Patients' Perceptions of the Causes of Their Success and Lack of Success in Achieving Their Potential in Spinal Cord Rehabilitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belciug, Marian P.

2012-01-01

The objective of this study was to examine the patients' perception of the causes of their success and lack of success in achieving their potential in rehabilitation and their emotional reactions to the outcome of their rehabilitation. Thirty-five patients with spinal cord injury who were participating in the Rehabilitation Program at Hamilton…

Academic Success of Montgomery College Students in the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) Program: 2014-2015

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper-Martin, Elizabeth; Wolanin, Natalie

2016-01-01

The Office of Shared Accountability in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is conducting a multiyear evaluation of the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program. The ACES program is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College (MC) and the Universities at Shady Grove to create a seamless pathway from high school to college…

High School Success: An Effective Intervention for Achievement and Dropout Prevention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowder, Christopher Michael

2012-01-01

The purpose of this mixed-design study was to use quantitative and qualitative research to explore the effects of High School Success (a course for at-risk ninth graders) and its effectiveness on student achievement, attendance, and dropout prevention. The research questions address whether there is a significant difference between at-risk ninth…

Defining and achieving treatment success in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Stolar, Mark W

2010-12-01

Traditionally, successful treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) has been defined strictly by achievement of targeted glycemic control, primarily using a stepped-care approach that begins with changes in lifestyle combined with oral therapy that is slowly intensified as disease progression advances and β-cell function declines. However, stepped care is often adjusted without regard to the mechanism of hyperglycemia or without long-term objectives. A more comprehensive definition of treatment success in patients with type 2 DM should include slowing or stopping disease progression and optimizing the reduction of all risk factors associated with microvascular and macrovascular disease complications. To achieve these broader goals, it is important to diagnose diabetes earlier in the disease course and to consider use of more aggressive combination therapy much earlier with agents that have the potential to slow or halt the progressive β-cell dysfunction and loss characteristic of type 2 DM. A new paradigm for managing patients with type 2 DM should address the concomitant risk factors and morbidities of obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia with equal or occasionally even greater aggressiveness than for hyperglycemia. The use of antidiabetes agents that may favorably address cardiovascular risk factors should be considered more strongly in treatment algorithms, although no pharmacological therapy is likely to be ultimately successful without concomitant synergistic lifestyle changes. Newer incretin-based therapies, such as glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors, which appear to have a favorable cardiovascular safety profile as well as the mechanistic possibility for a favorable cardiovascular risk impact, are suitable for earlier inclusion as part of combination regimens aimed at achieving comprehensive treatment success in patients with type 2 DM.

Achieving Successful School-University Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borthwick, Arlene C.; Stirling, Terry; Nauman, April D.; Cook, Dale L.

2003-01-01

Investigated essential elements required to establish and maintain successful school-university partnerships as reported by principals, teachers, and university coordinators involved in both voluntary and mandated partnerships. Results identified five factors representing different perspectives on key elements for successful partnerships, with…

Collaborating with Parents for Early School Success: The Achieving-Behaving-Caring Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McConaughy, Stephanie H.; Kay, Pam; Welkowitz, Julie A.; Hewitt, Kim; Fitzgerald, Martha D.

2007-01-01

The Achieving-Behaving-Caring (ABC) Program is an evidence-based approach to addressing the needs of elementary students at risk for emotional and behavioral difficulties and promoting successful home-school collaboration. This practical guide demonstrates how classroom teachers and parents can work together to boost individual children's…

Local Tax Limits, Student Achievement, and School-Finance Equalization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Matthew; Vedder, Andrea; Stone, Joe

2016-01-01

Evidence that local tax and expenditure limits (TELs) for public K-12 schools lower student achievement is widely attributed to the effects of reduced funding, but our results cast doubt on reduced funding as the primary explanation for negative effects of TELs and instead suggest the importance of the predictability of funding. Students in…

Closing the Math Achievement Gap: Institutions Find Success with MyMathLab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Pearl

2012-01-01

Institutions find success with Pearson Education's MyMathLab. The Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Memphis (UM) reported a narrowing of the achievement gap between Black and White students. According to the study conducted by UM professors and titled "The Effectiveness of Blended Instruction in Postsecondary General…

Food availability at birth limited reproductive success in historical humans.

PubMed

Rickard, Ian J; Holopainen, Jari; Helama, Samuli; Helle, Samuli; Russell, Andrew F; Lummaa, Virpi

2010-12-01

Environmental conditions in early life can profoundly affect individual development and have consequences for reproductive success. Limited food availability may be one of the reasons for this, but direct evidence linking variation in early-life nutrition to reproductive performance in adulthood in natural populations is sparse. We combined historical agricultural data with detailed demographic church records to investigate the effect of food availability around the time of birth on the reproductive success of 927 men and women born in 18th-century Finland. Our study population exhibits natural mortality and fertility rates typical of many preindustrial societies, and individuals experienced differing access to resources due to social stratification. We found that among both men and women born into landless families (i.e., with low access to resources), marital prospects, probability of reproduction, and offspring viability were all positively related to local crop yield during the birth year. Such effects were generally absent among those born into landowning families. Among landless individuals born when yields of the two main crops, rye and barley, were both below median, only 50% of adult males and 55% of adult females gained any reproductive success in their lifetime, whereas 97% and 95% of those born when both yields were above the median did so. Our results suggest that maternal investment in offspring in prenatal or early postnatal life may have profound implications for the evolutionary fitness of human offspring, particularly among those for which resources are more limiting. Our study adds support to the idea that early nutrition can limit reproductive success in natural animal populations, and provides the most direct evidence to date that this process applies to humans.

Adolescents' Expectancies for Success and Achievement Task Values during the Middle and High School Years.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wigfield, Allan; Tonks, Stephen

This chapter discusses the development of achievement motivation during adolescence from the perspective of expectancy-value theory, and explains how adolescents' expectancies for success and achievement values change during adolescence, particularly during educational transitions such as that from elementary to middle school and from middle to…

Indicators of Success in Achieving the El Centro College Goals, 1997-2000.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

El Centro Coll., Dallas, TX.

This is a report on indicators of success in achieving community college goals at El Centro College (Texas). The report provides statistics from 1997-2000 and focuses on the progress of nine goals: (1) institutionalizing service beyond expectation--according to student satisfaction surveys, campus changes that have occurred between 1996 and 1999…

Stories of Success: Understanding Academic Achievement of Hispanic Students in Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Amanda

A review of the literature shows that there is much evidence to suggest the challenges facing Hispanic students in American public schools. Hispanic enrollment in K--12 public schools has increased from 6 to 19% in the last thirty years, yet schools have not made adequate adjustments to accommodate this changing population. Issues such as remedial tracking and cultural differences have led to low high school graduate rates for Hispanic students and inequities in schooling experiences (Gay, 2000). Particularly in the area of science, Hispanic students struggle with academic success (Cole & Espinoza, 2008). Despite these obstacles, some Hispanic students are academically successful (Rochin & Mello, 2007; Merisotis & Kee, 2006). This dissertation tells the stories of these Hispanic students who have been successful in science in secondary public schools. This study followed a grounded theory methodology and utilized individual interviews to collect data about Hispanics who have demonstrated achievement in the area of science. Through the analysis of these interviews, factors were identified which may have contributed to the success of these Hispanics in the field of science. Implications for future practice in public schools are also discussed.

The Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model: Implications for Professional School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steen, Sam; Henfield, Malik S.; Booker, Beverly

2014-01-01

This article presents the Achieving Success Everyday (ASE) group counseling model, which is designed to help school counselors integrate students' academic and personal-social development into their group work. We first describe this group model in detail and then offer one case example of a middle school counselor using the ASE model to conduct a…

Achieving quantum precision limit in adaptive qubit state tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, Zhibo; Zhu, Huangjun; Xiang, Guo-Yong; Li, Chuan-Feng; Guo, Guang-Can

2016-02-01

The precision limit in quantum state tomography is of great interest not only to practical applications but also to foundational studies. However, little is known about this subject in the multiparameter setting even theoretically due to the subtle information trade-off among incompatible observables. In the case of a qubit, the theoretic precision limit was determined by Hayashi as well as Gill and Massar, but attaining the precision limit in experiments has remained a challenging task. Here we report the first experiment that achieves this precision limit in adaptive quantum state tomography on optical polarisation qubits. The two-step adaptive strategy used in our experiment is very easy to implement in practice. Yet it is surprisingly powerful in optimising most figures of merit of practical interest. Our study may have significant implications for multiparameter quantum estimation problems, such as quantum metrology. Meanwhile, it may promote our understanding about the complementarity principle and uncertainty relations from the information theoretic perspective.

Arts Achieve, Impacting Student Success in the Arts: Preliminary Findings after One Year of Implementation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mastrorilli, Tara M.; Harnett, Susanne; Zhu, Jing

2014-01-01

The "Arts Achieve: Impacting Student Success in the Arts" project involves a partnership between the New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) and five of the city's premier arts organizations. "Arts Achieve" provides intensive and targeted professional development to arts teachers over a three-year period. The goal of the…

Qualitative research study of high-achieving females' life experiences impacting success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butcher, Ann Patrice

2003-07-01

This qualitative study investigated the life experiences of five academically gifted female students in math and science in reflection of their elementary learning prior to enrollment at a prestigious science and mathematics high school. The elite high school limits admission to the state of Illinois' top students. The purpose of this study is to unfold the story of five academically gifted females in attendance at the elite high school reflecting on their life experiences in elementary school that contributed to their current academic success. Twelve female students, who at the time of this study were currently in their senior year (12th grade) of high school, were solicited from the top academic groups who are regarded by their teachers as highly successful in class. Students were selected as part of the study based on academic status, survey completion and interest in study, Caucasian and Asian ethnicity, locale of elementary school with preference given to the variety of school demographics---urban, suburban, and rural---further defined the group to the core group of five. All female participants were personally interviewed and communicated via Internet with the researcher. Parents and teachers completing surveys as well met the methodological requirements of triangulation. An emergent theme of paternal influence came from the research. Implications supported in the research drawn from this study to increase achievement of academically gifted females include: (a) proper early identification of learner strengths plays a role; (b) learning with appropriate intellectual peers is more important than learning with their age group; (c) teachers are the greatest force for excellent instruction; (d) effective teaching strategies include cooperative learning, multi-sensory learning, problem-based learning, and hands-on science; (e) rigor in math is important; (f) gender and stereotypes need not be barriers; (g) outside interests and activities are important for self

Parental Involvement and Adolescents' Educational Success: The Roles of Prior Achievement and Socioeconomic Status.

PubMed

Benner, Aprile D; Boyle, Alaina E; Sadler, Sydney

2016-06-01

Parental educational involvement in primary and secondary school is strongly linked to students' academic success; however; less is known about the long-term effects of parental involvement. In this study, we investigated the associations between four aspects of parents' educational involvement (i.e., home- and school-based involvement, educational expectations, academic advice) and young people's proximal (i.e., grades) and distal academic outcomes (i.e., educational attainment). Attention was also placed on whether these relations varied as a function of family socioeconomic status or adolescents' prior achievement. The data were drawn from 15,240 10th grade students (50 % females; 57 % White, 13 % African American, 15 % Latino, 9 % Asian American, and 6 % other race/ethnicity) participating in the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002. We observed significant links between both school-based involvement and parental educational expectations and adolescents' cumulative high school grades and educational attainment. Moderation analyses revealed that school-based involvement seemed to be particularly beneficial for more disadvantaged youth (i.e., those from low-SES families, those with poorer prior achievement), whereas parents' academic socialization seemed to better promote the academic success of more advantaged youth (i.e., those from high-SES families, those with higher prior achievement). These findings suggest that academic interventions and supports could be carefully targeted to better support the educational success of all young people.

40 CFR 450.22 - Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 450.22 Section 450.22 Protection of... limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as provided in 40... the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). (a) Beginning no later than August 1...

40 CFR 450.22 - Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 450.22 Section 450.22 Protection of... Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as... application of the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). (a) Beginning no later than August...

40 CFR 450.22 - Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 450.22 Section 450.22 Protection of... Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as... application of the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). (a) Beginning no later than August...

40 CFR 450.22 - Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 450.22 Section 450.22 Protection of... limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as provided in 40... the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). (a) Beginning no later than August 1...

40 CFR 450.22 - Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 450.22 Section 450.22 Protection of... Effluent limitations reflecting the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as... application of the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). (a) Beginning no later than August...

The Achieving Success Everyday Group Counseling Model: Fostering Resiliency in Middle School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Joy; Steen, Sam

2015-01-01

This article discusses a group counseling intervention used to develop and foster resiliency in middle school students by implementing the Achieving Success Everyday (ASE) group counseling model. The authors aimed to discover what impact this group counseling intervention, which focused on resiliency characteristics, would have on students'…

Success Despite Socioeconomics: A Case Study of a High-Achieving, High-Poverty School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tilley, Thomas Brent; Smith, Samuel J.; Claxton, Russell L.

2012-01-01

This case study of a high-achieving, high-poverty school describes the school's leadership, culture, and programs that contributed to its success. Data were collected from two surveys (the School Culture Survey and the Vanderbilt Assessment of Leadership in Education), observations at the school site, and interviews with school personnel. The…

A Framework for Achieving e-Business Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kumar, U.; Maheshwari, M.; Kumar, V.

2004-01-01

This paper presents the findings of an empirical study of critical factors associated with e-business success. An a priori model relating the success factors to e-business success is developed. The study uses the "balanced scorecard" methodology to measure the success of e-business organizations, as the authors believe that financial measures are…

Developing a Latino Mentoring Program: Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sáenz, Victor B.; Ponjuan, Luis; Segovia, Jorge, Jr.; Del Real Viramontes, José

2015-01-01

This chapter highlights the development of Project MALES (Mentoring to Achieve Latino Educational Success). At the center of Project MALES is a mentoring program that aims to cultivate an engaged support network for males of color at the University of Texas at Austin and across surrounding communities. Specifically, there is a discussion of the…

Donde Estan los Estudiantes Puertorriquenos/os Exitosos? [Where Are the Academically Successful Puerto Rican Students?]: Success Factors of High-Achieving Puerto Rican High School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Antrop-Gonzalez, Rene; Velez, William; Garrett, Tomas

2005-01-01

This article describes the 4 success factors that 10 working class Puerto Rican urban high school students attributed to their high academic achievement. These success factors were (a) the acquisition of social capital through religiosity and participation in school and community-based extracurricular activities, (b) having a strong Puerto Rican…

Success in Higher Education: The Challenge to Achieve Academic Standing and Social Position

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Life, James

2015-01-01

When students look at their classmates in the classroom, consciously or unconsciously, they see competitors both for academic recognition and social success. How do they fit in relation to others and how do they succeed in achieving both? Traditional views on the drive to succeed and the fear of failure are well known as motivators for achieving…

Effects of Mastery Learning Strategies on Community College Mathematics Students' Achievement and Success Rate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abadir, Laila; And Others

The effects of mastery learning strategies, interactive video mathematics (IVM), individualized instruction (IND), and the lecture method on mathematics achievement of community college students was studied. Interactions among instructional methods, gender, and age were examined; and the grade success rate was determined for each instructional…

A mentoring program to help junior faculty members achieve scholarship success.

PubMed

Kohn, Harold

2014-03-12

The University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy launched the Bill and Karen Campbell Faculty Mentoring Program (CMP) in 2006 to support scholarship-intensive junior faculty members. This report describes the origin, expectations, principles, and best practices that led to the introduction of the program, reviews the operational methods chosen for its implementation, provides information about its successes, and analyzes its strengths and limitations.

A Mentoring Program to Help Junior Faculty Members Achieve Scholarship Success

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

The University of North Carolina Eshelman School of Pharmacy launched the Bill and Karen Campbell Faculty Mentoring Program (CMP) in 2006 to support scholarship-intensive junior faculty members. This report describes the origin, expectations, principles, and best practices that led to the introduction of the program, reviews the operational methods chosen for its implementation, provides information about its successes, and analyzes its strengths and limitations. PMID:24672062

Black Women's Achievement Orientation: Motivational and Cognitive Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Saundra Rice; Mednick, Martha Tamara Shuch

1977-01-01

The literature on motivational and cognitive factors related to the achievement orientation of black women is reviewed. Achievement motivation and fear of success are discussed, and the inconclusiveness of the findings for black women is noted. Limited data concerning black women's expectations for and causal attributions about achievement…

Governance Practices in an Era of Healthcare Transformation: Achieving a Successful Turnaround.

PubMed

Sondheim, Samuel E; Patel, Dipesh M; Chin, Nicole; Barwis, Kurt; Werner, Julie; Barclay, Alexus; Mattie, Angela

This article illustrates the successful application of principles established by the American Hospital Association (AHA) to foster hospital transformations (). We examined a small community hospital's successful transition from one emergency care center (ECC) physician group to another and the methods by which significant improvements in outcomes were achieved. The foundation of this transformation included a generative governance style at the board level, a shared governance model at the employee level, a renewed sense of employee and physician engagement, and a sense of individual accountability. Outcomes included improved communication, a more unified vision throughout the ECC (which led to improved efficiency and accountability among staff), improved metrics, and a positive impact on the community's perception of care. Press Ganey scores and ECC operational metrics demonstrated significant increases in patient satisfaction and decreases in wait times for seven operational metrics. These data serve as a proxy for the transformation's success. Structured interviews revealed an increase in employee satisfaction associated with the transition. The positive outcomes demonstrate the importance of the AHA-articulated governance principles. The AHA recommendations for a superior value-based care model closely align with the methods illustrated through Bristol Hospital's successful transformation. Other institutions can apply the lessons from this case study to drive positive change and improve patient care.

Achieving Successful School-University Collaboration.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borthwick, Arlene C.; Stirling, Terry; Cook, Dale

This study investigated participant perceptions of essential elements for establishing and maintaining successful school-university partnerships for school improvement, noting differences in perceptions of participants involved in voluntary partnerships versus those involved in partnerships required by the school district (schools placed on…

Urgency and austerity as drivers of success.

PubMed

Stouch, Terry R

2017-03-01

This piece describes the approach by which even a small CADD (Computer-Aided Drug Design) group with limited resources and limited time can achieve substantial success given short budgets and the compressed, urgent environment of a biotech. Some comparisons are made with CADD operations in big pharma.

Urgency and austerity as drivers of success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stouch, Terry R.

2017-03-01

This piece describes the approach by which even a small CADD (Computer-Aided Drug Design) group with limited resources and limited time can achieve substantial success given short budgets and the compressed, urgent environment of a biotech. Some comparisons are made with CADD operations in big pharma.

Computer Aided Drug Design: Success and Limitations.

PubMed

Baig, Mohammad Hassan; Ahmad, Khurshid; Roy, Sudeep; Ashraf, Jalaluddin Mohammad; Adil, Mohd; Siddiqui, Mohammad Haris; Khan, Saif; Kamal, Mohammad Amjad; Provazník, Ivo; Choi, Inho

2016-01-01

Over the last few decades, computer-aided drug design has emerged as a powerful technique playing a crucial role in the development of new drug molecules. Structure-based drug design and ligand-based drug design are two methods commonly used in computer-aided drug design. In this article, we discuss the theory behind both methods, as well as their successful applications and limitations. To accomplish this, we reviewed structure based and ligand based virtual screening processes. Molecular dynamics simulation, which has become one of the most influential tool for prediction of the conformation of small molecules and changes in their conformation within the biological target, has also been taken into account. Finally, we discuss the principles and concepts of molecular docking, pharmacophores and other methods used in computer-aided drug design.

Student Success Skills: An Evidence-Based Cognitive and Social Change Theory for Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lemberger, Matthew E.; Brigman, Greg; Webb, Linda; Moore, Molly M.

2012-01-01

An overview of the Student Success Skills program is offered, including descriptions of the curricular structure, extant research support related to SSS effectiveness for academic achievement and improved school behaviors, and a theory of change for student development. Recent research has demonstrated the value of the SSS program as it connects…

Strategies Employed by Middle School Principals Successful in Increasing and Sustaining the Mathematics Achievement of African American Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Rebecca

2013-01-01

This study approaches the problem of African American mathematics achievement from a strength-based perspective, identifying practices implemented by middle school principals successful in increasing and sustaining the mathematics achievement of African American students. The study was designed to answer questions regarding both school-wide…

Successful Nd:Yag Laser Photocoagulation Of Arrhythmogenic Myocardium: Potential Limitations Of Current Optical Delivery Systems.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Svenson, Robert H.; Marroum, Marie-Claire; Frank, Frank; Selle, Jay G.; Gallagher, John J.; Bou-Saba, George; Seifert, Kathleen T.; Linder, Kathy; Tatsis, George P.

1987-04-01

Canine myocardial lesions of predictable dimensions can be achieved with Nd:YAG laser photocoagulation. These lesions are well demarcated from surrounding normal tissue and heal with homogeneous scar formation. Intraoperative Nd:YAG laser photocoagulation successfully ablated 52 of 55 ventricular tachycardias in 17 patients. Histologic examination of tissues from these arrhythmogenic areas showed differences from lesions produced on canine epicardium. Lesions from the human cases were less predictable and not well circumscribed. These differences are felt to be due to optical inhomogeneities present in diseased, scarred human myocardium, geometric irregularities of the endocardial surface, anatomical constraints on tissue-fiber distance, and the angle of incidence of the beam with the tissue. Modifications of current delivery systems may overcome some of these limitations. Ablation of ventricular tachycardia arising deeper than 4.0 to 6.0 mm. from the irradiated surface may require interstitial probes coupled to the fiberoptic.

Predicting College Success: Achievement, Demographic, and Psychosocial Predictors of First-Semester College Grade Point Average

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saltonstall, Margot

2013-01-01

This study seeks to advance and expand research on college student success. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, the study investigates the contribution of psychosocial variables above and beyond traditional achievement and demographic measures to predicting first-semester college grade point average (GPA). It also investigates if…

Palliative care in India: successes and limitations.

PubMed

Rajagopal, M R; Venkateswaran, Chitra

2003-01-01

Palliative care in India is in a relatively early stage of development and consequently faces numerous problems. The extent of problems relating to the lack of such care is not well described for cancer or nonmalignant diseases. Opioid availability is seriously limited. Many inexpensive drugs are not readily available and some very expensive drugs are often prescribed, adding to the patients' burden. Enormous psychosocial needs often are neglected in busy clinics. The government's palliative care policy has not been implemented. There are clear needs for improvement in multiple areas that must be addressed as new services develop. A system based on outpatient care has proven cost-effective, empowering families to care for patients at home. Whenever possible, inpatient facility and home visits should be available for those who need them. Some measures of quality assurance should develop concurrent with growth of the palliative care movement. Successes and problems in the development of palliative care in India are discussed.

ALMA Achieves Major Milestone With Antenna-Link Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2007-03-01

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), an international telescope project, reached a major milestone on March 2, when two ALMA prototype antennas were first linked together as an integrated system to observe an astronomical object. The milestone achievement, technically termed "First Fringes," came at the ALMA Test Facility (ATF) on the grounds of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory's (NRAO) Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico. NRAO is a facility of the National Science Foundation (NSF), managed by Associated Universities, Incorporated (AUI). AUI also is designated by NSF as the North American Executive for ALMA. ALMA Test Facility ALMA Test Facility, New Mexico: VertexRSI antenna, left; AEC antenna, right. CREDIT: Drew Medlin, NRAO/AUI/NSF Click on image for page of graphics and full information Faint radio waves emitted by the planet Saturn were collected by the two ALMA antennas, then processed by new, state-of-the-art electronics to turn the two antennas into a single, high-resolution telescope system, called an interferometer. Such pairs of antennas are the basic building blocks of multi-antenna imaging systems such as ALMA and the VLA. In such a system, each antenna is combined electronically with every other antenna to form a multitude of pairs. Each pair contributes unique information that is used to build a highly-detailed image of the astronomical object under observation. When completed in 2012, ALMA will have 66 antennas. The successful Saturn observation began at 7:13 p.m., U.S. Mountain Time Friday (0213 UTC Saturday). The planet's radio emissions at a frequency of 104 GigaHertz (GHz) were tracked by the ALMA system for more than an hour. "Our congratulations go to the dedicated team of scientists, engineers and technicians who produced this groundbreaking achievement for ALMA. Much hard work and many long hours went into this effort, and we appreciate it all. This team should be very proud today," said NRAO

Understanding Possibilities and Limitations of Abstract Chemical Representations for Achieving Conceptual Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corradi, David M. J.; Elen, Jan; Schraepen, Beno; Clarebout, Geraldine

2014-01-01

When learning with abstract and scientific multiple external representations (MERs), low prior knowledge learners are said to have difficulties in using these MERs to achieve conceptual understanding. Yet little is known about what these limitations precisely entail. In order to understand this, we presented 101 learners with low prior knowledge…

Fear of Success, Sex-Role Orientation of the Task, and Competitive Condition as Variables Affecting Women's Performance in Achievement-Oriented Situations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makosky, Vivian P.

It has been suggested that for women, success in competitive achievement situations may produce negative social sanctions, resulting in a motive to avoid success, which inhibits high performance in these situations. 120 college women, 60 exhibiting fear of success and 60 exhibiting no fear of success, based upon results of a projective measure,…

Three basic principles of success.

PubMed

Levin, Roger

2003-06-01

Basic business principles all but ensure success when they are followed consistently. Putting strategies, objectives and tactics in place is the first step toward being able to document systems, initiate scripting and improve staff training. Without the basic steps, systems, scripting and training the practice for performance would be hit or miss, at best. More importantly, applying business principles ensures that limited practice resources are dedicated to the achievement of the strategy. By following this simple, three-step process, a dental practice can significantly enhance both financial success and dentist and staff satisfaction.

Inspiring science achievement: a mixed methods examination of the practices and characteristics of successful science programs in diverse high schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scogin, Stephen C.; Cavlazoglu, Baki; LeBlanc, Jennifer; Stuessy, Carol L.

2017-08-01

While the achievement gap in science exists in the US, research associated with our investigation reveals some high school science programs serving diverse student bodies are successfully closing the gap. Using a mixed methods approach, we identified and investigated ten high schools in a large Southwestern state that fit the definition of "highly successful, highly diverse". By conducting interviews with science liaisons associated with each school and reviewing the literature, we developed a rubric identifying specific characteristics associated with successful science programs. These characteristics and practices included setting high expectations for students, providing extensive teacher support for student learning, and utilizing student-centered pedagogy. We used the rubric to assess the successful high school science programs and compare them to other high school science programs in the state (i.e., less successful and less diverse high school science programs). Highly successful, highly diverse schools were very different in their approach to science education when compared to the other programs. The findings from this study will help schools with diverse students to strengthen hiring practices, enhance teacher support mechanisms, and develop student-focused strategies in the classroom that increase science achievement.

Achieving Schooling Success for All Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Margaret C.

This essay discusses the prospect of utilizing well-confirmed knowledge to enhance the chances for the schooling success of every student in today's elementary schools through secondary schools. The paper begins with a brief discussion of the state of practice. The balance of the paper illustrates an efficient way to apply research and practical…

Effects of Resource Allocation on Student Academic Achievement and Self-Perceptions of Success in an Urban Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Kimberly

2014-01-01

Civil Rights legislation, now 50 years old, "de facto" segregation based on socioeconomic factors, such as poverty and ethnicity in urban areas translates into the surrounding schools, with a legacy of limited funding, reduced services, and teachers with limited training to successfully engage students in high poverty areas. This study…

[Energy saving achieved by limited filamentous bulking under low dissolved oxygen: derivation, originality and theoretical basis].

PubMed

Peng, Yong-zhen; Guo, Jian-hua; Wang, Shu-ying; Chen, Ying

2008-12-01

How to prevent and control filamentous bulking sludge has being a research focus and attracted much attention. To date despite the extensive research that has been done on bulking sludge, filamentous bulking still occurs world-wide and a comprehensive solution does not seem to be available. Particularly, there are few studies about making use of the characteristics of filamentous bacteria and achieving energy saving by filamentous bulking. Limited filamentous bulking, a novel method for energy saving while equal or better treatment performance by allowing slight and controlled filamentous bulking sludge at low dissolved oxygen (DO), was proposed based on full-scale field observations. The practical operation showed that limited filamentous bulking resulted from a decline in DO concentration. COD, SS and TP removal could be enhanced and energy saving could be achieved by limited filamentous bulking at low DO. The derivation of limited filamentous bulking is introduced firstly, and then the theoretical fundamentals of the technique of limited filamentous bulking are presented and analyzed, including the occurrence of limited filamentous bulking caused by low DO, the enhanced effect of filamentous bacteria on pollutants removal and the energy saving mechanism by using limited filamentous bulking. Besides, the paper provides some new perspectives about the application and research direction of limited filamentous bulking in future.

Success and Interactive Learning: Sailing toward Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Midcap, Richard; Seitzer, Joan; Holliday, Randy; Childs, Amy; Bowser, Dana

2008-01-01

Success and Interactive Learning's (SAIL) front-loaded retention activities and unique financial incentives have combined to improve retention, persistence, and success of first-time college students. Its effectiveness has been validated through a comparison of retention rates and aggregate quality-point averages of SAIL cohorts with those rates…

Count Us In. Achieving Success for Deaf Pupils. Practical Examples from Primary, Secondary, and Special Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, 2007

2007-01-01

"Count Us in: Achieving Success for Deaf Pupils" is a timely report. It comes when schools are becoming more confident in dealing with a wide range of additional support for learning needs. Schools are also more aware that they need to personalise experiences in order to meet pupils' learning needs. The report does point to strengths…

Helping Struggling Middle School Literacy Learners Achieve Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palumbo, Anthony; Sanacore, Joseph

2009-01-01

Teachers can help minority children close the academic achievement gap in intermediate and middle school by combining literacy instruction and content-area material. This connection improves reading achievement and increases curriculum knowledge, even if students have previously experienced difficulty with primary school reading. Fortunately,…

Understanding the factors that limit restoration success on a recreation-impacted subalpine site

Treesearch

Catherine Zabinski; David Cole

2000-01-01

Factors that limit successful revegetation of a subalpine site were studied through a combination of soil assays, greenhouse studies, and field manipulations. Campsite soils had higher available nitrogen, lower microbial community diversity, and lower seed bank density than undisturbed soils. In the greenhouse, there was no significant difference in plant growth on...

A Study of Home Environment, Academic Achievement and Teaching Aptitude on Training Success of Pre-Service Elementary Teachers of India

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rani, Sunita; Siddiqui, M. A.

2015-01-01

The primary intend of the study was to explore the relationship of Arts, Science and Commerce stream and training success and the influence of Home Environment, Academic Achievement and Teaching Aptitude on training success of ETE trainees. The study analyzed the numerical data from a survey of 380 teacher trainees of three DIETs of Delhi, India.…

How is success achieved by individuals innovating for patient safety and quality in the NHS?

PubMed

Sheard, Laura; Jackson, Cath; Lawton, Rebecca

2017-09-11

Innovation in healthcare is said to be notoriously difficult to achieve and sustain yet simultaneously the health service is under intense pressure to innovate given the ever increasing demands placed upon it. Whilst many studies have looked at diffusion of innovation from an organisational perspective, few have sought to understand how individuals working in healthcare innovate successfully. We took a positive deviance approach to understand how innovations are achieved by individuals working in the NHS. We conducted in depth interviews in 2015 with 15 individuals who had received a national award for being a successful UK innovator in healthcare. We invited only those people who were currently (or had recently) worked in the NHS and whose innovation focused on improving patient safety or quality. Thematic analysis was used. Four themes emerged from the data: personal determination, the ability to broker relationships and make connections, the ways in which innovators were able to navigate organisational culture to their advantage and their ability to use evidence to influence others. Determination, focus and persistence were important personal characteristics of innovators as were skills in being able to challenge the status quo. Innovators were able to connect sometimes disparate teams and people, being the broker between them in negotiating collaborative working. The culture of the organisation these participants resided in was important with some being able to use this (and the current patient safety agenda) to their advantage. Gathering robust data to demonstrate their innovation had a positive impact and was seen as essential to its progression. This paper reveals a number of factors which are important to the success of innovators in healthcare. We have uncovered that innovators have particular personal traits which encourage a propensity towards change and action. Yet, for fruitful innovation to take place, it is important for relational networks and

High-school predictors of university achievement: Youths' self-reported relationships with parents, beliefs about success, and university aspirations.

PubMed

Kay, Joseph S; Shane, Jacob; Heckhausen, Jutta

2016-12-01

Associations between youths' reported relationships with their parents, beliefs about how success is attained, educational aspirations, and university completion were examined. Data come from the German Socioeconomic Panel. At age 17, youth (n = 3284) reported on their relationships with their parents, beliefs about success, and educational aspirations. University completion was assessed up to eight years later. At age 17, perceptions of parental warmth and interest in youths' academics were associated with beliefs that success is due to merit (positively) and that success is due to external factors or dominance over others (negatively). Beliefs that success is due to merit and external factors were associated with educational aspirations positively and negatively respectively. Educational aspirations positively predicted university completion up to eight years later. Relationships with parents had stronger associations with achievement when parents completed a university degree; beliefs about success had stronger associations with aspirations when parents did not. Copyright © 2016 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Perceived Academic Control and Academic Emotions Predict Undergraduate University Student Success: Examining Effects on Dropout Intention and Achievement

PubMed Central

Respondek, Lisa; Seufert, Tina; Stupnisky, Robert; Nett, Ulrike E.

2017-01-01

The present study addressed concerns over the high risk of university students' academic failure. It examined how perceived academic control and academic emotions predict undergraduate students' academic success, conceptualized as both low dropout intention and high achievement (indicated by GPA). A cross-sectional survey was administered to 883 undergraduate students across all disciplines of a German STEM orientated university. The study additionally compared freshman students (N = 597) vs. second-year students (N = 286). Using structural equation modeling, for the overall sample of undergraduate students we found that perceived academic control positively predicted enjoyment and achievement, as well as negatively predicted boredom and anxiety. The prediction of dropout intention by perceived academic control was fully mediated via anxiety. When taking perceived academic control into account, we found no specific impact of enjoyment or boredom on the intention to dropout and no specific impact of all three academic emotions on achievement. The multi-group analysis showed, however, that perceived academic control, enjoyment, and boredom among second-year students had a direct relationship with dropout intention. A major contribution of the present study was demonstrating the important roles of perceived academic control and anxiety in undergraduate students' academic success. Concerning corresponding institutional support and future research, the results suggested distinguishing incoming from advanced undergraduate students. PMID:28326043

Perceived Academic Control and Academic Emotions Predict Undergraduate University Student Success: Examining Effects on Dropout Intention and Achievement.

PubMed

Respondek, Lisa; Seufert, Tina; Stupnisky, Robert; Nett, Ulrike E

2017-01-01

The present study addressed concerns over the high risk of university students' academic failure. It examined how perceived academic control and academic emotions predict undergraduate students' academic success, conceptualized as both low dropout intention and high achievement (indicated by GPA). A cross-sectional survey was administered to 883 undergraduate students across all disciplines of a German STEM orientated university. The study additionally compared freshman students ( N = 597) vs. second-year students ( N = 286). Using structural equation modeling, for the overall sample of undergraduate students we found that perceived academic control positively predicted enjoyment and achievement, as well as negatively predicted boredom and anxiety. The prediction of dropout intention by perceived academic control was fully mediated via anxiety. When taking perceived academic control into account, we found no specific impact of enjoyment or boredom on the intention to dropout and no specific impact of all three academic emotions on achievement. The multi-group analysis showed, however, that perceived academic control, enjoyment, and boredom among second-year students had a direct relationship with dropout intention. A major contribution of the present study was demonstrating the important roles of perceived academic control and anxiety in undergraduate students' academic success. Concerning corresponding institutional support and future research, the results suggested distinguishing incoming from advanced undergraduate students.

Evaluation of Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success Program: Student Outcomes Year One, Grades 11 and 12. Evaluation Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolanin, Natalie; Modarresi, Shahpar

2015-01-01

The Office of Shared Accountability in Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools (MCPS) is conducting a multiyear evaluation of the "Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success" (ACES) program. ACES is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College (MC), and the Universities at Shady Grove (USG) to create a seamless pathway from high…

A preliminary study of achievement, attitudes toward success in mathematics, and mathematics anxiety with technology-based instruction in brief calculus.

PubMed

Alkhateeb, Haitham M

2002-02-01

This study was designed to compare achievement, attitudes toward success in mathematics, and mathematics anxiety of college students taught brief calculus using a graphic calculator, with the achievement and attitudes and anxiety of students taught using the computer algebra system Maple, using a technology based text book. 50 men and 50 women, students in three classes at a large public university in the southwestern United States, participated. Students' achievement in brief calculus was measured by performance on a teacher-made achievement test given at the end of the study. Analysis of variance showed no significant difference in achievement between the groups. To measure change in attitudes and anxiety, responses to paper-and-pencil inventories indicated significant differences in favor of students using the computer.

Perceived parental beliefs about the causes of success in sport: relationship to athletes' achievement goals and personal beliefs.

PubMed

White, Sally A; Kavussanu, Maria; Tank, Kari M; Wingate, Jason M

2004-02-01

This study examined the relationship between perceived parental beliefs and young athletes' achievement goal orientations and personal beliefs about the causes of success in sport. Participants were 183 male and female athletes, 11-18 years old, involved in team sports. Athletes completed the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, the Beliefs about the Causes of Sport Success Questionnaire, and two modified versions of the latter inventory to assess their perceptions of their parents' beliefs. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that perceived parental beliefs were related to goal orientations and personal beliefs in a conceptually coherent fashion. Thus, the perceived parental belief that effort leads to success in sport was related to athletes' task orientation and personal belief that effort causes sport success. In contrast, the perceived parental beliefs that superior ability, external factors, and using deceptive tactics are precursors to success in sport corresponded to athletes' ego orientation and the same personal beliefs. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the socialization experiences of young athletes.

The Relationship between Simultaneous-Successive Processing and Academic Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merritt, Frank M.; McCallum, Steve

The Luria-Das Information Processing Model of human learning holds that information is analysed and coded within the brain in either a simultaneous or a successive fashion. Simultaneous integration refers to the synthesis of separate elements into groups, often with spatial characteristics; successive integration means that information is…

Limits to reproductive success of Sarracenia purpurea (Sarraceniaceae).

PubMed

Ne'eman, Gidi; Ne'eman, Rina; Ellison, Aaron M

2006-11-01

Plant biologists have an enduring interest in assessing components of plant fitness and determining limits to seed set. Consequently, the relative contributions of resource and pollinator availability have been documented for a large number of plant species. We experimentally examined the roles of resource and pollen availability on seed set by the northern pitcher plant Sarracenia purpurea. We were able to distinguish the relative contributions of carbon (photosynthate) and mineral nutrients (nitrogen) to reproductive success. We also determined potential pollinators of this species. The bees Bombus affinis and Augochlorella aurata and the fly Fletcherimyia fletcheri were the only floral visitors to S. purpurea that collected pollen. Supplemental pollination increased seed set by <10%, a much lower percentage than would be expected, given data from noncarnivorous, animal-pollinated taxa. Seed set was reduced by 14% in plants that could not capture prey and by another 23% in plants whose pitcher-shaped leaves were also prevented from photosynthesizing. We conclude that resources are more important than pollen availability in determining seed set by this pitcher plant and that reproductive output may be another "cost" of the carnivorous habit.

Project Achievement: An After-School Success Story.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercure, Christine M.

1993-01-01

To improve its school failure rate, a Virginia intermediate school instituted Project Achievement, a privately funded program helping at-risk students complete homework assignments. Structured into three one-hour sessions featuring tutoring, interdisciplinary study groups, and special activities, the project is immensely popular. During the summer…

IT Project Success w\\7120 and 7123 NPRs to Achieve Project Success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walley, Tina L.

2009-01-01

This slide presentation reviews management techniques to assure information technology development project success. Details include the work products, the work breakdown structure (WBS), system integration, verification and validation (IV&V), and deployment and operations. An example, the NASA Consolidated Active Directory (NCAD), is reviewed.

Limits on Achievable Dimensional and Photon Efficiencies with Intensity-Modulation and Photon-Counting Due to Non-Ideal Photon-Counter Behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moision, Bruce; Erkmen, Baris I.; Farr, William; Dolinar, Samuel J.; Birnbaum, Kevin M.

2012-01-01

An ideal intensity-modulated photon-counting channel can achieve unbounded photon information efficiencies (PIEs). However, a number of limitations of a physical system limit the practically achievable PIE. In this paper, we discuss several of these limitations and illustrate their impact on the channel. We show that, for the Poisson channel, noise does not strictly bound PIE, although there is an effective limit, as the dimensional information efficiency goes as e[overline] e PIE beyond a threshold PIE. Since the Holevo limit is bounded in the presence of noise, this illustrates that the Poisson approximation is invalid at large PIE for any number of noise modes. We show that a finite transmitter extinction ratio bounds the achievable PIE to a maximum that is logarithmic in the extinction ratio. We show how detector jitter limits the ability to mitigate noise in the PPM signaling framework. We illustrate a method to model detector blocking when the number of detectors is large, and illustrate mitigation of blocking with spatial spreading and altering. Finally, we illustrate the design of a high photon efficiency system using state-of-the-art photo-detectors and taking all these effects into account.

Limits of social mobilization

PubMed Central

Rutherford, Alex; Cebrian, Manuel; Dsouza, Sohan; Moro, Esteban; Pentland, Alex; Rahwan, Iyad

2013-01-01

The Internet and social media have enabled the mobilization of large crowds to achieve time-critical feats, ranging from mapping crises in real time, to organizing mass rallies, to conducting search-and-rescue operations over large geographies. Despite significant success, selection bias may lead to inflated expectations of the efficacy of social mobilization for these tasks. What are the limits of social mobilization, and how reliable is it in operating at these limits? We build on recent results on the spatiotemporal structure of social and information networks to elucidate the constraints they pose on social mobilization. We use the DARPA Network Challenge as our working scenario, in which social media were used to locate 10 balloons across the United States. We conduct high-resolution simulations for referral-based crowdsourcing and obtain a statistical characterization of the population recruited, geography covered, and time to completion. Our results demonstrate that the outcome is plausible without the presence of mass media but lies at the limit of what time-critical social mobilization can achieve. Success relies critically on highly connected individuals willing to mobilize people in distant locations, overcoming the local trapping of diffusion in highly dense areas. However, even under these highly favorable conditions, the risk of unsuccessful search remains significant. These findings have implications for the design of better incentive schemes for social mobilization. They also call for caution in estimating the reliability of this capability. PMID:23576719

Empowering African Americans to Achieve Academic Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gary, Lawrence E.; Booker, Christopher B.

1992-01-01

This article reviews pertinent factors, such as the need to encourage a positive home environment, transform peer group influences, establish goals early in life, foster racial pride and awareness, use African-American culture to foster achievement, encourage a sense of self-control, initiate and expand mentor programs, and cultivate academic…

Achieving Hand Hygiene Success With a Partnership Between Graduate Medical Education, Hospital Leadership, and Physicians.

PubMed

Rosenbluth, Glenn; Garritson, Susan; Green, Adrienne L; Milev, Dimiter; Vidyarthi, Arpana R; Auerbach, Andrew D; Baron, Robert B

2016-11-01

Engaging physicians in hand hygiene programs is a challenge faced by many academic medical centers. Partnerships between education and academic leaders present opportunities for effective collaboration and improvement. The authors developed a robust hand hygiene quality improvement program, with attention to rapid-cycle improvements, including all levels of staff and health care providers. The program included a defined governance structure, clear data collection process, educational interventions, rapid-cycle improvements, and financial incentive for staff and physicians (including residents and fellows). Outcomes were measured on patients in all clinical areas. Run charts were used to document compliance in aggregate and by subgroups throughout the project duration. Institutional targets were achieved and then exceeded, with sustained hand hygiene compliance >90%. Physician compliance lagged behind aggregate compliance but ultimately was sustained at a level exceeding the target. Successfully achieving the institutional goal required collaboration among all stakeholders. Physician-specific data and physician champions were essential to drive improvement. © The Author(s) 2015.

Critical success factors for achieving superior m-health success.

PubMed

Dwivedi, A; Wickramasinghe, N; Bali, R K; Naguib, R N G

2007-01-01

Recent healthcare trends clearly show significant investment by healthcare institutions into various types of wired and wireless technologies to facilitate and support superior healthcare delivery. This trend has been spurred by the shift in the concept and growing importance of the role of health information and the influence of fields such as bio-informatics, biomedical and genetic engineering. The demand is currently for integrated healthcare information systems; however for such initiatives to be successful it is necessary to adopt a macro model and appropriate methodology with respect to wireless initiatives. The key contribution of this paper is the presentation of one such integrative model for mobile health (m-health) known as the Wi-INET Business Model, along with a detailed Adaptive Mapping to Realisation (AMR) methodology. The AMR methodology details how the Wi-INET Business Model can be implemented. Further validation on the concepts detailed in the Wi-INET Business Model and the AMR methodology is offered via a short vignette on a toolkit based on a leading UK-based healthcare information technology solution.

Gender Differences in Multiattributional Causality for Achievement and Affiliation in Five Cross-National Samples.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chandler, Theodore A.; And Others

The purpose of this study was to expand the previous limited locus of control focus of gender differences cross-nationally by shifting to an attributional model for both successes and failures in both achievement and affiliation domains in order to test the hypothesis that women differ from men in their attributional patterns for achievement and…

The Achievement Gap: Factors That Influenced the Achievement of Successful Black Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morton, Kwame R., Sr.

