505 research outputs found
Piece of Cake: Itâs Just a Small Structure Replacement Right?
Successfully delivering a project, task, or even a group decision requires effective collaboration skills, and the great thing about skills is that they can be learned. With collaboration, you can effectively lead a team toward decision making and deliver results. In this session, we will analyze different methods of collaboration to help you build this skill and make you a more persuasive and compelling project manager
Estimating the reproductive number, total outbreak size, and reporting rates for Zika epidemics in South and Central America
As South and Central American countries prepare for increased birth defects
from Zika virus outbreaks and plan for mitigation strategies to minimize
ongoing and future outbreaks, understanding important characteristics of Zika
outbreaks and how they vary across regions is a challenging and important
problem. We developed a mathematical model for the 2015 Zika virus outbreak
dynamics in Colombia, El Salvador, and Suriname. We fit the model to publicly
available data provided by the Pan American Health Organization, using
Approximate Bayesian Computation to estimate parameter distributions and
provide uncertainty quantification. An important model input is the at-risk
susceptible population, which can vary with a number of factors including
climate, elevation, population density, and socio-economic status. We informed
this initial condition using the highest historically reported dengue incidence
modified by the probable dengue reporting rates in the chosen countries. The
model indicated that a country-level analysis was not appropriate for Colombia.
We then estimated the basic reproduction number, or the expected number of new
human infections arising from a single infected human, to range between 4 and 6
for El Salvador and Suriname with a median of 4.3 and 5.3, respectively. We
estimated the reporting rate to be around 16% in El Salvador and 18% in
Suriname with estimated total outbreak sizes of 73,395 and 21,647 people,
respectively. The uncertainty in parameter estimates highlights a need for
research and data collection that will better constrain parameter ranges.Comment: 35 pages, 16 figure
On the binarity of Herbig Ae/Be stars
We present high resolution spectro-astrometry of a sample of 28 Herbig Ae/Be
and 3 F-type pre-main sequence stars. The spectro-astrometry is shown from both
empirical and simulated data to be capable of detecting binary companions that
are fainter by up to 6 magnitudes at separations larger than 0.1 arcsec. The
nine targets that were previously known to be a binary are all detected. In
addition, we report the discovery of 6 new binaries and present 5 further
possible binaries. The resulting binary fraction of 68+/-11 per cent is the
largest reported for any observed sample of Herbig Ae/Be stars, presumably
because of the exquisite sensitivity of spectro-astrometry for detecting binary
systems. The data hint that the binary frequency of the Herbig Be stars is
larger than for the Herbig Ae stars. The appendix presents model simulations to
assess the capabilities of spectro-astrometry and reinforces the empirical
findings. Two objects, HD 87643 and Z CMa, display evidence for asymmetric
outflows. Finally, the position angles of the binary systems have been compared
with available orientations of the circumprimary disc and these appear to be
co-planar. The alignment between the circumprimary discs and the binary systems
strongly suggests that the formation of binaries with intermediate mass
primaries is due to fragmentation as the alternative, stellar capture, does not
naturally predict aligned discs. The aligment extends to the most massive
B-type stars in our sample. This leads us to conclude that formation mechanisms
that do result in massive stars, but predict random angles beween the binaries
and the circumprimary disks, such as stellar collisions, are also ruled out for
the same reason.Comment: MNRAS accepted, 18 page
So, You Want to be a Utility Coordinator?
