Government Scientists Research Articles

The effect of the assessment of practical-based work on pupils’ problem solving and achievement in Basic Science and Technology in Odeda local government of Ogun State, Nigeria

ABSTRACTBasic Science and Technology is a subject that is based on the broad field curriculum which is the foundation for science education in Nigeria at the basic level of education. Pupils learning outcomes is usually limited to the assessment of their achievement in paper pencil test. Pupils’ skills in carrying out scientific investigation and the investigation they carry out is usually not assessed neither is the score part of pupils score in Basic Science and Technology. In this paper, we determined the effect of the integration of assessment of science practicals on basic four pupils’ achievement and problem solving in Basic Science and Technology (basic science, basic technology, and information and communication technology). Participant 303 basic four pupils (primary four) in Odeda local government of Ogun. The result indicated that pupils in the treatment group were better problem solvers in two out of the three themes in Basic Science and Technology (basic science and basic technology). Also pupils in the treatment group had a significantly higher achievement in information and communication technology theme of Basic Science and Technology.

'The State of Intellectual Freedom in America' (Written Testimony Before the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice)

Disagreement between knowledgeable scientific experts and median political views often do not suggest political bias on the part of scientists, but rather an effort by think tanks, media organizations, interest groups and politicians to inappropriately politicize scientific issues. For example, the causes and consequences of Climate Change are scientific issues. The likely economic harm from such changes, and the costs of preventing or mitigating them, are also scientific issues. So are the adverse health consequences from air and water pollution or the health effects of smoking. So is the question of whether tax cuts can generate enough economic growth to reduce the Debt-to-GDP ratio. While scientific questions can have political and policy implications, scientific inquiry should not be politicized. The best evidence should be analyzed with the best methods, and the implications and degree of uncertainty honestly conveyed to policymakers and the public. But according to scientific experts, many scientific issues have been inappropriately politicized when scientific evidence threatened private sector profits or government budgets. These issues include the causes and effects of climate change, the health risks of pollution, and the dangers of tobacco use. According to a Pew survey, nearly 80 percent of scientists believe that previous administrations suppressed government scientists’ findings for political reasons. Many scientists worry that suppression of scientific findings for political reasons is becoming more common. Note that the Pew sample consists overwhelmingly of natural or “hard” scientists in fields such as medical sciences, chemistry, physics and geosciences. Pew’s sample included those who work in private industry as well as those who work in government and universities. Recently, there have been systematic efforts by some members of Congress to weaken the role of science in informing agency rule-making and increase the role of political actors. Some politicians have also sought to prevent government agencies from collecting basic data about demographics, the environment, health and safety, and the economy, even if de-identified to protect individual privacy. Today, threats to academic freedom can come from powerful donors, political leaders, and outside pressure groups who sometimes seek to subtly (or not so subtly) influence ostensibly neutral and unbiased academic research to further their own business interests or other political preferences. The best way to protect universities from undue influence may be to secure and expand revenue sources that are indifferent to or cannot sway the conclusions of academic research. This is analogous to the approach we take to try to protect the independence of members of the federal judiciary or the Federal Reserve.

Democratizing wildfire strategies. Do you realize what it means? Insights from a participatory process in the Montseny region (Catalonia, Spain).

Participatory planning networks made of government agencies, stakeholders, citizens and scientists are receiving attention as a potential pathway to build resilient landscapes in the face of increased wildfire impacts due to suppression policies and land-use and climate changes. A key challenge for these networks lies in incorporating local knowledge and social values about landscape into operational wildfire management strategies. As large wildfires overcome the suppression capacity of the fire departments, such strategies entail difficult decisions about intervention priorities among different regions, values and socioeconomic interests. Therefore there is increasing interest in developing tools that facilitate decision-making during emergencies. In this paper we present a method to democratize wildfire strategies by incorporating social values about landscape in both suppression and prevention planning. We do so by reporting and critically reflecting on the experience from a pilot participatory process conducted in a region of Catalonia (Spain). There, we built a network of researchers, practitioners and citizens across spatial and governance scales. We combined knowledge on expected wildfires, landscape co-valuation by relevant actors, and citizen participation sessions to design a wildfire strategy that minimized the loss of social values. Drawing on insights from political ecology and transformation science, we discuss what the attempt to democratize wildfire strategies entails in terms of power relationships and potential for social-ecological transformation. Based on our experience, we suggest a trade-off between current wildfire risk levels and democratic management in the fire-prone regions of many western countries. In turn, the political negotiation about the landscape effects of wildfire expert knowledge is shown as a potential transformation pathway towards lower risk landscapes that can re-define agency over landscape and foster community re-learning on fire. We conclude that democratizing wildfire strategies ultimately entails co-shaping the landscapes and societies of the future.

