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UNDERSTANDING AND PROMOTING HEALTH LITERACY (R03) RELEASE DATE: June 22, 2004 PA NUMBER: PAR-04-117 (See modification PAR-07-019) March 2, 2006 (NOT-OD-06-046) – Effective with the June 1, 2006 submission date, all R03, R21, R33 and R34 applications must be submitted through Grants.gov using the electronic SF424 (R&R) application. Accordingly, this funding opportunity expires on the date indicated below. Replacement R03 (PAR-06-132) funding opportunity announcement has been issued for the submission date of June 1, 2006 and submission dates thereafter. EXPIRATION DATE: March 2, 2006 Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) (http://www.ahrq.gov/) National Institutes of Health (NIH) (http://www.nih.gov) COMPONENTS OF PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS: Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) (http://obssr.od.nih.gov/) National Cancer Institute (NCI) (http://www.nci.nih.gov/) National Institute on Aging (NIA) (http://www.nia.nih.gov/) National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) (http://www.nibib.nih.gov/) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/) National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) (http://www.nidcr.nih.gov) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) (http://www.niddk.nih.gov/) National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (http://www.nida.nih.gov/) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (http://www.nimh.nih.gov/) National Library of Medicine (NLM) (http://www.nlm.nih.gov/) Note: The policies, guidelines, terms, and conditions stated in this announcement may differ from those used by the NIH. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE NUMBERS: 93.113, 93.121, 93.242, 93.279, 93.286, 93.393, 93.847, 93.865, 93.866, 93.879 LETTER OF INTENT RECEIPT DATE: September 13, 2004; September 13, 2005; September 13, 2006 APPLICATION RECEIPT DATE: October 13, 2004; October 13, 2005; October 13, 2006 THIS PA CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION o Purpose of the PA o Research Objectives o Mechanism(s) of Support o Eligible Institutions o Individuals Eligible to Become Principal Investigators o Special Requirements o Where to Send Inquiries o Submitting an Application o Supplementary Instructions o Peer Review Process o Review Criteria o Award Criteria o Required Federal Citations PURPOSE OF THIS PA The participating Institutes, Centers and Offices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) invite investigators to submit R03 research grant applications on health literacy. The goal of this Program Announcement is to increase scientific understanding of the nature of health literacy and its relationship to healthy behaviors, illness prevention and treatment, chronic disease management, health disparities, risk assessment of environmental factors, and health outcomes including mental and oral health. Increased scientific knowledge of interventions that can strengthen health literacy and improve the positive health impacts of communications between healthcare and public health professionals (including dentists, healthcare delivery organizations, and public health entities), and consumer or patient audiences that vary in health literacy, is needed. Such knowledge will help enable healthcare and public health systems serve individuals and populations more effectively and employ strategies that reduce health disparities in the population. Healthy People 2010 defines health literacy as the "degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2000). Many factors affect individuals' ability to comprehend, and in turn use or act on, health information and communication. Proficiency in reading, writing, listening, interpreting, oral communication, and visual analysis is necessary as the modern health system typically relies on a variety of interpersonal, textual, and electronic media to present health information. Individuals and families both must be able to: communicate with health professionals; understand the health information in mass communication; understand how to use health- related print, audiovisual, graphical and electronic materials; understand basic health concepts (e.g., many health problems can be prevented or minimized) and vocabulary (e.g., about the body, diseases, medical treatments, etc.); and connect this health-related knowledge to health decision-making and action-taking. Access to and understanding of health information and services is a reciprocal process among health professionals, communication professionals and patients. For instance, these professionals must use science-based strategies and tactics, develop resources and materials, and understand communication interactions between providers and patients. Research on health literacy should assist NIH in its mission of communicating scientifically-based health information to the public and to the health care providers and related professionals who serve the public. The application of scientific knowledge from health literacy research may also strengthen the health information knowledge and communication skills of the public, and further one of the national goals of Healthy People 2010, to improve health literacy by the decade's end. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES Background Health literacy is a complex phenomenon that involves individuals, families, communities and systems. For instance, consumers, patients, caregivers, or other laypersons may vary with respect to: o Access (e.g., to audience-appropriate information, media or professionals); o Skills (e.g., to gather and comprehend health information; to speak and share personal information about health history and symptoms; to act on information by initiating appropriate follow-up visits and conveying understanding back to the information source; to make decisions about basic healthy behaviors, such as healthy eating and exercise; to engage in self- care and chronic disease management); o Knowledge (e.g., of health and medical vocabulary, concepts such as "risk", the organization and functioning of healthcare systems); o Disabilities (e.g., sensory, communication, cognitive or physical challenges or limitations); o The features of their health care providers and the public health systems in which these providers practice (e.g., the communication skills of health professionals, platforms employed for patient education, built environments and signage); o Other important characteristics including developmental or life stage, cultural, linguistic or educational differences that affect health beliefs, knowledge and communication. Too often people with the greatest health burdens have limited access to relevant health information. In part, this is due to the complex and cumbersome ways health information often is presented, and due to individuals' limited abilities to fully interpret and understand complex health terminology and instructions, and to make personal decisions related to risk avoidance or risk reduction strategies. For instance, to follow health care instructions, patients need to be able to comprehend written and oral prescription instructions, directions for self-care, and plans for follow-up tests and appointments. In addition, health care providers may not communicate effectively with individuals with limited levels of literacy. For instance, achieving informed consent for treatment is difficult when health care personnel cannot explain biological processes or treatment procedures in simplified language and patients cannot interpret health information. These situations hamper the effectiveness of health professionals' efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat medical conditions, and limit many health care consumers' abilities to make important health care decisions. Low health literacy is a wide spread problem, affecting more than 90 million adults in the United States (Kirsch, Jungeblut, Jenkins & Kolstad, 1993). Low health literacy results in patients' inadequate engagement in, and benefit from, health care advances as well as medical errors. Low health literacy is likely to be a major contributor of adverse health outcomes (AMA, 1999; Baker, Gazmararian, Williams, Scott, Parker, Green, Ren, & Peel, 2002; Baker, Parker, Williams, & Clark, 1998). Research has linked low or limited health literacy with such adverse outcomes as poorer self-management of chronic diseases, less healthy behaviors, higher rates of hospitalizations, and overall poorer health (Gazmararian, Baker, Williams, Parker, Scott, Green, Fehrenbach, Ren, & Koplan, 1999; Schillinger, Grumbach, Piette, Wang, Osmond, Daher, Palacios, Sullivan, & Bindman, 2002; Williams, Parker, Baker, Pitkin, Coates, & Nurss, 1995). Specific Objectives This Program Announcement invites applications to develop research on health literacy in general areas that include, but are not limited to, the following: o Modeling and measuring the nature and scope of health literacy; o Variation in health literacy over the life course or among native and non- native speakers of English; o Mediators and moderators of low health literacy; o The impact of low health literacy on health outcomes, diseases, behaviors and treatments, including the contribution of health literacy to informed decision-making, adherence to preventative or therapeutic regimens, utilization of health care services, risk avoidance strategies, and other consumer health-care related actions; o The identification of effective preventive and other interventions to improve health literacy among populations and to enable the healthcare and public health systems to communicate effectively across different health literacy levels; and o The development of effective methods and new technologies in health literacy research. Applications should be relevant to both the objectives of the PA and to at least one of the participating institute's general research interests. Prior to preparing an application, researchers are strongly encouraged to both review the general research interests of the participating institutes, and to contact program staff of the relevant institutes to discuss the proposed research. 1. Nature and Scope o Assess the prevalence and causes of low health literacy; o Identify the nature of the mix of abilities and skills required to be functionally "health literate" (e.g., including media and health care system navigation skills, etc.), and the roles of basic literacy (i.e., reading, writing, speaking, listening, visual interpretation skills) and mathematics abilities (e.g., graphical interpretation and other quantitative skills) in health literacy. o Explore the magnitude and variation, by socioeconomic and/or other group characteristics, in accessing, seeking, evaluating, interpreting, and using health information from a variety of sources. o Examine the problems and factors involved in the presentation and interpretation of quantitative information (e.g., graphic interpretation, "risk" or probability statistics, the influence of information context and information formats, etc.) from either the provider or user perspective, or investigate how specific health referents, such as basic genetics and/or environmental risk concepts, are best understood and conveyed. o Create a conceptual model of "health literacy" or the skill sets that influence the comprehension of relevant health information (e.g., visual information comprehension skills that permit understanding of such visual messages as color-coding, representation of risk, or disease processes). o Evaluate the different strategies and channels available, including the role of information technologies, that enable consumers to seek, access, and interpret relevant health information effectively, and how these may differ by cultural and health literacy backgrounds (e.g., research on the information seeking or service utilization characteristics among health consumers with different levels of health literacy). 2. Lifespan and Cultural Differences Applications addressing health literacy as an age-differentiated phenomenon might explore the developmental precursors of low health literacy and the age-related changes in reading and other cognitive skills throughout the life course that may contribute to these difficulties. Research might include, but is not limited to: o Identify the reading and oral language comprehension skills crucial for the satisfactory acquisition and understanding of basic health information by children, adolescents, and adults of various ages. o Determining how intuitive or everyday notions of germs, contagion, environmental exposures, disease, drugs, bodily processes and other health- related concepts influence health literacy and consequent illness-prevention behaviors across the life-course, and identifying age-appropriate intervention techniques that can be used to mitigate these problems. o Examine the role of social and cultural factors in the development of health literacy. For example, how do children acquire health-related knowledge (e.g., through the media, family socialization) as they age, especially those children in households where their parents speak limited English and the children serve as interpreters? o Explore how the quantity and quality of structured interactions with adult caregivers affects the health literacy of the child from birth to age three. o Examine the effect of current age-related differences in media use (e.g., children versus elderly) on health literacy. 