Gathering Perceptions about Current Mental Health Services and Collecting Ideas for Improved Service Delivery for Persons who are Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing

The authors present a model for obtaining feedback from consumers and therapists about mental health services and outreach strategies from persons who are Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of hearing. Program planners from Western Pennsylvania used the focus group as a research tool to generate valid information to advance program development. Nine focus groups were conducted which were comprised of consumers, therapists or family members. Feedback from the focus group has led to the implementation of new services in Western Pennsylvania. Group members reported that the focus group format fostered a spirit of collaboration and community problem-solving

STATIC TESTS ON COLLAPSING GUARDRAIL DESIGNS

A modified turned-down guardrail terminal which uses retrofit clips to hold up the guardrail has been in use on Nebraska Highways for several years. During this time, the Nebraska Department of Roads has become aware of a problem with this design. After being exposed to temperature fluctuations and vibrations from passing traffic the retrofit clips expand and the guardrail drops to the ground. Twelve different designs were tested on an actual guardrail field installation and a design consisting of strategically placed shear bolts was recommended

FULL-SCALE VEHICLE CRASH TEST ON THE IOWA STEEL TEMPORARY BARRIER RAIL

One full-scale vehicle crash test was conducted on the Iowa Steel Temporary Barrier Rail. Test 15-1 was conducted with at 5,500 pound vehicle at 22.5 degrees and 60.6 mph. The overall test length of the barrier was 200 feet. The barrier was shop fabricated and transported to the test site in 20 foot length sections. The cross-section of the barrier consisted of two stacked steel HP 14x73 (A36) shapes with the edges of the flanges placed back to back and held together by welded steel straps spaced 5 feet on centers. The inside box section between the HP shapes was filled with concrete. The height of the barrier was 29 inches. The 20 foot length sections were bolted together at the test site. The location of the vehicle impact was 100 feet from the end of the barrier installation. This was also the location where two sections were bolted together. The test was evaluated according to the safety criteria in NCHRP 230 and also in the AASHTO guide specifications, performance level 2. The safety performance of the Iowa Steel Temporary Barrier Rail was determined to be satisfactory

A Contribution to the Study of Exit Flow Angle in Radial Turbines

ABSTRACT The emergence and evolution of relative whirling motions in the exducer region of an Inward Flow Radial Turbine is discussed. Existing models of relative motion are reviewed and expanded by consideration of the effect of centrifugal forces differences arising from velocity gradients. It is shown that the often observed phenomenon of outlet overturn/underturn is inherent to the use of straight-helix exducers. Explicit mathematical relationships between exit velocities and radius are not available. If, however, such relationships could be considered linear, it is shown that two new reference radii may be identified such that the net outlet properties can be measured or computed at these locations as lump parameters. These radii are different from the often used hydraulic radius. The new models and reference radii are verified using published experimental data

Revitalizing Distressed Older Suburbs

Reviews literature on strategies for revitalizing distressed older suburbs. Based on case studies of the most distressed minority suburbs, examines the effectiveness of and best practices for revitalization programs and investments. Makes recommendations

Achieving Effective Antidepressant Pharmacotherapy in Primary Care: The Role of Depression Care Management in Treating Late-Life Depression

To estimate the effect of an evidence-based depression care management (DCM) intervention on the initiation and appropriate use of antidepressant in primary care patients with late-life depression. DESIGN : Secondary analysis of data from a randomized trial. SETTING : Community, primary care. PARTICIPANTS : Randomly selected individuals aged 60 and older with routine appointments at 20 primary care clinics randomized to provide a systematic DCM intervention or care as usual. METHODS : Rates of antidepressant use and dose adequacy of patients in the two study arms were compared at each patient assessment (baseline, 4, 8, and 12 months). For patients without any antidepressant treatment at baseline, a longitudinal analysis was conducted using multilevel logistic models to compare the rate of antidepressant treatment initiation, dose adequacy when initiation was first recorded, and continued therapy for at least 4 months after initiation between study arms. All analyses were conducted for the entire sample and then repeated for the subsample with major or clinically significant minor depression at baseline. RESULTS : Rates of antidepressant use and dose adequacy increased over the first year in patients assigned to the DCM intervention, whereas the same rates held constant in usual care patients. In longitudinal analyses, the DCM intervention had a significant effect on initiation of antidepressant treatment (adjusted odds ratio (OR)=5.63, P <.001) and continuation of antidepressant medication for at least 4 months (OR=6.57, P =.04) for patients who were depressed at baseline. CONCLUSIONS : Evidence-based DCM models are highly effective at improving antidepressant treatment in older primary care patients.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66406/1/j.1532-5415.2009.02226.x.pd

