Effects of Adolescent Sociocognitive Development on the Cortisol Response to Social Evaluation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van den Bos, Esther; van Duijvenvoorde, Anna C. K.; Westenberg, P. Michiel

2016-01-01

Adolescents become increasingly sensitive to social evaluation. Some previous studies have related this change to pubertal development. The present longitudinal study examined the role of sociocognitive development. We investigated whether or not the transition to recursive thinking, the ability to think about (others') thoughts, would be…

White Matter Development during Adolescence as Shown by Diffusion MRI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmithorst, Vincent J.; Yuan, Weihong

2010-01-01

Previous volumetric developmental MRI studies of the brain have shown white matter development continuing through adolescence and into adulthood. This review presents current findings regarding white matter development and organization from diffusion MRI studies. The general trend during adolescence (age 12-18 years) is towards increasing…

Suprasegmental Phonology Development and Reading Acquisition: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calet, Nuria; Gutiérrez-Palma, Nicolás; Simpson, Ian C.; González-Trujillo, M. Carmen; Defior, Sylvia

2015-01-01

Previous studies implicate suprasegmental phonology in reading acquisition. However, little is known about how suprasegmental sensitivity develops or how it contributes to reading. Here, 130 Spanish primary-school children participated in this 2-year longitudinal study. Nonlinguistic rhythm, lexical-stress sensitivity and metrical-stress…

Learning & Growing: Integrating Technology Undergraduates into the Development of an Industrial Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Kathryne; Schmidt, Edie

2004-01-01

A national industrial distribution association approached the authors to develop a case study for its association members. The national association assumed responsibility for identifying educational needs of upper level, mid level, and lower level personnel in the industry. In the previous year, a case study had been developed to educate upper…

SOLID-FUEL HOUSEHOLD COOK STOVES: CHARACTERIZATION OF PERFORMANCE AND EMISSIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies have shown that some fuel-efficient solid-fuel cook stoves have had worse pollutant emissions of PICs (products of incomplete combustion) than traditional cooking methods. Better stoves have been developed to reduce emissions, but test results have not previously...

Development of a model for predicting NASA/MSFC program success

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riggs, Jeffrey; Miller, Tracy; Finley, Rosemary

1990-01-01

Research conducted during the execution of a previous contract (NAS8-36955/0039) firmly established the feasibility of developing a tool to aid decision makers in predicting the potential success of proposed projects. The final report from that investigation contains an outline of the method to be applied in developing this Project Success Predictor Model. As a follow-on to the previous study, this report describes in detail the development of this model and includes full explanation of the data-gathering techniques used to poll expert opinion. The report includes the presentation of the model code itself.

Educative Mentoring: How a Mentor Supported a Preservice Biology Teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barnett, Ellen; Friedrichsen, Patricia J.

2015-11-01

Research suggests discipline-specific, educative mentoring can help preservice teachers develop more sophisticated pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). However, there are few studies examining the nature of mentors' practice and how mentors influence preservice teacher's (PST) PCK. The purpose of this case study was to describe the strategies used by a secondary biology mentor teacher to support the development of a PST's PCK. The primary data sources were the transcripts of audio-recorded, daily meetings between the mentor and the PST during two curriculum units: DNA/Protein Synthesis and Evolution. The mentor influenced the PST's teaching orientation by repeatedly comparing teacher- and student-centered approaches, asking him to consider how students learn, and asking him to self-assess whether his instruction aligned with his teaching beliefs. The mentor helped the PST develop topic-specific knowledge of instructional strategies by sharing strategies she used previously, modeling critical reflection, and inviting him to critically reflect on his own instructional strategies. Topic-specific knowledge of students' understanding of science was developed by discussing common student misconceptions revealed in students' conversations and by sharing the results of test-item analysis from previous unit tests. The mentor helped develop the PST's topic-specific knowledge of assessment by helping him critically analyze and revise previous examinations to better align with the current curriculum units. Topic-specific knowledge of curricula was developed by jointly grappling with decisions about concept sequencing within units. The study includes implications for research, science teacher education, and professional development for mentors.

Concepts of illness in Icelandic children.

PubMed

Hansdottir, I; Malcarne, V L

1998-06-01

To investigate the development of illness concepts among healthy Icelandic children. Participants were 68 schoolchildren, 6-7, 10-11, and 14-15 years of age, and their parents. Cognitive developmental level and understanding of physical illness were assessed within a Piagetian framework. In addition, illness experience and illness behaviors (Child Illness Behavior Questionnaire) were assessed. Results were consistent with previous studies in that the development of illness concepts among Icelandic children was consistent with Piaget's theory of cognitive development. No relation was found between illness experience and understanding of illness. A more mature understanding of illness was related to willingness to report the onset of illness. The results suggest that findings from previous studies may be generalized to a broader population.

Simulation model calibration and validation : phase II : development of implementation handbook and short course.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

A previous study developed a procedure for microscopic simulation model calibration and validation and evaluated the procedure via two relatively simple case studies using three microscopic simulation models. Results showed that default parameters we...

Evaluation of new binders using newly developed fracture energy test.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-07-01

This study evaluated a total of seven asphalt binders with various additives : using the newly developed binder fracture energy test. The researchers prepared and : tested PAV-aged and RTFO-plus-PAV-aged specimens. This study confirmed previous : res...

The aggregate complexity of decisions in the game of Go

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harré, M. S.; Bossomaier, T.; Gillett, A.; Snyder, A.

2011-04-01

Artificial intelligence (AI) research is fast approaching, or perhaps has already reached, a bottleneck whereby further advancement towards practical human-like reasoning in complex tasks needs further quantified input from large studies of human decision-making. Previous studies in psychology, for example, often rely on relatively small cohorts and very specific tasks. These studies have strongly influenced some of the core notions in AI research such as the reinforcement learning and the exploration versus exploitation paradigms. With the goal of contributing to this direction in AI developments we present our findings on the evolution towards world-class decision-making across large cohorts of subjects in the formidable game of Go. Some of these findings directly support previous work on how experts develop their skills but we also report on several previously unknown aspects of the development of expertise that suggests new avenues for AI research to explore. In particular, at the level of play that has so far eluded current AI systems for Go, we are able to quantify the lack of `predictability' of experts and how this changes with their level of skill.

The Measurement and Dimensionality of Mobile Learning Systems Success: Two-Stage Development and Validation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Hsin-Hui; Wang, Yi-Shun; Li, Ci-Rong; Shih, Ying-Wei; Lin, Shin-Jeng

2017-01-01

The main purpose of this study is to develop and validate a multidimensional instrument for measuring mobile learning systems success (MLSS) based on the previous research. This study defines the construct of MLSS, develops a generic MLSS instrument with desirable psychometric properties, and explores the instrument's theoretical and practical…

The Production of Figurative Language in Typically Developing Children and Williams Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naylor, Lauren; Van Herwegen, Jo

2012-01-01

The current study investigated the development of figurative language production, including different types of figurative expressions, during a fictional narrative in 20 typically developing (TD) children and 20 children with Williams syndrome (WS) aged 7-18 years old. In contrast to previous studies, developmental trajectories showed that (1) the…

Eye tracking uncovered great apes' ability to anticipate that other individuals will act according to false beliefs.

PubMed

Kano, Fumihiro; Krupenye, Christopher; Hirata, Satoshi; Call, Josep

2017-01-01

Using a novel eye-tracking test, we recently showed that great apes anticipate that other individuals will act according to false beliefs. This finding suggests that, like humans, great apes understand others' false beliefs, at least in an implicit way. One key question raised by our study is why apes have passed our tests but not previous ones. In this article, we consider this question by detailing the development of our task. We considered 3 major differences in our task compared with the previous ones. First, we monitored apes' eye movements, and specifically their anticipatory looks, to measure their predictions about how agents will behave. Second, we adapted our design from an anticipatory-looking false belief test originally developed for human infants. Third, we developed novel test scenarios that were specifically designed to capture the attention of our ape participants. We then discuss how each difference may help explain differences in performance on our task and previous ones, and finally propose some directions for future studies.

Problem Space Matters: The Development of Creativity and Intelligence in Primary School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welter, Marisete Maria; Jaarsveld, Saskia; Lachmann, Thomas

2017-01-01

Previous research showed that in primary school, children's intelligence develops continually, but creativity develops more irregularly. In this study, the development of intelligence, measured traditionally, i.e., operating within well-defined problem spaces (Standard Progressive Matrices) was compared with the development of intelligence…

Expanded research and development of an enhanced rear signaling system for commercial motor vehicles.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-04-01

The purpose of the current study was to further develop and refine the prototype Enhanced Rear Signaling (ERS) : system that was developed during the previous Phase III effort. Expanded development efforts for the ERS system : included modification o...

Primary care-led commissioning: applying lessons from the past to the early development of clinical commissioning groups in England.

PubMed

Checkland, Kath; Coleman, Anna; McDermott, Imelda; Segar, Julia; Miller, Rosalind; Petsoulas, Christina; Wallace, Andrew; Harrison, Stephen; Peckham, Stephen

2013-09-01

The current reorganisation of the English NHS is one of the most comprehensive ever seen. This study reports early evidence from the development of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), a key element in the new structures. To explore the development of CCGs in the context of what is known from previous studies of GP involvement in commissioning. Case study analysis from sites chosen to provide maximum variety across a number of dimensions, from September 2011 to June 2012. A case study analysis was conducted using eight detailed qualitative case studies supplemented by descriptive information from web surveys at two points in time. Data collection involved observation of a variety of meetings, and interviews with key participants. Previous research shows that clinical involvement in commissioning is most effective when GPs feel able to act autonomously. Complicated internal structures, alongside developing external accountability relationships mean that CCGs' freedom to act may be subject to considerable constraint. Effective GP engagement is also important in determining outcomes of clinical commissioning, and there are a number of outstanding issues for CCGs, including: who feels 'ownership' of the CCG; how internal communication is conceptualised and realised; and the role and remit of locality groups. Previous incarnations of GP-led commissioning have tended to focus on local and primary care services. CCGs are keen to act to improve quality in their constituent practices, using approaches that many developed under practice-based commissioning. Constrained managerial support and the need to maintain GP engagement may have an impact. CCGs are new organisations, faced with significant new responsibilities. This study provides early evidence of issues that CCGs and those responsible for CCG development may wish to address.

Primary care-led commissioning: applying lessons from the past to the early development of clinical commissioning groups in England

PubMed Central

Checkland, Kath; Coleman, Anna; McDermott, Imelda; Segar, Julia; Miller, Rosalind; Petsoulas, Christina; Wallace, Andrew; Harrison, Stephen; Peckham, Stephen

2013-01-01

Background The current reorganisation of the English NHS is one of the most comprehensive ever seen. This study reports early evidence from the development of clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), a key element in the new structures. Aim To explore the development of CCGs in the context of what is known from previous studies of GP involvement in commissioning. Design and setting Case study analysis from sites chosen to provide maximum variety across a number of dimensions, from September 2011 to June 2012. Method A case study analysis was conducted using eight detailed qualitative case studies supplemented by descriptive information from web surveys at two points in time. Data collection involved observation of a variety of meetings, and interviews with key participants. Results Previous research shows that clinical involvement in commissioning is most effective when GPs feel able to act autonomously. Complicated internal structures, alongside developing external accountability relationships mean that CCGs’ freedom to act may be subject to considerable constraint. Effective GP engagement is also important in determining outcomes of clinical commissioning, and there are a number of outstanding issues for CCGs, including: who feels ‘ownership’ of the CCG; how internal communication is conceptualised and realised; and the role and remit of locality groups. Previous incarnations of GP-led commissioning have tended to focus on local and primary care services. CCGs are keen to act to improve quality in their constituent practices, using approaches that many developed under practice-based commissioning. Constrained managerial support and the need to maintain GP engagement may have an impact. Conclusion CCGs are new organisations, faced with significant new responsibilities. This study provides early evidence of issues that CCGs and those responsible for CCG development may wish to address. PMID:23998841

Periodontitis and type 2 diabetes among women with previous gestational diabetes: epidemiological and immunological aspects in a follow-up of three years.

PubMed

Esteves Lima, Rafael Paschoal; Cota, Luis Otávio Miranda; Silva, Tarcília Aparecida; Cortelli, Sheila Cavalca; Cortelli, José Roberto; Costa, Fernando Oliveira

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to verify the incidence on the development of type 2 diabetes in women with previous gestational diabetes with and without periodontitis after a three-year time interval. Initial sample of this follow-up study consisted of 90 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes who underwent periodontal examination. After three years, 49 women were subjected to new periodontal examination and biological, behavioral, and social data of interest were collected. Additionally, the quantification of the C-reactive protein in blood samples was performed. Fasting glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels were requested. Saliva samples were collected for quantification of interleukin 6 and 10, tumor necrosis factor α, matrix metalloproteinase 2 and 9. The incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus was 18.4% and of periodontitis was 10.2%. There was no significant difference in the incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus among women with and without periodontitis. It was observed impact of C-reactive protein in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, it was not observed impact of periodontitis on the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus among women with previous gestational diabetes. It was not observed impact of periodontitis on the development of type 2 diabetes among women with previous gestational diabetes. The impact of C-reactive protein in the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus highlights the importance of an inflammatory process in the diabetes pathogenesis.

Quantifying the influence of previously burned areas on suppression effectiveness and avoided exposure: A case study of the Las Conchas Fire

Treesearch

Matthew P. Thompson; Patrick Freeborn; Jon D. Rieck; Dave Calkin; Julie W. Gilbertson-Day; Mark A. Cochrane; Michael S. Hand

2016-01-01

We present a case study of the Las Conchas Fire (2011) to explore the role of previously burned areas (wildfires and prescribed fires) on suppression effectiveness and avoided exposure. Methodological innovations include characterisation of the joint dynamics of fire growth and suppression activities, development of a fire line effectiveness framework, and...

Conceptualizing Learning and Employability "Learning and Employability Framework"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sumanasiri, Erabaddage Gishan Tharanga; Yajid, Mohd Shukri Ab; Khatibi, Ali

2015-01-01

Extensive studies have been done on employability and the factors that lead to employability. Previous studies have focused on career development programs, internships, work experience programs, soft-skill development programs, and even university admission criteria which can be considered external factors to university student learning…

Visitors' perceptions of tourism development in West Virginia

Treesearch

Jinyang Deng; Maureen Young Bender

2008-01-01

Previous studies indicate that tourists' destination choices are increasingly influenced by perceptions of sustainability but research into tourists' insights and sensitivities about sustainability is lacking. This study examines how visitors to West Virginia perceive tourism development in the state. Findings indicate that visitors' perceptions are...

Validation of transcutaneous bilirubin nomogram for identifying neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in healthy Chinese term and late-preterm infants: a multicenter study.

PubMed

Yu, Zhangbin; Han, Shuping; Wu, Jinxia; Li, Mingxia; Wang, Huaiyan; Wang, Jimei; Liu, Jiebo; Pan, Xinnian; Yang, Jie; Chen, Chao

2014-01-01

to prospectively validate a previously constructed transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) nomogram for identifying severe hyperbilirubinemia in healthy Chinese term and late-preterm infants. this was a multicenter study that included 9,174 healthy term and late-preterm infants in eight hospitals of China. TcB measurements were performed using a JM-103 bilirubinometer. TcB values were plotted on a previously developed TcB nomogram, to identify the predictive ability for subsequent significant hyperbilirubinemia. in the present study, 972 neonates (10.6%) developed significant hyperbilirubinemia. The 40(th) percentile of the nomogram could identify all neonates who were at risk of significant hyperbilirubinemia, but with a low positive predictive value (PPV) (18.9%). Of the 453 neonates above the 95(th) percentile, 275 subsequently developed significant hyperbilirubinemia, with a high PPV (60.7%), but with low sensitivity (28.3%). The 75(th) percentile was highly specific (81.9%) and moderately sensitive (79.8%). The area under the curve (AUC) for the TcB nomogram was 0.875. this study validated the previously developed TcB nomogram, which could be used to predict subsequent significant hyperbilirubinemia in healthy Chinese term and late-preterm infants. However, combining TcB nomogram and clinical risk factors could improve the predictive accuracy for severe hyperbilirubinemia, which was not assessed in the study. Further studies are necessary to confirm this combination. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Recasts, Field Dependence/Independence Cognitive Style, and L2 Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rassaei, Ehsan

2015-01-01

While previous research has indicated that learners with field-dependence (FD) and field-independence (FI) cognitive styles benefit differentially from different instructional modes, previous corrective feedback studies have ignored the issue of matching error correction strategies to learners' cognitive style. To shed some light on this issue,…

Character Development in Business Education: A Comparison of Coeducational and Single-Sex Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, James H.; Ruhe, John; Lee, Monle; Rajadhyaksha, Ujvala

2011-01-01

This study questions the widely held assumption, particularly in the United States, that coeducation is best. Previous research supports the development of single-sex education for both female and male students. This study examines how the learning climate of the coeducation environment seems to affect the character development of female business…

The Essence of the Principal's Role in a Professional Development School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tilford, Keith L.

2007-01-01

My research study explored how principals make sense of their role in a Professional Development School. Previous research related to Professional Development Schools has focused on teachers and university students, while few empirical studies have been focused on principals and the role they play in K-12 and university partnerships. This…

Talk, Decisions, and Action in Curriculum-Making: Reflections on the "ILS" and "L97" Case Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westbury, Ian

2016-01-01

Previous papers in this issue of "JCS" have presented case studies of the state-based curriculum commissions that developed the "Illinois Learning Standards" of 1997 and Norway's "Laereplanverket 1997" ("L97") (1997). The studies were developed using as a framework a body of German research that sees…

Developments in x-ray tomography I - IX

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stock, S. R.

2016-10-01

Nine Developments in X-ray Tomography conferences have been held previously, and this paper summarizes data from these conference proceedings. The Developments conference provides snapshots of the x-ray tomography field which spans clinical and biological applications, engineering and industrial studies and physical sciences.

Development of the first-mention bias*

PubMed Central

HARTSHORNE, JOSHUA K.; NAPPA, REBECCA; SNEDEKER, JESSE

2015-01-01

In many contexts, pronouns are interpreted as referring to the character mentioned first in the previous sentence, an effect called the ‘first-mention bias’. While adults can rapidly use the first-mention bias to guide pronoun interpretation, it is unclear when this bias emerges during development. Curiously, experiments with children between two and three years old show successful use of order of mention, while experiments with older children (four to five years old) do not. While this could suggest U-shaped development, it could also reflect differences in the methodologies employed. We show that children can indeed use first-mention information, but do so too slowly to have been detected in previous work reporting null results. Comparison across the present and previously published studies suggests that the speed at which children deploy first-mention information increases greatly during the preschool years. PMID:24735525

What Will Be the Impact of Programs of Study? A Preliminary Assessment Based on Similar Previous Initiatives, State Plans for Implementation, and Career Development Theory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Morgan V.; Kosine, Natalie R.

2008-01-01

This publication provides background to inform the implementation of Programs of Study (POS) as required by grantees of funds authorized under the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006. The report is a review of the evidence on the effectiveness of previous similar initiatives and an examination of the implications…

1981 Follow-Up Study of Students Enrolled and Previously Enrolled in the Michigan School for the Blind and the Michigan School for the Deaf.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livingston-White, Deborah J. H.

A followup study of currently and previously enrolled students of the Michigan School for the Blind (MSB) and the Michigan School for the Deaf (MSD) is reported. Eligibility guidelines, services, enrollment, costs, and nature of the student body at each institution are described. Development and use of four questionnaires to evaluate eight…

Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Work Limitations Questionnaire in employees of multiple private companies.

PubMed

Ida, Hiromasa; Nakagawa, Kazumi; Tanoue, Asuka; Nakamura, Kentarou; Okamura, Tatsuya

2017-01-31

Previous studies reported that presenteeism costs the enterprises more than absenteeism. It becomes more important for corporate management to evaluate the outcomes of health promotion initiatives for their employees using work performance scales in Japan. We previously developed a Japanese version of Work Limitations Questionnaire (WLQ-J), a presenteeism scale developed by Lerner D. et al., and conducted an internet survey to examine the reliability and validity of WLQ-J with 710 employees from an IT company and a medical institution as subjects and reported the study results (Ida et al, 2012). The objective of the present study is to examine the reliability and validity of WLQ-J with employees from more companies and industries than those included in the previous study. We analyzed for 4,440 employees from 14 companies and 9 industries as subjects, who were selected from a total of 4,712 employees who answered both WLQ-J and Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ) on the internet or paper survey conducted from September 2014 to January 2015. The subjects' average age was 40.3±11.8 years (33.2±9.5 years in the previous study), with the percentage of males and females being 77.9% and 21.1%, respectively. The factor structure of WLQ-J accorded with that of the original version of WLQ. This supports the factorial validity of WLQ-J. In addition, sufficient internal consistency was recognized by Cronbach's alpha of the whole scale (0.87 for the present study and 0.97 for the previous study) and the subscales (0.77-0.94 for the present study and 0.88-0.95 for the previous study). The four subscale scores of WLQ-J were significantly correlated with the stress response of BJSQ with correlation coefficients of 0.28-0.64 for the present study and 0.39-0.60 for the previous study (p < 0.01 for both studies). Moreover, criterion-related validity of WLQ-J was also supported by the significant dose-response relationship between the subscale scores of WLQ-J and stress response of BJSQ (p < 0.01 for the previous study and p < 0.001 for the present study). The present study demonstrated the reliability and validity of WLQ-J in a population of employees from more companies and industries than those in the previous study, with its average age and percentage of males and females close to those of the whole Japanese industries. This suggests that WLQ-J is available as a stable scale for presenteeism in different populations in Japan.

Implementation of a model based fault detection and diagnosis for actuation faults of the Space Shuttle main engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duyar, A.; Guo, T.-H.; Merrill, W.; Musgrave, J.

1992-01-01

In a previous study, Guo, Merrill and Duyar, 1990, reported a conceptual development of a fault detection and diagnosis system for actuation faults of the space shuttle main engine. This study, which is a continuation of the previous work, implements the developed fault detection and diagnosis scheme for the real time actuation fault diagnosis of the space shuttle main engine. The scheme will be used as an integral part of an intelligent control system demonstration experiment at NASA Lewis. The diagnosis system utilizes a model based method with real time identification and hypothesis testing for actuation, sensor, and performance degradation faults.

The Development of Technical and Vocational Education in Indonesia--A Case Study in Quality Improvement. Case Studies on Technical and Vocational Education in Asia and the Pacific.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakri, Mohamad

After its independence in 1969, Indonesia studied and analyzed its previous colonial system of technical and vocational education (TVE) and took steps to overcome the shortcomings. TVE was required to provide expansion of work opportunities and industrial development to promote national development. Until 1989, attention was given to further…

Occupational safety and health management in the construction industry: a review.

PubMed

Jaafar, Mohd Hafiidz; Arifin, Kadir; Aiyub, Kadaruddin; Razman, Muhammad Rizal; Ishak, Muhammad Izzuddin Syakir; Samsurijan, Mohamad Shaharudin

2017-09-11

The construction industry plays a significant role in contributing to the economy and development globally. During the process of construction, various hazards coupled with the unique nature of the industry contribute to high fatality rates. This review refers to previous published studies and related Malaysian legislation documents. Four main elements consisting of human, worksite, management and external elements which cause occupational accidents and illnesses were identified. External and management elements are the underlying causes contributing to occupational safety and health (OSH), while human and worksite elements are more apparent causes of occupational accidents and illnesses. An effective OSH management approach is required to contain all hazards at construction sites. An approach to OSH management constructed by elements of policy, process, personnel and incentive developed in previous work is explored. Changes to the sub-elements according to previous studies and the related Malaysian legislation are also covered in this review.

Reading, Writing, and Animation in Character Learning in Chinese as a Foreign Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Yi; Chang, Li-Yun; Zhang, Juan; Perfetti, Charles A.

2013-01-01

Previous studies suggest that writing helps reading development in Chinese in both first and second language settings by enabling higher-quality orthographic representation of the characters. This study investigated the comparative effectiveness of reading, animation, and writing in developing foreign language learners' orthographic knowledge…

National Policy and the Development of Inclusive School Practices: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dyson, Alan; Gallannaugh, Frances

2007-01-01

National education policy in England under New Labour Governments has encompassed both a "standards agenda" and an "inclusion agenda", with schools required to respond to both simultaneously. Some previous studies have seen these agendas as contradictory and have seen schools' efforts to develop inclusive practices as being…

Fostering Critical Thinking in Undergraduate Nursing Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LuPone, Kathleen A.

2017-01-01

Results from previous studies indicated nursing students needed to further develop critical thinking (CT) especially with respect to employing it in their clinical reasoning. Thus, the study was conducted to support development of students' CT in the areas of inference subskills that could be applied as they engaged in clinical reasoning during…

A Case Study of International Students' Social Adjustment, Friendship Development, and Physical Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Shuang; Zizzi, Sam

2018-01-01

Previous literature has focused on international student's social transition and monocultural and bicultural ties. Little research has explored international students' multicultural friendship development and the role that physical activity plays in their social interaction. The current case study explored a group of international students'…

Updates to research on recommended minimum levels for pavement marking retroreflectivity to meet driver night visibility needs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-10-01

This study was aimed at completing the research to develop and scrutinize minimum levels for pavement marking retroreflectivity to meet nighttime driving needs. A previous study carried out in the 1990s was based on the CARVE model developed at Ohio ...

The Development of Further Education VI. Coombe Lodge Report, Vol. 8 No. 14. Study Conferences 75/39 A & B.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrews, Philippa, Ed.

The conferences were part of a series on postsecondary education policy in Britain. Participants studied the work of the previous conferences and synthesized their main lines of thought. Proceedings included: further education and the development of an industrial society (C. Barnett); further education and industry in the development of a better…

LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE AND ESTUARINE CONDITION IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION OF THE UNITED STATES: I. DEVELOPING QUANTITATIVE RELATIONSHIPS

EPA Science Inventory

In a previously published study, quantitative relationships were developed between landscape metrics and sediment contamination for 25 small estuarine systems within Chesapeake Bay. Nonparametric statistical analysis (rank transformation) was used to develop an empirical relation...

Betwixt and Between: Academic Developers in the Margins

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Deandra; Green, David A.

2012-01-01

Previously, the authors developed a theoretical framework drawing on an early sociological study of migration to explore how marginality--being between cultures--might account for academic developers' "hybrid" academic identities and help them navigate institutional power dynamics. Based on data from semi-structured interviews, this…

Integrating ICT in Kenyan Secondary Schools: An Exploratory Case Study of a Professional Development Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tondeur, Jo; Krug, Don; Bill, Mike; Smulders, Maaike; Zhu, Chang

2015-01-01

This study explores the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Kenyan secondary schools. Specifically, it is a case study of four schools with no previous access to ICT. The professional development programme from which data for this study were drawn was designed to support teachers learning to integrate ICT in the…

An Investigation of Factors Determining the Study Abroad Destination Choice: A Case Study of Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Cheng-Fei

2014-01-01

Previous studies on the field of education abroad have mainly focused on the factors influencing the mobility of international students from developing to developed countries and very few have been conducted to investigate the factors influencing the flow of international students to the Asia Pacific region. As a piece of country-specific…

Developing Emotional Literacy through Individual Dance Movement Therapy: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meekums, Bonnie

2008-01-01

This paper reports a pragmatic mixed methods pilot study of teacher perceptions regarding a school-based Dance Movement therapy (DMT) service for six children aged four to seven in a North of England primary school. No previous studies have systematically evaluated DMT in terms of the development of Emotional Literacy (EL), though theoretical…

Explicit criteria for prioritization of cataract surgery

PubMed Central

Ma Quintana, José; Escobar, Antonio; Bilbao, Amaia

2006-01-01

Background Consensus techniques have been used previously to create explicit criteria to prioritize cataract extraction; however, the appropriateness of the intervention was not included explicitly in previous studies. We developed a prioritization tool for cataract extraction according to the RAND method. Methods Criteria were developed using a modified Delphi panel judgment process. A panel of 11 ophthalmologists was assembled. Ratings were analyzed regarding the level of agreement among panelists. We studied the effect of all variables on the final panel score using general linear and logistic regression models. Priority scoring systems were developed by means of optimal scaling and general linear models. The explicit criteria developed were summarized by means of regression tree analysis. Results Eight variables were considered to create the indications. Of the 310 indications that the panel evaluated, 22.6% were considered high priority, 52.3% intermediate priority, and 25.2% low priority. Agreement was reached for 31.9% of the indications and disagreement for 0.3%. Logistic regression and general linear models showed that the preoperative visual acuity of the cataractous eye, visual function, and anticipated visual acuity postoperatively were the most influential variables. Alternative and simple scoring systems were obtained by optimal scaling and general linear models where the previous variables were also the most important. The decision tree also shows the importance of the previous variables and the appropriateness of the intervention. Conclusion Our results showed acceptable validity as an evaluation and management tool for prioritizing cataract extraction. It also provides easy algorithms for use in clinical practice. PMID:16512893

Private Sector Involvement in Urban Transportation: Case Studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1984-07-01

This report describes the development of formulas which predict the severity of accidents at public rail-highway crossings. They employ the previously developed DOT accident prediction formula, U.S. DOT-AAR National Rail-Highway Crossing Inventory, a...

Capturing Career Reflections: Construction of an Instrument to Explore Careers and Career Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Kimberly S.; Hite, Linda M.; Mansour-Cole, Dina

2006-01-01

This study describes the development and validation of an instrument to tap employee reflections on career interests, needs and career development opportunities. Item construction was based on issues identified in previous qualitative research and themes prevalent in recent HRD career development literature. Pilot data for an exploratory factor…

Active Music Classes in Infancy Enhance Musical, Communicative and Social Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerry, David; Unrau, Andrea; Trainor, Laurel J.

2012-01-01

Previous studies suggest that musical training in children can positively affect various aspects of development. However, it remains unknown as to how early in development musical experience can have an effect, the nature of any such effects, and whether different types of music experience affect development differently. We found that random…

Development of Children at Risk for Adverse Outcomes Participating in Early Intervention in Developing Countries: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallander, Jan L.; Bann, Carla M.; Biasini, Fred J.; Goudar, Shivaprasad S.; Pasha, Omrana; Chomba, Elwyn; McClure, Elizabeth; Carlo, Waldemar A.

2014-01-01

Background: Previous research has indicated positive effects of early developmental intervention (EDI) on the development of children in developing countries. Few studies, however, have examined longitudinally when differential treatment effects may be observed and whether differential outcomes are associated with exposure to different risk…

Assessing College Students' Perceptions of a Case Teacher's Pedagogical Content Knowledge Using a Newly Developed Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jang, Syh-Jong

2011-01-01

Ongoing professional development for college teachers has been much emphasized. However, previous research on learning environments has seldom addressed college students' perceptions of teachers' PCK. This study aimed to evaluate college students' perceptions of a physics teacher's PCK development using a newly developed instrument and workshop…

Towards a Theory of Rural Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haque, Wahidul; And Others

Historical developments in rural India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and China are the empirical basis of this study which offers a theory of rural development for all Asia keyed to fundamental humanistic values rather than narrower techno-economic considerations. Previous efforts have often been "top-down" processes tending to serve…

Computer-aided detection (CAD) of breast cancer on full field digital and screening film mammograms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xuejun; Qian, Wei; Song, Xiaoshan; Qian, Yuyan; Song, Dansheng; Clark, Robert A.

2003-05-01

Full-field digital mammography (FFDM) as a new breast imaging modality has potential to detect more breast cancers or to detect them at smaller sizes and earlier stages compared with screening film mammography (SFM). However, its performance needs verification, and it would pose new problems for the development of CAD methods for breast cancer detection and diagnosis. Performance evaluation of CAD systems on FFDM and SFM has been conducted in this study, respectively. First, an adaptive CAD system employing a series of advanced modules has been developed on FFDM. Second, a standardization approach has been developed to make the CAD system independent of characteristics of digitizer or imaging modalities for mammography. CAD systems developed previously for SFM and developed in this study for FFDM have been evaluated on FFDM and SFM images without and with standardization, respectively, to examine the performance improvement of the CAD system developed in this study. Computerized free-response receiver operating characteristic (FROC) analysis has been adopted as performance evaluation method. Compared with previous one, the CAD system developed in this study demonstrated significantly performance improvements. However, the comparison results have shown that the performances of final CAD system in this study are not significantly different on FFDM and on SFM after standardization. It needs further study on the assessment of CAD system performance on FFDM and SFM modalities.

The development and testing of a skin tear risk assessment tool.

PubMed

Newall, Nelly; Lewin, Gill F; Bulsara, Max K; Carville, Keryln J; Leslie, Gavin D; Roberts, Pam A

2017-02-01

The aim of the present study is to develop a reliable and valid skin tear risk assessment tool. The six characteristics identified in a previous case control study as constituting the best risk model for skin tear development were used to construct a risk assessment tool. The ability of the tool to predict skin tear development was then tested in a prospective study. Between August 2012 and September 2013, 1466 tertiary hospital patients were assessed at admission and followed up for 10 days to see if they developed a skin tear. The predictive validity of the tool was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. When the tool was found not to have performed as well as hoped, secondary analyses were performed to determine whether a potentially better performing risk model could be identified. The tool was found to have high sensitivity but low specificity and therefore have inadequate predictive validity. Secondary analysis of the combined data from this and the previous case control study identified an alternative better performing risk model. The tool developed and tested in this study was found to have inadequate predictive validity. The predictive validity of an alternative, more parsimonious model now needs to be tested. © 2015 Medicalhelplines.com Inc and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Development of Procedures for Assessing the Impact of Vocational Education Research and Development on Vocational Education (Project IMPACT). Volume 4--A Case Study of Illinois Projects in Horticulture.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hook, Colin; Ethridge, James

As part of Project IMPACT's efforts to identify and develop procedures for complying with the impact requirements of Public Law 94-482, a case study was made of Illinois Projects in Horticulture. Fourteen horticulture projects in high schools and junior colleges were discovered through a previous study, personal interviews with two University of…

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Risk score: A practical tool to predict Gestational Diabetes Mellitus risk in Tanzania.

PubMed

Patrick Nombo, Anna; Wendelin Mwanri, Akwilina; Brouwer-Brolsma, Elske M; Ramaiya, Kaushik L; Feskens, Edith

2018-05-28

Universal screening for hyperglycemia during pregnancy may be in-practical in resource constrained countries. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a simple, non-invasive practical tool to predict undiagnosed Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in Tanzania. We used cross-sectional data of 609 pregnant women, without known diabetes, collected in six health facilities from Dar es Salaam city (urban). Women underwent screening for GDM during ante-natal clinics visit. Smoking habit, alcohol consumption, pre-existing hypertension, birth weight of the previous child, high parity, gravida, previous caesarean section, age, MUAC ≥28 cm, previous stillbirth, haemoglobin level, gestational age (weeks), family history of type 2 diabetes, intake of sweetened drinks (soda), physical activity, vegetables and fruits consumption were considered as important predictors for GDM. Multivariate logistic regression modelling was used to create the prediction model, using a cut-off value of 2.5 to minimise the number of undiagnosed GDM (false negatives). Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) ≥28 cm, previous stillbirth, and family history of type 2 diabetes were identified as significant risk factors of GDM with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 69%, 53%, 12% and 95%, respectively. Moreover, the inclusion of these three predictors resulted in an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.64 (0.56-0.72), indicating that the current tool correctly classifies 64% of high risk individuals. The findings of this study indicate that MUAC, previous stillbirth, and family history of type 2 diabetes significantly predict GDM development in this Tanzanian population. However, the developed non-invasive practical tool to predict undiagnosed GDM only identified 6 out of 10 individuals at risk of developing GDM. Thus, further development of the tool is warranted, for instance by testing the impact of other known risk factors such as maternal age, pre-pregnancy BMI, hypertension during or before pregnancy and pregnancy weight gain. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Development of Multisensory Spatial Integration and Perception in Humans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neil, Patricia A.; Chee-Ruiter, Christine; Scheier, Christian; Lewkowicz, David J.; Shimojo, Shinsuke

2006-01-01

Previous studies have shown that adults respond faster and more reliably to bimodal compared to unimodal localization cues. The current study investigated for the first time the development of audiovisual (A-V) integration in spatial localization behavior in infants between 1 and 10 months of age. We observed infants' head and eye movements in…

The Sherborne Developmental Movement (SDM) Teaching Model for Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hen, Meirav; Walter, Ofra

2012-01-01

Previously, the Sherborne Developmental Movement (SDM) has been found to contribute to the development of emotional competencies in higher education. This study presents and evaluates a teaching model based on SDM for the development of emotional competencies in teacher education. The study examined the contributions of this model to the increase…

Students' Technology Use and Its Effects on Peer Relationships, Academic Involvement, and Healthy Lifestyles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd, Jan M.; Dean, Laura A.; Cooper, Diane L.

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore students' technology use and its relationship with their psychosocial development. Previous research explored students' computer use in conjunction with their cognitive development. This study examined the effects of computer use and other technologies, such as instant messaging, handheld gaming devices,…

Leading Change through Professional Development: An Exploration of a New Faculty Orientation Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burns, Shawn W.

2013-01-01

This study explored new faculty satisfaction with participation in a professional development orientation program at a New England-based graduate-level, military institution of higher education. The new faculty orientation program had not been previously explored. The purpose of this study was to describe participant satisfaction with an ultimate…

Measuring Self-Regulation in Self-Paced Open and Distance Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kocdar, Serpil; Karadeniz, Abdulkadir; Bozkurt, Aras; Buyuk, Koksal

2018-01-01

Previous studies have described many scales for measuring self-regulation; however, no scale has been developed specifically for self-paced open and distance learning environments. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a scale for determining the self-regulated learning skills of distance learners in selfpaced open and distance learning…

Effects of Child Maltreatment and Inherited Liability on Antisocial Development: An Official Records Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jonson-Reid, Melissa; Presnall, Ned; Drake, Brett; Fox, Louis; Bierut, Laura; Reich, Wendy; Kane, Phyllis; Todd, Richard D.; Constantino, John N.

2010-01-01

Objective: Evidence is steadily accumulating that a preventable environmental hazard, child maltreatment, exerts causal influences on the development of long-standing patterns of antisocial behavior in humans. The relationship between child maltreatment and antisocial outcome, however, has never previously been tested in a large-scale study in…

Development of a Reading Material Recommendation System Based on a Knowledge Engineering Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Ching-Kun; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chang, Chih-Kai

2010-01-01

In a language curriculum, the training of reading ability is one of the most important aspects. Previous studies have shown the importance of assigning proper articles to individual students for training their reading ability; nevertheless, previous experience has also shown the challenges of this issue owing to the complexity of personal factors…

Previous Experience Not Required: Contextualizing the Choice to Teach School-Based Agricultural Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marx, Adam A.; Smith, Amy R.; Smalley, Scott W.; Miller, Courtney

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify key career choice items which lead students without previous experience in school-based agricultural education (SBAE) to pursuing agricultural education. The Ag Ed FIT-Choice® model adapted by Lawver (2009) and developed by Richardson and Watt (2006) provided the investigative framework to design this…

The Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS): 5. Encapsulated bleb after initial trabeculectomy.

