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Political appetite for neoliberal education policy has problematised teacher education in a number of countries, including Australia, the US and England. In Australia, dominant policy discourses of quality normalise the regulation and standardisation of teacher education and position teacher educators within a deficit model of education reform. Such positioning has been shown to have a deleterious impact on professional status, dismantling complex conceptualisations of teacher educators' work. Framed by key tenets of positioning theory and conceptualisations of policy enactment, this study investigated, using online semi-structured interviews, the ways in which 16 teacher educators in one Australian university positioned policy as "other", and the ways in which they felt they could or should respond. It found that teacher educators position policy, and engage in the policy process, in complex and varied ways. While many positioned policy as an intruder, with the potential to do harm to the profession, others had made choices that positioned policy as a tool for innovative imagining for programme renewal. Findings also highlight the potential appetite for collaborative positioning between policy makers and teacher educators as partners. These findings have significant implications for future approaches to re-shaping the teacher education policy space both in Australia and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What does it mean to be 'excellent', particularly for the higher education institution? Without a definitive answer to that question, university rankings have become a proxy for quality and excellence. As such, higher education institutions are continually seeking ways to improve their rankings, with the implication being that these rankings measure which universities are most excellent. Upper administrators from public four-year higher education institutions in the United States were surveyed regarding their perceptions of factors they considered most important when assessing quality in the higher education institution. Respondents rated graduation and retention as the most important indicator of quality. Survey results were further compared to methodologies of the US News and World Report rankings, Times Higher Education World University Rankings and Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings and found that the perceived quality factors identified by survey respondents did not align with methodologies for any of these three rankings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Millions of children in the United States live in rural areas and often start school with fewer school readiness skills than counterparts in urban areas. Access to high-quality child care could be a mechanism to improve school readiness; however, it is unclear what, if anything, distinguishes child care in rural and urban areas. Focusing specifically on three aspects of child care pertinent to children's school readiness, including type, access, and quality, we review the extant literature on characteristics of child care in rural areas of the United States and identified seventeen studies. Parents in rural (vs. urban) areas more commonly select and can access family- or home-based child care vs. centre-based care. Child care quality bears similar relations with children's outcomes in rural and urban areas. This descriptive review suggests the need for additional research focused on child care in rural areas to better inform child care policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to increasing demand for higher education around the world, concerns regarding the quality of education in higher education institutions have increased. The aim of this study was to determine perceptions of accreditation self-study coordinators and programme administrators on the influence of accreditation on academic quality. Data was collected by means of a scale devised by researchers. To achieve this, a comprehensive literature review was conducted, a pilot scheme was administered, expert opinion and advice were obtained and validity and reliability studies were conducted. The findings revealed that accreditation contributes more to the improvement of processes and practices in institutions in operation for 1–20 years compared to those functioning for more than 41 years. Similarly, accreditation makes a greater contribution during the initial accreditation process compared to re-accreditation. Additionally, accreditation contributes most to importance attached to learning outcomes and least to the number of students who graduate from a programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winery owners in the Midwestern states of the United States have been working with each other and their state industry experts to improve the quality of their wines while also struggling to establish state and, at times, regional identities and overcome a widely-held perception that good wine is not made and cannot be made in the region. Drawing on a qualitative sociological study conducted over five years in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa, this article examines the issues with which winery owners and industry specialists have worked to improve quality and establish marketable identities. Challenges include the sourcing of quality grapes, the status of hybrid grapes, the skill-level of winemakers, and the desire to meet demand and please a wide range of customer preferences. Industry efforts to address these challenges are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality in early childhood education is an important topic in many countries. Research suggests that high-quality preschool provides many long-term benefits for young children and society. How to measure early childhood quality however can be problematic. One approach has been the use of the Early Childhood Environmental Rating Scale (ECERS), an observational scale of the learning environment created in the United States of America. The scale has been used in over 30 countries and translated into different languages. This article discusses cultural issues in relation to the use of ECERS-3 in Swedish preschools. While many of the indicators are easily transferable, some need cultural consideration. These include understanding the Swedish child perspective as expressed in the preschool curriculum, Swedish preschool design and Swedish pedagogy around interaction and safety