A stormwater user fee model for operations and maintenance in small cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
pp. 278-290
Author(s):  
Fabiane Andressa Tasca ◽  
Alexandra Rodrigues Finotti ◽  
Roberto Fabris Goerl
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Single Class ◽  
Main Method ◽  
Funding Model ◽  
Impervious Area ◽  
Operations And Maintenance ◽  
User Fee

Abstract In this paper, a stormwater fee specifically for small municipalities was developed through a simplification of the Equivalent Residential Unit (ERU) system, which is the main method applied in the United States. The Simplified ERU is based on the amount of impervious area and the fee considers the operations and maintenance costs, besides having a single class of billing. It was applied in Santo Amaro da Imperatriz city, located in the southern region of Brazil, which can be classified as a small city. The value of the Simplified ERU (294.32 m2) was similar to the average impervious area in the United States (269.42 m2) and it was equivalent to $0.28 per square meter (within the range of other countries' fees). The method proved to be a feasible and rapid technique for funding stormwater services, and its simplicity allows its application in different locations. This funding model can generate revenue to address current stormwater problems, such as the lack of funding for existing drainage infrastructure, and contribute to downstream flooding reduction. This paper also intends to encourage discussion about the methods for designing a stormwater fee in the academic community, which is still incipient.

scholarly journals 524. Understanding the Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) Infections in the United States (US): Insights from a Survey of Hospital-Based Pharmacists

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S252-S252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Potoski ◽  
Deanna Buehrle ◽  
Minh-Hong Nguyen ◽  
Cornelius J Clancy
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Rank Order ◽  
Polymyxin B ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
First Line ◽  
New Agents ◽  
Carbapenem Resistant ◽  
Urinary Infections ◽  
Improved Outcomes

Abstract Background New anti-CRE antibiotics (ceftazidime–avibactam, C-A; meropenem-vaborbactam, M-V; plazomicin, PLZ) are associated with improved outcomes and lower toxicity than polymixins (PMs; colistin; polymyxin B) in treating CRE infections. We previously demonstrated that ~40% (range: 28–71%) and ~23% (16–41%) of CRE infections in the United States were treated with PMs or new agents, respectively, as of 1/19. Methods To understand formulary status, availability and positioning of new anti-CRE agents and PMs, we surveyed hospital-based Society of ID Pharmacists (SIDP) members (11–12/18; Qualtrics). Results There were 218 respondents from 41 states. Mean CRE infections encountered were 2.7/mo (0–36). C-A, M-V, PLZ were formulary restricted or non-formulary but available at 84%, 68% and 31% of hospitals, respectively; agents were stocked at 80%, 37% and 4%. In 33% of instances, C-A was presented to P&T a second time prior to approval. In rank order, reasons for adding a new agent to formulary were improved outcomes/efficacy, safety/toxicity, and local stewardship (ASP) opinion. Ranked reasons for not adding a new agent were infrequency of CRE, cost, concern for misuse, and limited data. A new agent was positioned as first-line against CRE pneumonia (PNA), bacteremia (BSI), abdominal (IAI) and urinary infections by 87%, 90%, 83% and 56% of respondents [Table]. Smaller hospitals (stratified as ≤200, 201–400, >400 beds) were more likely to have not made a formulary decision or have new agents as no buy (P = 0.0005), and less likely to have a new agent stocked (P = 7e-8) or to position a new agent as first line against CRE PNA, BSI and IAI (P = 0.009). Similar associations were not evident by hospital type (academic, community teaching, or non-teaching). Conclusion New agents are positioned as the first line against CRE PNA, BSI and IAI at most US hospitals with an SIDP member pharmacist, but they are still prescribed less against CRE infections than PMs nationally. Smaller hospitals are less likely to have mechanisms for using new agents or to position them as the first line. Discrepancies between positioning and use of new agents may reflect a bias in SIDP membership toward larger hospitals with ASP, lags between endorsing a first-line agent and incorporating it into care, and/or conservative ASP approval of agents in individual cases. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

Do “Non-Partisan” Municipal Politicians Match the Partisanship of Their Constituents?

