Architecture of the Multi-Modal Organizational Research and Production Heterogeneous Network (MORPHnet)

The research and education (R&E) community requires persistent and scaleable network infrastructure to concurrently support production and research applications as well as network research. In the past, the R&E community has relied on supporting parallel network and end-node infrastructures, which can be very expensive and inefficient for network service managers and application programmers. The grand challenge in networking is to provide support for multiple, concurrent, multi-layer views of the network for the applications and the network researchers, and to satisfy the sometimes conflicting requirements of both while ensuring one type of traffic does not adversely affect the other. Internet and telecommunications service providers will also benefit from a multi-modal infrastructure, which can provide smoother transitions to new technologies and allow for testing of these technologies with real user traffic while they are still in the pre-production mode. The authors proposed approach requires the use of as much of the same network and end system infrastructure as possible to reduce the costs needed to support both classes of activities (i.e., production and research). Breaking the infrastructure into segments and objects (e.g., routers, switches, multiplexors, circuits, paths, etc.) gives the capability to dynamically construct and configure the virtual active networks to address these requirements. These capabilities must be supported at the campus, regional, and wide-area network levels to allow for collaboration by geographically dispersed groups. The Multi-Modal Organizational Research and Production Heterogeneous Network (MORPHnet) described in this report is an initial architecture and framework designed to identify and support the capabilities needed for the proposed combined infrastructure and to address related research issues

Counterfactual Thinking and Entrepreneurial Self‐Efficacy: The Moderating Role of Self‐Esteem and Dispositional Affect

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/97291/1/etap472.pd

A contingent model of network utilization in early financing of technology ventures

Most of the entrepreneurship literature has addressed the benefits and necessity of using social network ties as opposed to market methods in early venture finance, but it has largely understated the potential limitations and costs of doing so. Specifically, very sparse research has examined the factors that influence entrepreneurs' choice between using networks versus market methods. In this study, we propose a contingent model of network utilization when approaching initial investors, based on the dimensions of human capital of the entrepreneurs. We test this model with primary field survey data from 226 new high-tech ventures in Singapore and Beijing. The results show that high occupational status and relevant industrial work experience are positively associated with the entrepreneurs' propensity to utilize existing networks by enhancing the resourcefulness of their network ties (social capital); however, such influences are alleviated by entrepreneurs' marketing or managerial experience, which increases the entrepreneurs' ability to interact with strangers (an aspect of social competence)

Using job strain and organizational justice models to predict multiple forms of employee performance behaviours among Australian policing personnel

The overall purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between stress-related working conditions and three forms of employee performance behaviours: in-role behaviours, citizenship behaviours directed at other individuals and citizenship behaviours directed at the organization. The potentially stressful working conditions were based on the job strain model (incorporating job demands, job control and social support) as well as organizational justice theory. A sample of Australian-based police officers (n = 640) took part in this study and the data were collected via a mail-out survey. Multiple regression analyses were undertaken to assess both the strength and the nature of the relationships between the working conditions and employee performance and these analyses included tests for additive, interactional and curvilinear effects. The overall results indicated that a significant proportion of the explained variance in all three outcome measures was attributed to the additive effects of demand, control and support. The level of variance associated with the organizational justice dimensions was relatively small, although there were signs that specific dimensions of justice may provide unique insights into the relationship between job stressors and employee performance. The implications of these and other notable findings are discussed.<br /

Global fee prohibits postpartum provision of the most effective reversible contraceptives

Early postpartum access to highly effective reversible contraceptives (intrauterine contraceptives (IUCs) and the implant) and sterilization is key to helping women prevent unintended pregnancy.[1] Yet most current hospital reimbursement policies deny postpartum women access to IUCs and implants prior to hospital discharge. For women whose deliveries are covered by private insurance or Medicaid, hospitals receive a global fee based on the diagnosis-related group (DRG) for all delivery-related care. Postpartum sterilization is carved out by insurance companies and Medicaid as a procedure that may be billed separately from the global fee, which in turn means that hospitals are not financially driven to deny such procedures. In contrast, in most states, postpartum IUCs and implants are not carved out for separate reimbursement and the costs of the devices must be deducted from the DRG payment. Since the wholesale acquisition costs for IUCs and implants range from $600 to$775, covering those costs would be fiscally rash. Consequently, most hospitals do not permit postpartum placement of the most effective reversible methods, a policy that not only hinders women’s ability to space their pregnancies but also prohibits an important option for those who have completed childbearing but do not wish to be sterilized. Equally, for women who are covered by Medicaid and desire postpartum sterilization, the twin requirements of a minimum 30-day waiting period after signing the consent form and having that form present in the delivery room still inhibit access.[2] For these women, postpartum placement of IUCs and implants would be a valuable alternative. Although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may go a long way towards expanding outpatient access to the most effective methods of contraception, it does not specifically facilitate inpatient access to IUC or the implant for new mothers prior to hospital discharge