2011-01-01

The academic underperformance of Black students when compared to their White peers has confounded educators nationwide. This discrepancy in academic performance commonly referred to as the achievement gap has become a national crisis which has led to one of the most significant educational reforms undertaken in the United States of America in the…

Helping Middle School Girls at Risk for School Failure Recover Their Confidence and Achieve School Success: An Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mann, Michael J.

2013-01-01

Middle school girls who are at risk have experienced a disproportionate number of intense and disruptive traumatic life events. Such events can adversely affect healthy development and often contribute to higher levels of school failure and problem behavior. Few programs focus on helping at-risk middle school girls achieve school success through…

Costs of mating competition limit male lifetime breeding success in polygynous mammals

PubMed Central

Lukas, Dieter; Clutton-Brock, Tim

2014-01-01

Although differences in breeding lifespan are an important source of variation in male fitness, the factors affecting the breeding tenure of males have seldom been explored. Here, we use cross-species comparisons to investigate the correlates of breeding lifespan in male mammals. Our results show that male breeding lifespan depends on the extent of polygyny, which reflects the relative intensity of competition for access to females. Males have relatively short breeding tenure in species where individuals have the potential to monopolize mating with multiple females, and longer ones where individuals defend one female at a time. Male breeding tenure is also shorter in species in which females breed frequently than in those where females breed less frequently, suggesting that the costs of guarding females may contribute to limiting tenure length. As a consequence of these relationships, estimates of skew in male breeding success within seasons overestimate skew calculated across the lifetime and, in several polygynous species, variance in lifetime breeding success is not substantially higher in males than in females. PMID:24827443

A locally-blazed ant trail achieves efficient collective navigation despite limited information

PubMed Central

Fonio, Ehud; Heyman, Yael; Boczkowski, Lucas; Gelblum, Aviram; Kosowski, Adrian; Korman, Amos; Feinerman, Ofer

2016-01-01

Any organism faces sensory and cognitive limitations which may result in maladaptive decisions. Such limitations are prominent in the context of groups where the relevant information at the individual level may not coincide with collective requirements. Here, we study the navigational decisions exhibited by Paratrechina longicornis ants as they cooperatively transport a large food item. These decisions hinge on the perception of individuals which often restricts them from providing the group with reliable directional information. We find that, to achieve efficient navigation despite partial and even misleading information, these ants employ a locally-blazed trail. This trail significantly deviates from the classical notion of an ant trail: First, instead of systematically marking the full path, ants mark short segments originating at the load. Second, the carrying team constantly loses the guiding trail. We experimentally and theoretically show that the locally-blazed trail optimally and robustly exploits useful knowledge while avoiding the pitfalls of misleading information. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20185.001 PMID:27815944

Examining the Role, Values, and Legal Policy Issues Facing Public Library Resources in Supporting Students to Achieve Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Achinewhu-Nworgu, Elizabeth; Azaiki, Steve; Nworgu, Queen Chioma

2016-01-01

This paper aims to present the role, values, and legal policy issues facing public Library resources in supporting students to achieve academic success. Research indicates that majority of people that own or work in the Library tend to ignore some of the vital roles, values and legal policy issues paramount to libraries. Some of these issues are…

Is international junior success a reliable predictor for international senior success in elite combat sports?

PubMed

Li, Pingwei; De Bosscher, Veerle; Pion, Johan; Weissensteiner, Juanita R; Vertonghen, Jikkemien

2018-05-01

Currently in the literature, there is a dearth of empirical research that confirms whether international junior success is a reliable predictor for future international senior success. Despite the uncertainty of the junior-senior relationship, federations and coaches still tend to use junior success as a predictor for long-term senior success. A range of former investigations utilising a retrospective lens has merely focused on success that athletes attained at junior level competitions. Success that was achieved at senior-level competitions but at a junior age was relatively ignored. This study explored to what extent international senior success can be predicted based on success that athletes achieved in either international junior level competitions (i.e. junior medalists) or senior competitions at a junior age (i.e. early achievers). The sample contains 4011 international male and female athletes from three combat sports (taekwondo, wrestling and boxing), who were born between 1974 and 1990 and participated in both international junior and senior-level competitions between 1990 and 2016. Gender and sport differences were compared. The results revealed that 61.4% of the junior medalists and 90.4% of the early achievers went on to win international medals at a senior age. Among the early achievers, 92.2% of the taekwondo athletes, 68.4% of the wrestling athletes and 37.9% of the boxing athletes could be reliably "predicted" to win international senior medals. The findings demonstrate that specific to the three combat sports examined, international junior success appears to be an important predictor to long-term international senior success.

Attitudes of Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pendarvis, Faye

This document investigates the attitudes of successful individuals, citing the achievement of established goals as the criteria for success. After offering various definitions of success, the paper focuses on the importance of self-esteem to success and considers ways by which the self-esteem of students can be improved. Theories of human behavior…

Small founding number and low genetic diversity in an introduced species exhibiting limited invasion success (speckled dace, Rhinichthys ocsulus)

Treesearch

Andrew Kinziger; Rodney Nakamoto; Eric Anderson; Bret Harvey

2011-01-01

Molecular evaluations of successful invaders are common, however studies of introduced species that have had limited invasion success, or have died out completely, are rare. We studied an introduced population of speckled dace (Rhinichthys osculus) from northern California, USA that has rapidly increased in abundance but remained restricted to a 25-km stretch of river...

Achieving restoration success: myths in bottomland hardwood forests

Treesearch

John A. Stanturf; Stephen H. Schoenholtz; Callie Jo Schweitzer; James P. Shepard

2001-01-01

Restoration of bottomland hardwood forests is the subject of considerable interest in the Southern United States, but restoration success is elusive. Techniques for establishing bottomland tree species are well developed, yet problems have occurred in operational programs. Current plans for restoration on public and private land suggest that as many as 200,000 ha could...

Feasibility, efficacy, and predictive factors for the technical success of endoscopic nasogallbladder drainage: a prospective study.

PubMed

Yane, Kei; Maguchi, Hiroyuki; Katanuma, Akio; Takahashi, Kuniyuki; Osanai, Manabu; Kin, Toshifumi; Takaki, Ryo; Matsumoto, Kazuyuki; Gon, Katsushige; Matsumori, Tomoaki; Tomonari, Akiko; Nojima, Masanori

2015-03-01

Several studies have shown the useful-ness of endoscopic nasogallbladder drainage (ENGBD) in patients with acute cholecystitis. However, the procedure is difficult, and factors that affect technical success have not yet been clarified. We conducted a prospective study to eval-uate the technical feasibility, efficacy, and predictive factors for the technical success of ENGBD in patients with acute cholecystitis. All patients with moderate or severe acute cholecystitis who were enrolled underwent ENGBD between April 2009 and April 2011. Patients with surgically altered anatomy or pancreatobiliary malignancies were ex-cluded. The primary outcomes included technical success, clinical success, and complications. Factors that could affect the technical success were also examined. Of the 27 patients who underwent ENGBD during the study period, technical success was achieved in 21 (78%) and clinical improvement was achieved in 20 (95%). Early complications were encountered in four patients (15%). Gallbladder wall thickness (odds ratio [OR], 1.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08 to 2.47) and age (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.35) were effective predictors of technical failure. ENGBD was effective in resolving acute cholecystitis; however, this modality was technically challenging and had a limited suc-cess rate. Because of technical difficulties, ENGBD should be reserved for limited indications. (Gut Liver, 2015;9239-246).

Detection limits of organic compounds achievable with intense, short-pulse lasers.

PubMed

Miles, Jordan; De Camillis, Simone; Alexander, Grace; Hamilton, Kathryn; Kelly, Thomas J; Costello, John T; Zepf, Matthew; Williams, Ian D; Greenwood, Jason B

2015-06-21

Many organic molecules have strong absorption bands which can be accessed by ultraviolet short pulse lasers to produce efficient ionization. This resonant multiphoton ionization scheme has already been exploited as an ionization source in time-of-flight mass spectrometers used for environmental trace analysis. In the present work we quantify the ultimate potential of this technique by measuring absolute ion yields produced from the interaction of 267 nm femtosecond laser pulses with the organic molecules indole and toluene, and gases Xe, N2 and O2. Using multiphoton ionization cross sections extracted from these results, we show that the laser pulse parameters required for real-time detection of aromatic molecules at concentrations of one part per trillion in air and a limit of detection of a few attomoles are achievable with presently available commercial laser systems. The potential applications for the analysis of human breath, blood and tissue samples are discussed.

The Power of Interactive Groups: How Diversity of Adults Volunteering in Classroom Groups Can Promote Inclusion and Success for Children of Vulnerable Minority Ethnic Populations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valls, Rosa; Kyriakides, Leonidas

2013-01-01

Despite the limited success of grouping students by attainment in enhancing educational achievement for all, this practice is still widely followed in European schools. Aiming at identifying successful educational actions that promote high academic achievement and social inclusion and cohesion, part of the EU-sponsored Europe-wide INCLUD-ED…

Achieving successful evidence-based practice implementation in juvenile justice: The importance of diagnostic and evaluative capacity.

PubMed

Walker, Sarah Cusworth; Bumbarger, Brian K; Phillippi, Stephen W

2015-10-01

Evidence-based programs (EBPs) are an increasingly visible aspect of the treatment landscape in juvenile justice. Research demonstrates that such programs yield positive returns on investment and are replacing more expensive, less effective options. However, programs are unlikely to produce expected benefits when they are not well-matched to community needs, not sustained and do not reach sufficient reach and scale. We argue that achieving these benchmarks for successful implementation will require states and county governments to invest in data-driven decision infrastructure in order to respond in a rigorous and flexible way to shifting political and funding climates. We conceptualize this infrastructure as diagnostic capacity and evaluative capacity: Diagnostic capacity is defined as the process of selecting appropriate programing and evaluative capacity is defined as the ability to monitor and evaluate progress. Policy analyses of Washington State, Pennsylvania and Louisiana's program implementation successes are used to illustrate the benefits of diagnostic and evaluate capacity as a critical element of EBP implementation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Academic attainment and the high school science experiences among high-achieving African American males

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trice, Rodney Nathaniel

This study examines the educational experiences of high achieving African American males. More specifically, it analyzes the influences on their successful navigation through high school science. Through a series of interviews, observations, questionnaires, science portfolios, and review of existing data the researcher attempted to obtain a deeper understanding of high achieving African American males and their limitations to academic attainment and high school science experiences. The investigation is limited to ten high achieving African American male science students at Woodcrest High School. Woodcrest is situated at the cross section of a suburban and rural community located in the southeastern section of the United States. Although this investigation involves African American males, all of whom are successful in school, its findings should not be generalized to this nor any other group of students. The research question that guided this study is: What are the limitations to academic attainment and the high school science experiences of high achieving African American males? The student participants expose how suspension and expulsion, special education placement, academic tracking, science instruction, and teacher expectation influence academic achievement. The role parents play, student self-concept, peer relationships, and student learning styles are also analyzed. The anthology of data rendered three overarching themes: (1) unequal access to education, (2) maintenance of unfair educational structures, and (3) authentic characterizations of African American males. Often the policies and practices set in place by school officials aid in creating hurdles to academic achievement. These policies and practices are often formed without meaningful consideration of the unintended consequences that may affect different student populations, particularly the most vulnerable. The findings from this study expose that high achieving African American males face major

Habitat Selection and Reproductive Success of Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) at Its Northern Limit

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xiang; Srivastava, Diane S.; Martin, Kathy

2012-01-01

Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) has experienced population declines in both Canada and the United States and in 2010 was assigned a national listing of threatened in Canada. We conducted a two-year study (2004–2005) of this species at its northern range limit, the South Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, Canada. Our main objective was to determine whether the habitat features that influenced nest-site selection also predicted nest success, or whether other factors (e.g. cavity dimensions, clutch initiation date or time of season) were more important. Nest tree decay class, density of suitable cavities and total basal area of large trees were the best predictors of nest-site selection, but these factors were unrelated to nesting success. Estimates of demographic parameters (mean ± SE) included daily nest survival rate (0.988±0.003, years combined), nest success (0.52±0.08), clutch size (5.00±0.14 eggs), female fledglings per successful nest (1.31±0.11), and annual productivity (0.68±0.12 female fledglings per nest per year). Although higher nest survival was associated with both early and late initiated clutches, early-initiated clutches allowed birds to gain the highest annual productivity as early clutches were larger. Nests in deep cavities with small entrances experienced lower predation risk especially during the peak period of nest predation. We concluded that nest-site selection can be predicted by a number of easily measured habitat variables, whereas nest success depended on complicated ecological interactions among nest predators, breeding behaviors, and cavity features. Thus, habitat-based conservation strategies should also consider ecological factors that may not be well predicted by habitat. PMID:23028525

State Policies to Achieve the Dream in Five States: An Audit of State Policies to Aid Student Access to and Success in Community Colleges in the First Five Achieving the Dream States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Kevin J.; Reid, Monica; Nienhusser, H. Kenny

2006-01-01

In 2003, the Lumina Foundation for Education launched a major initiative, "Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count," to increase student success at community colleges. The initiative focuses on colleges with high enrollments of low-income students and students of color. In the first round, 27 colleges in five states were selected.…

Potential for reducing air-pollutants while achieving 2 °C global temperature change limit target.

PubMed

Hanaoka, Tatsuya; Akashi, Osamu; Fujiwara, Kazuya; Motoki, Yuko; Hibino, Go

2014-12-01

This study analyzes the potential to reduce air pollutants while achieving the 2 °C global temperature change limit target above pre-industrial levels, by using the bottom-up optimization model, AIM/Enduse[Global]. This study focuses on; 1) estimating mitigation potentials and costs for achieving 2 °C, 2.5 °C, and 3 °C target scenarios, 2) assessing co-benefits of reducing air pollutants such as NOx, SO2, BC, PM, and 3) analyzing features of sectoral attributions in Annex I and Non-Annex I groups of countries. The carbon tax scenario at 50 US$/tCO2-eq in 2050 can reduce GHG emissions more than the 3 °C target scenario, but a higher carbon price around 400 US$/tCO2-eq in 2050 is required to achieve the 2 °C target scenario. However, there is also a co-benefit of large reduction potential of air pollutants, in the range of 60-80% reductions in 2050 from the reference scenario while achieving the 2 °C target. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Two-and-a-half year follow-up study of strategy factors in successful learning to predict academic achievements in medical education].

PubMed

Lee, Soon Ok; Lee, Sang Yeoup; Baek, Sunyong; Woo, Jae Seok; Im, Sun Ju; Yune, So Jung; Lee, Sun Hee; Kam, Beesung

2015-06-01

We performed a two-and-a-half year follow-up study of strategy factors in successful learning to predict academic achievements in medical education. Strategy factors in successful learning were identified using a content analysis of open-ended responses from 30 medical students who were ranked in the top 10 of their class. Core words were selected among their responses in each category and the frequency of the words were counted. Then, a factors survey was conducted among year 2 students, before the second semester. Finally, we performed an analysis to assess the association between the factors score and academic achievement for the same students 2.5 years later. The core words were "planning and execution," "daily reviews" in the study schedule category; "focusing in class" and "taking notes" among class-related category; and "lecture notes," "previous exams or papers," and "textbooks" in the primary self-learning resources category. There were associations between the factors scores for study planning and execution, focusing in class, and taking notes and academic achievement, representing the second year second semester credit score, third year written exam scores and fourth year written and skill exam scores. Study planning was only one independent variable to predict fourth year summative written exam scores. In a two-and-a-half year follow-up study, associations were founded between academic achievement and the factors scores for study planning and execution, focusing in class, and taking notes. Study planning as only one independent variable is useful for predicting fourth year summative written exam score.

Exploiting metasurface anisotropy for achieving near-perfect low-profile cloaks beyond the quasi-static limit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hao Jiang, Zhi; Werner, Douglas H.

2013-12-01

In this paper, we report an approach for achieving near-perfect low-profile electromagnetic cloaking beyond the quasi-static limit. In contrast to previous works on metasurface cloaks where only the Leontovich surface impedance boundary condition has been considered, we employ a second-order surface impedance boundary condition to account for the radial response of the proposed anisotropic metasurfaces. This radial surface polarizability tensor parameter can be tailored to eliminate the higher order scattering modes. It is shown from analytical expressions that for a moderate-sized perfect electric conducting or dielectric cylinder (∼0.4λ0 in width), near-perfect scattering reduction, i.e. >98%, can be achieved by a single anisotropic metasurface with non-vanishing radial response, which is far superior to the conventional scalar impedance surface. A practical design of the metasurface is also presented and further validated by full-wave simulations. The physical mechanism of the metasurface cloaks is investigated in detail, revealing that the radiation cancellation of the induced surface currents is responsible for the scattering reduction. Importantly, it is shown that in addition to a ‘low-visibility coating’, the metasurface also functions to provide induced current enhancement which would be beneficial for the operation of a ‘cloaked sensor’. These findings will broaden the usage of metasurfaces to applications ranging from scattering reduction to noninvasive probing for objects beyond the quasi-static limit.

Educator User Guide for Adminstrators and Educational Personnel. A Supplement to the Texas Successful Schools Study: Quality Education for Limited English Proficient Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas Education Agency, Austin.

The Texas Successful Schools Study profiled the contributions of programs, policies, and school personnel to the academic success of limited English proficient (LEP) students in seven successful elementary schools. This guide shares study information with school administrators to assist them in designing, implementing, and enhancing programs for…

Achievements and Limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine.

PubMed

Sheridan, Desmond J; Julian, Desmond G

2016-07-12

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has a long history, but was revived in the early 1990s by a campaign mounted by a movement that took its name. The EBM movement focused attention on the need for greater objectivity in medical decision-making and led to the Cochrane Collaboration, which provides reviews of evidence on the basis of comparative research. Important limitations of EBM's effect on medicine have also emerged. Failure to acknowledge the limitations of clinical trials and systematic reviews has limited their applicability to individual patients' circumstances. An almost exclusive focus on drugs and devices has left vast areas of health care in an evidence vacuum. An overdependence on commissions for its research may have limited its independence in selecting what it investigates. EBM needs to widen its scope beyond drugs and devices to address many areas that often lack evidence at present, notably, health policy, management, and reforms. Copyright © 2016 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A network model of successive partitioning-limited solute diffusion through the stratum corneum.

PubMed

Schumm, Phillip; Scoglio, Caterina M; van der Merwe, Deon

2010-02-07

As the most exposed point of contact with the external environment, the skin is an important barrier to many chemical exposures, including medications, potentially toxic chemicals and cosmetics. Traditional dermal absorption models treat the stratum corneum lipids as a homogenous medium through which solutes diffuse according to Fick's first law of diffusion. This approach does not explain non-linear absorption and irregular distribution patterns within the stratum corneum lipids as observed in experimental data. A network model, based on successive partitioning-limited solute diffusion through the stratum corneum, where the lipid structure is represented by a large, sparse, and regular network where nodes have variable characteristics, offers an alternative, efficient, and flexible approach to dermal absorption modeling that simulates non-linear absorption data patterns. Four model versions are presented: two linear models, which have unlimited node capacities, and two non-linear models, which have limited node capacities. The non-linear model outputs produce absorption to dose relationships that can be best characterized quantitatively by using power equations, similar to the equations used to describe non-linear experimental data.

The Impact of Interpersonal Interaction on Academic Engagement and Achievement in a College Success Strategies Course with a Blended Learning Instructional Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mosser, Brent Steven

2010-01-01

A quasi-experiment was carried out in a college success strategies course to evaluate the impact of structured interpersonal interaction on undergraduate students' Academic Engagement and Academic Achievement. The course, EPL 259: Individual Learning and Motivation, employs a blended learning instructional model that requires students to spend the…

Exploring the Complex Relations between Achievement Emotions and Self-Regulated Learning Behaviors in Online Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Artino, Anthony R., Jr.; Jones, Kenneth D., II

2012-01-01

Online learning continues to grow, but there is limited empirical research on the personal factors that influence success in online contexts. This investigation addresses this research gap by exploring the relations between several discrete achievement-related emotions (boredom, frustration, and enjoyment) and self-regulated learning behaviors…

Does Spinal Analgesia have Advantage over General Anesthesia for Achieving Success in In-Vitro Fertilization?

PubMed Central

Aghaamoo, Shahrzad; Azmoodeh, Azra; Yousefshahi, Fardin; Berjis, Katayon; Ahmady, Farahnazsadat; Qods, Kamran; Mirmohammadkhani, Majid

2014-01-01

Objective Because of high psychological burden and considerable costs of in-vitro fertilization, it is greatly important to identify all factors that may influence its results. In this study, general anesthesia and spinal analgesia used for oocyte retrieval were compared in terms of success in treating infertility among couples who had undergone in-vitro fertilization at an infertility center in Tehran, Iran. Methods This cohort study that was based on analysis of patient records at Mirza Kochak Khan Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in 2008-2009. In this study, the status of chemical pregnancy among those who experienced general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia for in-vitro fertilization for the first time were compared, and the possible effects of clinical and laboratory factors using logistic regression models were considered. Results Considering the number of transferred embryos, underlying cause of infertility and fetus grade, it was found that practicing spinal anesthesia is significantly related to increased chance of chemical pregnancy (adjusted Odds Ratio=2.07; 95% CI: 1.02,4.20; p=0.043). Conclusion According to analysis of recorded data in an infertility treatment center in Iran, it is recommended to use spinal anesthesia instead of general anesthesia for oocyte retrieval to achieve successful in-vitro fertilization outcome. This can be studied and investigated further via a proper multicentric study in the country. PMID:24715934

Does Spinal Analgesia have Advantage over General Anesthesia for Achieving Success in In-Vitro Fertilization?

PubMed

Aghaamoo, Shahrzad; Azmoodeh, Azra; Yousefshahi, Fardin; Berjis, Katayon; Ahmady, Farahnazsadat; Qods, Kamran; Mirmohammadkhani, Majid

2014-03-01

Because of high psychological burden and considerable costs of in-vitro fertilization, it is greatly important to identify all factors that may influence its results. In this study, general anesthesia and spinal analgesia used for oocyte retrieval were compared in terms of success in treating infertility among couples who had undergone in-vitro fertilization at an infertility center in Tehran, Iran. This cohort study that was based on analysis of patient records at Mirza Kochak Khan Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, in 2008-2009. In this study, the status of chemical pregnancy among those who experienced general anesthesia or spinal anesthesia for in-vitro fertilization for the first time were compared, and the possible effects of clinical and laboratory factors using logistic regression models were considered. Considering the number of transferred embryos, underlying cause of infertility and fetus grade, it was found that practicing spinal anesthesia is significantly related to increased chance of chemical pregnancy (adjusted Odds Ratio=2.07; 95% CI: 1.02,4.20; p=0.043). According to analysis of recorded data in an infertility treatment center in Iran, it is recommended to use spinal anesthesia instead of general anesthesia for oocyte retrieval to achieve successful in-vitro fertilization outcome. This can be studied and investigated further via a proper multicentric study in the country.

Achieving Success: Perceptions of Students from Migrant Farmwork Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McHatton, Patricia Alvarez; Zalaquett, Carlos P.; Cranson-Gingras, Ann

2006-01-01

In their pursuit of an education, students from migrant farmworker families experience multiple challenges such as high mobility rates and a lack of curriculum alignment and credit transfer across local, state, and national boundaries. Despite these challenges, many of these students graduate from high school and successfully transition into…

Using School Reform Models to Improve Reading Achievement: A Longitudinal Study of Direct Instruction and Success for All in an Urban District

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, Steven M.; Nunnery, John A.; Goldfeder, Elizabeth; McDonald, Aaron; Rachor, Robert; Hornbeck, Matthew; Fleischman, Steve

2004-01-01

This research examined the effectiveness in an urban school district of 2 of the most widely used Comprehensive School Reform (CSR) programs-Direct Instruction (DI), implemented in 9 district elementary schools, and Success for All (SFA), implemented in 2 elementary schools. In examining impacts on student achievement and school change outcomes…

Achieving Solution Success: An Investigation of User Participation Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattia, Angela Marie

2009-01-01

User participation and its relationship to system success have been discussed in the information systems (IS) literature from many theoretical and practical perspectives. In reality, most of this discussion is grounded in empirical research that has yielded mixed results on the importance of user participation and its relationship to system…

The Balanced Reading Program: Helping All Students Achieve Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blair-Larsen, Susan M., Ed.; Williams, Kathryn A., Ed.

This book explains the methodologies, techniques, strategies, and knowledge base necessary to achieve a balanced reading program. The book's contributors define the key elements in a balanced reading program and provide guidelines for implementing a balanced instructional program in the classroom. Following an introduction which addresses…

Critical Soft Skills to Achieve Success in the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meeks, Gloria Amparo

2017-01-01

The focus of this study was a problem identified by human resources directors and managers in a medium sized community in the southeast of the United States. The problem was that some college graduates are not equipped with the necessary soft skills to be successful in the workforce. Executive directors and human resources managers brought this…

Four malaria success stories: how malaria burden was successfully reduced in Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Vietnam.

PubMed

Barat, Lawrence M

2006-01-01

While many countries struggle to control malaria, four countries, Brazil, Eritrea, India, and Vietnam, have successfully reduced malaria burden. To determine what led these countries to achieve impact, published and unpublished reports were reviewed and selected program and partner staff were interviewed to identify common factors that contributed to these successes. Common success factors included conducive country conditions, a targeted technical approach using a package of effective tools, data-driven decision-making, active leadership at all levels of government, involvement of communities, decentralized implementation and control of finances, skilled technical and managerial capacity at national and sub-national levels, hands-on technical and programmatic support from partner agencies, and sufficient and flexible financing. All these factors were essential in achieving success. If the goals of Roll Back Malaria are to be achieved, governments and their partners must take the lessons learned from these program successes and apply them in other affected countries.

Leaders who create change and those who manage it. How leaders limit success.

PubMed

Bruhn, John G

2004-01-01

There is no formula for either leading or managing change. Every organization and leader is unique. Leading change, however, is more art than science. Managing change is more science than art. Leading change is not simply a matter of a leader's style or personality; it is a leader's philosophy of how to generate and mobilize the total resources of an organization to enable it to be its best. Managing change, on the other hand, is focused on maintaining stability in an organization and containing the effects of unwanted and unexpected change. Leaders set the limits of success in their organizations by how they manage change. The different approaches of 2 leaders who have created change to correct problems in our health care delivery system are discussed.

Phytoplankton succession in recurrently fluctuating environments.

PubMed

Roelke, Daniel L; Spatharis, Sofie

2015-01-01

Coastal marine systems are affected by seasonal variations in biogeochemical and physical processes, sometimes leading to alternating periods of reproductive growth limitation within an annual cycle. Transitions between these periods can be sudden or gradual. Human activities, such as reservoir construction and interbasin water transfers, influence these processes and can affect the type of transition between resource loading conditions. How such human activities might influence phytoplankton succession is largely unknown. Here, we employ a multispecies, multi-nutrient model to explore how nutrient loading switching mode might affect phytoplankton succession. The model is based on the Monod-relationship, predicting an instantaneous reproductive growth rate from ambient inorganic nutrient concentrations whereas the limiting nutrient at any given time was determined by Liebig's Law of the Minimum. When these relationships are combined with population loss factors, such as hydraulic displacement of cells associated with inflows, a characterization of a species' niche can be achieved through application of the R* conceptual model, thus enabling an ecological interpretation of modeling results. We found that the mode of reversal in resource supply concentrations had a profound effect. When resource supply reversals were sudden, as expected in systems influenced by pulsed inflows or wind-driven mixing events, phytoplankton were characterized by alternating succession dynamics, a phenomenon documented in inland water bodies of temperate latitudes. When resource supply reversals were gradual, as expected in systems influenced by seasonally developing wet and dry seasons, or annually occurring periods of upwelling, phytoplankton dynamics were characterized by mirror-image succession patterns. This phenomenon has not been reported previously in plankton systems but has been observed in some terrestrial plant systems. These findings suggest that a transition from alternating

Intrinsic Limitations to Unilateral Parathyroid Exploration

PubMed Central

Moore, Francis D.; Mannting, Finn; Tanasijevic, Milenko

1999-01-01

Objective To evaluate a method of limited parathyroid exploration for primary hyperparathyroidism. Summary Background Data Although preoperative localization of parathyroid adenomas has become sensitive enough for clinical practice, it has not achieved success as the basis for limited parathyroid exploration, because multiglandular disease is routinely underdiagnosed. The rapid intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay is sensitive for multiglandular disease, because hormone levels will not fall within 10 minutes of adenoma removal if additional abnormal tissue is present. A combination technique in which the exploration is limited according to the localization studies and the success is confirmed with the parathyroid hormone assay has promise for producing a high rate of curative limited parathyroid explorations. Methods Forty-eight consecutive patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and indications for surgery underwent preoperative localization. After tests, 45 patients underwent unilateral parathyroid exploration and confirmation of the success of unilateral exploration during surgery using the rapid parathyroid hormone assay. The intraoperative management of these patients and their follow-up to 3 months was recorded. Results Thirty-two of the 48 patients (67%) had successful unilateral exploration as gauged by a marked drop in parathyroid hormone levels during the procedure and by 3-month clinical follow-up. Of the 16 patients who ultimately underwent bilateral exploration, 7 had parathyroid hormone levels that did not fall after adenoma removal. Of these seven, five were found to have a second adenoma and two had slow metabolism of hormone with no additional abnormal tissue found. In 5 of the 16 patients, bilateral exploration was performed for erroneous localization. Four additional patients underwent bilateral exploration for improved exposure or negative results on localization tests. Conclusions These results show that unilateral parathyroid exploration

Bilingual Test as a Test Accommodation to Determine the Mathematics Achievement of Mainstream Students with Limited English Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanmugam, S. Kanageswari Suppiah; Lan, Ong Saw

2013-01-01

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the validity of using bilingual test to measure the mathematics achievement of students who have limited English proficiency (LEP). The bilingual test and the English-only test consist of 20 computation and 20 word problem multiple-choice questions (from TIMSS 2003 and 2007 released items. The bilingual test…

Achieving diffraction-limited nanometer-scale X-ray point focus with two crossed multilayer Laue lenses: alignment challenges

DOE PAGES

Yan, Hanfei; Huang, Xiaojing; Bouet, Nathalie; ...

2017-10-16

In this article, we discuss misalignment-induced aberrations in a pair of crossed multilayer Laue lenses used for achieving a nanometer-scale x-ray point focus. We thoroughly investigate the impacts of two most important contributions, the orthogonality and the separation distance between two lenses. We find that misalignment in the orthogonality results in astigmatism at 45º and other inclination angles when coupled with a separation distance error. Theoretical explanation and experimental verification are provided. We show that to achieve a diffraction-limited point focus, accurate alignment of the azimuthal angle is required to ensure orthogonality between two lenses, and the required accuracy ismore » scaled with the ratio of the focus size to the aperture size.« less

Achieving high treatment success for multidrug-resistant TB in Africa: initiation and scale-up of MDR TB care in Ethiopia--an observational cohort study.

PubMed

Meressa, Daniel; Hurtado, Rocío M; Andrews, Jason R; Diro, Ermias; Abato, Kassim; Daniel, Tewodros; Prasad, Paritosh; Prasad, Rebekah; Fekade, Bekele; Tedla, Yared; Yusuf, Hanan; Tadesse, Melaku; Tefera, Dawit; Ashenafi, Abraham; Desta, Girma; Aderaye, Getachew; Olson, Kristian; Thim, Sok; Goldfeld, Anne E

2015-12-01

In Africa, fewer than half of patients receiving therapy for multidrug-resistant TB (MDR TB) are successfully treated, with poor outcomes reported for HIV-coinfected patients. A standardised second-line drug (SLD) regimen was used in a non-governmental organisation-Ministry of Health (NGO-MOH) collaborative community and hospital-based programme in Ethiopia that included intensive side effect monitoring, adherence strategies and nutritional supplementation. Clinical outcomes for patients with at least 24 months of follow-up were reviewed and predictors of treatment failure or death were evaluated by Cox proportional hazards models. From February 2009 to December 2014, 1044 patients were initiated on SLD. 612 patients with confirmed or presumed MDR TB had ≥ 24 months of follow-up, 551 (90.0%) were confirmed and 61 (10.0%) were suspected MDR TB cases. 603 (98.5%) had prior TB treatment, 133 (21.7%) were HIV coinfected and median body mass index (BMI) was 16.6. Composite treatment success was 78.6% with 396 (64.7%) cured, 85 (13.9%) who completed treatment, 10 (1.6%) who failed, 85 (13.9%) who died and 36 (5.9%) who were lost to follow-up. HIV coinfection (adjusted HR (AHR): 2.60, p<0.001), BMI (AHR 0.88/kg/m(2), p=0.006) and cor pulmonale (AHR 3.61, p=0.003) and confirmed MDR TB (AHR 0.50, p=0.026) were predictive of treatment failure or death. We report from Ethiopia the highest MDR TB treatment success outcomes so far achieved in Africa, in a setting with severe resource constraints and patients with advanced disease. Intensive treatment of adverse effects, nutritional supplementation, adherence interventions and NGO-MOH collaboration were key strategies contributing to success. We argue these approaches should be routinely incorporated into programmes. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Achieving the physical limits of the bounded-storage model

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mandayam, Prabha; Wehner, Stephanie; Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 2 Science Drive 3, 117543 Singapore

2011-02-15

Secure two-party cryptography is possible if the adversary's quantum storage device suffers imperfections. For example, security can be achieved if the adversary can store strictly less then half of the qubits transmitted during the protocol. This special case is known as the bounded-storage model, and it has long been an open question whether security can still be achieved if the adversary's storage were any larger. Here, we answer this question positively and demonstrate a two-party protocol which is secure as long as the adversary cannot store even a small fraction of the transmitted pulses. We also show that security canmore » be extended to a larger class of noisy quantum memories.« less

Ecological restoration success is higher for natural regeneration than for active restoration in tropical forests

PubMed Central

Crouzeilles, Renato; Ferreira, Mariana S.; Chazdon, Robin L.; Lindenmayer, David B.; Sansevero, Jerônimo B. B.; Monteiro, Lara; Iribarrem, Alvaro; Latawiec, Agnieszka E.; Strassburg, Bernardo B. N.

2017-01-01

Is active restoration the best approach to achieve ecological restoration success (the return to a reference condition, that is, old-growth forest) when compared to natural regeneration in tropical forests? Our meta-analysis of 133 studies demonstrated that natural regeneration surpasses active restoration in achieving tropical forest restoration success for all three biodiversity groups (plants, birds, and invertebrates) and five measures of vegetation structure (cover, density, litter, biomass, and height) tested. Restoration success for biodiversity and vegetation structure was 34 to 56% and 19 to 56% higher in natural regeneration than in active restoration systems, respectively, after controlling for key biotic and abiotic factors (forest cover, precipitation, time elapsed since restoration started, and past disturbance). Biodiversity responses were based primarily on ecological metrics of abundance and species richness (74%), both of which take far less time to achieve restoration success than similarity and composition. This finding challenges the widely held notion that natural forest regeneration has limited conservation value and that active restoration should be the default ecological restoration strategy. The proposition that active restoration achieves greater restoration success than natural regeneration may have arisen because previous comparisons lacked controls for biotic and abiotic factors; we also did not find any difference between active restoration and natural regeneration outcomes for vegetation structure when we did not control for these factors. Future policy priorities should align the identified patterns of biophysical and ecological conditions where each or both restoration approaches are more successful, cost-effective, and compatible with socioeconomic incentives for tropical forest restoration. PMID:29134195

Ecological restoration success is higher for natural regeneration than for active restoration in tropical forests.

PubMed

Crouzeilles, Renato; Ferreira, Mariana S; Chazdon, Robin L; Lindenmayer, David B; Sansevero, Jerônimo B B; Monteiro, Lara; Iribarrem, Alvaro; Latawiec, Agnieszka E; Strassburg, Bernardo B N

2017-11-01

Is active restoration the best approach to achieve ecological restoration success (the return to a reference condition, that is, old-growth forest) when compared to natural regeneration in tropical forests? Our meta-analysis of 133 studies demonstrated that natural regeneration surpasses active restoration in achieving tropical forest restoration success for all three biodiversity groups (plants, birds, and invertebrates) and five measures of vegetation structure (cover, density, litter, biomass, and height) tested. Restoration success for biodiversity and vegetation structure was 34 to 56% and 19 to 56% higher in natural regeneration than in active restoration systems, respectively, after controlling for key biotic and abiotic factors (forest cover, precipitation, time elapsed since restoration started, and past disturbance). Biodiversity responses were based primarily on ecological metrics of abundance and species richness (74%), both of which take far less time to achieve restoration success than similarity and composition. This finding challenges the widely held notion that natural forest regeneration has limited conservation value and that active restoration should be the default ecological restoration strategy. The proposition that active restoration achieves greater restoration success than natural regeneration may have arisen because previous comparisons lacked controls for biotic and abiotic factors; we also did not find any difference between active restoration and natural regeneration outcomes for vegetation structure when we did not control for these factors. Future policy priorities should align the identified patterns of biophysical and ecological conditions where each or both restoration approaches are more successful, cost-effective, and compatible with socioeconomic incentives for tropical forest restoration.

The Reciprocal Relations between Self-Concept, Motivation and Achievement: Juxtaposing Academic Self-Concept and Achievement Goal Orientations for Mathematics Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seaton, Marjorie; Parker, Philip; Marsh, Herbert W.; Craven, Rhonda G.; Yeung, Alexander Seeshing

2014-01-01

Research suggests that motivated students and those with high academic self-concepts perform better academically. Although substantial evidence supports a reciprocal relation between academic self-concept and achievement, there is less evidence supporting a similar relation between achievement goal orientations and achievement. There is also a…

Achieving metrological precision limits through postselection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alves, G. Bié; Pimentel, A.; Hor-Meyll, M.; Walborn, S. P.; Davidovich, L.; Filho, R. L. de Matos

2017-01-01

Postselection strategies have been proposed with the aim of amplifying weak signals, which may help to overcome detection thresholds associated with technical noise in high-precision measurements. Here we use an optical setup to experimentally explore two different postselection protocols for the estimation of a small parameter: a weak-value amplification procedure and an alternative method that does not provide amplification but nonetheless is shown to be more robust for the sake of parameter estimation. Each technique leads approximately to the saturation of quantum limits for the estimation precision, expressed by the Cramér-Rao bound. For both situations, we show that parameter estimation is improved when the postselection statistics are considered together with the measurement device.

[Energy saving achieved by limited filamentous bulking under low dissolved oxygen: experimental validation in A/O process].

PubMed

Guo, Jian-hua; Wang, Shu-ying; Peng, Yong-zhen; Zheng, Ya-nan; Huang, Hui-jun; Ge, Shi-jian; Sun, Zhi-rong

2008-12-01

Preliminary studies had been conducted to determine the correctness of the theory and technique of energy saving achieved by limited filamentous bulking under low DO using a lab-scale A/O reactor with real domestic wastewater as the influent. The results showed that SVI could be maintained 150-230 mL/g and sludge settleability would not become very poor under the condition of low DO. During the period of limited filamentous bulking, COD and total nitrogen removal efficiencies were improved, and distinct simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) was achieved, while ammonia removal efficiency would slightly decline with decreasing of DO, compared with the period of good settleability sludge under high DO. COD, ammonia and total nitrogen removal efficiencies were 86%, 70% and 63%, respectively. It was found that about 10%-25% nitrogen would be removed by SND based on the mass balance of nitrogen. Besides, SS in the effluent was almost negligible and the effluent turbidity was lower than 3 NTU. Significantly, aeration consumptions would be decreased by 17% under the condition with DO of 0.5 mg/L compared with 2.0 mg/L according to theoretical calculation of air requirements to keep different DO levels, which was about 57% in lab-scale reactor correspondingly.

Genetic improvement of leaf photosynthesis and intrinsic water use efficiency in C3 plants: Why so much little success?

PubMed

Flexas, J

2016-10-01

There is an urgent need for simultaneously increasing photosynthesis/yields and water use efficiency (WUE) in C3 crops. Potentially, this can be achieved by genetic manipulation of the key traits involved. However, despite significant efforts in the past two decades very limited success has been achieved. Here I argue that this is mostly due to the fact that single gene/single trait approaches have been used thus far. Photosynthesis models demonstrate that only limited improving of photosynthesis can be expected by large improvements of any of its single limiting factors, i.e. stomatal conductance, mesophyll conductance, and the biochemical capacity for photosynthesis, the latter co-limited by Rubisco and the orchestrated activity of thylakoid electron transport and the Calvin cycle enzymes. Accordingly, only limited improvements of photosynthesis have been obtained by genetic manipulation of any of these single factors. In addition, improving photosynthesis by genetic manipulation in general reduced WUE, and vice-versa, and in many cases pleiotropic effects appear that cancel out some of the expected benefits. I propose that success in genetic manipulation for simultaneous improvement of photosynthesis and WUE efficiency may take longer than suggested in previous reports, and that it can be achieved only by joint projects addressing multi-gene manipulation for simultaneous alterations of all the limiting factors of photosynthesis, including the often neglected phloem capacity for loading and transport the expected surplus of carbohydrates in plants with improved photosynthesis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Is sustainability achievable? Exploring the limits of sustainability with model systems.

PubMed

Shastri, Yogendra; Diwekar, Urmila; Cabezas, Heriberto; Williamson, James

2008-09-01

Successful implementation of sustainability ideas in ecosystem management requires a basic understanding of the often nonlinear and nonintuitive relationships among different dimensions of sustainability, particularly the system-wide implications of human actions. This basic understanding further includes a sense of the time scale of possible future events and the limits of what is and is not likely to be possible. With this understanding, systematic approaches can then be used to develop policy guidelines for the system. This article presents an illustration of these ideas by analyzing an integrated ecological-economic-social model, which comprises various ecological (natural) and domesticated compartments representing species along with a macroeconomic price setting model. The stable and qualitatively realistic model is used to analyze different relevant scenarios. Apart from highlighting complex relationships within the system, it identifies potentially unsustainable future developments such as increased human per capita consumption rates. Dynamic optimization is then used to develop time-dependent policy guidelines for the unsustainable scenarios using objective functions that aim to minimize fluctuations in the system's Fisher information. The results can help to identify effective policy parameters and highlight the tradeoff between natural and domesticated compartments while managing such integrated systems. The results should also qualitatively guide further investigations in the area of system level studies and policy development.

SNC’s Dream Chaser Achieves Successful Free Flight at NASA Armstrong

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-11-17

Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser® spacecraft underwent a successful free-flight test on November 11, 2017 at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The test verified and validated the performance of the Dream Chaser in the critical final approach and landing phase of flight, meeting expected models for a future return from the International Space Station. The full-scale Dream Chaser test vehicle was lifted to 12,400 feet altitude by a 234-UT Chinook helicopter, released and flew a pre-planned flight path ending with a successful autonomous landing.

Academic achievement, depression and anxiety during medical education predict the styles of success in a medical career: a 10-year longitudinal study.

PubMed

Walkiewicz, Maciej; Tartas, Malgorzata; Majkowicz, Mikolaj; Budzinski, Waldemar

2012-01-01

Our study investigated the styles of success in the medical career in young physicians, in comparison with the same subjects examined 4-10 years earlier. The participants were first studied when they applied to the medical university (1999). Questionnaires were sent to all students each year (2000-2005). Fifty-four medical doctors participated in the first phase of the study completed a questionnaire four years after graduation. The current questionnaire included measures of burnout, satisfaction with medicine as a career, quality of life (QOL) and postgraduate examination results. Previous questionnaires had included measures of academic achievement, depression and anxiety. We can describe three different styles of success, which can be predicted during medical education. Physicians with the best professional competence have the lowest income. However, physicians with the lowest professional competence gain the highest income. Those with the highest QOL (general well-being and life satisfaction) have the lowest professional stress and vulnerability to burnout. Anxiety and academic achievement (during the second and fourth year of study) are the significant predictors of specific style belonging. Our results may be useful to medical school admissions and resident selection committees to identify candidates at risk for less satisfaction or less competence.

Piloted Simulator Investigation of Techniques to Achieve Attitude Command Response with Limited Authority Servos

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Key, David L.; Heffley, Robert K.

2002-01-01

The purpose of the study was to develop generic design principles for obtaining attitude command response in moderate to aggressive maneuvers without increasing SCAS series servo authority from the existing +/- 10%. In particular, to develop a scheme that would work on the UH-60 helicopter so that it can be considered for incorporation in future upgrades. The basic math model was a UH-60A version of GENHEL. The simulation facility was the NASA-Ames Vertical Motion Simulator (VMS). Evaluation tasks were Hover, Acceleration-Deceleration, and Sidestep, as defined in ADS-33D-PRF for Degraded Visual Environment (DVE). The DVE was adjusted to provide a Usable Cue Environment (UCE) equal to two. The basic concept investigated was the extent to which the limited attitude command authority achievable by the series servo could be supplemented by a 10%/sec trim servo. The architecture used provided angular rate feedback to only the series servo, shared the attitude feedback between the series and trim servos, and when the series servo approached saturation the attitude feedback was slowly phased out. Results show that modest use of the trim servo does improve pilot ratings, especially in and around hover. This improvement can be achieved with little degradation in response predictability during moderately aggressive maneuvers.

Achieving successful community engagement: a rapid realist review.