PubMed

Schwartz, A L; Van Veldhuisen, P C; Gaasterland, D E; Ederer, F; Sullivan, E K; Cyrlin, M N

1999-01-01

To compare the incidence of encapsulated bleb after trabeculectomy in eyes with and without previous argon laser trabeculoplasty and to assess other risk factors for encapsulated bleb development. After medical treatment failure, eyes enrolled in the Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study (AGIS) were randomly assigned to sequences of interventions starting with either argon laser trabeculoplasty or trabeculectomy. In the present study we compared the clinical course for 1 year after trabeculectomy in 119 eyes with failed argon laser trabeculoplasty with that of 379 eyes without previous argon laser trabeculoplasty. Data on bleb encapsulation were collected at the time that the encapsulation was diagnosed, and 3 and 6 months later. Of multiple factors examined in the AGIS data for the risk of developing encapsulated bleb, only male gender and high school graduation without further formal education were statistically significant. Encapsulation occurred in 18.5% of eyes with previous argon laser trabeculoplasty failure and 14.5% of eyes without previous argon laser trabeculoplasty (unadjusted relative risk, 1.27; 95% confidence limits = 0.81, 2.00; P = .23). After adjusting for age, gender, educational achievement, prescribed systemic beta-blockers, diabetes, visual field score, and years since glaucoma diagnosis, this difference remains statistically not significant. Four weeks after trabeculectomy, mean intraocular pressure was 7.5 mm Hg higher in eyes with (22.5 mm Hg) than without (15.0 mm Hg) encapsulated bleb; at 1 year after trabeculectomy and the resumption of medical therapy when needed, this excess was reduced to 1.4 mm Hg. This study, as did two previous studies, found male gender to be a risk factor for bleb encapsulation. Four studies, including the present study, have reported a higher rate of encapsulation in eyes with previous argon laser trabeculoplasty; in two of the studies, one of which was the present study, the rate was not statistically significantly higher; in the other two studies the rate was significantly higher. The 4-week postoperative mean intraocular pressure was higher in eyes with than without encapsulated bleb; with the resumption of medical treatment the two means converged after 1 year.

Development of guidelines for accommodating safe and desirable pedestrian activity within the highway environment.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-01-01

This study develops general guidelines for planning and evaluating suburban pedestrian systems. Pedestrian characteristics and capabilities which affect walking demand are summarized using the results of previous research. Reported research results a...

Psychological Science, Talent Development, and Educational Advocacy: Lost in Translation?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robinson, Ann

2012-01-01

The talent development approach to the conceptualization of giftedness has historical precedent in the field. Examples of large-scale and longitudinal research studies from previous decades guided by the talent development approach are provided as illustrations. The implications of focusing on domain-specific talents in academics, the arts and…

Corruption and Educational Outcomes: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Francis Lim

2008-01-01

Corruption is a problem that continues to plague developed and developing countries worldwide. Previous studies have explored the negative implications of corruption on several aspects of human development, but, despite its serious and long-lasting consequences, the impact of corruption on educational outcomes has started to receive attention only…

Older Siblings Influence Younger Siblings' Motor Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berger, Sarah E.; Nuzzo, Katie

2008-01-01

Evidence exists for two competing theories about the effects of having an older sibling on development. Previous research has found that having an older sibling has both advantages and disadvantages for younger siblings' development. This study examined whether and how older siblings influenced the onset of their own younger siblings' motor…

Test-Retest Reliability of Standard and Emotional Stroop Tasks: An Investigation of Color-Word and Picture-Word Versions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strauss, Gregory P.; Allen, Daniel N.; Jorgensen, Melinda L.; Cramer, Stacey L.

2005-01-01

Previous studies have examined the reliability of scores derived from various Stroop tasks. However, few studies have compared reliability of more recently developed Stroop variants such as emotional Stroop tasks to standard versions of the Stroop. The current study developed four different single-stimulus Stroop tasks and compared test-retest…

Assessing orientations to learning to teach.

PubMed

Oosterheert, Ida E; Vermunt, Jan D; Denessen, E

2002-03-01

An important purpose of teacher education is that student teachers develop and change their existing knowledge on learning and teaching. Research on how student teachers variously engage in this process is scarce. In a previous study of 30 student teachers, we identified five different orientations to learning to teach. Our aim was to extend the results of the previous study by developing an instrument to assess orientations to learning to teach at a larger scale. The development and psychometric properties of the instrument are discussed. The results with respect to how student teachers learn are compared to the results of the qualitative study. Participants in this study were 169 secondary student teachers from three institutes which had all adopted an initial in-service model of learning to teach. On the basis of extensive qualitative study, a questionnaire was developed to assess individual differences in learning to teach. Factor-, reliability-, and nonparametric scalability analyses were performed to identify reliable scales. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of students with similar orientations to learning to teach. Eight scales covering cognitive, regulative and affective aspects of student teachers' learning were identified. Cluster analysis indicates that the instrument discriminates well between student teachers. Four of the five previously found patterns were found again. The four orientations found in relatively uniform learning environments indicate that student teachers need differential support in their learning. Although the instrument measures individual differences in a reliable way, it is somewhat one-sided in the sense that items representing constructive ways of learning dominate. New items forming a broader range of scales should be created.

Validating a Prognostic Scoring System for Postmastectomy Locoregional Recurrence in Breast Cancer

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

Cheng, Skye Hung-Chun, E-mail: skye@kfsyscc.org; Clinical Research Office, Koo Foundation Sun Yat-Sen Cancer Center, Taipei, Taiwan; Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina

2013-03-15

Purpose: This study is designed to validate a previously developed locoregional recurrence risk (LRR) scoring system and further define which groups of patients with breast cancer would benefit from postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT). Methods and Materials: An LRR risk scoring system was developed previously at our institution using breast cancer patients initially treated with modified radical mastectomy between 1990 and 2001. The LRR score comprised 4 factors: patient age, lymphovascular invasion, estrogen receptor negativity, and number of involved lymph nodes. We sought to validate the original study by examining a new dataset of 1545 patients treated between 2002 and 2007. Results:more » The 1545 patients were scored according to the previously developed criteria: 920 (59.6%) were low risk (score 0-1), 493 (31.9%) intermediate risk (score 2-3), and 132 (8.5%) were high risk (score ≥4). The 5-year locoregional control rates with and without PMRT in low-risk, intermediate-risk, and high-risk groups were 98% versus 97% (P=.41), 97% versus 91% (P=.0005), and 89% versus 50% (P=.0002) respectively. Conclusions: This analysis of an additional 1545 patients treated between 2002 and 2007 validates our previously reported LRR scoring system and suggests appropriate patients for whom PMRT will be beneficial. Independent validation of this scoring system by other institutions is recommended.« less

Identification of a CD8 T cell that can independently mediate autoimmune diabetes development in the complete absence of CD4 T cell helper functions.

PubMed

Graser, R T; DiLorenzo, T P; Wang, F; Christianson, G J; Chapman, H D; Roopenian, D C; Nathenson, S G; Serreze, D V

2000-04-01

Previous work has indicated that an important component for the initiation of autoimmune insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in the NOD mouse model entails MHC class I-restricted CD8 T cell responses against pancreatic beta cell Ags. However, unless previously activated in vitro, such CD8 T cells have previously been thought to require helper functions provided by MHC class II-restricted CD4 T cells to exert their full diabetogenic effects. In this study, we show that IDDM development is greatly accelerated in a stock of NOD mice expressing TCR transgenes derived from a MHC class I-restricted CD8 T cell clone (designated AI4) previously found to contribute to the earliest preclinical stages of pancreatic beta cell destruction. Importantly, these TCR transgenic NOD mice (designated NOD.AI4alphabeta Tg) continued to develop IDDM at a greatly accelerated rate when residual CD4 helper T cells were eliminated by introduction of the scid mutation or a functionally inactivated CD4 allele. In a previously described stock of NOD mice expressing TCR transgenes derived from another MHC class I-restricted beta cell autoreactive T cell clone, IDDM development was retarded by elimination of residual CD4 T cells. Hence, there is variability in the helper dependence of CD8 T cells contributing to the development of autoimmune IDDM. The AI4 clonotype represents the first CD8 T cell with a demonstrated ability to progress from a naive to functionally activated state and rapidly mediate autoimmune IDDM development in the complete absence of CD4 T cell helper functions.

Assessing Information Literacy Skills Development in First Year Students: A Multi-Year Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fain, Margaret

2011-01-01

Assessment data from 5 years of a pretest/posttest with first-year students was analyzed using McNemar's test. The results show that revisiting previous assessment data can identify significant changes in information literacy skill development.

Do I Belong? Factors Contributing to the Development of Social Belonging of Children Who Are Homeless in Southeastern United States Shelters: A Multi-Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ott, Corilyn Mae

2012-01-01

This qualitative multiple case study explored the factors that contribute to the development of social belonging in the classroom for children who are homeless age's five to seven. Previous empirical research has shown the importance of children who are homeless developing belonging in the classroom and other research has shown the negative…

Immediate Neural Plasticity Involving Reaction Time in a Saccadic Eye Movement Task is Intact in Children With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Paolozza, Angelina; Munoz, Douglas P; Brien, Donald; Reynolds, James N

2016-11-01

Saccades are rapid eye movements that bring an image of interest onto the retina. Previous research has found that in healthy individuals performing eye movement tasks, the location of a previous visual target can influence performance of the saccade on the next trial. This rapid behavioral adaptation represents a form of immediate neural plasticity within the saccadic circuitry. Our studies have shown that children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) are impaired on multiple saccade measures. We therefore investigated these previous trial effects in typically developing children and children with FASD to measure sensory neural plasticity and how these effects vary with age and pathology. Both typically developing control children (n = 102; mean age = 10.54 ± 3.25; 48 males) and children with FASD (n = 66; mean age = 11.85 ± 3.42; 35 males) were recruited from 5 sites across Canada. Each child performed a visually guided saccade task. Reaction time and saccade amplitude were analyzed and then assessed based on the previous trial. There was a robust previous trial effect for both reaction time and amplitude, with both the control and FASD groups displaying faster reaction times and smaller saccades during alternation trials (visual target presented on the opposite side to the previous trial). Children with FASD exhibited smaller overall mean amplitude and smaller amplitude selectively on alternation trials compared with controls. The effect of the previous trial on reaction time and amplitude did not differ across childhood and adolescent development. Children with FASD did not display any significant reaction time differences, despite exhibiting numerous deficits in motor and higher level cognitive control over saccades in other studies. These results suggest that this form of immediate neural plasticity in response to sensory information before saccade initiation remains intact in children with FASD. In contrast, the previous trial effect on amplitude suggests that the motor component of saccades may be affected, signifying differential vulnerability to prenatal alcohol exposure. Copyright © 2016 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Refined lateral energy correction functions for the KASCADE-Grande experiment based on Geant4 simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gherghel-Lascu, A.; Apel, W. D.; Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.; Bekk, K.; Bertaina, M.; Blümer, J.; Bozdog, H.; Brancus, I. M.; Cantoni, E.; Chiavassa, A.; Cossavella, F.; Daumiller, K.; de Souza, V.; Di Pierro, F.; Doll, P.; Engel, R.; Engler, J.; Fuchs, B.; Fuhrmann, D.; Gils, H. J.; Glasstetter, R.; Grupen, C.; Haungs, A.; Heck, D.; Hörandel, J. R.; Huber, D.; Huege, T.; Kampert, K.-H.; Kang, D.; Klages, H. O.; Link, K.; Łuczak, P.; Mathes, H. J.; Mayer, H. J.; Milke, J.; Mitrica, B.; Morello, C.; Oehlschläger, J.; Ostapchenko, S.; Palmieri, N.; Petcu, M.; Pierog, T.; Rebel, H.; Roth, M.; Schieler, H.; Schoo, S.; Schröder, F. G.; Sima, O.; Toma, G.; Trinchero, G. C.; Ulrich, H.; Weindl, A.; Wochele, J.; Zabierowski, J.

2015-02-01

In previous studies of KASCADE-Grande data, a Monte Carlo simulation code based on the GEANT3 program has been developed to describe the energy deposited by EAS particles in the detector stations. In an attempt to decrease the simulation time and ensure compatibility with the geometry description in standard KASCADE-Grande analysis software, several structural elements have been neglected in the implementation of the Grande station geometry. To improve the agreement between experimental and simulated data, a more accurate simulation of the response of the KASCADE-Grande detector is necessary. A new simulation code has been developed based on the GEANT4 program, including a realistic geometry of the detector station with structural elements that have not been considered in previous studies. The new code is used to study the influence of a realistic detector geometry on the energy deposited in the Grande detector stations by particles from EAS events simulated by CORSIKA. Lateral Energy Correction Functions are determined and compared with previous results based on GEANT3.

The Feasibility of Establishing Highway Safety Manpower Development and Research Centers at University-Level Institutions. Final Report, Volume I: Study Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chorness, Maury H.; And Others

To examine the feasibility of establishing Highway Safety Manpower Development and Research (HSMDR) Centers at university-level institutions which would produce three types of manpower--safety specialists, safety professionals, and research manpower, previous National Highway Safety Bureau research studies and approximately 50 federally funded…

An Investigation of the Perception of Professional Development among Mississippi's Secondary Welding Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferguson, Douglas Forrest

2012-01-01

This research study originated as a result of a paucity of information available regarding how secondary welding teachers in Mississippi perceive the value of professional development they have received within the previous two years. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of Mississippi's secondary welding teachers regarding how…

Incorporating Prototyping and Iteration into Intervention Development: A Case Study of a Dining Hall-Based Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McClain, Arianna D.; Hekler, Eric B.; Gardner, Christopher D.

2013-01-01

Background: Previous research from the fields of computer science and engineering highlight the importance of an iterative design process (IDP) to create more creative and effective solutions. Objective: This study describes IDP as a new method for developing health behavior interventions and evaluates the effectiveness of a dining hall--based…

The Impact of Recasts on the Development of Primary Stress in a Synchronous Computer-Mediated Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parlak, Özgür; Ziegler, Nicole

2017-01-01

Although previous research has demonstrated the efficacy of recasts on second language (L2) morphology and lexis (e.g., Li, 2010; Mackey & Goo, 2007), few studies have examined their effect on learners' phonological development (although see Saito, 2015; Saito & Lyster, 2012). The current study investigates the impact of recasts on the…

Leadership Development for Organizational Change in a "New" UK University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turnbull, Sharon; Edwards, Gareth

2005-01-01

This paper reports on the findings of a case study of an Organizational Development (OD) intervention within a new university in the UK. Previous research into the leadership of higher education has highlighted a number of apparently inevitable tensions. The findings of the case study uncovered a number of complex and interrelated tensions. The…

Informed Ignorance and the Difficulty of Using Guidelines in Policy Processes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernler, Karin

2015-01-01

Based on an ethnographic study, this article investigates an attempt by a multidisciplinary group to employ pre-developed guidelines for producing a knowledge base that was to be used in a policy decision. The article contributes to previous studies of the development and use of knowledge-based guidelines and knowledge syntheses in policy-research…

Professional Development Needs of Primary EFL Teachers: Perspectives of Teachers and Teacher Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zein, Mochamad Subhan

2017-01-01

This study investigates the professional development (PD) needs of primary English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers whose professional field has received significant interest at the global level in the past two decades. The study takes a different stance from previous research that exclusively generated data from teachers because it sought the…

Effects of Kindergarten Retention on Children's Social-Emotional Development: An Application of Propensity Score Method to Multivariate, Multilevel Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong, Guanglei; Yu, Bing

2008-01-01

This study examines the effects of kindergarten retention on children's social-emotional development in the early, middle, and late elementary years. Previous studies have generated mixed results partly due to some major methodological challenges, including selection bias, measurement error, and divergent perceptions of multiple respondents in…

Strategic Planning, Recasts, Noticing, and L2 Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hama, Mika

2012-01-01

Since the mid-1990s, the link between recasts and L2 development has been extensively tested, and the results from those studies have largely demonstrated that recasts have a positive effect on L2 learning. With this firm support from previous empirical evidence, studies have begun to focus on how recasts assist learning and under what conditions…

Curriculum Elements of a Politically Liberal Education in a Developing Democracy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çelik, Rasit

2016-01-01

A previous study has justified the idea that a politically liberal conception of formal education can be applied in a developing democracy if such a society has reached a narrow overlapping consensus on its education system or modifies its education system from a minimally coercive perspective. This study further considers the fundamental question…

Examination of an Administrator-Read Vocabulary-Matching Measure as an Indicator of Science Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borsuk, Ellen R.

2010-01-01

Research and development of measures to document ongoing learning within the content areas are in the beginning stages. As such, the current study adds to efforts in the development of the vocabulary-matching measure. Using a modified format of the previously studied vocabulary-matching measure, 63 middle school students completed alternate forms…

A Quasi-Experimental Validation of Transactional Strategies Instruction with Previously Low-Achieving, Second-Grade Readers. Reading Research Report No. 33.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Rachel; And Others

A study investigated the effectiveness of the Students Achieving Independent Learning (SAIL) program, an educator-developed approach to transactional strategies instruction (TSI). Five groups of six previously low-achieving second-grade students received a year of transactional strategies instruction and five groups of six students received a year…

Examining the Efficacy of Self-Regulated Strategy Development for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders: A Meta-Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Losinski, Mickey; Cuenca-Carlino, Yojanna; Zablocki, Mark; Teagarden, James

2014-01-01

Two previous reviews have indicated that self-regulated strategy instruction (SRSD) is an evidence-based practice that can improve the writing skills of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The purpose of this meta-analysis is to extend the findings and analytic methods of previous reviews by examining published studies regarding…

"Who Is Worthy of My Generosity?" Recipient Characteristics and the Development of Children's Sharing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malti, Tina; Gummerum, Michaela; Ongley, Sophia; Chaparro, Maria; Nola, Marta; Bae, Na Young

2016-01-01

Previous research has shown that the majority of 8-year-old children share valuable resources equally with others, whereas 4-year-olds are more likely to favor themselves in their sharing allocations. In this study, we examine whether these patterns of sharing behavior are affected by the needs of the recipient or by the recipient's previous moral…

Volumetrics relate to the development of depression after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Maller, Jerome J; Thomson, Richard H S; Pannek, Kerstin; Bailey, Neil; Lewis, Philip M; Fitzgerald, Paul B

2014-09-01

Previous research suggests that many people who sustain a traumatic brain injury (TBI), even of the mild form, will develop major depression (MD). We previously reported white matter integrity differences between those who did and did not develop MD after mild TBI. In this current paper, we aimed to investigate whether there were also volumetric differences between these groups, as suggested by previous volumetric studies in mild TBI populations. A sample of TBI-with-MD subjects (N=14), TBI-without-MD subjects (N=12), MD-without-TBI (N=26) and control subjects (no TBI or MD, N=23), received structural MRI brain scans. T1-weighted data were analysed using the Freesurfer software package which produces automated volumetric results. The findings of this study indicate that (1) TBI patients who develop MD have reduced volume in temporal, parietal and lingual regions compared to TBI patients who do not develop MD, and (2) MD patients with a history of TBI have decreased volume in the temporal region compared to those who had MD but without a history of TBI. We also found that more severe MD in those with TBI-with-MD significantly correlated with reduced volume in anterior cingulate, temporal lobe and insula. These findings suggest that volumetric reduction to specific regions, including parietal, temporal and occipital lobes, after a mild TBI may underlie the susceptibility of these patients developing major depression, in addition to altered white matter integrity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Linguistic Development of Students of English as a Second Language in Two Written Genres

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Hyung-Jo; Polio, Charlene

2017-01-01

This study examined narrative and argumentative essays written over the course of a 4-month semester by 37 students of English as a second language (ESL). The essays were analyzed for development over time and for genre differences. The goal of the study was to conceptually replicate previous studies on genre differences (e.g., Lu, 2011) and on…

A Cross-Validation Study of Sequential-Simultaneous Processing at Ages 2 1/2-12 1/2 Using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kamphaus, Randy W.; And Others

The development of two types of mental processing (sequential and simultaneous) in preschool and elementary children was examined in this study. Specifically, the aims of the study were to develop a revised set of tasks based upon previous findings (Naglieri, Kaufman, Kaufman, & Kamphaus, 1981; Kaufman, Kaufman, Kamphaus, & Naglieri, in…

Parenting Talent: A Qualitative Investigation of the Roles Parents Play in Talent Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Witte, Amanda L.; Kiewra, Kenneth A.; Kasson, Sarah C.; Perry, Kyle R.

2015-01-01

Previous research has linked talent development to four factors--early experience, coaching, practice, and motivation. In addition to these factors, contemporary talent experts suggest that parents play a critical role in talent development. The purpose of the present study was to uncover parents' in-time perspectives on the talent development…

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching a New Topic: More than Teaching Experience and Subject Matter Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chan, Kennedy Kam Ho; Yung, Benny Hin Wai

2018-01-01

Teaching experience has been identified as an important factor in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development. However, little is known about "how" experienced teachers may draw on their previous experience to facilitate their PCK development. This study examined how two experienced high school biology teachers approached the…

Nonequilibrium radiation and chemistry models for aerocapture vehicle flowfields

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carlson, Leland A.

1991-01-01

The primary tasks performed are: (1) the development of a second order local thermodynamic nonequilibrium (LTNE) model for atoms; (2) the continued development of vibrational nonequilibrium models; and (3) the development of a new multicomponent diffusion model. In addition, studies comparing these new models with previous models and results were conducted and reported.

Comments on ionization cooling channels

DOE PAGES

Neuffer, David

2017-09-25

Ionization cooling channels with a wide variety of characteristics and cooling properties are being developed. These channels can produce cooling performances that are largely consistent with the linear ionization cooling theory developed previously. In this study, we review ionization cooling theory, discuss its application to presently developing cooling channels, and discuss criteria for optimizing cooling.

The Development of Spatial Frequency Biases in Face Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leonard, Hayley C.; Karmiloff-Smith, Annette; Johnson, Mark H.

2010-01-01

Previous research has suggested that a mid-band of spatial frequencies is critical to face recognition in adults, but few studies have explored the development of this bias in children. We present a paradigm adapted from the adult literature to test spatial frequency biases throughout development. Faces were presented on a screen with particular…

Comments on ionization cooling channels

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

Neuffer, David

Ionization cooling channels with a wide variety of characteristics and cooling properties are being developed. These channels can produce cooling performances that are largely consistent with the linear ionization cooling theory developed previously. In this study, we review ionization cooling theory, discuss its application to presently developing cooling channels, and discuss criteria for optimizing cooling.

Study of factors that influence the outcome of 131I treatment in hyperthyroidism secondary to nodular goitre.

PubMed

Tabuenca-Dopico, O; Boente-Varela, R; Lamas-Ferreiro, J L

To assess the outcome after 131 I treatment in patients with multinodular (MNG) and nodular toxic goitre (NTG) according to the administered dose and other factors related to the patient, pathology, or previous treatments. A retrospective study was conducted on 108 patients (67 MNG and 41 NTG) treated in our department, with a follow-up period of at least 2 years. Development of hypothyroidism and treatment failure were evaluated along with their relationship with the administered dose and other factors such as age, sex, grade of hyperthyroidism, type of goitre, presence of autoimmunity, or previous antithyroid medication. More than one-third (36.9%) of MNG patients, and even higher proportion of NTG patients (51.2%) developed non-transient hypothyroidism, particularly in those receiving 740MBq (66.7%). No relationship was found with any other variable. The development of early hypothyroidism (before one year) was also not related to any variable. Treatment failure was not related to the dose, but in MNG there was a relationship with male gender, presence of autoimmunity, or previous antithyroid drugs use. The high rate of hypothyroidism obtained with high doses of 131 I in hyperthyroidism secondary to nodular goitre treatment suggests that lower doses might be sufficient to control the disease without an increase in treatment failures. Only patients with positive autoimmunity, in previous anti-thyroid medication, and perhaps male gender in MNG might be given higher doses, as the failure rate increases, but further studies are required. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMNIM. All rights reserved.

Growth and development profile of Indian children with Down syndrome.

PubMed

Koshy, Beena; Navamani, Kirubakaran; Oommen, Samuel Philip; Srivastava, Vivi M

2012-08-01

In this retrospective study, we describe the profile of 88 children with Down syndrome. The average BMI for children showed a progressive increase with age. Compared to the previously published development profile, there was a significant improvement in the language domain.

Estimation of Carcinogenicity using Hierarchical Clustering and Nearest Neighbor Methodologies

EPA Science Inventory

Previously a hierarchical clustering (HC) approach and a nearest neighbor (NN) approach were developed to model acute aquatic toxicity end points. These approaches were developed to correlate the toxicity for large, noncongeneric data sets. In this study these approaches applie...

Assessing Discriminative Performance at External Validation of Clinical Prediction Models

PubMed Central

Nieboer, Daan; van der Ploeg, Tjeerd; Steyerberg, Ewout W.

2016-01-01

Introduction External validation studies are essential to study the generalizability of prediction models. Recently a permutation test, focusing on discrimination as quantified by the c-statistic, was proposed to judge whether a prediction model is transportable to a new setting. We aimed to evaluate this test and compare it to previously proposed procedures to judge any changes in c-statistic from development to external validation setting. Methods We compared the use of the permutation test to the use of benchmark values of the c-statistic following from a previously proposed framework to judge transportability of a prediction model. In a simulation study we developed a prediction model with logistic regression on a development set and validated them in the validation set. We concentrated on two scenarios: 1) the case-mix was more heterogeneous and predictor effects were weaker in the validation set compared to the development set, and 2) the case-mix was less heterogeneous in the validation set and predictor effects were identical in the validation and development set. Furthermore we illustrated the methods in a case study using 15 datasets of patients suffering from traumatic brain injury. Results The permutation test indicated that the validation and development set were homogenous in scenario 1 (in almost all simulated samples) and heterogeneous in scenario 2 (in 17%-39% of simulated samples). Previously proposed benchmark values of the c-statistic and the standard deviation of the linear predictors correctly pointed at the more heterogeneous case-mix in scenario 1 and the less heterogeneous case-mix in scenario 2. Conclusion The recently proposed permutation test may provide misleading results when externally validating prediction models in the presence of case-mix differences between the development and validation population. To correctly interpret the c-statistic found at external validation it is crucial to disentangle case-mix differences from incorrect regression coefficients. PMID:26881753

Assessing Discriminative Performance at External Validation of Clinical Prediction Models.

PubMed

Nieboer, Daan; van der Ploeg, Tjeerd; Steyerberg, Ewout W

2016-01-01

External validation studies are essential to study the generalizability of prediction models. Recently a permutation test, focusing on discrimination as quantified by the c-statistic, was proposed to judge whether a prediction model is transportable to a new setting. We aimed to evaluate this test and compare it to previously proposed procedures to judge any changes in c-statistic from development to external validation setting. We compared the use of the permutation test to the use of benchmark values of the c-statistic following from a previously proposed framework to judge transportability of a prediction model. In a simulation study we developed a prediction model with logistic regression on a development set and validated them in the validation set. We concentrated on two scenarios: 1) the case-mix was more heterogeneous and predictor effects were weaker in the validation set compared to the development set, and 2) the case-mix was less heterogeneous in the validation set and predictor effects were identical in the validation and development set. Furthermore we illustrated the methods in a case study using 15 datasets of patients suffering from traumatic brain injury. The permutation test indicated that the validation and development set were homogenous in scenario 1 (in almost all simulated samples) and heterogeneous in scenario 2 (in 17%-39% of simulated samples). Previously proposed benchmark values of the c-statistic and the standard deviation of the linear predictors correctly pointed at the more heterogeneous case-mix in scenario 1 and the less heterogeneous case-mix in scenario 2. The recently proposed permutation test may provide misleading results when externally validating prediction models in the presence of case-mix differences between the development and validation population. To correctly interpret the c-statistic found at external validation it is crucial to disentangle case-mix differences from incorrect regression coefficients.

Measuring surface topography with scanning electron microscopy. I. EZEImage: a program to obtain 3D surface data.

PubMed

Ponz, Ezequiel; Ladaga, Juan Luis; Bonetto, Rita Dominga

2006-04-01

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is widely used in the science of materials and different parameters were developed to characterize the surface roughness. In a previous work, we studied the surface topography with fractal dimension at low scale and two parameters at high scale by using the variogram, that is, variance vs. step log-log graph, of a SEM image. Those studies were carried out with the FERImage program, previously developed by us. To verify the previously accepted hypothesis by working with only an image, it is indispensable to have reliable three-dimensional (3D) surface data. In this work, a new program (EZEImage) to characterize 3D surface topography in SEM has been developed. It uses fast cross correlation and dynamic programming to obtain reliable dense height maps in a few seconds which can be displayed as an image where each gray level represents a height value. This image can be used for the FERImage program or any other software to obtain surface topography characteristics. EZEImage also generates anaglyph images as well as characterizes 3D surface topography by means of a parameter set to describe amplitude properties and three functional indices for characterizing bearing and fluid properties.

Making the "Third Stream", Mainstream: Facilitating Effective Higher Education-Employer Engagement in Workforce Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petrov, Georgy; Southall, Jane; Bolden, Richard

2016-01-01

In the past decade successive UK governments have placed a strong emphasis on, and renewed interest in, the role of higher education in skills development. In the light of recent skills policy developments in England and drawing upon the findings of an empirical qualitative study of specific workforce development initiatives and previous research,…

A novel life cycle modeling system for Ebola virus shows a genome length-dependent role of VP24 in virus infectivity.

PubMed

Watt, Ari; Moukambi, Felicien; Banadyga, Logan; Groseth, Allison; Callison, Julie; Herwig, Astrid; Ebihara, Hideki; Feldmann, Heinz; Hoenen, Thomas

2014-09-01

Work with infectious Ebola viruses is restricted to biosafety level 4 (BSL4) laboratories, presenting a significant barrier for studying these viruses. Life cycle modeling systems, including minigenome systems and transcription- and replication-competent virus-like particle (trVLP) systems, allow modeling of the virus life cycle under BSL2 conditions; however, all current systems model only certain aspects of the virus life cycle, rely on plasmid-based viral protein expression, and have been used to model only single infectious cycles. We have developed a novel life cycle modeling system allowing continuous passaging of infectious trVLPs containing a tetracistronic minigenome that encodes a reporter and the viral proteins VP40, VP24, and GP1,2. This system is ideally suited for studying morphogenesis, budding, and entry, in addition to genome replication and transcription. Importantly, the specific infectivity of trVLPs in this system was ∼ 500-fold higher than that in previous systems. Using this system for functional studies of VP24, we showed that, contrary to previous reports, VP24 only very modestly inhibits genome replication and transcription when expressed in a regulated fashion, which we confirmed using infectious Ebola viruses. Interestingly, we also discovered a genome length-dependent effect of VP24 on particle infectivity, which was previously undetected due to the short length of monocistronic minigenomes and which is due at least partially to a previously unknown function of VP24 in RNA packaging. Based on our findings, we propose a model for the function of VP24 that reconciles all currently available data regarding the role of VP24 in nucleocapsid assembly as well as genome replication and transcription. Ebola viruses cause severe hemorrhagic fevers in humans, with no countermeasures currently being available, and must be studied in maximum-containment laboratories. Only a few of these laboratories exist worldwide, limiting our ability to study Ebola viruses and develop countermeasures. Here we report the development of a novel reverse genetics-based system that allows the study of Ebola viruses without maximum-containment laboratories. We used this system to investigate the Ebola virus protein VP24, showing that, contrary to previous reports, it only modestly inhibits virus genome replication and transcription but is important for packaging of genomes into virus particles, which constitutes a previously unknown function of VP24 and a potential antiviral target. We further propose a comprehensive model for the function of VP24 in nucleocapsid assembly. Importantly, on the basis of this approach, it should easily be possible to develop similar experimental systems for other viruses that are currently restricted to maximum-containment laboratories. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Risk stratification for malignant progression in Barrett's esophagus: Gender, age, duration and year of surveillance.

PubMed

Gatenby, Piers; Bhattacharjee, Santanu; Wall, Christine; Caygill, Christine; Watson, Anthony

2016-12-28

To clarify risk based upon segment length, diagnostic histological findings, patient age and year of surveillance, duration of surveillance and gender. Patients registered with the United Kingdom Barrett's Oesophagus Registry from 9 United Kingdom centers were included. The outcome measures were (1) development of all grades of dysplasia; (2) development of high-grade of dysplasia or adenocarcinoma; and (3) development of adenocarcinoma. Prevalent cases and subjects with < 1 year of follow-up were excluded. The covariates examined were segment length, previous biopsy findings, age at surveillance, duration of surveillance, year of surveillance and gender. One thousand and one hundred thirty six patients were included (total 6474 patient-years). Fifty-four patients developed adenocarcinoma (0.83% per annum), 70 developed high-grade dysplasia/adenocarcinoma (1.1% per annum) and 190 developed any grade of dysplasia (3.5% per annum). High grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma increased with age and duration of surveillance. The risk of low-grade dysplasia development was not dependent on age at surveillance. Segment length and previous biopsy findings were also significant factors for development of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. The risk of development of low-grade dysplasia is independent of age at surveillance, but high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma were more commonly found at older age. Segment length and previous biopsy findings are also markers of risk. This study did not demonstrate stabilisation of the metaplastic segment with prolonged surveillance.

Comparison of Methods for Determining Boundary Layer Edge Conditions for Transition Correlations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liechty, Derek S.; Berry, Scott A.; Hollis, Brian R.; Horvath, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

Data previously obtained for the X-33 in the NASA Langley Research Center 20-Inch Mach 6 Air Tunnel have been reanalyzed to compare methods for determining boundary layer edge conditions for use in transition correlations. The experimental results were previously obtained utilizing the phosphor thermography technique to monitor the status of the boundary layer downstream of discrete roughness elements via global heat transfer images of the X-33 windward surface. A boundary layer transition correlation was previously developed for this data set using boundary layer edge conditions calculated using an inviscid/integral boundary layer approach. An algorithm was written in the present study to extract boundary layer edge quantities from higher fidelity viscous computational fluid dynamic solutions to develop transition correlations that account for viscous effects on vehicles of arbitrary complexity. The boundary layer transition correlation developed for the X-33 from the viscous solutions are compared to the previous boundary layer transition correlations. It is shown that the boundary layer edge conditions calculated using an inviscid/integral boundary layer approach are significantly different than those extracted from viscous computational fluid dynamic solutions. The present results demonstrate the differences obtained in correlating transition data using different computational methods.

Effects of an Interdisciplinary Science Professional Development Program on Teacher Pedagogical Content Knowledge, Science Inquiry Instruction, and Student Understanding of Science Crosscutting Concepts in Twelve Public Schools: A Multi-Level Modeling Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Yang

2017-01-01

Systematic studies on effectiveness of in-service teacher professional development (PD) are important for science education research and practice. Previous studies mostly focus on one certain aspect of the entire program, for example, effectiveness of PD on improvement of teachers' knowledge or students' learning outcomes. This study, however,…

Derivation of a regional active-optical reflectance sensor corn algorithm

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Active-optical reflectance sensor (AORS) algorithms developed for in-season corn (Zea mays L.) N management have traditionally been derived using sub-regional scale information. However, studies have shown these previously developed AORS algorithms are not consistently accurate when used on a region...

Development Effects of Oxytocin in Piglets by Intranasal or Subcutaneous Administration

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Oxytocin (OT) is implicated in the regulation of social behaviors and reactivity to various stressors. Previous studies have evidenced that the effects of early experience, including postnatal social interactions, on socio-behavioral development are partly mediated by plasticity in peptide systems o...

User Requirements Based Development of a Web Portal for Chronic Patients.

PubMed

Kopanitsa, Georgy

2017-01-01

In the current study, we tried to identify practices that help overcoming data entering and operational barriers, and involve patients and doctors in the development process to improve the acceptance of Web portals for chronic patients. This paper presents a follow up project implementing a Web portal for chronic patients considering previously studied barriers and opportunities. The following methods were applied to facilitate the acceptance of the portal: 1) a joint use case definition and discussion session before starting the development; 2) involvement of the users in prototyping the portal; 3) training of doctors and patients together before the implementation. During the first week of the portal's operation we have measured the number of data transactions and the number of active users to compare it with previous experience. The first weeks of operating the portal, we could observe an active contribution of doctors and patients, who submitted vital signs data and recommendations to the portal.

Humidity compensation of bad-smell sensing system using a detector tube and a built-in camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirano, Hiroyuki; Nakamoto, Takamichi

2011-09-01

We developed a low-cost sensing system robust against humidity change for detecting and estimating concentration of bad smell, such as hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. In the previous study, we developed automated measurement system for a gas detector tube using a built-in camera instead of the conventional manual inspection of the gas detector tube. Concentration detectable by the developed system ranges from a few tens of ppb to a few tens of ppm. However, we previously found that the estimated concentration depends not only on actual concentration, but on humidity. Here, we established the method to correct the influence of humidity by creating regression function with its inputs of discoloration rate and humidity. We studied 2 methods (Backpropagation, Radial basis function network) to get regression function and evaluated them. Consequently, the system successfully estimated the concentration on a practical level even when humidity changes.

Microvesicating effects of sulfur mustard on an in vitro human skin model.

PubMed

Hayden, Patrick J; Petrali, John P; Stolper, Gina; Hamilton, Tracey A; Jackson, George R; Wertz, Philip W; Ito, Susumu; Smith, William J; Klausner, Mitchell

2009-10-01

Bis-(beta-chloroethyl) sulfide (SM) is a potent skin vesicant previously used for chemical warfare. Progress in determination of the mechanistic basis of SM pathology, and development of prophylactic and/or therapeutic countermeasures to SM exposure has been hampered by lack of physiologically relevant models of human skin. The current work evaluated a newly developed tissue engineered full-thickness human skin model in a completely in vitro approach to investigation of SM-induced dermal pathology. The model was first characterized with regard to overall morphology, lipid composition, basement membrane (BM) composition and ultrastructural features that are important targets of SM pathologic activity. Well-developed BM ultrastructural features were observed at the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ), thus demonstrating successful resolution of a primary deficiency of models previously evaluated for SM studies. Studies were then conducted to evaluate histopathological effects of SM on the model. Good replication of in vivo effects was observed, including apoptosis of basal keratinocytes (KC) and microblister formation at the DEJ. Tissue engineered skin models with well-developed basement membrane structures thus appear to be useful tools for in vitro mechanistic studies of SM vesicant activity and development of preventive/therapeutic approaches for SM pathology.

Prior irradiation and the development of coexistent differentiated thyroid cancer and hyperparathyroidism

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

Prinz, R.A.; Barbato, A.L.; Braithwaite, S.S.

1982-03-01

Twelve patients with coexistent well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and primary hyperparathyoidism were studied to determine the frequency of previous radiation exposure. Eight were found to have received prior irradiation. External radiation was administered to the head and neck region for benign conditions such as tonsillar enlargement, acne, scrofula, and thyroid enlargement. One patient received 131I therapy for carcinoma of the thyroid. The observation that 67% of the patients in this series had previous radiation to the head and neck strongly implicates radiation exposure in the development of coexistent well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma and hyperparathyroidism.

Internationalisation of the Chemistry Curriculum: Two Problem-Based Learning Activities for Undergraduate Chemists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Overton, Tina L.; Bradley, John S.

