Hardwood Log Grading in the United States—Part 1: A Historical Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-123
Author(s):  
Curt C. Hassler ◽  
Shawn T. Grushecky ◽  
Lawrence E. Osborn ◽  
Joseph F. McNeel
Keyword(s):  
Historical Perspective ◽  
Forest Products ◽  
The United States ◽  
Forest Products Industry ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Grading Systems ◽  
The Us ◽  
Accepted Standard

Abstract The ability to efficiently and consistently characterize the quality of hardwood sawlogs is an indispensable part of operating a hardwood sawmill. And it is equally important for buyers and sellers of hardwood logs to negotiate prices on a uniform basis of both scale and grade. While scaling of logs is relatively straightforward, assuming buyer and seller agree on a specific log rule to use (e.g., Doyle, Scriber, International), grading logs for the purposes of evaluating quality is more complex. Hardwood log grading is an essential component of any hardwood sawmill's operation and effectively sets the stage for profit or loss. Various efforts have been made to develop a standardized log grading system by both the forest products industry and the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDAFS) since the beginning of the 20th century. However, even after over a century of effort, there is still no broadly accepted standard for grading hardwood logs. The purpose of this article is to document the historical evolution of hardwood log grading systems. Understanding the development of hardwood log grading systems over time can help to produce a better log grading standard in the future.

Precarious Work and Young Workers in the United States

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arne L. Kalleberg
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
The United States ◽  
Young Workers ◽  
Severe Problem ◽  
Precarious Work ◽  
The Great Recession ◽  
The Us ◽  
Training Opportunities ◽  
And Training

This chapter discusses how the growth of precarious work and the polarization of the US labor market have produced major problems for the employment experiences of young workers. A prominent indicator of young workers’ difficulties in the labor market has been the sharp increase in their unemployment rates since the Great Recession. Another, equally if not more severe, problem faced by young workers today is the relatively low quality of the jobs that they were able to get. Other problems include the exclusion of young workers from the labor market and from education and training opportunities; the inability to find jobs that utilize their education, training, and skills; and the inability to obtain jobs that provide them with an opportunity to get a foothold in a career that would lead to progressively better jobs and thus be able to construct career narratives.

scholarly journals Purchasing Quality Nursing Home Care in the Veterans Health Administration

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Orna Intrator ◽  
Edward Alan Miller ◽  
Portia Y Cornell ◽  
Cari Levy ◽  
Christopher W Halladay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Nursing Home Care ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Star Rating ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Veterans Affairs Medical Centers ◽  
And Performance

Abstract Background and Objectives U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) contract with nursing homes (NHs) in their community to serve Veterans. This study compares the characteristics and performance of Veterans Affairs (VA)-paid and non-VA-paid NHs both nationally and within local VAMC markets. Research Design and Methods VA-paid NHs were identified, characterized, and linked to VAMC markets using data drawn from VA administrative files. NHs in the United States in December 2015 were eligible for the analysis, including. 1,307 VA-paid NHs and 14,253 non-VA-paid NHs with NH Compare measures in 128 VAMC markets with any VA-paid NHs. Measurements were derived from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) five-star rating system, NH Compare. Results VA-paid NHs had more beds, residents per day, and were more likely to be for-profit relative to non-VA-paid NHs. Nationally, the average CMS NH Compare star rating was slightly lower among VA-paid NHs than non-VA-paid NHs (3.05 vs. 3.21, p = .04). This difference was seen in all 3 domains: inspection (3.11 vs. 3.23, p < .001), quality (2.68 vs. 2.83, p < .001), and total nurse staffing (3.36 vs. 3.42, p < .10). There was wide variability across VAMC markets in the ratio of average star rating of VA-paid and non-VA-paid NHs (mean ratio = 0.93, interquartile range = 0.78–1.08). Discussion and Implications With increased community NH use expected following the implementation of the MISSION Act, comparison of the quality of purchased services to other available services becomes critical for ensuring quality, including for NH care. Methods presented in this article can be used to examine the quality of purchased care following the MISSION Act implementation. In particular, dashboards such as that for VA-paid NHs that compare to similar non-VA-paid NHs can provide useful information to quality improvement efforts.

