The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people throughout the world, either directly, due to exposure to the virus, or indirectly, due to measures taken to mitigate the virus’ effects. Older adults have been particularly hard hit, dying in disproportionately higher numbers, especially in long-term care facilities. Local, regional, and national government actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have thus served, in part, to shield older adults from the virus, though not without adverse side effects, including increased social isolation, enhanced economic risk, revealed ageism, delayed medical treatment, and challenges getting basic needs met. This book explores the myriad ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities. It proposes policies and strategies for protecting and improving the lives of older people during the pandemic. It draws lessons for aging policy and practice more generally, given underlying challenges brought to the fore by government, provider, community, and individual responses to the pandemic. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

Human influences create both environmental problems and barriers to effective policy aimed at addressing those problems. In effect, environmental managers manage people as much as they manage the environment. Therefore, they must gain an understanding of the psychological and sociopolitical dimensions of environmental problems that they are attempting to resolve. In Environmental Problem Solving, Alan Miller reappraises conventional analyses of environmental problems using lessons from the psychosocial disciplines. He combines the disciplines of ecology, political sociology and psychology to produce a more adaptive approach to problem-solving that is specifically geared toward the environmetal field. Numerous case studies demonstrate the practical application of theory in a way that is useful to technical and scientific professionals as well as to policy makers and planners. Alan Miller is Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life globally through virus-related mortality and morbidity and the social and economic impacts of actions taken to stop the virus' spread. It became evident early on during the pandemic that older adults are especially vulnerable to morbidity and mortality from COVID-19, and the adverse consequences of strategies taken to mitigate its effects. While no more likely to become infected than younger populations, the risk for hospitalization and death rises considerably with age. Residents of long-term care facilities have been among the hardest hit. The pandemic has brought many facets of ageism to the fore. Community stay-at-home messages, lockdowns, social distancing requirements, and visitation restrictions contributed to a concomitant epidemic in social isolation and loneliness. Economic and social impacts have been dramatic; so too has been the disproportionate hardship experienced by members of racial and ethnic minority communities. This book reports original empirical research and perspectives on the ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the older adult population, and draws lessons for policy, research, and practice. Key issues pertaining to the impact of COVID-19 on older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities are highlighted. Four main areas are examined: personal experiences with COVID-19; long-term care system impacts; end-of-life care; and technology and innovation. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

The surprise election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency of the United States marks a singular turning point in the American republic - not only because of his idiosyncratic approach to the office, but also because the Republican Party now holds the presidency and both houses of Congress, presenting a historic opportunity for change. The role of older Americans has been critical in both shaping and reacting to this political moment. Their political orientations and behaviors have shaped it through their electoral support for Republican candidates. But, older Americans stand as highly invested stakeholders in the policy decisions made by the very officials they elected and as beneficiaries of the programs that Republicans have targeted for cuts or elimination. This comprehensive volume explores the ways in which Trump administration policies are likely to significantly undermine the social safety net for near-elderly and older Americans, including long-term care, housing, health care, and retirement. The authors also explore how the Trump administration might shape politics and political behavior through the policy changes made. The response of older voters, in upcoming elections, to efforts by the Trump administration and its Republican allies in Congress to draw back on the federal government's commitment to programs and policies affecting them will shape the direction of aging policy and politics for years to come. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

Originally published in 1990, the first edition of Subset Selection in Regression filled a significant gap in the literature, and its critical and popular success has continued for more than a decade. Thoroughly revised to reflect progress in theory, methods, and computing power, the second edition promises to continue that tradition. The author has thoroughly updated each chapter, incorporated new material on recent developments, and included more examples and references. New in the Second Edition: A separate chapter on Bayesian methods Complete revision of the chapter on estimation A major example from the field of near infrared spectroscopy More emphasis on cross-validation Greater focus on bootstrapping Stochastic algorithms for finding good subsets from large numbers of predictors when an exhaustive search is not feasible Software available on the Internet for implementing many of the algorithms presented More examples Subset Selection in Regression, Second Edition remains dedicated to the techniques for fitting and choosing models that are linear in their parameters and to understanding and correcting the bias introduced by selecting a model that fits only slightly better than others. The presentation is clear, concise, and belongs on the shelf of anyone researching, using, or teaching subset selecting techniques.