PubMed

De Weger, E; Van Vooren, N; Luijkx, K G; Baan, C A; Drewes, H W

2018-04-13

Community engagement is increasingly seen as crucial to achieving high quality, efficient and collaborative care. However, organisations are still searching for the best and most effective ways to engage citizens in the shaping of health and care services. This review highlights the barriers and enablers for engaging communities in the planning, designing, governing, and/or delivering of health and care services on the macro or meso level. It provides policymakers and professionals with evidence-based guiding principles to implement their own effective community engagement (CE) strategies. A Rapid Realist Review was conducted to investigate how interventions interact with contexts and mechanisms to influence the effectiveness of CE. A local reference panel, consisting of health and care professionals and experts, assisted in the development of the research questions and search strategy. The panel's input helped to refine the review's findings. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was conducted. Eight action-oriented guiding principles were identified: Ensure staff provide supportive and facilitative leadership to citizens based on transparency; foster a safe and trusting environment enabling citizens to provide input; ensure citizens' early involvement; share decision-making and governance control with citizens; acknowledge and address citizens' experiences of power imbalances between citizens and professionals; invest in citizens who feel they lack the skills and confidence to engage; create quick and tangible wins; take into account both citizens' and organisations' motivations. An especially important thread throughout the CE literature is the influence of power imbalances and organisations' willingness, or not, to address such imbalances. The literature suggests that 'meaningful participation' of citizens can only be achieved if organisational processes are adapted to ensure that they are inclusive, accessible and supportive of citizens.

Succession Planning and Financial Performance: Does Competition Matter?

PubMed

Patidar, Nitish; Gupta, Shivani; Azbik, Ginger; Weech-Maldonado, Robert

2016-01-01

Succession planning has been defined as the process by which one or more successors are identified for key positions, development activities are planned for identified successors, or both. Limited research exists pertaining to the relationship between hospital succession planning and financial performance, particularly in the context of market competition. We used the resource-based view framework to analyze the differential effect of succession planning on hospitals' financial performance based on market competition. According to RBV, organizations can achieve higher performance by using their superior resources and capabilities. We used a panel design consisting of a national sample of hospitals in the United States for 2006-2010. We analyzed data using multivariate linear regression with facility random effects and year and state fixed effects. The sample included 22,717 hospital-year observations; more than one half of the hospitals (55.4%) had a succession planning program. The study found a positive relationship between the presence of succession planning and financial performance (β = 1.41, p < .01), which was stronger in competitive markets (β = 2.31, p = .03) than in monopolistic markets (β = 1.06, p = .01). Hospitals can use these results to make informed decisions about investing in succession planning programs on the basis of competition in their market.

Models of the Relationship between Students' Achievement in School and Later Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holmes, Mark, Comp.

Success may be conceptualized within five major domains: academic, aesthetic, social, physical, and moral. The five domains may be further considered either within an individual or a societal dimension, depending on which party principally benefits. Finally, success can be further subdivided into two models; one being competitive, which is termed…

Most Likely to Achieve: Predicting Early Success of the Practical Nurse Student

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cline, April P.

2013-01-01

It is important that practical nurse (PN) educators be able to identify which students are likely to be successful in their programs. However, the majority of literature related to predicting success of nursing students has been done on baccalaureate nursing students in the university setting. This study sought to determine whether the same…

Central sensitization does not identify patients with carpal tunnel syndrome who are likely to achieve short-term success with physical therapy.

PubMed

Fernández-de-Las-Peñas, César; Cleland, Joshua A; Ortega-Santiago, Ricardo; de-la-Llave-Rincon, Ana Isabel; Martínez-Perez, Almudena; Pareja, Juan A

2010-11-01

The aim of the current study was to identify whether hyperexcitability of the central nervous system is a prognostic factor for individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) likely to experience rapid and clinical self-reported improvement following a physical therapy program including soft tissue mobilization and nerve slider neurodynamic interventions. Women presenting with clinical and electrophysiological findings of CTS were involved in a prospective single-arm trial. Participants underwent a standardized examination and then a physical therapy session. The physical therapy sessions included both soft tissue mobilization directed at the anatomical sites of potential median nerve entrapment and a passive nerve slider neurodynamic technique targeted to the median nerve. Pressure pain thresholds (PPT) over the median, radial and ulnar nerves, C5-C6 zygapophyseal joint, carpal tunnel and tibialis anterior muscle were assessed bilaterally. Additionally, thermal detection and pain thresholds were measured over the carpal tunnel and thenar eminence bilaterally to evaluate central nervous system excitability. Subjects were classified as responders (having achieved a successful outcome) or non-responders based on self-perceived recovery. Variables were entered into a stepwise logistic regression model to determine the most accurate variables for determining prognosis. Data from 72 women were included in the analysis, of which 35 experienced a successful outcome (48.6%). Three variables including PPT over the C5-C6 joint affected side <137 kPa, HPT carpal tunnel affected side <39.6º and general health >66 points were identified. If 2 out of 3 variables were present (LR + 14.8), the likelihood of success increased from 48.6 to 93.3%. We identified 3 factors that may be associated with a rapid clinical response to both soft tissue mobilization and nerve slider neurodynamic techniques targeted to the median nerve in women presenting with CTS. Our results support that

A Comparison of the Influences of Verbal-Successive and Spatial-Simultaneous Factors on Achieving Readers in Fourth and Fifth Grade: A Multivariate Correlational Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solan, Harold A.

1987-01-01

This study involving 38 normally achieving fourth and fifth grade children confirmed previous studies indicating that both spatial-simultaneous (in which perceived stimuli are totally available at one point in time) and verbal-successive (information is presented in serial order) cognitive processing are important in normal learning. (DB)

Limited mate availability decreases reproductive success of fragmented populations of Linnaea borealis, a rare, clonal self-incompatible plant

PubMed Central

Scobie, A. R.; Wilcock, C. C.

2009-01-01

Background and Aims Small populations of rare plant species are increasingly reported to have high levels of reproductive failure. The objective of this study was to understand the principal constraints on sexual reproduction in small fragmented populations of a rare clonal self-incompatible plant. Methods The pollinator spectrum, diversity of flower colour, natural pollination and fruit-set levels of L. borealis were examined in Scotland. Artificially crossed seed production was compared within and between different flower colour types and patches. Key Results Linnaea borealis was pollinated by a diverse spectrum of insect species and the principal pollinators were muscid, syrphid and empid flies which mostly moved only small distances (<0·25 m) between flowers when foraging. Natural pollination levels were high, indicating high pollinator effectiveness, but fruit set was very low in most patches. Flower colour diversity was low in most patches and only those with a diversity of flower colour types had high fruiting success. Pollination experiments showed L. borealis to be highly self-incompatible and artificial crosses within and between patches and flower colour types confirmed that low fruit success was the result of a lack of compatible mates and limited pollen movement between them. Evidence of isolation from pollen exchange was apparent at as little as 6 m and severe at 30 m and beyond. Conclusions Limited mate availability and isolation from pollen exchange compromise the reproductive success of fragmented populations of L. borealis in Scotland. A diversity of compatible mates situated within close proximity (<6 m) is the key requirement to ensure high natural fruiting success. This study emphasizes that an understanding of the breeding system, pollinator spectrum and potential for interconnectivity via pollinator movement are fundamental to identify isolation distances and to establish when conservation intervention is necessary for rare species. PMID

Achieving the Dream in Connecticut: State Policies Affecting Access to, and Success in, Community Colleges for Students of Color and Low-Income Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Kevin J.; Reid, Monica

2006-01-01

This report provides an audit of state policies in Connecticut affecting access to, and success in, community colleges for students of color and low-income students. It was commissioned by Lumina Foundation for Education as part of a series of policy audits of the states involved in Achieving the Dream. Lumina Foundation is the primary funder of…

Achieving the Dream in Ohio: State Policies Affecting Access to, and Success in, Community Colleges for Students of Color and Low-Income Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dougherty, Kevin J.; Marshall, James; Soonachan, Andrea

2006-01-01

This report provides an audit of state policies in Ohio affecting access to, and success in, community colleges for students of color and low-income students. It was commissioned by Lumina Foundation for Education as part of a series of policy audits of the states involved in Achieving the Dream. Lumina Foundation is the primary funder of the…

Clinical significance of achieving a flexion limitation with a tension band system in grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis: a minimum 5-year follow-up.

PubMed

Lee, Sang-Ho; Lee, Ho-Yeon; Baek, Oon Ki; Bae, Jun Seok; Yoo, Seung-Hwa; Lee, June-Ho

2015-03-15

Retrospective clinical study. To evaluate the effect of the limitation of flexion rotation clinically and radiologically after interspinous soft stabilization using a tension band system in grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis. Although several studies have been published on the clinical effects of limiting rotatory motion using tension band systems, which mainly targets the limitation of flexion rather than that of extension, they were confined to the category of pedicle screw-based systems, revealing inconsistent long-term outcomes. Sixty-one patients with a mean age of 60.6 years (range, 28-76 yr) who underwent interspinous soft stabilization after decompression for grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis with stenosis between 2002 and 2004 were analyzed. At follow-up, the patients were divided into 2 groups on the basis of their achievement or failure to achieve flexion limitation. The clinical and radiological findings were analyzed. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the prognostic factors for surgical outcomes. At a mean follow-up duration of 72.5 months (range, 61-82 mo), 51 patients were classified into the flexion-limited group and 10 into the flexion-unlimited group. Statistically significant improvements were noted only in the flexion-limited group in all clinical scores. In the flexion-unlimited group, there were significant deteriorations in flexion angle (P = 0.009), axial thickness of the ligamentum flavum (P = 0.013), and the foraminal cross-sectional area (P = 0.011), resulting in significant intergroup differences. The preoperative extension angle was identified as the most influential variable for the flexion limitation and the clinical outcomes. The effects of the limitation of flexion rotation achieved through interspinous soft stabilization using a tension band system after decompression were related to the prevention of late recurrent stenosis and resultant radicular pain caused by flexion instability. The

An Analysis of How Multicultural Adult Orphans Achieve Economic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simonee, Saundra W.

2014-01-01

Successful multicultural adult orphans who were not adopted pose an interesting challenge in their history, their physical, psychological, social emotional and personal identity development. One must understand their journey from orphanhood to adulthood and their current prominent status in life to build a contextualized personal story (Banks,…

Review: Balancing Limiting Factors and Economic Drivers to Achieve Sustainable Midwestern US Agricultural Residue Feedstock Supplies

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wally W. Wilhelm; J. Richard Hess; Douglas L. Karlen

2010-10-01

Advanced biofuels will be developed using cellulosic feedstock rather than grain or oilseed crops that can also be used for food and feed. To be sustainable, these new agronomic production systems must be economically viable without degrading soil resources. This review examines six agronomic factors that collectively define many of the limits and opportunities for harvesting crop residue for biofuel feedstock. These six “limiting factors” are discussed in relationship to economic drivers associated with harvesting corn (Zea mays L.) stover as a potential cellulosic feedstock. The limiting factors include soil organic carbon, wind and water erosion, plant nutrient balance, soilmore » water and temperature dynamics, soil compaction, and off-site environmental impacts. Initial evaluations using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation 2.0 (RUSLE2) show that a single factor analysis based on simply meeting tolerable soil loss might indicate stover could be harvested sustainably, but the same analysis based on maintaining soil organic carbon shows the practice to be non-sustainable. Modifying agricultural management to include either annual or perennial cover crops is shown to meet both soil erosion and soil carbon requirements. The importance of achieving high yields and planning in a holistic manner at the landscape scale are also shown to be crucial for balancing limitations and drivers associated with renewable bioenergy production.« less

Student Achievement in Identified Workforce Clusters: Understanding Factors that Influence Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Amico, Mark M.; Morgan, Grant B.; Robertson, Thashundray C.

2011-01-01

This study blends elements from two South Carolina Technical College System initiatives--Achieving the Dream and a workforce cluster strategy. Achieving the Dream is a national non-profit organization created to help technical and community college students succeed, particularly low-income students and students of color. This initiative, combined…

Success in Primary School. Success in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Academy for Educational Development, 2010

2010-01-01

A quality education system is not measured solely by national test scores, but by whether all students are successful in primary school. This simply stated goal is surprisingly difficult to achieve where substantial numbers of children are at risk of failing to complete a primary education. This paper explores the challenges and the diverse…

Achieving Success in Obtaining Grant Funding as a Research Scholar

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cherubini, Lorenzo

2014-01-01

The process of writing successful grant proposals has received not so dubious attention in the last several decades. This article provides contextual significance resulting from a review of literature spanning 1975 to 2013. I identify essential vocabulary stemming from the literature review to familiarize the reader with the terminology associated…

Sex Differences in Attribution of Achievement and Actual Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erkut, Sumru

One-hundred-seventy-six male and 116 female college freshmen took part in a questionnaire study of sex differences in attribution of achievemnt. Achievement was operationalized as grade point index, a performance measure of significance to the subjects, where success-failure feedback is contingent on one's own performance. The best predictor of…

Critical success factors in infrastructure projects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zakaria, Siti Fairus; Zin, Rosli Mohamad; Mohamad, Ismail; Balubaid, Saeed; Mydin, Shaik Hussein; Mohd Rahim, E. M. Roodienyanto

2017-11-01

Construction of infrastructure project is different from buildings. The main difference is term of project site where infrastructure project need to command a long stretch while building mostly confine to a limited area. As such factors that are critical to infrastructure project may not be that significant to building project and vice versa. Flood mitigation can be classified under infrastructure projects under which their developments are planned by the government with the specific objective to reduce or avoid the negative effects of flood to the environment and livelihood. One of the indicators in project success is delay. The impact of project delay in construction industry is significant that it decelerates the projects implementation, specifically the government projects. This study attempted to identify and compare the success factors between infrastructure and building projects, as such comparison rarely found in the current literature. A model of flood mitigation projects' success factors was developed by merging the experts' views and reports from the existing literature. The experts' views were obtained from the responses to open-ended questions on the required fundamentals to achieve successful completion of flood mitigation projects. An affinity analysis was applied to these responses to develop the model. The developed model was then compared to the established success factors found in building project, extracted from the previous studies to identify the similarities and differences between the two models. This study would assist the government and construction players to become more effective in constructing successful flood mitigation projects for the future practice in a flood-prone country like Malaysia.

Achieving the national health objective for influenza immunization: success of an institution-wide vaccination program.

PubMed

Nichol, K L; Korn, J E; Margolis, K L; Poland, G A; Petzel, R A; Lofgren, R P

1990-08-01

To enhance influenza vaccination rates for high-risk outpatients at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, an institution-wide immunization program was implemented during 1987. The program consisted of: (1) a hospital policy allowing nurses to vaccinate without a signed physician's order; (2) stamped reminders on all clinic progress notes; (3) a 2-week walk-in flu shot clinic; (4) influenza vaccination "stations" in the busiest clinic areas; and (5) a mailing to all outpatients. Risk characteristics and vaccination rates for patients were estimated from a validated self-administered postcard questionnaire mailed to 500 randomly selected outpatients. For comparison, 500 patients were surveyed from each of three other Midwestern VAMCs without similar programs. Overall, 70.6% of Minneapolis patients were high-risk and 58.3% of them were vaccinated. In contrast, 69.9% of patients at the comparison medical centers were high-risk, but only 29.9% of them were vaccinated. The Minneapolis VAMC influenza vaccination program was highly successful and may serve as a useful model for achieving the national health objective for influenza immunization.

A rill erosion-vegetation modeling approach for the evaluation of slope reclamation success in water-limited environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moreno de las Heras, Mariano; Diaz Sierra, Ruben; Nicolau, Jose M.; Zavala, Miguel A.

2013-04-01

Slope reclamation from surface mining and road construction usually shows important constraints in water-limited environments. Soil erosion is perceived as a critical process, especially when rill formation occurs, as rills can condition the spatial distribution and availability of soil moisture for plant growth, hence affecting vegetation development. On the other hand, encouraging early vegetation establishment is essential to reduce the risk of degradation in these man-made systems. This work describes a modeling approach focused on stability analysis of water-limited reclaimed slopes, where interactive relationships between rill erosion and vegetation regulate ecosystem stability. Our framework reproduces two main groups of trends along the temporal evolution of reclaimed slopes: successful trends, characterized by widespread vegetation development and the effective control of rill erosion processes; and gullying trends, characterized by the progressive loss of vegetation and a sharp logistic increase in erosion rates. Furthermore, this analytical approach allows the determination of threshold values for both vegetation cover and rill erosion that drive the system's stability, facilitating the identification of critical situations that require specific human intervention (e.g. revegetation or, in very problematic cases, revegetation combined with rill network destruction) to ensure the long-term sustainability of the restored ecosystem. We apply our threshold analysis framework in Mediterranean-dry reclaimed slopes derived form surface coal mining (the Teruel coalfield in central-east Spain), obtaining a good field-based performance. Therefore, we believe that this model is a valuable contribution for the management of water-limited reclaimed systems, as it can play an important role in decision-making during ecosystem restoration and provides a tool for the assessment of restoration success in severely disturbed landscapes.

The Longitudinal Effects of Achievement Goals and Perceived Control on University Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Lia M.; Perry, Raymond P.; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Stewart, Tara L.; Newall, Nancy E. G.; Clifton, Rodney A.

2014-01-01

In the area of achievement motivation, students' beliefs pertaining to achievement goals and perceived control have separately guided a large amount theoretical and empirical research. However, limited research has considered the simultaneous effects of goals and control on achievement. The purpose of this study was to examine primary and…

Why are some people more successful at lifestyle change than others? Factors associated with successful weight loss in the BeWEL randomised controlled trial of adults at risk of colorectal cancer.

PubMed

Stead, Martine; Craigie, Angela M; Macleod, Maureen; McKell, Jennifer; Caswell, Stephen; Steele, Robert J C; Anderson, Annie S

2015-06-26

The BeWEL (BodyWEight and physicaL activity) randomised controlled trial demonstrated that a weight management programme offered in the colorectal cancer screening setting was effective. However, the differential responses of participants to the programme were notable. This study aimed to explore the factors associated with success and to identify implications for future programme design. Analyses were conducted of quantitative data (n = 148) from the BeWEL intervention group to compare demographic and psychosocial characteristics and lifestyle changes in those who met and exceeded the target 7% weight loss ('super-achievers') with those who achieved only 'moderate' or 'low' amounts of weight loss (2-7% loss, or <2% loss, respectively). In-depth qualitative interviews (n = 24) explored in detail the motivations, actions, pathways to weight loss and circumstances of study participants. Over the 12 month intervention period, mean percentage weight loss of super-achievers (n = 33) was 11.5%, compared with moderate-achievers (n = 58) who lost 4.2%, and low-achievers (n = 57) who gained 0.8%. Compared to other groups, super- achievers increased their fruit and vegetable intake (p < 0.01) and physical activity (step count, p < 0.01). 'Super-achievers' did not differ in baseline demographic characteristics from other participants. However, significantly fewer reported that their activities were limited by physical and emotional health and they were more likely to perceive their current diet as harmful. Qualitative analyses found no consistent patterns among super-achievers in relation to some factors identified as important in previous studies, such as social support. However, super-achievers shared several characteristics such as determination and consistency in their engagement with the intervention, receptivity to new information and prompts, previous positive experience of changing health behaviours, being motivated by early success, making

When pupils do not understand the determinants of their success and failure in school: relations between internal, teacher and unknown perceptions of control and school achievement.

PubMed

Butler, R; Orion, R

1990-02-01

Both dispositional and attributional perspectives on perceptions of control assume that people have some idea of outcome determinants. This, however, may not always be so. This study tested the hypothesis that pupils do not always understand the determinants of their learning outcomes, and that such a sense of unknown control will be associated with poor achievement in school. The study was unusual in that it tapped both dispositional control perceptions, using the new MMPCC, and causal attributions for success and failure in a school examination. Subjects were 186 10-year-old Israeli pupils of heterogeneous SES. Results confirmed that unknown control emerged as a distinct dimension of perceived control in both dispositional and attributional measures, and was consistently associated with poor achievement in school. Attributions of test outcomes to unknown causes were strongly related to dispositional unknown control, and were not affected by success or failure. In contrast, dispositional and attributional internality were unrelated, and did not predict achievement. It is argued that internal beliefs reflect internalised social-educational norms, and as a result have less impact on motivation than perceptions of unknown control. The implications of these findings for educational practice and motivational interventions are discussed.

Success in a Hurry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Harold L., Sr.

2015-01-01

Although a young program, the North Carolina A&T Honors Program illustrates how quickly and successfully honors can achieve its goals of providing a quality education to its high-achieving students, and how these students can benefit academically and personally from the experiences that honors provides for them. This article provides a brief…

Gender and physical therapy career success factors.

PubMed

Rozier, C K; Raymond, M J; Goldstein, M S; Hamilton, B L

1998-07-01

Gender and profession are thought to affect how career success is perceived as well as how it is achieved. This study investigated items considered important in defining career success for male and female physical therapists. The study also explored the relationship among gender, beliefs about career success, and career experiences. Data were obtained through an investigator-developed survey. The self-report questionnaire consisted of 78 items in 4 areas: descriptive information, items important in characterizing career success, items perceived to enhance or inhibit career success, and items assessing self-esteem. Questionnaires were mailed to a random sample of active physical therapist members of the American Physical Therapy Association (N = 5,000). The response rate was 38.1% (n = 1,906). Both men and women selected indicators such as practicing ethically, improving patient health, and feeling satisfied over high income or status when describing career success. All respondents agreed that clinical competency and motivation are key factors related to achieving career success. Family issues, full-time employment, and flexibility of practice conditions emerged as primary gender differences. A unique set of indicators describe physical therapy career success. Gender differences in its description and factors that influence its achievement are related primarily to family issues. Career success for women depends to a greater degree on the ability to manage family responsibilities in conjunction with employment opportunities.

Perceiving the Causes of Success and Failure in Achievement; Sex, Race, and Motivational Comparisons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Saundra Rice; Mednick, Martha Tamara Shuch

1975-01-01

Men high and low in resultant achievement motivation related luck to outcome. High-achievement women related luck, ability, and effort to outcome, whereas low-achievement-motivated women attributed outcome to task difficulty. Implications of these findings for the understanding of sex and race differences in achievement are discussed. (Author)

Differences in Reading and Math Achievement among Students Who Are Hispanic, Limited English Proficient, or White: A Multi-Year Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas-LeBouef, Ana M.

2010-01-01

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine differences in academic achievement among students who were Hispanic, Limited English Proficient (LEP), or White, using archival data from the Texas Education Agency's (TEA) Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS). Data examined were fifth grade reading and math passing rates from the 1993…

Personality traits and achievement motives: theoretical and empirical relations between the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the Achievement Motives Scale.

PubMed

Diseth, Age; Martinsen, Øyvind

2009-04-01

Theoretical and empirical relations between personality traits and motive dispositions were investigated by comparing scores of 315 undergraduate psychology students on the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised and the Achievement Motives Scale. Analyses showed all NEO Personality Inventory-Revised factors except agreeableness were significantly correlated with the motive for success and the motive to avoid failure. A structural equation model showed that motive for success was predicted by Extraversion, Openness, Conscientiousness, and Neuroticism (negative relation), and motive to avoid failure was predicted by Neuroticism and Openness (negative relation). Although both achievement motives were predicted by several personality factors, motive for success was most strongly predicted by Openness, and motive to avoid failure was most strongly predicted by neuroticism. These findings extended previous research on the relations of personality traits and achievement motives and provided a basis for the discussion of motive dispositions in personality. The results also added to the construct validity of the Achievement Motives Scale.

Examining brain structures associated with the motive to achieve success and the motive to avoid failure: A voxel-based morphometry study.

PubMed

Ming, Dan; Chen, Qunlin; Yang, Wenjing; Chen, Rui; Wei, Dongtao; Li, Wenfu; Qiu, Jiang; Xu, Zhan; Zhang, Qinglin

2016-01-01

The motive to achieve success (MAS) and motive to avoid failure (MAF) are two different but classical kinds of achievement motivation. Though many functional magnetic resonance imaging studies have explored functional activation in motivation-related conditions, research has been silent as to the brain structures associated with individual differences in achievement motivation, especially with respect to MAS and MAF. In this study, the voxel-based morphometry method was used to uncover focal differences in brain structures related to MAS and MAF measured by the Mehrabian Achieving Tendency Scale in 353 healthy young Chinese adults. The results showed that the brain structures associated with individual differences in MAS and MAF were distinct. MAS was negatively correlated with regional gray matter volume (rGMV) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)/orbitofrontal cortex while MAF was negatively correlated with rGMV in the mPFC/subgenual cingulate gyrus. After controlling for mutual influences of MAS and MAF scores, MAS scores were found to be related to rGMV in the mPFC/orbitofrontal cortex and another cluster containing the parahippocampal gyrus and precuneus. These results may predict that compared with MAF, the generation process of MAS may be more complex and rational, thus in the real world, perhaps MAS is more beneficial to personal growth and guaranteeing the quality of task performance.

The Relationship of Home-Career Conflict, Fear of Success, and Sex-Role Orientation to Achievement and Career Motivation Given Different Levels of Perceived Environmental Support.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farmer, Helen S.

The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between Home-Career (H-C) conflict, Fear of success (FOS), achievement (n Ach) and Career motivation (CM) for women of differing sex role orientations. In addition, measures of self-esteem, risk-taking, perceived community support and early socialization were obtained. A positive…

Comparative Evaluation: Participants versus Nonparticipants in the Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) Program at Montgomery County Public Schools in Year One and Year Two

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Modarresi, Shahpar; Wolanin, Natalie; Cooper-Martin, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

The Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) program is a collaboration between MCPS, Montgomery College, and the Universities at Shady Grove to create a seamless pathway from high school to college completion; it targets students who are underrepresented in higher education, the first in their family to attend college, or both. As one…

Managing Success: Collective Bargaining.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Godshall, Clark J.

2002-01-01

Describes four ways school business officials achieve success with collective bargaining: Maintaining relationships, separating the relationship from the problem, building credibility and cooperation, and "futuring." (PKP)

Successful Girls? Complicating Post-Feminist, Neoliberal Discourses of Educational Achievement and Gender Equality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ringrose, Jessica

2007-01-01

This paper examines how an ongoing educational panic over failing boys has contributed to a new celebratory discourse about successful girls. Rather than conceive of this shift as an anti-feminist feminist backlash, the paper examines how the successful girl discourse is postfeminist, and how liberal feminist theory has contributed to narrowly…

Successful Aging in the Context of the Disablement Process: Working and Volunteering as Moderators on the Association Between Chronic Conditions and Subsequent Functional Limitations.

PubMed

Kail, Ben Lennox; Carr, Dawn C

2017-03-01

This study evaluated the successful aging model by assessing the impact of two forms of productive engagement-working and volunteering-as potential interventions in the process of disablement. The Health and Retirement Study was used to (a) estimate two-stage selection equations of (i) currently working part time and full time and (ii) currently volunteering less than 100 hours and volunteering 100 hours or more per year (net of chronic health problems) and (b) assess whether, net of selection, working, and volunteering moderate the association between chronic conditions and subsequent functional limitations. Chronic conditions were associated with elevated levels of subsequent functional limitations, whereas both working and volunteering were associated with lower levels of subsequent functional limitations. Moreover, workers and volunteers of less than 100 hours per year experienced a reduction in the association of chronic conditions on subsequent functional limitations. This research highlights the role of productive engagement as a key element in successful aging. Not only do work and volunteering have direct associations with health outcomes themselves, but they also act as potential interventions in the process of disablement by attenuating the way in which chronic conditions are translated into subsequent functional limitations. This suggests that (a) future research should apply successful aging models to health processes as well as health outcomes and (b) policy makers should support social institutions that foster late-life productive engagement. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The rites of writing papers: steps to successful publishing for psychiatrists.

PubMed

Brakoulias, Vlasios; Macfarlane, Matthew D; Looi, Jeffrey C

2015-02-01

To encourage psychiatrists to publish high-quality articles in peer-reviewed journals by demystifying the publishing process. This paper will describe the publishing process and outline key factors that ensure that publishing is an achievable goal for psychiatrists. The publishing process can be long and often this is related to delays associated with obtaining reviewers and their comments. Negative reviewer comments often relate to grammatical and typographical errors, an insufficient literature review, failure to adequately discuss limitations and conclusions that are not adequately supported by the results. Authors who systematically respond to their paper's reviewer comments are usually successful in having their papers accepted. Success in publishing is usually determined by a topic that appeals to the readership of a journal, a credible methodology and a paper that is well-written. Publishing is achievable for all psychiatrists providing they can write a paper that delivers a clear and concise message, are willing to address reviewer comments and that their paper is tailored to the readership of the journal. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2014.

Impediments to the success of management actions for species recovery.

PubMed

Ng, Chooi Fei; Possingham, Hugh P; McAlpine, Clive A; de Villiers, Deidré L; Preece, Harriet J; Rhodes, Jonathan R

2014-01-01

Finding cost-effective management strategies to recover species declining due to multiple threats is challenging, especially when there are limited resources. Recent studies offer insights into how costs and threats can influence the best choice of management actions. However, when implementing management actions in the real-world, a range of impediments to management success often exist that can be driven by social, technological and land-use factors. These impediments may limit the extent to which we can achieve recovery objectives and influence the optimal choice of management actions. Nonetheless, the implications of these impediments are not well understood, especially for recovery planning involving multiple actions. We used decision theory to assess the impact of these types of impediments for allocating resources among recovery actions to mitigate multiple threats. We applied this to a declining koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) population threatened by habitat loss, vehicle collisions, dog attacks and disease. We found that the unwillingness of dog owners to restrain their dogs at night (a social impediment), the effectiveness of wildlife crossings to reduce vehicle collisions (a technological impediment) and the unavailability of areas for restoration (a land-use impediment) significantly reduced the effectiveness of our actions. In the presence of these impediments, achieving successful recovery may be unlikely. Further, these impediments influenced the optimal choice of recovery actions, but the extent to which this was true depended on the target koala population growth rate. Given that species recovery is an important strategy for preserving biodiversity, it is critical that we consider how impediments to the success of recovery actions modify our choice of actions. In some cases, it may also be worth considering whether investing in reducing or removing impediments may be a cost-effective course of action.

Cellular aging (the Hayflick limit) and species longevity: a unification model based on clonal succession.

PubMed

Juckett, D A

1987-03-01

A model is presented which proposes a specific cause-and-effect relationship between a limited cell division potential and the maximum lifespan of humans and other mammals. It is based on the clonal succession hypothesis of Kay which states that continually replicating cell beds (e.g. bone marrow, intestinal crypts, epidermis) could be composed of cells with short, well-defined division potentials. In this model, the cells of these beds are proposed to exist in an ordered hierarchy which establishes a specific sequence for cell divisions throughout the organism's lifespan. The depletion of division potential at all hierarchical levels leads to a loss of bed function and sets an intrinsic limit to species longevity. A specific hierarchy for cell proliferation is defined which allows the calculation of time to bed depletion and, ultimately, to organism mortality. The model allows the existence of a small number (n) of critical cell beds within the organism and defines organism death as the inability of any one of these beds to produce cells. The model is consistent with all major observations related to cellular and organismic aging. In particular, it links the PDLs (population doubling limit) observed for various species to their mean lifespan; it explains the slow decline in PDL as a function of age of the donor; it establishes a thermodynamically stable maximum lifespan for a disease-free population; and it can explain why tissue transplants outlive donors or hosts.

Measuring strategic success.

PubMed

Gish, Ryan

2002-08-01

Strategic triggers and metrics help healthcare providers achieve financial success. Metrics help assess progress toward long-term goals. Triggers signal market changes requiring a change in strategy. All metrics may not move in concert. Organizations need to identify indicators, monitor performance.

Relationship of Elementary and Secondary School Achievement Test Scores to Later Academic Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loyd, Brenda H.; And Others

1980-01-01

This study investigated the relationship between achievement test scores on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS) and Iowa Tests of Educational Development (ITED), and high school and college grade point average. Support for the predictive validity of the ITBS and ITED achievement test batteries is provided. (Author/GK)

Opening Doors to Success in Multilingual Classrooms: Bilingualism, Codeswitching and the Professional Identities of Ethnic Minority Primary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conteh, Jean

2007-01-01

In England, government initiatives to recruit more ethnic minority teachers into mainstream schools have met with only limited success. One important reason for this may be that the factors that contribute to their distinctive professional skills and identities, and their potential to help raise the achievements of ethnic minority pupils, are not…

Phase noise in pulsed Doppler lidar and limitations on achievable single-shot velocity accuracy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcnicholl, P.; Alejandro, S.

1992-01-01

The smaller sampling volumes afforded by Doppler lidars compared to radars allows for spatial resolutions at and below some sheer and turbulence wind structure scale sizes. This has brought new emphasis on achieving the optimum product of wind velocity and range resolutions. Several recent studies have considered the effects of amplitude noise, reduction algorithms, and possible hardware related signal artifacts on obtainable velocity accuracy. We discuss here the limitation on this accuracy resulting from the incoherent nature and finite temporal extent of backscatter from aerosols. For a lidar return from a hard (or slab) target, the phase of the intermediate frequency (IF) signal is random and the total return energy fluctuates from shot to shot due to speckle; however, the offset from the transmitted frequency is determinable with an accuracy subject only to instrumental effects and the signal to noise ratio (SNR), the noise being determined by the LO power in the shot noise limited regime. This is not the case for a return from a media extending over a range on the order of or greater than the spatial extent of the transmitted pulse, such as from atmospheric aerosols. In this case, the phase of the IF signal will exhibit a temporal random walk like behavior. It will be uncorrelated over times greater than the pulse duration as the transmitted pulse samples non-overlapping volumes of scattering centers. Frequency analysis of the IF signal in a window similar to the transmitted pulse envelope will therefore show shot-to-shot frequency deviations on the order of the inverse pulse duration reflecting the random phase rate variations. Like speckle, these deviations arise from the incoherent nature of the scattering process and diminish if the IF signal is averaged over times greater than a single range resolution cell (here the pulse duration). Apart from limiting the high SNR performance of a Doppler lidar, this shot-to-shot variance in velocity estimates has a

Patient Perceptions of Whom is Most Involved in Their Care with Successive Duty Hour Limits.

PubMed

Arora, Vineet M; Prochaska, Micah T; Farnan, Jeanne M; Meltzer, David O

2015-09-01

Although direct patient care is necessary for experiential learning during residency, inpatient perceptions of the roles of resident and attending physicians in their care may have changed with residency duty hours. We aimed to assess if patients' perceptions of who is most involved in their care changed with residency duty hours. This was a prospective observational study over 12 years at a single institution. Participants were 22,408 inpatients admitted to the general medicine teaching service from 2001 to 2013, who completed a 1-month follow-up phone interview. Percentage of inpatients who reported an attending, resident, or intern as most involved in their care by duty hour period (pre-2003, post-2003-pre-2011, post-2011). With successive duty hour limits, the percentage of patients who reported the attending as most involved in their care increased (pre-2003 20 %, post-2003-pre-2011 29 %, post-2011 37 %, p < 0.001). Simultaneously, fewer patients reported a housestaff physician (resident or intern) as most involved in their care (pre-2003 20 %, post-2003-pre-2011 17 %, post-2011 12 %, p < 0.001). In multinomial regression models controlling for patient age, race, gender and hospitalist as teaching attending, the relative risk ratio of naming the resident versus the attending was higher in the pre-2003 period (1.44, 95 % CI 1.28-1.62, p < 0.001) than the post-2003-pre-2011 (reference group). In contrast, the relative risk ratio for naming the resident versus the attending was lower in the post-2011 period (0.79, 95 % CI 0.68-0.93, p = 0.004) compared to the reference group. After successive residency duty hours limits, hospitalized patients were more likely to report the attending physician and less likely to report the resident or intern as most involved in their hospital care. Given the importance of experiential learning to the formation of clinical judgment for independent practice, further study on the implications of these trends for resident education

SAIL--A Way to Success and Independence for Low-Achieving Readers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bergman, Janet L.

1992-01-01

Argues that providing students with a repertoire of important learning strategies is one crucial way of helping all students to become independent readers, thinkers, and learners. Describes a third grade reading environment and the practices of the Students Achievement Independent Learning Program (SAIL). (PRA)

Achieving success in trail related partnerships: the Michigan State Forest Experience

Treesearch

Joel A. Lynch; Charles M. Nelson

1998-01-01

Management of trails has become challenging as funding for their operation and administration has decreased. To contend with shortfalls, resources managers are forming partnerships with stakeholders to meet these challenges. An investigation of two trail programs in Michigan is used to illustrate the benefits of partnerships, key elements related to success, and...

Achieving College Success: The Impact of the College Success/STEM Program on Students' Matriculation to and Persistence in College. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lane, Brett; Souvanna, Phomdaen

2014-01-01

This College Success Research Brief is one of a series of briefs documenting the implementation and impact of Mass Insight's College Success/STEM program. The research briefs are intended to share key findings, highlight ongoing questions and lines of inquiry, and inform the thinking of practitioners and policymakers on how to scale up efforts to…

Achieving Success in Small Business: A Self-Instruction Program for Small Business Owner-Managers. Success in Small Business: Luck or Pluck?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg. Div. of Vocational-Technical Education.

This self-instructional module on success in small business is the first in a set of twelve modules designed for small business owner-managers. Competency objectives for this module are (1) ability to evaluate chances of success based upon one's personality and knowledge of good business practices and (2) ability to determine one's commitment to…

How Should I Study for the Exam? Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Achievement in Introductory Biology

PubMed Central

Sebesta, Amanda J.; Bray Speth, Elena

2017-01-01

In college introductory science courses, students are challenged with mastering large amounts of disciplinary content while developing as autonomous and effective learners. Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the process of setting learning goals, monitoring progress toward them, and applying appropriate study strategies. SRL characterizes successful, “expert” learners, and develops with time and practice. In a large, undergraduate introductory biology course, we investigated: 1) what SRL strategies students reported using the most when studying for exams, 2) which strategies were associated with higher achievement and with grade improvement on exams, and 3) what study approaches students proposed to use for future exams. Higher-achieving students, and students whose exam grades improved in the first half of the semester, reported using specific cognitive and metacognitive strategies significantly more frequently than their lower-achieving peers. Lower-achieving students more frequently reported that they did not implement their planned strategies or, if they did, still did not improve their outcomes. These results suggest that many students entering introductory biology have limited knowledge of SRL strategies and/or limited ability to implement them, which can impact their achievement. Course-specific interventions that promote SRL development should be considered as integral pedagogical tools, aimed at fostering development of students’ lifelong learning skills. PMID:28495934

Successional dynamics drive tropical forest nutrient limitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chou, C.; Hedin, L. O. O.

2017-12-01

It is increasingly recognized that nutrients such as N and P may significantly constrain the land carbon sink. However, we currently lack a complete understanding of these nutrient cycles in forest ecosystems and how to incorporate them into Earth System Models. We have developed a framework of dynamic forest nutrient limitation, focusing on the role of secondary forest succession and canopy gap disturbances as bottlenecks of high plant nutrient demand and limitation. We used succession biomass data to parameterize a simple ecosystem model and examined the dynamics of nutrient limitation throughout tropical secondary forest succession. Due to the patterns of biomass recovery in secondary tropical forests, we found high nutrient demand from rapid biomass accumulation in the earliest years of succession. Depending on previous land use scenarios, soil nutrient availability may also be low in this time period. Coupled together, this is evidence that there may be high biomass nutrient limitation early in succession, which is partially met by abundant symbiotic nitrogen fixation from certain tree species. We predict a switch from nitrogen limitation in early succession to one of three conditions: (i) phosphorus only, (ii) phosphorus plus nitrogen, or (iii) phosphorus, nitrogen, plus light co-limitation. We will discuss the mechanisms that govern the exact trajectory of limitation as forests build biomass. In addition, we used our model to explore scenarios of tropical secondary forest impermanence and the impacts of these dynamics on ecosystem nutrient limitation. We found that secondary forest impermanence exacerbates nutrient limitation and the need for nitrogen fixation early in succession. Together, these results indicate that biomass recovery dynamics early in succession as well as their connection to nutrient demand and limitation are fundamental for understanding and modeling nutrient limitation of the tropical forest carbon sink.

Health care financing in Nigeria: Implications for achieving universal health coverage.

PubMed

Uzochukwu, B S C; Ughasoro, M D; Etiaba, E; Okwuosa, C; Envuladu, E; Onwujekwe, O E

2015-01-01

The way a country finances its health care system is a critical determinant for reaching universal health coverage (UHC). This is so because it determines whether the health services that are available are affordable to those that need them. In Nigeria, the health sector is financed through different sources and mechanisms. The difference in the proportionate contribution from these stated sources determine the extent to which such health sector will go in achieving successful health care financing system. Unfortunately, in Nigeria, achieving the correct blend of these sources remains a challenge. This review draws on relevant literature to provide an overview and the state of health care financing in Nigeria, including policies in place to enhance healthcare financing. We searched PubMed, Medline, The Cochrane Library, Popline, Science Direct and WHO Library Database with search terms that included, but were not restricted to health care financing Nigeria, public health financing, financing health and financing policies. Further publications were identified from references cited in relevant articles and reports. We reviewed only papers published in English. No date restrictions were placed on searches. It notes that health care in Nigeria is financed through different sources including but not limited to tax revenue, out-of-pocket payments (OOPs), donor funding, and health insurance (social and community). In the face of achieving UHC, achieving successful health care financing system continues to be a challenge in Nigeria and concludes that to achieve universal coverage using health financing as the strategy, there is a dire need to review the system of financing health and ensure that resources are used more efficiently while at the same time removing financial barriers to access by shifting focus from OOPs to other hidden resources. There is also need to give presidential assent to the national health bill and its prompt implementation when signed into law.

Achieving Stable Radiation Pressure Acceleration of Heavy Ions via Successive Electron Replenishment from Ionization of a High-Z Material Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Bin; Shen, X. F.; Zhang, H.; Kar, S.; Zhou, C. T.; Chang, H. X.; Borghesi, M.; He, X. T.

2017-10-01

Among various laser-driven acceleration schemes, radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is regarded as one of the most promising schemes to obtain high-quality ion beams. Although RPA is very attractive in principle, it is difficult to be achieved experimentally. One of the most important reasons is the dramatic growth of the multi-dimensional Rayleigh-Taylor-like (RT) instabilities. In this talk, we report a novel method to achieve stable RPA of ions from laser-irradiated ultrathin foils, where a high-Z material coating in front is used. The coated high-Z material, acting as a moving electron repository, continuously replenishes the accelerating ion foil with comoving electrons in the light-sail acceleration stage due to its successive ionization under laser fields with Gaussian temporal profile. As a result, the detrimental effects such as electron loss induced by the RT and other instabilities are significantly offset and suppressed so that stable acceleration of ions are maintained. Supported by the NSAF, Grant No. U1630246; the NNSF China Grants No. 11575298; and the National Key Program of S&T Research and Development, Grant No. 2016YFA0401100.

So You Want to Be Trustworthy: A Repository's Guide to Taking Reasonable Steps Towards Achieving ISO 16363

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stall, S.

2016-12-01

To be trustworthy is to be reliable, dependable, honest, principled, ethical, incorruptible, and more. A trustworthy person demonstrates these qualities over time and under all circumstances. A trustworthy repository demonstrates these qualities through the team that manages the repository and its responsible organization. The requirements of a Trusted Digital Repository (TDR) in ISO 16363 can be tough to reach and tough to maintain. Challenges include: limited funds, limited resources and/or skills, and an unclear path to successfully achieve the requirements. The ISO standard defines each requirement separately, but a successful certification recognizes that there are many cross-dependencies among the requirements. Understanding these dependencies leads to a more efficient path towards success. At AGU we recognize that reaching the goal of the TDR ISO standard, or any set of data management objectives defined by an organization, has a better chance at success if the organization clearly knows their current capability, the improvements that are needed, and the best way to make (and maintain) those changes. AGU has partnered with the CMMI® Institute to adapt their Data Management Maturity (DMM)SM model within the Earth and space sciences. Using the DMM, AGU developed a new Data Management Assessment Program aimed at helping data repositories, large and small, domain-specific to general, assess and improve data management practices to meet their goals - including becoming a Trustworthy Digital Repository. The requirements to achieve the TDR ISO standard are aligned to the data management best practices defined in the Data Management Maturity (DMM)SM model. Using the DMM as a process improvement tool in conjunction with the Data Management Assessment method, a team seeking the objective of the TDR ISO standard receives a clear road map to achieving their goal as an outcome of the assessment. Publishers and agencies are beginning to recommend or even require that

I Know Who I Am, Do You?: Identity and Academic Achievement of Successful African American Male Adolescents in an Urban Pilot High School in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Brian L.

2011-01-01

This study explores racial-ethnic identity and academic achievement of five young African American men in 11th and 12th grade in an urban pilot high school. Data gathered through individual and group interviews and a questionnaire were analyzed to understand how academically successful African American male adolescents interpret their social and…

Successful recruitment to trials: findings from the SCIMITAR+ Trial.

