Exploitation of renewable resources with differentiated technologies: An evolutionary analysis

In this paper, we propose a dynamical model of technology adoption for the exploitation of a renewable natural resource. Each technology has a different efficiency and environmental impact. The process of technology adoption over time is modeled through an evolutionary game employed by profit maximizing exploiters. The loss in profits due to lower efficiency levels of environmentally-friendly technologies can be counterbalanced by the higher consumers' propensity to pay for greener goods. The dynamics of the resource take place in continuous time, whereas the technology choice can be revised either in continuous-time or in discrete-time. In the latter case, the model assumes the form of a hybrid system, whose dynamics is mainly explored numerically. We shows that: (1) overexploitation of the resource arises whenever the reduction in harvesting due to a lower efficiency of clean technology is more than compensated by a higher propensity to pay for greener goods; (2) the difference between the fixed costs of these technologies can be exogenously fixed to provide an incentive for adopting clean technology without affecting the long-run level of the resource; and (3) in some cases, discrete switching of the technology causes overshooting in the dynamics whereas in others it enhances the stability of the system

Defining and applying a language for discovery

In order to design better search experiences, we need to understand the complexities of human information-seeking behaviour. In this paper, we propose a model of information behaviour based on the needs of users across a range of search and discovery scenarios. The model consists of a set of modes that that users employ to satisfy their information goals. We discuss how these modes relate to existing models of human information seeking behaviour, and identify areas where they differ. We then examine how they can be applied in the design of interactive systems, and present examples where individual modes have been implemented in interesting or novel ways. Finally, we consider the ways in which modes combine to form distinct chains or patterns of behaviour, and explore the use of such patterns both as an analytical tool for understanding information behaviour and as a generative tool for designing search and discovery experiences

Workshop to identify critical windows of exposure for children\u27s health: Neurobehavioral work group summary

Summarizes the deliberations of a work group charged with addressing specific questions relevant to risk estimation in developmental neurotoxicology. Importance of multiple factors addressing critical windows of exposure on neurological function; Role that compensatory mechanisms play in the manifestation of the effects of developmental exposures

Pedagogical Perspectives on Counselor Education: An Autoethnographic Experience of Doctoral Student Development

There is minimal literature related to understanding what training factors contribute to the development of qualified counselor educators. Specifically, we wondered if counselor education doctoral students are effectively prepared for their roles as instructors. We chose an autoethnographic phenomenology method as a means for exploring the experiences of doctoral students’ pedagogical development in a doctoral instructional theory course. We sought to understand the essence of our experience through written reflection, photography, and group reflective processes. Analysis revealed the value we all obtained through the instructional theory course, experiential learning, and self-reflection, which contributed to increased self-efficacy as emerging counselor educators. The essence of our experience is described through seven descriptive themes—delineated as methods of coping and reinforcing. The results demonstrate the benefit of including an explicit pedagogical course in counselor education curriculums. © 2019: Anna Elliott, Beronica M. Salazar, Brittany M. Davis, Lynn Bohecker, Tiffany Nielson, Kirsten LaMantia, David M. Kleist, and Nova Southeastern University

Emergency Medical Service, Nursing, and Physician Providers’ Perspectives on Delirium Identification and Management

Purpose of the study The study objective was to understand providers’ perceptions regarding identifying and treating older adults with delirium, a common complication of acute illness in persons with dementia, in the pre-hospital and emergency department environments. Design and methods The authors conducted structured focus group interviews with separate groups of emergency medical services staff, emergency nurses, and emergency physicians. Recordings of each session were transcribed, coded, and analyzed for themes with representative supporting quotations identified. Results Providers shared that the busy emergency department environment was the largest challenge to delirium recognition and treatment. When describing delirium, participants frequently detailed hyperactive features of delirium, rather than hypoactive features. Participants shared that they employed no clear diagnostic strategy for identifying the condition and that they used heterogeneous approaches to treat the condition. To improve care for older adults with delirium, emergency nurses identified the need for more training around the management of the condition. Emergency medical services providers identified the need for more support in managing agitated patients when in transport to the hospital and more guidance from emergency physicians on what information to collect from the patient’s home environment. Emergency physicians felt that delirium care would be improved if they could have baseline mental status data on their patients and if they had access to a simple, accurate diagnostic tool for the condition. Implications Emergency medical services providers, emergency nurses, and emergency physicians frequently encounter delirious patients, but do not employ clear diagnostic strategies for identifying the condition and have varying levels of comfort in managing the condition. Clear steps should be taken to improve delirium care in the emergency department including the development of mechanisms to communicate patients’ baseline mental status, the adoption of a systematized approach to recognizing delirium, and the institution of a standardized method to treat the condition when identified

22q11 Gene dosage establishes an adaptive range for sonic hedgehog and retinoic acid signaling during early development

We asked whether key morphogenetic signaling pathways interact with 22q11 gene dosage to modulate the severity of cranial or cardiac anomalies in DiGeorge/22q1 deletion syndrome (22q11DS). Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and retinoic acid (RA) signaling is altered in the brain and heart—clinically significant 22q11DS phenotypic sites—in LgDel mouse embryos, an established 22q11DS model. LgDel embryos treated with cyclopamine, an Shh inhibitor, or carrying mutations in Gli3Xtj, an Shh-signaling effector, have morphogenetic anomalies that are either not seen, or seen at significantly lower frequencies in control or single-mutant embryos. Similarly, RA exposure or genetic loss of RA function via heterozygous mutation of the RA synthetic enzyme Raldh2 induces novel cranial anomalies and enhances cardiovascular phenotypes in LgDel but not other genotypes. These changes are not seen in heterozygous Tbx1 mutant embryos—a 22q11 gene thought to explain much of 22q11DS pathogenesis—in which Shh or RA signaling has been similarly modified. Our results suggest that full dosage of 22q11 genes beyond Tbx1 establish an adaptive range for morphogenetic signaling via Shh and RA. When this adaptive range is constricted by diminished dosage of 22q11 genes, embryos are sensitized to otherwise benign changes in Shh and RA signaling. Such sensitization, in the face of environmental or genetic factors that modify Shh or RA signaling, may explain variability in 22q11DS morphogenetic phenotypes