3. Mediators and Moderators of Health Literacy: Protective and Risk Factors o Describe how patients' information seeking abilities and health information interpretation mediates or moderates the effects of provider practices on health literacy. o Examine bi-directional communication processes between providers and patients/clients in the health care/health promotion system that affect health literacy, including systemic and cultural barriers that help create and sustain health literacy problems, as well as adaptation strategies used by providers and consumers to minimize health literacy problems. How does patients' use of print and electronic health information mediate or moderate their communication with providers? o Examine how physicians' or dentists' nonverbal communication influences patients' comprehension and implementation of health-related information. o Examine the influence of social, contextual, and environmental factors (e.g., urban versus rural, housing types, workplace features, social support and social network members, etc.) on health literacy outcomes. o Examine the media (including TV, radio, movies, newspapers, the Internet, and interactive systems) as a socializing agent of health literacy. For example, determine how newspaper articles, TV drug advertising, soap operas, and medical dramas affect health literacy. How can different media be used to communicate more effectively with consumers varying in health literacy levels? o Examine the factors that influence the desire for, or processing of, health literacy information. For example, how does self-efficacy in decision making and/or financial planning, time perspectives as presented in socio-emotional selectivity theory, ease of cognitive access via intuitive and reasoning processes, and coping and anxiety reduction behaviors influence the use of, or desire to access, health-care knowledge? 4. Impacts and Consequences of Low Health Literacy o Examine the relationship between health literacy and health disparities. o Analyze the role of health literacy in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. o Identify the relationship between health literacy variation and the ability to engage in informed decision making for a variety of health issues, such as chronic disease management or participation in clinical trials. o Evaluate the magnitude of the problems caused by low levels of health literacy, or by professionals' lack of effective communication skills for adapting to the communication needs of consumers with differing levels of literacy. o Assess the role of health literacy as a mediator or moderator of health- care access across adulthood. 5. Preventative Interventions: Education and Training o Explore the role of K-12 education systems in increasing levels of health literacy and improving health communication skills. For example, researchers might examine the treatment of health literacy in K-12 health education and biology or general science classes, and assess the effectiveness of such coursework, curricula, and pedagogy on improving health literacy among school-age children, or evaluate the effectiveness of arts-based interventions on children's development of health literacy. o Assess the role of K-12 education (e.g., in basic literacy skills such as reading, writing, comprehension, speaking, and listening skills, or in mathematics) on health literacy. o Determine the specific content and components of undergraduate, graduate and in-service training experiences needed to adequately prepare provider groups (e.g., pharmacists, social workers, nurses, dentists, etc.) in communications with low literate patient populations (e.g., assess cultural competence's effect on provider communication skills, or assess training innovative approaches that allow providers to help patients deal with shame over low health literacy and facilitate negotiating the modern health care system). Examine policies that support the development, implementation and effectiveness of such training experiences. Evaluate the roles of information technology in training to improve health literacy. 6. Other Health Literacy Interventions o Evaluate the effectiveness of health literacy interventions directed at the general public, different audience segments, patients, providers, or the health care or public health systems. For instance, how can health care systems be designed to better support the information needs of consumers with different levels of health literacy? How effective are interventions within the healthcare system that are designed to increase the access of intended audiences to relevant health information and appropriate materials (e.g., print or audiovisual materials, Internet-based information, translators, library information resources and services, and patient advocates)? o Examine the development and dissemination of effective information sources and materials for audiences with different levels of health literacy (e.g., how should prevention campaigns be designed to effectively communicate with audiences with differing levels of health literacy?). o Design and evaluate health literacy diagnostic and/or communication tools to help health care professionals identify, and communicate more effectively with, consumers with different levels of health literacy. For instance, develop and pilot tools and/or strategies to help make complex quantitative health information more understandable (e.g., technology tools for automatically converting health information to a variety of appropriate levels). o Identify innovative strategies, practices and policies currently in use that can be disseminated immediately to promote health literacy across the various participants in the health care systems. o Conduct cost/effectiveness analyses of various health literacy interventions. o Further multi-level health literacy intervention approaches, for instance, by developing paradigms and/or statistical models to test the interaction of such variables as knowledge, prior education, cognitive status, social support, community influence, technology, and health-care access on health- care decisions. 7. Methodology and Research Technology Development o Assess the efficacy of current methods of health literacy assessment; develop, as needed, audience-appropriate methodologies to understand the prevalence of low health literacy in different populations, the interaction of low health literacy with other demographic and social factors, and the contribution of low health literacy to healthcare costs and health outcomes. o Identify effective approaches of combining qualitative and quantitative methods to further knowledge of health literacy. o Identify a core set of constructs, variables, and quantitative measures for conducting health literacy research. o Develop and pilot new tools and technologies to identify health literacy barriers (e.g., an assessment to distinguish, among persons with low literacy skills, those who have learning disabilities or communication disorders such as auditory processing, aphasia, or hearing loss). o In the context of understanding and promoting health literacy: develop technologies related to data reduction, data mining, and knowledge extraction; develop tools for meta-databases and integrative services to enhance the utility of existing databases; develop new methods or technologies for timely, appropriate communication of pertinent health information and knowledge (e.g., as seen through the creation of telemedicine, or to enhance patient, doctor, or administrator decision-making regarding health literacy, etc.). Approaches A wide variety of research approaches are encouraged under this Program Announcement: basic research that investigates or describes the nature of health literacy and the magnitude of health literacy problems, and applied research addressing issues pertinent to health literacy practices (e.g., systems level interventions) and research-in-practice (e.g., active potential end users participate as supportive research partners). Applications also may develop theoretical models, refine research constructs, improve methods and measurements, and establish causal relationships (e.g., between low health literacy and lack of effective health promotion). Researchers also may address the effectiveness of interventions, or adapt and test existing programs (including those that are not research-based) to reduce low health literacy and its adverse consequences (e.g., interventions implemented by health care systems and systems outside of health care such as systems of public education). The research must involve either: a) health literacy, or one of its many components, as a key outcome, b) health literacy as a key explanatory variable for some other outcome, c) methodological or technological improvement to strengthen research on health literacy, or d) health literacy- focused preventions and interventions. Studies to develop, or evaluate, the readability or utility of specific materials that are intended for single uses or single audiences are not responsive to this program announcement unless these investigations are integral to testing a significant research hypothesis related to health literacy. Projects may employ any one or combination of study designs, research approaches, and data collection techniques. Secondary analyses of existing datasets as well as meta-analytic studies are also suitable for this announcement. Multilevel, multidisciplinary, and interdisciplinary research is also encouraged, especially studies that incorporate individual, family, community and societal mediators of health literacy in childhood and adulthood, or state-of-the-art health communication theory and knowledge. Researchers are encouraged to address ongoing investigations of prevention, healthy living, chronic disease management, patient-based health care, cultural competence, and health disparities to inform the research on health literacy. Research questions can focus on consumers, patients, clients or other population groups; the strategies and tactics used by providers of medical and health information/communication to enable them to effectively reach literacy challenged population; or the influences of health literacy upon interactions between consumers, patients, clients, providers, and organizations or systems. Additional Resources: Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) may provide a valuable resource to applicants interested in responding to this PA, particularly those that have an active collaboration with colleges and universities. These FQHCs include Community Health Centers and Migrant Health Centers across the country. Information may be found at the DHHS Health Resources and Services Administration website for the Bureau of Primary Health Care: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/datasys.htm The Indian Health Service (IHS) through its direct federal programs, Tribal programs and urban programs serves more than 1.6 million American Indian and Alaska Native people. These programs may also be of interest to applicants. Information can be found at the IHS website at: www.ihs.gov In addition to this PA, the NIH has published another PA titled "Understanding and Promoting Health Literacy (R01)", [PAR-04-116]. That Program announcement (with special review) covers the same research objectives and has the same receipt dates, but it is an announcement specifically designed for R01 applications. NHLBI and NIDCD participate only in the PA for R01 applications. Reference Report: The Institute of Medicine's recent report, Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion (2004) reviews the current body of knowledge about health literacy, and identifies actions for the promotion of health literacy in society. Potential applicants are encouraged to consult this report as a general reference: Health Literacy: A Prescription to End Confusion. (2004). L. Nielsen-Bohlman, A. M. Panzer, and D. A. Kindig, Editors. Committee on Health Literacy, Board on Neuroscience and Behavioral Health, Institute of Medicine. (Available at http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=19723) MECHANISM(S) OF SUPPORT This PA will use the NIH R03 award mechanism. Examples of the types of projects that ICs support with the R03 include the following: pilot or feasibility studies; secondary analysis of existing data; small, self- contained research projects; development of research methodology; and the development of new research technology. As an applicant, you will be solely responsible for planning, directing, and executing the proposed project. A project period of up to two years and a budget for direct costs of up to two $25,000 modules or $50,000 per year may be requested. This PA uses just-in-time concepts. It also uses the modular budgeting format. (see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm). All applications submitted in response to this announcement must use the modular budget format. This program does not require cost sharing as defined in the current NIH Grants Policy Statement at https://grants.nih.gov/archive/grants/policy/nihgps_2003/index.htm. Competing continuation applications will not be accepted. Small grant support may not be used for thesis or dissertation research. Only one revision of a previously reviewed small grant application may be submitted. ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS You may submit (an) application(s) if your institution has any of the following characteristics: o For-profit or non-profit organizations o Public or private institutions, such as universities, colleges, hospitals, and laboratories o Units of State and local governments o Eligible agencies of the Federal government o Domestic or foreign institutions/organizations o Faith-based or community-based organizations INDIVIDUALS ELIGIBLE TO BECOME PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS Any individual with the skills, knowledge, and resources necessary to carry out the proposed research is invited to work with their institution to develop an application for support. Individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups as well as individuals with disabilities are always encouraged to apply for NIH programs. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS The research must involve either: a) health literacy, or one of its many components, as a key outcome, b) health literacy as a key explanatory variable for some other outcome, c) methodological or technological improvement to strengthen research on health literacy, or d) health literacy- focused preventions and interventions. WHERE TO SEND INQUIRIES We encourage your inquiries concerning this PA and welcome the opportunity to answer questions from potential applicants. We strongly encourage researchers to contact relevant ICs to identify their specific purposes for which they use the R03 funding mechanism. Inquiries may fall into three areas: scientific/research, peer review, and financial or grants management issues: o Direct your questions about scientific/research issues to: Rosaly Correa-de-Araujo, MD, MSc, PhD Senior Advisor on Women's Health Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality John M. Eisenberg Building 540 Gaither Road Rockville, Maryland 20850 Phone (301) 427-1550 Fax (301) 427-1562 Email: email@example.com Sabra Woolley, Ph.D. Health Promotion Research Branch Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences National Cancer Institute 6130 Executive Boulevard, Room 4078 Bethesda, Maryland 20892 Telephone: 301-435-4589 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Gary L. Kreps, Ph.D. Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences National Cancer Institute Building EPN, Room 4084 Bethesda, MD 20892-7365 Telephone: (301) 496-7984 FAX: (301) 480-2198 Email: email@example.com Dr. Jeffrey Elias Behavioral and Social Research Program National Institute of Aging Gateway/533 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: 301-402-4156 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Peter M. Lyster, Ph.D. Division of Discovery Science & Technology National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering 6707 Democracy Bvd. Suite 200 Bethesda, MD 20892-5469 Telephone: (301)402-1337 FAX: (301)480-1614 Email: email@example.com Daniel B. Berch, Ph.D. Child Development and Behavior Branch National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 6100 Executive Blvd., Room 4B05 Bethesda, MD 20892-7510 Tel: (301) 402-0699 FAX: (301) 480-0230 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Patricia S. Bryant, Ph.D. Division of Clinical Research National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Bldg. 45 Rm. 4AS-43A Bethesda, MD 20892-6401 Telephone: (301) 594-2095 FAX: (301) 480-8322 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com (Note: Appropriate NIDCR contact if application emphasizes behavioral or social science methods and issues) Ruth Nowjack-Raymer, MPH, PhD Clinical Research Branch National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research Bldg. 45 Rm. 4AS-43J Bethesda, MD 20892-6401 Telephone: 301-594-5394 FAX: 301-480-8322 Email: email@example.com (Note: Appropriate NIDCR contact if application emphasizes health disparities) Dr. Sanford Garfield Biometry and Behavioral Research Program Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases (DDEMD) National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases 2 Democracy Plaza, Room 685 6707 Democracy Blvd Bethesda, MD 20892-5460 Telephone: 301-594-8803 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Susan Martin, Ph.D. Prevention Research Branch Division of Epidemiology, Services and Prevention Research (DESPR) National Institute on Drug Abuse 6001 Executive Blvd, Room 5163 Rockville, MD 20892 Telephone: 301-443-1514 Email: email@example.com Shobha Srinivasan, Ph.D. Susceptibility and Population Health Branch Division of Extramural Research and Training National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences MD EC-21 111 Alexander Drive P.O. Box 12233 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 Telephone: 919-541-2506 Fax: 919-316-4606 Email: email@example.com Emeline Otey, Ph.D. Adult Psychopathology and Prevention Research Branch Division of Mental Disorders, Behavioral Research National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Blvd, Room 6180 Rockville, MD 20892 Telephone: 301- 443-1636 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com (Note: Appropriate NIMH contact for applicants interested in promoting health literacy about the causes, risk for, and diagnosis of mental disorders or in health literacy about HIV/AIDS.) Carmen Moten, Ph.D. Services Research and Clinical Epidemiology Research Branch Division of Services and Intervention Research National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive Blvd, Room 7146, MSC 9631 Bethesda, MD, 20892 Telephone: 301-443-3364 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com (Note: Appropriate NIMH contact for applicants interested in promoting health literacy in the context of mental health services.) Valerie Florance, Ph.D. NLM Extramural Programs National Library of Medicine Rockledge 1, Suite 301 6705 Rockledge Drive Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: 301.594.4882 FAX: 301.402.2952 Email: email@example.com Dr. Lawrence Fine Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research National Institutes of Health Building 1, Room 256 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 435-6780 FAX: (301) 402-1150 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com o Direct your questions about peer review issues to: Michael Micklin, Ph.D. Chief Risk, Prevention, & Health Behavior Integrated Review Group SRA for SPIP Study Section Center for Scientific Review National Institutes of Health 6701 Rockledge Drive, Rm. 3136 MSC 7759 Bethesda, MD 20892 (20817 for overnight mail) Tel: 301-435-1258 FAX: 301-594-6363 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com o Direct your questions about financial or grants management matters to: Crystal Wolfrey Grants Administration Branch National Cancer Institute Building EPS, Room 243 Rockville, MD 20852 Tel: 301-496-8634 FAX: 301-496-8601 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Angelos Bacas Grants Management Branch National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 6100 Executive Boulevard, Room 8A07F 6100 Executive Boulevard, MSC 7510 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-7510 Tel: (301) 435-6976 FAX: (301) 480-4783 Email: email@example.com Mr. Brian Albertini Grants Management Branch National Institute of Mental Health 6001 Executive boulevard, Room 6115 Bethesda, MD 20892 Telephone: (301) 443-0004 Fax: (301) 443-0219 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com LETTER OF INTENT: Prospective applicants are asked to submit a letter of intent that includes the following information: o Descriptive title of the proposed research o Name, address and telephone numbers of the Principal Investigator o Names of other key personnel o Name and address of participating institutions o Number and title of this PAR Although a letter of intent is not required, is not binding, and does not enter into the review of a subsequent application, the information that it contains allows CSR staff to estimate the potential review workload and plan the review. The letter of intent should be sent by the date listed on the first page. The letter of intent should be sent to: Lawrence Fine, M.D., Dr.P.H. Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research National Institutes of Health Building 1, Room 256 1 Center Drive Bethesda, MD 20892 SUBMITTING AN APPLICATION Applications must be prepared using the PHS 398 research grant application instructions and forms (rev. 5/2001). Applications must have a Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number as the Universal Identifier when applying for Federal grants or cooperative agreements. The DUNS number can be obtained by calling (866) 705-5711 or through the web site at http://www.dunandbradstreet.com/. The DUNS number should be entered on line 11 of the face page of the PHS 398 form. The PHS 398 is available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html in an interactive format. For further assistance contact GrantsInfo, Telephone (301) 710-0267, Email: email@example.com. The title and number of this program announcement must be typed on line 2 of the face page of the application form and the YES box must be checked. For the purposes of this PAR, all of the participating institutes have agreed to follow the NIH standardized R03 application procedures (i.e., application characteristics, application requirements, application preparation, and application review procedures) (for more information see https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/r03.htm), and have agreed to the specific receipt dates listed in this PAR. Before preparing an application for a R03 grant, all investigators should consult the list of participating ICs (shown above), as well as the relevant IC staff listed as contacts in this PA, to determine if an R03 application is appropriate. SUPPLEMENTARY INSTRUCTIONS: All instructions for the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) must be followed, with these exceptions: o Research Plan: Items a - d of the Research Plan (Specific Aims, Background and Significance, Preliminary Studies, and Research Design and Methods) may not exceed a total of 10 pages. Please note that a Progress Report is not needed; competing continuation applications for a small grant will be not accepted. o Appendix: The appendix may include original, glossy photographs or color images of gels, micrographs, etc. provided that a photocopy (may be reduced in size) is also included within the page limits of the research plan. No publications or other printed material, with the exception of pre-printed questionnaires or surveys, may be included in the appendix. APPLICATION RECEIPT DATES: Applications submitted in response to this program announcement will be accepted at the following receipt dates: October 13, 2004, October 13, 2005, and October 13, 2006. SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR MODULAR BUDGET GRANT APPLICATIONS: Applications requesting up to $250,000 per year in direct costs must be submitted in a modular budget grant format. The modular budget grant format simplifies the preparation of the budget in these applications by limiting the level of budgetary detail. Applicants request direct costs in $25,000 modules. Section C of the research grant application instructions for the PHS 398 (rev. 5/2001) at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/phs398/phs398.html includes step-by-step guidance for preparing modular grants. Additional information on modular grants is available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/modular/modular.htm. For the NIH Small Grant (R03), applicants may request direct costs in $25,000 modules, up to a total, annual direct cost request of $50,000 for a project period up to two years. SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICATIONS INCLUDING RANDOMIZED CLINICAL TRIALS: Applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant IC's prior to submission to obtain IC-specific guidelines for applications proposing a randomized clinical trial. SENDING AN APPLICATION TO THE NIH: Submit a signed, typewritten original of the application, including the checklist, and five signed photocopies in one package to: Center for Scientific Review National Institutes of Health 6701 Rockledge Drive, Room 1040, MSC 7710 Bethesda, MD 20892-7710 Bethesda, MD 20817 (for express/courier service) APPLICATION PROCESSING: Applications must be received by the receipt dates listed on the first page of the PAR. The CSR will not accept any application in response to this PAR that is essentially the same as one currently pending initial review unless the applicant withdraws the pending application. The CSR will not accept any application that is essentially the same as one already reviewed. This does not preclude the submission of a substantial revision of an unfunded version of an application already reviewed, but such application must include an Introduction addressing the previous critique. Although there is no immediate acknowledgement of the receipt of an application, applicants are generally notified of the review and funding assignment within 8 weeks. PEER REVIEW PROCESS Applications submitted for this PA will be assigned on the basis of established PHS referral guidelines and specific program interests. Upon receipt, applications will be reviewed for completeness by the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) and responsiveness by the participating institutes. Incomplete and/or non-responsive applications will be returned to the applicant without further consideration. An appropriate special scientific review group convened by the CSR in accordance with the standard NIH peer review procedures (http://www.csr.nih.gov/refrev.htm) will evaluate applications for scientific and technical merit. As part of the initial merit review, all applications will: o Undergo a selection process in which only those applications deemed to have the highest scientific merit, generally the top half of applications under review, will be discussed and assigned a priority score o Receive a written critique o Receive a second level review by the appropriate national advisory council or board REVIEW CRITERIA The goals of NIH-supported research are to advance our understanding of biological systems, improve the control of disease, and enhance health. In the written comments, reviewers will be asked to evaluate application in order to judge the likelihood that the proposed research will have a substantial impact on the pursuit of these goals. The scientific review group will address and consider each of the following criteria in assigning the application's overall score, weighting them as appropriate for each application. o Significance o Approach o Innovation o Investigator o Environment The application does not need to be strong in all categories to be judged likely to have major scientific impact and thus deserve a high priority score. For example, an investigator may propose to carry out important work that by its nature is not innovative but is essential to move a field forward. In the review of small grant (R03) applications, because the research plan is restricted to 10 pages, a small grant application will not have the same level of detail or extensive discussion found in a typical R01 application. Accordingly, reviewers should evaluate the conceptual framework and general approach to the problem, placing less emphasis on methodological details and certain indicators traditionally used in evaluating the scientific merit of R01 applications including supportive preliminary data. Appropriate justification for the proposed work can be provided through literature citations, data from other sources, or from investigator-generated data. Preliminary data are not required, particularly in applications proposing pilot or feasibility studies. SIGNIFICANCE: Does this study address an important problem? If the aims of the application are achieved, how will scientific knowledge be advanced? What will be the effect of these studies on the concepts or methods that drive this field? APPROACH: Are the conceptual framework, design, methods, and analyses adequately developed, well-integrated, and appropriate to the aims of the project? Does the applicant acknowledge potential problem areas and consider alternative tactics? INNOVATION: Does the project employ novel concepts, approaches or methods? Are the aims original and innovative? Does the project challenge existing paradigms or develop new methodologies or technologies? INVESTIGATOR: Is the investigator appropriately trained and well suited to carry out this work? Is the work proposed appropriate to the experience level of the principal investigator and other researchers (if any)? ENVIRONMENT: Does the scientific environment in which the work will be done contribute to the probability of success? Do the proposed experiments take advantage of unique features of the scientific environment or employ useful collaborative arrangements? Is there evidence of institutional support? ADDITIONAL REVIEW CRITERIA: In addition to the above criteria, the following items will be considered in the determination of scientific merit and the priority score: PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECTS FROM RESEARCH RISK: The involvement of human subjects and protections from research risk relating to their participation in the proposed research will be assessed. (See criteria included in the section on Federal Citations, below). http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm INCLUSION OF WOMEN, MINORITIES AND CHILDREN IN RESEARCH: The adequacy of plans to include subjects from both genders, all racial and ethnic groups (and subgroups), and children as appropriate for the scientific goals of the research will be assessed. Plans for the recruitment and retention of subjects will also be evaluated. (See Inclusion Criteria in the sections on Federal Citations, below). CARE AND USE OF VERTEBRATE ANIMALS IN RESEARCH: If vertebrate animals are to be used in the project, the five items described under Section f of the PHS 398 research grant application instructions (rev. 5/2001) will be assessed. ADDITIONAL REVIEW CONSIDERATIONS Sharing Research Data Applicants requesting $500,000 or more in direct costs in any year of the proposed research are expected to include a data sharing plan in their application. The reasonableness of the data sharing plan or the rationale for not sharing research data will be assessed by the reviewers. However, reviewers will not factor the proposed data sharing plan into the determination of scientific merit or priority score. Applicants are encouraged to discuss their data sharing plan with their program contact at the time they negotiate an agreement with the Institute/Center (IC) staff to accept assignment of their application as described at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-004.html. Program staff will be responsible for overseeing the data sharing policy and for assessing the appropriateness and adequacy of the proposed data-sharing plan. For more information see the Final NIH Statement on Sharing Research Data (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-032.html). BUDGET: The reasonableness of the proposed budget and the requested period of support in relation to the proposed research. AWARD CRITERIA Applications submitted in response to a PA will compete for available funds with all other recommended applications. The following will be considered in making funding decisions: o Scientific merit of the proposed project as determined by peer review o Availability of funds o Relevance to program priorities REQUIRED FEDERAL CITATIONS ANIMAL WELFARE PROTECTION: Recipients of PHS support for activities involving live, vertebrate animals must comply with PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/PHSPolicyLabAnimals.pdf), as mandated by the Health Research Extension Act of 1985 (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/olaw/references/hrea1985.htm), and the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations (http://www.nal.usda.gov/awic/legislat/usdaleg1.htm), as applicable. HUMAN SUBJECTS PROTECTION: Federal regulations (45CFR46) require that applications and proposals involving human subjects must be evaluated with reference to the risks to the subjects, the adequacy of protection against these risks, the potential benefits of the research to the subjects and others, and the importance of the knowledge gained or to be gained. http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp/humansubjects/guidance/45cfr46.htm DATA AND SAFETY MONITORING PLAN: Data and safety monitoring is required for all types of clinical trials, including physiologic, toxicity, and dose- finding studies (phase I); efficacy studies (phase II), efficacy, effectiveness and comparative trials (phase III). The establishment of data and safety monitoring boards (DSMBs) is required for multi-site clinical trials involving interventions that entail potential risk to the participants. (NIH Policy for Data and Safety Monitoring, NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts, June 12, 1998: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/not98-084.html). SHARING RESEARCH DATA: Investigators submitting an NIH application seeking $500,000 or more in direct costs in any single year are expected to include a plan for data sharing or state why this is not possible. https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/data_sharing Investigators should seek guidance from their institutions, on issues related to institutional policies, local IRB rules, as well as local, state and Federal laws and regulations, including the Privacy Rule. Reviewers will consider the data sharing plan but will not factor the plan into the determination of the scientific merit or the priority score. INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES IN CLINICAL RESEARCH: It is the policy of the NIH that women and members of minority groups and their sub-populations must be included in all NIH-supported clinical research projects unless a clear and compelling justification is provided indicating that inclusion is inappropriate with respect to the health of the subjects or the purpose of the research. This policy results from the NIH Revitalization Act of 1993 (Section 492B of Public Law 103-43). All investigators proposing clinical research should read the "NIH Guidelines for Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research - Amended, October, 2001," published in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts on October 9, 2001 (https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-001.html); a complete copy of the updated Guidelines are available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/women_min/guidelines_amended_10_2001.htm. The amended policy incorporates: the use of an NIH definition of clinical research; updated racial and ethnic categories in compliance with the new OMB standards; clarification of language governing NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials consistent with the new PHS Form 398; and updated roles and responsibilities of NIH staff and the extramural community. The policy continues to require for all NIH-defined Phase III clinical trials that: a) all applications or proposals and/or protocols must provide a description of plans to conduct analyses, as appropriate, to address differences by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic groups, including subgroups if applicable; and b) investigators must report annual accrual and progress in conducting analyses, as appropriate, by sex/gender and/or racial/ethnic group differences. INCLUSION OF CHILDREN AS PARTICIPANTS IN RESEARCH INVOLVING HUMAN SUBJECTS: The NIH maintains a policy that children (i.e., individuals under the age of 21) must be included in all human subjects research, conducted or supported by the NIH, unless there are scientific and ethical reasons not to include them. All investigators proposing research involving human subjects should read the "NIH Policy and Guidelines" on the inclusion of children as participants in research involving human subjects that is available at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/funding/children/children.htm. REQUIRED EDUCATION ON THE PROTECTION OF HUMAN SUBJECT PARTICIPANTS: NIH policy requires education on the protection of human subject participants for all investigators submitting NIH proposals for research involving human subjects. You will find this policy announcement in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts Announcement, dated June 5, 