Life Stress and Health: A Review of Conceptual Issues and Recent Findings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slavich, George M.

2016-01-01

Life stress is a central construct in many models of human health and disease. The present article reviews research on stress and health, with a focus on (a) how life stress has been conceptualized and measured over time, (b) recent evidence linking stress and disease, and (c) mechanisms that might underlie these effects. Emerging from this body…

Development of a Mantle Convection Physical Model to Assist with Teaching about Earth's Interior Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Glesener, G. B.; Aurnou, J. M.

2010-12-01

The Modeling and Educational Demonstrations Laboratory (MEDL) at UCLA is developing a mantle convection physical model to assist educators with the pedagogy of Earth’s interior processes. Our design goal consists of two components to help the learner gain conceptual understanding by means of visual interactions without the burden of distracters, which may promote alternative conceptions. Distracters may be any feature of the conceptual model that causes the learner to use inadequate mental artifact to help him or her understand what the conceptual model is intended to convey. The first component, and most important, is a psychological component that links properties of “everyday things” (Norman, 1988) to the natural phenomenon, mantle convection. Some examples of everyday things may be heat rising out from a freshly popped bag of popcorn, or cold humid air falling from an open freezer. The second component is the scientific accuracy of the conceptual model. We would like to simplify the concepts for the learner without sacrificing key information that is linked to other natural phenomena the learner will come across in future science lessons. By taking into account the learner’s mental artifacts in combination with a simplified, but accurate, representation of what scientists know of the Earth’s interior, we expect the learner to have the ability to create an adequate qualitative mental simulation of mantle convection. We will be presenting some of our prototypes of this mantle convection physical model at this year’s poster session and invite constructive input from our colleagues.

Using an Integrated, Multi-disciplinary Framework to Support Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessments

EPA Science Inventory

The Framework for Risk Analysis in Multimedia Environmental Systems (FRAMES) provides the infrastructure to link disparate models and databases seamlessly, giving an assessor the ability to construct an appropriate conceptual site model from a host of modeling choices, so a numbe...

Linking microbial and ecosystem ecology using ecological stoichiometry: a synthesis of conceptual and empirical approaches

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hall, E.K.; Maixner, F.; Franklin, O.; Daims, H.; Richter, A.; Battin, T.

2011-01-01

Currently, one of the biggest challenges in microbial and ecosystem ecology is to develop conceptual models that organize the growing body of information on environmental microbiology into a clear mechanistic framework with a direct link to ecosystem processes. Doing so will enable development of testable hypotheses to better direct future research and increase understanding of key constraints on biogeochemical networks. Although the understanding of phenotypic and genotypic diversity of microorganisms in the environment is rapidly accumulating, how controls on microbial physiology ultimately affect biogeochemical fluxes remains poorly understood. We propose that insight into constraints on biogeochemical cycles can be achieved by a more rigorous evaluation of microbial community biomass composition within the context of ecological stoichiometry. Multiple recent studies have pointed to microbial biomass stoichiometry as an important determinant of when microorganisms retain or recycle mineral nutrients. We identify the relevant cellular components that most likely drive changes in microbial biomass stoichiometry by defining a conceptual model rooted in ecological stoichiometry. More importantly, we show how X-ray microanalysis (XRMA), nanoscale secondary ion mass spectroscopy (NanoSIMS), Raman microspectroscopy, and in situ hybridization techniques (for example, FISH) can be applied in concert to allow for direct empirical evaluation of the proposed conceptual framework. This approach links an important piece of the ecological literature, ecological stoichiometry, with the molecular front of the microbial revolution, in an attempt to provide new insight into how microbial physiology could constrain ecosystem processes.

Yoga as Coping: A Conceptual Framework for Meaningful Participation in Yoga.

PubMed

Crowe, Brandi M; Van Puymbroeck, Marieke; Schmid, Arlene A

2016-07-27

Yoga facilitates relaxation and connection of mind, body, and spirit through the use of breathing, meditation, and physical postures. Participation in yoga has been extensively linked to decreased stress, and as a result, is considered a therapeutic intervention by many. However, few theories exist that explain the link between yoga participation and improved psychosocial wellbeing. The leisure-stress coping conceptual framework suggests that through participation in leisure, an individual can decrease stress while concurrently restoring and building up sustainable mental and physical capacities. Three types of leisure coping strategies exist: palliative coping, mood enhancement, and companionship. The purpose of this article is to propose the leisure-stress coping conceptual framework as a model for explaining benefits received from yoga participation via leisure coping strategies, which may explain or support improved ability to manage stress.

Yoga as Coping: A Conceptual Framework for Meaningful Participation in Yoga.

PubMed

Crowe, Brandi M; Van Puymbroeck, Marieke; Schmid, Arlene A

2016-01-01

Yoga facilitates relaxation and connection of mind, body, and spirit through the use of breathing, meditation, and physical postures. Participation in yoga has been extensively linked to decreased stress, and as a result, is considered a therapeutic intervention by many. However, few theories exist that explain the link between yoga participation and improved psychosocial wellbeing. The leisure-stress coping conceptual framework suggests that through participation in leisure, an individual can decrease stress while concurrently restoring and building up sustainable mental and physical capacities. Three types of leisure coping strategies exist: palliative coping, mood enhancement, and companionship. The purpose of this article is to propose the leisure-stress coping conceptual framework as a model for explaining benefits received from yoga participation via leisure coping strategies, which may explain or support improved ability to manage stress.

Psychological Pathways Linking Social Support to Health Outcomes: A Visit with the “Ghosts” of Research Past, Present, and Future

PubMed Central

Uchino, Bert N.; Bowen, Kimberly; Carlisle, McKenzie; Birmingham, Wendy

2012-01-01

Contemporary models postulate the importance of psychological mechanisms linking perceived and received social support to physical health outcomes. In this review, we examine studies that directly tested the potential psychological mechanisms responsible for links between social support and health-relevant physiological processes (1980s to 2010). Inconsistent with existing theoretical models, no evidence was found that psychological mechanisms such as depression, perceived stress, and other affective processes are directly responsible for links between support and health. We discuss the importance of considering statistical/design issues, emerging conceptual perspectives, and limitations of our existing models for future research aimed at elucidating the psychological mechanisms responsible for links between social support and physical health outcomes. PMID:22326104

Linking knowledge and action through mental models of sustainable agriculture.

PubMed

Hoffman, Matthew; Lubell, Mark; Hillis, Vicken

2014-09-09

Linking knowledge to action requires understanding how decision-makers conceptualize sustainability. This paper empirically analyzes farmer "mental models" of sustainability from three winegrape-growing regions of California where local extension programs have focused on sustainable agriculture. The mental models are represented as networks where sustainability concepts are nodes, and links are established when a farmer mentions two concepts in their stated definition of sustainability. The results suggest that winegrape grower mental models of sustainability are hierarchically structured, relatively similar across regions, and strongly linked to participation in extension programs and adoption of sustainable farm practices. We discuss the implications of our findings for the debate over the meaning of sustainability, and the role of local extension programs in managing knowledge systems.

Marital Aggression and Child Peer Competence: A Comparison of Three Conceptual Models

PubMed Central

Finger, Brent; Eiden, Rina D.; Edwards, Ellen P.; Leonard, Kenneth E.; Kachadourian, Lorig

2013-01-01

This study examined longitudinal data linking marital aggression with child peer competence in kindergarten. The study compared three conceptual models for understanding the relation between marital aggression and child peer competence. Model 1 examines the direct effects of marital aggression, parental alcoholism, and parenting on child peer competence, model 2 posits that this relation is mediated by child social problem solving abilities (social information processing theory), while model 3 proposes that the relation is mediated by parental warmth/sensitivity (spillover theory). Structural Equation Modeling was most supportive of models 1 and 3 indicating that parenting behavior, but not social problem solving, partially mediates the relation between marital conflict and child peer competence. PMID:24009468

Investigating the effect of plate-mantle interaction in basin creation and associated drainage systems: insights from the North West Shelf of Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morón, S.; Gallagher, S. J.; Moresi, L. N.; Salles, T.; Rey, P. F.; Payenberg, T.

2016-12-01

The effect of plate-mantle dynamics on surface topography has increasingly being recognized. This concept is particularly useful for the understanding of the links between plate-mantle dynamics, continental break up and the creation of sedimentary basins and their associated drainage systems. To unravel these links back in time we present an approach that uses numerical models and the geological record. The sedimentary basins of the North West Shelf (NWS) of Australia contain an exceptional record of the Permian to early Cretaceous polyphased rifting of Australia from Greater India, which is in turn associated with the breakup of Gondwana. This record and the relative tectonic quiescence of the Australian Continent since the Late Cretaceous make the NWS a great natural laboratory for investigating the interaction between mantle dynamics, plate tectonics and drainage patterns. Furthermore, as a result of the extensive petroleum exploration and production in the area a uniquely large dataset containing seismic, lithologic, biostratigraphic and detrital zircon information is already available. This study will first focus on augmenting zircon datasets to refine the current conceptual models of paleodrainage systems associated with the NWS. Current conceptual models of drainage patterns suggest the previous existance of large transcontinental rivers that transported sediments from Antarctica and India, rather than from more proximal Australian sources. From a mass-balance point of view this model seems reasonable, as large transcontinental rivers would be required to transport the significant volume of sediments that are deposited in the thick (15km) sedimentary sequences of the NWS. Coupling of geodynamic (Underworld) and landscape-dynamics (Badlands) models will allow us to numerically test the likelihood of this conceptual model and also to present and integrated approach to investigate the link between deep Earth processes and surficial processes.

The link between new and return business and quality of care: patient satisfaction.

PubMed

Greeneich, D

1993-09-01

New and return business in the service setting are linked to quality of care through patient satisfaction. This article explores the conceptual underpinnings of this concept. Moreover, a theoretical model of patient satisfaction is delineated based on existing nursing research in patient satisfaction. Implications for nursing practice, administration, education, and research are discussed.

Benefits of using a Social-Ecological Systems Approach to ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Using a social-ecological systems (SES) perspective to examine wetland restoration helps decision-makers recognize interdependencies and relations between ecological and social components of coupled systems. Conceptual models are an invaluable tool to capture, visualize, and organize the key factors in complex social-ecological systems, but can be overwhelming to generate and lead to key concepts being overlooked if development is unstructured. Using a DPSIR approach (Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Responses), conceptual models can be developed to link decision scenarios and stressors to impacts on ecosystem services. These impacts on priority ecosystem services can then be linked to changes in human health and well-being through benefit functions. Expert input and contributions across disciplines provides appropriate temporal and spatial scales for determination of targets, project implementation, and monitoring strategies. This approach is being applied to create descriptive SES models of two wetland restoration projects. The first, the dredging of a degraded estuarine channel and restoration of mangrove forests in Caño Martìn Peña in San Juan, Puerto Rico is in the planning stage. The second, the restoration of a former cranberry farm in Plymouth, Massachusetts has completed a large restoration of freshwater wetland, and is gearing up for a second phase. Through the development of conceptual models, we are connecting driving forces wi

Feasibility of dynamic models of the interaction of potential oil spills with bowhead and gray whales in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas

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

Reed, M.; Bowles, A.E.; Anderson, E.L.

1984-08-01

Feasibility and design considerations for developing computer models of migratory bow-head and gray whales and linking such models to oil spill models for application in Alaskan Outer Continental Shelf areas were evaluated. A summary of all relevant bowhead and gray whale distributional and migration data were summarized and presented at monthly intervals. The data were, for the most part, deemed sufficient to prepare whale migration simulation models. A variety of whale migration conceptual models were devised and ranking was achieved by means of a scaling-weighted protocol. Existing oil spill trajectory and fate models, as well as conceptual models, were similarlymore » ranked.« less

Linking knowledge and action through mental models of sustainable agriculture

PubMed Central

Hoffman, Matthew; Lubell, Mark; Hillis, Vicken

2014-01-01

Linking knowledge to action requires understanding how decision-makers conceptualize sustainability. This paper empirically analyzes farmer “mental models” of sustainability from three winegrape-growing regions of California where local extension programs have focused on sustainable agriculture. The mental models are represented as networks where sustainability concepts are nodes, and links are established when a farmer mentions two concepts in their stated definition of sustainability. The results suggest that winegrape grower mental models of sustainability are hierarchically structured, relatively similar across regions, and strongly linked to participation in extension programs and adoption of sustainable farm practices. We discuss the implications of our findings for the debate over the meaning of sustainability, and the role of local extension programs in managing knowledge systems. PMID:25157158

The Role of Creativity in Models of Resilience: Theoretical Exploration and Practical Applications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Metzl, Einat S.; Morrell, Malissa A.

2008-01-01

This exploration reviews current conceptualizations of resilience and creativity, suggesting important links between these two concepts, and offers a modified model for future research and applied clinical interventions. First, the authors examine four main models of resilience. Then, an overview of definitions and characteristics of creativity is…

Links for Academic Learning (LAL): A Conceptual Model for Investigating Alignment of Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flowers, Claudia; Wakeman, Shawnee; Browder, Diane M.; Karvonen, Meagan

2009-01-01

This article describes an alignment procedure, called Links for Academic Learning (LAL), for examining the degree of alignment of alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) to grade-level content standards and instruction. Although some of the alignment criteria are similar to those used in general education…

Rapid, Agile Modeling Support for Human-Computer Interface Conceptual Design

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-12-01

12 5.6 COLIDES MODEL ...........................................................................................................12 5.7 LATENT...on the screen. This limitation is dealt with in the CoLiDeS model. 5.6 COLIDES MODEL CoLiDeS is an acronym for Comprehension-based Link model of...Deliberate Search (Blackmon, Kitajima, Polson, 2005; Blackmon, Kitajima, Polson, 2003; Blackmon, Polson, Kitajima , and Lewis, 2005). CoLideS is

Health, Supportive Environments, and the Reasonable Person Model

Treesearch

Stephen Kaplan; Rachel Kaplan

2003-01-01

The Reasonable Person Model is a conceptual framework that links environmental factors with human behavior. People are more reasonable, cooperative, helpful, and satisfied when the environment supports their basic informational needs. The same environmental supports are important factors in enhancing human health. We use this framework to identify the informational...

Spatial perspectives in state-and-transition models: A missing link to land management?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conceptual models of alternative states and thresholds are based largely on observations of ecosystem processes at a few points in space. Because the distribution of alternative states in spatially-structured ecosystems is the result of variations in pattern-process interactions at different scales,...

A two cable, six link boom crane for lunar construction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, Robert M.; Mikulas, Martin M., Jr.; Hedgepeth, John M.

1993-01-01

This paper presents the conceptual design and analysis of a modified crane boom and cable suspension which provide contro1 over all six degrees of freedom of a payload. Two cables pass around pulleys to form six links between the payload and boom. A linearization of the pulley mechanics was derived to create finite element models of the system. The models were experimentally verified and used to explore variations of the suspension geometry. Several crane concepts which use the suspension are discussed and illustrated.

Neighborhood income and major depressive disorder in a large Dutch population: results from the LifeLines Cohort study.

PubMed

Klijs, Bart; Kibele, Eva U B; Ellwardt, Lea; Zuidersma, Marij; Stolk, Ronald P; Wittek, Rafael P M; Mendes de Leon, Carlos M; Smidt, Nynke

2016-08-11

Previous studies are inconclusive on whether poor socioeconomic conditions in the neighborhood are associated with major depressive disorder. Furthermore, conceptual models that relate neighborhood conditions to depressive disorder have not been evaluated using empirical data. In this study, we investigated whether neighborhood income is associated with major depressive episodes. We evaluated three conceptual models. Conceptual model 1: The association between neighborhood income and major depressive episodes is explained by diseases, lifestyle factors, stress and social participation. Conceptual model 2: A low individual income relative to the mean income in the neighborhood is associated with major depressive episodes. Conceptual model 3: A high income of the neighborhood buffers the effect of a low individual income on major depressive disorder. We used adult baseline data from the LifeLines Cohort Study (N = 71,058) linked with data on the participants' neighborhoods from Statistics Netherlands. The current presence of a major depressive episode was assessed using the MINI neuropsychiatric interview. The association between neighborhood income and major depressive episodes was assessed using a mixed effect logistic regression model adjusted for age, sex, marital status, education and individual (equalized) income. This regression model was sequentially adjusted for lifestyle factors, chronic diseases, stress, and social participation to evaluate conceptual model 1. To evaluate conceptual models 2 and 3, an interaction term for neighborhood income*individual income was included. Multivariate regression analysis showed that a low neighborhood income is associated with major depressive episodes (OR (95 % CI): 0.82 (0.73;0.93)). Adjustment for diseases, lifestyle factors, stress, and social participation attenuated this association (ORs (95 % CI): 0.90 (0.79;1.01)). Low individual income was also associated with major depressive episodes (OR (95 % CI): 0.72 (0.68;0.76)). The interaction of individual income*neighborhood income on major depressive episodes was not significant (p = 0.173). Living in a low-income neighborhood is associated with major depressive episodes. Our results suggest that this association is partly explained by chronic diseases, lifestyle factors, stress and poor social participation, and thereby partly confirm conceptual model 1. Our results do not support conceptual model 2 and 3.

Modelling dwarf mistletoe at three scales: life history, ballistics and contagion

Treesearch

Donald C. E. Robinson; Brian W. Geils

2006-01-01

The epidemiology of dwarf mistletoe (Arceuthobium) is simulated for the reproduction, dispersal, and spatial patterns of these plant pathogens on conifer trees. A conceptual model for mistletoe spread and intensification is coded as sets of related subprograms that link to either of two individual-tree growth models (FVS and TASS) used by managers to develop...

Supporting the Development of Conceptions of Statistics by Engaging Students in Measuring and Modeling Variability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehrer, Richard; Kim, Min-joung; Schauble, Leona

2007-01-01

New capabilities in "TinkerPlots 2.0" supported the conceptual development of fifth- and sixth-grade students as they pursued several weeks of instruction that emphasized data modeling. The instruction highlighted links between data analysis, chance, and modeling in the context of describing and explaining the distributions of measures that result…

An Event-Level Conceptual Model of College Student Drinking: The Role of Protective Behavioral Strategies, Alcohol Expectancies, and Drinking Motives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madden, Danielle R.

2017-01-01

Introduction: The excessive consumption of alcohol by college students is a major public health problem in the U.S. Heavy alcohol use has been linked to numerous consequences ranging from less serious effects (i.e.., hangovers) to death. Decades of research have linked certain beliefs, attitudes or motivations to drinking behavior but intensive…

Linking Earth Observations and Models to Societal Information Needs: The Case of Coastal Flooding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buzzanga, B. A.; Plag, H. P.

2016-12-01

Coastal flooding is expected to increase in many areas due to sea level rise (SLR). Many societal applications such as emergency planning and designing public services depend on information on how the flooding spectrum may change as a result of SLR. To identify the societal information needs a conceptual model is needed that identifies the key stakeholders, applications, and information and observation needs. In the context of the development of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which is implemented by the Group on Earth Observations (GEO), the Socio-Economic and Environmental Information Needs Knowledge Base (SEE-IN KB) is developed as part of the GEOSS Knowledge Base. A core function of the SEE-IN KB is to facilitate the linkage of societal information needs to observations, models, information and knowledge. To achieve this, the SEE-IN KB collects information on objects such as user types, observational requirements, societal goals, models, and datasets. Comprehensive information concerning the interconnections between instances of these objects is used to capture the connectivity and to establish a conceptual model as a network of networks. The captured connectivity can be used in searches to allow users to discover products and services for their information needs, and providers to search for users and applications benefiting from their products. It also allows to answer "What if?" questions and supports knowledge creation. We have used the SEE-IN KB to develop a conceptual model capturing the stakeholders in coastal flooding and their information needs, and to link these elements to objects. We show how the knowledge base enables the transition of scientific data to useable information by connecting individuals such as city managers to flood maps. Within the knowledge base, these same users can request information that improves their ability to make specific planning decisions. These needs are linked to entities within research institutions that have the capabilities to meet them. Further, current research such as that investigating precipitation-induced flooding under different SLR scenarios is linked to the users who benefit from the knowledge, effectively creating a bi-directional channel between science and society that increases knowledge and improves foresight.

Conceptual framework and trend analysis of water-level responses to hydrologic stresses, Pahute Mesa–Oasis Valley groundwater basin, Nevada, 1966-2016

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jackson, Tracie R.; Fenelon, Joseph M.

2018-05-31

This report identifies water-level trends in wells and provides a conceptual framework that explains the hydrologic stresses and factors causing the trends in the Pahute Mesa–Oasis Valley (PMOV) groundwater basin, southern Nevada. Water levels in 79 wells were analyzed for trends between 1966 and 2016. The magnitude and duration of water-level responses to hydrologic stresses were analyzed graphically, statistically, and with water-level models.The conceptual framework consists of multiple stress-specific conceptual models to explain water-level responses to the following hydrologic stresses: recharge, evapotranspiration, pumping, nuclear testing, and wellbore equilibration. Dominant hydrologic stresses affecting water-level trends in each well were used to categorize trends as nonstatic, transient, or steady state.The conceptual framework of water-level responses to hydrologic stresses and trend analyses provide a comprehensive understanding of the PMOV basin and vicinity. The trend analysis links water-level fluctuations in wells to hydrologic stresses and potential factors causing the trends. Transient and steady-state trend categorizations can be used to determine the appropriate water-level data for groundwater studies.

The economic impact of public resource supply constraints in northeast Oregon.

Treesearch

Edward C Waters; David W. Holland; Richard W. Haynes

1977-01-01

Traditional, fixed-price (input-output) economic models provide a useful framework for conceptualizing links in a regional economy. Apparent shortcomings in these models, however, can severely restrict our ability to deduce valid prescriptions for public policy and economic development. A more efficient approach using regional computable general equilibrium (CGE)...

Assessing Students' Deep Conceptual Understanding in Physical Sciences: An Example on Sinking and Floating

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shen, Ji; Liu, Ou Lydia; Chang, Hsin-Yi

2017-01-01

This paper presents a transformative modeling framework that guides the development of assessment to measure students' deep understanding in physical sciences. The framework emphasizes 3 types of connections that students need to make when learning physical sciences: (1) linking physical states, processes, and explanatory models, (2) integrating…

Equitable Access by Design. A Conceptual Framework for Integrated Student Supports within Linked Learning Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Velasco, Jorge Ruiz; Newman, Elizabeth; Borsato, Graciela

2016-01-01

This report proposes a conceptual framework for defining and implementing a system of integrated student supports that provides equitable access to college and career readiness via Linked Learning pathways in high schools. The framework emphasizes the central commitment of the Linked Learning approach to challenge prevailing norms of…

Conceptual Processes for Linking Eutrophication and Network Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-08-01

recommends a general procedure for future endeavors in this area. BACKGROUND: In recent years new ideas for nutrient management to control...network model. Coupling these two models will provide managers a new perspective on how to improve management strategies and help answer questions such...Dorothy H. Tillman, Dr. Carl F. Cerco, and Mr. Mark R. Noel of the Water Quality and Contaminant Modeling Branch, Enviromental Laboratory (EL

Linkages between unpaved forest roads and streambed sediment: why context matters in directing road restoration

USGS Publications Warehouse

Al-Chokhachy, Robert K.; Black, Tom A.; Thomas, Cameron; Luce, Charlie H.; Rieman, Bruce; Cissel, Richard; Carlson, Anne; Hendrickson, Shane; Archer, Eric K.; Kershner, Jeffrey L.

2016-01-01

Unpaved forest roads remain a pervasive disturbance on public lands and mitigating sediment from road networks remains a priority for management agencies. Restoring roaded landscapes is becoming increasingly important for many native coldwater fishes that disproportionately rely on public lands for persistence. However, effectively targeting restoration opportunities requires a comprehensive understanding of the effects of roads across different ecosystems. Here, we combine a review and a field study to evaluate the status of knowledge supporting the conceptual framework linking unpaved forest roads with streambed sediment. Through our review, we specifically focused on those studies linking measures of the density of forest roads or sediment delivery with empirical streambed sediment measures. Our field study provides an example of a targeted effort of linking spatially explicit estimates of sediment production with measures of streambed sediment. Surprisingly, our review uncovered few studies (n = 8) that empirically tested the conceptual framework linking unpaved forest roads and streambed sediment, and the results varied considerably. Field results generally supported the conceptual model that unpaved forest roads can control streambed sediment quality, but demonstrated high-spatial variability in the effects of forest roads on streambed sediment and the need to address hotspots of sediment sources. The importance of context in the effects of forest roads is apparent in both our review and field data, suggesting the need for in situ studies to avoid misdirected restoration actions.

Hydrogeologic setting and conceptual hydrologic model of the Spring Creek basin, Centre County, Pennsylvania

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fulton, John W.; Koerkle, Edward H.; McAuley, Steven D.; Hoffman, Scott A.; Zarr, Linda F.

2005-01-01

The Spring Creek Basin, Centre County, Pa., is experiencing some of the most rapid growth and development within the Commonwealth. This trend has resulted in land-use changes and increased water use, which will affect the quantity and quality of stormwater runoff, surface water, ground water, and aquatic resources within the basin. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the ClearWater Conservancy (CWC), Spring Creek Watershed Community (SCWC), and Spring Creek Watershed Commission (SCWCm), has developed a Watershed Plan (Plan) to assist decision makers in water-resources planning. One element of the Plan is to provide a summary of the basin characteristics and a conceptual model that incorporates the hydrogeologic characteristics of the basin. The report presents hydrogeologic data for the basin and presents a conceptual model that can be used as the basis for simulating surface-water and ground-water flow within the basin. Basin characteristics; sources of data referenced in this text; physical characteristics such as climate, physiography, topography, and land use; hydrogeologic characteristics; and water-quality characteristics are discussed. A conceptual model is a simplified description of the physical components and interaction of the surface- and ground-water systems. The purpose for constructing a conceptual model is to simplify the problem and to organize the available data so that the system can be analyzed accurately. Simplification is necessary, because a complete accounting of a system, such as Spring Creek, is not possible. The data and the conceptual model could be used in development of a fully coupled numerical model that dynamically links surface water, ground water, and land-use changes. The model could be used by decision makers to manage water resources within the basin and as a prototype that is transferable to other watersheds.

The self as a mediator between personality and adjustment.

PubMed

Graziano, W G; Jensen-Campbell, L A; Finch, J F

1997-08-01

The self can be conceptualized as a mediating agent that translates personality into situated goal-directed activities and adaptation. This research used a level-of-analysis approach to link personality dimensions (Level I) to self-systems (Level II) and to teacher ratings of adjustment in African American, Mexican American, and European American students (N = 317). The authors hypothesized that links among aspects of self-esteem and teacher ratings of adjustment would be domain specific, and those links to dimensions of the 5-factor model would reflects the domain specificity. Structural equation modeling corroborated hypotheses about domain specificity in links between adjustment and 5-factor dimensions. Results were discussed in terms of levels of analysis for personality structure, personality development, and age-related adaptations to social contexts.

Development of conceptual ecological models linking management of the Missouri River to pallid sturgeon population dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jacobson, Robert B.; Parsley, Michael J.; Annis, Mandy L.; Colvin, Michael E.; Welker, Timothy L.; James, Daniel A.

2015-01-01

This report documents the process of developing and refining conceptual ecological models (CEMs) for linking river management to pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus) population dynamics in the Missouri River. The refined CEMs are being used in the Missouri River Pallid Sturgeon Effects Analysis to organize, document, and formalize an understanding of pallid sturgeon population responses to past and future management alternatives. The general form of the CEMs, represented by a population-level model and component life-stage models, was determined in workshops held in the summer of 2013. Subsequently, the Missouri River Pallid Sturgeon Effects Analysis team designed a general hierarchical structure for the component models, refined the graphical structure, and reconciled variation among the components and between models developed for the upper river (Upper Missouri & Yellowstone Rivers) and the lower river (Missouri River downstream from Gavins Point Dam). Importance scores attributed to the relations between primary biotic characteristics and survival were used to define a candidate set of working dominant hypotheses about pallid sturgeon population dynamics. These CEMs are intended to guide research and adaptive-management actions to benefit pallid sturgeon populations in the Missouri River.

Examining the influence of formative assessment on conceptual accumulation and conceptual change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomita, Miki K.

This study explored the effect of formative assessment on student achievement in science. Research in science education has shown that students enter science classrooms with previously formed explanatory models of the natural world; these naive "mental models" have a substantial influence on their learning of scientific conceptions. In general, conceptual change describes the pathway from pre-instructional or prior conceptions to a post-instructional or desired conception. Conceptual change involves a fundamental restructuring of a network of concepts rather than fitting new concepts into an existing conceptual network or structure. Research has shown that conceptual change is difficult to promote; for example, students may accumulate multiple conceptions over the course of instruction, including both new misconceptions and more scientifically-sound conceptions. Hellden and Solomon (2004) found that although students tended to evoke the same, less-scientific conceptions over time, they could produce more scientifically-sound conceptions during interviews with appropriate prompting; thus, students undergo conceptual accumulation rather than conceptual change. Students can recall scientifically-sound conceptions they have learned and may use them to reason, but they do so in partnership or hybridization with their less-scientific prior conceptions. Formative assessment, which focuses on providing immediate feedback by acting upon student understanding during the course of instruction, and conceptual change have both been linked to increased student achievement. Formative assessment is an instructional strategy that helps teachers to assess students' current understanding, identify the gap between current understanding and expected understanding, and provide immediate and useful feedback to students on how to close the gap. Formative assessment ranges from formal (e.g. embedded, planned-for interactions between teacher and entire class) to informal (e.g. on-the-fly interactions between teacher and class or student). In this study, the links between formative assessment and conceptual accumulation and conceptual change were explored. Specifically, this study asked: (1) Does formative assessment promote conceptual accumulation, and (2) Does formative assessment promote conceptual change? It was hypothesized that conceptual change-focused formative assessment would foster conceptual change, in addition to supporting conceptual accumulation. It was further hypothesized that all students will show gains in conceptual accumulation as indicated by measures of declarative and procedural knowledge, but that students exposed to conceptual change-focused formative assessment would also show gains in conceptual change as indicated by measures of schematic knowledge or mental models. To research the effect of formative assessment on conceptual accumulation and conceptual change, a small randomized experiment involving 102 middle school students was conducted. In Phase I of the study, 52 6th graders were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group; in Phase II of this study, 50 7th graders were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. Both the control and experimental groups in both phases were taught about sinking and floating by the same teacher (the author) with identical curriculum materials and activities. In addition, the experimental group received three sets of embedded formative assessments focused on conceptual change around the topic of why things sink and float during the course of instruction. In Phase I of this study, both groups were kept at the same pace through the entire sequence of investigations. The control condition spent more time on some of the more critical FAST lessons, gathering additional data to support the theories the curriculum expected they would develop at a particular juncture but not receiving structured experiences aimed at addressing misconceptions. In Phase II, students in the control condition spent roughly the same time on each FAST lesson as those in the experimental condition (e.g. they finished the sequence of activities earlier because they did not have class sessions devoted to the RLs inserted at critical junctures) but participated in the formal assessments as a block of activities after they finished the FAST investigations and posttest measures. In other words, in addition to replicating Phase I, Phase II included a Reflective Lesson section for the control group after the end of the experiment proper, followed by a post-posttest. Overall, it was found that embedding conceptual change-focused formative assessments in the FAST curriculum significantly influenced conceptual change. It was also found that all students experienced significant gains in terms of their conceptual accumulation, regardless of exposure to the formative assessments. This study connected two previously isolated but theoretically linked educational frameworks: conceptual change and formative assessment. It was found that formative assessments can be used to promote conceptual change. It was also found that conceptual change is different than conceptual accumulation, in that students who show gains on measures of declarative and procedural knowledge do not necessarily show gains on measures of schematic knowledge. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The complex links between governance and biodiversity.

PubMed

Barrett, Christopher B; Gibson, Clark C; Hoffman, Barak; McCubbins, Mathew D

2006-10-01

We argue that two problems weaken the claims of those who link corruption and the exploitation of natural resources. The first is conceptual and the second is methodological. Studies that use national-level indicators of corruption fail to note that corruption comes in many forms, at multiple levels, that may affect resource use quite differently: negatively, positively, or not at all. Without a clear causal model of the mechanism by which corruption affects resources, one should treat with caution any estimated relationship between corruption and the state of natural resources. Simple, atheoretical models linking corruption measures and natural resource use typically do not account for other important control variables pivotal to the relationship between humans and natural resources. By way of illustration of these two general concerns, we used statistical methods to demonstrate that the findings of a recent, well-known study that posits a link between corruption and decreases in forests and elephants are not robust to simple conceptual and methodological refinements. In particular, once we controlled for a few plausible anthropogenic and biophysical conditioning factors, estimated the effects in changes rather than levels so as not to confound cross-sectional and longitudinal variation, and incorporated additional observations from the same data sources, corruption levels no longer had any explanatory power.

Inclusive jet cross sections in proton-proton collisions at 7.0 TeV center-of-mass energy with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Park-Martinez, Jayne Irene

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of node-link mapping on students' meaningful learning and conceptual change in a 1-semester introductory life-science course. This study used node-link mapping to integrate and apply the National Research Council's (NRC, 2005) three principles of human learning: engaging students' prior knowledge, fostering their metacognition, and supporting their formulation of a scientific conceptual framework. The study was a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest, control group design. The sample consisted of 68 primarily freshmen non-science majors enrolled in two intact sections of the targeted course. Both groups received the same teacher-centered instruction and student-centered activities designed to promote meaningful learning and conceptual change; however, the activity format differed. Control group activities were written; treatment group activities were node-link mapped. Prior to instruction, both groups demonstrated equivalent knowledge and misconceptions associated with genetics and evolution (GE), and ecology and environmental science (EE). Mean differences, pre-to-post instruction, on the GE and EE meaningful learning exam scores and the EE conceptual change inventory scores between the writing group (control) and the node-link mapping group (treatment) were analyzed using repeated measures MANOVAs. There were no significant mean pre-to-post differences between groups with respect to meaningful learning in the GE or EE units, or conceptual change in the EE unit. However, independent of group membership, the overall mean pre-to-post increases in meaningful learning and conceptual change were significant. These findings suggest that both node-link mapping and writing, when used in conjunction with the National Research Council's (NRC, 2005) three principles of human learning, can promote meaningful learning and conceptual change. The only significant interaction found with respect to meaningful learning, conceptual change, and learning styles (Kolb, 2005) was a positive effect of node-link mapping on converger's meaningful learning. However, that result was probably an artifact of small sample size rather than a true treatment effect. No other significant interactions were found. These results suggest that all students, regardless of their learning style, can benefit from either node-link mapping or writing to promote meaningful learning and conceptual change in general life-science courses.

A Meditational Model Linking Witnessing Intimate Partner Violence and Bullying Behaviors and Victimization among Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Voisin, Dexter R.; Hong, Jun Sung

2012-01-01

A growing body of research documents that various forms of violence exposures are interrelated. This paper presents a conceptual model, which accounts for the relationship between youth witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) at home and their subsequent engagement in bullying behaviors and victimization by peers. A comprehensive search of…

Relationships between migration rates and landscape resistance assessed using individual-based simulations

Treesearch

E. L. Landguth; S. A. Cushman; M. A. Murphy; G. Luikart

2010-01-01

Linking landscape effects on gene flow to processes such as dispersal and mating is essential to provide a conceptual foundation for landscape genetics. It is particularly important to determine how classical population genetic models relate to recent individual-based landscape genetic models when assessing individual movement and its influence on population genetic...

Enhancing climate literacy through the use of an interdisciplinary global change framework and conceptual models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bean, J. R.; Zoehfeld, K.; Mitchell, K.; Levine, J.; White, L. D.

2016-12-01

Understanding climate change and how to mitigate the causes and consequences of anthropogenic activities are essential components of the Next Generations Science Standards. To comprehend climate change today and why current rates and magnitudes of change are of concern, students must understand the various factors that drive Earth system processes and also how they interrelate. The Understanding Global Change web resource in development from the UC Museum of Paleontology will provide science educators with a conceptual framework, graphical models, lessons, and assessment templates for teaching NGSS aligned, interdisciplinary, climate change curricula. To facilitate students learning about the Earth as a dynamic, interacting system of ongoing processes, the Understanding Global Change site will provide explicit conceptual links for the causes of climate change (e.g., burning of fossil fuels, deforestation), Earth system processes (e.g., Earth's energy budget, water cycle), and the changes scientists measure in the Earth system (e.g., temperature, precipitation). The conceptual links among topics will be presented in a series of storyboards that visually represent relationships and feedbacks among components of the Earth system and will provide teachers with guides for implementing NGSS-aligned climate change instruction that addresses physical science, life sciences, Earth and space science, and engineering performance expectations. These visualization and instructional methods are used by teachers during professional development programs at UC Berkeley and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and are being tested in San Francisco Bay Area classrooms.

Linking Goal-Oriented Requirements and Model-Driven Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastor, Oscar; Giachetti, Giovanni

In the context of Goal-Oriented Requirement Engineering (GORE) there are interesting modeling approaches for the analysis of complex scenarios that are oriented to obtain and represent the relevant requirements for the development of software products. However, the way to use these GORE models in an automated Model-Driven Development (MDD) process is not clear, and, in general terms, the translation of these models into the final software products is still manually performed. Therefore, in this chapter, we show an approach to automatically link GORE models and MDD processes, which has been elaborated by considering the experience obtained from linking the i * framework with an industrially applied MDD approach. The linking approach proposed is formulated by means of a generic process that is based on current modeling standards and technologies in order to facilitate its application for different MDD and GORE approaches. Special attention is paid to how this process generates appropriate model transformation mechanisms to automatically obtain MDD conceptual models from GORE models, and how it can be used to specify validation mechanisms to assure the correct model transformations.

Millimeter wave satellite concepts, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hilsen, N. B.; Holland, L. D.; Thomas, R. E.; Wallace, R. W.; Gallagher, J. G.

1977-01-01

The identification of technologies necessary for development of millimeter spectrum communication satellites was examined from a system point of view. Development of methodology based on the technical requirements of potential services that might be assigned to millimeter wave bands for identifying the viable and appropriate technologies for future NASA millimeter research and development programs, and testing of this methodology with selected user applications and services were the goals of the program. The entire communications network, both ground and space subsystems was studied. Cost, weight, and performance models for the subsystems, conceptual design for point-to-point and broadcast communications satellites, and analytic relationships between subsystem parameters and an overall link performance are discussed along with baseline conceptual systems, sensitivity studies, model adjustment analyses, identification of critical technologies and their risks, and brief research and development program scenarios for the technologies judged to be moderate or extensive risks. Identification of technologies for millimeter satellite communication systems, and assessment of the relative risks of these technologies, was accomplished through subsystem modeling and link optimization for both point-to-point and broadcast applications.

Attachment in Middle Childhood: Associations with Information Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zimmermann, Peter; Iwanski, Alexandra

2015-01-01

Attachment theory suggests that internal working models of self and significant others influence adjustment during development by controlling information processing and self-regulation. We provide a conceptual overview on possible mechanisms linking attachment and information processing and review the current literature in middle childhood.…

The Impact of Urban US Policing Practices on Black Men Who Have Sex with Men's HIV Vulnerability: Ethnographic Findings and a Conceptual Model for Future Research.

PubMed

Parker, Caroline M; Parker, Richard G; Philbin, Morgan M; Hirsch, Jennifer S

2018-04-01

This paper advances research on racism and health by presenting a conceptual model that delineates pathways linking policing practices to HIV vulnerability among Black men who have sex with men in the urban USA. Pathways include perceived discrimination based on race, sexuality and gender performance, mental health, and condom-carrying behaviors. The model, intended to stimulate future empirical work, is based on a review of the literature and on ethnographic data collected in 2014 in New York City. This paper contributes to a growing body of work that examines policing practices as drivers of racial health disparities extending far beyond violence-related deaths.

Effects of Node-Link Mapping on Non-Science Majors' Meaningful Learning and Conceptual Change in a Life-Science Survey Lecture Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park-Martinez, Jayne Irene

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of node-link mapping on students' meaningful learning and conceptual change in a 1-semester introductory life-science course. This study used node-link mapping to integrate and apply the National Research Council's (NRC, 2005) three principles of human learning: engaging students' prior…

Social Relations and Resident Health in Assisted Living: An Application of the Convoy Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perkins, Molly M.; Ball, Mary M.; Kemp, Candace L.; Hollingsworth, Carole

2013-01-01

Purpose: This article, based on analysis of data from a mixed methods study, builds on a growing body of assisted living (AL) research focusing on the link between residents' social relationships and health. A key aim of this analysis, which uses the social convoy model as a conceptual and methodological framework, was to examine the relative…

Exposure to Violence and Parenting as Mediators between Poverty and Psychological Symptoms in Urban African American Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grant, K.E.; McCormick, A.; Poindexter, L.; Simpkins, T.; Janda, C.M.; Thomas, K.J.; Campbell, A.; Carleton, R.; Taylor, J.

2005-01-01

The present study builds on past research that has found support for a conceptual model in which poverty is linked with adolescent psychological symptoms through economic stressors and impaired parenting. The present study examined this model in a sample of urban African American mothers and their adolescent children. In addition, an alternative…

Groundwater dynamics mediate low-flow response to global warming in snow-dominated alpine regions

Treesearch

Christina Tague; Gordon E. Grant

2009-01-01

In mountain environments, spatial and temporal patterns of snow accumulation and melt are dominant controls on hydrologic responses to climate change. In this paper, we develop a simple conceptual model that links the timing of peak snowmelt with geologically mediated differences in rate of streamflow recession. This model demonstrates that within the western United...

Are Alcohol Expectancies Associations, Propositions, or Elephants? A Reply to Wiers and Stacy (2010)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moss, Antony C.; Albery, Ian P.

2010-01-01

We provide a response to a commentary by Wiers and Stacy (2010) on our model of the alcohol-behavior link (Moss & Albery, 2009). Whereas Wiers and Stacy generally supported our model, they took issue with our conceptualization of the alcohol expectancy construct. We address the major concerns of Wiers and Stacy by demonstrating that our own view…

THE RELATIONSHIP OF TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS MEASUREMENTS TO BULK ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY IN AN AQUIFER CONTAMINATED WITH HYDROCARBON

EPA Science Inventory

A recent conceptual model links high bulk electrical conductivities at hydrocarbon impacted sites to higher total dissolved solids (TDS) resulting from enhanced mineral weathering due to acids produced during biodegradation. In this study, we investigated the vertical distributio...

The Effects of Job Characteristics on Marital Quality: Specifying Linking Mechanisms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Diane; And Others

1992-01-01

Evaluated conceptual model hypothesizing that two dimensions of work-family interference, structural role difficulties and negative mood spillover, intervene in direct relationship between discrete characteristics of work and marital quality. Findings from 334 male and female white-collar workers indicated that job characteristics predicted…

The Teacherage in American Rural Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maxcy, Spencer J.

1979-01-01

Traces the historical evolution of the teacherage, initially proposed as a solution to the problem of housing teachers and as a model home for the edification of rural families. Pinpoints the conceptual connection between the teacherage and the parsonage--each linking the institution to the rural community. (CAM)

Linking academic social environments, ego-identity formation, ego virtues, and academic success.

PubMed

Good, Marie; Adams, Gerald R

2008-01-01

This study used Structural Equation Modeling to test an Eriksonian conceptual model linking academic social environments (relationships with faculty and fellow students), ego-identity formation, ego virtues, and academic success. Participants included 765 first-year students at a university in southern Ontario, Canada. Results indicated that supportive relationships with faculty was directly related to higher average grades and perceived academic ability, whereas positive relationships with fellow students was indirectly related to academic success through ego virtues. Positive ego-identity formation (identity achievement) was also indirectly related to academic success through ego virtues.

Conceptual model for quantifying pre-smolt production from flow-dependent physical habitat and water temperature

USGS Publications Warehouse

Williamson, S. C.; Bartholow, J. M.; Stalnaker, C. B.

1993-01-01

A conceptual model has been developed to test river regulation concepts by linking physical habitat and water temperature with salmonid population and production in cold water streams. Work is in progress to examine numerous questions as part of flow evaluation and habitat restoration programmes in the Trinity River of California and elsewhere. For instance, how much change in pre-smolt chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) production in the Trinity River would result from a different annual instream allocation (i.e. up or down from 271 × 106 m3released in the late 1980s) and how much change in pre-smolt production would result from a different release pattern (i.e. different from the 8.5 m3 s−1 year-round release). The conceptual model is being used to: design, integrate and improve young-of-year population data collection efforts; test hypotheses that physical habitat significantly influences movement, growth and mortality of salmonid fishes; and analyse the relative severity of limiting factors during each life stage. The conceptual model, in conjunction with previously developed tools in the Instream Flow Incremental Methodology, should provide the means to more effectively manage a fishery resource below a regulated reservoir and to provide positive feedback to planning of annual reservoir operations.

Conceptual Model for Assessing Criteria Air Pollutants in a Multipollutant Context: A Modified Adverse Outcome Pathway Approach

EPA Science Inventory

Background: Air pollution consists of a complex mixture of particulate and gaseous components. Individual criteria and other hazardous air pollutants have been linked to adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes. However, assessing risk of air pollutant mixtures is d...

Modeling a molecular initiating event to population effects: A case study of aromatase inhibition in fathead minnows

EPA Science Inventory

An adverse outcome pathway (AOP) conceptually links a molecular initiating event with measureable key events at higher levels of biological organization that ultimately result in an adverse outcome. Development of an AOP requires experimental data and scientific expertise to ide...

Desiring Development? Psychoanalytic Contributions to Antidevelopmental Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burman, Erica

2013-01-01

This paper explores how psychoanalytic ideas might support a project of critiquing the developmental paradigm as it influences, and links, models of economic and individual development on which educational policy and practice rely. After outlining the conceptual domain and questions at issue, the paper rereads some key claims about Enlightenment…

Action: A Bridge between Vocational and Mental Health Counselling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valach, Ladislav; Young, Richard A.

2017-01-01

A theory of goal-directed action is proposed as a conceptual link between vocational and mental health counselling. Originally emerging from the vocational counselling field, contextual action theory is presented as a critical conceptual link not only between mental health and occupational life but also between counselling practices in these…

Extended evolution: A conceptual framework for integrating regulatory networks and niche construction

PubMed Central

Renn, Jürgen

2015-01-01

ABSTRACT This paper introduces a conceptual framework for the evolution of complex systems based on the integration of regulatory network and niche construction theories. It is designed to apply equally to cases of biological, social and cultural evolution. Within the conceptual framework we focus especially on the transformation of complex networks through the linked processes of externalization and internalization of causal factors between regulatory networks and their corresponding niches and argue that these are an important part of evolutionary explanations. This conceptual framework extends previous evolutionary models and focuses on several challenges, such as the path‐dependent nature of evolutionary change, the dynamics of evolutionary innovation and the expansion of inheritance systems. J. Exp. Zool. (Mol. Dev. Evol.) 324B: 565–577, 2015. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26097188

Linking Neural and Symbolic Representation and Processing of Conceptual Structures

PubMed Central

van der Velde, Frank; Forth, Jamie; Nazareth, Deniece S.; Wiggins, Geraint A.

2017-01-01

We compare and discuss representations in two cognitive architectures aimed at representing and processing complex conceptual (sentence-like) structures. First is the Neural Blackboard Architecture (NBA), which aims to account for representation and processing of complex and combinatorial conceptual structures in the brain. Second is IDyOT (Information Dynamics of Thinking), which derives sentence-like structures by learning statistical sequential regularities over a suitable corpus. Although IDyOT is designed at a level more abstract than the neural, so it is a model of cognitive function, rather than neural processing, there are strong similarities between the composite structures developed in IDyOT and the NBA. We hypothesize that these similarities form the basis of a combined architecture in which the individual strengths of each architecture are integrated. We outline and discuss the characteristics of this combined architecture, emphasizing the representation and processing of conceptual structures. PMID:28848460

Social Inequality, Life Course Transitions, and Adolescent Development: Introduction to the Special Issue.

PubMed

Buchmann, Marlis; Steinhoff, Annekatrin

2017-10-01

Conceptualizing adolescent development within a life course framework that links the perspectives on social inequality and early life course transitions has largely been absent from previous research. Such a conceptual model is needed, however, in order to understand how the individual development of agentic capacities and the opportunities and constraints inherent in the social contexts of growing up interact and jointly affect young people's trajectories across the adolescent life stage. We present the corner stones of the conceptual "trident" of social inequality, life course transitions, and adolescent development and identify three major themes the eleven contributions to this special issue address within this conceptual framework: social and individual prerequisites and consequences of coping with life course transitions; intergenerational transmission belts of social inequality; socialization of agency in and outside the family home. These three themes exemplify the great analytical potential inherent in this framework.

Engineering online and in-person social networks to sustain physical activity: application of a conceptual model.

PubMed

Rovniak, Liza S; Sallis, James F; Kraschnewski, Jennifer L; Sciamanna, Christopher N; Kiser, Elizabeth J; Ray, Chester A; Chinchilli, Vernon M; Ding, Ding; Matthews, Stephen A; Bopp, Melissa; George, Daniel R; Hovell, Melbourne F

2013-08-14

High rates of physical inactivity compromise the health status of populations globally. Social networks have been shown to influence physical activity (PA), but little is known about how best to engineer social networks to sustain PA. To improve procedures for building networks that shape PA as a normative behavior, there is a need for more specific hypotheses about how social variables influence PA. There is also a need to integrate concepts from network science with ecological concepts that often guide the design of in-person and electronically-mediated interventions. Therefore, this paper: (1) proposes a conceptual model that integrates principles from network science and ecology across in-person and electronically-mediated intervention modes; and (2) illustrates the application of this model to the design and evaluation of a social network intervention for PA. A conceptual model for engineering social networks was developed based on a scoping literature review of modifiable social influences on PA. The model guided the design of a cluster randomized controlled trial in which 308 sedentary adults were randomly assigned to three groups: WalkLink+: prompted and provided feedback on participants' online and in-person social-network interactions to expand networks for PA, plus provided evidence-based online walking program and weekly walking tips; WalkLink: evidence-based online walking program and weekly tips only; Minimal Treatment Control: weekly tips only. The effects of these treatment conditions were assessed at baseline, post-program, and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome was accelerometer-measured PA. Secondary outcomes included objectively-measured aerobic fitness, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, and neighborhood walkability; and self-reported measures of the physical environment, social network environment, and social network interactions. The differential effects of the three treatment conditions on primary and secondary outcomes will be analyzed using general linear modeling (GLM), or generalized linear modeling if the assumptions for GLM cannot be met. Results will contribute to greater understanding of how to conceptualize and implement social networks to support long-term PA. Establishing social networks for PA across multiple life settings could contribute to cultural norms that sustain active living. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01142804.

Psychological mechanisms in outdoor place and weather assessment: towards a conceptual model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knez, Igor; Thorsson, Sofia; Eliasson, Ingegärd; Lindberg, Fredrik

2009-01-01

The general aim has been to illuminate the psychological mechanisms involved in outdoor place and weather assessment. This reasoning was conceptualized in a model, tentatively proposing direct and indirect links of influence in an outdoor place-human relationship. The model was subsequently tested by an empirical study, performed in a Nordic city, on the impact of weather and personal factors on participants’ perceptual and emotional estimations of outdoor urban places. In line with our predictions, we report significant influences of weather parameters (air temperature, wind, and cloudlessness) and personal factors (environmental attitude and age) on participants’ perceptual and emotional estimations of outdoor urban places. All this is a modest, yet significant, step towards an understanding of the psychology of outdoor place and weather assessment.

Patient-Clinician Communication About Pain: A Conceptual Model and Narrative Review.

PubMed

Henry, Stephen G; Matthias, Marianne S

2018-02-01

Productive patient-clinician communication is an important component of effective pain management, but we know little about how patients and clinicians actually talk about pain in clinical settings and how it might be improved to produce better patient outcomes. The objective of this review was to create a conceptual model of patient-clinician communication about noncancer pain, review and synthesize empirical research in this area, and identify priorities for future research. A conceptual model was developed that drew on existing pain and health communication research. CINAHL, EMBASE, and PubMed were searched to find studies reporting empirical data on patient-clinician communication about noncancer pain; results were supplemented with manual searches. Studies were categorized and analyzed to identify crosscutting themes and inform model development. The conceptual model comprised the following components: contextual factors, clinical interaction, attitudes and beliefs, and outcomes. Thirty-nine studies met inclusion criteria and were analyzed based on model components. Studies varied widely in quality, methodology, and sample size. Two provisional conclusions were identified: contrary to what is often reported in the literature, discussions about analgesics are most frequently characterized by patient-clinician agreement, and self-presentation during patient-clinician interactions plays an important role in communication about pain and opioids. Published studies on patient-clinician communication about noncancer pain are few and diverse. The conceptual model presented here can help to identify knowledge gaps and guide future research on communication about pain. Investigating the links between communication and pain-related outcomes is an important priority for future research. © 2018 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com

Acting Out and Lighting Up: Understanding the Links among School Misbehavior, Academic Achievement, and Cigarette Use. Monitoring the Future Occasional Paper 46.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Alison L.; Schulenberg, John; Bachman, Jerald G.; O'Malley, Patrick M.; Johnston, Lloyd D.

Relations among academic achievement, school bonding, school misbehavior, and cigarette use from eighth to twelfth grade were examined in two national and panel samples of youth from the Monitoring the Future project (N=3,056). A series of competing conceptual models developed a priori was tested using structural equation modeling (SEM). The…

Abstraction of the Relational Model from a Department of Veterans Affairs DHCP Database: Bridging Theory and Working Application

PubMed Central

Levy, C.; Beauchamp, C.

1996-01-01

This poster describes the methods used and working prototype that was developed from an abstraction of the relational model from the VA's hierarchical DHCP database. Overlaying the relational model on DHCP permits multiple user views of the physical data structure, enhances access to the database by providing a link to commercial (SQL based) software, and supports a conceptual managed care data model based on primary and longitudinal patient care. The goal of this work was to create a relational abstraction of the existing hierarchical database; to construct, using SQL data definition language, user views of the database which reflect the clinical conceptual view of DHCP, and to allow the user to work directly with the logical view of the data using GUI based commercial software of their choosing. The workstation is intended to serve as a platform from which a managed care information model could be implemented and evaluated.

Exposure to violence and parenting as mediators between poverty and psychological symptoms in urban African American adolescents.

PubMed

Grant, Kathryn E; McCormick, Anthony; Poindexter, LaShaunda; Simpkins, Tandra; Janda, Cassandra M; Thomas, Kina J; Campbell, Amanda; Carleton, Russell; Taylor, Jeremy

2005-08-01

The present study builds on past research that has found support for a conceptual model in which poverty is linked with adolescent psychological symptoms through economic stressors and impaired parenting. The present study examined this model in a sample of urban African American mothers and their adolescent children. In addition, an alternative hypothesis was examined: that exposure to community violence mediates the relation between poverty and psychological symptoms in urban youth. Limited support was found for a model in which poverty is linked with internalizing symptoms through exposure to community violence and with externalizing symptoms through economic stressors and inconsistent discipline. Interpretations, limitations, and directions for future research are outlined.

Bidirectional associations between coparenting relations and family member anxiety: a review and conceptual model.

PubMed

Majdandžić, Mirjana; de Vente, Wieke; Feinberg, Mark E; Aktar, Evin; Bögels, Susan M

2012-03-01

Research into anxiety has largely ignored the dynamics of family systems in anxiety development. Coparenting refers to the quality of coordination between individuals responsible for the upbringing of children and links different subsystems within the family, such as the child, the marital relationship, and the parents. This review discusses the potential mechanisms and empirical findings regarding the bidirectional relations of parent and child anxiety with coparenting. The majority of studies point to bidirectional associations between greater coparenting difficulties and higher levels of anxiety. For example, the few available studies suggest that paternal and perhaps maternal anxiety is linked to lower coparental support. Also, research supports the existence of inverse links between coparenting quality and child anxiety. A child's reactive temperament appears to have adverse effects on particularly coparenting of fathers. A conceptual model is proposed that integrates the role of parental and child anxiety, parenting, and coparenting, to guide future research and the development of clinical interventions. Future research should distinguish between fathers' and mothers' coparenting behaviors, include parental anxiety, and investigate the coparental relationship longitudinally. Clinicians should be aware of the reciprocal relations between child anxiety and coparenting quality, and families presenting for treatment who report child (or parent) anxiety should be assessed for difficulties in coparenting. Clinical approaches to bolster coparenting quality are called for.

State-of-the-science on prevention of elder abuse and lessons learned from child abuse and domestic violence prevention: Toward a conceptual framework for research

PubMed Central

Teresi, Jeanne A.; Burnes, David; Skowron, Elizabeth A.; Dutton, Mary Ann; Mosqueda, Laura; Lachs, Mark S.; Pillemer, Karl

2017-01-01

The goal of this review is to discuss the state-of-the-science in elder abuse prevention. Findings from evidence-based programs to reduce elder abuse are discussed, drawing from findings and insights from evidence-based programs for child maltreatment and domestic/ intimate partner violence. A conceptual measurement model for the study of elder abuse is presented, and linked to possible measures of risk factors and outcomes. Advances in neuroscience in child maltreatment and novel measurement strategies for outcome assessment are presented. PMID:27676289

State of the science on prevention of elder abuse and lessons learned from child abuse and domestic violence prevention: Toward a conceptual framework for research.

PubMed

Teresi, Jeanne A; Burnes, David; Skowron, Elizabeth A; Dutton, Mary Ann; Mosqueda, Laura; Lachs, Mark S; Pillemer, Karl

2016-01-01

The goal of this review is to discuss the state of the science in elder abuse prevention. Findings from evidence-based programs to reduce elder abuse are discussed, drawing from findings and insights from evidence-based programs for child maltreatment and domestic/intimate partner violence. A conceptual measurement model for the study of elder abuse is presented and linked to possible measures of risk factors and outcomes. Advances in neuroscience in child maltreatment and novel measurement strategies for outcome assessment are presented.

The RiverFish Approach to Business Process Modeling: Linking Business Steps to Control-Flow Patterns

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuliane, Devanir; Oikawa, Marcio K.; Malkowski, Simon; Alcazar, José Perez; Ferreira, João Eduardo

Despite the recent advances in the area of Business Process Management (BPM), today’s business processes have largely been implemented without clearly defined conceptual modeling. This results in growing difficulties for identification, maintenance, and reuse of rules, processes, and control-flow patterns. To mitigate these problems in future implementations, we propose a new approach to business process modeling using conceptual schemas, which represent hierarchies of concepts for rules and processes shared among collaborating information systems. This methodology bridges the gap between conceptual model description and identification of actual control-flow patterns for workflow implementation. We identify modeling guidelines that are characterized by clear phase separation, step-by-step execution, and process building through diagrams and tables. The separation of business process modeling in seven mutually exclusive phases clearly delimits information technology from business expertise. The sequential execution of these phases leads to the step-by-step creation of complex control-flow graphs. The process model is refined through intuitive table and diagram generation in each phase. Not only does the rigorous application of our modeling framework minimize the impact of rule and process changes, but it also facilitates the identification and maintenance of control-flow patterns in BPM-based information system architectures.

COPEWELL: A Conceptual Framework and System Dynamics Model for Predicting Community Functioning and Resilience After Disasters.

PubMed

Links, Jonathan M; Schwartz, Brian S; Lin, Sen; Kanarek, Norma; Mitrani-Reiser, Judith; Sell, Tara Kirk; Watson, Crystal R; Ward, Doug; Slemp, Cathy; Burhans, Robert; Gill, Kimberly; Igusa, Tak; Zhao, Xilei; Aguirre, Benigno; Trainor, Joseph; Nigg, Joanne; Inglesby, Thomas; Carbone, Eric; Kendra, James M

2018-02-01

Policy-makers and practitioners have a need to assess community resilience in disasters. Prior efforts conflated resilience with community functioning, combined resistance and recovery (the components of resilience), and relied on a static model for what is inherently a dynamic process. We sought to develop linked conceptual and computational models of community functioning and resilience after a disaster. We developed a system dynamics computational model that predicts community functioning after a disaster. The computational model outputted the time course of community functioning before, during, and after a disaster, which was used to calculate resistance, recovery, and resilience for all US counties. The conceptual model explicitly separated resilience from community functioning and identified all key components for each, which were translated into a system dynamics computational model with connections and feedbacks. The components were represented by publicly available measures at the county level. Baseline community functioning, resistance, recovery, and resilience evidenced a range of values and geographic clustering, consistent with hypotheses based on the disaster literature. The work is transparent, motivates ongoing refinements, and identifies areas for improved measurements. After validation, such a model can be used to identify effective investments to enhance community resilience. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2018;12:127-137).

Supporting Instruction By Defining Conceptual Relevance Of Materials: Alignment Of Resources To An Earth Systems Framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Menicucci, A. J.; Bean, J. R.

2017-12-01

Environmental, geological, and climatological sciences are important facets of physical science education. However, it is often difficult for educators to acquire the necessary resources to facilitate content explanations, and demonstration of the conceptual links between individual lessons. The Understanding Global Change (UGC) Project at the University of California Museum of Paleontology (UCMP) at UC Berkeley is aligning new and existing Earth systems educational resources that are high-quality, interactive and inquiry based. Learning resources are organized by the UGC framework topics (Causes of Change, How the Earth System Works, and Measurable Changes), and focus on exploring topic relationships. Resources are currently aligned with both the UGC framework and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), facilitating broad utility among K-16 educators. The overarching goal of the UGC Project is to provide the necessary resources that guide the construction of coherent, interdisciplinary instructional units. These units can be reinforced through system models, providing visual learning scaffolds for assessments of student content knowledge. Utilizing the central framework of UGC alleviates the long-standing problem of creating coherent instructional units from multiple learning resources, each organized and categorized independently across multiple platforms that may not provide explicit connections among Earth science subjects UGC topic cross listing of learning modules establishes conceptual links. Each resource is linked across several Earth system components, facilitating exploration of relationships and feedbacks between processes. Cross listed topics are therefore useful for development of broad picture learning goals via targeted instructional units. We also anticipate cultivating summaries of the explicit conceptual links explored in each resource from both current teachers and content specialists. Insructional units currated and aligned under the UGC framework therefore have the potential for users to develop and impliment inderdisciplinary lesson plans, including multi-segmented units designed to function as independent educational segments, that combine to provide broader subject exploration and deeper understanding of Earth system relationships.