scholarly journals The Impact of the US Financial Crisis on How Students Pay for College

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arthur M. Hauptman
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
Public Institutions ◽  
Federal Financial Aid ◽  
For Profit ◽  
American Students ◽  
The Us ◽  
Home Values ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Private Loan ◽  
Us Financial Crisis

The 2008 failure of major financial institutions in the United States may have dramatic ramifications on American students and whether/where they attend college. Several sources of funding may be at risk, including potential decreases in federal financial aid, the tightening of private loan availability, lowered home values impinging on equity-based lending, and stock market losses in college-fund savings. Public institutions, whose tuition is much lower than private or for-profit institutions, may see an increase in enrollment.

scholarly journals On the ethics of doctors in capitalist countries

1981 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 80-83
Author(s):  
S. Ya. Chikin
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
The United States ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Us Congress ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Cost

In 1977, the US Congress published statistics on the operation of surgical clinics in many cities in the country. These materials cannot be read without a shudder. They once again proved that American doctors are no different from businessmen in their passion for profit. The report's conclusion was very sad. He testified that up to three million unjustified surgeries are performed annually in the United States. Naturally, they are not undertaken for the sake of the patient's health, but in order to present a more weighty bill to the patient, because the cost of the simplest surgical intervention is now estimated at at least $ 1000.

Letters to the Editor

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 473-473
Author(s):  
David B. Nelson ◽  
Renate D. Kimbrough ◽  
Philip S. Landrigan ◽  
A. Wallace Hayes ◽  
George C. Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drug Administration ◽  
Food Supply ◽  
Food Industry ◽  
The United States ◽  
Letters To The Editor ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
The Us ◽  
The World ◽  
Food Commodities

Dr Wray's comments are, of course, very appropriate and encouraging. Aflatoxin was first detected in food commodities from other parts of the world. As concentrations in other parts of the world have usually been higher, little attention has been paid to the possibility of aflatoxin exposure in humans in the United States except by those who are directly involved in monitoring the human food supply (US Department of Agriculture, the food industry, and the US Food and Drug Administration).

Statistical Inference in Economics in the 1920s and 1930s

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (6) ◽  
pp. 53-80
Author(s):  
Jeff Biddle
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Probability Theory ◽  
Economic Analysis ◽  
Statistical Inference ◽  
Statistical Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Interesting Case ◽  
Agricultural Products ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
The Us

Statistical inference is the process of drawing conclusions from samples of statistical data about things not fully described or recorded in those samples. During the 1920s, economists in the United States articulated a general approach to statistical inference that downplayed the value of the inferential measures derived from probability theory that later came to be central to the idea of statistical inference in economics. This approach is illustrated by the practices of economists of the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the US Department of Agriculture, who regularly analyzed statistical samples to forecast supplies of various agricultural products. Forecasting represents an interesting case for studying the development of inferential methods, as analysts receive regular feedback on the effectiveness of their inferences when forecasts are compared with actual events.

United States of America

2021 ◽  
pp. 44-88
Author(s):  
Christian Leuprecht
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Civil Liberties ◽  
The United States ◽  
Intelligence Community ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
Select Committee ◽  
Accountability System ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Government

This chapter reviews the member organizations of the United States Intelligence Community, the strategic environment that has informed intelligence and accountability in the United States, including scandals as a key driver of innovation, and the current and future threat environment as seen by the United States. The chapter examines the US intelligence accountability architecture: the House of Representative Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the Inspectors General, the Government Accountability Office, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Office, and the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. The sheer number and complexity of accountability bodies in the US gives rise to inefficiencies, ineffectiveness, and duplication. The accountability system is replete with gaps and vulnerabilities: partisanship, collective-action problems, resource allocation, and inconsistent quality of review in congressional accountability; GAO’s limited authority to review the USIC and sensitive operations; the adequacy of the FISA court in adequately protecting the rights of Americans; and Presidential discretion in appointing and removing IGs. These issues have implications not just for the United States, but for allies, partners as well as regional and global stability.