2000, at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-00-039.html. HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS (hESC): Criteria for federal funding of research on hESCs can be found at http://stemcells.nih.gov/index.asp and at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-02-005.html. Only research using hESC lines that are registered in the NIH Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry will be eligible for Federal funding (see http://escr.nih.gov). It is the responsibility of the applicant to provide, in the project description and elsewhere in the application as appropriate, the official NIH identifier(s)for the hESC line(s)to be used in the proposed research. Applications that do not provide this information will be returned without review. PUBLIC ACCESS TO RESEARCH DATA THROUGH THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT: The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-110 has been revised to provide public access to research data through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) under some circumstances. Data that are (1) first produced in a project that is supported in whole or in part with Federal funds and (2) cited publicly and officially by a Federal agency in support of an action that has the force and effect of law (i.e., a regulation) may be accessed through FOIA. It is important for applicants to understand the basic scope of this amendment. NIH has provided guidance at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/a110/a110_guidance_dec1999.htm. Applicants may wish to place data collected under this PA in a public archive, which can provide protections for the data and manage the distribution for an indefinite period of time. If so, the application should include a description of the archiving plan in the study design and include information about this in the budget justification section of the application. In addition, applicants should think about how to structure informed consent statements and other human subjects procedures given the potential for wider use of data collected under this award. STANDARDS FOR PRIVACY OF INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFIABLE HEALTH INFORMATION: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) issued final modification to the "Standards for Privacy of Individually Identifiable Health Information", the "Privacy Rule," on August 14, 2002. The Privacy Rule is a federal regulation under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 that governs the protection of individually identifiable health information, and is administered and enforced by the DHHS Office for Civil Rights (OCR). Decisions about applicability and implementation of the Privacy Rule reside with the researcher and his/her institution. The OCR website (http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/) provides information on the Privacy Rule, including a complete Regulation Text and a set of decision tools on "Am I a covered entity?" Information on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on NIH processes involving the review, funding, and progress monitoring of grants, cooperative agreements, and research contracts can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-OD-03-025.html. URLs IN NIH GRANT APPLICATIONS OR APPENDICES: All applications and proposals for NIH funding must be self-contained within specified page limitations. Unless otherwise specified in an NIH solicitation, Internet addresses (URLs) should not be used to provide information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites. Furthermore, we caution reviewers that their anonymity may be compromised when they directly access an Internet site. HEALTHY PEOPLE 2010: The Public Health Service (PHS) is committed to achieving the health promotion and disease prevention objectives of "Healthy People 2010," a PHS-led national activity for setting priority areas. This PA is related to one or more of the priority areas. Potential applicants may obtain a copy of "Healthy People 2010" at http://www.healthypeople.gov/. AUTHORITY AND REGULATIONS: This program is described in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance at http://www.cfda.gov/ and is not subject to the intergovernmental review requirements of Executive Order 12372 or Health Systems Agency review. Awards are made under the authorization of Sections 301 and 405 of the Public Health Service Act as amended (42 USC 241 and 284) and under Federal Regulations 42 CFR 52 and 45 CFR Parts 74 and 92. All awards are subject to the terms and conditions, cost principles, and other considerations described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement. The NIH Grants Policy Statement can be found at https://grants.nih.gov/grants/policy/policy.htm The PHS strongly encourages all grant recipients to provide a smoke-free workplace and discourage the use of all tobacco products. In addition, Public Law 103-227, the Pro-Children Act of 1994, prohibits smoking in certain facilities (or in some cases, any portion of a facility) in which regular or routine education, library, day care, health care, or early childhood development services are provided to children. This is consistent with the PHS mission to protect and advance the physical and mental health of the American people.
Weekly TOC for this Announcement
NIH Funding Opportunities and Notices
Office of Extramural
Research (OER)
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
9000 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, Maryland 20892
Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS)
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text:
Getting help from your worst enemy
Onboarding. Reaching out. In terms of. Synergy. Bandwidth. Headcount. Forward planning. Multichannel. Going forward. We are constantly bombarded and polluted with nonsense speak. These words and phrases snag and attach themselves to our vocabulary like sticky weeds.
Words become walls.
I love this post from Ben on the value of plain language!
We're not dumbing things down by using simple terms. We're being smarter.
Read on for the story of the one exception that Ben makes—it's a good one.

subset: commoncrawl


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Michael Coffman voted Yea (Amendment Vote) on this Legislation.
Read statements Michael Coffman made in this general time period.
Title: Limiting Federal Housing Administration Mortgage Issuance
Vote to adopt an amendment to HR 5072 that limits the number of mortgages secured by 1-to 4-family dwellings insured by the Federal Housing Administration in fiscal year 2011-2012 or any fiscal year thereafter to 10 percent of the aggregate number of mortgages on such dwellings originated in the U.S.
Title: Limiting Federal Housing Administration Mortgage Issuance


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Recently I spoke about how The Best Database Administrators Automate Everything, as well as Document Everything and this got me to thinking in general about things that every Database Administrator (DBA) should be doing.
No two Database Administration jobs are the same that's for sure but there are definitely things that I believe every DBA should be doing. In no particular order of importance then, here are 10 of them…
1. Database Backups
If you've been working with database technology for any reasonable amount of time then I really don't think this one needs much explanation. For those that are new to the game read The Database Administrators Primary Responsibility.
2. Test Every Change
The only way that you can even remotely begin to feel a degree of confidence in a data tier change that is planned for the production environment is if it has been tested thoroughly and preferably by you. If you are going to be implementing the change, you want to make sure that you know how it is "supposed" to play out in production and the only way that you can really do that is if you have performed a dry run yourself. It's important that you Think Defensively in your role as a DBA. If you work in an environment where testing is the responsibility of a completely separate team or department that's fine but you should still do your own testing. It's not uncommon for change implementation to occur at unsociable hours and you don't want to be thinking on the fly at 3am. You want to have drilled ahead of time exactly how the change is going to play out.
3. Baseline
When the call comes in that Server X is performing like a dog, how are you going to be able to tell if it's actually performing outside of the norm if you have no data or historical information to reference? In order for a SQL Server DBA to be able to accurately asses where in the overall scheme of things a servers current performance profile is, you need to have a point of reference from which to start. CPU running at 60% is not necessarily a problem in it's own right but if the server typically runs at 30% then clearly something has changed. It's important that you take the time to create performance baselines for the SQL Server servers that you manage. There are many off the shelf products that can do this for you or you can also easily roll your own. Brent Ozar has a fantastic tutorial on how you can use Windows Performance Monitor (PerfMon) to monitor your sql server servers, create baselines and the even how to slice and dice the metrics collected in Excel.
4. Monitor
Baselining of course is only a part of a monitoring solution. You are going to want to proactively monitor your SQL Server environments so that you can react to things before they become a problem. If a database backup fails, you want to know about it. If the database data drive is approaching capacity, you wanted to now about it weeks ago. Make sure that you have an adequate monitoring strategy in place for your environment so that you are not caught out by unexpected events and are on the case working towards a resolution before your users are at your desk asking why they can no longer access the database.
5. Plan for Growth
At what point in time is your database server going to run out of disk storage? If you don't know the answer then how are you going to guarantee that you can provide sufficient storage for the databases that you manage. It's important that you get a handle on not only how much space your SQL Server servers and their databases currently require but also what their future requirements are going to be. Start recording the size of your database data files regularly and you can begin to forecast your growth requirements for your environment.
6. Run CHECKDB regularly
We all know that data is our most valuable asset, so it's vitally important that we regularly check to make sure that our databases are in good health. Here's a tip on how you can Simplify Your DBCC CHECKDB Output. When your large production database suddenly goes offline, your requested to run a CHECKDB and your manager wants to know how long it's going to take, what are you going to say? If you've been running CHECKDB regularly you'll have the answer. I often hear people claim that they cannot run CHECKDB because they have a very large database (VLDB) but there are a number of options available to you. Read Paul Randal's excellent CHECKDB From Every Angle: Consistency Checking Options for a VLDB for a number of strategies to consider.
7 . Identify Unused Indexes
Indexes are only useful if they're being used, so every once in a while it's a good idea to review your index usage information to identify potential candidates for removal. Those clever folks over at SQL Server Pedia have some great content to help you with this, such as Finding Indexes Not In Use.
8. Identify Missing Indexes
Did you know that SQL Server actually does this automatically for you! Every time the query optimizer encounters a query that could have benefited from the existence of an index, statistical information regarding this lost opportunity is recorded. You can access this information by reviewing the appropriate Dynamic Management Views(DMV's) as described in the excellent tutorial Find Missing Indexes. You should make a point of regularly reviewing(not blindly implementing) this information, in order to identify potential performance improvement opportunities for you to investigate further.
9. Proactively Query Tune
Don't leave your query performance tuning until you actually have a performance problem, it's too late by then. You want to be reviewing the performance of your SQL Server queries regularly in order to identify those that could benefit from a tune up. Some of the great ways that you can review your query performance include using the freely available SQL Server Performance Dashboard Reports, using DMV's to Identify Your Most Costly Queries or perhaps using one of the many great third party products available for this purpose. However you decide to query tune, just make sure you are doing so proactively.