Successful navigation of the utility coordination process during a project involves more than just following the steps listed in the IDM. First, you must know how to start well. This presentation will outline how to develop a schedule that will work alongside the project delivery timeline, identify milestones to keeping utility coordination on track, and provide tips to get relocations completed by RFC
Life in the Sweatbox
The time before a person files bankruptcy is sometimes called the financial âsweatbox.â Using original data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, we find that people are living longer in the sweatbox before filing bankruptcy than they have in the past. We also describe the depletion of wealth and well-being that defines peopleâs time in the sweatbox. For those people who struggle for more than two years before filing bankruptcyâthe âlong strugglersââtheir time in the sweatbox is particularly damaging. During their years in the sweatbox, long strugglers deal with persistent collection calls, go without healthcare, food, and utilities, lose homes and other property, and yet remain ashamed of needing to file. For these people in particular, though time in the sweatbox undermines their ability to realize bankruptcyâs âfresh start,â they do not file until long after the costs outweigh the benefits. This Articleâs findings challenge longstanding narratives about who files bankruptcy and why. These narratives underlie our laws, influence how judges rule in individual cases, and affect how attorneys interact with their clients
No Money Down Bankruptcy
This Article reports on a breakdown in access to justice in bankruptcy, a system from which one million Americans will seek help this year. A crucial decision for these consumers will be whether to file a chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy. Nearly every aspect of their bankruptcies â both the benefits and the burdens of debt relief â will be different in chapter 7 versus chapter 13. Almost all consumers will hire a bankruptcy attorney. Because they must pay their attorneys, many consumers will file chapter 13 to finance their access to the law, rather than because they prefer the law of chapter 13 over chapter 7. Attorneys charge about 3,200 to file a chapter 13 bankruptcy, but clients can pay attorney fees over time as part of their cases. Chapter 7 and 13 bankruptcies also differ in the relief achieved. Almost all chapter 7 cases end with the debtor receiving a discharge of debts. In contrast, only around one-third of chapter 13 cases end in discharge. This Article exposes the increasingly prevalent phenomenon of debtors paying nothing in attorneysâ fees to file chapter 13. New data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, our original empirical national study, suggest that these âno money downâ consumers are similar to those who use chapter 7. However, because they cannot afford to pay their attorneys up front, these âno money downâ bankruptcy debtors suffer. They pay $2,000 more and have their cases dismissed at a rate 18 times higher than if they had filed chapter 7. The two most significant predictors of whether a consumer files a âno money downâ bankruptcy are a personâs place of residence and a personâs race. We could not identify legitimate ways that these factors correlate with debtorsâ needs for the substantive legal benefits of chapter 13. âNo money downâ bankruptcy can be a distortion in the delivery of legal help. We suggest reforms to how attorneys collect fees from consumer debtors that will reduce the potential conflict between clientsâ interests and attorneysâ interests. The reforms will deliver access to justice and improve the functioning of the bankruptcy system
Beyond Neutrality: Navigating challenges and leveraging opportunities of staff unionization in social change nonprofits
Union organizing campaigns at Starbucks and Amazon have been making headlines, but there is another, less publicized increase in unionization that has broad implications for social change: Employees of social justice nonprofit organizations have been unionizing in record numbers.While very few organizations in this sector were unionized ten years ago, it is now considered commonplace for groups like Planned Parenthood, Working Families Party, and Sunrise to have collective bargaining agreements with their staff.This crucial development has the potential to reshape the relationship between nonprofit workers, leaders, and organizations in a sector seeking new approaches to workplace democracy, organizational equity, and justice. It also has the potential to help seed a resurgent and more progressive labor movement in this countryâ historically a bedrock for social change movements.This is a moment of opportunity for organizational leaders to go beyond neutrality and partner with their staff to transform the work environment and fuel mission impact. However, pain points and dissonance have emerged from these efforts, revealing gaps in information, resources, support, and preparation for both employers and unions
Life in the Sweatbox
The time before a person files bankruptcy is sometimes called the financial âsweatbox.â Using original data from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, we find that people are living longer in the sweatbox before filing bankruptcy than they have in the past. We also describe the depletion of wealth and well-being that defines peopleâs time in the sweatbox. For those people who struggle for more than two years before filing bankruptcyâthe âlong strugglersââtheir time in the sweatbox is particularly damaging. During their years in the sweatbox, long strugglers deal with persistent collection calls, go without healthcare, food, and utilities, lose homes and other property, and yet remain ashamed of needing to file. For these people in particular, though time in the sweatbox undermines their ability to realize bankruptcyâs âfresh start,â they do not file until long after the costs outweigh the benefits. This Articleâs findings challenge longstanding narratives about who files bankruptcy and why. These narratives underlie our laws, influence how judges rule in individual cases, and affect how attorneys interact with their clients
- âŠ