While the consequences of low social order are well understood, the consequences of high social order are not. Yet perhaps nowhere in the world is social order so well developed as in Japan, which is highly organized, economically successful, and enjoys a safe society. However, Japan pays a price--the loss of personal freedom, and the inability to

Full Length, Drama / 1m, 2f / Interior Based on the short novel by D.H. Lawrence, two English women in their 30's are struggling to run an isolated farm, but the hens have stopped laying and the hen house is being raided by a fox. Enter a young soldier who is such an engaging and capable fellow that he is invited to stay on as a hired hand. Who is this mysterious man who eventually dominates life on the farm? "This is the rare adaptation that honors its source while having the guts to depart from it." -L.A. Times.

Medicaid is the largest grant-in-aid program in the United States. Reform in this area, therefore, provides a unique opportunity to study the intersection between federal and state policy making in an area recently characterized by substantial uncertainty deriving from the lingering effects of the Great Recession, ongoing debate over the federal budget, and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Invariably states reform the way health care is delivered, regulated, and financed within broader parameters established by federal statutes and regulations. It is critical therefore that effective strategies be put into place if both current and future health and long-term care reform efforts are to have their greatest chances at success. Rhode Island is the first state to receive permission to operate its entire Medicaid program under a global cap. As a consequence, it has entered the national consciousness as a key data point potentially supporting the block grant approach to Medicaid reform. In this book, Edward Alan Miller identifies factors that either facilitated or impeded the design and implementation of Rhode Island's Global Consumer Choice Compact Medicaid Waiver in order to draw broader lessons for the Medicaid block grant debate and health and long-term care reform more generally. Evidence gathered from archival sources and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders exposes the role that provider capacity has played in the implementation process, including adult day care, assisted living, home maker, and other home- and community-based services. The impact of the Global Waiver on the nursing home sector is examined as well, in addition to new authority to obtain federal matching dollars for previously state-only funded programs. By providing a sophisticated understanding of factors enhancing or impeding state health reform, this book will contribute to improvements in the development and administration of policy development at both the state- and federal-levels.

Medicaid is the largest grant-in-aid program in the United States. Reform in this area, therefore, provides a unique opportunity to study the intersection between federal and state policy making in an area recently characterized by substantial uncertainty deriving from the lingering effects of the Great Recession, ongoing debate over the federal budget, and implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Invariably states reform the way health care is delivered, regulated, and financed within broader parameters established by federal statutes and regulations. It is critical therefore that effective strategies be put into place if both current and future health and long-term care reform efforts are to have their greatest chances at success. Rhode Island is the first state to receive permission to operate its entire Medicaid program under a global cap. As a consequence, it has entered the national consciousness as a key data point potentially supporting the block grant approach to Medicaid reform. In this book, Edward Alan Miller identifies factors that either facilitated or impeded the design and implementation of Rhode Island's Global Consumer Choice Compact Medicaid Waiver in order to draw broader lessons for the Medicaid block grant debate and health and long-term care reform more generally. Evidence gathered from archival sources and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders exposes the role that provider capacity has played in the implementation process, including adult day care, assisted living, home maker, and other home- and community-based services. The impact of the Global Waiver on the nursing home sector is examined as well, in addition to new authority to obtain federal matching dollars for previously state-only funded programs. By providing a sophisticated understanding of factors enhancing or impeding state health reform, this book will contribute to improvements in the development and administration of policy development at both the state- and federal-levels.

Information technology has dramatically changed the way we live our lives in areas ranging from commerce and entertainment to voting. Now, policy advocates and government officials hope to bring the benefits of information technology to health care. Governments, hospitals, doctors, and pharmaceutical manufacturers have placed a tremendous amount of medical information, data, and services online in recent years. Many consumers can visit health department sites and compare performance data on health care providers. Some physicians encourage patients to use e-mail or web messaging as opposed to phone calls or in-office visits for simple medical issues. Increasingly, medical equipment and prescription drug manufacturers are making their products available online. Yet despite this growth in activity, the promise of "e-health"remains largely unfulfilled.