10. Install sp_WhoIsActive
This incredibly awesome creation is my go to weapon of choice when it comes troubleshooting a SQL Server instance. If I want to get an immediate view of what's happening on a given server right now, this is how I like to get it done. If you are not using sp_WhoIsActive as part of your DBA tool kit then you are missing out big time! Get yourself a copy now absolutely free courtesy of author Adam Machanic. Be sure to also leave your comments and thanks.
Other Things That Every DBA Should Do
There you have it, 10 things that I believe that every DBA should be doing. What are some of the things that you think every DBA should do?
You may also enjoy reading


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Travian Answer
ในการที่จะหาคำตอบ ให้เลือกที่หัวข้อหลักและต่อด้วยหัวข้อรองลงไปจนกว่าคุณจะหาคำตอบเจอด้านล่าง ในกรณีที่คุณไม่สามารถเจอคำตอบได้ด้วยตนเอง คุณจะสามารถติดต่อทางทีมงานได้ในตอนสุดท้าย
คุณสามารถหาคำตอบได้ง่ายๆโดยการพิมพ์คำใดคำหนึ่งที่เกี่ยวข้องกับเรื่องที่คุณต้องการสอบถาม ตัวอย่าง: คุณต้องการทราบเกี่ยวกับวิธีทำลายสิ่งก่สร้าง? คุณแค่พิมพ์ ทำลาย และดูคำตอบที่เกี่ยวข้องกับคำดังกล่าว
คุณพอใจที่จะค้นหาผ่านทางแผนที่ไซต์ปกติ? ไม่มีปัญหาเลย คุณสามารถใช้แผนที่ไซต์ในการนำทางไปยังคำตอบที่คุณต้องการ
List Of Currently Available Medals
What are medals?
With the implementation of T3.1, Travian introduced player and alliance medals onto the servers. These are awarded each week to players who manage to appear and stay in the Top10 from Monday till Sunday.
The Top10s are reset weekly on Monday at 0:00 am GMT.
How do I obtain one?
Currently there are 4 different categories of medal and some special medals:
* Highest climbers medals
* Best attackers medals
* Best defenders medals
* Best raiders medals
* Bonus medals
* Limited edition medals
* Medals for alliances
and not yet released:
* Best traders medals
* Medals for heroes
To earn a medal, you must be the best in one section that week.
Highest climbers
These medals are awarded for players who climb the most ranks in population. For the majority of the server, these are awarded to newly registered players who can jump from 21000 to 3000 in a matter of days, giving them a lead of 18000 climbed positions.
However once registration is closed for a server (during and after artefact release), the medals are easier to claim by existing players increasing ranks by conquers and smaller population gain. Often referred to as the 'simmer medal', it isn't held in very high regard.
Best attackers
These medals are awarded to players who have killed the most troops; it is calculated per crop consumption, not per unit total. So a player who kills 200 druidriders, will have a total of 400 kills, as the 200 druids ate a total of 400 crop.
The kills can be accumulated through raids, attacks, conquer attempts, oasis captures and even attacking yourself. Your hero does not need to be present for the kills to count. If you look below, there is a possible hero's medal to be introduced in a later version of Travian that will encourage players to use the accompanying unit more often and earn medals purely for doing so.
Best defenders
These medals are awarded to players who have killed the most enemy troops while defending their empire. It is calculated based on how many troops have died at your own villages and oases, not how many troops your own defence has killed elsewhere.
Kills are calculated the same way as the attackers medal; by crop consumption of the unit rather than unit number. Your hero does not need to be present for the kills to count. Troops which die at the hand of your wall or residence/palace are included. But troops caught in your traps are prisoners, not dead, and will not have any effect on the total.
Best raiders
These medals are awarded to players based on the cumulative resource total they are able to raid in 7 days. If the player is raided themselves and loses resources to another player, this is deducted from the cumulative total of resources gained.
Players who view Top10 can see a negative number next to their name if they have failed to earn back the resources stolen from them. This plays a large part in the alliance raiders medal; also calculated cumulatively between all members of that alliance, if a member is repeatedly farmed, it is deducted from the alliance total.
Bonus medals
These medals are awarded for combination bonuses, when a player manages to be a top attacker and defender in the same week. They are not awarded to a player who owns an attacker and defender medal from different weeks.
Limited edition medals
These medals were issued to players who turned up to the Travian Meeting in Hammelburg, Germany in 2009. The meeting was arranged by the headquarter and publicized on the .COM and .DE forums as an open invite event. There is a photo album documenting this meet which can be found here: [link].
The medals cannot be earned or awarded to anyone who did not attend this event.
Medals for alliances
Here are the images used for alliance medals, exactly the same as player medals but with the added olive branches. Olive crowns symbolize a token of victory and are most commonly seen used in the Olympics.
Only positions 1st - 10th are available to alliances, it is not possible for alliances to earn medals for being in the Top10 multiple times or achieving attack and defence in the same week.
How to put medals into your profile
If you are successful in winning a medal, you will not be notified by Travian in game. To find out if you have earned any, you must go to "»Edit Profile". Below, there will be a table which lists the name of your medal, the position you came, the week it happened, and a code to write into your profile.
Travian introduced "Quest 13: Dove of Peace" to help players understand where to find codes and how to make them appear, so from now on any new medals and codes will be displayed under [#0]. Each code is specific to you and your account; you cannot display a medal twice, and you cannot display another person's medal.
Best trader
These medals are yet to be released in any available version of Travian, so we don't know how they are achieved yet. This set is aimed traders, possibly awarded for overall trades on the marketplace or cumulative profit per trade. For example, if you trade 500 wheat and receive 1000 iron, you are awarded 500 points.
Medals for heroes
These medals are yet to be released in any available version of Travian, so we don't know how they are achieved yet. This set is aimed at heroes, possibly awarded to the amount of hit points gained in a week through defence and attacking combined (similar to attacker/defender medals), or the amount of levels increased (similar to highest climber medals).
T3.1 saw the beginning of publicized hero ranks which can be accessed and viewed via the statistics tab in game.


text:
Pre-Owned Vehicle Specials for Sale in Bend, OR
10 Matching Vehicles Found
MPG Disclaimer:
Based on model year EPA mileage ratings. Use for comparison purposes only. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.
*Price listed does not include a $115 Documentation fee or $35 electronic filing fee for titling (custom plates do not apply). Price listed does not include, tax, title, license, registration or state emission fees. While every reasonable effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the vehicle description displayed on this page, dealer makes no warranties, express or implied, with regard to the vehicle or vehicle description. Please verify all vehicle information before entering into a purchase agreement. If the vehicle being purchased is to be financed, the annual percentage rate may be negotiated with the dealer. The dealer may receive a fee or other compensation for processing or arranging financing for the sale. Call or email for complete, specific vehicle information. ** Our multi-point inspection does not guarantee a recall free vehicle. For more recall information see http://www.nhtsa.gov/.


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ECTS: Wipeout Fusion Q&A
GameSpot delves deeper into the world of Wipeout Fusion by speaking with one of the game's designers.
GameSpot's own Ryan Davis tells us why Wipeout Fusion doesn't quite live up to it's pedigree.
GameSpot delves deeper into the world of Wipeout Fusion by speaking with one of the game's designers.
Sony releases new screenshots from its high-speed racing game for the PlayStation 2.
Check out hands-on impressions directly from Europe.
Wipeout Fusion is definitely among the most anticipated games on the PS2, particularly given the impact the series had on the original PlayStation. We've finally gotten our hands on it.
The latest entry in the Wipeout series is on track for a Q4 release in Europe. Read our impressions of the latest build.
We have new screenshots from Wipeout Fusion for the PlayStation 2.
Sony shows off the PlayStation 2 installment in its futuristic high-speed racing series, and we have hands-on impressions straight from the floor at E3.
The antigravity-racer from Sony Liverpool is progressing nicely. And we've got plenty of brand new screenshots of the game.
Sony gives the press a glimpse of the latest build of Wipeout Fusion for the PlayStation 2.
No other title at the PlayStation launch in 1995 had as much of an influence on how video games were being perceived as Wipeout did. It redefined the visual style ...
We deliver a first look at the fourth installment in the Wipeout series. This time, it's on the PlayStation2.
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- Die-cut magnets add a touch of easily switchable flair to your fridge, locker, or file cabinet
- Available in three sizes
- Flexible, durable 20mil / 0.5mm vinyl
- Vibrant color printing
- Approximately 4mm white border around design
- WARNING: Choking Hazard small parts. Not for children under 3.
- This product contains magnets. Swallowed magnets can stick together across intestines causing serious injuries. Seek immediate medical attention if magnets are swallowed.
- Not a toy. For decorative use only.


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happy thingsThursday, December 06, 2007
Wow. The mailman has made me very happy lately. All sorts of fun stuff popping up in my mailbox. Melana sent me my very first skein of sundara yarn. I have never knit with this before, and am very excited to cast on for a pair of socks using one of the patterns she also included. And, she must have known how dry my hands get, because there was also a little tin of the most magical lotion made just for knitters! Thank you so much Melana, you are just too sweet.