"Rechtsstaat" and "Rule of law" Categories in the Studies of Russian Government Scientists of the early 20th Century

This study examines the theories of Russian pre-revolutionary state scientists on the rule of law, which have been reflected in monographs, dissertations, publications in the periodical legal scientific press of the beginning of the 20th century. The subject of the study is the patterns of evolvement, the content features and results of research undertaken by scientists in the theoretical development of various aspects of a rule of law. The chronological framework is covered by the period from the beginning of the 20th century to 1917, because in the preceding stages the rule of law theory was not developed by Russian government scientists on a serious scientific basis. The conclusion on the qualitative side of the results obtained in prerevolutionary studies that formed the theoretical basis for understanding the essence of the rule of law in the science of Russian state law of this period was formulated in the paper.

ANALISIS PENGEMBANGAN MODEL MATAKULIAH PRAKTIK PADA PROGRAM STUDI ILMU PEMERINTAHAN UNIVERSITAS TERBUKA

The problem in developing practical courses at universities that apply the distance education in Indonesia are: 1)It is difficult to determine the place of practice for students because students are spread in different locations; 2)The study program found it difficult to develop a practice course in distance education methods. The development of subject matter practice in the government science study program at Universitas Terbuka has a significant urgency with the needs of the people in Indonesia. This article aims to analyze the development of practical courses in government science study programs, in Universitas Terbuka.This article is the result of a research with a qualitative approach. Primary data obtained from interviews with experts, students, and graduate users. Secondary data includes the results of the literature review, the results of previous studies, and documents relating to practical subjects. The research findings are: 1)Mastery of students in understanding governance as science and art implies not only at the level of mastery of theory and concepts, but also the importance of prioritizing attitude skills and behavior in dealing with government phenomena. 2)The subject matter which has the potential to be developed into practice material is a course related to development, village government, the legislature, and the methodology of governmental science. The implication of this finding is the need to conduct a comparative study in the application of practical subjects at several other universities that use distance learning methods both domestically and abroad.

Findings and lessons learned from the assessment of the Mexico-United States transboundary San Pedro and Santa Cruz aquifers: The utility of social science in applied hydrologic research

Study RegionThis study region encompasses the Transboundary San Pedro and Santa Cruz aquifers which are shared between the states of Sonora (Mexico) and Arizona (US). Special regional considerations include a semi-arid climate, basin-fill aquifers with predominantly montane recharge areas, economic drivers in the mining, trade, and military sectors, groundwater-dependent cities with expanding cones of depression, interbasin groundwater transfers, ground- and surface-water contamination, and protected aquatic and riparian habitats that act as significant migration corridors for hundreds of species, including some that are threatened and endangered. Study FocusWe focus on lessons learned from the hydrologic assessment of the Transboundary San Pedro and Santa Cruz aquifers. We conducted the work, in two phases: (1) laying the groundwork and (2) implementation. The “laying the groundwork” phase consisted of binational meetings with stakeholders and key actors (agencies and individuals), and the development of an understanding of the physical, institutional, historical, and socio-political context. This led to signing of the binational Transboundary Aquifer Assessment Program (TAAP) agreement in 2009 and detailed the process for cooperation and coordination in the assessment of shared aquifers. The implementation phase began with an agreement to proceed with the study of four “focus” aquifers (Santa Cruz, San Pedro, Mesilla (Conejos-Médanos in Mexico), and Hueco Bolson (Bolsón del Hueco in Mexico)) and development of associated technical teams. Though we do include a brief discussion of the lessons learned from the physical science portion of the study, the results have been described and published elsewhere. The bulk of the paper instead focuses on the findings and lessons learned from the integration of social-science perspectives into a largely physical-science based program, since there is a growing recognition of the need for this type of approach especially in the management and assessment of transboundary aquifers. New Hydrological Insights for the RegionThe Sonora-Arizona effort succeeded because both countries were adequately represented, and because of flexibility of skills and ability of teams comprising both university and government scientists. Teams included social and earth scientists. Including the social sciences was critical to research design and implementation, and to addressing the cultural, institutional, and socio-political contexts of transboundary aquifer assessment. Significant components of the continuing implementation phase include strategic planning, data compilation and analysis, cross-border integration of datasets, geophysical and geochemical surveys, and internal, peer, and stakeholder engagement.

Dustin Gish and Daniel Klinghard. Thomas Jefferson and the Science of Republican Government: A Political Biography of “Notes on the State of Virginia.” Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Pp. viii+341. $99.99.