2010-01-01

In this paper we describe the development and evaluation of two activities for delivery in first year B.Sc. and M.Chem. degree courses, in which we introduced an international context representing either a linguistic or a cultural modification to the previously developed case studies. The case studies focus on an industrial and an environmental…

A New Model for the Integration of Science and Mathematics: The Balance Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiray, S. Ahmet

2012-01-01

The aim of this study is to develop an integrated scientific and mathematical model that is suited to the background of Turkish teachers. The dimensions of the model are given and compared to the models which have been previously developed and the findings of earlier studies on the topic. The model is called the balance, reflecting the…

A Case Study of Learning, Motivation, and Performance Strategies for Teaching and Coaching CDE Teams

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ball, Anna; Bowling, Amanda; Bird, Will

2016-01-01

This intrinsic case study examined the case of students on CDE (Career Development Event) teams preparing for state competitive events and the teacher preparing them in a school with a previous exemplary track record of winning multiple state and national career development events. The students were interviewed multiple times during the 16-week…

A Comprehensive Model for Developing and Evaluating Study Abroad Programs in Counselor Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santos, Syntia Dinora

2014-01-01

This paper introduces a model to guide the process of designing and evaluating study abroad programs, addressing particular stages and influential factors. The main purpose of the model is to serve as a basic structure for those who want to develop their own program or evaluate previous cultural immersion experiences. The model is based on the…

An investigation of language and phonological development and the responsiveness of preschool age children to the Lidcombe Program.

PubMed

Rousseau, Isabelle; Packman, Ann; Onslow, Mark; Harrison, Elisabeth; Jones, Mark

2007-01-01

Knowledge of variables that predict treatment time is of benefit in deciding when to start treatment for early stuttering. To date, the only variable clearly related to treatment time with the Lidcombe Program is pre-treatment stuttering frequency. Previous studies have shown that children whose stuttering is more severe take longer to complete Stage 1 of the program. However, studies to date have not investigated phonology and language as predictors of treatment time. In the context of a Phase II clinical trial, the present prospective study showed that phonological development does not predict treatment time but that, together, stuttering severity, MLU and CELF Receptive Score predict 35-45% of the variance for time taken to complete Stage 1. The reader should be able to (1) understand guidelines developed for the timing of intervention with the Lidcombe Program based on previous retrospective studies, (2) determine whether pre-treatment language and phonological development play a role in treatment-led recovery with the Lidcombe Program and (3) understand recent empirical evidence on time taken by preschool children to complete Stage 1 of the Lidcombe Program.

Atmospheric energetics as related to cyclogenesis over the eastern United States. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, P. W.

1973-01-01

A method is presented to investigate the atmospheric energy budget as related to cyclogenesis. Energy budget equations are developed that are shown to be advantageous because the individual terms represent basic physical processes which produce changes in atmospheric energy, and the equations provide a means to study the interaction of the cyclone with the larger scales of motion. The work presented represents an extension of previous studies because all of the terms of the energy budget equations were evaluated throughout the development period of the cyclone. Computations are carried out over a limited atmospheric volume which encompasses the cyclone, and boundary fluxes of energy that were ignored in most previous studies are evaluated. Two examples of cyclogenesis over the eastern United States were chosen for study. One of the cases (1-4 November, 1966) represented an example of vigorous development, while the development in the other case (5-8 December, 1969) was more modest. Objectively analyzed data were used in the evaluation of the energy budget terms in order to minimize computational errors, and an objective analysis scheme is described that insures that all of the resolution contained in the rawinsonde observations is incorporated in the analyses.

Postpartum IGF-I and IGFBP-2 levels are prospectively associated with the development of type 2 diabetes in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus.

PubMed

Lappas, M; Jinks, D; Shub, A; Willcox, J C; Georgiou, H M; Permezel, M

2016-12-01

Women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes. In the general population, the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system has been implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine if circulating IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 levels 12weeks following a GDM pregnancy are associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 levels were measured in 98 normal glucose tolerant women, 12weeks following an index GDM pregnancy using enzyme immunoassay. Women were assessed for up to 10years for the development of overt type 2 diabetes. Among the 98 women with previous GDM, 21 (21%) developed diabetes during the median follow-up period of 8.5years. After adjusting for age and BMI, IGF-I and IGFBP-2 were significantly associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. In a clinical model of prediction of type 2 diabetes that included age, BMI, pregnancy fasting glucose and postnatal fasting glucose, the addition of IGF-I and IGFBP-2 resulted in an improvement in the net reclassification index of 17.8%. High postpartum IGF-I and low postpartum IGFBP-2 levels are a significant risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes in women with a previous history of GDM. This is the first report that identifies IGF-I and IGFBP-2 as a potential biomarker for the prediction of type 2 diabetes in women with a history of GDM. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Maternal Accuracy and Behavior in Anticipating Children's Responses to Novelty: Relations to Fearful Temperament and Implications for Anxiety Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiel, Elizabeth J.; Buss, Kristin A.

2010-01-01

Previous research has suggested that mothers' behaviors may serve as a mechanism in the development from toddler fearful temperament to childhood anxiety. The current study examined the maternal characteristic of accuracy in predicting toddlers' distress reactions to novelty in relation to temperament, parenting, and anxiety development.…

Comparison of estimated and measured sediment yield in the Gualala River

Treesearch

Matthew O’Connor; Jack Lewis; Robert Pennington

2012-01-01

This study compares quantitative erosion rate estimates developed at different spatial and temporal scales. It is motivated by the need to assess potential water quality impacts of a proposed vineyard development project in the Gualala River watershed. Previous erosion rate estimates were developed using sediment source assessment techniques by the North Coast Regional...

Language Development in a 3-Year-Old Boy with Prader-Willi Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atkin, Keith; Lorch, Marjorie Perlman

2007-01-01

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a genetic disorder which has widespread developmental consequences including motor, cognitive and language delay. Previous research on PWS children has focused primarily on phonological development and dysfluency. In the present study, the lexical development of a boy with PWS was investigated in a series of 18 play…

Vocabulary Development in European Portuguese: A Replication Study Using the Language Development Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rescorla, Leslie; Nyame, Josephine; Dias, Pedro

2016-01-01

Purpose: Our objective was to replicate previous cross­linguistic findings by comparing Portuguese and U.S. children with respect to (a) effects of language, gender, and age on vocabulary size; (b) lexical composition; and (c) late talking. Method: We used the Language Development Survey (LDS; Rescorla, 1989) with children (18-35 months) learning…

Development of SNP Genotyping Assays for Seed Composition Traits in Soybean

PubMed Central

Patil, Gunvant; Chaudhary, Juhi; Vuong, Tri D.; Jenkins, Brian; Qiu, Dan; Kadam, Suhas; Shannon, Grover J.

2017-01-01

Seed composition is one of the most important determinants of the economic values in soybean. The quality and quantity of different seed components, such as oil, protein, and carbohydrates, are crucial ingredients in food, feed, and numerous industrial products. Soybean researchers have successfully developed and utilized a diverse set of molecular markers for seed trait improvement in soybean breeding programs. It is imperative to design and develop molecular assays that are accurate, robust, high-throughput, cost-effective, and available on a common genotyping platform. In the present study, we developed and validated KASP (Kompetitive allele-specific polymerase chain reaction) genotyping assays based on previously known functional mutant alleles for the seed composition traits, including fatty acids, oligosaccharides, trypsin inhibitor, and lipoxygenase. These assays were validated on mutant sources as well as mapping populations and precisely distinguish the homozygotes and heterozygotes of the mutant genes. With the obvious advantages, newly developed KASP assays in this study can substitute the genotyping assays that were previously developed for marker-assisted selection (MAS). The functional gene-based assay resource developed using common genotyping platform will be helpful to accelerate efforts to improve soybean seed composition traits. PMID:28630621

The study of integrated coal-gasifier molten carbonate fuel cell systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1983-01-01

A novel integration concept for a coal-fueled coal gasifier-molten carbonate fuel cell power plant was studied. Effort focused on determining the efficiency potential of the concept, design, and development requirements of the processes in order to achieve the efficiency. The concept incorporates a methane producing catalytic gasifier of the type previously under development by Exxon Research and Development Corp., a reforming molten carbonate fuel cell power section of the type currently under development by United Technologies Corp., and a gasifier-fuel cell recycle loop. The concept utilizes the fuel cell waste heat, in the form of hydrogen and carbon monoxide, to generate additional fuel in the coal gasifier, thereby eliminating the use of both an O2 plant and a stream bottoming cycle from the power plant. The concept has the potential for achieving coal-pile-to-busbar efficiencies of 50-59%, depending on the process configuration and degree of process configuration and degree of process development requirements. This is significantly higher than any previously reported gasifier-molten carbonate fuel cell system.

DEVELOPMENTAL THYROID HORMONE INSUFFICIENCY ALTERS THE AMPLITUDE OF THE ACOUSTIC STARTLE RESPONSE IN RATS

EPA Science Inventory

Purpose: The thyroid hormone (TH) system is one of the targets of endocrine disrupting chemicals. Since TH is essential for proper brain development, disruption by exposure to chemicals during development can result in adverse neurological outcomes. Previous studies revealed th...

Anxiogenic Patterns in Mother-Child Interactions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harvison, Kyle W.; Chapman, L. Kevin; Ballash, Natalie G.; Woodruff-Borden, Janet

2008-01-01

The current study examined psychosocial variables associated with the development of anxiety in children. While previous literature has established parental affectionless control as an important contributor to the development of anxiety in children, few have examined this construct within the dynamic context of parent-child interaction. In the…

The Differential Effect of Attentional Condition on Subsequent Vocabulary Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mohammed, Halah Abdulelah; Majid, Norazman Abdul; Abdullah, Tina

2016-01-01

This study addressed the potential methodological issues effect of attentional condition on subsequent vocabulary development from a different perspective, which addressed several potential methodological issues of previous research that have been based on psycholinguistic notion of second language learner as a limited capacity processor. The…

Language Development and Scaffolding in a Sino-American Telecollaborative Project

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jin, Li

2013-01-01

Previous research (e.g., Belz & Thorne, 2006; Ware & O'Dowd, 2008) has discovered that language learning can be afforded through intercultural telecollaboration. From a sociocultural theoretical perspective, the current study investigated the language development outcomes and process in a 10-week Sino-American telecollaborative project…

Prosocial Growth during College: Results of a National Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brandenberger, Jay W.; Bowman, Nicholas A.

2015-01-01

Ethical growth and prosocial development are increasingly salient learning outcomes in higher education. Previous research has shown that the traditional college years facilitate moral development, especially with respect to moral reasoning. This research examined the impact of college experiences on students' sense of active responsibility for…

Continuous exposure to dibromoacetic acid delays pubertal development and compromises sperm quality in the rat

EPA Science Inventory

Previously our work on the haloacid by-products of drinking water disinfection focused on adult exposures. Herein we evaluate the consequence of continuous exposure to dibromoacetic acid (DBA) via drinking water through reproductive development into adulthood. An initial study in...

Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge for Teaching a New Topic: More Than Teaching Experience and Subject Matter Knowledge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chan, Kennedy Kam Ho; Yung, Benny Hin Wai

2017-03-01

Teaching experience has been identified as an important factor in pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) development. However, little is known about how experienced teachers may draw on their previous experience to facilitate their PCK development. This study examined how two experienced high school biology teachers approached the teaching of a newly introduced topic in the curriculum, polymerase chain reaction and their PCK development from the pre-lesson planning phase through the interactive phase to the post-lesson reflection phase. Multiple data sources included classroom observations, field notes, semi-structured interviews and classroom artefacts. It was found that the teachers' previous experience informed their planning for teaching the new topic, but in qualitatively different ways. This, in turn, had a bearing on their new PCK development. Subject matter knowledge (SMK) can not only facilitate but may also hinder this development. Our findings identify two types of experienced teachers: those who can capitalise on their previous teaching experiences and SMK to develop new PCK and those who do not. The critical difference is whether in the lesson planning stage, the teacher shows the disposition to draw on a generalised mental framework that enables the teacher to capitalise on his existing SMK to develop new PCK. Helping teachers to acquire this disposition should be a focus for teacher training in light of continuous curriculum changes.

Previous experience in manned space flight: A survey of human factors lessons learned

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chandlee, George O.; Woolford, Barbara

1993-01-01

Previous experience in manned space flight programs can be used to compile a data base of human factors lessons learned for the purpose of developing aids in the future design of inhabited spacecraft. The objectives are to gather information available from relevant sources, to develop a taxonomy of human factors data, and to produce a data base that can be used in the future for those people involved in the design of manned spacecraft operations. A study is currently underway at the Johnson Space Center with the objective of compiling, classifying, and summarizing relevant human factors data bearing on the lessons learned from previous manned space flights. The research reported defines sources of data, methods for collection, and proposes a classification for human factors data that may be a model for other human factors disciplines.

Development of an Internet-Administered Cognitive Behavior Therapy Program (ENGAGE) for Parents of Children Previously Treated for Cancer: Participatory Action Research Approach.

PubMed

Wikman, Anna; Kukkola, Laura; Börjesson, Helene; Cernvall, Martin; Woodford, Joanne; Grönqvist, Helena; von Essen, Louise

2018-04-18

Parenting a child through cancer is a distressing experience, and a subgroup of parents report negative long-term psychological consequences years after treatment completion. However, there is a lack of evidence-based psychological interventions for parents who experience distress in relation to a child's cancer disease after end of treatment. One aim of this study was to develop an internet-administered, cognitive behavior therapy-based, psychological, guided, self-help intervention (ENGAGE) for parents of children previously treated for cancer. Another aim was to identify acceptable procedures for future feasibility and efficacy studies testing and evaluating the intervention. Participatory action research methodology was used. The study included face-to-face workshops and related Web-based exercises. A total of 6 parents (4 mothers, 2 fathers) of children previously treated for cancer were involved as parent research partners. Moreover, 2 clinical psychologists were involved as expert research partners. Research partners and research group members worked collaboratively throughout the study. Data were analyzed iteratively using written summaries of the workshops and Web-based exercises parallel to data collection. A 10-week, internet-administered, cognitive behavior therapy-based, psychological, guided, self-help intervention (ENGAGE) was developed in collaboration with parent research partners and expert research partners. The content of the intervention, mode and frequency of e-therapist support, and the individualized approach for feedback were modified based on the research partner input. Shared solutions were reached regarding the type and timing of support from an e-therapist (eg, initial video or telephone call, multiple methods of e-therapist contact), duration and timing of intervention (eg, 10 weeks, 30-min assessments), and the removal of unnecessary support functions (eg, removal of chat and forum functions). Preferences for study procedures in future studies testing and evaluating the intervention were discussed; consensus was not reached for all aspects. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first use of a participatory action research approach to develop a psychological intervention for parents of children previously treated for cancer and to identify acceptable study procedures. Involvement of parents with lived experience was vital in the development of a potentially relevant and acceptable intervention for this population. ©Anna Wikman, Laura Kukkola, Helene Börjesson, Martin Cernvall, Joanne Woodford, Helena Grönqvist, Louise von Essen. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 18.04.2018.

Rethinking childhood adversity in chronic fatigue syndrome.

PubMed

Clark, James E; Davidson, Sean L; Maclachlan, Laura; Newton, Julia L; Watson, Stuart

2018-01-01

Background: Previous studies have consistently shown increased rates of childhood adversity in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). However, such aetiopathogenic studies of CFS are potentially confounded by co-morbidity and misdiagnosis particularly with depression. Purpose: We examined the relationship between rates of childhood adversity using two complimentary approaches (1) a sample of CFS patients who had no lifetime history of depression and (2) a modelling approach. Methods: Childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) administered to a sample of 52 participants with chronic fatigue syndrome and 19 controls who did not meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder (confirmed using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV). Subsequently, Mediation Analysis (Baye's Rules) was used to establish the risk childhood adversity poses for CFS with and without depression. Results: In a cohort of CFS patients with depression comprehensively excluded, CTQ scores were markedly lower than in all previous studies and, in contrast to these previous studies, not increased compared with healthy controls. Post-hoc analysis showed that CTQ scores correlated with the number of depressive symptoms during the lifetime worst period of low mood. The probability of developing CFS given a history of childhood trauma is 4%, a two-fold increased risk compared to the general population. However, much of this risk is mediated by the concomitant development of major depression. Conclusions: The data suggests that previous studies showing a relationship between childhood adversity and CFS may be attributable to the confounding effects of co-morbid or misdiagnosed depressive disorder. Abbreviations: CFS: Chronic fatigue syndrome; CTQ: Childhood trauma questionnaire; MDD: Major depressive disorder; CA: Childhood adversity; P : Probability.

Validation of a Crowdsourcing Methodology for Developing a Knowledge Base of Related Problem-Medication Pairs.

PubMed

McCoy, A B; Wright, A; Krousel-Wood, M; Thomas, E J; McCoy, J A; Sittig, D F

2015-01-01

Clinical knowledge bases of problem-medication pairs are necessary for many informatics solutions that improve patient safety, such as clinical summarization. However, developing these knowledge bases can be challenging. We sought to validate a previously developed crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large, non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record. We first retrieved medications and problems entered in the electronic health record by clinicians during routine care during a six month study period. Following the previously published approach, we calculated the link frequency and link ratio for each pair then identified a threshold cutoff for estimated problem-medication pair appropriateness through clinician review; problem-medication pairs meeting the threshold were included in the resulting knowledge base. We selected 50 medications and their gold standard indications to compare the resulting knowledge base to the pilot knowledge base developed previously and determine its recall and precision. The resulting knowledge base contained 26,912 pairs, had a recall of 62.3% and a precision of 87.5%, and outperformed the pilot knowledge base containing 11,167 pairs from the previous study, which had a recall of 46.9% and a precision of 83.3%. We validated the crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record, indicating that the approach may be generalizable across healthcare settings and clinical systems. Further research is necessary to better evaluate the knowledge, to compare crowdsourcing with other approaches, and to evaluate if incorporating the knowledge into electronic health records improves patient outcomes.

Validation of a Crowdsourcing Methodology for Developing a Knowledge Base of Related Problem-Medication Pairs

PubMed Central

Wright, A.; Krousel-Wood, M.; Thomas, E. J.; McCoy, J. A.; Sittig, D. F.

2015-01-01

Summary Background Clinical knowledge bases of problem-medication pairs are necessary for many informatics solutions that improve patient safety, such as clinical summarization. However, developing these knowledge bases can be challenging. Objective We sought to validate a previously developed crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large, non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record. Methods We first retrieved medications and problems entered in the electronic health record by clinicians during routine care during a six month study period. Following the previously published approach, we calculated the link frequency and link ratio for each pair then identified a threshold cutoff for estimated problem-medication pair appropriateness through clinician review; problem-medication pairs meeting the threshold were included in the resulting knowledge base. We selected 50 medications and their gold standard indications to compare the resulting knowledge base to the pilot knowledge base developed previously and determine its recall and precision. Results The resulting knowledge base contained 26,912 pairs, had a recall of 62.3% and a precision of 87.5%, and outperformed the pilot knowledge base containing 11,167 pairs from the previous study, which had a recall of 46.9% and a precision of 83.3%. Conclusions We validated the crowdsourcing approach for generating a knowledge base of problem-medication pairs in a large non-university health care system with a widely used, commercially available electronic health record, indicating that the approach may be generalizable across healthcare settings and clinical systems. Further research is necessary to better evaluate the knowledge, to compare crowdsourcing with other approaches, and to evaluate if incorporating the knowledge into electronic health records improves patient outcomes. PMID:26171079

Change Blindness as a Means of Studying Expertise in Physics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feil, Adam; Mestre, Jose P.

2010-01-01

Previous studies examining expertise have used a wide range of methods. Beyond characterizing expert and novice behavior in different contexts and circumstances, many studies have examined the processes that comprise the behavior itself and, more recently, processes that comprise training and practice that develop expertise. Other studies, dating…

Relationship between Defect Size and Fatigue Life Distributions in Al-7 Pct Si-Mg Alloy Castings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiryakioğlu, Murat

2009-07-01

A new method for predicting the variability in fatigue life of castings was developed by combining the size distribution for the fatigue-initiating defects and a fatigue life model based on the Paris-Erdoğan law for crack propagation. Two datasets for the fatigue-initiating defects in Al-7 pct Si-Mg alloy castings, reported previously in the literature, were used to demonstrate that (1) the size of fatigue-initiating defects follow the Gumbel distribution; (2) the crack propagation model developed previously provides respectable fits to experimental data; and (3) the method developed in the present study expresses the variability in both datasets, almost as well as the lognormal distribution and better than the Weibull distribution.

Materialism and life satisfaction: the role of religion.

PubMed

Rakrachakarn, Varapa; Moschis, George P; Ong, Fon Sim; Shannon, Randall

2015-04-01

This study examines the role of religion and religiosity in the relationship between materialism and life satisfaction. The findings suggests that religion may be a key factor in understanding differences in findings of previous studies regarding the inverserelationship found in the vast majority of previous studies. Based on a large-scale study in Malaysia—a country comprised of several religious subcultures (mainly Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus), the findings suggest that the influence of religiosity on materialism and life satisfaction is stronger among Malays than among Chinese and Indians, and life satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between religiosity and materialism. The paper discusses implications for theory development and further research.

Light Sources and Lighting Circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, Hisashi; Suwa, Takumi; Yasuda, Takeo; Ohtani, Yoshihiko; Maehara, Akiyoshi; Okada, Atsunori; Komatsu, Naoki; Mannami, Tomoaki

According to the Machinery Statistics of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the production of incandescent lamps in Japan in 2007 was 990 million units (90.0% of the previous year's total), in which the production of incandescent lamps for general lighting was 110 million units (90.0% of the previous year's total) and of tungsten-halogen lamps was 44 million units (96.6% of the previous year's total). The production of fluorescent lamps was 927 million units (93.9% of the previous year's total), in which general fluorescent lamps, excluding those for LCD back lighting, was 320 million units (87.2% of the previous year's total). Also, the production of HID lamps was 10 million units (101.5% of the previous year's total). On the other hand, when the numbers of sales are compared with the sales of the previous year, incandescent lamps for general use was 99.8%, tungsten-halogen lamps was 96.9%, fluorescent lamps was 95.9%, and HID lamps was 98.9%. Self-ballasted fluorescent lamps alone showed an increase in sales as strong as 29 million units, or 121.7% of the previous year's sales. It is considered that the switchover of incandescent lamps to HID lamps was promoted for energy conservation and carbon dioxide reduction with the problem of global warming in the background. In regard to exhibitions, Lighting Fair 2007 was held in Tokyo in March, and LIGHTFAIR INTERNATIONAL 2007 was held in New York in May. Regarding academic conferences, LS:11 (the 11th International Symposium on the Science & Technology of Light Sources) was held in Shanghai in May, and the First International Conference on White LEDs and Solid State Lighting was held in Tokyo in November. Both conferences suggested that there are strong needs and concerns now about energy conservation, saving natural resources, and restrictions of hazardous materials. In regard to incandescent lamps, the development of products aiming at higher efficacy, electric power savings, and longer life was advanced by means of using filler gas with a higher atomic weight. Regarding fluorescent lamps, studies and developments for longer operating life and improvement in the lumen maintenance factor for the straight-type and circular-type fluorescent lamps were actively pursued. Regarding self-ballasted fluorescent lamps, the main stream of development was aimed at reducing lamp size and increasing energy conservation, and the development of new products that took advantage of these features proceeded. In regard to LED light sources, basic research and product development, including new application development, were vigorously implemented. In basic research, studies were reported, not only on efficacy improvements through optimization of the LED chips, phosphor layers, and packaging technology, but also on photometry, colorimetry, and visual psychology. In the field of application, applications were studied for general lighting sources and also for a wide range of fields, such as automotive headlights and visible light communication. Also, many academic conferences and exhibitions were held domestically and overseas, and the high level of interest suggests high expectations for this next-generation light source. Regarding HID lamps, there was much activity in research and development and in the commercialization of the ceramic metal halide lamp product, and products were commercialized with features such as higher efficiency (130 lm/W) and higher color rendering properties (R9 ≥ 90). In the high-pressure sodium lamps, there were many study reports concerning plant growth and insect pest control using its low insect-attracting characteristics. With high-pressure mercury lamps, there were many reports on reducing lamp size and increasing intensity for use as a light source for projectors.

A cooperative study of gate entry designs: Welbeck Colliery (UK) and Jim Walter Resources (USA)

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

Hendon, G.; Carr, F.; Lewis, A.

1995-11-01

Longwall developments in the UK have historically consisted of single entry gate roads. Adjacent developments were separated from existing pales by large barrier pillars (designed of sufficient width to get away from the longwall abutments of the previous panel) or by small barriers driven in the shadow, or de-stressed zone, of the previous panel. Some 2nd panel tailgates were also driven skin to skin leaving no coal barrier between the newly driven entry and the heavily supported existing gateroad. With the development and wide acceptance of fully bolted entries and the pressure to reduce production costs, alternatives to single entrymore » drivage, particularly yield pillar developments, were examined. Through the Rock Mechanics Branch of british Coal, a cooperative study was begun with Jim Walter Resources, Inc., USA, (JWR) to look at the yield pillar alternative in detail. This study was to determine the feasibility of utilizing yield pillars in the UK and to determine, through monitoring, the possibility of reducing stable pillar widths at JWR. The study has included extensive monitoring of the yield-stable-yield pillar system at JWR No. 7 Mine and an underground trial of a two entry yield pillar test area at Welbeck Colliery in the UK. This paper describes results from the JWR study and the subsequent results of the first advancing yield pillar development in the UK at Welbeck Colliery.« less

Do Postpartum Levels of Apolipoproteins Prospectively Predict the Development of Type 2 Diabetes in Women with Previous Gestational Diabetes Mellitus?

PubMed

Lappas, Martha; Georgiou, Harry M; Velagic, Anida; Willcox, Jane C; Permezel, Michael; Shub, Alexis

2018-03-12

The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is greater in women with previous gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Apolipoprotein (Apo) species have been associated with the development of type 2 diabetes in the general population. The aim of this study was to determine if circulating levels of Apo species can predict development of type 2 diabetes in women with previous GDM. Apo AI, Apo AII, Apo B, Apo CII, Apo CIII and Apo E levels were measured in 95 women with normal glucose tolerance, 12 weeks following an index GDM pregnancy. Women were assessed for up to 10 years for the development of type 2 diabetes. Postpartum Apo CIII levels, and Apo CIII/Apo AI, Apo CIII/Apo AII, Apo CIII/Apo CII, Apo CIII/Apo E and Apo E/Apo CIII ratios were significantly and positively associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. After controlling for age and BMI, these associations, except for the Apo E/Apo CIII ratio, remained significant. In a clinical model of prediction of type 2 diabetes that included age, BMI, and pregnancy and postnatal fasting glucose, the addition of Apo CIII levels, Apo CIII/Apo AI, Apo CIII/Apo AII, Apo CIII/Apo CII, and Apo CIII/Apo E resulted in a net reclassification improvement of 16.2%. High Apo CIII levels and the Apo CIII/Apo AI, Apo CIII/Apo AII, Apo CIII/Apo CII, and Apo CIII/Apo E ratios are all significant risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes in women with a previous GDM pregnancy. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Quantifying Impacts of Urban Growth Potential on Army Training Capabilities

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-09-12

Capacity” ERDC/CERL TR-17-34 ii Abstract Building on previous studies of urban growth and population effects on U.S. military installations and...combat team studies . CAA has developed an iterative process that builds on Military Value Anal- ysis (MVA) models that include a set of attributes that...Methods and tools were developed to support a nationwide analysis. This study focused on installations operating training areas that were high

Participation and Progression: New Medical Graduates Entering Professional Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bearman, Margaret; Lawson, Mary; Jones, Alison

2011-01-01

The first year of practice after medical school is considered to be an essential part of becoming a medical practitioner in Australia. Previous qualitative investigations have investigated a number of significant aspects of this early stage of professional development. This qualitative study explores experiences and developing professional…

Women's Education Levels and Its Impact on Their Attitudes towards Children's Health Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjorgen, Kathrine

2011-01-01

Relations between socio-economic differences and health have previously been well documented, but women's education level and relative attitudes towards children's health development has been seldom found in studies. This paper examines the relation between women's education level and their attitudes in understanding kindergarten children's health…

Subject- and Experience-Bound Differences in Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borg, C.; Gericke, N.; Höglund, H.-O.; Bergman, E.

2014-01-01

This article describes the results of a nationwide questionnaire study of 3229 Swedish upper secondary school teachers' conceptual understanding of sustainable development in relation to their subject discipline and teaching experience. Previous research has shown that teachers have difficulties understanding the complex concept of sustainable…

The Ontogeny of Learned Inhibition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyer, Heidi C.; Bucci, David J.

2014-01-01

Previous studies have examined the maturation of learning and memory abilities during early stages of development. By comparison, much less is known about the ontogeny of learning and memory during later stages of development, including adolescence. In Experiment 1, we tested the ability of adolescent and adult rats to learn a Pavlovian negative…

Developing Nitrogen Load-Eelgrass Response Relationshups for New England Estuaries

EPA Science Inventory

We have accumulated and analyzed eelgrass areal extent data for 67 estuaries from three New England states. To our knowledge this is the largest data set of its kind. Previous comparative studies have utilized data from a far smaller number of estuaries (ten or less) to develop e...

Development of a Personalized Educational Computer Game Based on Students' Learning Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Sung, Han-Yu; Hung, Chun-Ming; Huang, Iwen; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2012-01-01

In recent years, many researchers have been engaged in the development of educational computer games; however, previous studies have indicated that, without supportive models that take individual students' learning needs or difficulties into consideration, students might only show temporary interest during the learning process, and their learning…

Causal Connections between Mathematical Language and Mathematical Knowledge: A Dialogic Reading Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Purpura, David J.; Napoli, Amy R.; Wehrspann, Elizabeth A.; Gold, Zachary S.

2017-01-01

The acquisition of early mathematical knowledge is critical for successful long-term academic development. Mathematical language is one of the strongest predictors of children's early mathematical success. Findings from previous studies have provided correlational evidence supporting the importance of mathematical language to the development of…

Finding the Intersection of the Learning Organization and Learning Transfer: The Significance of Leadership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jun Hee; Callahan, Jamie L.

2013-01-01

Purpose: This article aims to develop a conceptual framework delineating the key dimension of the learning organization which significantly influences learning transfer. Design/methodology/approach: The conceptual framework was developed by analyzing previous studies and synthesizing the results associated with the following four relationships:…

Building Knowledge Structures by Testing Helps Children with Mathematical Learning Difficulty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yiyun; Zhou, Xinlin

2016-01-01

Mathematical learning difficulty (MLD) is prevalent in the development of mathematical abilities. Previous interventions for children with MLD have focused on number sense or basic mathematical skills. This study investigated whether mathematical performance of fifth grade children with MLD could be improved by developing knowledge structures by…

Auto Mechanics; Methodology. Technical Instruction Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Systems Operation Support, Inc., King of Prussia, PA.

This student instruction manual was written in conformance with selected criteria for programed instruction books as developed previously for various military training courses. The manual was developed as a part of "A Study of the Effectiveness of a Military-Type Computer-Based Instructional System When Used in Civilian High School Courses in…

Environmental Identity Development through Social Interactions, Action, and Recognition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stapleton, Sarah Riggs

2015-01-01

This article uses sociocultural identity theory to explore how practice, action, and recognition can facilitate environmental identity development. Recognition, a construct not previously explored in environmental identity literature, is particularly examined. The study is based on a group of diverse teens who traveled to South Asia to participate…

Building on Strength: Positive Youth Development in Juvenile Justice Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barton William H.; Butts, Jeffrey A.

2008-01-01

This report describes the results of an exploratory study of juvenile justice programs where managers and practitioners are attempting to build youth interventions with strength-based, positive youth development principles. Previous researchers have not adequately documented how such reforms take place, let alone whether they produce effective…

DEVELOPMENT OF THE U.S. EPA HEALTH EFFECTS RESEARCH LABORATORY FROZEN BLOOD CELL REPOSITORY PROGRAM

EPA Science Inventory

In previous efforts, we suggested that proper blood cell freezing and storage is necessary in longitudinal studies with reduced between tests error, for specimen sharing between laboratories and for convenient scheduling of assays. e continue to develop and upgrade programs for o...

Rural Community Development: What Sort of Social Change?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wright, Susan

1992-01-01

Describes the role of the rural community development worker in achieving social change by encouraging participatory decision making. Presents results of a participatory research study in which the author, as a community worker, empowers a village with a failed water supply to seek change where they had previously experienced resistance by…

The Adolescent Dip in Students' Sustainability Consciousness--Implications for Education for Sustainable Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsson, Daniel; Gericke, Niklas

2016-01-01

Previous research has shown that interest in and concern about environmental issues tends to decrease in adolescence, but less is known about adolescents' broader consciousness of sustainable development, also including economic and social issues. This study investigates students' sustainability consciousness in the transition to adolescence. This…

Embracing the Paradox in Educational Change for Sustainable Development: A Case of Accounting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Qian, Wei

2013-01-01

Higher education institutions have been encouraged to prepare their graduates to be socially and environmentally responsible professionals. However, previous studies have found a slow uptake of education for sustainable development (ESD) in university curricula, particularly in non-environmental disciplines. This paper investigates the process of…

Research Issues in Evaluating Learning Pattern Development in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Richardson, John T. E.

2013-01-01

This article concludes the special issue of "Studies in Educational Evaluation" concerned with "Evaluating learning pattern development in higher education" by discussing research issues that have emerged from the previous contributions. The article considers in turn: stability versus variability in learning patterns; old versus new analytic…

Embracing the Institutional Mission: Influences of Identity Processing Styles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Milner, Lauren A.; Ferrari, Joseph R.

2010-01-01

Previous research suggests that different information processing styles influence how effectively students adapt to a college environment. During the college years, individuals shape and refine their values and principles while they also develop a life-long philosophy. The present study examined how student ego-identity development (n = 1,249) was…

PERINATAL EXPOSURE TO A POLYBROMINATED DIPHENYL ETHER MIXTURE (DE-71): DISRUPTION OF THYROID HOMEOSTASIS AND NEUROBEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT.

EPA Science Inventory

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), produced commercially as mixtures, are used as flame-retardants in numerous consumer products. Previous work has demonstrated that the DE-71 induces hypothyroxinemia in both adults and developing rats. In these studies, primiparous rats w...

Seed Cotton Mass Flow Measurement in the Gin

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Seed cotton mass flow measurement is necessary for the development of improved gin process control systems that can increase gin efficiency and improve fiber quality. Previous studies led to the development of a seed cotton mass flow rate sensor based on the static pressure drop across the blowbox, ...

The Just World and the Third World: British Explanations for Poverty Abroad.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harper, David J.; Manasse, Paul R.

1992-01-01

Reviews research on attitudes of citizens of industrialized nations toward the causes of poverty in developing nations. Reports on a study of 89 British adults and their attitudes toward poverty in the developing world. Finds attitudes of "Blame the Poor" that are consistent with previous research. (CFR)

Linear Age-Correlated Development of Inhibitory Saccadic Trajectory Deviations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

West, Greg L.; Mendizabal, Sandrine; Carrière, Marie-Pierre; Lippé, Sarah

2014-01-01

The present study examined development-related differences in saccade curvature during a goal-directed saccade task in the presence of distracting visual information. Participants were individuals who ranged in age from 6 to 30 years. Consistent with previous findings, all participants showed curvature toward the distractor stimulus at shorter…

Integrating Functional, Developmental and Evolutionary Biology into Biology Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haave, Neil

2012-01-01

A complete understanding of life involves how organisms are able to function in their environment and how they arise. Understanding how organisms arise involves both their evolution and development. Thus to completely comprehend living things, biology must study their function, development and evolution. Previous proposals for standardized…

Developmental-Interest Factors Associated with Homosexuality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Mary A.; Schoenfeldt, Lyle F.

1973-01-01

This study compared 42 male homosexual college students with heterosexual controls on 19 life experience factors. The factors were developed from a biographical questionnaire and, in turn, were used to develop subgroups homogeneous with respect to previous experience. The homosexuals differed on 8 of the 19 dimensions. The pattern was one…

Retarded head growth and neurocognitive development in infants of mothers with a history of eating disorders: longitudinal cohort study.

PubMed

Koubaa, S; Hällström, T; Hagenäs, L; Hirschberg, A L

2013-10-01

To characterise early growth and neurocognitive development in children of mothers with a history of eating disorders (ED). A longitudinal cohort study. Child-care centres in Stockholm, Sweden. Children born to mothers with previous ED (n = 47) (24 anorexia nervosa, 20 bulimia nervosa, 3 unspecified ED), and controls (n = 65). Mean values and standard deviation scores of weight and height from birth to 5 years of age and head circumference up to 18 months of age were compared between groups. Neurocognitive development was studied at the age of 5 years by the validated parent questionnaire Five to Fifteen. Head growth and neurocognitive development. We previously reported that mothers with a history of ED conceived infants with lower birthweight and head circumference than controls. At 3 months of age, body mass index (BMI) was no longer reduced but mean head circumferences of the children born to mothers with ED were smaller throughout the observation period. Similarly, the longitudinal results of the standard deviation scores of head circumference showed a significant overall group effect with lower levels in both subgroups of ED (anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa). The children of the ED mothers also had significantly higher Five to Fifteen scores than controls, reflecting difficulties in language skills. Head circumference at birth correlated with language skills in the children of mothers with ED. Children of mothers with previous ED demonstrated an early catch-up in BMI, but the average head circumference continued to be delayed until at least 18 months of age. The reduced head growth was related to delayed neurocognitive development. © 2013 RCOG.

A 27-year experience with infective endocarditis in Lebanon.

PubMed

El-Chakhtoura, Nadim; Yasmin, Mohamad; Kanj, Souha S; Baban, Tania; Sfeir, Jad; Kanafani, Zeina A

Although rare, infective endocarditis (IE) continues to cause significant morbidity and mortality. Previous data from the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) had shown predominance of streptococcal infection. As worldwide studies in developed countries show increasing trends in Staphylococcus aureus endocarditis, it becomes vital to continually inspect local data for epidemiological variations. We reviewed all IE cases between 2001 and 2014, and we performed a comparison to a historical cohort of 86 IE cases from 1987 to 2001. A total of 80 patients were diagnosed with IE between 2001 and 2014. The mean age was 61 years. The most commonly isolated organisms were streptococci (37%), compared to 51% in the previous cohort. S. aureus accounted for 11%. Only one S. aureus isolate was methicillin-resistant. In the historical cohort, 26% of cases were caused by S. aureus. Enterococci ranked behind staphylococci with 22% of total cases, while in the previous cohort, enterococcal IE was only 4%. Compared to previous data from AUBMC, the rates of streptococcal and staphylococcal endocarditis have decreased while enterococcal endocarditis has increased. This study reconfirms that in Lebanon, a developing country, we continue to have a low predominance of staphylococci as etiologic agents in IE. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Context and Input Conditions on Oral and Written Development: A Study Abroad Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perez-Vidal, Carmen; Juan-Garau, Maria

2011-01-01

This article aims at describing and explaining the effects of a period of Study Abroad spent in the target language country (SA) on foreign language development. Such effects are analysed in the short- and mid-term and in contrast with the impact of a period of formal instruction (FI) previously spent in the home country (AH). It is hypothesised…

Massive, Open, Online, and National? A Study of How National Governments and Institutions Shape the Development of MOOCs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tømte, Cathrine E.; Fevolden, Arne Martin; Aanstad, Siri

2017-01-01

We explore interpretations of MOOCs around the globe and, in particular, interpretations of MOOCs in Norway. Based on a review of previous studies relevant to these topics, we present two contrasting views on the emergence and development of MOOCs, namely the global interruption view and the national mediation view. We suggest, based on previous…

A Knowledge Acquisition Approach to Developing Mindtools for Organizing and Sharing Differentiating Knowledge in a Ubiquitous Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Chu, Hui-Chun; Lin, Yu-Shih; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2011-01-01

Previous studies have reported the importance and benefits of situating students in a real-world learning environment with access to digital-world resources. At the same time, researchers have indicated the need to develop learning guidance mechanisms or tools for assisting students to learn in such a complex learning scenario. In this study, a…

Designing algorithm visualization on mobile platform: The proposed guidelines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supli, A. A.; Shiratuddin, N.