issues. The article suggests that an adaptation of the scale is needed to be implemented effectively in the Swedish preschool context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is important for students who plan to work in the fashion industry to understand fast-fashion and its implications. A constructivist approach to teaching where an instructor starts with students' experiences has been useful to teach fashion subjects. The purposes of this paper were to: 1) present and assess a teaching activity guided by constructivist theory where students were required to analyze quality of a garment made pre and another made post fast fashion, and 2) compare and contrast knowledge of fast fashion and quality among students given their rural versus urban experiences. Two textiles classes in rural (n= 37) and urban (n= 32) regions of the United States completed the fast fashion activity. Results from the assessment surveys suggested the activity provided “first hand” experiences with apparel quality and fast fashion. Furthermore, rural and urban students differed in perceptions and understanding of fast fashion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes recent research on cost indexes by the Institute for Defense Analyses. It was performed at the request of the Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation directorate in the Office of the Secretary of Defense to assist in meeting the requirement in the 2009 Weapon Systems Acquisition Reform Act to assess and update the cost deflators the Defense Department uses to adjust for price growth in costing and budgeting major systems. The paper’s focus is on aircraft procurement. The research analyzes deflator algorithms and data to determine the source of the wide differences in aircraft cost growth rates calculated by (a) the Gross Domestic Product deflator for the entire US market basket of goods and services, (b) the national defense index for military aircraft published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, and (c) the Producer Price Index for civilian aircraft published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The study demonstrates an alternative hedonic approach for calculating price indexes by using regression analysis to relate aircraft investment cost to the aircraft’s specific physical and operational design features such as weight and speed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper explores the ways in which information about course pedagogy has been represented to potential students through national descriptors and specifications such as the United Kingdom’s Key Information Set. It examines the extent to which such descriptors provide helpful information about pedagogy, for example innovative uses of technology. The paper starts by exploring the wider context within which these descriptors have been developed, including a comparison of similar descriptions internationally. This is followed by a comparative analysis, in which two courses (one single honours undergraduate degree, one Massive Open Online Course) are classified and compared. This serves to illustrate the blind spots in classifications such as the Key Information Set. The paper concludes by arguing that further work is needed to develop classification schemes that both address explicitly the interests of potential students and are able to represent the pedagogic decisions that differentiate teaching in contemporary higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The relationship between clinical decision support systems (CDSS) and quality is a relatively new, and in light of the new health information technology (HIT) legislation, policy-relevant area. Moreover, very few studies exist examining the link between HIT and healthcare disparities. The purpose of this article is to examine the association between CDSS and the treatment of pneumonia care within high-minority (≥29.1% non-White, non-Hispanic) and low-minority (<29.1%) Zip Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs).Research Design: This study employed a cross-sectional design and used 2009 data from the American Hospital Association, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Research Triangle Institute. Adjusted analysis controlled for a hospital's propensity to use CDSS.Results: In the unadjusted analysis, hospitals in high-minority ZCTAs had lower pneumonia quality composite scores than their low-minority counterparts. When adjusting for other hospital and ZCTA-level variables, we found that CDSS use had stronger positive associations with quality in high-minority hospitals.Conclusions: Results support policy directives may support higher quality improvements by focusing CDSS adoption in high-minority hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports on findings from a sociolinguistic qualitative study exploring inter-discursive relations manifested in the approaches and strategies that regional accrediting agencies in the United States utilise when recognising foreign universities. Even as most countries have developed national quality assurance systems and whilst international rankings comparing institutions globally are available, a growing number of universities around the world seek recognition from American regional agencies. By comparing policy statements, manuals, guidelines and other documents, and after interviewing top-level officers at US accrediting agencies, this study makes explicit the assumptions and central discourses associated with US accreditation of non-US institutions of higher education, from the accreditors’ perspective. Following constant comparison and cultural critical discourse analysis, the study reveals concerns about the equivalency of quality, emphasis on capacity building and reluctance toward adapting US standards. An interest in building international partnerships, in order to respond to globalisation, is also identified. