Preparing Tomorrow's Transportation Workforce: A Midwest Summit, 2010

regional transportation workforce development summits held across the United States in 2009 and 2010 as part of a coordinated initiative to ultimately develop a national strategy to address future transportation workforce issues. The initiative is being led by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). This particular summit was hosted by Iowa State University’s Midwest Transportation Consortium (MTC) and Institute for Transportation (InTrans). The purpose of the Midwest summit was to assess the educational and training needs of the future transportation workforce and identify strategies to address those needs across various career paths. It addressed a broad spectrum of topics including strategies to attract women and under-represented minority groups, pre-college opportunities and strategies, post-secondary education, post-college continuing education, professional licensure, and specific industry perspectives. The goals of the summit were (1) to gain an improved understanding of the transportation workforce needs of Iowa and the surrounding states and (2) to identify best practices in addressing the workforce development needs. This event had two tracks: one focused on pre-college education and the other focused primarily on college education and practitioners. Attendees provided a good cross-section of the larger transportation industry. From what was learned at the summit, Iowa State University, like other regional hosts, can develop a “profile of needs” for Iowa including specific job categories over specific time horizons. The summit was also successful in identifying best practices in addressing the workforce needs that can be utilized by us and others as potential tools or in a “national-level list of attributes.” Each regional summit has provided some guidance in developing statewide profiles. The collection of best practices or tools from all the regional summits can be shared and applied to address state (or regional) needs profiles to attract, develop, and retain an effective workforce.

Iowa Board of Nursing Annual Report, July 1, 2011-June 30, 2012

The annual report of the Iowa Board of Nursing includes information on legislation, administrative rules, nursing education, nursing practice, continuing education, licensing, enforcement, administration, financial report, statistics and general nursing demographics.

European guidelines for the development of mechanisms/tools supporting the individual demand for training through use of training Vouchers

El projecte de TAV es basa en la transferència d'un sistema de vals de capacitació, i en com aquest sistema de vals és adaptable a altres països o regions. En el document s'analitzen diferents conceptes teòrics sobre la conveniència o no de la implantació d'aquest sistema. A més a més, aquest document és una guia per a les organitzacions interessades en l'adaptació del sistema de vals formatius al seu territori, mostrant els passos a seguir i oferint eines útils per aconseguir-ho.

Oligoanalgesia in the emergency department: short-term beneficial effects of an education program on acute pain.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Acute pain is the most frequent complaint in emergency department (ED) admissions, but its management is often neglected, placing patients at risk of oligoanalgesia. We evaluate the effect of the implementation of guidelines for pain management in ED patients with pain at admission or anytime during their stay in our ED. METHODS: This prospective pre-post intervention cohort study included data collection both before and after guideline implementation. Consecutive adult patients admitted with acute pain from any cause or with pain at any time after admission were enrolled. The quality of pain management was evaluated according to information in the ED medical records by using a standardized collection form, and its impact on patients was recorded with a questionnaire at discharge. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-nine and 192 patients were included during pre- and postintervention periods. Pain was documented in 61% and 76% of nurse and physician notes, respectively, versus 78% and 85% after the intervention (difference 17%/9%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 8% to 26%/2% to 17%, respectively). Administration of analgesia increased from 40% to 63% (difference 23%; 95% CI 13% to 32%) and of morphine from 10% to 27% (difference 17%; 95% CI 10% to 24%). Mean doses of intravenous morphine increased from 2.4 mg (95% CI 1.9 to 2.9 mg) to 4.6 mg (95% CI 3.9 to 5.3 mg); administration of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and acetaminophen increased as well. There was a greater reduction of visual analogue scale score after intervention: 2.1 cm (95% CI 1.7 to 2.4 cm) versus 2.9 cm (95% CI 2.5 to 3.3 cm), which was associated with improved patient satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Education program and guidelines implementation for pain management lead to improved pain management, analgesia, and patient satisfaction in the ED.

