePath-Programmable Logic (PPL) is a structured IC design methodology under development at the University of Utah. PPL employs a sea-of-wires approach to design. In PPL, design is done entirely using cells for both functionality and interconnect. PPL cells may have modifiers that change either their connections or functionality. Wires in the PPL design plane are segmentable at any cell boundary. PPL is implemented as a set of cell libraries (NMOS, CMOS, and GaAs) and a suite of tools that permit the designer to create, modify, simulate and check PPL circuit designs and to generate mask data for them. PPL exhibits little or no area penalty with respect to full custom densities while permitting system design to be done more rapidly than with gate arrays or standard cells. PPL may be implemented as a sea-of-gates gate array to provide fast turnaround

The path programmable logic (PPL) user's manual

Journal ArticleThis manual describes the primitive NMOS path programmable logic cells currently in use at the University of Utah. It contains detailed descriptions, schematics and composite layout of all cells. Also included are PPL programming rules as well as layout design rules for each cell set

Chronicles of Oklahoma

Article describes the Fort Worth Branch of the National Archives and explains how to navigate the collection, which contains many materials related to Oklahoma history despite being in Texas. Branch Director Kent Carter urges Oklahoma historians and researchers not to overlook this plethora of information despite the institution being out of state

Differential Effects of a Direct Behavior Rating Intervention Based on Function of Problem Behavior

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a teacher-implemented tier two behavior intervention and differential effects based on function of student problem behavior. The participants were 36 public elementary school students who were nominated for additional behavior support beyond universal School-wide Positive Behavior Support. The intervention provided was Check-In/Check-Out, a tier two intervention using direct behavior ratings to increase structure and feedback to the student’s environment. Before and after implementation of the intervention, the authors assessed the students’ function of behavior, levels of problem behavior, prosocial behavior, and rate of behavioral incidents. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated significant effects for all students in prosocial behavior and behavioral incidents, but not problem behavior. An analysis of interaction effects indicated statistically significant differences in response to intervention based on function of problem behavior. Results are discussed in terms of considering function of problem behavior in selecting tier two interventions and implementing a three tier response to intervention model

Variability of the winter wind waves and swell in the North Atlantic and North Pacific as revealed by the Voluntary Observing Ship data

This paper analyses secular changes and interannual variability in the wind wave, swell, and significant wave height (SWH) characteristics over the North Atlantic and North Pacific on the basis of wind wave climatology derived from the visual wave observations of voluntary observing ship (VOS) officers. These data are available from the International Comprehensive Ocean–Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) collection of surface meteorological observations for 1958–2002, but require much more complicated preprocessing than standard meteorological variables such as sea level pressure, temperature, and wind. Visual VOS data allow for separate analysis of changes in wind sea and swell, as well as in significant wave height, which has been derived from wind sea and swell estimates. In both North Atlantic and North Pacific midlatitudes winter significant wave height shows a secular increase from 10 to 40 cm decade−1 during the last 45 yr. However, in the North Atlantic the patterns of trend changes for wind sea and swell are quite different from each other, showing opposite signs of changes in the northeast Atlantic. Trend patterns of wind sea, swell, and SWH in the North Pacific are more consistent with each other. Qualitatively the same conclusions hold for the analysis of interannual variability whose leading modes demonstrate noticeable differences for wind sea and swell. Statistical analysis shows that variability in wind sea is closely associated with the local wind speed, while swell changes can be driven by the variations in the cyclone counts, implying the importance of forcing frequency for the resulting changes in significant wave height. This mechanism of differences in variability patterns of wind sea and swell is likely more realistic than the northeastward propagation of swells from the regions from which the wind sea signal originates

Applying Ecosystem Services Approaches for Biodiversity Conservation: Benefits and Challenges

Ecosystem services as a concept and framework for understanding the way in which nature benefits people has led to a suite of approaches that are increasingly being used to support sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems. However, the utility of the ecosystem services framework and associated tools for supporting biodiversity conservation are the subject of ongoing debates among conservationists. In this paper, we discuss several general ways in which ecosystem services approaches are supporting biodiversity conservation, which may not have been possible otherwise. The new opportunities that ecosystem services approaches provide for biodiversity conservation include: the development of broader constituencies for conservation and expanded possibilities to influence decision-making; opportunities to add or create new value to protected areas; and the opportunities to manage ecosystems sustainably outside of protected areas. We also review areas in which ecosystem services approaches may not effectively conserve certain aspects of biodiversity. Areas of particular concern in this regard include: species without utilitarian or economic value; ecological processes that do not directly benefit people; and critical ecological functions that may be undermined in attempts to optimize a target service. Understanding the benefits and limitations of using ecosystem services approaches for achieving biodiversity conservation will help ensure that the finite resources available for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development are used as strategically and effectively as possible to maintain the multiple components of biodiversity and to support human well-being

Applying Ecosystem Services Approaches for Biodiversity Conservation: Benefits and Challenges