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Context. Over 2 million human exposure calls are reported annually to United States regional poison information centers. All exposures are documented electronically and submitted to the American Association of Poison Control Center's National Poison Data System. This database represents the largest data source available on the epidemiology of pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical poisoning exposures. The accuracy of these data is critical; however, research has demonstrated that inconsistencies and inaccuracies exist. Objective. This study outlines the methods and results of a training program that was developed and implemented to enhance the quality of data collection using acetaminophen exposures as a model. Methods. Eleven poison centers were assigned randomly to receive either passive or interactive education to improve medical record documentation. A task force provided recommendations on educational and training strategies and the development of a quality-measurement scorecard to serve as a data collection tool to assess poison center data quality. Poison centers were recruited to participate in the study. Clinical researchers scored the documentation of each exposure record for accuracy. Results. Two thousand two hundred cases were reviewed and assessed for accuracy of data collection. After training, the overall mean quality scores were higher for both the passive (95.3%; + 1.6% change) and interactive intervention groups (95.3%; + 0.9% change). Data collection accuracy improved modestly for the overall accuracy score and significantly for the substance identification component. There was little difference in accuracy measures between the different training methods. Conclusion. Despite the diversity of poison centers, data accuracy, specifically substance identification data fields, can be improved by developing a standardized, systematic, targeted, and mandatory training process. This process should be considered for training on other important topics, thus enhancing the value of these data in relation to public health safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers evidence on ways in which assessment of student learning outcomes made a difference for some academic institutions in the United States. It offers perspectives on the internal changes that took place, especially within academic programmes. Even after the capacity for assessment was developed, challenges remained in evaluating evidence and deciding what changes will lead to improved outcomes for students. In response to assessment results, many programmes improved course content, pedagogy and the sequencing of courses. Advising was also strengthened to give greater clarity on requirements and deadlines that students found confusing. Some academic institutions introduced new reviews of student progress at significant mid-points in their studies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Most provisions in the Affordable Care Act that affect nursing homes originated in two earlier attempts at reform, both of which failed multiple times in prior Congressional sessions: the Elder Justice Act and the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act. Both of these earlier efforts focused on improving quality and reducing elder abuse in nursing homes by strengthening oversight and enforcement penalties, expanding staff training, and increasing the information on nursing home quality available to consumers and regulators. Each bill addressed problems that were serious, widespread, and had persisted for years, but each failed to pass on its own. The Affordable Care Act, with its own momentum, became the vehicle for their passage. However, the reasons the bills failed in these earlier efforts suggest implementation challenges now that they have ridden into law on the coattails of the more general effort to reform the health care sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes several provisions that aim to improve prevailing deficiencies in the nation's long-term care system. But just how effective is the ACA likely to be in addressing these challenges? Will it result in meaningful or marginal reform? This special issue of Journal of Aging & Social Policy seeks to answer these questions. The most prominent long-term care provision is the now-suspended Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act. Others include incentives and options for expanding home- and community-based care, a number of research and demonstration projects in the areas of chronic care coordination and the dually eligible, and nursing home quality reforms. There are also elements that seek to improve workforce recruitment and retention, in addition to benefit improvements and spending reductions under Medicare. This article reviews the basic problems plaguing the long-term care sector and the provisions within the ACA meant to address them. It also includes a brief overview of issue content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

U.S. Healthcare is not a system but a fragmentation of care delivery mechanisms. Healthcare Reform drives at reducing costs through access, quality, and efficiency. The U.S. economy contracted in 2007 and healthcare spending increased consuming an even greater and potentially unsustainable share of the economic wealth. Affordable care means "shared risk." The Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act (PPACA) was signed into law on March 23, 2010. The bill outlines the next ten years for new policies and pilot programs. More profound for us are the many provisions that promote fundamental delivery system reform. At this time, the burden of leadership is immense. Our profession needs a large cadre of qualified leaders to shape the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing student learning in ways that offer students, institutions and systems with sound information is a considerable challenge for higher education. Despite demonstrable progress, a disconnect remains between methods used for assessing learning, improvement and accountability. This muddled situation is illustrated through a review of contemporary practice in the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK and New Zealand. To advance research and practice, this paper contributes a structured set of criteria that practitioners can use to evaluate whether an assessment functions effectively across different levels of practice. These technical and practical criteria touch on issues such as sampling, the viability of aggregation, reporting and cost-benefit considerations. The paper tests these criteria by considering their capacity to drive multi-level improvement in education quality. It is contended that the criteria provide perspective and structure for reconciling the quantitative assessment of higher education quality at different levels of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this commentary Yagnamurthy raises several issues such as right to education, English as the