Dustin Gish and Daniel Klinghard. <i>Thomas Jefferson and the Science of Republican Government: A Political Biography of “Notes on the State of Virginia.”</i> Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Pp. viii+341. $99.99.

Using Manufacturing Design Space Concepts for Stability Risk Assessment—Gabapentin NIPTE/FDA Case Study

A quantitative, model-based risk assessment process was evaluated using Bayesian parameter estimation to determine the posterior distribution of the probability of a model tablet formulation's (gabapentin) ability to meet end-of-expiry stability criteria-based manufacturing controls. Experimental data was obtained from an FDA-supported, multi-year project that involved researchers at nine universities working collaboratively with industrial and governmental scientists under the leadership of the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Technology and Education (NITPE). The risk assessment process involved the development of a design space manufacturing model and shelf life stability model that shared stability-related critical quality attributes (CQAs). Monte Carlo simulations of the design space and shelf life models that uses model parameter uncertainty to estimate the probability of shelf life failure as a function of manufacturing control. The resultant linked design space and shelf life stability models were tested by comparing model predicted and observed long-term stability data generated under a variety of pilot scale production conditions.

Survey of U.S. government scientists finds range of attitudes toward Trump policies

Survey of U.S. government scientists finds range of attitudes toward Trump policies

Design for data ethics: using service design approaches to operationalize ethical principles on four projects.

Ethical frameworks provide helpful guidance about what you should-and should not-do in relation to data projects. But they do not provide definitive yes/no answers about what an ethical data project is or is not. Indeed, research (Ipsos-MORI 2015 Public dialogue into the ethics of data science in government) conducted for the initial development of the Government's Data Ethics Framework shows that the public does not hold any clear red lines; rather, they make nuanced assessments based on a number of variables, including public good and privacy. Ethical frameworks provide a list of these variables to consider in shaping the form of the work. Some are now starting to provide more practical tools and guidance to reshape data projects and push it along those variables into a more ethical space. Alongside technical tools, service design approaches can help enhance the degree to which a data project is ethical, and provides a toolkit for data scientists, analysts and policymakers to take projects from 'what should we do' to 'how can we do it'. This paper sets out the emergence of data science ethical frameworks within the context of the use of data for social good, and-with the recent release of the updated UK Government Data Ethics Framework-shows the recognition more practical guidance needs to be provided. The author then argues that service design approaches provide a helpful 'wrap around' for data projects, and draws on experience in using service design tools on four projects, as well as wider examples.This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The growing ubiquity of algorithms in society: implications, impacts and innovations'.

Managing Urban Plant Invasions: a Multi-Criteria Prioritization Approach.

Alien plant invasions in urban areas can have considerable impact on biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES). Managing urban plant invasions is particularly challenging given the complex interactions between ecological, economic and social elements that exist in the urban milieu. Strategic landscape-scale insights are crucial for guiding management, as are tactical site-scale perspectives to plan and coordinate control efforts on the ground. Integrating these requirements to enhance management efficiency is a major challenge. Decision-support models have considerable potential for guiding and informing management strategies when problems are complex. This study uses multi-criteria decision tools to develop a prioritization framework for managing invasive alien plants (IAPs) in urban areas at landscape and local scales. We used the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP; a multi-criteria decision support model) to develop and rank criteria for prioritising IAP management in the City of Cape Town (CoCT), South Africa. Located within a global biodiversity hotspot, Cape Town has a long history of alien plant introductions and a complex socio-political make-up, creating a useful system to explore the challenges associated with managing urban plant invasions. To guide the prioritization of areas for IAP management across the CoCT, a stakeholder workshop was held to identify a goal and criteria for consideration, and to assess the relative importance given to each criterion in IAP management. Workshop attendees were drawn from multiple disciplines involved with different aspects of IAP research and management: government departments, scientists and researchers, and managers with a diverse set of skills and interests. We selected spatial datasets and applied our multi-criteria decision analysis in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to develop a landscape-scale prioritization map. To address issues relevant in an urban setting, we also modified an existing IAP management framework to develop a tactical (site-level) prioritization scheme for guiding on-the-ground control operations. High-priority sites for IAP management were identified at landscape- and local scales across the study area. Factors related to safety and security emerged as pivotal features for setting spatially-explicit priorities for management. The approach applied in this study can be useful for managers in all urban settings to guide the selection and prioritization of areas for IAP management.