2017-09-01

This paper entails an ongoing study about the design guidelines of algorithm visualization (AV) on mobile platform, helping students learning data structures and algorithm (DSA) subject effectively. Our previous review indicated that design guidelines of AV on mobile platform are still few. Mostly, previous guidelines of AV are developed for AV on desktop and website platform. In fact, mobile learning has been proved to enhance engagement in learning circumstances, and thus effect student's performance. In addition, the researchers highly recommend including UI design and Interactivity in designing effective AV system. However, the discussions of these two aspects in previous AV design guidelines are not comprehensive. The UI design in this paper describes the arrangement of AV features in mobile environment, whereas interactivity is about the active learning strategy features based on learning experiences (how to engage learners). Thus, this study main objective is to propose design guidelines of AV on mobile platform (AVOMP) that entails comprehensively UI design and interactivity aspects. These guidelines are developed through content analysis and comparative analysis from various related studies. These guidelines are useful for AV designers to help them constructing AVOMP for various topics on DSA.

Life-Cycle Cost/Benefit Assessment of Expedite Departure Path (EDP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Jianzhong Jay; Chang, Paul; Datta, Koushik

2005-01-01

This report presents a life-cycle cost/benefit assessment (LCCBA) of Expedite Departure Path (EDP), an air traffic control Decision Support Tool (DST) currently under development at NASA. This assessment is an update of a previous study performed by bd Systems, Inc. (bd) during FY01, with the following revisions: The life-cycle cost assessment methodology developed by bd for the previous study was refined and calibrated using Free Flight Phase 1 (FFP1) cost information for Traffic Management Advisor (TMA, or TMA-SC in the FAA's terminology). Adjustments were also made to the site selection and deployment scheduling methodology to include airspace complexity as a factor. This technique was also applied to the benefit extrapolation methodology to better estimate potential benefits for other years, and at other sites. This study employed a new benefit estimating methodology because bd s previous single year potential benefit assessment of EDP used unrealistic assumptions that resulted in optimistic estimates. This methodology uses an air traffic simulation approach to reasonably predict the impacts from the implementation of EDP. The results of the costs and benefits analyses were then integrated into a life-cycle cost/benefit assessment.

The Development of the Sexual Assertiveness Questionnaire (SAQ): A Comprehensive Measure of Sexual Assertiveness for Women.

PubMed

Loshek, Eevett; Terrell, Heather K

2015-01-01

Sexual assertiveness has been defined in a number of ways by many researchers, with different aspects of sexual assertiveness emphasized in different measures. Most previous measures have included condom insistence as an important aspect of sexual assertiveness, but this may not translate well to women at all life stages or in varied types of relationships. The goal of the current study was to develop a comprehensive measure of sexual assertiveness that encompasses the aspects of sexual assertiveness that have been emphasized by previous researchers, with the exception of condom insistence. Items were generated based on previous measures and definitions, and an exploratory factor analysis was conducted (Study 1) to better understand the dimensions of sexual assertiveness. The proposed scale was revised and further refined using both exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis in Study 2. The final scale consisted of 18 items that seem to capture three dimensions of sexual assertiveness: the ability to initiate and communicate about desired sex, the ability to refuse unwanted sex, and the ability to communicate about sexual history and risk. Model fit indices indicate that this three-factor solution fits the data well. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.

Self-report vs. kinematic screening test: prevalence, demographics, and sports biography of yips-affected golfers.

PubMed

Klämpfl, Martin K; Philippen, Philipp B; Lobinger, Babett H

2015-01-01

The yips is considered a task-specific movement disorder. Its estimated prevalence, however, is high compared to similar neurological movement disorders, possibly resulting from previous studies' restriction of samples based on skill level, and self-report bias. Alternatively, this high prevalence might be an indication of additional aetiologies, for example the influence of previously played racket sports. We estimated the prevalence of the putting yips across the skill range, using self-reports in one study and a screening test in a second study. We explored if previously played sports matter for the development of the yips. In study 1, yips prevalence (N = 1,306) and golfers' sports biographies (n = 264) were examined via two online surveys, in which golfers indicated if they were yips-affected. In study 2, golfers (N = 186) putted in a standardised putting test while kinematic and performance measures were recorded. Prevalence was estimated via a kinematic threshold. Sports biographies (n = 119) were obtained via an online survey. Prevalence of currently yips-affected golfers was 22.4% in study 1 and 16.7% in study 2. In both studies, more yips-affected than unaffected golfers had experience in playing racket sports. Yips prevalence remained higher than previously estimated prevalence of other movement disorders but decreased when the whole skill range including professionals and novices was considered. Future studies should use the kinematic screening test instead of self-reports to detect the yips and further investigate the influence of previously played racket sports.

The complete larval development of the mud shrimp Upogebia vasquezi (Gebiidea: Upogebiidae) reared in the laboratory.

PubMed

De Oliveira, Danielly Brito; Martinelli-Lemos, Jussara Moretto; Abrunhosa, Fernando Araújo

2014-07-01

The larval development of Upogebia vasquezi consists of four zoeal stages and a megalopa. In the present study, each larval stage was described and illustrated in detail. The first two stages are re-described in order to provide a detailed comparison with the data available for this species recorded in a previous study. The morphological features of all the stages are compared with those of the larvae of other Upogebia species reported previously in the literature. Broad morphological similarities and distinctions were found among most Upogebia species. The main interspecific variations in the morphology of the zoeal stages are the segmentation pattern of the antennular endopod and number of aesthetascs, the number of setae on the scaphognathite and the presence or absence of a mandibular palp.

Urban pedestrian accident countermeasures experimental evaluation. Volume 1, Behavioral evaluation studies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1975-02-01

A series of site and accident specific pedestrian safety countermeasures had been developed in a previous study, but the effectiveness of these countermeasures had not been empirically evaluated. This project focused on the determination of the effec...

3D highway alignment optimization for Brookeville Bypass : final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-06-01

This study applies the previously developed Highway Alignment Optimization (HAO) : model to the MD 97 Bypass project in Brookeville, Maryland. The objective of this study is to : demonstrate the applicability of the HAO model to a real highway projec...

DETERMINANTS OF CHILDREN'S PESTICIDE EXPOSURE IN YUMA COUNTY, ARIZONA

EPA Science Inventory

In 1999-2000, researchers from US EPA's Office of Research and Development in collaboration with several government and academic institutions conducted pesticide exposure assessment studies in Yuma county. Results from these studies have been previously reported (Gordon SM, et a...

Learner Characteristic Based Learning Effort Curve Mode: The Core Mechanism on Developing Personalized Adaptive E-Learning Platform

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, Pi-Shan

2012-01-01

This study aims to develop the core mechanism for realizing the development of personalized adaptive e-learning platform, which is based on the previous learning effort curve research and takes into account the learner characteristics of learning style and self-efficacy. 125 university students from Taiwan are classified into 16 groups according…

Relationship between Gestures and Words in Children with Down's Syndrome and Typically Developing Children in the Early Stages of Communicative Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Iverson, Jana M.; Longobardi, Emiddia; Caselli, M. Cristina

2003-01-01

Background: Previous research has emphasized the importance of gesture in early communicative development. These studies have reported that gestures are used frequently during the first two years of life and may play a transitional role in the language acquisition process. Although there are now numerous descriptions of the relationship between…

Validation of satellite-based CI detection of convective storms via backward trajectories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dietzsch, Felix; Senf, Fabian; Deneke, Hartwig

2013-04-01

Within this study, the rapid development and evolution of several severe convective events is investigated based on geostationary satellite images, and is related to previous findings on suitable detection thresholds for convective initiation. Nine severe events have been selected that occurred over Central Europe in summer 2012, and have been classified into the categories supercell, mesoscale convective system, frontal system and orographic convection. The cases are traced backward starting from the fully developed convective systems to its very beginning initial state using ECMWF data with 0.5 degree spatial resolution and 3h temporal resolution. For every case the storm life cycle was quantified through the storm's infrared (IR) brightness temperatures obtained from Meteosat Second Generation SEVIRI with 5 min temporal resolution and 4.5 km spatial resolution. In addition, cloud products including cloud optical thickness, cloud phase and effective droplet radius have been taken into account. A semi-automatic adjustment of the tracks within a search box was necessary to improve the tracking accuracy and thus the quality of the derived life-cycles. The combination of IR brightness temperatures, IR temperature time trends and satellite-based cloud products revealed different stages of storm development such as updraft intensification and glaciation well in most casesconfirming previously developed CI criteria from other studies. The vertical temperature gradient between 850 and 500 hPa, the Total-Totals-Index and the storm-relative helicity have been derived from ECMWF data and were used to characterize the storm synoptic environment. The results suggest that the storm-relative helicity also influences the life time of convective storms over Central Europe confirming previous studies. Tracking accuracy has shown to be a crucial issue in our study and a fully automated approach is required to enlarge the number of cases for significant statistics.

Childhood trauma and the development of paranormal beliefs.

PubMed

Berkowski, Monisha; MacDonald, Douglas A

2014-04-01

Belief in the paranormal is fairly prevalent in the general population. Previous research has shown a link between several personological characteristics and paranormal beliefs. The current study attempted to further investigate this link by replicating previous models that have shown a link between childhood trauma, fantasy proneness, and paranormal beliefs. In addition, the study attempted to expand on this model by including other variables such as stigma, resiliency, and coping style. The study used a sample of 198 undergraduate students. A significant correlation between trauma and paranormal beliefs was found. Partial correlations and path analyses revealed that fantasy proneness and avoidant coping style fully mediate the relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs. The results imply that researchers need to take into account how a person responds to trauma via the development of coping strategies to accurately understand any observed relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs.

Risk stratification for malignant progression in Barrett’s esophagus: Gender, age, duration and year of surveillance

PubMed Central

Gatenby, Piers; Bhattacharjee, Santanu; Wall, Christine; Caygill, Christine; Watson, Anthony

2016-01-01

AIM To clarify risk based upon segment length, diagnostic histological findings, patient age and year of surveillance, duration of surveillance and gender. METHODS Patients registered with the United Kingdom Barrett’s Oesophagus Registry from 9 United Kingdom centers were included. The outcome measures were (1) development of all grades of dysplasia; (2) development of high-grade of dysplasia or adenocarcinoma; and (3) development of adenocarcinoma. Prevalent cases and subjects with < 1 year of follow-up were excluded. The covariates examined were segment length, previous biopsy findings, age at surveillance, duration of surveillance, year of surveillance and gender. RESULTS One thousand and one hundred thirty six patients were included (total 6474 patient-years). Fifty-four patients developed adenocarcinoma (0.83% per annum), 70 developed high-grade dysplasia/adenocarcinoma (1.1% per annum) and 190 developed any grade of dysplasia (3.5% per annum). High grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma increased with age and duration of surveillance. The risk of low-grade dysplasia development was not dependent on age at surveillance. Segment length and previous biopsy findings were also significant factors for development of dysplasia and adenocarcinoma. CONCLUSION The risk of development of low-grade dysplasia is independent of age at surveillance, but high-grade dysplasia and adenocarcinoma were more commonly found at older age. Segment length and previous biopsy findings are also markers of risk. This study did not demonstrate stabilisation of the metaplastic segment with prolonged surveillance. PMID:28082811

Placenta previa and it's relation with maternal age, gravidity and cesarean section.

PubMed

Hossain, G A; Islam, S M; Mahmood, S; Chakraborty, R K; Akhter, N; Sultana, S

2004-07-01

The placenta provides the essential connection between the mother and the developing fetus. Placental position were routinely mentioned in an ultrasound report starting from early second trimester to the end of third trimester when asked for pregnancy evaluation. The aim of this study was to see the prevalence of lower segment placenta (placenta previa) and its relations with previous cesarean section delivery, parity and maternal age. The study conducted in Centre for Nuclear Medicine and Ultrasound (CNMU) Mymensingh in a period from January 2001 to December 2002. About 2536 pregnant women (those included in this study) underwent ultrasound examination during pregnancy at third trimester. The prevalence of lower segment placenta was 1.34%. The highest prevalence of placenta previa (2.58%) was seen in 3rd and higher gravida group. Also the highest prevalence were seen 30 yr. and above age group in compare to below 30 yr. age group. No increased prevalence of placenta previa were seen in previous cesarean section (C / S) delivery group (0.65%) in compare to normal delivery group (1.97%). From our study it was seen that development of lower segment placenta has relation with increased number of gravidity and maternal age but no increased prevalence were seen in subjects with previously done cesarean section

The influence of personality and perceived stress on the development of breast cancer: 20-year follow-up of 29,098 Japanese women.

PubMed

Sawada, Takayuki; Nishiyama, Takeshi; Kikuchi, Norimasa; Wang, Chaochen; Lin, Yingsong; Mori, Mitsuru; Tanno, Kozo; Tamakoshi, Akiko; Kikuchi, Shogo

2016-09-02

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. However, it remains unproven whether psychological factors have an influence on breast cancer incidence. In our earlier study, subjects possessing two personality traits, decisiveness and "ikigai" (a Japanese word meaning something that makes one's life worth living), showed a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer, although no psychological factors have been convincingly demonstrated to have an influence on breast cancer development in other studies. Therefore, we conducted this follow-up analysis to confirm the association between breast cancer incidence and psychological traits, using the final dataset of a large-scale prospective cohort study in Japan. We identified 209 cases of incident breast cancer out of a maximum 21-year follow-up of 29,098 Japanese women. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, adjusted for the same potential confounders used in our previous study, did not reveal any significant relationships between breast cancer incidence and four psychological traits: having "ikigai", decisiveness, ease of anger arousal, and perceived stress. Our finding is consistent with previous studies, and suggests that the psychological traits are unlikely to be an important risk factor for breast cancer.

Phase Two Feasibility Study for Software Safety Requirements Analysis Using Model Checking

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turgeon, Gregory; Price, Petra

2010-01-01

A feasibility study was performed on a representative aerospace system to determine the following: (1) the benefits and limitations to using SCADE , a commercially available tool for model checking, in comparison to using a proprietary tool that was studied previously [1] and (2) metrics for performing the model checking and for assessing the findings. This study was performed independently of the development task by a group unfamiliar with the system, providing a fresh, external perspective free from development bias.

Objective Sleep Measurement in Typically and Atypically Developing Preschool Children with ADHD-Like Profiles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodlin-Jones, Beth L.; Waters, Sara; Anders, Thomas F.

2009-01-01

Objective: This study investigated the association between preschool children's sleep patterns measured by actigraphy and parent-reported hyperactivity symptoms. Many previous studies have reported sleep problems in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-like symptoms. Methods: This study examined a cross-sectional sample of…

Targeting Efficient Studying--First-Semester Psychology Students' Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Öhrstedt, Maria; Scheja, Max

2018-01-01

Background: How students go about studying, including the learning activities that students engage in both during and between classes, is not easily understood. Previous research indicates that critical student features, such as approaches to learning and decisions of how to organise studying activities, develop in bidirectional interactions…

Exploring and Developing Graduate Teaching Assistants' Pedagogies via Lesson Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dotger, Sharon

2011-01-01

Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) teach many undergraduates in introductory science courses in the USA. Previous literature suggests that GTAs would prefer more context-dependent opportunities to learn to teach more effectively. This study explores the impact of participation in a lesson study cycle with GTAs responsible for an undergraduate…

A sequencing-based linkage map of cucumber

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Genetic maps are important tools for molecular breeding, gene cloning, and study of meiotic recombination. In cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), the marker density, resolution and genome coverage of previously developed genetic maps using PCR-based molecular markers are relatively low. In this study we ...

Mycotoxin Management Studies by USDA-"Ag Lab" in 2008

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Studies again included several popcorn fields in 2008, in order to continue gathering data for modification of the previously developed management strategies for mycotoxins in field corn (the mycotoxin predictive computer program). Weather conditions were generally good for growing corn, but excess...

Mycotoxin Management Studies by USDA-ARS, NCAUR in 2009

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Studies again included several popcorn fields in 2009 in order to continue gathering data for modification of the previously developed management strategies for mycotoxins in field corn (including the mycotoxin predictive computer program). Without an attempt for optimization, the field corn model ...

ACCUMULATION OF PERCHLORATE IN TOBACCO PLANTS: DEVELOPMENT OF A PLANT KINETIC MODEL

EPA Science Inventory

Previous studies have shown that tobacco plants are tolerant of perchlorate and will accumulate perchlorate in plant tissues. This research determined the uptake, translocation, and accumulation of perchlorate in tobacco plants. Three hydroponics growth studies were completed u...

Science: Database Programs and the Study of Seashells.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCurry, Niki; McCurry, Alan

1992-01-01

Discusses the dynamics and outcomes of an unplanned classroom activity that developed from the integration of the use of spreadsheets with the study of the characteristics of previously collected seashells, specifically their color, size, shape, texture, and any other obvious differences. (JJK)

Assessing and managing risk of terrorism to Virginia's interdependent transportation systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-01-01

This study expanded on the scope of two previous contract studies for the Virginia Transportation Research Council (VTRC) completed in March 2002 and April 2003. The objective was to develop a methodology for the assessment and management of the risk...

RESULTS FROM THE NORTH AMERICAN MERCURY MODEL INTER-COMPARISON STUDY (NAMMIS)

EPA Science Inventory

A North American Mercury Model Intercomparison Study (NAMMIS) has been conducted to build upon the findings from previous mercury model intercomparison in Europe. In the absence of mercury measurement networks sufficient for model evaluation, model developers continue to rely on...

Psychometric Properties of the Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire with Turkish Adolescents: A Generalizability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renshaw, Tyler L.; Arslan, Gökmen

2016-01-01

The present study reports on the first investigation of the generalizability of the psychometric properties of the Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (SSWQ) beyond the original development and replication studies. Previous studies tested an English version of the SSWQ with urban, mostly Black/African American, low socioeconomic status,…

Developing Teaching Skills through the School Practicum in Turkey: A Metasynthesis Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tas, Mükerrem Akbulut; Karabay, Aysegül

2016-01-01

Using a metasynthesis approach, this study examined general teaching skills in previous studies on school practicum. The results and suggestions from 53 qualitative primary research studies that focused on school practicum in Turkey were reviewed. Data were collected using document analysis and content analysis using the NVivo10 programme. The…

A biologically-inspired autonomous robot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beer, Randall D.

1993-12-01

A treadmill has been developed to support our cockroach locomotion studies. We have developed a small treadmill with a transparent belt for studying leg joint movements along with EMG's as the animal walks or runs at various speeds. This allows us to match the electrical activity in muscles with the kinematics of joint movement. Along with intracellular stimulation studies performed previously, the tools are now in place to make major advances in understanding how the insect's walking movements are actually accomplished.

Back Pain Prevalence and Its Associated Factors in Brazilian Athletes from Public High Schools: A Cross-Sectional Study.

PubMed

Noll, Matias; de Avelar, Ivan Silveira; Lehnen, Georgia Cristina; Vieira, Marcus Fraga

2016-01-01

Most studies on the prevalence of back pain have evaluated it in developed countries (Human Development Index--HDI > 0.808), and their conclusions may not hold for developing countries. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of back pain in representative Brazilian athletes from public high schools. This cross-sectional study was performed during the state phase of the 2015 Jogos dos Institutos Federais (JIF), or Federal Institutes Games, in Brazil (HDI = 0.744), and it enrolled 251 athletes, 173 males and 78 females (14-20 years old). The dependent variable was back pain, and the independent variables were demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, hereditary, exercise-level, anthropometric, strength, behavioral, and postural factors. The prevalence ratio (PR) was calculated using multivariable analysis according to the Poisson regression model (α = 0.05). The prevalence of back pain in the three months prior to the study was 43.7% (n = 104), and 26% of the athletes reported feeling back pain only once. Multivariable analysis showed that back pain was associated with demographic (sex), psychosocial (loneliness and loss of sleep in the previous year), hereditary (ethnicity, parental back pain), strength (lumbar and hand forces), anthropometric (body mass index), behavioral (sleeping time per night, reading and studying in bed, smoking habits in the previous month), and postural (sitting posture while writing, while on a bench, and while using a computer) variables. Participants who recorded higher levels of lumbar and manual forces reported a lower prevalence of back pain (PR < 0.79), whereas feeling lonely in the previous year, obesity, and ethnicity exhibited the highest prevalence ratio (PR > 1.30). In conclusion, there is no association between exercise levels and back pain but there is an association between back pain and non-exercise related variables.

The Propensity for Mentorship at the United States Naval Academy: A Study of Navy and Marine Corps Junior Officers

DTIC Science & Technology

2005-06-01

to the table. The motivations , personalities, and behavioral traits of both mentors and protégés may help to predict the future development and...officers at the Naval Academy and identify how previous mentorship experience, prosocial behaviors , and personal (versus instrumental) motives relate...how previous mentorship experience, prosocial behaviors , and personal (versus instrumental) motives relate to junior officer willingness to mentor

The cardiac muscle duplex as a method to study myocardial heterogeneity

PubMed Central

Solovyova, O.; Katsnelson, L.B.; Konovalov, P.V.; Kursanov, A.G.; Vikulova, N.A.; Kohl, P.; Markhasin, V.S.

2014-01-01

This paper reviews the development and application of paired muscle preparations, called duplex, for the investigation of mechanisms and consequences of intra-myocardial electro-mechanical heterogeneity. We illustrate the utility of the underlying combined experimental and computational approach for conceptual development and integration of basic science insight with clinically relevant settings, using previously published and new data. Directions for further study are identified. PMID:25106702

Intellectual and Emotional Development and School Adjustment in Preterm Children at 6 and 7 Years of Age. Continuation of a Follow-Up Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grigoroiu-Serbanescu, Maria

1984-01-01

Continues a previous five-year follow-up of preterm and full-term children by studying the continuity in their intellectual and emotional development. Prematurity was predictive for school adjustment at ages six and seven only when regression was performed on the preterm group, but failed to be predictive when mixed groups of preterm and full-term…

Statistical Models for Predicting Automobile Driving Postures for Men and Women Including Effects of Age.

PubMed

Park, Jangwoon; Ebert, Sheila M; Reed, Matthew P; Hallman, Jason J

2016-03-01

Previously published statistical models of driving posture have been effective for vehicle design but have not taken into account the effects of age. The present study developed new statistical models for predicting driving posture. Driving postures of 90 U.S. drivers with a wide range of age and body size were measured in laboratory mockup in nine package conditions. Posture-prediction models for female and male drivers were separately developed by employing a stepwise regression technique using age, body dimensions, vehicle package conditions, and two-way interactions, among other variables. Driving posture was significantly associated with age, and the effects of other variables depended on age. A set of posture-prediction models is presented for women and men. The results are compared with a previously developed model. The present study is the first study of driver posture to include a large cohort of older drivers and the first to report a significant effect of age. The posture-prediction models can be used to position computational human models or crash-test dummies for vehicle design and assessment. © 2015, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.

Not All Biofluids Are Created Equal: Chewing Over Salivary Diagnostics and the Epigenome

PubMed Central

Wren, M.E.; Shirtcliff, E.A.; Drury, Stacy S.

2015-01-01

Purpose This article describes progress to date in the characterization of the salivary epigenome and considers the importance of previous work in the salivary microbiome, proteome, endocrine analytes, genome, and transcriptome. Methods PubMed and Web of Science were used to extensively search the existing literature (original research and reviews) related to salivary diagnostics and bio-marker development, of which 125 studies were examined. This article was derived from the most relevant 73 sources highlighting the recent state of the evolving field of salivary epigenomics and contributing significantly to the foundational work in saliva-based research. Findings Validation of any new saliva-based diagnostic or analyte will require comparison to previously accepted standards established in blood. Careful attention to the collection, processing, and analysis of salivary analytes is critical for the development and implementation of newer applications that include genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic markers. All these factors must be integrated into initial study design. Implications This commentary highlights the appeal of the salivary epigenome for translational applications and its utility in future studies of development and the interface among environment, disease, and health. PMID:25778408

Two-stage earth-to-orbit vehicles with dual-fuel propulsion in the Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Martin, J. A.

1982-01-01

Earth-to-orbit vehicle studies of future replacements for the Space Shuttle are needed to guide technology development. Previous studies that have examined single-stage vehicles have shown advantages for dual-fuel propulsion. Previous two-stage system studies have assumed all-hydrogen fuel for the Orbiters. The present study examined dual-fuel Orbiters and found that the system dry mass could be reduced with this concept. The possibility of staging the booster at a staging velocity low enough to allow coast-back to the launch site is shown to be beneficial, particularly in combination with a dual-fuel Orbiter. An engine evaluation indicated the same ranking of engines as did a previous single-stage study. Propane and RP-1 fuels result in lower vehicle dry mass than methane, and staged-combustion engines are preferred over gas-generator engines. The sensitivity to the engine selection is less for two-stage systems than for single-stage systems.

Development and Evaluation of a Theory-Based Physical Activity Guidebook for Breast Cancer Survivors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vallance, Jeffrey K.; Courneya, Kerry S.; Taylor, Lorian M.; Plotnikoff, Ronald C.; Mackey, John R.

2008-01-01

This study's objective was to develop and evaluate the suitability and appropriateness of a theory-based physical activity (PA) guidebook for breast cancer survivors. Guidebook content was constructed based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) using salient exercise beliefs identified by breast cancer survivors in previous research. Expert…

The Development, Test, and Evaluation of Three Pilot Performance Reference Scales.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horner, Walter R.; And Others

A set of pilot performance reference scales was developed based upon airborne Audio-Video Recording (AVR) of student performance in T-37 undergraduate Pilot Training. After selection of the training maneuvers to be studied, video tape recordings of the maneuvers were selected from video tape recordings already available from a previous research…

Developing and Validating an Instrument for Student Ratings of Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Gary; Baldwin, Lyn; Tsui, Ernest; Matthews, Les

2013-01-01

In May 2007, the Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Science established an ad hoc subcommittee to develop a new student ratings of teaching survey. The final survey, approved by the Faculty in February 2011, includes statements categorized in the dimensions of teaching shown in previous studies to be correlated with student achievement. The…

Perceptions of Collegiate Student-Athletes' Programming Needs Based on Gender, Ethnicity, and Academic Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arvan, April Anita

2010-01-01

Student-athletes are often disengaged in campus programming due to their academic and athletic commitments. Previous research explored various facets of student-athlete development, particularly academic development in relation to NCAA Division I student-athletes. The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine…

A Unified Model of Knowledge Sharing Behaviours: Theoretical Development and Empirical Test

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chennamaneni, Anitha; Teng, James T. C.; Raja, M. K.

2012-01-01

Research and practice on knowledge management (KM) have shown that information technology alone cannot guarantee that employees will volunteer and share knowledge. While previous studies have linked motivational factors to knowledge sharing (KS), we took a further step to thoroughly examine this theoretically and empirically. We developed a…

A Deeper Understanding of Metacomprehension in Reading: Development of a New Multidimensional Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soto, Christian; Gutierrez de Blume, Antonio P.; Asún, Rodrigo; Jacovina, Matthew; Vásquez, Claudio

2018-01-01

The purpose of this research endeavor was to develop and validate a new measurement tool predicated on previous research to assess learners' metacomprehension during reading. In two separate studies with Chilean undergraduate students (N = 923), we demonstrate the versatility and utility of our proposed Metacomprehension Inventory (MI). In Study…

How Do Students Understand Energy in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics? Development and Validation of an Assessment Instrument

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opitz, Sebastian Tobias; Neumann, Knut; Bernholt, Sascha; Harms, Ute

2017-01-01

Science standards of different countries introduced disciplinary core ideas and crosscutting concepts--such as energy--to help students develop a more interconnected science understanding. As previous research has mostly addressed energy learning in specific disciplinary contexts, this study targets students' cross-disciplinary understanding of…

Algorithmic Bricks: A Tangible Robot Programming Tool for Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kwon, D.-Y.; Kim, H.-S.; Shim, J.-K.; Lee, W.-G.

2012-01-01

Tangible programming tools enable children to easily learn the programming process, previously considered to be difficult for them. While various tangible programming tools have been developed, there is still a lack of available tools to help students experience the general programming process. This study therefore developed a tool called…

Innovative Learning and Developments in Motivation and Achievement in Upper Primary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hornstra, Lisette; van der Veen, Ineke; Peetsma, Thea; Volman, Monique

2015-01-01

Although previous research has shown the potential of innovative learning for enhancing motivation and learning outcomes, further understanding is needed on which aspects of IL are most effective and whether these are equally motivating for different types of students. The present study investigated how developments in students' motivation and…

The Development of a Decision Support System for Mobile Learning: A Case Study in Taiwan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chiu, Po-Sheng; Huang, Yueh-Min

2016-01-01

While mobile learning (m-learning) has considerable potential, most of previous strategies for developing this new approach to education were analysed using the knowledge, experience and judgement of individuals, with the support of statistical software. Although these methods provide systematic steps for the implementation of m-learning…

The Impact of Childhood Reading on the Development of Environmental Values

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freestone, Margaret; O'Toole, John Mitchell

2016-01-01

Direct experiences of nature are becoming less common in our urbanised world and little research exists regarding the impact of less direct experiences, particularly how childhood reading relates to the development of pro-environmental values. This study differs from previous reports into the influence of books, as it concentrates on the potential…

Service-Learning in Building Engineering by Use of Interdisciplinary Field Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leung, Barbara Y. P.

2016-01-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that service-learning (SL) can help students not only develop their personal qualities but also enhance their social and civic sense of responsibility. Despite many promotions since the mid-1990s, the development of SL is popular in humanity faculties but not in technical faculties with intellectual orientations…

Implications for Focusing Research in Career and Technical Education and Workforce Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambeth, Jeanea M.; Joerger, Richard M.; Elliot, Jack

2009-01-01

Education and educational research is shaped by philosophy, psychology, practice, and ever changing educational policies. Previous studies have expressed a need for a relevant and focused research agenda for career and technical education (CTE), workforce development education and career and technical education. A need for a relevant and timely…

Key Informant Perspectives on Federal Research Agency Policy and Systems and Scientific Workforce Diversity Development: A Companion Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Corey L.; Wang, Ningning; Davis, Dytisha; Aref, Fariborz; Manyibe, Edward O.; Washington, Andre L.; Johnson, Jean; Eugene-Cross, Kenyotta; Muhammad, Atashia; Jennings-Jones, Desiree

2017-01-01

Purpose: In the previous analysis of key informant perspectives on minority research leaders' career development factors, we identified individual and sociocultural, institutional, and federal research agency (i.e., National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research; National Institutes of Health; Agency for…

The Contributions of Infant Temperament and Child Care to Infant Social Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nathans, Laura L.; Meece, Darrell; Kossek, Ellen; Barratt, Marguerite

2004-01-01

Previous research has documented associations between young children's social development and both temperament and child care quality. The preponderance of research in this area has focused on preschool-age and older children, resulting in few studies focusing on these variables during infancy. In the current investigation, temperament and child…

Positive Youth Development from Sport to Life: Explicit or Implicit Transfer?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turnnidge, Jennifer; Côté, Jean; Hancock, David J.

2014-01-01

While previous studies indicate that participation in sport has the potential to facilitate positive developmental outcomes, there is a lack of consensus regarding the possible transfer of these outcomes to other environments (i.e., school or work). An important issue within the positive development literature concerns how sport programs should…

Student Teachers' Engagement with Re-Contextualized Materials: A Case of Numerical Approximation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brijlall, Deonarain; Bansilal, Sarah

2011-01-01

This paper reports on an exploration of students' learning derived from the implementation of learning materials developed in a previous collaborative project. The purpose of the study was to examine the development of third-year students' understanding of the Reimann Sum. These concepts were taught to undergraduate teacher trainees wishing to…

European Civilization. Teacher's Manual.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leppert, Ella C.; Halac, Dennis

The instructional materials in this teaching guide for Course II, Unit IV, follow and build upon a previous sequential course described in SO 003 169 offering ninth grade students a study on the development of Western European Civilization. Focus is upon four periods of high development: The High Middle Ages (12th Century), The Renaissance (15th…

Teacher Participation in Online Professional Development: Exploring Academic Year Classroom Impacts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opfer, Thomas

2017-01-01

The purpose of this mixed methods case study research was to investigate the reasons teachers chose online professional development (OPD) focusing on technology integration and how this OPD impacted teachers' classroom practices over a six month period. Previous research identified that OPD provides flexibility beyond what traditional face-to-face…

7.0 Monitoring the status and impacts of forest fragmentation and urbanization

Treesearch

Rachel Riemann; Karen Riva-Murray; Peter S. Murdoch

2008-01-01

The geographic expansion of urban and suburban development and the influx of residential and recreational development into previously forested areas are growing concerns for natural resource managers. This project sought to: identify and characterize urbanization and forest fragmentation over large areas with the detail and accuracy required for studies of wildlife...

A Cognitive Component Analysis Approach for Developing Game-Based Spatial Learning Tools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Pi-Hsia; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Lee, Yueh-Hsun; Su, I-Hsiang

2012-01-01

Spatial ability has been recognized as one of the most important factors affecting the mathematical performance of students. Previous studies on spatial learning have mainly focused on developing strategies to shorten the problem-solving time of learners for very specific learning tasks. Such an approach usually has limited effects on improving…

Development and Validation of Rapid Assessment Indices for Condition of Coastal Wetlands in Southern New England USA

EPA Science Inventory

The goals of this study were to develop and validate a Rapid Assessment Method (RAM) for assessing the condition of coastal wetlands in New England, USA. Eighty-one coastal wetland sites were assessed; nested within these were ten reference sites which were previously assessed us...

The Influence of Institutional Experiences on the Development of Creative Thinking in Arts Alumni

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miller, Angie L.; Dumford, Amber D.

2015-01-01

Previous research has suggested that several different aspects of one's environment can impact creativity. Using data from the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP), this study explored whether satisfaction with aspects of the institutional experience contributed to the perceived development of creative thinking in arts alumni, and…

The Development of Prosocial Behaviour in Children and Adolescents: A Twin Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scourfield, Jane; John, Bethan; Martin, Neilson; McGuffin, Peter

2004-01-01

Background: Childhood psychopathology is associated with both high and low levels of prosocial behaviour. It has been proposed that the development of prosocial behaviour shows emerging and consolidating individual differences as children grow older. The influences on these individual differences have not previously been examined in children and…

Time-Varying Effects of Family Ethnic Socialization on Ethnic-Racial Identity Development among Latino Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Douglass, Sara; Umaña-Taylor, Adriana J.

2016-01-01

Previous research has established that family ethnic socialization messages promote ethnic-racial identity (ERI) development, yet it is unknown whether these effects remain constant throughout adolescence. The current study examined the time-varying effects of family ethnic socialization on ERI exploration and resolution among Latino adolescents…

Secondary science teachers' view toward and classroom translation of sustained professional development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lewis, Elizabeth Blake

This study concerns the phenomenon of secondary science teacher learning and enacting instructional strategies learned at the Communication in Science Inquiry Project (CISIP) teacher professional development events, as well as teacher perception of, and relationship to, this year-long professional development program. The CISIP program teaches science teachers how to build scientific classroom discourse communities with their students. Some of the science teachers were previous participants in the professional development, and acted as mentor teachers. The research design employed an integrated conceptual framework of situated learning theory with an analytical lens of teachers' professional, institutional and affinity, identities. A multi-method approach was used to generate data. Throughout the 2007-2008 academic year, the teachers' fidelity to the professional development model was measured using a classroom observation instrument aligned with the professional development model. From these observation data a longitudinal model, using hierarchical linear modeling, was constructed. In addition, surveys and interview data were used to construct both whole group and case studies of two high school science teachers who taught biology at the same school. The results indicated that there was a significant difference between previous and new participants; specifically, the longer teachers had participated in the professional development, and adopted a mentorship role, the greater their fidelity of classroom instruction to the CISIP model. Additionally, the case study teacher who developed a CISIP model-aligned affinity identity implemented more of the instructional strategies than the teacher who maintained his school-based institutional identity.

Factors Affecting Psychosocial and Motor Development in 3-Year-Old Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leigh, Greg; Ching, Teresa Y. C.; Crowe, Kathryn; Cupples, Linda; Marnane, Vivienne; Seeto, Mark

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown an association between children's development of psychosocial and motor skills. This study evaluated the development of these skills in 301 three-year-old deaf and hard of hearing children (M: 37.8 months) and considered a range of possible predictors including gender, birth weight, age at first fitting with hearing…

The Factors that Affect Science Teachers' Participation in Professional Development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roux, Judi Ann

Scientific literacy for our students and the possibilities for careers available in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) areas are important topics for economic growth as well as global competitiveness. The achievement of students in science learning is dependent upon the science teachers' effectiveness and experienced science teachers depend upon relevant professional development experiences to support their learning. In order to understand how to improve student learning in science, the learning of science teachers must also be understood. Previous research studies on teacher professional development have been conducted in other states, but Minnesota science teachers comprised a new and different population from those previously studied. The purpose of this two-phase mixed methods study was to identify the current types of professional development in which experienced, Minnesota secondary science teachers participated and the factors that affect their participation in professional development activities. The mixed-methods approach s utilized an initial online survey followed by qualitative interviews with five survey respondents. The results of the quantitative survey and the qualitative interviews indicated the quality of professional development experiences and the factors which affected the science teachers' participation in professional development activities. The supporting and inhibiting factors involved the availability of resources such as time and money, external relationships with school administrators, teacher colleagues, and family members, and personal intrinsic attributes such as desires to learn and help students. This study also describes implications for science teachers, school administrators, policymakers, and professional development providers. Recommendations for future research include the following areas: relationships between and among intrinsic and extrinsic factors, science-related professional development activities within local school districts, the use of formal and informal professional development, and the needs of rural science teachers compared to urban and suburban teachers.

A one-year prospective study of refractory status epilepticus in Modena, Italy.

PubMed

Giovannini, Giada; Monti, Giulia; Polisi, Michela M; Mirandola, Laura; Marudi, Andrea; Pinelli, Giovanni; Valzania, Franco; Girardis, Massimo; Nichelli, Paolo F; Meletti, Stefano

2015-08-01

Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) is a particular critical condition characterized by seizures that continue despite the use of first- and second-line therapies and by high mortality. To date, only one prospective study investigated clinical features and prognostic factors in RSE. In this study, we performed a one-year prospective survey to identify clinical features, outcomes, and variables associated with the development of RSE in the adolescent and adult population of Modena, northern Italy. We observed 83 episodes of SE in 83 patients. In 31% of the cases, third-line therapy (anesthetic drug) was needed. Among this group, 14% resolved and were classified as RSE, while, in 17%, seizures recurred at withdrawal of anesthetics and were classified as super-RSE. The development of RSE/super-RSE was associated with a stuporous/comatose state at presentation and with the absence of a previous history of epilepsy. Refractory status epilepticus/super-refractory status epilepticus showed a worse outcome compared with responsive SE: 54% versus 21% for 30-day mortality; 19% versus 56% for a return to baseline condition. This prospective study confirms stupor/coma at onset as a relevant clinical factor associated with SE refractoriness. We observed a rate of RSE comparable with previous reports, with high mortality and morbidity. Mortality in the observed RSE was higher than in previous studies; this result is probably related to the low rate of a previous epilepsy history in our population that reflects a high incidence of acute symptomatic etiologies, especially the inclusion of patients with postanoxic SE who have a bad prognosis per se. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus". Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prognostic factors for patients undergoing vitrified-warmed human embryo transfer cycles: a retrospective cohort study.