2020 ◽  
pp. 107808742095807
Author(s):  
Jack Lucas
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
District Level ◽  
Municipal Politics ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Municipal Governments ◽  
Municipal Elections ◽  
Party Support

Recent research in the United States has found that municipal governments are responsive to the ideological complexion of their cities even in the absence of partisan elections. In this paper, I test for the presence of party match—a match between the partisan character of a district and the partisanship of its municipal representative—in Canada, where municipal elections are distinctively non-partisan. Using new data on district-level party support and the partisanship of Canadian municipal politicians, I find clear evidence for party match. This match is equally likely in at-large and ward elections, partisan and non-partisan elections, and large and small cities. I thus argue that partisan and ideological representation is an important and widespread feature of Canadian municipal politics. I discuss the implications of these findings for theories of municipal representation and the role of ideology in municipal politics.

Transit Service Design and Operation Practices in Western European Countries

1997 ◽  
Vol 1604 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack M. Reilly
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Service Design ◽  
The United States ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Transit Systems ◽  
Transit Service ◽  
Bus Stops ◽  
Number Of Customers

Fundamental transit service design in a number of small cities in Western Europe, which have reputationally good transit systems, is discussed. This work was the result of a transit study tour sponsored by the Transit Cooperative Research Program of TRB. Key differences between transit design practice in Europe and the United States include longer distances between stops, superior customer information at bus stops, more frequent service, and downtown schedule coordination in the European systems. The combination of low-floor buses, off-board fare collection, long distances between stops, and multiple boarding doors on buses enables these systems to carry a large number of customers without deteriorating schedule speed. Several transit systems have used imaginative methods of providing service in low-density markets such as sparsely settled areas and evening and weekend transit service. These include the use of group taxis that travel between downtown and bus stops in the rest of the city. Compared with U.S. transit systems of comparable size, European transit systems are more technology driven. Even small cities have traffic-signal preemption systems, schedule adherence systems, and off-board electronic fare collection technology. Possible application of some of these techniques to transit practice in the United States is discussed.

THE BLAME GAME: Racialized Responses to Hurricane Katrina

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A. Sweeney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Racial Inequality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Color Blindness ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Public Event ◽  
High Profile ◽  
The Media ◽  
The U.S

Response to Hurricane Katrina and public commentary by high-profile individuals has made race a focus in the media and brought racial inequality to the attention of people in the United States. Analyzing responses to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, I find that, even after this very public event that brought race to the forefront in the U.S., people relied on the ideologies of meritocracy and color blindness to rationalize inequality. Findings of how the myth of meritocracy is utilized, along with how people argue against it, can be used to keep race at the forefront of the nation's attention while furthering discussions of inequality. The academic community is challenged to keep the voices of alternative ideologies in the spotlight and to use the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to create change.

Drug Policy and Community Context: The Case of Small Cities and Towns

1996 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Joan McDermott ◽  
James Garofalo
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drug Policy ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Context ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
National Assessment ◽  
Drug Problems

This article reports findings from a national assessment of drug problems and antidrug initiatives in small cities and towns in the United States. It examines the importance of drug problems in small jurisdictions, compared with other problems, the type of drug problems reported, the “most important” antidrug programs, and certain other issues. Implications for drug policy are discussed.

scholarly journals A Review of Т. G. Emelyanenko, E. E. Nosenko-Stein (eds.), Evrei [Jews]. Moscow: Nauka, 2018, 783 pp. (Narody i kultury [Peoples and Cultures])

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (44) ◽  
pp. 155-165
Author(s):  
Viktor Kelner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Jewish People ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Folk Traditions ◽  
Entire Complex ◽  
History Of ◽  
Jewish Immigrants ◽  
Cultural Features

The volume under review is part of the well-known “Peoples and Cultures” series intended to cover the entire complex of history and culture of the peoples inhabiting the territory of Russia. The authors and editors of the book sought to give as complete a picture as possible of the origin and history of the Jewish people and their everyday life, mainly in Russia. The book considers the issues of the ethnopolitical history of the Jews, their religion, the use of their languages, peculiarities of folklore, art, and folk traditions. Of particular interest are sections on the history and ethnographic identity of non-Ashkenazim groups (Georgian and Bukhara Jews and Judaizing groups). Special chapters are devoted to the contemporaneity of Jewish immigrants from the USSR who moved to the United States, Germany, or committed aliyah to their historical homeland, Israel. In essence, the book, created by a large team of specialists, summarizes the development of Judaica studies in Russia. The present review assesses the contribution of this publication to solving the problems that the academic community has faced for several centuries. The authors of the book, as a rule, do not impose the “single truth” point of view on the reader: they give different versions and interpretations, representing the Jewry as a form of group identity bound by common cultural features. Thus, without resorting polemics, they avoid answering the eternal question: do the Jewish people exist as a single whole?

