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Anticipating the Gap: The Reality Between Aim and the Object
1976), 311. Quote from Alfred Thayer Mahan is clear on the effect of flawed strategy no matter the efficiency of the operational and tactical efforts...York: Rutledge, 2002), 254. 23 Russell F. Weigley, The American Way of War: A History of United States Military Strategy and Policy (Bloomington...sort of societal DNA that affects how we think about and view the world. Russell Weigley believes that the remote past affects our actions more than
The Aims and Objectives of the Monitoring the Future Study and Progress toward Fulfilling Them. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper No. 34. Second Edition.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnston, Lloyd D.; O'Malley, Patrick M.; Schulenberg, John; Bachman, Jerald G.
This paper presents information from the ongoing research program, Monitoring the Future. The program is designed to: (1) monitor drug use and potential explanatory factors among American secondary school students, and other young adults; (2) distinguish which of three different kinds of change--maturational, historical, and/or cohort are…
Aiming for long-term, objective-driven science communication in the UK
Communicating science to wider lay audiences is an increasingly important part of a scientist's remit, and is something that many scientists are keen to embrace. However, based on surveys carried out amongst the UK public, as well as our own experiences in developing and delivering such activities, we believe that they are not always as effective at engaging members of the general public as they could be. In this opinion article we argue that in order to achieve more effective science communication, we need more objective-driven and long-term initiatives. As well as being implemented by the scientists themselves, funding organisations can play an important role in helping to drive such initiatives, and we suggest a list of actionable items that might allow for some of these ideas to be implemented. PMID:28163891
The Healthy Communities Study: Its Rationale, Aims, and Approach.
Arteaga, S Sonia; Loria, Catherine M; Crawford, Patricia B; Fawcett, Stephen B; Fishbein, Howard A; Gregoriou, Maria; John, Lisa V; Kelley, Melinda; Pate, Russell R; Ritchie, Lorrene D; Strauss, Warren J
Communities across the U.S. are implementing programs and policies designed to address the epidemic of childhood obesity. These programs vary widely in their approaches, including the intensity level, duration, funding, target population, and implementation techniques. However, no previous studies have examined these variations and determined how such aspects of community programs and policies are related to childhood obesity outcomes. The Healthy Communities Study is an observational study that is assessing the associations between characteristics of community programs and policies and BMI, nutrition, and physical activity in children. The Healthy Communities Study was funded in 2010, field data collection and medical record abstraction will be completed in 2015, and data cleaning and analyses will be completed by mid-year 2016. One-hundred and thirty communities (defined as a high school catchment area) and approximately 5,000 children in kindergarten through eighth grade and their parents have been recruited from public elementary and middle schools across the country. The study is examining quantitative and qualitative information obtained from community-based initiatives; measures of community characteristics (e.g., school environment); and child and parent measures, including children's physical activity levels and dietary practices and children's and parents' BMI. The Healthy Communities Study employs a complex study design that includes a diverse sample of communities across the country and combines current/cross-sectional and retrospective data (abstracted from children's medical records). This paper describes the rationale for the Healthy Communities Study, the study aims and logic model, and a brief overview of the study design.
The German National Cohort: aims, study design and organization.
The German National Cohort (GNC) is a joint interdisciplinary endeavour of scientists from the Helmholtz and the Leibniz Association, universities, and other research institutes. Its aim is to investigate the causes for the development of major chronic diseases, i.e. cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative/-psychiatric diseases, musculoskeletal diseases, respiratory and infectious diseases, and their pre-clinical stages or functional health impairments. Across Germany, a random sample of the general population will be drawn by 18 regional study centres, including a total of 100,000 women and 100,000 men aged 20-69 years. The baseline assessments include an extensive interview and self-completion questionnaires, a wide range of medical examinations and the collection of various biomaterials. In a random subgroup of 20 % of the participants (n = 40,000) an intensified examination ("Level 2") programme will be performed. In addition, in five of the 18 study centres a total of 30,000 study participants will take part in a magnetic resonance imaging examination programme, and all of these participants will also be offered the intensified Level 2 examinations. After 4-5 years, all participants will be invited for a re-assessment. Information about chronic disease endpoints will be collected through a combination of active follow-up (including questionnaires every 2-3 years) and record linkages. The GNC is planned for an overall duration of 25-30 years. It will provide a major, central resource for population-based epidemiology in Germany, and will help to identify new and tailored strategies for early detection, prediction, and primary prevention of major diseases.
Measurement and Analysis of Olfactory Responses with the Aim of Establishing an Objective Diagnostic Method for Central Olfactory Disorders
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Uno, Tominori; Wang, Li-Qun; Miwakeichi, Fumikazu; Tonoike, Mitsuo; Kaneda, Teruo
In order to establish a new diagnostic method for central olfactory disorders and to identify objective indicators, we measured and analyzed brain activities in the parahippocampal gyrus and uncus, region of responsibility for central olfactory disorders. The relationship between olfactory stimulation and brain response at region of responsibility can be examined in terms of fitted responses (FR). FR in these regions may be individual indicators of changes in brain olfactory responses. In the present study, in order to non-invasively and objectively measure olfactory responses, an odor oddball task was conducted on four healthy volunteers using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a odorant stimulator with blast-method. The results showed favorable FR and activation in the parahippocampal gyrus or uncus in all subjects. In some subjects, both the parahippocampal gyrus and uncus were activated. Furthermore, activation was also confirmed in the cingulate gyrus, middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, postcentral gyrus, superior temporal gyrus and insula. The hippocampus and uncus are known to be involved in the olfactory disorders associated with early-stage Alzheimer's disease and other olfactory disorders. In the future, it will be necessary to further develop the present measurement and analysis method to clarify the relationship between central olfactory disorders and brain activities and establish objective indicators that are useful for diagnosis.
A Study on Estimating the Aiming Angle Error of Millimeter Wave Radar for Automobile
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuroda, Hiroshi; Okai, Fumihiko; Takano, Kazuaki
The 76GHz millimeter wave radar has been developed for automotive application such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control) and CWS (Collision Warning System). The radar is FSK (Frequency Shift Keying) monopulse type. The radar transmits 2 frequencies in time-duplex manner, and measures distance and relative speed of targets. The monopulse feature detects the azimuth angle of targets without a scanning mechanism. Conventionally a radar unit is aimed mechanically, although self-aiming capability, to detect and correct the aiming angle error automatically, has been required. The new algorithm, which estimates the aiming angle error and vehicle speed sensor error simultaneously, has been proposed and tested. The algorithm is based on the relationship of relative speed and azimuth angle of stationary objects, and the least squares method is used for calculation. The algorithm is applied to measured data of the millimeter wave radar, resulting in aiming angle estimation error of less than 0.6 degree.
Parents' Views Regarding the Values Aimed to be Taught in Social Studies Lessons
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tay, Bayram; Yildirim, Kasim
This study aimed at learning parents' ideas about the values aimed to be taught in Social Studies lessons in the 4th and 5th grades of the primary education and about values education. Study data were collected by administering "the Values Education I" and "Values Education II" questionnaire forms developed by the researchers.…
[Aims and objectives of medical education at the Medical School of Universidad de Concepción].
Schiappacasse Ferretti, E
Ultimately, medical education is oriented world wide towards the promotion and improvement of people's health and the promotion of welfare, along with other organisations. The development of science, technology and instructional resources, the concerns of the community and nations about health matters and their health care policies, require a new approach towards medical education. Universities must be aware of these new demands, that must be taken into account in medical education. New medical curricula should consider the new scenarios in which the process of health and disease takes place and the new participants in such process, the need for technological offices with trained and committed personnel devoted to its design and the need to be permanently evaluated.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kennedy, Mike
Times change, and pollution continues to plague cities, energy prices escalate and average temperatures creep higher, the argument that society cannot afford to squander its limited resources has been embraced by more than just environmental activists. More and more education administrators and architects are among those pushing schools and…
Interpretive Research Aiming at Theory Building: Adopting and Adapting the Case Study Design
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Diaz Andrade, Antonio
Although the advantages of case study design are widely recognised, its original positivist underlying assumptions may mislead interpretive researchers aiming at theory building. The paper discusses the limitations of the case study design for theory building and explains how grounded theory systemic process adds to the case study design. The…
Pragmatics and the aims of language evolution.
Scott-Phillips, Thomas C
Pragmatics has historically played a relatively peripheral role in language evolution research. This is a profound mistake. Here I describe how a pragmatic perspective can inform language evolution in the most fundamental way: by making clear what the natural objects of study are, and hence what the aims of the field should be.
Systematic Review of the Methodological Quality of Studies Aimed at Creating Gestational Weight Gain Charts12
Ohadike, Corah O; Cheikh-Ismail, Leila; Ohuma, Eric O; Giuliani, Francesca; Bishop, Deborah; Kac, Gilberto; Puglia, Fabien; Maia-Schlüssel, Michael; Kennedy, Stephen H; Villar, José; Hirst, Jane E
A range of adverse outcomes is associated with insufficient and excessive maternal weight gain in pregnancy, but there is no consensus regarding what constitutes optimal gestational weight gain (GWG). Differences in the methodological quality of GWG studies may explain the varying chart recommendations. The goal of this systematic review was to evaluate the methodological quality of studies that aimed to create GWG charts by scoring them against a set of predefined, independently agreed-upon criteria. These criteria were divided into 3 domains: study design (12 criteria), statistical methods (7 criteria), and reporting methods (4 criteria). The criteria were broken down further into items, and studies were assigned a quality score (QS) based on these criteria. For each item, studies were scored as either high (score = 0) or low (score = 1) risk of bias; a high QS correlated with a low risk of bias. The maximum possible QS was 34. The systematic search identified 12 eligible studies involving 2,268,556 women from 9 countries; their QSs ranged from 9 (26%) to 29 (85%) (median, 18; 53%). The most common sources for bias were found in study designs (i.e., not prospective); assessments of prepregnancy weight and gestational age; descriptions of weighing protocols; sample size calculations; and the multiple measurements taken at each visit. There is wide variation in the methodological quality of GWG studies constructing charts. High-quality studies are needed to guide future clinical recommendations. We recommend the following main requirements for future studies: prospective design, reliable evaluation of prepregnancy weight and gestational age, detailed description of measurement procedures and protocols, description of sample-size calculation, and the creation of smooth centile charts or z scores. PMID:26980814
Animation of the AIM Spacecraft
AIM will make simultaneous measurements of the main ingredients needed to form these clouds and will unravel the role of natural factors, such as the solar cycle and meteorology, from the possible ...
Potochnik, Angela
There is increasing attention to the centrality of idealization in science. One common view is that models and other idealized representations are important to science, but that they fall short in one or more ways. On this view, there must be an intermediary step between idealized representation and the traditional aims of science, including truth, explanation, and prediction. Here I develop an alternative interpretation of the relationship between idealized representation and the aims of science. I suggest that continuing, widespread idealization calls into question the idea that science aims for truth. If instead science aims to produce understanding, this would enable idealizations to directly contribute to science's epistemic success. I also use the fact of widespread idealization to motivate the idea that science's wide variety aims, epistemic and non-epistemic, are best served by different kinds of scientific products. Finally, I show how these diverse aims—most rather distant from truth—result in the expanded influence of social values on science.
The Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM): Studying the geophysics of small binaries, measuring asteroid deflection and studying impact physics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kueppers, Michael; Michel, Patrick; AIM Team
Binary asteroids and their formation mechanisms are of particular interest for understanding the evolution of the small bodies in the solar system. Also, hazards to Earth from impact of near-Earth asteroids and their mitigation have drawn considerable interest over the last decades.Those subjects are both addressed by ESA's Asteroid Impact mission, which is part of the Asteroid Impact & Deflection Assessment (AIDA) currently under study in collaboration between NASA and ESA. NASA's DART mission will impact a projectile into the minor component of the binary near-Earth asteroid (65803) Didymos in 2022. The basic idea is to demonstrate the effect of the impact on the orbital period of the secondary around the primary. ESA's AIM will monitor the Didymos system for several months around the DART impact time.AIM will be launched in aurumn 2020. It is foreseen to arrive at Didymos in April 2022. The mission takes advantage of a close approach of Didymos to Earth. The next opportunity would arise in 2040 only.AIM will stay near Didymos for approximately 6 months. Most of the time it will be placed on the illuminated side of the system, at distances of approximately 35 km and 10 km. AIM is expected to move away from Didymos for some time around the DART impact.The reference payload for AIM includes two visual imagers, a hyperspectral camera, a lidar, a thermal infrared imager, a monostatic high frequency radar, and a bistatic low frequency radar. In addition, AIM will deploy a small lander on the secondary asteroid, and two cubesats that will be used for additional, more risky investigations close to or on the surface of the asteroid.Major contributions from AIM are expected in the study of the geophysics of small asteroids (including for the first time, radar measurements of an interior structure), the formation of binary asteroids, the momentum enhancement factor from the DART impact (through measuring the mass and the change of orbit of the seondary), and impact physics
New Seismic Hazard study in Spain Aimed at the revision of the Spanish Building Code
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rivas-Medina, A.; Benito, B.; Cabañas, L.; Martínez-Solares, J. M.; Ruíz, S.; Gaspar-Escribano, J. M.; Carreño, E.; Crespo, M.; García-Mayordomo, J.
In this paper we present a global overview of the recent study carried out in Spain for the new hazard map, which final goal is the revision of the Building Code in our country (NCSE-02). The study was carried our for a working group joining experts from The Instituto Geografico Nacional (IGN) and the Technical University of Madrid (UPM) , being the different phases of the work supervised by an expert Committee integrated by national experts from public institutions involved in subject of seismic hazard. The PSHA method (Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Assessment) has been followed, quantifying the epistemic uncertainties through a logic tree and the aleatory ones linked to variability of parameters by means of probability density functions and Monte Carlo simulations. In a first phase, the inputs have been prepared, which essentially are: 1) a project catalogue update and homogenization at Mw 2) proposal of zoning models and source characterization 3) calibration of Ground Motion Prediction Equations (GMPE's) with actual data and development of a local model with data collected in Spain for Mw < 5.5. In a second phase, a sensitivity analysis of the different input options on hazard results has been carried out in order to have criteria for defining the branches of the logic tree and their weights. Finally, the hazard estimation was done with the logic tree shown in figure 1, including nodes for quantifying uncertainties corresponding to: 1) method for estimation of hazard (zoning and zoneless); 2) zoning models, 3) GMPE combinations used and 4) regression method for estimation of source parameters. In addition, the aleatory uncertainties corresponding to the magnitude of the events, recurrence parameters and maximum magnitude for each zone have been also considered including probability density functions and Monte Carlo simulations The main conclusions of the study are presented here, together with the obtained results in terms of PGA and other spectral accelerations
Aiming for the ideal synthesis.
Gaich, Tanja; Baran, Phil S
The field of total synthesis has a rich history and a vibrant future. Landmark advances and revolutionary strides in the logic of synthesis have put the practicing chemist in the enviable position of being able to create nearly any molecule with enough time and effort. The stage is now set for organic chemists to aim for "ideality" in the way molecules are synthesized. This perspective presents a simple and informative definition of "ideality" and demonstrates its use during the self-evaluation of several syntheses from our laboratory.
Aims in Music Education: A Conceptual Study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koopman, Constantijn
Explores the concept of aims in music education through investigating the ideas of four philosophers: Wolfgang Brezinka, Richard S. Peters, Bennett Reimer, and David Elliott. Inquires into the empirical and logical aspects of aims and clarifies the relationships between "musical behaviors." Concludes by discussing the relevance of conceptual…
A Comparative Investigation of the Previous and New Secondary History Curriculum: The Issues of the Definition of the Aims and Objectives and the Selection of Curriculum Content
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dinc, Erkan
Discussions on history teaching in Turkey indicate that the previous versions of the history curriculum and the pedagogy of history in the country bear many problems and deficiencies. The problems of Turkish history curriculum mainly arise from the perspectives it takes and the selection of its content. Since 2003, there have been extensive…
A Comparative Study of Attitudes to the Aims of Practical Work in Science Education in Egypt, Korea and the UK.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Swain, Julian; Monk, Martin; Johnson, Sally
Reports on a comparative study of attitudes toward the aims of practical work given by science teachers from Egypt, Korea, and the United Kingdom. Finds that all three groups express a common attitude towards the aims of practical work that reflect an acknowledgement of the methods by which scientists make new knowledge. Contains 42 references.…
The use of HIV-1 integration site analysis information in clinical studies aiming at HIV cure.
Kiselinova, Maja; De Spiegelaere, Ward; Vandekerckhove, Linos
The mechanisms for the establishment and the persistence of the latent HIV-1 reservoir remain to be completely defined. HIV-1 infection is characterised by the integration of the reverse transcribed proviral DNA into the host's genome. This integrated proviral DNA can remain replication silent, but a small part of it is fully competent to restart viral replication when treatment is interrupted. Hence, this replication-competent provirus is the cause of viral rebound and is called the viral reservoir. The exact site of proviral integration within the host's cellular chromosome may affect the transcriptional activity of HIV. Thanks to recent technological advances, HIV-1 integration site analysis has been used to assess HIV-1 reservoirs in HIV-infected individuals. Analysis of HIV-1 integration sites in infected individuals undergoing suppressive ART led to identification of expanded clonal cell populations, indicating that clonal proliferation of the proviral reservoir may contribute to the long-term persistence of viral reservoirs. Here we describe the findings of several clinical studies, where a comprehensive HIV-1 integration site analysis was performed.
Aiming at the hydrogen economy
Not Available
The common approach to producing hydrogen has been to strip the gas from hydrocarbon fuels. Most hydrogen is made from natural gas by steam catalytic reforming. In this process, steam reacts with the gas to produce the hydrogen. Another available source of hydrogen is coal, the original source of town gas in the nineteenth century. Coal is made to react with steam to produce carbon monoxide and hydrogen. However, the process of extracting hydrogen from fossil fuels is still too expensive to compete with oil as it is priced in today's market. Various EEC countries, particularly France and Germany, are experimenting with improved electrolysis in which catalysts make the electrodes more efficient. And several futuristic methods of obtaining hydrogen are being tried. They include the use of solar energy to produce electricity that would then be used to produce hydrogen. Upgraded and safe nuclear plants also could produce the heat necessary to obtain hydrogen.
A 3-Month Jump-Landing Training Program: A Feasibility Study Using the RE-AIM Framework
Aerts, Inne; Cumps, Elke; Verhagen, Evert; Mathieu, Niels; Van Schuerbeeck, Sander; Meeusen, Romain
Context: Evaluating the translatability and feasibility of an intervention program has become as important as determining the effectiveness of the intervention. Objective: To evaluate the applicability of a 3-month jump-landing training program in basketball players, using the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Setting: National and regional basketball teams. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-four teams of the second highest national division and regional basketball divisions in Flanders, Belgium, were randomly assigned (1:1) to a control group and intervention group. A total of 243 athletes (control group = 129, intervention group = 114), ages 15 to 41 years, volunteered. Intervention(s): All exercises in the intervention program followed a progressive development, emphasizing lower extremity alignment during jump-landing activities. Main Outcome Measure(s): The results of the process evaluation of the intervention program were based on the 5 dimensions of the RE-AIM framework. The injury incidence density, hazard ratios, and 95% confidence intervals were determined. Results: The participation rate of the total sample was 100% (reach). The hazard ratio was different between the intervention group and the control group (0.40 [95% confidence interval = 0.16, 0.99]; effectiveness). Of the 12 teams in the intervention group, 8 teams (66.7%) agreed to participate in the study (adoption). Eight of the participating coaches (66.7%) felt positively about the intervention program and stated that they had implemented the training sessions of the program as intended (implementation). All coaches except 1 (87.5%) intended to continue the intervention program the next season (maintenance). Conclusions: Compliance of the coaches in this coach-supervised jump-landing training program was high. In addition, the program was effective in preventing lower extremity injuries. PMID:23675788
Grid-based precision aim system and method for disrupting suspect objects
Gladwell, Thomas Scott; Garretson, Justin; Hobart, Clinton G.; Monda, Mark J.
A system and method for disrupting at least one component of a suspect object is provided. The system has a source for passing radiation through the suspect object, a grid board positionable adjacent the suspect object (the grid board having a plurality of grid areas, the radiation from the source passing through the grid board), a screen for receiving the radiation passing through the suspect object and generating at least one image, a weapon for deploying a discharge, and a targeting unit for displaying the image of the suspect object and aiming the weapon according to a disruption point on the displayed image and deploying the discharge into the suspect object to disable the suspect object.
Benchmarking Investments in Advancement: Results of the Inaugural CASE Advancement Investment Metrics Study (AIMS). CASE White Paper
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kroll, Juidith A.
The inaugural Advancement Investment Metrics Study, or AIMS, benchmarked investments and staffing in each of the advancement disciplines (advancement services, alumni relations, communications and marketing, fundraising and advancement management) as well as the return on the investment in fundraising specifically. This white paper reports on the…
Study Protocol - Accurate assessment of kidney function in Indigenous Australians: aims and methods of the eGFR Study
Background There is an overwhelming burden of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and chronic kidney disease among Indigenous Australians. In this high risk population, it is vital that we are able to measure accurately kidney function. Glomerular filtration rate is the best overall marker of kidney function. However, differences in body build and body composition between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians suggest that creatinine-based estimates of glomerular filtration rate derived for European populations may not be appropriate for Indigenous Australians. The burden of kidney disease is borne disproportionately by Indigenous Australians in central and northern Australia, and there is significant heterogeneity in body build and composition within and amongst these groups. This heterogeneity might differentially affect the accuracy of estimation of glomerular filtration rate between different Indigenous groups. By assessing kidney function in Indigenous Australians from Northern Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, we aim to determine a validated and practical measure of glomerular filtration rate suitable for use in all Indigenous Australians. Methods/Design A cross-sectional study of Indigenous Australian adults (target n = 600, 50% male) across 4 sites: Top End, Northern Territory; Central Australia; Far North Queensland and Western Australia. The reference measure of glomerular filtration rate was the plasma disappearance rate of iohexol over 4 hours. We will compare the accuracy of the following glomerular filtration rate measures with the reference measure: Modification of Diet in Renal Disease 4-variable formula, Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equation, Cockcroft-Gault formula and cystatin C- derived estimates. Detailed assessment of body build and composition was performed using anthropometric measurements, skinfold thicknesses, bioelectrical impedance and a sub-study used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. A
What Are We Aiming For?--A Delphi Study on the Development of Civic Scientific Literacy in Sweden
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chang Rundgren, Shu-Nu; Rundgren, Carl-Johan
Based on the EU FP 7 project, PROFILES, this article presents our findings from a three-round Delphi study conducted in Sweden that aimed at establishing a consensus on how science education should be developed for citizens to enhance civic scientific literacy. A total of 100 stakeholders (9th graders, school teachers, scientists, and science…
Studies Spotlight Charter Schools Aimed at Diversity
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Zubrzycki, Jaclyn
Nearly six decades after "Brown" v. "Board of Education," the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that ushered in an era of efforts to integrate public schools, charter school advocates and researchers are shining a light on a number of those independent public schools that are integrated by design. Two new reports--one from…
Study of the U/Am separation with supported calix[6]arene in the aim of urinary actinides analysis.
Poriel, L; Boulet, B; Cossonnet, C; Bouvier-Capely, C
The aim of this work is to propose an alternative radiochemical procedure for the analysis of U, Pu and Am in urine, which is one of the controls used to monitor workers exposed to risk of internal contamination with actinides. Previous studies have demonstrated the extraction efficiency of these molecules towards uranium and plutonium, the affinity of calix[6]arenes bearing hydroxamic acid groups (LHH3) and carboxylic groups (LCH3) towards americium were studied in this paper by solvent extraction. The results showed that LHH3 and LCH3 have a very good affinity for americium and enhance the possibility of separating Pu from U and Am. Experiments were performed to perfect the separation of U/Am. The immobilisation of these calixarenes on polymer supports was also investigated for routine applications. Supported calixarenes LCH3 and LHH3 presented the same performances as those obtained in a liquid-liquid system and, hence, are a promising system for the analysis of actinides. These molecules and their uses have been protected (patent pending).
Educational Objectives and Academic Performance in Higher Education. Volume 1. Prediction of Academic Performance. Volume 2. Aims and Objectives.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Entwistle, Noel J.; And Others
Volume 1 discusses a large-scale follow-up study of the correlates of academic success in 2,595 college students. Volume 2 presents a philosophical and historical approach to studying educational objectives. (Available in microfiche from: Carfax Publishing Company, Haddon House, Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxford 0X9 8JZ, England.) (CP)
Reconceptualising public acceptability: A study of the ways people respond to policies aimed to reduce alcohol consumption
Cohn, Simon
The issue of public acceptability of health policies is key if they are to have significant and lasting impact. This study, based on focus groups conducted in England, examines the ways people responded to, and made sense of, policy ideas aimed at reducing alcohol consumption. Although effective policies were supported in the abstract, specific proposals were consistently rejected because they were not thought to map onto the fundamental causes of excessive drinking, which was not attributed to alcohol itself but instead its cultural context. Rather than being influenced by the credibility of evidence, or assessed according to likely gains set against possible losses, such responses were established dynamically as people interacted with others to make sense of the topic. This has significant implications for policy-makers, suggesting that existing beliefs and knowledge need to be taken into account as potentially productive rather than obstructive resources. PMID:25769693
Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
The overall goal of the Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) experiment is to resolve why Polar Mesospheric Clouds form and why they vary. By measuring PMCs and the thermal, chemical and dynamical environment in which they form, we will quanti@ the connection between these clouds and the meteorology of the polar mesosphere. In the end, this will provide the basis for study of long-term variability in the mesospheric climate and its relationship to global change. The results of AIM will be a rigorous validation of predictive models that can reliably use past PMC changes and present trends as indicators of global change. The AIM goal will be achieved by measuring PMC extinction, brightness, spatial distribution, particle size distributions, gravity wave activity, dust influx to the atmosphere and precise, vertical profile measurements of temperature, H20, C&, 0 3 , C02, NO. and aerosols. These data can only be obtained by a complement of instruments on an orbiting spacecraft (S/C).
The Effectiveness of an Innovative Intervention Aimed at Reducing Binge Drinking among Young People: Results from a Pilot Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Coleman, Lester; Ramm, Josephine; Cooke, Richard
Aims: To assess the effectiveness of a digital-story intervention (short videos made by young people) seeking to reduce the prevalence of young people's binge drinking in Caerphilly. Method: A quasi-experimental design was adopted with three intervention sites and one control site providing the sample (mainly aged 14-15 years). Three rounds of…
Towards Formulating Goals, Aims, and Objectives of Secondary Education for the Twenty-First Century. Final Report of a Regional Seminar on Goals, Aims and Objectives of Secondary Education in Asia and the Pacific (Tokyo, Japan, October 16-31, 1991).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
National Inst. for Educational Research, Tokyo (Japan).
A regional seminar examined and defined the goals of secondary education in countries of the Asia and Pacific region seminar; it also analyzed causes for changes in secondary education goals and emerging trends. A total of 20 participants from the following countries--Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Nepal, New…
Animated View of the AIM Mission
The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission will provide the first detailed exploration of Earth's unique and elusive noctilucent or night shining clouds that are found literally on the "ed...
Assessment of mycotoxin exposure in the Belgian population using biomarkers: aim, design and methods of the BIOMYCO study.
Heyndrickx, Ellen; Sioen, Isabelle; Bellemans, Mia; De Maeyer, Mieke; Callebaut, Alfons; De Henauw, Stefaan; De Saeger, Sarah
Mycotoxins are harmful food contaminants. Currently, human exposure assessment to these toxins is often based on calculations combining mycotoxin occurrence data in food with population data on food consumption. Because of limitations inherent to that approach, biomarkers have been proposed as a suitable alternative whereby a more accurate assessment of exposure at the individual level can be performed. The BIOMYCO study is designed to assess human mycotoxin exposure using urinary biomarkers of exposure. Over the different seasons of 2013 and 2014, morning urine is gathered in a representative part of the Belgian population according to a designed study protocol, whereby 140 children (3-12 years old) and 278 adults (19-65 years old) are selected based on random cluster sampling stratified for sex, age and geographical areas. Every participant completes a food frequency questionnaire to assess the consumption of relevant foodstuffs (n = 43) of both the day before the urine collection and the previous month. Validated multi-toxin LC-MS/MS methods are used to analyse aflatoxins, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, trichothecenes, zearalenone and their metabolites in morning urine. The study protocol is approved by the ethical committee of the Ghent University Hospital. Within this paper, study design and methods are described. The BIOMYCO study is the first study whereby a multi-toxin approach is applied for mycotoxin exposure assessment in adults and children on a large scale. Moreover, it is the first study that will describe the exposure to an elaborated set of mycotoxins in the Belgian population. In first instance, descriptive analysis will be performed, describing the exposure to mycotoxins for the child and adult group. Exposure of different subgroups will be compared. Furthermore, correlations between the mycotoxin concentrations measured and the food consumption reported will be estimated to explore whether the mycotoxin exposure could be explained by the consumption
Interactive web visualization tools to the results interpretation of a seismic risk study aimed at the emergency levels definition
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rivas-Medina, A.; Gutierrez, V.; Gaspar-Escribano, J. M.; Benito, B.
Results of a seismic risk assessment study are often applied and interpreted by users unspecialised on the topic or lacking a scientific background. In this context, the availability of tools that help translating essentially scientific contents to broader audiences (such as decision makers or civil defence officials) as well as representing and managing results in a user-friendly fashion, are on indubitable value. On of such tools is the visualization tool VISOR-RISNA, a web tool developed within the RISNA project (financed by the Emergency Agency of Navarre, Spain) for regional seismic risk assessment of Navarre and the subsequent development of emergency plans. The RISNA study included seismic hazard evaluation, geotechnical characterization of soils, incorporation of site effects to expected ground motions, vulnerability distribution assessment and estimation of expected damage distributions for a 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years. The main goal of RISNA was the identification of higher risk area where focusing detailed, local-scale risk studies in the future and the corresponding urban emergency plans. A geographic information system was used to combine different information layers, generate tables of results and represent maps with partial and final results. The visualization tool VISOR-RISNA is intended to facilitate the interpretation and representation of the collection of results, with the ultimate purpose of defining actuation plans. A number of criteria for defining actuation priorities are proposed in this work. They are based on combinations of risk parameters resulting from the risk study (such as expected ground motion and damage and exposed population), as determined by risk assessment specialists. Although the values that these parameters take are a result of the risk study, their distribution in several classes depends on the intervals defined by decision takers or civil defense officials. These criteria provide a ranking of
Objectives of Financial Statements. Report of the Study Group on the Objectives of Financial Statements.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
American Inst. of Certified Public Accountants, New York, NY.
This report discusses the objectives of financial statements. Emphasis is placed on the function of objectives; users, their goals, and their information needs; the primary enterprise goal and earning power; accountability and financial statements; financial statements--reporting on the goal attainment of business enterprises; financial…
Mechanistic studies aimed at the development of single site metal alkoxide catalysts for the production of polyoxygenates from renewable resources.
Chisholm, Malcolm H.
The work proposed herein follows on directly from the existing 3 year grant and the request for funding is for 12 months to allow completion of this work and graduation of current students supported by DOE. The three primary projects are as follows. 1.) A comparative study of the reactivity of LMg(OR) (solvent), where L= a β-diiminate or pyrromethene ligand, in the ring-opening of cyclic esters. 2.) The homopolymerization of expoxides, particularly propylene oxide and styrene oxide, and their copolymerizations with carbon dioxide or organic anhydrides to yield polycarbonates or polyesters, respectively. 3.) The development of well-defined bismuth (III) complexes for ring-opening polymerizations that are tolerant of both air and water. In each of these topics special emphasis is placed on developing a detailed mechanistic understanding of the ring-opening event and how this is modified by the employment of specific metal and ligand combinations. This document also provides a report on findings of the past grant period that are not yet in the public domain/published and shows how the proposed work will bring the original project to conclusion.
Aiming for the Singing Teacher: An Applied Study on Preservice Kindergarten Teachers' Singing Skills Development within a Music Methods Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Neokleous, Rania
This study examined the effects of a music methods course offered at a Cypriot university on the singing skills of 33 female preservice kindergarten teachers. To systematically measure and analyze student progress, the research design was both experimental and descriptive. As an applied study which was carried out "in situ," the normal…
Fire First, Aim Later: A Qualitative Meta-Analytic Study of the Assessment Methods of Professional Learning Communities
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lopez Flores, Emily
Research has been conducted to identify and analyze how schools are determining that the activities of their Professional Learning Community (PLC) are directly tied to student achievement as there is currently a gap in the existing literature with regards to this topic. For the purpose of this study, a "successful" PLC was defined as one…
Researchers Weigh Benefits of One Computer per Lap: Studies Aim to Determine the Impact the Technology Has on Student Learning
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Borja, Rhea R.
Almost one-quarter of school districts nationwide and nine states have invested millions of dollars in "one-to-one" laptop programs, hoping the availability of a computer for every student will improve achievement and other skills. They made those investments despite the fact that research on the impact of such technology on student achievement is…
Impact of proton transfer phenomena on the electronic structure of model Schiff bases: An AIM/NBO/ELF study
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Panek, Jarosław J.; Filarowski, Aleksander; Jezierska-Mazzarello, Aneta
Understanding of the electronic structure evolution due to a proton dynamics is a key issue in biochemistry and material science. This paper reports on density functional theory calculations of Schiff bases containing short, strong intramolecular hydrogen bonds where the bridged proton is located: (i) at the donor site, (ii) strongly delocalized, and (iii) at the acceptor site. The mobility of the bridged proton and its influence on the molecular structure and properties of the chosen Schiff base derivatives have been investigated on the basis of Atoms in Molecules, Natural Bond Orbitals, and Electron Localization Function theories. It has been observed that the extent of the bridged proton delocalization is strongly modified by the steric and inductive effects present in the studied compounds introduced by various substituents. It has been shown that: (i) potential energy profiles for the proton motion are extremely dependent on the substitution of the aromatic ring, (ii) the topology of the free electron pairs present at the donor/acceptor site, as well as their electron populations, are affected qualitatively by the bridged proton position, (iii) the distortion of the molecular structure due to the bridged proton dynamics includes the atomic charge fluctuations, which are in some cases non-monotonic, and (iv) topology of the ELF recognizes events of proton detachment from the donor and attachment to the acceptor. The quantitative and qualitative results shed light onto molecular consequences of the proton transfer phenomena.
Theory of Knowledge Aims, Objectives and Assessment Criteria: An Analysis of Critical Thinking Descriptors
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hughes, Conrad
This article analyses the construct validity of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme's Theory of Knowledge course in the light of claims that it is a course in critical thinking. After discussion around critical thinking--what it is and why it is valuable educationally--the article analyses the extent to which the course aims,…
A radio-frequency system for in vivo pilot experiments aimed at the studies on biological effects of electromagnetic fields.
Ardoino, Lucia; Lopresto, Vanni; Mancini, Sergio; Marino, Carmela; Pinto, Rosanna; Lovisolo, Giorgio A
An exposure system consisting of two long transversal electromagnetic (TEM) cells, operating at a frequency of 900 MHz, is presented and discussed. The set-up allows simultaneous exposure of a significant number of animals (up to 12 mice per cell) in a blind way to a uniform plane wave at a frequency of 900 MHz, for investigating possible biological effects of exposure to electromagnetic fields produced by wireless communication systems. A heating/refrigerating system has also been designed for maintaining comfortable environmental conditions within the TEM cells during experiments. An accurate dosimetric study has been performed both numerically and by means of direct measurements on phantoms and living mice. The results have shown that good homogeneity of exposure and adequate power efficiency, in terms of whole-body specific absorption rate (SAR) per 1 W of input power, are achievable for the biological target.
[The tasks and aims of prevention].
Melino, C; Melino, G; Azzaro, G P
The purpose of the above note was to offer an overall view of preventive medicine the fundamental object of which is the safeguard of the state of health before the manifestation of disease. Prevention is therefore closely related to epidemiology which looks for causes and identifies risk factors. These tasks must be performed with constant effort and tenacity on the one hand by the state via the necessary public health organizations (personnel, facilities, programming), and on the other by the community as well as by the individual citizen who, being the user and driving force, must take advantage of the benefits and at the same time work for better results through changes in his own behavior and lifestyle.
The aims and accomplishments of comparative psychology.
Lickliter, Robert
Greenberg, Partridge, Weiss, and Pisula propose a new perspective of comparative psychology, based in large part on an anagenetic and dynamic systems approach to the development and evolution of behavior. Their view appreciates the probabilistic nature of behavioral development and promotes the value of an integrative levels concept for generating testable hypothesis regarding the complex relationship between biology, context, and developmental history underlying behavioral and psychological functioning. However, the authors fail to represent the full scope of contemporary comparative psychology by overlooking several core aims of the field, including (a) the use of animal models to shed light on human behavior and development and (b) understanding the role of behavior as a leading edge in the evolutionary process.
Work, the Aims of Life and the Aims of Education: A Reply to Clarke and Mearman
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Winch, Christopher
The main points made by Clarke and Mearman about Winch's article, 'The Economic Aims of Education,' are taken up and discussed. My argument is that work is not necessarily a disutility, although paid employment can be when it is undertaken in conditions that are not fulfilling. Life aims are not the same as educational aims, although educational…
Primarily Plants, A Plant Study for K-3. Project AIMS.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hoover, Evalyn; Mercier, Sheryl
Project AIMS (Activities to Integrate Mathematics and Science) has as its purpose the integration of subject matter in grades K-9. Field testing of the curriculum materials produced by AIMS indicates that this interpretation produces the following beneficial results: (1) mathematics becomes more meaningful, hence more useful; (2) science is…
The functional neuroanatomy of object agnosia: a case study.
Konen, Christina S; Behrmann, Marlene; Nishimura, Mayu; Kastner, Sabine
Cortical reorganization of visual and object representations following neural injury was examined using fMRI and behavioral investigations. We probed the visual responsivity of the ventral visual cortex of an agnosic patient who was impaired at object recognition following a lesion to the right lateral fusiform gyrus. In both hemispheres, retinotopic mapping revealed typical topographic organization and visual activation of early visual cortex. However, visual responses, object-related, and -selective responses were reduced in regions immediately surrounding the lesion in the right hemisphere, and also, surprisingly, in corresponding locations in the structurally intact left hemisphere. In contrast, hV4 of the right hemisphere showed expanded response properties. These findings indicate that the right lateral fusiform gyrus is critically involved in object recognition and that an impairment to this region has widespread consequences for remote parts of cortex. Finally, functional neural plasticity is possible even when a cortical lesion is sustained in adulthood.
Learning Objects in the Study of Mathematical Topics
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Macedo, Josué Antunes de; Nunes, Taise Costa de Souza; Voelzke, Marcos Rincon
This work is the result of a survey that aimed to produce Applets(animations) using the GeoGebra software applied to the study of trigonometric functions. We opted for the choice of this software, because of its easy usability, have nice interface and is very didactic, allowing the realization of a simple graphic to complex constructions. The choice of the contents of trigonometric functions, was due to the concern of many students want to learn the appropriate behavior involving these functions, because in practice beyond the calculations, the students require two-dimensional images to construct the graphics, Therefore, the use of the GeoGebra software can assist in building and viewing these charts. We used a metodology qualiquantitative to collection and data analysis, based on the application of questionnaires and observations having as use of didactic engineering for the formulation of didactic sequences. To the application of this methodology, a minicurs was given, with twenty hours, to the Mathematic and Physic students at the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology in the North of Minas Gerais (IFNMG), Campus Januária. The results were found satisfactory, since the use of GeoGebra software provided a significant learning for the academics.
Another Look at the Aims of Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
DeCiccio, Al
The author was able to hear Stanley Fish speak at the annual meeting of the Association of American Colleges and Universities in January 2004. Fish, a literary critic, had become dean of arts and sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC)--a position he has now vacated. Fish has published widely, usually upholding the ideals of our…
Ready, Fire, Aim: The College Campus Gunfight
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Birnbaum, Robert
Twenty-three State legislatures in 2011 considered bills to permit the carrying of firearms at their public institutions of higher education, and some public colleges in at least six states now allow weapons on college grounds or in college buildings. The lawful possession of guns on campus is a recent and limited phenomenon, but decisions by the…
A prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter study of the effects of irbesartan on aortic dilatation in Marfan syndrome (AIMS trial): study protocol
Background Cardiovascular complications are the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in Marfan syndrome (MFS), a dominantly inherited disorder caused by mutations in the gene that encodes fibrillin-1. There are approximately 18,000 patients in the UK with MFS. Current treatment includes careful follow-up, beta blockers, and prophylactic surgical intervention; however, there is no known treatment which effectively prevents the rate of aortic dilatation in MFS. Preclinical, neonatal, and pediatric studies have indicated that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may reduce the rate of aortic dilatation. This trial will investigate the effects of irbesartan on aortic dilatation in Marfan syndrome. Methods/Design The Aortic Irbesartan Marfan Study (AIMS) is an investigator-led, prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase III, multicenter trial. Currently, 26 centers in the UK will recruit 490 clinically confirmed MFS patients (aged ≥6 to ≤40 years) using the revised Ghent diagnostic criteria. Patients will be randomized to irbesartan or placebo. Aortic root dilatation will be measured by transthoracic echocardiography at baseline and annually thereafter. The primary outcome is the absolute change in aortic root diameter per year measured by echocardiography. The follow-up period will be a minimum of 36 months with an expected mean follow-up period of 48 months. Discussion This is the first clinical trial to evaluate the ARB irbesartan versus placebo in reducing the rate of aortic root dilatation in MFS. Not only will this provide useful information on the safety and efficacy of ARBs in MFS, it will also provide a rationale basis for potentially lifesaving therapy for MFS patients. Trial registration ISRCTN, 90011794 PMID:24289736
An Exploratory Study Investigating the Impact of a University Module That Aims to Challenge Students' Perspectives on Ageing and Older Adults
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Alison
This study aimed to assess if a module on an undergraduate degree programme had challenged students' perspectives on ageing and older adults. Courses on gerontology are on the increase within the UK to support increasingly ageing populations, with agendas to promote ethical care and to challenge the incidence of elderly abuse. Research…
A Study of Impact and Effectiveness of the Comprehensive Manpower Project of Cleveland (AIM-JOBS). Vol 1, Summary Vol 2, Technical Report. Vol 3, Appendices.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Allerhand, Melvin F.; And Others
This study investigated AIM-JOBS effectiveness in placing disadvantaged, unemployed Cleveland, Ohio, adults and youth in meaningful jobs; ways in which it might improve its effectiveness; and implications of the first 18 months for other comprehensive employment programs. Data on the 1,865 participants were gathered at the beginning and end of…
Operational Design and Convergent Threats: A Comparison Case Study of Plan Colombia and Afghanistan Aimed to Enhance the Fight Against Narcotic-Funded Insurgencies
Monograph JUN 2011- MAY 2012 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Operational Design and Convergent Threats: A Comparison Case Study of...in the strength government that enforces the law , provides services, and uphold the social contract established by people and their government. The...Operational Design and Convergent Threats: A Comparison Case Study of Plan Colombia and Afghanistan Aimed to Enhance the Fight against Narcotic
Experimental stand for studying the impact of laser-accelerated protons on biological objects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Burdonov, K. F.; Eremeev, A. A.; Ignatova, N. I.; Osmanov, R. R.; Sladkov, A. D.; Soloviev, A. A.; Starodubtsev, M. V.; Ginzburg, V. N.; Kuz'min, A. A.; Maslennikova, A. V.; Revet, G.; Sergeev, A. M.; Fuchs, J.; Khazanov, E. A.; Chen, S.; Shaykin, A. A.; Shaikin, I. A.; Yakovlev, I. V.
An original experimental stand is presented, aimed at studying the impact of high-energy protons, produced by the laser-plasma interaction at a petawatt power level, on biological objects. In the course of pilot experiments with the energy of laser-accelerated protons up to 25 MeV, the possibility is demonstrated of transferring doses up to 10 Gy to the object of study in a single shot with the magnetic separation of protons from parasitic X-ray radiation and fast electrons. The technique of irradiating the cell culture HeLa Kyoto and measuring the fraction of survived cells is developed. The ways of optimising the parameters of proton beams and the suitable methods of their separation with respect to energy and transporting to the studied living objects are discussed. The construction of the stand is intended for the improvement of laser technologies for hadron therapy of malignant neoplasms.
DFT and AIM studies of intramolecular hydrogen bonds in dicoumarols
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Trendafilova, Natasha; Bauer, Günther; Mihaylov, Tzvetan
Density functional calculations with Becke's three parameter hybrid method using the correlation functional of Lee, Yang and Parr (B3LYP) were carried out for 3,3 '-benzylidenebis(4-hydroxycoumarin) (phenyldicoumarol, PhDC), 3,3 '-methylenebis(4-hydroxycoumarin) (dicoumarol, DC) and the parent compound, 4-hydroxycoumarin (4-HC). Different basis sets were tested in the course of the calculations: 6-31G*, 6-31+G** and 6-311G*. In full agreement with available X-ray data, B3LYP/6-31G* calculations of the lowest-energy conformer, PhDC showed two O-H⋯O asymmetrical intramolecular hydrogen bonds with O⋯O distances 2.638 and 2.696 Å. The HB energies in PhDC were estimated of -55.46 and -52.32 kJ/mol, respectively. The values obtained correlated with the calculated and experimental O⋯O distances and predicted difference in the hydrogen bonding strengths in PhDC. The total HB energy in PhDC was calculated of -107.73 kJ/mol. At the same level of theory, both O⋯O intramolecular distances in DC were calculated identical (2.696 Å) and thus two symmetrical hydrogen bondings were obtained. The single HB strength was estimated of -50.89 kJ/mol and the total one of -101.79 kJ/mol. The electron density ( ρb) and Laplacian (∇ 2ρb) properties, estimated by AIM calculations, showed that both O⋯H bonds have low ρb and positive ∇ 2ρb values (consistent with electrostatic character of the HBs), whereas both O-H bonds have covalent character (∇ 2ρb<0). Natural population analysis data for PhDC, DC and 4-HC were used to predict electrostatic interactions in the exocyclic rings. The calculated oxygen natural charges were found to correlate with the O⋯O distances in PhDC and DC. On the basis of the calculated bond ellipticity, the π-delocalization in the exocyclic rings of PhDC and DC was estimated. The results thus obtained helped to describe the nature of the intramolecular O⋯H-O bonds and the forces driving their formation
Objectives, Design, and History of the National Longitudinal Study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Davis, J. A.; Collins, Elmer
The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) is a federally supported longitudinal study of a national sample of some 23,000 young people first surveyed as high school seniors in the spring of 1972. The historical precedents of such a study include the work of Friend and Haggert in a Boston settlement house, Louis…
Study Protocol – Diabetes and related conditions in urban Indigenous people in the Darwin, Australia region: aims, methods and participation in the DRUID Study
Cunningham, Joan; O'Dea, Kerin; Dunbar, Terry; Weeramanthri, Tarun; Zimmet, Paul; Shaw, Jonathan
Background Diabetes mellitus is a serious and increasing health problem in Australia and is a designated national health priority. Diabetes and related conditions represent an even greater health burden among Indigenous Australians (Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders), but there are critical gaps in knowledge relating to the incidence and prevalence, aetiology, and prevention of diabetes in this group, including a lack of information on the burden of disease among Indigenous people in urban areas. The DRUID Study (Diabetes and Related conditions in Urban Indigenous people in the Darwin region) was designed to address this knowledge gap. Methods/design The study was conducted in a specified geographic area in and around Darwin, Australia. Eligible participants underwent a health examination, including collection of blood and urine samples, clinical and anthropometric measurements, and administration of questionnaires, with an additional assessment for people with diabetes. The study was designed to incorporate local Indigenous leadership, facilitate community engagement, and provide employment and training opportunities for local Indigenous people. A variety of recruitment methods were used. A total of 1,004 eligible people gave consent and provided at least one measurement. When compared with census data for the Indigenous population living in the study area, there was a marked under-representation of males, but no substantial differences in age, place of residence, Indigenous group, or household income. Early participants were more likely than later participants to have previously diagnosed diabetes. Discussion Despite lower than anticipated recruitment, this is, to our knowledge, the largest study ever conducted on the health of Indigenous Australians living in urban areas, a group which comprises the majority of Australia's Indigenous population but about whose health and wellbeing relatively little is known. The study is well-placed to provide new
An objective reference system for studying rings in the ocean
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Castelão, Guilherme P.; Irber, Luiz C.; Villas Boas, Ana B. M.
Rings are marine vortices with a scale of hundreds of kilometers that can last for months, whose associated transport and mixing play an important role in the ocean dynamics. Such features are traditionally treated as a geostrophic flow, but since the centrifugal acceleration is not negligible in the inner core, the cyclo-geostrophic balance is a better approximation for the rings. In the present work, we describe a novel objective technique to identify the ring center, which is used as the origin of a convenient framework to handle rings under the cyclo-geostrophic balance. Furthermore, we correct the velocity field by the translation to isolate the swirl movement, a procedure ignored by other methodologies. We show that the lack of such correction would lead to an error of 30 km on the center definition of a ship surveyed North Brazil Current Ring with 160 km of radius. Another distinct characteristic of our approach is the flexibility in the spatio-temporal structure of the data, because it allows for ungridded data, an important ability for in situ observations. That also enables the use of a hybrid dataset composed from different instruments. The error on the Monte Carlo experiments to identify the center of the propagating ring is less than 10 km, and depends on the level of noise, sampling strategy, and strength of the ring, among other factors. This technique was fully implemented in PyRings, an open Python library with a collection of procedures to handle oceanic rings and mesoscale eddies in general.
Satellite mission Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) partners with formal and informal education programs to study clouds on the edge of space
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Robinson, D. Q.; Maggi, B. H.
The satellite-based research mission "Aeronomy of Ice In the Mesosphere" (AIM), has developed an exciting partnership of formal and informal education programs that will connect students and the public to the unique scientific aspects of the mission. The AIM satellite mission is dedicated to providing a scientific basis for understanding why Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) form and vary. PMCs are sometimes known as Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs) or "night shinning" clouds because of their visibility at dawn and dusk. The visible manifestation of PMCs provides a unique opportunity for Education and Public Outreach. The AIM outreach programs will utilize the beautiful images of "clouds on the edge of space" as a tool to motivate students and the public to increase their knowledge and understanding about issues surrounding changes in our atmosphere. In an effort to provide formal and informal outreach opportunities worldwide, AIM has developed a partnership with the GLOBE program. GLOBE is a network of schools, science centers, and clubs from over 105 countries where participants collect scientific data according to precise protocols and enter the data into a central database allowing both scientists and students to utilize the data. The collaboration between AIM and GLOBE will involve participants in collecting and utilizing NLC data worldwide. This partnership will provide a mechanism for sustaining AIM education opportunities for both formal and informal education venues in the future. Included in the formal education component of AIM outreach is the implementation of two educator workshops that will establish partnerships between the mission and classrooms nationwide. The educator workshops will be held in Alaska due to the optimal location for viewing NLCs. Participants attending the workshops will be chosen from a national pool allowing teachers working with students in southern latitudes an opportunity to experience the excitement of working with data that can only
Overview of the TRO-pico campaign aiming at studying of the impact of convective overshooting on the stratospheric water budget: first highlights
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Rivière, Emmanuel; Pommereau, Jean-Pierre; Amarouche, Nadir; Khaykhin, Sergey; Ghysels, Melanie; Mappe-Fogaing, Irene; Stoeffler, Clara; Toledo-Tarasco, Daniel; Rannou, Pascal; Renard, Jean-Baptiste; Wienhold, Franck; Durry, Georges; Held, Gerhard
Two processes are competing in the control of water vapor concentration in the tropical stratosphere: i) The so-called cold trap that is the slow ascent of water vapour in the TTL followed by ice crystal freezing and sedimentation leading to the drying of air entering the stratosphere and ii) convective overshooting that injects ice crystals sublimating in the stratosphere, eventually followed by further condensation and sedimentation. In contrast with the large-scale cold trap mechanism, overshooting towers are small size, fast but relatively frequent processes. Even if the first is frequently thought to be the main process controlling the amount of water in the stratosphere, the importance of overshooting, highly dependent on the frequency of the events, is still unknown. The aim of the TRO-pico project, supported by the French ANR, is to characterize the variability and frequency of convective water injections, its contribution at the regional wet season timescale, and to improve the understanding of their role with respect to the cold trap at a wider scale. The project is based on a small balloon campaign that took place in Bauru (22.3°S) in S-E Brazil, in March 2012 and from November 2012 to March 2013 (most of the wet season) with a peak phase in January-February 2013 (during the most active convective season). The campaign involved a series of light weight payloads, including Pico-SDLA laser spectrometers (H2O, CO2 or CH4), a FLASH Lyman alpha hygrometer, a mini-SOAZ spectrometer for O3, NO2, H2O, COBALD and LOAC aerosol instruments, combined with ground based S-Band radar and an optical depth sensor so-called ODS, satellite observations from CALIPSO, MLS, and adequate modelling tools that is of all parameters sensitive to convective intensity. TRO-pico included a two time-scale campaign with a total of 37 balloon flights including 34 flights using H2O sensors in the flight train: i) a Six Month Observation Period (SMOP) covering to the full wet season
Objectives and Design of the Hemodialysis Fistula Maturation Study
Dember, Laura M.; Imrey, Peter B.; Beck, Gerald J.; Cheung, Alfred K.; Himmelfarb, Jonathan; Huber, Thomas S.; Kusek, John W.; Roy-Chaudhury, Prabir; Vazquez, Miguel A.; Alpers, Charles E.; Robbin, Michelle L.; Vita, Joseph A.; Greene, Tom; Gassman, Jennifer J.; Feldman, Harold I.