PubMed

Takahashi, Toshifumi; Hasegawa, Ayumi; Igarashi, Hideki; Amita, Mitsuyoshi; Matsukawa, Jun; Takehara, Isao; Suzuki, Satoko; Nagase, Satoru

2017-06-01

We examined the prognostic factors for pregnancy in 210 vitrified-warmed embryo transfer (ET) cycles in 121 patients. The univariate analysis showed that age, gravida, the number of cycles associated with infertility caused by endometriosis, the number of previous assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment cycles, and the number of ICSI procedures were significantly lower in pregnant cycles compared with non-pregnant cycles. The percentages of ET using at least one intact embryo and of ET using at least one embryo that had developed further after warming were significantly higher in pregnant cycles compared with non-pregnant cycles. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that previous ART treatment cycles, ET with at least one intact embryo, and ET using at least one embryo that had developed further were independent prognostic factors for pregnancy in vitrified-warmed ET cycles. We conclude that fewer previous ART treatment cycles, ET using at least one intact embryo, and ET with embryos that have developed further after warming might be favourable prognostic factors for pregnancy in vitrified-warmed ET cycles.

The Small Module Fixed Mirror Distributed Focus (FMDF) Photothermal Concentrator Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meinel, A. B.

1981-01-01

The development of a general ray trace evaluation program called ICARUS, the study of novel Fresnel concepts, and the review of a report draft on novel Fresnel concepts are covered. ICARUS is documented, reports on the novel Fresnel concepts were previously submitted.

Whitebark pine planting guidelines

Treesearch

Ward McCaughey; Glenda L. Scott; Kay L. Izlar

2009-01-01

This article incorporates new information into previous whitebark pine guidelines for planting prescriptions. Earlier 2006 guidelines were developed based on review of general literature, research studies, field observations, and standard US Forest Service survival surveys of high-elevation whitebark pine plantations. A recent study of biotic and abiotic factors...

Theoretical Evaluation Self-Test (Test): A Preliminary Validation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coleman, Daniel

2004-01-01

Over nearly 40 years, several scales have been developed to measure therapist theoretical orientation (Poznanski & McLennan, 1995). This study, unlike previous efforts, focuses on "community clinicians"--social workers and other mental health professionals (such as psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses) who…

Embryo Development inside Female Salamander (Ambystoma jeffersonianum-laterale) Prior to Egg Laying

PubMed Central

Charney, Noah D.; Castorino, John J.; Dobro, Megan J.; Steely, Sarah L.

2014-01-01

The length of embryo retention prior to oviposition is a critical evolutionary trait. In all oviparous salamanders, which include the vast majority of species in the order, fertilization is thought to occur at the time of egg laying. Embryos then enter the first cleavage stage several hours after being deposited. This pattern holds for previously studied individuals in the Ambystoma jeffersonianum-laterale complex. Here, we document an instance in which a female Ambystoma jeffersonianum-laterale was carrying embryos internally that had already reached stage 10 of development. Development likely began several days prior to the start of migration to the breeding pond. This is the first such record for any egg-laying salamander, and suggests a degree of plasticity in the timing of fertilization and development not previously recognized. Further work is needed to ascertain the prevalence, mechanics, and evolutionary significance of this phenomenon. PMID:24651275

43 CFR 2802.11 - How does BLM designate corridors?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... activities located within the proposed right-of-way corridor; (7) Social and economic impacts of the right-of...) Transportation and utility corridor studies previously developed by user groups; and (9) Engineering and...

Updates on the use of vaccines in dermatological conditions.

PubMed

Hanna, Edith; Dany, Mohammed; Abbas, Ossama; Kreidieh, Firas; Kurban, Mazen

2018-05-22

Numerous vaccines are being actively developed for use in dermatologic diseases. Advances in the fields of immunotherapy, genetics and molecular medicine have allowed for the design of prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines with immense potential in managing infections and malignancies of the skin. This review addresses the different vaccines available for use in dermatological diseases and those under development for future potential use. The major limitation of our review is its complete reliance on published data. Our review is strictly limited to the availability of published research online through available databases. We do not cite any of the authors' previous publications nor have we conducted previous original research studies regarding vaccines in dermatology. Strength would have been added to our paper had we conducted original studies by our research team regarding the candidate vaccines delineated in the paper.

Is there a link between the structural impact of thoracic outlet and the development of central venous stenosis?

PubMed

Kotoda, Atsushi; Akimoto, Tetsu; Sugase, Taro; Yamamoto, Hisashi; Kusano, Eiji

2013-01-01

Central venous stenosis (CVS) is a serious complication for chronic hemodialysis (HD) patients. Previous reports of CVS have focused on prior central venous catheterization, because of the higher prevalence and potential for prevention of such an event. However, recent studies have demonstrated that CVS may also develop without a history of central venous catheterization. Although information about the etiological backgrounds regarding the development of CVS without previous central venous catheterization have gradually accumulated, the clinical impact of the chronic compression of the central venous system by the surrounding structures, which may likely determine the central venous susceptibility to CVS, remains poorly understood. This study proposes the hypothesis that the combination of chronic venous compression at the level of thoracic outlet characterized by the natural physique and elevated venous flow induced by the creation of vascular access should be evaluated as a potential factor for the development of CVS, since they may accelerate the development of venous stenosis, presumably through the stimulation of intimal hyperplasia, and thereby the subclavian venous susceptibility to CVS should be determined. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of the Liver in Alpaca (Vicugna pacos): A Microscopic and Macroscopic Description.

PubMed

Castro, A N C; Domínguez, M T; Gómez, S A; Mendoza Torres, G J; Llerena Zavala, C A; Ghezzi, M D; Barbeito, C G

2016-06-01

South American camelids have several biological, morphological and behavioural adaptations that allow them to live in geographical areas dominated by high altitudes. The liver has hematopoietic functions during the prenatal life, which could be modified in response to the unfavorable habitat. However, there are no previous data on the prenatal development of the liver in these species. In the present work, a study on the macroscopic and microscopic morphology of the liver of the alpaca during ontogeny was performed. Forty-one animals ranging in age from 20 days of embryonic development to adults were studied. Macroscopic and microscopic observations were performed on samples subjected to different techniques. Less than 7-g specimens were studied with stereoscopic magnifying glass. The general characteristics of the prenatal liver are similar to those of other mammals, and the structures related to hematopoietic function follow an ontogenic pattern similar to that of previously studied precocial species. However, there are differences in morphology when compared to descriptions for the Old World camelids, including the absence of relation between the caudate lobe and the right kidney and the lack of interlobular connective tissue. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Benefits of detailed models of muscle activation and mechanics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lehman, S. L.; Stark, L.

1981-01-01

Recent biophysical and physiological studies identified some of the detailed mechanisms involved in excitation-contraction coupling, muscle contraction, and deactivation. Mathematical models incorporating these mechanisms allow independent estimates of key parameters, direct interplay between basic muscle research and the study of motor control, and realistic model behaviors, some of which are not accessible to previous, simpler, models. The existence of previously unmodeled behaviors has important implications for strategies of motor control and identification of neural signals. New developments in the analysis of differential equations make the more detailed models feasible for simulation in realistic experimental situations.

Biomarkers of nutrition and stress in pregnant women with a history of eating disorders in relation to head circumference and neurocognitive function of the offspring.

PubMed

Koubaa, Saloua; Hällström, Tore; Brismar, Kerstin; Hellström, Per M; Hirschberg, Angelica Lindén

2015-11-27

Eating disorders during pregnancy can affect fetal growth and the child's early development, but the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate serum biomarkers of nutrition and stress in pregnant women with previous eating disorders compared to controls and in relation to head circumference and early neurocognitive development of the offspring. In a longitudinal cohort study, pregnant nulliparous non-smoking women with a history of anorexia nervosa (n = 20), bulimia nervosa (n = 17) and controls (n = 59) were followed during pregnancy and their children's growth and neurocognitive development were followed up to five years of age. We investigated maternal serum biomarkers of nutrition and stress (ferritin, cortisol, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free thyroxine, insulin, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and IGF binding protein 1) in blood samples collected during early pregnancy and compared between groups (ANOVA, LSD post-hoc test). The results were related to previous data on head circumference at birth and neurocognitive development at five years of age of the offspring (Spearman rank correlation or Pearson correlation test). Serum levels of ferritin in the women with previous anorexia nervosa, but not in those with a history of bulimia nervosa, were significantly lower than in the controls (p < 0.01), and correlated strongly to impaired memory function in their children (rs = -0.70, p < 0.001). Maternal serum levels of free thyroxine were similar between groups but correlated positively to reduced head circumference at birth of the children in the bulimia nervosa group (r = 0.48, p < 0.05), and with the same tendency in the anorexia nervosa group (r = 0.42, p = 0.07), but not in the controls (r = 0.006). There were no significant differences in cortisol or the other biomarkers between groups. Low maternal serum ferritin in women with previous anorexia nervosa may be of importance for impaired memory capacity in the offspring at five years of age. Our results also indicate that thyroxin levels in pregnant women with previous eating disorders are positively associated with fetal head growth.

Pilot testing and protocol development of giant applesnail suppression at Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana—July–October 2017

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carter, Jacoby; Merino, Sergio

2018-03-19

This report provides an overview of the pilot study and description of the techniques developed for a future mitigation study of Pomacea maculata (giant applesnail) at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Mandalay National Wildlife Refuge, Louisiana (MNWR). Egg mass suppression is a potential strategy for the mitigation of the invasive giant applesnail. In previous studies at Langan Municipal Park in Mobile, Alabama (LMP), and National Park Service Jean Lafitte National Park-Barataria Unit, Louisiana (JLNP), we determined that spraying food-grade oil (coconut oil or Pam™ spray) on egg masses significantly reduced egg hatching. At JLNP we also developed methods to estimate snail population size. The purpose of this pilot study was to adapt techniques developed for previous studies to the circumstances of MNWR in preparation for a larger experiment whereby we will test the effectiveness of egg mass suppression as an applesnail mitigation tool. We selected four canals that will be used as treatment and control sites for the experiment (two each). We established that an efficient way to destroy egg masses is to knock them down with a high-velocity stream of water pumped directly from the canal. The traps used at JLNP had to be modified to accommodate the greater range of water-level fluctuation at MNWR. One of the three marking methods used at JLNP was selected for use at MNWR.

Information-Seeking and Sharing Behaviors among Fire Service Field Staff Instructors: A Qualitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruan, Lian J.

2011-01-01

Fire service field staff instructors seek and share information and use information sources during their instructional work of teaching, training and curriculum development. This study is the first attempt to study their information-seeking and sharing behaviors, which have not previously been investigated empirically. Twenty-five fire service…

Study Links Learning Design to Changes in Knowledge, Beliefs, and Behaviors. Lessons from Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Killion, Joellen

2015-01-01

In this study of 16 teachers in two primary schools in the Netherlands, researchers built on findings from previous studies to demonstrate that a thoughtfully designed professional development program can be "effective and sustainable, if certain conditions are met" (p. 772) in changing teachers' knowledge, beliefs, perceived problems,…

Social Studies Program Guide, 3-6: Intermediate Grades.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spokane School District 81, WA.

This curriculum guide suggests materials, resources, and activities related to social studies knowledge and skill development for grades 4-6. Third grade activities are also included to inform intermediate teachers what has been previously taught. Part of a series of social studies program guides designed to be used in the Spokane public schools…

Social Studies Program Guide, 6-9.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spokane School District 81, WA.

This curriculum guide suggests materials, resources, and activities related to social studies knowledge and skill development for grades 7-9. Grade 6 activities are also included to inform junior high school teachers what has been previously taught. Part of a series of social studies program guides designed to be used in Spokane public schools for…

Exploring Techniques of Developing Writing Skill in IELTS Preparatory Courses: A Data-Driven Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostovar-Namaghi, Seyyed Ali; Safaee, Seyyed Esmail

2017-01-01

Being driven by the hypothetico-deductive mode of inquiry, previous studies have tested the effectiveness of theory-driven interventions under controlled experimental conditions to come up with universally applicable generalizations. To make a case in the opposite direction, this data-driven study aims at uncovering techniques and strategies…

Are You an Online Team Player? A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rawlings, Melody

2014-01-01

The purpose of this pilot case study was to answer the following research questions: How do previous experiences affect students' attitudes toward online teamwork? When do students' attitudes toward online teamwork first develop and why? Using a social constructivist framework, a qualitative case study design was utilized to conduct an online…

Karl Marx vs. Adam Smith Revisited

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manton, Edgar J.; English, Donald E.; Flanagan, Jennifer; Dubey, Anvit

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the ability of freshman college students to identify the founding fathers of free enterprise and of communism has improved. This study is a follow-up to four previous studies. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to College of Business and College of Education & Human Services…

Super-low-frequency wireless power transfer with lightweight coils for passing through a stainless steel plate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishida, Hiroki; Kyoden, Tomoaki; Furukawa, Hiroto

2018-03-01

To achieve wireless power transfer (WPT) through a stainless-steel plate, a super-low frequency (SLF) was used as a resonance frequency. In our previous study of SLF-WPT, heavy coils were prepared. In this study, we designed lightweight coils using a WPT simulator that we developed previously. As a result, the weight was reduced to 1.69 kg from 11.9 kg, the previous coil weight. At a resonance frequency of 400 Hz, the transmission efficiency and output power of advanced SLF-WPT reached 91% and 426 W, respectively, over a transmission distance of 30 mm. Furthermore, 80% efficiency and 317 W output were achieved when transmitting power through a 1 mm-thick stainless-steel plate. This performance is much better than that in previous reports. We show using both calculations and experimental results that a power-to-weight ratio of 252 W/kg is possible even when using a 400 Hz power supply frequency.

Super-low-frequency wireless power transfer with lightweight coils for passing through a stainless steel plate.

PubMed

Ishida, Hiroki; Kyoden, Tomoaki; Furukawa, Hiroto

2018-03-01

To achieve wireless power transfer (WPT) through a stainless-steel plate, a super-low frequency (SLF) was used as a resonance frequency. In our previous study of SLF-WPT, heavy coils were prepared. In this study, we designed lightweight coils using a WPT simulator that we developed previously. As a result, the weight was reduced to 1.69 kg from 11.9 kg, the previous coil weight. At a resonance frequency of 400 Hz, the transmission efficiency and output power of advanced SLF-WPT reached 91% and 426 W, respectively, over a transmission distance of 30 mm. Furthermore, 80% efficiency and 317 W output were achieved when transmitting power through a 1 mm-thick stainless-steel plate. This performance is much better than that in previous reports. We show using both calculations and experimental results that a power-to-weight ratio of 252 W/kg is possible even when using a 400 Hz power supply frequency.

Making transit-oriented development work in low-income Latino neighborhoods : a comparative case study of Boyle Heights, Los Angeles and Logan Heights, San Diego.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-12-01

This research project is a continuation of a previous NITC-funded study. The first study compared the MacArthur Park TOD in Los Angeles to the : Fruitvale Village TOD in Oakland. The findings from this new study further validate the key findings from...

Short-Term Study Abroad: Perspectives on Speaking Gains and Language Contact

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernández, Todd A.

2016-01-01

Previous studies have shown that study abroad has a positive effect on second language (L2) learning outcomes for students who spend at least a semester abroad. It is unclear, however, whether a short-term experience also has a measurable impact on L2 development. The present study examines the relationship between speaking proficiency gains made…

Mixed reality ultrasound guidance system: a case study in system development and a cautionary tale.

PubMed

Ameri, Golafsoun; Baxter, John S H; Bainbridge, Daniel; Peters, Terry M; Chen, Elvis C S

2018-04-01

Real-time ultrasound has become a crucial aspect of several image-guided interventions. One of the main constraints of such an approach is the difficulty in interpretability of the limited field of view of the image, a problem that has recently been addressed using mixed reality, such as augmented reality and augmented virtuality. The growing popularity and maturity of mixed reality has led to a series of informal guidelines to direct development of new systems and to facilitate regulatory approval. However, the goals of mixed reality image guidance systems and the guidelines for their development have not been thoroughly discussed. The purpose of this paper is to identify and critically examine development guidelines in the context of a mixed reality ultrasound guidance system through a case study. A mixed reality ultrasound guidance system tailored to central line insertions was developed in close collaboration with an expert user. This system outperformed ultrasound-only guidance in a novice user study and has obtained clearance for clinical use in humans. A phantom study with 25 experienced physicians was carried out to compare the performance of the mixed reality ultrasound system against conventional ultrasound-only guidance. Despite the previous promising results, there was no statistically significant difference between the two systems. Guidelines for developing mixed reality image guidance systems cannot be applied indiscriminately. Each design decision, no matter how well justified, should be the subject of scientific and technical investigation. Iterative and small-scale evaluation can readily unearth issues and previously unknown or implicit system requirements. We recommend a wary eye in development of mixed reality ultrasound image guidance systems emphasizing small-scale iterative evaluation alongside system development. Ultimately, we recommend that the image-guided intervention community furthers and deepens this discussion into best practices in developing image-guided interventions.

Validity of Miles Equation in Predicting Propellant Slosh Damping in Baffled Tanks at Variable Slosh Amplitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, H. Q.; West, Jeff

2018-01-01

Determination of slosh damping is a very challenging task as there is no analytical solution. The damping physics involves the vorticity dissipation which requires the full solution of the nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations. As a result, previous investigations were mainly carried out by extensive experiments. A systematical study is needed to understand the damping physics of baffled tanks, to identify the difference between the empirical Miles equation and experimental measurements, and to develop new semi-empirical relations to better represent the real damping physics. The approach of this study is to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology to shed light on the damping mechanisms of a baffled tank. First, a 1-D Navier-Stokes equation representing different length scales and time scales in the baffle damping physics is developed and analyzed. Loci-STREAM-VOF, a well validated CFD solver developed at NASA MSFC, is applied to study the vorticity field around a baffle and around the fluid-gas interface to highlight the dissipation mechanisms at different slosh amplitudes. Previous measurement data is then used to validate the CFD damping results. The study found several critical parameters controlling fluid damping from a baffle: local slosh amplitude to baffle thickness (A/t), surface liquid depth to tank radius (d/R), local slosh amplitude to baffle width (A/W); and non-dimensional slosh frequency. The simulation highlights three significant damping regimes where different mechanisms dominate. The study proves that the previously found discrepancies between Miles equation and experimental measurement are not due to the measurement scatter, but rather due to different damping mechanisms at various slosh amplitudes. The limitations on the use of Miles equation are discussed based on the flow regime.

Immunogenicity, efficacy and safety of Nuwiq® (human-cl rhFVIII) in previously untreated patients with severe haemophilia A-Interim results from the NuProtect Study.

PubMed

Liesner, R J; Abashidze, M; Aleinikova, O; Altisent, C; Belletrutti, M J; Borel-Derlon, A; Carcao, M; Chambost, H; Chan, A K C; Dubey, L; Ducore, J; Fouzia, N A; Gattens, M; Gruel, Y; Guillet, B; Kavardakova, N; El Khorassani, M; Klukowska, A; Lambert, T; Lohade, S; Sigaud, M; Turea, V; Wu, J K M; Vdovin, V; Pavlova, A; Jansen, M; Belyanskaya, L; Walter, O; Knaub, S; Neufeld, E J

2018-03-01

Nuwiq ® (Human-cl rhFVIII) is a fourth generation recombinant FVIII, produced in a human cell line, without chemical modification or protein fusion. No inhibitors developed in studies with Nuwiq ® in 201 previously treated patients with haemophilia A (HA). The immunogenicity, efficacy and safety of Nuwiq ® in previously untreated patients (PUPs) with severe HA are being assessed in the ongoing NuProtect study. The study, conducted across 38 centres worldwide, is evaluating 110 true PUPs of all ages and ethnicities enrolled for study up to 100 exposure days (EDs) or 5 years maximum. The primary objective is to assess the immunogenicity of Nuwiq ® (inhibitor activity ≥0.6 BU) using the Nijmegen-modified Bethesda assay at a central laboratory. Data for 66 PUPs with ≥20 EDs from a preplanned interim analysis were analysed. High-titre (HT) inhibitors developed in 8 of 66 patients after a median of 11.5 EDs (range 6-24). Five patients developed low-titre inhibitors (4 transient). The cumulative incidence (95% confidence interval) was 12.8% (4.5%, 21.2%) for HT inhibitors and 20.8% (10.7%, 31.0%) for all inhibitors. During inhibitor-free periods, median annualized bleeding rates during prophylaxis were 0 for spontaneous bleeds and 2.40 for all bleeds. Efficacy was rated as "excellent" or "good" in treating 91.8% of bleeds. Efficacy of surgical prophylaxis was "excellent" or "good" for 8 (89%) procedures and "moderate" for 1 (11%). No tolerability concerns were evident. These interim data show a cumulative incidence of 12.8% for HT inhibitors and convincing efficacy and tolerability in PUPs treated with Nuwiq ® . © 2017 The Authors. Haemophilia published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Investigation of Damping Physics and CFD Tool Validation for Simulation of Baffled Tanks at Variable Slosh Amplitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yang, H. Q.; West, Jeff

2016-01-01

Determination of slosh damping is a very challenging task as there is no analytical solution. The damping physics involves the vorticity dissipation which requires the full solution of the nonlinear Navier-Stokes equations. As a result, previous investigations were mainly carried out by extensive experiments. A systematical study is needed to understand the damping physics of baffled tanks, to identify the difference between the empirical Miles equation and experimental measurements, and to develop new semi-empirical relations to better represent the real damping physics. The approach of this study is to use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) technology to shed light on the damping mechanisms of a baffled tank. First, a 1-D Navier-Stokes equation representing different length scales and time scales in the baffle damping physics is developed and analyzed. Loci-STREAM-VOF, a well validated CFD solver developed at NASA MSFC, is applied to study the vorticity field around a baffle and around the fluid-gas interface to highlight the dissipation mechanisms at different slosh amplitudes. Previous measurement data is then used to validate the CFD damping results. The study found several critical parameters controlling fluid damping from a baffle: local slosh amplitude to baffle thickness (A/t), surface liquid depth to tank radius (d/R), local slosh amplitude to baffle width (A/W); and non-dimensional slosh frequency. The simulation highlights three significant damping regimes where different mechanisms dominate. The study proves that the previously found discrepancies between Miles equation and experimental measurement are not due to the measurement scatter, but rather due to different damping mechanisms at various slosh amplitudes. The limitations on the use of Miles equation are discussed based on the flow regime.

Acoustic Reflexes in Normal-Hearing Adults, Typically Developing Children, and Children with Suspected Auditory Processing Disorder: Thresholds, Real-Ear Corrections, and the Role of Static Compliance on Estimates.

PubMed

Saxena, Udit; Allan, Chris; Allen, Prudence

2017-06-01

Previous studies have suggested elevated reflex thresholds in children with auditory processing disorders (APDs). However, some aspects of the child's ear such as ear canal volume and static compliance of the middle ear could possibly affect the measurements of reflex thresholds and thus impact its interpretation. Sound levels used to elicit reflexes in a child's ear may be higher than predicted by calibration in a standard 2-cc coupler, and lower static compliance could make visualization of very small changes in impedance at threshold difficult. For this purpose, it is important to evaluate threshold data with consideration of differences between children and adults. A set of studies were conducted. The first compared reflex thresholds obtained using standard clinical procedures in children with suspected APD to that of typically developing children and adults to test the replicability of previous studies. The second study examined the impact of ear canal volume on estimates of reflex thresholds by applying real-ear corrections. Lastly, the relationship between static compliance and reflex threshold estimates was explored. The research is a set of case-control studies with a repeated measures design. The first study included data from 20 normal-hearing adults, 28 typically developing children, and 66 children suspected of having an APD. The second study included 28 normal-hearing adults and 30 typically developing children. In the first study, crossed and uncrossed reflex thresholds were measured in 5-dB step size. Reflex thresholds were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA). In the second study, uncrossed reflex thresholds, real-ear correction, ear canal volume, and static compliance were measured. Reflex thresholds were measured using a 1-dB step size. The effect of real-ear correction and static compliance on reflex threshold was examined using RM-ANOVA and Pearson correlation coefficient, respectively. Study 1 replicated previous studies showing elevated reflex thresholds in many children with suspected APD when compared to data from adults using standard clinical procedures, especially in the crossed condition. The thresholds measured in children with suspected APD tended to be higher than those measured in the typically developing children. There were no significant differences between the typically developing children and adults. However, when real-ear calibrated stimulus levels were used, it was found that children's thresholds were elicited at higher levels than in the adults. A significant relationship between reflex thresholds and static compliance was found in the adult data, showing a trend for higher thresholds in ears with lower static compliance, but no such relationship was found in the data from the children. This study suggests that reflex measures in children should be adjusted for real-ear-to-coupler differences before interpretation. The data in children with suspected APD support previous studies suggesting abnormalities in reflex thresholds. The lack of correlation between threshold and static compliance estimates in children as was observed in the adults may suggest a nonmechanical explanation for age and clinically related effects. American Academy of Audiology

Confronting the bomber: coping at the site of previous terror attacks.

PubMed

Strous, Rael D; Mishaeli, Nurit; Ranen, Yaniv; Benatov, Joy; Green, Dovid; Zivotofsky, Ari Z

2007-03-01

Terror exposure has become commonplace in Israel, with civilians needing to develop appropriate coping mechanisms. This study investigated coping mechanisms of those who are able to return to leisure activity at sites of previous terror attacks. A specially designed questionnaire, exploring knowledge of the terror event, previous terror exposure, coping mechanisms, state of anxiety, and mood, was administered to 93 restaurant attendees at sites of well-known recent terror attacks (2001-2005). Most respondents were aware of the previous terror attack (92.3%) and most reported no fear at revisiting (70.3%), with 20.9% reporting some anxiety and 5.5% reporting moderate or severe anxiety. Sixty percent reported that they have no fear that a terror attack will reoccur at the same place. Some (27.7%) reported change in practices or decrease in one or more activity, especially use of public transport (18%). The most helpful reported resource for facilitating stress coping following a suicide bombing was to "call or be in touch with friends or relatives," and least helpful was "medicines." Over half of respondents (53%) reported that the current security climate affected their mood. Older individuals and females were more affected by terror events. Study observations confirm that resilience develops in the general population in response to ongoing terror attacks. Response to terror is heterogeneous with a range of coping mechanisms expressed.

Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Nonlinear Structural Equation Models.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Sik-Yum; Zhu, Hong-Tu

2002-01-01

Developed an EM type algorithm for maximum likelihood estimation of a general nonlinear structural equation model in which the E-step is completed by a Metropolis-Hastings algorithm. Illustrated the methodology with results from a simulation study and two real examples using data from previous studies. (SLD)

An Application of Fuzzy AHP for Evaluating Course Website Quality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Hsiu-Fen

2010-01-01

Although previous studies have identified various influences on course website effectiveness, the evaluation of the relative importance of these factors across different online learning experience groups has not been empirically determined. This study develops an evolution model that integrates triangular fuzzy numbers and analytic hierarchy…

EPA observational studies of children's respiratory health in the Detroit and Dearborn, Michigan

EPA Science Inventory

Previous research has suggested that long-term exposures to mobile-source emissions might be associated with the development of allergies and asthma in children. Between 2004 and 2007, EPA scientists successfully conducted nested observational studies of children aged 7-12 years ...

Promoting Different Reading Comprehension Levels through Online Annotations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tseng, Sheng-Shiang; Yeh, Hui-Chin; Yang, Shih-hsien

2015-01-01

Previous studies have evaluated reading comprehension as the general understanding of reading texts. However, this broad and generic assessment of reading comprehension overlooks the specific aspects and processes that students need to develop. This study adopted Kintsch's Construction-Integration model to tap into reading comprehension at…

The Broad Autism Phenotype Predicts Relationship Outcomes in Newly Formed College Roommates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faso, Daniel J.; Corretti, Conrad A.; Ackerman, Robert A.; Sasson, Noah J.

2016-01-01

Although previous studies have reported that the broad autism phenotype is associated with reduced relationship quality within established relationships, understanding how this association emerges requires assessment prior to relationship development. In the present longitudinal study, college roommates with minimal familiarity prior to…

Dynamic Relationships: Identifying Moderators That Maximize Benefits Associated with Diversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Denson, Nida; Chang, Mitchell J.

2015-01-01

This study examined factors that can moderate the relationship between cross-racial interaction and undergraduate students' development. While previous studies have shown that students benefit from interacting across racial differences, they have not examined whether those educational benefits are moderated by other factors. The moderators…

Ecoenzymatic Stoichiometry of Stream Sediments with Comparison to Terrestrial Soils

EPA Science Inventory

In this study, we extend the development of ecoenzymatic stoichiometry to the surface sediments of stream ecosystems using data collected in a nationwide survey. The data set is larger and more comprehensive than those used in our previous studies. The data include the first broa...

The Laser-Guided Bomb: Case History of a Development

DTIC Science & Technology

1974-06-01

is part of Rand’s R&D and Acquisition Studies Program , supported by tJSAF Project RAND. Previous research done at Rarn has dealt with stu.les of...particular development programs , institutional aspects of Air Force acquisition decisiormaking, and improvements in system acquisition policy wieh respect...Corn- parative Study of Doctrine, Technology, and Organization in the USAF Ballistic and Cruise Missile Programs , 1950-1960, RM-48%3-PR, August 1966

Relative Fluid Novelty Differentially Alters the Time Course of Limited-Access Ethanol and Water Intake in Selectively Bred High Alcohol Preferring Mice

PubMed Central

Linsenbardt, David N.; Boehm, Stephen L.

2015-01-01

Background The influence of previous alcohol (ethanol) drinking experience on increasing the rate and amount of future ethanol consumption might be a genetically-regulated phenomenon critical to the development and maintenance of repeated excessive ethanol abuse. We have recently found evidence supporting this view, wherein inbred C57BL/6J (B6) mice develop progressive increases in the rate of binge-ethanol consumption over repeated Drinking-in-the-Dark (DID) ethanol access sessions (i.e. ‘front-loading’). The primary goal of the present study was to evaluate identical parameters in High Alcohol Preferring (HAP) mice to determine if similar temporal alterations in limited-access ethanol drinking develop in a population selected for high ethanol preference/intake under continuous (24hr) access conditions. Methods Using specialized volumetric drinking devices, HAP mice received 14 daily 2 hour DID ethanol or water access sessions. A subset of these mice was then given one day access to the opposite assigned fluid on day 15. Home cage locomotor activity was recorded concomitantly on each day of these studies. The possibility of behavioral/metabolic tolerance was evaluated on day 16 using experimenter administered ethanol. Results The amount of ethanol consumed within the first 15 minutes of access increased markedly over days. However, in contrast to previous observations in B6 mice, ethanol front-loading was also observed on day 15 in mice that only had previous DID experience with water. Furthermore, a decrease in the amount of water consumed within the first 15 minutes of access compared to animals given repeated water access was observed on day 15 in mice with 14 previous days of ethanol access. Conclusions These data further illustrate the complexity and importance of the temporal aspects of limited-access ethanol consumption, and suggest that previous procedural/fluid experience in HAP mice selectively alters the time course of ethanol and water consumption. PMID:25833024

Prevalence of anthelmintic resistance on Lithuanian sheep farms assessed by in vitro methods.

PubMed

Kupčinskas, Tomas; Stadalienė, Inga; Šarkūnas, Mindaugas; Riškevičienė, Vita; Várady, Marian; Höglund, Johan; Petkevičius, Saulius

2015-12-16

This study examines the prevalence of drug resistance in gastrointestinal nematodes to macrocyclic lactones (ML) and benzimidazoles (BZ) in Lithuanian sheep using sensitive and precise in vitro methods. The survey was conducted from August 2013 to November 2014. Thirty-three farms with sheep previously treated with BZ and ivermectin (IVM) were included in the study. On 12 farms where only BZ were used, egg hatch discrimination dose testing (EHDDT) was conducted to detect anthelmintic resistance (AR) to BZ. On eight farms where only ML were used, micro agar larval development testing (MALDT) was conducted to detect AR to ivermectin (IVM). On the remaining 13 farms, where both classes of drugs were used, EHDDT and MALDT were both applied to detect multidrug resistance to BZ and IVM. BZ-resistant gastrointestinal nematodes were found on all 25 farms with a previous history of BZ use. High levels of resistance (>40 % of hatching) were recorded on 36 % of these farms, and low levels (<20 % of hatching) on 40 % of farms. IVM-resistant populations were found on 13 out of 21 sheep farms using this drug. Of these 13 farms with AR to IVM, low levels of resistance (<30 % development) were recorded on 84.6 % of farms and high levels (>30 % development) on 15.4 % of farms. No resistance to IVM was recorded on 38.1 % of farms. Multi-drug resistance was detected on five farms out of 13 (38.5 %) using both classes of drugs. The present study demonstrates the existence of AR to BZ and ML on Lithuanian sheep farms thus confirming results in a previous in vivo study. Cases of multi-drug resistance were recorded in the present study and require further consideration. An appropriate strategy for anthelmintic treatment, measures to prevent gastrointestinal nematode infection and a better understanding of the management practices associated with resistance may slow down further development of AR.

Extending Theory-Based Quantitative Predictions to New Health Behaviors.

PubMed

Brick, Leslie Ann D; Velicer, Wayne F; Redding, Colleen A; Rossi, Joseph S; Prochaska, James O

2016-04-01

Traditional null hypothesis significance testing suffers many limitations and is poorly adapted to theory testing. A proposed alternative approach, called Testing Theory-based Quantitative Predictions, uses effect size estimates and confidence intervals to directly test predictions based on theory. This paper replicates findings from previous smoking studies and extends the approach to diet and sun protection behaviors using baseline data from a Transtheoretical Model behavioral intervention (N = 5407). Effect size predictions were developed using two methods: (1) applying refined effect size estimates from previous smoking research or (2) using predictions developed by an expert panel. Thirteen of 15 predictions were confirmed for smoking. For diet, 7 of 14 predictions were confirmed using smoking predictions and 6 of 16 using expert panel predictions. For sun protection, 3 of 11 predictions were confirmed using smoking predictions and 5 of 19 using expert panel predictions. Expert panel predictions and smoking-based predictions poorly predicted effect sizes for diet and sun protection constructs. Future studies should aim to use previous empirical data to generate predictions whenever possible. The best results occur when there have been several iterations of predictions for a behavior, such as with smoking, demonstrating that expected values begin to converge on the population effect size. Overall, the study supports necessity in strengthening and revising theory with empirical data.

An Early Years Toolbox for Assessing Early Executive Function, Language, Self-Regulation, and Social Development: Validity, Reliability, and Preliminary Norms

PubMed Central

Howard, Steven J.; Melhuish, Edward

2016-01-01

Several methods of assessing executive function (EF), self-regulation, language development, and social development in young children have been developed over previous decades. Yet new technologies make available methods of assessment not previously considered. In resolving conceptual and pragmatic limitations of existing tools, the Early Years Toolbox (EYT) offers substantial advantages for early assessment of language, EF, self-regulation, and social development. In the current study, results of our large-scale administration of this toolbox to 1,764 preschool and early primary school students indicated very good reliability, convergent validity with existing measures, and developmental sensitivity. Results were also suggestive of better capture of children’s emerging abilities relative to comparison measures. Preliminary norms are presented, showing a clear developmental trajectory across half-year age groups. The accessibility of the EYT, as well as its advantages over existing measures, offers considerably enhanced opportunities for objective measurement of young children’s abilities to enable research and educational applications. PMID:28503022

Adolescent athletes with learning disability display atypical maturational trajectories on concussion baseline testing: Implications based on a Finnish sample.

PubMed

Peltonen, Kati; Vartiainen, Matti; Laitala-Leinonen, Tiina; Koskinen, Sanna; Luoto, Teemu; Pertab, Jon; Hokkanen, Laura

2018-05-21

Previous research has reported lower cognitive test scores on baseline testing in athletes reporting multiple previous concussions or a history of learning disability (LD). Age also has an important influence on cognitive performance. While these factors have been considered individually in previous studies, the present study is the first to explore the interaction of age, self-reported LD, and history of concussion on baseline Immediate Post-Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing (ImPACT®) in a nationwide study of adolescent athletes. ImPACT® was administered to 1823 Finnish male ice hockey players (aged 12-21 years old) prior to the 2015-2016 or 2016-2017 playing seasons. Linear regressions and simple slopes analyses were used for clarifying the impact of LD and previous concussion history on maturational trajectories. In comparison to typically developing athletes, athletes with LD had lower neurocognitive scores in all composites and differing maturational trajectory in verbal memory and visual motor speed. The number of previous concussions did not impair neurocognitive performance at baseline assessment. Application of standard age-based norms to adolescent athletes with a history of LD has the potential to negatively skew clinical decision-making. Separate reference values for LD athletes are warranted due to their unique developmental cognitive trajectories. The reference values for the Finnish participants in this study are presented.

Health professionals as mobile content creators: teaching medical students to develop mHealth applications.

PubMed

Masters, Ken

2014-10-01

Patient access to health information and patient-provider communication is integral to medicine, and can be facilitated by mobile applications ("apps"). Traditionally, student training in mobile Health (mHealth) has focussed on health professionals as consumers of information, with negative impacts on the quality and value of medical apps. This study focuses on teaching medical students to develop their own medical apps. At Sultan Qaboos University, Oman, an app development environment, iBuildApp, was taught to medical students and used to develop their first apps. Students were surveyed on their perceptions of the project. Of the 166 students, 107 (64.5%) completed the survey. There was an increase in the perceived need for such learning, apps were aimed primarily at patients, and previous programming experience was the strongest influencer of a positive experience. A majority (77.6%) wanted more sophisticated development environments in spite of their apparent struggles. The impact of previous experience is similar to other studies; the perceived value and focus on patient apps is indicative of an awareness of patients' use of the devices not reflected in all literature. It is possible to teach medical students the fundamentals of app design so that they may contribute to app development in the future.

Morphosyntactic Development in a Second Language: An Eye-Tracking Study on the Role of Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Issa, Bernard Ibrahim, II

2015-01-01

One common claim in second language (L2) acquisition research is that attention is crucial for development to occur. Although previous empirical research supports this claim, methodological approaches have not been able to directly measure attention. This thesis utilized eye-tracking to directly measure attention and thus provide converging…

Physical and Emotional Development, Appetite and Body Image in Adolescents Who Failed to Thrive as Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Drewett, R. F.; Corbett, S. S.; Wright, C. M.

2006-01-01

Background: Previous studies suggest that failure to thrive in infancy may be associated with adverse sequelae in childhood. Although cognitive abilities have been extensively investigated, little systematic research is available on other aspects of development. Methods: Eighty-nine children who failed to thrive as infants and 91 controls were…

Pragmatic Development of L2 Spanish Proposals in Planning Talk

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rose, Marda C.

2013-01-01

This study examines proposals made during planning talk--a speech act that has received little attention in previous literature--to determine the applicability of the stages of second language (L2) pragmatic development posited by Kasper and Rose (2002). Although Kasper and Rose suggest that formulas play a prominent role in L2 pragmatic…

Marker-assisted NIL development of an Oryza sativa x Oryza rufipogon cross using SSRs, InDels and SNPs

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A set of near isogenic lines (NILs) with introgressions from O. rufipogon (IRGC 105491) in the genetic background of an elite US variety, cv Jefferson, were developed to confirm the performance of six yield-enhancing QTLs identified in a previous study. Approximately 200 SSRs were used to evaluate ...

