Practical Applications of Improving Pension Income and Reducing Poverty at Advanced Older Ages: Longevity Insurance Benefits in Ireland and Poland as Models for the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1.10-6
Author(s):  
John A. Turner ◽  
Gerard Hughes ◽  
Agnieszka Chłoń-Domińczak ◽  
David M. Rajnes
Author(s):  
Rosalia Aparecida Moreira ◽  
Hugo Rodrigues Araujo

Em 1986, foi criado nos Estados Unidos a Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, entidade sem fins lucrativos com a missão de contribuir para conservação do patrimônio ferroviário, transformando os ramais abandonados em trilhas ferroviárias destinadas, exclusivamente, para caminhantes, ciclistas e cavaleiros. Com essa perspectiva, há 15 anos iniciou-se uma mobilização comunitária para transformar o antigo Ramal Ferroviário Corinto-Diamantina, localizado no Vale do Jequitinhonha/MG, na primeira trilha ferroviária do Brasil, denominada Trilha Verde da Maria Fumaça - TVMF. Além da conservação dos bens ferroviários, a TVMF busca a dinamização da economia local através do Turismo de Base Comunitária. Este artigo corresponde a um estudo de caso da TVMF, de caráter exploratório-descritivo. A pesquisa envolveu revisão bibliográfica e entrevista do gestor da ONG Caminhos da Serra, utilizando questionário semiestruturado. A análise qualitativa dos dados permitiu obter resultados que proporcionam o entendimento sobre a TVMF, contribuem para a abertura da discussão sobre trilhas ferroviárias no Brasil e fornecem informações para subsidiar aplicações práticas em outras ferrovias que se encontram abandonadas. Trilha Verde da Maria Fumaça: railroad heritage and tourism in the Vale do Jequitinhonha (Brazil). In 1986, the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy was created in the United States, a nonprofit organization with a mission to contribute to conservation of the railway heritage, turning extensions abandoned on rails trails, designed exclusively for walkers, cyclists and riders. With this perspective, 15 years ago a community began a mobilization to transform the old Railway Corinto-Diamantina, located in Vale do Jequitinhonha / MG, into the first rail trails in Brazil, called Trilha Verde da Maria Fumaça - TVMF. In addition to the conservation of rail assets, TVMF seeks to stimulate the local economy through the Community Based Tourism. This article is an exploratory and descriptive case study of TVMF. The research involved literature review and interview questions for the manager of the NGO Caminhos da Serra, by using semi-structured questionnaire. Through qualitative analysis of data it was possible to get results that provide an understanding of the TVMF, contribute to opening the discussion about rails trails in Brazil, and provide information to support practical applications in other railways that are abandoned. KEYWORDS: Railway Tourism; Sustainable Tourism; Rails Trails.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 45-50
Author(s):  
Svitlana Shumovetska

AbstractThe necessity to research the problem of forming a professional culture of future border guard officers using the experience of military personnel training in the United States has been identified in the article. It has been found that professional culture and professionalism are an important part of the US military education system. The peculiarities of vocational training in the leading educational establishments of the United States of America, first of all the Military Academy (West Point, New York), have been studied. It has been determined that the priority of the academy, as a whole system of military vocational education in the USA, is attention to what is needed in the combat situation: analytical mind, leadership, theory and practice of management, knowledge of military history, operational doctrine, national defense policy, ability to plan and make decisions, perform legal duties, and abide the professional ethics. Experimental, case-based, interactive training with the extensive use of imitation devices and practical applications prevails in teaching methodology, which is needed to improve officers’ ability to analyze and solve problems, effectively interact and apply operational doctrine. To enhance the level of professional culture and military identity in military schools, great attention is paid to the development of officers’ intellectual potential, the ability to think and critically perceive the information needed to act in situations of ambiguity and uncertainty, to achieve intellectual superiority over the enemy. In accordance with the philosophy of military education in the United States, it is stipulated that a graduate of a military school should be first and foremost a highly intelligent person who, in many respects, must outperform a graduate of any civilian university, quickly acquire the chosen specialty. In addition to training for character education, military identity, the US military estalishments also intends to work hard to develop communicative skills and abilities through speaking and writing practice.