"Digital Medicine" investigates the factors limiting the ability of digital technology to remake health care in the United States and around the world. What political, social, and ethical challenges are presented by online health care? How are racial, ethnic, and other disparities limiting the e-health revolution? How accessible are health-related Internet websites to the disabled, those at basic or below basic levels of literacy, or with limited English proficiency? Are there differences between websites sponsored by public, private and nonprofit organizations that limit technology utilization? How can we close the disparity gap and deal with conflicts of interest that contribute to distrust in theinformation presented?

Darrell West and Edward Miller analyze multiple data sources, including original survey research and website analysis, to study the content of health care-related websites, sponsorship status, public usage, and the relationship between e-health utilization and attitudes about health care in America. They also analyze the different ways in which officials in other countries have implemented health information technology. By drawing on these experiences, "Digital Medicine" helps us understand health care information innovation in a variety of political, social, and economic settings.

Originally published in 1990, the first edition of Subset Selection in Regression filled a significant gap in the literature, and its critical and popular success has continued for more than a decade. Thoroughly revised to reflect progress in theory, methods, and computing power, the second edition promises to continue that tradition. The author has thoroughly updated each chapter, incorporated new material on recent developments, and included more examples and references.

New in the Second Edition:
· A separate chapter on Bayesian methods
· Complete revision of the chapter on estimation
· A major example from the field of near infrared spectroscopy
· More emphasis on cross-validation
· Greater focus on bootstrapping
· Stochastic algorithms for finding good subsets from large numbers of predictors when an exhaustive search is not feasible
· Software available on the Internet for implementing many of the algorithms presented
· More examples

Subset Selection in Regression, Second Edition remains dedicated to the techniques for fitting and choosing models that are linear in their parameters and to understanding and correcting the bias introduced by selecting a model that fits only slightly better than others. The presentation is clear, concise, and belongs on the shelf of anyone researching, using, or teaching subset selecting techniques.

We have a decade or less to radically slow global warming before we risk hitting irreversible tipping points that will lock in catastrophic climate change. The good news is that we know how to slow global warming enough to avert disaster. Cut Super Climate Pollutants Now! explains how a 10-year sprint to cut short-lived "super climate pollutants" -- primarily HFC refrigerants, black carbon (soot), and methane -- can cut the rate of global warming in half, so we can stay in the race to net zero climate emissions by 2050.

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the lives of people throughout the world, either directly, due to exposure to the virus, or indirectly, due to measures taken to mitigate the virus' effects. Older adults have been particularly hard hit, dying in disproportionately higher numbers, especially in long-term care facilities. Local, regional, and national government actions taken to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have thus served, in part, to shield older adults from the virus, though not without adverse side effects, including increased social isolation, enhanced economic risk, revealed ageism, delayed medical treatment, and challenges getting basic needs met. This book explores the myriad ways in which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected older adults and their families, caregivers, and communities. It proposes policies and strategies for protecting and improving the lives of older people during the pandemic. It draws lessons for aging policy and practice more generally, given underlying challenges brought to the fore by government, provider, community, and individual responses to the pandemic. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

Human influences create both environmental problems and barriers to effective policy aimed at addressing those problems. In effect, environmental managers manage people as much as they manage the environment. Therefore, they must gain an understanding of the psychological and sociopolitical dimensions of environmental problems that they are attempting to resolve. In Environmental Problem Solving, Alan Miller reappraises conventional analyses of environmental problems using lessons from the psychosocial disciplines. He combines the disciplines of ecology, political sociology and psychology to produce a more adaptive approach to problem-solving that is specifically geared toward the environmetal field. Numerous case studies demonstrate the practical application of theory in a way that is useful to technical and scientific professionals as well as to policy makers and planners. Alan Miller is Professor of Psychology at the University of New Brunswick.

While the consequences of low social order are well understood, the consequences of high social order are not. Yet perhaps nowhere in the world is social order so well developed as in Japan, which is highly organized, economically successful, and enjoys a safe society. However, Japan pays a price--the loss of personal freedom, and the inability to exploit its citizens' talents.In "Order by Accident," Alan S. Miller and Satoshi Kanazawa discuss the consequences of high social order in Japan. They integrate a wide range of scholarship on Japan, ranging from studies by criminologists, to religious studies, to the most current social psychological studies. The results are sometimes startling and counterintuitive, since the same theory of social order explains equally well why Japan has an orderly society with low street crimes, but is plagued with problems such as white collar crime.