Background A large proportion of newly created arteriovenous fistulas cannot be used for dialysis because they fail to mature adequately to support the hemodialysis blood circuit. The Hemodialysis Fistula Maturation (HFM) Study was designed to elucidate clinical and biological factors associated with fistula maturation outcomes. Study Design Multicenter prospective cohort study. Setting & Participants Approximately 600 patients undergoing creation of a new hemodialysis fistula will be enrolled at 7 centers in the United States and followed up for as long as 4 years. Predictors Clinical, anatomical, biological, and process-of-care attributes identified pre-operatively, intra-operatively, or post-operatively. Outcomes The primary outcome is unassisted clinical maturation defined as successful use of the fistula for dialysis for four weeks without any maturation-enhancing procedures. Secondary outcomes include assisted clinical maturation, ultrasound-based anatomical maturation, fistula procedures, fistula abandonment, and central venous catheter use. Measurements Pre-operative ultrasound arterial and venous mapping, flow-mediated and nitroglycerin-mediated brachial artery dilation, arterial pulse wave velocity, and venous distensibility; intra-operative vein tissue collection for histopathological and molecular analyses; post-operative ultrasounds at 1 day, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, and prior to fistula intervention and initial cannulation. Results Assuming complete data, no covariate adjustment, and unassisted clinical maturation of 50%, there will be 80% power to detect ORs of 1.83 and 1.61 for dichotomous predictor variables with exposure prevalences of 20% and 50%, respectively. Limitations Exclusion of two-stage transposition fistulas limits generalizability. The requirement for study visits may result in a cohort that is healthier than the overall population of patients undergoing fistula creation. Conclusions The HFM Study will be of sufficient size and scope to 1
The United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study: objectives, materials and methods
An investigation into the possible causes of childhood cancer has been carried out throughout England, Scotland and Wales over the period 1991–1998. All children known to be suffering from one or other type of the disease over periods of 4–5 years have been included, and control children matched for sex, age and area of residence have been selected at random from population registers. Information about both groups of children (with and without cancer) has been obtained from parental questionnaires, general practitioners' and hospital records, and from measurement of the extent of exposure to radon gas, terrestrial gamma radiation, and electric and magnetic fields. Samples of blood have also been obtained from the affected children and their parents and stored. Altogether 3838 children with cancer, including 1736 with leukaemia, and 7629 unaffected children have been studied. Detailed accounts are given of the nature of the information obtained in sections describing the general methodology of the study, the measurement of exposure to ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, the classification of solid tumours and leukaemias, and the biological material available for genetic analysis. © 2000 Cancer Research Campaign PMID:10737392
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
The use of optical data processing (ODP) techniques for motion analysis in two-dimensional imagery was studied. The basic feasibility of this approach was demonstrated, but inconsistent performance of the photoplastic used for recording spatial filters prevented totally automatic operation. Promising solutions to the problems encountered are discussed, and it is concluded that ODP techniques could be quite useful for motion analysis.
[Culinary as an object of study and intervention in the field of Food and Nutrition].
Diez-Garcia, Rosa Wanda; de Castro, Inês Rugani Ribeiro
Culinary is approached here as an object of food and nutritional studies and interventions aimed at dietary changes. In order to explore the culinary potential, two studies are presented: one qualitative, focusing on dietary intake, with subjects from two socioeconomic sectors submitted to salt restrictions; the other uses cooking as structural axis of an educational method for promoting healthy eating. In both studies one can observe the potential of culinary: in the first, as a medium which allows access to information about food procedures that can improve the quality of information about food intake and food practices and, in the second, as an effective space for interventions aimed at food habit changes by addressing their sensorial, cognitive, symbolic and procedural dimensions.
The VicGeneration study - a birth cohort to examine the environmental, behavioural and biological predictors of early childhood caries: background, aims and methods
Background Dental caries (decay) during childhood is largely preventable however it remains a significant and costly public health concern, identified as the most prevalent chronic disease of childhood. Caries in children aged less than five years (early childhood caries) is a rapid and progressive disease that can be painful and debilitating, and significantly increases the likelihood of poor child growth, development and social outcomes. Early childhood caries may also result in a substantial social burden on families and significant costs to the public health system. A disproportionate burden of disease is also experienced by disadvantaged populations. Methods/Design This study involves the establishment of a birth cohort in disadvantaged communities in Victoria, Australia. Children will be followed for at least 18 months and the data gathered will explore longitudinal relationships and generate new evidence on the natural history of early childhood caries, the prevalence of the disease and relative contributions of risk and protective biological, environmental and behavioural factors. Specifically, the study aims to: 1. Describe the natural history of early childhood caries (at ages 1, 6, 12 and 18 months), tracking pathways from early bacterial colonisation, through non-cavitated enamel white spot lesions to cavitated lesions extending into dentine. 2. Enumerate oral bacterial species in the saliva of infants and their primary care giver. 3. Identify the strength of concurrent associations between early childhood caries and putative risk and protective factors, including biological (eg microbiota, saliva), environmental (fluoride exposure) and socio-behavioural factors (proximal factors such as: feeding practices and oral hygiene; and distal factors such as parental health behaviours, physical health, coping and broader socio-economic conditions). 4. Quantify the longitudinal relationships between these factors and the development and progression of early
The General Aims of Educational Development -- A Comparative Prospect.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dahawy, Bayoumi Mohamed
The inconsistency between norms prescribed by international agencies and the educational strategies suggested to put these norms into practice has created problems as is evident in the case studies of India and Egypt and the general aims of educational development in these two countries. In Egypt a policy of basic education had the support of…
The Use of Metaphorical Connotation of Inanimate Objects to Describe People by Speakers of Jordanian Arabic: A Pragmatic Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Al Soudi, Layth
This paper aims to investigate the use of connotations of inanimate objects to describe people by speakers of Jordanian Arabic. Its main goal is to analyze the positive and negative connotative meanings of inanimate object used to describe people in Jordan. Besides, the contribution of gender in making connotative meanings. The study provides a…
[Aiming at the chest, but hitting the back].
Zech, Wolf-Dieter; Axmann, Stefan; Siegenthaler, Lea; Kneubühl, Beat; Thali, Michael
Gunshot injuries in the back may suggest the unjustified use of firearms. A wound in the back inflicted by a firearm should not automatically imply that the shooter aimed at the back. A previous study demonstrated that it is possible for men to turn their trunk faster than it takes for a shooter to fire or throw a hand-operated weapon. With a high speed motion camera the authors were able to demonstrate that it is also possible for women to turn their trunk fast enough, so that a shot in the back could have been aimed at the front of the body. This conclusion is also likely to apply to hand-operated or thrown weapons, since the velocity of their projectiles is considerably lower than that of firearms.
A case study evaluation of an intervention aiming to strengthen the midwifery professional role in Morocco: anticipated barriers to reaching outcomes
Abou Malham, Sabina; Hatem, Marie; Leduc, Nicole
Background In order to reduce the high maternal mortality ratio, Morocco is strongly committed to strengthen its midwifery professional role. This study aimed to identify barriers that could potentially hinder an action plan to strengthen the midwifery professional role from achieving desired outcomes. We used a conceptual framework, which is derived from Hatem-Asmar's (1997) framework on the interaction of educational, professional, and sociocultural systems in which a professional role evolves and from Damschroder et al's (2009) framework for the implementation analysis. Methods This paper builds on a qualitative case study on the factors affecting the action plan's implementation process that also revealed rich data about anticipated barriers to reaching outcomes. Data were collected through training sessions, field observations, documents, focus groups (n=20), and semistructured interviews (n=11) with stakeholders pertaining to the three systems under study. Content analysis was used to identify themes related to barriers. Results Seven barriers that may compromise the achievement of desired results were found. They relate to the legal framework, social representations, and media support in the sociocultural system and the practice environment, networks and communication mechanisms, and characteristics related to the role and the readiness in the professional system. Conclusion Disregarding sociocultural and professional system level, barriers may impede efforts to strengthen the midwife's role and to provide qualified midwives who can improve the quality of maternal care. Making changes in the educational system cannot be thought of as an isolated process. Its success is closely tied with multiple contextual factors pertaining to the two other systems. Activities recommended to address these barriers may have great potential to build a competent midwifery workforce that contributes to positive maternal and neonatal health outcomes. PMID:26445547
Citizenship and Nationality in Changing Europe: A Comparative Study of the Aims of Citizenship Education in Russian and Finnish National Education Policy Texts
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Piattoeva, Nelli
The paper analyses how the formal aims of citizenship education, as declared in legislation and policy documents, have changed since the end of the 1980s in response to the transformation of the political scenery in Finland and the Russian Federation. One central question framing the analysis of Finnish citizenship education is whether…
Study objectives: Will commercial avionics do the job? Improvements needed?
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Nasr, Hatem
Improvements in commercial avionics are covered in a viewgraph format. Topics include the following: computer architecture, user requirements, Boeing 777 aircraft, cost effectiveness, and implemention.
Taking Aims: New CASE Study Benchmarks Advancement Investments and Returns
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Goldsmith, Rae
Advancement professionals have always been thirsty for information that will help them understand how their programs compare with those of their peers. But in recent years the demand for benchmarking data has exploded as budgets have become leaner, leaders have become more business minded, and terms like "performance metrics and return on…
Physics Studies in Artificial Ionospheric Mirror (AIM) Related Phenomena
chamber data Molecular time - td Molecular time << td Chamber wall affects lifetime Wp = Wrf Wp << Wrf High energy absorption per molecule alters...A recent experiment designed to measure ionization rate in nitrogen (N2) at high values of EIP (EIP = 144-3840) is described in [Hays et al, 1987...nominal value, such as its average, v, over the electron energy distribution gives good agreement with experimental measurements . Using this
The Aims of Education and the Leap of Freedom
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yun, SunInn
This paper considers the place of freedom in discussions of the aims of education. Bearing in mind remarks of R.S. Peters to the affect that the singling out of aims can "fall into the hands of rationalistically minded curriculum planners", it begins by considering the views of Roland Reichenbach regarding Bildung and his account of this…
Objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in European adolescents: the HELENA study.
Ruiz, Jonatan R; Ortega, Francisco B; Martínez-Gómez, David; Labayen, Idoia; Moreno, Luis A; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Manios, Yannis; Gonzalez-Gross, Marcela; Mauro, Beatrice; Molnar, Denes; Widhalm, Kurt; Marcos, Ascensión; Beghin, Laurent; Castillo, Manuel J; Sjöström, Michael
The authors' aim in this cross-sectional study was to characterize levels of objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in adolescents from 9 European countries. The study comprised 2,200 European adolescents (1,184 girls) participating in the HELENA cross-sectional study (2006-2008). Physical activity was measured by accelerometry and was expressed as average intensity (counts/minute) and amount of time (minutes/day) spent engaging in moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Time spent in sedentary behaviors was also objectively measured. Cardiorespiratory fitness was measured by means of the 20-m shuttle run test. Level of maternal education was reported by the adolescents. A higher proportion of boys (56.8% of boys vs. 27.5% of girls) met the physical activity recommendations of at least 60 minutes/day of MVPA. Adolescents spent most of the registered time in sedentary behaviors (9 hours/day, or 71% of the registered time). Both average intensity and MVPA were higher in adolescents with high cardiorespiratory fitness, and sedentary time was lower in the high-fitness group. There were no physical activity or sedentary time differences between maternal education categories. These data provide an objective measure of physical activity and amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors in a relatively large number of European adolescents.
Feasibility study and pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial of the GoActive intervention aiming to promote physical activity among adolescents: outcomes and lessons learnt
Corder, Kirsten; Brown, Helen E; Schiff, Annie; van Sluijs, Esther M F
Objectives Assess the feasibility of implementing the GoActive intervention in secondary schools, to identify improvements, test study procedures, determine preliminary effectiveness to increase moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and inform power calculations to establish programme effectiveness. Setting Feasibility study (1 school) and pilot cluster-randomised controlled trial (CRCT; 2 intervention; 1 control school(s)). Participants 460 participants (46.6% female; 13.2 (0.4) years old). Interventions 8-week intervention (2013) involved: classes choosing weekly activities encouraged by mentors (older adolescents) and in-class peer leaders. Students gain points for trying activities which are entered into an intramural competition. Primary and secondary outcome measures Planned quantitative (questionnaire) and qualitative (focus groups) process evaluation addressed enjoyment, confidence, participation, suggested improvements. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and follow-up (week 8) in pilot CRCT and included accelerometer-assessed MVPA; adolescent-reported activity type, well-being, peer support, shyness, sociability. Analysis of covariance was used to assess preliminary effectiveness as change in MVPA adjusted for baseline. Results All year 9 students in intervention schools were exposed to the intervention; over all schools 77% of eligible students were measured. 71% boys and 74% girls found GoActive 'fun'; 38% boys and 32% girls said it increased confidence, and 64% boys and 59% girls said they would continue with a GoActive activity. Suggested improvements included more mentorship; improved training; streamlined points recording. Pilot results indicated potential effectiveness ((adjusted mean difference (95% CI) p value; MVPA mins; 5.1 (1.1 to 9.2) p=0.014)) and suggest recruitment of 16 schools (2400 adolescents) for a full trial. Compared with control, intervention students reported greater peer support 0.5 (0.1 to 0.9) p=0.03, well-being 1
Pursuing the Triple Aim: The First 7 Years
Whittington, John W; Nolan, Kevin; Lewis, Ninon; Torres, Trissa
Context In 2008, researchers at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) described the Triple Aim as simultaneously "improving the individual experience of care; improving the health of populations; and reducing the per capita costs of care for populations." IHI and its close colleagues had determined that both individual and societal changes were needed. Methods In 2007, IHI began recruiting organizations from around the world to participate in a collaborative to implement what became known as the Triple Aim. The 141 participating organizations included health care systems, hospitals, health care insurance companies, and others closely tied to health care. In addition, key groups outside the health care system were represented, such as public health agencies, social services groups, and community coalitions. This collaborative provided a structure for observational research. By noting the contrasts between the contexts and structures of those sites in the collaborative that progressed and those that did not, we were able to develop an ex post theory of what is needed for an organization or community to successfully pursue the Triple Aim. Findings Drawing on our 7 years of experience, we describe the 3 major principles that guided the organizations and communities working on the Triple Aim: creating the right foundation for population management, managing services at scale for the population, and establishing a learning system to drive and sustain the work over time. Conclusions The concept of the Triple Aim is now widely used, because of IHI's work with many organizations and also because of the adoption of the Triple Aim as part of the national strategy for US health care, developed during the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Even those organizations working on the Triple Aim before IHI coined the term found our concept to be useful because it helped them think about all 3 dimensions at once and organize their
Topological description of the bond-breaking and bond-forming processes of the alkene protonation reaction in zeolite chemistry: an AIM study.
Zalazar, María Fernanda; Peruchena, Nélida Maria
Density functional theory and atoms in molecules theory were used to study bond breakage and bond formation in the trans-2-butene protonation reaction in an acidic zeolitic cluster. The progress of this reaction along the intrinsic reaction coordinate, in terms of several topological properties of relevant bond critical points and atomic properties of the key atoms involved in these concerted mechanisms, were analyzed in depth. At B3LYP/6-31++G(d,p)//B3LYP/6-31G(d,p) level, the results explained the electron density redistributions associated with the progressive bond breakage and bond formation of the reaction under study, as well as the profiles of the electronic flow between the different atomic basins involved in these electron reorganization processes. In addition, we found a useful set of topological indicators that are useful to show what is happening in each bond/atom involved in the reaction site as the reaction progresses.
MonitorNet: the Italian multi-centre observational study aimed at estimating the risk/benefit profile of biologic agents in real-world rheumatology practice.
Sfriso, P; Salaffi, F; Montecucco, C M; Bombardieri, S; Todesco, S
MonitorNet is a database established by the Italian Society of Rheumatology (SIR) in January 2007 and funded by the Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA), for the active long-term follow-up of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis treated with biologic agents. All hospital Rheumatology Units in Italy were invited to participate in a non-interventional, observational, epidemiological study. The study is conducted in a routine clinical setting (real-world practice) where biologics are prescribed on the basis of current recommendations. In this report we describe the design, methodology, and present preliminary data of the study. At the time of the analysis (April 2009) the database included 3510 patients: 2469 (70.3%) with established RA, 675 (19.2%) with PsA and 366 (10.4%) with AS. The cumulative follow up period was 8,787 patient-years (RA: 8,388, PsA: 157; AS: 242). There were 1,538 adverse events in 938 (26.7%) patients. Infections were recorded in 630 patients, skin-related adverse events in 142 and post-infusion reactions in 90. A total of 30 malignancies were reported. An interim analysis of efficacy was conducted on 2,148 RA patients. Seven hundred and thirty-one patients (35.8%) achieved EULAR remission (defined as DAS28<2.4). When assessed with the more restrictive CDAI and SDAI criteria, the frequency of remission was lower (17.9% and 14.7% respectively). Availability of funding for this study provided an opportunity to organize a collaborative national network of rheumatology clinics to develop a large multicentre observational study.
The Core of Religious Education: Finnish Student Teachers' Pedagogical Aims
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kuusisto, Elina; Tirri, Kirsi
This article investigated the core of religious education (RE) by examining Finnish student teachers' pedagogical aims in the context of Lutheran RE. The data consisted of essays (N=82) analysed in a deductive manner using the main concepts of the didactic triangle together with the aims of the Finnish National Core Curriculum. The student…
Visual information about object size and object position are retained differently in the visual brain: Evidence from grasping studies.
Hesse, Constanze; Miller, Louisa; Buckingham, Gavin
Many experiments have examined how the visual information used for action control is represented in our brain, and whether or not visually-guided and memory-guided hand movements rely on dissociable visual representations that are processed in different brain areas (dorsal vs. ventral). However, little is known about how these representations decay over longer time periods and whether or not different visual properties are retained in a similar fashion. In three experiments we investigated how information about object size and object position affect grasping as visual memory demands increase. We found that position information decayed rapidly with increasing delays between viewing the object and initiating subsequent actions - impacting both the accuracy of the transport component (lower end-point accuracy) and the grasp component (larger grip apertures) of the movement. In contrast, grip apertures and fingertip forces remained well-adjusted to target size in conditions in which positional information was either irrelevant or provided, regardless of delay, indicating that object size is encoded in a more stable manner than object position. The findings provide evidence that different grasp-relevant properties are encoded differently by the visual system. Furthermore, we argue that caution is required when making inferences about object size representations based on alterations in the grip component as these variations are confounded with the accuracy with which object position is represented. Instead fingertip forces seem to provide a reliable and confound-free measure to assess internal size estimations in conditions of increased visual uncertainty.
Studying the incommensurability that unites us: persuasion across discourse communities, persuasion via boundary objects
Wilson, G. D.
In the science studies literature the theoretical construct of boundary objects has been developed to explain how diverse communities clustered around a scientific subject area cooperate to advance that area. Boundary objects are 'scientific objects that inhabit several intersecting social worlds . . . and satisfy the informational requirements of each of them' (Star and Griesemer 393). Star and Griesemer's foundational article showed that these objects can be shared by communities ranging from academic researchers to amateur enthiasts, adminsitrators, philanthropists, and technicians. While each community understands the object differently, there is enough commonality in the understanding of the object to unite these distinct social worlds and facilitate cooperation among them.
Assessing AIM: A Study of Grade 8 Students in an Ontario School Board
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mady, Callie; Arnott, Stephanie; Lapkin, Sharon
This mixed-method study examines the proficiency in and perceptions of French language learning of Grade 8 students who were exposed to an instructional approach called the Accelerative Integrated Method (AIM). Six AIM classes (n = 125) and six non-AIM classes (n = 135) were observed and their students tested using a four-skills French as a second…
An Analysis of Aims and the Educational "Event"
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
den Heyer, Kent
In this article, the author explores key distinctions relevant to aims talk in education. He argues that present formulations of aims fail to adequately capture or speak to several overlapping domains involved in schooling: qualification, socialization, and the educational in the form of subjectification (Biesta, 2010). Drawing off Egan and Biesta…
Student Teachers' Ways of Experiencing the Objective of Health Education as a School Subject: A Phenomenographic Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Paakkari, L.; Tynjala, P.; Kannas, L.
The aim of this phenomenographic study was to identify student teachers' (N = 20) ways of experiencing health education as a school subject, using semi-structured interviews and essays. The findings indicated that the target phenomenon was discussed through the general objective of the subject in five ways: health education as 1) a context for…
The Intelligence of Complexity: Do the Ethical Aims of Research and Intervention in Education Not Lead Us to a New Discourse "On the Study Methods of Our Time"?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Le Moigne, Jean-Louis
To better appreciate the contribution of the "paradigm of complexity" in Educational sciences, this paper proposes a framework discussing its cultural and historical roots. First, it focuses on Giambattista Vico's (1668-1744) critique of René Descartes' method (1637), contrasting Cartesian's principles (evidence, disjunction, linear…
The Distinctive Features of a Feasibility Study: Objectives and Guiding Questions.
Orsmond, Gael I; Cohn, Ellen S
In this article, we highlight the distinctive features of a feasibility study, identify the main objectives and guiding questions of a feasibility study, and illustrate the use of these objectives. We synthesized the research methods literature related to feasibility studies to identify five overarching objectives of feasibility studies that focus on social and behavioral interventions. Feasibility studies are designed to answer the overarching question: Can it work? The main objectives of feasibility include the assessment of recruitment capability and resulting sample characteristics, data collection procedures and outcome measures, acceptability of the intervention and study procedures, resources and ability to manage and implement the study and intervention, and preliminary evaluation of participant responses to the intervention. For each objective, we identified follow-up questions designed to assist the researchers to understand barriers to the ultimate success of the research.
An Exploratory Study of Objective Attainment in the Divergent Physics Laboratory.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lerch, Robert Donald
Students enrolled in the introductory physics laboratory at New Mexico State University participated in this study. A stated set of objectives, developed by Dr. John M. Fowler of the Commission on College Physics, was used in the laboratory. This study attempted to measure student achievement based on the use of these objectives as opposed to the…
Examining the Minimal Required Elements of a Computer-Tailored Intervention Aimed at Dietary Fat Reduction: Results of a Randomized Controlled Dismantling Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kroeze, Willemieke; Oenema, Anke; Dagnelie, Pieter C.; Brug, Johannes
This study investigated the minimally required feedback elements of a computer-tailored dietary fat reduction intervention to be effective in improving fat intake. In all 588 Healthy Dutch adults were randomly allocated to one of four conditions in an randomized controlled trial: (i) feedback on dietary fat intake [personal feedback (P feedback)],…
SU-E-T-531: Large--Scale DVH Quality Study: Correlated Aims Lead Relaxations
Nohadani, O; Roy, A; Das, I
Purpose: Intensity modulated radiation therapy plans are designed to optimally target a tumor while sparing surrounding tissue. Desired dose distributions are iteratively approached via inverse planning. This leads to tradeoffs between clinical objectives for the planning target volume (PTV), organs at risk, and normal tissues. Dose volume histogram (DVHs) related aims are followed that are either institutional or internationally recommended. We analyze common goals and identify potential reasons that often lead to tradeoffs. Methods: 524 IMRT plans for various tumor sites were analyzed based on the main institutional DVH goal for PTV (D95) and the recommendations by ICRU-83 (D2, D50, and D98). Robust statistical tools are developed and applied to ensure that the results are immune to data uncertainties. The probability of violation was measured for each of the DVH goals based on the frequency of not meeting recommended doses. Conditional probabilities for satisfying and/or violating DVH aims were computed to test the hypothesized pair-wise relations between DVH aims. For example, for plans that satisfied D50, the probability of violating D98 was computed via P(D98 < 95% | 98% ≤ D50 ≤ 102%). The equality constraint D50 = 100% was relaxed to encompass the range [98,102]%. Results: A large majority of cases (88%) satisfied the institutional goal for PTV of D95 ≤ 95%. Similar consensus existed for D98. 51% of cases satisfied D2 ≥ 107%. However, only 18% of cases satisfied D50. The conditional probability showed correlations amongst the studied DVH goals. In fact, a negative correlation was revealed between D50 and D95 (and D98), suggesting that these competing goals cannot be satisfied concurrently. Conclusion: The majority of plans followed the institutional guidelines. The reason for their deviation from international recommendations seems to be that the latter goals are competing and cannot be satisfied concurrently in clinical practice.
A functional neuroimaging study of the variables that generate category-specific object processing differences.
Moore, C J; Price, C J
Brain damage can cause remarkably selective deficits in processing specific categories of objects, indicating the high degree of functional segregation within the brain. The neuroimaging study presented here investigates differences in the neural activity associated with two categories of natural objects (animals and fruit) and two categories of man-made objects (vehicles and tools). Stimuli were outline drawings and the tasks were naming and word-picture matching. For man-made objects, the only category-specific effect was in the left posterior middle temporal cortex, which was most active for drawings of tools, as previously reported. For natural objects, drawings of animals and fruit (relative to drawings of man-made objects) enhanced activity in bilateral anterior temporal and right posterior middle temporal cortices. Critically, these effects with natural objects were not observed when the stimuli were coloured appropriately to facilitate identification. Furthermore, activation in the same right hemisphere areas was also observed for viewing and matching unfamiliar non-objects relative to naming and matching man-made objects. These results indicate that, in the right hemisphere, differences between processing natural relative to man-made objects overlap with the effects of increasing demands on object identification. In the left hemisphere, the effects are more consistent with functional specialization within the semantic system. We discuss (i) how category-specific differences can emerge for multiple reasons and (ii) the implications of these effects on the interpretation of functional imaging data and patients with category-specific deficits.
The importance of visual features in generic vs. specialized object recognition: a computational study
Ghodrati, Masoud; Rajaei, Karim; Ebrahimpour, Reza
It is debated whether the representation of objects in inferior temporal (IT) cortex is distributed over activities of many neurons or there are restricted islands of neurons responsive to a specific set of objects. There are lines of evidence demonstrating that fusiform face area (FFA-in human) processes information related to specialized object recognition (here we say within category object recognition such as face identification). Physiological studies have also discovered several patches in monkey ventral temporal lobe that are responsible for facial processing. Neuronal recording from these patches shows that neurons are highly selective for face images whereas for other objects we do not see such selectivity in IT. However, it is also well-supported that objects are encoded through distributed patterns of neural activities that are distinctive for each object category. It seems that visual cortex utilize different mechanisms for between category object recognition (e.g., face vs. non-face objects) vs. within category object recognition (e.g., two different faces). In this study, we address this question with computational simulations. We use two biologically inspired object recognition models and define two experiments which address these issues. The models have a hierarchical structure of several processing layers that simply simulate visual processing from V1 to aIT. We show, through computational modeling, that the difference between these two mechanisms of recognition can underlie the visual feature and extraction mechanism. It is argued that in order to perform generic and specialized object recognition, visual cortex must separate the mechanisms involved in within category from between categories object recognition. High recognition performance in within category object recognition can be guaranteed when class-specific features with intermediate size and complexity are extracted. However, generic object recognition requires a distributed universal
The International Particle Physics Outreach Group (ippog):. Aims and Activities
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Barney, David
The International Particle Physics Outreach Group, IPPOG, is a network of particle physics communication and education experts. IPPOG's principle aim is to maximize the impact of education and outreach efforts related to particle physics through information exchange and the sharing of expertise. IPPOG has initiated several major European and Worldwide activities, such as the "International Particle Physics Masterclasses" where each year thousands of high school students in more than 20 countries come to one of about 120 nearby universities or research centres for a day in order to unravel the mysteries of particle physics. IPPOG has also initiated a global database of education and outreach materials, aimed at supporting other particle physicists and education professionals. The aims and activities of IPPOG will be described, as well as plans to include more countries & laboratories in the network.
Time will tell: a retrospective study investigating the relationship between insomnia and objectively defined punctuality.
Spiegelhalder, Kai; Regen, Wolfram; Kyle, Simon D; Endres, Dominique; Nissen, Christoph; Feige, Bernd; Riemann, Dieter
Primary insomnia is a prevalent sleep disorder affecting approximately 3% of the general population. Studies suggest that personality traits such as perfectionism and neuroticism might be implicated in the aetiology of the disorder. However, to date, no study has investigated behavioural indicators of these factors in a hypothesis-driven manner. In the present study, we assessed punctuality as a behavioural indicator of perfectionism and neuroticism in 635 consecutive clinical patients of the sleep laboratory of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg Medical Center. The primary aim was to compare primary insomnia patients (n = 148) with another group of patients with other sleep-related diagnoses (n = 487). Primary insomnia patients arrived on average 4 min earlier when compared to other patients (P = 0.041). However, this effect failed to reach statistical significance when correcting for the influence of potential confounding variables. Of note, we found a strong relationship between polysomnographic sleep parameters and punctuality. That is, short sleep duration was associated significantly with early arrival times at the sleep laboratory (P = 0.023). These findings support the proposal that personality traits, which we predict underlie obsessive punctuality, may be involved in the aetiology of objectively defined sleep disturbances. Clinical implications of the current results for cognitive behavioural treatments of insomnia are discussed.
What Should Religious Education in Germany Be about and How Does Religiosity Fit into This Picture? An Empirical Study of Pre-Service Religious Education Teachers' Beliefs on the Aims of RE
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Riegel, Ulrich; Mendl, Hans
In secularising Germany the aim of religious education (RE) is under discussion. The churches opt for denominational education familiarising the students with their own religious tradition. Humanists claim an ethical education, giving students objective information about different religions. Which perspective do students who will become RE…
Analgesic strategies aimed at stimulating the endogenous production of allopregnanolone
Poisbeau, Pierrick; Keller, Anne Florence; Aouad, Maya; Kamoun, Nisrine; Groyer, Ghislaine; Schumacher, Michael
A growing number of studies indicate that 3-alpha reduced neurosteroids are remarkable analgesics in various pain states. This is the case for allopregnanolone (AP), one of the most potent endogenous positive allosteric modulators of GABAA receptor function. From the pioneering work of Hans Selye, who described the sedative properties of steroids, synthetic compounds resembling the progesterone metabolite AP have been developed. If some of them have been used as anesthetics, it seems difficult to propose them as a therapeutic option for pain since they display several adverse side effects such as sedation, amnesia and functional tolerance. An alternative strategy, chosen by few laboratories around the world, is aimed at stimulating the local production of 3-alpha reduced neurosteroids in order to limit these well-known side effects. This pharmacological approach has the advantage of targeting specific structures, fully equipped with the necessary biosynthetic enzymatic machinery, where neurosteroids already act as endogenous pain modulators. The various pharmacological trials which attempted to treat pain symptoms by stimulating the production of 3-alpha reduced neurosteroids are reviewed here, as well as novel neurotransmitter systems possibly regulating their endogenous production. PMID:24987335
A chicken model for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition
Wood, Samantha M. W.; Wood, Justin N.
"Invariant object recognition" refers to the ability to recognize objects across variation in their appearance on the retina. This ability is central to visual perception, yet its developmental origins are poorly understood. Traditionally, nonhuman primates, rats, and pigeons have been the most commonly used animal models for studying invariant object recognition. Although these animals have many advantages as model systems, they are not well suited for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition in the newborn brain. Here, we argue that newly hatched chicks (Gallus gallus) are an ideal model system for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition. Using an automated controlled-rearing approach, we show that chicks can build a viewpoint-invariant representation of the first object they see in their life. This invariant representation can be built from highly impoverished visual input (three images of an object separated by 15° azimuth rotations) and cannot be accounted for by low-level retina-like or V1-like neuronal representations. These results indicate that newborn neural circuits begin building invariant object representations at the onset of vision and argue for an increased focus on chicks as an animal model for studying invariant object recognition. PMID:25767436
A chicken model for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition.
Wood, Samantha M W; Wood, Justin N
"Invariant object recognition" refers to the ability to recognize objects across variation in their appearance on the retina. This ability is central to visual perception, yet its developmental origins are poorly understood. Traditionally, nonhuman primates, rats, and pigeons have been the most commonly used animal models for studying invariant object recognition. Although these animals have many advantages as model systems, they are not well suited for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition in the newborn brain. Here, we argue that newly hatched chicks (Gallus gallus) are an ideal model system for studying the emergence of invariant object recognition. Using an automated controlled-rearing approach, we show that chicks can build a viewpoint-invariant representation of the first object they see in their life. This invariant representation can be built from highly impoverished visual input (three images of an object separated by 15° azimuth rotations) and cannot be accounted for by low-level retina-like or V1-like neuronal representations. These results indicate that newborn neural circuits begin building invariant object representations at the onset of vision and argue for an increased focus on chicks as an animal model for studying invariant object recognition.
Aims and tasks in parental caregiving for children receiving palliative care at home: a qualitative study.
Verberne, Lisa M; Kars, Marijke C; Schouten-van Meeteren, Antoinette Y N; Bosman, Diederik K; Colenbrander, Derk A; Grootenhuis, Martha A; van Delden, Johannes J M
In paediatric palliative care (PPC), parents are confronted with increasing caregiving demands. More children are cared for at home, and the need for PPC of children is lengthened due to technical and medical improvements. Therefore, a clear understanding of the content of parental caregiving in PPC becomes increasingly important. The objective is to gain insight into parental caregiving based on the lived experience of parents with a child with a life-limiting disease. An interpretative qualitative study using thematic analysis was performed. Single or repeated interviews were undertaken with 42 parents of 24 children with a malignant or non-malignant disease, receiving PPC. Based on their ambition to be a 'good parent', parents caring for a child with a life-limiting disease strived for three aims: controlled symptoms and controlled disease, a life worth living for their ill child and family balance. These aims resulted in four tasks that parents performed: providing basic and complex care, organising good quality care and treatment, making sound decisions while managing risks and organising a good family life.
MayDay Colloquium 24: The Aims of Music Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Elliott, David J.
On June 20, 2012, Professor John Kratus welcomed the MayDay Group to Michigan State University for "Colloquium 24: The Aims of Music Education". On behalf of all members of the Mayday Group, the author wishes to extend his deepest gratitude to Professor Kratus and his colleagues at Michigan State for their extremely gracious and…
Autonomy as the Guiding Aim of Entrepreneurship Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
van Gelderen, Marco
Purpose: This paper has three purposes: first, to present a vision of entrepreneurship education that has the student's capacity for autonomous action as its ultimate aim; second, to convince the reader of the timeliness and relevance of such an approach; third, to outline how this can be implemented. Design/methodology/approach: The paper…
Conscientious objection, barriers, and abortion in the case of rape: a study among physicians in Brazil.
Diniz, Debora; Madeiro, Alberto; Rosas, Cristião
In Brazil, to have a legal abortion in the case of rape, the woman's statement that rape has occurred is considered sufficient to guarantee the right to abortion. The aim of this study was to understand the practice and opinions about providing abortion in the case of rape among obstetricians-gynecologists (OBGYNs) in Brazil. A mixed-method study was conducted from April to July 2012 with 1,690 OBGYNs who responded to a structured, electronic, self-completed questionnaire. In the quantitative phase, 81.6% of the physicians required police reports or judicial authorization to guarantee the care requested. In-depth telephone interviews with 50 of these physicians showed that they frequently tested women's rape claim by making them repeat their story to several health professionals; 43.5% of these claimed conscientious objection when they were uncertain whether the woman was telling the truth. The moral environment of illegal abortion alters the purpose of listening to a patient - from providing care to passing judgement on her. The data suggest that women's access to legal abortion is being blocked by these barriers in spite of the law. We recommend that FEBRASGO and the Ministry of Health work together to clarify to physicians that a woman's statement that rape occurred should allow her to access a legal abortion.
Why the Aims of Education Cannot Be Settled
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hardarson, Atli
The dominant model of curriculum design in the last century assumed that school education could be organized around aims, defined primarily in terms of students' behaviour. The credentials of this model were questioned by, among others, Lawrence Stenhouse, who pointed out that education serves purposes that cannot be stated in terms of behavioural…
Laugh and Smile upon the Holy Quran: The Study of Analytical Objectivities
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
al-Domi, Mohammad Mahmoud
This study aims to examine the positive impact of The Holy Quran based on the laugh and smile. This kind of derivatives in which context of praise, expression the feeling of happiness and joyful in the positive senses. Everyone needs to relieve his heart so that happiness and joy on their faces can be seen. Laughter also are some of attribute…
The Aims of Sex Education: Demoting Autonomy and Promoting Mutuality
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McAvoy, Paula
In this essay, Paula McAvoy critiques a commonly held view that teaching young people to be good choice makers should be a central aim of sex education. Specifically, she argues against David Archard's recommendation that sex educators ought to focus on the development of autonomy and teaching young people that "choice should be accorded…
Starting the Race Right: A Case Study of a First-Year Program Aimed at Increasing Persistence among Urban College Students
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Clinton, Brian Murphy
Since the early part of the 1990s, the City of Boston has made substantial progress in increasing the number of graduates from its school system who go on to college. However, while the Boston Public School system's postsecondary enrollment rate exceeds national averages, the system faces a serious issue in that the vast majority of its…
Exploratory studies aimed at a synthesis of vinigrol. 4. Probe of possible means for direct connection of the side arms and of ring-contraction alternatives.
Paquette, Leo A; Liu, Zuosheng; Efremov, Ivan
Attempts have been made to gain access to the vinigrol structural framework by way of three routes. These include reductive transannular cyclization, adaptation of the Ramberg-Backlund rearrangement, and deployment of the lactam-sulfoxide ring contraction protocol. While the first of these options involves direct transannular C-C bond formation, the other two embody the concept of larger ring construction as a prelude to ring contraction. The initial installation of a sulfur atom involves prior thiacyclononane formation, a process believed to be potentially easier to accomplish. However, arrival at 13, 14, or 17 was not achieved. Installation of the heterocyclic ring contained in 31 proved to be equally problematic. Increased disassembly of the molecular structure as featured in dibromide 20 did allow for direct conversion to sulfone 22. This advanced building block proved not be conducive to in situ alpha-chlorination and extrusion of the sulfur atom.
Reversing the relative 3MLCT-3MC order in Fe(ii) complexes using cyclometallating ligands: a computational study aiming at luminescent Fe(ii) complexes.
Dixon, Isabelle M; Alary, Fabienne; Boggio-Pasqua, Martial; Heully, Jean-Louis
Following a computational approach, the use of strongly electron-donating cyclometallating ligands has allowed us to increase the (3)MC-(3)MLCT gap dramatically in Fe(ii) bis(tridentate) polypyridine complexes, and eventually to reverse the ordering between these states, yielding a (3)MLCT state that is clearly more stable than the (3)MC state. Simultaneously, the quintet excited states ((5)MC and (5)MLCT) are displaced away from the region (in terms of geometry and energy) where classical photophysics occur, allowing us to avoid magnetism. The situation is thus similar to that of classical ruthenium polypyridine complexes. This opens the way towards luminescent iron(ii) complexes, in particular Fe(ii)bis(6-phenyl-2,2'-bipyridine) Fe(NNC)(2).
The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System (AIMS) reference manual
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Yan, Jerry; Hontalas, Philip; Listgarten, Sherry
Whether a researcher is designing the 'next parallel programming paradigm,' another 'scalable multiprocessor' or investigating resource allocation algorithms for multiprocessors, a facility that enables parallel program execution to be captured and displayed is invaluable. Careful analysis of execution traces can help computer designers and software architects to uncover system behavior and to take advantage of specific application characteristics and hardware features. A software tool kit that facilitates performance evaluation of parallel applications on multiprocessors is described. The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System (AIMS) has four major software components: a source code instrumentor which automatically inserts active event recorders into the program's source code before compilation; a run time performance-monitoring library, which collects performance data; a trace file animation and analysis tool kit which reconstructs program execution from the trace file; and a trace post-processor which compensate for data collection overhead. Besides being used as prototype for developing new techniques for instrumenting, monitoring, and visualizing parallel program execution, AIMS is also being incorporated into the run-time environments of various hardware test beds to evaluate their impact on user productivity. Currently, AIMS instrumentors accept FORTRAN and C parallel programs written for Intel's NX operating system on the iPSC family of multi computers. A run-time performance-monitoring library for the iPSC/860 is included in this release. We plan to release monitors for other platforms (such as PVM and TMC's CM-5) in the near future. Performance data collected can be graphically displayed on workstations (e.g. Sun Sparc and SGI) supporting X-Windows (in particular, Xl IR5, Motif 1.1.3).
A Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) of Human Space Missions for the Advanced Integration Matrix (AIM)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jones, Harry W.; Dillon-Merrill, Robin L.; Thomas, Gretchen A.
The Advanced Integration Matrix (AIM) Project u7ill study and solve systems-level integration issues for exploration missions beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), through the design and development of a ground-based facility for developing revolutionary integrated systems for joint human-robotic missions. This paper describes a Probabilistic Risk Analysis (PRA) of human space missions that was developed to help define the direction and priorities for AIM. Risk analysis is required for all major NASA programs and has been used for shuttle, station, and Mars lander programs. It is a prescribed part of early planning and is necessary during concept definition, even before mission scenarios and system designs exist. PRA cm begin when little failure data are available, and be continually updated and refined as detail becomes available. PRA provides a basis for examining tradeoffs among safety, reliability, performance, and cost. The objective of AIM's PRA is to indicate how risk can be managed and future human space missions enabled by the AIM Project. Many critical events can cause injuries and fatalities to the crew without causing loss of vehicle or mission. Some critical systems are beyond AIM's scope, such as propulsion and guidance. Many failure-causing events can be mitigated by conducting operational tests in AIM, such as testing equipment and evaluating operational procedures, especially in the areas of communications and computers, autonomous operations, life support, thermal design, EVA and rover activities, physiological factors including habitation, medical equipment, and food, and multifunctional tools and repairable systems. AIM is well suited to test and demonstrate the habitat, life support, crew operations, and human interface. Because these account for significant crew, systems performance, and science risks, AIM will help reduce mission risk, and missions beyond LEO are far enough in the future that AIM can have significant impact.
Studying the molecular ambient towards the young stellar object EGO G35.04-0.47
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Paron, Sergio; Ortega, Martín; Astort, Ana; Rubio, Mónica; Fariña, Cecilia
We are performing a systematic study of the interstellar medium around extended green objects (EGOs), likely massive young stellar objects driving outflows. EGO G35.04-0.47 is located towards a dark cloud at the north-western edge of an H II region. Recently, H2 jets were discovered towards this source, mainly towards its south-west, where the H2 1-0 S(1) emission peaks. Therefore, the source was catalogued as the molecular hydrogen emission-line object MHO 2429. In order to study the molecular ambient towards this star-forming site, we observed a region around the aforementioned EGO using the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment in the 12CO J = 3-2, 13CO J = 3-2, HCO+ J = 4-3, and CS J = 7-6 lines with an angular and spectral resolution of 22'' and 0.11 km s-1, respectively. The observations revealed a molecular clump where the EGO is embedded at vLSR ˜ 51 km s-1, in coincidence with the velocity of a Class I 95 GHz methanol maser previously detected. Analyzing the 12CO line we discovered high velocity molecular gas in the range from 34 to 47 km s-1, most likely a blueshifted outflow driven by the EGO. The alignment and shape of this molecular structure coincide with those of the south-west lobe of MHO 2429, mainly between 46 and 47 km s-1, confirming that we are mapping its CO counterpart. Performing a spectral energy distribution analysis of EGO G35.04-0.47, we found that its central object should be an intermediate-mass young stellar object accreting mass at a rate similar to those found in some massive YSOs. We suggest that this source can become a massive YSO.
The Zoo Trip: Objecting to Objectives
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Poetter, Thomas S.
In this article, the author objects to what curricularists and teachers often believe that meaningful activities in school have to be scripted, planned to the nth degree and assigned learning objectives and goals ahead of time, or they have no educational worth. Instead, he used Elliot Eisner's classic curriculum text, "The Educational…
The Study of Indicatrices of Space Object Coatings in a Controlled Laboratory Environment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Koshkin, N.; Burlak, N.; Petrov, M.; Strakhova, S.
The indicatrices of light scattering by radiation balance coatings used on space objects (SO) were determined in the laboratory experiment in a controlled condition. The laboratory device for the physical simulation of photometric observations of space objects in orbit, which was used in this case to study optical properties of coating samples, is described. The features of light reflection off plane coating samples, including multi-layer insulation (MLI) blankets, metal surfaces coated with several layers of enamel EP-140, special polyacrylate enamel AK-512 and matte finish Tp-CO-2, were determined. The indicated coatings are compound reflectors which exhibit both diffuse and specular reflections. The data obtained are to be used in the development of computer optical-geometric models of space objects or their fragments (space debris) to interpret the photometry results for real space objects.
Using object oriented analysis and design to study the SSCL SDC computing system
Kubena, G.T.; Liao, K. ); Palounek, P.T. ); Day, C. )
A joint study between the Computer Working Group of the SSC Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC) and IBM's Federal Sector Division is focusing on the use of Object Oriented Analysis and Design on the SDC Offline Computing System. One key challenge of the analysis is to discover an efficient way to store and subsequently retrieve raw and reconstructed event data, estimated to be 2 petabytes per year. The Object Oriented approach being used during the analysis and early design is intended to yield a smooth transition to detailed design, prototyping and implementation. The object oriented approach is used as a subprocess of a larger process used by IBM FSD, i.e., a systematic approach to architecting and integrating large complex systems. A description of the overall process and early results are described in a study report produced jointly by the SDC and IBM FSD. The overall process focuses on requirements analysis, operational concept development, problem domain decomposition, development and selection of candidate architectures, automated performance modeling and software architecture. This paper will focus primarily on software architecture. The high level software architecture is viewed as a layered stack consisting of: system services, common physics application framework and unique physics applications. Object oriented analysis is being used to investigate the data storage and management of the event data. An object hierarchy is being created and operational concept scenarios are being used to validate the design. Several database prototypes can then be developed, e.g. object oriented or relational, to prove the concept. The object oriented development is fundamentally different from traditional approaches to design, such as those based exclusively on data flow. Object oriented decomposition more closely models a person's perception of reality, hence the developed system is more understandable, extensible, and maintainable.
Using object oriented analysis and design to study the SSCL SDC computing system
Kubena, G.T.; Liao, K.; Palounek, P.T.; Day, C.
A joint study between the Computer Working Group of the SSC Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC) and IBM`s Federal Sector Division is focusing on the use of Object Oriented Analysis and Design on the SDC Offline Computing System. One key challenge of the analysis is to discover an efficient way to store and subsequently retrieve raw and reconstructed event data, estimated to be 2 petabytes per year. The Object Oriented approach being used during the analysis and early design is intended to yield a smooth transition to detailed design, prototyping and implementation. The object oriented approach is used as a subprocess of a larger process used by IBM FSD, i.e., a systematic approach to architecting and integrating large complex systems. A description of the overall process and early results are described in a study report produced jointly by the SDC and IBM FSD. The overall process focuses on requirements analysis, operational concept development, problem domain decomposition, development and selection of candidate architectures, automated performance modeling and software architecture. This paper will focus primarily on software architecture. The high level software architecture is viewed as a layered stack consisting of: system services, common physics application framework and unique physics applications. Object oriented analysis is being used to investigate the data storage and management of the event data. An object hierarchy is being created and operational concept scenarios are being used to validate the design. Several database prototypes can then be developed, e.g. object oriented or relational, to prove the concept. The object oriented development is fundamentally different from traditional approaches to design, such as those based exclusively on data flow. Object oriented decomposition more closely models a person`s perception of reality, hence the developed system is more understandable, extensible, and maintainable.
[Social marketing--seduction with the aim of healthy behavior?].
Loss, J; Nagel, E
SOCIAL MARKETING - SEDUCTION WITH THE AIM OF HEALTHY BEHAVIOR? Social marketing is the use of marketing principles to design and implement programs that promote socially beneficial behaviour change. Contrary to the marketing of consumption goods, social marketing does not deal with material products, but with behaviour, e. g. not smoking. This 'product' has a basic benefit (i. e. reduction of health risks in the long run), which is, however, difficult to convey. Therefore, the intended change in behaviour has to be related to a further reward which consists of symbolic goods, e. g. social appreciation or a better body feeling. The communication policy is essential for information on and motivation for the preventive issue. Social marketing campaigns whose development and management follow the principles of classical marketing can render preventive efforts more effective. In addition, social marketing can lead to a better quality management as compared to conventional preventive activities. These advantages can be explained by a) tailoring the campaign more specifically to the target group's needs and motives, b) presenting health risks more convincingly, and c) continuously analysing and evaluating the campaign and its effects. On the other hand, the marketing of preventive aims through mass media can bear several risks, as exemplified by different national and international public health campaigns. The necessity to communicate briefly and succinctly can lead to misleading simplifications and, in case of cancer screening, to the trivialization of a behaviour's consequences and adverse effects. Also, many campaigns do not intend to educate and inform, but try to persuade target persons of a certain behaviour, using emotions such as fear. This has led to social marketing being criticized as manipulation. Sometimes, social marketing campaigns cause stigma and discrimination of certain population subgroups, e. g. obese or HIV-positive people. Health promoters who plan
Rats' Visual-Spatial Working Memory: New Object Choice Accuracy as a Function of Number of Objects in the Study Array
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Cohen, Jerome; Han, Xue; Matei, Anca; Parameswaran, Varakini; Zuniga, Robert; Hlynka, Myron
When rats had to find new (jackpot) objects for rewards from among previously sampled baited objects, increasing the number of objects in the sample (study) segment of a trial from 3 to 5 and then to 7 (Experiment 1) or from 3 to 6 and 9 (Experiments 2 and 3) or from 6 to 9 and 12 (Experiment 4) did not reduce rats' test segment performance.…
People, technology, and process meet the triple aim.
Dahl, Deborah; Reisetter, Julie A; Zismann, Nancy
Banner Health is addressing the Triple Aim (quality care and satisfaction, improved health, and reduced cost) for Medicare beneficiaries by combining the people of one of the largest nonprofit health care systems in the United States (Banner Health) with innovative telehealth technology and leveraging high-reliability, standardized processes. The program, known as Banner iCare, builds on a highly successful tele-ICU program (some of the lowest mortality and length of stay results in the country) and expands the service to progressive care, medical-surgical, and emergency departments. These successes have led to the introduction of a home-based telehealth program with the strengths of the acute care programs. The top 5% high-cost patients with multiple chronic conditions receive coordinated intensive ambulatory care managed by an integrated team of health care professionals using cost-effective telehealth technology. The benefits expected from the proposed project include a reduction in overall costs while improving patient satisfaction through delivery of more personalized and interactive care.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Akutaev, Rasul M.; Magomedov, Guseyn B.
The relevance of the research of this problem is caused by the theoretical and practical needs of a specific concept of the crime object as one of the corpus delicti signs essentially the determining and defining its object and objective side, thereby--the nature of socially dangerous act. Besides, being a facultative sign of corpus delicti, the…
Inverting the Object of Study: Recalibrating the Frame of Reference in Study Abroad Experiences
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Palmer, Norris W.
This essay is concerned with study abroad experiences as opportunities for student cognitive development, using the interpretive lens of educational psychologist William G. Perry. A standard and often valuable assignment in courses on world religions is a site visit to a religious institution in one's local area. This may concretize otherwise…
The Development of Object Function and Manipulation Knowledge: Evidence from a Semantic Priming Study
Collette, Cynthia; Bonnotte, Isabelle; Jacquemont, Charlotte; Kalénine, Solène; Bartolo, Angela
Object semantics include object function and manipulation knowledge. Function knowledge refers to the goal attainable by using an object (e.g., the function of a key is to open or close a door) while manipulation knowledge refers to gestures one has to execute to use an object appropriately (e.g., a key is held between the thumb and the index, inserted into the door lock and then turned). To date, several studies have assessed function and manipulation knowledge in brain lesion patients as well as in healthy adult populations. In patients with left brain damage, a double dissociation between these two types of knowledge has been reported; on the other hand, behavioral studies in healthy adults show that function knowledge is processed faster than manipulation knowledge. Empirical evidence has shown that object interaction in children differs from that in adults, suggesting that the access to function and manipulation knowledge in children might also differ. To investigate the development of object function and manipulation knowledge, 51 typically developing 8-9-10 year-old children and 17 healthy young adults were tested on a naming task associated with a semantic priming paradigm (190-ms SOA; prime duration: 90 ms) in which a series of line drawings of manipulable objects were used. Target objects could be preceded by three priming contexts: related (e.g., knife-scissors for function; key-screwdriver for manipulation), unrelated but visually similar (e.g., glasses-scissors; baseball bat-screwdriver), and purely unrelated (e.g., die-scissors; tissue-screwdriver). Results showed a different developmental pattern of function and manipulation priming effects. Function priming effects were not present in children and emerged only in adults, with faster naming responses for targets preceded by objects sharing the same function. In contrast, manipulation priming effects were already present in 8-year-olds with faster naming responses for targets preceded by objects
The Development of Object Function and Manipulation Knowledge: Evidence from a Semantic Priming Study.
Collette, Cynthia; Bonnotte, Isabelle; Jacquemont, Charlotte; Kalénine, Solène; Bartolo, Angela
Object semantics include object function and manipulation knowledge. Function knowledge refers to the goal attainable by using an object (e.g., the function of a key is to open or close a door) while manipulation knowledge refers to gestures one has to execute to use an object appropriately (e.g., a key is held between the thumb and the index, inserted into the door lock and then turned). To date, several studies have assessed function and manipulation knowledge in brain lesion patients as well as in healthy adult populations. In patients with left brain damage, a double dissociation between these two types of knowledge has been reported; on the other hand, behavioral studies in healthy adults show that function knowledge is processed faster than manipulation knowledge. Empirical evidence has shown that object interaction in children differs from that in adults, suggesting that the access to function and manipulation knowledge in children might also differ. To investigate the development of object function and manipulation knowledge, 51 typically developing 8-9-10 year-old children and 17 healthy young adults were tested on a naming task associated with a semantic priming paradigm (190-ms SOA; prime duration: 90 ms) in which a series of line drawings of manipulable objects were used. Target objects could be preceded by three priming contexts: related (e.g., knife-scissors for function; key-screwdriver for manipulation), unrelated but visually similar (e.g., glasses-scissors; baseball bat-screwdriver), and purely unrelated (e.g., die-scissors; tissue-screwdriver). Results showed a different developmental pattern of function and manipulation priming effects. Function priming effects were not present in children and emerged only in adults, with faster naming responses for targets preceded by objects sharing the same function. In contrast, manipulation priming effects were already present in 8-year-olds with faster naming responses for targets preceded by objects
Spontaneous object recognition: a promising approach to the comparative study of memory
Blaser, Rachel; Heyser, Charles
Spontaneous recognition of a novel object is a popular measure of exploratory behavior, perception and recognition memory in rodent models. Because of its relative simplicity and speed of testing, the variety of stimuli that can be used, and its ecological validity across species, it is also an attractive task for comparative research. To date, variants of this test have been used with vertebrate and invertebrate species, but the methods have seldom been sufficiently standardized to allow cross-species comparison. Here, we review the methods necessary for the study of novel object recognition in mammalian and non-mammalian models, as well as the results of these experiments. Critical to the use of this test is an understanding of the organism's initial response to a novel object, the modulation of exploration by context, and species differences in object perception and exploratory behaviors. We argue that with appropriate consideration of species differences in perception, object affordances, and natural exploratory behaviors, the spontaneous object recognition test can be a valid and versatile tool for translational research with non-mammalian models. PMID:26217207
Study on objective functions for the slow shot phase in high-pressure die casting
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Frings, Markus; Behr, Marek; Elgeti, Stefanie
High-pressure die casting is an important process in the field of aluminum processing. Especially during the slow shot phase, the process parameters immensely influence the cast part quality. At the current state of the art, the appropriate process parameters are identified based on running-in trials and significant experience. To translate this experience into a mathematical framework is the aim of this work. The idea is to shift the running-in trials to the computer—now in the form of a numerical optimization. In view of the optimization, this paper presents a selection of objective functions. These are assessed with the respect to (1) their suitability as an overall quality measure of the casting process and (2) the extent to which they reflect the goals of the casting process.
