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The politics of IO performance: A framework
No full textPublished in: The Review of International Organizations, September 2010, Volume 5, Issue 3, pp 227–248.Some international organizations (IOs) are subject to constant criticism for
producing poor results while others are praised for accomplishing difficult tasks despite
political and resource constraints. Indeed, IO performance varies substantially over time
and across tasks, and yet the international relations literature has devoted little attention
to why this occurs. This article provides a framework for studying IO performance.
After addressing some of the distinct challenges of conceptualizing and analyzing
performance in the context of IOs, we discuss the tradeoffs of using different
performance metrics—from process indicators to outcome indicators—and present a
typology of factors that influence performance. Finally, we discuss research strategies
for those interested in studying performance rigorously. The policy relevance of
studying IO performance is clear: only if we understand why some IOs perform better
than others can we begin to improve their performance in a systematic way. As many
organizations come under pressure to reform, while at the same time taking on new and
more complicated tasks, scholars should be actively engaged in debates surrounding IO
performance and its role in effective governance at the international level
Changes in the microbial communities associated with Gorgonia ventalina during aspergillosis infection
No full textPublished in: Dis Aquat Organ. 2006 Mar 23;69(1):89-94.The surface mucopolysaccharide layer (SML) secreted by corals is a rich environment where bacteria live and proliferate, with population levels often being several orders of magnitude higher than in the surrounding waters (at least for culturable microbes). Some studies have suggested that these communities play an important role in energy and nutrient flux in marine environments. We hypothesize that the microbial community structure of the SML also plays a role in protection against disease. This hypothesis is based on studies that have shown differences in the bacterial composition of the mucus of healthy and diseased corals. In this study we tested the differences in the microbial communities living in association with the SML of healthy and diseased Gorgonia ventalina by comparing their metabolic profiles using Biolog EcoPlates. Overall, metabolic profiles of the coral surface microbiota were significantly different to those in the water column based on stepwise canonical discriminant analyses (CDAs). Furthermore, differences between communities living in healthy and diseased corals were also found. Changes were observed between affected and unaffected areas of the same colony, although these changes were not as obvious as between individual healthy and diseased colonies. Results suggest that the microbial communities living in the SML of G. ventalina are affected by the presence of aspergillosis, even if the area is not in direct contact with the infection. This suggests the possibility of changes in the composition of the SML throughout the colony as a response to aspergillosis infection
The emergence of global attention to health systems strengthening
No full textPublished in: Health Policy and Planning, Volume 28, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 41–50.After a period of proliferation of disease-specific initiatives, over the past decade
and especially since 2005 many organizations involved in global health have
come to direct attention and resources to the issue of health systems
strengthening. We explore how and why such attention emerged. A qualitative
methodology, process-tracing, was used to construct a case history and analyse
the factors shaping and inhibiting global political attention for health systems
strengthening. We find that the critical factors behind the recent burst of
attention include fears among global health actors that health systems problems
threaten the achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals,
concern about the adverse effects of global health initiatives on national health
systems, and the realization among global health initiatives that weak health
systems present bottlenecks to the achievement of their organizational object-
ives. While a variety of actors now embrace health systems strengthening, they
do not constitute a cohesive policy community. Moreover, the concept of health
systems strengthening remains vague and there is a weak evidence base for
informing policies and programmes for strengthening health systems. There are
several reasons to question the sustainability of the agenda. Among these are the
global financial crisis, the history of pendulum swings in global health and the
instrumental embrace of the issue by some actors
Georgetown Ordinances
No full textThis collection contains a selection of locally published ordinances for Georgetown from 1811 to 1866, chosen because they are not digitally available elsewhere. The original copies of these ordinances and others are are located in the Peabody Room at the Georgetown Neighborhood Library.
This collection was completed through a partnership with Georgetown Law Library. Additional Georgetown Ordinances may be found on DigitalGeorgetown.