31 comments
Oh, my gosh! How adorable that tree is. And I love the new banner!! The Sundara yarn is such a pretty color. The soap is packaged so nicely, I can almost smell it right through the PC! And a very cute bag too... YAY - goodies!ReplyDelete
I love that pom-pom tree!! I'll have to put my girls to work making pom-poms! So fun!ReplyDelete
Wow, you've been receiving so many goodies! The pompom tree is really cute and it looks so festive!ReplyDelete
I absolutely LOVE the pom pom tree! Great gifties too! Love the candy magnets.ReplyDelete
Very nice! I love Sundara's yarn - it's so nice to knit with. Lots of great goodies you have there.ReplyDelete
What a beautiful tree and a lovely idea!!ReplyDelete
Lucky girl! Love the transformtion of the tree. It's fabulous!ReplyDelete
i just love spray paint! your banner is super cute, too.ReplyDelete
i have one of those pom pom makers - were the kids able to do it? i might steal that idea. looks like a great rainy day craft.
Can you tell me about the lotion, Leslie? I think that would be a great gift for my knitting friends. My Ballerina made her debut last weekend in Boston. I adore her. Thanks again for your help. Your pom pom tree is so precious. I can't wait to see your socks. That yarn is fabulous.ReplyDelete
hello lovely leslie! i'm glad your mailbox has been filled to the brim lately; i know of no one more worthy.ReplyDelete
i LOVE the goods soapworks of athens stuff! i was wishing i'd had the good memory to include some of her soaps in my families' holiday packages, but i didn't.
hooray for goodies!
Wow, it's like Christmas at you house. I love the thankful tree, looks good with tht pom-poms!ReplyDelete
handcream special for knitters, ooooh, I'll have to take a peek.ReplyDelete
Love the pompom tree, I have been wondering about the pompom maker.
love it , love it, love it. that tree looks fantastic!ReplyDelete
How nice to be so spoilt! Loving the pom pom tree - my girls would love that!ReplyDelete
Lovely gifts!ReplyDelete
I'm giving Megan's soaps as stocking stuffers this Christmas, aren't they a delight??ReplyDelete
Looks like Christmas came early at your house. That mailman of yours sure is a nice guy.ReplyDelete
The pom-pom tree is FABULOUS!ReplyDelete
i love the pom poms.ReplyDelete
our little tree is getting a white coat this weekend.
i hope.
great photos!ReplyDelete
Hi Leslie :)ReplyDelete
You're welcome for the bag, hope you enjoy it for many years :)
Just wanted to let you know your "Charlie, Libby and Andrew" Little Travellers are ready :)
They're up at FreckledNest.com right now :) Please contact me and let me know if you'd like a paypal invoice or if you're sending a cheque. Thanks.
Have a great weekend!!!! :)
That Sundara yarn looks very enticing!ReplyDelete
And, what a cute idea - a pom-pom tree! That would be a nice way to use up some leftover yarn, too. Thanks for posting that. I have a pom-pom maker but have never used it.....
Your pom pom tree is so colorful! Love it!ReplyDelete
Such a good mail day! That tree is the best, what is more fun than poms?ReplyDelete
It is really nice. Good idea!ReplyDelete
ball trees. :)))
your mailman certainly brought you some amazing things! your pom poms are obviously adorable! the sundara yarn is so yummy, the bath products look like a lot of fun to treat yourself with, and the knitting bag is so cute!ReplyDelete
ack! I LOVE THAT POM-POM TREE!ReplyDelete
the great ideas never stop with you, do they? I am seriously impressed over here!
That pompom tree makes me smile.ReplyDelete
what a great mail day! i have never used Sundara either - it looks amazing! Megan's stuff is great - I have to get some more of her soaps!ReplyDelete
My girls would love to have their own pom pom tree! Those are fantastic!ReplyDelete


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Lately I have been seeing a lot of review opportunities where companies want your stats as measured with Compete.com. Unfortunately, my blog isn't even listed with them. I emailed Compete and I got a canned response about how the members are made up of a certain population, etc. etc. But it didn't tell me anything I could do to get listed. Does anyone have any hints?
The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too!
Views: 345
Thank you so much Carolina! I will be switching to my own domain as soon as I can get up the nerve. I am scared it is going to mess something up. ;-)
I actually just tried today but the site kept saying it couldn't find the code I put on my blog. Am I a moron?! Why won't this work. I tried putting the code in my template HTML but that didn't work so I tried an HTML gadget (widget)--that didn't work. Do I need to put it in a post? Any help would be great.
Oh, I emailed support, but am waiting to hear back.


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Collaborative Practice Rule
The State Board of Nursing's and State Board of Registration for the Healing Arts' joint rulemaking activity on collaborative practices by physicians with registered professional nurses (RNs) or registered professional nurses who are advanced practice nurses (APNs) became law on September 30, 1996. This rule, 4 CSR 200-4.200 Collaborative Practice (Nursing) or 4 CSR 150-5.100 Collaborative Practice (Healing Arts), specifies the practice boundaries of physicians and RNs or physicians and APNs engaged in written collaborative practice arrangements. You can access the Collaborative Practice Rule here.
Collaborative practice arrangements (CPAs) are defined in state statute (334.104 RSMo) as written agreements, jointly agreed-upon written protocols, or written standing orders for the delivery of health care services. Through a CPA a physician may delegate:
- To an RN who is not an APN the authority to administer or dispense drugs and provide treatment within the RN's scope or practice and consistent with the RN's skill, training and competence; and
- To an RN who is an APN the authority to administer, dispense, and prescribe drugs and provide treatment.
An RN does not need to engage in a CPA with a physician nor require physician oversight to perform "nursing acts" the RN has the specialized education, judgment, and skill to perform [335.016 (9) (a) through (e) RSMo]. If the RN, however, is to perform delegated "medical acts" (e.g., dispensing of drugs*), a physician-RN or physician-APN relationship must clearly and defensibly be in place.
A professional relationship between a physician and RN or APN can be established and exercised through the traditional means of specific, and later cosigned, verbal orders from a physician or written orders, possibly in the form of protocols or standing orders, generated and signed by a physician and carried out by an RN or APN. In this case, the relationship is not based on a jointly agreed-upon practice arrangement and therefore, would not constitute a collaborative practice arrangement and the collaborative practice rule would not apply.
On the other hand, a physician-RN or physician-APN relationship can also be established and exercised through one or more of the jointly agreed-upon physician and RN or physician and APN written means described above. In this case, a written collaborative practice arrangement exists and the collaborative practice rule applies.
Collaborating physicians and collaborating RNs or APNs practicing in association with public health clinics providing specific population-based health services must abide by the statute provisions in 334.104 RSMo and sections (1) and (5) only of the collaborative practice rule (4 CSR 200-4.200). The specific services are as follows: immunizations; well child care; HIV and sexually transmitted disease care; family planning; tuberculosis control; cancer and other chronic diseases and wellness screenings; services related to epidemiological investigations and related treatment; and prenatal care.
If services provided in public health clinics include diagnosis and initiation of treatment of any other disease or injury than those listed above, then all other rule provisions [sections (2), (3), and (4)] apply. Although collaborating professionals whose practice activities meet the above population-based health services are not bound to address all the rule provisions in their written collaborative practice arrangements, they may find inclusion of other rule provisions to be in the best interest of reasonable, prudent, and defensible practice.
Additionally, some rule provisions are required practices pursuant to other state or federal laws whether or not one is in a written collaborative practice arrangement. An example of this are several provisions regarding drug administration and dispensing behaviors in section (3) (I) of the Collaborative Practice Rule (4 CSR 200-4.200).


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Saturday, June 23, 2012
Red Columbine Flower Drawing
Columbine flower art is drawn entirely with Prismacolor pencils, from start to finish. I used Jasmine, Yellow Ochre and White pencils to blend the inside petals, and Pink Rose, Raspberry and Black Cherry pencils to blend the outside petals. Drawing is on Strathmore Bristol Vellum Paper, hand cut to approximately 3.5" by 2.5", ACEO size.
I've also linked up my colored pencil art and recommend visiting the following hops for more creative wonders: Sunday Sketches, Whimsy Wednesday, Thursday Favorite Things and Paint Party Friday.
58 comments :
Wow…beautiful. Love your color choice!ReplyDelete
Love those colors!ReplyDelete
Popping by from Sunday Sketches...beautiful work...love the COLOR, Gorgeous!ReplyDelete
...greetings and merry meet Kristin! ~ awesome profusion of colour! ~ thankyoU! ~ for your share in this week's sunday sketches!... ...xXx... ...Samantha...ReplyDelete
so beautiful <3ReplyDelete
beautiful columbine, fits the theme wonderfully! I have yellow ones in my garden, I love them.ReplyDelete
Beautiful. I love the colours :)ReplyDelete
pretty and beautiful!ReplyDelete
wow! really love the mix of colours! :)ReplyDelete
It's beautiful! Lovely colors.ReplyDelete
Have a great Sunday!