Rethinking Trends in Instructional Objectives: Exploring the Alignment of Objectives with Activities and Assessment in Higher Education--A Case Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yamanaka, Akio; Wu, Leon Yufeng
This study explored higher education level syllabi to identify trends in educational objectives. Bloom's Taxonomy and various strategic models were used to classify 714 objectives from 114 sections of courses administered through a Midwest teacher education institution in the United States. 1229 verbs and verb phrases were classified through the…
A method for real-time visual stimulus selection in the study of cortical object perception.
Leeds, Daniel D; Tarr, Michael J
The properties utilized by visual object perception in the mid- and high-level ventral visual pathway are poorly understood. To better establish and explore possible models of these properties, we adopt a data-driven approach in which we repeatedly interrogate neural units using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to establish each unit's image selectivity. This approach to imaging necessitates a search through a broad space of stimulus properties using a limited number of samples. To more quickly identify the complex visual features underlying human cortical object perception, we implemented a new functional magnetic resonance imaging protocol in which visual stimuli are selected in real-time based on BOLD responses to recently shown images. Two variations of this protocol were developed, one relying on natural object stimuli and a second based on synthetic object stimuli, both embedded in feature spaces based on the complex visual properties of the objects. During fMRI scanning, we continuously controlled stimulus selection in the context of a real-time search through these image spaces in order to maximize neural responses across pre-determined 1cm(3) rain regions. Elsewhere we have reported the patterns of cortical selectivity revealed by this approach (Leeds et al., 2014). In contrast, here our objective is to present more detailed methods and explore the technical and biological factors influencing the behavior of our real-time stimulus search. We observe that: 1) Searches converged more reliably when exploring a more precisely parameterized space of synthetic objects; 2) real-time estimation of cortical responses to stimuli is reasonably consistent; 3) search behavior was acceptably robust to delays in stimulus displays and subject motion effects. Overall, our results indicate that real-time fMRI methods may provide a valuable platform for continuing study of localized neural selectivity, both for visual object representation and beyond.
Aiming at Targets: The Autobiography of Robert C. Seamans, Jr.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Seamans, Robert C., Jr.
Bob Seamans originally was inspired to write this book for his family and friends. That is a large audience. By his own count his immediate family numbers twenty-four, not counting brothers and cousins and their families. His friends are uncounted but surely run to hundreds. As one of them and as a colleague at NASA, I am pleased and honored that he asked me to write this foreword. While written in Bob's unique and informal style, this autobiography has significance for many readers beyond his large circles of family and friends. Leaders and students of large, complex technological endeavors should be able to learn much from reading how Bob faced the daunting technical and management challenges in his career. As the title of this book implies, Bob has always set high goals for himself and then kept his eyes focused on both the necessary details and the broader picture. His ability to shift smoothly among jobs that required seemingly disparate abilities and skills speaks volumes about his insight, dedication, and enthusiasm for achievement. The book spans a truly remarkable life story. Bob first takes us through his growing up, education, and early professional and family life. Next he focuses on the crucial years when he was the general manager of NASA. Then he moves on to his career in the top jobs at the Air Force, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Energy Research and Development Administration. Finally, he touches on his later leadership activities in the academic and business worlds. Aiming at Targets is a series of fascinating topical vignettes covering his professional life. Taken together, like broad brushstrokes in an impressionist painting, they give a better picture of Bob Seamans and his work than a detailed recitation of facts and dates could hope to do. This is a cheerful account of an interesting and successful career. The book is full of good stories, with many memorable characters. Like the proverbial sundial, it counts the sunny hours
Perceived Utility of the RE-AIM Framework for Health Promotion/Disease Prevention Initiatives for Older Adults: A Case Study from the U.S. Evidence-Based Disease Prevention Initiative
Ory, Marcia G.; Altpeter, Mary; Belza, Basia; Helduser, Janet; Zhang, Chen; Smith, Matthew Lee
Dissemination and implementation (D&I) frameworks are increasingly being promoted in public health research. However, less is known about their uptake in the field, especially for diverse sets of programs. Limited questionnaires exist to assess the ways that frameworks can be utilized in program planning and evaluation. We present a case study from the United States that describes the implementation of the RE-AIM framework by state aging services providers and public health partners and a questionnaire that can be used to assess the utility of such frameworks in practice. An online questionnaire was developed to capture community perspectives about the utility of the RE-AIM framework. Distributed to project leads in 27 funded states in an evidence-based disease prevention initiative for older adults, 40 key stakeholders responded representing a 100% state-participation rate among the 27 funded states. Findings suggest that there is perceived utility in using the RE-AIM framework when evaluating grand-scale initiatives for older adults. The RE-AIM framework was seen as useful for planning, implementation, and evaluation with relevance for evaluators, providers, community leaders, and policy makers. Yet, the uptake was not universal, and some respondents reported difficulties in use, especially adopting the framework as a whole. This questionnaire can serve as the basis to assess ways the RE-AIM framework can be utilized by practitioners in state-wide D&I efforts. Maximal benefit can be derived from examining the assessment of RE-AIM-related knowledge and confidence as part of a continual quality assurance process. We recommend such an assessment be performed before the implementation of new funding initiatives and throughout their course to assess RE-AIM uptake and to identify areas for technical assistance. PMID:25964897
ORNL Physicist Aims for the Stars with JENSA System
Chipps, Kelly
Physicists studying stellar explosions, the origin of life and just about everything in between could gain light years in precision because of a system inspired by a team led by Kelly Chipps of the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
ORNL Physicist Aims for the Stars with JENSA System
Chipps, Kelly
Physicists studying stellar explosions, the origin of life and just about everything in between could gain light years in precision because of a system inspired by a team led by Kelly Chipps of the Department of Energyâs Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
On Aims and Methods in the Neuroimaging of Derived Relations
Dickins, David W
Ingenious and seemingly powerful technologies have been developed recently that enable the visualization in some detail of events in the brain concomitant upon the ongoing behavioral performance of a human participant. Measurement of such brain events offers at the very least a new set of dependent variables in relation to which the independent variables familiarly manipulated in the operant laboratory may be explored. Two related paradigms in which a start has been made in such research concern the derivation of novel or emergent relations from a baseline set of trained relations, and include the phenomenon of transitive inference (TI), observed in studies of stimulus equivalence (SE) and serial learning (SL) or seriation. This paper reviews some published and forthcoming neuroimaging studies of these and related phenomena, and considers how this line of research both demands and represents a welcome synthesis between types of question and levels of explanation in behavioral science that often have been seen as antithetical. PMID:16596975
A New Spectroscopic and Interferometric Study of the Young Stellar Object V645 Cyg
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Miroshinichenko, A. S.; Hofmann, K.-H.; Schertl, D.; Weigelt, G.; Kraus, S.; Manset, N.; Balega, Y. Y.; Klochkova, V. G.; Rudy, R. J.; Lynch, D. K.; Mazuk, S.; Venturini, C. C.; Grankin, K. N.; Puetter, R. C.; Perry, R. B.
Aims. We present the results of high-resolution optical spectroscopy, low-resolution near-IR spectroscopy and near-infrared speckle interferometry of the massive young stellar object candidate V645 Cyg that were taken in order to refine its fundamental parameters and properties of its circumstellar envelope. Methods. Speckle interferometry in the H- and K-bands and an optical spectrum in the range 5200-6680 A with a spectral resolving power of R = 60000 were obtained at the 6 m telescope of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Another optical spectrum in the range 4300-10500 A with R = 79000 was obtained at the 3.6m CFHT. A low-resolution spectrum in the ranges 0.46-1.4 and 1.4-2.5 microns with a R approx. 800 and approx. 700, respectively, were obtained at the 3m Shain telescope of the Lick Observatory. Results. Using a new kinematic method based on non-linear modeling of the neutral hydrogen density profile in the direction toward the object, we suggest a new a distance D = 4.2+/-0.2 kpc. We also suggest a new estimate for the star's effective temperature, T(sub eff) approx. 25000 K. We have resolved the object in both H- and K-bands. Using a two-component ring fit, we derived a compact component size of 18 mas and 15 mas in the H- and K-band, respectively, which correspond to 37 and 33 AU at the new distance. Analysis of our and previously published data shows a approx. 2 mag drop of the near-infrared brightness of V645 Cyg in the beginning of the 1980 s. At the same time, the cometary nebular condensation N1 seems to fade in this wavelength range with respect to the N0 object, which represent the star with a nearly pole-on optically-thick disk and an optically-thin envelope. Conclusions. We conclude that V645 Cyg is a young massive main-sequence star, which recently emerged from its cocoon. and already passed the protostellar accretion stage. The presence of accretion is not necessary to account for the high observed luminosity of (2.6) x 10(exp 4) Solar Mass
The CTA aims at the Inert Doublet Model
Queiroz, Farinaldo S.; Yaguna, Carlos E. E-mail: email@example.com
We show that the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) can realistically challenge the Inert Doublet Model, one of the simplest and best known models of dark matter. Specifically, the CTA may exclude its heavy regime up to dark matter masses of 800 GeV and probe a large fraction of the remaining viable parameter space at even higher masses. Two features of the Inert Doublet Model make it particularly suitable for CTA searches. First, the dark matter mass (in the heavy regime) must be larger than 500 GeV. Second, the dark matter annihilation cross section, σ v, is always larger than the thermal one, reaching values as high as 10{sup −25} cm{sup 3}s{sup −1}. This higher value of σv is the result of the unavoidable coannihilation effects that determine the relic density via thermal freeze-out in the early Universe. We find that with 100 hours of Galactic Center exposure, CTA's expected limit widely surpasses, even after the inclusion of systematic errors, current and projected bounds from Fermi-LAT and HESS on this model.
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS - Part 1: AIMS-H2O for UTLS water vapor measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kaufmann, Stefan; Voigt, Christiane; Jurkat, Tina; Thornberry, Troy; Fahey, David W.; Gao, Ru-Shan; Schlage, Romy; Schäuble, Dominik; Zöger, Martin
In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), the accurate quantification of low water vapor concentrations has presented a significant measurement challenge. The instrumental uncertainties are passed on to estimates of H2O transport, cloud formation and the role of H2O in the UTLS energy budget and resulting effects on surface temperatures. To address the uncertainty in UTLS H2O determination, the airborne mass spectrometer AIMS-H2O, with in-flight calibration, has been developed for fast and accurate airborne water vapor measurements. We present a new setup to measure water vapor by direct ionization of ambient air. Air is sampled via a backward facing inlet that includes a bypass flow to assure short residence times (< 0.2 s) in the inlet line, which allows the instrument to achieve a time resolution of ˜ 4 Hz, limited by the sampling frequency of the mass spectrometer. From the main inlet flow, a smaller flow is extracted into the novel pressure-controlled gas discharge ion source of the mass spectrometer. The air is directed through the gas discharge region where ion-molecule reactions lead to the production of hydronium ion clusters, H3O+(H2O)n (n = 0, 1, 2), in a complex reaction scheme similar to the reactions in the D-region of the ionosphere. These ions are counted to quantify the ambient water vapor mixing ratio. The instrument is calibrated during flight using a new calibration source based on the catalytic reaction of H2 and O2 on a Pt surface to generate a calibration standard with well-defined and stable H2O mixing ratios. In order to increase data quality over a range of mixing ratios, two data evaluation methods are presented for lower and higher H2O mixing ratios respectively, using either only the H3O+(H2O) ions or the ratio of all water vapor dependent ions to the total ion current. Altogether, a range of water vapor mixing ratios from 1 to 500 parts per million by volume (ppmv) can be covered with an accuracy between 7 and 15 %. AIMS
Meeting the Aims of Honors in the Online Environment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, Melissa L.
While little data-based research is available on the use of technology in the honors classroom, data on the nature of online honors courses are even rarer. In undergraduate education generally, enrollment in online courses has been increasing annually, outpacing enrollment in traditional, face-to-face environments. During fall 2011, more than 6.7…
The Writing Cure: Psychoanalysis, Composition, and the Aims of Education.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bracher, Mark
Asserting that psychoanalysis and writing instruction have much to offer each other, this book examines the intersection between these two fields and proposes pedagogical uses of psychoanalytic technique for writing instruction. Articulating an approach based on the work of Jacques Lacan, the book shows how a psychoanalytic perspective can offer…
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS - Part 1: AIMS-H2O for UTLS water vapor measurements
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kaufmann, S.; Voigt, C.; Jurkat, T.; Thornberry, T.; Fahey, D. W.; Gao, R.-S.; Schlage, R.; Schäuble, D.; Zöger, M.
In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), the accurate quantification of low water vapor concentrations has presented a significant measurement challenge. The instrumental uncertainties are passed on to estimates of H2O transport, cloud formation and the H2O role in the UTLS energy budget and resulting effects on surface temperatures. To address the uncertainty in UTLS H2O determination, the airborne mass spectrometer AIMS-H2O, with in-flight calibration, has been developed for fast and accurate airborne water vapor measurements. We present the new setup to measure water vapor by direct ionization of ambient air. Air is sampled via a backward facing inlet that includes a bypass flow to assure short residence times (< 0.2 s) in the inlet line, which allows the instrument to achieve a time resolution of ∼ 4 Hz. From the main inlet flow, a smaller flow is extracted into the novel pressure-controlled gas discharge ion source of the mass spectrometer. The air is directed through the gas discharge region where water molecules react to form hydronium ion clusters, H3O+(H2O)n (n= 0, 1, 2), in a complex reaction scheme similar to the reactions in the D-region of the ionosphere. These ions are counted to quantify the ambient water vapor mixing ratio. The instrument is calibrated during flight using a new calibration source based on the catalytic reaction of H2 and O2 on a Pt surface to generate a calibration standard with well defined and stable H2O mixing ratios. In order to increase data quality over a range of mixing ratios, two data evaluation methods are presented for lower and higher H2O mixing ratios respectively, using either only the H3O+(H2O) ions or the ratio of all water vapor dependent ions to the total ion current. Altogether, a range of water vapor mixing ratios from 1 to 500 ppmv (mole ratio, 10-6 mol mol-1) can be covered with an accuracy between 7 and 15 %. AIMS-H2O was deployed on two DLR research aircraft, the Falcon during CONCERT
Objective Sleep Structure and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the General Population: The HypnoLaus Study
Haba-Rubio, José; Marques-Vidal, Pedro; Andries, Daniela; Tobback, Nadia; Preisig, Martin; Vollenweider, Peter; Waeber, Gérard; Luca, Gianina; Tafti, Mehdi; Heinzer, Raphaël
Study Objectives: To evaluate the association between objective sleep measures and metabolic syndrome (MS), hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: General population sample. Participants: There were 2,162 patients (51.2% women, mean age 58.4 ± 11.1). Interventions: Patients were evaluated for hypertension, diabetes, overweight/obesity, and MS, and underwent a full polysomnography (PSG). Measurements and Results: PSG measured variables included: total sleep time (TST), percentage and time spent in slow wave sleep (SWS) and in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, sleep efficiency and arousal index (ArI). In univariate analyses, MS was associated with decreased TST, SWS, REM sleep, and sleep efficiency, and increased ArI. After adjustment for age, sex, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, drugs that affect sleep and depression, the ArI remained significantly higher, but the difference disappeared in patients without significant sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Differences in sleep structure were also found according to the presence or absence of hypertension, diabetes, and overweight/obesity in univariate analysis. However, these differences were attenuated after multivariate adjustment and after excluding subjects with significant SDB. Conclusions: In this population-based sample we found significant associations between sleep structure and metabolic syndrome (MS), hypertension, diabetes, and obesity. However, these associations were cancelled after multivariate adjustment. We conclude that normal variations in sleep contribute little if any to MS and associated disorders. Citation: Haba-Rubio J, Marques-Vidal P, Andries D, Tobback N, Preisig M, Vollenweider P, Waeber G, Luca G, Tafti M, Heinzer R. Objective sleep structure and cardiovascular risk factors in the general population: the HypnoLaus study. SLEEP 2015;38(3):391–400. PMID:25325467
Time-Resolved Studies of the Acoustic Vibrational Modes of Metal and Semiconductor Nano-objects.
Major, Todd A; Lo, Shun Shang; Yu, Kuai; Hartland, Gregory V
Over the past decade, there have been a number of transient absorption studies of the acoustic vibrational modes of metal and semiconductor nanoparticles. This Perspective provides an overview of this work. The way that the frequencies of the observed modes depend on the size and shape of the particles is described, along with their damping. Future research directions are also discussed, especially how these measurements provide information about the way nano-objects interact with their environment.
Field Experiments Aimed To The Analysis of Flood Generation Processes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Carriero, D.; Iacobellis, V.; Oliveto, G.; Romano, N.; Telesca, V.; Fiorentino, M.
The study of the soil moisture dynamics and of the climate-soil-vegetation interac- tion is essential for the comprehension of possible climatic change phenomena, as well as for the analysis of occurrence of extreme hydrological events. In this trend the theoretically-based distribution of floods recently derived by Fiorentino and Ia- cobellis, [ŞNew insights about the climatic and geologic control on the probability distribution of floodsT, Water Resources Research, 2001, 37: 721-730] demonstrated, by an application in some Southern Italy basins, that processes at the hillslope scale strongly influence the basin response by means of the different mechanisms of runoff generation produced by various distributions of partial area contributing. This area is considered as a stochastic variable whose pdf position parameter showed strong de- pendence on the climate as it can seen in the studied basins behavior: in dry zones, where there is the prevalence of the infiltration excess (Horton) mechanism, the basin water loss parameter decreases as basin area increases and the flood peak source area depends on the permeability of soils; in humid zones, with the prevalence of satu- ration excess (Dunne) process, the loss parameter seems independent from the basin area and very sensitive to simple climatic index while only small portion of the area invested by the storm contributes to floods. The purpose of this work is to investigate the consistency of those interpretations by means of field experiments at the hillslope scale to establish a parameterization accounting for soil physical and hydraulic prop- erties, vegetation characteristics and land-use. The research site is the catchment of River Fiumarella di Corleto, which is located in Basilicata Region, Italy, and has a drainage area of approximately 32 km2. The environment has a rather dynamic geo- morphology and very interesting features from the soil-landscape modeling viewpoint [Santini A., A. Coppola, N. Romano, and
The "Profiles" document: a modern revision of the objectives of undergraduate medical studies in Switzerland.
Michaud, Pierre-André; Jucker-Kupper, Patrick; The Profiles Working Group
The Joint Commission of the Swiss Medical Schools (SMIFK/CIMS) decided in 2000 to establish a Swiss Catalogue of Learning Objectives (SCLO) for undergraduate medical training, which was adapted from a similar Dutch blueprint. A second version of the SCLO was developed and launched in 2008. The catalogue is a prerequisite for the accreditation of the curricula of the six Swiss medical faculties and defines the contents of the Federal Licensing Examination (FLE). Given the evolution of the field of medicine and of medical education, the SMIFK/CIMS has decided to embark on a total revision of the SCLO. This article presents the proposed structure and content of Profiles, a new document which, in the future, will direct the format of undergraduate studies and of the FLE. Profiles stands for the Principal Relevant Objectives for Integrative Learning and Education in Switzerland. It is currently being developed by a group of experts from the six Swiss faculties as well as representatives of other institutions involved in these developments. The foundations of Profiles are grounded in the evolution of medical practice and of public health and are based on up-to-date teaching concepts, such as EPAs (entrustable professional activities). An introduction will cover the concepts and a tutorial will be displayed. Three main chapters will provide a description of the seven 2015 CanMEDS roles, a list of core EPAs and a series of ≈250 situations embracing the most frequent and current conditions affecting health. As Profiles is still a work in progress, it is hoped that this paper will attract the interest of all individuals involved in the training of medical students.
The Rational Zero Point on Incentive-Object Preference Scales: A Developmental Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Haaf, Robert A.
Preference judgments made by 20 males and 20 females (grades K-4) about the incentive value of 10 objects (i.e. bubble gum, Chiclet, candy corn, dried lima bean) helped determine relative and absolute scales for use of these objects as rewards. The assumption that the same object is equally rewarding at different age levels may be unwarranted.…
Simulation of the dusty plasma environment of 65803 Didymos for the Asteroid Impact Mission (AIM)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cipriani, Fabrice; Rodgers, David; Hilgers, Alain; Hess, Sebastien; Carnelli, Ian
The Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment mission (AIDA) is a joint European-US technology demonstrator mission including the DART asteroid impactor (NASA/JHU/APL) and the AIM asteroid rendezvous platform (ESA/DLR/OCA) set to reach Near Earth binary Object 65803 Didymos in October 2022. Besides technology demonstration in the deep space communications domain and the realization of a kinetic impact on the moonlet to study deflection parameters, this asteroid rendezvous mission is an opportunity to carry out in-situ observations of the close environment of a binary system, addressing some fundamental science questions. The MASCOT-2 lander will be released from the AIM platform and operate at the surface of the moonlet of 65803 Didymos, complemented by the ability of the Cubesat Opportunity Payloads (COPINS) to sample the close environment of the binary.In this context, we have developed an model describing the plasma and charged dust components of the near surface environment of the moonlet (170m in diameter), targeted by the MASCOT-2 lander and of the DART impactor. We performed numerical simulations in order to estimate the electrostatic surface potentials at various locations of the surface, resulting from its interaction with the solar wind plasma and solar photons. In addition, we describe charging levels, density profiles, and velocity distribution of regolith grains lifted out from the surface up to about 70m above the surface.
Quantifying the Reuse of Learning Objects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Elliott, Kristine; Sweeney, Kevin
This paper reports the findings of one case study from a larger project, which aims to quantify the claimed efficiencies of reusing learning objects to develop e-learning resources. The case study describes how an online inquiry project "Diabetes: A waste of energy" was developed by searching for, evaluating, modifying and then…
The effect of negative emotion on multiple object tracking task: An ERP study.
Su, Jing; Duan, Dongyuan; Zhang, Xuemin; Lei, Huanyu; Wang, Chundi; Guo, Heng; Yan, Xiaoqian
Previous studies have revealed that negative emotion may influence participants' cognitive processing. However, the neural mechanism of the impact of negative emotion on dynamic task like Multiple Object Tracking (MOT) is still unknown. This present study used electrophysiological (Event-Related Potentials, ERP) measures to investigate the effect of negative emotion on MOT tasks. Participants were required to complete MOT tasks while detecting the probe dots that would appear on targets, distractors or the space between them during tracking. Results of N2 amplitude showed that the distractor inhibition effect existed only in the neutral emotional picture condition. The P3 amplitude in the parietal area was also modulated by the emotion condition. P3 amplitude in the occipital area showed a target enhancement effect for both the neutral and negative emotion condition. The present study indicates that negative emotion could affect attention resource allocation during MOT.
"The Aims of English Teaching": A View from History
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gibbons, Simon
Once again, the National Curriculum orders for English are being rewritten. The writers of the new curriculum have looked to the education systems of "high-performing jurisdictions" for inspiration. The result is a curriculum draft that offers a limited view of the subject and one which apparently fails to prioritise the needs of the…
Taking aim at the ABM Treaty: THAAD and US Security
Pike, J.; Corbin, M.
Successful testing of the Army`s Theater High Altitude Area Defense interceptor missile leads to speculation that the technology could render meaningless the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972. The authors examine the ability of the political system to develop national strategies that incorporate the new realities created by technology.
The Seeds of Artificial Intelligence. SUMEX-AIM.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Research Resources Information Center, Rockville, MD.
Written to provide an understanding of the broad base of information on which the artificial intelligence (AI) branch of computer science rests, this publication presents a general view of AI, the concepts from which it evolved, its current abilities, and its promise for research. The focus is on a community of projects that use the SUMEX-AIM…
What Should Be the Moral Aims of Compulsory Sex Education?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Steutel, Jan; de Ruyter, Doret J.
With reference to the unsuccessful attempt of the Labour Government to make sex education a statutory part of the National Curriculum, this paper argues in favour of making liberal sex education compulsory at all state schools. First, the main characteristics of a liberal sex education are briefly explained. Promoting the virtue of respect for…
Laboratory research aimed at closing the gaps in microbial bioremediation.
Ramos, Juan-Luis; Marqués, Silvia; van Dillewijn, Pieter; Espinosa-Urgel, Manuel; Segura, Ana; Duque, Estrella; Krell, Tino; Ramos-González, María-Isabel; Bursakov, Sergey; Roca, Amalia; Solano, Jennifer; Fernádez, Matilde; Niqui, José Luís; Pizarro-Tobias, Paloma; Wittich, Regina-Michaela
The industrial revolution, the first agricultural 'green revolution', and the development of antibiotics and therapeutic chemicals have brought significant and undeniable benefits to the human race. However, these advances demand high levels of energy, exploit natural resources and create large amounts of waste that creates an environmental burden for our planet. The pollution rate and character of many of the pollutants results in a rapid deterioration of the environment. Bioremediation functions to isolate and select microorganisms that operate under aerobic and anoxic conditions to remove these harmful pollutants. Current 'omics' technologies allow the exploitation of the catabolic potential of microbes without the need to cultivate them. Synthetic microbiology builds new catabolic pathways to remove recalcitrant pollutants from the environment.
"Our Aim Is to Put Learners in the Driving Seat"
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hayes, John
When some people think of post-18 education, they only perceive real merit in the traditional university route. The central role that further education (FE) plays in the economy and society is often overlooked and undervalued. In truth, FE for adults, whether in a college, at work, or an informal evening class, not only has the power to improve…
Ready, Fire, Aim: The College Campus Gun Fight
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Birnbaum, Robert
The question of whether guns should be permitted on college and university campuses in the United States reflects the tension between two competing perspectives. America has both a robust gun culture and an equally robust (if less well known) gun-control culture. The gun culture is as American as apple pie: There may be as many as 300 million…
[History of the evaluation of medicines aiming for marketing authorization].
Caulin, C
The European Directive on Medicines Evaluation and Marketing Authorization were issued in 1975. For more than 30 years, Marketing Authorization criteria have been defined as pharmaceutical and biological quality, therapeutic efficacy, and safety. The application comes from the pharmaceutical company and must include the full data on drug development. French procedures have always included practical assessment of the drug by health practitioners: clinicians, pharmacists, biologists, and specialists in biostatistics.
Peaceful Cooperation Is the Aim of Oregon School Programs.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Freeman, Jayne
Describes the peace-oriented instructional materials and classroom activities developed by Pat Feller for use in her sixth-grade class. Discusses the adoption of these techniques in another Oregon Catholic school. (LAL)
Galston on Liberal Virtues and the Aims of Civic Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Costa, M. Victoria
This article examines Galston's account of civic education in light of the understanding of liberal virtues that partially informs his educational recommendations. It argues that the main limitations of Galston's account have their origin in a mistaken view of the traits of character that are essential to good citizens. Historical examples are…
The Trouble with Outcomes: Pragmatic Inquiry and Educational Aims
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gallagher, Chris W.
Although outcomes assessment (OA) has become "common sense" in higher education, this article shows that the concept of "outcomes" tends to limit and compromise teaching and learning while serving the interests of institutional management. By contrast, the pragmatic concept of consequences tends to expand our view of teaching and learning, and…
Citizens in the Crosshairs: Ready, Aim, Hold Your Fire?
Congress about our counterterrorism activities, including the legal framework."99 Those members apparently do not include Senator Patrick Leahy...April 8, 2010. 23 Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief at 11, Al-Aulaqi v. Obama, 727 F. Supp . 2d 1 (D.D.C. 2010) (No. 1:10-cv-01469...24 Al-Aulaqi v. Obama, 727 F. Supp . 2d 1, 8-9 (D.D.C. 2010). Judge Bates, the presiding judge, dismissed the case on the grounds that Nasser al
The optical characteristics of aiming scopes in archery.
Long, W F; Haywood, K M
Technical advancements in target archery have been extended to widespread use of "scopes" which magnify the target. In fact, these optical devices are simple converging lenses used at an arm's length from the eye. They produce a magnified image, but it is an image that suffers from significant dioptric blur, diminished somewhat by use of a peep sight in the bowstring which functions as an aperture stop. Visual acuities were taken with these scopes and, as might be expected, it was found that subjects saw no better with them. With the highest power scopes, acuity actually decreased. Experienced archers did slightly better with these aids than those with no archery experience.
Aiming for benchmark accuracy with the many-body expansion.
Richard, Ryan M; Lao, Ka Un; Herbert, John M
Conspectus The past 15 years have witnessed an explosion of activity in the field of fragment-based quantum chemistry, whereby ab initio electronic structure calculations are performed on very large systems by decomposing them into a large number of relatively small subsystem calculations and then reassembling the subsystem data in order to approximate supersystem properties. Most of these methods are based, at some level, on the so-called many-body (or "n-body") expansion, which ultimately requires calculations on monomers, dimers, ..., n-mers of fragments. To the extent that a low-order n-body expansion can reproduce supersystem properties, such methods replace an intractable supersystem calculation with a large number of easily distributable subsystem calculations. This holds great promise for performing, for example, "gold standard" CCSD(T) calculations on large molecules, clusters, and condensed-phase systems. The literature is awash in a litany of fragment-based methods, each with their own working equations and terminology, which presents a formidable language barrier to the uninitiated reader. We have sought to unify these methods under a common formalism, by means of a generalized many-body expansion that provides a universal energy formula encompassing not only traditional n-body cluster expansions but also methods designed for macromolecules, in which the supersystem is decomposed into overlapping fragments. This formalism allows various fragment-based methods to be systematically classified, primarily according to how the fragments are constructed and how higher-order n-body interactions are approximated. This classification furthermore suggests systematic ways to improve the accuracy. Whereas n-body approaches have been thoroughly tested at low levels of theory in small noncovalent clusters, we have begun to explore the efficacy of these methods for large systems, with the goal of reproducing benchmark-quality calculations, ideally meaning complete
Future technology aim of the National Aerospace Plane Program
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Anderson, Charles W.
Technical areas where hypersonic technology programs outside NASP might offer assistance and participate in the NASP program are considered. These specific areas include airframe, technology opportunities for providing better performance and reduced weight, the NDV application of NASP technology, and engine propellant systems and subsystems.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Prangnell, Peter
If buildings and cities are made as friendly objects, they will invite and precipitate participation. They will stimulate our creative powers, which are the basis of growth in all our activities. (CK)
The biomedical ethics ontology proposal: excellent aims, questionable methods.
Dubois, James M
KOEPSELL ET AL. (2009) DESCRIBE AN IDEAL biomedical ethics committee environment with efficiencies such as electronic and universal application forms and consent templates, automated decision-trees, and broad sharing of data. However, it is unclear that a biomedical ethics ontology (BMEO) is necessary or even helpful in establishing such environment. Two features of any applied ontology are particularly problematic in establishing a useful BMEO: (1) an ontology is a description of a domain of reality; and (2) the description is subject to ongoing revision as it is developed through open processes, e.g., the use of a wiki. A BMEO would need to address two main kinds of entities, regulatory definitions and ethical concepts, and is ill-suited to both. Regulatory definitions are fiats and ought to be adopted verbatim to ensure compliance, but in such cases we do not need the assistance of ontologists, and their modes of working (constant revision within open wiki-based communities) might even be counterproductive. Ethical concepts within pluralistic societies are social constructs, not a priori concepts or biological natural kinds, and the prospects of generating intuitive definitions that enjoy broad acceptance across cultures and institutional settings are slim. In making these arguments, I draw from the writings of leading applied ontologists and Koepsell et al.'s own proof of concept.
[Venous thromboembolism's risk assessment: rationale, objectives, and methodology--the ARTE study].
França, Ana; De Sousa, Joaquim Abreu; Felicíssimo, Paulo; Ferreira, Daniel
Venous thromboembolism is a frequent clinical condition with high impact on both morbidity and mortality. Venous thromboembolism risk is particularly high in hospitalized patients as well as in oncologic patients, being a factor of poor prognosis for the oncologic disease. Several clinical studies have shown the need to develop effective hospital strategies using a systematic and individualized assessment of venous thromboembolism risk, and additionally to optimize the institution of prophylaxis treatment and its proper use in the context of in-hospital and outpatient management. The ARTE national study is a non-interventional, multicentre, prospective study which is divided in two phases. In the first phase patients are followed in the hospital; in the second phase patients are followed in ambulatory context for a period of 6 months after discharge. Four thousand patients will be included, equally distributed over medical, surgical, oncologic and orthopaedic patients. Data will be collected from the patient's clinical files and through direct clinical evaluation of risk factors for venous thromboembolism, in the departments of medicine, oncology, surgery, and orthopaedics of the participating centres. The main objectives of the study are to assess the risk profile of venous thromboembolism of the study population using a risk assessment model adapted from the Caprini and Khorana et al models, and the validation of the score for the Portuguese population. Simultaneously, the secondary objectives are as follows: to determine the proportion of patients with venous thromboembolism risk, according to the risk assessment model, that are doing prophylaxis; to determine the duration of prophylaxis during the hospitalization; to determine the proportion of patients doing long-term prophylaxis, at the moment of the discharge; to determine the incidence of thromboembolic events (deep venous thrombosis; stroke; pulmonary thromboembolism; transient ischemic attack
The Professionalization of Management: Aims, Obstacles, and Prospects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Moskovskaia, A. A.
Management in Russia is as difficult to define as a profession as it is in other countries, and the question of what education is appropriate for a future manager is also difficult to define. Business schools in Russia need to think more carefully about their curriculums and about what they should be preparing their students for. (Contains 6…
TRICARE Policy and Operations: Evolving to Support the Quadruple Aim
Services Demonstration - Background Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) – A promising educational / training intervention for treatment of autism ...Option (ECHO) – Statute permits provision of special education and training services to ADFMs 2011 MHS Conference 13 Autism Services Demonstration...as those receiving only ECHO services 2011 MHS Conference 16 Autism Services Demonstration - Experience Autism Survey results: – Half the parents
Mechanical Objects and the Engineering Learner: An Experimental Study of How the Presence of Objects Affects Students' Performance on Engineering Related Tasks
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bairaktarova, Diana N.
People display varying levels of interaction with the mechanical objects in their environment; engineers in particular as makers and users of these objects display a higher level of interaction with them. Investigating the educational potential of mechanical objects in stimulating and supporting learning in engineering is warranted by the fact…
A Study of Planetary Nebulae using the Faint Object Infrared Camera for the SOFIA Telescope
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Davis, Jessica
A planetary nebula is formed following an intermediate-mass (1-8 solar M) star's evolution off of the main sequence; it undergoes a phase of mass loss whereby the stellar envelope is ejected and the core is converted into a white dwarf. Planetary nebulae often display complex morphologies such as waists or torii, rings, collimated jet-like outflows, and bipolar symmetry, but exactly how these features form is unclear. To study how the distribution of dust in the interstellar medium affects their morphology, we utilize the Faint Object InfraRed CAmera for the SOFIA Telescope (FORCAST) to obtain well-resolved images of four planetary nebulae--NGC 7027, NGC 6543, M2-9, and the Frosty Leo Nebula--at wavelengths where they radiate most of their energy. We retrieve mid infrared images at wavelengths ranging from 6.3 to 37.1 micron for each of our targets. IDL (Interactive Data Language) is used to perform basic analysis. We select M2-9 to investigate further; analyzing cross sections of the southern lobe reveals a slight limb brightening effect. Modeling the dust distribution within the lobes reveals that the thickness of the lobe walls is higher than anticipated, or rather than surrounding a vacuum surrounds a low density region of tenuous dust. Further analysis of this and other planetary nebulae is needed before drawing more specific conclusions.
Space Object Characterization Studies and the Magdalena Ridge Observatory's 2.4-meter Telescope
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ryan, E.; Ryan, W.
The Magdalena Ridge Observatory's (MRO) fast-tracking 2.4-meter telescope is located at 10,612 feet atop the Magdalena Mountains in Central New Mexico, and is presently transitioning to an operational status. The MRO 2.4-meter is one of the largest telescopes in the world that has as its primary mission the physical characterization of small bodies (both natural and artificial) in the Solar System. The 2.4-meter's control system is designed to provide convenient and accurate non-sidereal tracking, and the telescope is capable of rapid movement (slew rates are up to 15 degrees/sec) making it an ideal instrument for non-resolved imaging of low-Earth orbit (LEO) space objects. The 2.4-meter telescope can accommodate a wide variety of instrument systems, and support the fabrication, integration, and operation of new instrumentation as well as the development of new and innovative techniques in space object identification studies. Currently, we are investigating various methods to enhance and improve existing capabilities for unique discrimination of resident space objects. The temporal brightness variations (i.e., lightcurves) of unresolved targets such as artificial satellites can be used to develop a powerful tool for general characterization studies. Analysis of these temporal signatures permits the extraction of pertinent distinguishing features, and may also be an indicator for a change in general health status of a satellite. Payne (2005) and Gregory (2005) have demonstrated what can be obtained by adding multi-color information to traditional photometric intensity measurements for geosynchronous satellites. Our current focus is to introduce supplementary discriminators, including polarization data and simultaneously obtained spectral and temporal data. We will discuss new methods for incorporating such data, with a specific emphasis toward LEOs as our target objects. Our observing strategy will be to choose a statistically robust target set with know properties
Studying the disk of the outbursting new FU Orionis object 2MASSJ0659
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Eisloeffel, Jochen
A new outbursting young stellar object of the rare FU Orionis type -- 2MASSJ06593158-0405277 -- was discovered in Nov 2014. These objects represent the extreme case of the episodic accretion during the star formation process, with accretion rates rising by factors of 100 to 1000 up to 10^-4 M_sun/yr, leading to a brightening of the source by more than a factor 100 in the optical within several months. With a DDT proposal for FORCAST and FIFI-LS we were able to obtain MIR and FIR photometry of the object in Jan/Feb 2015, while the outburst was still on its rise. This is the first time that MIR and FIR photometry are available for such a source from before the outburst (WISE, AKARI) and during the rising burst. FU Ori objects then typically take decades for a very slow decline from their maximum brightness back to the original state. Therefore we are requesting to repeat our FORCAST and FIFI-LS observations (45 min each) now to derive the spectral energy distribution of the source, while it should be in its maximum state. This constitutes an unprecedented dataset to learn more about where in the circumstellar disk such a burst starts, how it is triggered, and what its implications for planet formation may be.
A Study of Dim Object Detection for the Space Surveillance Telescope
LINEAR Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research LRT Likelihood Ratio Test MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology NASA National Aeronautics and Space...Problem Statement Dim object detection is the practice of deciding whether a very dim object, such as an asteroid or faint satellite, is present in a...such as space debris, satellites, asteroids , and other near earth objects (NEOs). This research deals primarily with qualitatively and
Association of Objectively Measured Physical Activity with Cognitive Function in Older Adults - The REGARDS Study
Zhu, Wenfei; Howard, Virginia J.; Wadley, Virginia G.; Hutto, Brent; Blair, Steven N.; Vena, John E.; Colabianchi, Natalie; Rhodes, David; Hooker, Steven P.
Objectives To examine the relationship between objectively measured physical activity (PA) and cognitive function in white and black older adults. Design Cross-sectional. Setting REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study Participants Older adults who provided valid data from accelerometer and cognitive function tests (N=7,098). Measurements Actical™ accelerometers provided estimates of PA variables for 4–7 consecutive days. PA count cut-points of 50 counts per minute (cpm) and 1065 cpm were applied to differentiate between being sedentary and light PA, and light and moderate-to-vigorous PA, respectively. Prevalence of cognitive impairment was defined by the Six-Item Screener (scored <4 out of 6). Letter fluency, animal fluency, word list learning and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (orientation and recall), were conducted to assess memory and executive function. Results Of 7,098 participants (70.1 ± 8.5 yr, 54.2% women, 31.5% black), 359 (5.1%) exhibited impaired cognition within ±12 months of PA measurement. The average proportion of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA%) was 1.4 ± 1.9%. Participants in the highest quartile of MVPA% (approximately 258.3 min/wk of MVPA) were less likely to be cognitively impaired than those in the lowest quartile (OR [95%C.I.] = 0.65 [0.43–0.97]). MVPA% was also significantly associated with z-scores of executive function and memory (P<0.001). Similar analyses of proportion of time spent in light PA (LPA%) and sedentary time (ST%) showed no significant associations with cognitive function. Conclusion Higher levels of objectively measured MVPA%, rather than LPA% or ST%, were associated with lower prevalence of cognitive impairment and better performance in memory and executive function in aging people. The amount of MVPA associated with lower prevalence of cognitive impairment is consistent with meeting PA guidelines. PMID:26691697
Evaluation Studies of The Nuffield A-Level Biology Trials--2. Evaluation of Specific Objectives
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kelly, P. J.
Reports the results of evaluation of specified student and course objectives by teacher ratings and test results. Includes a discussion of the evaluation of the materials as a result of formative evaluation. (AL)
Object utilization and object usage: a single-case study.
Osiurak, François; Aubin, Ghislaine; Allain, Philippe; Jarry, Christophe; Richard, Isabelle; Le Gall, Didier
It has been suggested that both conceptual knowledge and the ability to infer function from structure can support object use. By contrast, we propose that object use requires solely the ability to reason about technical ends. Technical ends (e.g., cutting) are not purposes (e.g., eating), but the technical way to achieve them. This perspective suggests that there is no mutual relationship between technical ends and purposes since the same purpose (e.g., writing) can be achieved thanks to distinct technical ends (graving, tracing), and, inversely, the same technical end (e.g., tracing) can achieve different purposes (making up, writing). Thus, conceptual knowledge might determine which technical end is usually associated with a given purpose. To contribute to the discussion, we described the behaviour of a female patient with left temporal lobe lesions and bilateral frontal lobe lesions following a closed-head injury. Conceptual knowledge was impaired. She encountered difficulties in demonstrating the use of objects in isolation (e.g., using a screwdriver without the screw). The presence of a recipient (e.g., using a screwdriver with the screw) improved her performance. The performance was also normal when asked to perform unusual applications of objects to achieve a goal for which the usually applied object was not provided (e.g., screwing a screw with a knife). Consistent with the theoretical framework supported here, her performance profile suggests an intact ability to reason about technical ends (i.e., utilization), in the presence of a defective ability to determine the usual relationship between technical ends and purposes (i.e., usage).
Long-term integrated radiophysical studies of the ionosphere, near space, and the propagation of radio waves from space objects
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Misyura, V. A.
The radiophysical studies reported consist of direct measurements of certain effects induced in the propagation of radio waves from space objects. From measured effects and from data on the motion and position of space objects, physical parameters of the medium and bodies are determined.
Recent developments in atomic/nuclear methodologies used for the study of cultural heritage objects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Appoloni, Carlos Roberto
Archaeometry is an area established in the international community since the 60s, with extensive use of atomic-nuclear methods in the characterization of art, archaeological and cultural heritage objects in general. In Brazil, however, until the early '90s, employing methods of physics, only the area of archaeological dating was implemented. It was only after this period that Brazilian groups became involved in the characterization of archaeological and art objects with these methodologies. The Laboratory of Applied Nuclear Physics, State University of Londrina (LFNA/UEL) introduced, pioneered in 1994, Archaeometry and related issues among its priority lines of research, after a member of LFNA has been involved in 1992 with the possibilities of tomography in archaeometry, as well as the analysis of ancient bronzes by EDXRF. Since then, LFNA has been working with PXRF and Portable Raman in several museums in Brazil, in field studies of cave paintings and in the laboratory with material sent by archaeologists, as well as carrying out collaborative work with new groups that followed in this area. From 2003/2004 LAMFI/DFN/IFUSP and LIN/COPPE/UFRJ began to engage in the area, respectively with methodologies using ion beams and PXRF, then over time incorporating other techniques, followed later by other groups. Due to the growing number of laboratories and institutions/archaeologists/conservators interested in these applications, in may 2012 was created a network of available laboratories, based at http://www.dfn.if.usp.br/lapac. It will be presented a panel of recent developments and applications of these methodologies by national groups, as well as a sampling of what has been done by leading groups abroad.
Recent developments in atomic/nuclear methodologies used for the study of cultural heritage objects
Appoloni, Carlos Roberto
Archaeometry is an area established in the international community since the 60s, with extensive use of atomic-nuclear methods in the characterization of art, archaeological and cultural heritage objects in general. In Brazil, however, until the early '90s, employing methods of physics, only the area of archaeological dating was implemented. It was only after this period that Brazilian groups became involved in the characterization of archaeological and art objects with these methodologies. The Laboratory of Applied Nuclear Physics, State University of Londrina (LFNA/UEL) introduced, pioneered in 1994, Archaeometry and related issues among its priority lines of research, after a member of LFNA has been involved in 1992 with the possibilities of tomography in archaeometry, as well as the analysis of ancient bronzes by EDXRF. Since then, LFNA has been working with PXRF and Portable Raman in several museums in Brazil, in field studies of cave paintings and in the laboratory with material sent by archaeologists, as well as carrying out collaborative work with new groups that followed in this area. From 2003/2004 LAMFI/DFN/IFUSP and LIN/COPPE/UFRJ began to engage in the area, respectively with methodologies using ion beams and PXRF, then over time incorporating other techniques, followed later by other groups. Due to the growing number of laboratories and institutions/archaeologists/conservators interested in these applications, in may 2012 was created a network of available laboratories, based at http://www.dfn.if.usp.br/lapac. It will be presented a panel of recent developments and applications of these methodologies by national groups, as well as a sampling of what has been done by leading groups abroad.
SAR Object Change Detection Study.
based techniques when applied to Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR imagery. DOUGLA 3. PRASKA, 2LT, USAF Project Engineer viii Section 1 INTRODUCTION AND...to assess the applicability of three region-based change-detection methods to synthetic aperture radar imagery. I/ Ac .0ion For K:CTAB [ ft i . i...Section 2, the algorithms developed were applied to synthetic -aperture radar image data furnished by RADC. Some preprocessing of all images was required
Spectroscopic and molecular modeling study on the separate and simultaneous bindings of alprazolam and fluoxetine hydrochloride to human serum albumin (HSA): with the aim of the drug interactions probing.
Dangkoob, Faeze; Housaindokht, Mohmmad Reza; Asoodeh, Ahmad; Rajabi, Omid; Rouhbakhsh Zaeri, Zeinab; Verdian Doghaei, Asma
The objective of the present research is to study the interaction of separate and simultaneous of alprazolam (ALP) and fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLX) with human serum albumin (HSA) in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) using different kinds of spectroscopic, cyclic voltammetry and molecular modeling techniques. The absorbance spectra of protein, drugs and protein-drug showed complex formation between the drugs and HSA. Fluorescence analysis demonstrated that ALP and FLX could quench the fluorescence spectrum of HSA and demonstrated the conformational change of HSA in the presence of both drugs. Also, fluorescence quenching mechanism of HSA-drug complexes both separately and simultaneously was suggested as static quenching. The analysis of UV absorption data and the fluorescence quenching of HSA in the binary and ternary systems showed that FLX decreased the binding affinity between ALP and HSA. On the contrary, ALP increased the binding affinity of FLX and HSA. The results of synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra indicated that the binding of drugs to HSA would modify the microenvironment around the Trp and Tyr residues and the conformation of HSA. The distances between Trp residue and the binding sites of the drugs were estimated according to the Förster theory, and it was demonstrated that non-radiative energy transfer from HSA to the drugs occurred with a high probability. Moreover, according to CV measurements, the decrease of peak current in the cyclic voltammogram of the both drugs in the presence of HSA revealed that they interacted with albumin and binding constants were calculated for binary systems which were in agreement with the binding constants obtained from UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The prediction of the best binding sites of ALP and FLX in binary and ternary systems in molecular modeling approach was done using of Gibbs free energy.
Spectroscopic and molecular modeling study on the separate and simultaneous bindings of alprazolam and fluoxetine hydrochloride to human serum albumin (HSA): With the aim of the drug interactions probing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dangkoob, Faeze; Housaindokht, Mohmmad Reza; Asoodeh, Ahmad; Rajabi, Omid; Rouhbakhsh Zaeri, Zeinab; Verdian Doghaei, Asma
The objective of the present research is to study the interaction of separate and simultaneous of alprazolam (ALP) and fluoxetine hydrochloride (FLX) with human serum albumin (HSA) in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) using different kinds of spectroscopic, cyclic voltammetry and molecular modeling techniques. The absorbance spectra of protein, drugs and protein-drug showed complex formation between the drugs and HSA. Fluorescence analysis demonstrated that ALP and FLX could quench the fluorescence spectrum of HSA and demonstrated the conformational change of HSA in the presence of both drugs. Also, fluorescence quenching mechanism of HSA-drug complexes both separately and simultaneously was suggested as static quenching. The analysis of UV absorption data and the fluorescence quenching of HSA in the binary and ternary systems showed that FLX decreased the binding affinity between ALP and HSA. On the contrary, ALP increased the binding affinity of FLX and HSA. The results of synchronous fluorescence and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra indicated that the binding of drugs to HSA would modify the microenvironment around the Trp and Tyr residues and the conformation of HSA. The distances between Trp residue and the binding sites of the drugs were estimated according to the Förster theory, and it was demonstrated that non-radiative energy transfer from HSA to the drugs occurred with a high probability. Moreover, according to CV measurements, the decrease of peak current in the cyclic voltammogram of the both drugs in the presence of HSA revealed that they interacted with albumin and binding constants were calculated for binary systems which were in agreement with the binding constants obtained from UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. The prediction of the best binding sites of ALP and FLX in binary and ternary systems in molecular modeling approach was done using of Gibbs free energy.
A molecular line study towards massive extended green object clumps in the southern sky: chemical properties
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Yu, Naiping; Wang, Jun-Jie
We present a molecular line study towards 31 extended green object (EGO) clumps in the southern sky using data from MALT90 (Millimetre Astronomy Legacy Team 90 GHz). According to previous multiwavelength observations, we divide our sample into two groups: massive young stellar objects (MYSOs) and H II regions. The most detected lines are N2H+ (J = 1 - 0), HCO+ (J = 1 - 0), HNC (J = 1 - 0), HCN (J = 1 - 0), HC3N (J = 10 - 9), H13CO+ (J = 1 - 0), C2H (N = 1 - 0) and SiO (J = 2 - 1), indicating that most EGOs are indeed associated with dense clumps and recent outflow activities. The velocity widths of the N2H+ (J = 1 - 0), H13CO+ (J = 1 - 0), C2H (N = 1 - 0) and HC3N (J = 10 - 9) lines are comparable to each other in MYSOs. However, in H II regions the velocity widths of the N2H+ (J = 1 - 0) and C2H (N = 1 - 0) lines tend to be narrower than those of H13CO+ (J = 1 - 0) and HC3N (J = 10 - 9). Our results seem to support that N2H+ and C2H emissions mainly come from the gas inside quiescent clumps. In addition, we also find that the [N2H+]/[H13CO+] and [C2H]/[H13CO+] relative abundance ratios decrease from MYSOs to H II regions. These results suggest depletion of N2H+ and C2H in the late stages of massive-star formation, probably caused by the formation of H II regions inside. N2H+ and C2H might be used as chemical clocks for massive-star formation by comparing with other molecules such as H13CO+ and HC3N.
The National Cancer Informatics Program (NCIP) Annotation and Image Markup (AIM) Foundation model.
Mongkolwat, Pattanasak; Kleper, Vladimir; Talbot, Skip; Rubin, Daniel
Knowledge contained within in vivo imaging annotated by human experts or computer programs is typically stored as unstructured text and separated from other associated information. The National Cancer Informatics Program (NCIP) Annotation and Image Markup (AIM) Foundation information model is an evolution of the National Institute of Health's (NIH) National Cancer Institute's (NCI) Cancer Bioinformatics Grid (caBIG®) AIM model. The model applies to various image types created by various techniques and disciplines. It has evolved in response to the feedback and changing demands from the imaging community at NCI. The foundation model serves as a base for other imaging disciplines that want to extend the type of information the model collects. The model captures physical entities and their characteristics, imaging observation entities and their characteristics, markups (two- and three-dimensional), AIM statements, calculations, image source, inferences, annotation role, task context or workflow, audit trail, AIM creator details, equipment used to create AIM instances, subject demographics, and adjudication observations. An AIM instance can be stored as a Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) structured reporting (SR) object or Extensible Markup Language (XML) document for further processing and analysis. An AIM instance consists of one or more annotations and associated markups of a single finding along with other ancillary information in the AIM model. An annotation describes information about the meaning of pixel data in an image. A markup is a graphical drawing placed on the image that depicts a region of interest. This paper describes fundamental AIM concepts and how to use and extend AIM for various imaging disciplines.
The Many Organisational Factors Relevant to Planning Change in Emergency Care Departments: A Qualitative Study to Inform a Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial Aiming to Improve the Management of Patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries
Bosch, Marije; Tavender, Emma J.; Brennan, Sue E.; Knott, Jonathan; Gruen, Russell L.; Green, Sally E.
Background The Neurotrauma Evidence Translation (NET) Trial aims to design and evaluate the effectiveness of a targeted theory-and evidence-informed intervention to increase the uptake of evidence-based recommended practices for the management of patients who present to an emergency department (ED) with mild head injuries. When designing interventions to bring about change in organisational settings such as the ED, it is important to understand the impact of the context to ensure successful implementation of practice change. Few studies explicitly use organisational theory to study which factors are likely to be most important to address when planning change processes in the ED. Yet, this setting may have a unique set of organisational pressures that need to be taken into account when implementing new clinical practices. This paper aims to provide an in depth analysis of the organisational context in which ED management of mild head injuries and implementation of new practices occurs, drawing upon organisational level theory. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ED staff in Australia. The interviews explored the organisational context in relation to change and organisational factors influencing the management of patients presenting with mild head injuries. Two researchers coded the interview transcripts using thematic content analysis. The "model of diffusion in service organisations" was used to guide analyses and organisation of the results. Results Nine directors, 20 doctors and 13 nurses of 13 hospitals were interviewed. With regard to characteristics of the innovation (i.e. the recommended practices) the most important factor was whether they were perceived as being in line with values and needs. Tension for change (the degree to which stakeholders perceive the current situation as intolerable or needing change) was relatively low for managing acute mild head injury symptoms, and mixed for managing longer-term symptoms (higher change
Objective assessment of the effects of texting while driving: a simulator study.
Bendak, Salaheddine
Recent advances in electronic communication technology led to many drivers opting to send and receive text messages while driving. This, inevitably, has a potential to distract drivers, impair driving performance and lead to crashes. This study aims to assess the risk involved in texting while driving through assessing the distraction caused and determining the change in key driving performance indicators. Twenty-one paid young male volunteers were recruited to participate in this study. Each participant drove a driving simulator on four different scenarios involving driving while texting and without texting on highways and town roads. Results showed that texting while driving led, on average, to five times more crashes than driving without texting. Due to distraction also, participants unnecessarily crossed lane boundaries and road boundaries more often while texting as compared to driving without texting. Moreover, distraction due to texting led to participants deviating their eyes off the road while texting 15 times per session, on average, more than without texting. Results demonstrated a high-risk level of distraction and clear impairment in drivers' ability to drive safely due to texting. Based on the results, practical recommendations to combat this phenomenon are given.