Recent Advances in Contraception

Focusing on intrauterine contraceptives (IUC), contraceptive implants, and emergency contraceptives, we review recent advances in contraceptive development and discuss progress in policies to improve access to the most effective methods. We report on the shift in practice towards routinely providing IUCs and implants to young and nulliparous women, prompted in part by the reduced diameter of the insertion tube for the Mirena IUC and the development of a smaller IUC called Skyla. Additionally, we describe the new SCu300A intrauterine ball and the development of an implant called Nexplanon, which comes with a preloaded inserter. We also discuss the efficacy of ulipristal acetate versus levonorgestrel for emergency contraception, especially for women who weigh more than 75 kg. Finally, in light of the increasing interest in providing IUCs and implants to women in the immediate postpartum and post-abortion periods, we consider the rationale for this change in practice and review the progress that has been made so far in the United States.Population Research Cente

Northern Ireland’s Abortion Laws Have Negative Consequences for Women’s Health and Wellbeing

Abortion is not legal in Northern Ireland, except to preserve a pregnant woman’s life or to prevent permanent damage to her physical or mental health. Despite this, women who live in Northern Ireland have abortions. Unless they qualify for one of the few legal exceptions, women obtain a clinic-based abortion by traveling to a country where abortion is legal or they use telemedicine to access medications to self-manage an abortion at home. Reporting on 30 in-depth interviews with women living in Northern Ireland, PRC faculty research associate Abigail R.A. Aiken, undergraduate student Elisa Padron and PRC graduate student trainees Kathleen Broussard and Dana Johnson show that Northern Irish women experience travel barriers, fear and anxiety surrounding the criminalization of self-managed abortion, and a breakdown of the doctor-patient relationship that isolates women and prevents them from seeking care and support through the Northern Irish healthcare system.Population Research Cente

What Motivates People in the United States to Seek Medication Abortion Pills Outside of the Clinic Setting?

For those wanting to end a pregnancy, the cost of in-clinic abortion care can be a significant barrier. Restrictive abortion laws in the U.S. add further economic burdens to people who would like to obtain an abortion in a clinic. As abortion has become increasingly restricted, evidence is mounting that some people in the U.S. forgo the clinic altogether. Instead, these people attempt to manage their abortion on their own, outside of the formal healthcare setting. In 2018, Aid Access became the first service to provide self-managed medication abortion in the U.S. via an online telemedicine service. In this brief, PRC trainee Dana Johnson, PRC faculty scholar Abigail Aiken, and colleagues report on a recent study of 80 U.S.-based people who self-managed their abortion using medications obtained from Aid Access. They found that the high costs of in-clinic abortion care, made more difficult by restrictive state abortion policies, motivated people to seek medication abortion via online telemedicine. They also found that mothers weighed their family’s economic wellbeing in their decisions. Finally, the suggested donation of $90 for the pills was still too much for many people seeking online medication abortion.Population Research Cente

Rethinking the Pregnancy Planning Paradigm: Unintended Conceptions or Unrepresentative Concepts?

Approximately half of pregnancies occurring each year in the United States are unintended: They either occurred too soon or were not intended at any time. This commonly cited statistic is testament to the dominance of unintended pregnancy as a public health benchmark for measuring and improving women's reproductive health. In addition to its use as a public health metric, this timing-based definition of unintended pregnancy is reflected in pregnancy planning paradigms in clinical practice. According to these paradigms, women are expected to map out their intentions regarding whether and when to conceive, and to formulate specific plans to follow through on their intentions. What can researchers, public health practitioners and clinicians engaged in efforts to reduce unintended pregnancy and improve pregnancy outcomes do in response to these limitations? As a first step, we propose a conceptual model that integrates insights from recent research and provides a framework for informing women-centered approaches to preventing undesired pregnancies and improving outcomesPopulation Research Cente