medium of instruction, and quality of education in low-fee and unrecognized schools. Also, Yagnamurthy is of the view that both public and private sectors need to endeavor for equitable participation of all children in education. Tooley replies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the process of using lessons learned about high quality, effective arts education programs to help local educational leaders and practitioners create their own policy statements. It raises questions about policy implications from those lessons and connects them to the readers'own experience. It provides an intellectual framework and an action agenda for developing local policy at the classroom, school, or district level that supports high quality arts education for every student. It argues that effective arts education programs must be supported by responsive policy and ongoing tax levy funds to have a greater chance for providing quality arts teaching and learning that endures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this analysis, we study the relationship between hospital quality and hospital profits for a sample of 88 Alabama (USA) hospitals. Quality is measured by three groups of procedures performed on newly admitted patients as suggested by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health Quality Alliance (HQA) as well as a weighted quality measure. Profit is measured for eight hospital services. Profits from cardiac care were most responsive to the quality measures studied. Moreover, profits from six of the inpatient services increased as the weighted quality measure increased. Finally, in two cases quality increased with the relative number of employees a hospital utilized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis studies the relationship between hospital quality and hospital profits for a sample of 94 Alabama hospitals. Quality is measured by four groups of procedures performed on newly-admitted patients as suggested by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Profit is measured for five outpatient services. We find that the quality of inpatient care predicts profits in three of the five outpatient services. We also find that the association is due primarily to an increase in outpatient volume in response to quality rather than to higher profit margins. The notable exception is for profit margins for cardiac and surgical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data from a sample of U.S. consumers are examined for gender-based differences in perceptions about factors affecting the perceived quality of online retailers. Seven electronic retailing (e-tailing~ quality dimensions (reliability, accessibility, ordering services, convenience, product content, assurance, and credibility) are derived empirically using factor analysis. We find that women place significantly more importance on assurance than do men. This dimension, dealing with privacy and security, is closely related to trust. We find no gender-based differences in the frequency of online browsing or purchasing, but do find differences in the types of products women and men prefer to buy online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Contractors and owners use various techniques to provide temporary lighting for buildings under construction. The purpose of the temporary lighting is to give workers a safe and productive environment in which to work. OSHA sets minimum standards for the quantity of light needed for safety, but studies have shown that many construction sites do not meet minimum lighting requirements. OSHA sets minimum standards but does not provide guidance on how to achieve those standards. The following work looks at four common lighting systems and evaluates their effectiveness in meeting the OSHA standards. A vacant warehouse was chosen for the lighting study to simulate a construction site and to eliminate variables other than the lighting system. The results of the tests showed the positive and negative aspects of all four systems, both quantitatively and qualitatively. A cost comparison was made to compare the installation, maintenance, and energy cost for each system. Project managers can use the information to create prescriptive or performance lighting standards that comply with the OSHA standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

American medical institutions throughout the 20th century prescribed high customer satisfaction, but when it came to death, largely ignored it. An accelerated accumulation of esoteric medical information and the application of this knowledge to affect new cures and longer lives instilled an unquestioning reverence for the medical community among the patient population. Diminishing marginal gains in life expectancy, escalating costs related to life sustaining technologies, and a psychographic shift in the dominant consumer base have challenged this traditional reverence. Armed with unprecedented access to medical information, a more knowledgeable and assertive patient population has emerged in the 21st century to institute its own standards of what constitutes quality health care. In terms of end of life care, this has meant recognition that the emotional needs of the dying have been largely underserved by the current American medical model. Patients and their families are no longer willing to accept the traditional medical perspective of death as failure and have numerous international palliative care models that serve as benchmarks of success when it comes to quality of dying. When cure is a possibility, Americans will pursue it at all costs, but when it is not a possibility, they want honest communication and the opportunity to say good-bye to their loved ones. In the context of these emergent needs, life review is offered as a solution. The value proposition targets not only dying patients and their families, but also society as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to limited availability of arable land and high market demand for off-season vegetables, cucurbits (plants in the family Cucurbitaceae) are continuously cultivated under unfavorable conditions in some countries. These conditions include environments that are too cold, wet, or dry, or are cool low-light winter greenhouses. Successive cropping can increase salinity, the incidence of cucurbit pests, and soilborne diseases like fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium spp. These conditions cause various physiological and