Developing a Systematic Pandemic Influenza Program for Preparing a State

From a planning perspective, this chapter discusses how to effectively mitigate the spread of an extensive viral infection on a large scale, which requires timely, sen-sible and highly sound planning. The focus is on state level planning under the federal model for developing good operational plans. The chapter clarifies termi-nology, as “epidemic” rather than “pandemic,” as the preferred term for a local or state response. However, after that is explained, “pandemic,” which is the common and more frequently used name and in the chapter’s title, is referenced thereaf-ter in quotation marks. Post the introduction, this study presents a brief history of “pandemic influenza,” how a state prepares to develop a plan, agreements and trigger points which must be decided, the planning process itself, the operational plan with its important template for local use, and conclusions. Tracing a common operating picture from the federal, to the state, and to the city/county levels for “pandemic influenza,” planning is the first theme. How to incorporate continuity of government and continuity of operations into a plan, in the face of a rapidly spreading “pandemic,” is the second one. Last, how to deliver from the state to the county level, one workable document called an Operational Plan (OPLAN) with a county template for local use, is the last theme. That template gives counties a “pandemic influenza” model for planning that is the same as states and regions use, which they can directly apply locally. Thus this planning process saves lives during a “pandemic.

Economies of scale and production functions in South Korean manufacturing

노트 : Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Minnesota, 197

Primordial non-Gaussianity and Dark Energy constraints from Cluster Surveys

Galaxy cluster surveys will be a powerful probe of dark energy. At the same time, cluster abundance is sensitive to any non-Gaussianity of the primordial density field. It is therefore possible that non-Gaussian initial conditions might be misinterpreted as a sign of dark energy or at least degrade the expected constraints on dark energy parameters. To address this issue, we perform a likelihood analysis of an ideal cluster survey similar in size and depth to the upcoming South Pole Telescope/Dark Energy Survey (SPT-DES). We analyze a model in which the strength of the non-Gaussianity is parameterized by the constant fNL; this model has been used extensively to derive Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) anisotropy constraints on non-Gaussianity, allowing us to make contact with those works. We find that the constraining power of the cluster survey on dark energy observables is not significantly diminished by non-Gaussianity provided that cluster redshift information is included in the analysis. We also find that even an ideal cluster survey is unlikely to improve significantly current and future CMB constraints on non-Gaussianity. However, when all systematics are under control, it could constitute a valuable cross check to CMB observations.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures. Corrected a minor discrepancy between our earlier definition of fNL and CMB constraints. References adde

Measuring the Efficiency of an FCC Spectrum Auction

FCC spectrum auctions sell licenses to provide mobile phone service in designated geographic territories. We propose a method to structurally estimate the deterministic component of bidder valuations and apply it to the 1995-1996 C-block auction. We base our estimation of bidder values on a pairwise stability condition, which implies that two bidders cannot exchange licenses in a way that increases total surplus. Pairwise stability holds in many theoretical models of simultaneous ascending auctions, including some models of intimidatory collusion and demand reduction. Pairwise stability is also approximately satisfied in data that we examine from economic experiments. The lack of post-auction resale also suggests pairwise stability. Using our estimates of deterministic valuations, we measure the allocative efficiency of the C-block outcome

A review of assessment methods for river hydromorphology

The work leading to this paper has received funding for the EU’s FP7 under Grant Agreement No. 282656 (REFORM

Antidepressant Use Amongst College Students: Findings of a Phenomenological Study

Background: Depression among college students is an escalating problem and could have serious consequences such as suicide. There has been an increase in use of antidepressants on college campuses in United States. However, an in depth understanding of this phenomenon from the college student’s perspective is lacking in the literature. Objective: This study examined college students’ experiences and treatment decision making during their depression treatment. Methods: A longitudinal, phenomenological research methodology was completed. The participants were nine students who were taking antidepressants for diagnosis of depression. Recruitment was done via brochures placed at University bulletin boards, and a mental health clinic. Three audio taped, unstructured interviews were conducted with each participant over four months. The central question asked was: What has the experience of treating depression been for you? Analysis of text was done using Van Manen’s lifeworld existentials of lived body, lived time, lived relation and lived space as the organizing framework. Results: Thirteen themes were identified within the four lifeworlds. The results showed that lived relation with providers was important for college students’ decision to both initiate and continue antidepressant use. Students’ role was defined in conjunction with provider’s role by them as wanting to be a ‘player’ in their treatment decisions and needing to be ‘acknowledged’ as such by their providers. Conclusions: Overall, the underlying essential theme of ‘autonomy’ was portrayed by the students’ experiential accounts of their depression treatment and treatment decision making