Stakeholder Theory and Marketing: Moving from a Firm-Centric to a Societal Perspective

This essay is inspired by the ideas and research examined in the special section on “Stakeholder Marketing” of the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing in 2010. The authors argue that stakeholder marketing is slowly coalescing with the broader thinking that has occurred in the stakeholder management and ethics literature streams during the past quarter century. However, the predominant view of stakeholders that many marketers advocate is still primarily pragmatic and company centric. The position advanced herein is that stronger forms of stakeholder marketing that reflect more normative, macro/societal, and network-focused orientations are necessary. The authors briefly explain and justify these characteristics in the context of the growing “prosociety” and “proenvironment” perspectives—orientations that are also in keeping with the public policy focus of this journal. Under the “hard form” of stakeholder theory, which the authors endorse, marketing managers must realize that serving stakeholders sometimes requires sacrificing maximum profits to mitigate outcomes that would inflict major damage on other stakeholders, especially society

Pennsylvania’s True Commonwealth: The State of Manufacturing – Challenges and Opportunities (Full Report)

The Industrial Resource Center Network of Pennsylvania is the state’s affiliate of the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership program. Both the IRC program and the MEP have longstanding traditions of self-assessment and evolution as ways of being accountable to the public and of promoting continuous improvement. The IRC program and the MEP are charged with helping manufacturing in general, and small to midsized manufacturers in particular, improve their competitive position. The IRC program uses the outcomes from these assessments to think about the challenges their constituents face due to rapid evolution in the globally competitive environment. Additionally, the IRC Program has joined with the MEP to discover best management and production practices, standardize them in terms of educational and training practices, and then disseminate these practices widely. Again, this is with an emphasis on small and midsized establishments and businesses. This report builds on the 2004 report, Manufacturing Pennsylvania’s Future, written by Deloitte Consulting and the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. In August 2010, as the negative impact of the Great Recession was beginning to ebb and after a decade of global competitive challenges, the IRC Program embarked on a new round of self-evaluation and assessment. The economic development and nonprofit management research groups at Cleveland State University’s Levin College were engaged to examine the state of manufacturing in the Commonwealth, discover the management practices of the “best of the best” manufacturers in the state, and suggest practice innovations that would enhance the competitive position of Pennsylvania’s manufacturers. This work was undertaken with the MPI Group. The project was supported by funding from the Industrial Resource Center program, the Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the John D.and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s Network on Building Resilient Regions, and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, with funding provided by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. The work benefited from the advice and review of an external advisory board that was facilitated by Ken Voytek, NIST/MEP’s chief economist, and Joe Houldin, CEO of the Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center. They worked with: Emily DeRocco, President, the Manufacturing Institute of the National Association of Manufacturers; Samuel Leiken, Vice President of the Council on Competitiveness; Howard Wial, Ph.D., Fellow of the Metropolitan Policy Program of the Brookings Institution; and Mike Trebing, Senior Economic Analyst, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. The work was also reviewed and discussed by the IRC’s Strategic Advisory Board and the directors of the network\u27s seven centers. The report also benefited from data provided by the Central Pennsylvania Workforce Development Corporation (CPWDC). The research team acknowledges the many contributions of our advisers and funders. Their participation and support do not mean that each agrees with all we have written. The team alone is responsible for the findings and interpretation of the data