Study of high-definition and stereoscopic head-aimed vision for improved teleoperation of an unmanned ground vehicle
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tyczka, Dale R.; Wright, Robert; Janiszewski, Brian; Chatten, Martha Jane; Bowen, Thomas A.; Skibba, Brian
Nearly all explosive ordnance disposal robots in use today employ monoscopic standard-definition video cameras to relay live imagery from the robot to the operator. With this approach, operators must rely on shadows and other monoscopic depth cues in order to judge distances and object depths. Alternatively, they can contact an object with the robot's manipulator to determine its position, but that approach carries with it the risk of detonation from unintentionally disturbing the target or nearby objects. We recently completed a study in which high-definition (HD) and stereoscopic video cameras were used in addition to conventional standard-definition (SD) cameras in order to determine if higher resolutions and/or stereoscopic depth cues improve operators' overall performance of various unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) tasks. We also studied the effect that the different vision modes had on operator comfort. A total of six different head-aimed vision modes were used including normal-separation HD stereo, SD stereo, "micro" (reduced separation) SD stereo, HD mono, and SD mono (two types). In general, the study results support the expectation that higher resolution and stereoscopic vision aid UGV teleoperation, but the degree of improvement was found to depend on the specific task being performed; certain tasks derived notably more benefit from improved depth perception than others. This effort was sponsored by the Joint Ground Robotics Enterprise under Robotics Technology Consortium Agreement #69-200902 T01. Technical management was provided by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory's Robotics Research and Development Group at Tyndall AFB, Florida.
The EU Clinical Trials Regulation: key priorities, purposes and aims and the implications for public health.
Flear, Mark L
The replacement of the European Union (EU) Clinical Trials Directive by the new Clinical Trials Regulation (CTR), which entered into force on 16 June 2014 but will not apply before 28 May 2016, provides an opportunity to review the legal and political context within which this important aspect of research law and policy sits and to reflect on the implications for public health. My aim in this article is to relate the context to the key purposes and aims of EU law and policy on clinical trials in order to explain and clarify its orientation. On that basis, I argue that the CTR and the changes it introduces to the law on clinical trials are part of the EU's continued focus on market optimisation. It is this focus that orients and directs the wider pharmaceutical development pipeline, but that undermines the achievement of key public health objectives.
The Potential for Adaptable Accessible Learning Objects: A Case Study in Accessible Vodcasting
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gkatzidou, Stavroula; Pearson, Elaine
With the rapid development of wireless networks and mobile technologies and the increasing adoption of mobile learning, the need for "anywhere, anytime and any device" access to information becomes more evident. This has influenced the design of learning objects. The small but developing literature on vodcasting indicates its potential…
Developing Values for Secondary School Students through the Study of Art Objects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Dulama, Maria Eliza; Iovu, Mihai-Bogdan; Ursu, Alexandru Marius Bodochi
The paper begins with some issues related to aesthetics, aesthetic education, art and axiological education. The empirical research has the general assumption that secondary school students and youth have difficulties in selecting values. The objective of the research was three fold: to design, to organize and to carry learning activities from…
The WellingTONNE Challenge Toolkit: Using the RE-AIM Framework to Evaluate a Community Resource Promoting Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Caperchione, Cristina; Coulson, Fiona
Objective: The RE-AIM framework has been recognized as a tool to evaluate the adoption, delivery, and sustainability of an intervention, and estimate its potential public health impact. In this study four dimensions of the RE-AIM framework (adoption, implementation, effectiveness, and maintenance) were used to evaluate the WellingTONNE Challenge…
Teaching Object Permanence: An Action Research Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Bruce, Susan M.; Vargas, Claudia
"Object permanence," also known as "object concept" in the field of visual impairment, is one of the most important early developmental milestones. The achievement of object permanence is associated with the onset of representational thought and language. Object permanence is important to orientation, including the recognition of landmarks.…
An ERP Study of the Processing of Subject and Object Relative Clauses in Japanese
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ueno, Mieko; Garnsey, Susan M.
Using reading times and event-related brain potentials (ERPs), we investigated the processing of Japanese subject and object relative clauses (SRs/ORs). Previous research on English relative clauses shows that ORs take longer to read (King & Just, 1991) and elicit anterior negativity between fillers and gaps (King & Kutas, 1995), which is…
An electrophysiological study of the object-based correspondence effect: is the effect triggered by an intended grasping action?
Lien, Mei-Ching; Jardin, Elliott; Proctor, Robert W
We examined Goslin, Dixon, Fischer, Cangelosi, and Ellis's (Psychological Science 23:152-157, 2012) claim that the object-based correspondence effect (i.e., faster keypress responses when the orientation of an object's graspable part corresponds with the response location than when it does not) is the result of object-based attention (vision-action binding). In Experiment 1, participants determined the category of a centrally located object (kitchen utensil vs. tool), as in Goslin et al.'s study. The handle orientation (left vs. right) did or did not correspond with the response location (left vs. right). We found no correspondence effect on the response times (RTs) for either category. The effect was also not evident in the P1 and N1 components of the event-related potentials, which are thought to reflect the allocation of early visual attention. This finding was replicated in Experiment 2 for centrally located objects, even when the object was presented 45 times (33 more times than in Exp. 1). Critically, the correspondence effects on RTs, P1s, and N1s emerged only when the object was presented peripherally, so that the object handle was clearly located to the left or right of fixation. Experiment 3 provided further evidence that the effect was observed only for the base-centered objects, in which the handle was clearly positioned to the left or right of center. These findings contradict those of Goslin et al. and provide no evidence that an intended grasping action modulates visual attention. Instead, the findings support the spatial-coding account of the object-based correspondence effect.
Study on tracking technology of the moving object based on computer vision
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Xu, Ranran; Xu, Zhenying; Li, Boquan
The tracking technology of the moving object has been an active topic of the visual tracking system. In this paper, the tracking algorithms are classified into four classes: correlation-based methods, boundary-based methods, model-based methods and multifunctional methods. Based on the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of all these algorithms, a new tracking algorithm, integrating SSDA and advanced Camshift algorithm, is put forward here.
A molecular-modeling toolbox aimed at bridging the gap between medicinal chemistry and computational sciences.
Eid, Sameh; Zalewski, Adam; Smieško, Martin; Ernst, Beat; Vedani, Angelo
In the current era of high-throughput drug discovery and development, molecular modeling has become an indispensable tool for identifying, optimizing and prioritizing small-molecule drug candidates. The required background in computational chemistry and the knowledge of how to handle the complex underlying protocols, however, might keep medicinal chemists from routinely using in silico technologies. Our objective is to encourage those researchers to exploit existing modeling technologies more frequently through easy-to-use graphical user interfaces. In this account, we present two innovative tools (which we are prepared to share with academic institutions) facilitating computational tasks commonly utilized in drug discovery and development: (1) the VirtualDesignLab estimates the binding affinity of small molecules by simulating and quantifying their binding to the three-dimensional structure of a target protein; and (2) the MD Client launches molecular dynamics simulations aimed at exploring the time-dependent stability of ligand-protein complexes and provides residue-based interaction energies. This allows medicinal chemists to identify sites of potential improvement in their candidate molecule. As a case study, we present the application of our tools towards the design of novel antagonists for the FimH adhesin.
A study on the use of passive microwave radiometry for the detection of buried objects and their associated hydrological changes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
van de Ven, Robbert; de Jeu, Richard; Haarbrink, Roland
The detection of buried objects with remote sensing techniques mainly relies on thermal infrared, ground penetrating radar, and metal detectors. However, nowadays people also start to use low frequency passive microwave radiometry for the same purpose. The detection performance of passive microwave radiometry is influenced by the depth and size of the object, environmental factors, and soil properties. Soil moisture is a key variable here, due to its strong influence on the observed dielectric constant. Through digging activities will the hydrological conditions of the soil change significantly that can be detected by remotely sensing systems. A study was designed to examine the influence of the hydrological changes caused by the direct placement of an object in the ground. Simulations in a soil moisture model and field observations revealed the development of a wetter part above and a drier part underneath an object. The observations were converted to brightness temperatures with a coherent model in combination with a dielectric mixing model. Development of a drier area underneath an object generally increases the brightness temperature after a precipitation event. As a results are brightness temperature anomalies of low dielectric constant objects raised during the first 36 hours after a rain event. Ground observations of soil moisture and porosity revealed an increase in porosity and loss in soil moisture for the part that was excavated. Knowledge of past weather conditions could therefore improve buried object detection by passive microwave sensors.
Thermal Studies of Near Earth Objects
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Jewitt, David
In this proposal, we seek to apply the optical/thermal method to the measurement of the diameters and albedos of a large sample of Near Earth Objects (NEOs). Whereas main-belt asteroids have been studied in large numbers, principally using thermal detections from the IRAS satellite, relatively few thermal observations of NEOs have been secured. This program capitalizes on our access to large telescopes and imaging thermal IR detectors in pursuit of the definitive set of albedo data on the NEOs.
The Effects of Age on Divergent Thinking and Creative Objects Production: A Cross-Sectional Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Massimiliano, Palmiero
Age-related changes in divergent thinking and creative objects production were investigated in 150 native Italian speakers, divided into six age groups, each one comprised 25 participants: young (20-29), young adult (30-39), middle aged (40-49), adult-old (50-59), old (60-69), and old-old (70-80). Two tasks were used: the alternative uses task,…
The IRYSS-COPD appropriateness study: objectives, methodology, and description of the prospective cohort
Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often experience exacerbations of the disease that require hospitalization. Current guidelines offer little guidance for identifying patients whose clinical situation is appropriate for admission to the hospital, and properly developed and validated severity scores for COPD exacerbations are lacking. To address these important gaps in clinical care, we created the IRYSS-COPD Appropriateness Study. Methods/Design The RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Methodology was used to identify appropriate and inappropriate scenarios for hospital admission for patients experiencing COPD exacerbations. These scenarios were then applied to a prospective cohort of patients attending the emergency departments (ED) of 16 participating hospitals. Information was recorded during the time the patient was evaluated in the ED, at the time a decision was made to admit the patient to the hospital or discharge home, and during follow-up after admission or discharge home. While complete data were generally available at the time of ED admission, data were often missing at the time of decision making. Predefined assumptions were used to impute much of the missing data. Discussion The IRYSS-COPD Appropriateness Study will validate the appropriateness criteria developed by the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Methodology and thus better delineate the requirements for admission or discharge of patients experiencing exacerbations of COPD. The study will also provide a better understanding of the determinants of outcomes of COPD exacerbations, and evaluate the equity and variability in access and outcomes in these patients. PMID:22115318
A focus group study of the use of video-recorded simulated objective structured clinical examinations in nurse practitioner education.
Barratt, Julian
The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is a common method of clinical skills assessment used for advanced nurse practitioner students across the United Kingdom. The purpose of an advanced nursing OSCE is to assess a nurse practitioner student's competence and safety in the performance of commonly used advanced clinical practice skills. Students often feel nervous when preparing for and participating in an OSCE. Consideration of these identified anxieties led to the development of an alternative method of meeting students' OSCE learning and preparation needs; namely video-recorded simulated OSCEs. Video-recording was appealing for the following reasons: it provides a flexible usage of staff resources and time; OSCE performance mistakes can be rectified; it is possible to use the same video-recordings with multiple cohorts of students, and the recordings can be made conveniently available for students with video streaming on internet-based video-sharing sites or virtual learning environments. The aim of the study was to explore the value of using such recordings amongst nurse practitioner students, via online and face-to-face focus groups, to see if they are a suitable OSCE educational preparation technique. The study findings indicate that simulated OSCE video-recordings are an effective method for supporting nurse practitioner educational development.
A Study of the Objectives for the Theological Preparation of Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Elementary Teachers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rockrohr, Deborah L.
This study examined current practice in the area of theological preparation for Lutheran elementary teachers of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod (LCMS). As a church body with a well-defined doctrine, the LCMS requires a particular preparation for all ordained and commissioned workers placed on its official roster. A historical review of archival…
Objectively Measured Physical Activity in European Adults: Cross-Sectional Findings from the Food4Me Study
Marsaux, Cyril F. M.; Celis-Morales, Carlos; Hoonhout, Jettie; Claassen, Arjan; Goris, Annelies; Forster, Hannah; Fallaize, Rosalind; Macready, Anna L.; Navas-Carretero, Santiago; Kolossa, Silvia; Walsh, Marianne C.; Lambrinou, Christina-Paulina; Manios, Yannis; Godlewska, Magdalena; Traczyk, Iwona; Lovegrove, Julie A.; Martinez, J. Alfredo; Daniel, Hannelore; Gibney, Mike; Mathers, John C.; Saris, Wim H. M.
Background Comparisons of objectively measured physical activity (PA) between residents of European countries measured concurrently with the same protocol are lacking. We aimed to compare PA between the seven European countries involved in the Food4Me Study, using accelerometer data collected remotely via the Internet. Methods Of the 1607 participants recruited, 1287 (539 men and 748 women) provided at least 3 weekdays and 2 weekend days of valid accelerometer data (TracmorD) at baseline and were included in the present analyses. Results Men were significantly more active than women (physical activity level = 1.74 vs. 1.70, p < 0.001). Time spent in light PA and moderate PA differed significantly between countries but only for women. Adherence to the World Health Organization recommendation to accumulate at least 150 min of moderate-equivalent PA weekly was similar between countries for men (range: 54–65%) but differed significantly between countries for women (range: 26–49%). Prevalence estimates decreased substantially for men and women in all seven countries when PA guidelines were defined as achieving 30 min of moderate and vigorous PA per day. Conclusions We were able to obtain valid accelerometer data in real time via the Internet from 80% of participants. Although our estimates are higher compared with data from Sweden, Norway, Portugal and the US, there is room for improvement in PA for all countries involved in the Food4Me Study. PMID:26999053
a Study of 954-2A/IM7 Composite Laminates Containing a Central Hole
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Hyungwon
Predicting microcracking properties of the composite laminates in nonuniform stress conditions was the subject in this paper. The uniform stress field meant the stresses were independent of the width direction. The material was the 954-2A/IM7 laminates containing a central hole. Microcracks initiated at the edge of the hole and propagated into the laminate. Because the tensile stress concentration decreased with distance, the microcracks were arrested before the edge of the laminate. Because carbon fiber composites were opaque, a x-ray method was used to detect the length of the propagating microcracks. The microcracking at the near edge of the hole could be reasonably predicted by considering the local laminate stresses and the microcracking toughness measured in unnotched laminates. However, the data away from the hole did not agree with the predictions. The local microcrack density was always much higher than that predicted by the local laminate stress.
positive definite solution of A1Qy+QyAo+I--QyBBTQY=O (5.2) The logarithmic residence time of system (3.1) with the stabilizing control (5.1) in a I...a bounded is E bou,,,,dby, ii I)-2=(6 2 This completes the prooof the necesity. Suffidency: The proof is by conatnction. Select a stabilizing control u...a - . Q.LD. Proof of Theorem 3.3: It follows from the results of [151, [21] that for each y > 0, K? defined by (3.4) is a stabilizing control and
Lightcurve Studies of Trans-Neptunian Objects from the Outer Solar System Origins Survey using the Hyper Suprime-Camera
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alexandersen, Mike; Benecchi, Susan D.; Chen, Ying-Tung; Schwamb, Megan Elizabeth; Wang, Shiang-Yu; Lehner, Matthew; Gladman, Brett; Kavelaars, JJ; Petit, Jean-Marc; Bannister, Michele T.; Gwyn, Stephen; Volk, Kathryn
Lightcurves can reveal information about the gravitational processes that have acted on small bodies since their formation and/or their gravitational history.At the extremes, lightcurves can provide constraints on the material properties and interior structure of individual objects.In large sets, lightcurves can possibly shed light on the source of small body populations that did not form in place (such as the dynamically excited trans-Neptunian Objects (TNOs)).We have used the sparsely sampled photometry from the well characterized Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS) discovery and recovery observations to identify TNOs with potentially large amplitude lightcurves.Large lightcurve amplitudes would indicate that the objects are likely elongated or in potentially interesting spin states; however, this would need to be confirmed with further follow-up observations.We here present the results of a 6-hour pilot study of a subset of 17 OSSOS objects using Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) on the Subaru Telescope.Subaru's large aperture and HSC's large field of view allows us to obtain measurements on multiple objects with a range of magnitudes in each telescope pointing.Photometry was carefully measusured using an elongated aperture method to account for the motion of the objects, producing the short but precise lightcurves that we present here.The OSSOS objects span a large range of sizes, from as large as several hundred kilometres to as small as a few tens of kilometres in diameter.We are thus investigating smaller objects than previous light-curve projects have typically studied.
Using neural modeling and functional neuroimaging to study the neural basis of auditory object processing
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Horwitz, Barry; Husain, Fatima T.
The neural basis of auditory object processing in the human cerebral cortex was investigated by combining neural modeling and functional neuroimaging. We developed a large-scale, neurobiologically realistic network model of auditory pattern recognition that relates neuronal dynamics of cortical auditory processing of frequency-modulated (FM) sweeps to functional neuroimaging data obtained using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). FM sweeps are ubiquitous in animal communication. Areas included in the model extend from primary auditory to prefrontal cortex. The electrical activities of the model neuronal units were constrained to agree with data from the neurophysiological literature regarding FM sweep perception. A fMRI experiment using stimuli and tasks similar to those used in our simulations was performed. The regional integrated synaptic activities of the model were used to determine simulated regional fMRI activities, and generally agreed with the experimentally observed fMRI data. Our results demonstrate that the model is capable of exhibiting the salient features of both electrophysiological neuronal activities and fMRI values that are in agreement with empirically observed data. These findings provide support for our hypotheses concerning how auditory objects are processed by primate neocortex. This type of approach offers the potential for understanding the neural basis of human speech perception.
Variation objective analyses for cyclone studies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Achtemeier, G. L.; Kidder, S. Q.; Ochs, H. T.
The objectives were to: (1) develop an objective analysis technique that will maximize the information content of data available from diverse sources, with particular emphasis on the incorporation of observations from satellites with those from more traditional immersion techniques; and (2) to develop a diagnosis of the state of the synoptic scale atmosphere on a much finer scale over a much broader region than is presently possible to permit studies of the interactions and energy transfers between global, synoptic and regional scale atmospheric processes. The variational objective analysis model consists of the two horizontal momentum equations, the hydrostatic equation, and the integrated continuity equation for a dry hydrostatic atmosphere. Preliminary tests of the model with the SESMAE I data set are underway for 12 GMT 10 April 1979. At this stage of purpose of the analysis is not the diagnosis of atmospheric structures but rather the validation of the model. Model runs for rawinsonde data and with the precision modulus weights set to force most of the adjustment of the wind field to the mass field have produced 90 to 95 percent reductions in the imbalance of the initial data after only 4-cycles through the Euler-Lagrange equations. Sensitivity tests for linear stability of the 11 Euler-Lagrange equations that make up the VASP Model 1 indicate that there will be a lower limit to the scales of motion that can be resolved by this method. Linear stability criteria are violated where there is large horizontal wind shear near the upper tropospheric jet.
The Intervening Galaxies Hypothesis of the Absorption Spectra of Quasi-Stellar Objects: Some Statistical Studies
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Duari, Debiprosad; Narlikar, Jayant V.
This paper examines, in the light of the available data, the hypothesis that the heavy element absorption line systems in the spectra of QSOs originate through en-route absorption by intervening galaxies, halos etc. Several statistical tests are applied in two different ways to compare the predictions of the intervening galaxies hypothesis (IGH) with actual observations. The database is taken from a recent 1991 compilation of absorption line systems by Junkkarinen, Hewitt and Burbidge. Although, prima facie, a considerable gap is found between the predictions of the intervening galaxies hypothesis and the actual observations despite inclusion of any effects of clustering and some likely selection effects, the gap narrows after invoking evolution in the number density of absorbers and allowing for the incompleteness and inhomogeneity of samples examined. On the latter count the gap might be bridgeable by stretching the parameters of the theory. It is concluded that although the intervening galaxies hypothesis is a possible natural explanation to account for the absorption line systems and may in fact do so in several cases, it seems too simplistic to be able to account for all the available data. It is further stressed that the statistical techniques described here will be useful for future studies of complete and homogenous samples with a view to deciding the extent of applicability of the IGH.
Application of a Multi-Objective Network Model to a Combat Simulation Game: The Drive on Metz Case Study
APPLICATION OF A MULTI-OBJECTIVE NETWORK MODEL TO A COMBAT SIMULATION GAME : "THE DRIVE ON METZ" CASE STUDY THESIS Timothy D. Frawley, Captain, USAF...COMBAT SIMULATION GAME : "THE DRIVE ON METZ" CASE STUDY THESIS Presented to the Faculty Department of Operational Sciences Graduate School of...PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED AFIT-ENS-14-M-08 APPLICATION OF A MULTI-OBJECTIVE NETWORK MODEL TO A COMBAT SIMULATION GAME : "THE DRIVE ON METZ
Study of the dense molecular gas surrounding the 'extended green object' G35.03+0.35
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Paron, S.; Ortega, M. E.; Petriella, A.; Rubio, M.; Giacani, E.; Dubner, G.
We present the results of a new study of the molecular gas associated with the 'extended green object' (EGO) G35.03+0.35. This object, very likely a massive young stellar object, is embedded in a molecular cloud at the border of an H II region. The observations were performed with the Atacama Submillimeter Telescope Experiment in the 12CO and 13CO J= 3-2, HCO+ J= 4-3 and CS J= 7-6 lines with an angular resolution of about 22 arcsec. From the 12CO J= 3-2 line, we discovered outflowing activity of the massive young stellar object. We obtained a total mass and kinetic energy for the outflows of 30 and 3000 M⊙ (km s-1)2 (6 × 1046 erg), respectively. We discovered an HCO+ and CS clump towards the EGO G35.03+0.35. The detection of these molecular species supports the presence of molecular outflows and a dense molecular envelope with temperatures and densities above 40 K and 6 × 106 cm-3, respectively. Using public near- and mid-infrared and submillimetre data, we investigated the spectral energy distribution confirming that EGO G35.03+0.35 is a massive young stellar object at its earliest evolutionary stage (i.e. a class I young stellar object). By analysing radio-continuum archival data, we found three radio sources towards the object, suggesting the presence of several young stellar objects in the region. Our radio-continuum analysis is consistent with the presence of at least one ultracompact H II region and a hypercompact H II region or a constant-velocity ionized wind source.
The Use of Stellar Occultations to Study Trans-Neptunian Objects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
ROSSI, GUSTAVO B.; Sicardy, Bruno; Braga-Ribas, Felipe; Vieira Martins, Roberto; Camargo, Julio; Assafin, Marcelo
The physical parameters of the Trans-Neptunian Objects (TNO's) such as size, shape, density, presence of atmosphere, and rings, provide important information on their formation and evolution. At more than 30 Astronomical Units (AU) from the Sun, those objects receive low solar radiation and have low mutual collisions velocities so they can be considered as remnants of the primordial outer Solar System. Besides that, information on TNO's is of great relevance when trying to establish a general formation scenario for the recently discovered planetary systems.The problem is that such bodies have a diameter smaller than 2300 km (Eris, one of the largest TNO, has 2326 km) and, when viewed from Earth, they usually subtend angles smaller than 50 milli-arcseconds, preventing direct imaging. One method to obtain very accurate information on the TNO's is the stellar occultation technique. Sizes at kilometer accuracies and pressure at nanobar levels can be achieved with this method, as well as detection of ring systems. Shape, density, albedo and other physical parameters can also be derived from this technique.Since 2010, we observed stellar occultations of several TNO's (Eris, Makemake, 2003VS2, Quaoar, Ixion, Varuna, 2002KX14, and 2003AZ84) besides some other occultations by Pluto and Charon, and by the largest Centaur known to date, Chariklo. We also predicted future events in 2014 and 2015 for 40 TNO's and Centaurs. On this work, we present the process of our campains - predictions, follow ups, world wide cooperation, post-occutation data analysis -, the new results obtained from recent stellar occultations of TNO's, and the expectations of improvements after GAIA.
The influence of object similarity and orientation on object-based cueing.
Hein, Elisabeth; Blaschke, Stefan; Rolke, Bettina
Responses to targets that appear at a noncued position within the same object (invalid-same) compared to a noncued position at an equidistant different object (invalid-different) tend to be faster and more accurate. These cueing effects have been taken as evidence that visual attention can be object based (Egly, Driver, & Rafal, Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 123, 161-177, 1994). Recent findings, however, have shown that the object-based cueing effect is influenced by object orientation, suggesting that the cueing effect might be due to a more general facilitation of attentional shifts across the horizontal meridian (Al-Janabi & Greenberg, Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 1-17, 2016; Pilz, Roggeveen, Creighton, Bennet, & Sekuler, PLOS ONE, 7, e30693, 2012). The aim of this study was to investigate whether the object-based cueing effect is influenced by object similarity and orientation. According to the object-based attention account, objects that are less similar to each other should elicit stronger object-based cueing effects independent of object orientation, whereas the horizontal meridian theory would not predict any effect of object similarity. We manipulated object similarity by using a color (Exp. 1, Exp. 2A) or shape change (Exp. 2B) to distinguish two rectangles in a variation of the classic two-rectangle paradigm (Egly et al., 1994). We found that the object-based cueing effects were influenced by the orientation of the rectangles and strengthened by object dissimilarity. We suggest that object-based cueing effects are strongly affected by the facilitation of attention along the horizontal meridian, but that they also have an object-based attentional component, which is revealed when the dissimilarity between the presented objects is accentuated.
Geometry as Objective Science in Elementary School Classrooms: Mathematics in the Flesh. Routledge International Studies in the Philosophy of Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Roth, Wolff-Michael
This study examines the origins of geometry in and out of the intuitively given everyday lifeworlds of children in a second-grade mathematics class. These lifeworlds, though pre-geometric, are not without model objects that denote and come to anchor geometric idealities that they will understand at later points in their lives. Roth's analyses…
A Review of Chemical Bonding Studies: Needs, Aims, Methods of Exploring Students' Conceptions, General Knowledge Claims and Students' Alternative Conceptions
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Unal, Suat; Calik, Muammer; Ayas, Alipasa; Coll, Richard K.
The present paper presents a detailed thematic review of chemical bonding studies. To achieve this, a matrix is developed to summarize and present the findings by focusing on insights derived from the related studies. The matrix incorporates the following themes: needs, aims, methods of exploring students' conceptions, general knowledge claims,…
An ERP Study on Self-Relevant Object Recognition
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miyakoshi, Makoto; Nomura, Michio; Ohira, Hideki
We performed an event-related potential study to investigate the self-relevance effect in object recognition. Three stimulus categories were prepared: SELF (participant's own objects), FAMILIAR (disposable and public objects, defined as objects with less-self-relevant familiarity), and UNFAMILIAR (others' objects). The participants' task was to…
Chicago Healthy Aging Study: Objectives and Design
Pirzada, Amber; Reid, Kathryn; Kim, Daniel; Garside, Daniel B.; Lu, Brandon; Vu, Thanh-Huyen T.; Lloyd-Jones, Donald M.; Zee, Phyllis; Liu, Kiang; Stamler, Jeremiah; Daviglus, Martha L.
Investigators in the Chicago Healthy Aging Study (CHAS) reexamined 1,395 surviving participants aged 65–84 years (28% women) from the Chicago Heart Association Detection Project in Industry (CHA) 1967–1973 cohort whose cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk profiles were originally ascertained at ages 25–44 years. CHAS investigators reexamined 421 participants who were low-risk (LR) at baseline and 974 participants who were non-LR at baseline. LR was defined as having favorable levels of 4 major CVD risk factors: serum total cholesterol level <200 mg/dL and no use of cholesterol-lowering medication; blood pressure 120/≤80 mm Hg and no use of antihypertensive medication; no current smoking; and no history of diabetes or heart attack. While the potential of LR status in overcoming the CVD epidemic is being recognized, the long-term association of LR with objectively measured health in older age has not been examined. It is hypothesized that persons who were LR in 1967–1973 and have survived to older age will have less clinical and subclinical CVD, lower levels of inflammatory markers, and better physical performance/functioning and sleep quality. Here we describe the rationale, objectives, design, and implementation of this longitudinal epidemiologic study, compare baseline and follow-up characteristics of participants and nonparticipants, and highlight the feasibility of reexamining study participants after an extended period postbaseline with minimal interim contact. PMID:23669655
Intramolecular hydrogen bond in 3-imino-propenylamine isomers: AIM and NBO studies
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Raissi, H.; Jalbout, Abraham F.; Abbasi, B.; Fazli, F.; Farzad, F.; Nadim, E.; Leon, Aned De
The molecular structure and intramolecular hydrogen bond energy of 18 conformers of 3-imino-propenyl-amine were investigated at MP2 and B3LYP levels of theory using the standard 6-311++G** basis set. The atom in molecules or AIM theory of Bader, which is based on the topological properties of the electron density (rho), was used additionally and the natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis was also carried out. Furthermore calculations for all possible conformations of 3-imino-propenyl-amin in water solution were also carried out at B3LYP/6-311++G** and MP2/6-311++G** levels of theory. The calculated geometrical parameters and conformational analyses in gas phase and water solution show that the imine-amine conformers of this compound are more stable than the other conformers. B3LYP method predicts the IMA-1 as global minimum. This stability is mainly due to the formation of a strong N bond H···N intramolecular hydrogen bond, which is assisted by pi-electrons resonance, and this pi-electrons are established by NH2 functional group. Hydrogen bond energies for all conformers of 3-imino-propenyl-amine were obtained from the related rotamers methods.
The healthy building intervention study: Objectives, methods and results of selected environmental measurements
Fisk, W.J.; Faulkner, D.; Sullivan, D.
To test proposed methods for reducing SBS symptoms and to learn about the causes of these symptoms, a double-blind controlled intervention study was designed and implemented. This study utilized two different interventions designed to reduce occupants` exposures to airborne particles: (1) high efficiency filters in the building`s HVAC systems; and (2) thorough cleaning of carpeted floors and fabric-covered chairs with an unusually powerful vacuum cleaner. The study population was the workers on the second and fourth floors of a large office building with mechanical ventilation, air conditioning, and sealed windows. Interventions were implemented on one floor while the occupants on the other floor served as a control group. For the enhanced-filtration intervention, a multiple crossover design was used (a crossover is a repeat of the experiment with the former experimental group as the control group and vice versa). Demographic and health symptom data were collected via an initial questionnaire on the first study week and health symptom data were obtained each week, for eight additional weeks, via weekly questionnaires. A large number of indoor environmental parameters were measured during the study including air temperatures and humidities, carbon dioxide concentrations, particle concentrations, concentrations of several airborne bioaerosols, and concentrations of several microbiologic compounds within the dust sampled from floors and chairs. This report describes the study methods and summarizes the results of selected environmental measurements.
A Study of the Questioning Behavior of Teachers in the Science Curriculum Improvement Study Teaching the Unit on Material Objects.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kondo, Allan Kiichi
The Science Curriculum Improvement Study has identified two main types of lessons: invention lessons, where the teachers introduce concepts, and discovery lessons in which children apply the concepts to new situations. The transcripts of tape recordings of the same sequence of four lessons, two invention and two discovery, of four teachers in the…
The Implementation and Development of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination in the Community Pharmacy Course of a Select Gulf-Region Academic Institution (Ras Al Khaimah College of Pharmaceutical Sciences): A Pilot Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Al-Azzawi, Amad Mohammed Jamil; Nagavi, B.G.; Hachim, Mahmood Y.; Mossa, Omar H.
Background: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) were used to assess translational pharmacotherapeutic skills of a Gulf-region representative academic institution. Aim: The aim of the current study was to assess the clinical skills of students enrolled within the third year Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm) programme within Ras Al…
The Swedish CArdioPulmonary BioImage Study: objectives and design.
Bergström, G; Berglund, G; Blomberg, A; Brandberg, J; Engström, G; Engvall, J; Eriksson, M; de Faire, U; Flinck, A; Hansson, M G; Hedblad, B; Hjelmgren, O; Janson, C; Jernberg, T; Johnsson, Å; Johansson, L; Lind, L; Löfdahl, C-G; Melander, O; Östgren, C J; Persson, A; Persson, M; Sandström, A; Schmidt, C; Söderberg, S; Sundström, J; Toren, K; Waldenström, A; Wedel, H; Vikgren, J; Fagerberg, B; Rosengren, A
Cardiopulmonary diseases are major causes of death worldwide, but currently recommended strategies for diagnosis and prevention may be outdated because of recent changes in risk factor patterns. The Swedish CArdioPulmonarybioImage Study (SCAPIS) combines the use of new imaging technologies, advances in large-scale 'omics' and epidemiological analyses to extensively characterize a Swedish cohort of 30 000 men and women aged between 50 and 64 years. The information obtained will be used to improve risk prediction of cardiopulmonary diseases and optimize the ability to study disease mechanisms. A comprehensive pilot study in 1111 individuals, which was completed in 2012, demonstrated the feasibility and financial and ethical consequences of SCAPIS. Recruitment to the national, multicentre study has recently started.
Finding the object'' proceedings addendum
Whiting, M.A.; Devaney, D.M.
The purpose of this workshop was to discuss finding the object -- that is, how software engineers imagine, invent, design, or recycle objects and their behaviors for object-oriented software engineering. The workshop organizers (and, as we subsequently discovered, several of the workshop participants) felt that this issue is crucial to successful object-oriented software engineering (after all, finding objects is what the projects is all about, isn't it ). Unfortunately, when previous workshops have had the opportunity to review and discuss techniques practitioners use to find objects, too often the results were heated debates on what is an object '' which becomes all consuming. We believed that, given appropriate control over the question of which kind of object'' is being discussed (which meant tell us what object you are trying to find, then tell us your method), a workshop to concentrate on techniques for finding objects would be quite appropriate. 8 refs., 2 figs.
The Characteristics of Reusable Learning Objects That Enhance Learning: A Case-Study in Health-Science Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Windle, Richard J.; McCormick, Damion; Dandrea, Jennifer; Wharrad, Heather
We investigated the effectiveness of reusable learning objects (RLOs) when delivered in a workshop or released for self-study with groups of student-nurses studying chemistry. Analysis of examination results showed that the proportion of students answering chemistry questions correctly increased significantly in both the workshop and self-study…
A Case Study Objectively Assessing Female Physical Activity Levels within the National Curriculum for Physical Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hobbs, Matthew; Daly-Smith, Andrew; Morley, David; McKenna, James
The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of the National Curriculum for Physical Education (NCPE) lesson themes and contexts on the profile of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Fifteen, Year 9 Physical Education (PE) lessons were assessed within the lesson themes of Outwitting Opponents (OO) (delivered through field hockey…
Using the RE-AIM framework to evaluate physical activity public health programs in Mexico
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
Physical activity (PA) public health programming has been widely used in Mexico; however, few studies have documented individual and organizational factors that might be used to evaluate their public health impact. The RE-AIM framework is an evaluation tool that examines individual and organizationa...
Objects, events and "to be" verbs in Spanish--an ERP study of the syntax-semantics interface.
Leone-Fernandez, Barbara; Molinaro, Nicola; Carreiras, Manuel; Barber, Horacio A
In Spanish, objects and events at subject position constrain the selection of different forms of the auxiliary verb "to be": locative predicates about objects require "estar en", while those relating to events require "ser en", both translatable as "to be in". Subjective ratings showed that while the "object+ser+en" is considered as incorrect, the "event+estar+en" combination is also perceived as unacceptable but to a lesser degree. In an ERP study, we evaluated the impact of a purely semantic distinction (object versus events) on the subsequent processing of these auxiliary verbs followed by locatives in Spanish. For the "ser en" predicate, the P600 component was larger when the subject was an object than when it was an event. This P600 effect is consistent with an online repair of the defining predicate when it does not fit with the adequate semantic properties of the subject. On the other hand, for the "estar en" predicate, event subjects when compared to object subjects showed more positive ongoing amplitudes between 280 and 380 ms after the presentation of the "en" preposition, followed by a longer positive wave starting around 400 ms and lasting until 700 ms after the presentation of the following determiner, with central and frontal scalp distributions respectively. Thus, the different subject-predicate combinations, depending on the semantic features of the subjects, triggered syntactic reparatory processes at a structural level. These findings are consistent with an incremental interpretation of sentence meaning based on the interaction between syntactic and semantic information.
What kind of metadata do objects have? How should we deal with and use it? : Coding human behaviour and indexing cultural aspects of objects : Study of Associate Prof. Yasunori Yamamoto, Research Center for Cultural Resources, The National Museum of Ethnology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Morita, Utako
What kind of metadata do objects have? How should we deal with and use it? : Coding human behaviour and indexing cultural aspects of objects : Study of Associate Prof. Yasunori Yamamoto, Research Center for Cultural Resources, The National Museum of Ethnology
Advanced Integrated Multi-Sensor Surveillance (AIMS. Operator Machine Interface (OMI) Definition Study
particulier la nuit et par mauvais temps, un système intégré perfectionné de surveillance multi- capteurs (AIMS) est en cours de développement. Ce...système est perfectionné par l'intégration de cinq capteurs à capacité de déclenchement actif en un cardan unique. Il pourra ainsi servir à une multitude...mauvais temps, un système intégré perfectionné de surveillance multi- capteurs (AIMS) est en cours de développement. Ce système intègre en un cardan
A laboratory study of the diffuse reflectance spectra of frosts occurring on astronomical objects
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Glaser, F. M.
Mechanical, optical, and operating properties of an experiment chamber are examined and possible sample contamination difficulty is explained. The mechanical and operational characteristics of this apparatus are well suited for the study of the reflectance spectra of frosts. The infrared energy available at the detector is low and steps to increase the energy and the responsivity of the detector were taken. The problem of a standard diffuse reflector which is useful in the far ultraviolet region is considered and it is suggested that bright gold be used as the standard.
Artworks as dichotomous objects: implications for the scientific study of aesthetic experience
Pepperell, Robert
This paper addresses an issue that has been studied from both scientific and art theoretical perspectives, namely the dichotomous nature of representational artworks. Representational artworks are dichotomous in that they present us with two distinct aspects at once. In one aspect we are aware of what is represented while in the other we are aware of the material from which the representation is composed. The dichotomy arises due the incompatibility, indeed contradiction, between these aspects of awareness, both of which must be present if we are to fully appreciate the artwork. Examples from art history are given to show how artists have exploited this dichotomy in a way that conditions our response to their work. I hypothesize that the degree of manifest dichotomy in a work determines the strength of its aesthetic effect, and propose this could be experimentally tested. I conclude that scientific studies of aesthetic experience should take the dichotomous nature of artworks into account. PMID:26106312
The Development of the Learning Object Standard Using a Pedagogic Approach: A Comparative Study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Yahya, Yazrina; Jenkins, John; Yusoff, Mohammed
Education is moving towards revenue generation from such channels as electronic learning, distance learning and virtual education. Hence learning technology standards are critical to the sector's success. Existing learning technology standards have focused on various topics such as metadata, question and test interoperability and others. However,…
The Effects of Simultaneous Prompting on Teaching Expressive Identification of Objects: An Instructive Feedback Study.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tekin-Iftar, Elif; Acar, Gazi; Kurt, Onur
This study with three adolescents with mental retardation examined whether the use of a simultaneous prompting procedure would result in improved performance when expressively identifying first aid materials. All three students learned the identifications and maintained them after training. Students also acquired and maintained some of the…
Manual aiming in healthy aging: does proprioceptive acuity make the difference?
Helsen, Werner F; Van Halewyck, Florian; Levin, Oron; Boisgontier, Matthieu P; Lavrysen, Ann; Elliott, Digby
The present study examines whether non-active older adults are more dependent on visual information when executing aiming movements and whether age-related declines in proprioception play a mediating role herein. Young (N = 40) and older adults (N = 38) were divided into physically active and non-active subgroups based on self-reported sports participation levels. In experiment 1, participants executed wrist-aiming movements with and without visual feedback. In experiment 2, passive proprioceptive acuity was assessed using wrist motion detection and position matching tests. Results showed similar aiming accuracy across age groups both with and without visual feedback, but older adults exhibited longer movement times, prolonged homing-in phase, and made more corrective submovements. Passive proprioceptive acuity was significantly affected by physical activity level and age, with participants in the active group scoring better than their non-active peers. However, these declines did not predict performance changes on the aiming task. Taken together, our observations suggest that decline in proprioceptive acuity did not predict performance changes on the aiming task and older adults were able to compensate for their decreased motion and position sense when allowed sufficient time. In line with these observations, we proposed that older adults are able to compensate for their decline in proprioception by increasing their reliance on predictive models.
[Studying intermediatory regulation of heart rhythm using Daphnia magna as the alternative test object].
Podosinovikova, N P; Beliaev, V A; Dolgo-Saburov, V B
A functional test using Daphnia magna Straus hydrobionts is proposed for studying the role of intermediatory relationships in the heart rate (HR) regulation. It is established that the M-cholinomimetic carbamylcholine increases for two hours and decreases after 24 hours the HR in D. magna. Caffeine (a nonselective antagonist of adenosine receptors) potentiates the action of carbamylcholine during the first hour and then ceases to influence the drug effect. Caffeine normalizes the HR rate D magna, which was decreased by the cholinolytic atropine and the beta-adrenolytic atenolol. The possibilities of using the proposed test for the investigation of intermediatory relationships in the HR regulation, rapid analysis of the cardiothropic action of xenobiotics, and the primary screening of drugs for the pharmacological correction of HR disturbances are discussed.
Combined experimental and theoretical studies on the molecular structures, spectroscopy, and inhibitor activity of 3-(2-thienyl)acrylic acid through AIM, NBO,FT-IR, FT-Raman, UV and HOMO-LUMO analyses, and molecular docking
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Issaoui, N.; Ghalla, H.; Bardak, F.; Karabacak, M.; Aouled Dlala, N.; Flakus, H. T.; Oujia, B.
In this work, the molecular structures and vibrational spectral analyses of 3-(2-Theinyl)acrylic acid (3-2TAA) monomer and dimer structures have been reported by using density functional theory calculations at B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory. The complete assignments of the fundamental vibrational modes were obtained using potential energy distribution. Intermolecular interactions were analyzed by orbital NBO and topological AIM approaches. The electronic properties have been carried out using TD-DFT approach. Great agreements between experimental and theoretical values were achieved throughout the analysis of structural parameters and spectroscopic features. Inhibitor characteristics on human monoamine oxidase B (MAOB) enzyme of two determined stable conformers of 3-2TAA (β and γ) along with four selective inhibitors, namely safinamide, a coumarin analogue, farnesol, and phenyethylhydrazine were investigated via molecular docking. Moreover, molecular electrostatic potential (MEP) and temperature dependency of thermodynamic functions have been reported.
The Cooperative Health Research in South Tyrol (CHRIS) study: rationale, objectives, and preliminary results.
Pattaro, Cristian; Gögele, Martin; Mascalzoni, Deborah; Melotti, Roberto; Schwienbacher, Christine; De Grandi, Alessandro; Foco, Luisa; D'Elia, Yuri; Linder, Barbara; Fuchsberger, Christian; Minelli, Cosetta; Egger, Clemens; Kofink, Lisa S; Zanigni, Stefano; Schäfer, Torsten; Facheris, Maurizio F; Smárason, Sigurður V; Rossini, Alessandra; Hicks, Andrew A; Weiss, Helmuth; Pramstaller, Peter P
The Cooperative Health Research In South Tyrol (CHRIS) study is a population-based study with a longitudinal lookout to investigate the genetic and molecular basis of age-related common chronic conditions and their interaction with life style and environment in the general population. All adults of the middle and upper Vinschgau/Val Venosta are invited, while 10,000 participants are anticipated by mid-2017. Family participation is encouraged for complete pedigree reconstruction and disease inheritance mapping. After a pilot study on the compliance with a paperless assessment mode, computer-assisted interviews have been implemented to screen for conditions of the cardiovascular, endocrine, metabolic, genitourinary, nervous, behavioral, and cognitive system. Fat intake, cardiac health, and tremor are assessed instrumentally. Nutrient intake, physical activity, and life-course smoking are measured semi-quantitatively. Participants are phenotyped for 73 blood and urine parameters and 60 aliquots per participant are biobanked (cryo-preserved urine, DNA, and whole and fractionated blood). Through liquid-chromatography mass-spectrometry analysis, metabolite profiling of the mitochondrial function is assessed. Samples are genotyped on 1 million variants with the Illumina HumanOmniExpressExome array and the first data release including 4570 fully phenotyped and genotyped samples is now available for analysis. Participants' follow-up is foreseen 6 years after the first visit. The target population is characterized by long-term social stability and homogeneous environment which should both favor the identification of enriched genetic variants. The CHRIS cohort is a valuable resource to assess the contribution of genomics, metabolomics, and environmental factors to human health and disease. It is awaited that this will result in the identification of novel molecular targets for disease prevention and treatment.
Study of the Relationship between Leader-Member Exchange (LMX) and Individual Objective Performance within a University Learning Community
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Aikens, Shontarius D.
The study examined the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) and individual objective performance. While the LMX literature suggests a positive correlation between LMX and performance, a closer look at the research examined showed that the performance measurements were based on subjective measurements rather than objective…
A Comparative Study of the Effect of Behavioral Objectives on Class Performance and Retention in Physical Science.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Olsen, Robert Charles; Lockard, J. David
Presented at the annual meeting of the National Association for Research in Science Teaching (NARST) in April, 1972, in Chicago, this study compared the achievement and retention of ninth grade physical science classes receiving instruction with a prior knowledge of behavioral objectives with ninth grade classes taught the same material without…
Toward Objective, Morphology-Based Taxonomy: A Case Study on the Malagasy Nesomyrmex sikorai Species Group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
Csősz, Sándor; Fisher, Brian L.
Madagascar is one of the world's greatest biodiversity hotspots, meriting special attention from biodiversity scientists. It is an excellent testing ground for novel techniques in taxonomy that aim to increase classification objectivity and yield greater taxonomic resolving power. Here we reveal the diversity of a unique and largely unexplored fragment of the Malagasy ant fauna using an advanced combination of exploratory analyses on quantitative morphological data allowing for increased objectivity in taxonomic workflow. The diversity of the Nesomyrmex sikorai species-group was assessed via hypothesis-free nest-centroid-clustering combined with recursive partitioning to estimate the number of morphological clusters and determine the most probable boundaries between them. This combination of methods provides a highly automated and objective species delineation protocol based on continuous morphometric data. Delimitations of clusters recognized by these exploratory analyses were tested via confirmatory Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) and Multivariate Ratio Analysis (MRA). The final species hypotheses are corroborated by many qualitative characters, and the recognized species exhibit different spatial distributions and occupy different ecological regions. We describe and redescribe eight morphologically distinct species including six new species: Nesomyrmex excelsior sp. n., N. modestus sp. n., N. reticulatus sp. n., N. retusispinosus (Forel, 1892), N. rugosus sp. n., N. sikorai (Emery, 1896), N. striatus sp. n., and N. tamatavensis sp. n. An identification key for their worker castes using morphometric data is provided. PMID:27097219
Integrating ergonomics into engineering design: the role of objects.
Hall-Andersen, Lene Bjerg; Broberg, Ole
The objective of this study was to explore the role of objects in integrating ergonomic knowledge in engineering design processes. An engineering design case was analyzed using the theoretical concepts of boundary objects and intermediary objects: Boundary objects facilitate collaboration between different knowledge domains, while the aim of an intermediary object is to circulate knowledge and thus produce a distant effect. Adjustable layout drawings served as boundary objects and had a positive impact on the dialog between an ergonomist and designers. An ergonomic guideline document was identified as an intermediary object. However, when the ergonomic guidelines were circulated in the design process, only some of the guidelines were transferred to the design of the sterile processing plant. Based on these findings, recommendations for working with objects in design processes are included.
Modelling the Role of Dietary Habits and Eating Behaviours on the Development of Acute Coronary Syndrome or Stroke: Aims, Design, and Validation Properties of a Case-Control Study
Kastorini, Christina-Maria; Milionis, Haralampos J.; Goudevenos, John A.; Panagiotakos, Demosthenes B.
In this paper the methodology and procedures of a case-control study that will be developed for assessing the role of dietary habits and eating behaviours on the development of acute coronary syndrome and stroke is presented. Based on statistical power calculations, 1000 participants will be enrolled; of them, 250 will be consecutive patients with a first acute coronary event, 250 consecutive patients with a first ischaemic stroke, and 500 population-based healthy subjects (controls), age and sex matched to the cases. Socio-demographic, clinical, dietary, psychological, and other lifestyle characteristics will be measured. Dietary habits and eating behaviours will be evaluated with a special questionnaire that has been developed for the study. PMID:20871842
Creating the First SCORM Object
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gonzalez-Barbone, Victor; Anido-Rifon, Luis
The creation of the first SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model) object offers some challenges and difficulties which go beyond the facilities offered by content generation applications. In particular, the creation of really reusable, searchable learning objects requires a detailed consideration of metadata, where some institutional…
The Use of Educational Objects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Stearns, Clio
This conceptual paper looks at the Winnicottian notion of object use as it relates to education. Object use is understood as the process of attaching to but then attempting to destroy the educator in an effort to create new knowledge and relationships. The paper argues for educational object use as a way of understanding and normalising resistance…
[Experience of the development special medical technical laboratory for studies of effects caused by potent electromagnetic radiation in biologic objects].
Gorodetsky, B N; Kalyada, T V; Petrov, S V
This article covers topics of creating special medical technical laboratory for medial and biologic studies concerning influence of potent high-frequency elecromagnetic radiation on various biologic objects. The authors gave example of such laboratory, described its construction features, purpose and main characteristics of the included devices.
Study on the Distribution of Disease-Resistant Shrimp Identified by DNA Markers in Respect to WSSV Infection in Different Seasons Along the Entire East Coast of India Aiming to Prevent White Spot Disease in Penaeus monodon.
Mallik, A; Chakrabarty, U; Dutta, S; Mondal, D; Mandal, N
White spot disease caused by white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is responsible for harming shrimp aquaculture industry and results in a pandemic throughout the world. Undeniably, the knowledge on geographic distribution, transmission, virulence, and seasonal prevalence of this disease alongside information on the distribution of disease-resistant shrimps may be helpful to understand important aspects of disease biology. This study was intended to estimate WSSV prevalence by qualitative and quantitative PCR method among the Penaeus monodon samples collected from four different places namely Digha, West Bengal; Chilika, Orissa; Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh; and Chennai, Tamil Nadu at three different seasons in the period of 2011-2013 from east coast of India. Along with this, the disease-resistant prevalence was also investigated using earlier developed 71 bp microsatellite and 457 bp RAPD-SCAR DNA marker among the collected shrimps. Qualitative PCR depicted that the cumulative WSSV prevalence at four places was the lowest (0%) at pre-monsoon, whereas, it was the highest (21.2%) during post-monsoon season. Quantitative real-time PCR showed the average copy number of WSSV to be the highest (~10(3) copy μg(-1) shrimp genomic DNA) at post-monsoon season. Additionally, estimated disease-resistant prevalence was the highest in Visakhapatnam (79%) and lowest in Digha (21%). It is well known to all that a trait cannot be identified using a single genetic pattern. This study will significantly contribute insight to develop specific pathogen-resistant (SPR) seeds of P. monodon simultaneously using two DNA markers that would be a cost-effective and safer approach towards disease prevention instead of conventional trends of seed generation from unselected wild broodstock.
Earth's gravity gradient and eddy currents effects on the rotational dynamics of space debris objects: Envisat case study
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gómez, Natalia Ortiz; Walker, Scott J. I.
The space debris population has grown rapidly over the last few decades with the consequent growth of impact risk between current objects in orbit. Active Debris Removal (ADR) has been recommended to be put into practice by several National Agencies in order to remove objects that pose the biggest risk for the space community. The most immediate target that is being considered for ADR by the European Space Agency is the Earth-observing satellite Envisat. In order to safely remove such a massive object from its orbit, a capturing process followed by a controlled reentry is necessary. However, current ADR methods that require physical contact with the target have limitations on the maximum angular momentum that can be absorbed and a de-tumbling phase prior to the capturing process may be required. Therefore, it is of utmost importance for the ADR mission design to be able to predict accurately how the target will be rotating at the time of capture. This article analyses two perturbations that affect an object in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), the Earth's gravity gradient and the eddy currents induced by the Earth's magnetic field. The gravity gradient is analysed using the equation of conservation of total energy and a graphical method is presented to understand the expected behaviour of any object under the effect of this perturbation. The eddy currents are also analysed by studying the total energy of the system. The induced torque and the characteristic time of decay are presented as a function of the object's magnetic tensor. In addition, simulations were carried out for the Envisat spacecraft including the gravity gradient perturbation as well as the eddy currents effect using the International Geomagnetic Reference Field IGRF-11 to model the Earth's magnetic field. These simulations show that the combined effect of these two perturbations is a plausible explanation for the rotational speed decay observed between April 2013 and September 2013.
Treatment of the Objective Patellofemoral Instability
Alfano, Federico; Spreafico, Walter
Objectives: The aim of this study is to show the different surgical procedures for treating the objective patellar instability, including the different tibial tubercle osteotomies and the sulcus deepening trochleoplasty. Methods: This study analyzed the Caton-Deschamps index used for assessment of patellar height, the distance from the tibial tubercle to the troclear groove (TT-TG) on CT Scan in the axial view, and the different trochlear and patellar morphotypes. This study included 19 knees (19 patients) treated in an objective and documented patellofemoral instability. Results: We have had good results with both the transfer of the tibial tuberosity as the trochleoplasty. A reconstruction of the medial patellofemoral ligament was performed in both procedures. Recurrence of instability is very rare after these procedures and this is more likely to result from missed associated abnormalities. Conslusion: Accurate preoperative planning of the patellar height and determining the location of the tibial tubercle and the trochlear and patellar morphotypes for satisfactory results are required. However, as with any surgical procedure, both tibial tubercle osteotomy and the sulcus deepening trochleoplasty are susceptible of complications.
Simulation study of radial dose due to the irradiation of a swift heavy ion aiming to advance the treatment planning system for heavy particle cancer therapy: The effect of emission angles of secondary electrons
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Moribayashi, Kengo
A radial dose simulation model has been proposed in order to advance the treatment planning system for heavy particle cancer therapy. Here, the radial dose is the dose due to the irradiation of a heavy ion as a function of distances from this ion path. The model proposed here may overcome weak points of paradigms that are employed to produce the conventional radial dose distributions. To provide the radial dose with higher accuracy, this paper has discussed the relationship between the emission angles of secondary electrons and the radial dose. It is found that the effect of emission angles becomes stronger on the radial dose with increasing energies of the secondary electrons.
Lessons from the AIME Approach to the Teaching Relationship: Valuing Biepistemic Practice
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
McMahon, Samantha; Harwood, Valerie; Bodkin-Andrews, Gawaian; O'Shea, Sarah; McKnight, Anthony; Chandler, Paul; Priestly, Amy
The Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME) is a national, extra-curricular mentoring programme that is closing the educational gap for young Indigenous Australians. So what is AIME doing that is working so well? This article draws on a large-scale classroom ethnography to describe the pedagogies that facilitate the teacher-student…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Tishman, Shari
Tishman argues that directing students to closely examine physical objects is an excellent way to motivate and strengthen thinking. Even simple objects reflect the social and physical contexts in which they were created and can spur deeper observations and questions. Teaching thinking through objects appeals to many different kinds of learners and…
Barentine, John C.; Lacy, John H.