scholarly journals Successful Wildlife Conservation Requires Good Governance

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily F. Pomeranz ◽  
Darragh Hare ◽  
Daniel J. Decker ◽  
Ann B. Forstchen ◽  
Cynthia A. Jacobson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Wildlife Management ◽  
Wildlife Conservation ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
State Agencies ◽  
Funding Model ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
The U.S

Public wildlife management in the United States is transforming as agencies seek relevancy to broader constituencies. State agencies in the United States, while tasked with conserving wildlife for all beneficiaries of the wildlife trust, have tended to manage for a limited range of benefits in part due to a narrow funding model heavily dependent on hunting, fishing, and trapping license buyers. To best meet the needs, interests, and concerns of a broader suite of beneficiaries, agencies will need to reconsider how priorities for management are set. This presents an opportunity for conservation program design and evaluation to be elevated in importance. We argue that success in wildlife conservation in the U.S. requires assessment of both decision-making processes and management results in relation to four questions: conservation of what, under what authority, for what purposes, and for whom?

Taking care of the researcher –a nature and art-related activity retreat: Sharing natural space puts humanity into perspective

Work ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (3) ◽  
pp. 535-548
Author(s):  
Eva Bojner Horwitz ◽  
Jenni Spännäri ◽  
Julia Langley ◽  
Bette Jacobs ◽  
Walter Osika
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Focus Group Interview ◽  
Working Life ◽  
The United States ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Mixed Group ◽  
Related Activity ◽  
Shared Experience ◽  
Insufficient Amount

BACKGROUND: There has been an insufficient amount of studies that examine how academic working life of researchers can be supported. OBJECTIVE: We examine the use of a nature and art-related activity retreat designed for researchers. The purpose was to evaluate if and how researchers perceived different workshop experiences set in nature as meaningful and important with regards to their self-care. METHODS: A mixed group of six researchers from Sweden, Finland, and the United States met for a three-day retreat consisting of self-selected nature and art-related activities. From data constituted from participant reflections, a focus group interview, a three months follow-up questionnaire, and an analysis of the workshops undertaken, three major themes were identified: “Sharing and connection”, “Embodiment” and “Nature”. RESULTS: Analysis of the workshop-style exercises did not show significant variance in reported meaningfulness and usefulness related to the activity itself. However, there was a strong correlation between perceived value and shared experience where the sharing of the natural space was felt to put humanity into perspective. CONCLUSION: Organizing and systematizing health preventive retreats for researchers in academia may be an important part of the sustainabile academic community in which the researcher needs to be better taken care of in a more embodied way. Although this study was conducted prior to COVID-19, such retreats and potentially also online versions, could be useful for managing the pandemic and afterwards, in our new “normal”.

The Ties that Bind: Dutch-American Relations, US Public Diplomacy and the Promotion of American Studies since the Second World War

2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giles Scott-Smith
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Public Diplomacy ◽  
American Studies ◽  
The United States ◽  
Second World War ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Diplomatic Relations ◽  
World War ◽  
Second World

AbstractThis article examines the linkages between diplomacy and public diplomacy activities by tracing the promotion of American Studies in the Netherlands against the backdrop of US-Dutch diplomatic relations. The development of American Studies within the university systems of other nations has been a central part of US public diplomacy strategy since the Second World War. The belief has always been that this will contribute towards foreign publics being well-informed about the United States, its people and policies. By providing opportunities for research and teaching in the United States, and ultimately by establishing permanent positions, an academic community could be nurtured whose members would function as interpreters of all things American within their national environment. In this way a cross-border cultural affinity can be cultivated to provide a positive context for the practice of diplomatic relations. The case of the Netherlands demonstrates the interlinkage of short-term and long-term interests in pursuing this approach.

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