Toward an evidence-based patient-provider communication in rehabilitation: linking communication elements to better rehabilitation outcomes.

PubMed

Jesus, Tiago Silva; Silva, Isabel Lopes

2016-04-01

There is a growing interest in linking aspects of patient-provider communication to rehabilitation outcomes. However, the field lacks a conceptual understanding on: (a) 'how' rehabilitation outcomes can be improved by communication; and (b) through 'which' elements in particular. This article elaborates on the conceptual developments toward informing further practice and research. Existing models of communication in healthcare were adapted to rehabilitation, and its outcomes through a comprehensive literature review. After depicting mediating mechanisms and variables (e.g. therapeutic engagement, adjustment toward disability), this article presents the '4 Rehab Communication Elements' deemed likely to underpin rehabilitation outcomes. The four elements are: (a) knowing the person and building a supportive relationship; (b) effective information exchange and education; (c) shared goal-setting and action planning; and (d) fostering a more positive, yet realistic, cognitive and self-reframing. This article describes an unprecedented, outcomes-oriented approach toward the design of rehabilitation communication, which has resulted in the development of a new intervention model: the '4 Rehab Communication Elements'. Further trials are needed to evaluate the impact of this whole intervention model on rehabilitation outcomes. © The Author(s) 2015.

Counting on fine motor skills: links between preschool finger dexterity and numerical skills.

PubMed

Fischer, Ursula; Suggate, Sebastian P; Schmirl, Judith; Stoeger, Heidrun

2017-10-26

Finger counting is widely considered an important step in children's early mathematical development. Presumably, children's ability to move their fingers during early counting experiences to aid number representation depends in part on their early fine motor skills (FMS). Specifically, FMS should link to children's procedural counting skills through consistent repetition of finger-counting procedures. Accordingly, we hypothesized that (a) FMS are linked to early counting skills, and (b) greater FMS relate to conceptual counting knowledge (e.g., cardinality, abstraction, order irrelevance) via procedural counting skills (i.e., one-one correspondence and correctness of verbal counting). Preschool children (N = 177) were administered measures of procedural counting skills, conceptual counting knowledge, FMS, and general cognitive skills along with parent questionnaires on home mathematics and fine motor environment. FMS correlated with procedural counting skills and conceptual counting knowledge after controlling for cognitive skills, chronological age, home mathematics and FMS environments. Moreover, the relationship between FMS and conceptual counting knowledge was mediated by procedural counting skills. Findings suggest that FMS play a role in early counting and therewith conceptual counting knowledge. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Conceptual Model of Quantities, Units, Dimensions, and Values

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouquette, Nicolas F.; DeKoenig, Hans-Peter; Burkhart, Roger; Espinoza, Huascar

2011-01-01

JPL collaborated with experts from industry and other organizations to develop a conceptual model of quantities, units, dimensions, and values based on the current work of the ISO 80000 committee revising the International System of Units & Quantities based on the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM). By providing support for ISO 80000 in SysML via the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM), this conceptual model provides, for the first time, a standard-based approach for addressing issues of unit coherence and dimensional analysis into the practice of systems engineering with SysML-based tools. This conceptual model provides support for two kinds of analyses specified in the International Vocabulary of Metrology (VIM): coherence of units as well as of systems of units, and dimension analysis of systems of quantities. To provide a solid and stable foundation, the model for defining quantities, units, dimensions, and values in SysML is explicitly based on the concepts defined in VIM. At the same time, the model library is designed in such a way that extensions to the ISQ (International System of Quantities) and SI Units (Systeme International d Unites) can be represented, as well as any alternative systems of quantities and units. The model library can be used to support SysML user models in various ways. A simple approach is to define and document libraries of reusable systems of units and quantities for reuse across multiple projects, and to link units and quantity kinds from these libraries to Unit and QuantityKind stereotypes defined in SysML user models.

How Are Traits Related to Problem Behavior in Preschoolers? Similarities and Contrasts between Temperament and Personality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Pauw, Sarah S. W.; Mervielde, Ivan; Van Leeuwen, Karla G.

2009-01-01

The lack of empirical research relating temperament models and personality hinders conceptual integration and holds back research linking childhood traits to problem behavior or maladjustment. This study evaluates, within a sample of 443 preschoolers, the relationships between children's maladaptation and traits measured by three temperament…

The Benefits of Frequent Positive Affect: Does Happiness Lead to Success?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lyubomirsky, Sonja; King, Laura; Diener, Ed

2005-01-01

Numerous studies show that happy individuals are successful across multiple life domains, including marriage, friendship, income, work performance, and health. The authors suggest a conceptual model to account for these findings, arguing that the happiness-success link exists not only because success makes people happy, but also because positive…

Emotion and the Internet: A Model of Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tran, Thuhang T.; Ward, Cheryl B.

2005-01-01

This conceptual paper examines the link between emotion and surface-deep learning in the context of the international business curriculum. We propose that 1) emotion and learning have a curvilinear relationship, and 2) the reflective abilities and attitude transformations related to deep-level learning can only arise if the student is emotionally…

Using History to Promote Reflection: A Model for Reframing Student Affairs Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimball, Ezekiel W.; Ryder, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

Though history has long been a part of graduate preparation in higher education administration, new student affairs professionals often struggle to see its relevance to their work. We present a conceptual framework that links organizational ecology, institutional culture and climate, and student development through a historical lens. We then…

Dissociating the Representation of Action- and Sound-Related Concepts in Middle Temporal Cortex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiefer, Markus; Trumpp, Natalie; Herrnberger, Barbel; Sim, Eun-Jin; Hoenig, Klaus; Pulvermuller, Friedemann

2012-01-01

Modality-specific models of conceptual memory propose close links between concepts and the sensory-motor systems. Neuroimaging studies found, in different subject groups, that action-related and sound-related concepts activated different parts of posterior middle temporal gyrus (pMTG), suggesting a modality-specific representation of conceptual…

Linking ecological and social scales for natural resource management

Treesearch

Kristiina A. Vogt; Morgan Grove; Heidi Asjornsen; Keely B. Maxwell; Daniel J. Vogt; Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir; Bruce C. Larson; Leo Schibli; Michael Dove

2002-01-01

Natural resource management has moved from a single disciplinary and one resource management approach to an interdisciplinary and ecosystem-based approach. Many conceptual models are being developed to understand and implement ecosystem management and forest certification initiatives that require an integration of data from both the social and natural systems (Vogt...

The Medium Is the Message: Pictures and Objects Evoke Distinct Conceptual Relations in Parent-Child Conversations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ware, Elizabeth A.; Gelman, Susan A.; Kleinberg, Felicia

2013-01-01

An important developmental task is learning to organize experience by forming conceptual relations among entities. (For example, a "lion" and a "snake" can be linked because both are animals; a lion and a cage can be linked because the "lion" lives in the "cage".) We propose that representational medium…

Shifting species interactions in terrestrial dryland ecosystems under altered water availability and climate change

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCluney, Kevin E.; Belnap, Jayne; Collins, Scott L.; González, Angélica L.; Hagen, Elizabeth M.; Holland, J. Nathaniel; Kotler, Burt P.; Maestre, Fernando T.; Smith, Stanley D.; Wolf, Blair O.

2012-01-01

Species interactions play key roles in linking the responses of populations, communities, and ecosystems to environmental change. For instance, species interactions are an important determinant of the complexity of changes in trophic biomass with variation in resources. Water resources are a major driver of terrestrial ecology and climate change is expected to greatly alter the distribution of this critical resource. While previous studies have documented strong effects of global environmental change on species interactions in general, responses can vary from region to region. Dryland ecosystems occupy more than one-third of the Earth's land mass, are greatly affected by changes in water availability, and are predicted to be hotspots of climate change. Thus, it is imperative to understand the effects of environmental change on these globally significant ecosystems. Here, we review studies of the responses of population-level plant-plant, plant-herbivore, and predator-prey interactions to changes in water availability in dryland environments in order to develop new hypotheses and predictions to guide future research. To help explain patterns of interaction outcomes, we developed a conceptual model that views interaction outcomes as shifting between (1) competition and facilitation (plant-plant), (2) herbivory, neutralism, or mutualism (plant-herbivore), or (3) neutralism and predation (predator-prey), as water availability crosses physiological, behavioural, or population-density thresholds. We link our conceptual model to hypothetical scenarios of current and future water availability to make testable predictions about the influence of changes in water availability on species interactions. We also examine potential implications of our conceptual model for the relative importance of top-down effects and the linearity of patterns of change in trophic biomass with changes in water availability. Finally, we highlight key research needs and some possible broader impacts of our findings. Overall, we hope to stimulate and guide future research that links changes in water availability to patterns of species interactions and the dynamics of populations and communities in dryland ecosystems.

Our evolving conceptual model of the coastal eutrophication problem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cloern, James E.

2001-01-01

A primary focus of coastal science during the past 3 decades has been the question: How does anthropogenic nutrient enrichment cause change in the structure or function of nearshore coastal ecosystems? This theme of environmental science is recent, so our conceptual model of the coastal eutrophication problem continues to change rapidly. In this review, I suggest that the early (Phase I) conceptual model was strongly influenced by limnologists, who began intense study of lake eutrophication by the 1960s. The Phase I model emphasized changing nutrient input as a signal, and responses to that signal as increased phytoplankton biomass and primary production, decomposition of phytoplankton-derived organic matter, and enhanced depletion of oxygen from bottom waters. Coastal research in recent decades has identified key differences in the responses of lakes and coastal-estuarine ecosystems to nutrient enrichment. The contemporary (Phase II) conceptual model reflects those differences and includes explicit recognition of (1) system-specific attributes that act as a filter to modulate the responses to enrichment (leading to large differences among estuarine-coastal systems in their sensitivity to nutrient enrichment); and (2) a complex suite of direct and indirect responses including linked changes in: water transparency, distribution of vascular plants and biomass of macroalgae, sediment biogeochemistry and nutrient cycling, nutrient ratios and their regulation of phytoplankton community composition, frequency of toxic/harmful algal blooms, habitat quality for metazoans, reproduction/growth/survival of pelagic and benthic invertebrates, and subtle changes such as shifts in the seasonality of ecosystem functions. Each aspect of the Phase II model is illustrated here with examples from coastal ecosystems around the world. In the last section of this review I present one vision of the next (Phase III) stage in the evolution of our conceptual model, organized around 5 questions that will guide coastal science in the early 21st century: (1) How do system-specific attributes constrain or amplify the responses of coastal ecosystems to nutrient enrichment? (2) How does nutrient enrichment interact with other stressors (toxic contaminants, fishing harvest, aquaculture, nonindigenous species, habitat loss, climate change, hydrologic manipulations) to change coastal ecosystems? (3) How are responses to multiple stressors linked? (4) How does human-induced change in the coastal zone impact the Earth system as habitat for humanity and other species? (5) How can a deeper scientific understanding of the coastal eutrophication problem be applied to develop tools for building strategies at ecosystem restoration or rehabilitation?

A biographical study of food choice capacity: standards, circumstances, and food management skills.

PubMed

Bisogni, Carole A; Jastran, Margaret; Shen, Luana; Devine, Carol M

2005-01-01

Conceptual understanding of how management of food and eating is linked to life course events and experiences. Individual qualitative interviews with adults in upstate New York. Fourteen men and 11 women with moderate to low incomes. PHENOMENON: Food choice capacity. Constant comparative method. A conceptual model of food choice capacity emerged. Food choice capacity represented participants' confidence in meeting their standards for food and eating given their food management skills and circumstances. Standards (expectations for how participants felt they should eat) were based on life course events and experiences. Food management skills (mental and physical talents to keep food costs down and prepare meals) were sources of self-esteem for many participants. Most participants had faced challenging and changing circumstances (income, employment, social support, roles, health conditions). Participants linked strong food management skills with high levels of food choice capacity, except in the case of extreme financial circumstances or the absence of strong standards. Recognizing people's experiences and perspectives in food choice is important. Characterizing food management skills as durable, adaptive resources positions them conceptually for researchers and in a way that practitioners can apply in developing programs for adults.

Links among high-performance work environment, service quality, and customer satisfaction: an extension to the healthcare sector.

PubMed

Scotti, Dennis J; Harmon, Joel; Behson, Scott J

2007-01-01

Healthcare managers must deliver high-quality patient services that generate highly satisfied and loyal customers. In this article, we examine how a high-involvement approach to the work environment of healthcare employees may lead to exceptional service quality, satisfied patients, and ultimately to loyal customers. Specifically, we investigate the chain of events through which high-performance work systems (HPWS) and customer orientation influence employee and customer perceptions of service quality and patient satisfaction in a national sample of 113 Veterans Health Administration ambulatory care centers. We present a conceptual model for linking work environment to customer satisfaction and test this model using structural equations modeling. The results suggest that (1) HPWS is linked to employee perceptions of their ability to deliver high-quality customer service, both directly and through their perceptions of customer orientation; (2) employee perceptions of customer service are linked to customer perceptions of high-quality service; and (3) perceived service quality is linked with customer satisfaction. Theoretical and practical implications of our findings, including suggestions of how healthcare managers can implement changes to their work environments, are discussed.

Concept mapping One-Carbon Metabolism to model future ontologies for nutrient-gene-phenotype interactions.

PubMed

Joslin, A C; Green, R; German, J B; Lange, M C

2014-09-01

Advances in the development of bioinformatic tools continue to improve investigators' ability to interrogate, organize, and derive knowledge from large amounts of heterogeneous information. These tools often require advanced technical skills not possessed by life scientists. User-friendly, low-barrier-to-entry methods of visualizing nutrigenomics information are yet to be developed. We utilized concept mapping software from the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition to create a conceptual model of diet and health-related data that provides a foundation for future nutrigenomics ontologies describing published nutrient-gene/polymorphism-phenotype data. In this model, maps containing phenotype, nutrient, gene product, and genetic polymorphism interactions are visualized as triples of two concepts linked together by a linking phrase. These triples, or "knowledge propositions," contextualize aggregated data and information into easy-to-read knowledge maps. Maps of these triples enable visualization of genes spanning the One-Carbon Metabolism (OCM) pathway, their sequence variants, and multiple literature-mined associations including concepts relevant to nutrition, phenotypes, and health. The concept map development process documents the incongruity of information derived from pathway databases versus literature resources. This conceptual model highlights the importance of incorporating information about genes in upstream pathways that provide substrates, as well as downstream pathways that utilize products of the pathway under investigation, in this case OCM. Other genes and their polymorphisms, such as TCN2 and FUT2, although not directly involved in OCM, potentially alter OCM pathway functionality. These upstream gene products regulate substrates such as B12. Constellations of polymorphisms affecting the functionality of genes along OCM, together with substrate and cofactor availability, may impact resultant phenotypes. These conceptual maps provide a foundational framework for development of nutrient-gene/polymorphism-phenotype ontologies and systems visualization.

A linked hydrodynamic and water quality model for the Salton Sea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chung, E.G.; Schladow, S.G.; Perez-Losada, J.; Robertson, Dale M.

2008-01-01

A linked hydrodynamic and water quality model was developed and applied to the Salton Sea. The hydrodynamic component is based on the one-dimensional numerical model, DLM. The water quality model is based on a new conceptual model for nutrient cycling in the Sea, and simulates temperature, total suspended sediment concentration, nutrient concentrations, including PO4-3, NO3-1 and NH4+1, DO concentration and chlorophyll a concentration as functions of depth and time. Existing water temperature data from 1997 were used to verify that the model could accurately represent the onset and breakup of thermal stratification. 1999 is the only year with a near-complete dataset for water quality variables for the Salton Sea. The linked hydrodynamic and water quality model was run for 1999, and by adjustment of rate coefficients and other water quality parameters, a good match with the data was obtained. In this article, the model is fully described and the model results for reductions in external phosphorus load on chlorophyll a distribution are presented. ?? 2008 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport.

PubMed

Eime, Rochelle M; Young, Janet A; Harvey, Jack T; Charity, Melanie J; Payne, Warren R

2013-08-15

There are specific guidelines regarding the level of physical activity (PA) required to provide health benefits. However, the research underpinning these PA guidelines does not address the element of social health. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence about the levels or types of PA associated specifically with psychological health. This paper first presents the results of a systematic review of the psychological and social health benefits of participation in sport by children and adolescents. Secondly, the information arising from the systematic review has been used to develop a conceptual model. A systematic review of 14 electronic databases was conducted in June 2012, and studies published since 1990 were considered for inclusion. Studies that addressed mental and/or social health benefits from participation in sport were included. A total of 3668 publications were initially identified, of which 30 met the selection criteria. There were many different psychological and social health benefits reported, with the most commonly being improved self-esteem, social interaction followed by fewer depressive symptoms. Sport may be associated with improved psychosocial health above and beyond improvements attributable to participation in PA. Specifically, team sport seems to be associated with improved health outcomes compared to individual activities, due to the social nature of the participation. A conceptual model, Health through Sport, is proposed. The model depicts the relationship between psychological, psychosocial and social health domains, and their positive associations with sport participation, as reported in the literature. However, it is acknowledged that the capacity to determine the existence and direction of causal links between participation and health is limited by the fact that the majority of studies identified (n=21) were cross-sectional. It is recommended that community sport participation is advocated as a form of leisure time PA for children and adolescents, in an effort to not only improve physical health in relation to such matters as the obesity crisis, but also to enhance psychological and social health outcomes. It is also recommended that the causal link between participation in sport and psychosocial health be further investigated and the conceptual model of Health through Sport tested.

A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for adults: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport.

PubMed

Eime, Rochelle M; Young, Janet A; Harvey, Jack T; Charity, Melanie J; Payne, Warren R

2013-12-07

The definition of health incorporates the physical, social and mental domains, however the Physical Activity (PA) guidelines do not address social health. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence about the levels or types of PA associated specifically with psychological health. This paper first presents the results of a systematic review of the psychological and social health benefits of participation in sport by adults. Secondly, the information arising from the systematic review has been used to develop a conceptual model of Health through Sport. A systematic review of 14 electronic databases was conducted in June 2012, and studies published since 1990 were considered for inclusion. Studies that addressed mental and/or social health benefits from participation in sport were included. A total of 3668 publications were initially identified, of which 11 met the selection criteria. There were many different psychological and social health benefits reported, with the most commonly being wellbeing and reduced distress and stress. Sport may be associated with improved psychosocial health in addition to improvements attributable to participation in PA. Specifically, club-based or team-based sport seems to be associated with improved health outcomes compared to individual activities, due to the social nature of the participation. Notwithstanding this, individuals who prefer to participate in sport by themselves can still derive mental health benefits which can enhance the development of true-self-awareness and personal growth which is essential for social health. A conceptual model, Health through Sport, is proposed. The model depicts the relationship between psychological, psychosocial and social health domains, and their positive associations with sport participation, as reported in the literature. However, it is acknowledged that the capacity to determine the existence and direction of causal links between participation and health is limited by the cross-sectional nature of studies to date. It is recommended that participation in sport is advocated as a form of leisure-time PA for adults which can produce a range of health benefits. It is also recommended that the causal link between participation in sport and psycho-social health be further investigated and the conceptual model of Health through Sport tested.

The ecology and evolution of temperature-dependent reaction norms for sex determination in reptiles: a mechanistic conceptual model.

PubMed

Pezaro, Nadav; Doody, J Sean; Thompson, Michael B

2017-08-01

Sex-determining mechanisms are broadly categorised as being based on either genetic or environmental factors. Vertebrate sex determination exhibits remarkable diversity but displays distinct phylogenetic patterns. While all eutherian mammals possess XY male heterogamety and female heterogamety (ZW) is ubiquitous in birds, poikilothermic vertebrates (fish, amphibians and reptiles) exhibit multiple genetic sex-determination (GSD) systems as well as environmental sex determination (ESD). Temperature is the factor controlling ESD in reptiles and temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) in reptiles has become a focal point in the study of this phenomenon. Current patterns of climate change may cause detrimental skews in the population sex ratios of reptiles exhibiting TSD. Understanding the patterns of variation, both within and among populations and linking such patterns with the selection processes they are associated with, is the central challenge of research aimed at predicting the capacity of populations to adapt to novel conditions. Here we present a conceptual model that innovates by defining an individual reaction norm for sex determination as a range of incubation temperatures. By deconstructing individual reaction norms for TSD and revealing their underlying interacting elements, we offer a conceptual solution that explains how variation among individual reaction norms can be inferred from the pattern of population reaction norms. The model also links environmental variation with the different patterns of TSD and describes the processes from which they may arise. Specific climate scenarios are singled out as eco-evolutionary traps that may lead to demographic extinction or a transition to either male or female heterogametic GSD. We describe how the conceptual principles can be applied to interpret TSD data and to explain the adaptive capacity of TSD to climate change as well as its limits and the potential applications for conservation and management programs. © 2016 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Process-based interpretation of conceptual hydrological model performance using a multinational catchment set

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Poncelet, Carine; Merz, Ralf; Merz, Bruno; Parajka, Juraj; Oudin, Ludovic; Andréassian, Vazken; Perrin, Charles

2017-08-01

Most of previous assessments of hydrologic model performance are fragmented, based on small number of catchments, different methods or time periods and do not link the results to landscape or climate characteristics. This study uses large-sample hydrology to identify major catchment controls on daily runoff simulations. It is based on a conceptual lumped hydrological model (GR6J), a collection of 29 catchment characteristics, a multinational set of 1103 catchments located in Austria, France, and Germany and four runoff model efficiency criteria. Two analyses are conducted to assess how features and criteria are linked: (i) a one-dimensional analysis based on the Kruskal-Wallis test and (ii) a multidimensional analysis based on regression trees and investigating the interplay between features. The catchment features most affecting model performance are the flashiness of precipitation and streamflow (computed as the ratio of absolute day-to-day fluctuations by the total amount in a year), the seasonality of evaporation, the catchment area, and the catchment aridity. Nonflashy, nonseasonal, large, and nonarid catchments show the best performance for all the tested criteria. We argue that this higher performance is due to fewer nonlinear responses (higher correlation between precipitation and streamflow) and lower input and output variability for such catchments. Finally, we show that, compared to national sets, multinational sets increase results transferability because they explore a wider range of hydroclimatic conditions.

The Relationship between Looks and Personality: Strong and General or Content Specific?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longo, Laura C.; Ashmore, Richard D.

Most researchers explain the attractiveness-personality link in terms of a simple self-fulfilling prophecy model: a person's good looks evoke a "Beauty is Good" stereotype that causes positive treatment by others, which, in turn, causes the target to develop a "good personality." An alternative conceptual framework expands on the current implicit…

A Problem-Solving Conceptual Framework and Its Implications in Designing Problem-Posing Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singer, Florence Mihaela; Voica, Cristian

2013-01-01

The links between the mathematical and cognitive models that interact during problem solving are explored with the purpose of developing a reference framework for designing problem-posing tasks. When the process of solving is a successful one, a solver successively changes his/her cognitive stances related to the problem via transformations that…

Critical Pathways to School Readiness: Implications for First 5 Ventura County Strategic Planning, Funding and Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Lisa; Tullis, Ericka; Franke, Todd; Halfon, Neal

2005-01-01

The UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities (CHCFC) has developed the School Readiness Critical Pathways (SRCPs) as an evidence-based conceptual model that links related outcomes and strategies. This helps to organize an array of broad and diffuse evidence regarding the strategies that produce school readiness outcomes for…

It's time to Rework the Blueprints: Building a Science for Clinical Psychology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millon, Theodore

2003-01-01

The aims in this article are to connect the conceptual structure of clinical psychological science to what the author believes to be the omnipresent principles of evolution, use the evolutionary model to create a deductively derived clinical theory and taxonomy, link the theory and taxonomy to comprehensive and integrated approaches to assessment,…

The Relation between Abuse and Violent Delinquency: The Conversion of Shame to Blame in Juvenile Offenders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gold, Jason; Sullivan, Margaret Wolan; Lewis, Michael

2011-01-01

Objective: While the relationship between abusive parenting and violent delinquency has been well established, the cognitive and emotional processes by which this occurs remain relatively unidentified. The objective of this work is to apply a conceptual model linking abusive parenting to the conversion of shame into blaming others and therefore to…

Freedom Schools Then and Now: A Transformative Approach to Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Marcia

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide a historical and conceptual link between Ella Baker's Freedom School model and Paulo Freire's demand for critical education and emancipatory learning. Ella Baker, situated in the daunting environment of the Civil Rights Movement, saw education as a tool for social mobility for Mississippi residents in 1964.…

Mediators of the Association of Major Depressive Syndrome and Anxiety Syndrome with Postpartum Smoking Relapse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Correa-Fernandez, Virmarie; Ji, Lingyun; Castro, Yessenia; Heppner, Whitney L.; Vidrine, Jennifer Irvin; Costello, Tracy J.; Mullen, Patricia Dolan; Cofta-Woerpel, Ludmila; Velasquez, Mary M.; Greisinger, Anthony; Cinciripini, Paul M.; Wetter, David W.

2012-01-01

Objective: Based on conceptual models of addiction and affect regulation, this study examined the mechanisms linking current major depressive syndrome (MDS) and anxiety syndrome (AS) to postpartum smoking relapse. Method: Data were collected in a randomized clinical trial from 251 women who quit smoking during pregnancy. Simple and multiple…

Bidirectional Associations between Coparenting Relations and Family Member Anxiety: A Review and Conceptual Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Majdandzic, Mirjana; de Vente, Wieke; Feinberg, Mark E.; Aktar, Evin; Bogels, Susan M.

2012-01-01

Research into anxiety has largely ignored the dynamics of family systems in anxiety development. Coparenting refers to the quality of coordination between individuals responsible for the upbringing of children and links different subsystems within the family, such as the child, the marital relationship, and the parents. This review discusses the…

Development of a Mixed Methods Investigation of Process and Outcomes of Community-Based Participatory Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucero, Julie; Wallerstein, Nina; Duran, Bonnie; Alegria, Margarita; Greene-Moton, Ella; Israel, Barbara; Kastelic, Sarah; Magarati, Maya; Oetzel, John; Pearson, Cynthia; Schulz, Amy; Villegas, Malia; White Hat, Emily R.

2018-01-01

This article describes a mixed methods study of community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership practices and the links between these practices and changes in health status and disparities outcomes. Directed by a CBPR conceptual model and grounded in indigenous-transformative theory, our nation-wide, cross-site study showcases the value…

Alone Is a Crowd: Social Motivations, Social Withdrawal, and Socioemotional Functioning in Later Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coplan, Robert J.; Rose-Krasnor, Linda; Weeks, Murray; Kingsbury, Adam; Kingsbury, Mila; Bullock, Amanda

2013-01-01

The primary goals of this study were to test a conceptual model linking social approach and avoidance motivations, socially withdrawn behaviors, and peer difficulties in later childhood and to compare the socioemotional functioning of different subtypes of withdrawn children (shy, unsociable, avoidant). Participants were 367 children, aged 9-12…

Competition between conceptual relations affects compound recognition: the role of entropy.

PubMed

Schmidtke, Daniel; Kuperman, Victor; Gagné, Christina L; Spalding, Thomas L

2016-04-01

Previous research has suggested that the conceptual representation of a compound is based on a relational structure linking the compound's constituents. Existing accounts of the visual recognition of modifier-head or noun-noun compounds posit that the process involves the selection of a relational structure out of a set of competing relational structures associated with the same compound. In this article, we employ the information-theoretic metric of entropy to gauge relational competition and investigate its effect on the visual identification of established English compounds. The data from two lexical decision megastudies indicates that greater entropy (i.e., increased competition) in a set of conceptual relations associated with a compound is associated with longer lexical decision latencies. This finding indicates that there exists competition between potential meanings associated with the same complex word form. We provide empirical support for conceptual composition during compound word processing in a model that incorporates the effect of the integration of co-activated and competing relational information.

Teacher Education, Motivation, Compensation, Workplace Support, and Links to Quality of Center-Based Child Care and Teachers' Intention to Stay in the Early Childhood Profession

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torquati, Julia C.; Raikes, Helen; Huddleston-Casas, Catherine A.

2007-01-01

The purposes of this study were to present a conceptual model for selection into the early childhood profession and to test the model using contemporaneous assessments. A stratified random sample of center-based child care providers in 4 Midwestern states (n=964) participated in a telephone interview, and 223 were also assessed with the Early…

Linking stressors and ecological responses

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gentile, J.H.; Solomon, K.R.; Butcher, J.B.; Harrass, M.; Landis, W.G.; Power, M.; Rattner, B.A.; Warren-Hicks, W.J.; Wenger, R.; Foran, Jeffery A.; Ferenc, Susan A.

1999-01-01

To characterize risk, it is necessary to quantify the linkages and interactions between chemical, physical and biological stressors and endpoints in the conceptual framework for ecological risk assessment (ERA). This can present challenges in a multiple stressor analysis, and it will not always be possible to develop a quantitative stressor-response profile. This review commences with a conceptual representation of the problem of developing a linkage analysis for multiple stressors and responses. The remainder of the review surveys a variety of mathematical and statistical methods (e.g., ranking methods, matrix models, multivariate dose-response for mixtures, indices, visualization, simulation modeling and decision-oriented methods) for accomplishing the linkage analysis for multiple stressors. Describing the relationships between multiple stressors and ecological effects are critical components of 'effects assessment' in the ecological risk assessment framework.

Conceptualizing the Role of Research Literacy in Advancing Societal Health

PubMed Central

Brody, Janet L.; Dalen, Jeanne; Annett, Robert D.; Scherer, David G.; Turner, Charles W.

2013-01-01

Purpose To provide a conceptual formulation for “research literacy” and preliminary evidence for the utility of the construct in enhancing knowledge of and ethical participation in research. Methods Examined the impact of a brief educational intervention on parents’ research knowledge and their research participation decisions. Results Research-related knowledge was improved. Parents with greater knowledge were more comfortable with their research participation decisions. Enhanced understanding of child volition increased parents’ willingness to enroll their children in research. Conclusion The proposed research literacy model identifies methods to enhance population knowledge and appreciation of research, strengthening links between scientific advancement and health. PMID:22021275

Conceptual ecological models to support detection of ecological change on Alaska National Wildlife Refuges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Woodward, Andrea; Beever, Erik A.

2011-01-01

More than 31 million hectares of land are protected and managed in 16 refuges by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) in Alaska. The vastness and isolation of Alaskan refuges give rise to relatively intact and complete ecosystems. The potential for these lands to provide habitat for trust species is likely to be altered, however, due to global climate change, which is having dramatic effects at high latitudes. The ability of USFWS to effectively manage these lands in the future will be enhanced by a regional inventory and monitoring program that integrates and supplements monitoring currently being implemented by individual refuges. Conceptual models inform monitoring programs in a number of ways, including summarizing important ecosystem components and processes as well as facilitating communication, discussion and debate about the nature of the system and important management issues. This process can lead to hypotheses regarding future changes, likely results of alternative management actions, identification of monitoring indicators, and ultimately, interpretation of monitoring results. As a first step towards developing a monitoring program, the 16 refuges in Alaska each created a conceptual model of their refuge and the landscape context. Models include prominent ecosystem components, drivers, and processes by which components are linked or altered. The Alaska refuge system also recognizes that designing and implementing monitoring at regional and ecoregional extents has numerous scientific, fiscal, logistical, and political advantages over monitoring conducted exclusively at refuge-specific scales. Broad-scale monitoring is particularly advantageous for examining phenomena such as climate change because effects are best interpreted at broader spatial extents. To enable an ecoregional perspective, a rationale was developed for deriving ecoregional boundaries for four ecoregions (Polar, Interior Alaska, Bering Coast, and North Pacific Coast) from the Unified Ecoregions of Alaska. Ecoregional models were then developed to illustrate resources and processes that operate at spatial scales larger than individual refuges within each ecoregion. Conceptual models also were developed for adjacent marine areas, designated as the North Pacific, Bering Sea, and Beaufort-Chukchi Sea Marine Ecoregions. Although many more conceptual models will be required to support development of a regional monitoring program, these definitions of ecoregions and associated conceptual models are an important foundation.

An Isopycnal Box Model with predictive deep-ocean structure for biogeochemical cycling applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwin, Philip

2012-07-01

To simulate global ocean biogeochemical tracer budgets a model must accurately determine both the volume and surface origins of each water-mass. Water-mass volumes are dynamically linked to the ocean circulation in General Circulation Models, but at the cost of high computational load. In computationally efficient Box Models the water-mass volumes are simply prescribed and do not vary when the circulation transport rates or water mass densities are perturbed. A new computationally efficient Isopycnal Box Model is presented in which the sub-surface box volumes are internally calculated from the prescribed circulation using a diffusive conceptual model of the thermocline, in which upwelling of cold dense water is balanced by a downward diffusion of heat. The volumes of the sub-surface boxes are set so that the density stratification satisfies an assumed link between diapycnal diffusivity, κd, and buoyancy frequency, N: κd = c/(Nα), where c and α are user prescribed parameters. In contrast to conventional Box Models, the volumes of the sub-surface ocean boxes in the Isopycnal Box Model are dynamically linked to circulation, and automatically respond to circulation perturbations. This dynamical link allows an important facet of ocean biogeochemical cycling to be simulated in a highly computationally efficient model framework.

Determining rural risk for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhages: A structural equation modeling approach.

PubMed

Nichols, Linda Jayne; Gall, Seana; Stirling, Christine

2016-01-01

An aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) carries a high disability burden. The true impact of rurality as a predictor of outcome severity is unknown. Our aim is to clarify the relationship between the proposed explanations of regional and rural health disparities linked to severity of outcome following an aSAH. An initial literature search identified limited data directly linking geographical location, rurality, rural vulnerability, and aSAH. A further search noting parallels with ischemic stroke and acute myocardial infarct literature presented a number of diverse and interrelated predictors. This a priori knowledge informed the development of a conceptual framework that proposes the relationship between rurality and severity of outcome following an aSAH utilizing structural equation modeling. The presented conceptual framework explores a number of system, environmental, and modifiable risk factors. Socioeconomic characteristics, modifiable risk factors, and timely treatment that were identified as predictors of severity of outcome following an aSAH and within each of these defined predictors a number of contributing specific individual predictors are proposed. There are considerable gaps in the current knowledge pertaining to the impact of rurality on the severity of outcome following an aSAH. Absent from the literature is any investigation of the cumulative impact and multiplicity of risk factors associated with rurality. The proposed conceptual framework hypothesizes a number of relationships between both individual level and system level predictors, acknowledging that intervening predictors may mediate the effect of one variable on another.

Engineering online and in-person social networks to sustain physical activity: application of a conceptual model

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background High rates of physical inactivity compromise the health status of populations globally. Social networks have been shown to influence physical activity (PA), but little is known about how best to engineer social networks to sustain PA. To improve procedures for building networks that shape PA as a normative behavior, there is a need for more specific hypotheses about how social variables influence PA. There is also a need to integrate concepts from network science with ecological concepts that often guide the design of in-person and electronically-mediated interventions. Therefore, this paper: (1) proposes a conceptual model that integrates principles from network science and ecology across in-person and electronically-mediated intervention modes; and (2) illustrates the application of this model to the design and evaluation of a social network intervention for PA. Methods/Design A conceptual model for engineering social networks was developed based on a scoping literature review of modifiable social influences on PA. The model guided the design of a cluster randomized controlled trial in which 308 sedentary adults were randomly assigned to three groups: WalkLink+: prompted and provided feedback on participants’ online and in-person social-network interactions to expand networks for PA, plus provided evidence-based online walking program and weekly walking tips; WalkLink: evidence-based online walking program and weekly tips only; Minimal Treatment Control: weekly tips only. The effects of these treatment conditions were assessed at baseline, post-program, and 6-month follow-up. The primary outcome was accelerometer-measured PA. Secondary outcomes included objectively-measured aerobic fitness, body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, and neighborhood walkability; and self-reported measures of the physical environment, social network environment, and social network interactions. The differential effects of the three treatment conditions on primary and secondary outcomes will be analyzed using general linear modeling (GLM), or generalized linear modeling if the assumptions for GLM cannot be met. Discussion Results will contribute to greater understanding of how to conceptualize and implement social networks to support long-term PA. Establishing social networks for PA across multiple life settings could contribute to cultural norms that sustain active living. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01142804 PMID:23945138

From Magma Fracture to a Seismic Magma Flow Meter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neuberg, J. W.

2007-12-01

Seismic swarms of low-frequency events occur during periods of enhanced volcanic activity and have been related to the flow of magma at depth. Often they precede a dome collapse on volcanoes like Soufriere Hills, Montserrat, or Mt St Helens. This contribution is based on the conceptual model of magma rupture as a trigger mechanism. Several source mechanisms and radiation patterns at the focus of a single event are discussed. We investigate the accelerating event rate and seismic amplitudes during one swarm, as well as over a time period of several swarms. The seismic slip vector will be linked to magma flow parameters resulting in estimates of magma flux for a variety of flow models such as plug flow, parabolic- or friction controlled flow. In this way we try to relate conceptual models to quantitative estimations which could lead to estimations of magma flux at depth from seismic low-frequency signals.

Conceptualising paediatric health disparities: a metanarrative systematic review and unified conceptual framework.

PubMed

Ridgeway, Jennifer L; Wang, Zhen; Finney Rutten, Lila J; van Ryn, Michelle; Griffin, Joan M; Murad, M Hassan; Asiedu, Gladys B; Egginton, Jason S; Beebe, Timothy J

2017-08-04

There exists a paucity of work in the development and testing of theoretical models specific to childhood health disparities even though they have been linked to the prevalence of adult health disparities including high rates of chronic disease. We conducted a systematic review and thematic analysis of existing models of health disparities specific to children to inform development of a unified conceptual framework. We systematically reviewed articles reporting theoretical or explanatory models of disparities on a range of outcomes related to child health. We searched Ovid Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus (database inception to 9 July 2015). A metanarrative approach guided the analysis process. A total of 48 studies presenting 48 models were included. This systematic review found multiple models but no consensus on one approach. However, we did discover a fair amount of overlap, such that the 48 models reviewed converged into the unified conceptual framework. The majority of models included factors in three domains: individual characteristics and behaviours (88%), healthcare providers and systems (63%), and environment/community (56%), . Only 38% of models included factors in the health and public policies domain. A disease-agnostic unified conceptual framework may inform integration of existing knowledge of child health disparities and guide future research. This multilevel framework can focus attention among clinical, basic and social science research on the relationships between policy, social factors, health systems and the physical environment that impact children's health outcomes. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

A novel performance monitoring framework for health research systems: experiences of the National Institute for Health Research in England

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) was established in 2006 with the aim of creating an applied health research system embedded within the English National Health Service (NHS). NIHR sought to implement an approach for monitoring its performance that effectively linked early indicators of performance with longer-term research impacts. We attempted to develop and apply a conceptual framework for defining appropriate key performance indicators for NIHR. Method Following a review of relevant literature, a conceptual framework for defining performance indicators for NIHR was developed, based on a hybridisation of the logic model and balanced scorecard approaches. This framework was validated through interviews with key NIHR stakeholders and a pilot in one division of NIHR, before being refined and applied more widely. Indicators were then selected and aggregated to create a basket of indicators aligned to NIHR's strategic goals, which could be reported to NIHR's leadership team on a quarterly basis via an oversight dashboard. Results Senior health research system managers and practitioners endorsed the conceptual framework developed and reported satisfaction with the breadth and balance of indicators selected for reporting. Conclusions The use of the hybrid conceptual framework provides a pragmatic approach to defining performance indicators that are aligned to the strategic aims of a health research system. The particular strength of this framework is its capacity to provide an empirical link, over time, between upstream activities of a health research system and its long-term strategic objectives. PMID:21435265

Motivation and burnout among top amateur rugby players.

PubMed

Cresswell, Scott L; Eklund, Robert C

2005-03-01

Self-determination theory has proven to be a useful theoretical explanation of the occurrence of ill-being on a variety of accounts. Self-determination theory may also provide a useful explanation of the occurrence of athlete burnout. To date, limited evidence exists to support links between motivation and burnout. To examine relationships and potential causal directions among burnout and types of motivation differing in degree of self-determination. Data were collected on burnout using the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire and Sport Motivation Scale from 392 top amateur male rugby players. Structural equation modeling procedures were employed to evaluate a measurement model and three conceptually grounded structural models. One conceptual model specified concomitant (noncausal) relationships between burnout and motivations varying in self-determination. The other conceptual models specified causal pathways between burnout and the three motivation variables considered in the investigation (i.e., intrinsic motivation, external regulation, and amotivation). Within the models, amotivation, the least self-determined type of motivation, had a large positive association with burnout. Externally regulated motivation had trivial and nonsignificant relationships with burnout. Self-determined forms of motivation (i.e., intrinsic motivation) exhibited significant negative associations with burnout. Overall the results support the potential utility of a self-determination theory explanation of burnout. As all models displayed reasonable and comparable fits, further research is required to establish the nature (concomitant vs directional causal vs reciprocal causal) of the relationship between burnout and motivation.

Declining physical activity and the socio-cultural context of the geography of industrial restructuring: a novel conceptual framework.

PubMed

Rind, Esther; Jones, Andy

2014-05-01

At the population level, the prevalence of physical activity has declined considerably in many developed countries in recent decades. There is some evidence that areas exhibiting the lowest activity levels are those which have undergone a particularly strong transition away from employment in physically demanding occupations. We propose that processes of deindustrialization may be causally linked to unexplained geographical disparities in levels of physical activity. While the sociocultural correlates of physical activity have been well studied, and prior conceptual frameworks have been developed to explain more general patterns of activity, none have explicitly attempted to identify the components of industrial change that may impact physical activity. In this work we review the current literature on sociocultural correlates of health behaviors before using a case study centered on the United Kingdom to present a novel framework that links industrial change to declining levels of physical activity. We developed a comprehensive model linking sociocultural correlates of physical activity to processes associated with industrial restructuring and discuss implication for policy and practice. A better understanding of sociocultural processes may help to ameliorate adverse health consequences of employment decline in communities that have experienced substantial losses of manual employment.

Peer Relationships and Adolescents' Academic and Non-Academic Outcomes: Same-Sex and Opposite-Sex Peer Effects and the Mediating Role of School Engagement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liem, Gregory Arief D.; Martin, Andrew J.

2011-01-01

Background: The literature has documented theoretical/conceptual models delineating the facilitating role of peer relationships in academic and non-academic outcomes. However, the mechanisms through which peer relationships link to those outcomes is an area requiring further research. Aims: The study examined the role of adolescents' perceptions…

Rape, War, and the Socialization of Masculinity: Why Our Refusal to Give up War Ensures that Rape Cannot Be Eradicated

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zurbriggen, Eileen L.

2010-01-01

Rape is endemic during war, suggesting that there may be important conceptual links between the two. A theoretical model is presented positing that rape and war are correlated because traditional (hegemonic) masculinity underlies, and is a cause of, both. An analysis of the literatures on masculinity, rape perpetration, and military socialization…

Social Support Perspectives on Programs for Parents: Lessons from the Child Survival/Fair Start Home Visiting Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larner, Mary

This paper discusses home visiting programs for low income parents and infants and describes five such programs known collectively as the Child Survival/Fair Start (CS/FS) projects, funded by the Ford Foundation. It describes a conceptual model which links risk factors and intervention activities to effects on mothers and children and explains how…

A Service Value Model for Continued Use of Online Services: Conceptual Development and Empirical Examination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Tao

2009-01-01

Online services (OLS) provide billions of Internet users with a variety of opportunities to exchange goods, share information, and develop or maintain relationships. Popular examples of OLS web sites include eBay.com, Amazon.com, Dell.com, Craigslist.com, MSN.com, Yahoo.com, LinkedIn.com, Zillow.com, Facebook.com, Wikipedia.com, and Twitter.com.…

Science Learning: A Path Analysis of Its Links with Reading Comprehension, Question-Asking in Class and Science Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cano, Francisco; García, Ángela; Berbén, A. B. G.; Justicia, Fernando

2014-01-01

The purpose of this research was to build and test a conceptual model of the complex interrelationships between students' learning in science (learning approaches and self-regulation), their reading comprehension, question-asking in class and science achievement. These variables were measured by means of a test and a series of questionnaires…

Maintaining Sexual Desire in Long-Term Relationships: A Systematic Review and Conceptual Model.

PubMed

Mark, Kristen P; Lasslo, Julie A

The most universally experienced sexual response is sexual desire. Though research on this topic has increased in recent years, low and high desire are still problematized in clinical settings and the broader culture. However, despite knowledge that sexual desire ebbs and flows both within and between individuals, and that problems with sexual desire are strongly linked to problems with relationships, there is a critical gap in understanding the factors that contribute to maintaining sexual desire in the context of relationships. This article offers a systematic review of the literature to provide researchers, educators, clinicians, and the broader public with an overview and a conceptual model of nonclinical sexual desire in long-term relationships. First, we systematically identified peer-reviewed, English-language articles that focused on the maintenance of sexual desire in the context of nonclinical romantic relationships. Second, we reviewed a total of 64 articles that met inclusion criteria and synthesized them into factors using a socioecological framework categorized as individual, interpersonal, and societal in nature. These findings are used to build a conceptual model of maintaining sexual desire in long-term relationships. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the existing research and suggest clear directions for future research.

Natural language generation of surgical procedures.

PubMed

Wagner, J C; Rogers, J E; Baud, R H; Scherrer, J R

1999-01-01

A number of compositional Medical Concept Representation systems are being developed. Although these provide for a detailed conceptual representation of the underlying information, they have to be translated back to natural language for used by end-users and applications. The GALEN programme has been developing one such representation and we report here on a tool developed to generate natural language phrases from the GALEN conceptual representations. This tool can be adapted to different source modelling schemes and to different destination languages or sublanguages of a domain. It is based on a multilingual approach to natural language generation, realised through a clean separation of the domain model from the linguistic model and their link by well defined structures. Specific knowledge structures and operations have been developed for bridging between the modelling 'style' of the conceptual representation and natural language. Using the example of the scheme developed for modelling surgical operative procedures within the GALEN-IN-USE project, we show how the generator is adapted to such a scheme. The basic characteristics of the surgical procedures scheme are presented together with the basic principles of the generation tool. Using worked examples, we discuss the transformation operations which change the initial source representation into a form which can more directly be translated to a given natural language. In particular, the linguistic knowledge which has to be introduced--such as definitions of concepts and relationships is described. We explain the overall generator strategy and how particular transformation operations are triggered by language-dependent and conceptual parameters. Results are shown for generated French phrases corresponding to surgical procedures from the urology domain.

Biotic immigration events, speciation, and the accumulation of biodiversity in the fossil record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stigall, Alycia L.; Bauer, Jennifer E.; Lam, Adriane R.; Wright, David F.

2017-01-01

Biotic Immigration Events (BIMEs) record the large-scale dispersal of taxa from one biogeographic area to another and have significantly impacted biodiversity throughout geologic time. BIMEs associated with biodiversity increases have been linked to ecologic and evolutionary processes including niche partitioning, species packing, and higher speciation rates. Yet substantial biodiversity decline has also been documented following BIMEs due to elevated extinction and/or reduced speciation rates. In this review, we develop a conceptual model for biodiversity accumulation that links BIMEs and geographic isolation with local (α) diversity, regional (β) diversity, and global (γ) diversity metrics. Within the model, BIME intervals are characterized by colonization of existing species within new geographic regions and a lack of successful speciation events. Thus, there is no change in γ-diversity, and α-diversity increases at the cost of β-diversity. An interval of regional isolation follows in which lineage splitting results in successful speciation events and diversity increases across all three metrics. Alternation of these two regimes can result in substantial biodiversity accumulation. We tested this conceptual model using a series of case studies from the paleontological record. We primarily focus on two intervals during the Middle through Late Ordovician Period (470-458 Ma): the globally pervasive BIMEs during the Great Ordovician Biodiversification Event (GOBE) and a regional BIME, the Richmondian Invasion. We further test the conceptual model by examining the Great Devonian Interchange, Neogene mollusk migrations and diversification, and the Great American Biotic Interchange. Paleontological data accord well with model predictions. Constraining the mechanisms of biodiversity accumulation provides context for conservation biology. Because α-, β-, and γ-diversity are semi-independent, different techniques should be considered for sustaining various diversity partitions. Maintaining natural migration routes and population sizes among isolated regions are vital to preserving both extant biodiversity and biogeographic pathways requisite for future diversity generation.

Defining Scenarios: Linking Integrated Models, Regional Concerns, and Stakeholders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hartmann, H. C.; Stewart, S.; Liu, Y.; Mahmoud, M.

2007-05-01

Scenarios are important tools for long-term planning, and there is great interest in using integrated models in scenario studies. However, scenario definition and assessment are creative, as well as scientific, efforts. Using facilitated creative processes, we have worked with stakeholders to define regionally significant scenarios that encompass a broad range of hydroclimatic, socioeconomic, and institutional dimensions. The regional scenarios subsequently inform the definition of local scenarios that work with context-specific integrated models that, individually, can address only a subset of overall regional complexity. Based on concerns of stakeholders in the semi-arid US Southwest, we prioritized three dimensions that are especially important, yet highly uncertain, for long-term planning: hydroclimatic conditions (increased variability, persistent drought), development patterns (urban consolidation, distributed rural development), and the nature of public institutions (stressed, proactive). Linking across real-world decision contexts and integrated modeling efforts poses challenges of creatively connecting the conceptual models held by both the research and stakeholder communities.

Process-aware EHR BPM systems: two prototypes and a conceptual framework.

PubMed

Webster, Charles; Copenhaver, Mark

2010-01-01

Systematic methods to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of electronic health record-mediated processes will be key to EHRs playing an important role in the positive transformation of healthcare. Business process management (BPM) systematically optimizes process effectiveness, efficiency, and flexibility. Therefore BPM offers relevant ideas and technologies. We provide a conceptual model based on EHR productivity and negative feedback control that links EHR and BPM domains, describe two EHR BPM prototype modules, and close with the argument that typical EHRs must become more process-aware if they are to take full advantage of BPM ideas and technology. A prediction: Future extensible clinical groupware will coordinate delivery of EHR functionality to teams of users by combining modular components with executable process models whose usability (effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction) will be systematically improved using business process management techniques.

Recent or imminent separation and intimate violence against women. A conceptual overview and some Canadian examples.

PubMed

Sev'er, A

1997-12-01

The link between recent or imminent separation and violence against female partners is discussed. Interviews were conducted among 87 divorced, separated and domestic violence survivors during 1985-88 to study violence perpetrated by men against their female intimate partners. Various bodies of literature are reviewed to establish the fact that separation heightens the risk of violence. The conceptual contributions of social learning and power and control theories are presented as they pertain to intimate violence against women. An expanded version of the power-and-control model is used to underscore the violence proneness of separations, especially when women initiate separations. To illustrate the expanded model, numerous Canadian examples are provided, drawn from interviews with divorced women, survivors of intimate violence, and news media reports. Finally, different strategies to break the cycle of violence are summarized.

Disorganization and real-world functioning in schizophrenia: Results from the multicenter study of the Italian Network for Research on Psychoses.

PubMed

Rocca, P; Galderisi, S; Rossi, A; Bertolino, A; Rucci, P; Gibertoni, D; Montemagni, C; Bellino, S; Aguglia, E; Amore, M; Bellomo, A; Biondi, M; Carpiniello, B; Cuomo, A; D'Ambrosio, E; dell'Osso, L; Girardi, P; Marchesi, C; Monteleone, P; Montemitro, C; Oldani, L; Pacitti, F; Roncone, R; Siracusano, A; Tenconi, E; Vita, A; Zeppegno, P; Steardo, L; Vignapiano, A; Maj, M

2018-06-10

A general consensus has not yet been reached regarding the role of disorganization symptoms in real-world functioning in schizophrenia. We used structural equations modeling (SEM) to analyze the direct and indirect associations between disorganization and real-world functioning assessed through the Specific Levels of Functioning Scale (SLOF) in 880 subjects with schizophrenia. We found that: 1) conceptual disorganization was directly and strongly connected with SLOF daily activities; difficulty in abstract thinking was associated with moderate strength to all SLOF domains, and poor attention was connected with SLOF work skills; 2) grandiosity was only related with poor work skills, and delusions were associated with poor functioning in all SLOF domains; interpersonal relationships were weakly indirectly influenced by hallucinatory behavior, delusions and unusual thought contents through the mediation of social cognition (SC); 3) among the negative symptoms, avolition had only direct links with SLOF work skills and SLOF activities; anhedonia had direct links with SLOF work skills and SLOF interpersonal and indirect link with SLOF work skills through functional capacity (FC); asociality with SLOF interpersonal; blunted affect had direct links with SLOF activities and indirect links with SLOF interpersonal relationships mediated by SC. Lastly, alogia had only indirect links mediated by SC, FC, and neurocognition (NC). Overall conceptual disorganization is the symptom that contributed more (both directly and indirectly) to the activities of community living in real-world. Thus, it should be considered as a treatment target in intervention programs for patients with schizophrenia. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Revisiting competition in a classic model system using formal links between theory and data.

PubMed

Hart, Simon P; Burgin, Jacqueline R; Marshall, Dustin J

2012-09-01

Formal links between theory and data are a critical goal for ecology. However, while our current understanding of competition provides the foundation for solving many derived ecological problems, this understanding is fractured because competition theory and data are rarely unified. Conclusions from seminal studies in space-limited benthic marine systems, in particular, have been very influential for our general understanding of competition, but rely on traditional empirical methods with limited inferential power and compatibility with theory. Here we explicitly link mathematical theory with experimental field data to provide a more sophisticated understanding of competition in this classic model system. In contrast to predictions from conceptual models, our estimates of competition coefficients show that a dominant space competitor can be equally affected by interspecific competition with a poor competitor (traditionally defined) as it is by intraspecific competition. More generally, the often-invoked competitive hierarchies and intransitivities in this system might be usefully revisited using more sophisticated empirical and analytical approaches.

A conceptual framework for road safety and mobility applied to cycling safety.

PubMed

Schepers, Paul; Hagenzieker, Marjan; Methorst, Rob; van Wee, Bert; Wegman, Fred

2014-01-01

Scientific literature lacks a model which combines exposure to risk, risk, and the relationship between them. This paper presents a conceptual road safety framework comprising mutually interacting factors for exposure to risk resulting from travel behaviour (volumes, modal split, and distribution of traffic over time and space) and for risk (crash and injury risk). The framework's three determinants for travel behaviour are locations of activities; resistances (generalized transport costs); needs, opportunities, and abilities. Crash and injury risks are modelled by the three 'safety pillars': infrastructure, road users and the vehicles they use. Creating a link in the framework between risk and exposure is important because of the 'non-linear relationship' between them, i.e. risk tends to decrease as exposure increases. Furthermore, 'perceived' risk (a type of travel resistance) plays a role in mode choice, i.e. the perception that a certain type of vehicle is unsafe can be a deterrent to its use. This paper uses theories to explain how the elements in the model interact. Cycling is an area where governments typically have goals for both mobility and safety. To exemplify application of the model, the paper uses the framework to link research on cycling (safety) to land use and infrastructure. The model's value lies in its ability to identify potential consequences of measures and policies for both exposure and risk. This is important from a scientific perspective and for policy makers who often have objectives for both mobility and safety. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Self-rated health, multimorbidity and depression in Mexican older adults: Proposal and evaluation of a simple conceptual model.

PubMed

Bustos-Vázquez, Eduardo; Fernández-Niño, Julián Alfredo; Astudillo-Garcia, Claudia Iveth

2017-04-01

Self-rated health is an individual and subjective conceptualization involving the intersection of biological, social and psychological factors. It provides an invaluable and unique evaluation of a person's general health status. To propose and evaluate a simple conceptual model to understand self-rated health and its relationship to multimorbidity, disability and depressive symptoms in Mexican older adults. We conducted a cross-sectional study based on a national representative sample of 8,874 adults of 60 years of age and older. Self-perception of a positive health status was determined according to a Likert-type scale based on the question: "What do you think is your current health status?" Intermediate variables included multimorbidity, disability and depressive symptoms, as well as dichotomous exogenous variables (sex, having a partner, participation in decision-making and poverty). The proposed conceptual model was validated using a general structural equation model with a logit link function for positive self-rated health. A direct association was found between multimorbidity and positive self-rated health (OR=0.48; 95% CI: 0.42-0.55), disability and positive self-rated health (OR=0.35; 95% CI: 0.30-0.40), depressive symptoms and positive self-rated health (OR=0.38; 95% CI: 0.34-0.43). The model also validated indirect associations between disability and depressive symptoms (OR=2.25; 95% CI: 2.01- 2.52), multimorbidity and depressive symptoms (OR=1.79; 95% CI: 1.61-2.00) and multimorbidity and disability (OR=1.98; 95% CI: 1.78-2.20). A parsimonious theoretical model was empirically evaluated, which enabled identifying direct and indirect associations with positive self-rated health.

Connecting organisational culture and quality of care in the hospital: is job burnout the missing link?

PubMed

Montgomery, Anthony; Panagopoulou, Efharis; Kehoe, Ian; Valkanos, Efthymios

2011-01-01

To date, relatively little evidence has been published as to what represents an effective and efficient way to improve quality of care and safety in hospitals. In addition, the initiatives that do exist are rarely designed or developed with regard to the individual and organisational factors that determine the success or failure of such initiatives. One of the challenges in linking organisational culture to quality of care is to identify the focal point at which a deficient hospital culture and inadequate organisational resources are most evident. The accumulated evidence suggests that such a point is physician burnout. This paper sets out to examine this issue. The paper reviews the existing literature on organisational culture, burnout and quality of care in the healthcare sector. A new conceptual approach as to how organisational culture and quality of care can be more effectively linked through the physician experience of burnout is proposed. Recommendations are provided with regard to how future research can approach quality of care from a bottom-up organisational change perspective. In addition, the need to widen the debate beyond US and North European experiences is discussed. The present paper represents an attempt to link organisational culture, job burnout and quality of care in a more meaningful way. A conceptual model has been provided as a way to frame and evaluate future research.

Conceptual and Critical Development in Student Teachers: First Steps towards an Integrated Comprehension of Osmosis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Viennot, Laurence; Décamp, Nicolas

2016-01-01

This investigation is focused on possible links between the development of critical attitude and conceptual understanding. We conducted a fine grained analysis of five student teachers' critical and conceptual development during a one hour and a half interaction with an expert. This investigation completes a series of three previous studies…

Work-family enrichment and job performance: a constructive replication of affective events theory.

PubMed

Carlson, Dawn; Kacmar, K Michele; Zivnuska, Suzanne; Ferguson, Merideth; Whitten, Dwayne

2011-07-01

Based on affective events theory (AET), we hypothesize a four-step model of the mediating mechanisms of positive mood and job satisfaction in the relationship between work-family enrichment and job performance. We test this model for both directions of enrichment (work-to-family and family-to-work). We used two samples to test the model using structural equation modeling. Results from Study 1, which included 240 full-time employees, were replicated in Study 2, which included 189 matched subordinate-supervisor dyads. For the work-to-family direction, results from both samples support our conceptual model and indicate mediation of the enrichment-performance relationship for the work-to-family direction of enrichment. For the family-to-work direction, results from the first sample support our conceptual model but results from the second sample do not. Our findings help elucidate mixed findings in the enrichment and job performance literatures and contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms linking these concepts. We conclude with a discussion of the practical and theoretical implications of our findings.

Resilient cities: meaning, models, and metaphor for integrating the ecological, socio-economic, and planning realms

Treesearch

S.T.A. Pickett; M.L. Cadenasso; J.M. Grove

2004-01-01

Urban designers, ecologists, and social scientists have called for closer links among their disciplines. We examine a promising new tool for promoting this linkage—the metaphor of "cities of resilience." To put this tool to best use, we indicate how metaphor fits with other conceptual tools in science. We then present the two opposing definitions of...

Electromagnetic Compatibility in the Defense Systems of Future Years

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-06-01

Technology activities. Its mission is to conduct and promote cooperative research and information exchange . The objective is to support the development...testing CLEARANCE PRODUCTION AND IN-SERVICE SUPPORT Modelling in support of conceptual design (structure & installation design) EMH Design guides for the... marketed by Advanced Electromagnetics [6-1]. Transmission Line Matrix Method The link between field theory and circuit theory, the major theories on

Shy but Getting By? An Examination of the Complex Links among Shyness, Coping, and Socioemotional Functioning in Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingsbury, Mila; Coplan, Robert J.; Rose-Krasnor, Linda

2013-01-01

The purpose of the current study was to test a conceptual model of the mediated and moderated associations among shyness, coping strategies, and socioemotional functioning in middle childhood. Participants were 358 children (177 boys) aged 9-13 years (M = 10.16 years, SD = 0.95). Children completed self-report assessments of shyness, coping style…

On Learning: Metrics Based Systems for Countering Asymmetric Threats

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-05-25

of self- education . While this alone cannot guarantee organizational learning , no organization can learn without a spirit of individual learning ...held views on globalization and the impact of Information Age technology . The emerging environment conceptually links to the learning model as part...On Learning : Metrics Based Systems for Countering Asymmetric Threats A Monograph by MAJ Rafael Lopez U.S. Army School of Advanced Military

Back to Basics: Exploring the Conceptual Basis of Nursing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scammell, J.; Miller, S.

1999-01-01

Supports the need for study of the foundational concepts of nursing. Evaluates nursing teachers' experiences in implementing a foundations unit, showing that it raised conceptual awareness and helped students link theory and practice. (SK)

Shifting species interactions in terrestrial dryland ecosystems under altered water availability and climate change.