We report the results of a spectroscopic study of the high-mass protostellar object NGC 7538 IRS 9 and compare our observations to published data on the nearby object NGC 7538 IRS 1. Both objects originated in the same molecular cloud and appear to be at different points in their evolutionary histories, offering an unusual opportunity to study the temporal evolution of envelope chemistry in objects sharing a presumably identical starting composition. Observations were made with the Texas Echelon Cross Echelle Spectrograph, a sensitive, high spectral resolution (R {lambda}/{Delta}{lambda} {approx_equal} 100,000) mid-infrared grating spectrometer. Forty-six individual lines in vibrational modes of the molecules C{sub 2}H{sub 2}, CH{sub 4}, HCN, NH{sub 3}, and CO were detected, including two isotopologues ({sup 13}CO, {sup 12}C{sup 18}O) and one combination mode ({nu}{sub 4} + {nu}{sub 5} C{sub 2}H{sub 2}). Fitting synthetic spectra to the data yielded the Doppler shift, excitation temperature, Doppler b parameter, column density, and covering factor for each molecule observed; we also computed column density upper limits for lines and species not detected, such as HNCO and OCS. We find differences among spectra of the two objects likely attributable to their differing radiation and thermal environments. Temperatures and column densities for the two objects are generally consistent, while the larger line widths toward IRS 9 result in less saturated lines than those toward IRS 1. Finally, we compute an upper limit on the size of the continuum-emitting region ({approx}2000 AU) and use this constraint and our spectroscopy results to construct a schematic model of IRS 9.
Using the RE-AIM framework in formative evaluation and program planning for a nutrition intervention in the Lower Mississippi Delta
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The objective of this study is the identification of prominent themes to be considered when planning a nutrition intervention using the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework. Qualitative formative research was used on women's social and civic organization...
Studying the effect of the Semipalatinsk Test Site on radionuclide and elemental composition of water objects in the Irtysh River.
Solodukhin, V; Аidarkhanov, A; Lukashenko, S; Gluchshenko, V; Poznyak, V; Lyahova, O
The results of the field and laboratory studies of radiation and environmental state at the specific area of Irtysh River adjacent to the Semipalatinsk Test Site are provided. It was found that the radiation situation in this area is normal: equivalent dose of γ-radiation = (0.11-0.13) µSv h(-1). Determination of radionuclide composition of soil, bottom sediment and water samples was performed by the methods of instrumental γ-spectrometry, radiochemical analysis and the liquid scintillation β-spectrometry. It was found that concentrations of the studied natural and artificial radionuclides in these objects are very low; no contamination with radionuclides was detected in this segment of Irtysh River. The article provides the results of elemental composition determination for samples of soil and bottom sediment (by X-ray fluorescence method) and water samples (by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry method). It is shown that the content of some elements (Li, Be, B, V, Cu, Sr, Mo) in the water of Irtysh River increases downstream. The additional studies are required to explain this peculiarity.
Associations of objective physical activity with insulin sensitivity and circulating adipokine profile: the Framingham Heart Study.
Spartano, N L; Stevenson, M D; Xanthakis, V; Larson, M G; Andersson, C; Murabito, J M; Vasan, R S
The purpose of this study was to explore the relation of physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (SED) to insulin sensitivity and adipokines. We assessed PA and SED using Actical accelerometers and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in 2109 participants (free of type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus) from Framingham Generation 3 and Omni 2 cohorts (mean age 46 years, 54% women). Systemic inflammation (C-reactive protein [CRP]) and circulating adipokines were measured 6 years earlier. Steps per day, moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and SED per wear time (%SED) were predictor variables in multivariable regression analyses, with HOMA-IR, CRP and circulating adipokines as outcome measures. We reported that higher MVPA and more steps per day were associated with lower HOMA-IR, adjusting for %SED (β = -0.036, P = 0.002; β = -0.041, P = 0.005). Steps were inversely associated with CRP, but were directly associated with insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1 levels (β = -0.111, P = 0.002; β = 3.293, P = 0.007). %SED was positively associated with HOMA-IR (β = 0.033, P < 0.0001), but non-significant after adjusting for MVPA (P = 0.13). %SED was associated with higher ratio of leptin/leptin receptor (sOB-R) and higher adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein (FABP)4 (β = 0.096, P < 0.0001; β = 0.593, P = 0.002). Our findings suggest differential influences of PA vs. SED on metabolic pathways, with PA modulating insulin resistance and inflammation, whereas SED influences FABPs.
A Study on Pedagogical Requirements for Multi-platform Learning Objects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Behar, Patricia Alejandra; Passerino, Liliana Maria; de Castro E Souza Frozi, Ana Paula Frozi; de Oliveira Dias, Cristiani; da Silva, Ketia Kellen Araújo
This study presents the development of a proposal of pedagogical requirements for multi-platform learning objects (LO). It aims at providing a debate on the importance of such pedagogical requirements in the development and construction of LOs. It also demonstrates an analysis of these requirements performed with a built learning object operating in the Web, digital TV (DTV) and cell phone.
Study of a new central compact object: The neutron star in the supernova remnant G15.9+0.2
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Klochkov, D.; Suleimanov, V.; Sasaki, M.; Santangelo, A.
We present our study of the central point source CXOU J181852.0-150213 in the young Galactic supernova remnant (SNR) G15.9+0.2 based on the recent ~90 ks Chandra observations. The point source was discovered in 2005 in shorter Chandra observations and was hypothesized to be a neutron star associated with the SNR. Our X-ray spectral analysis strongly supports the hypothesis of a thermally emitting neutron star associated with G15.9+0.2. We conclude that the object belongs to the class of young cooling low-magnetized neutron stars referred to as central compact objects (CCOs). We modeled the spectrum of the neutron star with a blackbody spectral function and with our hydrogen and carbon neutron star atmosphere models, assuming that the radiation is uniformly emitted by the entire stellar surface. Under this assumption, only the carbon atmosphere models yield a distance that is compatible with a source located in the Galaxy. In this respect, CXOU J181852.0-150213 is similar to two other well-studied CCOs, the neutron stars in Cas A and in HESS J1731-347, for which carbon atmosphere models were used to reconcile their emission with the known or estimated distances.
Object oriented studies into artificial space debris
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Adamson, J. M.; Marshall, G.
A prototype simulation is being developed under contract to the Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE), Farnborough, England, to assist in the discrimination of artificial space objects/debris. The methodology undertaken has been to link Object Oriented programming, intelligent knowledge based system (IKBS) techniques and advanced computer technology with numeric analysis to provide a graphical, symbolic simulation. The objective is to provide an additional layer of understanding on top of conventional classification methods. Use is being made of object and rule based knowledge representation, multiple reasoning, truth maintenance and uncertainty. Software tools being used include Knowledge Engineering Environment (KEE) and SymTactics for knowledge representation. Hooks are being developed within the SymTactics framework to incorporate mathematical models describing orbital motion and fragmentation. Penetration and structural analysis can also be incorporated. SymTactics is an Object Oriented discrete event simulation tool built as a domain specific extension to the KEE environment. The tool provides facilities for building, debugging and monitoring dynamic (military) simulations.
Object links in the repository
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Beck, Jon; Eichmann, David
Some of the architectural ramifications of extending the Eichmann/Atkins lattice-based classification scheme to encompass the assets of the full life-cycle of software development are explored. In particular, we wish to consider a model which provides explicit links between objects in addition to the edges connecting classification vertices in the standard lattice. The model we consider uses object-oriented terminology. Thus, the lattice is viewed as a data structure which contains class objects which exhibit inheritance. A description of the types of objects in the repository is presented, followed by a discussion of how they interrelate. We discuss features of the object-oriented model which support these objects and their links, and consider behavior which an implementation of the model should exhibit. Finally, we indicate some thoughts on implementing a prototype of this repository architecture.
The ROSSI X-Ray Timing Explorer: Capabilities, Achievements and Aims
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Swank, J. H.
The prime scientific objectives of the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) were the study of astrophysical compact objects: black holes (galactic and extragalactic), many types of neutron stars, and accreting white dwarfs. RXTE was successful in achieving its original observing objectives of large area and high time resolution observations with broadband (2-200 keV) spectra, scheduled flexibly enough to enable observations of targets of opportunity on any timescale greater than a few hours. These capabilities enabled qualitatively new discoveries about dynamical timescale phenomena related to neutron stars and black holes, phenomena which probe basic physics in the most extreme environments of gravity, density, and magnetic fields. RXTE has extended its lifetime by applying the proportional counter area selectively and maintains schedule flexibility by making use of the distribution of targets around the sky. Proposed future observations emphasize opportunity to discover and study additional millisecond pulsars, pursue the high frequency quasi-periodic oscillations in black hole transients, and connect high frequency phenomena with longer term characteristics. RXTE will continue to strongly support, for both galactic and extragalactic targets, combining RXTE observations with other wavelengths (from IR to TeV) or with other capabilities, such as high spectral resolution.
Tracing the identity of objects.
Rips, Lance J; Blok, Sergey; Newman, George
This article considers how people judge the identity of objects (e.g., how people decide that a description of an object at one time, t(0), belongs to the same object as a description of it at another time, t(1)). The authors propose a causal continuer model for these judgments, based on an earlier theory by Nozick (1981). According to this model, the 2 descriptions belong to the same object if (a) the object at t(1) is among those that are causally close enough to be genuine continuers of the original and (b) it is the closest of these close-enough contenders. A quantitative version of the model makes accurate predictions about judgments of which a pair of objects is identical to an original (Experiments 1 and 2). The model makes correct qualitative predictions about identity across radical disassembly (Experiment 1) as well as more ordinary transformations (Experiments 2 and 3).
Surgical Outcome in Patients Taking Concomitant or Recent Intake of Oral Isotretinoin: A Multicentric Study-ISO-AIMS Study
Mahadevappa, Omprakash Heggadahalli; Mysore, Venkataram; Viswanath, Vishalakshi; Thurakkal, Salim; Majid, Imran; Talwar, Suresh; Aurangabadkar, Sanjeev J; Chatterjee, Manas; Bhat, M Ramesh; Barua, Shyamanta; Ganjoo, Anil
Background: The current standard recommendation is to avoid surgical interventions in patients taking oral isotretinoin. However, this recommendation has been questioned in several recent publications. Aim: To document the safety of cosmetic and surgical interventions, among patients receiving or recently received oral isotretinoin. Materials and Methods: Association of Cutaneous Surgeons, India, in May 2012, initiated this study, at 11 centers in different parts of India. The data of 183 cases were collected monthly, from June 2012 to May 2013. Of these 61 patients had stopped oral isotretinoin before surgery and 122 were concomitantly taking oral isotretinoin during the study period. In these 183 patients, a total of 504 interventions were performed. These included[1] 246 sessions of chemical peels such as glycolic acid, salicylic acid, trichloroacetic acid, and combination peels;[2] 158 sessions of lasers such as ablative fractional laser resurfacing with erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet and CO2, conventional full face CO2 laser resurfacing, laser-assisted hair reduction with long-pulsed neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, diode laser, and LASIK surgery;[3] 27 sessions of cold steel surgeries such as microneedling, skin biopsy, subcision, punch elevation of scars, excision of skin lesion, and wisdom tooth extraction;[4] 1 session of electrosurgery. Results: No significant side effects were noted in most patients. 2 cases of keloid were documented which amounted to 0.4% of side effects in 504 interventions, with a significant P value of 0.000. Reversible transient side effects were erythema in 10 interventions and hyperpigmentation in 15. Conclusion: The study showed that performing dermatosurgical and laser procedures in patients receiving or recently received isotretinoin is safe, and the current guidelines of avoiding dermatosurgical and laser interventions in such patients taking isotretinoin need to be revised. PMID:27398012
Riding the Behavioral Objective Bandwagon
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Koch, Joseph H.
The author presents several guidelines for writing behavioral objectives for counseling. These include: (1) maintaining perspective; (2) establishing the criteria of performance; and (3) keeping fluid. (RP)
The American Expeditionary Force Siberia: A Case Study of Operational Art with Ambiguous Strategic Objectives
Also in June 1919, a new phase in operations for the Allies in Siberia began. With the signing the Treaty of Versailles , any pretext of the Allied...accomplished what it set out to do" 80 Ultimately, the Czech legion left Russia, but by then the Treaty of Versailles was nearly a year old. The...was whether the armistice agreement of 11 November 1918 or the Treaty of Versailles signed on 28 June 1919 defined that specific termination criterion
Making Geography Visible as an Object of Study in the Secondary School Curriculum
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Firth, Roger
This article considers disciplinary-based knowledge and its recontextualisation and acquisition in the secondary school curriculum. It starts from the premise that teaching disciplinary knowledge is important. The focus is the subject of geography and the increasingly influential realist school of thought in the sociology of education and the…
The Relationship of Reading Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to Opportunity Structure: An Object of Study?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Freebody, Peter; Hornibrook, Margery
Eric Hobsbawm, perhaps the preeminent historian writing in English about the 19th and 20th centuries, previewed his encyclopedic account of the last 100 years with descriptions of the organizationally, collectively, and individually brutalizing effects of the intense round of wars, revolutions, and economic fluctuations that were the hallmark of…
Polarization studies of atmospheric objects in the low troposphere by lidar
Kolev, I.; Kaprielov, B.; Tatarov, B.; Trifonov, T.
In the present work some results of polarization measurements in the planetary boundary layer are reported. The observations described were performed by a ground-based lidar over the region of the Sofia city (where various industrial enterprises exist along with a heavy transport and aerial communications). The data obtained when sounding in different meteorological situations (clear atmosphere, rain, fog, snowfall) are considered. Certain differences are established in the depolarization properties of clear atmosphere in dependence of the meteorological condition. The developments of fog and snowfall are traced; the effects of the underlying surface are sought when sounding in fog; various types of situations during a snowfall are pointed out as well. An attempt is made to follow the development of the processes which proceed during an interaction between air masses with different properties (e.g., a front advection); as a result the formation of the cloud system over the region is traced. Definite differences between the microphysical properties of the aerosol near the clouds base and top are established as well.
The Social Ailments of Russian Society as an Object of Sociological Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ryvkina, R. V.
Social systems, like biological systems, sometimes manifest dysfunctions that could be considered forms of "social disease." The author interprets the term "social diseases" as "persistent dysfunctions of social relations" that disrupt the normal functioning of particular elements of society or the entire social…
Laboratory studies of the diffuse reflectance spectra of frosts and minerals occurring on astronomical objects
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Glaser, F. M.
A vacuum monochromator was integrated into the system and optics chosen to increase data collection in the infrared spectral region. Using a InSb detector, good reflectance data was obtained to 5.5 micron from a variety of samples including magnesium oxide, barium sulfate, water frost and Bloedite. Magnesium oxide was found to be a poorer reflector than the barium sulfate throughout the visible and near infrared region. The barium sulfate material was shown to be a Lambert reflector in the visible region and over an angular range of 60 deg. Several samples of water frost were prepared and in reflectance measured from 0.3 micron to 5.5 microm. The fine grained frosts were better reflectors than the coarse grained frosts, usually by 20 percent or more, over the entire spectral range. The minerals Bloedite and sulfur were also investigated further.
The Effects of Soviet Army Communications Jamming on the AIM Division Signal Battalion.
computer based technical analyses of the effectiveness of the Soviet radioelectronic combat threat on division level communica- tions is presented...A technical analysis of the communications 4 t~-I Jamming 4 jamming threat versus the AIM division signal battalion is discussed to analyze the... technical analysis of Soviet communications jamming capabilities to interfere with and impede the AIM division signal battalion communications systems
The Power of Objectives: Moving beyond Learning Objectives
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Phillips, Jack J.; Phillips, Patti P.
Although the need for project objectives is obvious, their value and role are much broader than most think. In this article, we explore the need for higher levels of objectives, along with tips and techniques to develop them properly. More important, we examine the benefits of objectives from many perspectives. In today's competitive environment,…
Making CORBA objects persistent: The object database adapter approach
Reverbel, F.C.R.
In spite of its remarkable successes in promoting standards for distributed object systems, the Object Management Group (OMG) has not yet settled the issue of object persistence in the Object Request Broker (ORB) environment. The Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) specification briefly mentions an Object-Oriented Database Adapter that makes objects stored in an object-oriented database accessible through the ORB. This idea is pursued in the Appendix B of the ODMG standard, which identifies a number of issues involved in using an Object Database Management System (ODBMS) in a CORBA environment, and proposes an Object Database Adapter (ODA) to realize the integration of the ORB with the ODBMS. This paper discusses the design and implementation of an ODA that integrates an ORB and an ODBMS with C++ bindings. For the author`s purposes, an ODBMS is a system with programming interfaces. It may be a pure object-oriented DBMS (an OODBMS), or a combination of a relational DBMS and an object-relational mapper.
Sex Education for Teachers in Training. The Preliminary Report of a Pilot Study on Objective Tests
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rout, Neil; Painter, Marjorie
Students in 14 teacher colleges in Great Britian were given tests to assess their knowledge of the reproductive system, genetics, and venereal diseases. Test results indicate the necessity for intensive health education courses in Colleges of Education. (DS)
Tracing the Identity of Objects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Rips, Lance J.; Blok, Sergey; Newman, George
This article considers how people judge the identity of objects (e.g., how people decide that a description of an object at one time, t-sub-0, belongs to the same object as a description of it at another time, t-sub-1). The authors propose a causal continuer model for these judgments, based on an earlier theory by Nozick (1981). According to this…
The Teacher Work Sample: A Professional Culminating Activity that Integrates General Studies Objectives
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Benton, Jean E.; Powell, David; DeLine, Mary Ann; Sautter, Alberta; Talbut, Mary Harriet; Bratberg, William; Cwick, Simin
In response to Oregon's Teacher Standards and Practices Commission requirement that all prospective teachers document samples of their work, the Teacher Work Sample (TWS) was developed during the 1980s at Western Oregon University. The TWS was conceptualized as a method to connect meaningful teaching and learning while documenting teacher…
Lateral asymmetries during responses to novel-coloured objects in the domestic chick: A developmental study.
Regolin, L; Vallortigara, G
Chicks were trained to peck on a small coloured (red or green) box for food reinforcement. They were then presented with one box identical to that used during training (familiar) and one of a different colour (unfamiliar). Food reinforcement was delivered for pecking either box, and the right-left position of the two boxes was alternated at random between trials. The number of times chicks pecked at the novel box when it was located on their right or on their left side was recorded. Chicks showed a general tendency to peck more frequently at the novel box when it was located on their right side. The lateral asymmetry was, however, age-dependent. Maximum lateral bias with both red and green novel boxes was observed at around day 4 and day 11 in both sexes, and minimum at around days 7 8 in males and days 8 9 in females. It is suggested that these lateral asymmetries can be accounted for in terms of a head-and-body turning bias associated to preferential use of the lateral field of vision of the left eye, which arises from specializations of the contralateral brain structures (i.e. right hemisphere involvement in response to novelty). The observed changes in lateral asymmetries during development appear, in fact, to fit very well with independent behavioural and pharmacological evidence for biases to left eye use on day 11, and right eye use on day 8.
Interactive and Independent Associations between the Socioeconomic and Objective Built Environment on the Neighbourhood Level and Individual Health: A Systematic Review of Multilevel Studies
Schüle, Steffen Andreas; Bolte, Gabriele
Background The research question how contextual factors of neighbourhood environments influence individual health has gained increasing attention in public health research. Both socioeconomic neighbourhood characteristics and factors of the built environment play an important role for health and health-related behaviours. However, their reciprocal relationships have not been systematically reviewed so far. This systematic review aims to identify studies applying a multilevel modelling approach which consider both neighbourhood socioeconomic position (SEP) and factors of the objective built environment simultaneously in order to disentangle their independent and interactive effects on individual health. Methods The three databases PubMed, PsycINFO, and Web of Science were systematically searched with terms for title and abstract screening. Grey literature was not included. Observational studies from USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Western European countries were considered which analysed simultaneously factors of neighbourhood SEP and the objective built environment with a multilevel modelling approach. Adjustment for individual SEP was a further inclusion criterion. Results Thirty-three studies were included in qualitative synthesis. Twenty-two studies showed an independent association between characteristics of neighbourhood SEP or the built environment and individual health outcomes or health-related behaviours. Twenty-one studies found cross-level or within-level interactions either between neighbourhood SEP and the built environment, or between neighbourhood SEP or the built environment and individual characteristics, such as sex, individual SEP or ethnicity. Due to the large variation of study design and heterogeneous reporting of results the identification of consistent findings was problematic and made quantitative analysis not possible. Conclusions There is a need for studies considering multiple neighbourhood dimensions and applying multilevel
Further laboratory study of the diffuse reflectance spectra of frosts occurring on astronomical objects
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Glaser, F. M.
Oligoclase and bloedite, two mined samples, have been investigated, and the diffuse reflectance spectra are presented. These data are for powdered material, 50 microns to 5 microns size mixture, cooled to 160 K. The reflectivity of the oligoclase sample was also measured at room temperature, about 290 K, and the results at these two temperatures do indicate some tentative differences. A frost of ordinary water was prepared and its spectral reflectance is presented. This result compares reasonably well with measurements made by other investigators.
The Neural Correlates of Object-Centered Processing in Reading: A Lesion Study of Neglect Dyslexia
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ptak, Radek; Di Pietro, Marie; Schnider, Armin
Neglect dyslexia--a peripheral reading disorder generally associated with left spatial neglect--is characterized by omissions or substitutions of the initial letters of words. Several observations suggest that neglect dyslexia errors are independent of viewer-centered coordinates; the disorder is therefore thought to reflect impairment at the…
X-ray studies of solar system objects: now and the next decade
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Branduardi-Raymont, G.
XMM-Newton and Chandra have revealed the multiplicity of X-ray emissions from planets, comets and minor bodies in our solar system. This presentation will review the main findings so far and will look forward to the unique contributions that XMM-Newton can continue to provide in solar system exploration. As a prime example, Jupiter's polar regions show bright soft X-ray aurorae with a line-rich spectrum arising from charge exchange interactions of atmospheric neutrals with local and/or solar wind high charge-state heavy ions. At energies above ˜3 keV the auroral X-ray spectrum is featureless, pointing to an origin from electron bremsstrahlung. Jupiter's atmosphere scatters solar X-rays, so that the planet's disk displays an X-ray spectrum that closely resembles that of solar flares. The arrival of Juno at Jupiter this July will enable in situ measurements simultaneous with XMM-Newton observations, offering unique opportunities to validate models developed to describe the planet's behaviour. Unlike Jupiter, Mars and Venus lack a strong magnetic field, yet they show X-ray emissions from their disks and exospheres, via solar X-ray scattering and charge exchange. Future XMM-Newton observations of solar system targets, under different solar activity conditions, will provide ever deeper insights into their close relationships with their parent star.
Subjective and Objective Measures of Hypersomnolence Demonstrate Divergent Associations with Depression among Participants in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study
Plante, David T.; Finn, Laurel A.; Hagen, Erika W.; Mignot, Emmanuel; Peppard, Paul E.
Study Objectives: To examine associations of depression with habitual sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and objective sleep propensity in a nonclinical population. Methods: Data from adults participating in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study were utilized in analyses. There were 1,287 adults (3,324 observations) who were used in the analysis of subjective hypersomnolence measures; 1,155 adults (2,981 observations) were used in the analysis of objective sleep propensity assessed by the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT). Repeated-measures logistic regression estimated associations between presence of depression (defined as modified Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale ≥ 50 or use of antidepressant medications) and three primary hypersomnolence measures: subjective excessive daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale [ESS] ≥ 11), self-reported sleep duration ≥ 9 h/d, and objective sleep propensity (MSLT mean sleep latency < 8 min). Results: After adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, chronic medical conditions, sedative hypnotic medication use, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol use, sleep disordered breathing, as well as insomnia and sleep duration when appropriate, estimated odd ratios (95% confidence interval) for depression were: 1.56 (1.31,1.86) for ESS ≥ 11; 2.01 (1.49, 2.72) for habitual sleep time ≥ 9 h; and 0.76 (0.63–0.92) for MSLT mean sleep latency < 8 min. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate divergent associations between subjective and objective symptoms of hypersomnolence and depression, with subjective sleepiness and excessive sleep duration associated with increased odds of depression, but objective sleep propensity as measured by the MSLT associated with decreased odds of depression. Further research is indicated to explain this paradox and the impact of different hypersomnolence measures on the course of mood disorders. Commentary: A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 467. Citation: Plante DT, Finn LA, Hagen EW
Multi-instrument variability study of the classical TeV objects Mrk 421 and Mrk 501
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Nowak, N.; Doert, M.; Paneque, D.; de Almeida, U. Barres; Pichel, A.; Tescaro, D.; Benbow, W.
The BL Lac objects Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 are objects of a large multi-year multiinstrument campaign including VLBA, F-GAMMA, GASP-WEBT, Swift, RXTE, Fermi-LAT, MAGIC and VERITAS, among other instruments and collaborations. This extensive radio to TeV gamma-ray dataset provides an unprecedented temporal and energy coverage, which allows for detailed studies of the evolution of their broad-band spectral energy distribution that cannot be achieved on any other BL Lac object. We report on the temporal variability and spectral correlations from the 4.5 months-long campaigns of 2009. We show that Mrk 421 and Mrk 501 have differences in their broad band variability, suggesting different mechanisms for the production of the high-energy emission. In addition, we also report on two events of high activity in very high energies (VHE) of Mrk 501 during May 2009, one of which was not accompanied by enhanced optical/X-ray activity but showed a clear correlation with an increase in the polarized optical flux and a rotation of the polarization vector. This is the first time that such type of flaring activity is observed in a high-synchrotron-peaked BL Lac object.
The uncrowded window of object recognition
Pelli, Denis G; Tillman, Katharine A
It is now emerging that vision is usually limited by object spacing rather than size. The visual system recognizes an object by detecting and then combining its features. 'Crowding' occurs when objects are too close together and features from several objects are combined into a jumbled percept. Here, we review the explosion of studies on crowding—in grating discrimination, letter and face recognition, visual search, selective attention, and reading—and find a universal principle, the Bouma law. The critical spacing required to prevent crowding is equal for all objects, although the effect is weaker between dissimilar objects. Furthermore, critical spacing at the cortex is independent of object position, and critical spacing at the visual field is proportional to object distance from fixation. The region where object spacing exceeds critical spacing is the 'uncrowded window'. Observers cannot recognize objects outside of this window and its size limits the speed of reading and search. PMID:18828191
Impact of feline AIM on the susceptibility of cats to renal disease
Sugisawa, Ryoichi; Hiramoto, Emiri; Matsuoka, Shigeru; Iwai, Satomi; Takai, Ryosuke; Yamazaki, Tomoko; Mori, Nobuko; Okada, Yuki; Takeda, Naoki; Yamamura, Ken-ichi; Arai, Toshiro; Arai, Satoko; Miyazaki, Toru
Renal failure is one of the most important social problems for its incurability and high costs for patients' health care. Through clarification of the underlying mechanism for the high susceptibility of cats to renal disease, we here demonstrates that the effective dissociation of serum AIM protein from IgM is necessary for the recovery from acute kidney injury (AKI). In cats, the AIM-IgM binding affinity is 1000-fold higher than that in mice, which is caused by the unique positively-charged amino-acid cluster present in feline AIM. Hence, feline AIM does not dissociate from IgM during AKI, abolishing its translocation into urine. This results in inefficient clearance of lumen-obstructing necrotic cell debris at proximal tubules, thereby impairing AKI recovery. Accordingly, mice whose AIM is replaced by feline AIM exhibit higher mortality by AKI than in wild-type mice. Recombinant AIM administration into the mice improves their renal function and survival. As insufficient recovery from AKI predisposes patients to chronic, end-stage renal disease, feline AIM may be involved crucially in the high mortality of cats due to renal disease. Our findings could be the basis of the development of novel AKI therapies targeting AIM-IgM dissociation, and may support renal function in cats and prolong their lives. PMID:27731392
A matched pair cluster randomized implementation trail to measure the effectiveness of an intervention package aiming to decrease perinatal mortality and increase institution-based obstetric care among indigenous women in Guatemala: study protocol
Background Maternal and perinatal mortality continue to be a high priority problem on the health agendas of less developed countries. Despite the progress made in the last decade to quantify the magnitude of maternal mortality, few interventions have been implemented with the intent to measure impact directly on maternal or perinatal deaths. The success of interventions implemented in less developed countries to reduce mortality has been questioned, in terms of the tendency to maintain a clinical perspective with a focus on purely medical care separate from community-based approaches that take cultural and social aspects of maternal and perinatal deaths into account. Our innovative approach utilizes both the clinical and community perspectives; moreover, our study will report the weight that each of these components may have had on reducing perinatal mortality and increasing institution-based deliveries. Methods/Design A matched pair cluster-randomized trial will be conducted in clinics in four rural indigenous districts with the highest maternal mortality ratios in Guatemala. The individual clinic will serve as the unit of randomization, with 15 matched pairs of control and intervention clinics composing the final sample. Three interventions will be implemented in indigenous, rural and poor populations: a simulation training program for emergency obstetric and perinatal care, increased participation of the professional midwife in strengthening the link between traditional birth attendants (TBA) and the formal health care system, and a social marketing campaign to promote institution-based deliveries. No external intervention is planned for control clinics, although enhanced monitoring, surveillance and data collection will occur throughout the study in all clinics throughout the four districts. All obstetric events occurring in any of the participating health facilities and districts during the 18 months implementation period will be included in the analysis
Day Release--A Desk Study. The Nature, Aims and Quality of the Education and Training Undertaken by Young People Following Day Release Courses Leading to Recognised Qualifications. Project Report 2.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Evans, Karen
Since the post-war years the popularity of day release has grown to the extent that in 1977-78 approximately one-fifth of Britain's population of 16-18 year olds in employment were released by their employers to continue their education. Most of these youths are enrolled in non-advanced courses of general or vocational education up to the standard…
The development of multi-objective optimization model for excess bagasse utilization: A case study for Thailand
Buddadee, Bancha Wirojanagud, Wanpen Watts, Daniel J. Pitakaso, Rapeepan
In this paper, a multi-objective optimization model is proposed as a tool to assist in deciding for the proper utilization scheme of excess bagasse produced in sugarcane industry. Two major scenarios for excess bagasse utilization are considered in the optimization. The first scenario is the typical situation when excess bagasse is used for the onsite electricity production. In case of the second scenario, excess bagasse is processed for the offsite ethanol production. Then the ethanol is blended with an octane rating of 91 gasoline by a portion of 10% and 90% by volume respectively and the mixture is used as alternative fuel for gasoline vehicles in Thailand. The model proposed in this paper called 'Environmental System Optimization' comprises the life cycle impact assessment of global warming potential (GWP) and the associated cost followed by the multi-objective optimization which facilitates in finding out the optimal proportion of the excess bagasse processed in each scenario. Basic mathematical expressions for indicating the GWP and cost of the entire process of excess bagasse utilization are taken into account in the model formulation and optimization. The outcome of this study is the methodology developed for decision-making concerning the excess bagasse utilization available in Thailand in view of the GWP and economic effects. A demonstration example is presented to illustrate the advantage of the methodology which may be used by the policy maker. The methodology developed is successfully performed to satisfy both environmental and economic objectives over the whole life cycle of the system. It is shown in the demonstration example that the first scenario results in positive GWP while the second scenario results in negative GWP. The combination of these two scenario results in positive or negative GWP depending on the preference of the weighting given to each objective. The results on economics of all scenarios show the satisfied outcomes.
Objects, Events and "to Be" Verbs in Spanish--An ERP Study of the Syntax-Semantics Interface
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Leone-Fernandez, Barbara; Molinaro, Nicola; Carreiras, Manuel; Barber, Horacio A.
In Spanish, objects and events at subject position constrain the selection of different forms of the auxiliary verb "to be": locative predicates about objects require "estar en", while those relating to events require "ser en", both translatable as "to be in". Subjective ratings showed that while the "object + ser + en" is considered as incorrect,…
The role of the dorsal dentate gyrus in object and object-context recognition.
Dees, Richard L; Kesner, Raymond P
The aim of this study was to determine the role of the dorsal dentate gyrus (dDG) in object recognition memory using a black box and object-context recognition memory using a clear box with available cues that define a spatial context. Based on a 10 min retention interval between the study phase and the test phase, the results indicated that dDG lesioned rats are impaired when compared to controls in the object-context recognition test in the clear box. However, there were no reliable differences between the dDG lesioned rats and the control group for the object recognition test in the black box. Even though the dDG lesioned rats were more active in object exploration, the habituation gradients did not differ. These results suggest that the dentate gyrus lesioned rats are clearly impaired when there is an important contribution of context. Furthermore, based on a 24 h retention interval in the black box the dDG lesioned rats were impaired compared to controls.
[Global Adult Tobacco Survey in Poland--the aim and current experiences].
Kaleta, Dorota; Kozieł, Anna; Miśkiewicz, Paulina
Poland is one of the countries, where smoking is widely spread and smoking-induced diseases have become a significant health and socio-economic issue. Since 1999, the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in cooperation with partner organizations have been working on the implementation of the global control system known as the Global Tobacco Surveillance System (GTSS). This system expands the opportunities of individual countries in the area of designing, implementing and evaluating comprehensive anti-tobacco programs. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) has been incorporated into the GTSS system in 2007. The aim of the work is to explain and promote the objectives of GATS and the process of its implementation in Poland based on current experiences of the WHO Country Office for Poland. GATS concentrates on monitoring of tobacco use by adults (aged over 15 years). It is a representative, national survey of households, standardized on a global scale. GATS is supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies as a part of the Bloomberg Global Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use. Two executive agencies, the M. Skłodowska-Curie Institute of Oncology, Warsaw and the Warsaw Medical University, have been assigned to implement the Global Adult Tobacco Survey in Poland. The prepatory works for pre-testing and further stages of the survey implementation are currently under the final phase. Data gathered by GATS will enable us to learn more about the use of tobacco by the adult population in Poland. They will also indicate the most effective methods of the tobacco control in our country.
The conscientious objection: debate on emergency contraception.
Montanari Vergallo, G; Zaami, S; Di Luca, N M; Marinelli, E
The authors discuss the emergency contraception (EC) topic, assessing scientific and ethical aspects. The almost totality of the studies carried out tends to report on the use of drugs as an emergency measure to prevent pregnancy. However, it is not yet completely excluded that emergency contraceptives can induce medical abortion. The debate on side effects of EC continues to be a highly emotional and controversial issue both for advocates who believe they will lower considerably the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions, and for opponents who believe that using emergency contraception amounts to an abortion. This latter hypothesis highlights the conflicting aspect of the conscientious objection to abortion of physicians and pharmacists. This research work is aimed at investigating the emergency contraception issue, paying particular attention to the medico-legal and regulatory aspects of this subject. Particularly, the authors focus on the conscientious objection in order to assess, if any, legal protection for physicians and pharmacists who claim a right to conscientious objection. Inappropriate use of EC could be resolved through a registry of user. This registry, of course, would not have the intention of persecution, but would only serve to detect possible cases of subjugation, exploitation and harassment.
Piloting the AIM Project: Measuring Progress for Program Evaluation and Accountability.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mundie, Karen; Thompson, Debbie; Joyce, Michelle
The AIM (Assessment, Instruction, Mastery) system is a performance-based assessment that was developed in Oregon. The AIM system was piloted by 83 volunteers and staff from 18 volunteer-based programs to assess the system's usefulness as a means of collecting and aggregating data on student progress in adult literacy and similar programs in…
Building a forensic ancestry panel from the ground up: The EUROFORGEN Global AIM-SNP set.
Phillips, C; Parson, W; Lundsberg, B; Santos, C; Freire-Aradas, A; Torres, M; Eduardoff, M; Børsting, C; Johansen, P; Fondevila, M; Morling, N; Schneider, P; Carracedo, A; Lareu, M V
Emerging next-generation sequencing technologies will enable DNA analyses to add pigmentation predictive and ancestry informative (AIM) SNPs to the range of markers detectable from a single PCR test. This prompted us to re-appraise current forensic and genomics AIM-SNPs and from the best sets, to identify the most divergent markers for a five population group differentiation of Africans, Europeans, East Asians, Native Americans and Oceanians by using our own online genome variation browsers. We prioritized careful balancing of population differentiation across the five group comparisons in order to minimize bias when estimating co-ancestry proportions in individuals with admixed ancestries. The differentiation of European from Middle East or South Asian ancestries was not chosen as a characteristic in order to concentrate on introducing Oceanian differentiation for the first time in a forensic AIM set. We describe a complete set of 128 AIM-SNPs that have near identical population-specific divergence across five continentally defined population groups. The full set can be systematically reduced in size, while preserving the most informative markers and the balance of population-specific divergence in at least four groups. We describe subsets of 88, 55, 28, 20 and 12 AIMs, enabling both new and existing SNP genotyping technologies to exploit the best markers identified for forensic ancestry analysis.
Precision disablement aiming system
Monda, Mark J.; Hobart, Clinton G.; Gladwell, Thomas Scott
A disrupter to a target may be precisely aimed by positioning a radiation source to direct radiation towards the target, and a detector is positioned to detect radiation that passes through the target. An aiming device is positioned between the radiation source and the target, wherein a mechanical feature of the aiming device is superimposed on the target in a captured radiographic image. The location of the aiming device in the radiographic image is used to aim a disrupter towards the target.
Density functional theory study of the interaction of vinyl radical, ethyne, and ethene with benzene, aimed to define an affordable computational level to investigate stability trends in large van der Waals complexes.
Maranzana, Andrea; Giordana, Anna; Indarto, Antonius; Tonachini, Glauco; Barone, Vincenzo; Causà, Mauro; Pavone, Michele
Our purpose is to identify a computational level sufficiently dependable and affordable to assess trends in the interaction of a variety of radical or closed shell unsaturated hydro-carbons A adsorbed on soot platelet models B. These systems, of environmental interest, would unavoidably have rather large sizes, thus prompting to explore in this paper the performances of relatively low-level computational methods and compare them with higher-level reference results. To this end, the interaction of three complexes between non-polar species, vinyl radical, ethyne, or ethene (A) with benzene (B) is studied, since these species, involved themselves in growth processes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and soot particles, are small enough to allow high-level reference calculations of the interaction energy ΔEAB. Counterpoise-corrected interaction energies ΔEAB are used at all stages. (1) Density Functional Theory (DFT) unconstrained optimizations of the A-B complexes are carried out, using the B3LYP-D, ωB97X-D, and M06-2X functionals, with six basis sets: 6-31G(d), 6-311 (2d,p), and 6-311++G(3df,3pd); aug-cc-pVDZ and aug-cc-pVTZ; N07T. (2) Then, unconstrained optimizations by Møller-Plesset second order Perturbation Theory (MP2), with each basis set, allow subsequent single point Coupled Cluster Singles Doubles and perturbative estimate of the Triples energy computations with the same basis sets [CCSD(T)//MP2]. (3) Based on an additivity assumption of (i) the estimated MP2 energy at the complete basis set limit [EMP2/CBS] and (ii) the higher-order correlation energy effects in passing from MP2 to CCSD(T) at the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set, ΔECC-MP, a CCSD(T)/CBS estimate is obtained and taken as a computational energy reference. At DFT, variations in ΔEAB with basis set are not large for the title molecules, and the three functionals perform rather satisfactorily even with rather small basis sets [6-31G(d) and N07T], exhibiting deviation from the computational
Density functional theory study of the interaction of vinyl radical, ethyne, and ethene with benzene, aimed to define an affordable computational level to investigate stability trends in large van der Waals complexes
Maranzana, Andrea E-mail: email@example.com E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Giordana, Anna E-mail: email@example.com E-mail: email@example.com Indarto, Antonius Tonachini, Glauco; Barone, Vincenzo E-mail: email@example.com E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; Causà, Mauro E-mail: email@example.com E-mail: email@example.com; Pavone, Michele E-mail: email@example.com E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Our purpose is to identify a computational level sufficiently dependable and affordable to assess trends in the interaction of a variety of radical or closed shell unsaturated hydro-carbons A adsorbed on soot platelet models B. These systems, of environmental interest, would unavoidably have rather large sizes, thus prompting to explore in this paper the performances of relatively low-level computational methods and compare them with higher-level reference results. To this end, the interaction of three complexes between non-polar species, vinyl radical, ethyne, or ethene (A) with benzene (B) is studied, since these species, involved themselves in growth processes of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and soot particles, are small enough to allow high-level reference calculations of the interaction energy ΔE{sub AB}. Counterpoise-corrected interaction energies ΔE{sub AB} are used at all stages. (1) Density Functional Theory (DFT) unconstrained optimizations of the A−B complexes are carried out, using the B3LYP-D, ωB97X-D, and M06-2X functionals, with six basis sets: 6-31G(d), 6-311 (2d,p), and 6-311++G(3df,3pd); aug-cc-pVDZ and aug-cc-pVTZ; N07T. (2) Then, unconstrained optimizations by Møller-Plesset second order Perturbation Theory (MP2), with each basis set, allow subsequent single point Coupled Cluster Singles Doubles and perturbative estimate of the Triples energy computations with the same basis sets [CCSD(T)//MP2]. (3) Based on an additivity assumption of (i) the estimated MP2 energy at the complete basis set limit [E{sub MP2/CBS}] and (ii) the higher-order correlation energy effects in passing from MP2 to CCSD(T) at the aug-cc-pVTZ basis set, ΔE{sub CC-MP}, a CCSD(T)/CBS estimate is obtained and taken as a computational energy reference. At DFT, variations in ΔE{sub AB} with basis set are not large for the title molecules, and the three functionals perform rather satisfactorily even with rather small basis sets [6-31G(d) and N07T], exhibiting
The Moral and Ethical Aims of the School Viewed through a Cosmopolitan Prism
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Hansen, David T.
In this chapter, the author proposes to imagine the aims of the school in light of a cosmopolitan philosophy of education. The first section that follows provides a summary account of what the author takes cosmopolitanism to mean. The second section frames a philosophy of education that stems from this account. The third and penultimate section…
The StrongWomen-Healthy Hearts program in Pennsylvania: RE-AIM analysis.
Folta, Sara C; Lichtenstein, Alice H; Seguin, Rebecca A; Goldberg, Jeanne P; Corbin, Marilyn A; Wiker, Nancy; Gauker, Jodi; Chui, Kenneth; Nelson, Miriam E
Dissemination of evidence-based programs is needed to reduce CVD risk among midlife and older women. The aim of this study is to examine the public health impact of StrongWomen-Healthy Hearts in Pennsylvania using the RE-AIM framework. Reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance were assessed using qualitative and quantitative measures; effectiveness was assessed using a pretest-posttest within-participants design. Reach into the target population was 5 in 100,000. Compared to the target population, a greater percentage of participants were white, married, middle-class, and had a graduate degree. Effectiveness was demonstrated (weight loss -2.0 kg, p < 0.001). Adoption among trained leaders was high (83.3 %), as was fidelity in implementation (average score 9.3 of 10). No leaders maintained the program. To increase impact of the StrongWomen-Healthy Hearts Program, it will be important to lower the costs and modify the recruitment and training strategies to better reach low-income and minority women. Such strategies may also improve program maintenance.
Lewis, M.; Grimshaw, A.
The Legion project at the University of Virginia is an architecture for designing and building system services that provide the illusion of a single virtual machine to users, a virtual machine that provides secure shared object and shared name spaces, application adjustable fault-tolerance, improved response time, and greater throughput. Legion targets wide area assemblies of workstations, supercomputers, and parallel supercomputers, Legion tackles problems not solved by existing workstation based parallel processing tools; the system will enable fault-tolerance, wide area parallel processing, inter-operability, heterogeneity, a single global name space, protection, security, efficient scheduling, and comprehensive resource management. This paper describes the core Legion object model, which specifies the composition and functionality of Legion`s core objects-those objects that cooperate to create, locate, manage, and remove objects in the Legion system. The object model facilitates a flexible extensible implementation, provides a single global name space, grants site autonomy to participating organizations, and scales to millions of sites and trillions of objects.
ACA and the Triple Aim: Musings of a Health Care Actuary.
McCarthy, Mac
In 2008, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) promulgated the Triple Aim, which advocates simultaneous improvements in patient experiences, improved population health and lower cost per capita. In 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) promised quality, affordable health care for all Americans. It's fair to assume that the framers of ACA were aware of the Triple Aim, and it is likely that much of ACA was heavily influenced by IHI's positions. So it is reasonable, from time to time, to assess ACA's impact on health care against the Triple Aim principles.
The Tourette International Collaborative Genetics (TIC Genetics) study, finding the genes causing Tourette syndrome: objectives and methods.
Dietrich, Andrea; Fernandez, Thomas V; King, Robert A; State, Matthew W; Tischfield, Jay A; Hoekstra, Pieter J; Heiman, Gary A
Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by recurrent motor and vocal tics, often accompanied by obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. While the evidence for a genetic contribution is strong, its exact nature has yet to be clarified fully. There is now mounting evidence that the genetic risks for TS include both common and rare variants and may involve complex multigenic inheritance or, in rare cases, a single major gene. Based on recent progress in many other common disorders with apparently similar genetic architectures, it is clear that large patient cohorts and open-access repositories will be essential to further advance the field. To that end, the large multicenter Tourette International Collaborative Genetics (TIC Genetics) study was established. The goal of the TIC Genetics study is to undertake a comprehensive gene discovery effort, focusing both on familial genetic variants with large effects within multiply affected pedigrees and on de novo mutations ascertained through the analysis of apparently simplex parent-child trios with non-familial tics. The clinical data and biomaterials (DNA, transformed cell lines, RNA) are part of a sharing repository located within the National Institute for Mental Health Center for Collaborative Genomics Research on Mental Disorders, USA, and will be made available to the broad scientific community. This resource will ultimately facilitate better understanding of the pathophysiology of TS and related disorders and the development of novel therapies. Here, we describe the objectives and methods of the TIC Genetics study as a reference for future studies from our group and to facilitate collaboration between genetics consortia in the field of TS.
A Formative Evaluation Plan for the Automated Instructional Management System (AIMS)
examined to identify the hardware and software packages intended for development. Stufflebeam's CIPP Model (Context, Input, Process, Product) served as...staffing, and reporting requirements. [ 4.-~ - ~ t EVALUATION MODEL The theoretical framework guiding the proposed evalua- tion of AIMS is the CIPP ...Context which led to the AIMS program, and within which its evaluation will take place. The second component of the CIPP evaluation model -INPUT - refers
The display of molecular models with the Ames Interactive Modeling System (AIMS)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Egan, J. T.; Hart, J.; Burt, S. K.; Macelroy, R. D.
A visualization of molecular models can lead to a clearer understanding of the models. Sophisticated graphics devices supported by minicomputers make it possible for the chemist to interact with the display of a very large model, altering its structure. In addition to user interaction, the need arises also for other ways of displaying information. These include the production of viewgraphs, film presentation, as well as publication quality prints of various models. To satisfy these needs, the display capability of the Ames Interactive Modeling System (AIMS) has been enhanced to provide a wide range of graphics and plotting capabilities. Attention is given to an overview of the AIMS system, graphics hardware used by the AIMS display subsystem, a comparison of graphics hardware, the representation of molecular models, graphics software used by the AIMS display subsystem, the display of a model obtained from data stored in molecule data base, a graphics feature for obtaining single frame permanent copy displays, and a feature for producing multiple frame displays.
Diurnal rhythm and concordance between objective and subjective hot flashes: The Hilo Women's Health Study
Sievert, Lynnette L.; Reza, Angela; Mills, Phoebe; Morrison, Lynn; Rahberg, Nichole; Goodloe, Amber; Sutherland, Michael; Brown, Daniel E.
Objective To test for a diurnal pattern in hot flashes in a multi-ethnic population living in a hot, humid environment. To examine rates of concordance between objective and subjective measures of hot flashes using ambulatory and laboratory measures. Methods Study participants aged 45–55 were recruited from the general population of Hilo, Hawaii. Women wore a Biolog hot flash monitor, kept a diary for 24-hours, and also participated in 3-hour laboratory measures (n=199). Diurnal patterns were assessed using polynomial regression. For each woman, objectively recorded hot flashes that matched subjective experience were treated as true positive readings. Subjective hot flashes were considered the standard for computing false positive and false negative readings. True positive, false positive, and false negative readings were compared across ethnic groups by chi-square analyses. Results Frequencies of sternal, nuchal and subjective hot flashes peaked at 15:00 ± 1 hour with no difference by ethnicity. Laboratory results supported the pattern seen in ambulatory monitoring. Sternal and nuchal monitoring showed the same frequency of true positive measures, but non-sternal electrodes picked up more false positive readings. Laboratory monitoring showed very low frequencies of false negatives. There were no ethnic differences in the frequency of true positive or false positive measures. Women of European descent were more likely to report hot flashes that were not objectively demonstrated (false negative measures). Conclusions The diurnal pattern and peak in hot flash occurrence in the hot humid environment of Hilo was similar to results from more temperate environments. Lack of variation in sternal vs. non-sternal measures, and in true positive measures across ethnicities suggests no appreciable effect of population variation in sweating patterns. PMID:20220538
Great Power Interests and Conflicting Objectives in the Mediterranean-Middle East-Persian Gulf Region. Part I. Background Studies.
AD-A079 602 STANFORD RESEARCH INST MENLO PARK CALIF STRATEGIC S--ETC F/S 5/4 GREAT POWER INTERESTS AND CONFLICTING OBJECTIVES IN THE MEDITER--EYTC(U...D.C. 20310 1 jF-fl -U Ir ! CONTRACT DAAG39 --74- C 0082 LJU~ ±Li'AELNT A 1-.1pblic releaaej lion Unlimted SRI STANFORD RESEARCH INSTITUTE Menlo Park...California 94025 • U.S.A. 80 1 15 076 I Report Categories.":;i The research output by the Strategic Studies Center is published in four formats: 1
[Aiming for the adolescent market: internet and video games, the new strategies of the tobacco industry].
Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Tonatiuh; Barrientos-Gutiérrez, Inti; Reynales-Shigematsu, Luz Myriam; Thrasher, James F; Lazcano-Ponce, Eduardo
Exposure to tobacco advertisement is associated with smoking initiation among the youth, its elimination is a key objective to effectively curb the tobacco epidemic. Historically, the tobacco industry has pioneered the use of new communication technologies to keep and expand their market. Nowadays, Internet and video games have transcended the entertainment sphere, becoming significant media for massive communication and providing new opportunities for advertisement. The present essay reviews the existing literature on tobacco presence in the Internet and video games to define research and policy tasks required to develop effective means for tobacco advertisement regulation and control.
Increasing the number of feminist scientists: why feminist aims are not served by the Underdetermination Thesis
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Intemann, Kristen
Recent feminist philosophers of science have argued that feminist values can contribute to rational decisions about which scientific theories to accept. On this view, increasing the number of feminist scientists is important for ensuring rational and objective theory acceptance. The Underdetermination Thesis has played a key role in arguments for this view [Anderson (1995) Hypatia 10(3), 50 84; Hankinson Nelson (1990) Who knows? From Quine to a feminist empiricism. Temple University Press, Philadelphia; Longino (1990) Science as social knowledge. Princeton University Press, Princeton; Longino (2002) The fate of knowledge. Princeton University Press, Princeton; Kourany (2003) Philosophy of Science 70, 1 14]. This thesis is alleged to open an argumentative "gap" between evidence and theory acceptance and provide a rationale for filling the gap with feminist values. While I agree with the conclusion that feminist values can contribute to rational decisions about which theories to accept, I argue that the Underdetermination Thesis cannot support this claim. First, using earlier arguments [Laudan (1990) in: R. Giere (ed) Minnesota studies in the philosophy of science, vol 14, pp 267 297; Slezak (1991) International Studies in Philosophy of Science 5, 241 256; Pinnick (1994) Philosophy of Science 61, 664 657] I show that Underdetermination cannot, by itself, establish that feminist values should fill the gap in theory acceptance. Secondly, I argue that the very use of the Underdetermination Thesis concedes that feminist values are extra-scientific, a-rational, factors in theory acceptance. This concession denies feminists grounds to explain why their values contribute to rational scientific reasoning. Finally, I propose two alternative ways to explain how feminist values can contribute to rational theory acceptance that do not rely on Underdetermination.
Implementation of EcoAIM (trademark) - A Multi-Objective Decision Support Tool for Ecosystem Services at Department of Defense Installations
snake, and eastern garter snake. The most common mammals are red fox, white- tailed deer , eastern cottontail rabbit, muskrat, gray squirrel, striped...fishing) Running, hiking, walking, birdwatching (grouped as activities that take place on trails) Picnicking and camping Hunting (both deer ...guidelines that list specific times and locations that are closed to visitors, such as periods during deer -hunting season, or when areas are being used for
Recognition memory for object form and object location: an event-related potential study.
Mecklinger, A; Meinshausen, R M
In this study, the processes associated with retrieving object forms and object locations from working memory were examined with the use of simultaneously recorded event-related potential (ERP) activity. Subjects memorized object forms and their spatial locations and made either object-based or location-based recognition judgments. In Experiment 1, recognition performance was higher for object locations than for object forms. Old responses evoked more positive-going ERP activity between 0.3 and 1.8 sec poststimulus than did new responses. The topographic distribution of these old/new effects in the P300 time interval was task specific, with object-based recognition judgments being associated with anteriorly focused effects and location-based judgments with posteriorly focused effects. Late old/new effects were dominant at right frontal recordings. Using an interference paradigm, it was shown in Experiment 2 that visual representations were used to rehearse both object forms and object locations in working memory. The results of Experiment 3 indicated that the observed differential topographic distributions of the old/new effects in the P300 time interval are unlikely to reflect differences between easy and difficult recognition judgments. More specific effects were obtained for a subgroup of subjects for which the processing characteristics during location-based judgments presumably were similar to those in Experiment 1. These data, together with those from Experiment 1, indicate that different brain areas are engaged in retrieving object forms and object locations from working memory. Further analyses support the view that retrieval of object forms relies on conceptual semantic representation, whereas retrieving object locations is based on structural representations of spatial information. The effects in the later time intervals may play a functional role in post-retrieval processing, such as recollecting information from the study episode or other processes
The Impact of Strategic Trajectory Optimization on Illusory Target Biases During Goal-Directed Aiming.
Roberts, James W; Burkitt, James J; Elliott, Digby; Lyons, James L
During rapid aiming, movements are planned and executed to avoid worst-case outcomes that require time and energy to correct. As such, downward movements initially undershoot the target to avoid corrections against gravity. Illusory target context can also impact aiming bias. Here, the authors sought to determine how strategic biases mediate illusory biases. Participants aimed to Müller-Lyer figures in different directions (forward, backward, up, down). Downward biases emerged late in the movement and illusory biases emerged from peak velocity. The illusory effects were greater for downward movements at terminal endpoint. These results indicate that strategic biases interact with the limb-target control processes associated with illusory biases. Thus, multiple control processes during rapid aiming may combine and later affect endpoint accuracy (D. Elliott et al., 2010 ).