Ecosystem services as a concept and framework for understanding the way in which nature benefits people has led to a suite of approaches that are increasingly being used to support sustainable management of biodiversity and ecosystems. However, the utility of the ecosystem services framework and associated tools for supporting biodiversity conservation are the subject of ongoing debates among conservationists. In this paper, we discuss several general ways in which ecosystem services approaches are supporting biodiversity conservation, which may not have been possible otherwise. The new opportunities that ecosystem services approaches provide for biodiversity conservation include: the development of broader constituencies for conservation and expanded possibilities to influence decision-making; opportunities to add or create new value to protected areas; and the opportunities to manage ecosystems sustainably outside of protected areas. We also review areas in which ecosystem services approaches may not effectively conserve certain aspects of biodiversity. Areas of particular concern in this regard include: species without utilitarian or economic value; ecological processes that do not directly benefit people; and critical ecological functions that may be undermined in attempts to optimize a target service. Understanding the benefits and limitations of using ecosystem services approaches for achieving biodiversity conservation will help ensure that the finite resources available for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development are used as strategically and effectively as possible to maintain the multiple components of biodiversity and to support human well-being

Visual Elements and Cognitive Biases Influence Interpretations of Trends in Scatter Plots

Visualizations are common methods to convey information but also increasingly used to spread misinformation. It is therefore important to understand the factors people use to interpret visualizations. In this paper, we focus on factors that influence interpretations of scatter plots, investigating the extent to which common visual aspects of scatter plots (outliers and trend lines) and cognitive biases (people's beliefs) influence perception of correlation trends. We highlight three main findings: outliers skew trend perception but exert less influence than other points; trend lines make trends seem stronger but also mitigate the influence of some outliers; and people's beliefs have a small influence on perceptions of weak, but not strong correlations. From these results we derive guidelines for adjusting visual elements to mitigate the influence of factors that distort interpretations of scatter plots. We explore how these guidelines may generalize to other visualization types and make recommendations for future studies.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure, 2 table

P513: Project GIVE: Expanding genetic testing to underserved areas in the Rio Grande Valley using an EHR-agnostic tele-engagement platform

Introduction Providing an accurate genetic diagnosis to children in a timely manner is crucial for providing appropriate medical interventions, counseling families about recurrence risks, and addressing the psychosocial and financial challenges that are known to be associated with diagnostic odysseys. Unfortunately, underserved and under resourced areas across the nation have poor access to genetic testing. There is a significant disparity in access to genomic healthcare in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) along the Texas-Mexico border, which has a population of about 1.4 million residents and no local full-time genetics provider. Over 94% of the population in the RGV is Hispanic, 34% of individuals are uninsured, and upwards of 40% of children in these four counties live in poverty. A lack of expertise of the frontline healthcare providers in identifying individuals in need of a genetics referral and the limited pool of highly trained and qualified board-certified geneticists in the region impedes patient pathways to receive timely genetics evaluation and testing. Project GIVE is an NIH-funded research study at Baylor College of Medicine and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), initiated in February 2022 that was designed to change the current clinical practice in the region. By leveraging Consultagene, a cutting-edge EHR-Agnostic Tele-Engagement Platform, we can provide timely genetic evaluation and whole genome sequencing (WGS) to improve genetic health of less resourced children in the RGV. Additionally, we improve genetics expertise among frontline healthcare providers in the RGV through CME events that cover various genetics concepts. Methods Frontline providers – including physicians, nurse practitioners, developmental therapists, and medical assistants – refer patients directly to Project GIVE through the HIPAA compliant virtual Consultagene portal (www.consultagene.org). Families accepted into the study meet with the study’s bilingual research coordinator at the UTRGV Specialty Clinic for a virtual genetic evaluation with the BCM geneticists and genetic counselor (“Visit 1”). Buccal samples for trio GS are sent to Baylor Genetics, and “Visit 2” is scheduled when results are available. Return of results counseling is provided, with follow-up recommendations as needed. Patients are longitudinally followed for 1 year. Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating Research (CSER) surveys are utilized at all study visits to collect demographic information and assess study outcomes. In addition, two in-person CME conferences have been delivered to improve genomic competency of the frontline providers. Surveys were administered before and after the CME event to assess the impact of the CME event on comfortability with genetics concepts. Data were also collected regarding clinic demographics and access to care factors. Results To date, 147 families have been referred through Consultagene, 102 were accepted, and 49 families have completed Visit 1. Most families identify as Hispanic/Latino (97%), and about half have an annual household income of less than $20,000. WGS results have been returned to 38 families. Thirteen children received a diagnosis or partial diagnosis (34%). We are exploring potential new gene-disease associations for three of our participants with negative WGS. Preliminary results from surveys show that families feel satisfied with WGS results and the use of telemedicine for return of results. Attendees of the CME events reported that they struggled knowing when to refer patients and how to interpret genetic results. They also report challenges with accessing medical records for patients with complex diseases. Providers reported increased comfortability with several genetic concepts post-CME. Conclusion Project GIVE addresses genomic health disparities in under-represented populations by offering virtual genetic evaluation and WGS to pediatric patients with rare diseases. We believe that our model of integrating community engagement and using an advanced virtual platform can be replicated in other disadvantaged areas that lack genetic professionals and resources to improve genomic health of children