PubMed

McCluney, Kevin E; Belnap, Jayne; Collins, Scott L; González, Angélica L; Hagen, Elizabeth M; Nathaniel Holland, J; Kotler, Burt P; Maestre, Fernando T; Smith, Stanley D; Wolf, Blair O

2012-08-01

Species interactions play key roles in linking the responses of populations, communities, and ecosystems to environmental change. For instance, species interactions are an important determinant of the complexity of changes in trophic biomass with variation in resources. Water resources are a major driver of terrestrial ecology and climate change is expected to greatly alter the distribution of this critical resource. While previous studies have documented strong effects of global environmental change on species interactions in general, responses can vary from region to region. Dryland ecosystems occupy more than one-third of the Earth's land mass, are greatly affected by changes in water availability, and are predicted to be hotspots of climate change. Thus, it is imperative to understand the effects of environmental change on these globally significant ecosystems. Here, we review studies of the responses of population-level plant-plant, plant-herbivore, and predator-prey interactions to changes in water availability in dryland environments in order to develop new hypotheses and predictions to guide future research. To help explain patterns of interaction outcomes, we developed a conceptual model that views interaction outcomes as shifting between (1) competition and facilitation (plant-plant), (2) herbivory, neutralism, or mutualism (plant-herbivore), or (3) neutralism and predation (predator-prey), as water availability crosses physiological, behavioural, or population-density thresholds. We link our conceptual model to hypothetical scenarios of current and future water availability to make testable predictions about the influence of changes in water availability on species interactions. We also examine potential implications of our conceptual model for the relative importance of top-down effects and the linearity of patterns of change in trophic biomass with changes in water availability. Finally, we highlight key research needs and some possible broader impacts of our findings. Overall, we hope to stimulate and guide future research that links changes in water availability to patterns of species interactions and the dynamics of populations and communities in dryland ecosystems. © 2011 The Authors. Biological Reviews © 2011 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for children and adolescents: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background There are specific guidelines regarding the level of physical activity (PA) required to provide health benefits. However, the research underpinning these PA guidelines does not address the element of social health. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence about the levels or types of PA associated specifically with psychological health. This paper first presents the results of a systematic review of the psychological and social health benefits of participation in sport by children and adolescents. Secondly, the information arising from the systematic review has been used to develop a conceptual model. Methods A systematic review of 14 electronic databases was conducted in June 2012, and studies published since 1990 were considered for inclusion. Studies that addressed mental and/or social health benefits from participation in sport were included. Results A total of 3668 publications were initially identified, of which 30 met the selection criteria. There were many different psychological and social health benefits reported, with the most commonly being improved self-esteem, social interaction followed by fewer depressive symptoms. Sport may be associated with improved psychosocial health above and beyond improvements attributable to participation in PA. Specifically, team sport seems to be associated with improved health outcomes compared to individual activities, due to the social nature of the participation. A conceptual model, Health through Sport, is proposed. The model depicts the relationship between psychological, psychosocial and social health domains, and their positive associations with sport participation, as reported in the literature. However, it is acknowledged that the capacity to determine the existence and direction of causal links between participation and health is limited by the fact that the majority of studies identified (n=21) were cross-sectional. Conclusion It is recommended that community sport participation is advocated as a form of leisure time PA for children and adolescents, in an effort to not only improve physical health in relation to such matters as the obesity crisis, but also to enhance psychological and social health outcomes. It is also recommended that the causal link between participation in sport and psychosocial health be further investigated and the conceptual model of Health through Sport tested. PMID:23945179

A systematic review of the psychological and social benefits of participation in sport for adults: informing development of a conceptual model of health through sport

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The definition of health incorporates the physical, social and mental domains, however the Physical Activity (PA) guidelines do not address social health. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence about the levels or types of PA associated specifically with psychological health. This paper first presents the results of a systematic review of the psychological and social health benefits of participation in sport by adults. Secondly, the information arising from the systematic review has been used to develop a conceptual model of Health through Sport. Methods A systematic review of 14 electronic databases was conducted in June 2012, and studies published since 1990 were considered for inclusion. Studies that addressed mental and/or social health benefits from participation in sport were included. Results A total of 3668 publications were initially identified, of which 11 met the selection criteria. There were many different psychological and social health benefits reported, with the most commonly being wellbeing and reduced distress and stress. Sport may be associated with improved psychosocial health in addition to improvements attributable to participation in PA. Specifically, club-based or team-based sport seems to be associated with improved health outcomes compared to individual activities, due to the social nature of the participation. Notwithstanding this, individuals who prefer to participate in sport by themselves can still derive mental health benefits which can enhance the development of true-self-awareness and personal growth which is essential for social health. A conceptual model, Health through Sport, is proposed. The model depicts the relationship between psychological, psychosocial and social health domains, and their positive associations with sport participation, as reported in the literature. However, it is acknowledged that the capacity to determine the existence and direction of causal links between participation and health is limited by the cross-sectional nature of studies to date. Conclusion It is recommended that participation in sport is advocated as a form of leisure-time PA for adults which can produce a range of health benefits. It is also recommended that the causal link between participation in sport and psycho-social health be further investigated and the conceptual model of Health through Sport tested. PMID:24313992

Spatial attention interacts with serial-order retrieval from verbal working memory.

PubMed

van Dijck, Jean-Philippe; Abrahamse, Elger L; Majerus, Steve; Fias, Wim

2013-09-01

The ability to maintain the serial order of events is recognized as a major function of working memory. Although general models of working memory postulate a close link between working memory and attention, such a link has so far not been proposed specifically for serial-order working memory. The present study provided the first empirical demonstration of a direct link between serial order in verbal working memory and spatial selective attention. We show that the retrieval of later items of a sequence stored in working memory-compared with that of earlier items-produces covert attentional shifts toward the right. This observation suggests the conceptually surprising notion that serial-order working memory, even for nonspatially defined verbal items, draws on spatial attention.

Disentangling mechanisms that mediate the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes in microbial succession.

PubMed

Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Stegen, James C; van Elsas, Jan Dirk; Salles, Joana Falcão

2015-03-17

Ecological succession and the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes are two major themes within microbial ecology, but these conceptual domains have mostly developed independent of each other. Here we provide a framework that integrates shifts in community assembly processes with microbial primary succession to better understand mechanisms governing the stochastic/deterministic balance. Synthesizing previous work, we devised a conceptual model that links ecosystem development to alternative hypotheses related to shifts in ecological assembly processes. Conceptual model hypotheses were tested by coupling spatiotemporal data on soil bacterial communities with environmental conditions in a salt marsh chronosequence spanning 105 years of succession. Analyses within successional stages showed community composition to be initially governed by stochasticity, but as succession proceeded, there was a progressive increase in deterministic selection correlated with increasing sodium concentration. Analyses of community turnover among successional stages--which provide a larger spatiotemporal scale relative to within stage analyses--revealed that changes in the concentration of soil organic matter were the main predictor of the type and relative influence of determinism. Taken together, these results suggest scale-dependency in the mechanisms underlying selection. To better understand mechanisms governing these patterns, we developed an ecological simulation model that revealed how changes in selective environments cause shifts in the stochastic/deterministic balance. Finally, we propose an extended--and experimentally testable--conceptual model integrating ecological assembly processes with primary and secondary succession. This framework provides a priori hypotheses for future experiments, thereby facilitating a systematic approach to understand assembly and succession in microbial communities across ecosystems.

Disentangling mechanisms that mediate the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes in microbial succession

PubMed Central

Dini-Andreote, Francisco; Stegen, James C.; van Elsas, Jan Dirk; Salles, Joana Falcão

2015-01-01

Ecological succession and the balance between stochastic and deterministic processes are two major themes within microbial ecology, but these conceptual domains have mostly developed independent of each other. Here we provide a framework that integrates shifts in community assembly processes with microbial primary succession to better understand mechanisms governing the stochastic/deterministic balance. Synthesizing previous work, we devised a conceptual model that links ecosystem development to alternative hypotheses related to shifts in ecological assembly processes. Conceptual model hypotheses were tested by coupling spatiotemporal data on soil bacterial communities with environmental conditions in a salt marsh chronosequence spanning 105 years of succession. Analyses within successional stages showed community composition to be initially governed by stochasticity, but as succession proceeded, there was a progressive increase in deterministic selection correlated with increasing sodium concentration. Analyses of community turnover among successional stages—which provide a larger spatiotemporal scale relative to within stage analyses—revealed that changes in the concentration of soil organic matter were the main predictor of the type and relative influence of determinism. Taken together, these results suggest scale-dependency in the mechanisms underlying selection. To better understand mechanisms governing these patterns, we developed an ecological simulation model that revealed how changes in selective environments cause shifts in the stochastic/deterministic balance. Finally, we propose an extended—and experimentally testable—conceptual model integrating ecological assembly processes with primary and secondary succession. This framework provides a priori hypotheses for future experiments, thereby facilitating a systematic approach to understand assembly and succession in microbial communities across ecosystems. PMID:25733885

Refinement of a Conceptual Model for Adolescent Readiness to Engage in End-of-Life Discussions.

PubMed

Bell, Cynthia J; Zimet, Gregory D; Hinds, Pamela S; Broome, Marion E; McDaniel, Anna M; Mays, Rose M; Champion, Victoria L

Adolescents living with incurable cancer require ongoing support to process grief, emotions, and information as disease progresses including treatment options (phase 1 clinical trials and/or hospice/palliative care). Little is known about how adolescents become ready for such discussions. The purpose of this study was to explore the process of adolescent readiness for end-of-life preparedness discussions, generating a theoretical understanding for guiding clinical conversations when curative options are limited. We explored 2 in-depth cases across time using case-study methodology. An à priori conceptual model based on current end-of-life research guided data collection and analysis. Multiple sources including in-depth adolescent interviews generated data collection on model constructs. Analysis followed a logical sequence establishing a chain of evidence linking raw data to study conclusions. Synthesis and data triangulation across cases and time led to theoretical generalizations. Initially, we proposed a linear process of readiness with 3 domains: a cognitive domain (awareness), an emotional domain (acceptance), and a behavioral domain (willingness), which preceded preparedness. Findings led to conceptual model refinement showing readiness is a dynamic internal process that interacts with preparedness. Current awareness context facilitates the type of preparedness discussions (cognitive or emotional). Furthermore, social constraint inhibits discussions. Data support theoretical understanding of the dynamism of readiness. Future research that validates adolescent conceptualization will ensure age-appropriate readiness representation. Understanding the dynamic process of readiness for engaging in end-of-life preparedness provides clinician insight for guiding discussions that facilitate shared decision making and promote quality of life for adolescents and their families.

Modelling students' knowledge organisation: Genealogical conceptual networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koponen, Ismo T.; Nousiainen, Maija

2018-04-01

Learning scientific knowledge is largely based on understanding what are its key concepts and how they are related. The relational structure of concepts also affects how concepts are introduced in teaching scientific knowledge. We model here how students organise their knowledge when they represent their understanding of how physics concepts are related. The model is based on assumptions that students use simple basic linking-motifs in introducing new concepts and mostly relate them to concepts that were introduced a few steps earlier, i.e. following a genealogical ordering. The resulting genealogical networks have relatively high local clustering coefficients of nodes but otherwise resemble networks obtained with an identical degree distribution of nodes but with random linking between them (i.e. the configuration-model). However, a few key nodes having a special structural role emerge and these nodes have a higher than average communicability betweenness centralities. These features agree with the empirically found properties of students' concept networks.

Enriching student concept images: Teaching and learning fractions through a multiple-embodiment approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaofen; Clements, M. A. (Ken); Ellerton, Nerida F.

2015-06-01

This study investigated how fifth-grade children's concept images of the unit fractions represented by the symbols , , and changed as a result of their participation in an instructional intervention based on multiple embodiments of fraction concepts. The participants' concept images were examined through pre- and post-teaching written questions and pre- and post-teaching one-to-one verbal interview questions. Results showed that at the pre-teaching stage, the student concept images of unit fractions were very narrow and mainly linked to area models. However, after the instructional intervention, the fifth graders were able to select and apply a variety of models in response to unit fraction tasks, and their concept images of unit fractions were enriched and linked to capacity, perimeter, linear and discrete models, as well as to area models. Their performances on tests had improved, and their conceptual understandings of unit fractions had developed.

Conceptual Modeling for Adaptive Environmental Assessment and Management in the Barycz Valley, Lower Silesia, Poland

PubMed Central

Magnuszewski, Piotr; Sendzimir, Jan; Kronenberg, Jakub

2005-01-01

The complexity of interactions in socio-ecological systems makes it very difficult to plan and implement policies successfully. Traditional environmental management and assessment techniques produce unsatisfactory results because they often ignore facets of system structure that underlie complexity: delays, feedbacks, and non-linearities. Assuming that causes are linked in a linear chain, they concentrate on technological developments (“hard path”) as the only solutions to environmental problems. Adaptive Management is recognized as a promising alternative approach directly addressing links between social and ecological systems and involving stakeholders in the analysis and decision process. This “soft path” requires special tools to facilitate collaboration between “experts” and stakeholders in analyzing complex situations and prioritizing policies and actions. We have applied conceptual modeling to increase communication, understanding and commitment in the project of seven NGOs “Sustainable Regional Development in the Odra Catchment”. The main goal was to help our NGO partners to facilitate their efforts related to developing sustainable policies and practices to respond to large-scale challenges (EU accession, global changes in climate and economy) to their natural, economic and socio-cultural heritages. Among the variety of sustainability issues explored by these NGOs, two (extensive agricultural practices and “green” local products) were examined by using Adaptive Management (AM) as a framework that would link analysis, discussion, research, actions and monitoring. Within the AM framework the project coordinators used tools of systems analysis (Mental Model Mapping) to facilitate discussions in which NGO professionals and local stakeholders could graphically diagram and study their understanding of what factors interacted and how they affect the region’s sustainability. These discussions produced larger-scale Regional Sustainability Models as well as more detailed sub-models of particular factors, processes, and feedback loops that appear critical to a sustainable future. The Regional Sustainability Model was used to identify a subset of key interacting factors (variables). For each variable, several sustainability indicators were suggested. The growing understanding and acceptance of the AM framework and systems analysis created a momentum both locally and within the region, which makes continued successful use of these indicators quite likely. In contrast to expert-driven projects that inject outside knowledge into a local context, this project established a broad basis for stakeholder-driven discussion that is articulated into goals, objectives, conceptual models, and indicators. The ability to learn and adapt in the AM framework increases the capacity to innovate and find policies and practices that enhance resilience and sustainability in a world in transition. PMID:16705818

Introduction of a conceptual model for integrating the MMPI-2-RF into HCR-20V3 violence risk assessments and associations between the MMPI-2-RF and institutional violence.

PubMed

Tarescavage, Anthony M; Glassmire, David M; Burchett, Danielle

2016-12-01

Reflecting the need to prevent violence, structured professional judgment assessment tools have been developed specifically to assess the likelihood of future violence. These tools typically integrate data from clinical interviews and collateral records to assist in the conceptualization of violence risk, but objective psychological testing may also be useful in completing the instruments. The authors describe the advantages of using the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) in this manner with the Historical Clinical Management-20 Version 3 (HCR-20 V3 ). Accordingly, they have 2 purposes. First, they sought to identify conceptual links between the constructs measured by the tools and introduce a model to integrate MMPI-2-RF findings into an HCR-20 V3 risk assessment. Second, although the authors did not have collateral HCR-20 V3 ratings, they sought to examine associations between the MMPI-2-RF scales and future violence in a sample of 303 psychiatric patients (233 males, 70 females) adjudicated as not guilty by reason of insanity. The authors found that the MMPI-2-RF scales demonstrated significant, meaningful associations with a count of future violent acts at the hospital. The largest associations involved scales measuring emotional dysregulation and externalizing dysfunction. These associations were qualified by relative risk ratio analyses indicating that patients producing elevations on these scales were at 1.5 to 2.5 times greater risk of future violence than those without elevations. Overall, the findings indicated that most MMPI-2-RF scales conceptually linked to the HCR-20 V3 risk factors were associated with future violence. In light of these findings, the authors discuss recommendations for integrating the MMPI-2-RF when interpreting HCR-20 V3 risk factors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Developing and testing a theoretical model linking work-family conflict to employee safety.

PubMed

Cullen, Jennifer C; Hammer, Leslie B

2007-07-01

Despite work-family conflict being recognized as a source of stress, no published research to our knowledge has considered how it negatively affects workplace safety. A theoretical model linking strain-based work-family conflict and employee safety was tested with 243 health care workers. Within this model, work-family conflict is conceptualized as a workplace hazard. As expected, strong work performance norms and high work overload were associated with higher work-family conflict; increased family-to-work conflict was associated with decreased compliance with safety rules and less willingness to participate in discretionary safety meetings. Work-to-family conflict, however, was not associated with safety. These findings underscore the importance of work redesign strategies that consider work performance norms and work-family conflict for expecting a return on investment in terms of a safer workplace. Copyright 2007 APA

The relationship between birth unit design and safe, satisfying birth: developing a hypothetical model.

PubMed

Foureur, Maralyn; Davis, Deborah; Fenwick, Jennifer; Leap, Nicky; Iedema, Rick; Forbes, Ian; Homer, Caroline S E

2010-10-01

Recent advances in cross-disciplinary studies linking architecture and neuroscience have revealed that much of the built environment for health-care delivery may actually impair rather than improve health outcomes by disrupting effective communication and increasing patient and staff stress. This is also true for maternity care provision, where it is suggested that the design of the environment can also impact on the experiences and outcomes for birthing women. The aim of this paper is to describe the development of a conceptual model based on literature and understandings of design, communication, stress and model of care. The model explores potential relationships among a set of key variables that need to be considered by researchers wishing to determine the characteristics of optimal birth environments in relation to birth outcomes for women and infants. The conceptual model hypothesises that safe satisfying birth is reliant on the level of stress experienced by a woman and the staff around her, stress influences the quality of communication with women and between staff, and this process is mediated by the design of the birth unit and model of care. The conceptual model is offered as a starting point for researchers who have an appreciation of the complexity of birth and the ability to bring together colleagues from a range of disciplines to explore the pre-requisites for safe and effective maternity care in new ways. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Devil is in the Concepts: Lessons Learned from World War II Planning Staffs for Transitioning from Conceptual to Detailed Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-05-25

the planning process. Current US Army doctrine links conceptual planning to the Army Design Methodology and detailed planning to the Military...Decision Making Process. By associating conceptual and detailed planning with doctrinal methodologies , it is easy to regard the transition as a set period...plans into detailed directives resulting in changes to the operational environment. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Design; Army Design Methodology ; Conceptual

Green roof rainfall-runoff modelling: is the comparison between conceptual and physically based approaches relevant?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Versini, Pierre-Antoine; Tchiguirinskaia, Ioulia; Schertzer, Daniel

2017-04-01

Green roofs are commonly considered as efficient tools to mitigate urban runoff as they can store precipitation, and consequently provide retention and detention performances. Designed as a compromise between water holding capacity, weight and hydraulic conductivity, their substrate is usually an artificial media differentiating significantly from a traditional soil. In order to assess green roofs hydrological performances, many models have been developed. Classified into two categories (conceptual and physically based), they are usually applied to reproduce the discharge of a particular monitored green roof considered as homogeneous. Although the resulted simulations could be satisfactory, the question of robustness and consistency of the calibrated parameters is often not addressed. Here, a modeling framework has been developed to assess the efficiency and the robustness of both modelling approaches (conceptual and physically based) in reproducing green roof hydrological behaviour. SWMM and VS2DT models have been used for this purpose. This work also benefits from an experimental setup where several green roofs differentiated by their substrate thickness and vegetation cover are monitored. Based on the data collected for several rainfall events, it has been studied how the calibrated parameters are effectively linked to their physical properties and how they can vary from one green roof configuration to another. Although both models reproduce correctly the observed discharges in most of the cases, their calibrated parameters exhibit a high inconsistency. For a same green roof configuration, these parameters can vary significantly from one rainfall event to another, even if they are supposed to be linked to the green roof characteristics (roughness, residual moisture content for instance). They can also be different from one green roof configuration to another although the implemented substrate is the same. Finally, it appears very difficult to find any relationship between the calibrated parameters supposed to represent similar characteristics in both models (porosity, hydraulic conductivity). These results illustrate the difficulty to reproduce the hydrological behaviour of such an artificial media constituting green roof substrate. They justify the development of new methods able to take to into account the spatial heterogeneity of the substrate for instance.

Conceptual model for assessing criteria air pollutants in a multipollutant context: A modified adverse outcome pathway approach.

PubMed

Buckley, Barbara; Farraj, Aimen

2015-09-01

Air pollution consists of a complex mixture of particulate and gaseous components. Individual criteria and other hazardous air pollutants have been linked to adverse respiratory and cardiovascular health outcomes. However, assessing risk of air pollutant mixtures is difficult since components are present in different combinations and concentrations in ambient air. Recent mechanistic studies have limited utility because of the inability to link measured changes to adverse outcomes that are relevant to risk assessment. New approaches are needed to address this challenge. The purpose of this manuscript is to describe a conceptual model, based on the adverse outcome pathway approach, which connects initiating events at the cellular and molecular level to population-wide impacts. This may facilitate hazard assessment of air pollution mixtures. In the case reports presented here, airway hyperresponsiveness and endothelial dysfunction are measurable endpoints that serve to integrate the effects of individual criteria air pollutants found in inhaled mixtures. This approach incorporates information from experimental and observational studies into a sequential series of higher order effects. The proposed model has the potential to facilitate multipollutant risk assessment by providing a framework that can be used to converge the effects of air pollutants in light of common underlying mechanisms. This approach may provide a ready-to-use tool to facilitate evaluation of health effects resulting from exposure to air pollution mixtures. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

A conceptual approach to the development of motivational strategies.

PubMed

Wong, J; Wong, S; Mensah, L L

1983-03-01

Teachers in both general and professional education are well aware of the importance of motivation as the basis of effective teaching. Heidgerken maintains that a major problem that faces nursing educators is to select the right type of motivation and to know how to effect motivation. The authors propose a conceptual model for developing strategies to deal with motivational problems. This model is an application of Vroom's value/expectancy theory and Rotter's social learning theory, and is based on the premise that nursing faculty are in strategic positions to enhance student motivation for learning by manipulating variables that are believed to influence motivation. These suggested strategies include: enhancing student's need value by rewarding them with rewards that they value the most; increasing student's perceptions of a strong link between performance and rewards; providing students with consistent and clear role perceptions; improving student satisfaction towards learning.

Groundwater modelling in conceptual hydrological models - introducing space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boje, Søren; Skaugen, Thomas; Møen, Knut; Myrabø, Steinar

2017-04-01

The tiny Sæternbekken Minifelt (Muren) catchment (7500 m2) in Bærumsmarka, Norway, was during the 1990s, densely instrumented with more than a 100 observation points for measuring groundwater levels. The aim was to investigate the link between shallow groundwater dynamics and runoff. The DDD (Distance Distribution Dynamics) model is a newly developed rainfall-runoff model used operationally by the Norwegian Flood-Forecasting service at NVE. The model estimates the capacity of the subsurface reservoir at different levels of saturation and predicts overland flow. The subsurface in the DDD model has a 2-D representation that calculates the saturated and unsaturated soil moisture along a hillslope representing the entire catchment in question. The groundwater observations from more than two decades ago are used to verify assumptions of the subsurface reservoir in the DDD model and to validate its spatial representation of the subsurface reservoir. The Muren catchment will, during 2017, be re-instrumented in order to continue the work to bridge the gap between conceptual hydrological models, with typically single value or 0-dimension representation of the subsurface, and models with more realistic 2- or 3-dimension representation of the subsurface.

Using Photographic Images to Enhance Conceptual Development in Situations of Proportion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hilton, Annette; Hilton, Geoff; Dole, Shelley; Goos, Merrilyn

2015-01-01

Find out how to use photographic images to support the conceptual development of proportional thinking. This paper provides insight into a sequenced activity that promotes student engagement and makes links to familiar and unfamiliar contexts.

The morphodynamics and sedimentology of large river confluences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholas, Andrew; Sambrook Smith, Greg; Best, James; Bull, Jon; Dixon, Simon; Goodbred, Steven; Sarker, Mamin; Vardy, Mark

2017-04-01

Confluences are key locations within large river networks, yet surprisingly little is known about how they migrate and evolve through time. Moreover, because confluence sites are associated with scour pools that are typically several times the mean channel depth, the deposits associated with such scours should have a high potential for preservation within the rock record. However, paradoxically, such scours are rarely observed, and the sedimentological characteristics of such deposits are poorly understood. This study reports results from a physically-based morphodynamic model, which is applied to simulate the evolution and resulting alluvial architecture associated with large river junctions. Boundary conditions within the model simulation are defined to approximate the junction of the Ganges and Jamuna rivers, in Bangladesh. Model results are supplemented by geophysical datasets collected during boat-based surveys at this junction. Simulated deposit characteristics and geophysical datasets are compared with three existing and contrasting conceptual models that have been proposed to represent the sedimentary architecture of confluence scours. Results illustrate that existing conceptual models may be overly simplistic, although elements of each of the three conceptual models are evident in the deposits generated by the numerical simulation. The latter are characterised by several distinct styles of sedimentary fill, which can be linked to particular morphodynamic behaviours. However, the preserved characteristics of simulated confluence deposits vary substantial according to the degree of reworking by channel migration. This may go some way towards explaining the confluence scour paradox; while abundant large scours might be expected in the rock record, they are rarely reported.

Mitigating hyperventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

PubMed

Nikolla, Dhimitri; Lewandowski, Tyler; Carlson, Jestin

2016-03-01

Although multiple airway management and ventilation strategies have been proposed during cardiac arrest, the ideal strategy is unknown. Current strategies call for advanced airways, such as endotracheal intubation and supraglottic airways. These may facilitate hyperventilation which is known to adversely affect cardiopulmonary physiology. We provide a summary of conceptual models linking hyperventilation to patient outcomes and identify methods for mitigating hyperventilation during cardiac arrest. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Linking microbial community structure and microbial processes: An empirical and conceptual overview

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bier, R.L.; Bernhardt, Emily S.; Boot, Claudia M.; Graham, Emily B.; Hall, Edward K.; Lennon, Jay T.; Nemergut, Diana R.; Osborne, Brooke B.; Ruiz-Gonzalez, Clara; Schimel, Joshua P.; Waldrop, Mark P.; Wallenstein, Matthew D.

2015-01-01

A major goal of microbial ecology is to identify links between microbial community structure and microbial processes. Although this objective seems straightforward, there are conceptual and methodological challenges to designing studies that explicitly evaluate this link. Here, we analyzed literature documenting structure and process responses to manipulations to determine the frequency of structure-process links and whether experimental approaches and techniques influence link detection. We examined nine journals (published 2009–13) and retained 148 experimental studies measuring microbial community structure and processes. Many qualifying papers (112 of 148) documented structure and process responses, but few (38 of 112 papers) reported statistically testing for a link. Of these tested links, 75% were significant and typically used Spearman or Pearson's correlation analysis (68%). No particular approach for characterizing structure or processes was more likely to produce significant links. Process responses were detected earlier on average than responses in structure or both structure and process. Together, our findings suggest that few publications report statistically testing structure-process links. However, when links are tested for they often occur but share few commonalities in the processes or structures that were linked and the techniques used for measuring them.

Conceptual design of a synchronous Mars telecommunications satellite

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Badi, Deborah M.; Farmer, Jeffrey T.; Garn, Paul A.; Martin, Gary L.

1989-01-01

Future missions to Mars will require a communications system to link activities on the Martian surface with each other and with mission controllers on Earth. A conceptual design is presented for an aerosynchronous communications satellite to provide these links. The satellite provides the capability for voice, data/command, and video transmissions. The mission scenario assumed for the design is described, and a description of a single aerosynchronous satellite is explained. A viable spacecraft design is then presented. Communication band selection and channel allocation are discussed. The communications system conceptual design is presented along with the trades used in sizing each of the required antennas. Also, the analyses used to develop the supporting subsystem designs are described as is the communications impact on each subsystem design.

The TRIO Framework: Conceptual insights into family caregiver involvement and influence throughout cancer treatment decision-making.

PubMed

Laidsaar-Powell, Rebekah; Butow, Phyllis; Charles, Cathy; Gafni, Amiram; Entwistle, Vikki; Epstein, Ronald; Juraskova, Ilona

2017-11-01

Family caregivers are regularly involved in cancer consultations and treatment decision-making (DM). Yet there is limited conceptual description of caregiver influence/involvement in DM. To address this, an empirically-grounded conceptual framework of triadic DM (TRIO Framework) and corresponding graphical aid (TRIO Triangle) were developed. Jabareen's model for conceptual framework development informed multiple phases of development/validation, incorporation of empirical research and theory, and iterative revisions by an expert advisory group. Findings coalesced into six empirically-grounded conceptual insights: i) Caregiver influence over a decision is variable amongst different groups; ii) Caregiver influence is variable within the one triad over time; iii) Caregivers are involved in various ways in the wider DM process; iv) DM is not only amongst three, but can occur among wider social networks; v) Many factors may affect the form and extent of caregiver involvement in DM; vi) Caregiver influence over, and involvement in, DM is linked to their everyday involvement in illness care/management. The TRIO Framework/Triangle may serve as a useful guide for future empirical, ethical and/or theoretical work. This Framework can deepen clinicians's and researcher's understanding of the diverse and varying scope of caregiver involvement and influence in DM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Similar support for three different life course socioeconomic models on predicting premature cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality

PubMed Central

Rosvall, Maria; Chaix, Basile; Lynch, John; Lindström, Martin; Merlo, Juan

2006-01-01

Background There are at least three broad conceptual models for the impact of the social environment on adult disease: the critical period, social mobility, and cumulative life course models. Several studies have shown an association between each of these models and mortality. However, few studies have investigated the importance of the different models within the same setting and none has been performed in samples of the whole population. The purpose of the present study was to study the relation between socioeconomic position (SEP) and mortality using different conceptual models in the whole population of Scania. Methods In the present investigation we use socioeconomic information on all men (N = 48,909) and women (N = 47,688) born between 1945 and 1950, alive on January, 1st,1990, and living in the Region of Scania, in Sweden. Focusing on three specific life periods (i.e., ages 10–15, 30–35 and 40–45), we examined the association between SEP and the 12-year risk of premature cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. Results There was a strong relation between SEP and mortality among those inside the workforce, irrespective of the conceptual model used. There was a clear upward trend in the mortality hazard rate ratios (HRR) with accumulated exposure to manual SEP in both men (p for trend < 0.001 for both cardiovascular and all-cause mortality) and women (p for trend = 0.01 for cardiovascular mortality) and (p for trend = 0.003 for all-cause mortality). Inter- and intragenerational downward social mobility was associated with an increased mortality risk. When applying similar conceptual models based on workforce participation, it was shown that mortality was affected by the accumulated exposure to being outside the workforce. Conclusion There was a strong relation between SEP and cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, irrespective of the conceptual model used. The critical period, social mobility, and cumulative life course models, showed the same fit to the data. That is, one model could not be pointed out as "the best" model and even in this large unselected sample it was not possible to adjudicate which theories best describe the links between life course SEP and mortality risk. PMID:16889658

Analysis of Physical Science Textbooks for Conceptual Frameworks on Acids, Bases and Neutralization: Implications for Students' Conceptual Understanding.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erduran, Sibel

Eight physical science textbooks were analyzed for coverage on acids, bases, and neutralization. At the level of the text, clarity and coherence of statements were investigated. The conceptual framework for this topic was represented in a concept map which was used as a coding tool for tracing concepts and links present in textbooks. Cognitive…

The relationship between inadvertent ingestion and dermal exposure pathways: a new integrated conceptual model and a database of dermal and oral transfer efficiencies.

PubMed

Gorman Ng, Melanie; Semple, Sean; Cherrie, John W; Christopher, Yvette; Northage, Christine; Tielemans, Erik; Veroughstraete, Violaine; Van Tongeren, Martie

2012-11-01

Occupational inadvertent ingestion exposure is ingestion exposure due to contact between the mouth and contaminated hands or objects. Although individuals are typically oblivious to their exposure by this route, it is a potentially significant source of occupational exposure for some substances. Due to the continual flux of saliva through the oral cavity and the non-specificity of biological monitoring to routes of exposure, direct measurement of exposure by the inadvertent ingestion route is challenging; predictive models may be required to assess exposure. The work described in this manuscript has been carried out as part of a project to develop a predictive model for estimating inadvertent ingestion exposure in the workplace. As inadvertent ingestion exposure mainly arises from hand-to-mouth contact, it is closely linked to dermal exposure. We present a new integrated conceptual model for dermal and inadvertent ingestion exposure that should help to increase our understanding of ingestion exposure and our ability to simultaneously estimate exposure by the dermal and ingestion routes. The conceptual model consists of eight compartments (source, air, surface contaminant layer, outer clothing contaminant layer, inner clothing contaminant layer, hands and arms layer, perioral layer, and oral cavity) and nine mass transport processes (emission, deposition, resuspension or evaporation, transfer, removal, redistribution, decontamination, penetration and/or permeation, and swallowing) that describe event-based movement of substances between compartments (e.g. emission, deposition, etc.). This conceptual model is intended to guide the development of predictive exposure models that estimate exposure from both the dermal and the inadvertent ingestion pathways. For exposure by these pathways the efficiency of transfer of materials between compartments (for example from surfaces to hands, or from hands to the mouth) are important determinants of exposure. A database of transfer efficiency data relevant for dermal and inadvertent ingestion exposure was developed, containing 534 empirically measured transfer efficiencies measured between 1980 and 2010 and reported in the peer-reviewed and grey literature. The majority of the reported transfer efficiencies (84%) relate to transfer between surfaces and hands, but the database also includes efficiencies for other transfer scenarios, including surface-to-glove, hand-to-mouth, and skin-to-skin. While the conceptual model can provide a framework for a predictive exposure assessment model, the database provides detailed information on transfer efficiencies between the various compartments. Together, the conceptual model and the database provide a basis for the development of a quantitative tool to estimate inadvertent ingestion exposure in the workplace.

The Medium is the Message: Pictures and Objects Evoke Distinct Conceptual Relations in Parent-Child Conversations

PubMed Central

Ware, Elizabeth A.; Gelman, Susan A.; Kleinberg, Felicia

2013-01-01

An important developmental task is learning to organize experience by forming conceptual relations among entities (e.g., a lion and a snake can be linked because both are animals; a lion and a cage can be linked because the lion lives in the cage). We propose that representational medium (i.e., pictures vs. objects) plays an important role in influencing which relations children consider. Prior work has demonstrated that pictures more readily evoke broader categories, whereas objects more readily call attention to specific individuals. We therefore predicted that pictures would encourage taxonomic and shared-property relations, whereas objects would encourage thematic and slot-filler relations. We observed 32 mother-child dyads (M child ages = 2.9 and 4.3) playing with pictures and objects, and identified utterances in which they made taxonomic, thematic, shared-property, or slot-filler links between items. The results confirmed our predictions and thus support representational medium as an important factor that influences the conceptual relations expressed during dyadic conversations. PMID:24273367

Computational modeling for eco engineering: Making the connections between engineering and ecology (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bowles, C.

2013-12-01

Ecological engineering, or eco engineering, is an emerging field in the study of integrating ecology and engineering, concerned with the design, monitoring, and construction of ecosystems. According to Mitsch (1996) 'the design of sustainable ecosystems intends to integrate human society with its natural environment for the benefit of both'. Eco engineering emerged as a new idea in the early 1960s, and the concept has seen refinement since then. As a commonly practiced field of engineering it is relatively novel. Howard Odum (1963) and others first introduced it as 'utilizing natural energy sources as the predominant input to manipulate and control environmental systems'. Mtisch and Jorgensen (1989) were the first to define eco engineering, to provide eco engineering principles and conceptual eco engineering models. Later they refined the definition and increased the number of principles. They suggested that the goals of eco engineering are: a) the restoration of ecosystems that have been substantially disturbed by human activities such as environmental pollution or land disturbance, and b) the development of new sustainable ecosystems that have both human and ecological values. Here a more detailed overview of eco engineering is provided, particularly with regard to how engineers and ecologists are utilizing multi-dimensional computational models to link ecology and engineering, resulting in increasingly successful project implementation. Descriptions are provided pertaining to 1-, 2- and 3-dimensional hydrodynamic models and their use at small- and large-scale applications. A range of conceptual models that have been developed to aid the in the creation of linkages between ecology and engineering are discussed. Finally, several case studies that link ecology and engineering via computational modeling are provided. These studies include localized stream rehabilitation, spawning gravel enhancement on a large river system, and watershed-wide floodplain modeling of the Sacramento River Valley.

Designing a training tool for imaging mental models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dede, Christopher J.; Jayaram, Geetha

1990-01-01

The training process can be conceptualized as the student acquiring an evolutionary sequence of classification-problem solving mental models. For example a physician learns (1) classification systems for patient symptoms, diagnostic procedures, diseases, and therapeutic interventions and (2) interrelationships among these classifications (e.g., how to use diagnostic procedures to collect data about a patient's symptoms in order to identify the disease so that therapeutic measures can be taken. This project developed functional specifications for a computer-based tool, Mental Link, that allows the evaluative imaging of such mental models. The fundamental design approach underlying this representational medium is traversal of virtual cognition space. Typically intangible cognitive entities and links among them are visible as a three-dimensional web that represents a knowledge structure. The tool has a high degree of flexibility and customizability to allow extension to other types of uses, such a front-end to an intelligent tutoring system, knowledge base, hypermedia system, or semantic network.

A constructionist review of morality and emotions: no evidence for specific links between moral content and discrete emotions.

PubMed

Cameron, C Daryl; Lindquist, Kristen A; Gray, Kurt

2015-11-01

Morality and emotions are linked, but what is the nature of their correspondence? Many "whole number" accounts posit specific correspondences between moral content and discrete emotions, such that harm is linked to anger, and purity is linked to disgust. A review of the literature provides little support for these specific morality-emotion links. Moreover, any apparent specificity may arise from global features shared between morality and emotion, such as affect and conceptual content. These findings are consistent with a constructionist perspective of the mind, which argues against a whole number of discrete and domain-specific mental mechanisms underlying morality and emotion. Instead, constructionism emphasizes the flexible combination of basic and domain-general ingredients such as core affect and conceptualization in creating the experience of moral judgments and discrete emotions. The implications of constructionism in moral psychology are discussed, and we propose an experimental framework for rigorously testing morality-emotion links. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Conceptual data modeling of wildlife response indicators to ecosystem change in the Arctic

USGS Publications Warehouse

Walworth, Dennis; Pearce, John M.

2015-08-06

Large research studies are often challenged to effectively expose and document the types of information being collected and the reasons for data collection across what are often a diverse cadre of investigators of differing disciplines. We applied concepts from the field of information or data modeling to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Changing Arctic Ecosystems (CAE) initiative to prototype an application of information modeling. The USGS CAE initiative is collecting information from marine and terrestrial environments in Alaska to identify and understand the links between rapid physical changes in the Arctic and response of wildlife populations to these ecosystem changes. An associated need is to understand how data collection strategies are informing the overall science initiative and facilitating communication of those strategies to a wide audience. We explored the use of conceptual data modeling to provide a method by which to document, describe, and visually communicate both enterprise and study level data; provide a simple means to analyze commonalities and differences in data acquisition strategies between studies; and provide a tool for discussing those strategies among researchers and managers.

Assimilation and Individual Differences in Emotion: The Dynamics of Anger and Approach Motivation.

PubMed

Lechuga, Julia; Fernandez, Norma P

2011-03-01

Individuals who cross cultural boundaries face many challenges when trying to adapt to a receiving culture. Adaptation challenges such as learning to maneuver across societal domains may become increasingly complex if structural level factors such as discrimination are present. Researchers have conceptualized acculturation as a relatively autonomous decision indicating that four acculturation strategies exist: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization. Moreover, researchers have also long debated the link between acculturation strategy, adaptation hassles and negative health outcomes. However, models seeking to explain how individual difference and structural level variables may influence each other and subsequently influence acculturation and adaptation are needed. The purpose of this study is to lay the foundation for the conceptualization of such a model. We propose that temperamental predispositions to negative emotionality, anger, and impulsivity may highlight discrimination which in turn may lead to increases in acculturative stress and negative markers of psychosocial well-being. We used SEM to test our hypothesized model. Results supported a modified model. Implications for the measurement of adaptation and interventions are discussed.

Assimilation and Individual Differences in Emotion: The Dynamics of Anger and Approach Motivation

PubMed Central

Lechuga, Julia; Fernandez, Norma P.

2011-01-01

Individuals who cross cultural boundaries face many challenges when trying to adapt to a receiving culture. Adaptation challenges such as learning to maneuver across societal domains may become increasingly complex if structural level factors such as discrimination are present. Researchers have conceptualized acculturation as a relatively autonomous decision indicating that four acculturation strategies exist: assimilation, separation, integration, and marginalization. Moreover, researchers have also long debated the link between acculturation strategy, adaptation hassles and negative health outcomes. However, models seeking to explain how individual difference and structural level variables may influence each other and subsequently influence acculturation and adaptation are needed. The purpose of this study is to lay the foundation for the conceptualization of such a model. We propose that temperamental predispositions to negative emotionality, anger, and impulsivity may highlight discrimination which in turn may lead to increases in acculturative stress and negative markers of psychosocial well-being. We used SEM to test our hypothesized model. Results supported a modified model. Implications for the measurement of adaptation and interventions are discussed. PMID:21625350

Feminist Social Justice Orientation: An Indicator of Optimal Functioning?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moradi, Bonnie

2012-01-01

This article underscores several themes evident in Yoder, Snell, and Tobias's research; these include the conceptualization of feminism and social justice as inextricably linked, the conceptualization and operationalization of optimal functioning at intrapersonal, interpersonal, and collective levels, and potential connections and disconnections…

When to be discrete: the importance of time formulation in understanding animal movement.

PubMed

McClintock, Brett T; Johnson, Devin S; Hooten, Mevin B; Ver Hoef, Jay M; Morales, Juan M

2014-01-01

Animal movement is essential to our understanding of population dynamics, animal behavior, and the impacts of global change. Coupled with high-resolution biotelemetry data, exciting new inferences about animal movement have been facilitated by various specifications of contemporary models. These approaches differ, but most share common themes. One key distinction is whether the underlying movement process is conceptualized in discrete or continuous time. This is perhaps the greatest source of confusion among practitioners, both in terms of implementation and biological interpretation. In general, animal movement occurs in continuous time but we observe it at fixed discrete-time intervals. Thus, continuous time is conceptually and theoretically appealing, but in practice it is perhaps more intuitive to interpret movement in discrete intervals. With an emphasis on state-space models, we explore the differences and similarities between continuous and discrete versions of mechanistic movement models, establish some common terminology, and indicate under which circumstances one form might be preferred over another. Counter to the overly simplistic view that discrete- and continuous-time conceptualizations are merely different means to the same end, we present novel mathematical results revealing hitherto unappreciated consequences of model formulation on inferences about animal movement. Notably, the speed and direction of movement are intrinsically linked in current continuous-time random walk formulations, and this can have important implications when interpreting animal behavior. We illustrate these concepts in the context of state-space models with multiple movement behavior states using northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) biotelemetry data.

When to be discrete: The importance of time formulation in understanding animal movement

USGS Publications Warehouse

McClintock, Brett T.; Johnson, Devin S.; Hooten, Mevin B.; Ver Hoef, Jay M.; Morales, Juan M.

2014-01-01

Animal movement is essential to our understanding of population dynamics, animal behavior, and the impacts of global change. Coupled with high-resolution biotelemetry data, exciting new inferences about animal movement have been facilitated by various specifications of contemporary models. These approaches differ, but most share common themes. One key distinction is whether the underlying movement process is conceptualized in discrete or continuous time. This is perhaps the greatest source of confusion among practitioners, both in terms of implementation and biological interpretation. In general, animal movement occurs in continuous time but we observe it at fixed discrete-time intervals. Thus, continuous time is conceptually and theoretically appealing, but in practice it is perhaps more intuitive to interpret movement in discrete intervals. With an emphasis on state-space models, we explore the differences and similarities between continuous and discrete versions of mechanistic movement models, establish some common terminology, and indicate under which circumstances one form might be preferred over another. Counter to the overly simplistic view that discrete- and continuous-time conceptualizations are merely different means to the same end, we present novel mathematical results revealing hitherto unappreciated consequences of model formulation on inferences about animal movement. Notably, the speed and direction of movement are intrinsically linked in current continuous-time random walk formulations, and this can have important implications when interpreting animal behavior. We illustrate these concepts in the context of state-space models with multiple movement behavior states using northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) biotelemetry data.

Development of a geodatabase and conceptual model of the hydrogeologic units beneath air force plant 4 and Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field, Fort Worth, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shah, Sachin D.

2004-01-01

Air Force Plant 4 and adjacent Naval Air Station-Joint Reserve Base Carswell Field at Fort Worth, Texas, constitute a government-owned, contractor-operated facility that has been in operation since 1942. Contaminants from AFP4, primarily volatile organic compounds and metals, have entered the ground-water-flow system through leakage from waste-disposal sites and from manufacturing processes. The U.S. Geological Survey developed a comprehensive geodatabase of temporal and spatial environmental information associated with the hydrogeologic units (alluvial aquifer, Goodland-Walnut confining unit, and Paluxy aquifer) beneath the facility and a three-dimensional conceptual model of the hydrogeologic units integrally linked to the geodatabase. The geodatabase design uses a thematic layer approach to create layers of feature data using a geographic information system. The various features are separated into relational tables in the geodatabase on the basis of how they interact and correspond to one another. Using the geodatabase, geographic data at the site are manipulated to produce maps, allow interactive queries, and perform spatial analyses. The conceptual model for the study area comprises computer-generated, three-dimensional block diagrams of the hydrogeologic units. The conceptual model provides a platform for visualization of hydrogeologic-unit sections and surfaces and for subsurface environmental analyses. The conceptual model is based on three structural surfaces and two thickness configurations of the study area. The three structural surfaces depict the altitudes of the tops of the three hydrogeologic units. The two thickness configurations are those of the alluvial aquifer and the Goodland-Walnut confining unit. The surface of the alluvial aquifer was created using a U.S. Geological Survey 10-meter digital elevation model. The 2,130 point altitudes of the top of the Goodland-Walnut unit were compiled from lithologic logs from existing wells, available soil-boring logs, and previous studies. Data from 120 wells, primarily from existing reports, were used to create a map of the approximate altitude of the Paluxy aquifer.

Conceptual Models in Health Informatics Research: A Literature Review and Suggestions for Development

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Background Contributing to health informatics research means using conceptual models that are integrative and explain the research in terms of the two broad domains of health science and information science. However, it can be hard for novice health informatics researchers to find exemplars and guidelines in working with integrative conceptual models. Objectives The aim of this paper is to support the use of integrative conceptual models in research on information and communication technologies in the health sector, and to encourage discussion of these conceptual models in scholarly forums. Methods A two-part method was used to summarize and structure ideas about how to work effectively with conceptual models in health informatics research that included (1) a selective review and summary of the literature of conceptual models; and (2) the construction of a step-by-step approach to developing a conceptual model. Results The seven-step methodology for developing conceptual models in health informatics research explained in this paper involves (1) acknowledging the limitations of health science and information science conceptual models; (2) giving a rationale for one’s choice of integrative conceptual model; (3) explicating a conceptual model verbally and graphically; (4) seeking feedback about the conceptual model from stakeholders in both the health science and information science domains; (5) aligning a conceptual model with an appropriate research plan; (6) adapting a conceptual model in response to new knowledge over time; and (7) disseminating conceptual models in scholarly and scientific forums. Conclusions Making explicit the conceptual model that underpins a health informatics research project can contribute to increasing the number of well-formed and strongly grounded health informatics research projects. This explication has distinct benefits for researchers in training, research teams, and researchers and practitioners in information, health, and other disciplines. PMID:26912288

Conceptual Models in Health Informatics Research: A Literature Review and Suggestions for Development.

PubMed

Gray, Kathleen; Sockolow, Paulina

2016-02-24

Contributing to health informatics research means using conceptual models that are integrative and explain the research in terms of the two broad domains of health science and information science. However, it can be hard for novice health informatics researchers to find exemplars and guidelines in working with integrative conceptual models. The aim of this paper is to support the use of integrative conceptual models in research on information and communication technologies in the health sector, and to encourage discussion of these conceptual models in scholarly forums. A two-part method was used to summarize and structure ideas about how to work effectively with conceptual models in health informatics research that included (1) a selective review and summary of the literature of conceptual models; and (2) the construction of a step-by-step approach to developing a conceptual model. The seven-step methodology for developing conceptual models in health informatics research explained in this paper involves (1) acknowledging the limitations of health science and information science conceptual models; (2) giving a rationale for one's choice of integrative conceptual model; (3) explicating a conceptual model verbally and graphically; (4) seeking feedback about the conceptual model from stakeholders in both the health science and information science domains; (5) aligning a conceptual model with an appropriate research plan; (6) adapting a conceptual model in response to new knowledge over time; and (7) disseminating conceptual models in scholarly and scientific forums. Making explicit the conceptual model that underpins a health informatics research project can contribute to increasing the number of well-formed and strongly grounded health informatics research projects. This explication has distinct benefits for researchers in training, research teams, and researchers and practitioners in information, health, and other disciplines.

Port-O-Sim Object Simulation Application

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lanzi, Raymond J.

2009-01-01

Port-O-Sim is a software application that supports engineering modeling and simulation of launch-range systems and subsystems, as well as the vehicles that operate on them. It is flexible, distributed, object-oriented, and realtime. A scripting language is used to configure an array of simulation objects and link them together. The script is contained in a text file, but executed and controlled using a graphical user interface. A set of modules is defined, each with input variables, output variables, and settings. These engineering models can be either linked to each other or run as standalone. The settings can be modified during execution. Since 2001, this application has been used for pre-mission failure mode training for many Range Safety Scenarios. It contains range asset link analysis, develops look-angle data, supports sky-screen site selection, drives GPS (Global Positioning System) and IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) simulators, and can support conceptual design efforts for multiple flight programs with its capacity for rapid six-degrees-of-freedom model development. Due to the assembly of various object types into one application, the application is applicable across a wide variety of launch range problem domains.

OSI Network-layer Abstraction: Analysis of Simulation Dynamics and Performance Indicators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lawniczak, Anna T.; Gerisch, Alf; Di Stefano, Bruno

2005-06-01

The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model provides a conceptual framework for communication among computers in a data communication network. The Network Layer of this model is responsible for the routing and forwarding of packets of data. We investigate the OSI Network Layer and develop an abstraction suitable for the study of various network performance indicators, e.g. throughput, average packet delay, average packet speed, average packet path-length, etc. We investigate how the network dynamics and the network performance indicators are affected by various routing algorithms and by the addition of randomly generated links into a regular network connection topology of fixed size. We observe that the network dynamics is not simply the sum of effects resulting from adding individual links to the connection topology but rather is governed nonlinearly by the complex interactions caused by the existence of all randomly added and already existing links in the network. Data for our study was gathered using Netzwerk-1, a C++ simulation tool that we developed for our abstraction.

Data management in an object-oriented distributed aircraft conceptual design environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Zhijie

In the competitive global market place, aerospace companies are forced to deliver the right products to the right market, with the right cost, and at the right time. However, the rapid development of technologies and new business opportunities, such as mergers, acquisitions, supply chain management, etc., have dramatically increased the complexity of designing an aircraft. Therefore, the pressure to reduce design cycle time and cost is enormous. One way to solve such a dilemma is to develop and apply advanced engineering environments (AEEs), which are distributed collaborative virtual design environments linking researchers, technologists, designers, etc., together by incorporating application tools and advanced computational, communications, and networking facilities. Aircraft conceptual design, as the first design stage, provides major opportunity to compress design cycle time and is the cheapest place for making design changes. However, traditional aircraft conceptual design programs, which are monolithic programs, cannot provide satisfactory functionality to meet new design requirements due to the lack of domain flexibility and analysis scalability. Therefore, we are in need of the next generation aircraft conceptual design environment (NextADE). To build the NextADE, the framework and the data management problem are two major problems that need to be addressed at the forefront. Solving these two problems, particularly the data management problem, is the focus of this research. In this dissertation, in light of AEEs, a distributed object-oriented framework is firstly formulated and tested for the NextADE. In order to improve interoperability and simplify the integration of heterogeneous application tools, data management is one of the major problems that need to be tackled. To solve this problem, taking into account the characteristics of aircraft conceptual design data, a robust, extensible object-oriented data model is then proposed according to the distributed object-oriented framework. By overcoming the shortcomings of the traditional approach of modeling aircraft conceptual design data, this data model makes it possible to capture specific detailed information of aircraft conceptual design without sacrificing generality, which is one of the most desired features of a data model for aircraft conceptual design. Based upon this data model, a prototype of the data management system, which is one of the fundamental building blocks of the NextADE, is implemented utilizing the state of the art information technologies. Using a general-purpose integration software package to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed framework and the data management system, the NextADE is initially implemented by integrating the prototype of the data management system with other building blocks of the design environment, such as disciplinary analyses programs and mission analyses programs. As experiments, two case studies are conducted in the integrated design environments. One is based upon a simplified conceptual design of a notional conventional aircraft; the other is a simplified conceptual design of an unconventional aircraft. As a result of the experiments, the proposed framework and the data management approach are shown to be feasible solutions to the research problems.

Health care informatics.

PubMed

Siau, Keng

2003-03-01

The health care industry is currently experiencing a fundamental change. Health care organizations are reorganizing their processes to reduce costs, be more competitive, and provide better and more personalized customer care. This new business strategy requires health care organizations to implement new technologies, such as Internet applications, enterprise systems, and mobile technologies in order to achieve their desired business changes. This article offers a conceptual model for implementing new information systems, integrating internal data, and linking suppliers and patients.

Evidentiality and Suggestibility: A New Research Venue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydin, Cagla; Ceci, Stephen J.

2009-01-01

Recent research suggests that acquisition of mental-state language may influence conceptual development. We examine this possibility by investigating the conceptual links between evidentiality in language and suggestibility. Young children are disproportionately suggestible and tend to change their reports or memories when questioned. The authors…

Children's moral emotions and moral cognition: towards an integrative perspective.

PubMed

Malti, Tina; Latzko, Brigitte

2010-01-01

This chapter presents a brief introduction to the developmental and educational literature linking children's moral emotions to cognitive moral development. A central premise of the chapter is that an integrative developmental perspective on moral emotions and moral cognition provides an important conceptual framework for understanding children's emerging morality and designing developmentally sensitive moral intervention strategies. The subsequent chapters present promising conceptual approaches and empirical evidence linking children's moral emotions to moral cognition. Examples of integrated educational interventions intended to enhance children's moral development are presented and discussed. © Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The impact of CmapTools utilization towards students' conceptual change on optics topic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rofiuddin, Muhammad Rifqi; Feranie, Selly

2017-05-01

Science teachers need to help students identify their prior ideas and modify them based on scientific knowledge. This process is called as conceptual change. One of essential tools to analyze students' conceptual change is by using concept map. Concept Maps are graphical representations of knowledge that are comprised of concepts and the relationships between them. Constructing concept map is implemented by adapting the role of technology to support learning process, as it is suitable with Educational Ministry Regulation No.68 year 2013. Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) has developed CmapTools, a client-server software for easily construct and visualize concept maps. This research aims to investigate secondary students' conceptual change after experiencing five-stage conceptual teaching model by utilizing CmapTools in learning Optics. Weak experimental method through one group pretest-posttest design is implemented in this study to collect preliminary and post concept map as qualitative data. Sample was taken purposively of 8th grade students (n= 22) at one of private schools Bandung, West Java. Conceptual change based on comparison of preliminary and post concept map construction is assessed based on rubric of concept map scoring and structure. Results shows significance conceptual change differences at 50.92 % that is elaborated into concept map element such as prepositions and hierarchical level in high category, cross links in medium category and specific examples in low category. All of the results are supported with the students' positive response towards CmapTools utilization that indicates improvement of motivation, interest, and behavior aspect towards Physics lesson.

Observations and Modelling of Alternative Tree Cover States of the Boreal Ecosystem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abis, B.; Brovkin, V.

2017-12-01

Recently, multimodality of the tree cover distribution of the boreal forests has been detected, revealing the existence of three alternative vegetation modes. Identifying which are the regions with a potential for alternative tree cover states, and assessing which are the main factors underlying their existence, is important to project future change of natural vegetation cover and its effect on climate.Through the use of generalised additive models and phase-space analysis, we study the link between tree cover distribution and eight globally-observed environmental factors, such as rainfall, temperature, and permafrost distribution. Using a classification based on these factors, we show the location of areas with potentially alternative tree cover states under the same environmental conditions in the boreal region. Furthermore, to explain the multimodality found in the data and the asymmetry between North America and Eurasia, we study a conceptual model based on tree species competition, and use it to simulate the sensitivity of tree cover to changes in environmental factors.We find that the link between individual environmental variables and tree cover differs regionally. Nonetheless, environmental conditions uniquely determine the vegetation state among the three dominant modes in ˜95% of the cases. On the other hand, areas with potentially alternative tree cover states encompass ˜1.1 million km2, and correspond to possible transition zones with a reduced resilience to disturbances. Employing our conceptual model, we show that multimodality can be explained through competition between tree species with different adaptations to environmental factors and disturbances. Moreover, the model is able to reproduce the asymmetry in tree species distribution between Eurasia and North America. Finally, we find that changes in permafrost could be associated with bifurcation points of the model, corroborating the importance of permafrost in a changing climate.

Do University Students, Alumni, Educators and Employers Link Assessment and Graduate Employability?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kinash, Shelley; McGillivray, Laura; Crane, Linda

2018-01-01

Within higher education literature, "assessment" and "graduate employability" are linked and co-presented, in that quality student assessment is purported to enhance employability. This research was designed to query the extent to which these same conceptual links are perceived by those actively involved in higher education.…

[Social actors and phenomenologic modelling].

PubMed

Laflamme, Simon

2012-05-01

The phenomenological approach has a quasi-monopoly in the individual and subjectivity analyses in social sciences. However, the conceptual apparatus associated with this approach is very restrictive. The human being has to be understood as rational, conscious, intentional, interested, and autonomous. Because of this, a large dimension of human activity cannot be taken into consideration: all that does not fit into the analytical categories (nonrational, nonconscious, etc.). Moreover, this approach cannot really move toward a relational analysis unless it is between individuals predefined by its conceptual apparatus. This lack of complexity makes difficult the establishment of links between phenomenology and systemic analysis in which relation (and its derivatives such as recursiveness, dialectic, correlation) plays an essential role. This article intends to propose a way for systemic analysis to apprehend the individual with respect to his complexity.

The need for a behavioural science focus in research on mental health and mental disorders.

PubMed

Wittchen, Hans-Ulrich; Knappe, Susanne; Andersson, Gerhard; Araya, Ricardo; Banos Rivera, Rosa M; Barkham, Michael; Bech, Per; Beckers, Tom; Berger, Thomas; Berking, Matthias; Berrocal, Carmen; Botella, Christina; Carlbring, Per; Chouinard, Guy; Colom, Francesc; Csillag, Claudio; Cujipers, Pim; David, Daniel; Emmelkamp, Paul M G; Essau, Cecilia A; Fava, Giovanni A; Goschke, Thomas; Hermans, Dirk; Hofmann, Stefan G; Lutz, Wolfgang; Muris, Peter; Ollendick, Thomas H; Raes, Filip; Rief, Winfried; Riper, Heleen; Tossani, Eliana; van der Oord, Saskia; Vervliet, Bram; Haro, Josep M; Schumann, Gunter

2014-01-01

Psychology as a science offers an enormous diversity of theories, principles, and methodological approaches to understand mental health, abnormal functions and behaviours and mental disorders. A selected overview of the scope, current topics as well as strength and gaps in Psychological Science may help to depict the advances needed to inform future research agendas specifically on mental health and mental disorders. From an integrative psychological perspective, most maladaptive health behaviours and mental disorders can be conceptualized as the result of developmental dysfunctions of psychological functions and processes as well as neurobiological and genetic processes that interact with the environment. The paper presents and discusses an integrative translational model, linking basic and experimental research with clinical research as well as population-based prospective-longitudinal studies. This model provides a conceptual framework to identify how individual vulnerabilities interact with environment over time, and promote critical behaviours that might act as proximal risk factors for ill-health and mental disorders. Within the models framework, such improved knowledge is also expected to better delineate targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions that prevent further escalation in early stages before the full disorder and further complications thereof develop. In contrast to conventional "personalized medicine" that typically targets individual (genetic) variation of patients who already have developed a disease to improve medical treatment, the proposed framework model, linked to a concerted funding programme of the "Science of Behaviour Change", carries the promise of improved diagnosis, treatment and prevention of health-risk behaviour constellations as well as mental disorders. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Negative affect and drinking drivers: a review and conceptual model linking dissonance, efficacy and negative affect to risk and motivation for change.

PubMed

Wells-Parker, Elisabeth; Mann, Robert E; Dill, Patricia L; Stoduto, Gina; Shuggi, Rania; Cross, Ginger W

2009-05-01

This review summarizes evidence on negative affect among drinking drivers. Elevations in negative affect, including depressed mood, anxiety and hostility, have long been noted in convicted drinking drivers, and recent evidence suggests an association between negative affect and driving after drinking in the general population. Previous efforts to understand the significance of this negative affective state have ranged from suggestions that it may play a causal role in drinking driving to suggestions that it may interfere with response to treatment and remedial interventions. Recent studies have uncovered an important paradox involving negative affect among convicted drinking drivers (hereafter DUI offenders). DUI offenders with high levels of negative affect recidivated more frequently following a DUI program than did those reporting no or minimal negative affect. However, when a brief supportive motivational intervention was added to the program, offenders with high negative affect levels showed lower recidivism rates than did those with no or minimal negative affect. The review includes studies from the general literature on alcohol treatment in which the same negative affect paradox was reported. In an attempt to understand this paradox, we present a conceptual model involving well-established psychological processes, with a focus on salient discrepancy, the crucial component of cognitive dissonance. In this model, negative affect plays an important role in motivating both continued high-risk drinking as well as therapeutic change. This model suggests that links between motivational states and negative affective processes may be more complex than previously thought. Implications for intervention with DUI offenders are discussed.

Conjunctive Conceptual Clustering: A Methodology and Experimentation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-09-01

observing a typical restaurant table on vhich there are such objects as food on a plate, a salad, utensils, salt and pepper, napkins , a ase with flowers, a...colored graph has nodes and inks that match only if they have corre-ponding link-olor and node-color labelg 4w 80 [SEtexture sa lif ba p S M i e d If...LINK LINK LINK LINK LINK 9 0 1 OPENdRECT RECTLOD 1 2 CL 10 0 0 LINK LINK INK LINK LINK ,~ . 0.5. Input file for attribute-based clustering The

Introduction of an agent-based multi-scale modular architecture for dynamic knowledge representation of acute inflammation.