PubMed

Peckham, Emily; Arundel, Catherine; Bailey, Della; Callen, Tracy; Cusack, Christina; Crosland, Suzanne; Foster, Penny; Herlihy, Hannah; Hope, James; Ker, Suzy; McCloud, Tayla; Romain-Hooper, Crystal-Bella; Stribling, Alison; Phiri, Peter; Tait, Ellen; Gilbody, Simon

2018-01-19

Randomised controlled trials (RCT) can struggle to recruit to target on time. This is especially the case with hard to reach populations such as those with severe mental ill health. The SCIMITAR+ trial, a trial of a bespoke smoking cessation intervention for people with severe mental ill health achieved their recruitment ahead of time and target. This article reports strategies that helped us to achieve this with the aim of aiding others recruiting from similar populations. SCIMITAR+ is a multi-centre pragmatic two-arm parallel-group RCT, which aimed to recruit 400 participants with severe mental ill health who smoke and would like to cut down or quit. The study recruited primarily in secondary care through community mental health teams and psychiatrists with a smaller number of participants recruited through primary care. Recruitment opened in October 2015 and closed in December 2016, by which point 526 participants had been recruited. We gathered information from recruiting sites on strategies which led to the successful recruitment in SCIMITAR+ and in this article present our approach to trial management along with the strategies employed by the recruiting sites. Alongside having a dedicated trial manager and trial management team, we identified three main themes that led to successful recruitment. These were: clinicians with a positive attitude to research; researchers and clinicians working together; and the use of NHS targets. The overriding theme was the importance of relationships between both the researchers and the recruiting clinicians and the recruiting clinicians and the participants. This study makes a significant contribution to the limited evidence base of real-world cases of successful recruitment to RCTs and offers practical guidance to those planning and conducting trials. Building positive relationships between clinicians, researchers and participants is crucial to successful recruitment.

Black Women in the Academy: The Secrets to Success and Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Sheila T.

This book presents selected historical data focusing on three aspects in the lives of Black women: resilience of Black women and their families; strengths of the Black church and community; and formidable gains made by Black women in the workforce. The status and achievements of Black women professors and scholars in the academy are reviewed, with…

Is Sustainability Achievable? Exploring the Limits of Sustainability with Model Systems

EPA Science Inventory

Successful implementation of sustainability ideas in ecosystem management requires a basic understanding of the often nonlinear and non-intuitive relationships amongst different dimensions of sustainability, particularly the systemwide implications of human actions. This basic un...

Environmental factors limiting fertilisation and larval success in corals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, Rachael M.; Baird, Andrew H.; Mizerek, Toni L.; Madin, Joshua S.

2016-12-01

Events in the early life history of reef-building corals, including fertilisation and larval survival, are susceptible to changes in the chemical and physical properties of sea water. Quantifying how changes in water quality affect these events is therefore important for understanding and predicting population establishment in novel and changing environments. A review of the literature identified that levels of salinity, temperature, pH, suspended sediment, nutrients and heavy metals affect coral early life-history stages to various degrees. In this study, we combined published experimental data to determine the relative importance of sea water properties for coral fertilisation success and larval survivorship. Of the water properties manipulated in experiments, fertilisation success was most sensitive to suspended sediment, copper, salinity, phosphate and ammonium. Larval survivorship was sensitive to copper, lead and salinity. A combined model was developed that estimated the joint probability of both fertilisation and larval survivorship in sea water with different chemical and physical properties. We demonstrated the combined model using water samples from Sydney and Lizard Island in Australia to estimate the likelihood of larvae surviving through both stages of development to settlement competency. Our combined model could be used to recommend targets for water quality in coastal waterways as well as to predict the potential for species to expand their geographical ranges in response to climate change.

National Laboratory Planning: Developing Sustainable Biocontainment Laboratories in Limited Resource Areas.

PubMed

Yeh, Kenneth B; Adams, Martin; Stamper, Paul D; Dasgupta, Debanjana; Hewson, Roger; Buck, Charles D; Richards, Allen L; Hay, John

2016-01-01

Strategic laboratory planning in limited resource areas is essential for addressing global health security issues. Establishing a national reference laboratory, especially one with BSL-3 or -4 biocontainment facilities, requires a heavy investment of resources, a multisectoral approach, and commitments from multiple stakeholders. We make the case for donor organizations and recipient partners to develop a comprehensive laboratory operations roadmap that addresses factors such as mission and roles, engaging national and political support, securing financial support, defining stakeholder involvement, fostering partnerships, and building trust. Successful development occurred with projects in African countries and in Azerbaijan, where strong leadership and a clear management framework have been key to success. A clearly identified and agreed management framework facilitate identifying the responsibility for developing laboratory capabilities and support services, including biosafety and biosecurity, quality assurance, equipment maintenance, supply chain establishment, staff certification and training, retention of human resources, and sustainable operating revenue. These capabilities and support services pose rate-limiting yet necessary challenges. Laboratory capabilities depend on mission and role, as determined by all stakeholders, and demonstrate the need for relevant metrics to monitor the success of the laboratory, including support for internal and external audits. Our analysis concludes that alternative frameworks for success exist for developing and implementing capabilities at regional and national levels in limited resource areas. Thus, achieving a balance for standardizing practices between local procedures and accepted international standards is a prerequisite for integrating new facilities into a country's existing public health infrastructure and into the overall international scientific community.

National Laboratory Planning: Developing Sustainable Biocontainment Laboratories in Limited Resource Areas

PubMed Central

Adams, Martin; Stamper, Paul D.; Dasgupta, Debanjana; Hewson, Roger; Buck, Charles D.; Richards, Allen L.; Hay, John

2016-01-01

Strategic laboratory planning in limited resource areas is essential for addressing global health security issues. Establishing a national reference laboratory, especially one with BSL-3 or -4 biocontainment facilities, requires a heavy investment of resources, a multisectoral approach, and commitments from multiple stakeholders. We make the case for donor organizations and recipient partners to develop a comprehensive laboratory operations roadmap that addresses factors such as mission and roles, engaging national and political support, securing financial support, defining stakeholder involvement, fostering partnerships, and building trust. Successful development occurred with projects in African countries and in Azerbaijan, where strong leadership and a clear management framework have been key to success. A clearly identified and agreed management framework facilitate identifying the responsibility for developing laboratory capabilities and support services, including biosafety and biosecurity, quality assurance, equipment maintenance, supply chain establishment, staff certification and training, retention of human resources, and sustainable operating revenue. These capabilities and support services pose rate-limiting yet necessary challenges. Laboratory capabilities depend on mission and role, as determined by all stakeholders, and demonstrate the need for relevant metrics to monitor the success of the laboratory, including support for internal and external audits. Our analysis concludes that alternative frameworks for success exist for developing and implementing capabilities at regional and national levels in limited resource areas. Thus, achieving a balance for standardizing practices between local procedures and accepted international standards is a prerequisite for integrating new facilities into a country's existing public health infrastructure and into the overall international scientific community. PMID:27559843

Success Factors for Corporate Woman Executives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keown, Charles F. Jr.; Keown, Ada Lewis

1982-01-01

Interviewed 21 women executives who entered the job market in the 1960s and achieved success in corporate management. Compared profiles with an earlier study. Results indicated that being an only or first child and having a college education are still important, but not crucial, factors for success. (Author/RC)

Using Data to Increase Student Success: A Focus on Diagnosis. Principles and Practices of Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Kenneth P.

2009-01-01

The Achieving the Dream (ATD) initiative works with more than 100 community colleges across the United States with the specific goal of increasing student success. Together, Achieving the Dream colleges graduate or transfer close to 250,000 students a year. With just a 5 percent increase in graduation rates, individuals can positively impact the…

A Successful Application of Latent Trait Theory to Tailored Achievement Testing.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-02-01

strategy for achieve- ment test batteries (Research Report 77-6). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota, Department of Psychology , Psychometric Methods...trait models to tailored testing (Research Report 79-1). Columbia: Uni- versity of Missouri, Department of Educational Psychology , 1979. Lord, F. M. A... Psychology Psychometric Research Group Kawauchi, Sendai 980 Educational Testing Service JAPAN Princeton, NJ 08541 Dr. Edwin Shirkey 1 Dr. Kikui

Focus on Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, Susan

2011-01-01

Successful middle schools do not happen by accident--they happen through leadership. Principals promote a shared vision that empowers school staffs to set high standards and continuously improve student achievement. And these middle grade educators also try to help their adolescent students see the connection between their work in school and their…

Achieving a Successful Closure of an Anterior Tympanic Membrane Perforation: Evidence-Based Systematic Review.

PubMed

Visvanathan, Vikranth; Vallamkondu, Vamsidhar; Bhimrao, Sanjiv K

2018-06-01

Objectives Surgical repair of a tympanic membrane perforation is a common otologic procedure. However, achieving a successful closure can be challenging, especially if the anterior margin of the tympanic membrane is involved. The aim of this study was to systematically review the literature on evidence published in closure of anterior tympanic membrane perforations. Data Sources The following data sources were searched: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (1997 to August, 3 2017), MEDLINE (February 1948 to August 3, 2017), and Embase (1975 to August 3, 2017). Data Extraction Two authors independently reviewed titles and abstracts. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines were followed. For the purpose of this study, the inclusion criteria were as follows; (1) studies reporting surgical technique for closure of anterior tympanic membrane perforations, (2) primary cases only, (3) articles published in the English language, (4) minimum 6-month follow-up, and (5) recorded pre- and postoperative audiometry. The exclusion criteria were non-English language articles, revision surgery, and no audiometric outcomes. Results On initial search, a total of 181 articles were identified (PubMed, n = 136; Cochrane, n = 28; Embase, n = 17). Based on the criteria, 136 articles were excluded. Full text of 45 articles was reviewed, and a further 24 articles were excluded. A total of 21 articles fulfilled the criteria for study inclusion. Conclusions All published evidence is level 4. High-quality controlled studies are required to determine the most effective method for closure of anterior tympanic membrane perforation.

Achieving success with family planning in rural Afghanistan.

PubMed

Huber, Douglas; Saeedi, Nika; Samadi, Abdul Khalil

2010-03-01

Afghan women have one of the world's highest lifetime risks of maternal death. Years of conflict have devastated the country's health infrastructure. Total fertility was one of the world's highest, contraceptive use was low and there were no Afghan models of success for family planning. We worked closely with communities, providing information about the safety and non-harmful side-effects of contraceptives and improving access to injectable contraceptives, pills and condoms. Regular interaction with community leaders, mullahs (religious leaders), clinicians, community health workers and couples led to culturally acceptable innovations. A positive view of birth spacing was created by the messages that contraceptive use is 300 times safer than pregnancy in Afghanistan and that the Quran (the holy book of Islam) promotes two years of breastfeeding. Community health workers initiated the use of injectable contraceptives for the first time. The non-for-profit organization, Management Sciences for Health, Afghan nongovernmental organizations and the Ministry of Public Health implemented the Accelerating Contraceptive Use project in three rural areas with different ethnic populations. The contraceptive prevalence rate increased by 24-27% in 8 months in the project areas. Men supported modern contraceptives once they understood contraceptive safety, effectiveness and non-harmful side-effects. Injectable contraceptives contributed most to increases in contraceptive use. Community health workers can rapidly increase contraceptive use in rural areas when given responsibility and guidance. Project innovations were adopted as best practices for national scale-up.

Improved outcomes after successful implementation of a pediatric early warning system (PEWS) in a resource-limited pediatric oncology hospital.

PubMed

Agulnik, Asya; Mora Robles, Lupe Nataly; Forbes, Peter W; Soberanis Vasquez, Doris Judith; Mack, Ricardo; Antillon-Klussmann, Federico; Kleinman, Monica; Rodriguez-Galindo, Carlos

2017-08-01

Hospitalized pediatric oncology patients are at high risk of clinical decline and mortality, particularly in resource-limited settings. Pediatric early warning systems (PEWS) aid in the early identification of clinical deterioration; however, there are limited data regarding their feasibility or impact in low-resource settings. This study describes the successful implementation of PEWS at the Unidad Nacional de Oncología Pediátrica (UNOP), a pediatric oncology hospital in Guatemala, resulting in improved inpatient outcomes. A modified PEWS was implemented at UNOP with systems to track errors, transfers to a higher level of care, and high scores. A retrospective cohort study was used to evaluate clinical deterioration events in the year before and after PEWS implementation. After PEWS implementation at UNOP, there was 100% compliance with PEWS documentation and an error rate of <10%. Implementation resulted in 5 high PEWS per week, with 30% of patients transferring to a higher level of care. Among patients requiring transfer to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), 93% had an abnormal PEWS before transfer. The rate of clinical deterioration events decreased after PEWS implementation (9.3 vs 6.5 per 1000-hospitalpatient-days, p = .003). Despite an 18% increase in total hospital patient-days, PICU utilization for inpatient transfers decreased from 1376 to 1088 PICU patient-days per year (21% decrease; P<.001). This study describes the successful implementation of PEWS in a pediatric oncology hospital in Guatemala, resulting in decreased inpatient clinical deterioration events and PICU utilization. This work demonstrates that PEWS is a feasible and effective quality improvement measure to improve hospital care for children with cancer in hospitals with limited resources. Cancer 2017;123:2965-74. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

Achievement Goals of Medical Students and Physicians

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Babenko, Oksana; Daniels, Lia M.; White, Jonathan; Oswald, Anna; Ross, Shelley

2018-01-01

In achievement settings, the types of motivation individuals develop are crucial to their success and to the ways in which they respond to challenges. Considering the competitive nature of medical education and the high stakes of medical practice, it is important to know what types of motivation (conceptualized here as achievement goals) medical…

Achievement and Its Correlates: Symposium III A.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ismail, Maznah; And Others

This symposium contains a report of a study which (1) examined the relationship between Malaysian children's perception of control and their academic achievement, by Maznah Ismail and Choo Piang Foong, and two abstracts of studies which (2) investigated achievement motivation and attribution of success in rural and urban Malaysian ethnic groups,…

Limitations for a Successful Army Leader Development Strategy

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-23

the Army, the programs for managing officers to be adjusted to support the strategy, and the policies that constrain the programs to be adjusted...officer management programs exposes a number of policies that detrimentally limit the accomplishment of the objectives. The effectiveness of the ALDS...system. Commanders would fight to get their best officers to school as early as possible as a reward and would develop aggressive development programs

Early Number Skills Gains and Mathematics Achievement: Intervening to Establish Successful Early Mathematics Trajectories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shanley, Lina; Clarke, Ben; Doabler, Christian T.; Kurtz-Nelson, Evangeline; Fien, Hank

2017-01-01

Early number skills, comprised of both informal and formal skills, are associated with later mathematics achievement. Thus, the development of foundational early number skills is an important aspect of early mathematics instruction. This study explored relations between early number skills gains and mathematics achievement for students at risk for…

A process to help assure successful commercial space ventures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihara, Sam K.

1999-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to describe a process for successful space business ventures-a methodology used by highly successful commercial ventures, but relatively new to space business enterprises. What do highly successful commercial business ventures have in common? How do these companies differ from most commercial space ventures? The answer is the implementation of a state-of-the-art customer satisfaction process. Take the case of the latest winners of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. What did they do that helped to achieve this performance? The answer is they implemented an effective process that measures and achieves the highest possible level of customer satisfaction. The same process can be implemented by space enterprises to achieve comparable commercial results. This paper describes the six-step process, including examples of each step. It concludes with the strong recommendation that this process be implemented to assure success in the commercial space world.

Sex Differences in Adults' Motivation to Achieve

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Sluis, Sophie; Vinkhuyzen, Anna A. E.; Boomsma, Dorret I.; Posthuma, Danielle

2010-01-01

Achievement motivation is considered a prerequisite for success in academic as well as non-academic settings. We studied sex differences in academic and general achievement motivation in an adult sample of 338 men and 497 women (ages 18-70 years). Multi-group covariance and means structure analysis (MG-CMSA) for ordered categorical data was used…

Achieving success with family planning in rural Afghanistan

PubMed Central

Saeedi, Nika; Samadi, Abdul Khalil

2010-01-01

Abstract Problem Afghan women have one of the world’s highest lifetime risks of maternal death. Years of conflict have devastated the country’s health infrastructure. Total fertility was one of the world’s highest, contraceptive use was low and there were no Afghan models of success for family planning. Approach We worked closely with communities, providing information about the safety and non-harmful side-effects of contraceptives and improving access to injectable contraceptives, pills and condoms. Regular interaction with community leaders, mullahs (religious leaders), clinicians, community health workers and couples led to culturally acceptable innovations. A positive view of birth spacing was created by the messages that contraceptive use is 300 times safer than pregnancy in Afghanistan and that the Quran (the holy book of Islam) promotes two years of breastfeeding. Community health workers initiated the use of injectable contraceptives for the first time. Local setting The non-for-profit organization, Management Sciences for Health, Afghan nongovernmental organizations and the Ministry of Public Health implemented the Accelerating Contraceptive Use project in three rural areas with different ethnic populations. Relevant changes The contraceptive prevalence rate increased by 24–27% in 8 months in the project areas. Men supported modern contraceptives once they understood contraceptive safety, effectiveness and non-harmful side-effects. Injectable contraceptives contributed most to increases in contraceptive use. Lessons learnt Community health workers can rapidly increase contraceptive use in rural areas when given responsibility and guidance. Project innovations were adopted as best practices for national scale-up. PMID:20428392

Effects of Attractiveness and Gender on the Perception of Achievement-Related Variables.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chia, R. C.; Allred, L. J.; Grossnickle, W. F.; Lee, G. W.

1998-01-01

Examines the effects of physical attractiveness and gender on perceptions of academic success, achievement-related traits, intelligence, initiative, and attributions of ability and effort in relation to academic success. Finds that being perceived as physically attractive created positive impressions of achievement-related traits for men but…

The development of a national HIV Plan in Belgium: Achieving consensus despite institutional complexity.

PubMed

Schweikardt, Christoph; Coppieters, Yves

2015-10-01

The development of a national HIV Plan poses serious challenges to countries with a complex distribution of legal powers such as Belgium. This article explores how the Belgian national HIV Plan 2014-2019 was developed. Applying the policy streams model of John Kingdon, the analysis of the HIV Plan development process was based on published government statements, parliamentary documents, and websites of stakeholders. The Federal Ministry of Health initiative to achieve the HIV Plan was characterized by a coordinating role with a participatory approach towards the other Belgian governments and stakeholders. The 2013 protocol agreement of the Belgian governments committed them to principles, actions, and cooperation, but not to budgets, priorities, or target figures. The Federal government followed a successful strategy to create momentum and commitment to a common national vision on HIV/AIDS. The window of opportunity was not sufficient to create an implementation plan prior to the 2014 elections, and major challenges were left to the subsequent governments, including financing. The country of Belgium represents an example of a consensus strategy to achieve a national HIV Plan with its achievements and limits within institutional complexity and limited Federal legal powers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClelland, David C.

1987-01-01

Comparison of characteristics of 12 average and 12 superior small business people in three developing nations (India, Malawi, and Ecuador) found proactive qualities such as initiative and assertiveness, achievement orientation, and commitment to others characteristic of successful entrepreneurs. Other expected qualities (self-confidence,…

Vegetation succession and impacts of biointrusion on covers used to limit acid mine drainage.

PubMed

Smirnova, Evgeniya; Bussière, Bruno; Tremblay, Francine; Bergeron, Yves

2011-01-01

A cover with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) was constructed in 1998 on the abandoned Lorraine mine tailings impoundment to limit the generation of acid mine drainage. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Fauna of Quebec (MRNF) is responsible for the site and for all restoration works on it, including CCBE construction. The CCBE is made up of three layers: a 0.3-m layer of sand used as a support and capillary break layer; a moisture-retaining layer with a thickness of 0.5 m (this layer is constructed of a nonplastic silt); and a 0.3-m sand and gravel layer on top. The main objective of the CCBE is to maintain one (or more) of the layers at a high degree of water saturation to impede oxygen migration and acid generation. Vegetation succession on the Lorraine CCBE results in an improvement in soil conditions, leading to the installation of deep-rooted species, which could represent a risk to CCBE long-term performance. Hence, the characterization of vegetation succession is an important aspect of the monitoring strategy for the Lorraine CCBE. Species occurrence was documented, and depth of tree roots was measured by excavation on a regular basis. Eight functional groups of plants were identified; herbaceous plants were the most abundant ecological plant groups. Tree ring counts confirmed that tree colonization started the year of CCBE construction (1999). Of the 11 tree species identified, the most abundant were poplar (Populus spp.), paper birch (Betula payrifera Marsh.), black spruce (Picea mariana Mill.), and willow (Salix spp.). Significant differences in occurrence related to environmental conditions were observed for most functional groups. Root excavation showed that tree roots exceeded the depth of the protective layer and started to reach the moisture-retaining layer; in 2008, root average depth was 0.4 m and the maximal root depth was 1.7 m.

An Attributional Theory of Achievement Motivation and Emotion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weiner, Bernard

1985-01-01

This article advances an attributional theory of motivation and emotion, with achievement strivings as the theoretical focus. Causes of success and failure share three common properties: locus, stability, and controllability. Stability of causes influences changes in expectancy of success. Expectancy and affect guide motivated behavior.…

Hospital IT adoption strategies associated with implementation success: implications for achieving meaningful use.

PubMed

Ford, Eric W; Menachemi, Nir; Huerta, Timothy R; Yu, Feliciano

2010-01-01

Health systems are facing significant pressure to either implement health information technology (HIT) systems that have "certified" electronic health record applications and that fulfill the federal government's definition of "meaningful use" or risk substantial financial penalties in the near future. To this end, hospitals have adopted one of three strategies, described as "best of breed," "best of suite," and "single vendor," to meet organizational and regulatory demands. The single-vendor strategy is used by the simple majority of U.S. hospitals, but is it the most effective mode for achieving full implementation? Moreover, what are the implications of adopting this strategy for achieving meaningful use? The simple answer to the first question is that the hospitals using the hybrid best of suite strategy had fully implemented HIT systems in significantly greater proportions than did hospitals employing either of the other strategies. Nonprofit and system-affiliated hospitals were more likely to have fully implemented their HIT systems. In addition, increased health maintenance organization market penetration rates were positively correlated with complete implementation rates. These results have ongoing implications for achieving meaningful use in the near term. The federal government's rewards and incentives program related to the meaningful use of HIT in hospitals has created an organizational imperative to implement such systems. For hospitals that have not begun systemwide implementation, pursuing a best of suite strategy may provide the greatest chance for achieving all or some of the meaningful use targets in the near term or at least avoiding future penalties scheduled to begin in 2015.

Overhead Bryant's Traction Does Not Improve the Success of Closed Reduction or Limit AVN in Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip.

PubMed

Sucato, Daniel J; De La Rocha, Adriana; Lau, Karlee; Ramo, Brandon A

2017-03-01

Preoperative Bryant's overhead traction before closed reduction (CR) in developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) remains controversial and its success in increasing CR rates and reducing avascular necrosis (AVN) rates has not been specifically reported in a large cohort. IRB-approved retrospective study of patients (below 3 y)who were treated with attempted CR for idiopathic DDH from 1980 to 2009. Successful CR was defined as a hip that remained reduced and did not require repeat CR or open reduction. Patients were grouped by age, hip instability [Ortolani positive (reducible) vs. fixed dislocation], and Tonnis classification and rates of successful CR were compared between groups with P<0.05. A total of 342 hips were included with a mean age of 0.9 years (0.2 to 2.8 y) and a mean follow-up of 10.4 years (2.0 to 27.7 y). There were 269 hips with fixed dislocations and 73 Ortolani-positive hips. Traction was used in 276 hips. There was no difference in traction utilization in the 3 age groups (below 1, below 1.5, and below 2 y) for either Ortolani-positive hips (P=0.947) or fixed dislocations (P=0.943). There was no difference in achieving a successful CR comparing traction (60.9%) and no-traction groups (60.6%) (P=1.00). For Ortolani-positive hips, traction did not improve the incidence of a successful CR for any age group: below 1 year: P=0.19; below 1.5 years: P=0.23; and below 2 years: P=0.25. Similarly, fixed dislocation patients had no benefit from traction: below 1 year: P=0.76; below 1.5 years: P=0.82; and below 2 years: P=0.85. Tonnis classification did predict success of CR but had no influence on traction success. There was no difference in the rate of AVN between the traction (18%) and no-traction (8%) groups for all patients (P=0.15). In this retrospective series, preoperative Bryant's traction does not improve the rate of a successful CR for patients with DDH and has no protective effect on the development of AVN of the femoral head. These results

Limits on fundamental limits to computation.

PubMed

Markov, Igor L

2014-08-14

An indispensable part of our personal and working lives, computing has also become essential to industries and governments. Steady improvements in computer hardware have been supported by periodic doubling of transistor densities in integrated circuits over the past fifty years. Such Moore scaling now requires ever-increasing efforts, stimulating research in alternative hardware and stirring controversy. To help evaluate emerging technologies and increase our understanding of integrated-circuit scaling, here I review fundamental limits to computation in the areas of manufacturing, energy, physical space, design and verification effort, and algorithms. To outline what is achievable in principle and in practice, I recapitulate how some limits were circumvented, and compare loose and tight limits. Engineering difficulties encountered by emerging technologies may indicate yet unknown limits.

The Flipped Classroom Model and Academic Achievement: A Pre and Posttest Comparison Groups Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wenzler, Heather Rebecca

2017-01-01

Student academic achievement is of prime concern in the American education system because academic success (i.e. achievement) has been shown to be a predictor of success in later life and is crystallized in the United States Department of Education's mission statement "...to promote student achievement and preparation for global…

Expectancy-Value and Children's Science Achievement: Parents Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomas, Julie A.; Strunk, Kamden K.

2017-01-01

This longitudinal study explored the ways parents' and teachers' expectancy for success influences 3rd-5th children's expectancy for success and achievement in science. Guided by an open-systems perspective and functional (Ballantine & Roberts, 2007) and expectancy-value (Eccles, 2005, 2007) theories, we focused on school related socialization…

Vocational Education Success Stories: Serving Special Populations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Council on Vocational Education, Springfield.

This publication reports on the Illinois Council on Vocational Education's (ICoVE) recognition program. The program was designed to (1) commend achievement in vocational education; (2) collect information about vocational education and evaluate its success; (3) provide a resource guide of successful vocational education programs and activities;…

Achievement Emotions as Predictors of High School Science Success Among African-American and European American Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowe, Marilyn Louise Simmons

The literature includes few studies of the interrelations of achievement goals and achievement emotions with respect to minority students and science achievement. The objective of this study was to test the control-value theory (CVT) of achievement emotions to determine if the eight discrete achievement emotions would be predictive of test scores on the High School Graduation Test (GHSGT)-Science for African-American compared to European-American science students. Convenience cluster sampling was employed to select 160 students who were all juniors in the same public high school at the time that they took the GHSGT-Science. The central research question for this study aimed to uncover whether any of the eight achievement emotions identified in CVT would contribute significantly to the predictability of science achievement as measured by GHSGT-Science scores. Data were collected using a nonexperimental, cross sectional design survey. Data were analyzed using a hierarchal, forced entry, multiple regression analysis. Key results indicated that the eight achievement emotions were predictive of GHSGT-Science score outcomes. Positive social change at the individual level could reflect a boost in confidence for African American science students and help decrease the achievement gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) endeavors between European Americans and African-American students. Educators may consider the importance of achievement emotions in science outcomes by including social emotional learning (SEL) as a part of the regular science curriculum. Future researchers should repeat the study in a school district where the population is available to support the desired cluster sample of equal parts European Americans to African Americans and male to female students.

Absorption spectroscopy at the ultimate quantum limit from single-photon states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whittaker, R.; Erven, C.; Neville, A.; Berry, M.; O'Brien, J. L.; Cable, H.; Matthews, J. C. F.

2017-02-01

Absorption spectroscopy is routinely used to characterise chemical and biological samples. For the state-of-the-art in laser absorption spectroscopy, precision is theoretically limited by shot-noise due to the fundamental Poisson-distribution of photon number in laser radiation. In practice, the shot-noise limit can only be achieved when all other sources of noise are eliminated. Here, we use wavelength-correlated and tuneable photon pairs to demonstrate how absorption spectroscopy can be performed with precision beyond the shot-noise limit and near the ultimate quantum limit by using the optimal probe for absorption measurement—single photons. We present a practically realisable scheme, which we characterise both the precision and accuracy of by measuring the response of a control feature. We demonstrate that the technique can successfully probe liquid samples and using two spectrally similar types of haemoglobin we show that obtaining a given precision in resolution requires fewer heralded single probe photons compared to using an idealised laser.

Similar Success Rates with Bivalirudin and Unfractionated Heparin in Bare-Metal Stent Implantation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hallak, Omar; Shams, S. Ali; Broce, Mike

Background. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is the traditional agent utilized during percutaneous peripheral interventions (PPIs) despite its well-known limitations. Bivalirudin, a thrombin-specific anticoagulant, overcomes many of the limitations of UFH and has consistently demonstrated comparable efficacy with significantly fewer bleeding complications. The purpose of this study was to compare procedural success in patients undergoing bare-metal stent implantation for atherosclerotic blockage of the renal, iliac, and femoral arteries and receiving either bivalirudin (0.75 mg/kg bolus/1.75 mg/kg/hr infusion) or UFH (50-70 U/kg/hr bolus) as the primary anticoagulant. Methods. This study was an open-label, nonrandomized retrospective registry with the primary endpoint of procedural success.more » Secondary endpoints included incidence of: death, myocardial infarction (MI), urgent revascularization, amputation, and major and minor bleeding. Results. One hundred and five consecutive patients were enrolled (bivalirudin = 53; heparin = 52). Baseline demographics were comparable between groups. Patients were pretreated with clopidogrel (approx. 71%) and aspirin (approx. 79%). Procedural success was achieved in 97% and 96% of patients in the bivalirudin- and heparin-treated groups, respectively. Event rates were low and similar between groups. Conclusion. Bivalirudin maintained an equal rate of procedural success in this cohort without sacrificing patient safety. Results of this study add to the growing body of evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of bivalirudin as a possible substitute for UFH in anticoagulation during peripheral vascular bare-metal stent implantation.« less

Successful Educational Leadership at High Performing Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Doris L.

2011-01-01

Successful educational leadership is not a random phenomenon, but an executed success which leaves clues whereby one can discover them. These clues lead to a desired destination--higher student achievement. Essential, non-negotiable elements have been identified. That is, each element has been systemically embedded at schools that have turned from…

Factors for Academic Success among African-American Men: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Samuel Rontez

2017-01-01

Academic success among African men has increased but many African-American men continue to fall behind the academic achievements of their Caucasian male counterparts. African-American men who achieve academic success have been marginalized in research that primarily focuses on reporting deficit or negative factors that hinder and not promote…

Cold-workability limits for carbon and alloy steels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

El-Domiaty, A.

1999-04-01

In metalforming, the success in accomplishing the required deformation without failure of the forming tools or cracking of the work material represents the major concern for manufacture and design engineers. The degree of deformation that can be achieved in a particular metalworking process without creating an undesirable condition is defined as workability. In the present work, an experimental investigation was carried out to determine the cold-workability limits for five different types of steel: AISI 1018, 1045, 1078, 4140, and 4340. The upset (compression) test was used to determine the workability limit for each type. The upset dies and specimen geometries were designed to give different strain paths covering the range from homogeneous deformation (ɛz/ɛθ=-2.0) to close to plane-strain condition (ɛz/ɛθ=0.0). Grid pattern was printed on the specimen surface in order to measure the axial and hoop strain components during deformation. Specific elements were selected on the specimen surface, and their strain paths were determined. Each strain path was terminated once surface cracking had been observed. The ends of the strain paths, at which macrocracks were observed, were connected to obtain the workability limit on the forming-limit diagram. The workability limit of AISI 1018 is the highest among the other types of steel.

Achieving Stable Radiation Pressure Acceleration of Heavy Ions via Successive Electron Replenishment from Ionization of a High-Z Material Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, X. F.; Qiao, B.; Zhang, H.; Kar, S.; Zhou, C. T.; Chang, H. X.; Borghesi, M.; He, X. T.

2017-05-01

A method to achieve stable radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) of heavy ions from laser-irradiated ultrathin foils is proposed, where a high-Z material coating in front is used. The coated high-Z material, acting as a moving electron repository, continuously replenishes the accelerating heavy ion foil with comoving electrons in the light-sail acceleration stage due to its successive ionization under laser fields with Gaussian temporal profile. As a result, the detrimental effects such as foil deformation and electron loss induced by the Rayleigh-Taylor-like and other instabilities in RPA are significantly offset and suppressed so that stable acceleration of heavy ions are maintained. Particle-in-cell simulations show that a monoenergetic Al13 + beam with peak energy 3.8 GeV and particle number 1 010 (charge >20 nC ) can be obtained at intensity 1 022 W /cm2 .

What characterizes the work culture at a hospital unit that successfully implements change - a correlation study.

PubMed

André, Beate; Sjøvold, Endre

2017-07-14

To successfully achieve change in healthcare, a balance between technology and "people ware", the human recourses, is necessary. However, the human aspect of the change implementation process has received less attention than the technological issues. The aim was to explore the factors that characterize the work culture in a hospital unit that successfully implemented change compared with the factors that characterize the work culture of a hospital unit with unsuccessful implementation. The Systematizing Person-Group Relations method was used for gathering and analyzing data to explore what dominate the behavior in a particular work environment identifying challenges, limitations and opportunities. This method applied six different dimensions, each representing different behavior in a work culture: Synergy, Withdrawal, Opposition, Dependence, Control and Nurture. We compared two different units at the same hospital, one that successfully implemented change and one that was unsuccessful. There were significant statistical differences between healthcare personnel working at a unit that successfully implemented change contrasted with the unit with unsuccessful implementation. These significant differences were found in both the synergy and control dimensions, which are important positive qualities in a work culture. The results of this study show that healthcare personnel at a unit with a successful implementation of change have a working environment with many positive qualities. This indicates that a work environment with a high focus on goal achievement and task orientation can handle the challenges of implementing changes.

Ethnic Differences in Achievement of Cholesterol Treatment Goals

PubMed Central

Clark, Luther T; Maki, Kevin C; Galant, Ron; Maron, David J; Pearson, Thomas A; Davidson, Michael H

2006-01-01

BACKGROUND African Americans (AA) have the highest coronary heart disease mortality rate of any ethnic group in the United States. Data from the National Cholesterol Education Program Evaluation ProjecT Utilizing Novel E-Technology (NEPTUNE) II survey were used to assess ethnic differences in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goal achievement. METHODS NEPTUNE II surveyed patients with treated dyslipidemia to assess achievement of treatment goals established by the Adult Treatment Panel III of the National Cholesterol Education Program. United States physicians working in primary care or relevant subspecialties enrolled 10 to 20 consecutive patients (May to September 2003), and patient data were recorded in Personal Digital Assistants and uploaded to a central database via the internet. RESULTS Among 4,885 patients receiving treatment for dyslipidemia, 79.7% were non-Hispanic white (NHW) and 8.4% were AA. Non-Hispanic white and AA patients had significantly different frequencies of treatment success, with 69.0% and 53.7%, respectively, having achieved their LDL-C goal (P <.001). African-American patients were more likely to be in the highest risk category, and less likely to be using lipid drug therapy, taking high-efficacy statins, and receiving care from a subspecialist, but the difference in goal achievement remained significant (P <.001) after adjustment for these and other predictors of treatment success. CONCLUSIONS The frequency of treatment success in dyslipidemia management was significantly lower in AA than NHW patients. Additional research is needed to elucidate reasons for this disparity and to evaluate strategies for improving goal achievement among AA patients receiving therapy for dyslipidemia. PMID:16686806

Successful Academic Achievement among Foster Children: What Did the Foster Parents Do?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skilbred, Dag Tore; Iversen, Anette Christine; Moldestad, Bente

2017-01-01

Children who spend part of their childhood in foster homes have, as a group, lower academic achievement than their peers. However, some of these children do well and succeed in higher education. Resilience is about positive development enhanced by protective factors despite adversity. Protective factors may be both positive qualities in the…

Bi-centenary of successes of Fourier theorem: its power and limitations in optical system designs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roychoudhuri, Chandrasekhar

2007-09-01

We celebrate the two hundred years of successful use of the Fourier theorem in optics. However, there is a great enigma associated with the Fourier transform integral. It is one of the most pervasively productive and useful tool of physics and optics because its foundation is based on the superposition of harmonic functions and yet we have never declared it as a principle of physics for valid reasons. And, yet there are a good number of situations where we pretend it to be equivalent to the superposition principle of physics, creating epistemological problems of enormous magnitude. The purpose of the paper is to elucidate the problems while underscoring the successes and the elegance of the Fourier theorem, which are not explicitly discussed in the literature. We will make our point by taking six major engineering fields of optics and show in each case why it works and under what restricted conditions by bringing in the relevant physics principles. The fields are (i) optical signal processing, (ii) Fourier transform spectrometry, (iii) classical spectrometry of pulsed light, (iv) coherence theory, (v) laser mode locking and (vi) pulse broadening. We underscore that mathematical Fourier frequencies, not being physical frequencies, cannot generate real physical effects on our detectors. Appreciation of this fundamental issue will open up ways to be innovative in many new optical instrument designs. We underscore the importance of always validating our design platforms based on valid physics principles (actual processes undergoing in nature) captured by an appropriate hypothesis based on diverse observations. This paper is a comprehensive view of the power and limitations of Fourier Transform by summarizing a series of SPIE conference papers presented during 2003-2007.

Teacher-Student Cognitive Style and Achievement in Biology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jolly, Pauline E.; Strawitz, Barbara M.

1984-01-01

Investigated the consequences of teacher-student cognitive style (field dependence- FD and independence- FI) matches and mismatches on student achievement in biology. Results suggest that whereas FI students may be taught by and achieve equally well with either FI or FD teachers, FD students are more successfully taught by FI teachers. (JN)

Research Considerations and Theoretical Application for Best Practices in Higher Education: Latina/os Achieving Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castellanos, Jeanett; Gloria, Alberta M.

2007-01-01

In this work, the authors take a critical look at what general measures of success do and do not disclose about the Latina/o experience in higher education and use that assessment to set forth a reconceptualization of the elements of success within a psychosociocultural (PSC) framework. Using "dichos," or widely used sayings of wisdom…

Promoting the achievement of girls in GCSE science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morton, Kevin Charles

This study, designed to challenge the under-representation and limited attainment of girls in the physical sciences in an 11-16 comprehensive school, was suggested by research into attitude formation by Kelly et al in the early 1980s. Balanced science, in removing opportunities for girls to opt out of the physical sciences, made it essential to identify those factors which were adversely affecting girls' attitudes towards science.Preliminary research tasks investigated stereotypical attitudes towards science activities and the school curriculum amongst students and their parents. Additional research probed students' perceptions of their ability in science and the relevance of science subjects. Students' attitudes towards science and science teaching were investigated in relation to their option and career choices. These data influenced the choice of MEG Coordinated Science (The Suffolk Development) as the GCSE balanced science course for the school.The subsequent programme of action research included a series of small-scale investigations, involving both monitoring and evaluation, designed to develop the Suffolk scheme and satisfy the research aims. Student attitudes towards teaching methods and the Suffolk materials were amongst those areas investigated. After evaluation the findings were channelled into the action research spiral to integrate teaching methods and curriculum development thereby promoting the attitudes and achievement of the girls.Improvements in attainment by all students, particularly the girls, were illustrated by increasing GCSE success. Although the traditional pattern of boys' superiority within the physical sciences was markedly reduced the research demonstrated that it is possible to improve the attainment of girls within GCSE science without discriminating against boys.Student opinion and the GCSE data suggested that the girls' achievements could be partially explained by the coursework-led assessment which suited the girls' preferred

Career inflection points of women who successfully achieved the hospital CEO position.

PubMed

Sexton, Donald W; Lemak, Christy Harris; Wainio, Joyce Anne

2014-01-01

Women are significantly underrepresented in hospital CEO positions, and this gender disparity has changed little over the past few decades. The purpose of this study was to analyze the career trajectories of successful female healthcare executives to determine factors that generated inflections in their careers. Using qualitative research methodology, we studied the career trajectories of 20 women who successfully ascended into a hospital CEO position. Our findings revealed 25 inflection points related to education and training, experience, career management, family, networking, and mentorship and sponsorship. We found substantial differences in the career inflection points by functional background. Inflections were more pronounced early in the careers of women in healthcare management, while clinical and administrative support executives experienced more inflections later as they took on responsibilities outside of their professional roles. Only two inflections were common among all the executives: completing a graduate degree and obtaining experience as a chief operating officer. More importantly, our findings show that organizational support factors are critical for the career advancement of women. We conclude with recommendations for individuals in an effort to enhance their career trajectories. We also provide recommended activities for organizations to support the careers of women in healthcare leadership.

Critical factors for achieving multiple goals with water tariff systems: Combining limited data sources and expert testimony

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dalhuisen, Jasper; Nijkamp, Peter

2002-07-01

Price instruments are well-known policy handles to influence effectively residential water demand. Prices used to be set by water authorities in such a way that the principle of cost coverage was respected; they acted as prominent instruments in residential water policies in the past decades. More recently, however, price instruments are increasingly used to meet simultaneously financial, environmental, and social goals. This paper addresses four conditions for an appropriate tariff system for residential water use which are often found in the recent literature on the economics of water use. The paper analyzes the importance of background factors (e.g., low water availability) of these four principles as well as the extent to which actual tariff systems are employed in five mutually contrasting cities (Amsterdam, Athens, London, Seville, and Tel Aviv). Meta-analytic techniques, in particular, rough set analysis stemming from artificial intelligence, are applied to identify the common underlying relations between background factors and success of achieving multiple goals in these five urban case studies. The paper concludes with policy recommendations.

Shifting the Curve: Fostering Academic Success in a Diverse Student Body.

PubMed

Elks, Martha L; Herbert-Carter, Janice; Smith, Marjorie; Klement, Brenda; Knight, Brandi Brandon; Anachebe, Ngozi F

2018-01-01

Diversity in the health care workforce is key to achieving health equity. Although U.S. medical schools have worked to increase the matriculation and academic success of underrepresented minority (URM) students (African Americans, Latinos, others), they have had only limited success. Lower standardized test scores, including on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), have been a barrier to matriculation for many URM applicants. Lower subsequent standardized exam scores, including on the United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 1, also have been an impediment to students' progress, with mean scores for URM students lagging behind those for others. Faculty at the Morehouse School of Medicine developed and implemented interventions to enhance the academic success of their URM students (about 75% are African American, and 5% are from other URM groups). To assess the outcomes of this work, the authors analyzed the MCAT scores and subsequent Step 1 scores of students in the graduating classes of 2009-2014. They also reviewed course evaluations, Graduation Questionnaires, and student and faculty interviews and focus groups. Students' Step 1 scores exceeded those expected based on their MCAT scores. This success was due to three key elements: (1) milieu and mentoring, (2) structure and content of the curriculum, and (3) monitoring. A series of mixed-method studies are planned to better discern the core elements of faculty-student relationships that are key to students' success. Lower test scores are not a fixed attribute; with the elements described, success is attainable for all students.

Voices of Resilience: Successful Jamaican Women Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dole, Sharon

2014-01-01

Through the use of the framework of risk and resilience in a narrative inquiry, the present study examined the protective factors affecting the academic success of 24 Jamaican women in a graduate cohort in educational administration. All but two of the women rose from poverty to become academically successful, defined as having achieved graduate…

Predicting Mission Success in Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, Mark; Richie, Wayne; Rogers, John; Moore, Arlene

1992-01-01

In our global society with its increasing international competition and tighter financial resources, governments, commercial entities and other organizations are becoming critically aware of the need to ensure that space missions can be achieved on time and within budget. This has become particularly true for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Office of Space Science (OSS) which has developed their Discovery and Explorer programs to meet this need. As technologies advance, space missions are becoming smaller and more capable than their predecessors. The ability to predict the mission success of these small satellite missions is critical to the continued achievement of NASA science mission objectives. The NASA Office of Space Science, in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center, has implemented a process to predict the likely success of missions proposed to its Discovery and Explorer Programs. This process is becoming the basis for predicting mission success in many other NASA programs as well. This paper describes the process, methodology, tools and synthesis techniques used to predict mission success for this class of mission.

Predicting Mission Success in Small Satellite Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saunders, Mark; Richie, R. Wayne; Moore, Arlene; Rogers, John

1999-01-01

In our global society with its increasing international competition and tighter financial resources, governments, commercial entities and other organizations are becoming critically aware of the need to ensure that space missions can be achieved on time and within budget. This has become particularly true for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Office of Space Science (OSS) which has developed their Discovery and Explorer programs to meet this need. As technologies advance, space missions are becoming smaller and more capable than their predecessors. The ability to predict the mission success of these small satellite missions is critical to the continued achievement of NASA science mission objectives. The NASA Office of Space Science, in cooperation with the NASA Langley Research Center, has implemented a process to predict the likely success of missions proposed to its Discovery and Explorer Programs. This process is becoming the basis for predicting mission success in many other NASA programs as well. This paper describes the process, methodology, tools and synthesis techniques used to predict mission success for this class of mission.

The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant: A Critical Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tikly, Leon; Osler, Audrey; Hill, John

2005-01-01

This article critically analyses the extent to which the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) has been successful in meeting its core objective of raising the achievement of minority ethnic groups who are at risk of underachieving. The article provides an historical analysis of the Grant, sets the Grant within the context of the Labour…

Foundations for Success: Case Studies of How Urban School Systems Improve Student Achievement [and] Abstract.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snipes, Jason; Doolittle, Fred; Herlihy, Corinne

This report examines the experiences of three large urban school districts (and part of a fourth) that raised academic performance for their districts as a whole, while also reducing racial differences in achievement. Educational challenges included low achievement, political conflict, inexperienced teachers, low expectations, and lack of…

Bangladesh becomes "success story".