Developing a Learning Progression for Number Sense Based on the Rule Space Model in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Fu; Yan, Yue; Xin, Tao

2017-01-01

The current study focuses on developing the learning progression of number sense for primary school students, and it applies a cognitive diagnostic model, the rule space model, to data analysis. The rule space model analysis firstly extracted nine cognitive attributes and their hierarchy model from the analysis of previous research and the…

Changes in Behavior and Salivary Cortisol after Targeted Cognitive Training in Typical 12-Month-Old Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wass, Sam V.; Cook, Clare; Clackson, Kaili

2017-01-01

Previous research has suggested that early development may be an optimal period to implement cognitive training interventions, particularly those relating to attention control, a basic ability that is essential for the development of other cognitive skills. In the present study, we administered gaze-contingent training (95 min across 2 weeks)…

Expression of the ephrin receptor B2 in the embryonic chicken bursa of Fabricius

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chicken B-cells develop in a specific organ, the bursa of Fabricius. To understand the bursal microenvironment guiding B-cell development, previous studies identified ephrin (Eph) receptor B2 (EphB2) gene transcripts in the embryonic bursa. We hypothesize that the EphB2 receptors and their ligands r...

Ethics Standards Impacting Test Development and Use: A Review of 31 Ethics Codes Impacting Practices in 35 Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leach, Mark M.; Oakland, Thomas

2007-01-01

Ethics codes are designed to protect the public by prescribing behaviors professionals are expected to exhibit. Although test use is universal, albeit reflecting strong Western influences, previous studies that examine the degree issues pertaining to test development and use and that are addressed in ethics codes of national psychological…

Recent Experiences in Continuing Education for Social Studies Teachers in the New States of Germany.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George, Uta

1994-01-01

Reports on a staff development project for in-service teachers from former East German states. Describes the project's background, previous in-service teacher education, and the project's organization. Concludes that economic difficulties and the rise of neo-Nazism makes it imperative for German teachers to develop democratic values. (CFR)

Are we there yet? Tracking the development of new model systems

Treesearch

A. Abzhanov; C. Extavour; A. Groover; S. Hodges; H. Hoekstra; E. Kramer; A. Monteiro

2008-01-01

It is increasingly clear that additional ‘model’ systems are needed to elucidate the genetic and developmental basis of organismal diversity. Whereas model system development previously required enormous investment, recent advances including the decreasing cost of DNA sequencing and the power of reverse genetics to study gene function are greatly facilitating...

What Can Boys and Girls Do? Preschoolers' Perspectives Regarding Gender Roles across Domains of Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Erin R.; Tisak, Marie S.; Tisak, John

2016-01-01

Previous research has examined at what age and in what contexts males and females develop gender-congruent stereotypes. Research indicates that social experience may provide a great influence on the presence of such stereotypes, but this is likely influenced by the development of gender schemas. The current study interviewed 99 children…

Determinants of embryo development and quality in beef cattle: Effect of pre-ovulatory follicle size, CL volume, and serum concentrations of progesterone

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous research indicates cows ovulating a small dominant follicle (<_ 12 mm) had lower pregnancy rates than cows ovulating a large follicle (> 12 mm). We hypothesized cows ovulating a small follicle would have delayed embryo development and decreased embryo quality. Objectives of this study wer...

AX+/BX- Discrimination Learning in the Fear-Potentiated Startle Paradigm in Monkeys

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winslow, James T.; Noble, Pamela L.; Davis, Michael

2008-01-01

Individuals with anxiety disorders often do not respond to safety signals and hence continue to be afraid and anxious. Consequently, it is important to develop paradigms in animals that can directly study brain systems involved in learning about, and responding to, safety signals. We previously developed a discrimination procedure in rats of the…

The Impact of a Three-Year Teacher Professional Development Course on Quality of Teaching: Strengths and Limitations of the Dynamic Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kyriakides, L.; Christoforidou, M.; Panayiotou, A.; Creemers, B. P. M.

2017-01-01

The dynamic approach (DA) suggests that professional development should be differentiated to meet teachers' individual needs while engaging participants into systematic and guided critical reflection. Previous experimental studies demonstrated that one-year interventions based on the DA have a positive impact on teacher effectiveness. The study…

A Measure of EFL Public Speaking Class Anxiety: Scale Development and Preliminary Validation and Reliability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yaikhong, Kriangkrai; Usaha, Siriluck

2012-01-01

The present study contributes to developing a Public Speaking Class Anxiety Scale (PSCAS) to measure anxiety in the EFL public speaking class in the Thai context. Items were adopted from previous scales: Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety Scale (FLCAS) by Horwitz et al. (1986); Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA-24) and Personal…

Programming Education with a Blocks-Based Visual Language for Mobile Application Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mihci, Can; Ozdener, Nesrin

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the impact upon academic success of the use of a reference block-based visual programming tool, namely the MIT App Inventor for Android, as an educational instrument for teaching object-oriented GUI-application development (CS2) concepts to students; who have previously completed a fundamental programming course…

Basis of predictive mycology.

PubMed

Dantigny, Philippe; Guilmart, Audrey; Bensoussan, Maurice

2005-04-15

For over 20 years, predictive microbiology focused on food-pathogenic bacteria. Few studies concerned modelling fungal development. On one hand, most of food mycologists are not familiar with modelling techniques; on the other hand, people involved in modelling are developing tools dedicated to bacteria. Therefore, there is a tendency to extend the use of models that were developed for bacteria to moulds. However, some mould specificities should be taken into account. The use of specific models for predicting germination and growth of fungi was advocated previously []. This paper provides a short review of fungal modelling studies.

A Study of the Air Force’s Current Method of Training Individuals to Use Contractor Developed Software in Information Management and the Perceived Effectiveness of Training

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-12-01

and only one Navy study was located. Lt. Cynthia S. Lassnoff (USN) conducted a case analysis of the training requirements of Navy microcomputer users...effectiveness of the training. The study found that greater emphasis must be placed on developing and supporting the use of a standardized training...recommends areas of further research based on the findings of this research. 1-8 II. Background No previous studies were located that evaluated how the Air

Association of transforming growth-factor alpha gene polymorphisms with nonsyndromic cleft palate only (CPO)

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

Shiang, R.; Lidral, A.C.; Ardinger, H.H.

1993-10-01

Genetic analysis and tissue-specific expression studies support a role for transforming growth-factor alpha (TGFA) in craniofacial development. Previous studies have confirmed an association of alleles for TGFA with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) in humans. The authors carried out a retrospective association study to determine whether specific allelic variants of the TGFA gene are also associated with cleft palate only (CPO). The PCR products from 12 overlapping sets of primers to the TGFA cDNA were examined by using single-strand conformational polymorphism analysis. Four DNA polymorphic sites for TGFA were identified in the 3[prime] untranslated region ofmore » the TGFA gene. These variants, as well as previously identified RFLPs for TGFA, were characterized in case and control populations for CPO by using X[sup 2] analysis. A significant association between alleles of TGFA and CPO was identified which further supports a role for this gene as one of the genetic determinants of craniofacial development. Sequence analysis of the variants disclosed a cluster of three variable sites within 30 bp of each other in the 3[prime] untranslated region previously associated with an antisense transcript. These studies extend the role for TGFA in craniofacial morphogenesis and support an interrelated mechanism underlying nonsyndromic forms of CL/P. 46 refs., 3 figs., 3 tabs.« less

A Methodology to Evaluate Ecological Resources and Risk Using Two Case Studies at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burger, Joanna; Gochfeld, Michael; Bunn, Amoret; Downs, Janelle; Jeitner, Christian; Pittfield, Taryn; Salisbury, Jennifer; Kosson, David

2017-03-01

An assessment of the potential risks to ecological resources from remediation activities or other perturbations should involve a quantitative evaluation of resources on the remediation site and in the surrounding environment. We developed a risk methodology to rapidly evaluate potential impact on ecological resources for the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southcentral Washington State. We describe the application of the risk evaluation for two case studies to illustrate its applicability. The ecological assessment involves examining previous sources of information for the site, defining different resource levels from 0 to 5. We also developed a risk rating scale from non-discernable to very high. Field assessment is the critical step to determine resource levels or to determine if current conditions are the same as previously evaluated. We provide a rapid assessment method for current ecological conditions that can be compared to previous site-specific data, or that can be used to assess resource value on other sites where ecological information is not generally available. The method is applicable to other Department of Energy's sites, where its development may involve a range of state regulators, resource trustees, Tribes and other stakeholders. Achieving consistency across Department of Energy's sites for valuation of ecological resources on remediation sites will assure Congress and the public that funds and personnel are being deployed appropriately.

A Methodology to Evaluate Ecological Resources and Risk Using Two Case Studies at the Department of Energy's Hanford Site.

PubMed

Burger, Joanna; Gochfeld, Michael; Bunn, Amoret; Downs, Janelle; Jeitner, Christian; Pittfield, Taryn; Salisbury, Jennifer; Kosson, David

2017-03-01

An assessment of the potential risks to ecological resources from remediation activities or other perturbations should involve a quantitative evaluation of resources on the remediation site and in the surrounding environment. We developed a risk methodology to rapidly evaluate potential impact on ecological resources for the U.S. Department of Energy's Hanford Site in southcentral Washington State. We describe the application of the risk evaluation for two case studies to illustrate its applicability. The ecological assessment involves examining previous sources of information for the site, defining different resource levels from 0 to 5. We also developed a risk rating scale from non-discernable to very high. Field assessment is the critical step to determine resource levels or to determine if current conditions are the same as previously evaluated. We provide a rapid assessment method for current ecological conditions that can be compared to previous site-specific data, or that can be used to assess resource value on other sites where ecological information is not generally available. The method is applicable to other Department of Energy's sites, where its development may involve a range of state regulators, resource trustees, Tribes and other stakeholders. Achieving consistency across Department of Energy's sites for valuation of ecological resources on remediation sites will assure Congress and the public that funds and personnel are being deployed appropriately.

Training to improve manual control in 7-8 and 10-12 year old children: Training eliminates performance differences between ages.

PubMed

Snapp-Childs, Winona; Fath, Aaron J; Watson, Carol A; Flatters, Ian; Mon-Williams, Mark; Bingham, Geoffrey P

2015-10-01

Many children have difficulty producing movements well enough to improve in perceptuo-motor learning. We have developed a training method that supports active movement generation to allow improvement in a 3D tracing task requiring good compliance control. We previously tested 7-8 year old children who exhibited poor performance and performance differences before training. After training, performance was significantly improved and performance differences were eliminated. According to the Dynamic Systems Theory of development, appropriate support can enable younger children to acquire the ability to perform like older children. In the present study, we compared 7-8 and 10-12 year old school children and predicted that younger children would show reduced performance that was nonetheless amenable to training. Indeed, the pre-training performance of the 7-8 year olds was worse than that of the 10-12 year olds, but post-training performance was equally good for both groups. This was similar to previous results found using this training method for children with DCD and age-matched typically developing children. We also found in a previous study of 7-8 year old school children that training in the 3D tracing task transferred to a 2D drawing task. We now found similar transfer for the 10-12 year olds. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modelling of thermal stresses in bearing steel structure generated by electrical current impulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Birjukovs, M.; Jakovics, A.; Holweger, W.

2018-05-01

This work is the study of one particular candidate for white etching crack (WEC) initiation mechanism in wind turbine gearbox bearings: discharge current impulses flowing through bearing steel with associated thermal stresses and material fatigue. Using data/results from previously published works, the authors develop a series of models that are utilized to simulate these processes under various conditions/local microstructure configurations, as well as to verify the results of the previous numerical studies. Presented models show that the resulting stresses are several orders of magnitude below the fatigue limit/yield strength for the parameters used herein. Results and analysis of models provided by Scepanskis, M. et al. also indicate that certain effects predicted in their previous work resulted from a physically unfounded assumption about material thermodynamic properties and numerical model implementation issues.

The situation specificity of youth responses to peer provocation.

PubMed

Dirks, Melanie A; Treat, Teresa A; Weersing, V Robin

2007-01-01

Previous studies have identified peer provocation as a challenging class of situations for youth. The work presented here builds on previous methods of assessing peer provocation by (a) increasing the contextual detail of the vignettes; (b) developing a reliable, descriptive coding system of the range of youth responses to physical, verbal, and relational provocation; and (c) assessing the relevance of these situations for a sample (N = 76) of ethnically diverse, economically disadvantaged youth ages 12 to 14. The vignettes were used to examine the situation specificity of youth responses to provocation. Situation and identity of aggressor were both predictors of youth responses. For example, participants "matched" physical aggression to physical provocation. These findings are consistent with previous studies demonstrating the situation specificity of social information processing, even within the relatively homogeneous category of peer provocations.

Neuropsychological function and past exposure to metallic mercury in female dental workers

PubMed Central

Sletvold, Helge; Svendsen, Kristin; Aas, Oddfrid; Syversen, Tore; Hilt, Bjørn

2012-01-01

The aim of this study was to see if dental personnel with previous exposure to metallic mercury have later developed disturbances in cognitive function. Ninety-one female participants who had been selected from a previous health survey of dental personnel were investigated neuropsychologically within the following domains: motor function, short-term memory, working memory, executive function, mental flexibility, and visual and verbal long-term memory. The scores were mainly within normal ranges. Relationships between an exposure score, the duration of employment before 1990, and previously measured mercury in urine as independent variables and the neuropsychological findings as dependent variables, were analyzed by multiple linear regression controlling for age, general ability, length of education, alcohol consumption, and previous head injuries. The only relationship that was statistically significant in the hypothesized direction was between the previously measured urine mercury values and visual long-term memory, where the urine values explained 30% of the variability. As the study had a low statistical power and also some other methodological limitations, the results have to be interpreted with caution. Even so, we think it is right to conclude that neuropsychological findings indicative of subsequent cognitive injuries are difficult to find in groups of otherwise healthy dental personnel with previous occupational exposure to mercury. PMID:22092046

24 CFR 1710.559 - Previously accepted state filings-notice of revocation rights in contracts and agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Previously accepted state filings... Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HOUSING-FEDERAL HOUSING COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (INTERSTATE LAND...

Perceptual Completion in Newborn Human Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenza, Eloisa; Leo, Irene; Gava, Lucia; Simion, Francesca

2006-01-01

Despite decades of studies of human infants, a still open question concerns the role of visual experience in the development of the ability to perceive complete shapes over partial occlusion. Previous studies show that newborns fail to manifest this ability, either because they lack the visual experience required for perceptual completion or…

Stainless steel blanket concept for tokamaks

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

Karbowski, J.S.; Lee, A.Y.; Prevenslik, T.V.

1979-01-25

The purpose of this joint ORNL/Westinghouse Program is to develop a design concept for a tokamak reactor blanket system which satisfies engineering requirements for a utility environment. While previous blanket studies have focused primarily on performance issues (thermal, neutronic, and structural), this study has emphasized consideration of reliability, fabricability, and lifetime.

Toward Self-Authoring a Civic Teacher Identity: Service-Learning in Teacher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLean, Lorna R.; Truong-White, Hoa H.

2016-01-01

Previous scholarship has examined how teachers' civic knowledge and conceptions of citizenship influence their goals, pedagogical practices, and confidence in teaching citizenship, but few studies have probed how teacher candidates develop identities as civic educators through community service-learning projects. This case study draws upon Baxter…

Spanish Second Language Acquisition: State of the Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lafford, Barbara A., Ed.; Salaberry, Rafael, Ed.

This collection of papers provides an overview of previous studies on the acquisition of Spanish as a second or foreign language, theoretical approaches used in these studies, and effects of various pedagogical approaches on the development of Spanish interlanguage systems. The 10 chapters include the following: (1) "Phonology: Staking Out…

Using Mixed-Effects Structural Equation Models to Study Student Academic Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pike, Gary R.

1992-01-01

A study at the University of Tennessee Knoxville used mixed-effect structural equation models incorporating latent variables as an alternative to conventional methods of analyzing college students' (n=722) first-year-to-senior academic gains. Results indicate, contrary to previous analysis, that coursework and student characteristics interact to…

A firm size and safety performance profile of the U.S. motor carrier industry.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was the development of a driver-focused truck crash prediction model with a particular focus on the size of : the carrier that the driver is associated with at the time of a state reportable crash. While previous studies hav...

Hierarchical Bayesian Models of Subtask Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anglim, Jeromy; Wynton, Sarah K. A.

2015-01-01

The current study used Bayesian hierarchical methods to challenge and extend previous work on subtask learning consistency. A general model of individual-level subtask learning was proposed focusing on power and exponential functions with constraints to test for inconsistency. To study subtask learning, we developed a novel computer-based booking…

Progression of Amygdala Volumetric Abnormalities in Adolescents after Their First Manic Episode

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bitter, Samantha M.; Mills, Neil P.; Adler, Caleb M.; Strakowski, Stephen M.; DelBello, Melissa P.

2011-01-01

Objective: Although previous neuroimaging studies suggest that adolescents with bipolar disorder exhibit smaller amygdala volumes compared with healthy adolescents, whether these abnormalities are present at illness onset or instead develop over time remains unclear. The aim of this study was to conduct a prospective longitudinal investigation…

Gilligan's Moral Orientation Hypothesis: Strategies of Justification and Practical Deliberation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keefer, Matthew Wilks

Previous studies failed to determine whether Gilligan's (1982) justice and care perspectives represent two distinct orientations of moral reasoning. Using methods developed in research on reasoning and discourse processes, a study used a discursive framework to validate an alternate methodology for the investigation of moral orientation reasoning.…

A Political-Ecological Analysis of Income Inequality in the Metropolitan Area.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bollens, Scott A.

1986-01-01

Metropolitan development is not simply a result of ecological factors. Governmental organization affects the incentives of localities and helps determine patterns of growth. This study updates previous studies on factors influencing residential area income inequality. Modification of the variables in the ecological explanation will increase…

Observations of School Culture: From Theorists to Curriculum Issues

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tavares-Silva, Fabiany de C.; Pessanha, Eurize C.

2012-01-01

In recent years, we have developed research studies to analyze the relationships between the fields of history and sociology of curriculum, school, and culture. Using previously conducted studies, we investigate topics such as school culture and education management, which broaden our understanding of education, school days and spaces, classes and…

Sleep Patterns and Symptoms of Depression in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Peggy R.; Girgenti, Alicia A.; Mills, Maura J.

2009-01-01

College students have long been considered a population particularly affected by sleep difficulties. Previous studies have confirmed individuals with sleep disturbances may be at risk for development of depression. This study provides evidence in support of the hypothesis that sleep and specific aspects of depression are related. 147 students…

Discriminating power of microsatellites in cranberry organelles for taxonomic studies in Vaccinium and Ericaceae

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) in chloroplast and mitochondrial DNA, which have not been previously developed or explored in the Ericaceae family or Vaccinium genus, can be powerful tools for determining evolutionary relationships between taxa. In this study, 30 chloroplast and 23 mitochondria, and ...

Polymorphic sequence-characterized codominant loci in the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica

Treesearch

J. E. Davis; Thomas L. Kubisiak; M. G. Milgroom

2005-01-01

Studies on the population biology of the chestnut blight fungus, Cryphonectria parasitica, have previously been carried out with dominant restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) fingerprinting markers. In this study, we described the development of 11 condominant markers from randomly amplified polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs). RAPD fragments were...

Differential Contributions of Language Skills to Children's Episodic Recall

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klemfuss, J. Zoe

2015-01-01

Theorists have identified language as a critical contributor to children's episodic memory development, yet studies linking language and memory have had mixed results. The present study aimed to clarify the mechanisms linking language and memory and to explain the previous mixed results. Sixty-four preschool children's receptive and productive…

Differential roles of melatonin in plant-host resistance and pathogen suppression in cucurbits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Since the 1950s, research on the animal neurohormone melatonin, has focused on its multi-regulatory effect on patients suffering from insomnia, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. Previous studies on melatonin in plants have focused primarily on plant growth and development. However, studies on the physiologic...

Improving Approximate Number Sense Abilities in Preschoolers: PLUS Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Herwegen, Jo; Costa, Hiwet Mariam; Passolunghi, Maria Chiara

2017-01-01

Previous studies in both typically and atypically developing children have shown that approximate number system (ANS) abilities predict formal mathematical knowledge later on in life. The current study investigated whether playing specially designed training games that targets the ANS system using nonsymbolic stimuli only would improve preschool…

A Comparison of Tropical Storm (TS) and Non-TS Gust Factors for Assessing Peak Wind Probabilities at the Eastern Range

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Merceret, Francis J.; Crawford, Winifred C.

2010-01-01

Knowledge of peak wind speeds is important to the safety of personnel and flight hardware at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS), but they are more difficult to forecast than mean wind speeds. Development of a reliable model for the gust factor (GF) relating the peak to the mean wind speed motivated a previous study of GF in tropical storms. The same motivation inspired a climatological study of non-TS peak wind speed statistics without the use of GF. Both studies presented their respective statistics as functions of mean wind speed and height. The few comparisons of IS and non-TS GF in the literature suggest that the non-TS GF at a given height and mean wind speed are smaller than the corresponding TS GF. The investigation reported here converted the non-TS peak wind statistics mentioned above to the equivalent GF statistics and compared the results with the previous TS GF results. The advantage of this effort over all previously reported studies of its kind is that the TS and non-TS data are taken from the same towers in the same locations. That eliminates differing surface attributes, including roughness length and thermal properties, as a major source of variance in the comparison. The results are consistent with the literature, but include much more detailed, quantitative information on the nature of the relationship between TS and non-TS GF as a function of height and mean wind speed. In addition, the data suggest the possibility of providing an operational model for non-TS GF as a function of height and wind speed in a manner similar to the one previously developed for TS GF.

Predictive factors of gestational diabetes in pregnancies following assisted reproductive technology: a nested case-control study.

PubMed

Kouhkan, Azam; Khamseh, Mohammad E; Moini, Ashraf; Pirjani, Reihaneh; Valojerdi, Ameneh Ebrahim; Arabipoor, Arezoo; Hosseini, Roya; Baradaran, Hamid Reza

2018-05-05

To evaluate predictive factors for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) in singleton pregnancy following assisted reproductive technology (ART). This nested case-control study was performed during October 2016-June 2017. Pregnant women who conceived following ART procedures referred to infertility clinic were selected and categorized into GDM and non-GDM based on ADA/IAPDSG criteria. The study variables including age, educational status, first-degree family history of chronic diseases, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, previous obstetric and perinatal outcomes, infertility history, and ART cycle characteristics were collected from medical records. Prediction model to develop GDM was employed by binary logistic regression analysis after adjustment for age and body mass index, family history of diabetes, and gravidity. In total, 270 women with singleton pregnancies (consisted of 135 GDM and 135 non-GDM women) conceived were studied. According to the final model, significant predictors of GDM were history of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), previous ovarian hyper-stimulation syndrome (OHSS) risk and progesterone injections. Administration of injectable progesterone during the first 10-12 weeks of pregnancy was associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of developing GDM [odds ratio (OR) 2.28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.27-4.09)] compared to vaginal progesterone. In addition, the regression analysis revealed that previous OHSS risk (OR 2.40, 95% CI 1.34-4.31) and history of PCOS (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.26-6.06) were other most important predictors of GDM. The route of progesterone administration, previous OHSS risk and history of PCOS seem to be putative risk factors for GDM in women conceived by ART.

Towards an international taxonomy of integrated primary care: a Delphi consensus approach.

PubMed

Valentijn, Pim P; Vrijhoef, Hubertus J M; Ruwaard, Dirk; Boesveld, Inge; Arends, Rosa Y; Bruijnzeels, Marc A

2015-05-22

Developing integrated service models in a primary care setting is considered an essential strategy for establishing a sustainable and affordable health care system. The Rainbow Model of Integrated Care (RMIC) describes the theoretical foundations of integrated primary care. The aim of this study is to refine the RMIC by developing a consensus-based taxonomy of key features. First, the appropriateness of previously identified key features was retested by conducting an international Delphi study that was built on the results of a previous national Delphi study. Second, categorisation of the features among the RMIC integrated care domains was assessed in a second international Delphi study. Finally, a taxonomy was constructed by the researchers based on the results of the three Delphi studies. The final taxonomy consists of 21 key features distributed over eight integration domains which are organised into three main categories: scope (person-focused vs. population-based), type (clinical, professional, organisational and system) and enablers (functional vs. normative) of an integrated primary care service model. The taxonomy provides a crucial differentiation that clarifies and supports implementation, policy formulation and research regarding the organisation of integrated primary care. Further research is needed to develop instruments based on the taxonomy that can reveal the realm of integrated primary care in practice.

Transcriptome analysis reveals long intergenic non-coding RNAs involved in skeletal muscle growth and development in pig.

PubMed

Zou, Cheng; Li, Jingxuan; Luo, Wenzhe; Li, Long; Hu, An; Fu, Yuhua; Hou, Ye; Li, Changchun

2017-08-18

Long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) play essential roles in numerous biological processes and are widely studied. The skeletal muscle is an important tissue that plays an essential role in individual movement ability. However, lincRNAs in pig skeletal muscles are largely undiscovered and their biological functions remain elusive. In this study, we assembled transcriptomes using RNA-seq data published in previous studies of our laboratory group and identified 323 lincRNAs in porcine leg muscle. We found that these lincRNAs have shorter transcript length, fewer exons and lower expression level than protein-coding genes. Gene ontology and pathway analyses indicated that many potential target genes (PTGs) of lincRNAs were involved in skeletal-muscle-related processes, such as muscle contraction and muscle system process. Combined our previous studies, we found a potential regulatory mechanism in which the promoter methylation of lincRNAs can negatively regulate lincRNA expression and then positively regulate PTG expression, which can finally result in abnormal phenotypes of cloned piglets through a certain unknown pathway. This work detailed a number of lincRNAs and their target genes involved in skeletal muscle growth and development and can facilitate future studies on their roles in skeletal muscle growth and development.

Consoer et al PFOS dataset

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This ScienceHub entry was developed for the published paper: Consoer et al., 2016, Toxicokinetics of perfluorooctane sulfonate in rainow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 35:717-727. Individual rainbow trout were exposed to PFOS by bolus injection (elimination studies) or by adding PFOS to incoming water (branchial uptake studies). The trout were fitted with indwelling catheters and urinary cannulae to permit periodic collection of blood and urine. Additional sampling was conducted to evaluate PFOS uptake from and elimination to respired water. Data obtained from each fish was evaluated using a clearance-volume pharmacokinetic model. Modeled kinetic parameters were then averaged to develop summary statistics which were used as a basis for interpreting modeled results and making comparisons to a previous study of rainbow trout exposed to perfluorooctanoate (PFOA; Consoer et al., 2014, Aquat. Toxicol. 156:65-73). The results of this study, combined with that of the previous PFOA study, suggest that PFOA is a substrate for renal transporters in fish while glomerular filtration alone may be sufficient to explain the observed renal elimination of PFOS. These findings demonstrate that models developed to predict the bioaccumulation of perfluoroalkyl acids by fish must account for differences in renal clearance of individual compounds.This dataset is associated with the following publication:Consoer, D., A. Hoffman , P. Fitzsimmons , P. Kosia

The influence of personality and perceived stress on the development of breast cancer: 20-year follow-up of 29,098 Japanese women

PubMed Central

Sawada, Takayuki; Nishiyama, Takeshi; Kikuchi, Norimasa; Wang, Chaochen; Lin, Yingsong; Mori, Mitsuru; Tanno, Kozo; Tamakoshi, Akiko; Kikuchi, Shogo

2016-01-01

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. However, it remains unproven whether psychological factors have an influence on breast cancer incidence. In our earlier study, subjects possessing two personality traits, decisiveness and “ikigai” (a Japanese word meaning something that makes one’s life worth living), showed a significantly lower risk of developing breast cancer, although no psychological factors have been convincingly demonstrated to have an influence on breast cancer development in other studies. Therefore, we conducted this follow-up analysis to confirm the association between breast cancer incidence and psychological traits, using the final dataset of a large-scale prospective cohort study in Japan. We identified 209 cases of incident breast cancer out of a maximum 21-year follow-up of 29,098 Japanese women. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis, adjusted for the same potential confounders used in our previous study, did not reveal any significant relationships between breast cancer incidence and four psychological traits: having “ikigai”, decisiveness, ease of anger arousal, and perceived stress. Our finding is consistent with previous studies, and suggests that the psychological traits are unlikely to be an important risk factor for breast cancer. PMID:27586560

A developmental study of risky decisions on the cake gambling task: age and gender analyses of probability estimation and reward evaluation.

PubMed

Van Leijenhorst, Linda; Westenberg, P Michiel; Crone, Eveline A

2008-01-01

Decision making, or the process of choosing between competing courses of actions, is highly sensitive to age-related change, showing development throughout adolescence. In this study, we tested whether the development of decision making under risk is related to changes in risk-estimation abilities. Participants (N = 93) between ages 8-30 performed a child friendly gambling task, the Cake Gambling task, which was inspired by the Cambridge Gambling Task (Rogers et al., 1999), which has previously been shown to be sensitive to orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) damage. The task allowed comparisons of the contributions to risk perception of (1) the ability to estimate probabilities and (2) evaluate rewards. Adult performance patterns were highly similar to those found in previous reports, showing increased risk taking with increases in the probability of winning and the magnitude of potential reward. Behavioral patterns in children and adolescents did not differ from adult patterns, showing a similar ability for probability estimation and reward evaluation. These data suggest that participants 8 years and older perform like adults in a gambling task, previously shown to depend on the OFC in which all the information needed to make an advantageous decision is given on each trial and no information needs to be inferred from previous behavior. Interestingly, at all ages, females were more risk-averse than males. These results suggest that the increase in real-life risky behavior that is seen in adolescence is not a consequence of changes in risk perception abilities. The findings are discussed in relation to theories about the protracted development of the prefrontal cortex.

Minimally invasive right lateral thoracotomy without aortic cross-clamping: an attractive alternative to repeat sternotomy for reoperative mitral valve surgery.

PubMed

Umakanthan, Ramanan; Petracek, Michael R; Leacche, Marzia; Solenkova, Nataliya V; Eagle, Susan S; Thompson, Annemarie; Ahmad, Rashid M; Greelish, James P; Ball, Stephen K; Hoff, Steven J; Absi, Tarek S; Balaguer, Jorge M; Byrne, John G

2010-03-01

The study aim was to determine the safety and benefits of minimally invasive mitral valve surgery without aortic cross-clamping for mitral valve surgery after previous cardiac surgery. Between January 2006 and August 2008, a total of 90 consecutive patients (38 females, 52 males; mean age 66 +/- 9 years) underwent minimally invasive mitral valve surgery after having undergone previous cardiac surgery. Of these patients, 80 (89%) underwent mitral valve replacement and 10 (11%) mitral valve repair utilizing a small (5 cm) right lateral thoracotomy along the 4th or 5th intercostal space under fibrillatory arrest (mean temperature 28 +/- 2 degrees C). The predicted mortality, calculated using the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) algorithm, was compared to the observed mortality. The mean ejection fraction was 45 +/- 13%, mean NYHA class 3 +/- 1, while 66 patients (73%) had previous coronary artery bypass grafting and 37 (41%) had previous valve surgery. Twenty-six patients (29%) underwent non-elective surgery. Cardiopulmonary bypass was instituted through axillary (n = 19), femoral (n = 70) or direct use aortic (n = 1) cannulation. Operative mortality was 2% (2/90), lower than the STS-predicted mortality of 7%. Three patients (3%) developed acute renal failure postoperatively, one patient (1%) required new-onset hemodialysis, and one (1%) developed postoperative stroke. No patients developed postoperative myocardial infarction. The mean postoperative packed red blood cell transfusion requirement at 48 h was 2 +/- 3 units. Minimally invasive right thoracotomy without aortic cross-clamping is an excellent alternative to conventional redo-sternotomy for reoperative mitral valve surgery. The present study confirmed that this technique is safe and effective in reducing operative mortality in high-risk patients undergoing reoperative cardiac surgery.

A prediction model for early death in non-small cell lung cancer patients following curative-intent chemoradiotherapy.

PubMed

Jochems, Arthur; El-Naqa, Issam; Kessler, Marc; Mayo, Charles S; Jolly, Shruti; Matuszak, Martha; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; Price, Gareth; Holloway, Lois; Vinod, Shalini; Field, Matthew; Barakat, Mohamed Samir; Thwaites, David; de Ruysscher, Dirk; Dekker, Andre; Lambin, Philippe

2018-02-01

Early death after a treatment can be seen as a therapeutic failure. Accurate prediction of patients at risk for early mortality is crucial to avoid unnecessary harm and reducing costs. The goal of our work is two-fold: first, to evaluate the performance of a previously published model for early death in our cohorts. Second, to develop a prognostic model for early death prediction following radiotherapy. Patients with NSCLC treated with chemoradiotherapy or radiotherapy alone were included in this study. Four different cohorts from different countries were available for this work (N = 1540). The previous model used age, gender, performance status, tumor stage, income deprivation, no previous treatment given (yes/no) and body mass index to make predictions. A random forest model was developed by learning on the Maastro cohort (N = 698). The new model used performance status, age, gender, T and N stage, total tumor volume (cc), total tumor dose (Gy) and chemotherapy timing (none, sequential, concurrent) to make predictions. Death within 4 months of receiving the first radiotherapy fraction was used as the outcome. Early death rates ranged from 6 to 11% within the four cohorts. The previous model performed with AUC values ranging from 0.54 to 0.64 on the validation cohorts. Our newly developed model had improved AUC values ranging from 0.62 to 0.71 on the validation cohorts. Using advanced machine learning methods and informative variables, prognostic models for early mortality can be developed. Development of accurate prognostic tools for early mortality is important to inform patients about treatment options and optimize care.

Exploring an Age Difference in Preschool Children's Competitiveness Following a Competition.

PubMed

Hu, Yu; Zhu, Yi

2018-01-01

Literature suggests that resource acquisition compels competition in young children. However, little is still known about the development of preschool children's competitiveness. In this preliminary study, 166 children (aged 2-4 and 5-6 years) engaged in a dyadic competition which resulted in a winning and a losing group (in a control/non-competition group, participants engaged in a similar task which did not lead to winning/losing outcome), and then experimenters tracked their decisions to compete again with a rival (i.e., an individual they interacted in the previous competition task) and a non-rival competitor (i.e., an anonymous classmate they did not interact in the previous competition task) for a reward, respectively. As expected, results showed an age-related decreasing trend in the percentage of choices to compete with a competitor. However, this age difference was only significant in the control group when participants played with the partner with whom they interacted in the previous game and in the losing group when participants competed with a non-rival competitor. This study contributes to our knowledge of how competitiveness develop in preschool childhood, and calls for further research on the roles of motivation and cognitive control in children's competitiveness.

Birth month affects lifetime disease risk: a phenome-wide method

PubMed Central

Boland, Mary Regina; Shahn, Zachary; Madigan, David; Hripcsak, George; Tatonetti, Nicholas P

2015-01-01

Objective An individual’s birth month has a significant impact on the diseases they develop during their lifetime. Previous studies reveal relationships between birth month and several diseases including atherothrombosis, asthma, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and myopia, leaving most diseases completely unexplored. This retrospective population study systematically explores the relationship between seasonal affects at birth and lifetime disease risk for 1688 conditions. Methods We developed a hypothesis-free method that minimizes publication and disease selection biases by systematically investigating disease-birth month patterns across all conditions. Our dataset includes 1 749 400 individuals with records at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center born between 1900 and 2000 inclusive. We modeled associations between birth month and 1688 diseases using logistic regression. Significance was tested using a chi-squared test with multiplicity correction. Results We found 55 diseases that were significantly dependent on birth month. Of these 19 were previously reported in the literature (P < .001), 20 were for conditions with close relationships to those reported, and 16 were previously unreported. We found distinct incidence patterns across disease categories. Conclusions Lifetime disease risk is affected by birth month. Seasonally dependent early developmental mechanisms may play a role in increasing lifetime risk of disease. PMID:26041386

The influence of exercise identity and social physique anxiety on exercise dependence.

PubMed

Cook, Brian; Karr, Trisha M; Zunker, Christie; Mitchell, James E; Thompson, Ron; Sherman, Roberta; Erickson, Ann; Cao, Li; Crosby, Ross D

2015-09-01

Previous research has identified exercise identity and social physique anxiety as two independent factors that are associated with exercise dependence. The purpose of our study was to investigate the unique and interactive effect of these two known correlates of exercise dependence in a sample of 1,766 female runners. Regression analyses tested the main effects of exercise identity and social physique anxiety on exercise dependence. An interaction term was calculated to examine the potential moderating effect of social physique anxiety on the exercise identity and exercise dependence relationship. Results indicate a main effect for exercise identity and social physique anxiety on exercise dependence; and the interaction of these factors explained exercise dependence scores beyond the independent effects. Thus, social physique anxiety acted as a moderator in the exercise identity and exercise dependence relationship. Our results indicate that individuals who strongly identify themselves as an exerciser and also endorse a high degree of social physique anxiety may be at risk for developing exercise dependence. Our study supports previous research which has examined factors that may contribute to the development of exercise dependence and also suggests a previously unknown moderating relationship for social physique anxiety on exercise dependence.

Flow-field characteristics of high-temperature annular buoyant jets and their development laws influenced by ventilation system.

PubMed

Wang, Yi; Huang, Yanqiu; Liu, Jiaping; Wang, Hai; Liu, Qiuhan

2013-01-01

The flow-field characteristics of high-temperature annular buoyant jets as well as the development laws influenced by ventilation system were studied using numerical methods to eliminate the pollutants effectively in this paper. The development laws of high-temperature annular buoyant jets were analyzed and compared with previous studies, including radial velocity distribution, axial velocity and temperature decay, reattachment position, cross-section diameter, volumetric flow rate, and velocity field characteristics with different pressures at the exhaust hood inlet. The results showed that when the ratio of outer diameter to inner diameter of the annulus was smaller than 5/2, the flow-field characteristics had significant difference compared to circular buoyant jets with the same outer diameter. For similar diameter ratios, reattachment in this paper occurred further downstream in contrast to previous study. Besides, the development laws of volumetric flow rate and cross-section diameter were given with different initial parameters. In addition, through analyzing air distribution characteristics under the coupling effect of high-temperature annular buoyant jets and ventilation system, it could be found that the position where maximum axial velocity occurred was changing gradually when the pressure at the exhaust hood inlet changed from 0 Pa to -5 Pa.

Flow-Field Characteristics of High-Temperature Annular Buoyant Jets and Their Development Laws Influenced by Ventilation System

PubMed Central

Liu, Jiaping; Wang, Hai; Liu, Qiuhan

2013-01-01

The flow-field characteristics of high-temperature annular buoyant jets as well as the development laws influenced by ventilation system were studied using numerical methods to eliminate the pollutants effectively in this paper. The development laws of high-temperature annular buoyant jets were analyzed and compared with previous studies, including radial velocity distribution, axial velocity and temperature decay, reattachment position, cross-section diameter, volumetric flow rate, and velocity field characteristics with different pressures at the exhaust hood inlet. The results showed that when the ratio of outer diameter to inner diameter of the annulus was smaller than 5/2, the flow-field characteristics had significant difference compared to circular buoyant jets with the same outer diameter. For similar diameter ratios, reattachment in this paper occurred further downstream in contrast to previous study. Besides, the development laws of volumetric flow rate and cross-section diameter were given with different initial parameters. In addition, through analyzing air distribution characteristics under the coupling effect of high-temperature annular buoyant jets and ventilation system, it could be found that the position where maximum axial velocity occurred was changing gradually when the pressure at the exhaust hood inlet changed from 0 Pa to −5 Pa. PMID:24000278

Hyperplastic polyps of the colon and rectum - reclassification, BRAF and KRAS status in index polyps and subsequent colorectal carcinoma.