PubMed

An, Gary

2008-05-27

One of the greatest challenges facing biomedical research is the integration and sharing of vast amounts of information, not only for individual researchers, but also for the community at large. Agent Based Modeling (ABM) can provide a means of addressing this challenge via a unifying translational architecture for dynamic knowledge representation. This paper presents a series of linked ABMs representing multiple levels of biological organization. They are intended to translate the knowledge derived from in vitro models of acute inflammation to clinically relevant phenomenon such as multiple organ failure. ABM development followed a sequence starting with relatively direct translation from in-vitro derived rules into a cell-as-agent level ABM, leading on to concatenated ABMs into multi-tissue models, eventually resulting in topologically linked aggregate multi-tissue ABMs modeling organ-organ crosstalk. As an underlying design principle organs were considered to be functionally composed of an epithelial surface, which determined organ integrity, and an endothelial/blood interface, representing the reaction surface for the initiation and propagation of inflammation. The development of the epithelial ABM derived from an in-vitro model of gut epithelial permeability is described. Next, the epithelial ABM was concatenated with the endothelial/inflammatory cell ABM to produce an organ model of the gut. This model was validated against in-vivo models of the inflammatory response of the gut to ischemia. Finally, the gut ABM was linked to a similarly constructed pulmonary ABM to simulate the gut-pulmonary axis in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure. The behavior of this model was validated against in-vivo and clinical observations on the cross-talk between these two organ systems. A series of ABMs are presented extending from the level of intracellular mechanism to clinically observed behavior in the intensive care setting. The ABMs all utilize cell-level agents that encapsulate specific mechanistic knowledge extracted from in vitro experiments. The execution of the ABMs results in a dynamic representation of the multi-scale conceptual models derived from those experiments. These models represent a qualitative means of integrating basic scientific information on acute inflammation in a multi-scale, modular architecture as a means of conceptual model verification that can potentially be used to concatenate, communicate and advance community-wide knowledge.

[Social determinants of odontalgia in epidemiological studies: theoretical review and proposed conceptual model].

PubMed

Bastos, João Luiz Dornelles; Gigante, Denise Petrucci; Peres, Karen Glazer; Nedel, Fúlvio Borges

2007-01-01

The epidemiological literature has been limited by the absence of a theoretical framework reflecting the complexity of causal mechanisms for the occurrence of health phenomena / disease conditions. In the field of oral epidemiology, such lack of theory also prevails, since dental caries the leading topic in oral research has been often studied through a biological and reductionist viewpoint. One of the most important consequences of dental caries is dental pain (odontalgia), which has received little attention in studies with sophisticated theoretical models and powerful designs to establish causal relationships. The purpose of this study is to review the scientific literature on the determinants of odontalgia and to discuss theories proposed for the explanation of the phenomenon. Conceptual models and emerging theories on the social determinants of oral health are revised, in an attempt to build up links with the bio-psychosocial pain model, proposing a more elaborate causal model for odontalgia. The framework suggests causal pathways between social structure and oral health through material, psychosocial and behavioral pathways. Aspects of the social structure are highlighted in order to relate them to odontalgia, stressing their importance in discussions of causal relationships in oral health research.

Towards a conceptual framework for preceptorship in the clinical education of undergraduate nursing students.

PubMed

Zilembo, Melanie; Monterosso, Leanne

2008-08-01

A recent study undertaken by the authors (2007) highlighted that undergraduate nursing students were subjected to varying experiences in clinical practice, which were mediated by a number of factors. Mediating factors included continuity of preceptors, student attitudes, the clinical setting environment, student and preceptor expectations of the clinical practice experience and interactions between the student and preceptor. Of note, interactions with preceptors were seen to 'make or break' the practical experience. Therefore, the relationship that is forged between preceptor and student is vital in shaping the student's experience of the clinical area and of the real world of nursing work. Early positive socialisation experiences have been shown to improve retention rates of new nurses (Greene & Puetzer 2002), which are issues of prime concern in an era of worsening nursing shortages at all levels of the profession. A conceptual framework designed to guide preceptorship may help alleviate some of the difficulties experienced by undergraduate nurses in building relationships within the complex interactions of the nursing environment. The framework proposed in this paper offers a conceptual model that links positive preceptor leadership qualities (such as compassion, care and empathy) with student characteristics. This model proposes that synergistic interactions between nursing students and preceptors results in positive implications for the nursing workforce. This framework also has the potential for further development to fill the void created by a lack of conceptual guidance for supervisory interactions within the undergraduate clinical context.

Conceptual frameworks, geomorphic interpretation and storytelling: Tales from Lockyer Creek , Australia.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Croke, Jacky; Phillips, Jonathan; Van Dyke, Chris

2017-04-01

Earth science knowledge and insight begins with case studies, and theories should be derived from and ultimately evaluated against empirical, case study evidence. However, isolated case studies not linked conceptually to other locations or embedded within a broader framework are often of limited use beyond the study site. Geomorphic evidence and phenomena may be interpreted using a variety of conceptual frameworks (theories, models, laws, methodologies, etc.). The evidence may be, or at least appear to be, consistent with multiple frameworks, even when those constructs are derived from entirely different assumptions or frames of reference. Thus different interpretations and stories can be derived from the same evidence. Our purpose here is to illustrate this phenomenon via a case study from Lockyer Creek, southeast Queensland, Australia. Lockyer Creek is fast becoming one of Australia's most studied catchments with a wealth of data emerging following two extreme flood events in 2011 and 2013. Whilst the initial objective of the Big Flood project was to provide information on the frequency and magnitude of these extreme events, in essence the project revealed a rich 'story' of river evolution and adjustment which at first glance did not appear to 'fit' many established conceptual frameworks and theories. This presentation tells the tale of Lockyer Creek as it relates to selected key conceptual frameworks and importantly how this information can then be used for more effective catchment and flood management.

International Handbook of Research on Conceptual Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vosniadou, Stella

2008-01-01

The study of conceptual change traces its heritage to the notions of paradigm (networks of shared beliefs, concepts, practices) and paradigm shift made famous by Thomas Kuhn in his book, "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions". Kuhn's work was quickly linked to developmental psychology (how knowledge develops) and to science education (teaching…

Conceptualizing the Linkages between Diversity Experiences and Moral Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engberg, Mark E.; Porter, Kamaria B.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this article is to advance an understanding of how diversity experiences can potentially foster moral development among college students. An overview of the research linking diversity experiences to moral development is discussed, followed by a presentation of a conceptual framework that demonstrates the nuances and challenges in…

A conceptual framework that links pollinator foraging behavior to gene flow

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In insect-pollinated crops such as alfalfa, a better understanding of how pollinator foraging behavior affects gene flow could lead to the development of management strategies to reduce gene flow and facilitate the coexistence of distinct seed-production markets. Here, we introduce a conceptual fram...

Microcredit and the social determinants of health: a conceptual approach.

PubMed

Salt, Rebekah

2011-01-01

Social determinants of health, such as human behavior, environment, and socioeconomics, contribute to health disparities at the individual and population levels. The association between socioeconomics and health is established, and it is acknowledged that people with a lower socioeconomic status experience poorer health. The impetus of microcredit programs is to provide financial alternatives for low-income populations, the majority of whom are women with limited or no access to traditional lending, to start small businesses, generate income, and progress toward self-sufficiency. The income-health link within the context of microcredit has been internationally acknowledged; however, there is scarce research in this area in the United States. This article presents a review of the conceptual approach used to explore the microcredit and health link from a public health nursing perspective. Establishing conceptual foundations can enhance research focused on targeted interventions aimed at lasting change in social and health status. Exploring the link between microcredit and health can enrich research efforts and may offer innovative strategies and interventions to improve health-promoting capacity in impoverished groups. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Linking Somatic and Symbolic Representation in Semantic Memory: The Dynamic Multilevel Reactivation Framework

PubMed Central

Reilly, Jamie; Peelle, Jonathan E; Garcia, Amanda; Crutch, Sebastian J

2016-01-01

Biological plausibility is an essential constraint for any viable model of semantic memory. Yet, we have only the most rudimentary understanding of how the human brain conducts abstract symbolic transformations that underlie word and object meaning. Neuroscience has evolved a sophisticated arsenal of techniques for elucidating the architecture of conceptual representation. Nevertheless, theoretical convergence remains elusive. Here we describe several contrastive approaches to the organization of semantic knowledge, and in turn we offer our own perspective on two recurring questions in semantic memory research: 1) to what extent are conceptual representations mediated by sensorimotor knowledge (i.e., to what degree is semantic memory embodied)? 2) How might an embodied semantic system represent abstract concepts such as modularity, symbol, or proposition? To address these questions, we review the merits of sensorimotor (i.e., embodied) and amodal (i.e., disembodied) semantic theories and address the neurobiological constraints underlying each. We conclude that the shortcomings of both perspectives in their extreme forms necessitate a hybrid middle ground. We accordingly propose the Dynamic Multilevel Reactivation Framework, an integrative model premised upon flexible interplay between sensorimotor and amodal symbolic representations mediated by multiple cortical hubs. We discuss applications of the Dynamic Multilevel Reactivation Framework to abstract and concrete concept representation and describe how a multidimensional conceptual topography based on emotion, sensation, and magnitude can successfully frame a semantic space containing meanings for both abstract and concrete words. The consideration of ‘abstract conceptual features’ does not diminish the role of logical and/or executive processing in activating, manipulating and using information stored in conceptual representations. Rather, it proposes that the material on which these processes operate necessarily combine pure sensorimotor information and higher-order cognitive dimensions involved in symbolic representation. PMID:27294419

Linking somatic and symbolic representation in semantic memory: the dynamic multilevel reactivation framework.

PubMed

Reilly, Jamie; Peelle, Jonathan E; Garcia, Amanda; Crutch, Sebastian J

2016-08-01

Biological plausibility is an essential constraint for any viable model of semantic memory. Yet, we have only the most rudimentary understanding of how the human brain conducts abstract symbolic transformations that underlie word and object meaning. Neuroscience has evolved a sophisticated arsenal of techniques for elucidating the architecture of conceptual representation. Nevertheless, theoretical convergence remains elusive. Here we describe several contrastive approaches to the organization of semantic knowledge, and in turn we offer our own perspective on two recurring questions in semantic memory research: (1) to what extent are conceptual representations mediated by sensorimotor knowledge (i.e., to what degree is semantic memory embodied)? (2) How might an embodied semantic system represent abstract concepts such as modularity, symbol, or proposition? To address these questions, we review the merits of sensorimotor (i.e., embodied) and amodal (i.e., disembodied) semantic theories and address the neurobiological constraints underlying each. We conclude that the shortcomings of both perspectives in their extreme forms necessitate a hybrid middle ground. We accordingly propose the Dynamic Multilevel Reactivation Framework-an integrative model predicated upon flexible interplay between sensorimotor and amodal symbolic representations mediated by multiple cortical hubs. We discuss applications of the dynamic multilevel reactivation framework to abstract and concrete concept representation and describe how a multidimensional conceptual topography based on emotion, sensation, and magnitude can successfully frame a semantic space containing meanings for both abstract and concrete words. The consideration of 'abstract conceptual features' does not diminish the role of logical and/or executive processing in activating, manipulating and using information stored in conceptual representations. Rather, it proposes that the materials upon which these processes operate necessarily combine pure sensorimotor information and higher-order cognitive dimensions involved in symbolic representation.

Employee subjective well-being and physiological functioning: An integrative model

PubMed Central

Tay, Louis

2015-01-01

Research shows that worker subjective well-being influences physiological functioning—an early signal of poor health outcomes. While several theoretical perspectives provide insights on this relationship, the literature lacks an integrative framework explaining the relationship. We develop a conceptual model explaining the link between subjective well-being and physiological functioning in the context of work. Integrating positive psychology and occupational stress perspectives, our model explains the relationship between subjective well-being and physiological functioning as a result of the direct influence of subjective well-being on physiological functioning and of their common relationships with work stress and personal resources, both of which are influenced by job conditions. PMID:28070359

Employee subjective well-being and physiological functioning: An integrative model.

PubMed

Kuykendall, Lauren; Tay, Louis

2015-01-01

Research shows that worker subjective well-being influences physiological functioning-an early signal of poor health outcomes. While several theoretical perspectives provide insights on this relationship, the literature lacks an integrative framework explaining the relationship. We develop a conceptual model explaining the link between subjective well-being and physiological functioning in the context of work. Integrating positive psychology and occupational stress perspectives, our model explains the relationship between subjective well-being and physiological functioning as a result of the direct influence of subjective well-being on physiological functioning and of their common relationships with work stress and personal resources, both of which are influenced by job conditions.

The organizational context of children's mental health services.

PubMed

Glisson, Charles

2002-12-01

This paper reviews what is known about the organizational context of children's mental health services and describes organizational constructs, conceptual models, research methods, and intervention strategies that can be used to link organizational context to service quality and outcomes. Using evidence from studies of business and industrial organizations as well as studies of children's service organizations, the paper presents a model of organizational effectiveness that depends on several contextual characteristics that include organizational culture, structure, climate, and work attitudes. These characteristics are believed to affect the adoption of efficacious treatments (EBPs [evidence-based practices]), adherence to treatment protocols, therapeutic alliance, and the availability, responsiveness, and continuity of services. Finally, 10 components of the ARC(Availability Responsiveness and Continuity) organizational intervention are described as examples of strategies that can be used to develop organizational contexts with the prescribed characteristics. Mental health researchers are encouraged to consider including these constructs, conceptual models, research methods, and intervention strategies in dissemination, effectiveness, and implementation studies that address the gap between research-based knowledge about mental health treatment and what is actually offered in the community.

Associations Between Changes in Normal Personality Traits and Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms over 16 years

PubMed Central

Wright, Aidan G.C.; Hopwood, Christopher J.; Zanarini, Mary C.

2014-01-01

There has been significant movement toward conceptualizing borderline personality disorder (BPD) with normal personality traits. However one critical assumption underlying this transition, that longitudinal trajectories of BPD symptoms and normal traits track together, has not been tested. We evaluated the prospective longitudinal associations of changes in five-factor model traits and BPD symptoms over the course of 16 years using parallel process latent growth curve models in 362 patients with BPD (N=290) or other PDs (N=72). Moderate to strong cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were observed between BPD symptoms and Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. This study is the first to demonstrate a longitudinal link between changes in BPD symptoms and changes in traits over an extended interval in a clinical sample. These findings imply that changes in BPD symptoms occur in concert with changes in normal traits, and support the proposed transition to conceptualizing BPD, at least in part, with trait dimensions. PMID:25364942

Critical thinking in nursing: Scoping review of the literature.

PubMed

Zuriguel Pérez, Esperanza; Lluch Canut, Maria Teresa; Falcó Pegueroles, Anna; Puig Llobet, Montserrat; Moreno Arroyo, Carmen; Roldán Merino, Juan

2015-12-01

This article seeks to analyse the current state of scientific knowledge concerning critical thinking in nursing. The methodology used consisted of a scoping review of the main scientific databases using an applied search strategy. A total of 1518 studies published from January 1999 to June 2013 were identified, of which 90 met the inclusion criteria. The main conclusion drawn is that critical thinking in nursing is experiencing a growing interest in the study of both its concepts and its dimensions, as well as in the development of training strategies to further its development among both students and professionals. Furthermore, the analysis reveals that critical thinking has been investigated principally in the university setting, independent of conceptual models, with a variety of instruments used for its measurement. We recommend (i) the investigation of critical thinking among working professionals, (ii) the designing of evaluative instruments linked to conceptual models and (iii) the identification of strategies to promote critical thinking in the context of providing nursing care. © 2014 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Associations between changes in normal personality traits and borderline personality disorder symptoms over 16 years.

PubMed

Wright, Aidan G C; Hopwood, Christopher J; Zanarini, Mary C

2015-01-01

There has been significant movement toward conceptualizing borderline personality disorder (BPD) with normal personality traits. However, 1 critical assumption underlying this transition, that longitudinal trajectories of BPD symptoms and normal traits track together, has not been tested. We evaluated the prospective longitudinal associations of changes in Five-Factor Model traits and BPD symptoms over the course of 16 years using parallel process latent growth curve models in 362 patients with BPD (n = 290) or other PDs (n = 72). Moderate to strong cross-sectional and longitudinal associations were observed between BPD symptoms and Neuroticism, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. This study is the first to demonstrate a longitudinal link between changes in BPD symptoms and changes in traits over an extended interval in a clinical sample. These findings imply that changes in BPD symptoms occur in concert with changes in normal traits, and support the proposed transition to conceptualizing BPD, at least in part, with trait dimensions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Process, mechanism, and explanation related to externalizing behavior in developmental psychopathology.

PubMed

Hinshaw, Stephen P

2002-10-01

Advances in conceptualization and statistical modeling, on the one hand, and enhanced appreciation of transactional pathways, gene-environment correlations and interactions, and moderator and mediator variables, on the other, have heightened awareness of the need to consider factors and processes that explain the development and maintenance of psychopathology. With a focus on attentional problems, impulsivity, and disruptive behavior patterns, I address the kinds of conceptual approaches most likely to lead to advances regarding explanatory models in the field. Findings from my own research program on processes and mechanisms reveal both promise and limitations. Progress will emanate from use of genetically informative designs, blends of variable and person-centered research, explicit testing of developmental processes, systematic approaches to moderation and mediation, exploitation of "natural experiments," and the conduct of prevention and intervention trials designed to accentuate explanation as well as outcome. In all, breakthroughs will occur only with advances in translational research-linking basic and applied science-and with the further development of transactional, systemic approaches to explanation.

Can the self become another? Investigating the effects of self-association with a new facial identity.

PubMed

Payne, Sophie; Tsakiris, Manos; Maister, Lara

2017-06-01

The mental representation of the self is a complex construct, comprising both conceptual information and perceptual information regarding the body. Evidence suggests that both the conceptual self-representation and the bodily self-representation are malleable, and that these different aspects of the self are linked. Changes in bodily self-representation appear to affect how the self is conceptualized, but it is unclear whether the opposite relationship is also true: Do changes to the conceptual self-representation affect how the physical self is perceived? First, we adopted a perceptual matching paradigm to establish an association between the self and an unfamiliar face (Experiment 1). Robust attentional and perceptual biases in the processing of this newly self-associated object suggested that the conceptual self-representation was extended to include it. Next, we measured whether the bodily self-representation had correspondingly changed to incorporate the new face (Experiment 2). Participants rated morphs between their own and the newly-associated according to how similar they were to the self, before and after performing the perceptual matching task. Changes to the conceptual self did not have an effect on the bodily self-representation. These results suggest that modulatory links between aspects of the mental self-representation, when focused on the non-social self, are unidirectional and flow in a bottom-up manner.

A Physically Based Coupled Chemical and Physical Weathering Model for Simulating Soilscape Evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Willgoose, G. R.; Welivitiya, D.; Hancock, G. R.

2015-12-01

A critical missing link in existing landscape evolution models is a dynamic soil evolution models where soils co-evolve with the landform. Work by the authors over the last decade has demonstrated a computationally manageable model for soil profile evolution (soilscape evolution) based on physical weathering. For chemical weathering it is clear that full geochemistry models such as CrunchFlow and PHREEQC are too computationally intensive to be couplable to existing soilscape and landscape evolution models. This paper presents a simplification of CrunchFlow chemistry and physics that makes the task feasible, and generalises it for hillslope geomorphology applications. Results from this simplified model will be compared with field data for soil pedogenesis. Other researchers have previously proposed a number of very simple weathering functions (e.g. exponential, humped, reverse exponential) as conceptual models of the in-profile weathering process. The paper will show that all of these functions are possible for specific combinations of in-soil environmental, geochemical and geologic conditions, and the presentation will outline the key variables controlling which of these conceptual models can be realistic models of in-profile processes and under what conditions. The presentation will finish by discussing the coupling of this model with a physical weathering model, and will show sample results from our SSSPAM soilscape evolution model to illustrate the implications of including chemical weathering in the soilscape evolution model.

Hydrochemical and isotopes studies in a hypersaline wetland to define the hydrogeological conceptual model: Fuente de Piedra Lake (Malaga, Spain).

PubMed

Montalván, F J; Heredia, J; Ruiz, J M; Pardo-Igúzquiza, E; García de Domingo, A; Elorza, F J

2017-01-15

The Fuente de Piedra lake is a hypersaline wetland of great extension (13.5km 2 ) and rich in aquatic birds and other species. It became therefore the third Spanish wetland to be included in the Ramsar convention and has been a "nature reserve" since 1984. The lake has an endorheic basin (150km 2 ) with variable-density flows dominated by complex hydrogeological conditions. The traditional conceptualization of endorheic basins in semiarid climates considered that the brine in this hydric system was exclusively of evaporative origin and was placed only in the lake and its surrounding discharge area in the basin. Previous geophysical and hydrochemical studies identified different types of waters and brines. In this work, natural tracers (Cl - , Br - , Na + , Mg 2+ ) and environmental isotopes ( 18 O, 2 H, 14 C, 13 C and 3 H) were employed to a) discriminate different types of brines according to their degree of evaporation and genesis, and b) to estimate residence times of brine waters and identify recharge areas of the different flow subsystems. A conceptual model of the hydrogeological system of the lake basin and its links to a regional karst system is proposed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Introduction to the Special Section: Linking the MMPI-2-RF to Contemporary Models of Psychopathology.

PubMed

Sellbom, Martin; Arbisi, Paul A

2017-01-01

This special section considers 9 independent articles that seek to link the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF; Ben-Porath & Tellegen, 2008/ 2011 ) to contemporary models of psychopathology. Sellbom ( this issue ) maps the Specific Problems scales onto hierarchical psychopathology structures, whereas Romero, Toorabally, Burchett, Tarescavage, and Glassmire ( this issue ) and Shkalim, Almagor, and Ben-Porath ( this issue ) show evidence of linking the instruments' scales to diagnostic representations of common higher order psychopathology constructs. McCord, Achee, Cannon, Harrop, and Poynter ( this issue ) link the MMPI-2-RF scales to psychophysiological constructs inspired by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Research Domain Criteria. Sellbom and Smith ( this issue ) find support for MMPI-2-RF scale hypotheses in covering personality psychopathology in general, whereas Klein Haneveld, Kamphuis, Smid, and Forbey ( this issue ) and Kutchen et al. ( this issue ) demonstrate the utility of the MMPI-2-RF in capturing contemporary conceptualizations of the psychopathic personality. Finally, Franz, Harrop, and McCord ( this issue ) and Rogers et al. ( this issue ) mapped the MMPI-2-RF scales onto more specific transdiagnostic constructs reflecting interpersonal functioning and suicide behavior proneness, respectively.

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR SELECTING AND ANALYZING STRESSOR DATA TO STUDY SPECIES RICHNESS AT LARGE SPATIAL SCALES

EPA Science Inventory

In this paper we develop a conceptual framework for selecting stressor data and anlyzing their relationship to geographic patterns of species richness at large spatial scales. Aspects of climate and topography, which are not stressors per se, have been most strongly linked with g...

Misidentifying the Effects of Parental Incarceration? A Comment on Johnson and Easterling (2012)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wildeman, Christopher; Wakefield, Sara; Turney, Kristin

2013-01-01

In a recent "Journal of Marriage and Family" article, Johnson and Easterling (2012) reviewed research on the effects of parental incarceration on child well-being, focusing on the various conceptual frameworks linking parental incarceration and child well-being and the "important methodological and conceptual challenges related to selection bias"…

Promoting Conceptual Change for Complex Systems Understanding: Outcomes of an Agent-Based Participatory Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rates, Christopher A.; Mulvey, Bridget K.; Feldon, David F.

2016-01-01

Components of complex systems apply across multiple subject areas, and teaching these components may help students build unifying conceptual links. Students, however, often have difficulty learning these components, and limited research exists to understand what types of interventions may best help improve understanding. We investigated 32 high…

Selective mutism and anxiety: a review of the current conceptualization of the disorder.

PubMed

Sharp, William G; Sherman, Colleen; Gross, Alan M

2007-01-01

Selective mutism (SM) is a rare and interesting condition that has been associated with a wide variety of childhood psychiatric conditions. Historically viewed as more of an oddity than a distinct diagnostic entity, early conceptualizations of the condition were based largely on case studies that tended to link SM with oppositional behavior. More recently, controlled studies have enhanced our understanding of SM. This review summarizes the current conceptualization of SM, highlighting evidence supporting the notion that SM is an anxiety-related condition.

Wellbeing Impacts of City Policies for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions

PubMed Central

Hiscock, Rosemary; Mudu, Pierpaolo; Braubach, Matthias; Martuzzi, Marco; Perez, Laura; Sabel, Clive

2014-01-01

To mitigate climate change, city authorities are developing policies in areas such as transportation, housing and energy use, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to their effects on greenhouse gas emissions, these policies are likely to have consequences for the wellbeing of their populations for example through changes in opportunities to take physical exercise. In order to explore the potential consequences for wellbeing, we first explore what ‘wellbeing’ is and how it can be operationalized for urban planners. In this paper, we illustrate how wellbeing can be divided into objective and subjective aspects which can be measured quantitatively; our review of measures informs the development of a theoretical model linking wellbeing to policies which cities use to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, we discuss the extent to which the links proposed in the conceptual model are supported by the literature and how cities can assess wellbeing implications of policies. PMID:25464129

An ecofeminist conceptual framework to explore gendered environmental health inequities in urban settings and to inform healthy public policy.

PubMed

Chircop, Andrea

2008-06-01

This theoretical exploration is an attempt to conceptualize the link between gender and urban environmental health. The proposed ecofeminist framework enables an understanding of the link between the urban physical and social environments and health inequities mediated by gender and socioeconomic status. This framework is proposed as a theoretical magnifying glass to reveal the underlying logic that connects environmental exploitation on the one hand, and gendered health inequities on the other. Ecofeminism has the potential to reveal an inherent, normative conceptual analysis and argumentative justification of western society that permits the oppression of women and the exploitation of the environment. This insight will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying gendered environmental health inequities and inform healthy public policy that is supportive of urban environmental health, particularly for low-income mothers.

Understanding Decreases in Land Relative Humidity with Global Warming: Conceptual Model and GCM Simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, Michael P.; O'Gorman, Paul A.

2016-12-01

Climate models simulate a strong land-ocean contrast in the response of near-surface relative humidity to global warming: relative humidity tends to increase slightly over oceans but decrease substantially over land. Surface energy balance arguments have been used to understand the response over ocean but are difficult to apply over more complex land surfaces. Here, a conceptual box model is introduced, involving moisture transport between the land and ocean boundary layers and evapotranspiration, to investigate the decreases in land relative humidity as the climate warms. The box model is applied to idealized and full-complexity (CMIP5) general circulation model simulations, and it is found to capture many of the features of the simulated changes in land relative humidity. The box model suggests there is a strong link between fractional changes in specific humidity over land and ocean, and the greater warming over land than ocean then implies a decrease in land relative humidity. Evapotranspiration is of secondary importance for the increase in specific humidity over land, but it matters more for the decrease in relative humidity. Further analysis shows there is a strong feedback between changes in surface-air temperature and relative humidity, and this can amplify the influence on relative humidity of factors such as stomatal conductance and soil moisture.

Conceptual knowledge in the interpretation of idioms.

PubMed

Nayak, N P; Gibbs, R W

1990-09-01

The authors examined how people determine the contextual appropriateness of idioms. In Experiment 1, idioms referring to the same temporal stage of a conceptual prototype were judged to be more similar in meaning than idioms referring to different temporal stages. In Experiment 2, idioms in a prototypical temporal sequence were more meaningful than idioms in sentences that violated the temporal sequence. In Experiment 3, idioms referring to the same stage of a conceptual prototype were differentiable on the basis of conceptual information. The conceptual coherence between idioms and contexts facilitated the processing speed of idioms in Experiment 4. Experiment 5 showed that speakers can recover the underlying conceptual metaphors that link an idiom to its figurative meaning. Experiment 6 showed that the metaphoric information reflected in the lexical makeup of idioms also determined the metaphoric appropriateness of idioms in certain contexts.

The Modular Modeling System (MMS): A modeling framework for water- and environmental-resources management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leavesley, G.H.; Markstrom, S.L.; Viger, R.J.

2004-01-01

The interdisciplinary nature and increasing complexity of water- and environmental-resource problems require the use of modeling approaches that can incorporate knowledge from a broad range of scientific disciplines. The large number of distributed hydrological and ecosystem models currently available are composed of a variety of different conceptualizations of the associated processes they simulate. Assessment of the capabilities of these distributed models requires evaluation of the conceptualizations of the individual processes, and the identification of which conceptualizations are most appropriate for various combinations of criteria, such as problem objectives, data constraints, and spatial and temporal scales of application. With this knowledge, "optimal" models for specific sets of criteria can be created and applied. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Modular Modeling System (MMS) is an integrated system of computer software that has been developed to provide these model development and application capabilities. MMS supports the integration of models and tools at a variety of levels of modular design. These include individual process models, tightly coupled models, loosely coupled models, and fully-integrated decision support systems. A variety of visualization and statistical tools are also provided. MMS has been coupled with the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) object-oriented reservoir and river-system modeling framework, RiverWare, under a joint USGS-BOR program called the Watershed and River System Management Program. MMS and RiverWare are linked using a shared relational database. The resulting database-centered decision support system provides tools for evaluating and applying optimal resource-allocation and management strategies to complex, operational decisions on multipurpose reservoir systems and watersheds. Management issues being addressed include efficiency of water-resources management, environmental concerns such as meeting flow needs for endangered species, and optimizing operations within the constraints of multiple objectives such as power generation, irrigation, and water conservation. This decision support system approach is being developed, tested, and implemented in the Gunni-son, Yakima, San Juan, Rio Grande, and Truckee River basins of the western United States. Copyright ASCE 2004.

A Conceptual Model to be Used for Community-based Drinking-water Improvements

PubMed Central

Ahmed, Mushfique

2006-01-01

A conceptual model that can be applied to improve community-based drinking-water in crisis-type situations has been developed from the original general science and technology/development bridging concept and from a case study in Northwest Bangladesh. The main feature of this model is the strengthened role of communities in identifying and implementing appropriate drinking-water improvements with facilitation by multi-disciplinary collaborative regional agency networks. These combined representative community/regional agency networks make decisions and take actions that involve environmental and health data, related capacity factors, and appropriateness of drinking-water improvements. They also progressively link regional decisions and actions together, expanding them nationally and preferably within a sustainable national policy-umbrella. This use of the model reflects stronger community control and input with more appropriate solutions to such drinking-water crisis situations and minimization of risk from potentially-inappropriate ‘externally-imposed’ processes. The application here is not intended as a generic or complete poverty-alleviation strategy by itself but as a crisis-solving intervention, complementary to existing and developing sustainable national policies and to introduce how key principles and concepts can relate in the wider context. In terms of the Bangladesh arsenic crisis, this translates into community/regional networks in geographic regions making assessments on the appropriateness of their drinking-water configuration. Preferred improvement options are decided and acted upon in a technological framework. Options include: pond-sand filters, rainwater harvesting, dugwell, deep-protected tubewell, and shallow tubewell with treatment devices. Bedding in the regional drinking-water improvement configuration protocols then occurs. This involves establishing ongoing representative monitoring and screening, clear delineation of arsenic-contaminated wells with inter-regional linking, and national expansion within national drinking-water policy frameworks. PMID:17366766

A conceptual model to be used for community-based drinking-water improvements.

PubMed

Anstiss, Richard G; Ahmed, Mushfique

2006-09-01

A conceptual model that can be applied to improve community-based drinking-water in crisis-type situations has been developed from the original general science and technology/development bridging concept and from a case study in Northwest Bangladesh. The main feature of this model is the strengthened role of communities in identifying and implementing appropriate drinking-water improvements with facilitation by multi-disciplinary collaborative regional agency networks. These combined representative community/regional agency networks make decisions and take actions that involve environmental and health data, related capacity factors, and appropriateness of drinking-water improvements. They also progressively link regional decisions and actions together, expanding them nationally and preferably within a sustainable national policy-umbrella. This use of the model reflects stronger community control and input with more appropriate solutions to such drinking-water crisis situations and minimization of risk from potentially-inappropriate 'externally-imposed' processes. The application here is not intended as a generic or complete poverty-alleviation strategy by itself but as a crisis-solving intervention, complementary to existing and developing sustainable national policies and to introduce how key principles and concepts can relate in the wider context. In terms of the Bangladesh arsenic crisis, this translates into community/regional networks in geographic regions making assessments on the appropriateness of their drinking-water configuration. Preferred improvement options are decided and acted upon in a technological framework. Options include: pond-sand filters, rainwater harvesting, dugwell, deep-protected tubewell, and shallow tubewell with treatment devices. Bedding in the regional drinking-water improvement configuration protocols then occurs. This involves establishing ongoing representative monitoring and screening, clear delineation of arsenic-contaminated wells with inter-regional linking, and national expansion within national drinking-water policy frameworks.

Harmonizing routinely collected health information for strengthening quality management in health systems: requirements and practice.

PubMed

Prodinger, Birgit; Tennant, Alan; Stucki, Gerold; Cieza, Alarcos; Üstün, Tevfik Bedirhan

2016-10-01

Our aim was to specify the requirements of an architecture to serve as the foundation for standardized reporting of health information and to provide an exemplary application of this architecture. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) served as the conceptual framework. Methods to establish content comparability were the ICF Linking Rules. The Rasch measurement model, as a special case of additive conjoint measurement, which satisfies the required criteria for fundamental measurement, allowed for the development of a common metric foundation for measurement unit conversion. Secondary analysis of data from the North Yorkshire Survey was used to illustrate these methods. Patients completed three instruments and the items were linked to the ICF. The Rasch measurement model was applied, first to each scale, and then to items across scales which were linked to a common domain. Based on the linking of items to the ICF, the majority of items were grouped into two domains, Mobility and Self-care. Analysis of the individual scales and of items linked to a common domain across scales satisfied the requirements of the Rasch measurement model. The measurement unit conversion between items from the three instruments linked to the Mobility and Self-care domains, respectively, was demonstrated. The realization of an ICF-based architecture for information on patients' functioning enables harmonization of health information while allowing clinicians and researchers to continue using their existing instruments. This architecture will facilitate access to comprehensive and consistently reported health information to serve as the foundation for informed decision-making. © The Author(s) 2016.

Computer simulation of the cumulative effects of brushland fire-management policies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonnicksen, Thomas M.

1980-01-01

A mathematical model simulates the cumulative volume of debris produced from brushland watersheds. Application of this model to a 176-km2 (0.678 = mi2) watershed along the southern flank of the Central San Gabriel Mountains permits assessment of expected debris production associated with alternative fire-management policies. The political implications of simulated debris production are evaluated through a conceptual model that links interest groups to particular successional stages in brushland watersheds by means of the resources claimed by each group. It is concluded that in theory, a rotation burn policy would provide benefits to more interest groups concerned about southern California's brushland watersheds than does the current fire exclusion policy.

Neurological and Epigenetic Implications of Nutritional Deficiencies on Psychopathology: Conceptualization and Review of Evidence

PubMed Central

Liu, Jianghong; Zhao, Sophie R.; Reyes, Teresa

2015-01-01

In recent years, a role for epigenetic modifications in the pathophysiology of disease has received significant attention. Many studies are now beginning to explore the gene–environment interactions, which may mediate early-life exposure to risk factors, such as nutritional deficiencies and later development of behavioral problems in children and adults. In this paper, we review the current literature on the role of epigenetics in the development of psychopathology, with a specific focus on the potential for epigenetic modifications to link nutrition and brain development. We propose a conceptual framework whereby epigenetic modifications (e.g., DNA methylation) mediate the link between micro- and macro-nutrient deficiency early in life and brain dysfunction (e.g., structural aberration, neurotransmitter perturbation), which has been linked to development of behavior problems later on in life. PMID:26251900

Risk factors associated with iatrogenic opioid and benzodiazepine withdrawal in critically ill pediatric patients: a systematic review and conceptual model.

PubMed

Best, Kaitlin M; Boullata, Joseph I; Curley, Martha A Q

2015-02-01

Analgesia and sedation are common therapies in pediatric critical care, and rapid titration of these medications is associated with iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome. We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify all common and salient risk factors associated with iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome and build a conceptual model of iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome risk in critically ill pediatric patients. Multiple databases, including PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Registry of Clinical Trials, were searched using relevant terms from January 1, 1980, to August 1, 2014. Articles were included if they were published in English and discussed iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome following either opioid or benzodiazepine therapy in children in acute or intensive care settings. Articles were excluded if subjects were neonates born to opioid- or benzodiazepine-dependent mothers, children diagnosed as substance abusers, or subjects with cancer-related pain; if data about opioid or benzodiazepine treatment were not specified; or if primary data were not reported. In total, 1,395 articles were evaluated, 33 of which met the inclusion criteria. To facilitate analysis, all opioid and/or benzodiazepine doses were converted to morphine or midazolam equivalents, respectively. A table of evidence was developed for qualitative analysis of common themes, providing a framework for the construction of a conceptual model. The strongest risk factors associated with iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome include duration of therapy and cumulative dose. Additionally, evidence exists linking patient, process, and system factors in the development of iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome. Most articles were prospective observational or interventional studies. Given the state of existing evidence, well-designed prospective studies are required to better characterize iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome in critically ill pediatric patients. This review provides data to support the construction of a conceptual model of iatrogenic withdrawal syndrome risk that, if supported, could be useful in guiding future research.

Transboundary study of the Milk River aquifer (Canada, USA): geological, conceptual and numerical models for the sound management of the regional groundwater resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pétré, Marie-Amélie; Rivera, Alfonso; Lefebvre, René

2016-04-01

The Milk River transboundary aquifer straddles southern Alberta (Canada) and northern Montana (United States), a semi-arid and water-short region. The extensive use of this regional sandstone aquifer over the 20th century has led to a major drop in water levels locally, and concerns about the durability of the resources have been raised since the mid-1950. Even though the Milk River Aquifer (MRA) has been studied for decades, most of the previous studies were limited by the international border, preventing a sound understanding of the aquifer dynamics. Yet, a complete portrait of the aquifer is required for proper management of this shared resource. The transboundary study of the MRA aims to overcome transboundary limitations by providing a comprehensive characterization of the groundwater resource at the aquifer scale, following a three-stage approach: 1) The development of a 3D unified geological model of the MRA (50,000 km2). The stratigraphic framework on both sides of the border was harmonized and various sources of geological data were unified to build the transboundary geological model. The delineation of the aquifer and the geometry and thicknesses of the geological units were defined continuously across the border. 2) Elaboration of a conceptual hydrogeological model by linking hydrogeological and geochemical data with the 3D unified geological model. This stage is based on a thorough literature review and focused complementary field work on both sides of the border. The conceptual model includes the determination of the groundwater flow pattern, the spatial distribution of hydraulic properties, a groundwater budget and the definition of the groundwater types. Isotopes (3H, 14C, 36Cl) were used to delineate the recharge area as well as the active and low-flow areas. 3) The building of a 3D numerical groundwater flow model of the MRA (26,000 km2). This model is a transposition of the geological and hydrogeological conceptual models. A pre-exploitation steady-state model and a subsequent transient numerical model with several exploitation scenarios were developed. The numerical model aims to test the conceptual model and to provide a basis to assess the best possible uses of this valuable resource that is shared by Canada and the United States of America. This study provides a unique approach with scientific tools for proper aquifer assessment and groundwater management at the aquifer scale, not interrupted by a jurisdictional boundary. These tools are combined and integrated into three models, which together will form the basis of reliable sustainable groundwater and aquifer management in cooperation, thus facilitating the creation of a system of transboundary water governance based on scientific knowledge.

Opportunities, challenges and concerns for the implementation and uptake of pelvic floor muscle assessment and exercises during the childbearing years: protocol for a critical interpretive synthesis.

PubMed

Salmon, Victoria E; Hay-Smith, E Jean C; Jarvie, Rachel; Dean, Sarah; Oborn, Eivor; Bayliss, Susan E; Bick, Debra; Davenport, Clare; Ismail, Khaled M; MacArthur, Christine; Pearson, Mark

2017-01-25

Pregnancy and childbirth are important risk factors for urinary incontinence (UI) in women. Pelvic floor muscle exercises (PFME) are effective for prevention of UI. Guidelines for the management of UI recommend offering pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) to women during their first pregnancy as a preventive strategy. The objective of this review is to understand the relationships between individual, professional, inter-professional and organisational opportunities, challenges and concerns that could be essential to maximise the impact of PFMT during childbearing years and to effect the required behaviour change. Following systematic searches to identify sources for inclusion, we shall use a critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) approach to produce a conceptual model, mapping the relationships between individual, professional, inter-professional and organisational factors and the implementation, acceptability and uptake of PFME education, assessment and training during the childbearing years. Purposive sampling will be used to identify potentially relevant material relating to topics or areas of interest which emerge as the review progresses. A wide range of empirical and non-empirical sources will be eligible for inclusion to encompass the breadth of relevant individual, professional, inter-professional and organisational issues relating to PFME during childbearing years. Data analysis and synthesis will identify key themes, concepts, connections and relationships between these themes. Findings will be interpreted in relation to existing frameworks of implementation, attitudes and beliefs of individuals and behaviour change. We will collate examples to illustrate relationships expressed in the conceptual model and identify potential links between the model and drivers for change. The CIS review findings and resulting conceptual model will illustrate relationships between factors that might affect the implementation, acceptability and uptake of PFME education, assessment and training during the childbearing years. The model will inform the development and evaluation of a training package to support midwives with implementation and delivery of effective PFME during the antenatal period. The review forms part of the first phase of the United Kingdom National Institute for Health Research funded 'Antenatal Preventative Pelvic floor Exercises And Localisation (APPEAL)' programme (grant number: RP-PG-0514-20002) to prevent poor health linked to pregnancy and childbirth-related UI. PROSPERO: CRD42016042792.

Farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems in dairy cattle: From concepts to operational simulations.

PubMed

Van De Gucht, Tim; Saeys, Wouter; Van Meensel, Jef; Van Nuffel, Annelies; Vangeyte, Jurgen; Lauwers, Ludwig

2018-01-01

Although prototypes of automatic lameness detection systems for dairy cattle exist, information about their economic value is lacking. In this paper, a conceptual and operational framework for simulating the farm-specific economic value of automatic lameness detection systems was developed and tested on 4 system types: walkover pressure plates, walkover pressure mats, camera systems, and accelerometers. The conceptual framework maps essential factors that determine economic value (e.g., lameness prevalence, incidence and duration, lameness costs, detection performance, and their relationships). The operational simulation model links treatment costs and avoided losses with detection results and farm-specific information, such as herd size and lameness status. Results show that detection performance, herd size, discount rate, and system lifespan have a large influence on economic value. In addition, lameness prevalence influences the economic value, stressing the importance of an adequate prior estimation of the on-farm prevalence. The simulations provide first estimates for the upper limits for purchase prices of automatic detection systems. The framework allowed for identification of knowledge gaps obstructing more accurate economic value estimation. These include insights in cost reductions due to early detection and treatment, and links between specific lameness causes and their related losses. Because this model provides insight in the trade-offs between automatic detection systems' performance and investment price, it is a valuable tool to guide future research and developments. Copyright © 2018 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modeling the process leading to abortion: an application to French survey data.

PubMed

Rossier, Clémentine; Michelot, François; Bajos, Nathalie

2007-09-01

In this study, we model women's recourse to induced abortion as resulting from a process that starts with sexual intercourse and contraceptive use (or nonuse), continues with the occurrence of an unintended pregnancy, and ends with the woman's decision to terminate the pregnancy and her access to abortion services. Our model includes two often-neglected proximate determinants of abortion: sexual practices and access to abortion services. We relate three sociodemographic characteristics--women's educational level, their relationship status, and their age--step by step to the stages of the abortion process. We apply our framework using data from the COCON survey, a national survey on reproductive health conducted in France in 2000. Our model shows that sociodemographic variables may have opposite impacts as the abortion process unfolds. For example, women's educational level can be positively linked to the probability of practicing contraception but negatively linked to the propensity to carry the unintended pregnancy to term. This conceptual framework brings together knowledge that is currently dispersed in the literature and helps to identify the source of abortion-rate differentials.

Understanding Quality of Life in Adults with Spinal Cord Injury Via SCI-Related Needs and Secondary Complications.

PubMed

Sweet, Shane N; Noreau, Luc; Leblond, Jean; Dumont, Frédéric S

2014-01-01

Understanding the factors that can predict greater quality of life (QoL) is important for adults with spinal cord injury (SCI), given that they report lower levels of QoL than the general population. To build a conceptual model linking SCI-related needs, secondary complications, and QoL in adults with SCI. Prior to testing the conceptual model, we aimed to develop and evaluate the factor structure for both SCI-related needs and secondary complications. Individuals with a traumatic SCI (N = 1,137) responded to an online survey measuring 13 SCI-related needs, 13 secondary complications, and the Life Satisfaction Questionnaire to assess QoL. The SCI-related needs and secondary complications were conceptualized into factors, tested with a confirmatory factor analysis, and subsequently evaluated in a structural equation model to predict QoL. The confirmatory factor analysis supported a 2-factor model for SCI related needs, χ(2)(61, N = 1,137) = 250.40, P <.001, comparative fit index (CFI) = .93, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .05, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = .04, and for 11 of the 13 secondary complications, χ(2)(44, N = 1,137) = 305.67, P < .001, CFI = .91, RMSEA = .060, SRMR = .033. The final 2 secondary complications were kept as observed constructs. In the structural model, both vital and personal development unmet SCI-related needs (β = -.22 and -.20, P < .05, respectively) and the neuro-physiological systems factor (β = -.45, P < .05) were negatively related with QoL. Identifying unmet SCI-related needs of individuals with SCI and preventing or managing secondary complications are essential to their QoL.

Facilitating critical thinking.

PubMed

Hansten, R I; Washburn, M J

2000-01-01

Supporting staff to think effectively is essential to improve clinical systems, decrease errors and sentinel events, and engage staff involvement to refine patient care systems in readiness for new care-delivery models that truly reflect the valued role of the RN. The authors explore practical methods, based on current research and national consulting experience, to facilitate the development of mature critical thinking skills. Assessment tools, a sample agenda for formal presentations, and teaching strategies using behavioral examples that make the important and necessary link of theory to reality are discussed in the form of a critical thinking test as well as a conceptual model for application in problem solving.

Re-thinking residential mobility

PubMed Central

van Ham, Maarten; Findlay, Allan M.

2015-01-01

While researchers are increasingly re-conceptualizing international migration, far less attention has been devoted to re-thinking short-distance residential mobility and immobility. In this paper we harness the life course approach to propose a new conceptual framework for residential mobility research. We contend that residential mobility and immobility should be re-conceptualized as relational practices that link lives through time and space while connecting people to structural conditions. Re-thinking and re-assessing residential mobility by exploiting new developments in longitudinal analysis will allow geographers to understand, critique and address pressing societal challenges. PMID:27330243

Negotiating energy dynamics through embodied action in a materially structured environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherr, Rachel E.; Close, Hunter G.; Close, Eleanor W.; Flood, Virginia J.; McKagan, Sarah B.; Robertson, Amy D.; Seeley, Lane; Wittmann, Michael C.; Vokos, Stamatis

2013-12-01

We provide evidence that a learning activity called Energy Theater engages learners with key conceptual issues in the learning of energy, including disambiguating matter flow and energy flow and theorizing mechanisms for energy transformation. A participationist theory of learning, in which learning is indicated by changes in speech and behavior, supports ethnographic analysis of learners’ embodied interactions with each other and the material setting. We conduct detailed analysis to build plausible causal links between specific features of Energy Theater and the conceptual engagement that we observe. Disambiguation of matter and energy appears to be promoted especially by the material structure of the Energy Theater environment, in which energy is represented by participants, while objects are represented by areas demarcated by loops of rope. Theorizing mechanisms of energy transformation is promoted especially by Energy Theater’s embodied action, which necessitates modeling the time ordering of energy transformations.

Beyond cultural competency: Bourdieu, patients and clinical encounters.

PubMed

Lo, Ming-Cheng M; Stacey, Clare L

2008-07-01

In response to widely documented racial and ethnic disparities in health, clinicians and public health advocates have taken great strides to implement 'culturally competent' care. While laudable, this important policy and intellectual endeavour has suffered from a lack of conceptual clarity and rigour. This paper develops a more careful conceptual model for understanding the role of culture in the clinical encounter, paying particular attention to the relationship between culture, contexts and social structures. Linking Bourdieu's (1977) notion of 'habitus' and William Sewell's (1992) axioms of multiple and intersecting structures, we theorise patient culture in terms of 'hybrid habitus'. This conceptualisation of patient culture highlights three analytical dimensions: the multiplicity of schemas and resources available to patients, their specific patterns of integration and application in specific contexts, and the constitutive role of clinical encounters. The paper concludes with a discussion of directions for future research as well as reforms of cultural competency training courses.

Using cognitive referents in making sense of teaching: A chemistry teacher's struggle to change assessment practices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Briscoe, Carol

This qualitative case study focused on the role of cognitive referents in the sense-making process of one teacher as he attempted to change his classroom science assessment. The interpretations identify cultural myths, conceptual metonymys, as well as personally constructed beliefs as referents that constrained change. The teacher's cognitive struggle to make sense of assessment and his role as assessor are linked to conflicting referents he used in varying contexts including day-to-day assessment and summative assessment settings. The results of the study suggest that cognitive referents are important influences in driving how a teacher thinks about assessment and may constrain an individual teacher's implementation of innovative practices. Accordingly, identification of referents such as myths, their associated beliefs, and metonymic conceptual models that teachers use to make sense of their actions is an important first step in developing an understanding of constraints to educational change.

When does familiarity promote versus undermine interpersonal attraction? A proposed integrative model from erstwhile adversaries.

PubMed

Finkel, Eli J; Norton, Michael I; Reis, Harry T; Ariely, Dan; Caprariello, Peter A; Eastwick, Paul W; Frost, Jeana H; Maniaci, Michael R

2015-01-01

This article began as an adversarial collaboration between two groups of researchers with competing views on a longstanding question: Does familiarity promote or undermine interpersonal attraction? As we explored our respective positions, it became clear that the limitations of our conceptualizations of the familiarity-attraction link, as well as the limitations of prior research, were masking a set of higher order principles capable of integrating these diverse conceptualizations. This realization led us to adopt a broader perspective, which focuses on three distinct relationship stages-awareness, surface contact, and mutuality-and suggests that the influence of familiarity on attraction depends on both the nature and the stage of the relationship between perceivers and targets. This article introduces the framework that emerged from our discussions and suggests directions for research to investigate its validity. © The Author(s) 2014.

The Challenges of Developing Disciplinary Knowledge and Making Links across the Disciplines in Early Years and Primary Humanities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swift, Diane

2017-01-01

This article argues that an understanding of disciplinary knowledge production helps to underpin a conceptual structure for the humanities curriculum. This is important as a conceptual curriculum more overtly supports knowledge production for both pupils and teachers than one that is solely focused on propositional knowledge. It can mean the…

L1 and L2 Picture Naming in Mandarin-English Bilinguals: A Test of Bilingual Dual Coding Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jared, Debra; Poh, Rebecca Pei Yun; Paivio, Allan

2013-01-01

This study examined the nature of bilinguals' conceptual representations and the links from these representations to words in L1 and L2. Specifically, we tested an assumption of the Bilingual Dual Coding Theory that conceptual representations include image representations, and that learning two languages in separate contexts can result in…

The Challenges to Coupling Dynamic Geospatial Models

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

Goldstein, N

2006-06-23

Many applications of modeling spatial dynamic systems focus on a single system and a single process, ignoring the geographic and systemic context of the processes being modeled. A solution to this problem is the coupled modeling of spatial dynamic systems. Coupled modeling is challenging for both technical reasons, as well as conceptual reasons. This paper explores the benefits and challenges to coupling or linking spatial dynamic models, from loose coupling, where information transfer between models is done by hand, to tight coupling, where two (or more) models are merged as one. To illustrate the challenges, a coupled model of Urbanizationmore » and Wildfire Risk is presented. This model, called Vesta, was applied to the Santa Barbara, California region (using real geospatial data), where Urbanization and Wildfires occur and recur, respectively. The preliminary results of the model coupling illustrate that coupled modeling can lead to insight into the consequences of processes acting on their own.« less

Conceptualizing socio‐hydrological drought processes: The case of the Maya collapse

PubMed Central

Carr, Gemma; Viglione, Alberto; Prskawetz, Alexia; Blöschl, Günter

2016-01-01

Abstract With population growth, increasing water demands and climate change the need to understand the current and future pathways to water security is becoming more pressing. To contribute to addressing this challenge, we examine the link between water stress and society through socio‐hydrological modeling. We conceptualize the interactions between an agricultural society with its environment in a stylized way. We apply the model to the case of the ancient Maya, a population that experienced a peak during the Classic Period (AD 600–830) and then declined during the ninth century. The hypothesis that modest drought periods played a major role in the society's collapse is explored. Simulating plausible feedbacks between water and society we show that a modest reduction in rainfall may lead to an 80% population collapse. Population density and crop sensitivity to droughts, however, may play an equally important role. The simulations indicate that construction of reservoirs results in less frequent drought impacts, but if the reservoirs run dry, drought impact may be more severe and the population drop may be larger. PMID:27840455

National Study of Excellence and Innovation in Physical Therapist Education: Part 2-A Call to Reform.

PubMed

Jensen, Gail M; Hack, Laurita M; Nordstrom, Terrence; Gwyer, Janet; Mostrom, Elizabeth

2017-09-01

This perspective shares recommendations that draw from (1) the National Study of Excellence and Innovation in Physical Therapist Education research findings and a conceptual model of excellence in physical therapist education, (2) the Carnegie Foundation's Preparation for the Professions Program (PPP), and (3) research in the learning sciences. The 30 recommendations are linked to the dimensions described in the conceptual model for excellence in physical therapist education: Culture of Excellence, Praxis of Learning, and Organizational Structures and Resources. This perspective proposes a transformative call for reform framed across 3 core categories: (1) creating a culture of excellence, leadership, and partnership, (2) advancing the learning sciences and understanding and enacting the social contract, and (3) implementing organizational imperatives. Similar to the Carnegie studies, this perspective identifies action items (9) that should be initiated immediately in a strategic and systematic way by the major organizational stakeholders in physical therapist education. These recommendations and action items provide a transformative agenda for physical therapist education, and thus the profession, in meeting the changing needs of society through higher levels of excellence. © 2017 American Physical Therapy Association.

Conceptualizing socio-hydrological drought processes: The case of the Maya collapse.

PubMed

Kuil, Linda; Carr, Gemma; Viglione, Alberto; Prskawetz, Alexia; Blöschl, Günter

2016-08-01

With population growth, increasing water demands and climate change the need to understand the current and future pathways to water security is becoming more pressing. To contribute to addressing this challenge, we examine the link between water stress and society through socio-hydrological modeling. We conceptualize the interactions between an agricultural society with its environment in a stylized way. We apply the model to the case of the ancient Maya, a population that experienced a peak during the Classic Period (AD 600-830) and then declined during the ninth century. The hypothesis that modest drought periods played a major role in the society's collapse is explored. Simulating plausible feedbacks between water and society we show that a modest reduction in rainfall may lead to an 80% population collapse. Population density and crop sensitivity to droughts, however, may play an equally important role. The simulations indicate that construction of reservoirs results in less frequent drought impacts, but if the reservoirs run dry, drought impact may be more severe and the population drop may be larger.

Conceptualizing socio-hydrological drought processes: The case of the Maya collapse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuil, Linda; Carr, Gemma; Viglione, Alberto; Prskawetz, Alexia; Blöschl, Günter

2016-08-01

With population growth, increasing water demands and climate change the need to understand the current and future pathways to water security is becoming more pressing. To contribute to addressing this challenge, we examine the link between water stress and society through socio-hydrological modeling. We conceptualize the interactions between an agricultural society with its environment in a stylized way. We apply the model to the case of the ancient Maya, a population that experienced a peak during the Classic Period (AD 600-830) and then declined during the ninth century. The hypothesis that modest drought periods played a major role in the society's collapse is explored. Simulating plausible feedbacks between water and society we show that a modest reduction in rainfall may lead to an 80% population collapse. Population density and crop sensitivity to droughts, however, may play an equally important role. The simulations indicate that construction of reservoirs results in less frequent drought impacts, but if the reservoirs run dry, drought impact may be more severe and the population drop may be larger.

Molecular Reactivity and Absorption Properties of Melanoidin Blue-G1 through Conceptual DFT.

PubMed

Frau, Juan; Glossman-Mitnik, Daniel

2018-03-02

This computational study presents the assessment of eleven density functionals that include CAM-B3LYP, LC-wPBE, M11, M11L, MN12L, MN12SX, N12, N12SX, wB97, wB97X and wB97XD related to the Def2TZVP basis sets together with the Solvation Model Density (SMD) solvation model in calculating the molecular properties and structure of the Blue-G1 intermediate melanoidin pigment. The chemical reactivity descriptors for the system are calculated via the conceptual Density Functional Theory (DFT). The choice of the active sites related to the nucleophilic, electrophilic, as well as radical attacks is made by linking them with the Fukui function indices, the electrophilic Parr functions and the condensed dual descriptor Δ f ( r ) . The prediction of the maximum absorption wavelength tends to be considerably accurate relative to its experimental value. The study found the MN12SX and N12SX density functionals to be the most appropriate density functionals in predicting the chemical reactivity of the studied molecule.

Jail Mental Health Resourcing: A Conceptual and Empirical Study of Social Determinants.

PubMed

Helms, Ronald; Gutierrez, Ricky S; Reeves-Gutierrez, Debra

2016-07-01

U.S. county jails hold large populations of mentally ill inmates but have rarely been researched quantitatively to assess their collective capacity for providing mental health treatment. This research uses ordinal logit and a partial parallel slopes model and a large sample of U.S. counties to assess conceptualized links between local institutional and structural indicators and jail mental health resourcing. Strong church networks and high rates of adult education completion are associated with enhanced jail mental health resourcing. Urbanized areas and areas with deep economic ties to manufacturing appear supportive of a strong jail mental health system. Conversely, conservative political environments and areas with strong medical and mental health networks based in the community are correlated with reduced jail mental health resourcing. Evidence from this research adds to a growing understanding of the need for enhanced community mental health service and diagnostic capabilities in our nation's jails, noting the characteristics and correlates of model program jurisdictions and jurisdictions where program enhancements are most likely in order. © The Author(s) 2015.

Gateway National Recreation Area, Jamaica Bay Unit : Jamaica Bay Greenway Missing Links Study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-09-24

Based on both a field site reconnaissance and workshop, this study developed a conceptual plan for the location and design of bicyle facilites to complete a "missing link" of the Jamaica Bay through the Rockaway region of Brooklyn and Queens in New Y...

Pain and Emotion: A Biopsychosocial Review of Recent Research

PubMed Central

Lumley, Mark A.; Cohen, Jay L.; Borszcz, George S.; Cano, Annmarie; Radcliffe, Alison M.; Porter, Laura S.; Schubiner, Howard; Keefe, Francis J.

2011-01-01

Objective and Method Research on emotion and pain has burgeoned. We review the last decade’s literature, focusing on links between emotional processes and persistent pain. Results Neurobiological research documents the neural processes that distinguish affective from sensory pain dimensions, link emotion and pain, and generate central nervous system pain sensitization. Psychological research demonstrates that greater pain is related to emotional stress and limited emotional awareness, expression, and processing. Social research shows the potential importance of emotional communication, empathy, attachment, and rejection. Conclusions Emotions are integral to the conceptualization, assessment, and treatment of persistent pain. Research should clarify when to eliminate or attenuate negative emotions, and when to access, experience, and express them. Theory and practice should integrate emotion into cognitive-behavioral models of persistent pain. PMID:21647882

Multiple Pathways Linking Racism to Health Outcomes

PubMed Central

Harrell, Camara Jules P.; Burford, Tanisha I.; Cage, Brandi N.; Nelson, Travette McNair; Shearon, Sheronda; Thompson, Adrian; Green, Steven

2012-01-01

This commentary discusses advances in the conceptual understanding of racism and selected research findings in the social neurosciences. The traditional stress and coping model holds that racism constitutes a source of aversive experiences that, when perceived by the individual, eventually lead to poor health outcomes. Current evidence points to additional psychophysiological pathways linking facets of racist environments with physiological reactions that contribute to disease. The alternative pathways emphasize prenatal experiences, subcortical emotional neural circuits, conscious and preconscious emotion regulation, perseverative cognitions, and negative affective states stemming from racist cognitive schemata. Recognition of these pathways challenges change agents to use an array of cognitive and self-controlling interventions in mitigating racism’s impact. Additionally, it charges policy makers to develop strategies that eliminate deep-seated structural aspects of racism in society. PMID:22518195

Eating behavior dimensions. Associations with energy intake and body weight. A review.

PubMed

French, Simone A; Epstein, Leonard H; Jeffery, Robert W; Blundell, John E; Wardle, Jane

2012-10-01

The purpose of this review is to spark integrative thinking in the area of eating behaviors by critically examining research on exemplary constructs in this area. The eating behaviors food responsiveness, enjoyment of eating, satiety responsiveness, eating in the absence of hunger, reinforcing value of food, eating disinhibition and impulsivity/self-control are reviewed in relation to energy intake, body mass index and weight gain over time. Each of these constructs has been developed independently, and little research has explored the extent to which they overlap or whether they differentially predict food choices, energy intake and weight gain in the naturalistic environment. Most available data show positive cross-sectional associations with body mass index, but fewer studies report associations with energy intake or food choices. Little prospective data are available to link measures of eating behaviors with weight gain. Disinhibition has the largest and most consistent body of empirical data that link it prospectively with weight gain. An overarching conceptual model to integrate the conceptual and empirical research base for the role of eating behavior dimensions in the field of obesity research would highlight potential patterns of interaction between individual differences in eating behaviors, specific aspects of the individual's food environment and individual variation in state levels of hunger and satiety. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Eating Behavior Dimensions: Associations With Energy Intake And Body Weight: A Review

PubMed Central

French, Simone A.; Epstein, Leonard H; Jeffery, Robert W.; Blundell, John E.; Wardle, Jane

2012-01-01

The purpose of this review is to spark integrative thinking in the area of eating behaviors by critically examining research on exemplary constructs in this area. The eating behaviors food responsiveness, enjoyment of eating, satiety responsiveness, eating in the absence of hunger, reinforcing value of food, eating disinhibition and impulsivity/self-control are reviewed in relation to energy intake, body mass index and weight gain over time. Each of these constructs has been developed independently, and little research has explored the extent to which they overlap or whether they differentially predict food choices, energy intake and weight gain in the naturalistic environment. Most available data show positive cross-sectional associations with body mass index, but fewer studies report associations with energy intake or food choices. Little prospective data are available to link measures of eating behaviors with weight gain. Disinhibition has the largest and most consistent body of empirical data that link it prospectively with weight gain. An overarching conceptual model to integrate the conceptual and empirical research base for the role of eating behavior dimensions in the field of obesity research would highlight potential patterns of interaction between individual differences in eating behaviors, specific aspects of the individual’s food environment and individual variation in state levels of hunger and satiety. PMID:22796186

How do Small Groups Promote Behaviour Change? An Integrative Conceptual Review of Explanatory Mechanisms.