Genomic and Transcriptional Profiling of Tumor Infiltrated CD8 T Cells Revealed Functional Heterogeneity of Antitumor Immunity in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

As a key player in HCC antitumor response, the functions of tumor infiltrated CD8 T cells are significantly affected by surrounding microenvironment. A detailed profiling of their genomic and transcriptional changes could provide valuable insights for both future immunotherapy development and prognosis evaluation. We performed whole exome and transcriptome sequencing on tumor infiltrated CD8 T cells and CD8 T cells isolated from other tissue origins (peritumor and corresponding PBMCs) in eight treatment-naive HCC patients. The results demonstrated that transcriptional changes, rather than genomic alterations were the main contributors to the functional alterations of CD8 T cells in the process of carcinogenesis. The origins of CD8 T cells defined their transcriptional landscape, while tumor infiltrated CD8 T cells shared more similarity with peritumor-derived CD8 T cells compared with those CD8 T cells in blood. In addition, tumor infiltrated CD8 T cells also showed larger transcriptional heterogeneity among individuals, which was modulated by clinical features such as HBV levels, preoperative anti-viral treatment and the degree of T cell infiltration. We also identified multiple inter-connected pathways involved in the activation and exhaustion of tumor infiltrated CD8 T cells, among which IL-12 mediated pathway could dynamically reflect the functional status of CD8 TILs and activation of this pathway indicated a better prognosis. Our results presented an overview picture of CD8 TILs' genomic and transcriptional landscape and features, as well as how the functional status of CD8 TILs correlated with patients' clinical course. Funding: This work was supported by the Science and Technology major project of Fuzhou (Grant No. RongKe 16 in 2016); the Scientific Foundation of Fujian Health and family planning Department (Grant No. 2018-1-92); the Scientific Foundation of Fuzhou City (Grant No. 2017-S-131-3); the Startup Fund for scientific research, Fujian Medical University (Grant No.2016QH085); the Scientific Foundation of Fuzhou Health Department (Grant No. 2017-S-wq38); the Science and Technology development project of central government guiding local government (Grant No.2017L3017). Declaration of Interests: All authors declare no competitive interests related to this study. Ethical Approval Statement: A written informed consent was obtained from each participant, and all of the study protocols were approved by the Institution Review Board of Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University.

Salmon, science, and conservation: Organizational power and the listing and recovery planning of an endangered species

Following the New Political Sociology of Science, I use co-citation analysis and social network analysis to examine the structures that undergird the determination and deployment of ‘the best available science’ in the listing and recovery planning of the Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon. The analyses reveal that the COSEWIC and SARA reports prioritize non-peer reviewed, government science over peer reviewed science and that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ central position in the organizational network may account for the multi-stakeholder committees’ legitimation of government research over the more influential research on Atlantic salmon conservation. I suggest that a tension between the SARA mandate to employ the best available science and to follow the precautionary principle creates opportunities for conservation committees to employ science selectively (and strategically) in the listing and recovery process and that organizations that hold advantageous network positions may benefit the most from this selective use of science.

Epidemiology and Histopathology of Breast Cancer in Iran versus Other Middle Eastern Countries

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among females worldwide. This study compares the results of the most cited published Iranian studies and studies from other Middle East countries on breast cancer with data from the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and approximately 2000 cases from the Cancer Research Center of Shahid Beheshti Medical University of Iran.Methods: Data from the Cancer Registry System of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education and the Cancer Research Center were obtained in addition to data from other published Iranian articles to increase the accuracy of incidence, prevalence, disease burden, risk factors, clinical staging, clinical pathology, biological markers, clinical subtypes, and survival rate of breast cancer in the last decade and compare the epidemiological data with other areas of the world.Results: Overall, breast cancer was the most common cancer in Iran. The agestandardized rate for breast cancer was 33.21 per 100,000 according to the latest national databases. The mortality rate for breast cancer has not changed in the past 30 years in Iran. The age-standardized rate for mortality was 14.2 per 100,000 with a mean age of 49.84 years. The most common cancer in Iran is invasive ductal carcinoma. In our last review, 65.5%-70.5% of cases were in the early stages (1 and 2) and less than 30% were in the advanced stages. The five-year overall survival rate was estimated at 72% in women and 60% in men. The stage and number of positive lymph nodes significantly affected the survival rate. In the Gulf Cooperation Council, ASR of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was (12.9), Bahrain (46.4), Kuwait (44.3), Qatar (35.5), United Arab Emirates (19.2), and Oman (14.4) per 100,000.Conclusion: Our study shows that epidemiology and histopathology of cancer is different with other neighborhood countries and is multi-dimension and needs multicenter involvement from government authorities, clinicians and scientists.