PubMed

Janjua, Huma Gul Rehana; Høgdall, Estrid; Linnemann, Dorte

2015-04-01

Hyperplastic polyps (HP) of the colon and rectum were previously considered benign. Newer studies have suggested that colorectal HP are different entities. The aim of this study was to reclassify lesions from a 5-year period previously classified as colorectal HP into traditional hyperplastic polyp (THP), sessile serrated lesions (SSL), and other lesions. All patients were confirmed in the Danish National Pathology Database for the occurrence of metachronous polyps/adenomas, colorectal cancer (CRC), and other gastrointestinal malignancies. Molecular pathology of the CRC were characterized and correlated with the index lesion. In total, 591 HP biopsy specimens were obtained from 480 patients. The lesions were reclassified as: 358 THP, 109 SSL, 35 TA, 81 unspecified non-neoplastic lesions, four traditional serrated adenoma, and 4 SSL with cytological dysplasia. Seven patients developed CRC in the follow-up period (1 patient had SSL, 4 had THP, and 2 had unspecified non-neoplastic lesions). Ten patients developed other gastrointestinal malignancies. The patient with SSL as index lesions who developed CRC harbored V600E BRAF mutation in both index lesion and the carcinoma. Sixteen percent of patients with SSL subsequently developed a neoplastic lesion. Further studies are needed to clarify the cancer risk of SSL. © 2015 APMIS. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Aerosol filtration with steel fiber filters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bergman, W.; Wilson, K.; Larsen, G.; Lopez, R.

1993-04-01

An experimental study has been conducted of aerosol penetration through a new high efficiency steel fiber filter and filter media that was developed in cooperation with Pall Corporation. Previous studies have shown that sintered steel fiber media have significant improvements in higher filter efficiency and lower pressure drop than the previous steel filter technology based on sintered powder metal media. In the present study, measurements were made of the penetration of dioctyl sebacate (DOS) aerosols through flat sheet samples, pleated cartridge filters, and a 1000 cfm filter having 64 cartridges housed in a 2 x 2 x 1 ft. frame. The steel fiber media used in our study consists of 2 micron diameter stainless steel (316 L) fibers sintered together into sheets.

Role of viral coinfections in asthma development.

PubMed

Garcia-Garcia, Maria Luz; Calvo, Cristina; Ruiz, Sara; Pozo, Francisco; Del Pozo, Victoria; Remedios, Laura; Exposito, Nadia; Tellez, Ana; Casas, Inmaculada

2017-01-01

Viral respiratory infections, especially acute bronchiolitis, play a key role in the development of asthma in childhood. However, most studies have focused on respiratory syncytial virus or rhinovirus infections and none of them have compared the long-term evolution of single versus double or multiple viral infections. Our aim was to compare the frequency of asthma development at 6-8 years in children with previous admission for bronchiolitis associated with single versus double or multiple viral infection. A cross-sectional study was performed in 244 children currently aged 6-8 years, previously admitted due to bronchiolitis between September 2008 and December 2011. A structured clinical interview and the ISAAC questionnaire for asthma symptoms for 6-7-year-old children, were answered by parents by telephone. Specimens of nasopharyngeal aspirate for virological study (polymerase chain reaction) and clinical data were prospectively taken during admission for bronchiolitis. Median current age at follow-up was 7.3 years (IQR: 6.7-8.1). The rate of recurrent wheezing was 82.7% in the coinfection group and 69.7% in the single-infection group, p = 0.06. The number of wheezing-related admissions was twice as high in coinfections than in single infections, p = 0.004. Regarding the ISAAC questionnaire, 30.8% of coinfections versus 15% of single infections, p = 0.01, presented "wheezing in the last 12 months", data that strongly correlate with current prevalence of asthma. "Dry cough at night" was also reported more frequently in coinfections than in single infections, p = 0.02. The strongest independent risk factors for asthma at 6-8 years of age were: age > 9 months at admission for bronchiolitis (OR: 3.484; CI95%: 1.459-8.317, p:0.005), allergic rhinitis (OR: 5.910; 95%CI: 2.622-13.318, p<0.001), and viral coinfection-bronchiolitis (OR: 3.374; CI95%: 1.542-7.386, p:0.01). Asthma at 6-8 years is more frequent and severe in those children previously hospitalized with viral coinfection-bronchiolitis compared with those with single infection. Allergic rhinitis and older age at admission seem also to be strong independent risk factors for asthma development in children previously hospitalised because of bronchiolitis.

Current Fluctuations in Stochastic Lattice Gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertini, L.; de Sole, A.; Gabrielli, D.; Jona-Lasinio, G.; Landim, C.

2005-01-01

We study current fluctuations in lattice gases in the macroscopic limit extending the dynamic approach for density fluctuations developed in previous articles. More precisely, we establish a large deviation theory for the space-time fluctuations of the empirical current which include the previous results. We then estimate the probability of a fluctuation of the average current over a large time interval. It turns out that recent results by Bodineau and Derrida [Phys. Rev. Lett.922004180601] in certain cases underestimate this probability due to the occurrence of dynamical phase transitions.

Beyond Boys’ Bad Behavior: Paternal Incarceration and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood

PubMed Central

Haskins, Anna R.

2017-01-01

A growing number of American school-aged children have incarcerated or formally incarcerated parents necessitating a more comprehensive understanding of the intergenerational effects of mass imprisonment. Using the Fragile Families Study, I assess whether having an incarcerated father impacts children’s cognitive skill development into middle childhood. While previous studies have primarily found effects for boys’ behavior problems, matching models and sensitivity analyses demonstrate that experiencing paternal incarceration by age 9 is associated with lower cognitive skills for both boys and girls and these negative effects hold net of a pre-paternal incarceration measure of child cognitive ability. Moreover, I estimate that paternal incarceration explains between 2 and 15 percent of the Black-White achievement gap at age 9. These findings represent new outcomes of importance and suggest that paternal incarceration may play an even larger role in the production of intergenerational inequalities for American children than previously documented. PMID:28579646

β-catenin-mediated Wnt signaling regulates neurogenesis in the ventral telencephalon

PubMed Central

Gulacsi, Alexandra A.; Anderson, Stewart A.

2009-01-01

Development of the telencephalon involves the coordinated growth of diversely patterned brain structures. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of β-catenin-mediated Wnt signaling in proliferation and fate determination during cerebral cortical development. In this paper, we present novel evidence that β-catenin-mediated Wnt signaling also critically maintains progenitor proliferation in the subcortical (pallidal) telencephalon of mice. Targeted deletion of β-catenin severely impairs proliferation in the medial ganglionic eminence without grossly altering differentiated fate. Several lines of evidence suggest that this phenotype is primarily due to loss of canonical Wnt signaling. As previous studies have suggested that the ventral patterning factor Shh also stimulates dorsal telencephalic proliferation, we propose a model whereby Wnt and Shh signaling promote distinct dorsal-ventral patterning, while also having broader effects on proliferation that serve to coordinate the growth of telencephalic subregions. PMID:18997789

Exploring the links between macro-level contextual factors and their influence on nursing workforce composition.

PubMed

Squires, Allison; Beltrán-Sánchez, Hiram

2011-11-01

Research that links macro-level socioeconomic development variables to health care human resources workforce composition is scarce at best. The purpose of this study was to explore the links between nonnursing factors and nursing workforce composition through a secondary, descriptive analysis of year 2000, publicly available national nursing human resources data from Mexico. Building on previous research, the authors conducted multiple robust regression analysis by federal typing of nursing human resources from 31 Mexican states against macro-level socioeconomic development variables. Average education in a state was significantly associated in predicting all types of formally educated nurses in Mexico. Other results suggest that macro-level indicators have a different association with each type of nurse. Context may play a greater role in determining nursing workforce composition than previously thought. Further studies may help to explain differences both within and between countries.

Exploring the Links Between Macro-Level Contextual Factors and Their Influence on Nursing Workforce Composition

PubMed Central

Squires, Allison; Beltrán-Sánchez, Hiram

2012-01-01

Research that links macro-level socioeconomic development variables to healthcare human resources workforce composition is scarce at best. The purpose of this study was to explore the links between non-nursing factors and nursing workforce composition through a secondary, descriptive analysis of year 2000, publicly available national nursing human resources data from Mexico. Building on previous research, the authors conducted multiple robust regression analysis by federal typing of nursing human resources from 31 Mexican states against macro-level socioeconomic development variables. Average education in a state was significantly associated in predicting all types of formally educated nurses in Mexico. Other results suggest that macro level indicators have a different association with each type of nurse. Context may play a greater role in determining nursing workforce composition than previously thought. Further studies may help to explain differences both within and between countries. PMID:22513839

Beyond Boys' Bad Behavior: Paternal Incarceration and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood.

PubMed

Haskins, Anna R

2016-12-07

A growing number of American school-aged children have incarcerated or formally incarcerated parents necessitating a more comprehensive understanding of the intergenerational effects of mass imprisonment. Using the Fragile Families Study, I assess whether having an incarcerated father impacts children's cognitive skill development into middle childhood. While previous studies have primarily found effects for boys' behavior problems, matching models and sensitivity analyses demonstrate that experiencing paternal incarceration by age 9 is associated with lower cognitive skills for both boys and girls and these negative effects hold net of a pre-paternal incarceration measure of child cognitive ability. Moreover, I estimate that paternal incarceration explains between 2 and 15 percent of the Black-White achievement gap at age 9. These findings represent new outcomes of importance and suggest that paternal incarceration may play an even larger role in the production of intergenerational inequalities for American children than previously documented.

The proportions of heterosexual and homosexual pedophiles among sex offenders against children: an exploratory study.

PubMed

Freund, K; Watson, R J

1992-01-01

Previous investigations have indicated that the ratio of sex offenders against female children vs. offenders against male children is approximately 2:1, while the ratio of gynephiles to androphiles among the general population is approximately 20:1. The present study investigated whether the etiology of preferred partner sex among pedophiles is related to the etiology of preferred partner sex among males preferring adult partners. Using phallometric test sensitivities to calculate the proportion of true pedophiles among various groups of sex offenders against children, and taking into consideration previously reported mean numbers of victims per offender group, the ratio of heterosexual to homosexual pedophiles was calculated to be approximately 11:1. This suggests that the resulting proportion of true pedophiles among persons with a homosexual erotic development is greater than that in persons who develop heterosexually. This, of course, would not indicate that androphilic males have a greater propensity to offend against children.

Do patients have a say? A narrative review of the development of patient-reported outcome measures used in elective procedures for coronary revascularisation.

PubMed

Peeters, Geeske; Barker, Anna L; Talevski, Jason; Ackerman, Ilana; Ayton, Darshini R; Reid, Christopher; Evans, Sue M; Stoelwinder, Johannes U; McNeil, John J

2018-05-01

Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) capture health information from the patient's perspective that can be used when weighing up benefits, risks and costs of treatment. This is important for elective procedures such as those for coronary revascularisation. Patients should be involved in the development of PROMs to accurately capture outcomes that are important for the patient. The aims of this review are to identify if patients were involved in the development of cardiovascular-specific PROMs used for assessing outcomes from elective coronary revascularisation, and to explore what methods were used to capture patient perspectives. PROMs for evaluating outcomes from elective coronary revascularisation were identified from a previous review and an updated systematic search. The studies describing the development of the PROMs were reviewed for information on patient input in their conceptual and/or item development. 24 PROMs were identified from a previous review and three additional PROMs were identified from the updated search. Full texts were obtained for 26 of the 27 PROMs. The 26 studies (11 multidimensional, 15 unidimensional) were reviewed. Only nine studies reported developing PROMs using patient input. For eight PROMs, the inclusion of patient input could not be judged due to insufficient information in the full text. Only nine of the 26 reviewed PROMs used in elective coronary revascularisation reported involving patients in their conceptual and/or item development, while patient input was unclear for eight PROMs. These findings suggest that the patient's perspective is often overlooked or poorly described in the development of PROMs.

Liquid belt radiator design study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teagan, W. P.; Fitzgerald, K. F.

1986-01-01

The Liquid Belt Radiator (LBR) is an advanced concept developed to meet the needs of anticipated future space missions. A previous study documented the advantages of this concept as a lightweight, easily deployable alternative to present day space heat rejection systems. The technical efforts associated with this study concentrate on refining the concept of the LBR as well as examining the issues of belt dynamics and potential application of the LBR to intermediate and high temperature heat rejection applications. A low temperature point design developed in previous work is updated assuming the use of diffusion pump oil, Santovac-6, as the heat transfer media. Additional analytical and design effort is directed toward determining the impact of interface heat exchanger, fluid bath sealing, and belt drive mechanism designs on system performance and mass. The updated design supports the earlier result by indicating a significant reduction in system specific system mass as compared to heat pipe or pumped fluid radiator concepts currently under consideration (1.3 kg/sq m versus 5 kg/sq m).

Human Resources for Treating HIV/AIDS: Are the Preventive Effects of Antiretroviral Treatment a Game Changer?

PubMed

Bärnighausen, Till; Bloom, David E; Humair, Salal

2016-01-01

Shortages of human resources for treating HIV/AIDS (HRHA) are a fundamental barrier to reaching universal antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage in developing countries. Previous studies suggest that recruiting HRHA to attain universal ART coverage poses an insurmountable challenge as ART significantly increases survival among HIV-infected individuals. While new evidence about ART's prevention benefits suggests fewer infections may mitigate the challenge, new policies such as treatment-as-prevention (TasP) will exacerbate it. We develop a mathematical model to analytically study the net effects of these countervailing factors. Using South Africa as a case study, we find that contrary to previous results, universal ART coverage is achievable even with current HRHA numbers. However, larger health gains are possible through a surge-capacity policy that aggressively recruits HRHA to reach universal ART coverage quickly. Without such a policy, TasP roll-out can increase health losses by crowding out sicker patients from treatment, unless a surge capacity exclusively for TasP is also created.

CD44 deficiency leads to decreased proinflammatory cytokine production in lung induced by PCV2 in mice.

PubMed

Fu, Qiang; Hou, Linbing; Xiao, Pingping; Guo, Chunhe; Chen, Yaosheng; Liu, Xiaohong

2014-12-01

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) is the primary etiological agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS). CD44 is a widely expressed class I transmembrane glycoprotein implicated in immunological and inflammatory responses. In previous studies, the role of CD44 in host defense against microorganism infection remains controversial. The role of CD44 in host defense against PCV2 infection has never been studied before. In this study, we investigated the role of CD44 in the development of pneumonia induced by PCV2 in mice model. Upon infection, CD44 mRNA level in lung tissue was upregulated, and we confirmed a detrimental role of CD44 in host defense against PCV2 infection. The results demonstrated that CD44 deficiency could result in decreased proinflammatory cytokine production in lung induced by PCV2 in mice, suggesting a previously unrecognized role for CD44 in the development of pneumonia response to PCV2 infection. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Human Resources for Treating HIV/AIDS: Are the Preventive Effects of Antiretroviral Treatment a Game Changer?

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Shortages of human resources for treating HIV/AIDS (HRHA) are a fundamental barrier to reaching universal antiretroviral treatment (ART) coverage in developing countries. Previous studies suggest that recruiting HRHA to attain universal ART coverage poses an insurmountable challenge as ART significantly increases survival among HIV-infected individuals. While new evidence about ART’s prevention benefits suggests fewer infections may mitigate the challenge, new policies such as treatment-as-prevention (TasP) will exacerbate it. We develop a mathematical model to analytically study the net effects of these countervailing factors. Using South Africa as a case study, we find that contrary to previous results, universal ART coverage is achievable even with current HRHA numbers. However, larger health gains are possible through a surge-capacity policy that aggressively recruits HRHA to reach universal ART coverage quickly. Without such a policy, TasP roll-out can increase health losses by crowding out sicker patients from treatment, unless a surge capacity exclusively for TasP is also created. PMID:27716813

The Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health Project: A 21st Century Childhood Pneumonia Etiology Study

PubMed Central

O’Brien, Katherine L.; Deloria-Knoll, Maria; Murdoch, David R.; Feikin, Daniel R.; DeLuca, Andrea N.; Driscoll, Amanda J.; Baggett, Henry C.; Brooks, W. Abdullah; Howie, Stephen R. C.; Kotloff, Karen L.; Madhi, Shabir A.; Maloney, Susan A.; Sow, Samba; Thea, Donald M.; Scott, J. Anthony

2012-01-01

The Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) project is a 7-country, standardized, comprehensive evaluation of the etiologic agents causing severe pneumonia in children from developing countries. During previous etiology studies, between one-quarter and one-third of patients failed to yield an obvious etiology; PERCH will employ and evaluate previously unavailable innovative, more sensitive diagnostic techniques. Innovative and rigorous epidemiologic and analytic methods will be used to establish the causal association between presence of potential pathogens and pneumonia. By strategic selection of study sites that are broadly representative of regions with the greatest burden of childhood pneumonia, PERCH aims to provide data that reflect the epidemiologic situation in developing countries in 2015, using pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines. PERCH will also address differences in host, environmental, and/or geographic factors that might determine pneumonia etiology and, by preserving specimens, will generate a resource for future research and pathogen discovery. PMID:22403238

The Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health Project: a 21st century childhood pneumonia etiology study.

PubMed

Levine, Orin S; O'Brien, Katherine L; Deloria-Knoll, Maria; Murdoch, David R; Feikin, Daniel R; DeLuca, Andrea N; Driscoll, Amanda J; Baggett, Henry C; Brooks, W Abdullah; Howie, Stephen R C; Kotloff, Karen L; Madhi, Shabir A; Maloney, Susan A; Sow, Samba; Thea, Donald M; Scott, J Anthony

2012-04-01

The Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) project is a 7-country, standardized, comprehensive evaluation of the etiologic agents causing severe pneumonia in children from developing countries. During previous etiology studies, between one-quarter and one-third of patients failed to yield an obvious etiology; PERCH will employ and evaluate previously unavailable innovative, more sensitive diagnostic techniques. Innovative and rigorous epidemiologic and analytic methods will be used to establish the causal association between presence of potential pathogens and pneumonia. By strategic selection of study sites that are broadly representative of regions with the greatest burden of childhood pneumonia, PERCH aims to provide data that reflect the epidemiologic situation in developing countries in 2015, using pneumococcal and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccines. PERCH will also address differences in host, environmental, and/or geographic factors that might determine pneumonia etiology and, by preserving specimens, will generate a resource for future research and pathogen discovery.

Discovering Shared Experiences of Second Generation Community College Employees: A Grounded Theory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Studebaker, Eric J.

2012-01-01

The second generation community college employee had not been a target population of any previous research in the field of higher education. This study added to a broader understanding of employees, their various characteristics, and the implications of those characteristics. The purpose of this study was to develop a grounded theory defining the…

Motor Coordination and Health-Related Physical Fitness of Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Three-Year Follow-up Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Li, Yao-Chuen; Wu, Sheng K.; Cairney, John; Hsieh, Chiu-Yun

2011-01-01

Health-related physical fitness is an important risk factor of cardiovascular disease. While previous studies have identified children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) to be less physically fit than typically developing (TD) peers, there is limited longitudinal research in this area. This study was undertaken to evaluate concomitant…

An fMRI Study of Sentence-Embedded Lexical-Semantic Decision in Children and Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore-Parks, Erin Nicole; Burns, Erin L.; Bazzill, Rebecca; Levy, Sarah; Posada, Valerie; Muller, Ralph-Axel

2010-01-01

Lexical-semantic knowledge is a core language component that undergoes prolonged development throughout childhood and is therefore highly amenable to developmental studies. Most previous lexical-semantic functional MRI (fMRI) studies have been limited to single-word or word-pair tasks, outside a sentence context. Our objective was to investigate…

A Review on Studies of Phrasal Verb Constructions in ESL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jahedi, Maryam; Mukundan, Jayakaran

2015-01-01

This paper aims to give an overview of studies on phrasal verbs in three decades to present the theoretical and methodological issues, as well as the findings of research. Moreover, this review reveals the developments and paradigm shifts occurred in this area. Previous studies have shown that the research findings have not been incorporated into…

Maternal and Paternal Infertility Disorders and Treatments and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings from the Study to Explore Early Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schieve, Laura A.; Drews-Botsch, Carolyn; Harris, Shericka; Newschaffer, Craig; Daniels, Julie; DiGuiseppi, Carolyn; Croen, Lisa A.; Windham, Gayle C.

2017-01-01

Previous studies of associations between ASD and conception using assisted reproductive technology (ART) are inconsistent and few studies have examined associations with other infertility treatments or infertility disorders. We examined associations between ASD and maternal/paternal infertility disorders and numerous maternal treatments among 1538…

[Experimental basis of a new material for the manufacture of bases dentures].

PubMed

Shturminskiĭ, V G

2013-10-01

The author studied the problem of improving the quality of prosthetic removable prostheses through the development of new basic material based on polypropylene copolymer. To this end, we examined the physical and chemical structure and hygienic properties of the produced material. The studies found that the developed material of polypropylene optimal solution for the partial plate denture bases, without flaws acrylic prosthesis and improves the properties of the previously used polypropylene plastics.

Development of Crystallizer for Advanced Aqueous Reprocessing Process

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

Tadahiro Washiya; Atsuhiro Shibata; Toshiaki Kikuchi

2006-07-01

Crystallization is one of the remarkable technologies for future fuel reprocessing process that has safety and economical advantages. Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) (former Japan Nuclear Cycle Development Institute), Mitsubishi Material Corporation and Saitama University have been developing the crystallization process. In previous study, we carried out experimental studies with uranium, MOX and spent fuel conditions, and flowsheet analysis was considered. In association with these studies, an innovative continuous crystallizer and its system was developed to ensure high process performance. From the design study, an annular type continuous crystallizer was selected as the most promising design, and performance was confirmedmore » by small-scale test and engineering scale demonstration at uranium crystallization conditions. In this paper, the design study and the demonstration test results are described. (authors)« less

Children who had congenital torticollis as infants are not at higher risk for a delay in motor development at preschool age.

PubMed

Öhman, Anna; Beckung, Eva

2013-10-01

To investigate whether congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) or the time in a prone position as an infant had any influence on motor development at preschool age. A case-control study. Eighty-one children who had participated in a previous study that investigated motor development in infants with CMT and a control group of infants without CMT. A follow-up at the age of 3.5-5 years; the Movement Assessment Battery for Children was used with the earlier CMT group and the control group to assess their motor development. An independent physiotherapist, who was blinded of the children's previous group belonging, assessed the children. Percentile scores of motor development. Multiple regression showed no impact on earlier group belonging or the amount of time spent in a prone position as an infant. The left-handed children had a significantly (P < .01) lower percentile in the Movement Assessment Battery for Children. Neither CMT nor spending limited periods of time as an infant in the prone position when awake have any significant long-term effects on motor development. Children who had CMT as infants were not at higher risk for a delay in motor development at preschool age. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Pre-existing central nervous system lesions negate cytokine requirements for regional experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis development.

PubMed

Li, Xin; Lees, Jason R

2013-03-01

In region-specific forms of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), lesion initiation is regulated by T-cell-produced interferon-γ (IFN-γ) resulting in spinal cord disease in the presence of IFN-γ and cerebellar disease in the absence of IFN-γ. Although this role for IFN-γ in regional disease initiation is well defined, little is known about the consequences of previous tissue inflammation on subsequent regional disease, information vital to the development of therapeutics in established disease states. This study addressed the hypothesis that previous establishment of regional EAE would determine subsequent tissue localization of new T-cell invasion and associated symptoms regardless of the presence or absence of IFN-γ production. Serial transfer of optimal or suboptimal doses of encephalitogenic IFN-γ-sufficient or -deficient T-cell lines was used to examine the development of new clinical responses associated with the spinal cord and cerebellum at various times after EAE initiation. Previous inflammation within either cerebellum or spinal cord allowed subsequent T-cell driven inflammation within that tissue regardless of IFN-γ presence. Further, T-cell IFN-γ production after initial lesion formation exacerbated disease within the cerebellum, suggesting that IFN-γ plays different roles at different stages of cerebellar disease. For the spinal cord, IFN-γ-deficient cells (that are ordinarily cerebellum disease initiators) were capable of driving new spinal-cord-associated clinical symptoms more than 60 days after the initial acute EAE resolution. These data suggest that previous inflammation modulates the molecular requirements for new neuroinflammation development. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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

Doris, E.; Krasko, V.A.

State and local policymakers show increasing interest in spurring the development of customer-sited distributed generation (DG), in particular solar photovoltaic (PV) markets. Prompted by that interest, this analysis examines the use of state policy as a tool to support the development of a robust private investment market. This analysis builds on previous studies that focus on government subsidies to reduce installation costs of individual projects and provides an evaluation of the impacts of policies on stimulating private market development.

Maternal-Newborn and Surgical Nurses’ Perceptions of Professional Autonomy During the Development of Shared Governance

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-01-01

women in general (Schutzenhofer, 1988b). Pinch (1981) and Gilligan (1979) noted that most developmental theorists have studied male development and...previous developmental stages . Men find identity through their work, while a woman’s identity is defined by relationships (Gilligan, 1977), since, until...was only .54, while the realistic behavior subscale produced an alpha of .70. Nunnally (1978) recommends that tools in early stages of development

Context-specific attentional sampling: Intentional control as a pre-requisite for contextual control.

PubMed

Brosowsky, Nicholaus P; Crump, Matthew J C

2016-08-01

Recent work suggests that environmental cues associated with previous attentional control settings can rapidly and involuntarily adjust attentional priorities. The current study tests predictions from adaptive-learning and memory-based theories of contextual control about the role of intentions for setting attentional priorities. To extend the empirical boundaries of contextual control phenomena, and to determine whether theoretical principles of contextual control are generalizable we used a novel bi-dimensional stimulus sampling task. Subjects viewed briefly presented arrays of letters and colors presented above or below fixation, and identified specific stimuli according to a dimensional (letter or color) and positional cue. Location was predictive of the cued dimension, but not the position or identity. In contrast to previous findings, contextual control failed to develop through automatic, adaptive-learning processes. Instead, previous experience with intentionally changing attentional sampling priorities between different contexts was required for contextual control to develop. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of an intact, an ACL-deficient, and a reconstructed human knee joint finite element model.

PubMed

Vairis, Achilles; Stefanoudakis, George; Petousis, Markos; Vidakis, Nectarios; Tsainis, Andreas-Marios; Kandyla, Betina

2016-02-01

The human knee joint has a three-dimensional geometry with multiple body articulations that produce complex mechanical responses under loads that occur in everyday life and sports activities. Understanding the complex mechanical interactions of these load-bearing structures is of use when the treatment of relevant diseases is evaluated and assisting devices are designed. The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee is one of four main ligaments that connects the femur to the tibia and is often torn during sudden twisting motions, resulting in knee instability. The objective of this work is to study the mechanical behavior of the human knee joint and evaluate the differences in its response for three different states, i.e., intact, ACL-deficient, and surgically treated (reconstructed) knee. The finite element models corresponding to these states were developed. For the reconstructed model, a novel repair device was developed and patented by the author in previous work. Static load cases were applied, as have already been presented in a previous work, in order to compare the calculated results produced by the two models the ACL-deficient and the surgically reconstructed knee joint, under the exact same loading conditions. Displacements were calculated in different directions for the load cases studied and were found to be very close to those from previous modeling work and were in good agreement with experimental data presented in literature. The developed finite element model for both the intact and the ACL-deficient human knee joint is a reliable tool to study the kinematics of the human knee, as results of this study show. In addition, the reconstructed human knee joint model had kinematic behavior similar to the intact knee joint, showing that such reconstruction devices can restore human knee stability to an adequate extent.

Genome-wide association for milk production and female fertility traits in Canadian dairy Holstein cattle.

PubMed

Nayeri, Shadi; Sargolzaei, Mehdi; Abo-Ismail, Mohammed K; May, Natalie; Miller, Stephen P; Schenkel, Flavio; Moore, Stephen S; Stothard, Paul

2016-06-10

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful tool for detecting genomic regions explaining variation in phenotype. The objectives of the present study were to identify or refine the positions of genomic regions affecting milk production, milk components and fertility traits in Canadian Holstein cattle, and to use these positions to identify genes and pathways that may influence these traits. Several QTL regions were detected for milk production (MILK), fat production (FAT), protein production (PROT) and fat and protein deviation (FATD, PROTD respectively). The identified QTL regions for production traits (including milk production) support previous findings and some overlap with genes with known relevant biological functions identified in earlier studies such as DGAT1 and CPSF1. A significant region on chromosome 21 overlapping with the gene FAM181A and not previous linked to fertility in dairy cattle was identified for the calving to first service interval and days open. A functional enrichment analysis of the GWAS results yielded GO terms consistent with the specific phenotypes tested, for example GO terms GO:0007595 (lactation) and GO:0043627 (response to estrogen) for milk production (MILK), GO:0051057 (positive regulation of small GTPase mediated signal transduction) for fat production (FAT), GO:0040019 (positive regulation of embryonic development) for first service to calving interval (CTFS) and GO:0043268 (positive regulation of potassium ion transport) for days open (DO). In other cases the connection between the enriched GO terms and the traits were less clear, for example GO:0003279 (cardiac septum development) for FAT and GO:0030903 (notochord development) for DO trait. The chromosomal regions and enriched pathways identified in this study confirm several previous findings and highlight new regions and pathways that may contribute to variation in production or fertility traits in dairy cattle.

Prevalence of Rheumatic Heart Disease in Children and Young Adults in Nicaragua

PubMed Central

Paar, John A.; Berrios, Nubia M.; Rose, John D.; Cáceres, Mercedes; Peña, Rodolfo; Pérez, Wilton; Chen-Mok, Mario; Jolles, Erik; Dale, James B.

2010-01-01

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) results in morbidity and mortality that is disproportionate among people in developing countries compared to those living in economically developed countries. The global burden of disease is uncertain because most previous studies to determine the prevalence of RHD in children relied on clinical screening criteria that lacked the sensitivity to detect most cases. The present study was performed to determine the prevalence of RHD in children and young adults in León, Nicaragua, an area previously thought to have a high prevalence of RHD. This was an observational study of 3150 children, ages 5–15, and 489 adults, ages 20–35, randomly selected from urban and rural areas of León. Cardiopulmonary exams and echo-Doppler studies were performed on all subjects. Echo-Doppler diagnosis of RHD was based on pre-defined consensus criteria that were developed by a WHO/NIH working group. The overall prevalence of RHD in children was 48/1000 (95% C.I. = 35/1000–60/1000. The prevalence in urban children was 34/1000 and in rural children it was 80/1000. Using more stringent echo-Doppler criteria designed to diagnose definite RHD in adults, the prevalence was 22/1000 (95% C.I.=8/1000–37/1000). In conclusion, the prevalence of RHD among children and adults in this economically disadvantaged population far exceeds previously predicted rates. The findings underscore the potential health and economic burden of acute rheumatic fever and RHD and support the need for more effective measures of prevention, which may include safe, effective and affordable vaccines to prevent the streptococcal infections that trigger the disease. PMID:20538135

Development of propidium iodide as a fluorescence probe for the on-line screening of non-specific DNA-intercalators in Fufang Banbianlian Injection.

PubMed

Niu, Yanyan; Li, Sensen; Lin, Zongtao; Liu, Meixian; Wang, Daidong; Wang, Hong; Chen, Shizhong

2016-09-09

Fufang Banbianlian Injection (FBI) has been widely used as an anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor prescription. To understand the relationships between its bioactive ingredients and pharmacological efficacies, our previous study has been successfully identified some DNA-binding compounds in FBI using an established on-line screening system, in which 4',6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) was developed as a probe. However, DAPI can be only used to screen ATT-specific DNA minor groove binders, leaving the potential active intercalators unknown in FBI. As a continuation of our studies on FBI, here we present a sensitive analytical method for rapid identification and evaluation of DNA-intercalators using propidium iodide (PI) as a fluorescent probe. We have firstly established the technique of high-performance liquid chromatography-diode-array detector-multistage mass spectrometry-deoxyribonucleic acid-propidium iodide-fluorescence detector (HPLC-DAD-MS(n)-DNA-PI-FLD) system. As a result, 38 of 58 previously identified compounds in FBI were DNA-intercalation active. Interestingly, all previously reported DNA-binders also showed intercalative activities, suggesting they are dual-mode DNA-binders. Quantitative study showed that flavonoid glycosides and chlorogenic acids were the main active compounds in FBI, and displayed similar DNA-binding ability using either DAPI or PI. In addition, 13 active compounds were used to establish the structure-activity relationships. In this study, PI was developed into an on-line method for identifying DNA-intercalators for the first time, and thus it will be a useful high-throughput screening technique for other related samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Risk of new or recurrent cancer under immunosuppressive therapy in patients with IBD and previous cancer.

PubMed

Beaugerie, Laurent; Carrat, Fabrice; Colombel, Jean-Frédéric; Bouvier, Anne-Marie; Sokol, Harry; Babouri, Abdenour; Carbonnel, Franck; Laharie, David; Faucheron, Jean-Luc; Simon, Tabassome; de Gramont, Aimery; Peyrin-Biroulet, Laurent

2014-09-01

To explore the risk of new or recurrent cancer among patients with IBD and previous cancer, exposed or not to immunosuppressants. Among the 17 047 patients of the CESAME prospective observational cohort who were enrolled from May 2004 to June 2005, and followed-up until December 2007, we identified 405 patients with cancer diagnosed previous to study entry. We calculated the rates of incident cancer in patients with or without previous cancer, and we assessed by survival analysis and nested case-control study the impact of immunosuppressants on the risk of incident new or recurrent cancer in patients with previous cancer. The rate of incident cancer was 21.1/1000 patient-years (PY) and 6.1/1000 PY in patients with and without previous cancer, respectively. The multivariate-adjusted HR of incident cancer between patients with and without previous cancer was 1.9 (95% CI 1.2 to 3.0, p=0.003). Among patients with previous cancer, the rates of new and recurrent cancers were, respectively, 13.2/1000 PY and 6.0/1000 PY in the 312 patients who were not taking immunosuppressant at the time of study entry, and 23.1/1000 PY and 3.9/1000 PY in the 93 patients treated with immunosuppressants at study entry. There was no significant association between the exposure to immunosuppressants and the risk of new or recurrent cancer. Patients with IBD with a history of cancer are at increased risk of developing any (new or recurrent) cancer, with a predominant incidence of new cancers. Treatment with immunosuppressants has no overall major impact per se on this risk. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Developing a Career Development Assessment for Predicting Young STEM Graduates' Employability and Career Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Yi-Ching

2017-01-01

The increased concern of declining STEM candidates could negatively impact the U.S. economy (Kelic & Zagnoel, 2009; Maltese & Tai, 2010). Previous studies suggest that the gap between the supply of STEM students in higher education and workface demand is not reflected merely in the number of STEM graduates but instead in the number of…

Implementation of the Master Plan for Statewide Professional Staff Development for 2012-2013: An Evaluation Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hammer, Patricia Cahape

2014-01-01

In this evaluation, as in previous years, four main aspects of the implementation of the West Virginia Board of Education's Master Plan for Statewide Professional Development were examined: (a) basic information reported by providers about the size and scope of the effort, including attendance, and adherence to the newly adopted standards for…

Investigating the Structural Relationships among Organisational Support, Learning Flow, Learners' Satisfaction and Learning Transfer in Corporate E-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joo, Young Ju; Lim, Kyu Yon; Park, Su Yeong

2011-01-01

E-learning in corporate training has been growing rapidly because of the pursuit of time and budget efficiency in course development and delivery. However, according to previous studies, efficiency does not always guarantee training effectiveness, which is the major concern of human resource development. It is therefore necessary to identify the…

Inverse Effects on Growth and Development Rates by Means of Endocrine Disruptors in African Clawed Frog Tadpoles ("Xenopus Laevis")

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hackney, Zachary Carl

2007-01-01

Previous work on fish, frogs, and salamanders, showed the ability for estrogen (EE2) and anthropogenic endocrine disruptors to skew sex ratios and cause hermaphrodism. This study addressed the effects of estrogens on growth and development rates of African clawed frog tadpoles ("Xenopus laevis") during their gender determination stages. The…

The Work Design Questionnaire (WDQ): Developing and Validating a Comprehensive Measure for Assessing Job Design and the Nature of Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgeson, Frederick P.; Humphrey, Stephen E.

2006-01-01

Although there are thousands of studies investigating work and job design, existing measures are incomplete. In an effort to address this gap, the authors reviewed the work design literature, identified and integrated previously described work characteristics, and developed a measure to tap those work characteristics. The resultant Work Design…

Iconicity Influences How Effectively Minimally Verbal Children with Autism and Ability-Matched Typically Developing Children Use Pictures as Symbols in a Search Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartley, Calum; Allen, Melissa L.

2015-01-01

Previous word learning studies suggest that children with autism spectrum disorder may have difficulty understanding pictorial symbols. Here we investigate the ability of children with autism spectrum disorder and language-matched typically developing children to contextualize symbolic information communicated by pictures in a search task that did…

A Failure of Left Temporal Cortex to Specialize for Language Is an Early Emerging and Fundamental Property of Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eyler, Lisa T.; Pierce, Karen; Courchesne, Eric

2012-01-01

Failure to develop normal language comprehension is an early warning sign of autism, but the neural mechanisms underlying this signature deficit are unknown. This is because of an almost complete absence of functional studies of the autistic brain during early development. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we previously observed a trend…

The Relationship between Professional Development Engagement and Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy, and Athletic Identity in College Students vs. College Student Athletes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janosko, Ashley Erin

2018-01-01

There has been limited research that focuses on Division III college student athletes and the career development process. Although previous researchers have studied the relationship between athletic identity and career decision making self-efficacy (CDMSE) among college student athletes, results have been inconsistent, with different researchers…

Summer Camp and Positive Youth Development: Program with Romanian Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feenstra, Jennifer S.

2015-01-01

A variety of activities are used in camps to help promote positive youth development, improving social skills and self-esteem in campers. I expanded on previous camp research in this study to address the influence camps have on trust, belief in the honesty of others, empowerment, and care for others in youth in Eastern Europe. Since 1999, New…

Functional Reorganization in the Developing Lexicon: Separable and Changing Influences of Lexical and Phonological Variables on Children's Fast-Mapping

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKean, Cristina; Letts, Carolyn; Howard, David

2013-01-01

Neighbourhood Density (ND) and Phonotactic Probability (PP) influence word learning in children. This influence appears to change over development but the separate developmental trajectories of influence of PP and ND on word learning have not previously been mapped. This study examined the cross-sectional developmental trajectories of influence of…

Psychometric Evaluation of a Chinese Version of the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) in School Age Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koo, Malcolm; Norman, Cameron D.; Chang, Hsiao-Mei

2012-01-01

The eight-item eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) is a previously validated scale developed to assess consumers' combined knowledge, comfort, and perceived skills at finding, evaluating, and applying electronic health information to health problems. In the present study, a Chinese version of the eHEALS was developed and its psychometric properties…

Epicormic development in pole-size white oak (Quercus Alba L.) progeny tests three years following crown release

Treesearch

Andrew Meier; Mike R. Saunders

2016-01-01

Epicormic development has been traditionally thought to be a response to increased light and to varying vigor and genetics among individuals within a species, but epicormic ontogeny has increasingly been shown to be a more fundamental factor. Previous studies have quantified the impact of tree vigor on epicormic sprouting and epicormic branch size following...