PubMed

1999-01-01

The State Minister for Health and Family of Bangladesh, Dr. Mohammed Amanullah, highlighted some of the successes being achieved by his country in lowering fertility and improving the lives of the people since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development. Some of these successes include practical measures to eliminate violence against women; introduction of a quota for women in public sector employment; and launching of the Health and Population Sector Program to provide a one-stop, full range of essential reproductive health, family planning and child health services through an integrated delivery mechanism. Moreover, the Minister informed the Forum participants that their success is attributable to many factors which include support from the government, from non-governmental organizations, civil society, mass media, religious and other community leaders, intersectoral collaboration, microcredit and income-generation activities.

40 CFR 449.10 - Effluent limitations representing the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 449.10 Section 449.10 Protection of... available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as provided in 40 CFR 125.30 through 125.32, any... following requirements representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application of BAT...

40 CFR 449.10 - Effluent limitations representing the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 449.10 Section 449.10 Protection of... available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as provided in 40 CFR 125.30 through 125.32, any... following requirements representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application of BAT...

40 CFR 449.10 - Effluent limitations representing the best available technology economically achievable (BAT).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 449.10 Section 449.10 Protection of... available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except as provided in 40 CFR 125.30 through 125.32, any... following requirements representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application of BAT...

Succession of Ephemeral Secondary Forests and Their Limited Role for the Conservation of Floristic Diversity in a Human-Modified Tropical Landscape

PubMed Central

van Breugel, Michiel; Hall, Jefferson S.; Craven, Dylan; Bailon, Mario; Hernandez, Andres; Abbene, Michele; van Breugel, Paulo

2013-01-01

Both local- and landscape-scale processes drive succession of secondary forests in human-modified tropical landscapes. Nonetheless, until recently successional changes in composition and diversity have been predominantly studied at the patch level. Here, we used a unique dataset with 45 randomly selected sites across a mixed-use tropical landscape in central Panama to study forest succession simultaneously on local and landscape scales and across both life stages (seedling, sapling, juvenile and adult trees) and life forms (shrubs, trees, lianas, and palms). To understand the potential of these secondary forests to conserve tree species diversity, we also evaluated the diversity of species that can persist as viable metapopulations in a dynamic patchwork of short-lived successional forests, using different assumptions about the average relative size at reproductive maturity. We found a deterministic shift in the diversity and composition of the local plant communities as well as the metacommunity, driven by variation in the rate at which species recruited into and disappeared from the secondary forests across the landscape. Our results indicate that dispersal limitation and the successional niche operate simultaneously and shape successional dynamics of the metacommunity of these early secondary forests. A high diversity of plant species across the metacommunity of early secondary forests shows a potential for restoration of diverse forests through natural succession, when trees and fragments of older forests are maintained in the agricultural matrix and land is abandoned or set aside for a long period of time. On the other hand, during the first 32 years the number of species with mature-sized individuals was a relatively small and strongly biased sub-sample of the total species pool. This implies that ephemeral secondary forests have a limited role in the long-term conservation of tree species diversity in human-modified tropical landscapes. PMID:24349283

Achieving Stable Radiation Pressure Acceleration of Heavy Ions via Successive Electron Replenishment from Ionization of a High-Z Material Coating.

PubMed

Shen, X F; Qiao, B; Zhang, H; Kar, S; Zhou, C T; Chang, H X; Borghesi, M; He, X T

2017-05-19

A method to achieve stable radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) of heavy ions from laser-irradiated ultrathin foils is proposed, where a high-Z material coating in front is used. The coated high-Z material, acting as a moving electron repository, continuously replenishes the accelerating heavy ion foil with comoving electrons in the light-sail acceleration stage due to its successive ionization under laser fields with Gaussian temporal profile. As a result, the detrimental effects such as foil deformation and electron loss induced by the Rayleigh-Taylor-like and other instabilities in RPA are significantly offset and suppressed so that stable acceleration of heavy ions are maintained. Particle-in-cell simulations show that a monoenergetic Al^{13+} beam with peak energy 3.8 GeV and particle number 10^{10} (charge >20  nC) can be obtained at intensity 10^{22}  W/cm^{2}.

Factors associated with sustainability of 2 quality improvement programs after achieving early implementation success. A qualitative case study.

PubMed

Ament, Stephanie M C; Gillissen, Freek; Moser, Albine; Maessen, José M C; Dirksen, Carmen D; von Meyenfeldt, Maarten F; van der Weijden, Trudy

2017-12-01

Sustainability of innovations is a relatively new concept in health care research and has become an issue of growing interest. The current study explored factors related to the sustainability of 2 multidisciplinary hospital-based programs 3 to 6 years after achieving early implementation success. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted into 2 implementation cases, an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery program for colorectal surgery and a short-stay program for breast cancer surgery. Semistructured interviews were held with key persons involved in the care process in 14 hospitals from both cases minimally 3 years after the implementation, between March 2012 and May 2013. The Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was used to direct the development of the interview guide, during data collection and during analysis. A directed content analysis was performed. A total of 21 interviews with 26 individuals were held, 18 regarding the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery case and 8 regarding the short-stay program case. Respondents mentioned the following factors associated with sustainability of the programs: modification and adaptability of the program, cost-effectiveness, institutionalization into existing systems, short communication lines within the multidisciplinary team, an innovative culture, benefits for patients, cosmopolitanism, the existence of external policies and incentives, trust and belief in the program, and spread of the program to other settings. Two factors are not covered by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, ie, modification of the program over the years and spread of the program to other contexts. The factors associated with sustainability put forward in both cases were largely the same. Leadership and the implementation project were not mentioned as having influenced the long-term sustainability of the benefits achieved. Sustainability of the innovations is influenced by determinants stemming from all ecological

Coping with constraints: Achieving effective conservation with limited resources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walls, Susan

2018-01-01

Conservation resources have become increasingly limited and, along with social, cultural and political complexities, this shortfall frequently challenges effectiveness in conservation. Because conservation can be costly, efforts are often only initiated after a species has declined below a critical threshold and/or when statutory protection is mandated. However, implementing conservation proactively, rather than reactively, is predicted to be less costly and to decrease a species' risk of extinction. Despite these benefits, I document that the number of studies that have implemented proactive conservation around the world are far fewer than those that simply acknowledge the need for such action. I provide examples of proactive actions that can ameliorate shortfalls in funding and other assets, thus helping conservation practitioners and managers cope with the constraints that resource limitation imposes. Not all of these options are new; however, the timing of their implementation is critical for effective conservation, and the need for more proactive conservation is increasingly recognized. These actions are (1) strengthening and diversifying stakeholder involvement in conservation projects; (2) complementing time-consuming and labor-intensive demographic studies with alternative approaches of detecting declines and estimating extinction risk; and (3) minimizing future costly conservation and management by proactively keeping common species common. These approaches may not constitute a cure-all for every conservation crisis. However, given escalating rates of species' losses, perhaps a reminder that these proactive actions can reduce conservation costs, save time, and potentially thwart population declines is warranted.

Fear of success-fact or artifact?

PubMed

Olsen, N J; Willemsen, E W

1978-01-01

Each of 240 high school juniors and seniors wrote stories in response to one of four variations of the story cues used by Matina Horner to measure what has been called "fear of success." These cues described either Ann or John achieving success in medical school in a situation in which either all of the protagonist's classmates were men or there were equal numbers of men and women. Six different consequences of the success were assessed. Results indicated that male and female students perceived the depicted success in similar ways and that when the "deviance" aspect of Ann being alone in a class of men was removed, negative outcomes of success were lessened. The common interpretation of these stories as the writers' projections of their own personalities is challenged.

Energy saving achieved by limited filamentous bulking sludge under low dissolved oxygen.

PubMed

Guo, Jian-Hua; Peng, Yong-Zhen; Peng, Cheng-Yao; Wang, Shu-Ying; Chen, Ying; Huang, Hui-Jun; Sun, Zhi-Rong

2010-02-01

Limited filamentous bulking caused by low dissolved oxygen (DO) was proposed to establish a low energy consumption wastewater treatment system. This method for energy saving was derived from two full-scale field observations, which showed pollutants removal would be enhanced and energy consumption could be reduced by at least 10% using limited filamentous bulking. Furthermore, preliminary investigation including the abundance evaluation and the identification of filamentous bacteria demonstrated that the limited filamentous bulking could be repeated steadily in a lab-scale anoxic-oxic reactor fed with domestic wastewater. The sludge loss did not occur in the secondary clarifier, while COD and total nitrogen removal efficiencies were improved by controlling DO for optimal filamentous bacterial population. Suspended solids in effluent were negligible and turbidity was lower than 2 NTU, which were distinctly lower than those under no bulking. Theoretical and experimental results indicated the aeration consumption could be saved by the application of limited filamentous bulking.

Razalas' Grouping Method and Mathematics Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salazar, Douglas A.

2015-01-01

This study aimed to raise the achievement level of students in Integral Calculus using Direct Instruction with Razalas' Method of Grouping. The study employed qualitative and quantitative analysis relative to data generated by the Achievement Test and Math journal with follow-up interview. Within the framework of the limitations of the study, the…

What factors determine academic achievement in high achieving undergraduate medical students? A qualitative study.

PubMed

Abdulghani, Hamza M; Al-Drees, Abdulmajeed A; Khalil, Mahmood S; Ahmad, Farah; Ponnamperuma, Gominda G; Amin, Zubair

2014-04-01

Medical students' academic achievement is affected by many factors such as motivational beliefs and emotions. Although students with high intellectual capacity are selected to study medicine, their academic performance varies widely. The aim of this study is to explore the high achieving students' perceptions of factors contributing to academic achievement. Focus group discussions (FGD) were carried out with 10 male and 9 female high achieving (scores more than 85% in all tests) students, from the second, third, fourth and fifth academic years. During the FGDs, the students were encouraged to reflect on their learning strategies and activities. The discussion was audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. Factors influencing high academic achievement include: attendance to lectures, early revision, prioritization of learning needs, deep learning, learning in small groups, mind mapping, learning in skills lab, learning with patients, learning from mistakes, time management, and family support. Internal motivation and expected examination results are important drivers of high academic performance. Management of non-academic issues like sleep deprivation, homesickness, language barriers, and stress is also important for academic success. Addressing these factors, which might be unique for a given student community, in a systematic manner would be helpful to improve students' performance.

Does Successful Attainment of Developmental Tasks Lead to Happiness and Success in Later Developmental Tasks? A Test of Havighurst's (1948) Theses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seiffge-Krenke, Inge; Gelhaar, Tim

2008-01-01

This study tested Havighurst's (1948) contention that successful attainment of age-specific developmental tasks leads to happiness and success in achieving subsequent tasks. A longitudinal study on 146 participants was carried out to investigate the links between developmental progression in adolescence and young adulthood and happiness, which was…

Against the Odds: Influences on the Post-School Success of "Low Performers"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Sue; Hillman, Kylie

2010-01-01

The link between academic achievement and labour market outcomes is well established. But how well does a student's achievement in a test predict their later success in life? This study examines this question, with "success" considered to encompass satisfaction with life together with the extent to which young people are fully occupied…

Successful scientist: What's the winning formula?

PubMed

Stull, April J; Ciappio, Eric D

2014-11-01

What does it take to become a successful scientist? This question is usually asked or thought about at some point in a young scientist's career. The early stages of a scientific career are fraught with many hardships, and achieving success can seem impossible and daunting. After encountering many obstacles, it becomes easy to focus on failures and lose sight of career goals. The journey to success can seem so simple when looked upon from the outside, but even the best scientists have endured many hardships, which are often not communicated. This educational symposium featured a diverse panel of 5 accomplished scientists representing different work environments, such as government, industry, and academia. They discussed tips on how to have a successful career journey and the key qualities of a successful scientist. Also, they revealed the secret to what's in the winning formula for success. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

Future emissions pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Millar, R.; Fuglestvedt, J. S.; Grubb, M.; Rogelj, J.; Skeie, R. B.; Friedlingstein, P.; Forster, P.; Frame, D. J.; Pierrehumbert, R.; Allen, M. R.

2016-12-01

The stated aim of the 2015 UNFCCC Paris Agreement is `holding the increase in global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit temperature increases to 1.5°C'. We show that emissions reductions proportional to those achieved in an ambitious mitigation scenario, RCP2.6, but beginning in 2017, give a median estimated peak warming of 1.5°C, with a likely (66% probability) range of uncertainty of 1.2-2.0°C. Such a scenario would be approximately consistent with the most ambitious interpretation of the 2030 emissions pledges, but requires reduction rates exceeding 0.3GtC/yr/yr after 2030. A steady reduction at less than half this rate would achieve the same temperature outcome if initiated in 2020. Limiting total CO2 emissions after 2015 to 200GtC would limit future warming to likely less than 0.6°C above present, consistent with 1.5°C above pre-industrial, based on the distribution of responses of the CMIP5 Earth System, but the CMIP5 simulations do not correspond to scenarios that aim to limit warming to such low levels. If future CO2 emissions are successfully adapted to the emerging climate response so as to limit warming in 2100 to 0.6°C above present, and non-CO2 emissions follow the ambitious RCP2.6 scenario, then we estimate that resulting CO2 emissions will unlikely be restricted to less than 250GtC given current uncertainties in climate system response, although still-poorly-modelled carbon cycle feedbacks, such as release from permafrost, may encroach on this budget. Even under a perfectly successful adaptive mitigation regime, emissions consistent with limiting warming to 0.6°C above present are unlikely to be greater than 500GtC.These estimates suggest the 1.5°C goal may not yet be geophysically insurmountable but will nevertheless require, at minimum, the full implementation of the most ambitious interpretation of the Paris pledges followed by accelerated and more fundamental changes in our

Psychosocial Factors Predicting First-Year College Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krumrei-Mancuso, Elizabeth J.; Newton, Fred B.; Kim, Eunhee; Wilcox, Dan

2013-01-01

This study made use of a model of college success that involves students achieving academic goals and life satisfaction. Hierarchical regressions examined the role of six psychosocial factors for college success among 579 first-year college students. Academic self-efficacy and organization and attention to study were predictive of first semester…

The Seven Secrets of Successful Urban School Students: The Evidence Continues to Grow

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hampton, Frederick M.

2016-01-01

This article identifies seven specific attitudes, behaviors, and skills among academically successful urban Black students and explores the relationship to their achievement. This study examines the academic achievement of 157 Black students and finds that when specific "Successful Learner Characteristics" are present, above-average…

Achievement Attributions of Preparatory Class Learners in Learning English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paker, Turan; Özkardes-Dögüs, Alev

2017-01-01

The aim of the study is to find out the achievement attributions of preparatory class learners studying at preintermediate and intermediate levels for their perceived success or failure, and to investigate whether there is a significant relationship between achievement attributions of learners, their gender and level of language proficiency. The…

Achievement Goal Theory: The Relationship of Accounting Students' Goal Orientations with Self-Efficacy, Anxiety, and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dull, Richard B.; Schleifer, Lydia L. F.; McMillan, Jeffrey J.

2015-01-01

Students' goal orientations are examined using two major frameworks for learning: achievement goal theory (AGT) and students' approaches to learning (SAL). Previous student success research is extended, by examining goal constructs from the AGT framework to determine if they help explain the learning process in accounting. Data were gathered using…

Dual kidney transplants from adult marginal donors successfully expand the limited deceased donor organ pool.

PubMed

Stratta, Robert J; Farney, Alan C; Orlando, Giuseppe; Farooq, Umar; Al-Shraideh, Yousef; Palanisamy, Amudha; Reeves-Daniel, Amber; Doares, William; Kaczmorski, Scott; Gautreaux, Michael D; Iskandar, Samy S; Hairston, Gloria; Brim, Elizabeth; Mangus, Margaret; El-Hennawy, Hany; Khan, Muhammad; Rogers, Jeffrey

2016-04-01

The need to expand the organ donor pool remains a formidable challenge in kidney transplantation (KT). The use of expanded criteria donors (ECDs) represents one approach, but kidney discard rates are high because of concerns regarding overall quality. Dual KT (DKT) may reduce organ discard and optimize the use of kidneys from marginal donors. We conducted a single-center retrospective review of outcomes in adult recipients of DKTs from adult marginal deceased donors (DD) defined by limited renal functional capacity. If the calculated creatinine clearance in an adult DD was <65 mL/min, then the kidneys were transplanted as a DKT. Over 11.5 yr, 72 DKTS were performed including 45 from ECDs, 17 from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors, and 10 from standard criteria donors (SCD). Mean adult DD and recipient ages were both 60 yr, including 29 DDs and 26 recipients ≥65 yr of age. Mean pre-DKT waiting and dialysis vintage times were 12 months and 25 months, respectively. Actual patient and graft survival rates were 84.7% and 70.8%, respectively, with a mean follow-up of 58 months. One yr and death-censored graft survival rates were 90% and 80%, respectively. Outcomes did not differ by DD category, recipient age, or presence of delayed graft function (DGF). Eleven patients died at a mean of 32 months post-DKT (eight with functioning grafts) and 13 other patients experienced graft losses at a mean of 33 months. The incidence of DGF was 25%; there were two cases (2.8%) of primary non-function. Mean length of initial hospital stay was 7.2 d. Mean serum creatinine and glomerular filtration rate levels at 12 and 24 months were 1.5 and 53 and 1.5 mg/dL and 51 mL/min/1.73 m(2) , respectively. DKT graft survival and function were superior to concurrent single ECD and similar to concurrent SCD KTs. Two patients underwent successful kidney retransplantation, so the dialysis-free rate in surviving patients was 87%. The proportion of total renal function transplanted from

America's Promise Alliance: 10 Indicators of Academic Achievement and Youth Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gifford, Beth; Evans, Kelly; Berlin, Lisa; Bai, Yu

2011-01-01

Approximately one quarter of U.S. students do not graduate from high school with their peers. Failing to complete high school severely limits opportunities for employment and future financial stability. High school dropouts earn lower wages through their lifetime and work for fewer years. The costs to society of high school dropouts are also high…

Student Perception of Emotional Intelligence on College Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stowell, Michael S.

2017-01-01

Currently there is an emerging body of literature indicating a relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and academic success in college (i.e., GPA). There is speculation as to how EI impacts college success, and there is a need to comprehend how EI impacts academic achievement from the students' perspective. The specific study problem…

Social–Emotional Factors Affecting Achievement Outcomes Among Disadvantaged Students: Closing the Achievement Gap

PubMed Central

Becker, Bronwyn E.; Luthar, Suniya S.

2012-01-01

Despite concentrated efforts at improving inferior academic outcomes among disadvantaged students, a substantial achievement gap between the test scores of these students and others remains (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; National Center for Education Statistics, 2000a, 2000b; Valencia & Suzuki, 2000). Existing research used ecological models to document social–emotional factors at multiple levels of influence that undermine academic performance. This article integrates ideas from various perspectives in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary model that will inform policy makers, administrators, and schools about the social–emotional factors that act as both risk and protective factors for disadvantaged students’ learning and opportunities for academic success. Four critical social–emotional components that influence achievement performance (academic and school attachment, teacher support, peer values, and mental health) are reviewed. PMID:23255834

Social-Emotional Factors Affecting Achievement Outcomes Among Disadvantaged Students: Closing the Achievement Gap.

PubMed

Becker, Bronwyn E; Luthar, Suniya S

2002-01-01

Despite concentrated efforts at improving inferior academic outcomes among disadvantaged students, a substantial achievement gap between the test scores of these students and others remains (Jencks & Phillips, 1998; National Center for Education Statistics, 2000a, 2000b; Valencia & Suzuki, 2000). Existing research used ecological models to document social-emotional factors at multiple levels of influence that undermine academic performance. This article integrates ideas from various perspectives in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary model that will inform policy makers, administrators, and schools about the social-emotional factors that act as both risk and protective factors for disadvantaged students' learning and opportunities for academic success. Four critical social-emotional components that influence achievement performance (academic and school attachment, teacher support, peer values, and mental health) are reviewed.

Closing Achievement Gaps: Lessons from the Last 15 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Joseph

2009-01-01

At first glance, closing the achievement gap seems fairly straightforward. It is a difficult task to accomplish, but it does not seem an especially complex one to conceptualize. How educators look at achievement gaps will determine their success in reducing them. When designing interventions, the author suggests that educators need to remember the…

Importance of relationship quality in the success of data warehouse systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Almabhouh, Alaaeddin; Saleh, Abdul; Ahmad, Azizah

2011-10-01

Increased organizational dependence on data warehouse (DW) systems drives management attention towards improving DW systems success. However, the successful implementation rate of DW systems is low and many firms did not achieve intended goals. A recent studies show that improves and evaluates DW success is one of the top concerns facing IT/DW executives. Existing information system (IS) research has studied DW success more from information quality and system quality. Researchers argue in this study that we should also take the relationship quality, which has significant research and practical implications in that it connects to IS success directly. As our first attempt, this study, referring to both IS and marketing literature, examines how communication, coordination, cooperation, commitment, and trust can be achieved to some degrees by high quality relationships between DW parties.

Shifting the Curve: Fostering Academic Success in a Diverse Student Body

PubMed Central

Herbert-Carter, Janice; Smith, Marjorie; Klement, Brenda; Knight, Brandi Brandon; Anachebe, Ngozi F.

2018-01-01

Problem Diversity in the health care workforce is key to achieving health equity. Although U.S. medical schools have worked to increase the matriculation and academic success of underrepresented minority (URM) students (African Americans, Latinos, others), they have had only limited success. Lower standardized test scores, including on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), have been a barrier to matriculation for many URM applicants. Lower subsequent standardized exam scores, including on the United States Medical Licensing Exam Step 1, also have been an impediment to students’ progress, with mean scores for URM students lagging behind those for others. Approach Faculty at the Morehouse School of Medicine developed and implemented interventions to enhance the academic success of their URM students (about 75% are African American, and 5% are from other URM groups). To assess the outcomes of this work, the authors analyzed the MCAT scores and subsequent Step 1 scores of students in the graduating classes of 2009–2014. They also reviewed course evaluations, Graduation Questionnaires, and student and faculty interviews and focus groups. Outcomes Students’ Step 1 scores exceeded those expected based on their MCAT scores. This success was due to three key elements: (1) milieu and mentoring, (2) structure and content of the curriculum, and (3) monitoring. Next Steps A series of mixed-method studies are planned to better discern the core elements of faculty–student relationships that are key to students’ success. Lower test scores are not a fixed attribute; with the elements described, success is attainable for all students. PMID:28678099

Saving for Success: Financial Education and Savings Goal Achievement in Individual Development Accounts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grinstead, Mary L.; Mauldin, Teresa; Sabia, Joseph J.; Koonce, Joan; Palmer, Lance

2011-01-01

Using microdata from the American Dream Demonstration, the current study examines factors associated with savings and savings goal achievement (indicated by a matched withdrawal) among participants of individual development account (IDA) programs. Multinomial logit results show that hours of participation in financial education programs, higher…

Achieving Organisational Change through Values Alignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Branson, Christopher M.

2008-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to, first, establish the interdependency between the successful achievement of organisational change and the attainment of values alignment within an organisation's culture and then, second, to describe an effective means for attaining such values alignment. Design/methodology/approach: Literature from the…

Structural Validity of the Fear of Success Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metzler, Jonathan N.; Conroy, David E.

2004-01-01

Fear of success is a dispositional form of anxiety that can have harmful effects on athletes' motivation and performance; however, empirical research on fear of success in sport has been limited. Zuckerman and Allison's (1976) Fear of Success Scale (FOSS) has been the most popular fear of success measure used in sport, yet it is laden with…

Evaluation of SAMe-TT2R2 Score on Predicting Success With Extended-Interval Warfarin Monitoring.

PubMed

Hwang, Andrew Y; Carris, Nicholas W; Dietrich, Eric A; Gums, John G; Smith, Steven M

2018-06-01

In patients with stable international normalized ratios, 12-week extended-interval warfarin monitoring can be considered; however, predictors of success with this strategy are unknown. The previously validated SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score (considering sex, age, medical history, treatment, tobacco, and race) predicts anticoagulation control during standard follow-up (every 4 weeks), with lower scores associated with greater time in therapeutic range. To evaluate the ability of the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score in predicting success with extended-interval warfarin follow-up in patients with previously stable warfarin doses. In this post hoc analysis of a single-arm feasibility study, baseline SAMe-TT 2 R 2 scores were calculated for patients with ≥1 extended-interval follow-up visit. The primary analysis assessed achieved weeks of extended-interval follow-up according to baseline SAMe-TT 2 R 2 scores. A total of 47 patients receiving chronic anticoagulation completed a median of 36 weeks of extended-interval follow-up. The median baseline SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score was 1 (range 0-5). Lower SAMe-TT 2 R 2 scores appeared to be associated with greater duration of extended-interval follow-up achieved, though the differences between scores were not statistically significant. No individual variable of the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score was associated with achieved weeks of extended-interval follow-up. Analysis of additional patient factors found that longer duration (≥24 weeks) of prior stable treatment was significantly associated with greater weeks of extended-interval follow-up completed ( P = 0.04). Conclusion and Relevance: This pilot study provides limited evidence that the SAMe-TT 2 R 2 score predicts success with extended-interval warfarin follow-up but requires confirmation in a larger study. Further research is also necessary to establish additional predictors of successful extended-interval warfarin follow-up.

High Enrollment Course Success Factors in Virtual School: Factors Influencing Student Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Feng; Cavanaugh, Cathy

2011-01-01

This paper describes a study of success factors in high enrollment courses in a K-12 virtual school learning environment. The influence of variables: time student spent in the learning management system (LMS), number of times logged into the LMS, teacher comment, participation in free or reduced lunch programs, student status in the virtual school…

Ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture in pediatric patients: technical success and safety.

PubMed

Pierce, David B; Shivaram, Giri; Koo, Kevin S H; Shaw, Dennis W W; Meyer, Kirby F; Monroe, Eric J

2018-06-01

Disadvantages of fluoroscopically guided lumbar puncture include delivery of ionizing radiation and limited resolution of incompletely ossified posterior elements. Ultrasound (US) allows visualization of critical soft tissues and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space without ionizing radiation. To determine the technical success and safety of US-guided lumbar puncture in pediatric patients. A retrospective review identified all patients referred to interventional radiology for lumbar puncture between June 2010 and June 2017. Patients who underwent lumbar puncture with fluoroscopic guidance alone were excluded. For the remaining procedures, technical success and procedural complications were assessed. Two hundred and one image-guided lumbar punctures in 161 patients were included. Eighty patients (43%) had previously failed landmark-based attempts. One hundred ninety-six (97.5%) patients underwent lumbar puncture. Five procedures (2.5%) were not attempted after US assessment, either due to a paucity of CSF or unsafe window for needle placement. Technical success was achieved in 187 (95.4%) of lumbar punctures attempted with US guidance. One hundred seventy-seven (90.3%) were technically successful with US alone (age range: 2 days-15 years, weight range: 1.9-53.1 kg) and an additional 10 (5.1%) were successful with US-guided thecal access and subsequent fluoroscopic confirmation. Three (1.5%) cases were unsuccessful with US guidance but were subsequently successful with fluoroscopic guidance. Of the 80 previously failed landmark-based lumbar punctures, 77 (96.3%) were successful with US guidance alone. There were no reported complications. US guidance is safe and effective for lumbar punctures and has specific advantages over fluoroscopy in pediatric patients.

Motivational Factors of Student Nurse Athletes Attributing to Academic Success.

PubMed

Forst, Kimberly A

Student nurse athletes experience difficulties achieving academic success in nursing programs. The purpose of this study was to identify facilitators, barriers, and motivators of student nurse athletes that attribute to their academic success. Athletes ranked time management and prioritization as critical skills to success in the nursing program. This study reinforced the importance of academic support services for student nurse athletes to assist in their academic success.

Eliminating Iodine Deficiency in China: Achievements, Challenges and Global Implications

PubMed Central

Sun, Dianjun; Codling, Karen; Chang, Suying; Zhang, Shubin; Shen, Hongmei; Su, Xiaohui; Chen, Zupei; Scherpbier, Robert W.; Yan, Jun

2017-01-01

The prevention of iodine deficiency through salt iodization has been recognized as a global success story, and China stands at the forefront of this achievement with one of the most successful programs in the world. High level political commitment, national mandatory legislation, a state-managed edible salt industry and a complex and highly sophisticated surveillance system have facilitated the success of the program. Challenges have arisen however, including: (i) concern that adequate iodine status in pregnant women cannot be achieved without causing above adequate iodine intakes in children; (ii) declining iodine intake as a result of reductions in salt consumption and increased consumption of processed foods, which may not be made with iodized salt; (iii) the existence of areas with high iodine content in the water; and (iv) declines in household use of iodized salt due to concerns about excess iodine intake and thyroid disease. This article reviews the achievements and challenges of the Chinese Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) Elimination Program and reflects on lessons learned and implications for other national salt iodization programs. PMID:28379180

Personality Type and Academic Achievement of Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawrence, Arul A. S.; Lawrence, John A.

2014-01-01

Personality is the man. The successful living of an individual, as a man, depends to a large extent on the academic achievement of that individual, as a student. This article attempts to find out personality type, academic achievement of secondary school students and relationship between them by selecting a sample of 300 secondary school students…

Identity status and academic achievement in female adolescents.

PubMed

Hummel, R; Roselli, L L

1983-01-01

Theories of Erikson and Marcia were applied to assess the relation between identity status and academic achievement in female adolescents. The differences in identity status between bright high achieving vs. underachieving students were ascertained separately for occupational planning, attitudes toward religion, and peer relations. It was hypothesized that the component of identity most closely linked to high achievement in school is having made commitments to certain goals and values. It was found instead that experiencing and working through crises in beliefs and values are more closely associated with successful academic achievement and formation of identity among adolescent girls than having made specific commitments to career or ideology.

Entry Criteria versus Success in Undergraduate Nursing Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacob, Elizabeth; Chapman, Ysanne; Birks, Melanie; Al-Motlaq, Mohammad A.

2011-01-01

Students enter nursing degree programs through a variety of pathways. This article reports on a study that investigated the success and experience of these students. The aim was to determine any linkages between the pathway of entry in a preregistration nursing course and the academic achievements of these students. To achieve this aim, a…

An Examination of Paternal Influence on High-Achieving Gifted Males

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hebert, Thomas P.; Pagnani, Alexander R.; Hammond, Daniel R.

2009-01-01

The challenges facing contemporary boys are complex, highlighting the importance of positive paternal influence for young men to achieve success. This study examines the father-son relationships of 10 prominent gifted men of achievement to identify factors influencing talent development. Through biographical analysis, 6 significant themes were…

Suspended sediments limit coral sperm availability

PubMed Central

Ricardo, Gerard F.; Jones, Ross J.; Clode, Peta L.; Humanes, Adriana; Negri, Andrew P.

2015-01-01

Suspended sediment from dredging activities and natural resuspension events represent a risk to the reproductive processes of coral, and therefore the ongoing maintenance of reefal populations. To investigate the underlying mechanisms that could reduce the fertilisation success in turbid water, we conducted several experiments exposing gametes of the corals Acropora tenuis and A. millepora to two sediment types. Sperm limitation was identified in the presence of siliciclastic sediment (230 and ~700 mg L−1), with 2–37 fold more sperm required to achieve maximum fertilisation rates, when compared with sediment-free treatments. This effect was more pronounced at sub-optimum sperm concentrations. Considerable (>45%) decreases in sperm concentration at the water’s surface was recorded in the presence of siliciclastic sediment and a >20% decrease for carbonate sediment. Electron microscopy then confirmed sediment entangled sperm and we propose entrapment and sinking is the primary mechanism reducing sperm available to the egg. Longer exposure to suspended sediments and gamete aging further decreased fertilisation success when compared with a shorter exposure. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that high concentrations of suspended sediments effectively remove sperm from the water’s surface during coral spawning events, reducing the window for fertilisation with potential subsequent flow-on effects for recruitment. PMID:26659008

Suspended sediments limit coral sperm availability.

PubMed

Ricardo, Gerard F; Jones, Ross J; Clode, Peta L; Humanes, Adriana; Negri, Andrew P

2015-12-14

Suspended sediment from dredging activities and natural resuspension events represent a risk to the reproductive processes of coral, and therefore the ongoing maintenance of reefal populations. To investigate the underlying mechanisms that could reduce the fertilisation success in turbid water, we conducted several experiments exposing gametes of the corals Acropora tenuis and A. millepora to two sediment types. Sperm limitation was identified in the presence of siliciclastic sediment (230 and ~700 mg L(-1)), with 2-37 fold more sperm required to achieve maximum fertilisation rates, when compared with sediment-free treatments. This effect was more pronounced at sub-optimum sperm concentrations. Considerable (>45%) decreases in sperm concentration at the water's surface was recorded in the presence of siliciclastic sediment and a >20% decrease for carbonate sediment. Electron microscopy then confirmed sediment entangled sperm and we propose entrapment and sinking is the primary mechanism reducing sperm available to the egg. Longer exposure to suspended sediments and gamete aging further decreased fertilisation success when compared with a shorter exposure. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that high concentrations of suspended sediments effectively remove sperm from the water's surface during coral spawning events, reducing the window for fertilisation with potential subsequent flow-on effects for recruitment.

Achieving success in intervention studies: an analysis of variable staff engagement across three midwifery settings.

PubMed

Henderson, Amanda; Schoonbeek, Sue; Ossenberg, Christine; Caddick, Alison; Wing, Diane; Capell, Lorna; Gould, Karen

2014-06-01

To critically analyse the success of staff's behaviour changes in the practice setting. Facilitators were employed to initiate and facilitate a four-step process (optimism, overcoming obstacles, oversight and reinforcing outcomes) that fostered development of behaviours consistent with learning in everyday practice. Many studies seek to engage staff in workplace behaviour improvement. The success of such studies is highly variable. Little is known about the work of the facilitator in ensuring success. Understanding the contextual factors that contribute to effective facilitation of workplace improvement is essential to ensure best use of resources. Mixed methods Facilitators employed a four-step process - optimism, overcoming obstacles, oversight and reinforcing outcomes - to stage behaviour change implementation. The analysis of staff engagement in behaviour changes was assessed through weekly observation of workplaces, informal discussions with staff and facilitator diaries. The impact of behaviour change was informed through pre- and postsurveys on staff's perception across three midwifery sites. Surveys measured (1) midwives' perception of support for their role in facilitating learning (Support Instrument for Nurses Facilitating the Learning of Others) and (2) development of a learning culture in midwifery practice settings (Clinical Learning Organisational Culture Survey). Midwives across three sites completed the presurvey (n = 216) and postsurvey (n = 90). Impact varied according to the degree that facilitators were able to progress teams through four stages necessary for change (OOORO). Statistically significant results were apparent in two subscales important for supporting staff, namely teamwork and acknowledgement; in the two areas, facilitators worked through 'obstacles' and coached staff in performing the desired behaviours and rewarded them for their success. Elements of the learning culture also statistically improved in one site. Findings suggest

Authoritative parenting, psychosocial maturity, and academic success among adolescents.

PubMed

Steinberg, L; Elmen, J D; Mounts, N S

1989-12-01

The over-time relation between 3 aspects of authoritative parenting--acceptance, psychological autonomy, and behavioral control--and school achievement was examined in a sample of 120 10-16-year-olds in order to test the hypothesis that authoritative parenting facilitates, rather than simply accompanies, school success. In addition, the mediating role of youngsters' psychosocial maturity was studied. Results indicate that (1) authoritative parenting facilitates adolescents' academic success, (2) each component of authoritativeness studied makes an independent contribution to achievement, and (3) the positive impact of authoritative parenting on achievement is mediated at least in part through the effects of authoritativeness on the development of a healthy sense of autonomy and, more specifically, a healthy psychological orientation toward work. Adolescents who describe their parents as treating them warmly, democratically, and firmly are more likely than their peers to develop positive attitudes toward, and beliefs about, their achievement, and as a consequence, they are more likely to do better in school.

Sex Roles, Feminism, and Achievement Conflicts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Frederick D.; And Others

The relationships between masculinity and femininity as measured by the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI), achievement conflicts (fear of success and fear of failure), and a variety of attitudes in men and women were examined in three survey studies. Contrary to Bem's suggestion that femininity in women serves to dampen independent and assertive…

Construction from the Inside Out: UAB's Successful In-House Organization.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Brooks H. III; Hammonds, Hope Duncan

2001-01-01

Shares some of the success stories of the University of Alabama's Design Build Services Department and the keys to achieving that success. The evolution of the school's in-house construction management is detailed along with the department's history. (GR)

Constructions of Success in Academia: An Early Career Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sutherland, Kathryn A.

2017-01-01

Expectations around success in academia vary, and early career academics often receive conflicting messages about what they should concentrate on to achieve promotion or tenure. Taking a social constructionist approach, this paper considers the constructs of objective and subjective career success in academia and shares the perspectives of early…

Successful ageing for psychiatrists.

PubMed

Peisah, Carmelle

2016-04-01

This paper aims to explore the concept and determinants of successful ageing as they apply to psychiatrists as a group, and as they can be applied specifically to individuals. Successful ageing is a heterogeneous, inclusive concept that is subjectively defined. No longer constrained by the notion of "super-ageing", successful ageing can still be achieved in the face of physical and/or mental illness. Accordingly, it remains within the reach of most of us. It can, and should be, person-specific and individually defined, specific to one's bio-psycho-social and occupational circumstances, and importantly, reserves. Successful professional ageing is predicated upon insight into signature strengths, with selection of realistic goal setting and substitution of new goals, given the dynamic nature of these constructs as we age. Other essential elements are generativity and self-care. Given that insight is key, taking a regular stock or inventory of our reserves across bio-psycho-social domains might be helpful. Importantly, for successful ageing, this needs to be suitably matched to the professional task and load. This lends itself to a renewable personal ageing plan, which should be systemically adopted with routine expectations of self-care and professional responsibility. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Do Children's Behavior Problems Limit Poor Women's Labor Market Success?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coley, Rebekah Levine; Ribar, David; Votruba-Drzal, Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Economically disadvantaged mothers face numerous barriers to stable, quality employment opportunities. One barrier that has received limited attention in previous research is having a child with significant psychological or behavioral problems. Using a representative sample of low-income mothers and early adolescent children from the Three-City…

Freeform lens generation for quasi-far-field successive illumination targets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Zhenfeng; Thibault, Simon

2018-07-01

A predefined mapping to tailor one or more freeform surfaces is employed to build a freeform illumination system. The emergent rays from the light source corresponding to the prescribed target mesh for a pre-determined lighting distance are mapped by a point-to-point algorithm with respect to the freeform optics, which involves limiting design flexibility. To tackle the problem of design limitation and find the optimum design results, a freeform lens is exploited to produce the desired rectangular illumination distribution at successive target planes at quasi-far-field lighting distances. It is generated using numerical solutions to find out an initial starting point, and an appropriate approach to obtain variables for parameterization of the freeform surface is introduced. The relative standard deviation, which is a useful figure of merit for the analysis, is set up as merit function with respect to illumination non-uniformity at the successive sampled target planes. Therefore, the irradiance distribution in terms of the specific lighting distance range can be ensured by the proposed scheme. A design example of a freeform illumination system, composed of a spherical surface and a freeform surface, is given to produce desired irradiance distribution within the lighting distance range. An optical performance with low non-uniformity and high efficiency is achieved. Compared with the conventional approach, the uniformity of the sampled targets is dramatically enhanced; meanwhile, a design result with a large tolerance of LED size is offered.

Quantum-limited evanescent single molecule sensing.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowen, Warwick; Mauranyapin, Nicolas; Madsen, Lars; Taylor, Michael; Waleed, Muhammad

Sensors that are able to detect and track single unlabeled biomolecules are an important tool both to understand biomolecular dynamics and interactions, and for medical diagnostics operating at their ultimate detection limits. Recently, exceptional sensitivity has been achieved using the strongly enhanced evanescent fields provided by optical microcavities and plasmonic resonators. However, at high field intensities photodamage to the biological specimen becomes increasingly problematic. Here, we introduce a new approach that combines dark field illumination and heterodyne detection in an optical nanofibre. This allows operation at the fundamental precision limit introduced by quantisation of light. We achieve state-of-the-art sensitivity with a four order-of-magnitude reduction in optical intensity. This enables quantum noise limited tracking of single biomolecules as small as 3.5 nm and surface-molecule interactions to be montored over extended periods. By achieving quantum noise limited precision, our approach provides a pathway towards quantum-enhanced single-molecule biosensors. We acknkowledge financial support from AFOSR and AOARD.

Limits of localized control in extended nonlinear systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Handel, Andreas

We investigate the limits of localized linear control in spatially extended, nonlinear systems. Spatially extended, nonlinear systems can be found in virtually every field of engineering and science. An important category of such systems are fluid flows. Fluid flows play an important role in many commercial applications, for instance in the chemical, pharmaceutical and food-processing industries. Other important fluid flows include air- or water flows around cars, planes or ships. In all these systems, it is highly desirable to control the flow of the respective fluid. For instance control of the air flow around an airplane or car leads to better fuel-economy and reduced noise production. Usually, it is impossible to apply control everywhere. Consider an airplane: It would not be feasibly to cover the whole body of the plane with control units. Instead, one can place the control units at localized regions, such as points along the edge of the wings, spaced as far apart from each other as possible. These considerations lead to an important question: For a given system, what is the minimum number of localized controllers that still ensures successful control? Too few controllers will not achieve control, while using too many leads to unnecessary expenses and wastes resources. To answer this question, we study localized control in a class of model equations. These model equations are good representations of many real fluid flows. Using these equations, we show how one can design localized control that renders the system stable. We study the properties of the control and derive several expressions that allow us to determine the limits of successful control. We show how the number of controllers that are needed for successful control depends on the size and type of the system, as well as the way control is implemented. We find that especially the nonlinearities and the amount of noise present in the system play a crucial role. This analysis allows us to determine under

Behavioural factors related with successful weight loss 15 months post-enrolment in a commercial web-based weight-loss programme.

PubMed

Neve, Melinda J; Morgan, Philip J; Collins, Clare E

2012-07-01

As further understanding is required of what behavioural factors are associated with long-term weight-loss success, the aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of successful weight loss 15 months post-enrolment in a commercial web-based weight-loss programme and which behavioural factors were associated with success. An online survey was completed 15 months post-enrolment in a commercial web-based weight-loss programme to assess weight-related behaviours and current weight. Participants were classified as successful if they had lost ≥5 % of their starting weight after 15 months. Commercial users of a web-based weight-loss programme. Participants enrolled in the commercial programme between August 2007 and May 2008. Six hundred and seventy-seven participants completed the survey. The median (interquartile range) weight change was -2·7 (-8·2, 1·6) % of enrolment weight, with 37 % achieving ≥5 % weight loss. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found success was associated with frequency of weight self-monitoring, higher dietary restraint score, lower emotional eating score, not skipping meals, not keeping snack foods in the house and eating takeaway foods less frequently. The findings suggest that individuals trying to achieve or maintain ≥5 % weight loss should be advised to regularly weigh themselves, avoid skipping meals or keeping snack foods in the house, limit the frequency of takeaway food consumption, manage emotional eating and strengthen dietary restraint. Strategies to assist individuals make these changes to behaviour should be incorporated within obesity treatments to improve the likelihood of successful weight loss in the long term.

Predictors of Academic Achievement and Retention among College Freshmen: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeBerard, M. Scott; Spielmans, Glen I.; Julka, Deana L.

2004-01-01

The freshman year represents a stressful transition for college students. Despite a multitude of social, academic, and emotional stressors, most college students successfully cope with a complex new life role and achieve academic success. Other students are less able to successfully manage this transition and decide to leave higher education…

Handbook on Planning for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Student Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado State Dept. of Education, Denver.

The handbook is designed to help Colorado school systems address the linguistic and educational needs of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students and to provide administrators, school boards members, and educators with resources for understanding state and federal requirements. It is intended to help design and establish local policies and…

Fast and Flexible Successive-Cancellation List Decoders for Polar Codes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hashemi, Seyyed Ali; Condo, Carlo; Gross, Warren J.

2017-11-01

Polar codes have gained significant amount of attention during the past few years and have been selected as a coding scheme for the next generation of mobile broadband standard. Among decoding schemes, successive-cancellation list (SCL) decoding provides a reasonable trade-off between the error-correction performance and hardware implementation complexity when used to decode polar codes, at the cost of limited throughput. The simplified SCL (SSCL) and its extension SSCL-SPC increase the speed of decoding by removing redundant calculations when encountering particular information and frozen bit patterns (rate one and single parity check codes), while keeping the error-correction performance unaltered. In this paper, we improve SSCL and SSCL-SPC by proving that the list size imposes a specific number of bit estimations required to decode rate one and single parity check codes. Thus, the number of estimations can be limited while guaranteeing exactly the same error-correction performance as if all bits of the code were estimated. We call the new decoding algorithms Fast-SSCL and Fast-SSCL-SPC. Moreover, we show that the number of bit estimations in a practical application can be tuned to achieve desirable speed, while keeping the error-correction performance almost unchanged. Hardware architectures implementing both algorithms are then described and implemented: it is shown that our design can achieve 1.86 Gb/s throughput, higher than the best state-of-the-art decoders.