Can Cybernetics and Fractional Calculus Be Partners?: Searching for New Ways to Solve Complex Problems

Cybernetics addresses complex problems in space and time, but, surprisingly, it does not often employ fractional calculus. Here, we trace the history of cybernetics and fractional calculus to resolve this apparent paradox. Although the term cybernetics was first used in 1834 by the French physicist and mathematician Andre-Marie Ampere [2] to describe the science of government, its modern definition-control and communication in animals and machines-is traced to Norbert Wiener [3] (Figure 1). Since then, others have coined the words cyberspace and cyborg, and cybernetics is playing an increasing role in the study of human-machine systems and the analysis of the Internet of Things. Often defined as noninteger order integration and differentiation, the idea of fractional calculus first appeared in 1695 in a letter from Guillaume de L'Hopital to Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, but more recent interest can be traced to the work of Keith B. Oldham and Jerome Spanier [4] (Figure 2). Today, the techniques of fractional calculus are widely applied in many fields of science and engineering.

Applied Political Science and Evidence-Based Foreign Assistance in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance

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Work as a government ‘scientist’: Professional status security during organisational change and downsizing

An increasingly complex and competitive funding environment has led many public research organisations to intervene in the organisation of scientists’ work. Government scientists represent a major component of the public research workforce but little is known of how workers in this sector have fared amid institutional and organisational change. Government scientists have applied research objectives but must still meet the profession’s requirements for legitimisation through independent research and peer-reviewed publishing to be recognised professionally as ‘scientists’. This study examines the impact of organisational change and downsizing in an Australian government science agency on the professional status security of its scientists. It uses a mixed method approach involving one focus group, 22 in-depth interviews and 803 survey responses. It finds that structural change reduced scientists’ professional status security and that a context of job insecurity and limited external employment opportunities inhibits individual scientists’ capacity to resist adverse changes to their work conditions.

Ice as a Counter-Archive: Permafrost, Archival Melt and Climate Futures

Abstract In the history of Canadian Arctic colonization, ice and permafrost have been understood primarily as an engineering problem. During the Cold War however, understanding of permafrost and its possibilities changed. Microbiologists and geoscientists did not see permafrost as a hindrance, but rather for understanding the past. As permafrost freezes, organics, air and water become trapped, and as the permafrost grows thicker, so too the earliest trapped matter is buried deeper. Through chemical and genomic analysis, permafrosttoday can reveal details about the past. For scientists today, permafrost has collected, ordered and preserved a lost world of climate environments. This paper examines how political imperatives, petroleum industry and government scientists worked together in the 20th century Canadian North to construct permafrost as an archive of the past. It also posits that these icy (and now rapidly melting) archives should play a critical role in our global future.

Pluralism And Freedom Of Religion In Indonesia In Context Of The Religious Blasphemy Prevention Act

The point of the problem spectrum that becomes the legal issue in this article is in the establishment of the Act Number 1/PNPS/1965 on Prevention of Abuse and/or Blasphemy to the Religion as requested its examination to the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia in its decision assess that the Applicant, in fact, wishes only to look for interpretation and form "freedom of religion and confidence" in Indonesia. For that, the legal analysis was done to the problem of pluralism of religion in Indonesia it's bearing on the implementation of the Religious Blasphemy Prevention Act, ideally, include three analysis, that is governance science (bestuurkundige), human rights, and freedom of religion values analysis of requested its examination to the Constitutional Court. Discussion concerning relations among religion and state become to draw to be studied by its bearing about how the ought relationship of religion and state in Indonesia society embracing pluralism. The freedom of religion and confidence, in fact, do not represent absolute matter the religious believers to free and ease, but Also have to at one's feet of demarcation the religious believers there are in Article 28J of the sentence (2) The 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia as the supreme law of the which represent Staatsfundamentalnorm roommates giving guidance of freedom of religion and confidence in Indonesia. In the context needed or it's not the Religious Blasphemy Prevention Act, all-important only how State or Government able give the guarantee that law and regulation the which published can become base management of conflict between society the which is plural wisely and can become socio-cultural supporter national tighten tying, arrange the democratic system and governance, so that various distortion potency flange at the happenings of interfaith conflict, internal conflict and external Also can lessen, not simply forming and equipping peripherals of law and regulation.

Bridging S&T and innovation in Russia: A historical perspective

This paper analyzes the numerous governments' attempts to build a bridge between science and innovation, starting from the times of the Russian Empire up to the present day. We argue that throughout the whole history of Russian science, the government, being the main driver of scientific development, has largely failed to organize knowledge transfers and incentivize companies to innovate. The empirical evidence shows that nowadays only a very small share of Russian manufacturing enterprises considers R&D cooperation with knowledge producers important and only this small minority benefits from the government's science, technology and innovation (STI) policies. The reasons behind this remain an underdeveloped institutional setting and a lack of market competition.