pathological disorders leading to severe crop loss. Chemical pest control is expensive, not always effective, and can harm the environment. Grafting can overcome many of these problems. In fact, in many parts of the world, grafting is a routine technique in continuous cropping systems. It was first commonly used in Japan during the late 1920s by grafting watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai] onto pumpkin [Cucurbita moschata Duchesne ex. Poir] rootstocks. Soon after, watermelons were grafted onto bottle gourd [Lagenaria siceraria (Molina) Standl.] rootstocks. This practice helped control declining yield due to soilborne diseases. China produces more than half the world's watermelons and cucumbers (Cucumis sativus L.), and approximately 20% of these are grafted. Use of rootstocks can enhance plant vigor through vigorous attainment of soil nutrients, avoidance of soil pathogens and tolerance of low soil temperatures, salinity, and wet-soil conditions. The type of rootstock affects cucurbit plant growth, yield, and fruit quality. Cucurbit grafting is rare in the United States, but with continued loss of quality disease-free farmland along with the phase-out of methyl bromide, the U.S. cucurbit industry sees grafting as an attractive option. Some seed companies now offer watermelon transplants grafted onto squash or bottle gourd rootstocks, and some transplant facilities offer grafting services. There have been thorough analyses of cucurbit grafting in other countries, but the literature in English is limited. This review summarizes the state of the cucurbit grafting industry on a global level, translating work published in many languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the results of a study of the Hennen Annual Public Library Ratings (HAPLR). This study was conducted for the U.S. National Commission on Library and Information Science (NCLIS) as part of a larger survey of library assessment instruments. HAPLR ratings are based upon public library data available from the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The paper examines promotion of the HAPLR rating method and construction of its scores, summarizes literature on library input and output measures, reviews published criticisms, identities other key shortcomings (if the method, and explores selected statistical trends in NCES public library data from 1999 through 2004. The article concludes that imprecision in HAPLR scores renders the method unsuitable for quantitatively assessing comparative and individual library performance. Statistical validity of the method has never been demonstrated. Input/output data that HAPLR uses are inadequate measures of library performance and quality. The scores are susceptible to inaccuracies in the compilation of NCES data. Promoters of the HAPLR methodology should fully disclose the limitations and biases of the method. These limitations also need to be understood and heeded by the public library community, which has injudiciously joined its national library identity with a statistically unsound portrayal of its collective and individual institutional strengths and weaknesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was prompted by an escalating interest in the quality of healthcare provided within the United States. The authors hypothesized that one determinant of quality is the adequacy of financial resources available to the healthcare organization. The authors addressed their question by using data from two Defense Department sources: the 2003 Health Care Survey of Defense Department Beneficiaries (HCSDB) and 1999-2003 data from the Department of Defense Medical Expense Performance Reporting System (MEPRS). The authors used a measure of military treatment facility fiscal margin to predict seven Consumer Assessment of Health Plan Satisfaction (CAHPS) quality dimensions. Regression analysis and multilevel modeling are the primary statistical methods. Results indicate a significant and positive association between organizational financial strength and quality outcomes. This finding indicates that organizations with more financial flexibility may be more adept at meeting or exceeding patient care expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary focus of this paper is to analyze the Mexican health care system and the forces driving its change. To facilitate this, the paper conducts an analysis of the key stakeholders in both the U.S. and Mexican health care systems. The Mexican system is dominated by an autocratic federal government that is gradually relinquishing its role as provider of health care in exchange for control of the reform efforts. The U.S. system is characterized by a relatively equal distribution of power among the key stakeholders, in which changes occur primarily through incrementalism. The results of the analysis indicate that the key differences lie in terms of relative stakeholder power and rate of change in the systems. Compared with the U.S., Mexico is making rapid changes to its health care system and both countries are struggling with the same key issues: Cost, access, and quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many years gerontologists have discussed the consequences of advances that have lengthened lives but have been less successful at improving the quality of those lives. While this debate continues, the resulting demographic shift in the age profile of the United States threatens to overwhelm our ability to care for those who most need assistance. In the absence of major policy changes or dramatic medical discoveries, or both, the need for institutional care among the population 85 and older will soon exceed the available resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Growing public interest in the operations of managed care plans has fueled a variety of activities to collect and analyze their performance. These activities include studies of financial performance, analysis of enrollment decisions, and, more recently, the development of systems for measuring healthcare quality to improve accountability to consumers. In this study, the authors focus on the activities of managed care plans that may frustrate patients and providers and, subsequently, motivate patients to file complaints. Using data from three sources, they evaluate the relationships between complaints against managed care plans and two metrics of performance: (a) the financial performance of the plan, and (b) the quality of care provided. Their