2010 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1380-1394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Sturm ◽  
Brian Taras ◽  
Glen E. Liston ◽  
Chris Derksen ◽  
Tobias Jonas ◽  
...  

Abstract In many practical applications snow depth is known, but snow water equivalent (SWE) is needed as well. Measuring SWE takes ∼20 times as long as measuring depth, which in part is why depth measurements outnumber SWE measurements worldwide. Here a method of estimating snow bulk density is presented and then used to convert snow depth to SWE. The method is grounded in the fact that depth varies over a range that is many times greater than that of bulk density. Consequently, estimates derived from measured depths and modeled densities generally fall close to measured values of SWE. Knowledge of snow climate classes is used to improve the accuracy of the estimation procedure. A statistical model based on a Bayesian analysis of a set of 25 688 depth–density–SWE data collected in the United States, Canada, and Switzerland takes snow depth, day of the year, and the climate class of snow at a selected location from which it produces a local bulk density estimate. When converted to SWE and tested against two continental-scale datasets, 90% of the computed SWE values fell within ±8 cm of the measured values, with most estimates falling much closer.


2020 ◽  
Vol 148 (9) ◽  
pp. 3747-3771 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djordje Romanic ◽  
Junayed Chowdhury ◽  
Jubayer Chowdhury ◽  
Horia Hangan

Abstract This paper investigates the transient characteristics in 41 velocity records of 19 thunderstorm events from around the world—9 from Europe, 9 from the United States, and 1 from Australia. The transient features of thunderstorm winds were examined by introducing an objective method for the detection of changepoints in the time series. The methodology divides velocity records into segments characterized by different statistical properties. The segmentation is based on the following properties of the isolated segments: mean (M) and the standard deviation (SD). This study demonstrated that the maximum velocity during the thunderstorm peak in the events from Europe is typically 2–4 times larger than the mean wind speed before the thunderstorm. The duration of the thunderstorm velocity peak was 2–5 min in approximately 60% of the analyzed records using the M statistic and 5–10 min when analyzed using the SD statistic. Therefore, the velocity fluctuations caused by thunderstorm winds last longer than the abrupt changes in the mean wind field. Similarly, the ramp-up time was longer when the records were analyzed using the SD statistic. The segmentation methodology was tested for different duration of velocity records and using data with different sampling frequencies. The performances of the introduced method were compared against the results of two other segmentation procedures proposed in the literature. One of the practical applications of this method is the physical separation between the thunderstorm and nonthunderstorm components of a wind event. Significance Statement Thunderstorm outflow winds are short-lived phenomena produced by cold downdrafts that originate in thunderstorm clouds. This study analyzes the transient nature of thunderstorm winds from Europe, the United States, and Australia using a segmentation method applied to anemometer velocity records. This segmentation method identifies abrupt changes of mean wind speed and wind fluctuations in the velocity data. This research provides the means of isolating different segments within the thunderstorm wind records in an objective way that is based on rigorous mathematical principles. The proposed method can automatically distinguish thunderstorm from nonthunderstorm winds. The peak velocities in thunderstorm outflows are 2–4 times the mean wind speed before the thunderstorm. The most intense episodes of thunderstorm winds usually last 2–5 min.


2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 243-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josephine Johnston ◽  
Michael K. Gusmano ◽  
Pasquale Patrizio

AbstractNearly one in eight infants in the United States is born preterm. A variety of factors are associated with preterm birth, including multiplicity. In the United States fertility treatments are currently associated with high rates of multiplicity, but these rates could be reduced significantly if changes can be made to fertility treatment policy and practice. These include reducing the financial pressure on patients to prioritize pregnancy chances over safety by expanding insurance coverage and altering the way we calculate success rates and insurance benefits so that two consecutive single embryo transfers is equivalent to one double embryo transfer.


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