The surprise election of Donald J. Trump to the presidency of the United States marks a singular turning point in the American republic - not only because of his idiosyncratic approach to the office, but also because the Republican Party now holds the presidency and both houses of Congress, presenting a historic opportunity for change. The role of older Americans has been critical in both shaping and reacting to this political moment. Their political orientations and behaviors have shaped it through their electoral support for Republican candidates. But, older Americans stand as highly invested stakeholders in the policy decisions made by the very officials they elected and as beneficiaries of the programs that Republicans have targeted for cuts or elimination. This comprehensive volume explores the ways in which Trump administration policies are likely to significantly undermine the social safety net for near-elderly and older Americans, including long-term care, housing, health care, and retirement. The authors also explore how the Trump administration might shape politics and political behavior through the policy changes made. The response of older voters, in upcoming elections, to efforts by the Trump administration and its Republican allies in Congress to draw back on the federal government's commitment to programs and policies affecting them will shape the direction of aging policy and politics for years to come. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Aging & Social Policy.

Shortly after the beginning of the 20th century, the federal government entered a new phase -- the rise of the administrative state. Among the forces propelling this development was the Progressive Movement, which sought greater government engagement with and regulation of various sectors of American society. An autonomous Department of Labor, with Cabinet status, was established in 1913, along with the Federal Reserve. The Federal Trade Commission was created the following year. With the entry of the United States into World War I, regulatory activities further expanded, and the number of administrative agencies and federal employees increased. With the post-war era, the expansion of the federal government momentarily slowed, but began again with the onset of the Great Depression and the launching of the New Deal. The colossus that was constructed to combat the national economic emergency was soon refashioned and augmented to enable the United States to victoriously end a world war. With the return to peace in 1945, the federal government stood as a giant complex organisation, with over 3.8 million employees. During the next 45 years, it would continue to expand in terms of both its principal units and resources. In the immediate past few years, however, some downsizing has occurred. This book reviews trends regarding various aspects of the operations of the federal government during the past 50 years, as evidenced by personnel, budget, and other data. It also identifies and discusses, in cameo form, various developments during the period that are considered significant for federal operations during the next century. Some of these are crafted innovations, such as mission performance planning and measurement; some are imposed restraints, such as the Supreme Court's Chadha decision rendering so-called congressional or legislative vetoes unconstitutional. Some developments are still evolving, such as the electronic government phenomenon, and await conclusive assessment.

Gain an understanding of system administration that will remain applicable throughout your career and understand why tasks are done rather than how to do them Key Features Deploy, secure, and maintain your Linux system in the best possible way Discover best practices to implement core system administration tasks in Linux Explore real-world decisions, tasks, and solutions involved in Linux system administration Book DescriptionLinux is a well-known, open source Unix-family operating system that is the most widely used OS today. Linux looks set for a bright future for decades to come, but system administration is rarely studied beyond learning rote tasks or following vendor guidelines. To truly excel at Linux administration, you need to understand how these systems work and learn to make strategic decisions regarding them. Linux Administration Best Practices helps you to explore best practices for efficiently administering Linux systems and servers. This Linux book covers a wide variety of topics from installation and deployment through to managing permissions, with each topic beginning with an overview of the key concepts followed by practical examples of best practices and solutions. You'll find out how to approach system administration, Linux, and IT in general, put technology into proper business context, and rethink your approach to technical decision making. Finally, the book concludes by helping you to understand best practices for troubleshooting Linux systems and servers that'll enable you to grow in your career as well as in any aspect of IT and business. By the end of this Linux administration book, you'll have gained the knowledge needed to take your Linux administration skills to the next level. What you will learn Find out how to conceptualize the system administrator role Understand the key values of risk assessment in administration Apply technical skills to the IT business context Discover best practices for working with Linux specific system technologies Understand the reasoning behind system administration best practices Develop out-of-the-box thinking for everything from reboots to backups to triage Prioritize, triage, and plan for disasters and recoveries Discover the psychology behind administration duties Who this book is forThis book is for anyone looking to fully understand the role and practices of being a professional system administrator, as well as for system engineers, system administrators, and anyone in IT or management who wants to understand the administration career path. The book assumes a basic understanding of Linux, including the command line, and an understanding of how to research individual tasks. Basic working knowledge of Linux systems and servers is expected.

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