Georgetown was founded in 1751 in the Province of Maryland, and the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years. Georgetown remained a separate municipality until 1871 when the United States Congress created a new consolidated government for the whole District of Columbia. A separate act passed in 1895 specifically repealed Georgetown's remaining local ordinances and renamed Georgetown's streets to conform with those in the City of Washington. ( Wikipedia
Factors Associated with Functional Health Limitations for Individuals with Chronic Kidney Disease: An Application of the Behavioral Health Model
No full textAccording to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 30 million Americans have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Disease progression and maintenance are important aspects of CKD. As disease maintenance and progression are vital components of assisting adults with CKD, it is also important to examine the effects lack of health practices have on CKD. Renal social workers remain the only federally mandated social workers to provide biopsychosocial care to address the disease progression and maintenance. CKD affects both the physical and emotional health of the adult experiencing it. Within these physical and emotional health challenges remains the financial burden of care. For many, access to and affordability of appropriate nephrology care may not be available. The financial burden prevents or reduces a person with CKD the ability to develop a purposeful treatment plan to reduce the development of comorbid diseases and maintain the progression of his or her CKD. As a result of these challenges, one may experience functional health limitations. Functional health refers to the ability for one to complete a task or activity, either physical or behavioral, in a controlled environment without difficulty (Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2008). The purpose of this study is to explore the factors that are associated with functional health limitations in adults with CKD. The study used the National Health Interview Survey, 2016 Adult Sample examining only adults who reported having CKD. The study addresses the research question of “What are the factors that predict the presence or absence of functional limitations in chronic kidney disease patients?”. The study applied an adapted version of Andersen’s Behavioral Health Model to test the hypothesis that factors influence functional health limitations in adults with CKD. A logistic regression analysis was used to determine the likelihood that predisposing, enabling, personal health practices, and use of health services variables predict the presence or absence of functional health limitations. The results of the study indicated that adults with CKD were more likely to: be older in age; not working; reduce caloric intake after speaking with a doctor; delay filling prescriptions due to cost, and; visit a medical specialist when reporting the presence of functional health limitations. The study provides support to the social work and nephrology communities as a baseline in developing future studies and programs to address the disparities regarding CKD disease management and functional health limitations.Social workSocial WorkDegree Awarded: Ph.D. Social Work. The Catholic University of Americ
Top-down gain control in the auditory system: Evidence from identification and discrimination experiments
No full textPublished in: Perception & Psychophysics, 2002, 64 (4), 598-615.The influence of intensity range in auditory identification and intensity discrimination experiments
is well documented and is usually attributed to nonsensory factors. Recent studies, however, have sug-
gested that the stimulus range effect might be sensory in origin. To test this notion, in one set of ex-
periments, we had listeners identify the individual tones in a set. One baseline condition consisted of
identifying four 1-kHz, low-intensity tones; the other consisted of identifying four 1-kHz, high-intensity
tones. In the experimental conditions, these baseline tone sets were augmented by adding a fifth tone
at either 1 or 5 kHz. Added 5-kHz tones had little effect on identification accuracy for the four baseline
tones. When an added 1-kHz tone differed substantially in intensity from the four baseline tones, it ad-
versely affected performance, with the addition of a high-intensity tone to a set of low-intensity tones
having a more deleterious effect than the addition of a low-intensity tone to a set of high-intensity tones.
These and further results, obtained in an exploration of this asymmetrical range effect in a third iden-
tification experiment and in two intensity-discriminationexperiments, were consistent with the notion
of a nonlinear amplifier under top-down control whose functions include protection against sensory
overload from loud sounds. The identification data were well described by a signal-detection model
using equal-variance Laplace distributions instead of the usual Gaussian distributions
Rita Moy Interview, January 26, 2020
No full textNative Washingtonian Rita Moy reflects on her history with the Chinese New Year celebration in Chinatown. She remembers coming down to Chinatown for the festival by streetcar as a child, going to family association buildings, receiving "red envelopes" of money gifts, and watching the firecrackers with her siblings from the top floor of buildings. She briefly talks about her father's involvement in Chinatown politics, such as with the Moy Family Association. Rita discusses how she's seen Chinatown evolve: whereas it used to be a tight-knit communtiy of mostly Southern Chinese, an increase in diversity has led to what she sees as good changes. While she says DC Chinese have scattered around the DC area, the Lunar New Year is now "a diverse group celebration.
Ordinances of the corporation of Georgetown : to which are prefixed the law for laying out the town, the original and supplementary charters, and such other laws of Maryland and of the United States as immediately relate to the town [1809-1810]
No full textWhile the volume was printed in 1811, the dates represented within range from 1809-1810. Includes index.Georgetown, D.C. : Printed by W.A. Rind, 181
Giorgione's Concert Champetre: Ironic Renunciation in the Pastoral Genre
No full textResearch paper submitted to American University in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts; approved as non-thesis optio
Rubens' Decius Mus Tapestry Cycle
No full textResearch paper submitted to American University in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Master of Arts; approved as non-thesis optio