PubMed

Borek, Aleksandra J; Abraham, Charles

2018-03-01

Small groups are used to promote health, well-being, and personal change by altering members' perceptions, beliefs, expectations, and behaviour patterns. An extensive cross-disciplinary literature has articulated and tested theories explaining how such groups develop, function, and facilitate change. Yet these theoretical understandings are rarely applied in the development, description, and evaluation of health-promotion, group-based, behaviour-change interventions. Medline database, library catalogues, search engines, specific journals and reference lists were searched for relevant texts. Texts were reviewed for explanatory concepts or theories describing change processes in groups, which were integrated into the developing conceptual structure. This was designed to be a parsimonious conceptual framework that could be applied to design and delivery. Five categories of interacting processes and concepts were identified and defined: (1) group development processes, (2) dynamic group processes, (3) social change processes, (4) personal change processes, and (5) group design and operating parameters. Each of these categories encompasses a variety of theorised mechanisms explaining individual change in small groups. The final conceptual model, together with the design issues and practical recommendations derived from it, provides a practical basis for linking research and theory explaining group functioning to optimal design of group-based, behaviour-change interventions. © 2018 The Authors. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of International Association of Applied Psychology.

Links between riparian landcover, instream environment and fish assemblages in headwater streams of south-eastern Brazil

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cruz, Bruna B.; Miranda, Leandro E.; Cetra, Mauricio

2013-01-01

We hypothesised and tested a hierarchical organisation model where riparian landcover would influence bank composition and light availability, which in turn would influence instream environments and control fish assemblages. The study was conducted during the dry season in 11 headwater tributaries of the Sorocaba River in the upper Paraná River Basin, south-eastern Brazil. We focused on seven environmental factors each represented by one or multiple environmental variables and seven fish functional traits each represented by two or more classes. Multivariate direct gradient analyses suggested that riparian zone landcover can be considered a higher level causal factor in a network of relations that control instream characteristics and fish assemblages. Our results provide a framework for a hierarchical conceptual model that identifies singular and collective influences of variables from different scales on each other and ultimately on different aspects related to stream fish functional composition. This conceptual model is focused on the relationships between riparian landcover and instream variables as causal factors on the organisation of stream fish assemblages. Our results can also be viewed as a model for headwater stream management in that landcover can be manipulated to influence factors such as bank composition, substrates and water quality, whereas fish assemblage composition can be used as indicators to monitor the success of such efforts.

Examining the aging process through the stress-coping framework: application to driving cessation in later life

PubMed Central

Choi, Moon; Adams, Kathryn Betts; Mezuk, Briana

2017-01-01

The aging process is marked by a series of transitions that influence multiple domains of well-being. One important transition for older adults is the process of driving cessation. Numerous studies have examined risk factors for driving cessation among older adults to identify at-risk older drivers for road safety. Recent research has focused on the consequences of driving cessation in later life for health and well-being. However, these reports have been largely empirical and are not drawn from a defined conceptual framework. Establishing a theoretical model of ‘how driving cessation interacts with other processes and domains of aging’ will promote synthesis of seemingly disparate findings and also link the empirical research on cessation to the broader field of gerontology. This article describes a conceptual model for articulating and examining the components of the driving cessation process based on the stress-coping paradigm. This model situates driving cessation within the context of exogenous stressors, individual vulnerabilities and coping strategies, and environmental hazards and buffers over the lifespan. This model could assist in guiding intervention strategies aimed at reducing premature driving cessation in older drivers with ameliorable impairments while assisting at-risk older drivers to reduce or stop driving in a less stressful way. PMID:21702704

Examining the aging process through the stress-coping framework: application to driving cessation in later life.

PubMed

Choi, Moon; Adams, Kathryn Betts; Mezuk, Briana

2012-01-01

The aging process is marked by a series of transitions that influence multiple domains of well-being. One important transition for older adults is the process of driving cessation. Numerous studies have examined risk factors for driving cessation among older adults to identify at-risk older drivers for road safety. Recent research has focused on the consequences of driving cessation in later life for health and well-being. However, these reports have been largely empirical and are not drawn from a defined conceptual framework. Establishing a theoretical model of 'how driving cessation interacts with other processes and domains of aging' will promote synthesis of seemingly disparate findings and also link the empirical research on cessation to the broader field of gerontology. This article describes a conceptual model for articulating and examining the components of the driving cessation process based on the stress-coping paradigm. This model situates driving cessation within the context of exogenous stressors, individual vulnerabilities and coping strategies, and environmental hazards and buffers over the lifespan. This model could assist in guiding intervention strategies aimed at reducing premature driving cessation in older drivers with ameliorable impairments while assisting at-risk older drivers to reduce or stop driving in a less stressful way.

Embedded Process Modeling, Analogy-Based Option Generation and Analytical Graphic Interaction for Enhanced User-Computer Interaction: An Interactive Storyboard of Next Generation User-Computer Interface Technology. Phase 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-03-01

structure of the interface is a mapping from the physical world [for example, the use of icons, which S have inherent meaning to users but represent...design alternatives. Mechanisms for linking the user to the computer include physical devices (keyboards), actions taken with the devices (keystrokes...VALUATION AIDES TEMLATEI IITCOM1I LATOR IACTICAL KNOWLEDGE ACGIUISITION MICNnII t 1 Fig. 9. INTACVAL. * OtJiCTs ARE PHYSICAL ENTITIES OR CONCEPTUAL EN

How "Central" Is Central Coherence?: Preliminary Evidence on the Link between Conceptual and Perceptual Processing in Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lopez, Beatriz; Leekam, Susan R.; Arts, Gerda R. J.

2008-01-01

This study aimed to test the assumption drawn from weak central coherence theory that a central cognitive mechanism is responsible for integrating information at both conceptual and perceptual levels. A visual semantic memory task and a face recognition task measuring use of holistic information were administered to 15 children with autism and 16…

Leisure and Quality of Life in an International and Multicultural Context: What Are Major Pathways Linking Leisure to Quality of Life?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iwasaki, Yoshitaka

2007-01-01

This paper aims at advancing the conceptualization of leisure as a contributor to quality of life (QOL) in an international and multicultural context, based on an extensive and critical review of literature on leisure and QOL from a global, international perspective. Given the central role of culture in conceptualizing this notion, this paper…

Cognitive Frames of Reference and Strategic Thinking

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-05

Elliot Jaques and T. 0. Jacobs, whose Stratified Systems Theory (SST) links leadership requirements to organizational functions. SST emphasizes the...reverse if necessary and identify by block number) Using Stratified Systems Theory and the research on expertise as a conceptual framework, this study...Stratified Systems Theory and the research on expertise as a conceptual framework, this study explored the differences in the structure and content of the

The role of conceptual knowledge in understanding synaesthesia: Evaluating contemporary findings from a “hub-and-spokes” perspective

PubMed Central

Chiou, Rocco

2014-01-01

Synesthesia is a phenomenon in which stimulation in one sensory modality triggers involuntary experiences typically not associated with that stimulation. Inducing stimuli (inducers) and synesthetic experiences (concurrents) may occur within the same modality (e.g., seeing colors while reading achromatic text) or span across different modalities (e.g., tasting flavors while listening to music). Although there has been considerable progress over the last decade in understanding the cognitive and neural mechanisms of synesthesia, the focus of current neurocognitive models of synesthesia does not encompass many crucial psychophysical characteristics documented in behavioral research. Prominent theories of the neurophysiological basis of synesthesia construe it as a perceptual phenomenon and hence focus primarily on the modality-specific brain regions for perception. Many behavioral studies, however, suggest an essential role for conceptual-level information in synesthesia. For example, there is evidence that synesthetic experience arises subsequent to identification of an inducing stimulus, differs substantially from real perceptual events, can be akin to perceptual memory, and is susceptible to lexical/semantic contexts. These data suggest that neural mechanisms lying beyond the realm of the perceptual cortex (especially the visual system), such as regions subserving conceptual knowledge, may play pivotal roles in the neural architecture of synesthesia. Here we discuss the significance of non-perceptual mechanisms that call for a re-evaluation of the emphasis on synesthesia as a perceptual phenomenon. We also review recent studies which hint that some aspects of synesthesia resemble our general conceptual knowledge for object attributes, at both psychophysical and neural levels. We then present a conceptual-mediation model of synesthesia in which the inducer and concurrent are linked within a conceptual-level representation. This “inducer-to-concurrent” nexus is maintained within a supramodal “hub,” while the subjective (bodily) experience of its resultant concurrent (e.g., a color) may then require activation of “spokes” in the perception-related cortices. This hypothesized “hub-and-spoke” structure would engage a distributed network of cortical regions and may account for the full breadth of this intriguing phenomenon. PMID:24653707

Promoting Scientific Thinking and Conceptual Change about Alternative Explanations of Climate Change and Other Controversial Socio-scientific Topics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombardi, D.; Sinatra, G. M.

2013-12-01

Critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal of scientific explanations have been underemphasized in many science classrooms (NRC, 2012). Deep science learning demands that students increase their ability to critically evaluate the quality of scientific knowledge, weigh alternative explanations, and explicitly reappraise their plausibility judgments. Therefore, this lack of instruction about critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal has, in part, contributed to diminished understanding about complex and controversial topics, such as global climate change. The Model-Evidence Link (MEL) diagram (originally developed by researchers at Rutgers University under an NSF-supported project; Chinn & Buckland, 2012) is an instructional scaffold that promotes students to critically evaluate alternative explanations. We recently developed a climate change MEL and found that the students who used the MEL experienced a significant shift in their plausibility judgments toward the scientifically accepted model of human-induced climate change. Using the MEL for instruction also resulted in conceptual change about the causes of global warming that reflected greater understanding of fundamental scientific principles. Furthermore, students sustained this conceptual change six months after MEL instruction (Lombardi, Sinatra, & Nussbaum, 2013). This presentation will discuss recent educational research that supports use of the MEL to promote critical evaluation, plausibility reappraisal, and conceptual change, and also, how the MEL may be particularly effective for learning about global climate change and other socio-scientific topics. Such instruction to develop these fundamental thinking skills (e.g., critical evaluation and plausibility reappraisal) is demanded by both the Next Generation Science Standards (Achieve, 2013) and the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Mathematics (CCSS Initiative-ELA, 2010; CCSS Initiative-Math, 2010), as well as a society that is equipped to deal with challenges in a way that is beneficial to our national and global community.

Linking Dimensional Models of Internalizing Psychopathology to Neurobiological Systems: Affect-Modulated Startle as an Indicator of Fear and Distress Disorders and Affiliated Traits

PubMed Central

Vaidyanathan, Uma; Patrick, Christopher J.; Cuthbert, Bruce N.

2009-01-01

Integrative hierarchical models have sought to account for the extensive comorbidity between various internalizing disorders in terms of broad individual difference factors these disorders share. However, such models have been developed largely on the basis of self-report and diagnostic symptom data. Toward the goal of linking such models to neurobiological systems, we review studies that have employed variants of the affect-modulated startle paradigm to investigate emotional processing in internalizing disorders as well as personality constructs known to be associated with these disorders. Specifically, we focus on four parameters of startle reactivity: fear-potentiated startle, inhibition of startle in the context of pleasant stimuli, context-potentiated startle, and general startle reactivity. On the basis of available data, we argue that these varying effects index differing neurobiological processes related to mood and anxiety disorders that are interpretable from the standpoint of dimensional models of the internalizing spectrum. Further, we contend that these empirical findings can feed back into and help reshape conceptualizations of internalizing disorders in ways that make them more amenable to neurobiological analysis. PMID:19883142

A review of the evidence linking adult attachment theory and chronic pain: presenting a conceptual model.

PubMed

Meredith, Pamela; Ownsworth, Tamara; Strong, Jenny

2008-03-01

It is now well established that pain is a multidimensional phenomenon, affected by a gamut of psychosocial and biological variables. According to diathesis-stress models of chronic pain, some individuals are more vulnerable to developing disability following acute pain because they possess particular psychosocial vulnerabilities which interact with physical pathology to impact negatively upon outcome. Attachment theory, a theory of social and personality development, has been proposed as a comprehensive developmental model of pain, implicating individual adult attachment pattern in the ontogenesis and maintenance of chronic pain. The present paper reviews and critically appraises studies which link adult attachment theory with chronic pain. Together, these papers offer support for the role of insecure attachment as a diathesis (or vulnerability) for problematic adjustment to pain. The Attachment-Diathesis Model of Chronic Pain developed from this body of literature, combines adult attachment theory with the diathesis-stress approach to chronic pain. The evidence presented in this review, and the associated model, advances our understanding of the developmental origins of chronic pain conditions, with potential application in guiding early pain intervention and prevention efforts, as well as tailoring interventions to suit specific patient needs.

Conceptual and logical level of database modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunka, Frantisek; Matula, Jiri

2016-06-01

Conceptual and logical levels form the top most levels of database modeling. Usually, ORM (Object Role Modeling) and ER diagrams are utilized to capture the corresponding schema. The final aim of business process modeling is to store its results in the form of database solution. For this reason, value oriented business process modeling which utilizes ER diagram to express the modeling entities and relationships between them are used. However, ER diagrams form the logical level of database schema. To extend possibilities of different business process modeling methodologies, the conceptual level of database modeling is needed. The paper deals with the REA value modeling approach to business process modeling using ER-diagrams, and derives conceptual model utilizing ORM modeling approach. Conceptual model extends possibilities for value modeling to other business modeling approaches.

Preliminary Analysis of Perfusionists’ Strategies for Managing Routine and Failure Mode Scenarios in Cardiopulmonary Bypass

PubMed Central

Power, Gerald; Miller, Anne

2007-01-01

Abstract: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is a complex task requiring high levels of practitioner expertise. Although some education standards exist, few are based on an analysis of perfusionists’ problem-solving needs. This study shows the efficacy of work domain analysis (WDA) as a framework for analyzing perfusionists’ conceptualization and problem-solving strategies. A WDA model of a CPB circuit was developed. A high-fidelity CPB simulator (Manbit) was used to present routine and oxygenator failure scenarios to six proficient perfusionists. The video-cued recall technique was used to elicit perfusionists’ conceptualization strategies. The resulting recall transcripts were coded using the WDA model and analyzed for associations between task completion times and patterns of conceptualization. The WDA model developed was successful in being able to account for and describe the thought process followed by each participant. It was also shown that, although there was no correlation between experience with CPB and ability to change an oxygenator, there was a link between the between specific thought patterns and the efficiency in undertaking this task. Simulators are widely used in many fields of human endeavor, and in this research, the attempt was made to use WDA to gain insights into the complexities of the human thought process when engaged in the complex task of conducting CPB. The assumption that experience equates with ability is challenged, and rather, it is shown that thought process is a more significant determinant of success when engaged in complex tasks. WDA analysis in combination with a CPB simulator may be used to elucidate successful strategies for completing complex tasks. PMID:17972450

A conceptual model of the automated credibility assessment of the volunteered geographic information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idris, N. H.; Jackson, M. J.; Ishak, M. H. I.

2014-02-01

The use of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in collecting, sharing and disseminating geospatially referenced information on the Web is increasingly common. The potentials of this localized and collective information have been seen to complement the maintenance process of authoritative mapping data sources and in realizing the development of Digital Earth. The main barrier to the use of this data in supporting this bottom up approach is the credibility (trust), completeness, accuracy, and quality of both the data input and outputs generated. The only feasible approach to assess these data is by relying on an automated process. This paper describes a conceptual model of indicators (parameters) and practical approaches to automated assess the credibility of information contributed through the VGI including map mashups, Geo Web and crowd - sourced based applications. There are two main components proposed to be assessed in the conceptual model - metadata and data. The metadata component comprises the indicator of the hosting (websites) and the sources of data / information. The data component comprises the indicators to assess absolute and relative data positioning, attribute, thematic, temporal and geometric correctness and consistency. This paper suggests approaches to assess the components. To assess the metadata component, automated text categorization using supervised machine learning is proposed. To assess the correctness and consistency in the data component, we suggest a matching validation approach using the current emerging technologies from Linked Data infrastructures and using third party reviews validation. This study contributes to the research domain that focuses on the credibility, trust and quality issues of data contributed by web citizen providers.

Integrating Resources into Curriculum with the Systems Connect Planning Guide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oshry, A.; Bean, J. R.

2017-12-01

A broadly applicable and guided approach for planning curriculum and instruction around new academic standards or initiatives is critical for implementation success. Curriculum and assessment differs across schools and districts, so built-in adaptability is important for maximal adoption and ease of use by educators. The Systems Connect Planning Guide directs the flow of instruction for building conceptual links between topics in a unit/curriculum through critical vetting and integration of relevant resources. This curricular template is flexible for use in any setting or subject area, and ensures applicability, high impact and responsiveness to academic standards while providing inquiry-based, real-world investigations and action that incorporate authentic research and data. These needs are what informed the creation of the three components of the planning guide:• Curriculum Anchor: alignment with academic standards & learning outcomes and setting the context of the topic• Issues Investigations: informing how students explore topics, and incorporate authentic research and data into learning progressions• Civic Action: development of how students could apply their knowledgeThe Planning Guide also incorporates criteria from transdisciplinary practices, cross-cutting concepts, and organizational charts for outlining guiding questions and conceptual links embedded in the guide. Integration of experiential learning and real-world connections into curricula is important for proficiency and deeper understanding of content, replacing discrete, stand-alone experiences which are not explicitly connected. Rather than information being dispelled through individual activities, relying on students to make the connections, intentionally documenting explicit connections provides opportunities to foster deeper understanding by building conceptual links between topics, which is how fundamental knowledge about earth and living systems is gained. Through the critical vetting and sequencing of these resources, educators establish cohesive learning progressions that explicitly build conceptual links between topics, enabling students to use these activities to develop evidence-based explanations of the natural world.

Assessment of Alternative Conceptual Models Using Reactive Transport Modeling with Monitoring Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dai, Z.; Price, V.; Heffner, D.; Hodges, R.; Temples, T.; Nicholson, T.

2005-12-01

Monitoring data proved very useful in evaluating alternative conceptual models, simulating contaminant transport behavior, and reducing uncertainty. A graded approach using three alternative conceptual site models was formulated to simulate a field case of tetrachloroethene (PCE) transport and biodegradation. These models ranged from simple to complex in their representation of subsurface heterogeneities. The simplest model was a single-layer homogeneous aquifer that employed an analytical reactive transport code, BIOCHLOR (Aziz et al., 1999). Due to over-simplification of the aquifer structure, this simulation could not reproduce the monitoring data. The second model consisted of a multi-layer conceptual model, in combination with numerical modules, MODFLOW and RT3D within GMS, to simulate flow and reactive transport. Although the simulation results from the second model were comparatively better than those from the simple model, they still did not adequately reproduce the monitoring well concentrations because the geological structures were still inadequately defined. Finally, a more realistic conceptual model was formulated that incorporated heterogeneities and geologic structures identified from well logs and seismic survey data using the Petra and PetraSeis software. This conceptual model included both a major channel and a younger channel that were detected in the PCE source area. In this model, these channels control the local ground-water flow direction and provide a preferential chemical transport pathway. Simulation results using this conceptual site model proved compatible with the monitoring concentration data. This study demonstrates that the bias and uncertainty from inadequate conceptual models are much larger than those introduced from an inadequate choice of model parameter values (Neuman and Wierenga, 2003; Meyer et al., 2004; Ye et al., 2004). This case study integrated conceptual and numerical models, based on interpreted local hydrogeologic and geochemical data, with detailed monitoring plume data. It provided key insights for confirming alternative conceptual site models and assessing the performance of monitoring networks. A monitoring strategy based on this graded approach for assessing alternative conceptual models can provide the technical bases for identifying critical monitoring locations, adequate monitoring frequency, and performance indicator parameters for performance monitoring involving ground-water levels and PCE concentrations.

Geomorphological origin of recession curves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswal, Basudev; Marani, Marco

2010-12-01

We identify a previously undetected link between the river network morphology and key recession curves properties through a conceptual-physical model of the drainage process of the riparian unconfined aquifer. We show that the power-law exponent, α, of -dQ/dt vs. Q curves is related to the power-law exponent of N(l) vs. G(l) curves (which we show to be connected to Hack's law), where l is the downstream distance from the channel heads, N(l) is the number of channel reaches exactly located at a distance l from their channel head, and G(l) is the total length of the network located at a distance greater or equal to l from channel heads. Using Digital Terrain Models and daily discharge observations from 67 US basins we find that geomorphologic α estimates match well the values obtained from recession curves analyses. Finally, we argue that the link between recession flows and network morphology points to an important role of low-flow discharges in shaping the channel network.

A propagation effects handbook for satellite systems design. A summary of propagation impairments on 10-100 GHz satellite links, with techniques for system design. [tropospheric scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaul, R.; Wallace, R.; Kinal, G.

1980-01-01

This handbook provides satellite system engineers with a concise summary of the major propagation effects experienced on Earth-space paths in the 10 to 100 GHz frequency range. The dominant effect, attenuation due to rain, is dealt with in terms of both experimental data from measurements made in the U.S. and Canada, and the mathematical and conceptual models devised to explain the data. Rain systems, rain and attenuation models, depolarization and experimental data are described. The design techniques recommended for predicting propagation effects in Earth-space communications systems are presented. The questions of where in the system design process the effects of propagation should be considered, and what precautions should be taken when applying the propagation results are addressed in order to bridge the gap between the propagation research data and the classical link budget analysis of Earth-space communications system.

Ecologic, Economic, and Social Considerations for Rangeland Sustainability: An Integrated Conceptual Framework

Treesearch

Daniel W. McCollum; H. Theodore Jr. Heintz; Aaron J. Harp; John A. Tanaka; Gary R. Evans; David Radloff; Louis E. Swanson; William E. III Fox; Michael G. Sherm Karl; John E. Mitchell

2006-01-01

Use and sustainability of rangelands are inherently linked to the health and sustainability of the land. They are also inherently linked to the social and economic infrastructures that complement and support those rangelands and rangeland uses. Ecological systems and processes provide the biological interactions underlying ecosystem health and viability. Social and...

Conceptual Design Oriented Wing Structural Analysis and Optimization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lau, May Yuen

1996-01-01

Airplane optimization has always been the goal of airplane designers. In the conceptual design phase, a designer's goal could be tradeoffs between maximum structural integrity, minimum aerodynamic drag, or maximum stability and control, many times achieved separately. Bringing all of these factors into an iterative preliminary design procedure was time consuming, tedious, and not always accurate. For example, the final weight estimate would often be based upon statistical data from past airplanes. The new design would be classified based on gross characteristics, such as number of engines, wingspan, etc., to see which airplanes of the past most closely resembled the new design. This procedure works well for conventional airplane designs, but not very well for new innovative designs. With the computing power of today, new methods are emerging for the conceptual design phase of airplanes. Using finite element methods, computational fluid dynamics, and other computer techniques, designers can make very accurate disciplinary-analyses of an airplane design. These tools are computationally intensive, and when used repeatedly, they consume a great deal of computing time. In order to reduce the time required to analyze a design and still bring together all of the disciplines (such as structures, aerodynamics, and controls) into the analysis, simplified design computer analyses are linked together into one computer program. These design codes are very efficient for conceptual design. The work in this thesis is focused on a finite element based conceptual design oriented structural synthesis capability (CDOSS) tailored to be linked into ACSYNT.

A model of sexually and physically victimized women's process of attaining effective formal help over time: the role of social location, context, and intervention.

PubMed

Kennedy, Angie C; Adams, Adrienne; Bybee, Deborah; Campbell, Rebecca; Kubiak, Sheryl Pimlott; Sullivan, Cris

2012-09-01

As empirical evidence has demonstrated the pervasiveness of sexual assault and intimate partner violence in the lives of women, and the links to poor mental health outcomes, attention has turned to examining how women seek and access formal help. We present a conceptual model that addresses prior limitations and makes three key contributions: It foregrounds the influence of social location and multiple contextual factors; emphasizes the importance of the attainment of effective formal help that meets women's needs and leads to positive mental health outcomes; and highlights the role of interventions in facilitating help attainment. We conclude with research and practice implications.

Development of a Mixed Methods Investigation of Process and Outcomes of Community-Based Participatory Research.

PubMed

Lucero, Julie; Wallerstein, Nina; Duran, Bonnie; Alegria, Margarita; Greene-Moton, Ella; Israel, Barbara; Kastelic, Sarah; Magarati, Maya; Oetzel, John; Pearson, Cynthia; Schulz, Amy; Villegas, Malia; White Hat, Emily R

2018-01-01

This article describes a mixed methods study of community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership practices and the links between these practices and changes in health status and disparities outcomes. Directed by a CBPR conceptual model and grounded in indigenous-transformative theory, our nation-wide, cross-site study showcases the value of a mixed methods approach for better understanding the complexity of CBPR partnerships across diverse community and research contexts. The article then provides examples of how an iterative, integrated approach to our mixed methods analysis yielded enriched understandings of two key constructs of the model: trust and governance. Implications and lessons learned while using mixed methods to study CBPR are provided.

Derivation of a GIS-based watershed-scale conceptual model for the St. Jones River Delaware from habitat-scale conceptual models.

PubMed

Reiter, Michael A; Saintil, Max; Yang, Ziming; Pokrajac, Dragoljub

2009-08-01

Conceptual modeling is a useful tool for identifying pathways between drivers, stressors, Valued Ecosystem Components (VECs), and services that are central to understanding how an ecosystem operates. The St. Jones River watershed, DE is a complex ecosystem, and because management decisions must include ecological, social, political, and economic considerations, a conceptual model is a good tool for accommodating the full range of inputs. In 2002, a Four-Component, Level 1 conceptual model was formed for the key habitats of the St. Jones River watershed, but since the habitat level of resolution is too fine for some important watershed-scale issues we developed a functional watershed-scale model using the existing narrowed habitat-scale models. The narrowed habitat-scale conceptual models and associated matrices developed by Reiter et al. (2006) were combined with data from the 2002 land use/land cover (LULC) GIS-based maps of Kent County in Delaware to assemble a diagrammatic and numerical watershed-scale conceptual model incorporating the calculated weight of each habitat within the watershed. The numerical component of the assembled watershed model was subsequently subjected to the same Monte Carlo narrowing methodology used for the habitat versions to refine the diagrammatic component of the watershed-scale model. The narrowed numerical representation of the model was used to generate forecasts for changes in the parameters "Agriculture" and "Forest", showing that land use changes in these habitats propagated through the results of the model by the weighting factor. Also, the narrowed watershed-scale conceptual model identified some key parameters upon which to focus research attention and management decisions at the watershed scale. The forecast and simulation results seemed to indicate that the watershed-scale conceptual model does lead to different conclusions than the habitat-scale conceptual models for some issues at the larger watershed scale.

Conceptual Frameworks in the Doctoral Research Process: A Pedagogical Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Jeanette; Smyth, Robyn

2015-01-01

This paper contributes to consideration of the role of conceptual frameworks in the doctoral research process. Through reflection on the two authors' own conceptual frameworks for their doctoral studies, a pedagogical model has been developed. The model posits the development of a conceptual framework as a core element of the doctoral…

Teaching for clinical reasoning - helping students make the conceptual links.

PubMed

McMillan, Wendy Jayne

2010-01-01

Dental educators complain that students struggle to apply what they have learnt theoretically in the clinical context. This paper is premised on the assumption that there is a relationship between conceptual thinking and clinical reasoning. The paper provides a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between conceptual learning and clinical reasoning. A review of current literature is used to explain the way in which conceptual understanding influences clinical reasoning and the transfer of theoretical understandings to the clinical context. The paper argues that the connections made between concepts are what is significant about conceptual understanding. From this point of departure the paper describes teaching strategies that facilitate the kinds of learning opportunities that students need in order to develop conceptual understanding and to be able to transfer knowledge from theoretical to clinical contexts. Along with a variety of teaching strategies, the value of concept maps is discussed. The paper provides a framework for understanding the difficulties that students have in developing conceptual networks appropriate for later clinical reasoning. In explaining how students learn for clinical application, the paper provides a theoretical framework that can inform how dental educators facilitate the conceptual learning, and later clinical reasoning, of their students.

Unconscious automatic brain activation of acoustic and action-related conceptual features during masked repetition priming.

PubMed

Trumpp, Natalie M; Traub, Felix; Pulvermüller, Friedemann; Kiefer, Markus

2014-02-01

Classical theories of semantic memory assume that concepts are represented in a unitary amodal memory system. In challenging this classical view, pure or hybrid modality-specific theories propose that conceptual representations are grounded in the sensory-motor brain areas, which typically process sensory and action-related information. Although neuroimaging studies provided evidence for a functional-anatomical link between conceptual processing of sensory or action-related features and the sensory-motor brain systems, it has been argued that aspects of such sensory-motor activation may not directly reflect conceptual processing but rather strategic imagery or postconceptual elaboration. In the present ERP study, we investigated masked effects of acoustic and action-related conceptual features to probe unconscious automatic conceptual processing in isolation. Subliminal feature-specific ERP effects at frontocentral electrodes were observed, which differed with regard to polarity, topography, and underlying brain electrical sources in congruency with earlier findings under conscious viewing conditions. These findings suggest that conceptual acoustic and action representations can also be unconsciously accessed, thereby excluding any postconceptual strategic processes. This study therefore further substantiates a grounding of conceptual and semantic processing in action and perception.

Codevelopment of conceptual understanding and critical attitude: toward a systemic analysis of the survival blanket

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viennot, Laurence; Décamp, Nicolas

2016-01-01

One key objective of physics teaching is the promotion of conceptual understanding. Additionally, the critical faculty is universally seen as a central quality to be developed in students. In recent years, however, teaching objectives have placed stronger emphasis on skills than on concepts, and there is a risk that conceptual structuring may be disregarded. The question therefore arises as to whether it is possible for students to develop a critical stance without a conceptual basis, leading in turn to the issue of possible links between the development of conceptual understanding and critical attitude. In an in-depth study to address these questions, the participants were seven prospective physics and chemistry teachers. The methodology included a ‘teaching interview’, designed to observe participants’ responses to limited explanations of a given phenomenon and their ensuing intellectual satisfaction or frustration. The explanatory task related to the physics of how a survival blanket works, requiring a full and appropriate system analysis of the blanket. The analysis identified five recurrent lines of reasoning and linked these to judgments of adequacy of explanation, based on metacognitive/affective (MCA) factors, intellectual (dis)satisfaction and critical stance. Recurrent themes and MCA factors were used to map the intellectual dynamics that emerged during the interview process. Participants’ critical attitude was observed to develop in strong interaction with their comprehension of the topic. The results suggest that most students need to reach a certain level of conceptual mastery before they can begin to question an oversimplified explanation, although one student’s replies show that a different intellectual dynamics is also possible. The paper ends with a discussion of the implications of these findings for future research and for decisions concerning teaching objectives and the design of learning environments.

Engaging Students In Modeling Instruction for Introductory Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brewe, Eric

2016-05-01

Teaching introductory physics is arguably one of the most important things that a physics department does. It is the primary way that students from other science disciplines engage with physics and it is the introduction to physics for majors. Modeling instruction is an active learning strategy for introductory physics built on the premise that science proceeds through the iterative process of model construction, development, deployment, and revision. We describe the role that participating in authentic modeling has in learning and then explore how students engage in this process in the classroom. In this presentation, we provide a theoretical background on models and modeling and describe how these theoretical elements are enacted in the introductory university physics classroom. We provide both quantitative and video data to link the development of a conceptual model to the design of the learning environment and to student outcomes. This work is supported in part by DUE #1140706.

Workplace support, discrimination, and person-organization fit: tests of the theory of work adjustment with LGB individuals.

PubMed

Velez, Brandon L; Moradi, Bonnie

2012-07-01

The present study explored the links of 2 workplace contextual variables--perceptions of workplace heterosexist discrimination and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB)-supportive climates--with job satisfaction and turnover intentions in a sample of LGB employees. An extension of the theory of work adjustment (TWA) was used as the conceptual framework for the study; as such, perceived person-organization (P-O) fit was tested as a mediator of the relations between the workplace contextual variables and job outcomes. Data were analyzed from 326 LGB employees. Zero-order correlations indicated that perceptions of workplace heterosexist discrimination and LGB-supportive climates were correlated in expected directions with P-O fit, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to compare multiple alternative measurement models evaluating the discriminant validity of the 2 workplace contextual variables relative to one another, and the 3 TWA job variables relative to one another; SEM was also used to test the hypothesized mediation model. Comparisons of multiple alternative measurement models supported the construct distinctiveness of the variables of interest. The test of the hypothesized structural model revealed that only LGB-supportive climates (and not workplace heterosexist discrimination) had a unique direct positive link with P-O fit and, through the mediating role of P-O fit, had significant indirect positive and negative relations with job satisfaction and turnover intentions, respectively. Moreover, P-O fit had a significant indirect negative link with turnover intentions through job satisfaction.

Interpretation and mapping of geological features using mobile devices for 3D outcrop modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckley, Simon J.; Kehl, Christian; Mullins, James R.; Howell, John A.

2016-04-01

Advances in 3D digital geometric characterisation have resulted in widespread adoption in recent years, with photorealistic models utilised for interpretation, quantitative and qualitative analysis, as well as education, in an increasingly diverse range of geoscience applications. Topographic models created using lidar and photogrammetry, optionally combined with imagery from sensors such as hyperspectral and thermal cameras, are now becoming commonplace in geoscientific research. Mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) are maturing rapidly to become powerful field computers capable of displaying and interpreting 3D models directly in the field. With increasingly high-quality digital image capture, combined with on-board sensor pose estimation, mobile devices are, in addition, a source of primary data, which can be employed to enhance existing geological models. Adding supplementary image textures and 2D annotations to photorealistic models is therefore a desirable next step to complement conventional field geoscience. This contribution reports on research into field-based interpretation and conceptual sketching on images and photorealistic models on mobile devices, motivated by the desire to utilise digital outcrop models to generate high quality training images (TIs) for multipoint statistics (MPS) property modelling. Representative training images define sedimentological concepts and spatial relationships between elements in the system, which are subsequently modelled using artificial learning to populate geocellular models. Photorealistic outcrop models are underused sources of quantitative and qualitative information for generating TIs, explored further in this research by linking field and office workflows through the mobile device. Existing textured models are loaded to the mobile device, allowing rendering in a 3D environment. Because interpretation in 2D is more familiar and comfortable for users, the developed application allows new images to be captured with the device's digital camera, and an interface is available for annotating (interpreting) the image using lines and polygons. Image-to-geometry registration is then performed using a developed algorithm, initialised using the coarse pose from the on-board orientation and positioning sensors. The annotations made on the captured images are then available in the 3D model coordinate system for overlay and export. This workflow allows geologists to make interpretations and conceptual models in the field, which can then be linked to and refined in office workflows for later MPS property modelling.

Science for informed decision: A 3D unified conceptual model of the Milk River Transboundary Aquifer (Alberta-Montana)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivera, A.; Pétré, M.

2013-12-01

The Milk River transboundary aquifer straddles southern Alberta (Canada) and northern Montana (United States), in a semi-arid region considered water short. This confined sandstone aquifer is a source for municipal supply and agricultural uses on the Canadian side, as well as for secondary oil recovery on the US-side of the border. The extensive use of this resource since the mid 1950's has led to a dramatic drop in the water level in some places and concerns about the durability of the resource have risen. The Milk River aquifer has been the object of many studies during the 20th century; however most of them were limited by the USCanada border, preventing a sound understanding of the global dynamics of the aquifer. The objectives of this transboundary study are to better understand the dynamics of the Milk River aquifer, following its natural limits, in order to make recommendations for a sustainable management and its good governance by the two international jurisdictions, as recommended in the UNGA resolution 63/124 on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers. Since 2009, the Milk River transboundary aquifer is part of the inventory of UNESCO ISARM-Americas initiative, which encourages riparian states to work cooperatively toward mutually beneficial and sustainable aquifer development However, the use of this shared resource is not ruled by any international agreement or convention between the USA and the Canada. Stakeholders from the two countries have been involved, at various levels of jurisdictions (municipal, provincial, state, federal) to establish a strong cooperation. In these contexts, models can constitute useful tools for informed decisions. In the case of the Milk River aquifer, models could support scientists and managers from both countries in avoiding potential tensions linked to the water shortage context in this region. Models can determine the conditions of overexploitation and provide an assessment of a sustainable yield. A unified conceptual model of the Milk River Aquifer has been built. This model follows the natural limits of the aquifer and is not interrupted by the USCanada border. The conceptual model covers many aspects such as the hydrostratigraphic 3D model, the groundwater flow, the recharge and discharge areas, the hydrogeological parameters, the pumping and observation wells, and the transboundary aspects. This model covers circa 55 000 km2. The study area is limited to the North/Northeast and Southeast by gas fields. This unified conceptual model will form the basis for a future 3D numerical hydrogeological model of groundwater flow in the Milk River Aquifer across the Canada-US border.

Conceptual Change Texts in Chemistry Teaching: A Study on the Particle Model of Matter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beerenwinkel, Anne; Parchmann, Ilka; Grasel, Cornelia

2011-01-01

This study explores the effect of a conceptual change text on students' awareness of common misconceptions on the particle model of matter. The conceptual change text was designed based on principles of text comprehensibility, of conceptual change instruction and of instructional approaches how to introduce the particle model. It was evaluated in…

Study Goals and Procrastination Tendencies at Different Stages of the Undergraduate Degree

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Martyn; Stott, Tim; Nuttall, Anne-Marie

2016-01-01

Study goals and effective management of study time are both linked to academic success for undergraduates. Mastery goals in particular are associated with study enjoyment and positive educational outcomes such as conceptual change. Conversely, poor self-regulation, in the form of procrastination, is linked to a range of negative study behaviours.…

Moral Identity as Moral Ideal Self: Links to Adolescent Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardy, Sam A.; Walker, Lawrence J.; Olsen, Joseph A.; Woodbury, Ryan D.; Hickman, Jacob R.

2014-01-01

The purposes of this study were to conceptualize moral identity as moral ideal self, to develop a measure of this construct, to test for age and gender differences, to examine links between moral ideal self and adolescent outcomes, and to assess purpose and social responsibility as mediators of the relations between moral ideal self and outcomes.…

Linking Academics and Social Learning: Perceptions of School Staff to a Violence Prevention Program at an Alternative School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casella, Ronnie; Burstyn, Joan

2002-01-01

Examines how school staff conceptualize their work with alternative school adolescents after undergoing at least 1 year of a whole school violence prevention program. Results highlight the importance of linking social learning and academics in violence prevention strategies and of sustaining collaborative efforts that connect conflict resolution…

Validation of the Continuum of Care Conceptual Model for Athletic Therapy

PubMed Central

Lafave, Mark R.; Butterwick, Dale; Eubank, Breda

2015-01-01

Utilization of conceptual models in field-based emergency care currently borrows from existing standards of medical and paramedical professions. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a comprehensive conceptual model that could account for injuries ranging from nonurgent to catastrophic events including events that do not follow traditional medical or prehospital care protocols. The conceptual model should represent the continuum of care from the time of initial injury spanning to an athlete's return to participation in their sport. Finally, the conceptual model should accommodate both novices and experts in the AT profession. This paper chronicles the content validation steps of the Continuum of Care Conceptual Model for Athletic Therapy (CCCM-AT). The stages of model development were domain and item generation, content expert validation using a three-stage modified Ebel procedure, and pilot testing. Only the final stage of the modified Ebel procedure reached a priori 80% consensus on three domains of interest: (1) heading descriptors; (2) the order of the model; (3) the conceptual model as a whole. Future research is required to test the use of the CCCM-AT in order to understand its efficacy in teaching and practice within the AT discipline. PMID:26464897

Modeling the factors affecting unsafe behavior in the construction industry from safety supervisors' perspective.

PubMed

Khosravi, Yahya; Asilian-Mahabadi, Hassan; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim; Hassanzadeh-Rangi, Narmin; Bastani, Hamid; Khavanin, Ali; Mortazavi, Seyed Bagher

2014-01-01

There can be little doubt that the construction is the most hazardous industry in the worldwide. This study was designed to modeling the factors affecting unsafe behavior from the perspective of safety supervisors. The qualitative research was conducted to extract a conceptual model. A structural model was then developed based on a questionnaire survey (n=266) by two stage Structural Equation Model (SEM) approach. An excellent confirmed 12-factors structure explained about 62% of variances unsafe behavior in the construction industry. A good fit structural model indicated that safety climate factors were positively correlated with safety individual factors (P<0.001) and workplace safety condition (P<0.001). The workplace safety condition was found to play a strong mediating role in linking the safety climate and construction workers' engagement in safe or unsafe behavior. In order to improve construction safety performance, more focus on the workplace condition is required.

Expanding the conceptual toolkit of organ gifting.

PubMed

M Shaw, Rhonda

2015-07-01

In jurisdictions where the sale of body tissue and organs is illegal, organ transplantation is often spoken of as a gift of life. In the social sciences and bioethics this concept has been subject to critique over the course of the last two decades for failing to reflect the complexities of organ and tissue exchange. I suggest that a new ethical model of organ donation and transplantation is needed to capture the range of experiences in this domain. The proposed model is both analytical and empirically oriented, and draws on research findings linking a series of qualitative sociological studies undertaken in New Zealand between 2007 and 2013. The studies were based on document analysis, field notes and 127 semi-structured in-depth interviews with people from different cultural and constituent groups directly involved in organ transfer processes. The aim of the article is to contribute to sociological knowledge about organ exchange and to expand the conceptual toolkit of organ donation to include the unconditional gift, the gift relation, gift exchange, body project, and body work. The rationale for the proposed model is to provide an explanatory framework for organ donors and transplant recipients and to assist the development of ethical guidelines and health policy discourse. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

A conceptual cross-scale approach for linking empirical discharge measurements and regional groundwater models with application to legacy nitrogen transport and coastal nitrogen management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barclay, J. R.; Helton, A. M.; Starn, J. J.; Briggs, M. A.

2016-12-01

Despite years of management, seasonal hypoxia from excess nitrogen (N) is a pervasive problem in many coastal waters. Current approaches to managing coastal eutrophication in the United States (USA) focus on surface runoff and river transport of nutrients, and often assume that groundwater N is at steady state. This is not necessarily the case, as terrestrial N inputs are affected by changing land use and nutrient management practices. Furthermore, approximately 70% of surface water in the USA is derived from groundwater and there is widespread N contamination in many of our nation's aquifers. Nitrogen export via groundwater discharge to streams during baseflow may be the reason many impaired coastal systems show little improvement. There is a critical need to develop approaches that consider the effects of groundwater transport on N loading to surface waters. Aquifer transport times, which can be decades or even centuries longer than surface water transport times, introduce lags between changes in terrestrial management and reductions in coastal loads. Ignoring these lags can lead to overly ambitious and unrealistic load reduction goals, or incorrect conclusions regarding the effectiveness of management strategies. Additionally, regional groundwater models typically have a coarse resolution that makes it difficult to incorporate fine-scale processes that drive N transformations, such as groundwater-surface water exchange across steep redox gradients at stream bed interfaces. Despite this challenge, representing these important fine-scale processes well is essential to modeling groundwater transport of N across regional scales and to making informed management decisions. We present 1) a conceptual approach to linking regional models and fine-scale empirical measurements, and 2) preliminary groundwater flow and transport model results for the Housatonic and Farmington Rivers in Connecticut, USA. Our cross-scale approach utilizes thermal infrared imaging and vertical temperature profiling to calculate groundwater discharge and to iteratively refine and downscale the groundwater flow model. Model results may improve management of N loading from groundwater to sensitive coastal systems, such as the Long Island Sound.

Impact of petrophysical uncertainty on Bayesian hydrogeophysical inversion and model selection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brunetti, Carlotta; Linde, Niklas

2018-01-01

Quantitative hydrogeophysical studies rely heavily on petrophysical relationships that link geophysical properties to hydrogeological properties and state variables. Coupled inversion studies are frequently based on the questionable assumption that these relationships are perfect (i.e., no scatter). Using synthetic examples and crosshole ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data from the South Oyster Bacterial Transport Site in Virginia, USA, we investigate the impact of spatially-correlated petrophysical uncertainty on inferred posterior porosity and hydraulic conductivity distributions and on Bayes factors used in Bayesian model selection. Our study shows that accounting for petrophysical uncertainty in the inversion (I) decreases bias of the inferred variance of hydrogeological subsurface properties, (II) provides more realistic uncertainty assessment and (III) reduces the overconfidence in the ability of geophysical data to falsify conceptual hydrogeological models.

It's time to rework the blueprints: building a science for clinical psychology.

PubMed

Millon, Theodore

2003-11-01

The aims in this article are to connect the conceptual structure of clinical psychological science to what the author believes to be the omnipresent principles of evolution, use the evolutionary model to create a deductively derived clinical theory and taxonomy, link the theory and taxonomy to comprehensive and integrated approaches to assessment, and outline a framework for an integrative synergistic model of psychotherapy. These foundations also provide a framework for a systematic approach to the subject realms of personology and psychopathology. Exploring nature's deep principles, the model revives the personologic concept christened by Henry Murray some 65 years ago; it also parallels the interface between human social functioning and evolutionary biology proposed by Edward Wilson in his concept of sociobiology. (c) 2003 APA, all rights reserved.

Improved Conceptual Models Methodology (ICoMM) for Validation of Non-Observable Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-01

distribution is unlimited IMPROVED CONCEPTUAL MODELS METHODOLOGY (ICoMM) FOR VALIDATION OF NON-OBSERVABLE SYSTEMS by Sang M. Sok December 2015...REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED Dissertation 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE IMPROVED CONCEPTUAL MODELS METHODOLOGY (ICoMM) FOR VALIDATION OF NON-OBSERVABLE...importance of the CoM. The improved conceptual model methodology (ICoMM) is developed in support of improving the structure of the CoM for both face and

Atmospheric Dispersal and Dispostion of Tephra From a Potential Volcanic Eruption at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

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

G. Keating; W.Statham

2004-02-12

The purpose of this model report is to provide documentation of the conceptual and mathematical model (ASHPLUME) for atmospheric dispersal and subsequent deposition of ash on the land surface from a potential volcanic eruption at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This report also documents the ash (tephra) redistribution conceptual model. The ASHPLUME conceptual model accounts for incorporation and entrainment of waste fuel particles associated with a hypothetical volcanic eruption through the Yucca Mountain repository and downwind transport of contaminated tephra. The ASHPLUME mathematical model describes the conceptual model in mathematical terms to allow for prediction of radioactive waste/ash deposition on the groundmore » surface given that the hypothetical eruptive event occurs. This model report also describes the conceptual model for tephra redistribution from a basaltic cinder cone. Sensitivity analyses and model validation activities for the ash dispersal and redistribution models are also presented. Analyses documented in this model report will improve and clarify the previous documentation of the ASHPLUME mathematical model and its application to the Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) for the License Application (TSPA-LA) igneous scenarios. This model report also documents the redistribution model product outputs based on analyses to support the conceptual model.« less

Neighborhood linking social capital as a predictor of drug abuse: A Swedish national cohort study

PubMed Central

Sundquist, Jan; Sjöstedt, Cecilia; Winkleby, Marilyn; Li, Xinjun; Kendler, Kenneth S.; Sundquist, Kristina

2016-01-01

Aims This study examines the association between the incidence of drug abuse (DA) and linking (communal) social capital, a theoretical concept describing the amount of trust between individuals and societal institutions. Methods We present results from an 8-year population-based cohort study that followed all residents in Sweden, aged 15–44, from 2003 through 2010, for a total of 1,700,896 men and 1,642,798 women. Linking social capital was conceptualized as the proportion of people in a geographically defined neighborhood who voted in local government elections. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and between-neighborhood variance. Results We found robust associations between linking social capital and DA in men and women. For men, the OR for DA in the crude model was 2.11 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.02–2.21] for those living in neighborhoods with the lowest vs. highest level of social capital. After accounting for neighborhood level deprivation, the OR fell to 1.59 (1.51–1-68). The ORs remained significant after accounting for age, family income, marital status, country of birth, education level, and region of residence, and after further accounting for comorbidities and family history of comorbidities and family history of DA. For women, the OR decreased from 2.15 (2.03–2.27) in the crude model to 1.31 (1.22–1.40) in the final model, adjusted for multiple neighborhood-level, individual-level variables, and family history for DA. Conclusions Our study suggests that low linking social capital may have significant independent effects on DA. PMID:27416013

Peer relationships and adolescents' academic and non-academic outcomes: same-sex and opposite-sex peer effects and the mediating role of school engagement.

PubMed

Liem, Gregory Arief D; Martin, Andrew J

2011-06-01

The literature has documented theoretical/conceptual models delineating the facilitating role of peer relationships in academic and non-academic outcomes. However, the mechanisms through which peer relationships link to those outcomes is an area requiring further research. The study examined the role of adolescents' perceptions of their relationships with same-sex and opposite-sex peers in predicting their academic performance and general self-esteem and the potentially mediating role of school engagement in linking these perceived peer relationships with academic and non-academic outcomes. The sample comprised 1,436 high-school students (670 boys, 756 girls; 711 early adolescents, 723 later adolescents). Self-report measures and objective achievement tests were used. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was performed to test the hypothesized model and its invariance across gender and age groups. Perceived same-sex peer relationships yielded positive direct and indirect links with academic performance and general self-esteem. Perceived opposite-sex peer relationships yielded positive direct and indirect links with general self-esteem and an indirect positive link with academic performance, but mediation via school engagement was not as strong as that of perceived same-sex peer relationships. These findings generalized across gender and age groups. Adolescents' same-sex and opposite-sex peer relationships seem to positively impact their academic performance and general self-esteem in distinct ways. It appears that school engagement plays an important role in mediating these peer relationship effects, particularly those of same-sex peer relationships, on academic and non-academic functioning. Implications for psycho-educational theory, measurement, and practice are discussed. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Neighborhood linking social capital as a predictor of drug abuse: A Swedish national cohort study.

PubMed

Sundquist, Jan; Sjöstedt, Cecilia; Winkleby, Marilyn; Li, Xinjun; Kendler, Kenneth S; Sundquist, Kristina

2016-12-01

This study examines the association between the incidence of drug abuse (DA) and linking (communal) social capital, a theoretical concept describing the amount of trust between individuals and societal institutions. We present results from an 8-year population-based cohort study that followed all residents in Sweden, aged 15-44, from 2003 through 2010, for a total of 1,700,896 men and 1,642,798 women. Linking social capital was conceptualized as the proportion of people in a geographically defined neighborhood who voted in local government elections. Multilevel logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and between-neighborhood variance. We found robust associations between linking social capital and DA in men and women. For men, the OR for DA in the crude model was 2.11 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.02-2.21] for those living in neighborhoods with the lowest vs. highest level of social capital. After accounting for neighborhood level deprivation, the OR fell to 1.59 (1.51-1-68). The ORs remained significant after accounting for age, family income, marital status, country of birth, education level, and region of residence, and after further accounting for comorbidities and family history of comorbidities and family history of DA. For women, the OR decreased from 2.15 (2.03-2.27) in the crude model to 1.31 (1.22-1.40) in the final model, adjusted for multiple neighborhood-level, individual-level variables, and family history for DA. Our study suggests that low linking social capital may have significant independent effects on DA. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Funding and remuneration of interdisciplinary primary care teams in Canada: a conceptual framework and application.

PubMed

Wranik, W Dominika; Haydt, Susan M; Katz, Alan; Levy, Adrian R; Korchagina, Maryna; Edwards, Jeanette M; Bower, Ian

2017-05-15

Reliance on interdisciplinary teams in the delivery of primary care is on the rise. Funding bodies strive to design financial environments that support collaboration between providers. At present, the design of financial arrangements has been fragmented and not based on evidence. The root of the problem is a lack of systematic evidence demonstrating the superiority of any particular financial arrangement, or a solid understanding of options. In this study we develop a framework for the conceptualization and analysis of financial arrangements in interdisciplinary primary care teams. We use qualitative data from three sources: (i) interviews with 19 primary care decision makers representing 215 clinics in three Canadian provinces, (ii) a research roundtable with 14 primary care decision makers and/or researchers, and (iii) policy documents. Transcripts from interviews and the roundtable were coded thematically and a framework synthesis approach was applied. Our conceptual framework differentiates between team level funding and provider level remuneration, and characterizes the interplay and consonance between them. Particularly the notions of hierarchy, segregation, and dependence of provider incomes, and the link between funding and team activities are introduced as new clarifying concepts, and their implications explored. The framework is applied to the analysis of collaboration incentives, which appear strongest when provider incomes are interdependent, funding is linked to the team as a whole, and accountability does not have multiple lines. Emergent implementation issues discussed by respondents include: (i) centrality of budget negotiations; (ii) approaches to patient rostering; (iii) unclear funding sources for space and equipment; and (iv) challenges with community engagement. The creation of patient rosters is perceived as a surprisingly contentious issue, and the challenges of funding for space and equipment remain unresolved. The development and application of a conceptual framework is an important step to the systematic study of the best performing financial models in the context of interdisciplinary primary care. The identification of optimal financial arrangements must be contextualized in terms of feasibility and the implementation environment. In general, financial hierarchy, both overt and covert, is considered a barrier to collaboration.

Risk factors for pressure ulcer development in critically Ill patients: a conceptual model to guide research.

PubMed

Benoit, Richard; Mion, Lorraine

2012-08-01

This paper presents a proposed conceptual model to guide research on pressure ulcer risk in critically ill patients, who are at high risk for pressure ulcer development. However, no conceptual model exists that guides risk assessment in this population. Results from a review of prospective studies were evaluated for design quality and level of statistical reporting. Multivariate findings from studies having high or medium design quality by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence standards were conceptually grouped. The conceptual groupings were integrated into Braden and Bergstrom's (Braden and Bergstrom [1987] Rehabilitation Nursing, 12, 8-12, 16) conceptual model, retaining their original constructs and augmenting their concept of intrinsic factors for tissue tolerance. The model could enhance consistency in research on pressure ulcer risk factors. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A theoretical framework for antigay aggression: Review of established and hypothesized effects within the context of the general aggression model⋆

PubMed Central

Parrott, Dominic J.

2008-01-01

Theory and research on antigay aggression has identified different motives that facilitate aggression based on sexual orientation. However, the individual and situational determinants of antigay aggression associated with these motivations have yet to be organized within a single theoretical framework. This limits researchers’ ability to organize existing knowledge, link that knowledge with related aggression theory, and guide the application of new findings. To address these limitations, this article argues for the use of an existing conceptual framework to guide thinking and generate new research in this area of study. Contemporary theories of antigay aggression, and empirical support for these theories, are reviewed and interpreted within the unifying framework of the general aggression model [Anderson, C.A. & Bushman, B.J. (2002). Human aggression. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 27–51.]. It is concluded that this conceptual framework will facilitate investigation of individual and situational risk factors that may contribute to antigay aggression and guide development of individual-level intervention. PMID:18355952

Blue M2: an intermediate melanoidin studied via conceptual DFT.

PubMed

Frau, Juan; Glossman-Mitnik, Daniel

2018-05-31

In this computational study, ten density functionals, viz. CAM-B3LYP, LC-ω PBE, M11, M11L, MN12L, MN12SX, N12, N12SX, ω B97X, and ω B97XD, related to the Def2TZVP basis sets, are assessed together with the SMD solvation model for calculation of the molecular properties and structure of blue-M2 intermediate melanoidin pigment. All the chemical reactivity descriptors for the system are calculated via conceptual density functional theory (DFT). The active sites suitable for nucleophilic, electrophilic, and radical attacks are selected by linking them with the Fukui function indices, electrophilic Parr functions, and condensed dual descriptors Δf(r), respectively. The prediction of the maximum absorption wavelength is considerably accurate relative to its experimental value. The study reveals that the MN12SX and N12SX density functionals are the most appropriate density functionals for predicting the chemical reactivity of the molecule under study.

Exploring middle school students' use of inscriptions in project-based science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hsin-Kai; Krajcik, Joseph S.

2006-09-01

This study explores seventh graders' use of inscriptions in a teacher-designed project-based science unit. To investigate students' learning practices during the 8-month water quality unit, we collected multiple sources of data (e.g., classroom video recordings, student artifacts, and teacher interviews) and employed analytical methods that drew from a naturalistic approach. The findings showed that throughout the unit, provided with the teachers' scaffold and social, conceptual, and material resources, the seventh graders were able to use various inscriptions (e.g., digital pictures, Web pages, and models) to demonstrate meaningful inscriptional practices such as creating and using inscriptions to make arguments, to represent conceptual understandings, and to engage in thoughtful discussions. Inscriptions and associated practices provided students with experiences and understandings about certain ways to organize, transform, and link data or scientific ideas. However, when constructing inscriptions, students did not consider how the inscriptions could serve certain reasoning purposes. In addition, more scaffolds were needed to help students use multiple inscriptions to make a coherent argument.

Size does Matter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vespignani, Alessandro

From schools of fish and flocks of birds, to digital networks and self-organizing biopolymers, our understanding of spontaneously emergent phenomena, self-organization, and critical behavior is in large part due to complex systems science. The complex systems approach is indeed a very powerful conceptual framework to shed light on the link between the microscopic dynamical evolution of the basic elements of the system and the emergence of oscopic phenomena; often providing evidence for mathematical principles that go beyond the particulars of the individual system, thus hinting to general modeling principles. By killing the myth of the ant queen and shifting the focus on the dynamical interaction across the elements of the systems, complex systems science has ushered our way into the conceptual understanding of many phenomena at the core of major scientific and social challenges such as the emergence of consensus, social opinion dynamics, conflicts and cooperation, contagion phenomena. For many years though, these complex systems approaches to real-world problems were often suffering from being oversimplified and not grounded on actual data...

The essential role of social theory in qualitative public health research.

PubMed

Willis, Karen; Daly, Jeanne; Kealy, Michelle; Small, Rhonda; Koutroulis, Glenda; Green, Julie; Gibbs, Lisa; Thomas, Samantha

2007-10-01

To define the role of social theory and examine how research studies using qualitative methods can use social theory to generalize their results beyond the setting of the study or to other social groups. The assumptions underlying public health research using qualitative methods derive from a range of social theories that include conflict theory, structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism, the sociology of knowledge and feminism. Depending on the research problem, these and other social theories provide conceptual tools and models for constructing a suitable research framework, and for collecting and analysing data. In combination with the substantive health literature, the theoretical literature provides the conceptual bridge that links the conclusions of the study to other social groups and settings. While descriptive studies using qualitative research methods can generate important insights into social experience, the use of social theory in the construction and conduct of research enables researchers to extrapolate their findings to settings and groups broader than the ones in which the research was conducted.

A nursing theory-guided framework for genetic and epigenetic research.

PubMed

Maki, Katherine A; DeVon, Holli A

2018-04-01

The notion that genetics, through natural selection, determines innate traits has led to much debate and divergence of thought on the impact of innate traits on the human phenotype. The purpose of this synthesis was to examine how innate theory informs genetic research and how understanding innate theory through the lens of Martha Rogers' theory of unitary human beings can offer a contemporary view of how innate traits can inform epigenetic and genetic research. We also propose a new conceptual model for genetic and epigenetic research. The philosophical, theoretical, and research literatures were examined for this synthesis. We have merged philosophical and conceptual phenomena from innate theory with the theory of unitary beings into the University of Illinois at Chicago model for genetic and epigenetic research. Innate traits are the cornerstone of the framework but may be modified epigenetically by biological, physiological, psychological, and social determinants as they are transcribed. These modifiers serve as important links between the concept of innate traits and epigenetic modifications, and, like the theory of unitary human beings, the process is understood in the context of individual and environmental interaction that has the potential to evolve as the determinants change. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

E-KIT: An Electronic-Knowledge Information Tool for Organizing Site Information and Improving Technical Communication with Stakeholders - 13082

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

Kautsky, Mark; Findlay, Richard C.; Hodges, Rex A.

2013-07-01

Managing technical references for projects that have long histories is hampered by the large collection of documents, each of which might contain discrete pieces of information relevant to the site conceptual model. A database application has been designed to improve the efficiency of retrieving technical information for a project. Although many databases are currently used for accessing analytical and geo-referenced data, applications designed specifically to manage technical reference material for projects are scarce. Retrieving site data from the array of available references becomes an increasingly inefficient use of labor. The electronic-Knowledge Information Tool (e-KIT) is designed as a project-level resourcemore » to access and communicate technical information. The e-KIT is a living tool that grows as new information becomes available, and its value to the project increases as the volume of site information increases. Having all references assembled in one location with complete reference citations and links to elements of the site conceptual model offers a way to enhance communication with outside groups. The published and unpublished references are incorporated into the e-KIT, while the compendium of references serves as a complete bibliography for the project. (authors)« less

A conceptual framework contributing to nursing administration and research.

PubMed

Biron, Alain D; Richer, Marie-Claire; Ezer, Hélène

2007-03-01

The health care system has undergone major changes in the last decade. With greater acuity and complexity of illness, the adoption of innovative technologies and the shortage of health care personnel, the coordination and integration of health care services has become increasingly demanding for administrators. Growing dissatisfaction and concerns about safety issues are being expressed by the users of care who need to navigate through an increasingly complex system and by health care personnel who feel less efficient within the organization. Nursing administrators have a responsibility to address these issues but there is little scientific evidence to guide their actions. There are also few comprehensive models highlighting the main components of nursing administration - models that could guide nursing administration research. This paper presents a conceptual framework for nursing administration and research that links patient health care needs, nursing resources and the nursing care processes to the context of the health care system, and the social, political and cultural environments of care. A selected review of the oncology and cancer care literature is presented to demonstrate how this framework can organize existing knowledge about these concepts in the context of cancer care.