That's so pretty! Love it.ReplyDelete
Divine sketch ~ excellent colors ~thanks, ^_^ (A Creative Harbor)ReplyDelete
Beautiful! Well done.ReplyDelete
very very pretty - i like the color combinationsReplyDelete
Just gorgeous - so soft and the color is beautifulReplyDelete
this is stunning!ReplyDelete
What a beautiful drawing. The colours you chose are just so soft...I want to reach out and touch it.ReplyDelete
I love it!! So beautiful, you got me at the swirls... very very nice piece!! So surprising it's done with pencil crayons!!ReplyDelete
Hugs Giggles
beautiful! I have a friend that also does incredible work with prismacolor - google mark doepker - wonderful artist too.ReplyDelete
cheers, dana
beautiful job! love your flower!ReplyDelete
Really really pretty and well done! Love it. HSS!ReplyDelete
This is so beautiful. Colored pencils, done well, require real skill, which obviously you have!ReplyDelete
This is wonderful! The colors blend seamlessly and the gorgeous flower hypnotizes me into the picture!ReplyDelete
Beautiful job with the shading!ReplyDelete
So gorgeous and magical..lush decadent color palette..I am dazzled..beautiful work!!ReplyDelete
beautiful colors! good job on completing a piece each week!ReplyDelete
oh love love!ReplyDelete
That really is stunning!ReplyDelete
I so much admire the quiet and discpline it takes ot create such stunning work...the complexity of flowers frighten me and I am more content to just adore them and not attempt to render! This is gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Oh...your artwork is amazing ....you did a fantastic job with this weeks colours!! Jan xReplyDelete
Very PrettyReplyDelete
Beautiful columbine flower!. I went to college in Colorado and columbine is our favorite flowers...great sketch!. It brings back sweet memories.ReplyDelete
WOW This is so gorgeous. Beautiful flower and colors.ReplyDelete
Lovely greet
Gorgeous work, so loving this. Happy SOC, Annette xReplyDelete
Absolutely beautiful! ValerieReplyDelete
I'm in prisma love at the moment!ReplyDelete
Great piece!
Love the colors!ReplyDelete
This is so soft and gentle!!!ReplyDelete
Love the colors! Gorgeous!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous indeed!ReplyDelete
Beautiful drawing - so delicate and the colours are perfect for the this weeks challenge. Just lovely!ReplyDelete
What a great drawing. Love it!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous! This is one of my favorite flowers...reminds me of my Grama who loved these pink ones...!ReplyDelete
Wow that is absolute gorgeous and I love that flower it was my Dad's favourite!ReplyDelete
This looks really great! Love the softness of it.ReplyDelete
Gorgeous. Love the openness of it!ReplyDelete
Really beautiful, perfect for this week's SOC flavour.ReplyDelete
See you next week at SOC!
Beautiful. Happy PPF, Annette xReplyDelete
the columbine is so dreamy and the perfect luscious color as you described ...now I need an ice-cream cone today. My favorite ice cream is burgundy cherryReplyDelete
so lovelyReplyDelete
your soft shading is a joy to see
This is a great take on the colours and I love the softness of prismas don't you...xxReplyDelete
what a gorgeous flower! so sunnyReplyDelete
- AnonymousJune 30, 2012 at 8:21 AM
this is beautiful! I'm really enjoying the summer of colour and the wonderful art everyone is submitting!ReplyDelete
Columbine is one of my favorite flowers and you made a lovely rendition of one!! great job!ReplyDelete
happy PPF
Mimi Torchia Boothby Watercolors
Gorgeous flower and spiral details...ReplyDelete
Columbines are my very favorite flowers - though I haven't succeeded in growing them yet. Beautiful job!ReplyDelete
Thank you so fairy much for fluttering by my blog. Feedback makes me sparkle! Unless it is mean - please keep that poison for yourself.


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West Virginia Judge Suspended After 24 Violations of State's Judicial Ethics Rules
Family Court Judge William Watkins III has got a pretty bad temper. He's been known to yell at litigants in his courtroom, as well as on one occasion, calling a woman seeking a protective order "stupid." After word came out about the incident, Watkins told the woman to shut up and stop "shooting off [her] fat mouth about what happened." Unfortunately for Watkins, that temper has landed him with a suspension that will last the rest of his term.
In the video above, watch him completely freak out on a litigant who quietly accepts the threats from the judge, who bluffs about recusing himself from the case, then threatens the litgant with life imprisonment (over a divorce case).


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How to Make a DIY Bluebird House
Want to attract bluebirds to nest in your yard? Make a bluebird box! These DIY bluebird house plans meet the songbirds' specific nesting requirements.
Our editors and experts handpick every product we feature. We may earn a commission from your purchases.
Courtesy Tim Laborde
Want to do something that's good for bluebirds—and fun for you? Learn how to build a DIY bluebird house! You'll be charmed by the brilliant birds' beauty and their cheerful singing… not to mention adorable baby bluebirds. Since their diet consists primarily of insects and grubs, your garden may benefit, too.
In the past, bluebirds relied on woodpeckers and other cavity-dwellers to provide the majority of their nesting places. They'd select abandoned cavities in dead trees or rotten fence posts to raise their families. As development wiped out many of these natural nesting sites, the bluebird population declined dramatically. But nesting boxes have played a vital role in reviving the beloved bluebird. They have fairly specific requirements, so these DIY bluebird house plans are designed to meet their needs.
Here's more tips on how to attract bluebirds to your backyard — and if you see a bluebird, here's what it means.
Tips for Attracting Bluebirds to Nest Boxes
Bluebirds prefer to nest in open areas with low or sparse ground cover. The North American Bluebird Society, which provided the plans, says rural areas, cemeteries, golf courses and parkways with minimal human traffic are good places to mount bluebird boxes. Simply drive a 3/4-inch piece of electrical conduit into the ground and attach the house 5 feet above the ground with conduit straps as shown at right. Attach a predator guard to deter nest raiders.
This bluebird house has a couple of interesting features worth pointing out. It's assembled with the rough side of the wood facing out so it more closely resembles the birds' natural nesting sites. And there's no perch. Notches beneath the entrance hole provide footing for bluebirds, but discourage visits from competing house sparrows and wrens.
The swing-open side is convenient, also. You can check for nests of unwanted birds (since house sparrows and European starlings are not protected by law, simply remove their nests) and have easy access for cleaning out the bluebird's nesting materials after the young have fledged. You'll want to do this immediately, since bluebirds often raise as many as three broods in one nesting season.
Best of all, the swing-open side will give you a chance to peek in on the nestlings for whom you've provided a sturdy and safe home. The side door is great for monitoring the activity in these bluebird houses.
Bluebird House Materials
- One 4-foot 1-inch x 6-inch rough cedar board
- One 10-1/2-inch 1-inch x 10-inch rough cedar board
- 2-inch finishing nails
- 1-5/8-inch galvanized deck screws
- 8 feet of 3/4-inch conduit and two straps
- Table saw
- Power drill
Step-by-Step Bluebird House Plans and Instructions:
Step 1
Using the full width of a 4-foot 1-inch x 6-inch rough cedar board, cut the pieces as pictured in the board layout below. When making the angled cuts, keep in mind that all the pieces will be assembled rough side out.
Step 2
Drill a 1-1/2-inch entrance hole in the front piece with a spade bit for eastern and western bluebirds. In areas where mountain bluebirds reside, drill the entrance hole 1-9/16 inches. Center the hole about 1-1/2 inches from the top of the board.
Step 3
Starting about 1/2 inch below the entrance hole, make three shallow cuts about 1/4 inch apart on both sides of the front board. On a table saw, set the blade at 1/8 inch deep and use the saw's miter gauge to cut the notches. Flip the piece over and make identical cuts on the other side. If you want the front board to fit flush with the roof, cut an optional angle along the top edge by tilting the table saw blade 12°.
Step 4
Position the sides flush with the top of the front board. Fasten the right side to the front with two 2-inch finishing nails. Fasten the left side to the front with a 1-5/8-inch deck screw near the top (drill a pilot hole first). Be careful not to over-tighten this screw because it will serve as a hinge for the side door.
Step 5
Cut an optional 12° angle along the top edge of the back piece if you want it to meet flush with the roof. Then place the assembled front and sides on top of the back piece, leaving the top of the back board 1/4 inch higher than the sides. The space provides ventilation.
Step 6
Turn the box over and attach the back to the left side of the box (the one with the "hinge") with a 1-5/8-inch deck screw. Drill a pilot hole first directly opposite the screw on the front (this ensures proper hinge action) and fasten with a screw. Again, don't make it too tight. Secure the other side to the back with three 2-inch finishing nails.
Step 7
Cut about 1/2 inch off each corner of the floor to provide drainage. Position the floor 1/4 inch up from the bottom of the nest box. (Recessing the floor helps keep the box dry.) Attach the floor with 2-inch finishing nails on the front, back and right side. Do not use nails through the "hinged" left side or you won't be able to open it.
Step 8
Drill a hole on the hinged side 2 inches up from the bottom and 1/2 inch in from the side. Drill at a slight downward angle, going through the front of the house and into the side. Make the hole large enough for a double-headed nail to slip in and out easily. Insert the nail to hold the side door closed.
Align the roof flush with the back and attach with 1-5/8-inch deck screws (drill pilot holes first).
Step 9
The nest box is ready to mount. Keep the entrance hole about 5 feet above ground.
The Bluebird Society recommends attaching your bluebird box to a smooth round pipe, such as a 3/4-inch electrical conduit, rather than on a tree or fence. Conduit straps attached to the back work well for mounting. For extra protection from predators, put hardware cloth under the box to deter snakes.
Face the bluebird box away from prevailing winds and towards a tree or shrub no more than 100 feet away. This will provide a landing spot for young birds when they first leave the box.
Next, learn how to build a one-board DIY birdhouse.