Admission Requirements for Teacher Education as a Factor of Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukaš, Mirko; Samardžic, Darko

2015-01-01

Numerous researches have demonstrated the enormous role of teachers in achievements of students. Educated and motivated teacher that cares about the success of students devotes more effort to preparing the lesson and thus provides the students better conditions for achieving results. The problem occurs when teachers are not equally qualified,…

Evaluating the Differences in Traditional and Online College Success Courses on Student Achievement at the Community College Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Seagle, Donna Love

2017-01-01

This quantitative causal-comparative study examined to what extent, if any, there were significant differences in community college student success rates (course grades, semester GPA, and rates of persistence) between those students completing an online college success course and those completing a traditional college success course. Each of the…

How Should I Study for the Exam? Self-Regulated Learning Strategies and Achievement in Introductory Biology.

PubMed

Sebesta, Amanda J; Bray Speth, Elena

2017-01-01

In college introductory science courses, students are challenged with mastering large amounts of disciplinary content while developing as autonomous and effective learners. Self-regulated learning (SRL) is the process of setting learning goals, monitoring progress toward them, and applying appropriate study strategies. SRL characterizes successful, "expert" learners, and develops with time and practice. In a large, undergraduate introductory biology course, we investigated: 1) what SRL strategies students reported using the most when studying for exams, 2) which strategies were associated with higher achievement and with grade improvement on exams, and 3) what study approaches students proposed to use for future exams. Higher-achieving students, and students whose exam grades improved in the first half of the semester, reported using specific cognitive and metacognitive strategies significantly more frequently than their lower-achieving peers. Lower-achieving students more frequently reported that they did not implement their planned strategies or, if they did, still did not improve their outcomes. These results suggest that many students entering introductory biology have limited knowledge of SRL strategies and/or limited ability to implement them, which can impact their achievement. Course-specific interventions that promote SRL development should be considered as integral pedagogical tools, aimed at fostering development of students' lifelong learning skills. © 2017 A. J. Sebesta and E. Bray Speth. CBE—Life Sciences Education © 2017 The American Society for Cell Biology. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). It is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

Achieving profound anesthesia using the intraosseous technique.

PubMed

Coury, K A

1997-10-01

The intraosseous technique has been described as a useful adjunct to primary anesthetic administration. It has several advantages (Table 3) over other supplemental techniques in that it is relatively simple to implement into routine practice, it affords fast, predictable results, and it is relatively painless. The technique has been shown to be very successful in achieving profound pulpal anesthesia when administered as a supplement to the inferior alveolar nerve block and is effective in achieving profound anesthesia in irreversibly inflamed teeth, especially mandibular molars.

Scaling-Up Successfully: Pathways to Replication for Educational NGOs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jowett, Alice; Dyer, Caroline

2012-01-01

Non-government organisations (NGOs) are big players in international development, critical to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and constantly under pressure to "achieve more". Scaling-up their initiatives successfully and sustainably can be an efficient and cost effective way for NGOs to increase their impact across a…

Successful transduction of liver in hemophilia by AAV-Factor IX and limitations imposed by the host immune response.

PubMed

Manno, Catherine S; Pierce, Glenn F; Arruda, Valder R; Glader, Bertil; Ragni, Margaret; Rasko, John J; Rasko, John; Ozelo, Margareth C; Hoots, Keith; Blatt, Philip; Konkle, Barbara; Dake, Michael; Kaye, Robin; Razavi, Mahmood; Zajko, Albert; Zehnder, James; Rustagi, Pradip K; Nakai, Hiroyuki; Chew, Amy; Leonard, Debra; Wright, J Fraser; Lessard, Ruth R; Sommer, Jürg M; Tigges, Michael; Sabatino, Denise; Luk, Alvin; Jiang, Haiyan; Mingozzi, Federico; Couto, Linda; Ertl, Hildegund C; High, Katherine A; Kay, Mark A

2006-03-01

We have previously shown that a single portal vein infusion of a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV) expressing canine Factor IX (F.IX) resulted in long-term expression of therapeutic levels of F.IX in dogs with severe hemophilia B. We carried out a phase 1/2 dose-escalation clinical study to extend this approach to humans with severe hemophilia B. rAAV-2 vector expressing human F.IX was infused through the hepatic artery into seven subjects. The data show that: (i) vector infusion at doses up to 2 x 10(12) vg/kg was not associated with acute or long-lasting toxicity; (ii) therapeutic levels of F.IX were achieved at the highest dose tested; (iii) duration of expression at therapeutic levels was limited to a period of approximately 8 weeks; (iv) a gradual decline in F.IX was accompanied by a transient asymptomatic elevation of liver transaminases that resolved without treatment. Further studies suggested that destruction of transduced hepatocytes by cell-mediated immunity targeting antigens of the AAV capsid caused both the decline in F.IX and the transient transaminitis. We conclude that rAAV-2 vectors can transduce human hepatocytes in vivo to result in therapeutically relevant levels of F.IX, but that future studies in humans may require immunomodulation to achieve long-term expression.

Resource limitation and responses to rivals in males of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Mason, J S; Rostant, W G; Chapman, T

2016-10-01

Diet has a profound direct and indirect effect on reproductive success in both sexes. Variation in diet quality and quantity can significantly alter the capacity of females to lay eggs and of males to deliver courtship. Here, we tested the effect of dietary resource limitation on the ability of male Drosophila melanogaster to respond adaptively to rivals by extending their mating duration. Previous work carried out under ad libitum diet conditions showed that males exposed to rivals prior to mating significantly extend mating duration, transfer more ejaculate proteins and achieve higher reproductive success. Such adaptive responses are predicted to occur because male ejaculate production may be limited. Hence, ejaculate resources require allocation across different reproductive bouts, to balance current vs. future reproductive success. However, when males suffer dietary limitation, and potentially have fewer reproductive resources to apportion, we expect adaptive allocation of responses to rivals to be minimized. We tested this prediction and found that males held on agar-only diets for 5-7 days lost the ability to extend mating following exposure to rivals. Interestingly, extended mating was retained in males held on low yeast/sugar: no sugar/yeast diet treatments, but was mostly lost when males were maintained on 'imbalanced' diets in which there was high yeast: no sugar and vice versa. Overall, the results show that males exhibit adaptive responses to rivals according to the degree of dietary resource limitation and to the ratio of individual diet components. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society for Evolutionary Biology.

Nutrient limitation drives response of Calamagrostis epigejos to arbuscular mycorrhiza in primary succession.

PubMed

Rydlová, Jana; Püschel, David; Dostálová, Magdalena; Janoušková, Martina; Frouz, Jan

2016-10-01

Little is known about the functioning of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis over the course of primary succession, where soil, host plants, and AM fungal communities all undergo significant changes. Over the course of succession at the studied post-mining site, plant cover changes from an herbaceous community to the closed canopy of a deciduous forest. Calamagrostis epigejos (Poaceae) is a common denominator at all stages, and it dominates among AM host species. Its growth response to AM fungi was studied at four distinctive stages of natural succession: 12, 20, 30, and 50 years of age, each represented by three spatially separated sites. Soils obtained from all 12 studied sites were γ-sterilized and used in a greenhouse experiment in which C. epigejos plants were (1) inoculated with a respective community of native AM fungi, (2) inoculated with reference AM fungal isolates from laboratory collection, or (3) cultivated without AM fungi. AM fungi strongly boosted plant growth during the first two stages but not during the latter two, where the effect was neutral or even negative. While plant phosphorus (P) uptake was generally increased by AM fungi, no contribution of mycorrhizae to nitrogen (N) uptake was recorded. Based on N:P in plant biomass, we related the turn from a positive to a neutral/negative effect of AM fungi on plant growth, observed along the chronosequence, to a shift in relative P and N availability. No functional differences were found between native and reference inocula, yet root colonization by the native AM fungi decreased relative to the reference inoculum in the later succession stages, thereby indicating shifts in the composition of AM fungal communities reflected in different functional characteristics of their members.

Pollen limitation and reduced reproductive success are associated with local genetic effects in Prunus virginiana, a widely distributed self-incompatible shrub.

PubMed

Suarez-Gonzalez, Adriana; Good, Sara V

2014-03-01

A vast quantity of empirical evidence suggests that insufficient quantity or quality of pollen may lead to a reduction in fruit set, in particular for self-incompatible species. This study uses an integrative approach that combines field research with marker gene analysis to understand the factors affecting reproductive success in a widely distributed self-incompatible species, Prunus virginiana (Rosaceae). Twelve patches of P. virginiana distributed within three populations that differed in degree of disturbance were examined. Two of the sites were small (7-35 km(2)) remnants of forest in an intensively used agricultural landscape, while the third was continuous (350 km(2)) and less disturbed. Field studies (natural and hand cross-pollinations) were combined with marker gene analyses (microsatellites and S-locus) in order to explore potential factors affecting pollen delivery and consequently reproductive success at landscape (between populations) and fine scales (within populations). Reductions in reproductive output were found in the two fragments compared with the continuous population, and suggest that pollen is an important factor limiting fruit production. Genetic analyses carried out in one of the fragments and in the continuous site suggest that even though S-allele diversity is high in both populations, the fragment exhibits an increase in biparental inbreeding and correlated paternity. The increase in biparental inbreeding in the fragment is potentially attributable to variation in the density of individuals and/or the spatial distribution of genotypes among populations, both of which could alter mating dynamics. By using a novel integrative approach, this study shows that even though P. virginiana is a widespread species, fragmented populations can experience significant reductions in fruit set and pollen limitation in the field. Deatiled examination of one fragmented population suggests that these linitations may be explained by an increase in

Cost Perception and the Expectancy-Value Model of Achievement Motivation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anderson, Patricia N.

The expectancy-value model of achievement motivation, first described by J. Atkinson (1957) and refined by J. Eccles and her colleagues (1983, 1992, 1994) predicts achievement motivation based on expectancy for success and perceived task value. Cost has been explored very little. To explore the possibility that cost is different from expectancy…

Carrots and Sticks: A Comprehensive Business Model for the Successful Achievement of Energy Efficiency Resource Standards Environmental Energy Technologies DivisionMarch 2011

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Satchwell, Andrew; Cappers, Peter; Goldman, Charles

2011-03-22

Energy efficiency resource standards (EERS) are a prominent strategy to potentially achieve rapid and aggressive energy savings goals in the U.S. As of December 2010, twenty-six U.S. states had some form of an EERS with savings goals applicable to energy efficiency (EE) programs paid for by utility customers. The European Union has initiated a similar type of savings goal, the Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services Directive, where it is being implemented in some countries through direct partnership with regulated electric utilities. U.S. utilities face significant financial disincentives under traditional regulation which affects the interest of shareholders and managers inmore » aggressively pursuing cost-effective energy efficiency. Regulators are considering some combination of mandated goals ('sticks') and alternative utility business model components ('carrots' such as performance incentives) to align the utility's business and financial interests with state and federal energy efficiency public policy goals. European countries that have directed their utilities to administer EE programs have generally relied on non-binding mandates and targets; in the U.S., most state regulators have increasingly viewed 'carrots' as a necessary condition for successful achievement of energy efficiency goals and targets. In this paper, we analyze the financial impacts of an EERS on a large electric utility in the State of Arizona using a pro-forma utility financial model, including impacts on utility earnings, customer bills and rates. We demonstrate how a viable business model can be designed to improve the business case while retaining sizable ratepayer benefits. Quantifying these concerns and identifying ways they can be addressed are crucial steps in gaining the support of major stakeholder groups - lessons that can apply to other countries looking to significantly increase savings targets that can be achieved from their own utility-administered EE programs.« less

The Secret to Finland's Success: Educating Teachers. Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sahlberg, Pasi

2010-01-01

In the last decade, Finland has emerged as the leading OECD country in educational achievement. In examining the sources of Finland's dramatic rise to the top, research shows one key element that has impacted Finland's success above all others: excellent teachers. This policy brief details the key elements of Finland's successful system, examining…

Promising Practices in Professional Growth & Support: "Case Study of Achievement First"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Education Resource Strategies, 2013

2013-01-01

Four organizations with promising practices in teacher Professional Growth & Support have significantly raised outcomes for low-income students. The charter management networks, Achievement First and Aspire Public Schools, and the two reform organizations, Teach Plus and Agile Mind, have successfully increased student achievement with a…

Value of College Education Mediating the Predictive Effects of Causal Attributions on Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Ying; Stupnisky, Robert H.; Obade, Masela; Gerszewski, Tammy; Ruthig, Joelle C.

2015-01-01

Causal attributions (explanations for outcomes) have been found to predict college students' academic success; however, not all students attributing success or failure to adaptive (i.e., controllable) causes perform well in university. Eccles et al.'s ("Achievement and achievement motives." W.H. Freeman, San Francisco, pp 75-145, 1983)…

Predicting Success in ISCS Level II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDuffie, Thomas E., Jr.

1979-01-01

Investigates a method to predict best and least suited students for the ISCS instructional approach. Aptitude-treatment interactions associated with ISCS instruction and a set of aptitude, attitude, and skill factors were utilized to make and verify predictions on two dependent variables--achievement and success. (Author/GA)

Strategic Success Of SRI Lankan Government Against LTTE Remains Tentative Despite Military Success

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-02-13

conditions which allowed for a successful military campaign to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). During the final phase of the war, the...reasonably appease the Tamil population. 1 Introduction In 1948, Ceylon, an island country southeast of India, achieved independence from the...variety of groups claiming to represent the minority Tamil people in Sri Lanka argued for a separate Tamil state in northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The

GaN-on-glass success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2011-12-01

The successful growth of GaN-based LEDs on amorphous glass avoids the size and cost limitations of a sapphire substrate, says Jun Hee Choi from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology in South Korea.

Robert M. Finley Middle School: Building Community, Respect, and Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Principal Leadership, 2011

2011-01-01

This article features Robert M. Finley Middle School, a school that is considered by the entire Glen Cove, New York, community as important and successful. Gaps in student achievement have decreased significantly and all student achievement has improved over the last five years in this school, where nearly half of the 652 students are from…

A limit-cycle self-organizing map architecture for stable arm control.

PubMed

Huang, Di-Wei; Gentili, Rodolphe J; Katz, Garrett E; Reggia, James A

2017-01-01

Inspired by the oscillatory nature of cerebral cortex activity, we recently proposed and studied self-organizing maps (SOMs) based on limit cycle neural activity in an attempt to improve the information efficiency and robustness of conventional single-node, single-pattern representations. Here we explore for the first time the use of limit cycle SOMs to build a neural architecture that controls a robotic arm by solving inverse kinematics in reach-and-hold tasks. This multi-map architecture integrates open-loop and closed-loop controls that learn to self-organize oscillatory neural representations and to harness non-fixed-point neural activity even for fixed-point arm reaching tasks. We show through computer simulations that our architecture generalizes well, achieves accurate, fast, and smooth arm movements, and is robust in the face of arm perturbations, map damage, and variations of internal timing parameters controlling the flow of activity. A robotic implementation is evaluated successfully without further training, demonstrating for the first time that limit cycle maps can control a physical robot arm. We conclude that architectures based on limit cycle maps can be organized to function effectively as neural controllers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of attractiveness and gender on the perception of achievement-related variables.

PubMed

Chia, R C; Allred, L J; Grossnickle, W F; Lee, G W

1998-08-01

The present study was an examination of the effects of physical attractiveness and gender on perceptions of academic success, achievement-related traits, intelligence, initiative, and attributions of ability and effort in relation to academic success. It was hypothesized that attractive persons and men would be rated more favorably along these dimensions than would unattractive persons and women. The participants were 144 U.S. undergraduates who observed photographs of attractive and unattractive men and women and then rated the persons in the photographs on the aforementioned dimensions. Physical attractiveness had a differential effect on the dimensions within achievement. Also, being perceived as physically attractive created positive impressions of achievement-related traits for men but negative impressions for women.

Presentation to International Space University Students on g-LIMIT and STABLE-ATD Projects and Related Microgravity Vibration Isolation Topics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alhorn, Dean

1998-01-01

Vibration isolation is a necessity in the development of science in space and especially those experiments destined for operation on the International Space Station (ISS). The premise of microgravity scientific research is that in space, disturbances are minimized and experiments can be conducted in the absence of gravity. Although microgravity conditions exist in space, disturbances are still present in various forms and can be detrimental to the success of a microgravity experiment. Due to the plethora of disturbances and the various types that will occur on the space station, the microgravity community has elected to incorporate various means of isolating scientific payloads from these unwanted vibrations. Designing these vibration isolators is a crucial task to achieve true microgravity science. Since conventional methods of isolating payloads can achieve only limited isolation, new technologies are being developed to achieve the goal of designing a generic vibration isolation system. One such system being developed for the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) is called g-LIMIT which stands for Glovebox Integrated Microgravity Isolation Technology. The g-LIMIT system is a miniaturized active vibration isolator for glovebox experiments. Although the system is initially developed for glovebox experiments, the g-LIMIT technology is designed to be upwardly scaleable to provide isolation for a broad range of users. The g-LIMIT system is scheduled to be flown on the UF-2 mission in August of the year 2000 and will be tested shortly thereafter. Once the system has been fully qualified, the hardware will become available for other researchers and will provide a platform upon which the goal of microgravity science can be achieved.

Scope-of-practice laws for nurse practitioners limit cost savings that can be achieved in retail clinics.

PubMed

Spetz, Joanne; Parente, Stephen T; Town, Robert J; Bazarko, Dawn

2013-11-01

Retail clinics have the potential to reduce health spending by offering convenient, low-cost access to basic health care services. Retail clinics are often staffed by nurse practitioners (NPs), whose services are regulated by state scope-of-practice regulations. By limiting NPs' work scope, restrictive regulations could affect possible cost savings. Using multistate insurance claims data from 2004-07, a period in which many retail clinics opened, we analyzed whether the cost per episode associated with the use of retail clinics was lower in states where NPs are allowed to practice independently and to prescribe independently. We also examined whether retail clinic use and scope of practice were associated with emergency department visits and hospitalizations. We found that visits to retail clinics were associated with lower costs per episode, compared to episodes of care that did not begin with a retail clinic visit, and the costs were even lower when NPs practiced independently. Eliminating restrictions on NPs' scope of practice could have a large impact on the cost savings that can be achieved by retail clinics.

Building Support for Student Success: A Framework for Achieving the Dream's State Policy Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jobs for the Future, 2005

2005-01-01

This document is designed to help accelerate and strengthen state policy initiatives that promote student success; and derive lessons from this work about strategies for influencing the allocation of resources, the transparency of and accountability for results, and the rules that shape how institutions make decisions about priorities and…

Identifying Successful Learners from Interaction Behaviour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCuaig, Judi; Baldwin, Julia

2012-01-01

The interaction behaviours of successful, high-achieving learners when using a Learning Management System (LMS) are different than the behaviours of learners who are having more difficulty mastering the course material. This paper explores the idea that conventional Learning Management Systems can exploit data mining techniques to predict the…

[Prediction of mathematics achievement: effect of personal, socioeducational and contextual variables].

PubMed

Rosário, Pedro; Lourenço, Abílio; Paiva, Olímpia; Rodrigues, Adriana; Valle, Antonio; Tuero-Herrero, Ellián

2012-05-01

Based upon the self-regulated learning theoretical framework this study examined to what extent students' Math school achievement (fifth to ninth graders from compulsory education) can be explained by different cognitive-motivational, social, educational, and contextual variables. A sample of 571 students (10 to 15 year old) enrolled in the study. Findings suggest that Math achievement can be predicted by self-efficacy in Math, school success and self-regulated learning and that these same variables can be explained by other motivational (ej., achievement goals) and contextual variables (school disruption) stressing this way the main importance of self-regulated learning processes and the role context can play in the promotion of school success. The educational implications of the results to the school levels taken are also discussed in the present paper.

Enhanced limonene production in cyanobacteria reveals photosynthesis limitations.

PubMed

Wang, Xin; Liu, Wei; Xin, Changpeng; Zheng, Yi; Cheng, Yanbing; Sun, Su; Li, Runze; Zhu, Xin-Guang; Dai, Susie Y; Rentzepis, Peter M; Yuan, Joshua S

2016-12-13

Terpenes are the major secondary metabolites produced by plants, and have diverse industrial applications as pharmaceuticals, fragrance, solvents, and biofuels. Cyanobacteria are equipped with efficient carbon fixation mechanism, and are ideal cell factories to produce various fuel and chemical products. Past efforts to produce terpenes in photosynthetic organisms have gained only limited success. Here we engineered the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 to efficiently produce limonene through modeling guided study. Computational modeling of limonene flux in response to photosynthetic output has revealed the downstream terpene synthase as a key metabolic flux-controlling node in the MEP (2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate) pathway-derived terpene biosynthesis. By enhancing the downstream limonene carbon sink, we achieved over 100-fold increase in limonene productivity, in contrast to the marginal increase achieved through stepwise metabolic engineering. The establishment of a strong limonene flux revealed potential synergy between photosynthate output and terpene biosynthesis, leading to enhanced carbon flux into the MEP pathway. Moreover, we show that enhanced limonene flux would lead to NADPH accumulation, and slow down photosynthesis electron flow. Fine-tuning ATP/NADPH toward terpene biosynthesis could be a key parameter to adapt photosynthesis to support biofuel/bioproduct production in cyanobacteria.

Achieving the Dream: A Look at Hispanic Student Success at Community Colleges in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Audrey R.

2013-01-01

In the last decade, higher education institutions have come under attack for their inability to enhance graduation rates. Although community colleges are known for their open-door enrollment policy, they are currently challenged to improve student success. This study was designed to determine which strategies have been most effective in…

Project Lead the Ways' Long-Term Effects on Post-Secondary Engineering Academic Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zion, George H.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between students' high school Project Lead They Way participation and their subsequent academic success in post-secondary engineering studies and to assess to what degree, if any, their level of Project Lead The Way (PLTW) participation, gender, and AALANA status (African American, Latino/a American and Native American) effected this success. PLTW is the nation's single largest provider of pre-engineering curriculums, the subject of this research study, currently being offered in over 3,200 secondary schools nationwide. Despite this level of integration, the amount of research on PLTW's effectiveness has been very limited. To date, the majority of the literature on PLTW has examined its impact on students' high school academic performance or their desire to further their engineering studies. The findings from these studies have been overwhelmingly positive, indicating that PLTW students often had greater achievements in math and science and either plan to, or have actually enrolled, in post-secondary studies at higher rates. Nevertheless, the amount of literature on PLTW's effects on students' academic success in post-secondary engineering studies is very limited. Furthermore, no research has yet to examine for the moderating effects of gender, ethnicity, or level of PLTW participation on students' post-secondary academics success. The population of interest for this research study was 1,478 students who entered an undergraduate engineering program from 2007 to 2009 at a privately endowed, co-educational university located in the northeastern United States. The findings of this research study were that virtually all the effects of PLTW participation, gender, and AALANA status had on academic success were observed during students' freshmen and sophomore years. These effects were positive for PLTW participation, and adverse for female and AALANA students. Additionally, PLTW participation, gender, and

Preadmission Academic Achievement Criteria as Predictors of Nursing Program Completion and NCLEX-RN Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Tanya L.

2009-01-01

Admission policies and practices in higher education, including those in nursing programs, are diverse; yet administrators have traditionally relied upon preadmission academic achievement for selection of qualified students. Higher education administrators have the responsibility to serve the institution and all of its constituents, ensuring that…

A recipe for success: ingredients for a successful family planning program.

PubMed

Merrill, J

1992-09-01

The basic elements of a successful family planning (FP) program are variable between countries. Providing better access to modern contraceptives, access to general and reproductive health care, and increasing economic and educational opportunities contribute to reducing fertility rates. Effective distribution is constrained by rural, isolated populations and cultural attitudes. Indonesia has used floating clinics located on boats to reach inaccessible areas; Norplant and hormonal injection availability also contribute to the 53% contraceptive prevalence rate. The Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning has shipped bicycles to developing countries. The result has been improved status among peers and greater program success. Contraceptive social marketing programs (CSM) have been successful in some countries to distribute contraceptives through local channels such as shops and stalls; people seem willing to pay also. CSM has been successful in Egypt in increasing condom sales. IUD use increased from 11% to 42% between 1975-88 with CSM. Multimedia promotion that is carefully researched and targeted is another way to increase contraceptive prevalence (CP) rates. A Brazilian multimedia vasectomy campaign led to an 80% monthly increase in Pro-Pater male health clinics. 240,000 women in Turkey were encouraged through multimedia efforts to switch to modern methods. In Zimbabwe, men have been the target of efforts to educate them about the advantages of small families. Women are recruited to implement FP services in INdia and in poor neighborhoods; an increase from 12% to 61% was achieved. Highly motivated workers with a respect for the community's values is essential to any successful FP program as is government support. China's policy has drawn criticism; China has welcomed a UN program which provides financial motivation. Thailand has been successful due to the commitment between public and private sectors; in 17 years CP rose from 10% to

Factors Related to Women's Undergraduate Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Tanya Michelle

2013-01-01

This quantitative study examined the relationships and effects of women's learning styles and achievement and success at a Midwestern, private, Catholic, liberal arts women's undergraduate program. The primary focus was on first-year female students' learning styles and how these learning styles may affect their GPAs and decisions to persist to…

Characteristics of self-worth protection in achievement behaviour.

PubMed

Thompson, T

1993-11-01

Two experiments are reported comprising an investigation of individual difference variables associated with self-worth protection. This is a phenomenon whereby students in achievement situations adopt one of a number of strategies, including withdrawing effort, in order to avoid damage to self-esteem which results from attributing failure to inability. Experiment 1 confirmed the adequacy of an operational definition which identified self-worth students on the basis of two criteria. These were deteriorated performance following failure, together with subsequent enhanced performance following a face-saving excuse allowing students to explain failure without implicating low ability. The results of Experiment 2 established that the behaviour of self-worth protective students in achievement situations may be understood in terms of their low academic self-esteem coupled with uncertainty about their level of global self-esteem. Investigation of the manner in which self-worth students explain success and failure outcomes failed to demonstrate a tendency to internalise failure but revealed a propensity on the part of these students to reject due credit for their successes. The implications of these findings in terms of the prevention and modification of self-worth protective reactions in achievement situations are discussed.

Predictors of success after laparoscopic gastric bypass: a multivariate analysis of socioeconomic factors.

PubMed

Lutfi, R; Torquati, A; Sekhar, N; Richards, W O

2006-06-01

Laparoscopic gastric bypass (LGB) has proven efficacy in causing significant and durable weight loss. However, the degree of postoperative weight loss and metabolic improvement varies greatly among individuals. Our study is aimed to identify independent predictors of successful weight loss after LGB. Socioeconomic demographics were prospectively collected on patients undergoing LGB. Primary endpoint was percent of excess weight loss (EWL) at 1-year follow-up. Insufficient weight loss was defined as EWL successful weight loss. A total of 180 consecutive patients were enrolled over 30 months. Mean preoperative body mass index (BMI) was 48. Mean EWL was 70.1 +/- 17.3% (1 SD); therefore, success was defined as EWL >or=52.8%. According to this definition, 147 patients (81.7%) achieved successful weight loss 1 year after LGB. On univariate analysis, preoperative BMI had a significant effect on EWL, with patients with BMI <50 achieving a higher percentage of EWL (91.7% vs 61.6%; p = 0.001). Marriage status was also a significant predictor of successful outcome, with single patients achieving a higher percentage of EWL than married patients (89.8% vs 77.7%; p = 0.04). Race had a noticeable but not statistically significant effect, with Caucasian patients achieving a higher percentage of EWL than African Americans (82.9% vs 60%; p = 0.06). Marital status remained an independent predictor of success in the multivariate logistic regression model after adjusting for covariates. Married patients were at more than two times the risk of failure compared to those who were unmarried (OR 2.6; 95% CI: 1.1-6.5, p = 0.04). Weight loss achieved at 1 year after LGB is suboptimal in superobese patients. Single patients with BMI < 50 had the best chance of achieving greater weight loss.

In vitro fertilization experiments using sockeye salmon reveal that bigger eggs are more fertilizable under sperm limitation

PubMed Central

Macfarlane, Christopher P.; Hoysak, Drew J.; Liley, N. Robin; Gage, Matthew J.G.

2009-01-01

Although theory and widespread evidence show that the evolution of egg size is driven primarily by offspring and maternal fitness demands, an additional explanation invokes sperm limitation as a selective force that could also influence egg size optima. Levitan proposed that constraints from gamete encounter in external fertilization environments could select for enlargement of ova to increase the physical size of the fertilization target. We test this theory using in vitro fertilization experiments in an externally fertilizing fish. Sockeye salmon (Onchorhyncus nerka) females show considerable between-individual variation in ovum size, and we explored the consequences of this natural variation for the fertilization success of individual eggs under conditions of sperm limitation. By engineering consistent conditions where in vitro fertilization rate was always intermediate, we were able to compare the sizes of fertilized and unfertilized eggs across 20 fertilization replicates. After controlling for any changes in volume through incubation, results showed that successfully fertilized eggs were significantly larger than the eggs that failed to achieve fertilization. Under conditions without sperm limitation, fertility was unaffected by egg size. Our findings therefore support Levitan's theory, demonstrating empirically that some element of egg size variation could be selected by fertilization demands under sperm limitation. However, further research on sperm limitation in natural spawnings is required to assess the selective importance of these results. PMID:19364734

In vitro fertilization experiments using sockeye salmon reveal that bigger eggs are more fertilizable under sperm limitation.

PubMed

Macfarlane, Christopher P; Hoysak, Drew J; Liley, N Robin; Gage, Matthew J G

2009-07-07

Although theory and widespread evidence show that the evolution of egg size is driven primarily by offspring and maternal fitness demands, an additional explanation invokes sperm limitation as a selective force that could also influence egg size optima. Levitan proposed that constraints from gamete encounter in external fertilization environments could select for enlargement of ova to increase the physical size of the fertilization target. We test this theory using in vitro fertilization experiments in an externally fertilizing fish. Sockeye salmon (Onchorhyncus nerka) females show considerable between-individual variation in ovum size, and we explored the consequences of this natural variation for the fertilization success of individual eggs under conditions of sperm limitation. By engineering consistent conditions where in vitro fertilization rate was always intermediate, we were able to compare the sizes of fertilized and unfertilized eggs across 20 fertilization replicates. After controlling for any changes in volume through incubation, results showed that successfully fertilized eggs were significantly larger than the eggs that failed to achieve fertilization. Under conditions without sperm limitation, fertility was unaffected by egg size. Our findings therefore support Levitan's theory, demonstrating empirically that some element of egg size variation could be selected by fertilization demands under sperm limitation. However, further research on sperm limitation in natural spawnings is required to assess the selective importance of these results.

Nuclear transformation of eukaryotic microalgae: historical overview, achievements and problems.

PubMed

León, Rosa; Fernández, Emilio

2007-01-01

Transformation of microalgae is a first step in their use for biotechnological applications involving foreign protein production or molecular modifications of specific cell metabolic pathways. Since the first reliable achievements of nuclear transformation in Chlamydomonas, other eukaryotic microalgae have become transformed with molecular markers that allow a direct selection. Different methods--glass beads, electroporation, particle bombardment, or Agrobacterium--and constructions have been set up in several organisms and successfully used. However, some problems associated with efficiency, integration, or stability of the transgenes still persist and are analysed herein. Though the number of microalgae species successfully transformed is not very high, prospects for transformation of many more are good enough on the basis of what has been achieved so far.

Lessons in Literacy: Case Studies of Successful Strategies for Raising Achievement in Multilingual Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Bernard, Ed.

The group of case studies details ways in which elementary, middle, and secondary schools in Bradford (England) have responded to recent developments in literacy education and developed whole- school approaches to improving achievement in literacy within multilingual school populations. Case study titles include: "The Literacy Lesson: A…

Successful and unsuccessful psychopaths: a neurobiological model.

PubMed

Gao, Yu; Raine, Adrian

2010-01-01

Despite increasing interest in psychopathy research, surprisingly little is known about the etiology of non-incarcerated, successful psychopaths. This review provides an analysis of current knowledge on the similarities and differences between successful and unsuccessful psychopaths derived from five population sources: community samples, individuals from employment agencies, college students, industrial psychopaths, and serial killers. An initial neurobiological model of successful and unsuccessful psychopathy is outlined. It is hypothesized that successful psychopaths have intact or enhanced neurobiological functioning that underlies their normal or even superior cognitive functioning, which in turn helps them to achieve their goals using more covert and nonviolent methods. In contrast, in unsuccessful, caught psychopaths, brain structural and functional impairments together with autonomic nervous system dysfunction are hypothesized to underlie cognitive and emotional deficits and more overt violent offending.

Advice for running a successful research team.

PubMed

Stanley, David; Anderson, Judith

2015-11-01

To explore what is meant by a 'research team' and offer practical suggestions for supporting an effective and productive, collaborative research team. Collaborative research has become one of the main objectives of most higher education institutions and running effective research teams is central to achieving this aim. However, there is limited guidance in the literature about how to run or steer a research team. Search engines/databases used: CINAHL, Nursing and Allied Health Source, Primo search, Google search and Health Collection to access research articles and publications to support this topic. Literature search was extended to the end of 2014. Publications were reviewed for relevance to the topic via standard literature search. Research teams vary in size and composition, however they all require effective collaboration if they are to establish successful and flexible working relationships and produce useful and trustworthy research outputs. This article offers guidance for establishing and managing successful collaborative research relationships, building trust and a positive research team culture, clarifying team member roles, setting the teams' research agenda and managing the teams' functions so that team members feel able to contribute fully to the research goals and build a culture of support and apply 'emotional intelligence' throughout the process of building and running a successful research team. Collaboration is a central component of establishing successful research teams and enabling productive research outputs. This article offers guidance for research teams to help them to function more effectively and allow all members to contribute fully to each team's goals. Research teams that have established trust and a positive team culture will result in more efficient working relationships and potentially greater productivity. The advice offered reinforces the value of having research teams with diverse members from different disciplines

Nerds, Normal People, and Homeboys: Asian American Students and the Language of School Success. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goto, Stanford T.

Asian Americans have been viewed as a model, high-achieving minority, but recently some researchers have questioned the "myth" of universal Asian-American success. A study examined the validity of current explanations of Asian-American success in school. With a group of high-achieving Chinese-American high school freshmen in Northern…

Predicting Success of Preliminary Surgical Residents: A Multi-Institutional Study.

PubMed

Al Fayyadh, Mohammed J; Heller, Stephanie F; Rajab, Taufiek Konrad; Gardner, Aimee K; Bloom, Jordan P; Rawlings, Jeremy A; Mullen, John T; Smink, Douglas S; Farley, David R; Willis, Ross E; Dent, Daniel L

A nondesignated preliminary surgery (NDPS) position encompasses 1 year of training provided by many general surgery residencies. Our aim was to assess factors predicting success and provide evidence for program directors to support career guidance to preliminary residents. Retrospective cohort study of 221 NDPS residents who entered 5 university-based institutions were identified from 2009 to 2013. Records for trainees were reviewed. We defined primary success as obtaining a categorical position in the specialty of choice and secondary success as obtaining a categorical position in any specialty immediately after finishing their NDPS training. Statistical evaluation was performed using chi-square analysis, independent t-test and logistic regression using α <0.05. Of the 221 NDPS residents, 217 (98%) completed postgraduate year (PGY)-1 and 65 (29%) completed PGY-2. Totally, 90 (41%) obtained categorical general surgery positions, 89 (40%) obtained categorical positions in other specialties, and 42 (19%) failed to obtain a categorical position immediately after their NDPS years. Ultimately, 139 (63%) of residents achieved primary success and 40 (18%) additional residents obtained categorical positions in specialties other than their first choice, resulting in a total of 179 (81%) of residents obtaining categorical positions. Mean United States Medical Licensing Examination step 1 and step 2 scores for those who obtained secondary success were 227 and 234 vs. 214 and 219, respectively, for those who failed to secure a categorical position (p < 0.01). United States Medical Licensing Examination step 2 score was a significant predictor of primary (p < 0.03) and secondary success (p < 0.02). Of 65 PGY-2 NDPS residents, 32 (49%) achieved primary success, and 11 (17%) others achieved secondary success for a total of 43 (66%). For PGY-2 NDPS, American Board of Surgery In-Training Examination was the only significant predictor of primary and secondary success (p < 0.02 and

Processing power limits social group size: computational evidence for the cognitive costs of sociality

PubMed Central

Dávid-Barrett, T.; Dunbar, R. I. M.

2013-01-01

Sociality is primarily a coordination problem. However, the social (or communication) complexity hypothesis suggests that the kinds of information that can be acquired and processed may limit the size and/or complexity of social groups that a species can maintain. We use an agent-based model to test the hypothesis that the complexity of information processed influences the computational demands involved. We show that successive increases in the kinds of information processed allow organisms to break through the glass ceilings that otherwise limit the size of social groups: larger groups can only be achieved at the cost of more sophisticated kinds of information processing that are disadvantageous when optimal group size is small. These results simultaneously support both the social brain and the social complexity hypotheses. PMID:23804623

Positive Functions of Emotions in Achievement Sports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Puig, Nuria; Vilanova, Anna

2011-01-01

This article presents the results of two research projects on the emotions of men engaged in achievement outdoor sports. The conditions were analyzed under which emotions carry out positive functions. The question strikes us as a fundamental one, because it is of crucial importance when it comes to increasing sportspeople's success. The…

Assets and Educational Achievement: Theory and Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elliott, William; Sherraden, Michael

2013-01-01

This special issue of Economics of Education Review explores the role of savings and asset holding in post-secondary educational achievement. Most college success research has focused on income rather than assets as a predictor, and most college financing policy has focused on tuition support and educational debt, rather than asset accumulation.…

The Limitations of the GRE in Predicting Success in Biomedical Graduate School

PubMed Central

Moneta-Koehler, Liane; Brown, Abigail M.; Petrie, Kimberly A.; Evans, Brent J.; Chalkley, Roger

2017-01-01

Historically, admissions committees for biomedical Ph.D. programs have heavily weighed GRE scores when considering applications for admission. The predictive validity of GRE scores on graduate student success is unclear, and there have been no recent investigations specifically on the relationship between general GRE scores and graduate student success in biomedical research. Data from Vanderbilt University Medical School’s biomedical umbrella program were used to test to what extent GRE scores can predict outcomes in graduate school training when controlling for other admissions information. Overall, the GRE did not prove useful in predicating who will graduate with a Ph.D., pass the qualifying exam, have a shorter time to defense, deliver more conference presentations, publish more first author papers, or obtain an individual grant or fellowship. GRE scores were found to be moderate predictors of first semester grades, and weak to moderate predictors of graduate GPA and some elements of a faculty evaluation. These findings suggest admissions committees of biomedical doctoral programs should consider minimizing their reliance on GRE scores to predict the important measures of progress in the program and student productivity. PMID:28076356

Clicking Your Way to Student Success!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bostwick, Dianna; Foster, John; Bloomfield, Amie; Rutledge, Paul

2013-01-01

According to the authors, their field has been in a constant state of change and evolution, from manual arts to vocational education to career and technical education (CTE). In a recent effort to increase academic and occupational achievement and success for all CTE students through targeted improvement plans, the state of Pennsylvania implemented…

Guidelines for Successful Collaborations among Professors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Sandra; Arnold, Michael

2004-01-01

There are challenges in doing any type of collaborative research. In fact, the very "culture of higher education" is one where status comes from individual accomplishments rather than from group success. This high value placed on individual achievement often leads to fostering a work environment where competition is fierce. This leads to questions…

Biosphere reserves: Attributes for success.

PubMed

Van Cuong, Chu; Dart, Peter; Hockings, Marc

2017-03-01

Biosphere reserves established under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program aim to harmonise biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Concerns over the extent to which the reserve network was living up to this ideal led to the development of a new strategy in 1995 (the Seville Strategy) to enhance the operation of the network of reserves. An evaluation of effectiveness of management of the biosphere reserve network was called for as part of this strategy. Expert opinion was assembled through a Delphi Process to identify successful and less successful reserves and investigate common factors influencing success or failure. Ninety biosphere reserves including sixty successful and thirty less successful reserves in 42 countries across all five Man and the Biosphere Program regions were identified. Most successful sites are the post-Seville generation while the majority of unsuccessful sites are pre-Seville that are managed as national parks and have not been amended to conform to the characteristics that are meant to define a biosphere reserve. Stakeholder participation and collaboration, governance, finance and resources, management, and awareness and communication are the most influential factors in the success or failure of the biosphere reserves. For success, the biosphere reserve concept needs to be clearly understood and applied through landscape zoning. Designated reserves then need a management system with inclusive good governance, strong participation and collaboration, adequate finance and human resource allocation and stable and responsible management and implementation. All rather obvious but it is difficult to achieve without commitment to the biosphere reserve concept by the governance authorities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Iridium: failures & successes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Christensen, CarissaBryce; Beard, Suzette

2001-03-01

This paper will provide an overview of the Iridium business venture in terms of the challenges faced, the successes achieved, and the causes of the ultimate failure of the venture — bankruptcy and system de-orbit. The paper will address technical, business, and policy issues. The intent of the paper is to provide a balanced and accurate overview of the Iridium experience, to aid future decision-making by policy makers, the business community, and technical experts. Key topics will include the history of the program, the objectives and decision-making of Motorola, the market research and analysis conducted, partnering strategies and their impact, consumer equipment availability, and technical issues — target performance, performance achieved, technical accomplishments, and expected and unexpected technical challenges. The paper will use as sources trade media and business articles on the Iridium program, technical papers and conference presentations, Wall Street analyst's reports, and, where possible, interviews with participants and close observers.

The Achievement Gap among Newcomer Immigrant Adolescents: Life Stressors Hinder Latina/o Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, Sita G.; Barrera, Alinne Z.; Strambler, Michael J.; Muñoz, Ricardo F.; Macciomei, Erynn

2016-01-01

This study compares life stressors and school outcomes among newcomer immigrant adolescents from Latin America, Asia, and the Caribbean. Participants attended a predominantly low-income, urban international public high school in the northeast. The Latina/o students were exposed to more life stressors and had lower attendance and achievement than…

Attributes of Successful Actions to Restore Lakes and ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

As more success is achieved in restoring lakes and estuaries from the impacts of nutrient pollution, there is increased opportunity to evaluate the scientific, social, and policy factors associated with achieving restoration goals. We examined case studies where deliberate actions to reduce nutrient pollution and restore ecosystems resulted in ecological recovery. Prospective cases were identified from scientific literature and technical documents for lakes and estuaries with: (1) scientific evidence of nutrient pollution; (2) restoration actions taken to mitigate nutrient pollution; and (3) documented ecologicalimprovement. Using these criteria, we identified 9 estuaries and 7 lakes spanning countries, climatic regions, physical types, depths, and watershed areas. Among 16 case studies ultimately included, 8 achieved improvements short of stated restoration goals. Five more were successful initially, but condition subsequently declined. Three of the case studies achieved their goals fully and are currently managing to maintain the restored condition. We examined each case to identify both common attributesof nutrient management, grouped into ‘themes’, and variations on those attributes, which were coded into categorical variables based on thorough review of documents associated with each case. The themes and variables were organized into a broad conceptual model illustrating how they relate to each other and to nutrient management outcomes. We then explored

Barriers and Facilitators to Initiating and Completing Time-Limited Trials in Critical Care.

PubMed

Bruce, Courtenay R; Liang, Cecilia; Blumenthal-Barby, Jennifer S; Zimmerman, Janice; Downey, Andrea; Pham, Linda; Theriot, Lisette; Delgado, Estevan D; White, Douglas

2015-12-01

A time-limited trial is an agreement between clinicians and patients or surrogate decision makers to use medical therapies over a defined period of time to see if the patient improves or deteriorates according to agreed-upon clinical milestones. Although time-limited trials are broadly advocated, there is little empirical evidence of the benefits and risks of time-limited trials, when they are initiated, when and why they succeed or fail, and what facilitates completion of them. Our study objectives were to 1) identify the purposes for which clinicians use time-limited trials and 2) identify barriers and facilitators to initiating and completing time-limited trials. Semistructured interviews: We analyzed interviews using qualitative description with constant comparative techniques. Nine hundred-bed, academic, tertiary hospital in Houston, Texas. Interviewees were from open medical, surgical, neurosurgical, and cardiovascular ICUs. Thirty healthcare professionals were interviewed (nine surgeons, 16 intensivists, three nurse practitioners, and two "other" clinicians). None. Interviewees reported initiating time-limited trials for three different purposes: to prepare surrogates and clinicians for discussion and possible shifts toward comfort-care only therapies, build consensus, and refine prognostic information. The main barriers to initiating time-limited trials involve clinicians' or surrogate decision makers' disagreement on setting a time limit. Barriers to completing time-limited trials include 1) requesting more time; 2) communication breakdowns because of rotating call schedules; and 3) changes in clinical course. Finally, facilitators to completing time-limited trials include 1) having defined goals about what could be achieved during an ICU stay, either framed in narrow, numeric terms or broad goals focusing on achievable activities of daily living; 2) applying time-limited trials in certain types of cases; and 3) taking ownership to ensure completion of the

Achieving Stable Radiation Pressure Acceleration of Heavy Ions via Successive Electron Replenishment from Ionization of a High-Z Material Coating

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, X. F.; Qiao, B.; Chang, H. X.; Kar, S.; Zhou, C. T.; Borghesi, M.; He, X. T.