THE CAUSAL ANALYSIS / DIAGNOSIS DECISION ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

CADDIS is an on-line decision support system that helps investigators in the regions, states and tribes find, access, organize, use and share information to produce causal evaluations in aquatic systems. It is based on the US EPA's Stressor Identification process which is a formal method for identifying causes of impairments in aquatic systems. CADDIS 2007 increases access to relevant information useful for causal analysis and provides methods and tools that practitioners can use to analyze their own data. The new Candidate Cause section provides overviews of commonly encountered causes of impairments to aquatic systems: metals, sediments, nutrients, flow alteration, temperature, ionic strength, and low dissolved oxygen. CADDIS includes new Conceptual Models that illustrate the relationships from sources to stressors to biological effects. An Interactive Conceptual Model for phosphorus links the diagram with supporting literature citations. The new Analyzing Data section helps practitioners analyze their data sets and interpret and use those results as evidence within the USEPA causal assessment process. Downloadable tools include a graphical user interface statistical package (CADStat), and programs for use with the freeware R statistical package, and a Microsoft Excel template. These tools can be used to quantify associations between causes and biological impairments using innovative methods such as species-sensitivity distributions, biological inferenc

Think twice: Impulsivity and decision making in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Grassi, Giacomo; Pallanti, Stefano; Righi, Lorenzo; Figee, Martijn; Mantione, Mariska; Denys, Damiaan; Piccagliani, Daniele; Rossi, Alessandro; Stratta, Paolo

2015-12-01

Recent studies have challenged the anxiety-avoidance model of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), linking OCD to impulsivity, risky-decision-making and reward-system dysfunction, which can also be found in addiction and might support the conceptualization of OCD as a behavioral addiction. Here, we conducted an exploratory investigation of the behavioral addiction model of OCD by assessing whether OCD patients are more impulsive, have impaired decision-making, and biased probabilistic reasoning, three core dimensions of addiction, in a sample of OCD patients and healthy controls. We assessed these dimensions on 38 OCD patients and 39 healthy controls with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Beads Task. OCD patients had significantly higher BIS-11 scores than controls, in particular on the cognitive subscales. They performed significantly worse than controls on the IGT preferring immediate reward despite negative future consequences, and did not learn from losses. Finally, OCD patients demonstrated biased probabilistic reasoning as reflected by significantly fewer draws to decision than controls on the Beads Task. OCD patients are more impulsive than controls and demonstrate risky decision-making and biased probabilistic reasoning. These results might suggest that other conceptualizations of OCD, such as the behavioral addiction model, may be more suitable than the anxiety-avoidance one. However, further studies directly comparing OCD and behavioral addiction patients are needed in order to scrutinize this model.

Conceptualizing socio-hydrological drought processes: the rise and fall of the Ancient Maya civilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuil, Linda; Carr, Gemma; Viglione, Alberto; Prskawetz, Alexia; Bloeschl, Guenter

2016-04-01

Different communities have followed different paths to arrive at their present situation as a consequence of the continuous, specific interactions between the hydrological and social system. The need to understand the current and future pathways to water security becomes more and more pressing, considering the increasingly delicate balance between water demand and water supply. To contribute to addressing this challenge, we examine the link between water stress and society through socio-hydrological modeling. Within the spirit of the Easter Island model by Brander and Taylor and drawing from the vulnerability literature, we conceptualize the interactions of an agricultural society with its environment. We apply the model to the case of the ancient Maya, a civilization who occupied the Maya Lowlands (parts of present day Mexico, Guatemala, Belize) from around 2000 BC to after AD 830. The hypothesis that modest drought periods played a major role in the fall of the society is explored. We are able to simulate plausible feedbacks and find that a modest reduction in rainfall is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition in order to observe a collapse of 80 percent of the population. Equally important are actual population density and the impact of drought on crop growth. The model shows that reservoirs allow the society to grow larger, but also that the vulnerability to drought increases.

The role of 3D visualisation as an analytical tool preparatory to numerical modelling [rapid communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robins, N. S.; Rutter, H. K.; Dumpleton, S.; Peach, D. W.

2005-01-01

Groundwater investigation has long depended on the process of developing a conceptual flow model as a precursor to developing a mathematical model, which in turn may lead in complex aquifers to the development of a numerical approximation model. The assumptions made in the development of the conceptual model depend heavily on the geological framework defining the aquifer, and if the conceptual model is inappropriate then subsequent modelling will also be incorrect. Paradoxically, the development of a robust conceptual model remains difficult, not least because this 3D paradigm is usually reduced to 2D plans and sections. 3D visualisation software is now available to facilitate the development of the conceptual model, to make the model more robust and defensible and to assist in demonstrating the hydraulics of the aquifer system. Case studies are presented to demonstrate the role and cost-effectiveness of the visualisation process.

A Framework for Effective Use of Hydroclimate Models in Climate-Change Adaptation Planning for Managed Habitats with Limited Hydrologic Response Data.

PubMed

Esralew, Rachel A; Flint, Lorraine; Thorne, James H; Boynton, Ryan; Flint, Alan

2016-07-01

Climate-change adaptation planning for managed wetlands is challenging under uncertain futures when the impact of historic climate variability on wetland response is unquantified. We assessed vulnerability of Modoc National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) through use of the Basin Characterization Model (BCM) landscape hydrology model, and six global climate models, representing projected wetter and drier conditions. We further developed a conceptual model that provides greater value for water managers by incorporating the BCM outputs into a conceptual framework that links modeled parameters to refuge management outcomes. This framework was used to identify landscape hydrology parameters that reflect refuge sensitivity to changes in (1) climatic water deficit (CWD) and recharge, and (2) the magnitude, timing, and frequency of water inputs. BCM outputs were developed for 1981-2100 to assess changes and forecast the probability of experiencing wet and dry water year types that have historically resulted in challenging conditions for refuge habitat management. We used a Yule's Q skill score to estimate the probability of modeled discharge that best represents historic water year types. CWD increased in all models across 72.3-100 % of the water supply basin by 2100. Earlier timing in discharge, greater cool season discharge, and lesser irrigation season water supply were predicted by most models. Under the worst-case scenario, moderately dry years increased from 10-20 to 40-60 % by 2100. MNWR could adapt by storing additional water during the cool season for later use and prioritizing irrigation of habitats during dry years.

Landscape-level effects on aboveground biomass of tropical forests: A conceptual framework.

PubMed

Melito, Melina; Metzger, Jean Paul; de Oliveira, Alexandre A

2018-02-01

Despite the general recognition that fragmentation can reduce forest biomass through edge effects, a systematic review of the literature does not reveal a clear role of edges in modulating biomass loss. Additionally, the edge effects appear to be constrained by matrix type, suggesting that landscape composition has an influence on biomass stocks. The lack of empirical evidence of pervasive edge-related biomass losses across tropical forests highlights the necessity for a general framework linking landscape structure with aboveground biomass. Here, we propose a conceptual model in which landscape composition and configuration mediate the magnitude of edge effects and seed-flux among forest patches, which ultimately has an influence on biomass. Our model hypothesizes that a rapid reduction of biomass can occur below a threshold of forest cover loss. Just below this threshold, we predict that changes in landscape configuration can strongly influence the patch's isolation, thus enhancing biomass loss. Moreover, we expect a synergism between landscape composition and patch attributes, where matrix type mediates the effects of edges on species decline, particularly for shade-tolerant species. To test our conceptual framework, we propose a sampling protocol where the effects of edges, forest amount, forest isolation, fragment size, and matrix type on biomass stocks can be assessed both collectively and individually. The proposed model unifies the combined effects of landscape and patch structure on biomass into a single framework, providing a new set of main drivers of biomass loss in human-modified landscapes. We argue that carbon trading agendas (e.g., REDD+) and carbon-conservation initiatives must go beyond the effects of forest loss and edges on biomass, considering the whole set of effects on biomass related to changes in landscape composition and configuration. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Implications of Simulation Conceptual Model Development for Simulation Management and Uncertainty Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pace, Dale K.

2000-01-01

A simulation conceptual model is a simulation developers way of translating modeling requirements (i. e., what is to be represented by the simulation or its modification) into a detailed design framework (i. e., how it is to be done), from which the software, hardware, networks (in the case of distributed simulation), and systems/equipment that will make up the simulation can be built or modified. A conceptual model is the collection of information which describes a simulation developers concept about the simulation and its pieces. That information consists of assumptions, algorithms, characteristics, relationships, and data. Taken together, these describe how the simulation developer understands what is to be represented by the simulation (entities, actions, tasks, processes, interactions, etc.) and how that representation will satisfy the requirements to which the simulation responds. Thus the conceptual model is the basis for judgment about simulation fidelity and validity for any condition that is not specifically tested. The more perspicuous and precise the conceptual model, the more likely it is that the simulation development will both fully satisfy requirements and allow demonstration that the requirements are satisfied (i. e., validation). Methods used in simulation conceptual model development have significant implications for simulation management and for assessment of simulation uncertainty. This paper suggests how to develop and document a simulation conceptual model so that the simulation fidelity and validity can be most effectively determined. These ideas for conceptual model development apply to all simulation varieties. The paper relates these ideas to uncertainty assessments as they relate to simulation fidelity and validity. The paper also explores implications for simulation management from conceptual model development methods, especially relative to reuse of simulation components.

Impact of the calibration period on the conceptual rainfall-runoff model parameter estimates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Todorovic, Andrijana; Plavsic, Jasna

2015-04-01

A conceptual rainfall-runoff model is defined by its structure and parameters, which are commonly inferred through model calibration. Parameter estimates depend on objective function(s), optimisation method, and calibration period. Model calibration over different periods may result in dissimilar parameter estimates, while model efficiency decreases outside calibration period. Problem of model (parameter) transferability, which conditions reliability of hydrologic simulations, has been investigated for decades. In this paper, dependence of the parameter estimates and model performance on calibration period is analysed. The main question that is addressed is: are there any changes in optimised parameters and model efficiency that can be linked to the changes in hydrologic or meteorological variables (flow, precipitation and temperature)? Conceptual, semi-distributed HBV-light model is calibrated over five-year periods shifted by a year (sliding time windows). Length of the calibration periods is selected to enable identification of all parameters. One water year of model warm-up precedes every simulation, which starts with the beginning of a water year. The model is calibrated using the built-in GAP optimisation algorithm. The objective function used for calibration is composed of Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient for flows and logarithms of flows, and volumetric error, all of which participate in the composite objective function with approximately equal weights. Same prior parameter ranges are used in all simulations. The model is calibrated against flows observed at the Slovac stream gauge on the Kolubara River in Serbia (records from 1954 to 2013). There are no trends in precipitation nor in flows, however, there is a statistically significant increasing trend in temperatures at this catchment. Parameter variability across the calibration periods is quantified in terms of standard deviations of normalised parameters, enabling detection of the most variable parameters. Correlation coefficients among optimised model parameters and total precipitation P, mean temperature T and mean flow Q are calculated to give an insight into parameter dependence on the hydrometeorological drivers. The results reveal high sensitivity of almost all model parameters towards calibration period. The highest variability is displayed by the refreezing coefficient, water holding capacity, and temperature gradient. The only statistically significant (decreasing) trend is detected in the evapotranspiration reduction threshold. Statistically significant correlation is detected between the precipitation gradient and precipitation depth, and between the time-area histogram base and flows. All other correlations are not statistically significant, implying that changes in optimised parameters cannot generally be linked to the changes in P, T or Q. As for the model performance, the model reproduces the observed runoff satisfactorily, though the runoff is slightly overestimated in wet periods. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) ranges from 0.44 to 0.79. Higher NSE values are obtained over wetter periods, what is supported by statistically significant correlation between NSE and flows. Overall, no systematic variations in parameters or in model performance are detected. Parameter variability may therefore rather be attributed to errors in data or inadequacies in the model structure. Further research is required to examine the impact of the calibration strategy or model structure on the variability in optimised parameters in time.

FRAMES-2.0 Software System: Providing Password Protection and Limited Access to Models and Simulations

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

Whelan, Gene; Pelton, Mitch A.

2007-08-09

One of the most important concerns for regulatory agencies is the concept of reproducibility (i.e., reproducibility means credibility) of an assessment. One aspect of reproducibility deals with tampering of the assessment. In other words, when multiple groups are engaged in an assessment, it is important to lock down the problem that is to be solved and/or to restrict the models that are to be used to solve the problem. The objective of this effort is to provide the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) with a means to limit user access to models and to provide a mechanism to constrain themore » conceptual site models (CSMs) when appropriate. The purpose is to provide the user (i.e., NRC) with the ability to “lock down” the CSM (i.e., picture containing linked icons), restrict access to certain models, or both.« less

The Effects of Constraints and Mastery on Mental and Physical Health: Conceptual and Methodological Considerations

PubMed Central

Infurna, Frank J.; Mayer, Axel

2015-01-01

Perceived control and health are closely interrelated in adulthood and old age. However, less is known regarding the differential implications of two facets of perceived control, constraints and mastery, for mental and physical health. Furthermore, a limitation of previous research testing the pathways linking perceived control to mental and physical health is that mediation was tested with cross-sectional designs and not in a longitudinal mediation design that accounts for temporal ordering and prior confounds. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n = 7,612, M age = 68, SD = 10.66; 59% women) we examined the effect of constraints and mastery on 4-year changes in mental and physical health and whether physical activity mediated such effects in a longitudinal mediation design. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we modeled the two-factor structure of perceived control that consisted of constraints and mastery. In our longitudinal mediation model, where we accounted for possible confounders (e.g., age, gender, education, neuroticism, conscientiousness, memory, and health conditions), constraints showed a stronger total effect on mental and physical health, than mastery, such that more constraints were associated with 4-year declines in mental and physical health. Physical activity did not mediate the effect of constraints and mastery on mental and physical health (indirect effect). In order to demonstrate the importance of a longitudinal mediation model that accounts for confounders, we also estimated the mediated effect using two models commonly used in the literature: cross-sectional mediation model and longitudinal mediation model without accounting for confounders. These mediation models indicated a spurious indirect effect that cannot be causally interpreted. Our results showcase that constraints and mastery have differential implications for mental and physical health, as well as how a longitudinal mediation design can illustrate (or not) pathways in developmental processes. Our discussion focuses on the conceptual and methodological implications of a two facet model of perceived control and the strengths of longitudinal mediation designs for testing conceptual models of human development. PMID:25938243

The effects of constraints and mastery on mental and physical health: Conceptual and methodological considerations.

PubMed

Infurna, Frank J; Mayer, Axel

2015-06-01

Perceived control and health are closely interrelated in adulthood and old age. However, less is known regarding the differential implications of 2 facets of perceived control, constraints and mastery, for mental and physical health. Furthermore, a limitation of previous research testing the pathways linking perceived control to mental and physical health is that mediation was tested with cross-sectional designs and not in a longitudinal mediation design that accounts for temporal ordering and prior confounds. Using data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; n = 7,612, M age = 68, SD = 10.66; 59% women) we examined the effect of constraints and mastery on 4-year changes in mental and physical health and whether physical activity mediated such effects in a longitudinal mediation design. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we modeled the 2-factor structure of perceived control that consisted of constraints and mastery. In our longitudinal mediation model, where we accounted for possible confounders (e.g., age, gender, education, neuroticism, conscientiousness, memory, and health conditions), constraints showed a stronger total effect on mental and physical health, than mastery, such that more constraints were associated with 4-year declines in mental and physical health. Physical activity did not mediate the effect of constraints and mastery on mental and physical health (indirect effect). To demonstrate the importance of a longitudinal mediation model that accounts for confounders, we also estimated the mediated effect using 2 models commonly used in the literature: cross-sectional mediation model and longitudinal mediation model without accounting for confounders. These mediation models indicated a spurious indirect effect that cannot be causally interpreted. Our results showcase that constraints and mastery have differential implications for mental and physical health, as well as how a longitudinal mediation design can illustrate (or not) pathways in developmental processes. Our discussion focuses on the conceptual and methodological implications of a 2 facet model of perceived control and the strengths of longitudinal mediation designs for testing conceptual models of human development. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Age Differences in the Effects of Conceptual Integration Training on Resource Allocation in Sentence Processing

PubMed Central

Stine-Morrow, Elizabeth A. L.; Noh, Soo Rim; Shake, Matthew C.

2009-01-01

This research examined age differences in the accommodation of reading strategies as a consequence of explicit instruction in conceptual integration. In Experiment 1, young, middle-aged, and older adults read sentences for delayed recall using a moving window method. Readers in an experimental group received instruction in making conceptual links during reading while readers in a control group were simply encouraged to allocate effort. Regression analysis to decompose word-by-word reading times in each condition isolated the time allocated to conceptual processing at the point in the text at which new concepts were introduced, as well as at clause and sentence boundaries. While younger adults responded to instructions by differentially allocating effort to sentence wrap-up, older adults allocated effort to intrasentence wrap-up and on new concepts as they were introduced, suggesting that older readers optimized their allocation of effort to linguistic computations for textbase construction within their processing capacity. Experiment 2 verified that conceptual integration training improved immediate recall among older readers as a consequence of engendering allocation to conceptual processing. PMID:19941199

A Conceptual Framework for Tactical Private Satellite Networks

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

will be deployed on a controlled basis so as not to consume valuable bandwidth during critical time windows. Faults inside the network can be tracked ... attitude control , timing, and navigation - More precise station keeping - Optical LANs and inter-satellite links - Inter satellite links - New...Cluster operations, such as electromagnetic formation flying systems and remote attitude determination systems. • Distributed spacecraft computing

Factors Influencing the Link between Social Anxiety and Peer Acceptance: Contributions of Social Skills and Close Friendships during Middle Childhood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greco, Laurie A.; Morris, Tracy L.

2005-01-01

Childhood social anxiety consistently has been linked with low levels of peer acceptance, yet little is known about the factors contributing to this association. We therefore examined the mediating and moderating role of social skills and close friendships, two conceptually and empirically relevant variables which were hypothesized to contribute…

From Semantics to Syntax and Back Again: Argument Structure in the Third Year of Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandes, Keith J.; Marcus, Gary F.; Di Nubila, Jennifer A.; Vouloumanos, Athena

2006-01-01

An essential part of the human capacity for language is the ability to link conceptual or semantic representations with syntactic representations. On the basis of data from spontaneous production, Tomasello (2000) suggested that young children acquire such links on a verb-by-verb basis, with little in the way of a general understanding of…

The Cancer Family Caregiving Experience: An Updated and Expanded Conceptual Model

PubMed Central

Fletcher, Barbara Swore; Miaskowski, Christine; Given, Barbara; Schumacher, Karen

2011-01-01

Objective The decade from 2000–2010 was an era of tremendous growth in family caregiving research specific to the cancer population. This research has implications for how cancer family caregiving is conceptualized, yet the most recent comprehensive model of cancer family caregiving was published ten years ago. Our objective was to develop an updated and expanded comprehensive model of the cancer family caregiving experience, derived from concepts and variables used in research during past ten years. Methods A conceptual model was developed based on cancer family caregiving research published from 2000–2010. Results Our updated and expanded model has three main elements: 1) the stress process, 2) contextual factors, and 3) the cancer trajectory. Emerging ways of conceptualizing the relationships between and within model elements are addressed, as well as an emerging focus on caregiver-patient dyads as the unit of analysis. Conclusions Cancer family caregiving research has grown dramatically since 2000 resulting in a greatly expanded conceptual landscape. This updated and expanded model of the cancer family caregiving experience synthesizes the conceptual implications of an international body of work and demonstrates tremendous progress in how cancer family caregiving research is conceptualized. PMID:22000812

Dynamical Signatures of Structural Connectivity Damage to a Model of the Brain Posed at Criticality.

PubMed

Haimovici, Ariel; Balenzuela, Pablo; Tagliazucchi, Enzo

2016-12-01

Synchronization of brain activity fluctuations is believed to represent communication between spatially distant neural processes. These interareal functional interactions develop in the background of a complex network of axonal connections linking cortical and subcortical neurons, termed the human "structural connectome." Theoretical considerations and experimental evidence support the view that the human brain can be modeled as a system operating at a critical point between ordered (subcritical) and disordered (supercritical) phases. Here, we explore the hypothesis that pathologies resulting from brain injury of different etiologies are related to this model of a critical brain. For this purpose, we investigate how damage to the integrity of the structural connectome impacts on the signatures of critical dynamics. Adopting a hybrid modeling approach combining an empirical weighted network of human structural connections with a conceptual model of critical dynamics, we show that lesions located at highly transited connections progressively displace the model toward the subcritical regime. The topological properties of the nodes and links are of less importance when considered independently of their weight in the network. We observe that damage to midline hubs such as the middle and posterior cingulate cortex is most crucial for the disruption of criticality in the model. However, a similar effect can be achieved by targeting less transited nodes and links whose connection weights add up to an equivalent amount. This implies that brain pathology does not necessarily arise due to insult targeted at well-connected areas and that intersubject variability could obscure lesions located at nonhub regions. Finally, we discuss the predictions of our model in the context of clinical studies of traumatic brain injury and neurodegenerative disorders.

Consistent assignment of nursing staff to residents in nursing homes: a critical review of conceptual and methodological issues.

PubMed

Roberts, Tonya; Nolet, Kimberly; Bowers, Barbara

2015-06-01

Consistent assignment of nursing staff to residents is promoted by a number of national organizations as a strategy for improving nursing home quality and is included in pay for performance schedules in several states. However, research has shown inconsistent effects of consistent assignment on quality outcomes. In order to advance the state of the science of research on consistent assignment and inform current practice and policy, a literature review was conducted to critique conceptual and methodological understandings of consistent assignment. Twenty original research reports of consistent assignment in nursing homes were found through a variety of search strategies. Consistent assignment was conceptualized and operationalized in multiple ways with little overlap from study to study. There was a lack of established methods to measure consistent assignment. Methodological limitations included a lack of control and statistical analyses of group differences in experimental-level studies, small sample sizes, lack of attention to confounds in multicomponent interventions, and outcomes that were not theoretically linked. Future research should focus on developing a conceptual understanding of consistent assignment focused on definition, measurement, and links to outcomes. To inform current policies, testing consistent assignment should include attention to contexts within and levels at which it is most effective. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Gerontological Society of America 2013.

Understanding the coping process from a self-determination theory perspective.

PubMed

Ntoumanis, Nikos; Edmunds, Jemma; Duda, Joan L

2009-05-01

To explore conceptual links between the cognitive-motivational-relational theory (CMRT) of coping (Lazarus, 1991) and self-determination theory (SDT) of motivation (Deci & Ryan, 1985). We present a very brief overview of the two theories. We also discuss how components from the two theories can be examined together to facilitate research in the health/exercise domain. To this effect, we offer a preliminary integrated model of stress, coping, and motivation, based on the two aforementioned theories, in an attempt to illustrate and instigate research on how motivational factors are implicated in the coping process. We believe that the proposed model can serve as a platform for generating new research ideas which, besides their theoretical relevance, may have important applied implications.

Development of a Mixed Methods Investigation of Process and Outcomes of Community-Based Participatory Research

PubMed Central

Lucero, Julie; Wallerstein, Nina; Duran, Bonnie; Alegria, Margarita; Greene-Moton, Ella; Israel, Barbara; Kastelic, Sarah; Magarati, Maya; Oetzel, John; Pearson, Cynthia; Schulz, Amy; Villegas, Malia; White Hat, Emily R.

2017-01-01

This article describes a mixed methods study of community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership practices and the links between these practices and changes in health status and disparities outcomes. Directed by a CBPR conceptual model and grounded in indigenous-transformative theory, our nation-wide, cross-site study showcases the value of a mixed methods approach for better understanding the complexity of CBPR partnerships across diverse community and research contexts. The article then provides examples of how an iterative, integrated approach to our mixed methods analysis yielded enriched understandings of two key constructs of the model: trust and governance. Implications and lessons learned while using mixed methods to study CBPR are provided. PMID:29230152

Large-scale mapping of hard-rock aquifer properties applied to Burkina Faso.

PubMed

Courtois, Nathalie; Lachassagne, Patrick; Wyns, Robert; Blanchin, Raymonde; Bougaïré, Francis D; Somé, Sylvain; Tapsoba, Aïssata

2010-01-01

A country-scale (1:1,000,000) methodology has been developed for hydrogeologic mapping of hard-rock aquifers (granitic and metamorphic rocks) of the type that underlie a large part of the African continent. The method is based on quantifying the "useful thickness" and hydrodynamic properties of such aquifers and uses a recent conceptual model developed for this hydrogeologic context. This model links hydrodynamic parameters (transmissivity, storativity) to lithology and the geometry of the various layers constituting a weathering profile. The country-scale hydrogeological mapping was implemented in Burkina Faso, where a recent 1:1,000,000-scale digital geological map and a database of some 16,000 water wells were used to evaluate the methodology.

Developing a model of plant hormone interactions

PubMed Central

Wang, Yu Hua

2011-01-01

Plant growth and development is influenced by mutual interactions among plant hormones. The five classical plant hormones are auxins, cytokinins, gibberellins, abscisic acid and ethylene. They are small diffusible molecules that easily penetrate between cells. In addition, newer classes of plant hormones have been identified such as brassinosteroids, jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and various small proteins or peptides. These hormones also play important roles in the regulation of plant growth and development. This review begins with a brief summary of the current findings on plant hormones. Based on this knowledge, a conceptual model about interactions among plant hormones is built so as to link and develop an understanding of the diverse functions of different plant hormones as a whole in plants. PMID:21406974

Why College Students Cheat: A Conceptual Model of Five Factors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Hongwei; Glanzer, Perry L.; Johnson, Byron R.; Sriram, Rishi; Moore, Brandon

2018-01-01

Though numerous studies have identified factors associated with academic misconduct, few have proposed conceptual models that could make sense of multiple factors. In this study, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a conceptual model of five factors using data from a relatively large sample of 2,503 college students. The results…

A conceptual modeling framework for discrete event simulation using hierarchical control structures.

PubMed

Furian, N; O'Sullivan, M; Walker, C; Vössner, S; Neubacher, D

2015-08-01

Conceptual Modeling (CM) is a fundamental step in a simulation project. Nevertheless, it is only recently that structured approaches towards the definition and formulation of conceptual models have gained importance in the Discrete Event Simulation (DES) community. As a consequence, frameworks and guidelines for applying CM to DES have emerged and discussion of CM for DES is increasing. However, both the organization of model-components and the identification of behavior and system control from standard CM approaches have shortcomings that limit CM's applicability to DES. Therefore, we discuss the different aspects of previous CM frameworks and identify their limitations. Further, we present the Hierarchical Control Conceptual Modeling framework that pays more attention to the identification of a models' system behavior, control policies and dispatching routines and their structured representation within a conceptual model. The framework guides the user step-by-step through the modeling process and is illustrated by a worked example.

Conceptualizing Telehealth in Nursing Practice: Advancing a Conceptual Model to Fill a Virtual Gap.

PubMed

Nagel, Daniel A; Penner, Jamie L

2016-03-01

Increasingly nurses use various telehealth technologies to deliver health care services; however, there has been a lag in research and generation of empirical knowledge to support nursing practice in this expanding field. One challenge to generating knowledge is a gap in development of a comprehensive conceptual model or theoretical framework to illustrate relationships of concepts and phenomena inherent to adoption of a broad range of telehealth technologies to holistic nursing practice. A review of the literature revealed eight published conceptual models, theoretical frameworks, or similar entities applicable to nursing practice. Many of these models focus exclusively on use of telephones and four were generated from qualitative studies, but none comprehensively reflect complexities of bridging nursing process and elements of nursing practice into use of telehealth. The purpose of this article is to present a review of existing conceptual models and frameworks, discuss predominant themes and features of these models, and present a comprehensive conceptual model for telehealth nursing practice synthesized from this literature for consideration and further development. This conceptual model illustrates characteristics of, and relationships between, dimensions of telehealth practice to guide research and knowledge development in provision of holistic person-centered care delivery to individuals by nurses through telehealth technologies. © The Author(s) 2015.

Preface to RIGiM 2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rolland, Colette; Yu, Eric; Salinesi, Camille; Castro, Jaelson

The use of intentional concepts, the notion of "goal" in particular, has been prominent in recent approaches to requirement engineering (RE). Goal-oriented frameworks and methods for requirements engineering (GORE) have been keynote topics in requirements engineering, conceptual modelling, and more generally in software engineering. What are the conceptual modelling foundations in these approaches? RIGiM (Requirements Intentions and Goals in Conceptual Modelling) aims to provide a forum for discussing the interplay between requirements engineering and conceptual modelling, and in particular, to investigate how goal- and intention-driven approaches help in conceptualising purposeful systems. What are the fundamental objectives and premises of requirements engineering and conceptual modelling respectively, and how can they complement each other? What are the demands on conceptual modelling from the standpoint of requirements engineering? What conceptual modelling techniques can be further taken advantage of in requirements engineering? What are the upcoming modelling challenges and issues in GORE? What are the unresolved open questions? What lessons are there to be learnt from industrial experiences? What empirical data are there to support the cost-benefit analysis when adopting GORE methods? Are there application domains or types of project settings for which goals and intentional approaches are particularly suitable or not suitable? What degree of formalization and automation, or interactivity is feasible and appropriate for what types of participants during requirements engineering?

The Human–Nature Relationship and Its Impact on Health: A Critical Review

PubMed Central

Seymour, Valentine

2016-01-01

Within the past four decades, research has been increasingly drawn toward understanding whether there is a link between the changing human–nature relationship and its impact on people’s health. However, to examine whether there is a link requires research of its breadth and underlying mechanisms from an interdisciplinary approach. This article begins by reviewing the debates concerning the human–nature relationship, which are then critiqued and redefined from an interdisciplinary perspective. The concept and chronological history of “health” is then explored, based on the World Health Organization’s definition. Combining these concepts, the human–nature relationship and its impact on human’s health are then explored through a developing conceptual model. It is argued that using an interdisciplinary perspective can facilitate a deeper understanding of the complexities involved for attaining optimal health at the human–environmental interface. PMID:27917378

Social Integration and Health: Community Involvement, Stigmatized Identities, and Sexual Risk in Latino Sexual Minorities

PubMed Central

Ramirez-Valles, Jesus; Kuhns, Lisa M.; Campbell, Richard T.; Diaz, Rafael M.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the conceptual understanding and practical application of social integration theory to health behaviors. We test whether community involvement in AIDS and GLBT organizations moderates the relationship of racial and homosexual stigmata to sexual risk behavior among gay and bisexual men and transgender persons of Latin American origin or descent. We use structural equation modeling to analyze data from a sample of 643 individuals recruited via respondent-driven sampling. Among those not involved in community organizations, homosexual and racial stigmata are related to sexual activity under the influence of alcohol and drugs, which is linked to sexual risk behavior. Among the involved group, the stigmata are not linked to sexual activity under the influence of alcohol and drugs, or to sexual risk behavior. The moderating role of community involvement seems to be more salient in those currently involved than those ever involved. PMID:20420293

Pre-service science teachers' teaching self-efficacy in relation to personality traits and academic self-regulation.

PubMed

Senler, Burcu; Sungur-Vural, Semra

2013-01-01

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship among pre-service science teachers' personality traits, academic self-regulation and teaching self-efficacy by proposing and testing a conceptual model. For the specified purpose, 1794 pre-service science teachers participated in the study. The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, and the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire were administered to assess pre-service science teachers' teaching self-efficacy, personality, and academic self-regulation respectively. Results showed that agreeableness, neuroticism, performance approach goals, and use of metacognitive strategies are positively linked to different dimensions of teaching self-efficacy, namely self-efficacy for student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom management. In general, while agreeableness and neuroticism were found to be positively associated with different facets of self-regulation and teaching self-efficacy, openness was found to be negatively linked to these adaptive outcomes.

The relevance of the philosophical 'mind-body problem' for the status of psychosomatic medicine: a conceptual analysis of the biopsychosocial model.

PubMed

Van Oudenhove, Lukas; Cuypers, Stefaan

2014-05-01

Psychosomatic medicine, with its prevailing biopsychosocial model, aims to integrate human and exact sciences with their divergent conceptual models. Therefore, its own conceptual foundations, which often remain implicit and unknown, may be critically relevant. We defend the thesis that choosing between different metaphysical views on the 'mind-body problem' may have important implications for the conceptual foundations of psychosomatic medicine, and therefore potentially also for its methods, scientific status and relationship with the scientific disciplines it aims to integrate: biomedical sciences (including neuroscience), psychology and social sciences. To make this point, we introduce three key positions in the philosophical 'mind-body' debate (emergentism, reductionism, and supervenience physicalism) and investigate their consequences for the conceptual basis of the biopsychosocial model in general and its 'psycho-biological' part ('mental causation') in particular. Despite the clinical merits of the biopsychosocial model, we submit that it is conceptually underdeveloped or even flawed, which may hamper its use as a proper scientific model.

Sexual activity and psychological health as mediators of the relationship between physical health and marital quality.

PubMed

Galinsky, Adena M; Waite, Linda J

2014-05-01

The pathways linking spousal health to marital quality in later life have been little examined at the population level. We develop a conceptual model that links married older adults' physical health and that of their spouse to positive and negative dimensions of marital quality via psychological well-being of both partners and their sexual activity. We use data from 1,464 older adults in 732 marital dyads in the 2010-2011 wave of the National Social Life Health and Aging Project. We find that own fair or poor physical health is linked to lower positive and higher negative marital quality, spouse's health to positive quality, and that own and spouse's mental health and more frequent sex are associated with higher positive and lower negative marital quality. Further, we find that (a) sexual activity mediates the association between own and partner's physical health and positive marital quality, (b) own mental health mediates the association between one's own physical health and both positive and negative marital quality, and (c) partner's mental health mediates the associations of spouse's physical health with positive marital quality. These results are robust to alternative specifications of the model. The results suggest ways to protect marital quality among older adults who are struggling with physical illness in themselves or their partners.

Conceptualizing pathways linking women's empowerment and prematurity in developing countries.

PubMed

Afulani, Patience A; Altman, Molly; Musana, Joseph; Sudhinaraset, May

2017-11-08

Globally, prematurity is the leading cause of death in children under the age of 5. Many efforts have focused on clinical approaches to improve the survival of premature babies. There is a need, however, to explore psychosocial, sociocultural, economic, and other factors as potential mechanisms to reduce the burden of prematurity. Women's empowerment may be a catalyst for moving the needle in this direction. The goal of this paper is to examine links between women's empowerment and prematurity in developing settings. We propose a conceptual model that shows pathways by which women's empowerment can affect prematurity and review and summarize the literature supporting the relationships we posit. We also suggest future directions for research on women's empowerment and prematurity. The key words we used for empowerment in the search were "empowerment," "women's status," "autonomy," and "decision-making," and for prematurity we used "preterm," "premature," and "prematurity." We did not use date, language, and regional restrictions. The search was done in PubMed, Population Information Online (POPLINE), and Web of Science. We selected intervening factors-factors that could potentially mediate the relationship between empowerment and prematurity-based on reviews of the risk factors and interventions to address prematurity and the determinants of those factors. There is limited evidence supporting a direct link between women's empowerment and prematurity. However, there is evidence linking several dimensions of empowerment to factors known to be associated with prematurity and outcomes for premature babies. Our review of the literature shows that women's empowerment may reduce prematurity by (1) preventing early marriage and promoting family planning, which will delay age at first pregnancy and increase interpregnancy intervals; (2) improving women's nutritional status; (3) reducing domestic violence and other stressors to improve psychological health; and (4) improving access to and receipt of recommended health services during pregnancy and delivery to help prevent prematurity and improve survival of premature babies. Women's empowerment is an important distal factor that affects prematurity through several intervening factors. Improving women's empowerment will help prevent prematurity and improve survival of preterm babies. Research to empirically show the links between women's empowerment and prematurity is however needed.

Development of a semi-automated model identification and calibration tool for conceptual modelling of sewer systems.

PubMed

Wolfs, Vincent; Villazon, Mauricio Florencio; Willems, Patrick

2013-01-01

Applications such as real-time control, uncertainty analysis and optimization require an extensive number of model iterations. Full hydrodynamic sewer models are not sufficient for these applications due to the excessive computation time. Simplifications are consequently required. A lumped conceptual modelling approach results in a much faster calculation. The process of identifying and calibrating the conceptual model structure could, however, be time-consuming. Moreover, many conceptual models lack accuracy, or do not account for backwater effects. To overcome these problems, a modelling methodology was developed which is suited for semi-automatic calibration. The methodology is tested for the sewer system of the city of Geel in the Grote Nete river basin in Belgium, using both synthetic design storm events and long time series of rainfall input. A MATLAB/Simulink(®) tool was developed to guide the modeller through the step-wise model construction, reducing significantly the time required for the conceptual modelling process.

Food, health, and complexity: towards a conceptual understanding to guide collaborative public health action.

PubMed

Majowicz, Shannon E; Meyer, Samantha B; Kirkpatrick, Sharon I; Graham, Julianne L; Shaikh, Arshi; Elliott, Susan J; Minaker, Leia M; Scott, Steffanie; Laird, Brian

2016-06-08

What we eat simultaneously impacts our exposure to pathogens, allergens, and contaminants, our nutritional status and body composition, our risks for and the progression of chronic diseases, and other outcomes. Furthermore, what we eat is influenced by a complex web of drivers, including culture, politics, economics, and our built and natural environments. To date, public health initiatives aimed at improving food-related population health outcomes have primarily been developed within 'practice silos', and the potential for complex interactions among such initiatives is not well understood. Therefore, our objective was to develop a conceptual model depicting how infectious foodborne illness, food insecurity, dietary contaminants, obesity, and food allergy can be linked via shared drivers, to illustrate potential complex interactions and support future collaboration across public health practice silos. We developed the conceptual model by first conducting a systematic literature search to identify review articles containing schematics that depicted relationships between drivers and the issues of interest. Next, we synthesized drivers into a common model using a modified thematic synthesis approach that combined an inductive thematic analysis and mapping to synthesize findings. The literature search yielded 83 relevant references containing 101 schematics. The conceptual model contained 49 shared drivers and 227 interconnections. Each of the five issues was connected to all others. Obesity and food insecurity shared the most drivers (n = 28). Obesity shared several drivers with food allergy (n = 11), infectious foodborne illness (n = 7), and dietary contamination (n = 6). Food insecurity shared several drivers with infectious foodborne illness (n = 9) and dietary contamination (n = 9). Infectious foodborne illness shared drivers with dietary contamination (n = 8). Fewer drivers were shared between food allergy and: food insecurity (n = 4); infectious foodborne illness (n = 2); and dietary contamination (n = 1). Our model explicates potential interrelationships between five population health issues for which public health interventions have historically been siloed, suggesting that interventions targeted towards these issues have the potential to interact and produce unexpected consequences. Public health practitioners working in infectious foodborne illness, food insecurity, dietary contaminants, obesity, and food allergy should actively consider how their seemingly targeted public health actions may produce unintended positive or negative population health impacts.

Conceptual Models and Guidelines for Clinical Assessment of Financial Capacity

PubMed Central

Marson, Daniel

2016-01-01

The ability to manage financial affairs is a life skill of critical importance, and neuropsychologists are increasingly asked to assess financial capacity across a variety of settings. Sound clinical assessment of financial capacity requires knowledge and appreciation of applicable clinical conceptual models and principles. However, the literature has presented relatively little conceptual guidance for clinicians concerning financial capacity and its assessment. This article seeks to address this gap. The article presents six clinical models of financial capacity : (1) the early gerontological IADL model of Lawton, (2) the clinical skills model and (3) related cognitive psychological model developed by Marson and colleagues, (4) a financial decision-making model adapting earlier decisional capacity work of Appelbaum and Grisso, (5) a person-centered model of financial decision-making developed by Lichtenberg and colleagues, and (6) a recent model of financial capacity in the real world developed through the Institute of Medicine. Accompanying presentation of the models is discussion of conceptual and practical perspectives they represent for clinician assessment. Based on the models, the article concludes by presenting a series of conceptually oriented guidelines for clinical assessment of financial capacity. In summary, sound assessment of financial capacity requires knowledge and appreciation of clinical conceptual models and principles. Awareness of such models, principles and guidelines will strengthen and advance clinical assessment of financial capacity. PMID:27506235

Approaches to modelling hydrology and ecosystem interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Silberstein, Richard P.

2014-05-01

As the pressures of industry, agriculture and mining on groundwater resources increase there is a burgeoning un-met need to be able to capture these multiple, direct and indirect stresses in a formal framework that will enable better assessment of impact scenarios. While there are many catchment hydrological models and there are some models that represent ecological states and change (e.g. FLAMES, Liedloff and Cook, 2007), these have not been linked in any deterministic or substantive way. Without such coupled eco-hydrological models quantitative assessments of impacts from water use intensification on water dependent ecosystems under changing climate are difficult, if not impossible. The concept would include facility for direct and indirect water related stresses that may develop around mining and well operations, climate stresses, such as rainfall and temperature, biological stresses, such as diseases and invasive species, and competition such as encroachment from other competing land uses. Indirect water impacts could be, for example, a change in groundwater conditions has an impact on stream flow regime, and hence aquatic ecosystems. This paper reviews previous work examining models combining ecology and hydrology with a view to developing a conceptual framework linking a biophysically defensable model that combines ecosystem function with hydrology. The objective is to develop a model capable of representing the cumulative impact of multiple stresses on water resources and associated ecosystem function.

CONCEPTUAL MODELS AND METHODS TO GUIDE DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH INTO CAUSES OF IMPAIRMENT TO AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

EPA Science Inventory

Methods and conceptual models to guide the development of tools for diagnosing the causes of biological impairment within aquatic ecosystems of the United States are described in this report. The conceptual models developed here address nutrients, suspended and bedded sediments (...

Brainstem origins for cortical 'what' and 'where' pathways in the auditory system.

PubMed

Kraus, Nina; Nicol, Trent

2005-04-01

We have developed a data-driven conceptual framework that links two areas of science: the source-filter model of acoustics and cortical sensory processing streams. The source-filter model describes the mechanics behind speech production: the identity of the speaker is carried largely in the vocal cord source and the message is shaped by the ever-changing filters of the vocal tract. Sensory processing streams, popularly called 'what' and 'where' pathways, are well established in the visual system as a neural scheme for separately carrying different facets of visual objects, namely their identity and their position/motion, to the cortex. A similar functional organization has been postulated in the auditory system. Both speaker identity and the spoken message, which are simultaneously conveyed in the acoustic structure of speech, can be disentangled into discrete brainstem response components. We argue that these two response classes are early manifestations of auditory 'what' and 'where' streams in the cortex. This brainstem link forges a new understanding of the relationship between the acoustics of speech and cortical processing streams, unites two hitherto separate areas in science, and provides a model for future investigations of auditory function.

A conceptual modeling framework for discrete event simulation using hierarchical control structures

PubMed Central

Furian, N.; O’Sullivan, M.; Walker, C.; Vössner, S.; Neubacher, D.

2015-01-01

Conceptual Modeling (CM) is a fundamental step in a simulation project. Nevertheless, it is only recently that structured approaches towards the definition and formulation of conceptual models have gained importance in the Discrete Event Simulation (DES) community. As a consequence, frameworks and guidelines for applying CM to DES have emerged and discussion of CM for DES is increasing. However, both the organization of model-components and the identification of behavior and system control from standard CM approaches have shortcomings that limit CM’s applicability to DES. Therefore, we discuss the different aspects of previous CM frameworks and identify their limitations. Further, we present the Hierarchical Control Conceptual Modeling framework that pays more attention to the identification of a models’ system behavior, control policies and dispatching routines and their structured representation within a conceptual model. The framework guides the user step-by-step through the modeling process and is illustrated by a worked example. PMID:26778940

Can the Neuman Systems Model be adapted to the Malaysian nursing context?

PubMed

Shamsudin, Nafsiah

2002-04-01

Nursing in Malaysia is still developing as a profession. Issues such as using nursing conceptual models or frameworks in the delivery of nursing care have not been addressed by the majority of nurses. One reason for this has been the level of education and preparation of nurses, while another reason lies with the origins of existing nursing conceptual models. Most nursing conceptual models have their origins in North America. Their utility by nurses of different cultures and academic preparations might not be appropriate. Nursing is a social activity, an interaction between the nurse and the patient. It is carried out in a social environment within a particular culture. Conceptual models developed in one culture might not be readily implanted into another culture. This paper discusses how a conceptual model developed in North America; that is, the Neuman Systems Model, can be adapted into the Malaysian nursing context.

A scale-free systems theory of motivation and addiction.

PubMed

Chambers, R Andrew; Bickel, Warren K; Potenza, Marc N

2007-01-01

Scale-free organizations, characterized by uneven distributions of linkages between nodal elements, describe the structure and function of many life-based complex systems developing under evolutionary pressures. We explore motivated behavior as a scale-free map toward a comprehensive translational theory of addiction. Motivational and behavioral repertoires are reframed as link and nodal element sets, respectively, comprising a scale-free structure. These sets are generated by semi-independent information-processing streams within cortical-striatal circuits that cooperatively provide decision-making and sequential processing functions necessary for traversing maps of motivational links connecting behavioral nodes. Dopamine modulation of cortical-striatal plasticity serves a central-hierarchical mechanism for survival-adaptive sculpting and development of motivational-behavioral repertoires by guiding a scale-free design. Drug-induced dopamine activity promotes drug taking as a highly connected behavioral hub at the expense of natural-adaptive motivational links and behavioral nodes. Conceptualizing addiction as pathological alteration of scale-free motivational-behavioral repertoires unifies neurobiological, neurocomputational and behavioral research while addressing addiction vulnerability in adolescence and psychiatric illness. This model may inform integrative research in defining more effective prevention and treatment strategies for addiction.

A world apart? Bridging the gap between theory and applied social gerontology.

PubMed

Hendricks, Jon; Applebaum, Robert; Kunkel, Suzanne

2010-06-01

This article is based on the premise that there is inadequate attention to the link between theory and applied research in social gerontology. The article contends that applied research studies do not often or effectively employ a theoretical framework and that theory-based articles, including theory-based research, are not often focused on questions related to applied social gerontology. We explore the extent to which theory and applied research could reasonably be expected to overlap, present data from an analysis of 5 years of articles in three leading journals, and posit some possible explanations for the current divide between theory and applied social gerontology research. We argue that the divide weakens research and inhibits the functions that theory can play in helping to organize the accumulation of knowledge, and we offer some suggestions about how the field can address this challenge, including changes to the journal review and submission process to reflect the importance of the link between theory and/or conceptual models and research, and an expansion of professional conference opportunities to link research and practice.

A Scale-Free Systems Theory of Motivation and Addiction

PubMed Central

Bickel, Warren K.; Potenza, Marc N.

2007-01-01

Scale-free organizations, characterized by uneven distributions of linkages between nodal elements, describe the structure and function of many life-based complex systems developing under evolutionary pressures. We explore motivated behavior as a scale-free map toward a comprehensive translational theory of addiction. Motivational and behavioral repertoires are reframed as link and nodal element sets, respectively, comprising a scale-free structure. These sets are generated by semi-independent information-processing streams within cortical-striatal circuits that cooperatively provide decision-making and sequential processing functions necessary for traversing maps of motivational links connecting behavioral nodes. Dopamine modulation of cortical-striatal plasticity serves a central-hierarchical mechanism for survival-adaptive sculpting and development of motivational-behavioral repertoires by guiding a scale-free design. Drug-induced dopamine activity promotes drug-taking as a highly connected behavioral hub at the expense of natural-adaptive motivational links and behavioral nodes. Conceptualizing addiction as pathological alteration of scale-free motivational-behavioral repertoires unifies neurobiological, neurocomputational and behavioral research while addressing addiction vulnerability in adolescence and psychiatric illness. This model may inform integrative research in defining more effective prevention and treatment strategies for addiction. PMID:17574673

Conceptual Model Learning Objects and Design Recommendations for Small Screens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Churchill, Daniel

2011-01-01

This article presents recommendations for the design of conceptual models for applications via handheld devices such as personal digital assistants and some mobile phones. The recommendations were developed over a number of years through experience that involves design of conceptual models, and applications of these multimedia representations with…

Semantic Description of Educational Adaptive Hypermedia Based on a Conceptual Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papasalouros, Andreas; Retalis, Symeon; Papaspyrou, Nikolaos

2004-01-01

The role of conceptual modeling in Educational Adaptive Hypermedia Applications (EAHA) is especially important. A conceptual model of an educational application depicts the instructional solution that is implemented, containing information about concepts that must be ac-quired by learners, tasks in which learners must be involved and resources…

Conceptual Model of Research to Reduce Stigma Related to Mental Disorders in Adolescents

PubMed Central

Pinto-Foltz, Melissa D.; Logsdon, M. Cynthia

2010-01-01

Purpose: To explicate an initial conceptual model that is amenable to testing and guiding anti-stigma interventions with adolescents. Design/Sources Used: Multidisciplinary research and theoretical articles were reviewed. . Conclusions: The conceptual model may guide anti-stigma interventions, and undergo testing and refinement in the future to reflect scientific advances in stigma reduction among adolescents. Use of a conceptual model enhances empirical evaluation of anti-stigma interventions yielding a casual explanation for the intervention effects and enhances clinical applicability of interventions across settings. PMID:19916813

[Self-Determination in Medical Rehabilitation - Development of a Conceptual Model for Further Theoretical Discussion].

PubMed

Senin, Tatjana; Meyer, Thorsten

2018-01-22

Aim was to gather theoretical knowledge about self-determination and to develop a conceptual model for medical rehabilitation- which serves as a basis for discussion. We performed a literature research in electronic databases. Various theories and research results were adopted and transferred to the context of medical rehabilitation and into a conceptual model. The conceptual model of self-determination reflects on a continuum which forms of self-determination may be present in situations of medical rehabilitation treatments. The location on the continuum depends theoretically on the manifestation of certain internal and external factors that may influence each other. The model provides a first conceptualization of self-determination focusing on medical rehabilitation which should be further refined and tested empirically. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

The Validity and Reliability of the Violence Risk Scale-Sexual Offender Version: Assessing Sex Offender Risk and Evaluating Therapeutic Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olver, Mark E.; Wong, Stephen C. P.; Nicholaichuk, Terry; Gordon, Audrey

2007-01-01

The Violence Risk Scale-Sexual Offender version (VRS-SO) is a rating scale designed to assess risk and predict sexual recidivism, to measure and link treatment changes to sexual recidivism, and to inform the delivery of sexual offender treatment. The VRS-SO comprises 7 static and 17 dynamic items empirically or conceptually linked to sexual…

Data Modeling & the Infrastructural Nature of Conceptual Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesh, Richard; Caylor, Elizabeth; Gupta, Shweta

2007-01-01

The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the infrastructural nature of many modern conceptual technologies. The focus of this paper is on conceptual tools associated with elementary types of data modeling. We intend to show a variety of ways in which these conceptual tools not only express thinking, but also mold and shape thinking. And those ways…

Monitoring and modeling for investigating driver/pressure-state/impact relationships in coastal ecosystems: Examples from the Lagoon of Venice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastres, Roberto; Solidoro, Cosimo

2012-01-01

In this paper, we show how the integration of monitoring data and mathematical model can generate valuable information by using a few examples taken from a well studied but complex ecosystem, namely the Lagoon of Venice. We will focus on three key issues, which are of concern also for many other coastal ecosystems, namely: (1) Nitrogen and Phosphorus annual budgets; (2) estimation of Net Ecosystem Metabolism and early warnings for anoxic events; (3) assessment of ecosystem status. The results highlight the importance of framing monitoring activities within the "DPSIR" conceptual model, thus going far beyond the monitoring of major biogeochemical variables and including: (1) the estimation of the fluxes of the main constituents at the boundaries; (2) the use of appropriate mathematical models. These tools can provide quantitative links among Pressures and State/Impacts, thus enabling decision makers and stakeholders to evaluate the effects of alternative management scenarios.

Developing a cultural model of caregiving obligations for elderly Chinese wives.

PubMed

Holroyd, Eleanor

2005-06-01

This article addresses the dilemmas of elderly Chinese women as spousal caregivers in Hong Kong in the 1990s. An in-depth ethnographic approach was used to draw on a convenience sample of 20 elderly wives who were caregivers from Hong Kong. At the conceptual level, the discussion highlights how caregiving is rooted in complex, culturally-based models of contemporary practices, sociohistoric patterns, and gender-specific obligations. The key themes identified were marital duty-bound roles and responsibilities, reciprocity and burden, public guidelines and upholding reputations as Chinese wives, monetary restrictions, affection as an emotional force to sustain caregiving, effects of the caregiving role, and the creation of self-identity through caregiving. The model proposed for interpreting elderly Chinese wives' caregiving obligations highlights the tension-filled links between Confucianism and government guidelines, early and ongoing socializing experiences, and self-identity.

Substance use among American Indians and Alaska natives: incorporating culture in an "indigenist" stress-coping paradigm.

PubMed Central

Walters, Karina L.; Simoni, Jane M.; Evans-Campbell, Teresa

2002-01-01

OBJECTIVES: This article proposes a new stress-coping model for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIs) that reflects a paradigmatic shift in the conceptualization of Native health. It reviews sociodemographic information on AIs, rates of substance abuse and related health outcomes, and the research supporting the model's pathways. OBSERVATIONS: Although health outcomes among AIs are improving, large disparities with other racial and ethnic groups in the United States remain. Many health-related problems are directly linked to high rates of substance use and abuse. CONCLUSION: Eurocentric paradigms focus on individual pathology. An "indigenist" perspective of health incorporates the devastating impact of historical trauma and ongoing oppression of AIs. The model emphasizes cultural strengths, such as the family and community, spirituality and traditional healing practices, and group identity attitudes. PMID:12435834

Social Support, Trust in Health Information, and Health Information-Seeking Behaviors (HISBs): A Study Using the 2012 Annenberg National Health Communication Survey (ANHCS).

PubMed

Yang, Qinghua; Chen, Yixin; Wendorf Muhamad, Jessica

2017-09-01

We proposed a conceptual model to predict health information-seeking behaviors (HISBs) from three different sources (family, the Internet, doctors). To test the model, a structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted using data from the 2012 Annenberg National Health Communication Survey (ANHCS) (N = 3,285). Findings suggest higher social support from family predicts higher trust in health information from family members (abbreviated as trust in this article). Trust is positively related to HISBs from all three sources, with the path linking trust to HISB from family being the strongest. The effect of social support on HISB from family is partially mediated by trust, while effect of social support on HISBs from the Internet/doctors is fully mediated by trust. Implications of the study are discussed.

A Conceptual Model for Increasing Use of Electronic Medical Records by Primary Care Physicians Through End-User Support.

PubMed

Randhawa, Gurprit K

2017-01-01

A conceptual model for exploring the relationship between end-user support (EUS) and electronic medical record (EMR) use by primary care physicians is presented. The model was developed following a review of conceptual and theoretical frameworks related to technology adoption/use and EUS. The model includes (a) one core construct (facilitating conditions), (b) four antecedents and one postcedent of facilitating conditions, and (c) four moderators. EMR use behaviour is the key outcome of the model. The proposed conceptual model should be tested. The model may be used to inform planning and decision-making for EMR implementations to increase EMR use for benefits realization.

Economic Assessment of Zoonoses Surveillance in a 'One Health' Context: A Conceptual Framework.

PubMed

Babo Martins, S; Rushton, J; Stärk, K D C

2016-08-01

Collaboration between animal and public health sectors has been highlighted as a means to improve the management of zoonotic threats. This includes surveillance systems for zoonoses, where enhanced cross-sectoral integration and sharing of information are seen as key to improved public health outcomes. Yet, there is a lack of evidence on the economic returns of such collaboration, particularly in the development and implementation of surveillance programmes. The economic assessment of surveillance in this context needs to be underpinned by the understanding of the links between zoonotic disease surveillance in animal populations and the wider public health disease mitigation process and how these relations impact on the costs and benefits of the surveillance activities. This study presents a conceptual framework of these links as a basis for the economic assessment of cross-sectoral zoonoses surveillance with the aim of supporting the prioritization of resource allocation to surveillance. In the proposed framework, monetary, non-monetary and intermediate or intangible cost components and benefit streams of three conceptually distinct stages of zoonotic disease mitigation are identified. In each stage, as the final disease mitigation objective varies so does the use of surveillance information generated in the animal populations for public health decision-making. Consequently, the associated cost components and benefit streams also change. Building on the proposed framework and taking into account these links, practical steps for its application are presented and future challenges are discussed. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Biodiversity and human well-being: an essential link for sustainable development

PubMed Central

Chazdon, Robin; Duffy, J. Emmett; Prager, Case; Worm, Boris

2016-01-01

As society strives to transition towards more sustainable development pathways, it is important to properly conceptualize the link between biodiversity (i.e. genes, traits, species and other dimensions) and human well-being (HWB; i.e. health, wealth, security and other dimensions). Here, we explore how published conceptual frameworks consider the extent to which the biodiversity–HWB links are being integrated into public discourse and scientific research and the implications of our findings for sustainable development. We find that our understanding has gradually evolved from seeing the value of biodiversity as an external commodity that may influence HWB to biodiversity as fundamental to HWB. Analysis of the literature trends indicates increasing engagement with the terms biodiversity, HWB and sustainable development in the public, science and policy spheres, but largely as independent rather than linked terms. We suggest that a consensus framework for sustainable development should include biodiversity explicitly as a suite of internal variables that both influence and are influenced by HWB. Doing so will enhance clarity and help shape coherent research and policy priorities. We further suggest that the absence of this link in development can inadvertently lead to a ratcheting down of biodiversity by otherwise well-meaning policies. Such biotic impoverishment could lock HWB at minimum levels or lead to its decline and halt or reverse progress in achieving sustainable development. PMID:27928039

Biodiversity and human well-being: an essential link for sustainable development.

PubMed

Naeem, Shahid; Chazdon, Robin; Duffy, J Emmett; Prager, Case; Worm, Boris

2016-12-14

As society strives to transition towards more sustainable development pathways, it is important to properly conceptualize the link between biodiversity (i.e. genes, traits, species and other dimensions) and human well-being (HWB; i.e. health, wealth, security and other dimensions). Here, we explore how published conceptual frameworks consider the extent to which the biodiversity-HWB links are being integrated into public discourse and scientific research and the implications of our findings for sustainable development. We find that our understanding has gradually evolved from seeing the value of biodiversity as an external commodity that may influence HWB to biodiversity as fundamental to HWB. Analysis of the literature trends indicates increasing engagement with the terms biodiversity, HWB and sustainable development in the public, science and policy spheres, but largely as independent rather than linked terms. We suggest that a consensus framework for sustainable development should include biodiversity explicitly as a suite of internal variables that both influence and are influenced by HWB. Doing so will enhance clarity and help shape coherent research and policy priorities. We further suggest that the absence of this link in development can inadvertently lead to a ratcheting down of biodiversity by otherwise well-meaning policies. Such biotic impoverishment could lock HWB at minimum levels or lead to its decline and halt or reverse progress in achieving sustainable development. © 2016 The Authors.

How much expert knowledge is it worth to put in conceptual hydrological models?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonetti, Manuel; Zappa, Massimiliano

2017-04-01

Both modellers and experimentalists agree on using expert knowledge to improve our conceptual hydrological simulations on ungauged basins. However, they use expert knowledge differently for both hydrologically mapping the landscape and parameterising a given hydrological model. Modellers use generally very simplified (e.g. topography-based) mapping approaches and put most of the knowledge for constraining the model by defining parameter and process relational rules. In contrast, experimentalists tend to invest all their detailed and qualitative knowledge about processes to obtain a spatial distribution of areas with different dominant runoff generation processes (DRPs) as realistic as possible, and for defining plausible narrow value ranges for each model parameter. Since, most of the times, the modelling goal is exclusively to simulate runoff at a specific site, even strongly simplified hydrological classifications can lead to satisfying results due to equifinality of hydrological models, overfitting problems and the numerous uncertainty sources affecting runoff simulations. Therefore, to test to which extent expert knowledge can improve simulation results under uncertainty, we applied a typical modellers' modelling framework relying on parameter and process constraints defined based on expert knowledge to several catchments on the Swiss Plateau. To map the spatial distribution of the DRPs, mapping approaches with increasing involvement of expert knowledge were used. Simulation results highlighted the potential added value of using all the expert knowledge available on a catchment. Also, combinations of event types and landscapes, where even a simplified mapping approach can lead to satisfying results, were identified. Finally, the uncertainty originated by the different mapping approaches was compared with the one linked to meteorological input data and catchment initial conditions.

Promoting Science Learning and Scientific Identification through Contemporary Scientific Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Van Horne, Katie

This dissertation investigates the implementation issues and the educational opportunities associated with "taking the practice turn" in science education. This pedagogical shift focuses instructional experiences on engaging students in the epistemic practices of science both to learn the core ideas of the disciplines, as well as to gain an understanding of and personal connection to the scientific enterprise. In Chapter 2, I examine the teacher-researcher co-design collaboration that supported the classroom implementation of a year-long, project-based biology curriculum that was under development. This study explores the dilemmas that arose when teachers implemented a new intervention and how the dilemmas arose and were managed throughout the collaboration of researchers and teachers and between the teachers. In the design-based research of Chapter 3, I demonstrate how students' engagement in epistemic practices in contemporary science investigations supported their conceptual development about genetics. The analysis shows how this involved a complex interaction between the scientific, school and community practices in students' lives and how through varied participation in the practices students come to write about and recognize how contemporary investigations can give them leverage for science-based action outside of the school setting. Finally, Chapter 4 explores the characteristics of learning environments for supporting the development of scientific practice-linked identities. Specific features of the learning environment---access to the intellectual work of the domain, authentic roles and accountability, space to make meaningful contributions in relation to personal interests, and practice-linked identity resources that arose from interactions in the learning setting---supported learners in stabilizing practice-linked science identities through their engagement in contemporary scientific practices. This set of studies shows that providing students with the tools and means of contemporary scientific inquiry allows them to gain conceptual development and proficiency with the scientific practices within the contexts of their lives, in ways that provided access to resources that promoted students' stabilization of practice-linked identities. For teachers implementing this instructional model in their classrooms, it brought up dilemmas and opportunities related to their school contexts and their personal history of instructional practices. The work collectively informs how interest-driven project-based science instruction can happen across a range of school contexts and how such models can support meaningful science learning and identification.

Health literacy and public health: a systematic review and integration of definitions and models.