Increasing the Number of Feminist Scientists: Why Feminist Aims Are Not Served by the Underdetermination Thesis
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Intemann, Kristen
Recent feminist philosophers of science have argued that feminist values can contribute to rational decisions about which scientific theories to accept. On this view, increasing the number of feminist scientists is important for ensuring rational and objective theory acceptance. The Underdetermination Thesis has played a key role in arguments for…
A Study of the Effects of Underlying Assumptions in the Reduction of Multi-Object Photometry of Transiting Exoplanets
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fitzpatrick, M. Ryleigh; Silva Martins-Filho, Walter; Griffith, Caitlin Ann; Pearson, Kyle; Zellem, Robert Thomas; AzGOE
The analysis of ground-based photometric observations of planetary transits must treat the effects of the Earth's atmosphere, which exceed the signal of the extrasolar planet. Generally, this is achieved by dividing the signal of the host star and planet from that of nearby field stars to reveal the lightcurve. The lightcurve is then fit to a model of the planet's orbit and physical characteristics, also taking into account the characteristics of the star. The fit to the in and out-of-transit data establish the depth of the lightcurve. The question arises, what is the best way to select and treat reference stars to best characterize and remove the shared atmospheric systematics that plague our transit signal. To explore these questions we examine the effects of several assumptions that underline the calculation of the light curve depth. Our study involves repeated photometric observations of hot Jupiter primary transits in the U and B filters. Data were taken with the University of Arizona's Kuiper 1.55m telescope/Mont4K CCD. Each exoplanet observed offers a unique field with stars of various brightness, spectral types and angular distance from the host star. While these observations are part of a larger study of the Rayleigh scattering signature of hot Jupiter exoplanets, here we study the effects of various choices during reduction, specifically the treatment of reference stars and atmospheric systematics.We calculate the lightcurve for all permutations of reference stars, considering several out-of-transit assumptions (e.g. linear, quadratic or exponential). We assess the sensitivity of the transit depths based on the spread of values. In addition we look for characteristics that minimize the scatter in the reduced lightcurve and analyze the effects of the treatment of individual variables on the resultant lightcurve model. Here we present the results of an in depth statistical analysis that classifies the effect of various parameters and choices involved in
Thyroid and Pregnancy in Tehran, Iran: Objectives and Study Protocol
Nazarpour, Sima; Ramezani Tehrani, Fahimeh; Simbar, Masoumeh; Tohidi, Maryam; Azizi, Fereidoun
Background Thyroid dysfunction is the second most common endocrine disease in females of reproductive age. There are controversial data on the adverse effect of subclinical thyroid dysfunctions on adverse feto-maternal outcomes. Objectives The current study aimed to identify the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction during pregnancy and to assess the effectiveness of treatment with levothyroxine on pregnancy outcomes of females with thyroid autoimmunity with or without subclinical thyroid dysfunction in Tehran, Iran. Patients and Methods The study encompassed two phases: 1) a population based cross sectional study using a cluster sampling method that screened first trimester pregnant females for thyroid disorders, 2) a double-blind randomized clinical trial to determine the effectiveness of levothyroxine on adverse pregnancy outcomes in females with thyroid autoimmunity with or without subclinical thyroid dysfunction. Pregnant females were assessed at their first prenatal visit for serum TSH, T4, T-uptake, TPOAb and urinary iodine following which they were classified as: 1) normal, 2) subclinical TPOAb negative and 3) subclinical/euthyroid TPOAb positive. Females in groups two and three were randomly divided into two groups: group A was treated with levothyroxine (LT4), and group B did not receive any treatment. There was a follow-up program for participants and rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes in the treated and untreated groups were measured. Results Results of the study provided reliable information regarding the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction among females in Tehran using universal thyroid screening, along with identification of the iodine status of their community. The study aimed to determine whether LT4 treatment exerts beneficial effects in females without overt thyroid dysfunction. PMID:27279833
Study of transneptunian objects through stellar occultations
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Sicardy, B.; Braga-Ribas, F.
The physical parameters of the transneptunian objects (TNO's) such as size, shape, density, presence of atmosphere, provide important information on their formation and evolution. At more than 30 astronomical units (au) from the Sun, those objects receive low solar radiation and have low mutual collisions so they can be considered as remnants of the primordial outer Solar System. Besides that, information on TNO's is of great relevance when trying to establish a general formation scenario for the recently discovered planetary systems. The problem is that such bodies have a diameter smaller than 2300 km (Eris, one of the largest TNO, has 2326 km) and, when viewed from Earth, they subtend angles smaller than 50 milli-arcseconds, a fact that makes their resolution very poor with current imaging systems. One method to obtain very accurate information on the TNO's is the stellar-occultation technique. Sizes at kilometer accuracies and pressure at nanobar levels can be achieved with this method. Shape, mass, density and other physical parameters can also be derived using this technique. Since 2010, we observed stellar occultations of several TNO's (Varuna in 2010 and 2013; Eris in 2010; 2003 AZ_{84} in 2010 and 2011; Makemake in 2011; Quaoar in 2011 and two in 2012; 2002 KX_{14} in 2013; and finally Sedna in 2013) besides some other occultations of the Pluto system and of the largest Centaurs. We also predicted future events in 2014 and 2015 for the largest 40 TNO's and Centaurs. In this work, we will present new results obtained from recent stellar occultations of TNO's.
Ground-Based Near-Earth Object Studies in the post-Russian (Chelyabinsk) Meteor Airburst World
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ryan, E.; Ryan, W. H.
Public awareness of the danger of potentially hazardous asteroids has been heightened by the airburst of a meteor over Chelyabinsk, Russia, on February 15, 2013, which caused millions of dollars in damage from a shock wave that impacted structures and injured ~1500 people. Later that same day, a larger asteroid, 2012 DA14, made a close approach to the Earth, but harmlessly skimmed past. Further, other very close-approaching Near-Earth objects (NEOs) have recently posed threats to man-made space assets by passing through or very near the geosynchronous satellite zone. These events have lead to increased awareness and concern, and have subsequently served as a catalyst for deeper exploration of what is being done to mitigate such hazards, and whether more effort needs to be placed in this area of study. An NEO is designated as "potentially hazardous" when its orbit comes to within 0.05 AU of the Earth's orbit. Ground-based physical characterization studies of Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) that are cataloged as potentially hazardous objects (PHOs) are very beneficial to any mitigation plan that might be devised if the risk of impact is high. After a well-defined orbit has been determined for a PHO, other physical parameters such as size, rotation rate, and composition are important. For the smallest PHOs being discovered, observational efforts must commence at or near the time of discovery to ensure favorable parameters for data collection. Otherwise, subsequent optimal apparitions for observing an asteroid or comet may be decades away. Researchers at the Magdalena Ridge Observatory (MRO) 2.4-meter telescope facility are well positioned to acquire real-time physical information on PHOs since their ongoing NEO follow-up and characterization program collects data monthly throughout the year on the smallest, close-approaching NEOs being discovered. Over the past 5 years that this program has been in operation, spin rates for over 50 Near-Earth asteroids have been obtained
SkyDOT (Sky Database for Objects in the Time Domain): A Virtual Observatory for Variability Studies at LANL
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wozniak, Przemek; Borozdin, Konstantin N.; Galassi, Mark C.; Priedhorsky, William C.; Starr, Daniel; Vestrand, W. T.; White, Robert; Wren, James A.
The mining of Virtual Observatories (VOs) is becoming a powerful new method for discovery in astronomy. Here we report on the development of SkyDOT (Sky Database for Objects in the Time domain), a new Virtual Observatory, which is dedicated to the study of sky variability. The site will confederate a number of massive variability surveys and enable exploration of the time domain in astronomy. We discuss the architecture of the database and the functionality of the user interface. An important aspect of SkyDOT is that it is continuously updated in near real time so that users can access new observations in a timely manner. The site will also utilize high level machine learning tools that will allow sophisticated mining of the archive. Another key feature is the real time data stream provided by RAPTOR (RAPid Telescopes for Optical Response), a new sky monitoring experiment under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
The association between objectively measured physical activity and academic achievement in Dutch adolescents: findings from the GOALS study.
Van Dijk, Martin L; De Groot, Renate H; Savelberg, Hans H; Van Acker, Frederik; Kirschner, Paul A
The main goal of this study was to investigate the association between objectively measured physical activity and academic achievement in adolescents. Students in Grades 7 and 9 (N = 255) were included. Overall, we found no significant dose-response association between physical activity and academic achievement. However, in Grade 7 total physical activity volume (Total PA) was negatively associated with academic achievement, while moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (MVPA) was negatively associated with both academic achievement and mathematics performance. In contrast, in Grade 9 both Total PA and MVPA were positively associated with mathematics performance. In addition, the overall association between MVPA and academic achievement followed an inverted U-shaped curve. Finally, Total PA was positively associated with executive functioning, while executive functioning in turn mediated the associations between Total PA and both academic achievement and mathematics performance. These results indicate that the association between physical activity and academic achievement in adolescents is complex and might be affected by academic year, physical activity volume and intensity, and school grade.
Do Children with ASD Use Referential Gaze to Learn the Name of an Object? An Eye-Tracking Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Akechi, Hironori; Senju, Atsushi; Kikuchi, Yukiko; Tojo, Yoshikuni; Osanai, Hiroo; Hasegawa, Toshikazu
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported to have difficulty in learning novel word-object associations in case of discrepancy between objects in the speaker's focus and their focus (the discrepant condition). Two eye-tracking experiments investigated this difficulty by controlling and recording children's gaze fixation. In…
Romanian ancient gold objects provenance studies using micro-beam methods: the case of "Pietroasa" hoard
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Constantinescu, B.; Bugoi, R.; Cojocaru, V.; Voiculescu, D.; Grambole, D.; Herrmann, F.; Ceccato, D.
Five fragments of ancient gold objects belonging to Pietroasa "Cloşca cu Puii de Aur" ("The Golden Brood Hen with Its Chickens") Romanian hoard were analysed using the micro-PIXE (particle induced X-ray emission) technique. The purpose of the study was to gain some more knowledge regarding the metal provenance by determining the presence of PGE (Platinum Group Elements) and other high-temperature melting point trace elements (Ta, Nb, Cr) at a micrometric scale. Ta and Nb inclusions (micrometric areas of composition different from the surroundings) on three samples and Pd inclusions on one sample were found. The measurements led to some conclusions for the possible gold ore sources of Pietroasa treasury: the South-Ural Mountains, Nubia (Sudan) and/or Anatolian deposits and Roman imperial coins.
A Novel Application of the Point of Aim Trace Feature for the Engagement Skills Trainer 2000
acceleration and changes in ambient pressure (e.g., blast) than the vestibulocochlear organs (and their associated central projections) (Lawson & Rupert...more than 10 percent (%) of troops sustaining concussion or brain injury and somewhere between 5 and 15% developing long term sequelae (Zoroya, 24 May... acceleration just before the shot—an apparent jerked trigger or flinch. 13 Figure 8. EST plot shot with poor aim technique. Selecting
Study of the Surface Heterogeneity of icy dwarf?planets and other medium size Kuiper Belt objects
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pinilla-Alonso, Noemi; Emery, Josh P.
We propose a comprehensive analysis of the surface heterogeneity of a selected sample of dwarf-planets and candidates to be considered as dwarf-planets. The sample has been carefully selected to reach the scientific goals with a relative low cost in observing time. The research proposed here will be based on the analysis of the light-curve of these objects obtained using IRAC/Spitzer photometry. KBOs likely retain some of the most primitive material in the Solar System. Models of the retention of volatiles by small-bodies in the Solar System show that dwarf-planets can retain most of the original inventory of volatiles. A good example is Pluto. The surface of this body is formed by patches of CH4, N2 and CO and exhibits a large degree of surface heterogeneity. Our preliminary results of the IRAC/Spitzer light curves of Pluto, obtained by this group in 2004 and 2014, show the potential of these data to map the surface distribution of the different species of ices on the surface of KBOs. For this project we have selected six objects (out of a list of 15) that are ideal for this study using Spitzer photometry. Our sample covers two classes of bodies: Eris, Makemake and Haumea, all large enough to retain volatiles and so how signs of sublimation and condensation cycles on their surfaces; and Quaoar, Varuna and Ixion (D<1000 km) that may not have retained volatiles. If signs of heterogeneity are detected on IRAC data from these medium bodies (as suggested by previous studies) this could be due to a combination of collisions and irradiation. By addressing the compositional heterogeneity of this sample of KBOs the proposed work will address gaps in the scientific knowledge of the chemical and dynamical history of the outer Solar System as well as other planetary systems.}
The reliability of manual reporting of clinical events in an anesthesia information management system (AIMS).
Simpao, Allan F; Pruitt, Eric Y; Cook-Sather, Scott D; Gurnaney, Harshad G; Rehman, Mohamed A
Manual incident reports significantly under-report adverse clinical events when compared with automated recordings of intraoperative data. Our goal was to determine the reliability of AIMS and CQI reports of adverse clinical events that had been witnessed and recorded by research assistants. The AIMS and CQI records of 995 patients aged 2-12 years were analyzed to determine if anesthesia providers had properly documented the emesis events that were observed and recorded by research assistants who were present in the operating room at the time of induction. Research assistants recorded eight cases of emesis during induction that were confirmed with the attending anesthesiologist at the time of induction. AIMS yielded a sensitivity of 38 % (95 % confidence interval [CI] 8.5-75.5 %), while the sensitivity of CQI reporting was 13 % (95 % CI 0.3-52.7 %). The low sensitivities of the AIMS and CQI reports suggest that user-reported AIMS and CQI data do not reliably include significant clinical events.
Centering Objects in the Workspace
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Free, Cory
Drafters must be detail-oriented people. The objects they draw are interpreted and then built with the extreme precision required by today's manufacturers. Now that computer-aided drafting (CAD) has taken over the drafting profession, anything less than exact precision is unacceptable. In her drafting classes, the author expects her students to…
Planning and the "Measurable Objective."
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miller, Ronald H.
Accountability is being required of all America's institutions of higher education. Gallaudet College, an institution for the deaf in Washington, D.C., feels it has found a solution to the accountability problem in the use of "measurable objectives" in its program planning. The first phase from January 1 through June 30, 1972 of…
Experimental studies on the effects of a sting support on the pressure distribution around a spherical object
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Barna, P. S.
Experiments were conducted on a spherical object, 2.5 inches in diameter, to obtain the pressure distribution around its meridan plane. In most of the tests the sphere was provided with a tail consisting of a circular cylinder that was attached directly to the rear with its axis in alignment with the center of the sphere. In some tests the tail was removed and the sphere alone was tested for comparison purposes. The main object of the tests was to obtain information on tail interference with the pressure distribution. The results of the tests show that the pressure distribution was affected by the presence of the tail to a minor extent only, while major differences occurred with the variation of the Reynolds number. The experiments were performed both in an open as well as inside a closed wind tunnel under steady flow conditions at Reynolds numbers ranging from 0.91 to 2.6 x 100000.
Double Object Constructions in L3 English: An Exploratory Study of Morphological and Semantic Constraints
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Agirre, Ainara Imaz; García Mayo, María del Pilar
The present study examines the acquisition of double object constructions (DOCs) ("Susan gave Peter an apple") by 90 Basque/Spanish learners of English as a third language (L3). The aim of this study was to explore whether (i) learners established a distinction when accepting DOCs vs. prepositional phrase constructions (PPCs)…
Strength of object representation: its key role in object-based attention for determining the competition result between Gestalt and top-down objects.
Zhao, Jingjing; Wang, Yonghui; Liu, Donglai; Zhao, Liang; Liu, Peng
It was found in previous studies that two types of objects (rectangles formed according to the Gestalt principle and Chinese words formed in a top-down fashion) can both induce an object-based effect. The aim of the present study was to investigate how the strength of an object representation affects the result of the competition between these two types of objects based on research carried out by Liu, Wang and Zhou [(2011) Acta Psychologica, 138(3), 397-404]. In Experiment 1, the rectangles were filled with two different colors to increase the strength of Gestalt object representation, and we found that the object effect changed significantly for the different stimulus types. Experiment 2 used Chinese words with various familiarities to manipulate the strength of the top-down object representation. As a result, the object-based effect induced by rectangles was observed only when the Chinese word familiarity was low. These results suggest that the strength of object representation determines the result of competition between different types of objects.
Globalization and the Asia Pacific: An Exploration of Efficiency and Equality Aims of Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Engel, Laura C.; Rutkowski, David J.
The paper aims to explore the relationship between globalization and education through an investigation of educational policy development in the specific context of the Asia Pacific. The paper's primary focus is on data collected from the World Bank, OECD, IMF and UNESCO to look primarily at three interrelated trends in education: increasing…
AIM satellite-based research bridges the unique scientific aspects of the mission to informal education programs globally
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Robinson, D.; Maggi, B.
The Education and Public Outreach (EPO) component of the satellite-based research mission "Aeronomy of Ice In the Mesosphere" (AIM) will bridge the unique scientific aspects of the mission to informal education organizations. The informal education materials developed by the EPO will utilize AIM data and educate the public about the environmental implications associated with the data. This will assist with creating a scientifically literate workforce and in developing a citizenry capable of making educated decisions related to environmental policies and laws. The objective of the AIM mission is to understand the mechanisms that cause Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) to form, how their presence affects the atmosphere, and how change in the atmosphere affects them. PMCs are sometimes known as Noctilucent Clouds (NLCs) because of their visibility during the night from appropriate locations. The phenomenon of PMCs is an observable indicator of global change, a concern to all citizens. Recent sightings of these clouds over populated regions have compelled AIM educators to expand informal education opportunities to communities worldwide. Collaborations with informal organizations include: Museums/Science Centers; NASA Sun-Earth Connection Forum; Alaska Native Ways of Knowing Project; Amateur Noctilucent Cloud Observers Organization; National Parks Education Programs; After School Science Clubs; Public Broadcasting Associations; and National Public Radio. The Native Ways of Knowing Project is an excellent example of informal collaboration with the AIM EPO. This Alaska based project will assist native peoples of the state with photographing NLCs for the EPO website. It will also aid the EPO with developing materials for informal organizations that incorporate traditional native knowledge and science, related to the sky. Another AIM collaboration that will offer citizens lasting informal education opportunities is the one established with the United States National Parks
Implementation Guidance for the Accelerated Improvement Method (AIM). Software Engineering Process Management: Special Report
Services), and CMMI-ACQ (CMMI for Acquisition), 12 of those at ML3 . All 12 core PAs are within the scope of AIM, as well as the structure provided by all...has been officially appraised at CMMI ML3 , an he walk. While this is a significant achievement, AIM c ization says "we're good enough" then, in some...tracked, which for the noted references, CMU/SEI-2010-SR-032 | 22 corresponds to the engineering PAs, especially at ML3 . The largest concentration of
The Trouble with Learning Objects
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Parrish, Patrick E.
Object-oriented instructional design (OOID) offers the promise of universal access to online instructional materials, increased productivity among trainers and educators, and solutions for individualizing learning. However, it is unclear whether it can fulfill these promises to the degree many envision. As with every new instructional technology,…
The Objective of Financial Reporting.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schermann, Kenneth R.
Alerts public school business officials to a financial reporting concepts statement to be issued by the Governmental Accounting Standards Board in late 1986. The new directive will outline four objectives concerned with accountability procedures, resource management and compliance information, operating results, and future financial capabilities.…
A Formative Evaluation Plan for the Automated Instructional Management System (AIMS).
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Berkowitz, Melissa; And Others
The plan described was developed to evaluate the training and cost-effectiveness of the Automated Instructional Management System (AIMS), a computer-based training and resource development system being developed by the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) for possible installation in its schools and training centers. The Functional Description…
The Aim of Philosophy of Religious Education in a Pluralist Society (Nigeria as an Example)
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Nwanaju, Isidore U.
The major aim and leitmotif of this paper is to highlight the Nigerian society and its diverse, multi-cultural and pluralist composition--a society which has experienced in the last fifty years, and is still experiencing fantastic and tremendous signs of growth in democracy, but which is also almost unsure of the right path and the correct…
Listeria monocytogenes that lyse in the macrophage cytosol trigger AIM2-mediated pyroptosis
Sauer, John-Demian; Witte, Chelsea E.; Zemansky, Jason; Hanson, Bill; Lauer, Peter; Portnoy, Daniel A.
Summary To gain insight into the mechanisms by which host cells detect cytosolic invasion by intracellular pathogens, a genetic screen was performed to identify Listeria monocytogenes mutants that induced altered levels of host cell death. A mutation in lmo2473 resulted in hyper-stimulation of host cell death and IL-1β secretion (pyroptosis) following bacteriolysis in the macrophage cytosol. In addition, strains engineered to lyse in the cytosol by expression of both bacteriophage holin and lysin or induced to lyse by treatment with ampicillin stimulated pyroptosis. Pyroptosis was independent of the Nlrp3 and Nlrc4 receptors, but dependent on ASC and AIM2. Importantly, wild type L. monocytogenes were also found to lyse, albeit at low levels, and trigger AIM2-dependent pyroptosis. Since AIM2 is activated by DNA, these data suggested that pyroptosis is triggered by bacterial DNA released during lysis. PMID:20417169
AIM2 regulates viability and apoptosis in human colorectal cancer cells via the PI3K/Akt pathway
Chen, Jianjun; Wang, Zhenjun; Yu, Sanshui
Absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) plays an important role in innate immunity as a DNA sensor in the cytoplasm by triggering the assembly of an AIM2 inflammasome that results in caspase-1-mediated inflammatory responses and cell death. In recent years, studies have indicated that AIM2 can suppress cancer cell proliferation, and mutations in the gene encoding AIM2 are frequently identified in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the mechanism by which AIM2 restricts tumor growth remains unclear. We reconstructed AIM2 expression in HCT116 CRC cells by lentivirus transfection. Using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry, we demonstrated that expression of AIM2 inhibited the viability and increased the apoptosis rate of CRC cells, and cell cycle analysis suggested that AIM2 blocked cell cycle transition from G1 to S phase. Western blot analysis showed that AIM2 promoted apoptosis in CRC cells by suppressing the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) pathway. Our data suggest that AIM2 plays a critical role as a tumor suppressor and might serve as a potential therapeutic target in CRC. PMID:28243117
An Economic Aspect of the AVOID Programme: Analysis Using the AIM/CGE Model
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Matsumoto, Ken'ichi; Masui, Toshihiko
This presentation purposes to show the results of the analysis that the AIM/CGE [Global] model contributed to Work Stream 1 of the AVOID programme. Three economic models participate in this WS to analyze the economic aspects of defined climate policies, and the AIM/CGE [Global] model is one of them. The reference scenario is SRES A1B and five policy scenarios (2016.R2.H, 2016.R4.L, 2016.R5.L, 2030.R2.H, and 2030.R5.L) are considered. The climate policies are expressed as emissions pathways of several gases such as greenhouse gases and aerosols. The AIM/CGE [Global] model is a recursive dynamic global CGE model with 21 industrial sectors and 24 world regions. These definitions are based on the GTAP6 database and it is used as the economic data of the base year. Some important characteristics of this model can be summarized as follows: power generation by various sources (from non-renewables to renewables) are considered; CCS technology is modeled; biomass energy (both traditional and purpose-grown) production and consumption are included; not only CO2 emissions but also other gases are considered; international markets are modeled for international trade of some fossil fuels; relationships between the costs and resource reserves of fossil fuels are modeled. The model is run with 10-year time steps until 2100. For the reference case, there are no constraints and the model is run based on the drivers (assumptions on GDP and population for A1B) and AEEI. The reference case does not have the same emissions pathways as the prescribed emissions for A1B in AVOID. For scenario cases, the model is run under emissions constraints. In particular, for each policy scenario, the constraint on each gas in each 10-year step is derived. The percentage reduction in emissions that occurs between the AVOID A1B scenario and the particular policy scenario, for each gas in each 10-year period is first calculated, and then these percentage reductions are applied to the AIM reference case
Object Detection using the Kinect
Kinect by Jason Owens ARL-TN-0474 March 2012 Approved... Kinect Jason Owens Vehicle Technology Directorate, ARL Approved for public release...2. REPORT TYPE Final 3. DATES COVERED (From - To) 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Object Detection using the Kinect 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b.
AIM-Monitoring: a component of the BLM assessment, inventory, and monitoring strategy
Technology Transfer Automated Retrieval System (TEKTRAN)
The "BLM Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring Strategy for Integrated Renewable Resources Management" (AIM Strategy) was completed in 2011 in response to a request from the Office of Management and Budget. The strategy describes an approach for integrated, cross-program assessment, inventory, and m...
Value of Information Analysis Applied to the Economic Evaluation of Interventions Aimed at Reducing Juvenile Delinquency: An Illustration
Eeren, Hester V.; Schawo, Saskia J.; Scholte, Ron H. J.; Busschbach, Jan J. V.; Hakkaart, Leona
Objectives To investigate whether a value of information analysis, commonly applied in health care evaluations, is feasible and meaningful in the field of crime prevention. Methods Interventions aimed at reducing juvenile delinquency are increasingly being evaluated according to their cost-effectiveness. Results of cost-effectiveness models are subject to uncertainty in their cost and effect estimates. Further research can reduce that parameter uncertainty. The value of such further research can be estimated using a value of information analysis, as illustrated in the current study. We built upon an earlier published cost-effectiveness model that demonstrated the comparison of two interventions aimed at reducing juvenile delinquency. Outcomes were presented as costs per criminal activity free year. Results At a societal willingness-to-pay of €71,700 per criminal activity free year, further research to eliminate parameter uncertainty was valued at €176 million. Therefore, in this illustrative analysis, the value of information analysis determined that society should be willing to spend a maximum of €176 million in reducing decision uncertainty in the cost-effectiveness of the two interventions. Moreover, the results suggest that reducing uncertainty in some specific model parameters might be more valuable than in others. Conclusions Using a value of information framework to assess the value of conducting further research in the field of crime prevention proved to be feasible. The results were meaningful and can be interpreted according to health care evaluation studies. This analysis can be helpful in justifying additional research funds to further inform the reimbursement decision in regard to interventions for juvenile delinquents. PMID:26146831
Guiding the Design of Lessons by Using the MAPLET Framework: Matching Aims, Processes, Learner Expertise and Technologies
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ifenthaler, Dirk; Gosper, Maree
This paper introduces the MAPLET framework that was developed to map and link teaching aims, learning processes, learner expertise and technologies. An experimental study with 65 participants is reported to test the effectiveness of the framework as a guide to the design of lessons embedded within larger units of study. The findings indicate the…
The AIME Statewide Survey of School Library Media Centers: Expenditures & Collections.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Callison, Daniel; Knuth, Rebecca
This report is based on an Indiana statewide survey of school library media center collections, budgets, and services which was sponsored by the Association for Indiana Media Educators (AIME). Completed and usable surveys were received from 823 public and private school library media programs representing 44% of the total possible school library…
The Role of Field Education in a University-Community Partnership Aimed at Curriculum Transformation
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lewis, Laura A.; Kusmaul, Nancy; Elze, Diane; Butler, Lisa
University-community partnerships can play an important role in curriculum development, but little has been written about the role of community agencies in designing curricula. This article describes the role of field education in an innovative university-community partnership aimed at transforming an MSW curriculum to integrate a trauma-informed…
Let's Measure What No One Teaches: PISA, NCLB, and the Shrinking Aims of Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Labaree, David
Background/Context: PISA has come up with an ingenious solution to the problem of how to measure student achievement across national school systems with different curricula. Instead of measuring how well students learn what they are taught in each system, it measures a set of economically useful skills that no one teaches. Purpose: The aim is to…
Development Principles of the Pedagogical System Aimed at Bachelor Training Based on Modern Information Technology
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kurymbayev, Sayat G.; Samashova, Gulfarida E.; Alshynbayeva, Zhuldyz E.; Mukhametzhanova, Aigul O.; Sharazdin, Adilzada M.; Kalybekova, Kalamkas S.; Kosybaeva, Umitzhan A.
Modern education is aimed at training competent specialists, which requires modernizing the training process by implementing innovative technologies, especially information technologies. Information technologies allow quickly accessing necessary data, which speeds up the training process. This paper deals with issues related to training bachelors…
R. S. Peters and J. H. Newman on the Aims of Education
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Ozolins, Janis T.
R. S. Peters never explicitly talks about wisdom as being an aim of education. He does, however, in numerous places, emphasize that education is of the whole person and that, whatever else it might be about, it involves the development of knowledge and understanding. Being educated, he claims, is incompatible with being narrowly specialized.…
Guanylate-binding proteins promote activation of the AIM2 inflammasome during infection with Francisella novicida.
Meunier, Etienne; Wallet, Pierre; Dreier, Roland F; Costanzo, Stéphanie; Anton, Leonie; Rühl, Sebastian; Dussurgey, Sébastien; Dick, Mathias S; Kistner, Anne; Rigard, Mélanie; Degrandi, Daniel; Pfeffer, Klaus; Yamamoto, Masahiro; Henry, Thomas; Broz, Petr
The AIM2 inflammasome detects double-stranded DNA in the cytosol and induces caspase-1-dependent pyroptosis as well as release of the inflammatory cytokines interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and IL-18. AIM2 is critical for host defense against DNA viruses and bacteria that replicate in the cytosol, such as Francisella tularensis subspecies novicida (F. novicida). The activation of AIM2 by F. novicida requires bacteriolysis, yet whether this process is accidental or is a host-driven immunological mechanism has remained unclear. By screening nearly 500 interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) through the use of small interfering RNA (siRNA), we identified guanylate-binding proteins GBP2 and GBP5 as key activators of AIM2 during infection with F. novicida. We confirmed their prominent role in vitro and in a mouse model of tularemia. Mechanistically, these two GBPs targeted cytosolic F. novicida and promoted bacteriolysis. Thus, in addition to their role in host defense against vacuolar pathogens, GBPs also facilitate the presentation of ligands by directly attacking cytosolic bacteria.
The Evaluation of Treatment Procedures Aimed at the Reduction of Interpersonal Anxiety in the Dating Dyad.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Curran, James P.; Gilbert, Francis S.
Three outcome studies were conducted in order to evaluate various treatment procedures for subjects experiencing dating anxiety. The treatment procedures of specific focus was a skills training package using modeling, behavioral rehearsal, feedback, and in vivo practice as major components. The data from two studies indicates the skills training…
Evaluating the public health impact of health promotion interventions: the RE-AIM framework.
Glasgow, R E; Vogt, T M; Boles, S M
Progress in public health and community-based interventions has been hampered by the lack of a comprehensive evaluation framework appropriate to such programs. Multilevel interventions that incorporate policy, environmental, and individual components should be evaluated with measurements suited to their settings, goals, and purpose. In this commentary, the authors propose a model (termed the RE-AIM model) for evaluating public health interventions that assesses 5 dimensions: reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. These dimensions occur at multiple levels (e.g., individual, clinic or organization, community) and interact to determine the public health or population-based impact of a program or policy. The authors discuss issues in evaluating each of these dimensions and combining them to determine overall public health impact. Failure to adequately evaluate programs on all 5 dimensions can lead to a waste of resources, discontinuities between stages of research, and failure to improve public health to the limits of our capacity. The authors summarize strengths and limitations of the RE-AIM model and recommend areas for future research and application. PMID:10474547
Evaluating the benefits of government funded R & D aimed at the private sector
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Greenberg, J. S.
Federal funding of technological research and development is discussed with regard to the procedures for an economic analysis with the goals of (1) determining when the public sector should invest in a research and development program, (2) evaluating the likelihood of private sector participation in terms of public sector participation, and (3) considering the major factors in the formulation of a research and development program in terms of defining initiatives. Public sector investments are evaluated, noting procedures for determining whether benefits exceed costs. The role of the public sector research and development planning is described, considering the procedure for private sector implementation decisions and a methodology for evaluating the possibility of private sector commercialization. The economic value of the public sector research and development program is presented with attention given to a specific case of NASA-sponsored research and development aimed toward the commercialization of new public communications services.
Environmental agency aiming to raise the awareness of people about the environment
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Cegnar, T.
If properly sensitised, the public can do a great deal for the protection of our environment. The Environmental agency pays particular attention to awareness raising concerning the environment and related issues. In perusing this aim the agency is using several approaches, which are tailored to reach and involve specific target groups. The website is the Environmental agency of the Republic of Slovenia's main tool to communicate with general public and journalists. Special sectors of the website are designed on purpose for the media. Press conferences are organized whenever an issue of general interest emerges. Monthly bulletins are published including environmental data and trends, but also reporting about interesting domestic and international events related to environment, and in particular to climate change. Also flyers and booklets related to environmental issues are published, most of them are available in printed and in electronic version. On request we organize guided visits at the agency or give presentations in the premises of interested schools.
A Study of the Development of Students' Visualizations of Program State during an Elementary Object-Oriented Programming Course
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Sajaniemi, Jorma; Kuittinen, Marja; Tikansalo, Taina
Students' understanding of object-oriented (OO) program execution was studied by asking students to draw a picture of a program state at a specific moment. Students were given minimal instructions on what to include in their drawings in order to see what they considered to be central concepts and relationships in program execution. Three drawing…
A tale of three theories: Feyerabend and Popper on progress and the aim of science.
Tambolo, Luca
In this paper, three theories of progress and the aim of science are discussed: (i) the theory of progress as increasing explanatory power, advocated by Popper in The logic of scientific discovery (1935/1959); (ii) the theory of progress as approximation to the truth, introduced by Popper in Conjectures and refutations (1963); (iii) the theory of progress as a steady increase of competing alternatives, which Feyerabend put forward in the essay "Reply to criticism. Comments on Smart, Sellars and Putnam" (1965) and defended as late as the last edition of Against method (1993). It is argued that, contrary to what Feyerabend scholars have predominantly assumed, Feyerabend's changing attitude towards falsificationism-which he often advocated at the beginning of his career, and vociferously attacked in the 1970s and 1980s-must be explained by taking into account not only Feyerabend's very peculiar view of the aim of science, but also Popper's changing account of progress.
Actinic review of EUV masks: performance data and status of the AIMS EUV System
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hellweg, Dirk; Perlitz, Sascha; Magnusson, Krister; Capelli, Renzo; Koch, Markus; Malloy, Matt
The EUV mask infrastructure is of key importance for the successful introduction of EUV lithography into volume production. In particular, for the production of defect free masks an actinic review of potential defect sites is required. ZEISS and the SUNY POLY SEMATECH EUVL Mask Infrastructure consortium started a development program for such an EUV aerial image metrology system, the AIMS EUV. In this paper, we provide measurement data on the system's key specifications and discuss its performance and capability status.
Listeria monocytogenes triggers AIM2-mediated pyroptosis upon infrequent bacteriolysis in the macrophage cytosol.
Sauer, John-Demian; Witte, Chelsea E; Zemansky, Jason; Hanson, Bill; Lauer, Peter; Portnoy, Daniel A
A host defense strategy against pathogens is the induction of cell death, thereby eliminating the pathogen's intracellular niche. Pyroptosis, one such form of cell death, is dependent on inflammasome activation. In a genetic screen to identify Listeria monocytogenes mutants that induced altered levels of host cell death, we identified a mutation in lmo2473 that caused hyperstimulation of IL-1beta secretion and pyroptosis following bacteriolysis in the macrophage cytosol. In addition, strains engineered to lyse in the cytosol by expression of both bacteriophage holin and lysin or induced to lyse by treatment with ampicillin stimulated pyroptosis. Pyroptosis was independent of the Nlrp3 and Nlrc4 inflammasome receptors but dependent on the inflammasome adaptor ASC and the cytosolic DNA sensor AIM2. Importantly, wild-type L. monocytogenes were also found to lyse, albeit at low levels, and trigger AIM2-dependent pyroptosis. These data suggested that pyroptosis is triggered by bacterial DNA released during cytosolic lysis.
The relation of object naming and other visual speech production tasks:A large scale voxel-based morphometric study
Lau, Johnny King L.; Humphreys, Glyn W.; Douis, Hassan; Balani, Alex; Bickerton, Wai-ling; Rotshtein, Pia
We report a lesion–symptom mapping analysis of visual speech production deficits in a large group (280) of stroke patients at the sub-acute stage (<120 days post-stroke). Performance on object naming was evaluated alongside three other tests of visual speech production, namely sentence production to a picture, sentence reading and nonword reading. A principal component analysis was performed on all these tests' scores and revealed a 'shared' component that loaded across all the visual speech production tasks and a 'unique' component that isolated object naming from the other three tasks. Regions for the shared component were observed in the left fronto-temporal cortices, fusiform gyrus and bilateral visual cortices. Lesions in these regions linked to both poor object naming and impairment in general visual–speech production. On the other hand, the unique naming component was potentially associated with the bilateral anterior temporal poles, hippocampus and cerebellar areas. This is in line with the models proposing that object naming relies on a left-lateralised language dominant system that interacts with a bilateral anterior temporal network. Neuropsychological deficits in object naming can reflect both the increased demands specific to the task and the more general difficulties in language processing. PMID:25685713
The perception of concurrent sound objects through the use of harmonic enhancement: a study of auditory attention.
Koulaguina, Elena; Drisdelle, Brandi Lee; Alain, Claude; Grimault, Stephan; Eck, Douglas; Vachon, François; Jolicoeur, Pierre
When the frequency of one harmonic, in a sound composed of many harmonics, is briefly mistuned and then returned to the 'in-tune' frequency and phase, observers report hearing this harmonic as a separate tone long after the brief period of mistuning - a phenomenon called harmonic enhancement. Here, we examined the consequence of harmonic enhancement on listeners' ability to detect a brief amplitude notch embedded in one of the harmonics after the period of mistuning. When present, the notch was either on the enhanced harmonic or on a different harmonic. Detection was better on the enhanced harmonic than on a non-enhanced harmonic. This finding suggests that attention was drawn to the enhanced harmonic (which constituted a new sound object) thereby easing the processing of sound features (i.e., a notch) within that object. This is the first evidence of a functional consequence of the after-effect of transient mistuning on auditory perception. Moreover, the findings provide support for an attention-based explanation of the enhancement phenomenon.
The influence of visual feedback and prior knowledge about feedback on vertical aiming strategies.
Elliott, Digby; Dutoy, Chris; Andrew, Matthew; Burkitt, James J; Grierson, Lawrence E M; Lyons, James L; Hayes, Spencer J; Bennett, Simon J
Two experiments were conducted to examine time and energy optimization strategies for movements made with and against gravity. In Experiment 1, the authors manipulated concurrent visual feedback, and knowledge about feedback. When vision was eliminated upon movement initiation, participants exhibited greater undershooting, both with their primary submovement and their final endpoint, than when vision was available. When aiming downward, participants were more likely to terminate their aiming following the primary submovement or complete a lower amplitude corrective submovement. This strategy reduced the frequency of energy-consuming corrections against gravity. In Experiment 2, the authors eliminated vision of the hand and the target at the end of the movement. This procedure was expected to have its greatest impact under no-vision conditions where no visual feedback was available for subsequent planning. As anticipated, direction and concurrent visual feedback had a profound impact on endpoint bias. Participants exhibited pronounced undershooting when aiming downward and without vision. Differences in undershooting between vision and no vision were greater under blocked feedback conditions. When performers were uncertain about the impending feedback, they planned their movements for the worst-case scenario. Thus movement planning considers the variability in execution, and avoids outcomes that require time and energy to correct.
The subjective experience of object recognition: comparing metacognition for object detection and object categorization.
Meuwese, Julia D I; van Loon, Anouk M; Lamme, Victor A F; Fahrenfort, Johannes J
Perceptual decisions seem to be made automatically and almost instantly. Constructing a unitary subjective conscious experience takes more time. For example, when trying to avoid a collision with a car on a foggy road you brake or steer away in a reflex, before realizing you were in a near accident. This subjective aspect of object recognition has been given little attention. We used metacognition (assessed with confidence ratings) to measure subjective experience during object detection and object categorization for degraded and masked objects, while objective performance was matched. Metacognition was equal for degraded and masked objects, but categorization led to higher metacognition than did detection. This effect turned out to be driven by a difference in metacognition for correct rejection trials, which seemed to be caused by an asymmetry of the distractor stimulus: It does not contain object-related information in the detection task, whereas it does contain such information in the categorization task. Strikingly, this asymmetry selectively impacted metacognitive ability when objective performance was matched. This finding reveals a fundamental difference in how humans reflect versus act on information: When matching the amount of information required to perform two tasks at some objective level of accuracy (acting), metacognitive ability (reflecting) is still better in tasks that rely on positive evidence (categorization) than in tasks that rely more strongly on an absence of evidence (detection).
The role of NLRP3 and AIM2 in inflammasome activation during Brucella abortus infection.
Marim, Fernanda M; Franco, Miriam M Costa; Gomes, Marco Tulio R; Miraglia, Maria Cruz; Giambartolomei, Guillermo H; Oliveira, Sergio Costa
The innate immune system is essential for the detection and elimination of bacterial pathogens. Upon inflammasome activation, caspase-1 cleaves pro-IL-1β and pro-IL-18 to their mature forms IL-1β and IL-18, respectively, and the cell undergoes inflammatory death termed pyroptosis. Here, we reviewed recent findings demonstrating that Brucella abortus ligands activate NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes which lead to control of infection. This protective effect is due to the inflammatory response caused by IL-1β and IL-18 rather than cell death. Brucella DNA is sensed by AIM2 and bacteria-induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species is detected by NLRP3. However, deregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine production can lead to immunopathology. Nervous system invasion by bacteria of the genus Brucella results in an inflammatory disorder termed neurobrucellosis. Herein, we discuss the mechanism of caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion in glial cells infected with B. abortus. Our results demonstrate that the ASC inflammasome is indispensable for inducing the activation of caspase-1 and secretion of IL-1β upon infection of astrocytes and microglia with Brucella. Moreover, our results demonstrate that secretion of IL-1β by Brucella-infected glial cells depends on NLRP3 and AIM2 and leads to neurobrucellosis. Further, the inhibition of the host cell inflammasome as an immune evasion strategy has been described for bacterial pathogens. We discuss here that the bacterial type IV secretion system VirB is required for inflammasome activation in host cells during infection. Taken together, our results indicate that Brucella is sensed by ASC inflammasomes mainly NLRP3 and AIM2 that collectively orchestrate a robust caspase-1 activation and pro-inflammatory response.
Ahrens, Brandon R.; Todd, Steven N.
A precision laser aiming system comprises a disrupter tool, a reflector, and a laser fixture. The disrupter tool, the reflector and the laser fixture are configurable for iterative alignment and aiming toward an explosive device threat. The invention enables a disrupter to be quickly and accurately set up, aligned, and aimed in order to render safe or to disrupt a target from a standoff position.
The Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Wallace, Brad; Pinkney, Frank L.; Scott, Robert; Bedard, Donald; Rody, Jim; Levesque, Martin P.; Buteau, Sylvie; Racey, Tom; Burrell, Doug; Spaans, Aaron; Hildebrand, Alan
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are collaborating to place a microsatellite in low earth orbit to perform optical detection and tracking of both inner-earth orbiting asteroids and earth-orbiting satellites and debris (i.e., "Resident Space Objects", RSOs). The "Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat)" will be the first mission for the CSA multi-mission microsatellite bus program, and is intended by DRDC to demonstrate the military utility of this small and inexpensive class of spacecraft. The mission will obtain metric positions, for geosynchronous satellites, to within ±500 m, timestamps accurate to within a millisecond, and be sensitive to objects in geosynchronous orbit down to 14th magnitude. The asteroid tracking mission will repeatedly survey the area from ±45-70° solar elongation with the aim of finding >50% of all inner-earth asteroids having diameters greater than 1 km.
The role of NLRP3 and AIM2 in inflammasome activation during Brucella abortus infection
Gomes, Marco Tulio R.; Miraglia, Maria Cruz; Giambartolomei, Guillermo H.; Oliveira, Sergio C.
The innate immune system is essential for detection and elimination of bacterial pathogens. Upon inflammasome activation, caspase-1 cleaves pro-IL-1β and pro-IL-18 to their mature forms IL-1β and IL-18, respectively, and the cell undergoes inflammatory death termed pyroptosis. Here we reviewed recent findings demonstrating that Brucella abortus ligands activate NLRP3 and AIM2 inflammasomes which leads to control of infection. This protective effect is due to inflammatory response caused by IL-1β and IL-18 rather than cell death. Brucella DNA is sensed by AIM2 and bacteria induced mitochondrial reactive oxygen species is detected by NLRP3. However, deregulation of proinflammatory cytokine production can lead to immunopathology. Nervous system invasion by bacteria of the genus Brucella results in an inflammatory disorder termed neurobrucellosis. Herein we discuss the mechanism of caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion in glial cells infected with B. abortus. Our results demonstrate that the ASC inflammasome is indispensable for inducing the activation of caspase-1 and secretion of IL-1β upon infection of astrocytes and microglia with Brucella. Moreover, our results demonstrate that secretion of IL-1β by Brucella-infected glial cells depends on NLRP3 and AIM2 and leads to neurobrucellosis. Further, the inhibition of the host cell inflammasome as an immune evasion strategy has been described for bacterial pathogens. We discuss here that the bacterial type IV secretion system VirB is required for inflammasome activation in host cells during infection. Taken together, our results indicate that Brucella is sensed by ASC inflammasomes mainly NLRP3 and AIM2 that collectively orchestrate a robust caspase-1 activation and proinflammatory response. PMID:27405866
The Role of Object Recognition in Young Infants' Object Segregation.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Carey, Susan; Williams, Travis
Discusses Needham's findings by asserting that they extend understanding of infant perception by showing that the memory representations infants draw upon have bound together information about shape, color, and pattern. Considers the distinction between two senses of "recognition" and asks in which sense object recognition contributes to object…
International Network of Nuclear Structure and Decay Data (NSDD) Evaluators consists of a number of evaluation groups and data service centers in several countries that appreciate the merits of working together to maintain and ensure the quality and comprehensive content of the ENSDF database (Evaluated Nuclear Structure Data File). Biennial meetings of the network are held under the auspices of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to assign evaluation responsibilities, monitor progress, discuss improvements and emerging difficulties, and agree on actions to be undertaken by individual members. The evaluated data and bibliographic details are made available to users via various media, such as the journals ''Nuclear Physics A'' and ''Nuclear Data Sheets'', the World Wide Web, on CD-ROM, wall charts of the nuclides and ''Nuclear Wallet Cards''. While the ENSDF master database is maintained by the US National Nuclear Data Center at the Brookhaven National Laboratory, these data are also available from other nuclear data centers including the IAEA Nuclear Data Section. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy, in cooperation with the IAEA, organizes workshops on NSDD at regular intervals. The primary aims of these particular workshops are to provide hands-on training in the data evaluation processes, and to encourage new evaluators to participate in NSDD activities. The technical contents of these NSDD workshops are described, along with the rationale for the inclusion of various topics.
Perlmutter, Saul
The source of the Earth-orbit-crossing asteroids has been much debated. (This class of asteroidal bodies includes the Apollo, Aten, and some Amor objects, each with its own orbital characteristics; we shall use the term Apollo objects to mean all Earth-crossers.) It is difficult to find a mechanism which would create new Apollo objects at a sufficient rate to balance the loss due to collision with planets and ejection from the solar system, and thus explain the estimated steady-state number. A likely source is the main asteroid belt, since it has similar photometric characteristics. There are gaps in the main belt which correspond to orbits resonant with the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, and it has been shown that the resonances can perturb a body into an Earth-crossing orbit. Apollo objects could thus be generated when random collisions between asteroids in the main belt sent fragments into these resonant orbits. Calculations of the creation rate from these random collisions, however, yielcl numbers too low by a factor of four. This rate could be significantly lower given the uncertainty in the efficiency of the resonance mechanism. As an alternative, it was suggested that the evaporation of a comet's volatile mantle as it passes near the sun could provide enough non-gravitational force to move the comet into an orbit with aphelion inside of Jupiter's orbit, and thus safe from ejection from the solar system. The probability of such an event occurring is unknown, although the recent discovery of the 'asteroid' 1983 TB, with an orbit matching that of the Geminid meteor shower, suggests that such a mechanism has occurred at least once. New evidence from paleontology and geophysics, however, suggests a better solution to the problem of the source of the Apollos. M. Davis, P. Hut, and R. A. Muller recently proposed that an unseen companion to the sun passes through the Oort cloud every 28 million years, sending a shower of comets to the Earth; this provides an
Assessing the quality of rainfall data when aiming to achieve flood resilience
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hoang, C. T.; Tchiguirinskaia, I.; Schertzer, D.; Lovejoy, S.
A new EU Floods Directive entered into force five years ago. This Directive requires Member States to coordinate adequate measures to reduce flood risk. European flood management systems require reliable rainfall statistics, e.g. the Intensity-duration-Frequency curves for shorter and shorter durations and for a larger and larger range of return periods. Preliminary studies showed that the number of floods was lower when using low time resolution data of high intensity rainfall events, compared to estimates obtained with the help of higher time resolution data. These facts suggest that a particular attention should be paid to the rainfall data quality in order to adequately investigate flood risk aiming to achieve flood resilience. The potential consequences of changes in measuring and recording techniques have been somewhat discussed in the literature with respect to a possible introduction of artificial inhomogeneities in time series. In this paper, we discuss how to detect another artificiality: most of the rainfall time series have a lower recording frequency than that is assumed, furthermore the effective high-frequency limit often depends on the recording year due to algorithm changes. This question is particularly important for operational hydrology, because an error on the effective recording high frequency introduces biases in the corresponding statistics. In this direction, we developed a first version of a SERQUAL procedure to automatically detect the effective time resolution of highly mixed data. Being applied to the 166 rainfall time series in France, the SERQUAL procedure has detected that most of them have an effective hourly resolution, rather than a 5 minutes resolution. Furthermore, series having an overall 5 minute resolution do not have it for all years. These results raise serious concerns on how to benchmark stochastic rainfall models at a sub-hourly resolution, which are particularly desirable for operational hydrology. Therefore, database
A case study of object-oriented bio-chemistry: a unified specification of the coagulation cascade.
Signorini, Jacqueline; Greussay, Patrick
We propose a case study where a familiar but very complex and intrinsically woven bio-computing system--the blood clotting cascade--is specified using methods from software design known as object-oriented design (OOD). The specifications involve definition and inheritance of classes and methods and use design techniques from the most widely used OOD-language: the Unified Modeling Language (UML), as well as its Real-Time-UML extension. First, we emphasize the needs for a unified methodology to specify complex enough biological and biochemical processes. Then, using the blood clotting cascade as a example, we define the class diagrams which exhibit the static structure of procoagulant factors of proenzyme-enzyme conversions, and finally we give a dynamic model involving events, collaboration, synchronization and sequencing. We thus show that OOD can be used in fields very much beyond software design, gives the benefit of unified and sharable descriptions and, as a side effect, automatic generation of simulation software.
Aiming for the theoretical limit of sensitivity of Bonse-Hart USANS instruments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Carpenter, John M.; Agamalian, Michael
The basis of the Double-Crystal Diffractometer (DCD), used for ultra-small angle neutron scattering (USANS), is that the reflectivity function is very near 1.0 for |y| < 1, where y = (θ - θB)/ δΘD, falls off rapidly for |y| >1, eventually decreasing as y -2. In the Bonse-Hart multi-bounce crystal the reflectivity function R(y) transforms into Rm(y) and in the wings, for large |y|, theoretically decreases as y-2m after m consecutive Bragg reflections inside the channel-cut crystal. Here θ and θB are respectively the diffraction angle and the Bragg angle (for given wavelength) and δΘD is the width of the Darwin plateau. However, the experimental reflectivity Rmexp(y) obtained for m = 3 exceeds the theoretical prediction by over two orders of magnitude in the range of the far wings, which creates limitations for USANS studies of weakly scattering objects. We used the pulsed-source neutron time-of-flight (TOF) technique to study this discrepancy in more detail. Two identical Si(111) crystals, a slab-shaped single-bounce and a channel-cut triple-bounce, were measured at the nominal Bragg angle θB = 24.4o in the TOF powder diffractometer GPPD at IPNS, in the range 0.2 < λ < 4.0 Å of the first seven Bragg reflections from Si(111) family. Cadmium shielding protected the detectors from view of the first-bounce crystal. The experimental data obtained from the single-bounce crystal shows thermal diffuse (phonon) scattering (TDS) filling the region between the Bragg reflections, and exhibiting the symmetry of the reciprocal lattice. With appropriate shielding installed, the triple-bounce Bragg reflections, in contrast, are TDS-free in the range 0.6 < λ < 3.0 Å however, the intensity of TDS grows in the range λ < 0.5 Å, reaching the level of TDS registered for the single-bounce reflections (777) and (888). The growth of TDS correlates with the increase of the Cd transmission T(λ) in the range 0.2 < λ < 0.5 Å, which in the vicinity of (888) reflection is T
"Does RE Work?" An Analysis of the Aims, Practices and Models of Effectiveness of Religious Education in the UK
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Lundie, David
Possibly the largest qualitative study in RE policy and practice in many years, the AHRC/ESRC Religion and Society project "Does RE work? An analysis of the aims, practices and models of effectiveness in religious education in the UK", headed by the University of Glasgow, seeks to map the complex processes of curriculum formation as…
Are changes in weather masking the efficacy of measures aimed at mitigating diffuse pollution?
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Mellander, Per-Erik; Jordan, Phil; Shore, Mairead; McDonald, Noeleen; Shortle, Ger
Interpretations of the efficacy of mitigation measures for reducing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural sources to water bodies are challenged by the temporal variability of air temperature and rainfall. Influences are different depending on flow controls, associated time lags and nutrient transformations that may occur along the pathways. In Europe weather patterns and trends are influenced by large-scale weather systems over the North Atlantic. One of the most prominent teleconnection patterns that affect the weather across all seasons is the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). In northwestern Europe a positive phase in the NAO index over the winter period is often associated with elevated air temperatures in summer and more frequent large rain events in winter than normal. The objective of this study was to investigate the catchment-scale influences and relationships of naturally altered hydro-meteorological processes on the diffuse N and P losses to waters, in order to distinguish natural climate effects from those caused by adaptive management (increased agricultural intensity, decreased nutrient use etc.). Here we present six years of monthly nitrate-N and total reactive P concentrations in stream water (aggregated from sub-hourly monitoring) in six, ca. 10 km2, Irish agricultural catchments with different hydrological flow controls and land use. The locations of the catchments make them susceptible to sudden and/or seasonal shifts in weather. Changes in long term air temperatures and rainfall were investigated and annual N and P concentrations were compared to the NAO. During the monitored period (2009-2015) there was a steady increase in wintertime NAO index, reaching positive values in recent years, resulting in higher air temperatures and more frequent large rain events in winter. In some settings annual N and/or P concentrations were positively correlated to the three-year moving average NAO index (R2 > 0.90). Catchments with free
How Young Children Treat Objects and People: An Empirical Study of the First Year of Life in Autism
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Maestro, Sandra; Muratori, Filippo; Cavallaro, Maria Cristina; Pecini, Chiara; Cesari, Alessia; Paziente, Antonella; Stern, Daniel; Golse, Bernard; Palacio-Espasa, Francisco
Objective: To figure out features of autism before the age of one and to explore the pathways of early social and nonsocial attention in autism through home movies. Method: Home movies of 15 children later diagnosed with autism, are compared with home movies of 13 typical children. The films of the two groups have been mixed and rated by blind…
Geriatrics and the triple aim: defining preventable hospitalizations in the long-term care population.