2016-10-01

Generation of monoenergetic heavy ion beams aroused more scientific interest in recent years. Radiation pressure acceleration (RPA) is an ideal mechanism for obtaining high-quality heavy ion beams, in principle. However, to achieve the same energy per nucleon (velocity) as protons, heavy ions undergo much more serious Rayleigh-Taylor-like (RT) instability and afterwards much worse Coulomb explosion due to loss of co-moving electrons. This leads to premature acceleration termination of heavy ions and very low energy attained in experiment. The utilization of a high-Z coating in front of the target may suppress the RT instability and Coulomb explosion by continuously replenishing the accelerating heavy ion foil with co-moving electrons due to its successive ionization under laser fields with Gaussian temporal and spatial profiles. Thus stable RPA can be realized. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional particles-in-cell simulations with dynamic ionization show that a monoenergetic Al13+ beam with peak energy 4.0GeV and particle number 1010 (charge > 20nC) can be obtained at intensity 1022 W/cm2. Supported by the NSF, Nos. 11575298 and 1000-Talents Program of China.

Failure to achieve immunological recovery in HIV-infected patients with clinical and virological success after 10 years of combined ART: role of treatment course.

PubMed

Raffi, François; Le Moing, Vincent; Assuied, Alex; Habak, Sofiane; Spire, Bruno; Cazanave, Charles; Billaud, Eric; Dellamonica, Pierre; Ferry, Tristan; Fagard, Catherine; Leport, Catherine

2017-01-01

We assessed factors, including treatment course, associated with failure to obtain a 10 year immunological response after starting first-generation PI-containing combined ART (cART). In the prospective COPILOTE cohort of HIV-infected patients started on a first-generation PI-containing regimen in 1997-99, the impact of cART history on the failure to achieve immunological response measured at 10 years was assessed by multivariate logistic regression models in the 399 patients with clinical and virological success of cART. Failure of CD4 response (CD4 >500/mm 3 ) was associated with age ≥40 years at baseline (P < 0.001), CD4 cell counts ≤500/mm 3 at month 4 (P = 0.016) or month 12 (P < 0.001) and ≥3 months of cART interruption (P = 0.016). Factors associated with failure to achieve complete immunological response (CD4 >500/mm 3 and CD4:CD8 ratio >1) were CD4:CD8 ratio ≤0.8 at month 8 (P < 0.001) or month 12 (P < 0.001), ≥3 months of cumulative cART interruption (P = 0.011), ≥3 antiretroviral regimens (P = 0.009) and ≤4 treatment lines (P = 0.015). Baseline CD4 and CD4:CD8 ratio were not predictors of the 10 year immunological outcomes. In this therapeutic cohort of patients starting first-generation PI-containing cART in 1997-99, poor initial immunological response had a negative impact on 10 year CD4 and CD4 plus CD4:CD8 ratio response, despite prolonged virological success. Lack of treatment interruption may improve long-term immunological outcome in HIV infection. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

What is Security? A perspective on achieving security

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Atencio, Julian J.

This presentation provides a perspective on achieving security in an organization. It touches upon security as a mindset, ability to adhere to rules, cultivating awareness of the reason for a security mindset, the quality of a security program, willingness to admit fault or acknowledge failure, peer review in security, science as a model that can be applied to the security profession, the security vision, security partnering, staleness in the security program, security responsibilities, and achievement of success over time despite the impossibility of perfection.

The Experience of Achievement Academy Students: What Their Experience Can Tell Us about Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calleroz White, James

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to answer the question, "What are the experiences of students who have completed the Achievement Academy program?" In collecting data to answer this question, a series of clarifying questions also emerged: "What are the cultural, academic, and personal costs and benefits associated with being a part of…

Involvement in Learning for Low-Achieving Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richman, Barbara Smey

This resource document is one of a series of nine resource documents, each of which addresses a separate factor in the "Assessment of School Needs for Low-Achieving Students" survey that can help determine a student's academic success and each of which contains information that responds to specific survey items. This document addresses the factor…

PREDICTING ACADEMIC SUCCESS BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

JEX, FRANK B.

THESE TABLES ARE INTENDED TO PREDICT WHICH UTAH COLLEGE CURRICULUM GIVES A STUDENT THE MOST LIKELIHOOD OF SUCCESS. THEY USE HIGH SCHOOL AVERAGE (HSA) AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OR APTITUDE TESTS. THE STUDY IS DESIGNED ON CONCLUSIONS FROM EARLIER WORK--(1) THE MAIN HURDLE FOR THE FRESHMAN IS THE REQUIRED GENERAL EDUCATION CORE, (2) GPA'S ARE…

Physics issues in diffraction limited storage ring design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Wei; Bai, ZhengHe; Gao, WeiWei; Feng, GuangYao; Li, WeiMin; Wang, Lin; He, DuoHui

2012-05-01

Diffraction limited electron storage ring is considered a promising candidate for future light sources, whose main characteristics are higher brilliance, better transverse coherence and better stability. The challenge of diffraction limited storage ring design is how to achieve the ultra low beam emittance with acceptable nonlinear performance. Effective linear and nonlinear parameter optimization methods based on Artificial Intelligence were developed for the storage ring physical design. As an example of application, partial physical design of HALS (Hefei Advanced Light Source), which is a diffraction limited VUV and soft X-ray light source, was introduced. Severe emittance growth due to the Intra Beam Scattering effect, which is the main obstacle to achieve ultra low emittance, was estimated quantitatively and possible cures were discussed. It is inspiring that better performance of diffraction limited storage ring can be achieved in principle with careful parameter optimization.

Pollen limitation and reduced reproductive success are associated with local genetic effects in Prunus virginiana, a widely distributed self-incompatible shrub

PubMed Central

Suarez-Gonzalez, Adriana; Good, Sara V.

2014-01-01

Background and Aims A vast quantity of empirical evidence suggests that insufficient quantity or quality of pollen may lead to a reduction in fruit set, in particular for self-incompatible species. This study uses an integrative approach that combines field research with marker gene analysis to understand the factors affecting reproductive success in a widely distributed self-incompatible species, Prunus virginiana (Rosaceae). Methods Twelve patches of P. virginiana distributed within three populations that differed in degree of disturbance were examined. Two of the sites were small (7–35 km2) remnants of forest in an intensively used agricultural landscape, while the third was continuous (350 km2) and less disturbed. Field studies (natural and hand cross-pollinations) were combined with marker gene analyses (microsatellites and S-locus) in order to explore potential factors affecting pollen delivery and consequently reproductive success at landscape (between populations) and fine scales (within populations). Key Results Reductions in reproductive output were found in the two fragments compared with the continuous population, and suggest that pollen is an important factor limiting fruit production. Genetic analyses carried out in one of the fragments and in the continuous site suggest that even though S-allele diversity is high in both populations, the fragment exhibits an increase in biparental inbreeding and correlated paternity. The increase in biparental inbreeding in the fragment is potentially attributable to variation in the density of individuals and/or the spatial distribution of genotypes among populations, both of which could alter mating dynamics. Conclusions By using a novel integrative approach, this study shows that even though P. virginiana is a widespread species, fragmented populations can experience significant reductions in fruit set and pollen limitation in the field. Deatiled examination of one fragmented population suggests that these

Quantum Limits of Space-to-Ground Optical Communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hemmati, H.; Dolinar, S.

2012-01-01

For a pure loss channel, the ultimate capacity can be achieved with classical coherent states (i.e., ideal laser light): (1) Capacity-achieving receiver (measurement) is yet to be determined. (2) Heterodyne detection approaches the ultimate capacity at high mean photon numbers. (3) Photon-counting approaches the ultimate capacity at low mean photon numbers. A number of current technology limits drive the achievable performance of free-space communication links. Approaching fundamental limits in the bandwidth-limited regime: (1) Heterodyne detection with high-order coherent-state modulation approaches ultimate limits. SOA improvements to laser phase noise, adaptive optics systems for atmospheric transmission would help. (2) High-order intensity modulation and photon-counting can approach heterodyne detection within approximately a factor of 2. This may have advantages over coherent detection in the presence of turbulence. Approaching fundamental limits in the photon-limited regime (1) Low-duty cycle binary coherent-state modulation (OOK, PPM) approaches ultimate limits. SOA improvements to laser extinction ratio, receiver dark noise, jitter, and blocking would help. (2) In some link geometries (near field links) number-state transmission could improve over coherent-state transmission

K-8 Charter Schools: Closing the Achievement Gap. Innovations in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2007

2007-01-01

This guide is part of a series produced by the U.S. Department of Education, and it builds on two previous works: "Successful Charter Schools" (ED493615) and "Charter High Schools Closing the Achievement Gap" (ED494482). It profiles seven K-8 charter schools that are making headway in narrowing gaps in achievement. It examines…

Black Girls' Achievement in Middle Grades Mathematics: How Can Socializing Agents Help?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Young, Jemimah L.; Young, Jamaal Rashad; Capraro, Mary Margaret

2017-01-01

The middle grades mathematics classroom is full of transitions that students must overcome to become successful long-term learners of mathematics. This transition can be exorbitantly more tumultuous for Black girls who must overcome gender and racial mathematics achievement stereotypes. Mathematics identities and achievement socialization trends…

The Relative Potential of Self-Concept and Intelligence as Predictors of Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gose, Aileen; And Others

1980-01-01

The combination of intelligence with measures of related academic success self-concepts accounted for more achievement variance than did intelligence alone for the content areas of reading, language, and mathematics. Achievement was related to academic self-concept, but not to physical maturity, peer relations, or school adaptiveness…

Cryo-EM in drug discovery: achievements, limitations and prospects.

PubMed

Renaud, Jean-Paul; Chari, Ashwin; Ciferri, Claudio; Liu, Wen-Ti; Rémigy, Hervé-William; Stark, Holger; Wiesmann, Christian

2018-06-08

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) of non-crystalline single particles is a biophysical technique that can be used to determine the structure of biological macromolecules and assemblies. Historically, its potential for application in drug discovery has been heavily limited by two issues: the minimum size of the structures it can be used to study and the resolution of the images. However, recent technological advances - including the development of direct electron detectors and more effective computational image analysis techniques - are revolutionizing the utility of cryo-EM, leading to a burst of high-resolution structures of large macromolecular assemblies. These advances have raised hopes that single-particle cryo-EM might soon become an important tool for drug discovery, particularly if they could enable structural determination for 'intractable' targets that are still not accessible to X-ray crystallographic analysis. This article describes the recent advances in the field and critically assesses their relevance for drug discovery as well as discussing at what stages of the drug discovery pipeline cryo-EM can be useful today and what to expect in the near future.

Challenging Masculinities: Disability and Achievement in Testing Times.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benjamin, Shereen

2001-01-01

Describes a feminist project on masculinities involving boys in a special education school. These labeled, segregated boys were invested in achieving successful positioning within a culture of hegemonic masculinity. Institutional and media preoccupations with quantifiable academic attainments had reinscribed them within a world of hetero/sexist…

The Effect of Second Life on Speaking Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Güzel, Serhat; Aydin, Selami

2016-01-01

The number of studies that focus on the impact of Second Life (SL) as a virtual language learning tool on speaking achievements of EFL learners is quite limited. Thus, this paper aims to provide insight for SL's effect on Turkish EFL learners' speaking achievement levels. Forty-four EFL learners from Balikesir University participated in this…

Research Considerations and Theoretical Application for Best Practices in Higher Education: Latina/os Achieving Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castellanos, Jeanett; Gloria, Alberta M.

2007-01-01

This scholarly article addresses the Latina/o undergraduate experiences proposing a (re)definition of educational success. Discussing strength-based practices of "familia", mentorship, cultural congruity, and professional development from a psychosociocultural (PSC) approach, the article presents practical recommendations and directions for…

40 CFR 61.353 - Alternative means of emission limitation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... for Benzene Waste Operations § 61.353 Alternative means of emission limitation. (a) If, in the Administrator's judgment, an alternative means of emission limitation will achieve a reduction in benzene emissions at least equivalent to the reduction in benzene emissions from the source achieved by the...

The importance of working memory for school achievement in primary school children with intellectual or learning disabilities.

PubMed

Maehler, Claudia; Schuchardt, Kirsten

2016-11-01

Given the well-known relation between intelligence and school achievement we expect children with normal intelligence to perform well at school and those with intelligence deficits to meet learning problems. But, contrary to these expectations, some children do not perform according to these predictions: children with normal intelligence but sub-average school achievement and children with lower intelligence but average success at school. Yet, it is an open question how the unexpected failure or success can be explained. This study examined the role of working memory sensu Baddeley (1986) for school achievement, especially for unexpected failure or success. An extensive working memory battery with a total of 14 tasks for the phonological loop, the visual-spatial sketchpad and central executive skills was presented in individual sessions to four groups of children differing in IQ (normal vs. low) and school success (good vs. poor). Results reveal that children with sub-average school achievement showed deficits in working memory functioning, irrespective of intelligence. By contrast, children with regular school achievement did not show deficits in working memory, again irrespective of intelligence. Therefore working memory should be considered an important predictor of academic success that can lead both to unexpected overachievement and failure at school. Individual working memory competencies should be taken into account with regard to diagnosis and intervention for children with learning problems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Combustion Module-2 Achieved Scientific Success on Shuttle Mission STS-107

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Over, Ann P.

2004-01-01

The familiar teardrop shape of a candle is caused by hot, spent air rising and cool fresh air flowing behind it. This type of airflow obscures many of the fundamental processes of combustion and is an impediment to our understanding and modeling of key combustion controls used for manufacturing, transportation, fire safety, and pollution. Conducting experiments in the microgravity environment onboard the space shuttles eliminates these impediments. NASA Glenn Research Center's Combustion Module-2 (CM-2) and its three experiments successfully flew on STS-107/Columbia in the SPACEHAB module and provided the answers for many research questions. However, this research also opened up new questions. The CM-2 facility was the largest and most complex pressurized system ever flown by NASA and was a precursor to the Glenn Fluids and Combustion Facility planned to fly on the International Space Station. CM-2 operated three combustion experiments: Laminar Soot Processes (LSP), Structure of Flame Balls at Low Lewis-Number (SOFBALL), and Water Mist Fire Suppression Experiment (Mist). Although Columbia's mission ended in tragedy with the loss of her crew and much data, most of the CM-2 results were sent to the ground team during the mission.

The social, educational and cognitive factors of success in the first year of university: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morlaix, Sophie; Suchaut, Bruno

2014-12-01

The main objective of this study, which evaluated a sample of first-year students enrolled at the University of Burgundy, France, in 2010-2011, is to understand the factors determining success in the first year of university. The originality of this research lies in the inclusion of specific indicators of students' skills when they start university within the explanatory models of educational achievement. These indicators include measures of academic performance (written comprehension skills) and cognitive abilities. While the impact of cognitive abilities on educational success has been examined at primary level in France, the present study is among the first to do this at higher education level, with the additional consideration of students' educational and social backgrounds. The results show the significant impact of educational background (repeated years, type of baccalaureate and baccalaureate grade) on success. The researchers also found that written comprehension skills and cognitive abilities alone play a limited role in explaining success, since the impacts of these variables are apparent throughout a student's educational career (and not just in higher education). Another finding was that subject choice based on specific career aspirations is an important factor associated with success - a significant insight which qualifies the impact of educational background.

Transcatheter vessel occlusion: angiographic results versus clinical success

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Feldman, L.; Greenfield, A.J.; Waltman, A.C.

1983-04-01

A review was made of 219 transcatheter vessel occlusion procedures performed over a ten-year period for control of hemorrhage, tumor palliation, or blood supply redistribution prior to intra-arterial chemotherapy. Complete angiographic success was obtained in 85% of the procedures, with partial success in 8%; complete clinical success was achieved in 53% of patients, with partial success in 23%. the most satisfactory clinical results were obtained with hemorrhagic gastritis and pelvic trauma. Embolizations for duodenal ulcer hemorrhage and transhepatic variceal occlusion were the least clinically successful, although isobutyl-cyanoacrylate appeared to be a significant improvement in angiographic therapy for duodenal ulcer. Themore » overall complication rate was 13%, with one third of the complications clinically silent. These results indicate that transcatheter vessel occlusion is a relatively safe and effective method for control of hemorrhage or tumor infarction.« less

Government-to-private sector energy programs: Identification of common elements leading to successful implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stockton, Keith M.

-and-control programs we examined also create market distortions that both limit the flexibility of private markets to adjust to changing economic conditions and discourage the adoption of competing technologies. We conclude our research by recommending that future policy makers maximize the range of methods availability to the private sector to meet legislative goals and limit the use of financial incentives. With these measures, energy programs may achieve higher levels of success by reaching their goals with maximum economic efficiency and minimal negative unanticipated consequences.

Achieving total quality through intelligence.

PubMed

Fuld, L M

1992-02-01

American firms want 'total quality'. The time and money spent by U.S. companies attempting to qualify for the coveted Baldrige Award exemplifies corporate America's desire to achieve new quality standards. Corporate intelligence and 'total quality' are inextricably linked. In this article, the authors demonstrate how shared and properly-used information can be a powerful tool for elevating quality standards, and how corporate intelligence programmes can provide the information links vital for success in attaining the highest standards of quality.

Bush Claims about NCLB Questioned: Data on Gains in Achievement Remain Limited, Preliminary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoff, David J.; Manzo, Kathleen Kennedy

2007-01-01

President Bush says that the No Child Left Behind Act is working, pointing to student-achievement results from a single subsection of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and tentative Reading First data. But the evidence available to support his claim is questionable. The data Mr. Bush cited are from just the "long-term…

Causal Attributions for Success or Failure of Students in College Algebra

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cortes-Suarez, Gina; Sandiford, Janice R.

2008-01-01

Research in the field of attribution theory and academic achievement suggests a relationship between a student's attributional style and achievement. Theorists and researchers contend that attributions influence individual reactions to success and failure. They also report that individuals use attributions to explain and justify their performance.…

Achieving High Resolution Measurements Within Limited Bandwidth Via Sensor Data Compression

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

MIDAS , high-g accelerometer 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UU 18. NUMBER OF PAGES 16 19a. NAME OF...instrumentation boards are a miniaturization of the Multifunctional Instrumentation and Data Acquisition System ( MIDAS ) designed by ARL and detailed in several...technical reports (1). The original MIDAS has a diameter of 1.4 inches and height of 1.6 inches. This miniaturization for a 30mm round is

Turning the Tide: Five Years of Achieving the Dream in Community Colleges

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutschow, Elizabeth Zachry; Richburg-Hayes, Lashawn; Brock, Thomas; Orr, Genevieve; Cerna, Oscar; Cullinan, Dan; Kerrigan, Monica Reid; Jenkins, Davis; Gooden, Susan; Martin, Kasey

2011-01-01

In 2004, Lumina Foundation for Education launched "Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count," a national initiative aimed at improving success among community college students, particularly low-income students and students of color. Now encompassing more than 130 institutions in 24 states and the District of Columbia, Achieving the…

Early Academic Achievement Among American Low-Income Black Students from Immigrant and Non-Immigrant Families

PubMed Central

Calzada, Esther; Barajas-Gonzalez, R. Gabriela; Dawson-McClure, Spring; Huang, Keng-Yen; Palamar, Joseph; Kamboukos, Dimitra

2015-01-01

At least half of the well-documented achievement gap for low-income Black children is already present in kindergarten, due in part to limited opportunities for acquiring foundational skills necessary for school success. There is some evidence that low-income minority children from immigrant families have more positive outcomes than their non-immigrant counterparts, although little is known about how the immigrant paradox may manifest in young children. This study examines foundational school readiness skills (academic and social-emotional learning) at entry into pre-kindergarten (pre-k) and achievement in kindergarten and second grade among Black children from low-income immigrant and non-immigrant families (N=299). Immigrant and non-immigrant children entered pre-k with comparable readiness scores; in both groups, reading scores decreased significantly from kindergarten to second grade and math scores decreased significantly for non-immigrant children and marginally for immigrant children. Regardless of immigrant status, pre-k school readiness and pre-k classroom quality were associated with elementary school achievement. However, declines in achievement scores were not as steep for immigrant children and several predictive associations were moderated by immigrant status, such that among those with lower pre-k school readiness or in lower quality classrooms, immigrant children had higher achievement test scores than children from non-immigrant families. Findings suggest that immigrant status provides young Black students with some protection against individual- and classroom-level risk factors for early underachievement in elementary school. PMID:26048254

Achievement and Underachievement: The Experiences of African Caribbeans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhamie, Jasmine

2012-01-01

The disproportionate representation of African Caribbeans in all the negative educational statistics has been well documented. Despite this, there are African Caribbeans who achieve academically but relatively few studies have explored this area. This study aimed to investigate the factors that contribute to African Caribbean academic success,…

The Effects of Integrated Transformational Leadership on Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boberg, John Eric; Bourgeois, Steven J.

2016-01-01

Purpose: Greater understanding about how variables mediate the relationship between leadership and achievement is essential to the success of reform efforts that hold leaders accountable for student learning. The purpose of this paper is to test a model of integrated transformational leadership including three important school mediators.…

Tribal College Transfer Student Success at Four-Year Predominantly White Institutions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makomenaw, Matthew Van Alstine

2010-01-01

Tribal colleges, which are often community colleges, have been successful in helping American Indian students achieve academic success. The current study was designed to understand what happens to American Indian tribal college students when they transfer to four-year Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). The research question that guides the…

Toward an Understanding of Achievement-Related Conflicts in Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horner, Matina S.

1972-01-01

Identifies the motive to avoid success as an internal psychological representative of the dominant societal stereotype which views competence, independence, competition, and intellectual achievement as qualities basically inconsistent with femininity, even though positively related to masculinity and mental health. (Author/JM)

Reading Success and Failure among Chinese Children.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Chen-chin

Drawing on a cross-national study of children's reading, a study examined the correlates of reading success and failure in Taiwan. Subjects, 240 randomly selected Taipei fifth graders, were administered a reading test, cognitive test, and mathematics achievement test. A structured interview with each child's mother and classroom behavior…

Predictors of Academic Success for Optometry Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buckingham, Robert S.

2012-01-01

Optometry school admissions are very competitive. With more applicants than available slots, admission committees must choose those students whom they feel will be successful graduates. Previous studies in the health profession schools have demonstrated that the predictors of academic achievement are preadmission science grade point average (GPA),…

Bandwidth efficient coding: Theoretical limits and real achievements. Error control techniques for satellite and space communications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Costello, Daniel J., Jr.; Courturier, Servanne; Levy, Yannick; Mills, Diane G.; Perez, Lance C.; Wang, Fu-Quan

1993-01-01

In his seminal 1948 paper 'The Mathematical Theory of Communication,' Claude E. Shannon derived the 'channel coding theorem' which has an explicit upper bound, called the channel capacity, on the rate at which 'information' could be transmitted reliably on a given communication channel. Shannon's result was an existence theorem and did not give specific codes to achieve the bound. Some skeptics have claimed that the dramatic performance improvements predicted by Shannon are not achievable in practice. The advances made in the area of coded modulation in the past decade have made communications engineers optimistic about the possibility of achieving or at least coming close to channel capacity. Here we consider the possibility in the light of current research results.

Success Avoidant Motivation and Behavior; Its Development Correlates and Situational Determinants. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horner, Matina S.

This paper reports on a successful attempt to understand success avoidant motivation and behavior by the development of an empirically sophisticated scoring system of success avoidant motivation and the observation of its behavioral correlates and situational determinants. Like most of the work on achievement motivation, the study was carried out…

The global health network on alcohol control: successes and limits of evidence-based advocacy

PubMed Central

Schmitz, Hans Peter

2016-01-01

Global efforts to address alcohol harm have significantly increased since the mid-1990s. By 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) had adopted the non-binding Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. This study investigates the role of a global health network, anchored by the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA), which has used scientific evidence on harm and effective interventions to advocate for greater global public health efforts to reduce alcohol harm. The study uses process-tracing methodology and expert interviews to evaluate the accomplishments and limitations of this network. The study documents how network members have not only contributed to greater global awareness about alcohol harm, but also advanced a public health approach to addressing this issue at the global level. Although the current network represents an expanding global coalition of like-minded individuals, it faces considerable challenges in advancing its cause towards successful implementation of effective alcohol control policies across many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The analysis reveals a need to transform the network into a formal coalition of regional and national organizations that represent a broader variety of constituents, including the medical community, consumer groups and development-focused non-governmental organizations. Considering the growing harm of alcohol abuse in LMICs and the availability of proven and cost-effective public health interventions, alcohol control represents an excellent ‘buy’ for donors interested in addressing non-communicable diseases. Alcohol control has broad beneficial effects for human development, including promoting road safety and reducing domestic violence and health care costs across a wide variety of illnesses caused by alcohol consumption. PMID:26276763

Differential invasion success of salmonids in southern Chile: patterns and hypotheses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Arismendi, Ivan; Penaluna, Brooke E.; Dunham, Jason B.; García de Leaniz, Carlos; Soto, Doris; Fleming, Ian A.; Gomez-Uchidam, Daniel; Gajardo, Gonzalo; Vargas, Pamela V.; León-Muñoz, Jorge

2014-01-01

Biological invasions create complex ecological and societal issues worldwide. Most of the knowledge about invasions comes only from successful invaders, but less is known about which processes determine the differential success of invasions. In this review, we develop a framework to identify the main dimensions driving the success and failure of invaders, including human influences, characteristics of the invader, and biotic interactions. We apply this framework by contrasting hypotheses and available evidence to explain variability in invasion success for 12 salmonids introduced to Chile. The success of Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo trutta seems to be influenced by a context-specific combination of their phenotypic plasticity, low ecosystem resistance, and propagule pressure. These well-established invaders may limit the success of subsequently introduced salmonids, with the possible exception of O. tshawytscha, which has a short freshwater residency and limited spatial overlap with trout. Although propagule pressure is high for O. kisutch and S. salar due to their intensive use in aquaculture, their lack of success in Chile may be explained by environmental resistance, including earlier spawning times than in their native ranges, and interactions with previously established and resident Rainbow Trout. Other salmonids have also failed to establish, and they exhibit a suite of ecological traits, environmental resistance, and limited propagule pressure that are variably associated with their lack of success. Collectively, understanding how the various drivers of invasion success interact may explain the differential success of invaders and provide key guidance for managing both positive and negative outcomes associated with their presence.

Resource Allocation in Successful Schools: Case Studies of California Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hyder, Syed N.

2010-01-01

This study was conducted to examine instructional strategies and resource allocation in successful schools. The study was based on analysis of six effective Southern California elementary schools. All the analyzed schools were Title I, non-charter public schools that had demonstrated consistent student achievement, had narrowed the achievement gap…

Essential elements to the establishment and design of a successful robotic surgery programme.

PubMed

Patel, Vipul R

2006-03-01

The application of robotic assisted technology has created a new era in surgery, by addressing some of the limitations of conventional open and laparoscopic surgery. To optimize success the incorporation of robotics into a surgical program must be performed with a structured approach. We discuss the key factors for building a successful robotic surgery program. Prior to implementing a robotics program certain essential elements must be examined. One must assess the overall goals of the program, the initial applications of the technology and the time line for success. In addition a financial analysis of the potential impact of the technology must also be performed. Essential personnel should also be identified in order to form a cohesive robotic surgery team. These preparatory sets help coordinate the establishment of the program and help to prevent unrealistic expectations; while generating the best environment for success. Once the purchase of the robotic system has been approved a robotic surgery team is created with certain essential components. This staff includes: the surgeons, nursing staff, physician assistants, resident/fellows, program coordinator, marketing and a financial analysis team. This team will work together to achieve the common goals for the program. Robotic assisted surgery has grown tremendously over the last half decade in certain surgical fields such as urology. The success of programs has been variable and often related to the infrastructure of the program. The key factors appear to be creation of a sound financial plan, early identification of applicable specialties and a motivated surgical team. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Untangling Performance from Success

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yucesoy, Burcu; Barabasi, Albert-Laszlo

Fame, popularity and celebrity status, frequently used tokens of success, are often loosely related to, or even divorced from professional performance. This dichotomy is partly rooted in the difficulty to distinguish performance, an individual measure that captures the actions of a performer, from success, a collective measure that captures a community's reactions to these actions. Yet, finding the relationship between the two measures is essential for all areas that aim to objectively reward excellence, from science to business. Here we quantify the relationship between performance and success by focusing on tennis, an individual sport where the two quantities can be independently measured. We show that a predictive model, relying only on a tennis player's performance in tournaments, can accurately predict an athlete's popularity, both during a player's active years and after retirement. Hence the model establishes a direct link between performance and momentary popularity. The agreement between the performance-driven and observed popularity suggests that in most areas of human achievement exceptional visibility may be rooted in detectable performance measures. This research was supported by Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) under agreement FA9550-15-1-0077.

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Review of Research, Policies, and Issues. Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hertert, Linda; Teague, Jackie

Student achievement tests consistently show that certain groups of children score far below children in other groups. The data document a strong association between poverty and students' academic success. The achievement gap begins early in children's lives as the result of physical, social, and emotional deprivations. California is attempting to…

Enhanced limonene production in cyanobacteria reveals photosynthesis limitations

PubMed Central

Wang, Xin; Liu, Wei; Xin, Changpeng; Zheng, Yi; Cheng, Yanbing; Sun, Su; Li, Runze; Zhu, Xin-Guang; Dai, Susie Y.; Rentzepis, Peter M.; Yuan, Joshua S.

2016-01-01

Terpenes are the major secondary metabolites produced by plants, and have diverse industrial applications as pharmaceuticals, fragrance, solvents, and biofuels. Cyanobacteria are equipped with efficient carbon fixation mechanism, and are ideal cell factories to produce various fuel and chemical products. Past efforts to produce terpenes in photosynthetic organisms have gained only limited success. Here we engineered the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 to efficiently produce limonene through modeling guided study. Computational modeling of limonene flux in response to photosynthetic output has revealed the downstream terpene synthase as a key metabolic flux-controlling node in the MEP (2-C-methyl-d-erythritol 4-phosphate) pathway-derived terpene biosynthesis. By enhancing the downstream limonene carbon sink, we achieved over 100-fold increase in limonene productivity, in contrast to the marginal increase achieved through stepwise metabolic engineering. The establishment of a strong limonene flux revealed potential synergy between photosynthate output and terpene biosynthesis, leading to enhanced carbon flux into the MEP pathway. Moreover, we show that enhanced limonene flux would lead to NADPH accumulation, and slow down photosynthesis electron flow. Fine-tuning ATP/NADPH toward terpene biosynthesis could be a key parameter to adapt photosynthesis to support biofuel/bioproduct production in cyanobacteria. PMID:27911807

The Academic Achievement of Limited English Proficient (LEP) Youth in New and Established Immigrant States: Lessons from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

PubMed Central

Spees, Lisa P.; Potochnick, Stephanie; Perreira, Krista M.

2018-01-01

The dramatic growth and dispersal of immigrant families has changed the face of public education at a time when states are experiencing increased school accountability pressures under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and its recent successor the Every Student Succeeds Act. Of particular concern is how these demographic shifts affect the academic well-being of Limited English Proficient (LEP) youth, the protected sub-group that most directly targets children from immigrant families. Using individual-level data from the National Association of Educational Progress, we examine how 8th grade test scores of LEP youth differ across new and established immigrant destination states. Results show that achievement for LEP youth is higher in new than in established immigrant states but that this advantage is not consistent across ethnic/racial groups. LEP youth in new immigrant states benefit from more favorable demographic characteristics and more family and school resources, but these differences only explain a small portion of the achievement gap. PMID:29527112

Managerial Success for Women

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pitts, Elaine R.

1977-01-01

The author's personal account of her experiences in being promoted from an engineer with limited management responsibility to vice president of a large company in New York City. She notes that many women are still isolated from the executive society, which puts the burden on those women who do achieve positions of power to help those women who…

Successful Implementation of Clinical Information Technology: Seven Key Lessons from CPOE.

PubMed

Gellert, G A; Hill, V; Bruner, K; Maciaz, G; Saucedo, L; Catzoela, L; Ramirez, R; Jacobs, W J; Nguyen, P; Patel, L; Webster, S L

2015-01-01

To identify and describe the most critical strategic and operational contributors to the successful implementation of clinical information technologies, as deployed within a moderate sized system of U.S. community hospitals. CHRISTUS Health is a multi-state system comprised of more than 350 services and 60 hospitals with over 9 000 physicians. The Santa Rosa region of CHRISTUS Health, located in greater San Antonio, Texas is comprised of three adult community hospital facilities and one Children's hospital each with bed capacities of 142-180. Computerized Patient Order Entry (CPOE) was first implemented in 2012 within a complex market environment. The Santa Rosa region has 2 417 credentialed physicians and 263 mid-level allied health professionals. This report focuses on the seven most valuable strategies deployed by the Health Informatics team in a large four hospital CHRISTUS region to achieve strong CPOE adoption and critical success lessons learned. The findings are placed within the context of the literature describing best practices in health information technology implementation. While the elements described involved discrete de novo process generation to support implementation and operations, collectively they represent the creation of a new customer-centric service culture in our Health Informatics team, which has served as a foundation for ensuring strong clinical information technology adoption beyond CPOE. The seven success factors described are not limited in their value to and impact on CPOE adoption, but generalize to - and can advance success in - varied other clinical information technology implementations across diverse hospitals. A number of these factors are supported by reports in the literature of other institutions' successful implementations of CPOE and other clinical information technologies, and while not prescriptive to other settings, may be adapted to yield value elsewhere.

Key successes and challenges in providing mental health care in an urban male remand prison: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Samele, Chiara; Forrester, Andrew; Urquía, Norman; Hopkin, Gareth

2016-04-01

This study aimed to describe the workings of an urban male remand prison mental health service exploring the key challenges and successes, levels of integration and collaboration with other services. A purposive sampling was used to recruit key prison and healthcare professionals for in-depth interviews. A thematic analysis was used to analyse transcripts based on an initial coding frame of several predefined themes. Other key themes were also identified. Twenty-eight interviews were conducted. Prisoners referred to the service had complex, sometimes acute mental illness requiring specialist assessment and treatment. Key successes of the in-reach service included the introduction of an open referral system, locating a mental health nurse at reception to screen all new prisoners and a zoning system to prioritise urgent or non-urgent cases. Achieving an integrated system of healthcare was challenging because of the numerous internal and external services operating across the prison, a highly transient population, limited time and space to deliver services and difficulties with providing inpatient care (e.g., establishing the criteria for admission and managing patient flow). Collaborative working between prison and healthcare staff was required to enable best care for prisoners. The prison mental health in-reach service worked well in assessing and prioritising those who required specialist mental health care. Although the challenges of working within the prison context limited what the in-reach team could achieve. Further work was needed to improve the unit environment and how best to target and deliver inpatient care within the prison.

Student academic achievement in college chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tabibzadeh, Kiana S.

General Chemistry is required for variety of baccalaureate degrees, including all medical related fields, engineering, and science majors. Depending on the institution, the prerequisite requirement for college level General Chemistry varies. The success rate for this course is low. The purpose of this study is to examine the factors influencing student academic achievement and retention in General Chemistry at the college level. In this study student achievement is defined by those students who earned grades of "C" or better. The dissertation contains in-depth studies on influence of Intermediate Algebra as a prerequisite compared to Fundamental Chemistry for student academic achievement and student retention in college General Chemistry. In addition the study examined the extent and manner in which student self-efficacy influences student academic achievement in college level General Chemistry. The sample for this part of the study is 144 students enrolled in first semester college level General Chemistry. Student surveys determined student self-efficacy level. The statistical analyses of study demonstrated that Fundamental Chemistry is a better prerequisite for student academic achievement and student retention. The study also found that student self-efficacy has no influence on student academic achievement. The significance of this study will be to provide data for the purpose of establishing a uniform and most suitable prerequisite for college level General Chemistry. Finally the variables identified to influence student academic achievement and enhance student retention will support educators' mission to maximize the students' ability to complete their educational goal at institutions of higher education.

Narrowing the Achievement Gap: A Case Study of an Urban School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lugo, Rosalinda

2010-01-01

The goal of this case study was to identify the cultural norms, practices, and programs of an urban school that narrowed the achievement gap. The reason for identifying these factors in a successful school was to add to the body of literature regarding the achievement gap and what a struggling school was able to do to narrow the gap. This case…

School Success as a Process of Structuration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tubin, Dorit

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to explore the process, routines, and structuration at successful schools leading their students to high achievements. Method: The approach of building a theory from case study research together with process perspective and an organizational routines model were applied to analyzing seven successful…

Barriers to Blacks' Educational Achievement in Higher Education: A Statistical and Conceptual Review.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lang, Marvel

1992-01-01

Examines trends in the educational achievement of African Americans at secondary and postsecondary levels using data from various national surveys. Barriers to educational achievement are described, and intervention strategies for improving African-American success in higher education are reviewed. Increasing minority participation will require…

The Value of Successful MBSE Adoption

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrott, Edith

2016-01-01

The value of successful adoption of Model Based System Engineering (MBSE) practices is hard to quantify. Most engineers and project managers look at the success in terms of cost. But there are other ways to quantify the value of MBSE and the steps necessary to achieve adoption. The Glenn Research Center (GRC) has been doing Model-Based Engineering (design, structural, etc.) for years, but the system engineering side has not. Since 2010, GRC has been moving from documents centric to MBSE/SysML. Project adoption of MBSE has been slow, but is steadily increasing in both MBSE usage and complexity of generated products. Sharing of knowledge of lessons learned in the implementation of MBSE/SysML is key for others who want to be successful. Along with GRC's implementation, NASA is working hard to increase the successful implementation of MBSE across all the other centers by developing guidelines, templates and libraries for projects to utilize. This presentation will provide insight into recent GRC and NASA adoption efforts, lessons learned and best practices.

[Relationship Between General Cognitive Abilities and School Achievement: The Mediation Role of Learning Behavior].

PubMed

Weber, H M; Rücker, S; Büttner, P; Petermann, F; Daseking, M

2015-10-01

General cognitive abilities are still considered as the most important predictor of school achievement and success. Whether the high correlation (r=0.50) can be explained by other variables has not yet been studied. Learning behavior can be discussed as one factor that influences the relationship between general cognitive abilities and school achievement. This study examined the relationship between intelligence, school achievement and learning behavior. Mediator analyses were conducted to check whether learning behavior would mediate the relationship between general cognitive abilities and school grades in mathematics and German. Statistical analyses confirmed that the relationship between general cognitive abilities and school achievement was fully mediated by learning behavior for German, whereas intelligence seemed to be the only predictor for achievement in mathematics. These results could be confirmed by non-parametric bootstrapping procedures. RESULTS indicate that special training of learning behavior may have a positive impact on school success, even for children and adolescents with low IQ. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Characteristics of successful aviation leaders of Oklahoma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kutz, Mary N. Hill

Scope and method of study. The purpose of the study was to examine the personal traits, skills, practices, behaviors, background, academic, and career success patterns of selected aviation leaders in Oklahoma. A purposive sample of 18 leaders who had achieved a top-ranked position of aviation leadership in an organization or a position of influence in the community was selected for interview. The leaders chosen for interview came from a variety of aviation organizations including government, academia, military, corporate aviation, and air carrier leadership as well as community leadership (specifically those aviation personnel who were engaged in a political or civic leadership role). Findings and conclusions. This study identified no common career choices, educational, family, or other background factors exclusively responsible for leadership success of all of the participants. Some of the more significant findings were that a high percentage of the leaders held undergraduate and advanced degrees; however, success had been achieved by some who had little or no college education. Aviation technical experience was not a prerequisite for aviation leadership success in that a significant number of the participants held no airman rating and some had entered positions of aviation leadership from non-aviation related careers. All had received some positive learning experience from their family background even those backgrounds which were less than desirable. All of the participants had been involved in volunteer civic or humanitarian leadership roles, and all had received numerous honors. The most frequently identified value expressed by the leaders was honesty; the predominant management style was participative with a strong backup style for directing, the most important skills were communication and listening skills, and the most frequently mentioned characteristics of success were honesty, credibility, vision, high standards, love for aviation and fiscal

Challenges of Dental Assisting Students in Their Pursuit of Academic Success.

PubMed

Leong, Nancy; Laughter, Lory; Rowe, Dorothy J

2017-04-01

The aim of this study was to identify the challenges encountered by dental assisting students, especially those from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups (UREG), that affected their achieving academic success. In 2016, directors of the nine northern California dental assisting programs were contacted via email to explain the study and request an opportunity to administer the 26-item survey to their currently enrolled students. Student responses were entered into a survey research program, which tabulated the data and calculated the frequency of responses to each item. All nine programs participated, and the overall student response rate was 98%. Most (71%) of the 215 respondents agreed that they had experienced challenges in achieving academic success. Respondents reported the following challenges that made it difficult to perform well at school: financial responsibilities (41%), family responsibilities (33%), and language challenges (21%). These challenges, as well as difficulty understanding the language and vocabulary of instructional materials and cost of tuition and supplies, were statistically related to respondents' perceptions of their challenges to academic success. Most (83%) of the respondents perceived that faculty members supported their academic success. One-third of the respondents were from UREG: Hispanic, African American, and Native American. Higher percentages of UREG than non-UREG participants worked more hours/week (p=0.03) and tended to perceive financial (52%/32%) and family (42%/28%) responsibilities as challenges. Since both UREG and non-UREG respondents experienced these challenges, all students should be informed of institutional and programmatic resources that can assist them in achieving academic success.

Fear of Success and Life Satisfaction in Terms of Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yilmaz, Hasan

2018-01-01

The purpose of the present research is presenting the relationships between self-efficacy, fear of success and life satisfaction; and determining the predictive power fear of success and self-efficacy on life satisfaction. For this purpose, self-efficacy, fear of achievement and life satisfaction scales were implemented on 625 individuals. In the…

Educational Inequality and Academic Achievement in England and France.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lees, Lynn Hollen

1994-01-01

In both France and England, students scored in the middle-to-high ranks on the International Assessment of Educational Progress, with large gaps between low and high achievers. Despite attempts to democratize education, educational achievement in both countries continues to be strongly linked to parents' social background, with limited access to…

The Interplay of Orthodontics, Periodontics, and Restorative Dentistry to Achieve Aesthetic and Functional Success.

PubMed

Trushkowsky, Richard D; Alsadah, Zainab; Brea, Luis M; Oquendo, Anabella

2015-07-01

Previously dentists focused on repair and maintenance of function. However, the emphasis of many patients and dentists is now on esthetics. Often there is a need for the disciplines of orthodontics, periodontics, restorative dentistry, and maxillofacial surgery to work together in order to achieve optimum results. Currently the sequencing planning process begins with esthetics and then function, structure, and ultimately biology. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Adolescent Mental Health, Behavior Problems, and Academic Achievement

PubMed Central

McLeod, Jane D.; Uemura, Ryotaro; Rohrman, Shawna

2013-01-01

Prior research on the association of mental health and behavior problems with academic achievement is limited because it does not consider multiple problems simultaneously, take co-occurring problems into account, and control for academic aptitude. We addressed these limitations using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (N = 6,315). We estimated the associations of depression, attention problems, delinquency, and substance use with two indicators of academic achievement (high school GPA and highest degree received) with controls for academic aptitude. Attention problems, delinquency, and substance use were significantly associated with diminished achievement, but depression was not. Combinations of problems involving substance use were especially consequential. Our results demonstrate that the social consequences of mental health problems are not the inevitable result of diminished functional ability but, rather, reflect negative social responses. These results also encourage a broader perspective on mental health by demonstrating that behavior problems heighten the negative consequences of more traditional forms of distress. PMID:23197485

Part-Time Faculty and Community College Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Gregory S.

2015-01-01

With the Completion Agenda taking such political prominence, community colleges are experiencing even more pressure to find ways to promote and improve student success. One way that has been suggested is to limit the reliance on part-time faculty under the premise that the employment status of faculty has a direct influence on student success. The…

"Successful" Principals: A Contested Notion for Superintendents and Principals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scribner, Samantha M. Paredes; Crow, Gary M.; Lopez, Gerardo R.; Murtadha, Khaula

2011-01-01

The notion of "success" is narrowly defined and appropriated within an educational context. Typically limited to objective measures of organizational productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency, "successful" principal practices, we argue, engender action and attention to a broader array of issues and interrelationships. In this study, we conducted…

An investigation of predictors of successful aging in the workplace among Hong Kong Chinese older workers.

PubMed

Cheung, Francis; Wu, Anise M S

2012-03-01

We examined associations between successful aging in the workplace (adaptability and health, positive relationship, occupational growth, personal security, and continuous focus on goals) and two major factors of work stressors (work family conflict and discrimination against older workers) and coping resources (perceived organizational support, supportive human resource policies, and social support from friends and family) among Chinese older workers in Hong Kong. Furthermore, we also examined whether coping resources moderate the negative effect derived from work stressors on successful aging. A total of 242 Chinese full-time workers aged 40 years or above were recruited in a self-administered questionnaire survey study in Hong Kong. Hierarchical regression results showed that family-to-work conflict was significantly related to successful aging, except the dimension of personal security. Work-to-family conflict and discrimination, however, were not related to successful aging in the workplace. In terms of coping resources, perceived organizational support was related to all dimensions of successful aging in the workplace. We also found that training and development was a significant correlate of occupational growth. Social support from friends and family was positively related to three successful aging dimensions, including adaptability and health, personal security and continuous focus on goals. Finally, when facing discrimination in the workplace, support from organizations and from friends and family were particularly important for old-older workers (aged 55 years or above) to achieve better adaptability and health. Perceived organizational support and social support from friends and family were important correlates of successful aging in the workplace. Limitation and recommendations for organizational intervention were discussed.

Lewis Research Center: Commercialization Success Stories

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heyward, Ann O.