PubMed

Sørensen, Kristine; Van den Broucke, Stephan; Fullam, James; Doyle, Gerardine; Pelikan, Jürgen; Slonska, Zofia; Brand, Helmut

2012-01-25

Health literacy concerns the knowledge and competences of persons to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. Although its importance is increasingly recognised, there is no consensus about the definition of health literacy or about its conceptual dimensions, which limits the possibilities for measurement and comparison. The aim of the study is to review definitions and models on health literacy to develop an integrated definition and conceptual model capturing the most comprehensive evidence-based dimensions of health literacy. A systematic literature review was performed to identify definitions and conceptual frameworks of health literacy. A content analysis of the definitions and conceptual frameworks was carried out to identify the central dimensions of health literacy and develop an integrated model. The review resulted in 17 definitions of health literacy and 12 conceptual models. Based on the content analysis, an integrative conceptual model was developed containing 12 dimensions referring to the knowledge, motivation and competencies of accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health-related information within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion setting, respectively. Based upon this review, a model is proposed integrating medical and public health views of health literacy. The model can serve as a basis for developing health literacy enhancing interventions and provide a conceptual basis for the development and validation of measurement tools, capturing the different dimensions of health literacy within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion settings.

Conceptual framework for the study of food waste generation and prevention in the hospitality sector.

PubMed

Papargyropoulou, Effie; Wright, Nigel; Lozano, Rodrigo; Steinberger, Julia; Padfield, Rory; Ujang, Zaini

2016-03-01

Food waste has significant detrimental economic, environmental and social impacts. The magnitude and complexity of the global food waste problem has brought it to the forefront of the environmental agenda; however, there has been little research on the patterns and drivers of food waste generation, especially outside the household. This is partially due to weaknesses in the methodological approaches used to understand such a complex problem. This paper proposes a novel conceptual framework to identify and explain the patterns and drivers of food waste generation in the hospitality sector, with the aim of identifying food waste prevention measures. This conceptual framework integrates data collection and analysis methods from ethnography and grounded theory, complemented with concepts and tools from industrial ecology for the analysis of quantitative data. A case study of food waste generation at a hotel restaurant in Malaysia is used as an example to illustrate how this conceptual framework can be applied. The conceptual framework links the biophysical and economic flows of food provisioning and waste generation, with the social and cultural practices associated with food preparation and consumption. The case study demonstrates that food waste is intrinsically linked to the way we provision and consume food, the material and socio-cultural context of food consumption and food waste generation. Food provisioning, food consumption and food waste generation should be studied together in order to fully understand how, where and most importantly why food waste is generated. This understanding will then enable to draw detailed, case specific food waste prevention plans addressing the material and socio-economic aspects of food waste generation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

What You Know, What You Do, and How You Feel: Cultural Competence, Cultural Consonance, and Psychological Distress

PubMed Central

Dressler, William W.; Balieiro, Mauro C.; dos Santos, José E.

2018-01-01

Describing the link between culture (as a phenomenon pertaining to social aggregates) and the beliefs and behaviors of individuals has eluded satisfactory resolution; however, contemporary cognitive culture theory offers hope. In this theory, culture is conceptualized as cognitive models describing specific domains of life that are shared by members of a social group. It is sharing that gives culture its aggregate properties. There are two aspects to these cultural models at the level of the individual. Persons have their own representations of the world that correspond incompletely to the shared model—this is their ‘cultural competence.’ Persons are also variable in the degree to which they can put cultural models into practice in their own lives—this is their ‘cultural consonance.’ Low cultural consonance is a stressful experience and has been linked to higher psychological distress. The relationship of cultural competence per se and psychological distress is less clear. In the research reported here, cultural competence and cultural consonance are measured on the same sample and their associations with psychological distress are examined using multiple regression analysis. Results indicate that, with respect to psychological distress, while it is good to know the cultural model, it is better to put it into practice. PMID:29379460

Reorienting health services in the Northern Territory of Australia: a conceptual model for building health promotion capacity in the workforce.

PubMed

Judd, Jenni; Keleher, Helen

2013-06-01

Reorienting work practices to include health promotion and prevention is complex and requires specific strategies and interventions. This paper presents original research that used 'real-world' practice to demonstrate that knowledge gathered from practice is relevant for the development of practice-based evidence. The paper shows how practitioners can inform and influence improvements in health promotion practice. Practitioner-informed evidence necessarily incorporates qualitative research to capture the richness of their reflective experiences. Using a participatory action research (PAR) approach, the research question asked 'what are the core dimensions of building health promotion capacity in a primary health care workforce in a real-world setting?' PAR is a method in which the researcher operates in full collaboration with members of the organisation being studied for the purposes of achieving some kind of change, in this case to increase the amount of health promotion and prevention practice within this community health setting. The PAR process involved six reflection and action cycles over two years. Data collection processes included: survey; in-depth interviews; a training intervention; observations of practice; workplace diaries; and two nominal groups. The listen/reflect/act process enabled lessons from practice to inform future capacity-building processes. This research strengthened and supported the development of health promotion to inform 'better health' practices through respectful change processes based on research, practitioner-informed evidence, and capacity-building strategies. A conceptual model for building health promotion capacity in the primary health care workforce was informed by the PAR processes and recognised the importance of the determinants approach. Practitioner-informed evidence is the missing link in the evidence debate and provides the links between evidence and its translation to practice. New models of health promotion service delivery can be developed in community settings recognising the importance of involving practitioners themselves in these processes.

Integrated modelling of ecosystem services and energy systems research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agarwala, Matthew; Lovett, Andrew; Bateman, Ian; Day, Brett; Agnolucci, Paolo; Ziv, Guy

2016-04-01

The UK Government is formally committed to reducing carbon emissions and protecting and improving natural capital and the environment. However, actually delivering on these objectives requires an integrated approach to addressing two parallel challenges: de-carbonising future energy system pathways; and safeguarding natural capital to ensure the continued flow of ecosystem services. Although both emphasise benefiting from natural resources, efforts to connect natural capital and energy systems research have been limited, meaning opportunities to improve management of natural resources and meet society's energy needs could be missed. The ecosystem services paradigm provides a consistent conceptual framework that applies in multiple disciplines across the natural and economic sciences, and facilitates collaboration between them. At the forefront of the field, integrated ecosystem service - economy models have guided public- and private-sector decision making at all levels. Models vary in sophistication from simple spreadsheet tools to complex software packages integrating biophysical, GIS and economic models and draw upon many fields, including ecology, hydrology, geography, systems theory, economics and the social sciences. They also differ in their ability to value changes in natural capital and ecosystem services at various spatial and temporal scales. Despite these differences, current models share a common feature: their treatment of energy systems is superficial at best. In contrast, energy systems research has no widely adopted, unifying conceptual framework that organises thinking about key system components and interactions. Instead, the literature is organised around modelling approaches, including life cycle analyses, econometric investigations, linear programming and computable general equilibrium models. However, some consistencies do emerge. First, often contain a linear set of steps, from exploration to resource supply, fuel processing, conversion/generation, transmission, distribution, and finally, end energy use. Although each step clearly impacts upon natural capital, links to the natural environment are rarely identified or quantified within energy research. In short, the respective conceptual frameworks guiding ecosystem service and energy research are not well integrated. Major knowledge and research gaps appear at the system boundaries: while energy models may mention flows of residuals, exploring where exactly these flows enter the environment, and how they impact ecosystems and natural capital is often considered to be 'outside the system boundary'. While integrated modelling represents the frontier of ecosystem service research, current efforts largely ignore the future energy pathways set out by energy systems models and government carbon targets. This disconnect means that policy-oriented research on how best to (i) maintain natural capital and (ii) meet specific climate targets may be poorly aligned, or worse, offer conflicting advice. We present a re-imagined version of the ecosystem services conceptual framework, in which emphasis is placed on interactions between energy systems and the natural environment. Using the UK as a case study, we employ a recent integrated environmental-economic ecosystem service model, TIM, developed by Bateman et al (2014) and energy pathways developed by the UK Energy Research Centre and the UK Government Committee on Climate Change to illustrate how the new conceptual framework might apply in real world applications.

Providing Context for Complexity: Using Infographics and Conceptual Models to Teach Global Change Processes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bean, J. R.; White, L. D.

2015-12-01

Understanding modern and historical global changes requires interdisciplinary knowledge of the physical and life sciences. The Understanding Global Change website from the UC Museum of Paleontology will use a focal infographic that unifies diverse content often taught in separate K-12 science units. This visualization tool provides scientists with a structure for presenting research within the broad context of global change, and supports educators with a framework for teaching and assessing student understanding of complex global change processes. This new approach to teaching the science of global change is currently being piloted and refined based on feedback from educators and scientists in anticipation of a 2016 website launch. Global change concepts are categorized within the infographic as causes of global change (e.g., burning of fossil fuels, volcanism), ongoing Earth system processes (e.g., ocean circulation, the greenhouse effect), and the changes scientists measure in Earth's physical and biological systems (e.g., temperature, extinctions/radiations). The infographic will appear on all website content pages and provides a template for the creation of flowcharts, which are conceptual models that allow teachers and students to visualize the interdependencies and feedbacks among processes in the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere, and geosphere. The development of this resource is timely given that the newly adopted Next Generation Science Standards emphasize cross-cutting concepts, including model building, and Earth system science. Flowchart activities will be available on the website to scaffold inquiry-based lessons, determine student preconceptions, and assess student content knowledge. The infographic has already served as a learning and evaluation tool during professional development workshops at UC Berkeley, Stanford University, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. At these workshops, scientists and educators used the infographic to highlight how their research and activities reinforce conceptual links among global change topics. Pre- and post-workshop assessment results and responses to questionnaires have guided the refinement of classroom activities and assessment tools utilizing flowcharts as models for global change processes.

Multiparadigm Design Environments

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

following results: 1. New methods for programming in terms of conceptual models 2. Design of object-oriented languages 3. Compiler optimization and...experimented with object-based methods for programming directly in terms of conceptual models, object-oriented language design, computer program...expect the3e results to have a strong influence on future ,,j :- ...... L ! . . • a mm ammmml ll Illlll • l I 1 Conceptual Programming Conceptual

Combining Different Conceptual Change Methods within 5E Model: A Sample Teaching Design of "Cell" Concept and its Organelles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urey, Mustafa; Calik, Muammer

2008-01-01

Since students' misconceptions are not completely remedied by means of only one conceptual change method, the authors assume that using different conceptual methods embedded within the 5E model will not only be more effective in enhancing students' conceptual understanding, but also may eliminate all students' misconceptions. The aim of this study…

Towards a Conceptual Profile: Rethinking Conceptual Mediation in the Light of Recent Cognitive and Neuroscientific Findings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Chris

2014-06-01

One important focus for science education researchers over many years has been the attempts to replace students' commonsense and non-scientific explanations of various phenomena by scientific explanations. The approach we adopted almost three decades ago was conceptual mediation, and this was shown to have a considerable level of success with both conceptual and attitudinal change. However, since that time, advances have been made in the application of both cognitive science and neuroscience to science learning. In particular, evidence has accumulated that, rather than the replacement of the commonsense view, the reality is that learners develop a conceptual profile which includes both the commonsense and the scientific. If this is the case, instead of focussing on conceptual replacement, science educators need to aim more actively at strengthening the learner's executive processes which select contextually appropriate responses and inhibit inappropriate ones. In this paper, the initial development, theoretical basis and the practical applications of conceptual mediation are introduced, following which, these are re-examined in the light of more recent findings. Within this discussion, several potential links to recent cognitive and neuroscientific research are drawn, and these raise issues for further research into the most appropriate teaching approaches for tackling existing non-scientific conceptions.

The Value of Conceptual Models in Coping with Complexity and Interdisciplinarity in Environmental Sciences Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fortuin, Karen P. J.; van Koppen, C. S. A.; Leemans, Rik

2011-01-01

Conceptual models are useful for facing the challenges of environmental sciences curriculum and course developers and students. These challenges are inherent to the interdisciplinary and problem-oriented character of environmental sciences curricula. In this article, we review the merits of conceptual models in facing these challenges. These…

The General Adaptation Syndrome: A Foundation for the Concept of Periodization.

PubMed

Cunanan, Aaron J; DeWeese, Brad H; Wagle, John P; Carroll, Kevin M; Sausaman, Robert; Hornsby, W Guy; Haff, G Gregory; Triplett, N Travis; Pierce, Kyle C; Stone, Michael H

2018-04-01

Recent reviews have attempted to refute the efficacy of applying Selye's general adaptation syndrome (GAS) as a conceptual framework for the training process. Furthermore, the criticisms involved are regularly used as the basis for arguments against the periodization of training. However, these perspectives fail to consider the entirety of Selye's work, the evolution of his model, and the broad applications he proposed. While it is reasonable to critically evaluate any paradigm, critics of the GAS have yet to dismantle the link between stress and adaptation. Disturbance to the state of an organism is the driving force for biological adaptation, which is the central thesis of the GAS model and the primary basis for its application to the athlete's training process. Despite its imprecisions, the GAS has proven to be an instructive framework for understanding the mechanistic process of providing a training stimulus to induce specific adaptations that result in functional enhancements. Pioneers of modern periodization have used the GAS as a framework for the management of stress and fatigue to direct adaptation during sports training. Updates to the periodization concept have retained its founding constructs while explicitly calling for scientifically based, evidence-driven practice suited to the individual. Thus, the purpose of this review is to provide greater clarity on how the GAS serves as an appropriate mechanistic model to conceptualize the periodization of training.

Conclusions, synthesis, and future directions: understanding sources of population change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Esler, Daniel N.; Flint, Paul L.; Derksen, Dirk V.; Savard, Jean-Pierre L.; Eadie, John M.

2015-01-01

The material in this volume reflects the burgeoning interest in sea ducks, both as study species with compelling and unique ecological attributes and as taxa of conservation concern. In this review, we provide perspective on the current state of sea duck knowledge by highlighting key findings in the preceding chapters that are of particular value for understanding or influencing population change. We also introduce a conceptual model that characterizes links among topics covered by individual chapters and places them in the context of demographic responses. Finally, we offer recommendations for areas of future research that we suggest will have importance for understanding and managing sea duck population dynamics.

Integrating biogeochemistry with multiomic sequence information in a model oxygen minimum zone

PubMed Central

Hawley, Alyse K.; Katsev, Sergei; Torres-Beltran, Monica; Bhatia, Maya P.; Kheirandish, Sam; Michiels, Céline C.; Capelle, David; Lavik, Gaute; Doebeli, Michael; Crowe, Sean A.; Hallam, Steven J.

2016-01-01

Microorganisms are the most abundant lifeform on Earth, mediating global fluxes of matter and energy. Over the past decade, high-throughput molecular techniques generating multiomic sequence information (DNA, mRNA, and protein) have transformed our perception of this microcosmos, conceptually linking microorganisms at the individual, population, and community levels to a wide range of ecosystem functions and services. Here, we develop a biogeochemical model that describes metabolic coupling along the redox gradient in Saanich Inlet—a seasonally anoxic fjord with biogeochemistry analogous to oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). The model reproduces measured biogeochemical process rates as well as DNA, mRNA, and protein concentration profiles across the redox gradient. Simulations make predictions about the role of ubiquitous OMZ microorganisms in mediating carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling. For example, nitrite “leakage” during incomplete sulfide-driven denitrification by SUP05 Gammaproteobacteria is predicted to support inorganic carbon fixation and intense nitrogen loss via anaerobic ammonium oxidation. This coupling creates a metabolic niche for nitrous oxide reduction that completes denitrification by currently unidentified community members. These results quantitatively improve previous conceptual models describing microbial metabolic networks in OMZs. Beyond OMZ-specific predictions, model results indicate that geochemical fluxes are robust indicators of microbial community structure and reciprocally, that gene abundances and geochemical conditions largely determine gene expression patterns. The integration of real observational data, including geochemical profiles and process rate measurements as well as metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic sequence data, into a biogeochemical model, as shown here, enables holistic insight into the microbial metabolic network driving nutrient and energy flow at ecosystem scales. PMID:27655888

Integrating biogeochemistry with multiomic sequence information in a model oxygen minimum zone.

PubMed

Louca, Stilianos; Hawley, Alyse K; Katsev, Sergei; Torres-Beltran, Monica; Bhatia, Maya P; Kheirandish, Sam; Michiels, Céline C; Capelle, David; Lavik, Gaute; Doebeli, Michael; Crowe, Sean A; Hallam, Steven J

2016-10-04

Microorganisms are the most abundant lifeform on Earth, mediating global fluxes of matter and energy. Over the past decade, high-throughput molecular techniques generating multiomic sequence information (DNA, mRNA, and protein) have transformed our perception of this microcosmos, conceptually linking microorganisms at the individual, population, and community levels to a wide range of ecosystem functions and services. Here, we develop a biogeochemical model that describes metabolic coupling along the redox gradient in Saanich Inlet-a seasonally anoxic fjord with biogeochemistry analogous to oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). The model reproduces measured biogeochemical process rates as well as DNA, mRNA, and protein concentration profiles across the redox gradient. Simulations make predictions about the role of ubiquitous OMZ microorganisms in mediating carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycling. For example, nitrite "leakage" during incomplete sulfide-driven denitrification by SUP05 Gammaproteobacteria is predicted to support inorganic carbon fixation and intense nitrogen loss via anaerobic ammonium oxidation. This coupling creates a metabolic niche for nitrous oxide reduction that completes denitrification by currently unidentified community members. These results quantitatively improve previous conceptual models describing microbial metabolic networks in OMZs. Beyond OMZ-specific predictions, model results indicate that geochemical fluxes are robust indicators of microbial community structure and reciprocally, that gene abundances and geochemical conditions largely determine gene expression patterns. The integration of real observational data, including geochemical profiles and process rate measurements as well as metagenomic, metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic sequence data, into a biogeochemical model, as shown here, enables holistic insight into the microbial metabolic network driving nutrient and energy flow at ecosystem scales.

Air quality models and unusually large ozone increases: Identifying model failures, understanding environmental causes, and improving modeled chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Couzo, Evan A.

Several factors combine to make ozone (O3) pollution in Houston, Texas, unique when compared to other metropolitan areas. These include complex meteorology, intense clustering of industrial activity, and significant precursor emissions from the heavily urbanized eight-county area. Decades of air pollution research have borne out two different causes, or conceptual models, of O 3 formation. One conceptual model describes a gradual region-wide increase in O3 concentrations "typical" of many large U.S. cities. The other conceptual model links episodic emissions of volatile organic compounds to spatially limited plumes of high O3, which lead to large hourly increases that have exceeded 100 parts per billion (ppb) per hour. These large hourly increases are known to lead to violations of the federal O 3 standard and impact Houston's status as a non-attainment area. There is a need to further understand and characterize the causes of peak O 3 levels in Houston and simulate them correctly so that environmental regulators can find the most cost-effective pollution controls. This work provides a detailed understanding of unusually large O 3 increases in the natural and modeled environments. First, we probe regulatory model simulations and assess their ability to reproduce the observed phenomenon. As configured for the purpose of demonstrating future attainment of the O3 standard, the model fails to predict the spatially limited O3 plumes observed in Houston. Second, we combine ambient meteorological and pollutant measurement data to identify the most likely geographic origins and preconditions of the concentrated O3 plumes. We find evidence that the O3 plumes are the result of photochemical activity accelerated by industrial emissions. And, third, we implement changes to the modeled chemistry to add missing formation mechanisms of nitrous acid, which is an important radical precursor. Radicals control the chemical reactivity of atmospheric systems, and perturbations to radical budgets can shift chemical pathways. The mechanism additions increase the concentrations of nitrous acid, especially right after sunrise. The overall effect on O3 is small (up to three ppb), but we demonstrate the successful implementation of a surface sub-model that chemically processes adsorbed compounds. To our knowledge, this is the first time that chemical processing on surfaces has been used in a three-dimensional regulatory air quality model.

OBO to UML: Support for the development of conceptual models in the biomedical domain.

PubMed

Waldemarin, Ricardo C; de Farias, Cléver R G

2018-04-01

A conceptual model abstractly defines a number of concepts and their relationships for the purposes of understanding and communication. Once a conceptual model is available, it can also be used as a starting point for the development of a software system. The development of conceptual models using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) facilitates the representation of modeled concepts and allows software developers to directly reuse these concepts in the design of a software system. The OBO Foundry represents the most relevant collaborative effort towards the development of ontologies in the biomedical domain. The development of UML conceptual models in the biomedical domain may benefit from the use of domain-specific semantics and notation. Further, the development of these models may also benefit from the reuse of knowledge contained in OBO ontologies. This paper investigates the support for the development of conceptual models in the biomedical domain using UML as a conceptual modeling language and using the support provided by the OBO Foundry for the development of biomedical ontologies, namely entity kind and relationship types definitions provided by the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) and the OBO Core Relations Ontology (OBO Core), respectively. Further, the paper investigates the support for the reuse of biomedical knowledge currently available in OBOFFF ontologies in the development these conceptual models. The paper describes a UML profile for the OBO Core Relations Ontology, which basically defines a number of stereotypes to represent BFO entity kinds and OBO Core relationship types definitions. The paper also presents a support toolset consisting of a graphical editor named OBO-RO Editor, which directly supports the development of UML models using the extensions defined by our profile, and a command-line tool named OBO2UML, which directly converts an OBOFFF ontology into a UML model. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Design study LANDSAT follow-on mission unique communications system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Spacecraft subsystem design, performance evaluation, and system tradeoffs are presented for the LANDSAT follow-on mission (LF/O) spacecraft to TDRSS link for the transmission of thematic mapper (TM) and multispectral scanner (MSS) data and for the LF/O spacecraft to STDN and other direct users link for the transmission of TM data. Included are requirements definition, link analysis, subsystem and hardware tradeoffs, conceptual selection, hardware definition, and identification of required new technology. Cost estimates of the recommended communication system including both recurring and non recurring costs are discussed.

Documenting Models for Interoperability and Reusability ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Many modeling frameworks compartmentalize science via individual models that link sets of small components to create larger modeling workflows. Developing integrated watershed models increasingly requires coupling multidisciplinary, independent models, as well as collaboration between scientific communities, since component-based modeling can integrate models from different disciplines. Integrated Environmental Modeling (IEM) systems focus on transferring information between components by capturing a conceptual site model; establishing local metadata standards for input/output of models and databases; managing data flow between models and throughout the system; facilitating quality control of data exchanges (e.g., checking units, unit conversions, transfers between software languages); warning and error handling; and coordinating sensitivity/uncertainty analyses. Although many computational software systems facilitate communication between, and execution of, components, there are no common approaches, protocols, or standards for turn-key linkages between software systems and models, especially if modifying components is not the intent. Using a standard ontology, this paper reviews how models can be described for discovery, understanding, evaluation, access, and implementation to facilitate interoperability and reusability. In the proceedings of the International Environmental Modelling and Software Society (iEMSs), 8th International Congress on Environmental Mod

It’s About Time -- Understanding China’s Strategic Patience

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-18

Einstein and Stephen 3 Hawking, made conceptualizing time easier to accept by linking time with space. Time and space are inherently linked together...same regardless of how you were moving - exactly as experiments and mathematics of the day showed them to be. In 1905, Albert Einstein published...speeds relative to each other. Einstein explained that when two objects are moving at independent constant speeds, emphasizing the relative motion

Debates—Perspectives on socio-hydrology: Modeling flood risk as a public policy problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gober, Patricia; Wheater, Howard S.

2015-06-01

Socio-hydrology views human activities as endogenous to water system dynamics; it is the interaction between human and biophysical processes that threatens the viability of current water systems through positive feedbacks and unintended consequences. Di Baldassarre et al. implement socio-hydrology as a flood risk problem using the concept of social memory as a vehicle to link human perceptions to flood damage. Their mathematical model has heuristic value in comparing potential flood damages in green versus technological societies. It can also support communities in exploring the potential consequences of policy decisions and evaluating critical policy tradeoffs, for example, between flood protection and economic development. The concept of social memory does not, however, adequately capture the social processes whereby public perceptions are translated into policy action, including the pivotal role played by the media in intensifying or attenuating perceived flood risk, the success of policy entrepreneurs in keeping flood hazard on the public agenda during short windows of opportunity for policy action, and different societal approaches to managing flood risk that derive from cultural values and economic interests. We endorse the value of seeking to capture these dynamics in a simplified conceptual framework, but favor a broader conceptualization of socio-hydrology that includes a knowledge exchange component, including the way modeling insights and scientific results are communicated to floodplain managers. The social processes used to disseminate the products of socio-hydrological research are as important as the research results themselves in determining whether modeling is used for real-world decision making.

Think twice: Impulsivity and decision making in obsessive–compulsive disorder

PubMed Central

Grassi, Giacomo; Pallanti, Stefano; Righi, Lorenzo; Figee, Martijn; Mantione, Mariska; Denys, Damiaan; Piccagliani, Daniele; Rossi, Alessandro; Stratta, Paolo

2015-01-01

Background and Aims Recent studies have challenged the anxiety-avoidance model of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), linking OCD to impulsivity, risky-decision-making and reward-system dysfunction, which can also be found in addiction and might support the conceptualization of OCD as a behavioral addiction. Here, we conducted an exploratory investigation of the behavioral addiction model of OCD by assessing whether OCD patients are more impulsive, have impaired decision-making, and biased probabilistic reasoning, three core dimensions of addiction, in a sample of OCD patients and healthy controls. Methods We assessed these dimensions on 38 OCD patients and 39 healthy controls with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11), the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and the Beads Task. Results OCD patients had significantly higher BIS-11 scores than controls, in particular on the cognitive subscales. They performed significantly worse than controls on the IGT preferring immediate reward despite negative future consequences, and did not learn from losses. Finally, OCD patients demonstrated biased probabilistic reasoning as reflected by significantly fewer draws to decision than controls on the Beads Task. Conclusions OCD patients are more impulsive than controls and demonstrate risky decision-making and biased probabilistic reasoning. These results might suggest that other conceptualizations of OCD, such as the behavioral addiction model, may be more suitable than the anxiety-avoidance one. However, further studies directly comparing OCD and behavioral addiction patients are needed in order to scrutinize this model. PMID:26690621

An ontology for factors affecting tuberculosis treatment adherence behavior in sub-Saharan Africa.

PubMed

Ogundele, Olukunle Ayodeji; Moodley, Deshendran; Pillay, Anban W; Seebregts, Christopher J

2016-01-01

Adherence behavior is a complex phenomenon influenced by diverse personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that may vary between communities in different regions. Understanding the factors that influence adherence behavior is essential in predicting which individuals and communities are at risk of nonadherence. This is necessary for supporting resource allocation and intervention planning in disease control programs. Currently, there is no known concrete and unambiguous computational representation of factors that influence tuberculosis (TB) treatment adherence behavior that is useful for prediction. This study developed a computer-based conceptual model for capturing and structuring knowledge about the factors that influence TB treatment adherence behavior in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). An extensive review of existing categorization systems in the literature was used to develop a conceptual model that captured scientific knowledge about TB adherence behavior in SSA. The model was formalized as an ontology using the web ontology language. The ontology was then evaluated for its comprehensiveness and applicability in building predictive models. The outcome of the study is a novel ontology-based approach for curating and structuring scientific knowledge of adherence behavior in patients with TB in SSA. The ontology takes an evidence-based approach by explicitly linking factors to published clinical studies. Factors are structured around five dimensions: factor type, type of effect, regional variation, cross-dependencies between factors, and treatment phase. The ontology is flexible and extendable and provides new insights into the nature of and interrelationship between factors that influence TB adherence.

An ontology for factors affecting tuberculosis treatment adherence behavior in sub-Saharan Africa

PubMed Central

Ogundele, Olukunle Ayodeji; Moodley, Deshendran; Pillay, Anban W; Seebregts, Christopher J

2016-01-01

Purpose Adherence behavior is a complex phenomenon influenced by diverse personal, cultural, and socioeconomic factors that may vary between communities in different regions. Understanding the factors that influence adherence behavior is essential in predicting which individuals and communities are at risk of nonadherence. This is necessary for supporting resource allocation and intervention planning in disease control programs. Currently, there is no known concrete and unambiguous computational representation of factors that influence tuberculosis (TB) treatment adherence behavior that is useful for prediction. This study developed a computer-based conceptual model for capturing and structuring knowledge about the factors that influence TB treatment adherence behavior in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Methods An extensive review of existing categorization systems in the literature was used to develop a conceptual model that captured scientific knowledge about TB adherence behavior in SSA. The model was formalized as an ontology using the web ontology language. The ontology was then evaluated for its comprehensiveness and applicability in building predictive models. Conclusion The outcome of the study is a novel ontology-based approach for curating and structuring scientific knowledge of adherence behavior in patients with TB in SSA. The ontology takes an evidence-based approach by explicitly linking factors to published clinical studies. Factors are structured around five dimensions: factor type, type of effect, regional variation, cross-dependencies between factors, and treatment phase. The ontology is flexible and extendable and provides new insights into the nature of and interrelationship between factors that influence TB adherence. PMID:27175067

Causality in cancer research: a journey through models in molecular epidemiology and their philosophical interpretation.

PubMed

Vineis, Paolo; Illari, Phyllis; Russo, Federica

2017-01-01

In the last decades, Systems Biology (including cancer research) has been driven by technology, statistical modelling and bioinformatics. In this paper we try to bring biological and philosophical thinking back. We thus aim at making different traditions of thought compatible: (a) causality in epidemiology and in philosophical theorizing-notably, the "sufficient-component-cause framework" and the "mark transmission" approach; (b) new acquisitions about disease pathogenesis, e.g. the "branched model" in cancer, and the role of biomarkers in this process; (c) the burgeoning of omics research, with a large number of "signals" and of associations that need to be interpreted. In the paper we summarize first the current views on carcinogenesis, and then explore the relevance of current philosophical interpretations of "cancer causes". We try to offer a unifying framework to incorporate biomarkers and omic data into causal models, referring to a position called "evidential pluralism". According to this view, causal reasoning is based on both "evidence of difference-making" (e.g. associations) and on "evidence of underlying biological mechanisms". We conceptualize the way scientists detect and trace signals in terms of information transmission , which is a generalization of the mark transmission theory developed by philosopher Wesley Salmon. Our approach is capable of helping us conceptualize how heterogeneous factors such as micro and macro-biological and psycho-social-are causally linked. This is important not only to understand cancer etiology, but also to design public health policies that target the right causal factors at the macro-level.

Simulation of green roof runoff under different substrate depths and vegetation covers by coupling a simple conceptual and a physically based hydrological model.

PubMed

Soulis, Konstantinos X; Valiantzas, John D; Ntoulas, Nikolaos; Kargas, George; Nektarios, Panayiotis A

2017-09-15

In spite of the well-known green roof benefits, their widespread adoption in the management practices of urban drainage systems requires the use of adequate analytical and modelling tools. In the current study, green roof runoff modeling was accomplished by developing, testing, and jointly using a simple conceptual model and a physically based numerical simulation model utilizing HYDRUS-1D software. The use of such an approach combines the advantages of the conceptual model, namely simplicity, low computational requirements, and ability to be easily integrated in decision support tools with the capacity of the physically based simulation model to be easily transferred in conditions and locations other than those used for calibrating and validating it. The proposed approach was evaluated with an experimental dataset that included various green roof covers (either succulent plants - Sedum sediforme, or xerophytic plants - Origanum onites, or bare substrate without any vegetation) and two substrate depths (either 8 cm or 16 cm). Both the physically based and the conceptual models matched very closely the observed hydrographs. In general, the conceptual model performed better than the physically based simulation model but the overall performance of both models was sufficient in most cases as it is revealed by the Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency index which was generally greater than 0.70. Finally, it was showcased how a physically based and a simple conceptual model can be jointly used to allow the use of the simple conceptual model for a wider set of conditions than the available experimental data and in order to support green roof design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mood instability as a precursor to depressive illness: A prospective and mediational analysis.

PubMed

Marwaha, Steven; Balbuena, Lloyd; Winsper, Catherine; Bowen, Rudy

2015-06-01

Mood instability levels are high in depression, but temporal precedence and potential mechanisms are unknown. Hypotheses tested were as follows: (1) mood instability is associated with depression cross-sectionally, (2) mood instability predicts new onset and maintenance of depression prospectively and (3) the mood instability and depression link are mediated by sleep problems, alcohol abuse and life events. Data from the National Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2000 at baseline (N = 8580) and 18-month follow-up (N = 2413) were used. Regression modeling controlling for socio-demographic factors, anxiety and hypomanic mood was conducted. Multiple mediational analyses were used to test our conceptual path model. Mood instability was associated with depression cross-sectionally (odds ratio: 5.28; 95% confidence interval: [3.67, 7.59]; p < 0.001) and predicted depression inception (odds ratio: 2.43; 95% confidence interval: [1.03-5.76]; p = 0.042) after controlling for important confounders. Mood instability did not predict maintenance of depression. Sleep difficulties and severe problems with close friends and family significantly mediated the link between mood instability and new onset depression (23.05% and 6.19% of the link, respectively). Alcohol abuse and divorce were not important mediators in the model. Mood instability is a precursor of a depressive episode, predicting its onset. Difficulties in sleep are a significant part of the pathway. Interventions targeting mood instability and sleep problems have the potential to reduce the risk of depression. © The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2015.

Perceptions of the Neighborhood Environment and Children's Afterschool Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity.

PubMed

McDonald, Samantha; Dowda, Marsha; Colabianchi, Natalie; Porter, Dwayne; Dishman, Rod K; Pate, Russell R

2015-05-01

Previous research suggests the neighborhood environment may be an important influence on children's physical activity (PA) behaviors; however, findings are inconsistent. The purpose of this study was to further understand the relationship between perceptions of the neighborhood environment and children's afterschool moderate-to-vigorous PA. Utilizing a structural equation modeling technique, we tested a conceptual model linking parent and child perceptions of the neighborhood environment, parent support for PA, and child outdoor PA with children's afterschool moderate-to vigorous PA. We found that child perception of the neighborhood environment and outdoor PA were positively associated with afterschool moderate-to-vigorous PA. In addition, parent support for PA positively influenced children's outdoor PA. The neighborhood environment and outdoor activity appear to play an influential role on children's afterschool PA behaviors.

Towards a unified theory of health-disease: II. Holopathogenesis

PubMed Central

Almeida-Filho, Naomar

2014-01-01

This article presents a systematic framework for modeling several classes of illness-sickness-disease named as Holopathogenesis. Holopathogenesis is defined as processes of over-determination of diseases and related conditions taken as a whole, comprising selected facets of the complex object Health. First, a conceptual background of Holopathogenesis is presented as a series of significant interfaces (biomolecular-immunological, physiopathological-clinical, epidemiological-ecosocial). Second, propositions derived from Holopathogenesis are introduced in order to allow drawing the disease-illness-sickness complex as a hierarchical network of networks. Third, a formalization of intra- and inter-level correspondences, over-determination processes, effects and links of Holopathogenesis models is proposed. Finally, the Holopathogenesis frame is evaluated as a comprehensive theoretical pathology taken as a preliminary step towards a unified theory of health-disease. PMID:24897040

Development of Conceptual Models for Internet Search: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uden, Lorna; Tearne, Stephen; Alderson, Albert

This paper describes the creation and evaluation of a World Wide Web-based courseware module, using conceptual models based on constructivism, that teaches novices how to use the Internet for searching. Questionnaires and interviews were used to understand the difficulties of a group of novices. The conceptual model of the experts for the task was…

Feasibility of Implementing an All-Volunteer Force for the ROK Armed Forces

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-03-01

Korea’s current military/economic/political/social factors for voluntary recruitment through an open-systems conceptual model. Results indicate that the...recruitment through an open-systems conceptual model. Results indicate that the draft should be maintained for the near future, but this does not...7 A. A CONCEPTUAL MODEL FOR DEFENSE ORGANIZATION

Teacher Emotion Research: Introducing a Conceptual Model to Guide Future Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fried, Leanne; Mansfield, Caroline; Dobozy, Eva

2015-01-01

This article reports on the development of a conceptual model of teacher emotion through a review of teacher emotion research published between 2003 and 2013. By examining 82 publications regarding teacher emotion, the main aim of the review was to identify how teacher emotion was conceptualised in the literature and develop a conceptual model to…

Showing Automatically Generated Students' Conceptual Models to Students and Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Marin, Diana; Pascual-Nieto, Ismael

2010-01-01

A student conceptual model can be defined as a set of interconnected concepts associated with an estimation value that indicates how well these concepts are used by the students. It can model just one student or a group of students, and can be represented as a concept map, conceptual diagram or one of several other knowledge representation…

Applying a Conceptual Model in Sport Sector Work- Integrated Learning Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agnew, Deborah; Pill, Shane; Orrell, Janice

2017-01-01

This paper applies a conceptual model for work-integrated learning (WIL) in a multidisciplinary sports degree program. Two examples of WIL in sport will be used to illustrate how the conceptual WIL model is being operationalized. The implications for practice are that curriculum design must recognize a highly flexible approach to the nature of…

Using Item Response Theory to Conduct a Distracter Analysis on Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battisti, Bryce Thomas; Hanegan, Nikki; Sudweeks, Richard; Cates, Rex

2010-01-01

Concept inventories are often used to assess current student understanding although conceptual change models are problematic. Due to controversies with conceptual change models and the realities of student assessment, it is important that concept inventories are evaluated using a variety of theoretical models to improve quality. This study used a…

A neural network model of semantic memory linking feature-based object representation and words.

PubMed

Cuppini, C; Magosso, E; Ursino, M

2009-06-01

Recent theories in cognitive neuroscience suggest that semantic memory is a distributed process, which involves many cortical areas and is based on a multimodal representation of objects. The aim of this work is to extend a previous model of object representation to realize a semantic memory, in which sensory-motor representations of objects are linked with words. The model assumes that each object is described as a collection of features, coded in different cortical areas via a topological organization. Features in different objects are segmented via gamma-band synchronization of neural oscillators. The feature areas are further connected with a lexical area, devoted to the representation of words. Synapses among the feature areas, and among the lexical area and the feature areas are trained via a time-dependent Hebbian rule, during a period in which individual objects are presented together with the corresponding words. Simulation results demonstrate that, during the retrieval phase, the network can deal with the simultaneous presence of objects (from sensory-motor inputs) and words (from acoustic inputs), can correctly associate objects with words and segment objects even in the presence of incomplete information. Moreover, the network can realize some semantic links among words representing objects with shared features. These results support the idea that semantic memory can be described as an integrated process, whose content is retrieved by the co-activation of different multimodal regions. In perspective, extended versions of this model may be used to test conceptual theories, and to provide a quantitative assessment of existing data (for instance concerning patients with neural deficits).

A Bivariate Generalized Linear Item Response Theory Modeling Framework to the Analysis of Responses and Response Times.

PubMed

Molenaar, Dylan; Tuerlinckx, Francis; van der Maas, Han L J

2015-01-01

A generalized linear modeling framework to the analysis of responses and response times is outlined. In this framework, referred to as bivariate generalized linear item response theory (B-GLIRT), separate generalized linear measurement models are specified for the responses and the response times that are subsequently linked by cross-relations. The cross-relations can take various forms. Here, we focus on cross-relations with a linear or interaction term for ability tests, and cross-relations with a curvilinear term for personality tests. In addition, we discuss how popular existing models from the psychometric literature are special cases in the B-GLIRT framework depending on restrictions in the cross-relation. This allows us to compare existing models conceptually and empirically. We discuss various extensions of the traditional models motivated by practical problems. We also illustrate the applicability of our approach using various real data examples, including data on personality and cognitive ability.

Health literacy and public health: A systematic review and integration of definitions and models

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Health literacy concerns the knowledge and competences of persons to meet the complex demands of health in modern society. Although its importance is increasingly recognised, there is no consensus about the definition of health literacy or about its conceptual dimensions, which limits the possibilities for measurement and comparison. The aim of the study is to review definitions and models on health literacy to develop an integrated definition and conceptual model capturing the most comprehensive evidence-based dimensions of health literacy. Methods A systematic literature review was performed to identify definitions and conceptual frameworks of health literacy. A content analysis of the definitions and conceptual frameworks was carried out to identify the central dimensions of health literacy and develop an integrated model. Results The review resulted in 17 definitions of health literacy and 12 conceptual models. Based on the content analysis, an integrative conceptual model was developed containing 12 dimensions referring to the knowledge, motivation and competencies of accessing, understanding, appraising and applying health-related information within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion setting, respectively. Conclusions Based upon this review, a model is proposed integrating medical and public health views of health literacy. The model can serve as a basis for developing health literacy enhancing interventions and provide a conceptual basis for the development and validation of measurement tools, capturing the different dimensions of health literacy within the healthcare, disease prevention and health promotion settings. PMID:22276600

Using NEON Data to Test and Refine Conceptual and Numerical Models of Soil Biogeochemical and Microbial Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weintraub, S. R.; Stanish, L.; Ayers, E.

2017-12-01

Recent conceptual and numerical models have proposed new mechanisms that underpin key biogeochemical phenomena, including soil organic matter storage and ecosystem response to nitrogen deposition. These models seek to explicitly capture the ecological links among biota, especially microbes, and their physical and chemical environment to represent belowground pools and fluxes and how they respond to perturbation. While these models put forth exciting new concepts, their broad predictive abilities are unclear as some have been developed and tested against only small or regional datasets. The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) presents new opportunities to test and validate these models with multi-site data that span wide climatic, edaphic, and ecological gradients. NEON is measuring surface soil biogeochemical pools and fluxes along with diversity, abundance, and functional potential of soil microbiota at 47 sites distributed across the United States. This includes co-located measurements of soil carbon and nitrogen concentrations and stable isotopes, net nitrogen mineralization and nitrification rates, soil moisture, pH, microbial biomass, and community composition via 16S and ITS rRNA sequencing and shotgun metagenomic analyses. Early NEON data demonstrates that these wide edaphic and climatic gradients are related to changes in microbial community structure and functional potential, as well as element pools and process rates. Going forward, NEON's suite of standardized soil data has the potential to advance our understanding of soil communities and processes by allowing us to test the predictions of new soil biogeochemical frameworks and models. Here, we highlight several recently developed models that are ripe for this kind of data validation, and discuss key insights that may result. Further, we explore synergies with other networks, such as (i)LTER and (i)CZO, which may increase our ability to advance the frontiers of soil biogeochemical modeling.

A Systematic Review of Conceptual Frameworks of Medical Complexity and New Model Development.

PubMed

Zullig, Leah L; Whitson, Heather E; Hastings, Susan N; Beadles, Chris; Kravchenko, Julia; Akushevich, Igor; Maciejewski, Matthew L

2016-03-01

Patient complexity is often operationalized by counting multiple chronic conditions (MCC) without considering contextual factors that can affect patient risk for adverse outcomes. Our objective was to develop a conceptual model of complexity addressing gaps identified in a review of published conceptual models. We searched for English-language MEDLINE papers published between 1 January 2004 and 16 January 2014. Two reviewers independently evaluated abstracts and all authors contributed to the development of the conceptual model in an iterative process. From 1606 identified abstracts, six conceptual models were selected. One additional model was identified through reference review. Each model had strengths, but several constructs were not fully considered: 1) contextual factors; 2) dynamics of complexity; 3) patients' preferences; 4) acute health shocks; and 5) resilience. Our Cycle of Complexity model illustrates relationships between acute shocks and medical events, healthcare access and utilization, workload and capacity, and patient preferences in the context of interpersonal, organizational, and community factors. This model may inform studies on the etiology of and changes in complexity, the relationship between complexity and patient outcomes, and intervention development to improve modifiable elements of complex patients.

Open Vehicle Sketch Pad Aircraft Modeling Strategies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hahn, Andrew S.

2013-01-01

Geometric modeling of aircraft during the Conceptual design phase is very different from that needed for the Preliminary or Detailed design phases. The Conceptual design phase is characterized by the rapid, multi-disciplinary analysis of many design variables by a small engineering team. The designer must walk a line between fidelity and productivity, picking tools and methods with the appropriate balance of characteristics to achieve the goals of the study, while staying within the available resources. Identifying geometric details that are important, and those that are not, is critical to making modeling and methodology choices. This is true for both the low-order analysis methods traditionally used in Conceptual design as well as the highest-order analyses available. This paper will highlight some of Conceptual design's characteristics that drive the designer s choices as well as modeling examples for several aircraft configurations using the open source version of the Vehicle Sketch Pad (Open VSP) aircraft Conceptual design geometry modeler.

Exploring the social dimension of sandy beaches through predictive modelling.

PubMed

Domínguez-Tejo, Elianny; Metternicht, Graciela; Johnston, Emma L; Hedge, Luke

2018-05-15

Sandy beaches are unique ecosystems increasingly exposed to human-induced pressures. Consistent with emerging frameworks promoting this holistic approach towards beach management, is the need to improve the integration of social data into management practices. This paper aims to increase understanding of links between demographics and community values and preferred beach activities, as key components of the social dimension of the beach environment. A mixed method approach was adopted to elucidate users' opinions on beach preferences and community values through a survey carried out in Manly Local Government Area in Sydney Harbour, Australia. A proposed conceptual model was used to frame demographic models (using age, education, employment, household income and residence status) as predictors of these two community responses. All possible regression-model combinations were compared using Akaike's information criterion. Best models were then used to calculate quantitative likelihoods of the responses, presented as heat maps. Findings concur with international research indicating the relevance of social and restful activities as important social links between the community and the beach environment. Participant's age was a significant variable in the four predictive models. The use of predictive models informed by demographics could potentially increase our understanding of interactions between the social and ecological systems of the beach environment, as a prelude to integrated beach management approaches. The research represents a practical demonstration of how demographic predictive models could support proactive approaches to beach management. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clarifying the confusion: old-growth savannahs and tropical ecosystem degradation

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Ancient tropical grassy biomes are often misrecognized as severely degraded forests. I trace this confusion to several factors, with roots in the nineteenth century, including misinterpretations of the nature of fire in savannahs, attempts to reconcile savannah ecology with Clementsian succession, use of physiognomic (structural) definitions of savannah and development of tropical degradation frameworks focused solely on forests. Towards clarity, I present two models that conceptualize the drivers of ecosystem degradation as operating in both savannahs and forests. These models highlight how human-induced environmental changes create ecosystems with superficially similar physiognomies but radically different conservation values. Given the limitation of physiognomy to differentiate savannahs from severely degraded forests, I present an alternative approach based on floristic composition. Data from eastern lowland Bolivia show that old-growth savannahs can be reliably distinguished by eight grass species and that species identity influences ecosystem flammability. I recommend that scientists incorporate savannahs in tropical degradation frameworks alongside forests, and that savannah be qualified as old-growth savannah in reference to ancient grassy biomes or derived savannah in reference to deforestation. These conceptual advances will require attention not only to tree cover, but also to savannah herbaceous plant species and their ecologies. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Tropical grassy biomes: linking ecology, human use and conservation’. PMID:27502372

Stakeholder Participation in System Change: A New Conceptual Model.

PubMed

O'Rourke, Tammy; Higuchi, Kathryn S; Hogg, William

2016-08-01

A recent change in Canada's primary care system led to the introduction of Nurse Practitioner-Led clinics. The literature suggests that stakeholders can influence system change initiatives. However, very little is known about healthcare stakeholder motivations, particularly stakeholders who are seen as resistors to change. To examine stakeholder participation in the system change process that led to the introduction of the first Nurse Practitioner-Led clinic in Ontario. This single case study included two site visits, semistructured individual tape-recorded interviews, and the examination of relevant public documents. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze the data. Sixteen individuals from different healthcare sectors and professions participated in the interviews and 20 documents were reviewed. Six key themes emerged from the data. Linking Evidence to Action The findings from the study present a new perspective on stakeholder participation that includes both those who supported the proposed change and those who advocated for a different change. The findings identify stakeholder activities used to shape, share, and protect their visions for system change. The conceptual model presented in this study adds to the understanding of challenges and complexities involved in healthcare system change. Understanding why and how stakeholders participate in change can help healthcare leaders in planning activities to enhance stakeholder involvement in healthcare system change. © 2016 Sigma Theta Tau International.

Great Lakes rivermouth ecosystems: scientific synthesis and management implications

USGS Publications Warehouse

Larson, James H.; Trebitz, Anett S.; Steinman, Alan D.; Wiley, Michael J.; Carlson Mazur, Martha; Pebbles, Victoria; Braun, Heather A.; Seelbach, Paul W.

2013-01-01

At the interface of the Great Lakes and their tributary rivers lies the rivermouths, a class of aquatic ecosystem where lake and lotic processes mix and distinct features emerge. Many rivermouths are the focal point of both human interaction with the Great Lakes and human impacts to the lakes; many cities, ports, and beaches are located in rivermouth ecosystems, and these human pressures often degrade key ecological functions that rivermouths provide. Despite their ecological uniqueness and apparent economic importance, there has been relatively little research on these ecosystems as a class relative to studies on upstream rivers or the open-lake waters. Here we present a synthesis of current knowledge about ecosystem structure and function in Great Lakes rivermouths based on studies in both Laurentian rivermouths, coastal wetlands, and marine estuarine systems. A conceptual model is presented that establishes a common semantic framework for discussing the characteristic spatial features of rivermouths. This model then is used to conceptually link ecosystem structure and function to ecological services provided by rivermouths. This synthesis helps identify the critical gaps in understanding rivermouth ecology. Specifically, additional information is needed on how rivermouths collectively influence the Great Lakes ecosystem, how human alterations influence rivermouth functions, and how ecosystem services provided by rivermouths can be managed to benefit the surrounding socioeconomic networks.

NANOSTRUCTURED METAL OXIDE CATALYSTS VIA BUILDING BLOCK SYNTHESES

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

Craig E. Barnes

2013-03-05

A broadly applicable methodology has been developed to prepare new single site catalysts on silica supports. This methodology requires of three critical components: a rigid building block that will be the main structural and compositional component of the support matrix; a family of linking reagents that will be used to insert active metals into the matrix as well as cross link building blocks into a three dimensional matrix; and a clean coupling reaction that will connect building blocks and linking agents together in a controlled fashion. The final piece of conceptual strategy at the center of this methodology involves dosingmore » the building block with known amounts of linking agents so that the targeted connectivity of a linking center to surrounding building blocks is obtained. Achieving targeted connectivities around catalytically active metals in these building block matrices is a critical element of the strategy by which single site catalysts are obtained. This methodology has been demonstrated with a model system involving only silicon and then with two metal-containing systems (titanium and vanadium). The effect that connectivity has on the reactivity of atomically dispersed titanium sites in silica building block matrices has been investigated in the selective oxidation of phenols to benezoquinones. 2-connected titanium sites are found to be five times as active (i.e. initial turnover frequencies) than 4-connected titanium sites (i.e. framework titanium sites).« less

Challenges in Requirements Engineering: A Research Agenda for Conceptual Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

March, Salvatore T.; Allen, Gove N.

Domains for which information systems are developed deal primarily with social constructions—conceptual objects and attributes created by human intentions and for human purposes. Information systems play an active role in these domains. They document the creation of new conceptual objects, record and ascribe values to their attributes, initiate actions within the domain, track activities performed, and infer conclusions based on the application of rules that govern how the domain is affected when socially-defined and identified causal events occur. Emerging applications of information technologies evaluate such business rules, learn from experience, and adapt to changes in the domain. Conceptual modeling grammars aimed at representing their system requirements must include conceptual objects, socially-defined events, and the rules pertaining to them. We identify challenges to conceptual modeling research and pose an ontology of the artificial as a step toward meeting them.

Application of the human needs conceptual model to dental hygiene practice.

PubMed

Darby, M L; Walsh, M M

2000-01-01

The Human Needs Conceptual Model is relevant to dental hygiene because of the need for dental hygienists to be client focused, humanistic, and accountable in practice. Application of the Human Needs Conceptual Model provides a formal framework for identifying and understanding the unique needs of the client that can be met through dental hygiene care. Practitioners find that the Human Needs Conceptual Model can not only help them in assessment and diagnosis, but also in client education, decision-making, care implementation, and the evaluation of treatment outcomes. By using the model, the dental hygienist is able to manage client care humanistically and holistically, and ensure that care is client-centered rather than task-oriented. With the model, a professional practice can be made operational.

Conceptualizing race in economic models of medical utilization: a case study of community-based elders and the emergency room.

PubMed Central

White-Means, S I

1995-01-01

There is no consensus on the appropriate conceptualization of race in economic models of health care. This is because race is rarely the primary focus for analysis of the market. This article presents an alternative framework for conceptualizing race in health economic models. A case study is analyzed to illustrate the value of the alternative conceptualization. The case study findings clearly document the importance of model stratification according to race. Moreover, the findings indicate that empirical results are improved when medical utilization models are refined in a way that reflects the unique experiences of the population that is studied. PMID:7721593

Barbara McClintock, Jumping Genes, and Transposition

Science.gov Websites

genetics, to which McClintock made seminal contributions both experimental and conceptual, has come to (CSHL) Top Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Their policies may differ from

The site-scale saturated zone flow model for Yucca Mountain: Calibration of different conceptual models and their impact on flow paths

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zyvoloski, G.; Kwicklis, E.; Eddebbarh, A.-A.; Arnold, B.; Faunt, C.; Robinson, B.A.

2003-01-01

This paper presents several different conceptual models of the Large Hydraulic Gradient (LHG) region north of Yucca Mountain and describes the impact of those models on groundwater flow near the potential high-level repository site. The results are based on a numerical model of site-scale saturated zone beneath Yucca Mountain. This model is used for performance assessment predictions of radionuclide transport and to guide future data collection and modeling activities. The numerical model is calibrated by matching available water level measurements using parameter estimation techniques, along with more informal comparisons of the model to hydrologic and geochemical information. The model software (hydrologic simulation code FEHM and parameter estimation software PEST) and model setup allows for efficient calibration of multiple conceptual models. Until now, the Large Hydraulic Gradient has been simulated using a low-permeability, east-west oriented feature, even though direct evidence for this feature is lacking. In addition to this model, we investigate and calibrate three additional conceptual models of the Large Hydraulic Gradient, all of which are based on a presumed zone of hydrothermal chemical alteration north of Yucca Mountain. After examining the heads and permeabilities obtained from the calibrated models, we present particle pathways from the potential repository that record differences in the predicted groundwater flow regime. The results show that Large Hydraulic Gradient can be represented with the alternate conceptual models that include the hydrothermally altered zone. The predicted pathways are mildly sensitive to the choice of the conceptual model and more sensitive to the quality of calibration in the vicinity on the repository. These differences are most likely due to different degrees of fit of model to data, and do not represent important differences in hydrologic conditions for the different conceptual models. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Neurolinguistic Relativity: How Language Flexes Human Perception and Cognition

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

The time has come, perhaps, to go beyond merely acknowledging that language is a core manifestation of the workings of the human mind and that it relates interactively to all aspects of thinking. The issue, thus, is not to decide whether language and human thought may be ineluctably linked (they just are), but rather to determine what the characteristics of this relationship may be and to understand how language influences—and may be influenced by—nonverbal information processing. In an attempt to demystify linguistic relativity, I review neurolinguistic studies from our research group showing a link between linguistic distinctions and perceptual or conceptual processing. On the basis of empirical evidence showing effects of terminology on perception, language‐idiosyncratic relationships in semantic memory, grammatical skewing of event conceptualization, and unconscious modulation of executive functioning by verbal input, I advocate a neurofunctional approach through which we can systematically explore how languages shape human thought. PMID:27642191

Neurolinguistic Relativity: How Language Flexes Human Perception and Cognition.

PubMed

Thierry, Guillaume

2016-09-01

The time has come, perhaps, to go beyond merely acknowledging that language is a core manifestation of the workings of the human mind and that it relates interactively to all aspects of thinking. The issue, thus, is not to decide whether language and human thought may be ineluctably linked (they just are), but rather to determine what the characteristics of this relationship may be and to understand how language influences-and may be influenced by-nonverbal information processing. In an attempt to demystify linguistic relativity, I review neurolinguistic studies from our research group showing a link between linguistic distinctions and perceptual or conceptual processing. On the basis of empirical evidence showing effects of terminology on perception, language-idiosyncratic relationships in semantic memory, grammatical skewing of event conceptualization, and unconscious modulation of executive functioning by verbal input, I advocate a neurofunctional approach through which we can systematically explore how languages shape human thought.

Depression and Social Identity: An Integrative Review.

PubMed

Cruwys, Tegan; Haslam, S Alexander; Dingle, Genevieve A; Haslam, Catherine; Jetten, Jolanda

2014-08-01

Social relationships play a key role in depression. This is apparent in its etiology, symptomatology, and effective treatment. However, there has been little consensus about the best way to conceptualize the link between depression and social relationships. Furthermore, the extensive social-psychological literature on the nature of social relationships, and in particular, research on social identity, has not been integrated with depression research. This review presents evidence that social connectedness is key to understanding the development and resolution of clinical depression. The social identity approach is then used as a basis for conceptualizing the role of social relationships in depression, operationalized in terms of six central hypotheses. Research relevant to these hypotheses is then reviewed. Finally, we present an agenda for future research to advance theoretical and empirical understanding of the link between social identity and depression, and to translate the insights of this approach into clinical practice. © 2014 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Conceptual Models and Guidelines for Clinical Assessment of Financial Capacity.

PubMed

Marson, Daniel

2016-09-01

The ability to manage financial affairs is a life skill of critical importance, and neuropsychologists are increasingly asked to assess financial capacity across a variety of settings. Sound clinical assessment of financial capacity requires knowledge and appreciation of applicable clinical conceptual models and principles. However, the literature has presented relatively little conceptual guidance for clinicians concerning financial capacity and its assessment. This article seeks to address this gap. The article presents six clinical models of financial capacity : (1) the early gerontological IADL model of Lawton, (2) the clinical skills model and (3) related cognitive psychological model developed by Marson and colleagues, (4) a financial decision-making model adapting earlier decisional capacity work of Appelbaum and Grisso, (5) a person-centered model of financial decision-making developed by Lichtenberg and colleagues, and (6) a recent model of financial capacity in the real world developed through the Institute of Medicine. Accompanying presentation of the models is discussion of conceptual and practical perspectives they represent for clinician assessment. Based on the models, the article concludes by presenting a series of conceptually oriented guidelines for clinical assessment of financial capacity. In summary, sound assessment of financial capacity requires knowledge and appreciation of clinical conceptual models and principles. Awareness of such models, principles and guidelines will strengthen and advance clinical assessment of financial capacity. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An Empirical Study of Enterprise Conceptual Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anaby-Tavor, Ateret; Amid, David; Fisher, Amit; Ossher, Harold; Bellamy, Rachel; Callery, Matthew; Desmond, Michael; Krasikov, Sophia; Roth, Tova; Simmonds, Ian; de Vries, Jacqueline

Business analysts, business architects, and solution consultants use a variety of practices and methods in their quest to understand business. The resulting work products could end up being transitioned into the formal world of software requirement definitions or as recommendations for all kinds of business activities. We describe an empirical study about the nature of these methods, diagrams, and home-grown conceptual models as reflected in real practice at IBM. We identify the models as artifacts of "enterprise conceptual modeling". We study important features of these models, suggest practical classifications, and discuss their usage. Our survey shows that the "enterprise conceptual modeling" arena presents a variety of descriptive models, each used by a relatively small group of colleagues. Together they form a "long tail" that extends from "drawings" on one end to "standards" on the other.

The links between agriculture and health: an intersectoral opportunity to improve the health and livelihoods of the poor.

PubMed Central

Hawkes, Corinna; Ruel, Marie

2006-01-01

Agriculture and health are linked in many ways. First, agriculture is essential for good health: it produces the world's food, fibre and materials for shelter; in many countries it is also an important source of livelihood among the poor. At the same time, agriculture can be linked with poor health, including malnutrition, malaria, foodborne illnesses, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), livestock-related diseases, chronic diseases and occupational ill-health. Health also affects agriculture: people's health status influences the demand for agricultural outputs, and in agricultural communities, poor health reduces work performance, reducing income and productivity and perpetuating a downward spiral into ill-health. This paper presents an overview of the bidirectional links between agriculture and health with a focus on the developing world. It develops a conceptual framework that brings together the various links between agriculture and health into a single broad framework. The framework comprises the core components of the agricultural supply chain (producers, systems and outputs), key health concerns and the mechanisms of common interaction between the agricultural and health components: income, labour, environment and access -- all key social determinants of health. These links between agriculture and health present an opportunity for the two sectors to work together to find solutions to each other's problems. Yet the health and agricultural sectors remain poorly coordinated. Leadership from global health and agricultural institutions is needed to build policies and good governance to facilitate integration, while capacity building is needed at all levels to help translate the conceptual links into comprehensive action on the ground. Health and agricultural researchers likewise need to work more closely together to achieve common goals. PMID:17242835

New linked data on research investments: scientific workforce, productivity, and public value

PubMed Central

Lane, Julia; Owen-Smith, Jason; Rosen, Rebecca; Weinberg, Bruce

2015-01-01

Longitudinal micro-data derived from transaction level information about wage and vendor payments made by federal grants on multiple U.S. campuses are being developed in a partnership involving researchers, university administrators, representatives of federal agencies, and others. This paper describes the UMETRICS data initiative that has been implemented under the auspices of the Committee on Institutional Cooperation. The resulting data set reflects an emerging conceptual framework for analyzing the process, products, and impact of research. It grows from and engages the work of a diverse and vibrant community. This paper situates the UMETRICS effort in the context of research evaluation and ongoing data infrastructure efforts in order to highlight its novel and valuable features. Refocusing data construction in this field around individuals, networks, and teams offers dramatic possibilities for data linkage, the evaluation of research investments, and the development of rigorous conceptual and empirical models. Two preliminary analyses of the scientific workforce and network approaches to characterizing scientific teams ground a discussion of future directions and a call for increased community engagement. PMID:26335785

Educational Criteria for Evaluating Simple Class Diagrams Made by Novices for Conceptual Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kayama, Mizue; Ogata, Shinpei; Asano, David K.; Hashimoto, Masami

2016-01-01

Conceptual modeling is one of the most important learning topics for higher education and secondary education. The goal of conceptual modeling in this research is to draw a class diagram using given notation to satisfy the given requirements. In this case, the subjects are asked to choose concepts to satisfy the given requirements and to correctly…

Using a Systematic Conceptual Model for a Process Evaluation of a Middle School Obesity Risk-Reduction Nutrition Curriculum Intervention: "Choice, Control & Change"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Heewon; Contento, Isobel R.; Koch, Pamela

2013-01-01

Objective: To use and review a conceptual model of process evaluation and to examine the implementation of a nutrition education curriculum, "Choice, Control & Change", designed to promote dietary and physical activity behaviors that reduce obesity risk. Design: A process evaluation study based on a systematic conceptual model. Setting: Five…

Conceptual models of information processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, L. J.