scholarly journals Assessing U.S. Landscape Architecture Faculty Research Contribution

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Robert D. Brown ◽  
Tamanna Tasnum ◽  
YouJoung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Professional Education ◽  
Landscape Architecture ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
The United States ◽  
Scholarly Output ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Us ◽  
Available Information ◽  
Contribution Level

Landscape architecture programs in the United States are assessed based on the quality of the professional education received by their students. Research is becoming an increasingly important part of the profession as evidence-based landscape architecture grows, and it is critical that university faculty provide information that can be used in professional practice to resolve important environmental and social issues. In many universities, individual landscape architecture faculty are encouraged to conduct research and their performance is evaluated based largely on the quantity and quality of their scholarly output. This paper used publicly-available information to conduct a citation analysis for individual faculty and professionally accredited landscape architecture programs across the US. There was a wide range in the contribution level with some programs and some individuals who were very productive, while many others contributed very little. This might point to an attempt by programs to maintain a balance between scholarly contributions and the education of professional landscape architects. As research becomes an increasing important part of the profession, the productive programs and individuals identified in this study might provide models for others to emulate.

FDA at BIO 2011 – Weighing a hefty mission: Where is the balance?

1969 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Levy
Keyword(s):  
Nonprofit Sector ◽  
The United States ◽  
Biotechnology Industry ◽  
Washington Dc ◽  
Current State ◽  
Industry Organization ◽  
The Us ◽  
Quality Of Food ◽  
Biotechnology Industry Organization

The mission of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is to promote public health by ensuring the safety and quality of food and medical products sold in the United States. At this year's annual Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) convention, significant discussion revolved around the appropriate interpretation and execution of that mission.The BIO meeting hosted 15 646 participants from across industry, government and the nonprofit sector, focusing on the current state of the biotechnology industry, as well as its challenges in seeking to further improve public welfare. Perhaps partly because this year's meeting was held in Washington, DC – the seat of the federal government and of BIO's headquarters – much attention was paid to the US regulatory environment. In particular, attendees debated the quandary faced every day by the FDA: how to enable access to novel therapies quickly, but only once their safety has been certified.

International comparison of the quality of voluntary adverse event reports for cremophor-containing paclitaxel-associated anaphylaxis submitted to regulatory agencies in the United States, Europe, and Japan

2009 ◽  
Vol 27 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 6589-6589
Author(s):  
E. Calhoun ◽  
D. Raisch ◽  
H. Luu ◽  
E. Carias ◽  
L. Irizarry ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adverse Event ◽  
Adverse Drug Events ◽  
Case Reports ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adverse Event Report ◽  
H2 Blockers ◽  
The Us ◽  
Drug Regimens ◽  
Prophylaxis Therapy

6589 Background: Serious adverse drug events (sADEs) are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. The FDA's MedWatch program is a voluntary adverse drug reporting program. In Europe and Japan, sADE reports are rarely reimbursed. We evaluated the quality of adverse events reporting in the US, Europe, and Japan for paclitaxel-associated anaphylaxis. Hypersensitivity reactions (presumably due to the diluent cremophor) occur in up to 42% of patients receiving paclitaxel (cremophor- containing paclitaxel was licensed in 1992, a cremophor-free paclitaxel was licensed in 2005). Methods: We reviewed reports of anaphylactic reactions to paclitaxel reported between 1997–2007 contained in the FDA Adverse Event Report System (AERS). Results: Of 171 unique case reports, 34% resulted in death. Cases that resulted in death were mostly incomplete in reporting descriptions of anaphylaxis symptoms and prophylaxis/therapy drug regimens in the US, Europe and Japan. (Table) The median duration between date of event and regulatory notification was 27, 55, and 18 days for the US, Europe, and Japan respectively. Conclusions: Overall, the quality of case reports of serious anaphylaxis reactions to cremophor-containing paclitaxel was poor in the US, Europe, and Japan, despite a substantial number of these reports being associated with death. Surprisingly, among the patients receiving prophylaxis with corticosteroids, anti-histamines, and/or H2-blockers, 36% of patients still died. [Table: see text] No significant financial relationships to disclose.

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