1996-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center, located in Cleveland, Ohio, has a portfolio of research and technology capabilities and facilities that afford opportunities for productive partnerships with industry in a broad range of industry sectors. In response to the President's agenda in the area of technology for economic growth (Clinton/Gore 1993), the National Performance Review (1993), NASA's Agenda for Change (1994), and the needs of its customers, NASA Lewis Research Center has sought and achieved significant successes in technology transfer and commercialization. This paper discusses a sampling of Lewis Research Center's successes in this area, and lessons learned that Lewis Research Center is applying in pursuit of continuous improvement and excellence in technology transfer and commercialization.

The global health network on alcohol control: successes and limits of evidence-based advocacy.

PubMed

Schmitz, Hans Peter

2016-04-01

Global efforts to address alcohol harm have significantly increased since the mid-1990 s. By 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) had adopted the non-binding Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol. This study investigates the role of a global health network, anchored by the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance (GAPA), which has used scientific evidence on harm and effective interventions to advocate for greater global public health efforts to reduce alcohol harm. The study uses process-tracing methodology and expert interviews to evaluate the accomplishments and limitations of this network. The study documents how network members have not only contributed to greater global awareness about alcohol harm, but also advanced a public health approach to addressing this issue at the global level. Although the current network represents an expanding global coalition of like-minded individuals, it faces considerable challenges in advancing its cause towards successful implementation of effective alcohol control policies across many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The analysis reveals a need to transform the network into a formal coalition of regional and national organizations that represent a broader variety of constituents, including the medical community, consumer groups and development-focused non-governmental organizations. Considering the growing harm of alcohol abuse in LMICs and the availability of proven and cost-effective public health interventions, alcohol control represents an excellent 'buy' for donors interested in addressing non-communicable diseases. Alcohol control has broad beneficial effects for human development, including promoting road safety and reducing domestic violence and health care costs across a wide variety of illnesses caused by alcohol consumption. Published by Oxford University Press in association with The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine © The Author 2015; all rights reserved.

What my parents make me believe in learning: the role of filial piety in Hong Kong students' motivation and academic achievement.

PubMed

Chen, Wei-Wen; Wong, Yi-Lee

2014-08-01

Chinese students are well-known for their academic excellence. However, studies that explore the underlying mechanism of how cultural factors relate to the motivational process and academic achievement of Chinese students have been limited. This study aimed to examine the role of filial piety in shaping Chinese students' theories of intelligence so as to obtain a clearer understanding of the process by which parent-child connectedness is linked to Chinese students' academic achievement. A sample of 312 university students in Hong Kong were assessed concerning their filial piety beliefs, theories of intelligence and academic achievement. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results indicated that different filial piety beliefs relate to students' academic achievement by shaping different theories of intelligence. Reciprocal filial piety beliefs were found to facilitate an incremental view of intelligence, which in turn contributes to students' academic achievement. Authoritarian filial piety beliefs were shown to be associated with an entity view of intelligence, which consequently deteriorates students' academic achievement. Cultural views of motivational processes can shed light on how motivational beliefs are developed as a product of cultural or socialization processes, which, in turn, contribute to students' academic success. © 2013 International Union of Psychological Science.

Succession planning in hospitals and the association with organizational performance.

PubMed

Kim, Tae Hyun

2012-01-01

Effective succession planning is the heart of leadership development and an essential business strategy because it enhances the ability to achieve orderly transitions and maintain productivity levels. The results of this study are consistent with previous studies that exhibit a positive association of previous years' performance with internal succession planning. The key to successful succession planning lies in building a solid foundation of profitability. Having successors ready to fill key vacancies helps improve operational condition and the bottom line, and thus, gives a competitive edge in the market. Preparing successors for leadership may determine which organizations simply survive and which thrive and lead their markets down the road.

Limits to Stability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cottey, Alan

2012-01-01

The author reflects briefly on what limited degree of global ecological stability and human cultural stability may be achieved, provided that humanity retains hope and does not give way to despair or hide in denial. These thoughts were triggered by a recent conference on International Stability and Systems Engineering. (Contains 5 notes.)

Success in One High-Poverty, Urban Elementary School: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holman, Shavonna Leigh

2011-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the efforts implemented in a high-poverty, urban elementary school in order to increase academic achievement. The central research question was: (1) How do teachers and administrators in a high-poverty, urban school describe the strategies they use to achieve academic success? The sub-questions…

Achieved versus intended pulse oximeter saturation in infants born less than 28 weeks' gestation: the AVIOx study.

PubMed

Hagadorn, James I; Furey, Anne M; Nghiem, Tuyet-Hang; Schmid, Christopher H; Phelps, Dale L; Pillers, De-Ann M; Cole, Cynthia H

2006-10-01

The objective of this study was to document pulse oximeter saturation levels achieved in the first 4 weeks of life in infants who were born at < 28 weeks' gestation, compared with the levels that were targeted by local policy, and examine factors that are associated with compliance with the target range. Infants who were < 28 weeks' gestation and < or = 96 hours of age were enrolled in a prospective, multicenter cohort study. Oximetry data were collected with masked signal-extraction oximeters for a 72-hour period in each of the first 4 weeks of life. Data were compared with the pulse oximeter saturation target range prescribed by local institutional policy. Factors that were associated with intended range compliance were identified with hierarchical modeling. Fourteen centers from 3 countries enrolled 84 infants with mean +/- SD birth weight of 863 +/- 208 g and gestational age of 26 +/- 1.4 weeks. Oxygen saturation policy limits ranged between 83% and 92% for lower limits and 92% and 98% for upper limits. For infants who received respiratory support, median pulse oximeter saturation level achieved was 95%. Center-specific medial levels were within the intended range at 12 centers. Centers maintained infants within their intended range 16% to 64% of the time but were above range 20% to 73% of the time. In hierarchical modeling, wider target ranges, higher target range upper limits, presence of a policy of setting oximeter alarms close to the target range limits, and lower gestational age were associated with improved target range compliance. Success with maintaining the intended pulse oximeter saturation range varied substantially among centers, among patients within centers, and for individual patients over time. Most noncompliance was above the intended range. Methods for improving compliance and the effect of improved compliance on neonatal outcomes require additional research.

Improving clinical interventions through successful outreach using Six Sigma quality improvement.

PubMed

Beard, Gary

2008-01-01

Interventions involving outreach to members via telephone are dependent on the success of reaching the member and engaging him or her in a discussion about treatment. This article describes a successful process improvement at a managed behavioral health organization aimed at increasing the percentage of times staff was able to reach a member by telephone. Using Six Sigma methodology, the project team was able to achieve statistically significant improvement in the rate of successful outreach for the organization.

Attributes of Successful Actions to Restore Lakes and Estuaries Degraded by Nutrient Pollution

EPA Science Inventory

As more success is achieved restoring lakes and estuaries from nutrient pollution, there is increased opportunity to evaluate the scientific, social, and policy factors associated with achieving restoration goals. We examined case studies where deliberate actions to reduce nutri...

The Link between Reading and Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horbec, Deb

2012-01-01

This article is based on a qualitative study that explored the impact reading had on the lives of two female students who attained exemplary results in their final year of high school. The reading practices of these two high achieving students provided data rich information. Both students were academically successful in completing their Victorian…

Assessing Factors Influencing Student Academic Success in Law School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Detwiler, Robert R.

2011-01-01

The literature on student academic success of law students is limited to mostly single institution studies, and as such, a nationwide, multi-institutional empirical study of the factors that predict student academic success is greatly needed by higher education scholars, law school admission officers, faculty, and administrators. This dissertation…

Expanding Access and Opportunity: The Washington State Achievers Scholarship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Brien, Colleen

2011-01-01

In 2001, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched the multi-year, multi-million dollar Washington State Achievers Scholarship program. Concerned about disparities in college participation for low-income students in the state of Washington versus their wealthier peers, the Gates Foundation partnered with the College Success Foundation…

Expanding Access and Opportunity: The Washington State Achievers Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramsey, Jennifer; Gorgol, Laura

2010-01-01

In 2001, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched a 10-year, multi-million dollar initiative, the Washington State Achievers Program (WSA), to increase opportunities for low-income students to attend postsecondary institutions in Washington State. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation granted funds to the College Success Foundation…

Attributes of Successful Actions to Restore Lakes and Estuaries Degraded by Nutrient Pollution-

EPA Science Inventory

As more success is achieved in restoring lakes and estuaries from the impacts of nutrient pollution, there is increased opportunity to evaluate the scientific, social, and policy factors associated with achieving restoration goals. We examined case studies where deliberate action...

Establishing a Cloud Computing Success Model for Hospitals in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lian, Jiunn-Woei

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the critical quality-related factors that affect cloud computing success of hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, private cloud computing is the major research target. The chief information officers participated in a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the integration of trust into the information systems success model will have acceptable explanatory power to understand cloud computing success in the hospital. Moreover, information quality and system quality directly affect cloud computing satisfaction, whereas service quality indirectly affects the satisfaction through trust. In other words, trust serves as the mediator between service quality and satisfaction. This cloud computing success model will help hospitals evaluate or achieve success after adopting private cloud computing health care services.

Establishing a Cloud Computing Success Model for Hospitals in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Lian, Jiunn-Woei

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to understand the critical quality-related factors that affect cloud computing success of hospitals in Taiwan. In this study, private cloud computing is the major research target. The chief information officers participated in a questionnaire survey. The results indicate that the integration of trust into the information systems success model will have acceptable explanatory power to understand cloud computing success in the hospital. Moreover, information quality and system quality directly affect cloud computing satisfaction, whereas service quality indirectly affects the satisfaction through trust. In other words, trust serves as the mediator between service quality and satisfaction. This cloud computing success model will help hospitals evaluate or achieve success after adopting private cloud computing health care services. PMID:28112020

Investigation of physical processes limiting plasma density in H-mode on DIII-D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maingi, R.; Mahdavi, M.A.; Jernigan, T.C.

1996-12-01

A series of experiments was conducted on the DIII-D tokamak to investigate the physical processes which limit density in high confinement mode (H-mode) discharges. The typical H-mode to low confinement mode (L-mode) transition limit at high density near the empirical Greenwald density limit was avoided by divertor pumping, which reduced divertor neutral pressure and prevented formation of a high density, intense radiation zone (MARFE) near the X-point. It was determined that the density decay time after pellet injection was independent of density relative to the Greenwald limit and increased non-linearly with the plasma current. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) activity in pellet-fueled plasmasmore » was observed at all power levels, and often caused unacceptable confinement degradation, except when the neutral beam injected (NBI) power was {le} 3 MW. Formation of MARFEs on closed field lines was avoided with low safety factor (q) operation but was observed at high q, qualitatively consistent with theory. By using pellet fueling and optimizing discharge parameters to avoid each of these limits, an operational space was accessed in which density {approximately} 1.5 {times} Greenwald limit was achieved for 600 ms, and good H-mode confinement was maintained for 300 ms of the density flattop. More significantly, the density was successfully increased to the limit where a central radiative collapse was observed, the most fundamental density limit in tokamaks.« less

MIGS: therapeutic success of combined Xen Gel Stent implantation with cataract surgery.

PubMed

Hohberger, Bettina; Welge-Lüßen, Ulrich-Christoph; Lämmer, Robert

2018-03-01

Glaucoma, a common disease in the elderly population, is frequently coexistent with cataract. While the combination of filtration surgery and cataract surgery is a challenging topic with limited success, minimal invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS), such as Xen Gel Stents, seems to provide promising results. The aim of this study was to investigate the complete and qualified therapeutic success of Xen Gel Stent implantation with (XenPhaco) and without cataract surgery. One hundred and eleven open-angle glaucoma eyes underwent implantation of Xen45 Gel Stent (AqueSys, Inc.) with or without cataract operation. Complete therapeutic success was defined as target intraocular pressure (IOP) < 18 mmHg at any time point within 6 months of follow-up without local antiglaucomatous therapy or further surgical interventions. Qualified success was defined as target IOP <18 mmHg with additional 1-2 local antiglaucomatous eye drops. Failure included all cases with the necessity of at least three local antiglaucomatous eye drops or additional glaucoma surgery. Combined implantation of Xen Gel Stent with cataract surgery was performed in 30 eyes and stand-alone Xen Gel Stent implantation was performed in 81 eyes. A complete therapeutic success was achieved in 46.9% of single Xen Gel Stent implantation, whereas 53.3% was reached with combined XenPhaco. Qualified success was seen in 2.5% in the eyes of the single Xen Gel Stent implantation group and in 3.3% of the combined surgery group. Therapeutic failure rate was 49.4% in the stand-alone group vs 46.7% in the combined group. Data were not significantly different for group and subgroup analyses. Complete and qualified therapeutic success is similar for the combination of Xen Gel Stent implantation with and without cataract surgery in open-angle glaucoma patients. MIGS using Xen Gel Stent can be recommended in situations if glaucoma surgery is indicated besides coexisting cataract.

BUDS Candidate Success Through RTC: First Watch Results

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

22 NCAPS ...motivation. 22 N P R S T 21 NCAPS (Navy Computer Adaptive Computer Scales) NCAPS • Achievement • Stress Tolerance • Self Reliance • Leadership...military population. The Navy Computer Adaptive Personality Scales ( NCAPS ), however, was developed specifically to predict success across all Navy

Children's visuospatial memory predicts mathematics achievement through early adolescence.

PubMed

Li, Yaoran; Geary, David C

2017-01-01

A previous study showed that gains in visuospatial memory from first to fifth grade predicted end-of-fifth grade mathematics but not reading achievement, controlling other factors. In this follow up study, these relations were assessed from sixth to ninth grade, inclusive (n = 145). The results showed that growth in visuospatial memory across the elementary school years was related to growth in mathematics achievement after fifth grade, controlling intelligence, the central executive and phonological memory components of working memory, in-class attentive behavior, parental education, and fifth grade mathematics achievement. As found for fifth grade, this relation was not found for reading achievement after fifth grade. In total, the results suggest that visuospatial memory has a unique influence on ease of learning some types of mathematics and that this influence becomes more important across successive grades.

Educator Gender and Student Achievement in Algebra I

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sykes, Curtis

2017-01-01

Dedicated educators strive to ensure the achievement of all their students. Much research has been done to determine which factors may lead to success in the classroom, particularly that of the math classroom. As the study of mathematics is fundamental for many careers, a solid foundation is vital for students. This study examined whether or not…

A Reflection on Adaptability, Achievement Motivation and Success of Central and Eastern European Students in One English University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jankowska, Maja

2011-01-01

This article reflects on and discusses Central and Eastern European (CEE) learners' adaptability and achievement in one English post-1992 university. There appears to be a scarcity of studies of values, beliefs, attitudes and needs as well as achievement (and factors contributing to it) between CEE and other learners. Since the expansion of the…

A Comparative Analysis of Preschool Attendance and Reading Achievement among Second-Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burton, Kelly Latham

2011-01-01

Preschool attendance is considered an important factor for predicting later success in literacy achievement. This quantitative ex-post facto study examined whether attendance of public prekindergarten is related to improved reading achievement in 2nd grade students in a rural, southeastern school district. The learning theories of Piaget, Bandura,…

The Keys to Successful Extended Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Seal, David A.; Manor-Chapman, Emily A.

2012-01-01

Many of NASA's successful missions of robotic exploration have gone on to highly productive mission extensions, from Voyager, Magellan, Ulysses, and Galileo, to the Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity, a variety of Mars orbiters, Spitzer, Deep Impact / EPOXI, and Cassini. These missions delivered not only a high science return during their prime science phase, but a wealth of opportunities during their extensions at a low incremental cost to the program. The success of such mission extensions can be traced to demonstration of new and unique science achievable during the extension; reduction in cost without significant increase in risk to spacecraft health; close inclusion of the science community and approval authorities in planning; intelligent design during the development and prime operations phase; and well crafted and conveyed extension proposals. This paper discusses lessons learned collected from a variety of project leaders which can be applied by current and future missions to maximize their chances of approval and success.

40 CFR 439.44 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of best available technology economically...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... application of best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 439.44 Section 439.44 Protection of... limitations attainable by the application of best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except... achieve the following effluent limitations representing the application of BAT: The limitations for COD...

40 CFR 439.44 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of best available technology economically...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... application of best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 439.44 Section 439.44 Protection of... limitations attainable by the application of best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except... achieve the following effluent limitations representing the application of BAT: The limitations for COD...

40 CFR 439.44 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of best available technology economically...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... application of best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 439.44 Section 439.44 Protection of... limitations attainable by the application of best available technology economically achievable (BAT). Except... achieve the following effluent limitations representing the application of BAT: The limitations for COD...

A Study of "Successful" Students at C. S. Mott Community College: 1979, Flint, Michigan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reinertson, Jacquelyn

In 1979, a study was conducted at Charles Stewart Mott Community College (MCC) to draw a profile of "successful" students and determine the level of reading achievement necessary for successful college work. "Successful" students were defined as those who had completed most of their coursework and were nearing graduation; therefore, the sample was…

Perioperative risk assessment for successful kidney transplant in leigh syndrome: a case report.

PubMed

Ducharlet, Kathryn; Thyagarajan, Dominic; Ierino, Francesco; McMahon, Lawrence P; Lee, Darren

2018-02-01

Leigh syndrome (LS) is a rare neurodegenerative mitochondrial disorder which typically presents in childhood but has a varied clinical course. Renal involvement such as proximal tubulopathy in patients with mitochondrial disorders has been described. However, end stage renal disease (ESRD) is uncommon and literature regarding patients undergoing kidney transplantation is limited. Successful deceased donor renal transplant has not been previously described in a patient with Leigh Syndrome. We report a 21-year-old Han Chinese man who presented with limb weakness and unsteady gait, which progressed rapidly over a period of months until he was wheelchair-bound. He subsequently developed ESRD and was commenced on hemodialysis. Investigations revealed a m.13513G > A mutation with clinical and radiological features consistent with LS. His mitochondrial disease stabilised and he underwent a multidisciplinary assessment for deceased donor kidney transplantation to identify and minimise the LS-associated perioperative risks and potential negative effects of immunosuppressants on his LS. Successful kidney transplantation followed with excellent graft function three and a half years post-transplant and improvement in the patient's physical function. This case highlights the importance of careful pre-transplant perioperative risk assessment and post-transplant care in a rare and heterogeneous neurological disease to achieve an ultimately excellent clinical outcome. To our knowledge, this is the first report of successful deceased donor kidney transplant in a patient with known LS.

The Social Costs of Academic Success across Ethnic Groups

PubMed Central

Fuller-Rowell, Thomas E.; Doan, Stacey N.

2010-01-01

This study explores the longitudinal association between academic achievement and social acceptance across ethnic groups in a nationally representative sample of adolescents (N = 13,570; Mage = 15.5 years). The effects of school context are also considered. Results show that African American and Native American adolescents experience greater social costs with academic success than Whites. Pertaining to school context, findings suggest that the differential social consequences of achievement experienced by African Americans are greatest in more highly achieving schools, but only when these schools have a smaller percentage of Black students. Students from Mexican decent also showed differential social costs with achievement in particular contexts. The implications of these findings to theory, policy, and future research are discussed. PMID:21077858

Dance Talent Development: Case Studies of Successful Dancers in Finland and Singapore

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chua, Joey

2014-01-01

Though anchored in cross-cultural comparisons, this study aims to identify the key factors that impacted the talent development of successful dancers from childhood through adulthood. Case studies of eight Finnish and Singaporean ballet and contemporary dancers exemplify the qualities of successful dancers in terms of their career achievements and…

Antibody Fragments as Potential Biopharmaceuticals for Cancer Therapy: Success and Limitations.

PubMed

Kholodenko, Roman V; Kalinovsky, Daniel V; Doronin, Igor I; Ponomarev, Eugene D; Kholodenko, Irina V

2017-08-17

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are an important class of therapeutic agents approved for the therapy of many types of malignancies. However, in certain cases applications of conventional mAbs have several limitations in anticancer immunotherapy. These limitations include insufficient efficacy and adverse effects. The antigen-binding fragments of antibodies have a considerable potential to overcome the disadvantages of conventional mAbs, such as poor penetration into solid tumors and Fc-mediated bystander activation of the immune system. Fragments of antibodies retain antigen specificity and part of functional properties of conventional mAbs and at the same time have much better penetration into the tumors and a greatly reduced level of adverse effects. Recent advantages in antibody engineering allowed to produce different types of antibody fragments with improved structure and properties for efficient elimination of tumor cells. These molecules opened up new perspectives for anticancer therapy. Here we will overview the structural features of the various types of antibody fragments and their applications for anticancer therapy as separate molecules and as part of complex conjugates or structures. Mechanisms of antitumor action of antibody fragments as well as their advantages and disadvantages for clinical application will be discussed in this review. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Space-charge limitations in a collider

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fedotov, A.; Heimerle, M.

Design of several projects which envision hadron colliders operating at low energies such as NICA at JINR [1] and Electron-Nucleon Collider at FAIR [2] is under way. In Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), a new physics program requires operation of Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) with heavy ions at low energies at g=2.7-10 [3]. In a collider, maximum achievable luminosity is typically limited by beam-beam effects. For heavy ions significant luminosity degradation, driving bunch length and transverse emittance growth, comes from Intrabeam Scattering (IBS). At these low energies, IBS growth can be effectively counteracted, for example, with cooling techniques. If IBSmore » were the only limitation, one could achieve small hadron beam emittance and bunch length with the help of cooling, resulting in a dramatic luminosity increase. However, as a result of low energies, direct space-charge force from the beam itself is expected to become the dominant limitation. Also, the interplay of both beambeam and space-charge effects may impose an additional limitation on achievable maximum luminosity. Thus, understanding at what values of space-charge tune shift one can operate in the presence of beam-beam effects in a collider is of great interest for all of the above projects. Operation of RHIC for Low-Energy physics program started in 2010 which allowed us to have a look at combined impact of beam-beam and space-charge effects on beam lifetime experimentally. Here we briefly discuss expected limitation due to these effects with reference to recent RHIC experience.« less

Egalitarianism and Achievement in the Involvement of Others in Consumer Decisions: A Functional Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Duane I.

1980-01-01

Studied how egalitaranism and success through individual achievement, were expressed in the involvement of others in consumer decisions. Results found egalitarians involved others in seeking more information. Individual achievement subjects delegated more decision responsibility for non-ego involving decisions. Suggests involvement of others could…

The Influence of Peer Groups on Academic Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sallee, Margaret W.; Tierney, William G.

2007-01-01

The authors examine how peer relationships influence students' academic success. After defining peer groups, the article considers the ways in which students' peer networks facilitate or inhibit access to academic resources. The authors argue that the composition and purpose of a peer group influences academic achievement and students' likelihood…

Successes in drug discovery and design.

PubMed

2004-04-01

The Society for Medicines Research (SMR) held a one-day meeting on case histories in drug discovery on December 4, 2003, at the National Heart and Lung Institute in London. These meetings have been organized by the SMR biannually for many years, and this latest meeting proved extremely popular, attracting a capacity audience of more than 130 registrants. The purpose of these meetings is educational; they allow those interested in drug discovery to hear key learnings from recent successful drug discovery programs. There was no overall linking theme between the talks, other than each success story has led to the introduction of a new and improved product of therapeutic use. The drug discovery stories covered in the meeting were extremely varied and, put together, they emphasized that each successful story is unique and special. This meeting is also special for the SMR because it presents the "SMR Award for Drug Discovery" in recognition of outstanding achievement and contribution in the area. It should be remembered that drug discovery is an extremely risky business and an extremely costly and complicated process in which the success rate is, at best, low. (c) 2004 Prous Science. All rights reserved.

Bone Replacement Materials and Techniques Used for Achieving Vertical Alveolar Bone Augmentation

PubMed Central

Sheikh, Zeeshan; Sima, Corneliu; Glogauer, Michael

2015-01-01

Alveolar bone augmentation in vertical dimension remains the holy grail of periodontal tissue engineering. Successful dental implant placement for restoration of edentulous sites depends on the quality and quantity of alveolar bone available in all spatial dimensions. There are several surgical techniques used alone or in combination with natural or synthetic graft materials to achieve vertical alveolar bone augmentation. While continuously improving surgical techniques combined with the use of auto- or allografts provide the most predictable clinical outcomes, their success often depends on the status of recipient tissues. The morbidity associated with donor sites for auto-grafts makes these techniques less appealing to both patients and clinicians. New developments in material sciences offer a range of synthetic replacements for natural grafts to address the shortcoming of a second surgical site and relatively high resorption rates. This narrative review focuses on existing techniques, natural tissues and synthetic biomaterials commonly used to achieve vertical bone height gain in order to successfully restore edentulous ridges with implant-supported prostheses.

Predictors of Academic Achievement for School-Age Children with Sickle Cell Disease

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Kelsey E.; Patterson, Chavis A.; Szabo, Margo M.; Tarazi, Reem A.; Barakat, Lamia P.

2013-01-01

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurocognitive impairment and poor academic achievement, although there is limited research on factors predicting academic achievement in this population. This study explores the relative contribution to academic achievement of a comprehensive set of factors, such as environmental…

Students Upgrading Mathematical Achievement Project SUMA--1989. Evaluation Section Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berney, Tomi D.; Barrera, Marbella

Students Upgrading Mathematical Achievement (SUMA) is a part of the Bilingual Mathematics and Science Achievement project for Spanish-speaking Limited English Proficient (LEP) students. Its objective is to provide both remedial tutoring to students lacking mathematics skills and enrichment to students who are potentially gifted in mathematics.…

Correlates of midlife career achievement among women physicians.

PubMed

Graves, P L; Thomas, C B

1985-08-09

In the context of a longitudinal study, we explored factors contributing to midlife career achievement among 108 women physicians. Three groups were formed, based on medical specialty, specialty board certification, and professorial appointment. Using analysis of variance procedures, the career groups were compared on measures obtained during medical school and on marital status, family size, and three health measures in midlife. Of the youthful measures, academic standing, father's socioeconomic status, and early family (specifically father-daughter) relationships were found to be associated with midlife achievement. Furthermore, a clear association was observed between success and good health in midlife. Married women formed the majority in all groups; no differences in family size were found. We conclude that career achievement among women physicians is influenced less by marriage and family size than by motivational and personality factors shaped in early life.

Seeding science success: Relations of secondary students' science self-concepts and motivation with aspirations and achievement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandrasena, Wanasinghe Durayalage

This research comprises three inter-related synergistic studies. Study 1 aims to develop a psychometrically sound tool to measure secondary students' science self-concepts, motivation, and aspirations in biology, chemistry, earth and environmental methodology to explicate students' and teachers' views, practices, and personal experiences, to identify the barriers to undertaking science for secondary students and to provide rich insights into the relations of secondary students' science self-concepts and motivation with their aspirations and achievement. Study 3 will detect additional issues that may not necessarily be identifiable from the quantitative findings of Study 2. The psychometric properties of the newly developed instrument demonstrated that students' science self-concepts were domain specific, while science motivation and science aspirations were not. Students' self-concepts in general science, chemistry, and physics were stronger for males than females. Students' self-concepts in general science and biology became stronger for students in higher years of secondary schooling. Students' science motivation did not vary across gender and year levels. Though students' science aspirations did not vary across gender, they became stronger with age. In general, students' science self-concepts and science motivation were positively related to science aspirations and science achievement. Specifically, students' year level, biology self-concept, and physics self concept predicted their science and career aspirations. Biology self-concept predicted teacher ratings of students' achievement, and students' general science self-concepts predicted their achievement according to students' ratings. Students' year level and intrinsic motivation in science were predictors of their science aspirations, and intrinsic motivation was a greater significant predictor of students' achievement, according to student ratings. Based upon students' and teachers' perceptions, the

What influences success in family medicine maternity care education programs?

PubMed Central

Biringer, Anne; Forte, Milena; Tobin, Anastasia; Shaw, Elizabeth; Tannenbaum, David

2018-01-01

Abstract Objective To ascertain how program leaders in family medicine characterize success in family medicine maternity care education and determine which factors influence the success of training programs. Design Qualitative research using semistructured telephone interviews. Setting Purposive sample of 6 family medicine programs from 5 Canadian provinces. Participants Eighteen departmental leaders and program directors. METHODS Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with program leaders in family medicine maternity care. Departmental leaders identified maternity care programs deemed to be “successful.” Interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed verbatim. Team members conducted thematic analysis. Main findings Participants considered their education programs to be successful in family medicine maternity care if residents achieved competency in intrapartum care, if graduates planned to include intrapartum care in their practices, and if their education programs were able to recruit and retain family medicine maternity care faculty. Five key factors were deemed to be critical to a program’s success in family medicine maternity care: adequate clinical exposure, the presence of strong family medicine role models, a family medicine–friendly hospital environment, support for the education program from multiple sources, and a dedicated and supportive community of family medicine maternity care providers. Conclusion Training programs wishing to achieve greater success in family medicine maternity care education should employ a multifaceted strategy that considers all 5 of the interdependent factors uncovered in our research. By paying particular attention to the informal processes that connect these factors, program leaders can preserve the possibility that family medicine residents will graduate with the competence and confidence to practise full-scope maternity care. PMID:29760273

A Framework for a Supervisory Expert System for Robotic Manipulators with Joint-Position Limits and Joint-Rate Limits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mutambara, Arthur G. O.; Litt, Jonathan

1998-01-01

This report addresses the problem of path planning and control of robotic manipulators which have joint-position limits and joint-rate limits. The manipulators move autonomously and carry out variable tasks in a dynamic, unstructured and cluttered environment. The issue considered is whether the robotic manipulator can achieve all its tasks, and if it cannot, the objective is to identify the closest achievable goal. This problem is formalized and systematically solved for generic manipulators by using inverse kinematics and forward kinematics. Inverse kinematics are employed to define the subspace, workspace and constrained workspace, which are then used to identify when a task is not achievable. The closest achievable goal is obtained by determining weights for an optimal control redistribution scheme. These weights are quantified by using forward kinematics. Conditions leading to joint rate limits are identified, in particular it is established that all generic manipulators have singularities at the boundary of their workspace, while some have loci of singularities inside their workspace. Once the manipulator singularity is identified the command redistribution scheme is used to compute the closest achievable Cartesian velocities. Two examples are used to illustrate the use of the algorithm: A three link planar manipulator and the Unimation Puma 560. Implementation of the derived algorithm is effected by using a supervisory expert system to check whether the desired goal lies in the constrained workspace and if not, to evoke the redistribution scheme which determines the constraint relaxation between end effector position and orientation, and then computes optimal gains.

The Academic Success of Homeschooled Students in a South Carolina Technical College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bagwell, Jack N., Jr.

2010-01-01

In 2010, homeschooling was increasing in prevalence in the United States. Yet, little was known about the academic achievement of these students as they matriculated into colleges and universities. The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to examine the academic success achieved by the homeschooled population (N = 273)…

Cognitive and Emotional Processes as Predictors of a Successful Transition into School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blankson, A. Nayena; Weaver, Jennifer Miner; Leerkes, Esther M.; O'Brien, Marion; Calkins, Susan D.; Marcovitch, Stuart

2017-01-01

Research Findings: The aim of this research was to delineate developmental processes that contribute to early school success. To achieve this aim, we examined emotion regulation, executive functioning, emotion knowledge, and metacognition at ages 3 and 4 as distal and proximal predictors of age 5 achievement and school adjustment in a sample of…

Wage-Earner or Family Member? FCS Students Learn How to Achieve a Balance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNabb, Tamra

2004-01-01

Successful business people in all walks of life recognize that achieving a balance between their work lives and their families is critical to their personal happiness. Although the subject is mentioned in textbooks and seminars, very little, if any, time is spent discussing how the young career person will achieve this goal. Fortunately, potential…

Nursing and therapy: partnering for successful niche programs.

PubMed

Samson, Barbara; Anderson, Lisa

2007-02-01

Changing market environment, increased patient expectations, and emphasis on improving functional outcomes led to the development of orthopedic and cardiac niche programs at one agency. Through these programs, it was learned how to best utilize the strengths of nursing and therapy to achieve maximum success for both patients and the organization.

America's Opinion Leader Historians on Behalf of Success.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, Ronald H.

1983-01-01

Examines the rhetorical role of several twentieth century historians who were opinion leaders on behalf of the American way of achieving success: by emulating the earlier qualities of our frontier and founding fathers. Discusses the role of Frederick Turner Jackson, Charles A. Beard, Carl Becker, Allan Nevins, and others. (PD)

The Relationship between Gender and Academic Success Online

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kupczynski, Lori; Brown, Michelle; Holland, Glenda; Uriegas, Brian

2014-01-01

Distance learning may pose challenges to students in terms of satisfaction and academic success. This study examined the relationship between the final grade received in a distance learning course and the student characteristic of gender. Examined were differences in online course achievement between male and female students through the lens of…

Dogs' Body Language Relevant to Learning Achievement.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Masashi; Ohtani, Nobuyo; Ohta, Mitsuaki

2014-02-27

The facial expressions and body postures of dogs can give helpful information about their moods and emotional states. People can more effectively obedience train their dogs if we can identify the mannerisms associated with learning in dogs. The aim of this study was to clarify the dog's body language during operant conditioning to predict achievement in the test that followed by measuring the duration of behaviors. Forty-six untrained dogs (17 males and 26 females) of various breeds were used. Each session consisted of 5 minutes of training with a treat reward followed by 3 minutes of rest and finally an operant conditioning test that consisted of 20 "hand motion" cues. The operant tests were conducted a total of nine times over three consecutive days, and the success numbers were counted. The duration of the dog's behavior, focusing on the dog's eyes, mouth, ears, tail and tail-wagging, was recorded during the operant conditioning sessions before the test. Particular behaviors, including wide-eyes, closed mouth, erect ears, and forward and high tail carriage, without wagging or with short and quick wagging, related to high achievement results. It is concluded that dogs' body language during operant conditioning was related to their success rate.

Variable Speed Limit (VSL) - Best Management Practice [Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

In variable speed limit (VSL) zones, the speed : limit changes in response to traffic congestion, : adverse weather, or road conditions. VSL zones are : often highly automated and have been employed : successfully in several U.S. and European : locat...

Goal setting in diabetes self-management: Taking the baby steps to success

PubMed Central

DeWalt, Darren A.; Davis, Terry C.; Wallace, Andrea S.; Seligman, Hilary K.; Bryant-Shilliday, Betsy; Arnold, Connie L.; Freburger, Janet; Schillinger, Dean

2014-01-01

Objective To evaluate the usefulness of a diabetes self-management guide and a brief counseling intervention in helping patients set and achieve their behavioral goals. Methods We conducted a quasi-experimental study using a one group pretest posttest design to assess the effectiveness of a goal setting intervention along with a self-management guide. English- and Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes had one in-person session and two telephone follow-up calls with a non-clinical provider over a 12–16-week period. At each call and at the end of the study, we assessed success in achieving behavioral goals and problem solving toward those goals. Satisfaction with the self-management guide was assessed at the end of the study. Results We enrolled 250 patients across three sites and 229 patients completed the study. Most patients chose to set goals in diet and exercise domains. 93% of patients achieved at least one behavioral goal during the study and 73% achieved at least two behavioral goals. Many patients exhibited problem solving behavior to achieve their goals. We found no significant differences in reported achievement of behavior goals by literacy or language. Patients were very satisfied with the guide. Conclusions A brief goal setting intervention along with a diabetes self-management guide helped patients set and achieve healthy behavioral goals. Practice implications Non-clinical providers can successfully help a diverse range of patients with diabetes set and achieve behavioral goals. PMID:19359123

Goal setting in diabetes self-management: taking the baby steps to success.

PubMed

DeWalt, Darren A; Davis, Terry C; Wallace, Andrea S; Seligman, Hilary K; Bryant-Shilliday, Betsy; Arnold, Connie L; Freburger, Janet; Schillinger, Dean

2009-11-01

To evaluate the usefulness of a diabetes self-management guide and a brief counseling intervention in helping patients set and achieve their behavioral goals. We conducted a quasi-experimental study using a one group pretest posttest design to assess the effectiveness of a goal setting intervention along with a self-management guide. English- and Spanish-speaking patients with diabetes had one in-person session and two telephone follow-up calls with a non-clinical provider over a 12-16-week period. At each call and at the end of the study, we assessed success in achieving behavioral goals and problem solving toward those goals. Satisfaction with the self-management guide was assessed at the end of the study. We enrolled 250 patients across three sites and 229 patients completed the study. Most patients chose to set goals in diet and exercise domains. 93% of patients achieved at least one behavioral goal during the study and 73% achieved at least two behavioral goals. Many patients exhibited problem solving behavior to achieve their goals. We found no significant differences in reported achievement of behavior goals by literacy or language. Patients were very satisfied with the guide. A brief goal setting intervention along with a diabetes self-management guide helped patients set and achieve healthy behavioral goals. Non-clinical providers can successfully help a diverse range of patients with diabetes set and achieve behavioral goals.

Six steps to a successful dose-reduction strategy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bennett, M.

1995-03-01

The increased importance of demonstrating achievement of the ALARA principle has helped produce a proliferation of dose-reduction ideas. Across a company there may be many dose-reduction items being pursued in a variety of areas. However, companies have a limited amount of resource and, therefore, to ensure funding is directed to those items which will produce the most benefit and that all areas apply a common policy, requires the presence of a dose-reduction strategy. Six steps were identified in formulating the dose-reduction strategy for Rolls-Royce and Associates (RRA): (1) collating the ideas; (2) quantitatively evaluating them on a common basis; (3)more » prioritizing the ideas in terms of cost benefit, (4) implementation of the highest priority items; (5) monitoring their success; (6) periodically reviewing the strategy. Inherent in producing the dose-reduction strategy has been a comprehensive dose database and the RRA-developed dose management computer code DOMAIN, which allows prediction of dose rates and dose. The database enabled high task dose items to be identified, assisted in evaluating dose benefits, and monitored dose trends once items had been implemented. The DOMAIN code was used both in quantifying some of the project dose benefits and its results, such as dose contours, used in some of the dose-reduction items themselves. In all, over fifty dose-reduction items were evaluated in the strategy process and the items which will give greatest benefit are being implemented. The strategy has been successful in giving renewed impetus and direction to dose-reduction management.« less

The successes and limitations of international law and the International Court of Justice.

PubMed

Suter, Keith

2004-01-01

The first two sections of this article deal with the irony that international law has severe limitations, yet it also has a good record for compliance. The third section introduces the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the fourth section deals specifically with the limitations of the ICJ. The article concludes with some ideas for action. Its main point is that international law is often a neglected topic, even by non-governmental organisations (NGOs). International law needs to be brought in from the cold, and there should be more support from the NGO community for the ICJ.

Causal attribution for success and failure in mathematics among MDAB pre-diploma students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maidinsah, Hamidah; Embong, Rokiah; Wahab, Zubaidah Abd

2014-07-01

The Program Mengubah Destini Anak Bangsa (MDAB) is a pre-diploma programme catering to SPM school leavers who do not meet the minimum requirement to enter any of UiTM diploma programmes. The study aims to evaluate the perceptions of MDAB students toward the main causal attribution factors underlying students' success and failure in mathematics. Research sample comprised of 482 students from five UiTM branch campuses. Research instrument used was a set of GALUS questionnaire consisting of 36 items based on the Weiner Attribution Theory. Four causal attributions factors for success and failures evaluated are ability, effort, question difficulty and environment. GALUS reliability index was 0.93. The research found that effort appears to be the main causal attribution factor in students' success and failure in mathematics, followed by environment, question difficulty and ability. High achiever students strongly agree that the ability factor influenced their success while low achiever students strongly agree that all attributing factors influenced their failures in mathematics.

Causal-Comparative Study Analyzing Student Success in Hybrid Anatomy and Physiology Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, Jacqueline Anita

2013-01-01

In the biological sciences, higher student success levels are achieved in traditionally formatted, face-to-face coursework than in hybrid courses. The methodologies used to combine hybrid and in-person elements to the course need to be applied to the biological sciences to emulate the success seen in the traditional courses since the number of…

40 CFR 444.15 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best available technology economically...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... application of the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 444.15 Section 444.15 Protection... limitations attainable by the application of the best available technology economically achievable (BAT... must achieve the following effluent limitations representing the application of BAT: Limitations for...

40 CFR 444.15 - Effluent limitations attainable by the application of the best available technology economically...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... application of the best available technology economically achievable (BAT). 444.15 Section 444.15 Protection... limitations attainable by the application of the best available technology economically achievable (BAT... must achieve the following effluent limitations representing the application of BAT: Limitations for...

Succession Planning in State Health Agencies in the United States: A Brief Report.

PubMed

Harper, Elizabeth; Leider, Jonathon P; Coronado, Fatima; Beck, Angela J

2017-11-02

Approximately 25% of the public health workforce plans to retire by 2020. Succession planning is a core capability of the governmental public health enterprise; however, limited data are available regarding these efforts in state health agencies (SHAs). We analyzed 2016 Workforce Gaps Survey data regarding succession planning in SHAs using the US Office of Personnel Management's (OPM's) succession planning model, including 6 domains and 27 activities. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all 41 responding SHAs. On average, SHAs self-reported adequately addressing 11 of 27 succession planning activities, with 93% of SHAs adequately addressing 1 or more activities and 61% adequately addressing 1 or more activities in each domain. The majority of OPM-recommended succession planning activities are not being addressed, and limited succession planning occurs across SHAs. Greater activity in the OPM-identified succession planning domains may help SHAs contend with significant turnover and better preserve institutional knowledge.

Therapeutic interventions and success in risk factor control for secondary prevention of stroke.

PubMed

Alvarez-Sabin, Jose; Quintana, Manuel; Hernandez-Presa, Miguel Angel; Alvarez, Carlos; Chaves, Jose; Ribo, Marc

2009-01-01

We sought to evaluate the success rates in achieving preventive therapeutic goals in patients who experienced an ischemic stroke (IS) and compare them with those achieved in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). This was an observational multicenter case-control study (3 patients with IS and one control subject with CAD) performed in 1444 primary health centers in Spain. Preventive therapeutic objectives according to American Heart Association guidelines were predefined. Demographic data, vascular risk factors, and success/failure in achievement of objectives were recorded and compared between patients with IS and CAD. A total of 5458 patients were included, 4098 (75.1%) had IS and 1360 (24.9%) had CAD. Although more than 90% of patients with hypertension, diabetes, or dyslipidemia were under specific drug regimens, only about 25% achieved the recommended therapeutic objective for each risk factor. Success rate was especially low among patients with IS compared with CAD: hypertension (23.8% v 27.2%; P = .028); dyslipidemia (13.6% v 20.3%; P < .001); and abdominal obesity (49.1% v 54.6%; P = .002). The only objective widely achieved in both groups was the use of antithrombotic drugs in atrial fibrillation (97.2% v 94.7%; P = .125). Only 3.3% of patients with IS had all risk factors under control, compared with 5.6% of those with CAD (P = .006). For all patients, multivariate logistic regression model showed that independent predictors of full risk factor control were: presence of CAD as compared with IS (odds ratio [OR] 2.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.35-3.29; P = .001), older age (OR 1.02; 95% CI 1.00-1.04; P = .028), and having less than 3 risk factors (OR 16.98; 95% CI 9.02-31.97; P < .001). Success in achieving preventive therapeutic objectives for secondary prevention of vascular events is low, especially among patients with IS. There is an urgent need to devise strategies to improve risk factor control.

Turning the Tide: Five Years of Achieving the Dream in Community Colleges. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rutschow, Elizabeth Zachry; Richburg-Hayes, Lashawn; Brock, Thomas; Orr, Genevieve; Cerna, Oscar; Cullinan, Dan; Kerrigan, Monica Reid; Jenkins, Davis; Gooden, Susan; Martin, Kasey

2011-01-01

In 2004, Lumina Foundation for Education launched "Achieving the Dream: Community Colleges Count," a national initiative aimed at improving success among community college students, particularly low-income students and students of color. Now encompassing more than 130 institutions in 24 states and the District of Columbia, Achieving the…

Pursuit of Nontraditional Occupations: Fear of Success or Fear of Not Being Chosen?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pfost, Karen S.; Fiore, Maria

1990-01-01

This study tested fear of success in women against the competing hypothesis that the interpersonal consequences of deviation from culturally prescribed sex roles restrict women's achievement in traditionally masculine fields. Results suggest that individuals, especially women, who strive to achieve in nontraditional fields may suffer negative…

Blueprint for Student Success: A Guide to Research-Based Teaching Practices K-12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Susan J.

This book presents a reality-based approach to classroom instruction designed to help learners at all levels achieve lifelong success. It offers teaching strategies, activities, and applications to enhance student achievement, stressing the importance of learning through discovery, creativity, application, adaptation, and high level thinking. It…

IRIS, Gender, and Student Achievement at University of Genova

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bonfa, Antonella; Freddano, Michela

2012-01-01

The article analyses the gender effects on student achievement at University of Genova and it is a part of the research performed by the University of Genova called "Benchmarks interfaculty students: Development of a gender perspective to find strategies to understand what leads students to success in their studies", financed by the…

White Working Class Achievement: An Ethnographic Study of Barriers to Learning in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demie, Feyisa; Lewis, Kirstin

2011-01-01

This study aims to examine the key barriers to learning to raise achievement of White British pupils with low-income backgrounds. The main findings suggest that the worryingly low-achievement levels of many White working class pupils have been masked by the middle class success in the English school system and government statistics that fail to…

Toward a dose reduction strategy using model-based reconstruction with limited-angle tomosynthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haneda, Eri; Tkaczyk, J. E.; Palma, Giovanni; Iordache, Rǎzvan; Zelakiewicz, Scott; Muller, Serge; De Man, Bruno

2014-03-01