1983-01-01

The conceptual information processing issues are examined. Human information processing is defined as an active cognitive process that is analogous to a system. It is the flow and transformation of information within a human. The human is viewed as an active information seeker who is constantly receiving, processing, and acting upon the surrounding environmental stimuli. Human information processing models are conceptual representations of cognitive behaviors. Models of information processing are useful in representing the different theoretical positions and in attempting to define the limits and capabilities of human memory. It is concluded that an understanding of conceptual human information processing models and their applications to systems design leads to a better human factors approach.

Conceptual Models of Depression in Primary Care Patients: A Comparative Study

PubMed Central

Karasz, Alison; Garcia, Nerina; Ferri, Lucia

2009-01-01

Conventional psychiatric treatment models are based on a biopsychiatric model of depression. A plausible explanation for low rates of depression treatment utilization among ethnic minorities and the poor is that members of these communities do not share the cultural assumptions underlying the biopsychiatric model. The study examined conceptual models of depression among depressed patients from various ethnic groups, focusing on the degree to which patients’ conceptual models ‘matched’ a biopsychiatric model of depression. The sample included 74 primary care patients from three ethnic groups screening positive for depression. We administered qualitative interviews assessing patients’ conceptual representations of depression. The analysis proceeded in two phases. The first phase involved a strategy called ‘quantitizing’ the qualitative data. A rating scheme was developed and applied to the data by a rater blind to study hypotheses. The data was subjected to statistical analyses. The second phase of the analysis involved the analysis of thematic data using standard qualitative techniques. Study hypotheses were largely supported. The qualitative analysis provided a detailed picture of primary care patients’ conceptual models of depression and suggested interesting directions for future research. PMID:20182550

A Conceptual Framework for SAHRA Integrated Multi-resolution Modeling in the Rio Grande Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Gupta, H.; Springer, E.; Wagener, T.; Brookshire, D.; Duffy, C.

2004-12-01

The sustainable management of water resources in a river basin requires an integrated analysis of the social, economic, environmental and institutional dimensions of the problem. Numerical models are commonly used for integration of these dimensions and for communication of the analysis results to stakeholders and policy makers. The National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas (SAHRA) has been developing integrated multi-resolution models to assess impacts of climate variability and land use change on water resources in the Rio Grande Basin. These models not only couple natural systems such as surface and ground waters, but will also include engineering, economic and social components that may be involved in water resources decision-making processes. This presentation will describe the conceptual framework being developed by SAHRA to guide and focus the multiple modeling efforts and to assist the modeling team in planning, data collection and interpretation, communication, evaluation, etc. One of the major components of this conceptual framework is a Conceptual Site Model (CSM), which describes the basin and its environment based on existing knowledge and identifies what additional information must be collected to develop technically sound models at various resolutions. The initial CSM is based on analyses of basin profile information that has been collected, including a physical profile (e.g., topographic and vegetative features), a man-made facility profile (e.g., dams, diversions, and pumping stations), and a land use and ecological profile (e.g., demographics, natural habitats, and endangered species). Based on the initial CSM, a Conceptual Physical Model (CPM) is developed to guide and evaluate the selection of a model code (or numerical model) for each resolution to conduct simulations and predictions. A CPM identifies, conceptually, all the physical processes and engineering and socio-economic activities occurring (or to occur) in the real system that the corresponding numerical models are required to address, such as riparian evapotranspiration responses to vegetation change and groundwater pumping impacts on soil moisture contents. Simulation results from different resolution models and observations of the real system will then be compared to evaluate the consistency among the CSM, the CPMs, and the numerical models, and feedbacks will be used to update the models. In a broad sense, the evaluation of the models (conceptual or numerical), as well as the linkages between them, can be viewed as a part of the overall conceptual framework. As new data are generated and understanding improves, the models will evolve, and the overall conceptual framework is refined. The development of the conceptual framework becomes an on-going process. We will describe the current state of this framework and the open questions that have to be addressed in the future.

The Topographic Design of River Channels for Form-Process Linkages.

PubMed

Brown, Rocko A; Pasternack, Gregory B; Lin, Tin

2016-04-01

Scientists and engineers design river topography for a wide variety of uses, such as experimentation, site remediation, dam mitigation, flood management, and river restoration. A recent advancement has been the notion of topographical design to yield specific fluvial mechanisms in conjunction with natural or environmental flow releases. For example, the flow convergence routing mechanism, whereby shear stress and spatially convergent flow migrate or jump from the topographic high (riffle) to the low point (pool) from low to high discharge, is thought to be a key process able to maintain undular relief in gravel bedded rivers. This paper develops an approach to creating riffle-pool topography with a form-process linkage to the flow convergence routing mechanism using an adjustable, quasi equilibrium synthetic channel model. The link from form to process is made through conceptualizing form-process relationships for riffle-pool couplets into geomorphic covariance structures (GCSs) that are then quantitatively embedded in a synthetic channel model. Herein, GCSs were used to parameterize a geometric model to create five straight, synthetic river channels with varying combinations of bed and width undulations. Shear stress and flow direction predictions from 2D hydrodynamic modeling were used to determine if scenarios recreated aspects of the flow convergence routing mechanism. Results show that the creation of riffle-pool couplets that experience flow convergence in straight channels requires GCSs with covarying bed and width undulations in their topography as supported in the literature. This shows that GCSs are a useful way to translate conceptualizations of form-process linkages into quantitative models of channel form.

Converging flow and anisotropy cause large-scale folding in Greenland's ice sheet.

PubMed

Bons, Paul D; Jansen, Daniela; Mundel, Felicitas; Bauer, Catherine C; Binder, Tobias; Eisen, Olaf; Jessell, Mark W; Llorens, Maria-Gema; Steinbach, Florian; Steinhage, Daniel; Weikusat, Ilka

2016-04-29

The increasing catalogue of high-quality ice-penetrating radar data provides a unique insight in the internal layering architecture of the Greenland ice sheet. The stratigraphy, an indicator of past deformation, highlights irregularities in ice flow and reveals large perturbations without obvious links to bedrock shape. In this work, to establish a new conceptual model for the formation process, we analysed the radar data at the onset of the Petermann Glacier, North Greenland, and created a three-dimensional model of several distinct stratigraphic layers. We demonstrate that the dominant structures are cylindrical folds sub-parallel to the ice flow. By numerical modelling, we show that these folds can be formed by lateral compression of mechanically anisotropic ice, while a general viscosity contrast between layers would not lead to folding for the same boundary conditions. We conclude that the folds primarily form by converging flow as the mechanically anisotropic ice is channelled towards the glacier.

Converging flow and anisotropy cause large-scale folding in Greenland's ice sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bons, Paul D.; Jansen, Daniela; Mundel, Felicitas; Bauer, Catherine C.; Binder, Tobias; Eisen, Olaf; Jessell, Mark W.; Llorens, Maria-Gema; Steinbach, Florian; Steinhage, Daniel; Weikusat, Ilka

2016-04-01

The increasing catalogue of high-quality ice-penetrating radar data provides a unique insight in the internal layering architecture of the Greenland ice sheet. The stratigraphy, an indicator of past deformation, highlights irregularities in ice flow and reveals large perturbations without obvious links to bedrock shape. In this work, to establish a new conceptual model for the formation process, we analysed the radar data at the onset of the Petermann Glacier, North Greenland, and created a three-dimensional model of several distinct stratigraphic layers. We demonstrate that the dominant structures are cylindrical folds sub-parallel to the ice flow. By numerical modelling, we show that these folds can be formed by lateral compression of mechanically anisotropic ice, while a general viscosity contrast between layers would not lead to folding for the same boundary conditions. We conclude that the folds primarily form by converging flow as the mechanically anisotropic ice is channelled towards the glacier.

An investigation of the transdiagnostic model of eating disorders in the context of muscle dysmorphia.

PubMed

Murray, Stuart B; Rieger, Elizabeth; Karlov, Lisa; Touyz, Stephen W

2013-03-01

Muscle dysmorphia is a psychiatric disorder that has been conceptually linked to eating disorders, although its precise nosology remains unclear. To further investigate this notion, the present study examined the applicability of the transdiagnostic model of eating disorders to muscle dysmorphia. One hundred and nineteen male undergraduate students completed self-report measures of multidimensional perfectionism, mood intolerance, self-esteem, interpersonal problems, and muscle dysmorphia symptomatology. Self-oriented perfectionism, socially prescribed perfectionism, mood intolerance, and low self-esteem significantly predicted muscle dysmorphia symptomatology, whereas other-oriented perfectionism and interpersonal problems did not demonstrate significant predictive value when accounting for the other transdiagnostic constructs. The transdiagnostic model of eating disorders may potentially be applied to enhance our understanding of the maintenance of muscle dysmorphic features in addition to eating disorder symptomatology. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.

A basis for a visual language for describing, archiving and analyzing functional models of complex biological systems

PubMed Central

Cook, Daniel L; Farley, Joel F; Tapscott, Stephen J

2001-01-01

Background: We propose that a computerized, internet-based graphical description language for systems biology will be essential for describing, archiving and analyzing complex problems of biological function in health and disease. Results: We outline here a conceptual basis for designing such a language and describe BioD, a prototype language that we have used to explore the utility and feasibility of this approach to functional biology. Using example models, we demonstrate that a rather limited lexicon of icons and arrows suffices to describe complex cell-biological systems as discrete models that can be posted and linked on the internet. Conclusions: Given available computer and internet technology, BioD may be implemented as an extensible, multidisciplinary language that can be used to archive functional systems knowledge and be extended to support both qualitative and quantitative functional analysis. PMID:11305940

Neural and Computational Mechanisms of Action Processing: Interaction between Visual and Motor Representations.

PubMed

Giese, Martin A; Rizzolatti, Giacomo

2015-10-07

Action recognition has received enormous interest in the field of neuroscience over the last two decades. In spite of this interest, the knowledge in terms of fundamental neural mechanisms that provide constraints for underlying computations remains rather limited. This fact stands in contrast with a wide variety of speculative theories about how action recognition might work. This review focuses on new fundamental electrophysiological results in monkeys, which provide constraints for the detailed underlying computations. In addition, we review models for action recognition and processing that have concrete mathematical implementations, as opposed to conceptual models. We think that only such implemented models can be meaningfully linked quantitatively to physiological data and have a potential to narrow down the many possible computational explanations for action recognition. In addition, only concrete implementations allow judging whether postulated computational concepts have a feasible implementation in terms of realistic neural circuits. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Conceptual strategies and inter-theory relations: The case of nanoscale cracks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bursten, Julia R.

2018-05-01

This paper introduces a new account of inter-theory relations in physics, which I call the conceptual strategies account. Using the example of a multiscale computer simulation model of nanoscale crack propagation in silicon, I illustrate this account and contrast it with existing reductive, emergent, and handshaking approaches. The conceptual strategies account develops the notion that relations among physical theories, and among their models, are constrained but not dictated by limitations from physics, mathematics, and computation, and that conceptual reasoning within those limits is required both to generate and to understand the relations between theories. Conceptual strategies result in a variety of types of relations between theories and models. These relations are themselves epistemic objects, like theories and models, and as such are an under-recognized part of the epistemic landscape of science.

[Psychotherapy of chronic depression: contributions of CBASP by McCullough].

PubMed

Kramer, U; Belz, M; Caspar, F

2013-04-01

Chronic depression is a frequent disorder and is usually treated using traditional approaches. These approaches rarely take into account the psychopathological specificities of the chronic evolution of the disorder. The present article aims at presenting the specific psychopathological nature of chronic depression and puts forward a treatment model that is particularly adapted to these specificities. The treatment model, Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP; according to McCullough) is based on two theoretical models: the developmental theory by J. Piaget and the interpersonal model by D. Kiesler. According to McCullough, the cognitive affective functioning of chronically depressed patients is comparable with the one of a child who has not reached the Piagetian stage of logical operations. Their thinking is global, pre-logical and presents with monologues, instead of internal dialogues. These patients are incapable of effective controlling and regulating of emotions and of constructive accommodation of established schemas, when confronted with novel experiences. Finally, these patients are unaware of their interpersonal effects on the environment they unwillingly have. The latter are conceptualized using Kiesler's conceptualization of psychopathology. According to this model, the patient sends implicit relational "messages" provoking interpersonal "pulls" in the interaction partner (e.g., the therapist). These pulls are assessed and may be graphically represented using a Circumplex Model, also called the Kiesler-circle, and is the basis of the case conceptualization in the psychotherapy with chronically depressed patients. CBASP has developed based on the clinical implications of these models and combines them in an original fashion. Two lines of intervention result from the models: (1) situational analysis, which analyzes the links between behavior in a particular situation and the person's goal or desire related to the particular situation, and (2) interpersonal techniques based on the notions of transference and counter-transference. On one hand, situational analysis follows several steps linking the patient's behavior with his/her desired outcome, which is compared to the real outcome in the situation. The patient's interpretations are amended in a second step, using the desired outcome as an anchor. On the other hand, interpersonal techniques imply the therapist's stance of disciplined personal involvement, meaning a controlled way of therapist self-disclosure facing the patient, with the aim of experiencing by the patient, that his/her behavior does not remain without specific, immediate and authentic consequences in the environment. This experience by the patient should allow him/her to (re-)establish the perceived functionality of the patient's behavior in interpersonal encounters. We underline the relevance of the approach by citing several empirical studies which have established the efficacy of the model, in specific clinical conditions that are the combined treatment with anti-depressant medication, a sufficient number of sessions and in the case of early trauma as etiological factor of the chronic depression. We discuss the application of CBASP to other clinical diagnoses, such as borderline and avoidant personality disorder as well as disorders related to substance abuse and thus argue in favor of CBASP as a central model in the treatment of various mental illnesses. Copyright © 2012 L’Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Conceptual model of sediment processes in the upper Yuba River watershed, Sierra Nevada, CA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Curtis, J.A.; Flint, L.E.; Alpers, Charles N.; Yarnell, S.M.

2005-01-01

This study examines the development of a conceptual model of sediment processes in the upper Yuba River watershed; and we hypothesize how components of the conceptual model may be spatially distributed using a geographical information system (GIS). The conceptual model illustrates key processes controlling sediment dynamics in the upper Yuba River watershed and was tested and revised using field measurements, aerial photography, and low elevation videography. Field reconnaissance included mass wasting and channel storage inventories, assessment of annual channel change in upland tributaries, and evaluation of the relative importance of sediment sources and transport processes. Hillslope erosion rates throughout the study area are relatively low when compared to more rapidly eroding landscapes such as the Pacific Northwest and notable hillslope sediment sources include highly erodible andesitic mudflows, serpentinized ultramafics, and unvegetated hydraulic mine pits. Mass wasting dominates surface erosion on the hillslopes; however, erosion of stored channel sediment is the primary contributor to annual sediment yield. We used GIS to spatially distribute the components of the conceptual model and created hillslope erosion potential and channel storage models. The GIS models exemplify the conceptual model in that landscapes with low potential evapotranspiration, sparse vegetation, steep slopes, erodible geology and soils, and high road densities display the greatest hillslope erosion potential and channel storage increases with increasing stream order. In-channel storage in upland tributaries impacted by hydraulic mining is an exception. Reworking of stored hydraulic mining sediment in low-order tributaries continues to elevate upper Yuba River sediment yields. Finally, we propose that spatially distributing the components of a conceptual model in a GIS framework provides a guide for developing more detailed sediment budgets or numerical models making it an inexpensive way to develop a roadmap for understanding sediment dynamics at a watershed scale.

An integrative review and evidence-based conceptual model of the essential components of pre-service education.

PubMed

Johnson, Peter; Fogarty, Linda; Fullerton, Judith; Bluestone, Julia; Drake, Mary

2013-08-28

With decreasing global resources, a pervasive critical shortage of skilled health workers, and a growing disease burden in many countries, the need to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of pre-service education in low-and middle-income countries has never been greater. We performed an integrative review of the literature to analyse factors contributing to quality pre-service education and created a conceptual model that shows the links between essential elements of quality pre-service education and desired outcomes. The literature contains a rich discussion of factors that contribute to quality pre-service education, including the following: (1) targeted recruitment of qualified students from rural and low-resource settings appears to be a particularly effective strategy for retaining students in vulnerable communities after graduation; (2) evidence supports a competency-based curriculum, but there is no clear evidence supporting specific curricular models such as problem-based learning; (3) the health workforce must be well prepared to address national health priorities; (4) the role of the preceptor and preceptors' skills in clinical teaching, identifying student learning needs, assessing student learning, and prioritizing and time management are particularly important; (5) modern, Internet-enabled medical libraries, skills and simulation laboratories, and computer laboratories to support computer-aided instruction are elements of infrastructure meriting strong consideration; and (6) all students must receive sufficient clinical practice opportunities in high-quality clinical learning environments in order to graduate with the competencies required for effective practice. Few studies make a link between PSE and impact on the health system. Nevertheless, it is logical that the production of a trained and competent staff through high-quality pre-service education and continuing professional development activities is the foundation required to achieve the desired health outcomes. Professional regulation, deployment practices, workplace environment upon graduation and other service delivery contextual factors were analysed as influencing factors that affect educational outcomes and health impact. Our model for pre-service education reflects the investments that must be made by countries into programmes capable of leading to graduates who are competent for the health occupations and professions at the time of their entry into the workforce.

Organizational intellectual capital and the role of the nurse manager: A proposed conceptual model.

PubMed

Gilbert, Jason H; Von Ah, Diane; Broome, Marion E

Nurse managers must leverage both the human capital and social capital of the teams they lead in order to produce quality outcomes. Little is known about the relationship between human capital and social capital and how these concepts may work together to produce organizational outcomes through leadership of nurses. The purpose of this article was to explore the concepts of human capital and social capital as they relate to nursing leadership in health care organizations. Specific aims included (a) to synthesize the literature related to human capital and social capital in leadership, (b) to refine the conceptual definitions of human capital and social capital with associated conceptual antecedents and consequences, and (c) to propose a synthesized conceptual model guiding further empirical research of social capital and human capital in nursing leadership. A systematic integrative review of leadership literature using criteria informed by Whittemore and Knafl (2005) was completed. CINAHL Plus with Full Text, Academic Search Premier, Business Source Premier, Health Business FullTEXT, MEDLINE, and PsychINFO databases were searched for the years 1995 to 2016 using terms "human capital," "social capital," and "management." Analysis of conceptual definitions, theoretical and conceptual models, antecedents and consequences, propositions or hypotheses, and empirical support for 37 articles fitting review criteria resulted in the synthesis of the proposed Gilbert Conceptual Model of Organizational Intellectual Capital. The Gilbert Conceptual Model of Organizational Intellectual Capital advances the propositions of human capital theory and social capital theory and is the first model to conceptualize the direct and moderating effects that nurse leaders have on the human capital and social capital of the teams they lead. This model provides a framework for further empirical study and may have implications for practice, organizational policy, and education related to nursing leadership. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tolerance of uncertainty: Conceptual analysis, integrative model, and implications for healthcare.

PubMed

Hillen, Marij A; Gutheil, Caitlin M; Strout, Tania D; Smets, Ellen M A; Han, Paul K J

2017-05-01

Uncertainty tolerance (UT) is an important, well-studied phenomenon in health care and many other important domains of life, yet its conceptualization and measurement by researchers in various disciplines have varied substantially and its essential nature remains unclear. The objectives of this study were to: 1) analyze the meaning and logical coherence of UT as conceptualized by developers of UT measures, and 2) develop an integrative conceptual model to guide future empirical research regarding the nature, causes, and effects of UT. A narrative review and conceptual analysis of 18 existing measures of Uncertainty and Ambiguity Tolerance was conducted, focusing on how measure developers in various fields have defined both the "uncertainty" and "tolerance" components of UT-both explicitly through their writings and implicitly through the items constituting their measures. Both explicit and implicit conceptual definitions of uncertainty and tolerance vary substantially and are often poorly and inconsistently specified. A logically coherent, unified understanding or theoretical model of UT is lacking. To address these gaps, we propose a new integrative definition and multidimensional conceptual model that construes UT as the set of negative and positive psychological responses-cognitive, emotional, and behavioral-provoked by the conscious awareness of ignorance about particular aspects of the world. This model synthesizes insights from various disciplines and provides an organizing framework for future research. We discuss how this model can facilitate further empirical and theoretical research to better measure and understand the nature, determinants, and outcomes of UT in health care and other domains of life. Uncertainty tolerance is an important and complex phenomenon requiring more precise and consistent definition. An integrative definition and conceptual model, intended as a tentative and flexible point of departure for future research, adds needed breadth, specificity, and precision to efforts to conceptualize and measure UT. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Understanding the Role of Academic Language on Conceptual Understanding in an Introductory Materials Science and Engineering Course

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelly, Jacquelyn

Students may use the technical engineering terms without knowing what these words mean. This creates a language barrier in engineering that influences student learning. Previous research has been conducted to characterize the difference between colloquial and scientific language. Since this research had not yet been applied explicitly to engineering, conclusions from the area of science education were used instead. Various researchers outlined strategies for helping students acquire scientific language. However, few examined and quantified the relationship it had on student learning. A systemic functional linguistics framework was adopted for this dissertation which is a framework that has not previously been used in engineering education research. This study investigated how engineering language proficiency influenced conceptual understanding of introductory materials science and engineering concepts. To answer the research questions about engineering language proficiency, a convenience sample of forty-one undergraduate students in an introductory materials science and engineering course was used. All data collected was integrated with the course. Measures included the Materials Concept Inventory, a written engineering design task, and group observations. Both systemic functional linguistics and mental models frameworks were utilized to interpret data and guide analysis. A series of regression analyses were conducted to determine if engineering language proficiency predicts group engineering term use, if conceptual understanding predicts group engineering term use, and if conceptual understanding predicts engineering language proficiency. Engineering academic language proficiency was found to be strongly linked to conceptual understanding in the context of introductory materials engineering courses. As the semester progressed, this relationship became even stronger. The more engineering concepts students are expected to learn, the more important it is that they are proficient in engineering language. However, exposure to engineering terms did not influence engineering language proficiency. These results stress the importance of engineering language proficiency for learning, but warn that simply exposing students to engineering terms does not promote engineering language proficiency.

Lower- and higher-level models of right hemisphere language. A selective survey.

PubMed

Gainotti, Guido

2016-01-01

The models advanced to explain right hemisphere (RH) language function can be divided into two main types. According to the older (lower-level) models, RH language reflects the ontogenesis of conceptual and semantic-lexical development; the more recent models, on the other hand, suggest that the RH plays an important role in the use of higher-level language functions, such as metaphors, to convey complex, abstract concepts. The hypothesis that the RH may be preferentially involved in processing the semantic-lexical components of language was advanced by Zaidel in splitbrain patients and his model was confirmed by neuropsychological investigations, proving that right brain-damaged patients show selective semanticlexical disorders. The possible links between lower and higher levels of RH language are discussed, as is the hypothesis that the RH may have privileged access to the figurative aspects of novel metaphorical expressions, whereas conventionalization of metaphorical meaning could be a bilaterally-mediated process involving abstract semantic-lexical codes.

Adverse outcome pathway (AOP) development I: Strategies and principles

EPA Science Inventory

An adverse outcome pathway (AOP) is a conceptual framework that organizes existing knowledge concerning biologically plausible, and empirically-supported, links between molecular-level perturbation of a biological system and an adverse outcome at a level of biological organizatio...

A conceptual socio-hydrological model of the co-evolution of humans and water: case study of the Tarim River basin, western China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D.; Tian, F.; Lin, M.; Sivapalan, M.

2015-02-01

The complex interactions and feedbacks between humans and water are critically important issues but remain poorly understood in the newly proposed discipline of socio-hydrology (Sivapalan et al., 2012). An exploratory model with the appropriate level of simplification can be valuable for improving our understanding of the co-evolution and self-organization of socio-hydrological systems driven by interactions and feedbacks operating at different scales. In this study, a simplified conceptual socio-hydrological model based on logistic growth curves is developed for the Tarim River basin in western China and is used to illustrate the explanatory power of such a co-evolutionary model. The study area is the main stream of the Tarim River, which is divided into two modeling units. The socio-hydrological system is composed of four sub-systems, i.e., the hydrological, ecological, economic, and social sub-systems. In each modeling unit, the hydrological equation focusing on water balance is coupled to the other three evolutionary equations to represent the dynamics of the social sub-system (denoted by population), the economic sub-system (denoted by irrigated crop area ratio), and the ecological sub-system (denoted by natural vegetation cover), each of which is expressed in terms of a logistic growth curve. Four feedback loops are identified to represent the complex interactions among different sub-systems and different spatial units, of which two are inner loops occurring within each separate unit and the other two are outer loops linking the two modeling units. The feedback mechanisms are incorporated into the constitutive relations for model parameters, i.e., the colonization and mortality rates in the logistic growth curves that are jointly determined by the state variables of all sub-systems. The co-evolution of the Tarim socio-hydrological system is then analyzed with this conceptual model to gain insights into the overall system dynamics and its sensitivity to the external drivers and internal system variables. The results show a costly pendulum swing between a balanced distribution of socio-economic and natural ecologic resources among the upper and lower reaches and a highly skewed distribution towards the upper reach. This evolution is principally driven by the attitudinal changes occurring within water resources management policies that reflect the evolving community awareness of society to concerns regarding the ecology and environment.

Assuring consumer safety without animal testing: a feasibility case study for skin sensitisation.

PubMed

Maxwell, Gavin; Aleksic, Maja; Aptula, Aynur; Carmichael, Paul; Fentem, Julia; Gilmour, Nicola; Mackay, Cameron; Pease, Camilla; Pendlington, Ruth; Reynolds, Fiona; Scott, Daniel; Warner, Guy; Westmoreland, Carl

2008-11-01

Allergic Contact Dermatitis (ACD; chemical-induced skin sensitisation) represents a key consumer safety endpoint for the cosmetics industry. At present, animal tests (predominantly the mouse Local Lymph Node Assay) are used to generate skin sensitisation hazard data for use in consumer safety risk assessments. An animal testing ban on chemicals to be used in cosmetics will come into effect in the European Union (EU) from March 2009. This animal testing ban is also linked to an EU marketing ban on products containing any ingredients that have been subsequently tested in animals, from March 2009 or March 2013, depending on the toxicological endpoint of concern. Consequently, the testing of cosmetic ingredients in animals for their potential to induce skin sensitisation will be subject to an EU marketing ban, from March 2013 onwards. Our conceptual framework and strategy to deliver a non-animal approach to consumer safety risk assessment can be summarised as an evaluation of new technologies (e.g. 'omics', informatics), leading to the development of new non-animal (in silico and in vitro) predictive models for the generation and interpretation of new forms of hazard characterisation data, followed by the development of new risk assessment approaches to integrate these new forms of data and information in the context of human exposure. Following the principles of the conceptual framework, we have been investigating existing and developing new technologies, models and approaches, in order to explore the feasibility of delivering consumer safety risk assessment decisions in the absence of new animal data. We present here our progress in implementing this conceptual framework, with the skin sensitisation endpoint used as a case study. 2008 FRAME.

ATMOSPHERIC DISPERSAL AND DEPOSITION OF TEPHRA FROM A POTENTIAL VOLCANIC ERUPTION AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN, NEVADA

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

C. Harrington

2004-10-25

The purpose of this model report is to provide documentation of the conceptual and mathematical model (Ashplume) for atmospheric dispersal and subsequent deposition of ash on the land surface from a potential volcanic eruption at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This report also documents the ash (tephra) redistribution conceptual model. These aspects of volcanism-related dose calculation are described in the context of the entire igneous disruptive events conceptual model in ''Characterize Framework for Igneous Activity'' (BSC 2004 [DIRS 169989], Section 6.1.1). The Ashplume conceptual model accounts for incorporation and entrainment of waste fuel particles associated with a hypothetical volcanic eruption through themore » Yucca Mountain repository and downwind transport of contaminated tephra. The Ashplume mathematical model describes the conceptual model in mathematical terms to allow for prediction of radioactive waste/ash deposition on the ground surface given that the hypothetical eruptive event occurs. This model report also describes the conceptual model for tephra redistribution from a basaltic cinder cone. Sensitivity analyses and model validation activities for the ash dispersal and redistribution models are also presented. Analyses documented in this model report update the previous documentation of the Ashplume mathematical model and its application to the Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA) for the License Application (TSPA-LA) igneous scenarios. This model report also documents the redistribution model product outputs based on analyses to support the conceptual model. In this report, ''Ashplume'' is used when referring to the atmospheric dispersal model and ''ASHPLUME'' is used when referencing the code of that model. Two analysis and model reports provide direct inputs to this model report, namely ''Characterize Eruptive Processes at Yucca Mountain, Nevada and Number of Waste Packages Hit by Igneous Intrusion''. This model report provides direct inputs to the TSPA, which uses the ASHPLUME software described and used in this model report. Thus, ASHPLUME software inputs are inputs to this model report for ASHPLUME runs in this model report. However, ASHPLUME software inputs are outputs of this model report for ASHPLUME runs by TSPA.« less

Framing Mechanisms Linking HIV-Related Stigma, Adherence to Treatment, and Health Outcomes

PubMed Central

Hatcher, Abigail M.; Weiser, Sheri D.; Johnson, Mallory O.; Rice, Whitney S.; Turan, Janet M.

2017-01-01

We present a conceptual framework that highlights how unique dimensions of individual-level HIV-related stigma (perceived community stigma, experienced stigma, internalized stigma, and anticipated stigma) might differently affect the health of those living with HIV. HIV-related stigma is recognized as a barrier to both HIV prevention and engagement in HIV care, but little is known about the mechanisms through which stigma leads to worse health behaviors or outcomes. Our conceptual framework posits that, in the context of intersectional and structural stigmas, individual-level dimensions of HIV-related stigma operate through interpersonal factors, mental health, psychological resources, and biological stress pathways. A conceptual framework that encompasses recent advances in stigma science can inform future research and interventions aiming to address stigma as a driver of HIV-related health. PMID:28426316

Framing Mechanisms Linking HIV-Related Stigma, Adherence to Treatment, and Health Outcomes.

PubMed

Turan, Bulent; Hatcher, Abigail M; Weiser, Sheri D; Johnson, Mallory O; Rice, Whitney S; Turan, Janet M

2017-06-01

We present a conceptual framework that highlights how unique dimensions of individual-level HIV-related stigma (perceived community stigma, experienced stigma, internalized stigma, and anticipated stigma) might differently affect the health of those living with HIV. HIV-related stigma is recognized as a barrier to both HIV prevention and engagement in HIV care, but little is known about the mechanisms through which stigma leads to worse health behaviors or outcomes. Our conceptual framework posits that, in the context of intersectional and structural stigmas, individual-level dimensions of HIV-related stigma operate through interpersonal factors, mental health, psychological resources, and biological stress pathways. A conceptual framework that encompasses recent advances in stigma science can inform future research and interventions aiming to address stigma as a driver of HIV-related health.

A qualitative systematic review of patients' experience of osteoporosis using meta-ethnography.

PubMed

Barker, K L; Toye, F; Lowe, C J Minns

2016-12-01

We aimed to systematically review qualitative studies exploring the experience of living with osteoporosis to develop new conceptual understanding. We identified themes about the invisibility/visibility of osteoporosis, the experience of uncertainty of living with osteoporosis (OP) and living with an ageing body and the place of gender. The aim of this review was to systematically review the body of qualitative studies exploring the experience of living with either osteoporosis or osteopenia and to use meta-ethnography to develop new conceptual understanding. We systematically reviewed and integrated the findings of qualitative research from four bibliographic databases (Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Psychinfo) to September 2015 in order to increase our conceptual understanding of the lived experience of osteoporosis and osteopenia. Articles were appraised for quality; each was independently read by two researchers to identify concepts which were compared and developed into a conceptual model. Our findings demonstrate that coming to terms with a diagnosis of osteoporosis is linked to its relative visibility or invisibility. For some, OP has not become manifest and self-identity is intact (biographical integrity). For others, OP is profoundly manifest and self-identity is no long intact (biographical fracture). We also demonstrate that overwhelming uncertainty pervades the experience of OP. Our final theme demonstrates how the experience of OP is set within a cultural context with certain views about ageing and gender. Our synthesis has highlighted the wealth of qualitative data about osteoporosis and osteopenia. Despite the increasing body of literature on the subject, there remains a need to adjust our interactions with patients. This will allow clinicians to understand how patients can be helped to receive and understand their diagnosis and move forward in partnership with healthcare providers to promote optimal management of the disease.

Coupling sensing to crop models for closed-loop plant production in advanced life support systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cavazzoni, James; Ling, Peter P.

1999-01-01

We present a conceptual framework for coupling sensing to crop models for closed-loop analysis of plant production for NASA's program in advanced life support. Crop status may be monitored through non-destructive observations, while models may be independently applied to crop production planning and decision support. To achieve coupling, environmental variables and observations are linked to mode inputs and outputs, and monitoring results compared with model predictions of plant growth and development. The information thus provided may be useful in diagnosing problems with the plant growth system, or as a feedback to the model for evaluation of plant scheduling and potential yield. In this paper, we demonstrate this coupling using machine vision sensing of canopy height and top projected canopy area, and the CROPGRO crop growth model. Model simulations and scenarios are used for illustration. We also compare model predictions of the machine vision variables with data from soybean experiments conducted at New Jersey Agriculture Experiment Station Horticulture Greenhouse Facility, Rutgers University. Model simulations produce reasonable agreement with the available data, supporting our illustration.

The design of two sonic boom wind tunnel models from conceptual aircraft which cruise at Mach numbers of 2.0 and 3.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mack, Robert J.; Needleman, Kathy E.

1990-01-01

A method for designing wind tunnel models of conceptual, low-boom, supersonic cruise aircraft is presented. Also included is a review of the procedures used to design the conceptual low-boom aircraft. In the discussion, problems unique to, and encountered during, the design of both the conceptual aircraft and the wind tunnel models are outlined. The sensitivity of low-boom characteristics in the aircraft design to control the volume and lift equivalent area distributions was emphasized. Solutions to these problems are reported; especially the two which led to the design of the wind tunnel model support stings.

The Model-Building Process in Introductory College Geography: An Illustrative Example

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cadwallader, Martin

1978-01-01

Illustrates the five elements of conceptual models by developing a model of consumer behavior in choosing among alternative supermarkets. The elements are: identifying the problem, constructing a conceptual model, translating it into a symbolic model, operationalizing the model, and testing. (Author/AV)

New diagnostic perspectives on obsessive-compulsive personality disorder and its links with other conditions.

PubMed

Starcevic, Vladan; Brakoulias, Vlasios

2014-01-01

This review examines the conceptualization of obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD), its epidemiology and efforts to better understand the relationships between OCPD and other conditions. The alternative Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders conceptualization of OCPD is radically different in that it combines categorical and dimensional diagnostic approaches and introduces a hierarchy of diagnostic criteria. OCPD is one of the most common personality disorders in the general population. The relationship between OCPD and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is important, but to a large extent obfuscated by the overlap between their diagnostic criteria. Frequent changes in the OCPD diagnostic criteria make it difficult to ascertain the 'true' relationship between OCPD and OCD. It is not uncommon for OCPD to occur with anorexia nervosa, depression, hypochondriasis, certain other personality disorders and Parkinson's disease, but further research is necessary to understand the implications of these links. OCPD is yet to be conceptualized consistently and in the manner that would make a clear and well supported distinction between its core and peripheral features. Future studies need to separate a genuine from overlap-driven co-occurrence of OCPD and other conditions, as that would give a better insight into the way in which OCPD relates to other disorders.

Measuring women's cumulative neighborhood deprivation exposure using longitudinally linked vital records: a method for life course MCH research.

PubMed

Kramer, Michael R; Dunlop, Anne L; Hogue, Carol J R

2014-02-01

A life course conceptual framework for MCH research demands new tools for understanding population health and measuring exposures. We propose a method for measuring population-based socio-environmental trajectories for women of reproductive age. We merged maternal longitudinally-linked births to Georgia-resident women from 1994 to 2007 with census economic and social measures using residential geocodes to create woman-centered socio-environmental trajectories. We calculated a woman's neighborhood deprivation index (NDI) at the time of each of her births and, from these, we calculated a cumulative NDI. We fit Loess curves to describe average life course NDI trajectories and binomial regression models to test specific life course theory hypotheses relating cumulative NDI to risk for preterm birth. Of the 1,815,944 total live births, we linked 1,000,437 live births to 413,048 unique women with two or more births. Record linkage had high specificity but relatively low sensitivity which appears non-differential with respect to maternal characteristics. Georgia women on average experienced upward mobility across the life course, although differences by race, early life neighborhood quality, and age at first birth produced differences in cumulative NDI. Adjusted binomial models found evidence for modification of the effect of history of prior preterm birth and advancing age on risk for preterm birth by cumulative NDI. The creation of trajectories from geocoded maternal longitudinally-linked vital records is one method to carry out life course MCH research. We discuss approaches for investigating the impact of truncation of the life course, selection bias from migration, and misclassification of cumulative exposure.

Conceptual learning by miniature brains

PubMed Central

Avarguès-Weber, Aurore; Giurfa, Martin

2013-01-01

Concepts act as a cornerstone of human cognition. Humans and non-human primates learn conceptual relationships such as ‘same’, ‘different’, ‘larger than’, ‘better than’, among others. In all cases, the relationships have to be encoded by the brain independently of the physical nature of objects linked by the relation. Consequently, concepts are associated with high levels of cognitive sophistication and are not expected in an insect brain. Yet, various works have shown that the miniature brain of honeybees rapidly learns conceptual relationships involving visual stimuli. Concepts such as ‘same’, ‘different’, ‘above/below of’ or ‘left/right are well mastered by bees. We review here evidence about concept learning in honeybees and discuss both its potential adaptive advantage and its possible neural substrates. The results reviewed here challenge the traditional view attributing supremacy to larger brains when it comes to the elaboration of concepts and have wide implications for understanding how brains can form conceptual relations. PMID:24107530

Preliminary results from the hydrodynamic element of the 1994 entrapment zone study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Burau, J.R.; Stacey, M.; Gartner, J.W.

1995-01-01

This article discusses preliminary results from analyses of USGS hydrodynamic data collected as part of the 1994 Interagency Ecological Program entrapment zone study. The USGS took part in three 30-hour cruises and deployed instruments for measuring currents and salinity from April to June. This article primarily focuses on the analysis of data from five Acoustic Doppler Current ProUers (ADCPs) deployed in Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, and the Western Delta. From these analyses a revised conceptual model of the hydrodynamics of the entrapment/null zone has evolved. The ideas discussed in this newsletter article are essentially working hypotheses, which are presented here to stimulate discussion and further analyses. In this article we discuss the currently-held conceptual model of entrapment and present data that are inconsistent with this conceptual model. Finally, we suggest a revised conceptual model that is consistent with all of the hydrodynamic data collected to date and describe how the 1995 study incorporates our revised conceptual model into its design.

Navigating Tensions Between Conceptual and Metaconceptual Goals in the Use of Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado, Cesar

2015-04-01

Science education involves learning about phenomena at three levels: concrete (facts and generalizations), conceptual (concepts and theories), and metaconceptual (epistemology) (Snir et al. in J Sci Educ Technol 2(2):373-388, 1993). Models are key components in science, can help build conceptual understanding, and may also build metaconceptual understanding. Technology can transform teaching and learning by turning models into interactive simulations that learners can investigate. This paper identifies four characteristics of models and simulations that support conceptual learning but misconstrue models and science at a metaconceptual level. Ahistorical models combine the characteristics of several historical models; they conveniently compile ideas but misrepresent the history of science (Gilbert in Int J Sci Math Educ 2(2):115-130, 2004). Teleological models explain behavior in terms of a final cause; they can lead to useful heuristics but imply purpose in processes driven by chance and probability (Talanquer in Int J Sci Educ 29(7):853-870, 2007). Epistemological overreach occurs when models or simulations imply greater certainty and knowledge about phenomena than warranted; conceptualizing nature as being well known (e.g., having a mathematical structure) poses the danger of conflating model and reality or data and theory. Finally, models are inevitably ontologically impoverished. Real-world deviations and many variables are left out of models, as models' role is to simplify. Models and simulations also lose much of the sensory data present in phenomena. Teachers, designers, and professional development designers and facilitators must thus navigate the tension between conceptual and metaconceptual learning when using models and simulations. For each characteristic, examples are provided, along with recommendations for instruction and design. Prompts for explicit reflective activities around models are provided for each characteristic

Global/Local: What Does It Mean for Global Health Educators and How Do We Do It?

PubMed

Rowthorn, Virginia

2015-01-01

There has been dramatic growth in the number of innovative university programs that focus on social justice and teach community-based strategies that are applicable both domestically in North America and internationally. These programs often are referred to as global/local and reflect an effort to link global health and campus community engagement efforts to acknowledge that a common set of transferable skills can be adapted to work with vulnerable populations wherever they may be. However, the concepts underlying global/local education are undertheorized and universities struggle to make the global/local link without a conceptual framework to guide them in this pursuit. This study reports on the outcomes of a 2015 national meeting of 120 global health educators convened to discuss the concepts underlying global/local education, to share models of global/local programs, and to draft a preliminary list of critical elements of a meaningful and didactically sound global/local educational program. A qualitative analysis was conducted of the discussions that took place at the national meeting. The analysis was supported by videorecordings made of full-group discussions. Results were categorized into a preliminary list of global/local program elements. Additionally, a synthesis was developed of critical issues raised at the meeting that warrant future discussion and study. A preliminary list was developed of 7 program components that global health educators consider essential to categorize a program as global/local and to ensure that such a program includes specific critical elements. Interest is great among global health educators to understand and teach the conceptual link between learning on both the global and community levels. Emphasis on this link has high potential to unite the siloed fields of global health and domestic community public health and the institutions, funding options, and career pathways that flow from them. Future research should focus on implementation of global/local programming and evaluation of student learning and community health outcomes related to such programs. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

INEEL Subregional Conceptual Model Report; Volume 1 - Summary of Existing Knowledge of Natural and Anthropogenic Influences Governing Subsurface Contaminant Transport in the INEEL Subregion of the Eastern Snake River Plain

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

Wichlacz, Paul Louis; Orr, Brennan

2002-08-01

The National Research Council has defined a conceptual model as ''an evolving hypothesis identifying the important features, processes, and events controlling fluid flow and contaminant transport of consequence at a specific field site in the context of a recognized problem''. Presently, several subregional conceptual models are under development at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL). Additionally, facility-specific conceptual models have been described as part of INEEL environmental restoration activities. Compilation of these models is required to develop a comprehensive conceptual model that can be used to strategically plan for future groundwater research activities at the INEEL. Conceptual modelsmore » of groundwater flow and contaminant transport at the INEEL include the description of the geologic framework, matrix hydraulic properties, and inflows and outflows. They also include definitions of the contaminant source term and contaminant transport mechanisms. The geologic framework of the INEEL subregion is described by the geometry of the system, stratigraphic units within the system, and structural features that affect groundwater flow and contaminant transport. These elements define geohydrologic units that make up the Snake River Plain Aquifer (SRPA). The United States Geological Survey (USGS) conceptual model encompasses approximately 1,920 mi2 of the eastern Snake River Plain. The Waste Area Group (WAG)-10 model includes the USGS area and additional areas to the northeast and southeast. Both conceptual models are bounded to the northwest by the Pioneer Mountains, Lost River Range, and Lemhi Mountains. They are bounded to the southeast by groundwater flow paths determined from aquifer water-level contours. The upgradient extent of the USGS model is a water-level contour that includes the northeastern boundary of the INEEL. The WAG-10 model includes more of the Mud Lake area to utilize previous estimates of underflow into the subregion. Both conceptual models extend approximately 25 miles to the southwest of the INEEL, a distance sufficient to include known concentrations of contaminant tracers. Several hypotheses have been developed concerning the effective thickness of the SRPA at the INEEL. The USGS model has defined the effective thickness from electrical resistivity and borehole data to be as much as 2,500 ft in the eastern part of the subregion and as much as 4,000 ft in the southwestern part. The WAG-10 model has developed two alternatives using aquifer-temperature and electrical resistivity data. The ''thick'' aquifer interpretation utilizes colder temperature data and includes a northtrending zone in which the thickness exceeds 1,300 ft and with a maximum thickness of 1,700 ft. The ''thin'' aquifer interpretation minimizes aquifer thickness, with thickness ranging from 328 to 1,300 ft. Facility-specific models generally have focused efforts on the upper 250 ft of saturation. Conceptual models have utilized a stratigraphic data set to define geohydrologic units within the INEEL subregion. This data set, compiled from geophysical logs and cores from boreholes, correlates the thick, complex stack of basalt flows across the subregion. Conceptual models generally concur that the upper geohydrologic unit consists of a section of highly fractured, multiple, thin basalt flows and sedimentary interbeds. Beneath this unit is an areally extensive, thick, unfractured basalt flow that rises above the water table southwest of the INEEL. The bottom unit consists of a thick section of slightly- to moderately-altered basalt. A key objective of the DOE water-integration project at the INEEL is to coordinate development of a subregional conceptual model of groundwater flow and contaminant transport that is based on the best available understanding of geologic and hydrologic features. The first step in this process is to compile and summarize the current conceptual models of groundwater flow and contaminant transport at the INEEL that have been developed from extensive geohydrologic studies conducted during the last 50 years.« less

Analyzing Students' Learning Progressions Throughout a Teaching Sequence on Acoustic Properties of Materials with a Model-Based Inquiry Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, María Isabel; Couso, Digna; Pintó, Roser

2015-04-01

The study we have carried out aims to characterize 15- to 16-year-old students' learning progressions throughout the implementation of a teaching-learning sequence on the acoustic properties of materials. Our purpose is to better understand students' modeling processes about this topic and to identify how the instructional design and actual enactment influences students' learning progressions. This article presents the design principles which elicit the structure and types of modeling and inquiry activities designed to promote students' development of three conceptual models. Some of these activities are enhanced by the use of ICT such as sound level meters connected to data capture systems, which facilitate the measurement of the intensity level of sound emitted by a sound source and transmitted through different materials. Framing this study within the design-based research paradigm, it consists of the experimentation of the designed teaching sequence with two groups of students ( n = 29) in their science classes. The analysis of students' written productions together with classroom observations of the implementation of the teaching sequence allowed characterizing students' development of the conceptual models. Moreover, we could evidence the influence of different modeling and inquiry activities on students' development of the conceptual models, identifying those that have a major impact on students' modeling processes. Having evidenced different levels of development of each conceptual model, our results have been interpreted in terms of the attributes of each conceptual model, the distance between students' preliminary mental models and the intended conceptual models, and the instructional design and enactment.

Using rangeland health assessment to inform successional management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rangeland health assessment provides qualitative information on ecosystem attributes. Successional management is a conceptual framework that allows managers to link information gathered in rangeland health assessment to ecological processes that need to be repaired to allow vegetation to change in ...

Definitional Issues in Emotion Regulation Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bridges, Lisa J.; Denham, Susanne A.; Ganiban, Jody M.

2004-01-01

Operational definitions of emotion regulation are frequently unclear, as are links between emotion regulation measures and underlying theoretical constructs. This is of concern because measurement decisions can have both intentional and unintentional implications for underlying conceptualizations of emotion regulation. This report examines the…

A conceptual model for vision rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Roberts, Pamela S.; Rizzo, John-Ross; Hreha, Kimberly; Wertheimer, Jeffrey; Kaldenberg, Jennifer; Hironaka, Dawn; Riggs, Richard; Colenbrander, August

2017-01-01

Vision impairments are highly prevalent after acquired brain injury (ABI). Conceptual models that focus on constructing intellectual frameworks greatly facilitate comprehension and implementation of practice guidelines in an interprofessional setting. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the vision literature in ABI, describe a conceptual model for vision rehabilitation, explain its potential clinical inferences, and discuss its translation into rehabilitation across multiple practice settings and disciplines. PMID:27997671

A conceptual model for vision rehabilitation.

PubMed

Roberts, Pamela S; Rizzo, John-Ross; Hreha, Kimberly; Wertheimer, Jeffrey; Kaldenberg, Jennifer; Hironaka, Dawn; Riggs, Richard; Colenbrander, August

2016-01-01

Vision impairments are highly prevalent after acquired brain injury (ABI). Conceptual models that focus on constructing intellectual frameworks greatly facilitate comprehension and implementation of practice guidelines in an interprofessional setting. The purpose of this article is to provide a review of the vision literature in ABI, describe a conceptual model for vision rehabilitation, explain its potential clinical inferences, and discuss its translation into rehabilitation across multiple practice settings and disciplines.

Service Level Decision-making in Rural Physiotherapy: Development of Conceptual Models.

PubMed

Adams, Robyn; Jones, Anne; Lefmann, Sophie; Sheppard, Lorraine

2016-06-01

Understanding decision-making about health service provision is increasingly important in an environment of increasing demand and constrained resources. Multiple factors are likely to influence decisions about which services will be provided, yet workforce is the most noted factor in the rural physiotherapy literature. This paper draws together results obtained from exploration of service level decision-making (SLDM) to propose 'conceptual' models of rural physiotherapy SLDM. A prioritized qualitative approach enabled exploration of participant perspectives about rural physiotherapy decision-making. Stakeholder perspectives were obtained through surveys and in-depth interviews. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and reviewed by participants. Participant confidentiality was maintained by coding both participants and sites. A system theory-case study heuristic provided a framework for exploration across sites within the investigation area: a large area of one Australian state with a mix of regional, rural and remote communities. Thirty-nine surveys were received from participants in 11 communities. Nineteen in-depth interviews were conducted with physiotherapists and key decision-makers. Results reveal the complexity of factors influencing rural physiotherapy service provision and the value of a systems approach when exploring decision-making about rural physiotherapy service provision. Six key features were identified that formed the rural physiotherapy SLDM system: capacity and capability; contextual influences; layered decision-making; access issues; value and beliefs; and tensions and conflict. Rural physiotherapy SLDM is not a one-dimensional process but results from the complex interaction of clusters of systems issues. Decision-making about physiotherapy service provision is influenced by both internal and external factors. Similarities in influencing factors and the iterative nature of decision-making emerged, which enabled linking physiotherapy SLDM with clinical decision-making and placing both within the broader healthcare context. The conceptual models provide a way of thinking about decisions informing rural physiotherapy service provision. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Navigating Tensions between Conceptual and Metaconceptual Goals in the Use of Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delgado, Cesar

2015-01-01

Science education involves learning about phenomena at three levels: concrete (facts and generalizations), conceptual (concepts and theories), and metaconceptual (epistemology) (Snir et al. in "J Sci Educ Technol" 2(2):373-388, 1993). Models are key components in science, can help build conceptual understanding, and may also build…

A Scoping Review: Conceptualizations and Pedagogical Models of Learning in Nursing Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poikela, Paula; Teräs, Marianne

2015-01-01

Simulations have been implemented globally in nursing education for years with diverse conceptual foundations. The aim of this scoping review is to examine the literature regarding the conceptualizations of learning and pedagogical models in nursing simulations. A scoping review of peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2013 was…

The relations among maternal depressive disorder, maternal Expressed Emotion, and toddler behavior problems and attachment

PubMed Central

Gravener, Julie A.; Rogosch, Fred A.; Oshri, Assaf; Narayan, Angela J.; Cicchetti, Dante; Toth, Sheree L.

2015-01-01

Direct and indirect relations among maternal depression, maternal Expressed Emotion (EE: Self- and Child-Criticism), child internalizing and externalizing symptoms, and child attachment were examined. Participants were mothers with depression (n = 130) and comparison mothers (n = 68) and their toddlers (M age = 20 mo.; 53% male). Assessments included the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (maternal depression); the Five Minute Speech Sample (EE); the Child Behavior Checklist (toddler behavior problems); the Strange Situation (child attachment). Direct relations were significant linking: 1) maternal depression with both EE and child functioning; 2) Child-Criticism with child internalizing and externalizing symptoms; 3) Self-Criticism with child attachment. Significant indirect relations were found linking maternal depression with: 1) child externalizing behaviors via Child-Criticism; 2) child internalizing behaviors via Self- and Child-Criticism; and 3) child attachment via Self-Criticism. Findings are consistent with a conceptual model in which maternal EE mediates relations between maternal depression and toddler socio-emotional functioning. PMID:22146899

Loops and Self-Reference in the Construction of Dictionaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levary, David; Eckmann, Jean-Pierre; Moses, Elisha; Tlusty, Tsvi

2012-07-01

Dictionaries link a given word to a set of alternative words (the definition) which in turn point to further descendants. Iterating through definitions in this way, one typically finds that definitions loop back upon themselves. We demonstrate that such definitional loops are created in order to introduce new concepts into a language. In contrast to the expectations for a random lexical network, in graphs of the dictionary, meaningful loops are quite short, although they are often linked to form larger, strongly connected components. These components are found to represent distinct semantic ideas. This observation can be quantified by a singular value decomposition, which uncovers a set of conceptual relationships arising in the global structure of the dictionary. Finally, we use etymological data to show that elements of loops tend to be added to the English lexicon simultaneously and incorporate our results into a simple model for language evolution that falls within the “rich-get-richer” class of network growth.

Conceptualization of preferential flow for hillslope stability assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukemilks, Karlis; Wagner, Jean-Frank; Saks, Tomas; Brunner, Philip

2018-03-01

This study uses two approaches to conceptualize preferential flow with the goal to investigate their influence on hillslope stability. Synthetic three-dimensional hydrogeological models using dual-permeability and discrete-fracture conceptualization were subsequently integrated into slope stability simulations. The slope stability simulations reveal significant differences in slope stability depending on the preferential flow conceptualization applied, despite similar small-scale hydrogeological responses of the system. This can be explained by a local-scale increase of pore-water pressures observed in the scenario with discrete fractures. The study illustrates the critical importance of correctly conceptualizing preferential flow for slope stability simulations. It further demonstrates that the combination of the latest generation of physically based hydrogeological models with slope stability simulations allows for improvement to current modeling approaches through more complex consideration of preferential flow paths.

An Information Infrastructure for Coastal Models and Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardin, D.; Keiser, K.; Conover, H.; Graves, S.

2007-12-01

Advances in semantics and visualization have given rise to new capabilities for the location, manipulation, integration, management and display of data and information in and across domains. An example of these capabilities is illustrated by a coastal restoration project that utilizes satellite, in-situ data and hydrodynamic model output to address seagrass habitat restoration in the Northern Gulf of Mexico. In this project a standard stressor conceptual model was implemented as an ontology in addition to the typical CMAP diagram. The ontology captures the elements of the seagrass conceptual model as well as the relationships between them. Noesis, developed by the University of Alabama in Huntsville, is an application that provides a simple but powerful way to search and organize data and information represented by ontologies. Noesis uses domain ontologies to help scope search queries to ensure that search results are both accurate and complete. Semantics are captured by refining the query terms to cover synonyms, specializations, generalizations and related concepts. As a resource aggregator Noesis categorizes search results returned from multiple, concurrent search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Ask.com. Search results are further directed by accessing domain specific catalogs that include outputs from hydrodynamic and other models. Embedded within the search results are links that invoke applications such as web map displays, animation tools and virtual globe applications such as Google Earth. In the seagrass prioritization project Noesis is used to locate information that is vital to understanding the impact of stressors on the habitat. This presentation will show how the intelligent search capabilities of Noesis are coupled with visualization tools and model output to investigate the restoration of seagrass habitat.

Cell organisation in the colonic crypt: a theoretical comparison of the pedigree and niche concepts.

PubMed

van der Wath, Richard C; Gardiner, Bruce S; Burgess, Antony W; Smith, David W

2013-01-01

The intestinal mucosa is a monolayer of rapidly self-renewing epithelial cells which is not only responsible for absorption of water and nutrients into the bloodstream but also acts as a protective barrier against harmful microbes entering the body. New functional epithelial cells are produced from stem cells, and their proliferating progeny. These stem cells are found within millions of crypts (tubular pits) spaced along the intestinal tract. The entire intestinal epithelium is replaced every 2-3 days in mice (3-5 days in humans) and hence cell production, differentiation, migration and turnover need to be tightly regulated. Malfunctions in this regulation are strongly linked to inflammatory bowel diseases and to the formation of adenomas and ultimately cancerous tumours. Despite a great deal of biological experimentation and observation, precisely how colonic crypts are regulated to produce mature colonocytes remains unclear. To assist in understanding how cell organisation in crypts is achieved, two very different conceptual models of cell behaviour are developed here, referred to as the 'pedigree' and the 'niche' models. The pedigree model proposes that crypt cells are largely preprogrammed and receive minimal prompting from the environment as they move through a routine of cell differentiation and proliferation to become mature colonocytes. The niche model proposes that crypt cells are primarily influenced by the local microenvironments along the crypt, and that predetermined cell behaviour plays a negligible role in their development. In this paper we present a computational model of colonic crypts in the mouse, which enables a comparison of the quality and controllability of mature coloncyte production by crypts operating under these two contrasting conceptual models of crypt regulation.

Cell Organisation in the Colonic Crypt: A Theoretical Comparison of the Pedigree and Niche Concepts

PubMed Central

van der Wath, Richard C.; Gardiner, Bruce S.; Burgess, Antony W.; Smith, David W.

2013-01-01

The intestinal mucosa is a monolayer of rapidly self-renewing epithelial cells which is not only responsible for absorption of water and nutrients into the bloodstream but also acts as a protective barrier against harmful microbes entering the body. New functional epithelial cells are produced from stem cells, and their proliferating progeny. These stem cells are found within millions of crypts (tubular pits) spaced along the intestinal tract. The entire intestinal epithelium is replaced every 2–3 days in mice (3–5 days in humans) and hence cell production, differentiation, migration and turnover need to be tightly regulated. Malfunctions in this regulation are strongly linked to inflammatory bowel diseases and to the formation of adenomas and ultimately cancerous tumours. Despite a great deal of biological experimentation and observation, precisely how colonic crypts are regulated to produce mature colonocytes remains unclear. To assist in understanding how cell organisation in crypts is achieved, two very different conceptual models of cell behaviour are developed here, referred to as the ‘pedigree’ and the ‘niche’ models. The pedigree model proposes that crypt cells are largely preprogrammed and receive minimal prompting from the environment as they move through a routine of cell differentiation and proliferation to become mature colonocytes. The niche model proposes that crypt cells are primarily influenced by the local microenvironments along the crypt, and that predetermined cell behaviour plays a negligible role in their development. In this paper we present a computational model of colonic crypts in the mouse, which enables a comparison of the quality and controllability of mature coloncyte production by crypts operating under these two contrasting conceptual models of crypt regulation. PMID:24069177

Guided Cognitive Reframing of Adolescent-Father Conflict: Who Mexican American and European Adolescents Seek and Why

PubMed Central

Cookston, Jeffrey T; Olide, Andres F.; Adams, Michele; Fabricius, William V.; Braver, Sanford L.; Parke, Ross D.

2013-01-01

Adolescents may seek to understand family conflict by seeking out confidants. However, little is known about whom adolescents seek, whether and how such support helps youth, and the factors that predict which sources are sought. This chapter offers a conceptual model of guided cognitive reframing that emphasizes the behavioral, cognitive, and affective implications of confidant support as well as individual, family, and cultural factors linked to support seeking. We present empirical data from 392 families of 7th graders of Mexican and European ancestry to predict whether adolescents seek mothers, co-resident fathers, and other sources and provide directions for subsequent research. PMID:22407883

Rethinking the systems of care definition: an indigenous perspective.

PubMed

Cross, Terry; Bartgis, Jami; Fox, Kathleen

2010-02-01

This paper will describe systems of care as a cultural phenomenon by highlighting western versus indigenous models of thinking. Inherent within the system of care definition are biases and assumptions that result in a highly linear and culturally bound process for understanding a "reality" that is not necessarily shared by all. Overarching concerns include value-laden language, the development of the systems of care principles, and the conceptualization of the changing definitions over time. Within the definition of systems of care presented, there are biases and embedded assumptions that continue to cause disparities in health for culturally diverse communities. The paper will examine these cultural biases and assumptions and their link to access, availability, and acceptability of services.

A New Method for Conceptual Modelling of Information Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gustas, Remigijus; Gustiene, Prima

Service architecture is not necessarily bound to the technical aspects of information system development. It can be defined by using conceptual models that are independent of any implementation technology. Unfortunately, the conventional information system analysis and design methods cover just a part of required modelling notations for engineering of service architectures. They do not provide effective support to maintain semantic integrity between business processes and data. Service orientation is a paradigm that can be applied for conceptual modelling of information systems. The concept of service is rather well understood in different domains. It can be applied equally well for conceptualization of organizational and technical information system components. This chapter concentrates on analysis of the differences between service-oriented modelling and object-oriented modelling. Service-oriented method is used for semantic integration of information system static and dynamic aspects.

Implementation of nursing conceptual models: observations of a multi-site research team.

PubMed

Shea, H; Rogers, M; Ross, E; Tucker, D; Fitch, M; Smith, I

1989-01-01

The general acceptance by nursing of the nursing process as the methodology of practice enabled nurses to have a common grounding for practice, research and theory development in the 1970s. It has become clear, however, that the nursing process is just that--a process. What is sorely needed is the nursing content for that process and consequently in the past 10 years nursing theorists have further developed their particular conceptual models (CM). Three major teaching hospitals in Toronto have instituted a conceptual model (CM) of nursing as a basis of nursing practice. Mount Sinai Hospital has adopted Roy's adaptation model; Sunnybrook Medical Centre, Kings's goal attainment model; and Toronto General Hospital, Orem's self-care deficit theory model. All of these hospitals are affiliated through a series of cross appointments with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Toronto. Two community hospitals, Mississauga and Scarborough General, have also adopted Orem's model and are related to the University through educational, community and interest groups. A group of researchers from these hospitals and the University of Toronto have proposed a collaborative project to determine what impact using a conceptual model will make on nursing practice. Discussions among the participants of this research group indicate that there are observations associated with instituting conceptual models that can be identified early in the process of implementation. These observations may be of assistance to others contemplating the implementation of conceptually based practice in their institution.