Ouslander, Joseph G; Maslow, Katie
Reducing preventable hospitalizations is fundamental to the "triple aim" of improving care, improving health, and reducing costs. New federal government initiatives that create strong pressure to reduce such hospitalizations are being or will soon be implemented. These initiatives use quality measures to define which hospitalizations are preventable. Reducing hospitalizations could greatly benefit frail and chronically ill adults and older people who receive long-term care (LTC) because they often experience negative effects of hospitalization, including hospital-acquired conditions, morbidity, and loss of functional abilities. Conversely, reducing hospitalizations could mean that some people will not receive hospital care they need, especially if the selected measures do not adequately define hospitalizations that can be prevented without jeopardizing the person's health and safety. An extensive literature search identified 250 measures of preventable hospitalizations, but the measures have not been validated in the LTC population and generally do not account for comorbidity or the capacity of various LTC settings to provide the required care without hospitalization. Additional efforts are needed to develop measures that accurately differentiate preventable from necessary hospitalizations for the LTC population, are transparent and fair to providers, and minimize the potential for gaming and unintended consequences. As the new initiatives take effect, it is critical to monitor their effect and to develop and disseminate training and resources to support the many community- and institution-based healthcare professionals and emergency department staff involved in decisions about hospitalization for this population.
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS - Part 2: Measurements of trace gases with stratospheric or tropospheric origin in the UTLS
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jurkat, Tina; Kaufmann, Stefan; Voigt, Christiane; Schäuble, Dominik; Jeßberger, Philipp; Ziereis, Helmut
Understanding the role of climate-sensitive trace gas variabilities in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region (UTLS) and their impact on its radiative budget requires accurate measurements. The composition of the UTLS is governed by transport and chemistry of stratospheric and tropospheric constituents, such as chlorine, nitrogen oxide and sulfur compounds. The Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer AIMS has been developed to accurately measure a set of these constituents on aircraft by means of chemical ionization. Here we present a setup using SF5- reagent ions for the simultaneous measurement of trace gas concentrations of HCl, HNO3 and SO2 in the pptv to ppmv (10-12 to 10-6 mol mol-1) range with in-flight and online calibration called AIMS-TG (Atmospheric chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer for measurements of trace gases). Part 1 of this paper (Kaufmann et al., 2016) reports on the UTLS water vapor measurements with the AIMS-H2O configuration. The instrument can be flexibly switched between two configurations depending on the scientific objective of the mission. For AIMS-TG, a custom-made gas discharge ion source has been developed for generation of reagent ions that selectively react with HCl, HNO3, SO2 and HONO. HNO3 and HCl are routinely calibrated in-flight using permeation devices; SO2 is continuously calibrated during flight adding an isotopically labeled 34SO2 standard. In addition, we report on trace gas measurements of HONO, which is sensitive to the reaction with SF5-. The detection limit for the various trace gases is in the low 10 pptv range at a 1 s time resolution with an overall uncertainty of the measurement of the order of 20 %. AIMS has been integrated and successfully operated on the DLR research aircraft Falcon and HALO (High Altitude LOng range research aircraft). As an example, measurements conducted during the TACTS/ESMVal (Transport and Composition of the LMS/UT and Earth System Model Validation) mission with
The airborne mass spectrometer AIMS - Part 2: Measurements of trace gases with stratospheric or tropospheric origin in the UTLS
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Jurkat, T.; Kaufmann, S.; Voigt, C.; Schäuble, D.; Jeßberger, P.; Ziereis, H.
Understanding the role of climate-sensitive trace gas variabilities in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere region (UTLS) and their impact on its radiative budget requires accurate measurements. The composition of the UTLS is governed by transport and chemistry of stratospheric and tropospheric constituents, such as chlorine, nitrogen oxide and sulphur components. The Airborne chemical Ionization Mass Spectrometer AIMS has been developed to accurately measure a set of these constituents on aircraft by means of chemical ionization. Here we present a setup using chemical ionization with SF5- reagent ions for the simultaneous measurement of trace gas concentrations in the pptv to ppmv (10-12 to 10-6 mol mol-1) range of HCl, HNO3 and SO2 with in-flight and online calibration called AIMS-TG. Part 1 of this paper (Kaufmann et al., 2015) reports on the UTLS water vapour measurements with the AIMS-H2O configuration. The instrument can be flexibly switched between two configurations depending on the scientific objective of the mission. For AIMS-TG, a custom-made gas discharge ion source has been developed generating a characteristic ionization scheme. HNO3 and HCl are routinely calibrated in-flight using permeation devices, SO2 is permanently calibrated during flight adding an isotopically labelled 34SO2 standard. In addition, we report on trace gas measurements of HONO which is sensitive to the reaction with SF5-. The detection limit for the various trace gases is in the low ten pptv range at a 1 s time resolution with an overall uncertainty of the measurement in the order of 20 %. AIMS has been integrated and successfully operated on the DLR research aircraft Falcon and HALO. Exemplarily, measurements conducted during the TACTS/ESMVal mission with HALO in 2012 are presented, focusing on a classification of tropospheric and stratospheric influences in the UTLS region. Comparison of AIMS measurements with other measurement techniques allow to draw a comprehensive
Beacon communities aim to use health information technology to transform the delivery of care.
Maxson, Emily R; Jain, Sachin H; McKethan, Aaron N; Brammer, Craig; Buntin, Melinda Beeuwkes; Cronin, Kelly; Mostashari, Farzad; Blumenthal, David
The Beacon Community Program, authorized under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), aims to demonstrate the potential for health information technology to enable local improvements in health care quality, cost efficiency, and population health. If successful, these communitywide efforts will yield important lessons that will assist other communities seeking to harness technology to achieve and sustain health care improvements. This paper highlights key programmatic details that reflect the meaningful use of technology in the fifteen Beacon communities. It describes the innovations they propose and provides insight into current and future challenges.
The History and Aim of LADY CATS —Simple and Beautiful Experiments
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Tanemura, Masako; Okiharu, Fumiko; Yokoe, Mika; Taniguchi, Masa-aki; Maeda, Hiroaki; Kutome, Yuusuke; Kawakatsu, Hiroshi
LADY CATS (LADY Creators of Activities for Teaching Science) is an organization of science teachers. Our group includes a lot of female teachers. We have demonstrated "Simple and beautiful experiments" since ICPE 2005. We aim to encourage both students and teachers who are not interested in physics. Our concepts of experiments are as follows: the "simple" experiments which the teachers in the world can utilize in their classes easily, the "beautiful" experiments in which children get interested, and the "essential" experiments which can demonstrate the principles of physics. We demonstrate several educational experiments of our group.
Analysis of the Bayesian Cramér-Rao lower bound in astrometry. Studying the impact of prior information in the location of an object
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Echeverria, Alex; Silva, Jorge F.; Mendez, Rene A.; Orchard, Marcos
Context. The best precision that can be achieved to estimate the location of a stellar-like object is a topic of permanent interest in the astrometric community. Aims: We analyze bounds for the best position estimation of a stellar-like object on a CCD detector array in a Bayesian setting where the position is unknown, but where we have access to a prior distribution. In contrast to a parametric setting where we estimate a parameter from observations, the Bayesian approach estimates a random object (i.e., the position is a random variable) from observations that are statistically dependent on the position. Methods: We characterize the Bayesian Cramér-Rao (CR) that bounds the minimum mean square error (MMSE) of the best estimator of the position of a point source on a linear CCD-like detector, as a function of the properties of detector, the source, and the background. Results: We quantify and analyze the increase in astrometric performance from the use of a prior distribution of the object position, which is not available in the classical parametric setting. This gain is shown to be significant for various observational regimes, in particular in the case of faint objects or when the observations are taken under poor conditions. Furthermore, we present numerical evidence that the MMSE estimator of this problem tightly achieves the Bayesian CR bound. This is a remarkable result, demonstrating that all the performance gains presented in our analysis can be achieved with the MMSE estimator. Conclusions: The Bayesian CR bound can be used as a benchmark indicator of the expected maximum positional precision of a set of astrometric measurements in which prior information can be incorporated. This bound can be achieved through the conditional mean estimator, in contrast to the parametric case where no unbiased estimator precisely reaches the CR bound.
The Role of Reachers' Shared Values and Objectives in Promoting Intercultural and Inclusive School Cultures: A Case Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Miravet, Lidon Moliner; García, Odet Moliner
This article presents an analysis of teachers' impressions of their shared objectives and values, together with their conceptions of interculturality and inclusion. The educational reality of a school in Valencia (Spain) is described, based on the exploration through semi-structured interviews. From the systematically categorized information, we…
The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring System (AIMS): Design and Architecture. 3.2
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Yan, Jerry C.; Schmidt, Melisa; Schulbach, Cathy; Bailey, David (Technical Monitor)
Whether a researcher is designing the 'next parallel programming paradigm', another 'scalable multiprocessor' or investigating resource allocation algorithms for multiprocessors, a facility that enables parallel program execution to be captured and displayed is invaluable. Careful analysis of such information can help computer and software architects to capture, and therefore, exploit behavioral variations among/within various parallel programs to take advantage of specific hardware characteristics. A software tool-set that facilitates performance evaluation of parallel applications on multiprocessors has been put together at NASA Ames Research Center under the sponsorship of NASA's High Performance Computing and Communications Program over the past five years. The Automated Instrumentation and Monitoring Systematic has three major software components: a source code instrumentor which automatically inserts active event recorders into program source code before compilation; a run-time performance monitoring library which collects performance data; and a visualization tool-set which reconstructs program execution based on the data collected. Besides being used as a prototype for developing new techniques for instrumenting, monitoring and presenting parallel program execution, AIMS is also being incorporated into the run-time environments of various hardware testbeds to evaluate their impact on user productivity. Currently, the execution of FORTRAN and C programs on the Intel Paragon and PALM workstations can be automatically instrumented and monitored. Performance data thus collected can be displayed graphically on various workstations. The process of performance tuning with AIMS will be illustrated using various NAB Parallel Benchmarks. This report includes a description of the internal architecture of AIMS and a listing of the source code.
Nifedipine for the poor-risk elderly patient with achalasia: objective response demonstrated by solid meal study
Thomas, E.; Lebow, R.A.; Gubler, R.J.; Bryant, L.R.
We described an 84-year-old woman with symptomatic achalasia who refused both dilation and surgical treatment. She was treated with the calcium channel blocking drug nifedipine, with significant relief of symptoms. Objective evidence of response to the drug was confirmed by using an egg salad sandwich meal labeled with 99mTc-DTPA.
Linking Exposure Assessment Science With Policy Objectives for Environmental Justice and Breast Cancer Advocacy: The Northern California Household Exposure Study
Morello-Frosch, Rachel; Zota, Ami; Brown, Phil; Pérez, Carla; Rudel, Ruthann A.
Objectives. We compared an urban fence-line community (neighboring an oil refinery) and a nonindustrial community in an exposure study focusing on pollutants of interest with respect to breast cancer and environmental justice. Methods. We analyzed indoor and outdoor air from 40 homes in industrial Richmond, California, and 10 in rural Bolinas, California, for 153 compounds, including particulates and endocrine disruptors. Results. Eighty compounds were detected outdoors in Richmond and 60 in Bolinas; Richmond concentrations were generally higher. Richmond's vanadium and nickel levels indicated effects of heavy oil combustion from oil refining and shipping; these levels were among the state's highest. In nearly half of Richmond homes, PM2.5 exceeded California's annual ambient air quality standard. Paired outdoor–indoor measurements were significantly correlated for industry- and traffic-related PM2.5, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, elemental carbon, metals, and sulfates (r = 0.54–0.92, P < .001). Conclusions. Indoor air quality is an important indicator of the cumulative impact of outdoor emissions in fence-line communities. Policies based on outdoor monitoring alone add to environmental injustice concerns in communities that host polluters. Community-based participatory exposure research can contribute to science and stimulate and inform action on the part of community residents and policymakers. PMID:19890164
In vitro assessment of aiming bias in the frontal plane during orthopaedic drilling procedures.
Sparrow, T; Heller, J; Farrell, M
Drilling trials were performed using drilling boards incorporating pairs of 22 mm polyethylene tubes mounted horizontally. The tubes were premarked with 20, 0.5 mm deep notches along the centre of their upper surface representing the starting point for each drilling trial. Volunteers were instructed to drill 20 straight holes across the tube until they penetrated both walls. Kirschner wires were inserted through each of the drill holes until they made indentations into the base board. Deviation of each mark from mid-line was measured using digital callipers. The measured values were used to calculate deviation angles to the left (negative values) or right (positive values). Trials were performed with the drill and guide held in the surgeon's line-of-sight (LOS) and with 300 mm offset (OFF). A systematic error (aiming bias) was identified in all individuals. Overall, left-hander's drilling action was skewed to the left and right-hander's drilling action was skewed to the right. Using LOS technique, mean overall bias was 2.3° (range 0°-7.7°) to the left for left-handers and 1.5(o) (range 0.3°-3.1°) to the right for right-handers. Surprisingly, aiming bias was greater for LOS than for OFF, although the difference for this comparison was not statistically significant.
The Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) program office of industrial technologies fiscal year 1995
Sorrell, C.A.
In many ways, the Advanced Industrial Materials (AIM) Program underwent a major transformation in FY95 and these changes have continued to the present. When the Program was established in 1990 as the Advanced Industrial Concepts (AIC) Materials Program, the mission was to conduct applied research and development to bring materials and processing technologies from the knowledge derived from basic research to the maturity required for the end use sectors for commercialization. In 1995, the Office of Industrial Technologies (OIT) made radical changes in structure and procedures. All technology development was directed toward the seven `Vision Industries` that use about 80% of industrial energy and generated about 90% of industrial wastes. These are: aluminium; chemical; forest products; glass; metal casting; refineries; and steel. OIT is working with these industries, through appropriate organizations, to develop Visions of the desired condition of each industry some 20 to 25 years in the future and then to prepare Road Maps and Implementation Plans to enable them to reach their goals. The mission of AIM has, therefore, changed to `Support development and commercialization of new or improved materials to improve productivity, product quality, and energy efficiency in the major process industries.`
Cross-sectional association of the number of neighborhood facilities assessed using postal code with objectively measured physical activity: the Saku cohort study.
Yasunaga, Akitomo; Murakami, Haruka; Morita, Akemi; Deura, Kijyo; Aiba, Naomi; Watanabe, Shaw; Miyachi, Motohiko
Objectives The aim of this study was to examine the association between the number of neighborhood facilities that were assessed according to postal code and objectively measured physical activity by using an accelerometer in community-dwelling Japanese people.Methods The participants included 1,274 Japanese people aged 30-84 years from the Saku cohort study. As neighborhood facilities related to physical activity, we extracted information regarding train stations, supermarkets/convenience stores, postal offices/banks, hospitals/clinics, public offices/community centers, cultural facilities/public children's houses, parks, and sports facilities by using each participant's postal code from the online version of the iTownPages directory published by Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT) and the official homepage of the Saku City Government Office. We measured each participant's physical activity level using an accelerometer, and calculated the average daily step count and the average weekly period of moderate-to-vigorous intensity (≥3 metabolic equivalents of tasks [METs]) physical activity. The association between two selected physical activity-related variables and the numbers of eight types of neighborhood facilities were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis for people aged 30-64 years and for those aged over 65 years.Results On multivariate logistic regression analysis, meeting the 23 METs h/week of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity was significantly and positively associated with the number of supermarkets/convenience stores in the neighborhood in both age groups. In addition, meeting the desired daily step count outlined in the Japanese National Health Promotion guidelines was positively related to the number of postal offices/banks for people aged over 65 years.Conclusion The results of this study suggest that a sufficient number of neighborhood facilities (i.e., stores, banks, and postal offices) is closely
Methodology and Results of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Human Space Flight (HSF) Accessible Targets Study (NHATS)
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Barbee, Brent; Mink, Ronald; Adamo, Daniel
Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) have been identified by the current administration as potential destinations for human explorers during the mid-2020s. While the close proximity of these objects' orbits to Earth's orbit creates a risk of highly damaging or catastrophic impacts, it also makes some of these objects particularly accessible to spacecraft departing Earth, and this presents unique opportunities for solar system science and humanity's first ventures beyond cislunar space. Planning such ambitious missions first requires the selection of potentially accessible targets from the growing population of nearly 7,800 NEAs. To accomplish this, NASA is conducting the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Human Space Flight (HSF) Accessible Targets Study (NHATS). Phase I of the NHATS was executed during September of 2010, and Phase II was completed by early March of 2011. The study is ongoing because previously undetected NEAs are being discovered constantly, which has motivated an effort to automate the analysis algorithms in order to provide continuous monitoring of NEA accessibility. The NHATS analysis process consists of a trajectory filter and a minimum maximum estimated size criterion. The trajectory filter employs the method of embedded trajectory grids to compute all possible ballistic round-trip mission trajectories to every NEA in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Small-Body Database (SBDB) and stores all solutions that satisfy the trajectory filter criteria. An NEA must offer at least one qualifying trajectory solution to pass the trajectory filter. The Phase II NHATS filter criteria were purposely chosen to be highly inclusive, requiring Earth departure date between January 1st, 2015 and December 31st, 2040, total round-trip flight time <= 450 days, stay time at the NEA >= 8 days, Earth departure C(sub 3) energy <= 60 km(exp 2)/s(exp 2), total mission delta-v <= 12 km/s (including an Earth departure maneuver from a 400 km altitude circular parking orbit), and a maximum
New Mexico Look for the STARS--AIM HIGH: QRS Profile. The Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Child Trends, 2010
This paper presents a profile of New Mexico's Look for the STARS--AIM HIGH prepared as part of the Child Care Quality Rating System (QRS) Assessment Study. The profile consists of several sections and their corresponding descriptions including: (1) Program Information; (2) Rating Details; (3) Quality Indicators for Center-Based Programs; (4)…
State anxiety and visual attention: the role of the quiet eye period in aiming to a far target.
Behan, Michael; Wilson, Mark
In this study, we examined how individuals controlled their gaze behaviour during execution of a far aiming task and whether the functional relationship between perception and action was disrupted by increased anxiety. Twenty participants were trained on a simulated archery task, using a joystick to aim and shoot arrows at the target, and then competed in two counterbalanced experimental conditions designed to manipulate the anxiety they experienced. The specific gaze behaviour measured was the duration of the quiet eye period. As predicted, accuracy was affected by the duration of the quiet eye period, with longer quiet eye periods being associated with better performance. The manipulation of anxiety resulted in reductions in the duration of quiet eye. Our results show that the quiet eye period is sensitive to increases in anxiety and may be a useful index of the efficiency of visual orientation in aiming tasks.
Study of objects visualization and image inversion by the phase-contrast method with linear and nonlinear filters
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bubis, E. L.; Lozhkarev, V. V.; Stepanov, A. N.; Smirnov, A. I.; Kuzmin, I. V.; Malshakova, O. A.; Gusev, S. A.; Skorokhodov, E. V.
The adaptive phase-contrast method with nonlinear (photothermal) and linear Zernike filters was investigated. Liquid and polymer media partially absorbing radiation served as photothermal Zernike filters. Efficient visualization and inversion of images of small-scale model objects were demonstrated experimentally. Growth-sector boundary in a nonlinear crystal was visualized.
Motor Inhibition Affects the Speed But Not Accuracy of Aimed Limb Movements in an Insect
Calas-List, Delphine; Clare, Anthony J.; Komissarova, Alexandra; Nielsen, Thomas A.
When reaching toward a target, human subjects use slower movements to achieve higher accuracy, and this can be accompanied by increased limb impedance (stiffness, viscosity) that stabilizes movements against motor noise and external perturbation. In arthropods, the activity of common inhibitory motor neurons influences limb impedance, so we hypothesized that this might provide a mechanism for speed and accuracy control of aimed movements in insects. We recorded simultaneously from excitatory leg motor neurons and from an identified common inhibitory motor neuron (CI1) in locusts that performed natural aimed scratching movements. We related limb movement kinematics to recorded motor activity and demonstrate that imposed alterations in the activity of CI1 influenced these kinematics. We manipulated the activity of CI1 by injecting depolarizing or hyperpolarizing current or killing the cell using laser photoablation. Naturally higher levels of inhibitory activity accompanied faster movements. Experimentally biasing the firing rate downward, or stopping firing completely, led to slower movements mediated by changes at several joints of the limb. Despite this, we found no effect on overall movement accuracy. We conclude that inhibitory modulation of joint stiffness has effects across most of the working range of the insect limb, with a pronounced effect on the overall velocity of natural movements independent of their accuracy. Passive joint forces that are greatest at extreme joint angles may enhance accuracy and are not affected by motor inhibition. PMID:24872556
Motor inhibition affects the speed but not accuracy of aimed limb movements in an insect.
Calas-List, Delphine; Clare, Anthony J; Komissarova, Alexandra; Nielsen, Thomas A; Matheson, Thomas
When reaching toward a target, human subjects use slower movements to achieve higher accuracy, and this can be accompanied by increased limb impedance (stiffness, viscosity) that stabilizes movements against motor noise and external perturbation. In arthropods, the activity of common inhibitory motor neurons influences limb impedance, so we hypothesized that this might provide a mechanism for speed and accuracy control of aimed movements in insects. We recorded simultaneously from excitatory leg motor neurons and from an identified common inhibitory motor neuron (CI1) in locusts that performed natural aimed scratching movements. We related limb movement kinematics to recorded motor activity and demonstrate that imposed alterations in the activity of CI1 influenced these kinematics. We manipulated the activity of CI1 by injecting depolarizing or hyperpolarizing current or killing the cell using laser photoablation. Naturally higher levels of inhibitory activity accompanied faster movements. Experimentally biasing the firing rate downward, or stopping firing completely, led to slower movements mediated by changes at several joints of the limb. Despite this, we found no effect on overall movement accuracy. We conclude that inhibitory modulation of joint stiffness has effects across most of the working range of the insect limb, with a pronounced effect on the overall velocity of natural movements independent of their accuracy. Passive joint forces that are greatest at extreme joint angles may enhance accuracy and are not affected by motor inhibition.
SPOrt: an experiment aimed at measuring the large scale cosmic microwave background polarization
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Carretti, Ettore; Cortiglioni, Stefano; Bernardi, Gianni; Cecchini, Stefano; Macculi, Claudio; Sbarra, Carla; Monari, Jader; Orfei, Alessandro; Poloni, Marco; Poppi, Sergio; Boella, Giuliano; Bonometto, Silvio; Gervasi, Massimo; Sironi, Giorgio; Zannoni, Mario; Tucci, Marco; Baralis, Massino; Peverini, Oscar A.; Tascone, Riccardo; Virone, Giuseppe; Fabbri, Roberto; Nicastro, Luciano; Ng, Kin-Wang; Razin, V. A.; Vinyajkin, Evgenij N.; Sazhin, Mikhail V.; Strukov, Igor A.
SPOrt (Sky Polarization Observatory) is a space experiment to be flown on the International Space Station during Early Utilization Phase aimed at measuring the microwave polarized emission with FWHM = 7 deg, in the frequency range 22-90 GHz. The Galactic polarized emission can be observed at the lower frequencies and the polarization of Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) at 90 GHz, where contaminants are expected to be less important. The extremely low level of the CMB Polarization signal calls for intrinsically stable radiometers. The SPOrt instrument is expressly devoted to CMB polarization measurements and the whole design has been optimized for minimizing instrumental polarization effects. In this contribution we present the receiver architecture based on correlation techniques, the analysis showing its intrinsic stability and the custom hardware development carried out to detect such a low signal.
Spray aiming in bombardier beetles: jet deflection by the coanda effect.
Eisner, T; Aneshansley, D J
Bombardier beetles of the carabid subfamily Paussinae have a pair of flanges, diagnostic for the group, that project outward from the sides of the body. Behind each flange is a gland opening, from which the beetles discharge a hot, quinone-containing secretion when disturbed. The flanges are curved and grooved and serve as launching guides for anteriorly aimed ejections of secretion. Jets of fluid, on emergence from the gland openings, follow the curvature of the flanges and are thereby bent sharply in their trajectory and directed forward. The phenomenon is illustrative of the Coanda effect, widely applicable in engineering and responsible for the familiar tendency of liquids to curve around spouts and down the front of containers when being poured.
Taking AIM: The management of scientific and technical information at Argonne National Laboratory
Masek, M.; DiStravolo, M.; Dominiak, R.
Four years ago, Argonne National Laboratory tracked its publications the old-fashioned way -- typing information on index cards, making photocopies of the cards and sorting them according to title, author, report number and keywords. Now, the Argonne Information Management (AIM) system collects document clearance and publication information in an integrated electronic system that tracks the laboratory`s publications along with associated cost records, and offers a publicly available interface to the data so authors and divisions can create their own publications lists. This presentation will outline the steps taken to develop this system; the benefits to the overall publication review process; how the system meets the needs of a variety of customers, from Argonne authors to DOE and beyond, and the plans for future enhancements.
AIM will make simultaneous measurements of the main ingredients needed to form these clouds and will unravel the role of natural factors, such as the solar cycle and meteorology, from the possible ...
Aim, Load, Fire: The Type VI Secretion System, a Bacterial Nanoweapon.
Cianfanelli, Francesca R; Monlezun, Laura; Coulthurst, Sarah J
Bacteria utilise specialised protein secretion systems to interact with host organisms, competitor bacteria, and the environment. The Type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a versatile weapon deployed by many bacterial species to target either host cells or rival bacteria. The widespread occurrence and significance of the T6SS is becoming increasingly appreciated, as is its intriguing mode of action. The T6SS delivers multiple, diverse effector proteins directly into target cells using a dynamic 'firing' mechanism related to the action of contractile bacteriophage tails. Here, we summarise the contribution of recent findings to our developing picture of how the T6SS assembles and fires, how it is loaded with different types of effectors, and how it can be aimed towards an incoming assault.
Geographic health information systems: a platform to support the 'triple aim'.
Miranda, Marie Lynn; Ferranti, Jeffrey; Strauss, Benjamin; Neelon, Brian; Califf, Robert M
Despite the rapid growth of electronic health data, most data systems do not connect individual patient records to data sets from outside the health care delivery system. These isolated data systems cannot support efforts to recognize or address how the physical and environmental context of each patient influences health choices and health outcomes. In this article we describe how a geographic health information system in Durham, North Carolina, links health system and social and environmental data via shared geography to provide a multidimensional understanding of individual and community health status and vulnerabilities. Geographic health information systems can be useful in supporting the Institute for Healthcare Improvement's Triple Aim Initiative to improve the experience of care, improve the health of populations, and reduce per capita costs of health care. A geographic health information system can also provide a comprehensive information base for community health assessment and intervention for accountable care that includes the entire population of a geographic area.
Grossman, Lee
The terms sadism, masochism, and sadomasochism seem to have become increasingly, if loosely, associated with aggression in psychoanalytic discourse. This is due in part to the fact that Freud's changing ideas generated confusion about the relative contributions of libido and aggression. The author reviews Freud's variable usage and offers a clinical vignette to illustrate the importance of noticing how sadomasochism may maintain a tie to the object by controlling it. The author offers a developmental speculation for the role reversibility typical of sadomasochistic manifestations. He closes with a comment on the role of sadomasochistic aims in adult sexual perversion.
Social Studies at the Beginning of the New Millennium: Teach Democratic Ideals, Geography, and History or Is that Objective Outdated?
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
De Villier, Paul Wayne
Although many pressures have been brought to bear in the social studies curriculum over the past 70 years, the leaders of the country's society have maintained the middle ground. They have ensured that educators remain somewhat conservative in their approach to the social sciences, ensuring that the history of the culture be continually passed on…
Introduction to the PICES practical workshop: objectives, overview of the study area, and projects conducted by the participants.
Levings, Colin D; Stein, John E; Stehr, Carla M; Samis, Steve C
We coordinated a collaborative research project to investigate environmental conditions in Vancouver Harbour, British Columbia, Canada, between 23 May and 7 June 1999. This special volume of Marine Environmental Research presents a collection of papers giving results of these studies. The project was part of a practical workshop sponsored by the Marine Environmental Quality (MEQ) committee of the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). Twenty-four scientists from PICES countries (USA, Canada, Russia, Japan, Korea, and China) participated. A wide variety of data was collected, including community structure of benthic invertebrates and fish, evaluation of fish health using biological markers and exposure data, evaluation of contaminant exposure in inter-tidal invertebrates, imposex in gastropods, and information about natural toxins produced by algae. The workshop provided an opportunity for PICES participants to gain an improved appreciation of the approaches and techniques used by other member countries to assess the effects of marine pollution. The purpose of this introductory paper is to briefly describe the project, provide background information on how it was organized, and give an overview of our knowledge about the harbour's environment.
Pesticide residue free fruits: the aim of Trentino apple production system.
Baldessari, M; Giuliani, G; Chiesa, S; Larcher, R; Ioriatti, C; Angeli, G
Chemical analyses performed in 2011 on the 575 samples of apples in Trentino (Italy), there are in average 3.24 active ingredient per sample. Moreover, in 98% of the samples with detectable residues, the level did not exceed 30% of the official MRL This result is achieved thanks to the implementation of the guide lines for integrated production by the 8000 fruit growers, to an extension service which justifies the need of the treatment and gives advice on which pesticide fit better for the time-pest combination, to the systematic check up of the sprayers, to the correct sizing of mix volumes to spray according to the size of the canopy, to the selection of active ingredients based on their residual activity in field tests, and to the systematic monitoring of the level of residues found on representative samples of the product at harvest. With these assumptions, the next goal is to eliminate all traces of insecticides and acaricides now present only in 30% of the samples. This aim could be achieved by extending the use of pheromone mating disruption to control fruit feeding Lepidoptera, as well as by promoting the use of short persistent residue products during the final part of the season. Results of some of the experimental field trials are presented and discussed.
Information system powers innovative research project aimed at managing the care of senior citizens.
Warfel, D R
HealthAmerica Pennsylvania, Inc., in Pittsburgh, is aiming to increase access to health care for senior citizens in its Advantra health plan in Pittsburgh. Under its Senior Life Management program, Coventry Health Care, parent company of HealthAmerica, hired nine personal service representatives (PSRs) and is asking them to provide outreach to 5,000 senior citizens. The PSRs and other staff members will get to know each senior citizen in the program, evaluate and recognize their health needs, and develop methods to ensure that their needs are met before any patient's condition becomes unnecessarily costly. The goal of this innovative program is to improve access to health care for these 5,000 members and thus improve their satisfaction with care and help to reduce health care costs.
Aiming at the sweet side of cancer: aberrant glycosylation as possible target for personalized-medicine.
Padler-Karavani, Vered
One of the frontiers in cancer personalized-medicine aims at glycosylation. Cells are covered with a dense sugar coat of glycolipids, glycoproteins and free glycans. In cancer, the characteristic cell surface glycosylation is frequently transformed due to altered expression of glycan-modifying enzymes. This often leads to aberrant expression of sialic acids (Sia) that cap glycan-chains. Additionally, dietary intake of the non-human Sia N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) leads to natural metabolic-glycoengineering of human carcinomas that accumulate and express Neu5Gc. This Sia provokes a polyclonal anti-Neu5Gc xeno-autoantibodies response that can exacerbate cancer. This review highlights cancer-associated changes in Sia expression and their potential for personalized-theranostics.
Fibreoptic fluorescent microscopy in studying biological objects
Morozov, A N; Turchin, Il'ya V; Kamenskii, V A; Fiks, I I; Lazutkin, A A; Bezryadkov, D V; Ivanova, A A; Toptunov, D M; Anokhin, K V
The method of fluorescent microscopy is developed based on employment of a single-mode fibreoptic channel to provide high spatial resolution 3D images of large cleared biological specimens using the 488-nm excitation laser line. The transverse and axial resolution of the setup is 5 and 13 {mu}m, respectively. The transversal sample size under investigation is up to 10 mm. The in-depth scanning range depends on the sample transparency and reaches 4 mm in the experiment. The 3D images of whole mouse organs (heart, lungs, brain) and mouse embryos obtained using autofluorescence or fluorescence of exogenous markers demonstrate a high contrast and cellular-level resolution.
Variational objective analyses for cyclone studies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Achtemeier, G. L.; Kidder, S. Q.; Ochs, H. T.
The basic analysis equations, i.e., the two horizontal momentum equations, the hydrostatic equation, and the integrated continuity equation were derived for the nonlinear vertical coordinate, nondimensionalized, and expressed in finite differences on a staggered grid. Special care was taken to transform the hydrostatic equation and the pressure gradient terms of the horizontal momentum equations to nearly eliminate truncation error over steeply sloping terrain. This formulation also eliminated explicit reference to orographically induced variations in the thermodynamic variables so that the variational adjustments are on the scale of the meteorological perturbations. The analysis equations were subjected to the Euler-Lagrange operations as expressed for finite differences and an additional set of five partial differential equations was derived, bringing to nine the number of equations in Model I. Higher order terms, terms containing observed quantities, and terms containing none of the variables to be adjusted were grouped into forcing functions and the equations were solved for the zero order terms. Zero order variables were eliminated between these equations and there resulted two diagnostic equations which take the form of general linear second order partial differential equations with nonconstant coefficients.
Variational objective analysis for cyclone studies
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Achtemeier, Gary L.
Significant accomplishments during 1987 to 1988 are summarized with regard to each of the major project components. Model 1 requires satisfaction of two nonlinear horizontal momentum equations, the integrated continuity equation, and the hydrostatic equation. Model 2 requires satisfaction of model 1 plus the thermodynamic equation for a dry atmosphere. Model 3 requires satisfaction of model 2 plus the radiative transfer equation. Model 4 requires satisfaction of model 3 plus a moisture conservation equation and a parameterization for moist processes.
Assessment of hand after brain damage with the aim of functional surgery.
Romain, M; Benaim, C; Allieu, Y; Pelissier, J; Chammas, M
The semiology of the hand after brain damage is really rich. Its clinical evaluation remains quite difficult and must be integrated in the neuro-orthopedic and cognitive context. Deficiency, neuropsychological, analytic and functional status, must be assessed before any surgical decision aiming the improvement of prehension. Neuropsychological evaluation precise the hemispheric specialization: right hemisphere lesions conduct to unilateral spatial neglect while left hemispherical lesions determine language troubles and gesture impairment (apraxia). The analytical evaluation describes motor and sensitive function and assesses spasticity and pain. Concerning the functional assessment, the Enjalbert's score seems to be the most adapted to the upper limb. The assessment of hand deficiency and its origin is necessary to orientate the surgical decision and includes the Zancolli classification for the fingers and wrist and the House classification for the thumb. These classification used for cerebral palsy seems to be insufficient for all the different situations occurring after brain damage. A new classification is proposed based on 3 parameters: fingers extension, thumb abduction and supination. Surgical decision should be examined only after an adapted rehabilitation program.
Characterizing the dependence of thick-mask edge effects on illumination angle using AIMS images
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shanker, Aamod; Sczyrba, Martin; Lange, Falk; Connolly, Brid; Neureuther, Andy; Waller, Laura
Mask topography contributes diffraction-induced phase near edges, affecting the through-focus intensity variation and hence the process window at the wafer. We analyze the impact of edge diffraction on projection printing directly with experiments on an aerial image measurement system (AIMS). We show here that topographic effects change with illumination angle and can be quantified using through-focus intensity measurements. Off- axis incidence influences not just defocus image behavior (as for normal incidence), but also the at-focus intensity at wafer. Moreover, with oblique illumination, mask diffraction varies for left-facing and right-facing sidewalls, the nature of the asymmetry being polarization dependent. The image degradation due the polarization parallel to the sidewall (TE) is seen to be stronger, owing to the interplay of mask topography and pupil filtering in the imaging system. This translates to a CD variation of 2% between the two polarizations, even at focus. A simple thin-mask boundary layer model that treats each sidewall independently is shown to be able to approximate mask topography induced diffraction for both polarizations with 5-10nm wide boundary layers.
Educational strategies aimed at improving student nurse's medication calculation skills: a review of the research literature.
Stolic, Snezana
Medication administration is an important and essential nursing function with the potential for dangerous consequences if errors occur. Not only must nurses understand the use and outcomes of administering medications they must be able to calculate correct dosages. Medication administration and dosage calculation education occurs across the undergraduate program for student nurses. Research highlights inconsistencies in the approaches used by academics to enhance the student nurse's medication calculation abilities. The aim of this integrative review was to examine the literature available on effective education strategies for undergraduate student nurses on medication dosage calculations. A literature search of five health care databases: Sciencedirect, Cinahl, Pubmed, Proquest, Medline to identify journal articles between 1990 and 2012 was conducted. Research articles on medication calculation educational strategies were considered for inclusion in this review. The search yielded 266 papers of which 20 meet the inclusion criteria. A total of 5206 student nurse were included in the final review. The review revealed educational strategies fell into four types of strategies; traditional pedagogy, technology, psychomotor skills and blended learning. The results suggested student nurses showed some benefit from the different strategies; however more improvements could be made. More rigorous research into this area is needed.
Effects of a Randomized Reading Intervention Study Aimed at 9-Year-Olds: A 5-Year Follow-up.
Wolff, Ulrika
The present paper reports on a 5-year follow-up of a randomized reading intervention in grade 3 in Sweden. An intervention group (n = 57) received daily training for 12 weeks in phoneme/grapheme mapping, reading comprehension and reading speed, whereas a control group (n = 55) participated in ordinary classroom activities. The main aim was to investigate if there were remaining effects of the intervention on reading-related skills. Previous analyses showed that the intervention group performed significantly better than the control group on spelling, reading speed, reading comprehension and phoneme awareness at the immediate post-test with sustained effects 1 year later. Results from the 5-year follow-up show that the only significant difference between the intervention (n = 47) and the control group (n = 37) was on word decoding. There was also a significant interaction effect of group assignment and initial word decoding, in the way that the lowest-performing students benefitted the most from the intervention. Another aim was to examine if the children identified in a screening (n = 2212) as poor readers in grade 2 still performed worse than typical readers. The analyses showed that the typically developing students (n = 66) outperformed the students identified as poor readers in grade 2 on working memory, spelling, reading comprehension and word decoding. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Study of the Effects of Underlying Assumptions in the Reduction of Multi-Object Photometry of Transiting Exoplanets
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Ryleigh Fitzpatrick, M.; Pearson, Kyle; Griffith, Caitlin Ann; Dunn, Marina; Montiel, Nicholas John; Zellem, Robert T.; Calahan, Jenny; Chance, Quadry; Henrici, Andrew; Sanchez, Dominic; AzGOE
The analysis of ground-based photometric observations of planetary transits must treat the effects of the Earth's atmosphere, which exceed the signal of the extrasolar planet. Generally, this is achieved by dividing the signal of the host star and planet from that of nearby field stars. For bright hot Jupiter exoplanets this procedure reveals the lightcurve. The lightcurve is then fit to a model of the planet's orbit and the physical characteristics, also taking into account the characteristics of the star. The fit to the in-transit data coupled with the fit of the out-of-transit data establish the depth of the lightcurve.The question then arises, what is the best way to select and treat the reference stars such that we can best characterize and remove the shared atmospheric systematics that plague our transit signal. To explore these questions we examine the effects of several assumptions that underline the calculation of the light curve depth. Our study involves photometric observations of hot Jupiter primary transits in the U and B filters taken with the University of Arizona's Kuiper 1.55m telescope and Mont4K CCD. The data consists of repeated transit observations of a variety of exoplanets, each of which offers a unique field with stars of various brightness, spectral types, and angular distance from the host star. While these observations are part of a larger study of the Rayleigh scattering signature of hot Jupiter exoplanets, here we study the effects of various choices during the reduction phase, specifically the treatment of the reference stars and atmospheric systematics. Our study calculates the lightcurve for all permutations of the reference stars, considering several different out-of-transit assumptions (e.g. linear, quadratic or exponential). We assess the sensitivity of the transit depths based on the spread of the values and look for characteristics that minimize the scatter in the reduced lightcurve as well as analyze the effects of the
Automated Glacier Mapping using Object Based Image Analysis. Case Studies from Nepal, the European Alps and Norway
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Vatle, S. S.
Frequent and up-to-date glacier outlines are needed for many applications of glaciology, not only glacier area change analysis, but also for masks in volume or velocity analysis, for the estimation of water resources and as model input data. Remote sensing offers a good option for creating glacier outlines over large areas, but manual correction is frequently necessary, especially in areas containing supraglacial debris. We show three different workflows for mapping clean ice and debris-covered ice within Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA). By working at the object level as opposed to the pixel level, OBIA facilitates using contextual, spatial and hierarchical information when assigning classes, and additionally permits the handling of multiple data sources. Our first example shows mapping debris-covered ice in the Manaslu Himalaya, Nepal. SAR Coherence data is used in combination with optical and topographic data to classify debris-covered ice, obtaining an accuracy of 91%. Our second example shows using a high-resolution LiDAR derived DEM over the Hohe Tauern National Park in Austria. Breaks in surface morphology are used in creating image objects; debris-covered ice is then classified using a combination of spectral, thermal and topographic properties. Lastly, we show a completely automated workflow for mapping glacier ice in Norway. The NDSI and NIR/SWIR band ratio are used to map clean ice over the entire country but the thresholds are calculated automatically based on a histogram of each image subset. This means that in theory any Landsat scene can be inputted and the clean ice can be automatically extracted. Debris-covered ice can be included semi-automatically using contextual and morphological information.
[Development, aims and status quo of the EU animal disease law].
Bätza, Hans-Joachim
The development of EC legislation is outlined using swine fever and foot and mouth disease as an example, starting with the possibility of vaccinating against both animal diseases in the 1980s without substantially restricting trade with vaccinated animals or products of these animals, right up to a policy of non-vaccination with the realisation of the single market with significant restrictions on intra-Community trade if the option of an emergency vaccination were to be used.The restrictions associated with emergency vaccination are basically tantamount to a vaccination ban. To that extent, vaccination needs to be taken into consideration as an instrument of animal disease control under the EU animal health legislation currently being discussed, the aim being for vaccinated animals that have tested as virus-free to be able to be marketed without any restrictions. This will, however, only be possible if all stakeholders (EU, member states, World Organisation for Animal Health, industry, consumers) achieve a broad consensus.
Bats' avoidance of real and virtual objects: implications for the sonar coding of object size.
Goerlitz, Holger R; Genzel, Daria; Wiegrebe, Lutz
Fast movement in complex environments requires the controlled evasion of obstacles. Sonar-based obstacle evasion involves analysing the acoustic features of object-echoes (e.g., echo amplitude) that correlate with this object's physical features (e.g., object size). Here, we investigated sonar-based obstacle evasion in bats emerging in groups from their day roost. Using video-recordings, we first show that the bats evaded a small real object (ultrasonic loudspeaker) despite the familiar flight situation. Secondly, we studied the sonar coding of object size by adding a larger virtual object. The virtual object echo was generated by real-time convolution of the bats' calls with the acoustic impulse response of a large spherical disc and played from the loudspeaker. Contrary to the real object, the virtual object did not elicit evasive flight, despite the spectro-temporal similarity of real and virtual object echoes. Yet, their spatial echo features differ: virtual object echoes lack the spread of angles of incidence from which the echoes of large objects arrive at a bat's ears (sonar aperture). We hypothesise that this mismatch of spectro-temporal and spatial echo features caused the lack of virtual object evasion and suggest that the sonar aperture of object echoscapes contributes to the sonar coding of object size.
On the value of aiming high: the causes and consequences of ambition.
Judge, Timothy A; Kammeyer-Mueller, John D
Ambition is a commonly mentioned but poorly understood concept in social science research. We sought to contribute to understanding of the concept by developing and testing a model in which ambition is a middle-level trait (Cantor, 1990)-predicted by more distal characteristics but, due to its teleological nature, more proximally situated to predict career success. A 7-decade longitudinal sample of 717 high-ability individuals from the Terman life-cycle study (Terman, Sears, Cronbach, & Sears, 1989) was used in the current study. Results indicated that ambition was predicted by individual differences-conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, and general mental ability-and a socioeconomic background variable: parents' occupational prestige. Ambition, in turn, was positively related to educational attainment, occupation prestige, and income. Ambition had significant total effects with all of the endogenous variables except mortality. Overall, the results support the thesis that ambition is a middle-level trait-related to but distinct from more distal individual difference variables-that has meaningful effects on career success.
Aiming to Complete the Matrix: Eye-Movement Analysis of Processing Strategies in Children's Relational Thinking
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chen, Zhe; Honomichl, Ryan; Kennedy, Diane; Tan, Enda
The present study examines 5- to 8-year-old children's relation reasoning in solving matrix completion tasks. This study incorporates a componential analysis, an eye-tracking method, and a microgenetic approach, which together allow an investigation of the cognitive processing strategies involved in the development and learning of children's…
Disseminating hypnosis to health care settings: Applying the RE-AIM framework
Yeh, Vivian M.; Schnur, Julie B.; Montgomery, Guy H.
Hypnosis is a brief intervention ready for wider dissemination in medical contexts. Overall, hypnosis remains underused despite evidence supporting its beneficial clinical impact. This review will evaluate the evidence supporting hypnosis for dissemination using guidelines formulated by Glasgow and colleagues (1999). Five dissemination dimensions will be considered: Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM). Reach In medical settings, hypnosis is capable of helping a diverse range of individuals with a wide variety of problems. Efficacy There is evidence supporting the use of hypnosis for chronic pain, acute pain and emotional distress arising from medical procedures and conditions, cancer treatment-related side-effects and irritable bowel syndrome. Adoption Although hypnosis is currently not a part of mainstream clinical practices, evidence suggests that patients and healthcare providers are open to trying hypnosis, and may become more so when educated about what hypnosis can do. Implementation Hypnosis is a brief intervention capable of being administered effectively by healthcare providers. Maintenance Given the low resource needs of hypnosis, opportunities for reimbursement, and the ability of the intervention to potentially help medical settings reduce costs, the intervention has the qualities necessary to be integrated into routine care in a self-sustaining way in medical settings. In sum, hypnosis is a promising candidate for further dissemination. PMID:25267941
Objectively-Measured Sedentary Time and Cardiometabolic Biomarkers in U.S. Hispanic/Latino Adults: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)
Qi, Qibin; Strizich, Garrett; Merchant, Gina; Sotres-Alvarez, Daniela; Buelna, Christina; Castañeda, Sheila F.; Gallo, Linda C.; Cai, Jianwen; Gellman, Marc D.; Isasi, Carmen R.; Moncrieft, Ashley E.; Sanchez-Johnsen, Lisa; Schneiderman, Neil; Kaplan, Robert C.
Background Sedentary behavior is recognized as a distinct construct from lack of moderate-vigorous physical activity and is associated with deleterious health outcomes. Previous studies have primarily relied on self-reported data, while data on the relationship between objectively-measured sedentary time and cardiometabolic biomarkers are sparse, especially among U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. Methods and Results We examined associations of objectively-measured sedentary time (via Actical accelerometers for 7 days) and multiple cardiometabolic biomarkers among 12,083 participants, aged 18–74 years, from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Hispanics/Latinos of diverse backgrounds (Central American, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Puerto Rican, and South American) were recruited from 4 U.S. cities between 2008 and 2011. Sedentary time (<100 counts/minute) was standardized to 16-hour/day of wear time. The mean sedentary time was 11.9 hours/day (74% of accelerometer wear time). After adjustment for moderate-vigorous physical activity and confounding variables, prolonged sedentary time was associated with decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol (P=0.04), and increased triglycerides, 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR (all P<0.0001). These associations were generally consistent across age, sex, Hispanic/Latino backgrounds, and physical activity levels. Even among individuals meeting physical activity guidelines, sedentary time was detrimentally associated with several cardiometabolic biomarkers (diastolic blood pressure, HDL-cholesterol, fasting and 2-hour glucose, fasting insulin and HOMA-IR; all P<0.05). Conclusions Our large population-based, objectively-derived data showed deleterious associations between sedentary time and cardiometabolic biomarkers, independent of physical activity, in U.S. Hispanics/Latinos. Our findings emphasize the importance of reducing sedentary behavior for the prevention of cardiometabolic diseases, even in
Attachment to inanimate objects and early childcare: A twin study.
Fortuna, Keren; Baor, Liora; Israel, Salomon; Abadi, Adi; Knafo, Ariel
Extensive non-maternal childcare plays an important role in children's development. This study examined a potential coping mechanism for dealing with daily separation from caregivers involved in childcare experience - children's development of attachments toward inanimate objects. We employed the twin design to estimate relative environmental and genetic contributions to the presence of object attachment, and assess whether childcare explains some of the environmental variation in this developmental phenomenon. Mothers reported about 1122 3-year-old twin pairs. Variation in object attachment was accounted for by heritability (48%) and shared environment (48%), with childcare quantity accounting for 2.2% of the shared environment effect. Children who spent half-days in childcare were significantly less likely to attach to objects relative to children who attended full-day childcare.
The effects of spatial movement components precues on the execution of rapid aiming in children aged 7, 9, and 11.
Olivier, I; Bard, C
The aim of the present study was twofold: first, to investigate the effects of spatial precues on the execution of rapid aiming in children aged 7, 9, and 11 and second, to provide a kinematic support to the investigation of the role of precues in aiming tasks performed under temporal constraints. Four precuing conditions were used, where participants received: (a) no precue of any type, (b) advance information on direction, (c) advance information on amplitude, and (d) complete information on the forthcoming movement. Our results showed that precuing the spatial dimensions of movement shortens reaction times, that such shortening is a function of the number of precued parameters, and that spatial precues modify the kinematics of the children's rapid aiming movements. Peak velocity increased with direction and/or amplitude, suggesting that precues play a significant role in motor preparation. Moreover, the accuracy results indicate that direction precuing induces a proactive directional regulation. Finally, direction and amplitude appear to be independently specified in children.
Research Networking Systems: The State of Adoption at Institutions Aiming to Augment Translational Research Infrastructure
Obeid, Jihad S; Johnson, Layne M; Stallings, Sarah; Eichmann, David
Fostering collaborations across multiple disciplines within and across institutional boundaries is becoming increasingly important with the growing emphasis on translational research. As a result, Research Networking Systems that facilitate discovery of potential collaborators have received significant attention by institutions aiming to augment their research infrastructure. We have conducted a survey to assess the state of adoption of these new tools at the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) funded institutions. Survey results demonstrate that most CTSA funded institutions have either already adopted or were planning to adopt one of several available research networking systems. Moreover a good number of these institutions have exposed or plan to expose the data on research expertise using linked open data, an established approach to semantic web services. Preliminary exploration of these publically-available data shows promising utility in assessing cross-institutional collaborations. Further adoption of these technologies and analysis of the data are needed, however, before their impact on cross-institutional collaboration in research can be appreciated and measured. PMID:26491707
Research Networking Systems: The State of Adoption at Institutions Aiming to Augment Translational Research Infrastructure.
Obeid, Jihad S; Johnson, Layne M; Stallings, Sarah; Eichmann, David
Fostering collaborations across multiple disciplines within and across institutional boundaries is becoming increasingly important with the growing emphasis on translational research. As a result, Research Networking Systems that facilitate discovery of potential collaborators have received significant attention by institutions aiming to augment their research infrastructure. We have conducted a survey to assess the state of adoption of these new tools at the Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) funded institutions. Survey results demonstrate that most CTSA funded institutions have either already adopted or were planning to adopt one of several available research networking systems. Moreover a good number of these institutions have exposed or plan to expose the data on research expertise using linked open data, an established approach to semantic web services. Preliminary exploration of these publically-available data shows promising utility in assessing cross-institutional collaborations. Further adoption of these technologies and analysis of the data are needed, however, before their impact on cross-institutional collaboration in research can be appreciated and measured.
Differences Race to the Top Funded Programs Make in Student AIMS Reading Achievement
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Korb, Micah Benjamin
In 2009 the U.S. Department of Education announced the requirements and selection criteria for the monies attached to the Race to the Top Fund. The monies attached to this competition were awarded during phase one, phase two, and phase three. This casual comparative study examined the impact of the Race to the Top federal education competition on…
A Program Aimed toward Inclusive Excellence for Underrepresented Undergraduate Women in the Sciences
Katz, Laura A.; Aloisio, Kathryn M.; Horton, Nicholas J.; Ly, Minh; Pruss, Sara; Queeney, Kate; Rowen, Cate; DiBartolo, Patricia Marten
Created to foster inclusive excellence, Smith College's Achieving Excellence in Mathematics, Engineering, and Science (AEMES) Scholars program provides early faculty-mentored research opportunities and other programming as a way to foster success in academic outcomes for underrepresented women in science. Using academic record data, we compared Scholars' outcomes over time with those of underrepresented students before program launch and to relevant peer comparison groups. Since its launch, AEMES Scholars have achieved significantly higher gateway life sciences course grade point averages (GPAs), rates of persistence in life and natural sciences, and participation in natural sciences advanced research relative to baseline. Gains for Scholars in gateway course GPA eliminated the significant gap that previously existed between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)-underrepresented and other students, whereas gains in natural sciences persistence now has Scholars continuing in STEM at significantly higher rates than all other students. Many of the gains for AEMES Scholars were echoed in findings of improved outcomes for our STEM students overall since AEMES' launch. Underrepresented students who were not part of the Scholars program also evidenced increased gateway course GPA over this same period. We discuss potential explanations for these outcomes and ongoing work aimed at achieving further inclusive excellence for women in the sciences. PMID:28213581
Reversing the objective: Adding guinea pig pedagogies
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Weinstein, Matthew
This article explores objectification in science and science education, i.e., the way material is turned into an object of interest to scientists. Drawing on sociological and anthropological drama theory, it examines how objectification does and does not occur in classrooms and schools. To understand the role and relationship of the object to the scientist, I look at current literature from the social studies of science concerning human and nonhuman objects as well as my own ethnographic work on the activism of politicized human research subjects. The paper concludes by how and why a more self-conscious focus on the object of science is important for those concerned with equity in science education, suggesting that such guinea pig pedagogies restore missing historical and ethical dimensions to science education.
Methodology and application of gc-ms to study altered organic binding media from objects of the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna.