findings indicate that complaints against health maintenance organizations are significantly related to the plans' levels of quality and to actions that may impede access to care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supervision of offenders in the community remains a critical component of the correctional processes in the United States. With almost six million offenders under correctional supervision in the community, there has been relatively little attention and few resources devoted to the style and quality of supervision received by these offenders. As a result of the lack of research regarding the style of probation and parole supervision, there is a need to identify and quantify styles of casework and surveillance supervision. This article describes a research project that identifies the key functions of parole and probation officers, reports self- and peer-rating on a casework to surveillance continuum, and establishes an instrument that can be used to create baseline information regarding how probation and parole officers spend their time, and whether the functions officers perform are casework, surveillance, or a balance of the two. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a multistage stochastic programming model for strategic capacity planning at a major US semiconductor manufacturer. Main sources of uncertainty in this multi-year planning problem include demand of different, technologies and capacity estimations for each fabrication (fab) facility. We test the model using real-world scenarios requiring the determination of capacity planning for 29 technology categories among five fab facilities. The objective of the model is to minimize the gaps between product demands and the capacity allocated to the technology specified by each product. We consider two different scenario-analysis constructs: first, an independent scenario structure where we assume no prior information and the model systematically enumerates possible states in each period. The states from one period to another are independent from each other. Second, we consider an arbitrary scenario construct, which allows the planner to sample/evaluate arbitrary multi-period scenarios that captures the dependency between periods. In built cases, a scenario is defined as a multi-period path from the root to a leaf in the scenario tree. We conduct intensive computational experiments on these models using real data supplied by the semiconductor manufacturer. The purpose of our experiments is two-fold: first to examine different degree of scenario aggregation and its effects on the independent model to achieve high-quality solution. Using this as a benchmark, we then compare the results from the arbitrary model and illustrate the different uses of the two scenario constructs. We show that the independent model allows a varying degree of scenario aggregation without significant prior information, white the arbitrary model allows planners to play out specific scenarios given prior information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with measuring the three quality dimensions (quality of design, quality of conformance and quality of performance) in higher education. The proposed framework discussed in this paper builds on the model developed by Mergen et al. (2000, Total Quality Management, 11, pp. 345-352). It discusses a set of measurement parameters to be used in evaluating the quality of research and curriculum development and the tools/techniques necessary for evaluating them. Two examples are discussed of how Rochester Institute of Technology has used this approach to plan and implement a new MS degree and a new research reward system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At the present time when interprofessional collaboration in practice is reaching new levels of interest related to health care system changes in both the UK and the US, a key question being raised is: What are the outcomes and costs of interprofessional collaborative models of care? The purposes of this paper are to: (a) summarize past research efforts, primarily in the US, to examine whether interprofessional collaboration improves the outcomes of care, (b) articulate the continuing conceptual and methodological challenges associated with efforts to examine this relationship, (c) present more recent research in the US in which investigators have overcome some of the conceptual and methodological barriers to this type of research, and (d) identify gaps in knowledge and areas for future research on the relationship between collaborative models of care and care outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Equity issues have led many economists to reconsider their preference for conducting efficiency analyses with aggregated estimates of the benefits and costs of changes in environmental resource allocations. For example, evidence suggests that health risks due to hazardous wastes disproportionately affect the poor and non White. Disproportionate outcomes are not necessarily inefficient, however. The purpose of this article is to propose a demand-side approach for environmental equity analysis that is based on a technique adapted from the labor economics of wage discrimination. Applying the test to the demand for water quality, we find that willingness to pay values are not equal for White and non-White survey respondents. The empirical results lead to some observations about environmental equity analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first part of this article discusses the effort made by each state to provide the opportunity of a college education for its residents. Based on the per cent of the college age population that study at an institution of higher learning within their state, Utah, Arizona, North Dakota, Kansas, and Montana rank as the national leaders. The second section develops a number of criteria which are used to rank graduate schools in the United States. A separate ranking is presented for the science and the social science-humanities fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports developments on "Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine" journal (SBiRM) in the U.S. The author expresses his gratitude to the journal's reviewers for their commitment to per-review to ensure the quality of the journal. It offers information on the new technologies and features that the journal continue to implement in response to its readership and the electronic age.