Treatment patterns and health care resource utilization in a 1-year observational cohort study of outpatients with schizophrenia at risk of nonadherence treated with long-acting injectable antipsychotics

Purpose: To describe (1) the clinical profiles and the patterns of use of long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia at risk of nonadherence with oral antipsychotics, and in those who started treatment with LAI antipsychotics, (2) health care resource utilization and associated costs. Patients and methods: A total of 597 outpatients with schizophrenia at risk of nonadherence, according to the psychiatrist's clinical judgment, were recruited at 59 centers in a noninterventional prospective observational study of 1-year follow-up when their treatment was modified. In a post hoc analysis, the profiles of patients starting LAI or continuing with oral antipsychotics were described, and descriptive analyses of treatments, health resource utilization, and direct costs were performed in those who started an LAI antipsychotic. Results: Therapy modifications involved the antipsychotic medications in 84.8% of patients, mostly because of insufficient efficacy of prior regimen. Ninety-two (15.4%) patients started an LAI antipsychotic at recruitment. Of these, only 13 (14.1%) were prescribed with first-generation antipsychotics. During 1 year, 16.3% of patients who started and 14.9% of patients who did not start an LAI antipsychotic at recruitment relapsed, contrasting with the 20.9% who had been hospitalized only within the prior 6 months. After 1 year, 74.3% of patients who started an LAI antipsychotic continued concomitant treatment with oral antipsychotics. The mean (median) total direct health care cost per patient per month during the study year among the patients starting any LAI antipsychotic at baseline was 1,407 ( 897.7). Medication costs (including oral and LAI antipsychotics and concomitant medication) represented almost 44%, whereas nonmedication costs accounted for more than 55% of the mean total direct health care costs. Conclusion: LAI antipsychotics were infrequently prescribed in spite of a psychiatrist-perceived risk of nonadherence to oral antipsychotics. Mean medication costs were lower than nonmedication costs.

The development and pilot-testing of a training curriculum in adolescent medicine and health.

PURPOSE: To select and propose a set of knowledge, attitudes, and skills essential for the care of adolescents; to encourage the development of adolescent health multidisciplinary networks; and to set up training programs in as many European countries as possible. METHODS: The curriculum was developed by 16 physicians from 11 European countries with various professional specializations. In line with modern guidelines in medical education, it is a modular, flexible instrument which covers the main teaching areas in the field, such as basic skills (i.e. setting, rights and confidentiality, gender and cultural issues) as well as specific themes (i.e. sexual and reproductive health, eating disorders, chronic conditions). It consists of 17 thematic modules, each containing detailed objectives, learning approaches, examples, and evaluation methods. RESULT: Two international one-week summer schools were used to assess the feasibility and appropriateness of the curriculum. The overall evaluation was good, with most of the items surpassing three on a four-point Likert scale. However, it pointed to several aspects (process and content) which will need to be refined in the future, such as an increase in interactive sessions (role playing), and a better mix of clinical and public health issues.

Iowa Racing & Gaming Commission Annual Report 2012

The 2012 Annual Report of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is committed to maintaining a vibrant racing and gaming industry that provides economic growth and development for the State of Iowa while continuing to promote responsible gaming and ensuring continued participation in the "Buy Iowa First" Program. As always, the integrity of the racing and gaming industry in Iowa remains as our highest priority.

La maturation cérébrale à l'adolescence [Adolescent brain maturation].

Recent progress in neuroscience has yielded major findings regarding brain maturation during adolescence. Unlike the body, which reaches adult size and morphology during this period, the adolescent brain is still maturing. The prefrontal cortex appears to be an important locus of maturational change subserving executive functions that may regulate emotional and motivational issues. The recent expansion of the adolescent period has increased the lag between the onset of emotional and motivational changes activated by puberty and the completion of cognitive development-the maturation of self-regulatory capacities and skills that are continuing to develop long after puberty has occurred. This "disconnect" predicts risk for a broad set of behavioral and emotional problems. Adolescence is a critical period for high-level cognitive functions such as socialization that rely on maturation of the prefrontal cortex. Intervention during the period of adolescent brain development provides opportunities and requires an interdisciplinary approach.

Rewarding civil service performance through team bonuses : findings, analysis and recommendations

Performance-related pay within public organizations is continuing to spread. Although it can help to strengthen an entrepreneurial spirit in civil servants, its implementation is marred by technical, financial, managerial and cultural problems. This article identifies an added problem, namely the contradiction that exists between a managerial discourse that emphasizes the team and collective performance, on the one hand, and the use of appraisal and reward tools that are above all individual, on the other. Based on an empirical survey carried out within Swiss public organizations, the analysis shows that the team is currently rarely taken into account and singles out the principal routes towards an integrated system for the management and rewarding of civil servants.