Pitthard, Václav; Griesser, Martina; Stanek, Sabine
Within the Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM), Vienna, three off-line GC-MS analytical procedures for the identification of natural organic media have been refined, tested, and validated on a series of reference materials (partly artificially aged) to apply this knowledge for investigations of original, historic works of art from the museum's collections. At first, a set of artificially aged mockups has been prepared and a reference database has been built up for the identification of drying oils, resins, waxes, proteins and polysaccharides. Some interesting observations concerning the alteration of the composition of these organic media during different ageing steps are presented in the following text. In addition, some selected examples for the application of the refined techniques for the analysis of real samples from various museum objects are shown.
Reevaluating the Aims of Modern Dance Training in Korea: Toward a Whole Dancer
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Kim, Na-ye
This study reevaluates modern dance training in Korea and attempts to identify possible improvements. This study is based on the rationale that Korean modern dance training must recover its nature of a holistic connection between body and mind. A qualitative methodology was used to interpret data from in-depth interviews and open-ended…
Are forward bending of the trunk and low back pain associated among Danish blue-collar workers? A cross-sectional field study based on objective measures.
Villumsen, Morten; Samani, Afshin; Jørgensen, Marie Birk; Gupta, Nidhi; Madeleine, Pascal; Holtermann, Andreas
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between the duration of objectively measured forward bending of the trunk and low back pain (LBP) intensity among 198 Danish blue-collar workers (male = 115; female = 83). The duration of forward bending of ≥ 30°, ≥ 60° and ≥ 90° was divided into high (the highest tertile) and low-moderate (the remaining tertiles) categories. High (>5) and low ( ≤ 5) pain intensities were categorised from a self-reported 0-9 scale. Results of multi-adjusted logistic regressions indicated no significant positive associations between forward bending and LBP intensity. On the contrary, higher duration of forward bending of ≥ 30° was associated with lower LBP intensity during all day (OR = 0.40; 95% CI, 0.15-1.02; p = 0.05) and work (OR = 0.44; 95% CI, 0.17-1.15; p = 0.09). This indication of a negative association may be explained by fear-avoidance behaviour of the blue-collar worker, job crafting or healthy worker effect.
A study of foreign object damage (FOD) and prevention method at the airport and aircraft maintenance area
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Hussin, R.; Ismail, N.; Mustapa, S.
Foreign object damage (FOD) is common risk for aviation industry since long time ago and it has contributed to many terrible incidents and fatalities. The cost of FOD cases every year is very high, which is around RM 1.2 billion. Therefore, a proper technique and strategy has to be taken by the designated organizations including airlines to further eliminate the FOD occurrences. It is not easy to control FOD due to some circumstances such as inappropriate working behaviour, poor working environment, insufficient technology and also disorganized housekeeping system. The main purpose of this research is to discuss and explain further about FOD and the techniques to prevent FOD. FOD is a universal concern in aviation industry and it is one of the reasons that contribute to aircraft failure and unwanted damages such as fatalities and causalities. Throughout this research, many information related to FOD problems and their impact on aviation industry are gathered and presented.
A Family Medicine Health Technology Strategy for Achieving the Triple Aim for US Health Care
Phillips, Robert L.; Bazemore, Andrew W.; DeVoe, Jennifer E.; Weida, Thomas J.; Krist, Alex H.; Dulin, Michael F.; Biagioli, Frances E.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Health information technology (health IT) and health technology, more broadly, offer tremendous promise for connecting, synthesizing, and sharing information critical to improving health care delivery, reducing health system costs, and achieving personal and community health. While efforts to spur adoption of electronic health records (EHRs) among US practices and hospitals have been highly successful, aspirations for effective data exchanges and translation of data into measureable improvements in health outcomes remain largely unrealized. There are shining examples of health enhancement through new technologies, and the discipline of family medicine is well poised to take advantage of these innovations to improve patient and population health. The Future of Family Medicine led to important family medicine health IT initiatives over the past decade. For example, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Center for Health Information Technology and the Robert Graham Center provided important leadership for informing health IT policy and standard-setting, such as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services EHR incentives programs (often referred to as "meaningful use."). As we move forward, there is a need for a new and more comprehensive family medicine strategy for technology. To inform the Family Medicine for America's Health (FMAHealth) initiative, this paper explores strategies and tactics that family medicine could pursue to improve the utility of technology for primary care and to help primary care become a leader in rapid development, testing, and implementation of new technologies. These strategies were also designed with a broader stakeholder audience in mind, intending to reach beyond the work being done by FMAHealth. Specific suggestions include: a shared primary care health IT center, meaningful primary care quality measures and capacity to assess/report them, increased primary care technology research, a
ParCIS: Aiming for Scientific Literacy through Self-Regulated Learning with the Internet.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Graber, Wolfgang; Erdmann, Thorsten; Schlieker, Volker
Students' attitudes toward chemistry change throughout their educational life. While enthusiasm is observed among 10-12 year-old pupils, in the upper grades the positive attitude changes to lack of interest and the likelihood of dropping the subject or course. This study investigates international researchers' point of view on the decrease of…
The Sheep Survey: What Kind of Objects Make Up the X-Ray Background
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Zezas, Andreas
This program aims in the understanding of the objects which produce the hard X-ray back- ground. The SHEEP survey consists of objects observed in very hard X-rays in serendipitous ASCA pointings. A subset of this sample was observed with XMM-Newton in order to study their spectral properties.
"The Perfect Pupil": Changing Aims and Changing Measures of Success in School RE
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Levitt, Mairi; Muir, Fiona
In England and Wales, religious education (RE) in non-faith schools has gradually changed from Christian education to the study of many religions and philosophies. However, the core values of RE have continued to be related to concerns about social cohesion and the building of shared values. The article briefly discusses changes in RE since 1944…
Pouring or chilling a bottle of wine: an fMRI study on the prospective planning of object-directed actions.
van Elk, M; Viswanathan, S; van Schie, H T; Bekkering, H; Grafton, S T
This fMRI study investigates the neural mechanisms supporting the retrieval of action semantics. A novel motor imagery task was used in which participants were required to imagine planning actions with a familiar object (e.g. a toothbrush) or with an unfamiliar object (e.g. a pair of pliers) based on either goal-related information (i.e. where to move the object) or grip-related information (i.e. how to grasp the object). Planning actions with unfamiliar compared to familiar objects was slower and was associated with increased activation in the bilateral superior parietal lobe, the right inferior parietal lobe and the right insula. The stronger activation in parietal areas for unfamiliar objects fits well with the idea that parietal areas are involved in motor imagery and suggests that this process takes more effort in the case of novel or unfamiliar actions. In contrast, the planning of familiar actions resulted in increased activation in the anterior prefrontal cortex, suggesting that subjects maintained a stronger goal-representation when planning actions with familiar compared to unfamiliar objects. These findings provide further insight into the neural structures that support action semantic knowledge for the functional use of real-world objects and suggest that action semantic knowledge is activated most readily when actions are planned in a goal-directed manner.
Development and Evaluation of an Experimental Curriculum for the New Quincy (Mass.) Vocational-Technical School. Third Quarterly Technical Report, Curriculum Implications of the Study of Objectives.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Morrison, Edward J.; Gagne, Robert M.
From October 1 through December 31, 1965, activity was concentrated on the selection of a curriculum and the development of topic objectives within each course of study. The proposed curriculum outlined for grades 9 through 14 is based on meeting the four identified domains of specific vocational, general vocational, citizenship, and…
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Austin Independent School District, TX.
The AIM High Program was developed for elementary school children in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District who demonstrate unusually high ability, interest, and motivation in language arts, mathematics, science, and art. Students are identified for the program through standardized test scores, teacher recommendation, student interest,…
Online decision support based on modeling with the aim of increased irrigation efficiency
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Dövényi-Nagy, Tamás; Bakó, Károly; Molnár, Krisztina; Rácz, Csaba; Vasvári, Gyula; Nagy, János; Dobos, Attila
The significant changes in the structure of ownership and control of irrigation infrastructure in the past decades resultted in the decrease of total irrigable and irrigated area (Szilárd, 1999). In this paper, the development of a model-based online service is described whose aim is to aid reasonable irrigation practice and increase water use efficiency. In order to establish a scientific background for irrigation, an agrometeorological station network has been built up by the Agrometeorological and Agroecological Monitoring Centre. A website has been launched in order to provide direct access for local agricultural producers to both the measured weather parameters and results of model based calculations. The public site provides information for general use, registered partners get a handy model based toolkit for decision support at the plot level concerning irrigation, plant protection or frost forecast. The agrometeorological reference station network was established in the recent years by the Agrometeorological and Agroecological Monitoring Centre and is distributed to cover most of the irrigated cropland areas of Hungary. From the spatial aspect, the stations have been deployed mainly in Eastern Hungary with concentrated irrigation infrastructure. The meteorological stations' locations have been carefully chosen to represent their environment in terms of soil, climatic and topographic factors, thereby assuring relevant and up-to-date input data for the models. The measured parameters range from classic meteorological data (air temperature, relative humidity, solar irradiation, wind speed etc.) to specific data which are not available from other services in the region, such as soil temperature, soil water content in multiple depths and leaf wetness. In addition to the basic grid of reference stations, specific stations under irrigated conditions have been deployed to calibrate and validate the models. A specific modeling framework (MetAgro) has been developed
Non-market valuation of the coastal environment--uniting political aims, ecological and economic knowledge.
Östberg, Katarina; Hasselström, Linus; Håkansson, Cecilia
In this paper, we examine the feasibility of using an approach for estimating Willingness-To-Pay for marine environmental improvements, based on a holistic, policy-determined scenario. Conducting valuation studies based on a policy-determined scenario is beneficial for decision-makers in terms of practical applicability but also for research in terms of e.g. data availability. Using a case study in two Swedish coastal areas, we examine whether respondents are able to understand and attach a monetary value to these types of scenarios. The tested scenarios are based on improving water quality according to the EU Water Framework Directive and reducing noise and littering according to standard-type measures in a Swedish archipelago setting. The results are promising, paving the ground for future valuation studies using this approach. However, there might be tradeoffs, since the use of scenarios like this require much preparation by researchers and much efforts by respondents. We recommend environmental managers to adopt this approach when possible, but to have these potential tradeoffs in mind. Mean monthly WTP per household for the water quality improvement scenario is estimated to 71 and 102 SEK(1) in the two study areas, respectively. The corresponding numbers for the less noise and littering scenario are 38 and 46 SEK. Valuation of noise and littering in archipelago areas has previously not been very common, making these estimates especially important for marine policy.
MULTI-WAVELENGTH STUDY OF FLARING ACTIVITY IN BL Lac OBJECT S5 0716+714 DURING THE 2015 OUTBURST
Chandra, Sunil; Kushwaha, Pankaj; Singh, K. P.; Zhang, Haocheng; Bottcher, M.; Kaur, Navpreet; Baliyan, K. S.
We present a detailed investigation of the flaring activity observed from a BL Lac object, S5 0716+714 , during its brightest ever optical state in the second half of 2015 January. Observed almost simultaneously in the optical, X-rays, and γ-rays, a significant change in the degree of optical polarization (PD) and a swing in the position angle (PA) of polarization were recorded. A TeV (VHE) detection was also reported by the MAGIC consortium during this flaring episode. Two prominent sub-flares, peaking about five days apart, were seen in almost all of the energy bands. The multi-wavelength light curves, spectral energy distribution, and polarization are modeled using the time-dependent code developed by Zhang et al. This model assumes a straight jet threaded by large-scale helical magnetic fields taking into account the light travel time effects, incorporating synchrotron flux and polarization in 3D geometry. The rapid variation in PD and rotation in PA are most likely due to reconnections happening in the emission region in the jet, as suggested by the change in the ratio of toroidal to poloidal components of the magnetic field during the quiescent and flaring states.
Multi-wavelength study of flaring activity in BL Lac object S5 0716+714 during the 2015 outburst
Chandra, Sunil; Zhang, Haocheng; Kushwaha, Pankaj; ...
We present a detailed investigation of the flaring activity observed from a BL Lac object, S5 0716+714 , during its brightest ever optical state in the second half of 2015 January. Observed almost simultaneously in the optical, X-rays, and γ-rays, a significant change in the degree of optical polarization (PD) and a swing in the position angle (PA) of polarization were recorded. A TeV (VHE) detection was also reported by the MAGIC consortium during this flaring episode. Two prominent sub-flares, peaking about five days apart, were seen in almost all of the energy bands. The multi-wavelength light curves, spectral energymore » distribution, and polarization are modeled using the time-dependent code developed by Zhang et al. This model assumes a straight jet threaded by large-scale helical magnetic fields taking into account the light travel time effects, incorporating synchrotron flux and polarization in 3D geometry. Furthermore, the rapid variation in PD and rotation in PA are most likely due to reconnections happening in the emission region in the jet, as suggested by the change in the ratio of toroidal to poloidal components of the magnetic field during the quiescent and flaring states.« less
Multi-wavelength study of flaring activity in BL Lac object S5 0716+714 during the 2015 outburst
Chandra, Sunil; Zhang, Haocheng; Kushwaha, Pankaj; Singh, K. P.; Bottcher, M.; Kaur, Navpreet; Baliyan, K. S.
We present a detailed investigation of the flaring activity observed from a BL Lac object, S5 0716+714 , during its brightest ever optical state in the second half of 2015 January. Observed almost simultaneously in the optical, X-rays, and γ-rays, a significant change in the degree of optical polarization (PD) and a swing in the position angle (PA) of polarization were recorded. A TeV (VHE) detection was also reported by the MAGIC consortium during this flaring episode. Two prominent sub-flares, peaking about five days apart, were seen in almost all of the energy bands. The multi-wavelength light curves, spectral energy distribution, and polarization are modeled using the time-dependent code developed by Zhang et al. This model assumes a straight jet threaded by large-scale helical magnetic fields taking into account the light travel time effects, incorporating synchrotron flux and polarization in 3D geometry. Furthermore, the rapid variation in PD and rotation in PA are most likely due to reconnections happening in the emission region in the jet, as suggested by the change in the ratio of toroidal to poloidal components of the magnetic field during the quiescent and flaring states.
Clearly Communicating the Learning Objective Matters!
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Reed, Deborah K.
Explicitly communicating objectives is a tenet of effective instruction for students with learning difficulties, yet the practice is often overlooked in research. This case study of a novice middle school geography teacher illustrates how the qualitative and quantitative differences in the ways a teacher communicates the learner expectation can…
The influence of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex on attentional behavior and decision making. A t-DCS study on emotionally vs. functionally designed objects.
Colombo, Barbara; Balzarotti, Stefania; Mazzucchelli, Nicla
Prior research has shown that right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex may be crucial in cognitive control of affective impulses during decision making. The present study examines whether modulation of r-DLPFC with transcranial direct current stimulation influences attentional behavior and decision-making in a purchase task requiring participants to choose either emotional/attractive or functional/useful objects. 30 participants were shown sixteen pairs of emotionally or functionally designed products while their eye-movements were recorded. Participants were asked to judge aesthetics and usefulness of each object, and to decide which object of each pair they would buy. Results revealed that participants decided to buy the functionally designed objects more often regardless of condition; however, participants receiving anodal stimulation were faster in decision making. Although stimulation of r-DLPFC did not affect the actual purchasing choice and had little effect on visual exploration during decision making, it influenced perceived usefulness and attractiveness, with temporary inhibition of r-DLPFC leading to evaluate functional objects as less attractive. Finally, anodal stimulation led to judge the objects as more useful. The implications of these results are discussed.
A new theory aiming to define the mechanisms of material removal in electroerosion
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Chincholle, L.
Formulation of an electrohydrodynamic hypothesis to explain the mechanism of material removal in electroerosion, and results of experiments designed to verify the validity of the proposed hypothesis is discussed. A hypothesis is proposed according to which material is removed by a high-power liquid microjet which forms as a result of implosion of a vapor cavity between the two electrodes. Using a model of the implosion of a vapor cavity, a study is made of the energy dissipated in the arc zone as a function of the expended electrical energy.
Behavioral Objectives and the Elephant of Understanding
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Thomas, John A.
Confusion of instructional objectives with the evidence of their attainment has been a problem with behavioral objectives. Objectives of understanding, becoming familiar with, etc., should be stated as such, along with a sample of behavioral evidences of their attainment. (BD)
The Effect of the Muller-Lyer Illusion on the Planning and Control of Manual Aiming Movements
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Mendoza, Jocelyn E.; Elliott, Digby; Meegan, Daniel V.; Lyons, James L.; Welsh, Timothy N.
Two experiments used Muller-Lyer stimuli to test the predictions of the planning-control model (S. Glover, 2002) for aiming movements. In Experiment 1, participants aimed to stimuli that either remained the same or changed upon movement initiation. Experiment 2 was identical except that the duration of visual feedback for online control was…
Evaluation of the usability of a serious game aiming to teach facial expressions to schizophrenic patients.
Isleyen, Filiz; Gulkesen, K Hakan; Cinemre, Buket; Samur, M Kemal; Zayim, Nese; Sen Kaya, Semiha
In some psychological disorders such as autism and schizophrenia, loss of facial expression recognition skill may complicate patient's daily life. Information technology may help to develop facial expression recognition skill by educational software and games. We designed and developed an interactive web-based educational program with which we performed a usability study before investigating its effectiveness on the schizophrenia patients' ability of emotion perception. The purpose of this study is to describe the usability evaluation for a web-based game set that has been designed to teach facial expressions to schizophrenic patients. The usability study was done at two steps; first, we applied heuristic evaluation and the violations were rated in a scale from most to least severe and the major problems were solved. In the second step, think-aloud method was used and the web site was assessed by five schizophrenic patients. Eight experts participated in the heuristic evaluation, in which a total of 60 violations were identified with a mean severity of 2.77 (range: 0-4). All of the major problems (severity over 2.5) were listed and the usability problems were solved by the development team. After solving the problems, five users with a diagnosis of schizophrenia used the web site with the same scenario. They reported to have experienced minor, but different problems. In conclusion, we suggest that a combination of heuristic evaluation and think-aloud method may be an effective and efficient way for usability evaluations for the serious games that have been designed for special patient groups.
History of the Academy in Manayunk (AIM): Adoption of the Lab School Approach
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Morgan, Patricia; Blair, Nancy
In this article, the authors recall how the Academy in Manayunk adopted the famous Sally Smith's club methodology. They share how the influence of Smith pushed the school faculty and staff to create a school that focuses on the individual child and celebrates the unique talents and interests that each brings to the learning community. It is based…
Multiwavelength Variability Study of the Classical BL Lac Object PKS 0735+178 on Timescales Ranging from Decades to Minutes
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Goyal, Arti; Stawarz, Łukasz; Ostrowski, Michał; Larionov, Valeri; Gopal-Krishna; Wiita, Paul J.; Joshi, Santosh; Soida, Marian; Agudo, Iván
We present the results of our power spectral analysis for the BL Lac object PKS 0735+178, utilizing the Fermi-LAT survey at high-energy γ-rays, several ground-based optical telescopes, and single-dish radio telescopes operating at GHz frequencies. The novelty of our approach is that, by combining long-term and densely sampled intra-night light curves in the optical regime, we were able to construct for the first time the optical power spectrum of the blazar for a time domain extending from 23 years down to minutes. Our analysis reveals that: (1) the optical variability is consistent with a pure red noise, for which the power spectral density can be well approximated by a single power law throughout the entire time domain probed; (2) the slope of power spectral density at high-energy γ-rays (∼1) is significantly flatter than that found at radio and optical frequencies (∼2) within the corresponding time variability range; (3) for the derived power spectra, we did not detect any low-frequency flattening, nor do we see any evidence for cutoffs at the highest frequencies down to the noise floor levels due to measurement uncertainties. We interpret our findings in terms of a model where the blazar variability is generated by the underlying single stochastic process (at radio and optical frequencies), or a linear superposition of such processes (in the γ-ray regime). Along with the detailed PSD analysis, we also present the results of our extended (1998–2015) intra-night optical monitoring program and newly acquired optical photo-polarimetric data for the source.
A Study in Ecological Psychology: The Behavior Objects Used by Three-Year-Old Children from Three Income Groups.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Brown, Ellen
This ecological study is one part of a broad research effort to understand the backgrounds and characteristics of culturally disadvantaged children. The study attempted to provide empirical data which could be used to describe differences in home environments and behavior of three young children from deprived and non-deprived homes. Focus was on…
Standards Get Boost on the Hill: Bills before Congress Aim to Raise the Bar in States
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Olson, Lynn
This article focuses on the standards debate in the context of renewing the 5-year-old No Child Left Behind Act. The politically sensitive idea of increasing the rigor of state standards and tests by linking them to standards set at the national level is getting a push from prominent lawmakers as Congress moves to reauthorize the No Child Left…
Thermal History of Archaeological Objects, Studied by Electron Spin Resonance
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bartoll, Jens; Tani, Atsushi
Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy is a sensitive tool for distinguishing between "burned" and "unburned" states of archaeological objects. Prehistoric heating conditions, such as the temperature, atmosphere, time of exposure to heat, and when the heating took place, can be studied by this method with some success. ESR "reporters," such as (a) radiation defects, (b) pyrolytic defects, and (c) transition metal ions, can even reflect changes induced at relatively low temperatures (e.g., in the range of 200° C for objects containing organic compounds). Several ESR heating markers are so stable that samples dating back to the ages when fire first began to be used can be analyzed today. An overview is presented of the literature concerning objects, such as stone, soil, pottery, and plant and animal products.
The Virtual Physiological Human: The Physiome Project Aims to Develop Reproducible, Multiscale Models for Clinical Practice.
Hunter, Peter
The Physiome Project was initiated by the International Union of Physiological Sciences (IUPS; www.iups.org) in 1997 to bring multiscale engineering modeling approaches to the physiological interpretation of the wealth of molecular data that was becoming available at that time [1]. The discipline of physiology, which with anatomy underpins medical practice, had lost its traditional central position in the biological sciences (at least from a funding perspective) to molecular biology, despite the very small impact molecular biology has had on the diagnosis and treatment of disease. While diseases and drugs certainly operate at the molecular level, the regulation of genetic transcription and, hence, the expression of proteins (the building blocks of life) are both highly dependent on environmental factors governed by the physical world in which molecular biology operates. Engineering-in particular, the rapidly growing field of bioengineering-is the discipline that has the integrative skills and tools to put the molecular pieces of Humpty Dumpty back together again.
The influence of the dynamic transformation of a sliding lever on aiming errors.
Heuer, H; Sülzenbrück, S
Human movements are quickly adjusted to variations of inertial load. However, this adjustment does not always imply a full compensation, so that kinematic movement characteristics vary. The present experiment served to explore the consequences of a complex dynamic transformation, implemented by a sliding first-order lever, on the endpoint distributions of goal-directed movements. Whereas the endpoint distributions were clearly affected by the inertial anisotropy of the arm, there was no effect of the dynamic transformation of the lever, neither on the parameters of endpoint distributions nor on the covariations of endpoints of successive movements (error propagation). However, when the lever was used, the effect of the inertial anisotropy of the arm on movement amplitudes was reduced, accompanied by a longer movement time overall, in particular for movements with higher inertial load of the arm. These observations suggest an interaction of the use of internal models and impedance control in the presence of variable inertial loads. Most likely the influence of the dynamic transformation of the sliding lever is absorbed by increased joint impedance, which also reduces the influence of the inertial anisotropy of the arm which otherwise is (incompletely) compensated based on an internal model of the dynamic transformation of the arm.
Study of vibrational spectra and hydrogen bonding network in dimeric and tetrameric model of ampicillin using DFT and AIM approach
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Shukla, Anuradha; Khan, Eram; Tandon, Poonam; Sinha, Kirti
Ampicillin is a β-lactam antibiotic that is active against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and is widely used for the treatment of infections. In this work, molecular properties of ampicillin are calculated on the basis of calculations on its dimeric and tetrameric models using DFT/B3LYP/6-311G(d,p). HOMO-LUMO energy gap shows that chemical reactivity of tetrameric model of ampicillin is higher than the dimeric and monomeric model of ampicillin. To get a better understanding of intra and intermolecular bonding and interactions among bonds, NBO analysis is carried out with tetrameric model of ampicillin, and is further finalized with an 'quantum theory of atoms-in-molecules' (QTAIM) analysis. The binding energy of dimeric model of ampicillin is calculated as -26.84 kcal/mol and -29.34 kcal/mol using AIM and DFT calculations respectively. The global electrophilicity index (ω = 2.8118 eV) of tetrameric model of ampicillin shows that this behaves as a strong electrophile in comparison to dimeric and monomeric model of ampicillin. The FT-Raman and FT-IR spectra were recorded in the solid phase, and interpreted in terms of potential energy distribution analysis. A collective theoretical and experimental vibrational analysis approves the presence of hydrogen bonds in the ampicillin molecule.
Free Schools in the Big Society: The Motivations, Aims and Demography of Free School Proposers
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Higham, Rob
Free school policy claims to partly decentralise to local proposers decisions over who provides a free school, where and for what reasons, within the constraints of a government approval process. This article analyses empirically the people and organisations doing the proposing and their interactions with the approval process. The article begins…
Current & Future Prospective Payment System: Aligning Financial Incentives with the Quadruple Aim
A1c Sreening Diabetes LDL < 100mg/dL Diabetes A1c > 9 ORYX AMI ‐ Aspirin at discharge ORYX AMI ‐ Beta blocker at discharge ORYX CAC ‐ HMPC Document... ORYX HF ‐ Discharge ORYX PN ‐ Antibiotic received ORYX PN ‐ Vaccination ORYX SCIP ‐ Inf1a Antibiotic overall ORYX SCIP ‐ Inf3A Antibiotic dc AIM
Plant-based strategies aimed at expressing HIV antigens and neutralizing antibodies at high levels. Nef as a case study.
Marusic, Carla; Vitale, Alessandro; Pedrazzini, Emanuela; Donini, Marcello; Frigerio, Lorenzo; Bock, Ralph; Dix, Philip J; McCabe, Matthew S; Bellucci, Michele; Benvenuto, Eugenio
The first evidence that plants represent a valid, safe and cost-effective alternative to traditional expression systems for large-scale production of antigens and antibodies was described more than 10 years ago. Since then, considerable improvements have been made to increase the yield of plant-produced proteins. These include the use of signal sequences to target proteins to different cellular compartments, plastid transformation to achieve high transgene dosage, codon usage optimization to boost gene expression, and protein fusions to improve recombinant protein stability and accumulation. Thus, several HIV/SIV antigens and neutralizing anti-HIV antibodies have recently been successfully expressed in plants by stable nuclear or plastid transformation, and by transient expression systems based on plant virus vectors or Agrobacterium-mediated infection. The current article gives an overview of plant expressed HIV antigens and antibodies and provides an account of the use of different strategies aimed at increasing the expression of the accessory multifunctional HIV-1 Nef protein in transgenic plants.
An investigation into the sensitivity of various albedo neutron dosimeters aimed at correcting the readings
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Alekseev, A. G.; Mokrov, Yu. V.; Morozova, S. V.
The results of an experimental determination of the sensitivity of three types of individual neutron albedo dosimeters in neutron reference fields on the basis of radionuclide sources and at the top concrete shielding of the U-70 accelerator are presented. The results show that the ratios between the responses of the albedo dosimeters designed earlier at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (the albedo dosimeter (AD) and the multicomponent dosimeter (MD)) and the currently used DVGN-01 dosimeter are constant within 25% in a wide range of neutron energy. This fact makes it possible to use the results of measuring the AD and MD responses obtained earlier in neutron fields of nuclear-physical installations at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR) for the correction of DVGN-01 dosimeter measurement results to apply it to personal radiation monitoring (PRM) at these installations. The correction factors for DVGN-01 measurement results are found and recommended to be used in PRM for most JINR installations.
Connect the Credentials: A New Effort Aims to Change the Nation's Fragmented Credentialing System
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pierce, Dennis
Over the past 30 years, the number of industry certificates awarded by colleges and universities has surged more than 800 percent, according to Lumina Foundation. At the same time, new forms of credentials--such as badges--also have emerged. And while there are more than 4,000 organizations granting certifications in the U.S., fewer than 10…
[Terminal home care "Ikigai no Yoake--The real aim of our life"--case report].
Funato, T; Funato, H; Kato, A; Matsuoka, Y; Shibuya, R; Usui, Y; Niwa, Y
It is difficult to provide home care especially for terminal cancer patients as their physical conditions deteriorate due to the cancer. It is important to enhance the will of home care providers to make this possible. Although a universal method has been worked out, personal and religious beliefs have made it difficult to create an effective method. We would like to introduce our experience in the paper entitled "Ikigai no Yoake" and subtitled "Influence of scientific study of reincarnation on view of life" by Fumihiko Ida of Fukushima University. It has encouraged home care providers and made it possible to provide home care to terminal patients along with benefits.
Status and Aims of the DUMAND Neutrino Project: the Ocean as a Neutrino Detector
DOE R&D Accomplishments Database
Roberts, A.; Blood, H.; Learned, J.; Reines, F.
The possibility of using the ocean as a neutrino detector is considered. Neutrino-produced interactions result in charged particles that generate Cherenkov radiation in the water, which can be detected by light-gathering equipment and photomultipliers. The properties of the ocean as seen from this standpoint are critically examined, and the advantages and disadvantages pointed out. Possible uses for such a neutrino detector include (1) the detection of neutrinos emitted in gravitational collapse of stars (supernova production), not only in our own galaxy, but in other galaxies up to perhaps twenty-million light-years away, (2) the extension of high-energy neutrino physics, as currently practiced up to 200 GeV at high-energy accelerators, to energies up to 50 times higher, using neutrinos generated in the atmosphere by cosmic rays, and (3) the possible detection of neutrinos produced by cosmic-ray interactions outside the earth`s atmosphere. The technology for such an undertaking seems to be within reach.
The Question Concerning the Aims of Moral Education: Meillassoux's Ethic of Immortality
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Oral, Sevket Benhur
In this article, the thesis that moral education is best served through education for irreligious thinking will be put forward. At stake here is the acknowledgment of a disquieting kernel at the deepest level of thinking that is usually glossed over or sedated. I will attempt to confront and articulate this kernel and discuss its repercussions for…
"Lee v. Weisman": The Tenth Justice Takes Aim at the "Lemon" Test.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Johnson, T. Page
U.S. Solicitor General Kenneth W. Starr has asked the Supreme Court to abandon the Establishment Clause it formulated in "Lemon v. Kurtzman" (1971) for cases involving governmental accommodation of religion in civic life. Starr's "amicus curiae" in "Lee v. Weisman" questions the clause's persistent tendency to…
Planning and setting objectives in field studies: Chapter 2
Fisher, Robert N.; Dodd, C. Kenneth
This chapter enumerates the steps required in designing and planning field studies on the ecology and conservation of reptiles, as these involve a high level of uncertainty and risk. To this end, the chapter differentiates between goals (descriptions of what one intends to accomplish) and objectives (the measurable steps required to achieve the established goals). Thus, meeting a specific goal may require many objectives. It may not be possible to define some of them until certain experiments have been conducted; often evaluations of sampling protocols are needed to increase certainty in the biological results. And if sampling locations are fixed and sampling events are repeated over time, then both study-specific covariates and sampling-specific covariates should exist. Additionally, other critical design considerations for field study include obtaining permits, as well as researching ethics and biosecurity issues.
Features of Microsystems for Cultivation and Characterization of Stem Cells with the Aim of Regenerative Therapy
Ahn, Kihoon; Kim, Sung-Hwan; Lee, Gi-Hun; Lee, SeungJin; Heo, Yun Seok; Park, Joong Yull
Stem cells have infinite potential for regenerative therapy thanks to their advantageous ability which is differentiable to requisite cell types for recovery and self-renewal. The microsystem has been proved to be more helpful to stem cell studies compared to the traditional methods, relying on its advantageous feature of mimicking in vivo cellular environments as well as other profitable features such as minimum sample consumption for analysis and multiprocedures. A wide variety of microsystems were developed for stem cell studies; however, regenerative therapy-targeted applications of microtechnology should be more emphasized and gain more attractions since the regenerative therapy is one of ultimate goals of biologists and bioengineers. In this review, we introduce stem cell researches harnessing well-known microtechniques (microwell, micropattern, and microfluidic channel) in view point of physical principles and how these systems and principles have been implemented appropriately for characterizing stem cells and finding possible regenerative therapies. Biologists may gain information on the principles of microsystems to apply them to find solutions for their current challenges, and engineers may understand limitations of the conventional microsystems and find new chances for further developing practical microsystems. Through the well combination of engineers and biologists, the regenerative therapy-targeted stem cell researches harnessing microtechnology will find better suitable treatments for human disorders. PMID:26941802
Features of Microsystems for Cultivation and Characterization of Stem Cells with the Aim of Regenerative Therapy.
Ahn, Kihoon; Kim, Sung-Hwan; Lee, Gi-Hun; Lee, SeungJin; Heo, Yun Seok; Park, Joong Yull
Stem cells have infinite potential for regenerative therapy thanks to their advantageous ability which is differentiable to requisite cell types for recovery and self-renewal. The microsystem has been proved to be more helpful to stem cell studies compared to the traditional methods, relying on its advantageous feature of mimicking in vivo cellular environments as well as other profitable features such as minimum sample consumption for analysis and multiprocedures. A wide variety of microsystems were developed for stem cell studies; however, regenerative therapy-targeted applications of microtechnology should be more emphasized and gain more attractions since the regenerative therapy is one of ultimate goals of biologists and bioengineers. In this review, we introduce stem cell researches harnessing well-known microtechniques (microwell, micropattern, and microfluidic channel) in view point of physical principles and how these systems and principles have been implemented appropriately for characterizing stem cells and finding possible regenerative therapies. Biologists may gain information on the principles of microsystems to apply them to find solutions for their current challenges, and engineers may understand limitations of the conventional microsystems and find new chances for further developing practical microsystems. Through the well combination of engineers and biologists, the regenerative therapy-targeted stem cell researches harnessing microtechnology will find better suitable treatments for human disorders.
Organ and tissue donation in clinical settings: a systematic review of the impact of interventions aimed at health professionals
In countries where presumed consent for organ donation does not apply, health professionals (HP) are key players for identifying donors and obtaining their consent. This systematic review was designed to verify the efficacy of interventions aimed at HPs to promote organ and tissue donation in clinical settings. CINAHL (1982 to 2012), COCHRANE LIBRARY, EMBASE (1974 to 2012), MEDLINE (1966 to 2012), PsycINFO (1960 to 2012), and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses were searched for papers published in French or English until September 2012. Studies were considered if they met the following criteria: aimed at improving HPs' practices regarding the donation process or at increasing donation rates; HPs working in clinical settings; and interventions with a control group or pre-post assessments. Intervention behavioral change techniques were analyzed using a validated taxonomy. A risk ratio was computed for each study having a control group. A total of 15 studies were identified, of which only 5 had a control group. Interventions were either educational, organizational or a combination of both, and had a weak theoretical basis. The most common behavior change technique was providing instruction. Two sets of interventions showed a significant risk ratio. However, most studies did not report the information needed to compute their efficacy. Therefore, interventions aimed at improving the donation process or at increasing donation rates should be based on sound theoretical frameworks. They would benefit from more rigorous evaluation methods to ensure good knowledge translation and appropriate organizational decisions to improve professional practices. PMID:24628967
A Study of Parameters of the Counterpropagating Leader and its Influence on the Lightning Protection of Objects Using Large-Scale Laboratory Modeling
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Syssoev, V. S.; Kostinskiy, A. Yu.; Makalskiy, L. M.; Rakov, A. V.; Andreev, M. G.; Bulatov, M. U.; Sukharevsky, D. I.; Naumova, M. U.
In this work, the results of experiments on initiating the upward and descending leaders during the development of a long spark when studying lightning protection of objects with the help of large-scale models are shown. The influence of the counterpropagating leaders on the process of the lightning strike of ground-based and insulated objects is discussed. In the first case, the upward negative leader is initiated by the positive downward leader, which propagates from the high-voltage electrode of the "rod-rod"-type Marx generator (the rod is located on the plane and is 3-m high) in the gap with a length of 9-12 m. The positive-voltage pulse with a duration of 7500 μs had an amplitude of up to 3 MV. In the second case, initiation of the positive upward leader was performed in the electric field created by a cloud of negatively charged aerosol, which simulates the charged thunderstorm cell. In this case, all the phases characteristic of the ascending lightnings initiated by the tall ground-based objects and the triggered lightnings during the experiments with an actual thunderstorm cloud were observed in the forming spark discharge with a length of 1.5-2.0 m. The main parameters of the counterpropagating leader, which is initiated by the objects during the large-scale model experiments with a long spark, are shown.
[Jun TOSAKA's attempt in "Science Aiming to Product": thoroughness of the view of science founded on production].
Kitabayashi, Masahiro
In this paper, the author will make it clear that the main object of "Science Aiming to Product" published in 1941 by Jun TOSAKA (1900-45), based on historical investigation focusing on the role of 'technology' in his theory of ideology. Objects of this investigation will include some papers unrecorded in The Complete Works of Jun TOSAKA. In 1929, he put 'practice' as an important position in his theory of science and ideology, and didn't use 'experiment' or 'technology'. At first, his 'practice' meant 'politics' mainly, then that included meaning of 'experiment' and 'production' too in 1932. Since 1933, he became to put 'technology' as an important position in place of 'practice'. But he had been grasped experiment' as 'practice' until 1941. On the other hand, to grasp 'science' and 'technology' as 'practice' became the mainstream of the press in 1941. In that situation, he reviewed the relationship between 'science' and 'technology'. And he became to grasp 'experiment' as 'material production'. Then he could make the view of science founded on production thorough.
Money Isn't Everything: Prospects and Problems in Achieving the Aims of the Computer Revolution.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Marshall, Gail
Researchers claim that the computer revolution has fizzled in many school districts; less than half of America's teachers use computers. This paper asserts that funding or its lack is not enough to make or break technology implementation. Factors like resistance to change and disagreement over evaluation methods that hinder the acceptance of…
The Aims, Methods, and Effects of Deliberative Civic Education through the National Issues Forums.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Gastil, John; Dillard, James P.
Examines the goals, methods, and effects of four current deliberative civic education programs, with an in-depth analysis of one: the National Issues Forums (NIF). Shows that NIF can bolster participants' political self-efficacy, refine their political judgments, broaden their political conversation networks, and reduce their conversational…
In Defense of the Defense: The Continuing Political Value of Denial of Enemy Aims
surrender or capitulate entirely to US demands. 2 This strategy of battle , further described below, has focused in particular on destroying or "interdicting...would necessarily use all of that force in (1) the war overall or, equally, ( 2 ) in one humongous, clash-of-wills battle based on totally destructive...Introduction: Air-Sea Battle in a Contested Geopolitical Environment This article seeks to answer one very large question: how should the United States
Aiming for the stomach and hitting the heart: Dissociable triggers and sources for disgust reactions
Shenhav, Amitai; Mendes, Wendy Berry
Disgust reactions can be elicited using stimuli that engender orogastric rejection (e.g., pus and vomit; Core Disgust stimuli), but also using images of bloody injuries or medical procedures (e.g., surgeries; Blood-[Body] Boundary Violation [B-BV] Disgust stimuli). These two types of disgust reaction are believed to be connected by a common evolutionary function of avoiding either food- or blood-borne contaminants. However, reactions to the category of bloody injuries are typically conflated with reactions to the potential pain being experienced by the victim. This may explain why the two forms of 'disgust,' though similarly communicated (through self-report and facial expressions) evince different patterns of physiological reactivity. We therefore tested whether the communicative similarities and physiological dissimilarities would hold when markers of potential contamination in the latter category are removed, leaving only painful injuries that lack blood or explicit body-envelope violations. Participants viewed films that depicted imagery associated with (1) core disgust, (2) painful injuries, or (3) neutral scenes while we measured facial, cardiovascular, and gastric reactivity, respectively. Whereas communicative measures (self-report and facial muscles) suggested that participants experienced increased disgust for both core disgust and painful injuries, peripheral physiology dissociated the two: core disgust decreased normal gastric activity and painful-injury disgust decelerated heart rate and increased heart rate variability. These findings suggest that expressions of disgust toward bodily injuries may reflect a fundamentally different affective response than those evoked by core disgust, and that this (cardiovascularly-mediated) response may in fact be more closely tied to pain-perceptions (or empathy) rather than contaminant-laden stimuli. PMID:24219399
Geography, History, and the Aims of Education: The Possibility of Multiculturalism in "Democracy and Education"
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Pratt, Scott L.
In this essay, Scott Pratt develops the tension at work in "Democracy and Education" between conceptions of multiculturalism that emerge from Dewey's commitment to progress as a process of civilization and from his contrasting commitment to a vision of progress as a localized process that requires respect for boundaries and limits. The…
The Tobacco Deposition and Trial Testimony Archive (DATTA) project: origins, aims, and methods.
Davis, Ronald M; Douglas, Clifford E; Beasley, John K
Research on previously secret tobacco industry documents has grown substantially during the past decade, since these documents first became available as the result of private and governmental litigation and investigations by the US Congress and the US Food and Drug Administration. Complementary research on tobacco litigation testimony is now being conducted through the Tobacco Deposition and Trial Testimony Archive (DATTA) project. We obtained transcripts of depositions and trial testimony, deposition and trial exhibits, expert reports, and other litigation documents from law firms, court reporter firms, individual lawyers and witnesses, tobacco company websites, and other sources. As of 3 March 2006, the publicly available collection of DATTA (http://tobaccodocuments.org/datta) contained 4850 transcripts of depositions and trial testimony, including a total of about 820,000 transcript pages. Transcripts covered testimony from 1957 to 2005 (85% were for testimony from 1990 to 2005) given by more than 1500 witnesses in a total of 232 lawsuits. Twelve research teams were established to study the transcripts, with each team covering a particular topic (for example, the health consequences of tobacco use, addiction and pharmacology, tobacco advertising and promotion, tobacco-product design and manufacture, economic impact of tobacco use, youth initiation of tobacco use, and public understanding of the risks of tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke). The teams used qualitative research methods to analyse the documents, and their initial findings are published throughout this journal supplement.
Treatment-Related Changes in Objectively Measured Parenting Behaviors in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Wells, Karen C.; Chi, Terry C.; Hinshaw, Stephen P.; Epstein, Jeffery N.; Pfiffner, Linda; Nebel-Schwalm, Marie; Owens, Elizabeth B.; Arnold, L. Eugene; Abikoff, Howard B.; Conners, C. Keith; Elliott, Glen R.; Greenhill, Laurence L.; Hechtman, Lily; Hoza, Betsy; Jensen, Peter S.; March, John; Newcorn, Jeffrey H.; Pelham, William E.; Severe, Joanne B.; Swanson, James; Vitiello, Benedetto; Wigal, Timothy
The present study examined treatment outcomes for objectively measured parenting behavior in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Five hundred seventy-nine ethnically and socioeconomically diverse children with ADHD-combined type (ages 7.0-9.9 years) and their parent(s) were recruited …
Production of crude xylanase from Thermoascus aurantiacus CBMAI 756 aiming the baking process.
Oliveira, Denise S; Meherb-Dini, Carolina; Franco, Célia M L; Gomes, Eleni; Da-Silva, Roberto
In recent years, the baking industry has focused its attention on substituting several chemical compounds with enzymes. Enzymes that hydrolyze nonstarch polysaccharides, such as xylanase, lead to the improvement of rheological properties of dough, loaf specific volume, and crumb firmness. The purpose of this study was to find a better solid-state fermentation substrate to produce high levels of xylanase and low levels of protease and amylase, which are enzymes involved in bread quality, from Thermoascus aurantiacus CBMAI 756. Wheat bran, corncob, and corn straw were used as energy sources. The enzyme extract of corncob showed high xylanase activity (130 U/mL) and low amylase and protease activity (<1 and 15 U/mL, respectively). This enzyme profile may be more profitable for the baking industry, because it results in a slower degradation of gluten. Our results confirm this finding, because the enzyme obtained by fermentation in corncob resulted in a gluten with a higher specific volume than all the other substrates that were tested. The crude xylanase presented maximum activity at a pH of 5, and the optimum temperature was 75 °C. It was stable up to 70 °C for an hour and at a pH range from 4 to 10.
Non-invasive studies of objects from cultural heritage
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Lehmann, Eberhard H.; Vontobel, Peter; Deschler-Erb, Eckhard; Soares, Marie
In order to preserve the objects from European cultural heritage in its structure and shape for our future generations, there is a need to perform all investigations on important samples non-destructively or with very limited amounts of material. Among the non-destructive testing (NDT) methods available for this purpose there are those that need large installations such as accelerators and reactors to provide different kinds of radiation (X-ray, protons, neutrons, gamma, etc.). Therefore, a link between the specialists working at such facilities with scientists from museums and archaeological institutes is necessary. This paper describes the status of a European network dedicated to the NDT of museum objects (COST-G8) as an overview. In more detail, the activities in Switzerland will be presented where PSI plays a role for the study with neutrons and X-rays. Most of the investigated samples of Swiss collections are from Celtic or Roman origin. The superposition of both applied methods gives the opportunity to decide about the structure of objects and artefacts from restoration work applied later to the virgin excavation status. The presented examples will give an overview about opportunities of the applied methods and their limitations in some cases. This should be motivating to adapt the demonstrated methods to other similar objects of historical relevance.
A Longitudinal Study of Cognitive Representation in Symbolic Play, Self-recognition, and Object Permanence during the Second Year.
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chapman, Michael
Explores development of cognitive representation in 20 infants 12 to 24 months of age with regard to (l) their understanding of agency in symbolic play (agent use), (2) recognition of their own mirror image, and (3) object permanence. Results were generally consistent with developmental sequences predicted by Fischer's Skill Theory for agent use…
Exploring the relationship between object realism and object-based attention effects.
Roque, Nelson; Boot, Walter R
Visual attention prioritizes processing of locations in space, and evidence also suggests that the benefits of attention can be shaped by the presence of objects (object-based attention). However, the prevalence of object-based attention effects has been called into question recently by evidence from a large-sampled study employing classic attention paradigms (Pilz et al., 2012). We conducted two experiments to explore factors that might determine when and if object-based attention effects are observed, focusing on the degree to which the concreteness and realism of objects might contribute to these effects. We adapted the classic attention paradigm first reported by Egly, Driver, and Rafal (1994) by replacing abstract bar stimuli in some conditions with objects that were more concrete and familiar to participants: items of silverware. Furthermore, we varied the realism of these items of silverware, presenting either cartoon versions or photo-realistic versions. Contrary to predictions, increased realism did not increase the size of object-based effects. In fact, no clear object-based effects were observed in either experiment, consistent with previous failures to replicate these effects in similar paradigms. While object-based attention may exist, and may have important influences on how we parse the visual world, these and other findings suggest that the two-object paradigm typically relied upon to study object-based effects may not be the best paradigm to investigate these issues.
Individuation of objects and events: a developmental study.
Wagner, Laura; Carey, Susan
This study investigates children's ability to use language to guide their choice of individuation criterion in the domains of objects and events. Previous work (Shipley, E. F., & Shepperson, B. (1990). Countable entities: developmental changes. Cognition, 34, 109-136.) has shown that children have a strong bias to use a spatio-temporal individuation strategy when counting objects and that children will ignore a conflicting linguistic description in favor of this spatio-temporal bias. Experiment 1 asked children (3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds) and adults to count objects and events under different linguistic descriptions. In the object task, subjects counted pictures of familiar objects split into multiple pieces (as in Shipley, E. F., & Shepperson, B. (1990). Countable entities: developmental changes. Cognition, 34, 109-136.) and described either using an appropriate kind label (e.g. "car") or the general term "thing". In the event task, subjects watched short animated movies consisting of a goal-oriented event achieved via multiple, temporally separated steps. The events were described either with an appropriate telic predicate targeting the goal (e.g. "paint a flower") or with an atelic predicate targeting the steps in the process (e.g. "paint") and the subjects' task was to count the events. Relative to adults, children preferred a spatio-temporal counting strategy in both tasks; there was no difference among the three groups of children. However, children were able to significantly change their counting strategy to follow the linguistic description in the event but not the object task. Experiment 2 extended the object task to include counting of other types of non-spatio-temporal units such as sub-parts of objects and collections. Results showed that children could use the linguistic descriptions to guide their counting strategy for these new items, though they continued to show a bias for a spatio-temporal individuation strategy with the collections. We suggest
Persistence of the Intuitive Conception That Heavier Objects Sink More: A Reaction Time Study with Different Levels of Interference
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Potvin, Patrice; Masson, Steve; Lafortune, Stéphanie; Cyr, Guillaume
Recent research efforts have argued for the "persistence" of some of students' frequent scientific misconceptions, even after correct answers are produced. Some of these studies, based on the analysis of reaction times, have recorded latencies for counter-intuitive or incongruent stimuli compared to intuitive or congruent ones. The…
Plurilingual Proficiency as a Learning Objective for a Multilingual Curriculum in the Study of Business in Finland
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Schlabach, Joachim
Plurilingual skills are among the key skills required in international business communication. Employees working in international business operations use multiple languages concurrently, switch between them, and mediate between different languages and cultures. Up until now however, the language teaching accompanying business studies at…
A Taxonomic Description of the Science Integrating Learning Objectives in Career and Technical Education Programs of Study
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Spindler, Matthew
The integration of career and technical education (CTE) and academic curricular content that capitalizes on natural and inherent connections represents a challenge for CTE professionals. The purpose of this study was to employ Bloom's revised taxonomy (Anderson, Krathwohl, Airasian, Cruiskshank, Mayer, Pintrich, Raths, & Wittrock, 2001) to…
Once a myth, now an object of study - How the perception of comets has changed over the centuries
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
In February 2004, Rosetta will be setting off on its long journey through our solar system to meet up with Comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It will take the European Space Agency (ESA) space probe ten years to reach its destination. The comet, which moves in an elliptical orbit around the Sun, will at rendezvous be some 675 million kilometres from the Sun, near the point in its orbit farthest from the Sun. The meeting point was not chosen at random: at this point the comet is still barely active, it is still in fact a frozen lump of ice and interplanetary dust, in all probability the matter from which our solar system emerged four and a half billion years ago. Rosetta's job is to find out more about these strange bodies that travel through our solar system. As it moves on, the comet will begin to change. As it approaches the Sun, it will - like all comets - become active: in the warmth of the Sun's rays, the ices evaporate, tearing small dust particles from the surface. This produces the comet head (the coma) and tail. Only these two phenomena are visible from Earth. The comet nucleus itself is far too tiny - Churyumov-Gerasimenko measures about 4 kilometres across - to be viewed from Earth. As Dr Uwe Keller of the Max Planck Institute for Aeronomy in Kaltenburg-Lindau, the scientist responsible for the Osiris camera carried by Rosetta, explains, "Formation of the coma and tail during solar flyby skims several metres of matter off the comet's surface. In the case of a small comet like Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the shrinkage is a good 1% each time round." As it flies past the Sun every 6.6 years it can look forward to a short future, especially on a cosmic timescale. Comets - a mystical view Visible cometary phenomena have fascinated human beings from time immemorial - and frightened them too. Even today mystical explanations prevail among some of the Earth's peoples. The Andaman islanders, a primitive people living in the Gulf of Bengal, see comets as burning
Systolic hypertension in the elderly: long-term lacidipine treatment. Objective, protocol, and organization. SHELL Study Group.
Malacco, E; Gnemmi, A E; Romagnoli, A; Coppini, A
Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) is a definite risk factor for cardiovascular complications (i.e., cardiac failure, coronary artery disease, and stroke) independent of diastolic elevation. The prevalence of ISH is estimated to be approximately 15-20% in the population above the age of 60 years, and increases with advancing age. The Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly (SHELL) study is planned to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of lacidipine, matched with the diuretic chlorthalidone, in treatment of ISH in elderly hypertensive patients (EHP). One hundred fifteen Italian centers will participate in the study. Fifty centers are associated with the Società Italiana di Geriatria Ospedaliera and 65 centers are departments of internal medicine or outpatient clinics for management of hypertension. A total of 4,800 patients will be enrolled in the trial. Two subprojects will consist of periodical echocardiographic evaluation and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. The primary end point of the SHELL study is the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in EHP with ISH, treated with either lacidipine or chlorthalidone. In particular, the SHELL trial is intended to determine whether lacidipine treatment will significantly reduce fatal myocardial events and total cardiovascular mortality.
The Experience of Doctoral Studies in the UK and France: Differences in Epistemology, Research Objects and Training
ERIC Educational Resources Information Center
Chiang, Kuang-Hsu
This article investigates how doctoral students perceive their research education in different disciplines in two higher education systems, the UK and France. It explores what underlies the diversity of doctoral students' experiences. Three theoretical positions are identified: the epistemological position, conceptualisation of research objects…
Studies of compact objects with Einstein - Review and prospects
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)
Grindlay, Jonathan E.
X-ray images and spectra of a wide range of systems containing compact objects were obtained with the Einstein X-ray Observatory. Accreting white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes were observed in binary systems in the Galaxy, and new constraints were derived for their formation, nature and evolution. Massive black holes were studied in active galactic nuclei, and X-ray spectra (and evolution) of AGN have led to a new model for the diffuse X-ray background.
The Universe's Most Distant Object
This video is a zoom into the Hubble Space Telescope infrared Ultra Deep Field, first taken in 2009. It is a very small patch of sky in the southern constellation Fornax. The zoom centers on the fa...
The patient's objects in the analyst's mind.
Kulish, Nancy
In every analysis, the analyst develops an internal relationship with the patient's objects-that is, the people in the patient's life and mind. Sometimes these figures can inhabit the analyst's mind as a source of data, but at other times, the analyst may feel preoccupied with or even invaded by them. The author presents two clinical cases: one in which the seeming absence of a good object in the patient's mind made the analyst hesitate to proceed with an analysis, and another in which the patient's preoccupation with a "bad" object was shared and mirrored by the analyst's own inner preoccupation with the object. The use and experience of these two objects by the analyst are discussed with particular attention to the countertransference.
Aiming for Progress in Understanding Underwater Noise Impact on Fish: Complementary Need for Indoor and Outdoor Studies.
Slabbekoorn, Hans
Anthropogenic noise can be detrimental to aquatic life through physical harm and behavioral impact. Physical harm to fish only occurs very close to typically brief but high-power sources. Behavioral impact occurs at more moderate levels and is spatially and temporally much more widespread. More studies are needed to get a better understanding of the behavioral impact on fish. Indoor and outdoor studies vary in their acoustic and behavioral validity and in the amount of experimental control. Although each approach has its limitations, scientific progress and applied insights will depend on the exploitation of their complementary potential.
Study for Improving the Definition of the Army Objective Force Methodology, Phase II (IDOFOR II). Volume I. Executive Summary.
UNCLASSIFIED CAA-S-81-17-VOL-13 N MF__ 11111 32 11111 I.' ' 0 MICROCOPY RESOLUTION TESi CHART NATIONAL BURfAU OJf STANDARDS 1%3 A, • 1 - - H DISCLAIMER The...Support Agency USAREUR United States Army, Europe USMC United States Marine Corps VERT Venture Evaluation Review Technique VULCAN short-range, 20mm air