Modeval2 Reference Manual

El Projecte MODEVAL respon a la necessitat detectada en matèria d'avaluació de competències bàsiques de les persones, i tracta de definir quins són els nivells bàsics d'habilitats que garanteixen unes condicions individuals favorables per al desenvolupament de la persona, la ciutadania activa, i la integració social, cultural i professional dels individus. Mentre el projecte MODEVAL 1 tenia com a objectiu realitzar un marc de referència metodològic a nivell europeu per a dur a terme l'avaluació de competències; el projecte MODEVAL 2, és a dir, el present treball, té com a objectiu la creació de mòduls de formació per als diferents interessats (és a dir, formadors d'alfabetització i de formació bàsica, investigadors, coordinadors de centres de formació, els responsables polítics, estadístics, persones que realitzaran enquestes a gran escala sobre el coneixement de base, etc.) per tal d'aplicar les recomanacions del projecte i crear les seves pròpies eines d'avaluació.

Modeval2 Manuel de Reference

El Projecte MODEVAL respon a la necessitat detectada en matèria d'avaluació de competències bàsiques de les persones, i tracta de definir quins són els nivells bàsics d'habilitats que garanteixen unes condicions individuals favorables per al desenvolupament de la persona, la ciutadania activa, i la integració social, cultural i professional dels individus. Mentre el projecte MODEVAL 1 tenia com a objectiu realitzar un marc de referència metodològic a nivell europeu per a dur a terme l'avaluació de competències; el projecte MODEVAL 2, és a dir, el present treball, té com a objectiu la creació de mòduls de formació per als diferents interessats (és a dir, formadors d'alfabetització i de formació bàsica, investigadors, coordinadors de centres de formació, els responsables polítics, estadístics, persones que realitzaran enquestes a gran escala sobre el coneixement de base, etc.) per tal d'aplicar les recomanacions del projecte i crear les seves pròpies eines d'avaluació.

Necessitats formatives dels treballadors i treballadores immigrats en els sectors del servei domèstic, la construcció i l'hostaleria a Catalunya

L'article analitza la situació en el mercat laboral dels treballadors immigrants en els sectors del servei domèstic, la construcció i l'hostaleria a Catalunya, i posa l'èmfasi en el seu nivell de qualificació i en les necessitats de formació que se'n deriven. Des de mitjan anys noranta fins a final de 2007, el cicle expansiu de l'economia catalana va requerir mà d'obra estrangera per tal de sostenir un creixement molt intensiu en ocupació. Les dificultats del sistema educatiu en proveir la mà d'obra qualificada que requeria el sistema productiu i l'escassa exigència de qualificació de les empreses dels sectors més intensius en treball han generat un alentiment en el procés de consolidació del model qualificat de gestió de la mà d'obra. Aquesta situació pot ser superada amb un gran acord social i econòmic que impulsi la formació de la població activa i una major exigència de qualificació per part del sistema productiu.

Variants : The Journal of the European Society for Textual Scholarship

This volume is the 10th issue of Variants . In keeping with the mission of the European Society for Textual Scholarship, the articles are richly interdisciplinary and transnational. They bring to bear a wide range of topics and disciplines on the field of textual scholarship: historical linguistics, digital scholarly editing, classical philology, Dutch, English, Finnish and Swedish Literature, publishing traditions in Japan, book history, cultural history and folklore. The questions that are explored - what texts are worth editing? what is the nature of the relationship between text, work, document and book? what is a critical digital edition? - all return to fundamental issues that have been at the heart of the editorial discipline for decades. With refreshing insight they assess the increasingly hybrid nature of the theoretical considerations and practical methodologies employed by textual scholars, while reasserting the relevance and need for producing scholarly editions, whether in print or digital, and continuing advanced research in bibliographical codes, textual transmissions, genetic dossiers, the fluidity of texts and other such subjects that connect textual scholarship with broader investigations into our nations' literary culture and written heritage.

Iowa Board of Nursing Annual Report, July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013

The annual report of the Iowa Board of Nursing includes information on legislation, administrative rules, nursing education, nursing practice, continuing education, licensing, enforcement, administration, financial report, statistics and general nursing demographics.

Iowa Board of Nursing Annual Report, July 1, 2012-June 30, 2013

The annual report of the Iowa Board of Nursing includes information on legislation, administrative rules, nursing education, nursing practice, continuing education, licensing, enforcement, administration, financial report, statistics and general nursing demographics.