Research on the Boost of Development on Young Children's Fine Motor by Folk Games

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wei, Xia

2016-01-01

As Chinese traditional folk culture, folk games have unique educational value which can boost the development of young children's fine motor. Based on previous investigation of fine motor skill of children in Nanchong, Sichuan Province, the researcher chose a middle class in public city kindergarten A with lower survey score as the study object.…

Development of Visual Preference for Own- versus Other-Race Faces in Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Shaoying; Xiao, Wen Sara; Xiao, Naiqi G.; Quinn, Paul C.; Zhang, Yueyan; Chen, Hui; Ge, Liezhong; Pascalis, Olivier; Lee, Kang

2015-01-01

Previous research has shown that 3-month-olds prefer own- over other-race faces. The current study used eye-tracking methodology to examine how this visual preference develops with age beyond 3 months and how infants differentially scan between own- and other-race faces when presented simultaneously. We showed own- versus other-race face pairs to…

Maternal Psychopathology and Infant Development at 18 Months: The Impact of Maternal Personality Disorder and Depression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conroy, Susan; Pariante, Carmine M.; Marks, Maureen N.; Davies, Helen A.; Farrelly, Simone; Schacht, Robin; Moran, Paul

2012-01-01

Objective: No previous longitudinal study has examined the impact of comorbid maternal personality disorder (PD) and depression on child development. We set out to examine whether maternal PD and depression assessed at 2 months post partum would be independently associated with adverse developmental outcomes at 18 months of age. Method: Women were…

An Age and Body Mass Handicap for the Marathon

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanderburgh, Paul M.

2015-01-01

An age and body mass handicap has been previously developed and validated for the 5-kilometer (5K) run. The purpose of this study was to develop a similar handicap for the marathon but with a different age adjustment based on deviations from age group world best marathon times within each sex. The resulting handicap allowed finish time comparisons…

Gene space and transcriptome assemblies of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) identify promoter sequences, repetitive elements, high-quality markers, and a full-length chloroplast genome

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Leafy spurge is an invasive perennial weed infesting range and recreational lands of North America. Previous research and omics projects with leafy spurge have helped develop it as a model for studying numerous aspects of perennial plant development and response to abiotic stress. However, the lack ...

Tricks, Lies and Mistakes: Identifying Theory of Mind Concepts within Storybooks Shared with Deaf Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chilton, Helen

2017-01-01

Recent years have seen a significant interest in Theory of Mind (ToM), the specific groups in which it may be restricted and the opportunities which might enhance or suppress development. Previous studies have identified gaps in the literature concerning ideas for intervention and strategies which may augment the development of ToM skills.…

The association between occupation and the incidence of knee disorders in young military recruits.

PubMed

Gordon, Barak; Moshe, Shlomo; Blanc, Paul D; Derazne, Estela; Tzur, Dorit; Afek, Arnon; Shamiss, Ari

2013-01-01

To investigate the association between occupational risk factors and the incidence of knee disorders in a young adult population. Israeli recruits to the Israel Defense Forces go through a rigorous medical investigation. Study participants were classified by prior knee condition status and divided into 5 categories of prospective occupational exposure to physical activity according to their assigned military duties, and were then followed for 30 months for the development of severe knee disorders (SKD). Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the occupational risks for incident SKD, adjusted for any previous mild or moderate disorder, body mass index, and body height at induction. The study population consisted of 76,491 males. SKD developed in 615 (0.8%). Compared to administrative workers as referents, a higher risk of developing SKD was manifest among high intensity combat occupations, (odds ratios [OR] 2.15), those in moderate intensity combat occupations (OR 2.57) and maintenance (OR 1.59). Drivers did not demonstrate increased risk of knee disorders compared to referents. Occupational factors during military service are associated with incident SKD, even when taking into account previous knee disorders, body mass index, and height, which also had independent effects in our study population.

Not all biofluids are created equal: chewing over salivary diagnostics and the epigenome.

PubMed

Wren, Michael E; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Drury, Stacy S

2015-03-01

This article describes progress to date in the characterization of the salivary epigenome and considers the importance of previous work in the salivary microbiome, proteome, endocrine analytes, genome, and transcriptome. PubMed and Web of Science were used to extensively search the existing literature (original research and reviews) related to salivary diagnostics and biomarker development, of which 125 studies were examined. This article was derived from the most relevant 74 sources highlighting the recent state of the evolving field of salivary epigenomics and contributing significantly to the foundational work in saliva-based research. Validation of any new saliva-based diagnostic or analyte will require comparison to previously accepted standards established in blood. Careful attention to the collection, processing, and analysis of salivary analytes is critical for the development and implementation of newer applications that include genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic markers. All these factors must be integrated into initial study design. This commentary highlights the appeal of the salivary epigenome for translational applications and its utility in future studies of development and the interface among environment, disease, and health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

Changes in protein expression during honey bee larval development.

PubMed

Chan, Queenie W T; Foster, Leonard J

2008-10-29

The honey bee (Apis mellifera), besides its role in pollination and honey production, serves as a model for studying the biochemistry of development, metabolism, and immunity in a social organism. Here we use mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics to quantify nearly 800 proteins during the 5- to 6-day larval developmental stage, tracking their expression profiles. We report that honey bee larval growth is marked by an age-correlated increase of protein transporters and receptors, as well as protein nutrient stores, while opposite trends in protein translation activity and turnover were observed. Levels of the immunity factors prophenoloxidase and apismin are positively correlated with development, while others surprisingly were not significantly age-regulated, suggesting a molecular explanation for why bees are susceptible to major age-associated bee bacterial infections such as American Foulbrood or fungal diseases such as chalkbrood. Previously unreported findings include the reduction of antioxidant and G proteins in aging larvae. These data have allowed us to integrate disparate findings in previous studies to build a model of metabolism and maturity of the immune system during larval development. This publicly accessible resource for protein expression trends will help generate new hypotheses in the increasingly important field of honey bee research.

Social environment alters opioid-induced hyperalgesia and antinociceptive tolerance in adolescent mice.

PubMed

Bates, M L S; Emery, M A; Wellman, P J; Eitan, S

2016-07-01

Chronic opioid treatment is complicated by the development of tolerance and hyperalgesia. Social environment alters both opioid-induced behaviours and nociceptive mechanisms. Our previous studies demonstrated that, in adolescent rodents, the susceptibility to acquire opioid dependence and reward is dependent on the nature of social housing conditions. Specifically, our previous studies demonstrate that housing morphine-treated mice with drug-naïve animals mitigates the abuse liability of opioids. Thus, this study tested the effect of social housing conditions on the development of adaptive processes to morphine antinociception. Adolescent males were group-housed in different conditions. In the mixed treatment condition, mice treated with 20 mg/kg morphine (i.e. 'morphine cage-mates') and saline (i.e. 'saline cage-mates') were housed together. In the separated treatment conditions, all mice in the cage received morphine (i.e. 'morphine only') or saline (i.e. 'saline only'). All animals were tested for baseline pain sensitivity and for the response to morphine in the tail withdrawal, hot plate, acetone and von Frey filament tests, during and after discontinuation of opioid treatment. Both morphine cage-mate and morphine only animals developed antinociceptive tolerance. However, this effect was more robust and persistent in the morphine only group. Notably, morphine only animals, but not morphine cage-mates, developed opioid-induced hyperalgesia. This study demonstrates that housing morphine-treated mice with drug-naïve animals mitigates the development of opioid-induced hyperalgesia and antinociceptive tolerance. Thus, this study indicates that social environment influences the effectiveness of opioid pain management. © 2016 European Pain Federation - EFIC®

Succession planning in hospitals and the association with organizational performance.

PubMed

Kim, Tae Hyun

2012-01-01

Effective succession planning is the heart of leadership development and an essential business strategy because it enhances the ability to achieve orderly transitions and maintain productivity levels. The results of this study are consistent with previous studies that exhibit a positive association of previous years' performance with internal succession planning. The key to successful succession planning lies in building a solid foundation of profitability. Having successors ready to fill key vacancies helps improve operational condition and the bottom line, and thus, gives a competitive edge in the market. Preparing successors for leadership may determine which organizations simply survive and which thrive and lead their markets down the road.

75 FR 39143 - Airworthiness Directives; Arrow Falcon Exporters, Inc. (previously Utah State University); AST...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-08

... Firefly Aviation Helicopter Services, and Erickson Air-Crane); Rotorcraft Development Corporation..., Inc. (Previously Firefly Aviation Helicopter Services, and Erickson Air-Crane); Rotorcraft Development...

Analysis of the dismounted motorist and road-worker model pedestrian safety regulations

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1982-08-01

Two pedestrian model regulations previously developed by NHTSA were studied to determine their potential safety benefits. One regulation was concerned with the disabled-vehicle situation and called on motorists to position themselves and their vehicl...

Withdrawal Study of Memantine in Pediatric Patients With Autism, Asperger's Disorder, or Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified Previously Treated With Memantine

ClinicalTrials.gov

2013-10-31

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Autism; Autistic Disorder; Asperger's Disorder; Asperger's; Pediatric Autism; Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS); Pervasive Child Development Disorder

Halo naevi, vitiligo and diffuse alopecia areata associated with tocilizumab therapy

PubMed Central

Nadesalingam, Kavitha; Goodfield, Mark; Emery, Paul

2016-01-01

We present a follow-up case report of a 33-year-old lady with juvenile onset arthritis who developed halo naevi while on treatment with tocilizumab. This case report describes the development of halo naevi, vitiligo and diffuse alopecia areata associated with tocilizumab therapy following infection with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Panton–Valentine leukocidin positivity. This is the first case that describes these events and supports previous theories on cellular and humoral immunity as causative factors. The regression of melanocytes during treatment with tocilizumab could also implicate IL-6 and sIL-6R as future targets in the treatment of melanoma through its direct effect of melanocytic cytotoxicity, which supports previous studies. PMID:27516894

Concerning the use of multifunctional photometer - polarimeter for studying the invasion of cosmic bodies into the Earth's atmosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Geraimchuk, M. D.; Vidmachenko, A. P.; Nevodovskyi, P. V.; Steklov, O. F.

2018-05-01

Main astronomical observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine together with the National Technical University of Ukraine "KPI" for many years working on the development of photometers-polarimeters for the study of cosmic bodies and Earth's atmosphere. We proposed an option of the development of a multipurpose panoramic photometer-polarimeter, which takes into account the shortcomings of the previous versions of the instrument and also allows for the registration of tracks of bolides, and study of their tails, and weak meteor phenomena.

Unraveling Molecular Signatures of Immunostimulatory Adjuvants in the Female Genital Tract through Systems Biology

PubMed Central

Brinkenberg, Ingrid; Samuelson, Emma; Thörn, Karolina; Nielsen, Jens; Harandi, Ali M.

2011-01-01

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) unequivocally represent a major public health concern in both industrialized and developing countries. Previous efforts to develop vaccines for systemic immunization against a large number of STIs in humans have been unsuccessful. There is currently a drive to develop mucosal vaccines and adjuvants for delivery through the genital tract to confer protective immunity against STIs. Identification of molecular signatures that can be used as biomarkers for adjuvant potency can inform rational development of potent mucosal adjuvants. Here, we used systems biology to study global gene expression and signature molecules and pathways in the mouse vagina after treatment with two classes of experimental adjuvants. The Toll-like receptor 9 agonist CpG ODN and the invariant natural killer T cell agonist alpha-galactosylceramide, which we previously identified as equally potent vaginal adjuvants, were selected for this study. Our integrated analysis of genome-wide transcriptome data determined which signature pathways, processes and networks are shared by or otherwise exclusive to these 2 classes of experimental vaginal adjuvants in the mouse vagina. To our knowledge, this is the first integrated genome-wide transcriptome analysis of the effects of immunomodulatory adjuvants on the female genital tract of a mammal. These results could inform rational development of effective mucosal adjuvants for vaccination against STIs. PMID:21666746

The first two years of practice: a longitudinal perspective on the learning and professional development of promising novice physical therapists.

PubMed

Hayward, Lorna M; Black, Lisa L; Mostrom, Elizabeth; Jensen, Gail M; Ritzline, Pamela D; Perkins, Jan

2013-03-01

Physical therapists work in complex health care systems requiring professional competence in clinical reasoning and confidence in decision-making skills. For novice physical therapists, the initial practice years are a time for developing professional identity and practical knowledge. The study purpose was to extend previous research describing the experiences, learning, and professional development of 11 promising novice therapists during their first year of practice. The present study examined the continued development of the same therapists during their second year of clinical practice. Seven researchers from 4 physical therapist educational programs in the eastern and midwestern United States used a longitudinal, qualitative, multiple case study approach. Eleven physical therapist graduates identified as "promising novices" were recruited using purposive sampling. Participants ranged in age from 24 to 29 years and entered varied practice settings. Data were collected for 2 years using semistructured interviews, reflective journals, and participant observation. A conceptual model describing the participants' ongoing development during the second year of practice emerged. The 3 themes were formal and informal learning, increasing confidence and expansion of skills, and engagement in an environment characterized by collaborative exchange and opportunities for teaching. The second year represented consolidation and elaboration of practice-based learning and skills. The expansion of confidence, skills, and responsibilities and the externalization of learning the participants experienced promoted professional role formation. Learning previously directed inward and self-focused turned outward, fueled by growing self-confidence. Research illuminating the professional role formation experienced during early clinical practice is not widely available. The current study and further research into the learning and development of novice practitioners may assist educators in the design of pedagogical strategies and learning environments that enhance the professional development of physical therapists.

LONGEVITY IN NORTH KOREA AND SOUTH KOREA: PREVALENCE OF CENTENARIANS IN ONE THE POOREST AND ONE OF THE RICHEST NATIONS.

PubMed

Schwekendiek, Daniel

2018-03-01

Over recent decades, economic living conditions have dramatically improved in South Korea, which now represents one of the most developed nations. At the same time, its twin in the North remains one of the poorest countries on earth. Thus, the Korean peninsula represents a unique historical experiment that allows for study of the effects of environment on human development under a variety of ceteris paribus cultural, genetic and climatic conditions. Previous studies comparing the biosocial performances of the two Koreas have focused on indicators such as weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference and age at menarche. The purpose of the present study was to investigate longevity based on the number of centenarians living in the two Koreas by drawing on censuses implemented around 1925 and 2010. The study found that North Korea had some 0.7 centenarians per one million persons in 1925, and this rate moderately improved to 2.7 around 2010. Conversely, rates skyrocketed in South Korea from 2.7 in 1925 to 38.2 around 2010. This suggests that the rate of centenarians in North Korea around 2010 corresponds to that of South Korea in 1925, suggesting a chronological lag in delayed human development of some 85 years. The prevalence of centenarians is fourteen times higher in contemporary South Korea compared with the North - broadly confirming previous biosocial studies on the two Koreas and two Germanies reporting improved human development in market-oriented systems compared with socialist ones.

Postauthorization safety surveillance of ADVATE [antihaemophilic factor (recombinant), plasma/albumin-free method] demonstrates efficacy, safety and low-risk for immunogenicity in routine clinical practice.

PubMed

Oldenburg, J; Goudemand, J; Valentino, L; Richards, M; Luu, H; Kriukov, A; Gajek, H; Spotts, G; Ewenstein, B

2010-11-01

  Postauthorization safety surveillance of factor VIII (FVIII) concentrates is essential for assessing rare adverse event incidence. We determined safety and efficacy of ADVATE [antihaemophilic factor (recombinant), plasma/albumin-free method, (rAHF-PFM)] during routine clinical practice. Subjects with differing haemophilia A severities and medical histories were monitored during 12 months of prophylactic and/or on-demand therapy. Among 408 evaluable subjects, 386 (95%) received excellent/good efficacy ratings for all on-demand assessments; the corresponding number for subjects with previous FVIII inhibitors was 36/41 (88%). Among 276 evaluable subjects receiving prophylaxis continuously in the study, 255 (92%) had excellent/good ratings for all prophylactic assessments; the corresponding number for subjects with previous FVIII inhibitors was 41/46 (89%). Efficacy of surgical prophylaxis was excellent/good in 16/16 evaluable procedures. Among previously treated patients (PTPs) with >50 exposure days (EDs) and FVIII≤2%, three (0.75%) developed low-titre inhibitors. Two of these subjects had a positive inhibitor history; thus, the incidence of de novo inhibitor formation in PTPs with FVIII≤2% and no inhibitor history was 1/348 (0.29%; 95% CI, 0.01-1.59%). A PTP with moderate haemophilia developed a low-titre inhibitor. High-titre inhibitors were reported in a PTP with mild disease (following surgery), a previously untreated patient (PUP) with moderate disease (following surgery) and a PUP with severe disease. The favourable benefit/risk profile of rAHF-PFM previously documented in prospective clinical trials has been extended to include a broader range of haemophilia patients, many of whom would have been ineligible for registration studies. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Updates to Enhanced Geothermal System Resource Potential Estimate

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

Augustine, Chad

The deep EGS electricity generation resource potential estimate maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory was updated using the most recent temperature-at-depth maps available from the Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory. The previous study dates back to 2011 and was developed using the original temperature-at-depth maps showcased in the 2006 MIT Future of Geothermal Energy report. The methodology used to update the deep EGS resource potential is the same as in the previous study and is summarized in the paper. The updated deep EGS resource potential estimate was calculated for depths between 3 and 7 km and is binned inmore » 25 degrees C increments. The updated deep EGS electricity generation resource potential estimate is 4,349 GWe. A comparison of the estimates from the previous and updated studies shows a net increase of 117 GWe in the 3-7 km depth range, due mainly to increases in the underlying temperature-at-depth estimates from the updated maps.« less

Predicting chemical bioavailability using microarray gene expression data and regression modeling: A tale of three explosive compounds.

PubMed

Gong, Ping; Nan, Xiaofei; Barker, Natalie D; Boyd, Robert E; Chen, Yixin; Wilkins, Dawn E; Johnson, David R; Suedel, Burton C; Perkins, Edward J

2016-03-08

Chemical bioavailability is an important dose metric in environmental risk assessment. Although many approaches have been used to evaluate bioavailability, not a single approach is free from limitations. Previously, we developed a new genomics-based approach that integrated microarray technology and regression modeling for predicting bioavailability (tissue residue) of explosives compounds in exposed earthworms. In the present study, we further compared 18 different regression models and performed variable selection simultaneously with parameter estimation. This refined approach was applied to both previously collected and newly acquired earthworm microarray gene expression datasets for three explosive compounds. Our results demonstrate that a prediction accuracy of R(2) = 0.71-0.82 was achievable at a relatively low model complexity with as few as 3-10 predictor genes per model. These results are much more encouraging than our previous ones. This study has demonstrated that our approach is promising for bioavailability measurement, which warrants further studies of mixed contamination scenarios in field settings.

Update to Enhanced Geothermal System Resource Potential Estimate: Preprint

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

Augustine, Chad

2016-10-01

The deep EGS electricity generation resource potential estimate maintained by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory was updated using the most recent temperature-at-depth maps available from the Southern Methodist University Geothermal Laboratory. The previous study dates back to 2011 and was developed using the original temperature-at-depth maps showcased in the 2006 MIT Future of Geothermal Energy report. The methodology used to update the deep EGS resource potential is the same as in the previous study and is summarized in the paper. The updated deep EGS resource potential estimate was calculated for depths between 3 and 7 km and is binned inmore » 25 degrees C increments. The updated deep EGS electricity generation resource potential estimate is 4,349 GWe. A comparison of the estimates from the previous and updated studies shows a net increase of 117 GWe in the 3-7 km depth range, due mainly to increases in the underlying temperature-at-depth estimates from the updated maps.« less

IQ, Fetal Testosterone and Individual Variability in Children's Functional Lateralization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mercure, Evelyne; Ashwin, Emma; Dick, Frederic; Halit, Hanife; Auyeung, Bonnie; Baron-Cohen, Simon; Johnson, Mark H.

2009-01-01

Previous event-related potential (ERP) studies have revealed that faces and words show a robust difference in the lateralization of their N170. The present study investigated the development of this differential lateralization in school-age boys. We assessed the potential role of fetal testosterone (FT) level as a factor biasing the prenatal…

Physical Education Teachers' Career-Long Professional Learning: Getting Personal

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Makopoulou, Kyriaki; Armour, Kathleen M.

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to build upon previous PE-CPD (Physical Education Continuing Professional Development) research by exploring Greek case study physical education (PE) teachers' engagement in professional learning. It is argued that in the contemporary European context, where the teaching profession is viewed as central to achieving wider…

Occupational Decision-Related Processes for Amotivated Adolescents: Confirmation of a Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jung, Jae Yup; McCormick, John

2011-01-01

This study developed and (statistically) confirmed a new model of the occupational decision-related processes of adolescents, in terms of the extent to which they may be amotivated about choosing a future occupation. A theoretical framework guided the study. A questionnaire that had previously been administered to an Australian adolescent sample…

A Mixed Method Case Study on Learner Engagement in e-Learning Professional Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhao, Jane Yanfeng

2014-01-01

Previous research showed that learners' reluctance in participating in e-Learning training is a major obstacle in achieving training objectives. This study focused on learners' e-Learning engagement in professional training in the chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). The participants were 21 chapter members.…

Managing School-Based Curriculum Innovations: A Hong Kong Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Law, Edmond H. F.; Wan, Sally W. Y.; Galton, Maurice; Lee, John C. K.

2010-01-01

This study was originally designed to explore the impact of a distributed approach to developing curriculum leadership among schoolteachers. Previous papers have focused on reporting evidence of teacher learning in the process of engaging teachers in various types of curriculum decision-making in an innovation project based on interview data. This…

Gender Differences in the Content of Preschool Children's Recollections: A Longitudinal Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tõugu, Pirko; Tulviste, Tiia; Suits, Kristi

2014-01-01

Personal recollections constitute autobiographical memory that develops intensively during the preschool years. The two-wave longitudinal study focuses on gender differences in preschool children's independent recollections. The same children (N = 275; 140 boys, 135 girls) were asked to talk about their previous birthday and the past weekend at…

The effects of dexamethasone administration and E. bovis challenge on fecal oocyst count and immune function in weaned beef calves

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stressful events are believed to predispose beef calves to clinical coccidiosis. Previous studies aimed at reproducing stress-induced coccidiosis have been unsuccessful. No study has simultaneously subjected calves to stress and Eimeria challenge. Our initial goal was to develop a model of stress...

Handwriting, Spelling, and Narrative Competence in the Fictional Stories of Italian Primary-School Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longobardi, Emiddia; Spataro, Pietro; Pizzicannella, Emiliano

2018-01-01

Previous studies with English-speaking children showed that handwriting and spelling abilities played a critical role in the development of writing fluency and quality, particularly during the transition from the kindergarten to primary school; in contrast, studies dealing with orthographically transparent languages found small or no relations…

Promoting Student Mental Health, Learning & Welfare: 1995-96 School Psychology Services Accountability Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDaid, Janet L.; Reifman, Arthur

As part of an ongoing project to determine how effectively school psychological services promote student mental health, learning, and welfare in San Diego City Schools (California), accountability studies were conducted. A previously developed planning model guided the process. During the 1995-96 school year, school psychologists gathered data…

High plasma levels of vitamin C and E are associated with incident radiographic knee osteoarthritis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Previous studies suggest that the antioxidants vitamins C and E may protect against development of knee osteoarthritis (OA). We examined the association of circulating levels of vitamin C and E with incident whole knee radiographic OA (WKROA). We performed a nested case-control study of incident WKR...

Frills, Furbelows and Activated Memory: Syntactically Optional Elements in the Spontaneous Language Production of Bilingual Speakers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fehringer, Carol; Fry, Christina

2007-01-01

Previous studies have shown a correlation between working memory (WM) and syntactic complexity (variously defined) in language comprehension. The present study investigates this relationship in spontaneous language production, proposing a novel metric, informed by language development and disorders, where complexity is construed in terms of those…

G-NEST: A gene neighborhood scoring tool to identify co-conserved, co-expressed genes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In previous studies, gene neighborhoods--spatial clusters of co-expressed genes in the genome--have been defined using arbitrary rules such as requiring adjacency, a minimum number of genes, a fixed window size, or a minimum expression level. In the current study, we developed a Gene Neighborhood Sc...

Studying the Water Cycle in an Environmental Context: The "Blue Planet" Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-zvi-assaraf, Orit; Orion, Nir

The Blue Planet program aims to develop an understanding of and insight into the environment among students by introducing environmental problems such as pollution. This paper presents a study investigating junior high school students' previous knowledge and understanding of environmental issues and perceptions on the nature of the water cycle.…

The Development of Two Types of Inhibitory Control in Monolingual and Bilingual Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin-Rhee, Michelle M.; Bialystok, Ellen

2008-01-01

Previous research has shown that bilingual children excel in tasks requiring inhibitory control to ignore a misleading perceptual cue. The present series of studies extends this finding by identifying the degree and type of inhibitory control for which bilingual children demonstrate this advantage. Study 1 replicated the earlier research by…

Reading Strategies and Approaches to Learning of Bilingual Primary School Pupils

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rao, Zhenhui; Gu, Peter Yongqi; Zhang, Lawrence Jun; Hu, Guangwei

2007-01-01

The research reported here investigated primary school pupils' use of reading strategies. The study differed from most of the previous studies on reading strategies in that (1) the participants were young bilinguals in multicultural Singapore; (2) the data were examined within the Student Approaches to Learning (SAL) framework developed by John…

Gender Divergence in Academics' Representation and Research Productivity: A Nigerian Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Opesade, Adeola Omobola; Famurewa, Kofoworola Folakemi; Igwe, Ebelechukwu Gloria

2017-01-01

Gender equity is increasingly seen as an indicator of development and global acceptance in networks of higher education. Despite this, gender divergence in research productivity of academics coupled with under-representation of women in science has been reported to beset female's scholarly activities. Previous studies provide differing results,…

Using Mobile Devices to Connect Teachers and Museum Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delen, Ibrahim; Krajcik, Joseph

2017-01-01

The use of mobile devices is increasing rapidly as a potential tool for science teaching. In this study, five educators (three middle school teachers and two museum educators) used a mobile application that supported the development of a driving question. Previous studies have noted that teachers make little effort to connect learning experiences…

Spirituality, Religion, Social Justice Orientation, and the Career Aspirations of Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chenot, David; Kim, Hansung

2017-01-01

Spirituality and religion predicted the development of social justice orientation (SJO) among young adults in a previous study (Chenot & Kim, 2013). The current study explores the manner in which the effects of spirituality and religion on social justice orientation vary depending on the career aspirations of young adults. The longitudinal…

Understanding Educational Policy Formation: The Case of School Violence Policies in Israel

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fast, Idit

2016-01-01

This study explores mechanisms underlying processes of educational policy formation. Previous studies have given much attention to processes of diffusion when accounting for educational policy formation. Less account has been given to the day-to-day institutional dynamics through which educational policies develop and change. Building on extensive…

Drawing as Social Play: Shared Meaning-Making in Young Children's Collective Drawing Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kukkonen, Tiina; Chang-Kredl, Sandra

2018-01-01

The ability to construct shared meaning with peers is important for young children's social and linguistic development. Previous studies have mainly focused on shared meaning-making within cooperative pretend play with little mention of other childhood activities that might promote intersubjectivity. This study investigated the group play that…

STUDY OF VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH FINAL GRADES IN MATHEMATICS COURSES.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DAVIS, ELTON C.; RISSER, JOHN J.

THIS STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN ORDER TO DETERMINE THE RELATIVE VALUE OF PREVIOUS GRADES IN MATHEMATICS COURSES, THE OVERALL HIGH SCHOOL GRADE POINT AVERAGE, AND THE PLACEMENT TEST IN MATHEMATICS DEVELOPED AT THE COLLEGE AS PREDICTORS OF ACHIEVEMENT IN INTRODUCTORY AND INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA, IN COLLEGE ALGEBRA, IN TRIGONOMETRY, AND IN ANALYTIC GEOMETRY…

Infants' Perception of the Intonation of Broad and Narrow Focus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Joseph; Vigário, Marina; Frota, Sónia

2016-01-01

Infants perceive intonation contrasts early in development in contrast to lexical stress but similarly to lexical pitch accent. Previous studies have mostly focused on pitch height/direction contrasts; however, languages use a variety of pitch features to signal meaning, including differences in pitch timing. In this study, we investigate infants'…

University Library Browsing: A Study Illustrating a Methodology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ridley, Dennis R.; And Others

Previous studies on use of library materials based on borrowing behavior failed to address the issue of how the measurement of library book use might be expanded to a broader definition of use, specifically to include browsing behavior. The development of a non-obtrusive and accurate measurement for browsing behavior has remained a challenge.…

Improving Psychosexual Knowledge in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Pilot of the Tackling Teenage Training Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dekker, Linda P.; van der Vegt, Esther J.; Visser, Kirsten; Tick, Nouchka; Boudesteijn, Frieda; Verhulst, Frank C.; Maras, Athanasios; Greaves-Lord, Kirstin

2015-01-01

Previous studies have shown that psychosexual functioning in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is hampered and emphasize the need for a specialized training program tailored to their needs. Therefore, an individual training program was developed; the Tackling Teenage Training (TTT) program. The current pilot study systematically…

An Initial Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Word Processing in Preschoolers with Specific Language Impairment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haebig, Eileen; Leonard, Laurence; Usler, Evan; Deevy, Patricia; Weber, Christine

2018-01-01

Purpose: Previous behavioral studies have found deficits in lexical--semantic abilities in children with specific language impairment (SLI), including reduced depth and breadth of word knowledge. This study explored the neural correlates of early emerging familiar word processing in preschoolers with SLI and typical development. Method: Fifteen…

Mastery of Negative Affect: A Hierarchical Model of Emotional Self-Efficacy Beliefs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caprara, Gian Vittorio; Di Giunta, Laura; Pastorelli, Concetta; Eisenberg, Nancy

2013-01-01

Building on previous studies that formulated measures for assessing self-efficacy beliefs regarding the management of anger/irritation and despondency/sadness, we developed 3 new scales to assess perceived self-efficacy in managing fear, shame/embarrassment, and guilt. In Study 1, the internal and construct validity of the 5 aforementioned…

Methodological Advances in the Study of Self-Concept.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwartz, Terrence J.

Critical review of previous techniques for the measurement of an individual's self-concept (SC) is a necessary prelude to the development of more adequate methodologies. This paper focuses on recent methodological innovations in the study of the self, namely, those derived from cognitive social psychology. A view of the self as a cognitive…

Consonant-Vowel Co-Occurrence Patterns in Mandarin-Learning Infants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Li-Mei; Kent, Raymond D.

2005-01-01

Most studies on CV co-occurrence patterns in early phonetic development have been based on Indo-European languages. Data from infants learning Mandarin, which has a substantially different phonological system from Indo-European languages, can confirm or refute the findings of previous studies, thus shedding further light on the theoretical bases…

Predicting Word Reading and Comprehension with Executive Function and Speed Measures across Development: A Latent Variable Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christopher, Micaela E.; Miyake, Akira; Keenan, Janice M.; Pennington, Bruce; DeFries, John C.; Wadsworth, Sally J.; Willcutt, Erik; Olson, Richard K.

2012-01-01

The present study explored whether different executive control and speed measures (working memory, inhibition, processing speed, and naming speed) independently predict individual differences in word reading and reading comprehension. Although previous studies suggest these cognitive constructs are important for reading, the authors analyze the…

MAT@USC Candidates and Latino English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lomeli, Cynthia Leticia

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to further understand the perceptions of MAT@USC teacher candidates and how their perceptions and previous experiences affect the educational experiences of Latino English language learners. Three questions were developed to guide this study: (1) What are the perceptions of MAT@USC candidates in selected courses…

The Influence of Trust in Principals' Mentoring Experiences across Different Career Phases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakioglu, Aysen; Hacifazlioglu, Ozge; Ozcan, Kenan

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the perceptions of primary school principals about the influence of "trust" in their mentoring experiences. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used in the study. The Primary School Principals' Mentoring Questionnaire previously developed by the researchers was applied to 1462 primary…

Development of the Global-Self through Collegiate Recreational Sports

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Accetta, Alexander Rocco

2017-01-01

Today's student has more access to global issues than any previous generation. Nearly one million higher education students study abroad worldwide, the workplace reflects a need to be interculturally competent, and students rarely have opportunities to learn how to thrive in the new global environment. This study explored how higher education, and…

Patterns of Student Growth in Reasoning about Multivariate Correlational Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ross, John A.; Cousins, J. Bradley

Previous studies of the development of correlational reasoning have focused on the interpretation of relatively simple data sets contained in 2 X 2 tables. In contrast, this study examined age trends in subjects' responses to problems involving more than two continuous variables. The research is part of a multi-year project to conceptualize…

Tendon healing in a bone tunnel. Part II: Histologic analysis after biodegradable interference fit fixation in a model of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction in sheep.

PubMed

Weiler, Andreas; Hoffmann, Reinhard F G; Bail, Hermann J; Rehm, Oliver; Südkamp, Norbert P

2002-02-01

Tendon-to-bone healing of soft-tissue grafts has been described to progress by the development of a fibrous interzone that undergoes a maturation process leading to the development of an indirect type of ligament insertion. Previous studies used extra-articular models or fixation far away from the joint line; thus, no data are available investigating tendon-to-bone healing of a soft-tissue graft fixed anatomically. Therefore, we studied the tendon-to-bone healing of the anatomic soft-tissue graft interference fit fixation in a model of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in sheep. Animal study. Thirty-five mature sheep underwent ACL reconstruction with an autologous Achilles tendon split graft. Grafts were directly fixed with biodegradable poly-(D,L-lactide) interference screws. Animals were euthanized after 6, 9, 12, 24, and 52 weeks and histologic evaluations were performed. Undecalcified specimens were evaluated under normal and polarized light. Additionally, animals received a polychrome sequential labeling (tetracycline, xylenol orange, and calcein green) to determine bone growth per time under fluorescent light. Intratunnel histologic findings at 6 weeks showed a tendon-bone junction with only a partial fibrous interzone between the graft tissue and the surrounding bone. A mature intratunnel tendon-bone junction with a zone of fibrocartilage was found at 9 to 12 weeks. At the tunnel entrance site a wide regular ligamentous insertion site was seen in all specimens after 24 weeks. This insertion showed regular patterns such as the direct type of insertion of a normal ligament with a dense basophilic transition zone consisting of mineralized cartilage. A fibrous interzone between the graft tissue and the bone tunnel was only partially developed, which is in contrast to all previous studies in which nonanatomic fixation was used. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that the tendon-to-bone healing in the present study may progress partially by direct-contact healing without the development of a fibrous interzone. To our knowledge, this is the first report describing the development of a direct type of ligament insertion after ACL replacement with a soft-tissue graft. This is in contrast to previous studies reporting the development of an indirect type of insertion when using nonanatomic fixation far away from the joint line. Thus, histologic data strongly indicate that anatomic interference fit fixation is beneficial for tendon-to-bone incorporation by leading to the development of a direct type of ligament insertion.

The challenge of Parkinson's disease management in Africa.

PubMed

Dotchin, C L; Msuya, O; Walker, R W

2007-03-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is said to be less common in Africa than elsewhere in the world, but previous studies have been based on small numbers. Also, the differences may be due to the diagnostic criteria used, case finding methods and different population age structures. Developing countries have few facilities for chronic disease management and non-communicable diseases, although on the increase, tend to play second fiddle to malaria and HIV/AIDS. Previous reports suggest that, at least from anecdotal information, under-diagnosis of PD is common and long-term availability of medication, follow-up, patient education and multidisciplinary input is lacking. Published literature is scarce and there is a lack of recent information. We are currently conducting a door-to-door prevalence study in northern Tanzania in a population of 161,162. We have reviewed previous literature on PD in Africa and illustrate our personal experience of PD and its management in Africa with three cases.

Factors influencing the utilization of empirically supported treatments for eating disorders.

PubMed

Simmons, Angela M; Milnes, Suzanne M; Anderson, Drew A

2008-01-01

This study expands upon previous research investigating the use of empirically supported treatments (ESTs) for eating disorders by surveying a large sample of clinicians who specialize in treating eating disorders. Surveys developed for this study were sent to 698 members of a large, professional, eating disorder organization who were listed as treatment providers on the organization's website. Despite clinicians reporting frequently using CBT techniques, most identified something other than CBT or IPT as their primary approach to treatment. In contrast with previous research, the majority had received prior training in the use of manual-based treatments. However, consistent with previous investigations, most denied regular use of such treatments. Although manual-based CBT and IPT are referred to as "treatments of choice," professional clinicians in the field are not consistently using them. Responses suggest several barriers to the utilization of ESTs in practice.

An update on the clinical evidence that supports biosimilar approvals in Europe.

PubMed

Mielke, Johanna; Jilma, Bernd; Jones, Byron; Koenig, Franz

2018-03-25

Sponsors and regulators have more than 10 years of experience with the development of biosimilars in Europe. However, the regulatory pathway is still evolving. The present article provides an update on biosimilar development in practice by reviewing the clinical development programmes of recently approved biosimilars in Europe. We used the European public assessment reports (EPARs) which are published by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for a comparison of the clinical development programmes of the 37 approved biosimilars in Europe. Here, we present novel strategies in the development of biosimilars by focusing specifically on the 17 biosimilars that have gained approval in the last year, but we also compare additional key characteristics for all approved biosimilars. The high variability of the clinical development strategies that we found previously was confirmed in the present analysis. Compared with earlier biosimilar applications, more nonstandard development strategies have been used recently. This includes, for example, applications without any studies in patients, and more complex study designs. During this study, we found that the EPARs for biosimilars seem to be improving; however, we identified important details which were still often missing. We provide a proposal for a checklist of the minimum information that should be included in biosimilar EPARs for giving the general public insights into the rationale for the approval of biosimilars. European regulators still seem to be open to consider approaches that differ from the guidelines or previous applications, as long as justification is provided. © 2018 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Pharmacological Society.

An Early Years Toolbox for Assessing Early Executive Function, Language, Self-Regulation, and Social Development: Validity, Reliability, and Preliminary Norms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Steven J.; Melhuish, Edward

2017-01-01

Several methods of assessing executive function (EF), self-regulation, language development, and social development in young children have been developed over previous decades. Yet new technologies make available methods of assessment not previously considered. In resolving conceptual and pragmatic limitations of existing tools, the Early Years…

Student-selected projects: can they enhance lifelong learning skills?

PubMed

Whittle, Sue R; Murdoch-Eaton, Deborah G

2002-01-01

Student-selected projects with clearly identified transferable skill objectives have been introduced in Year 1, to help students focus on developing their lifelong learning skills. This study aimed to assess the impact of this innovation on students' perceptions of their skills, and to compare these views with those of students from the previous course. Students' views of their skill abilities were assessed by questionnaire at the beginning and end of the first year, and at the end of each project. Students report improvements, particularly in their IT and presentation skills, but an overall decrease in confidence in their transferable skills at the end of the year compared with the previous cohort. Students appear to recognize development of new skills, but seem less able to identify improvement in existing skills. Increased emphasis on skills development, together with practice of self-evaluation, has reduced students' self-confidence, probably to a more realistic level.

RNA Interference for Functional Genomics and Improvement of Cotton (Gossypium sp.)

PubMed Central

Abdurakhmonov, Ibrokhim Y.; Ayubov, Mirzakamol S.; Ubaydullaeva, Khurshida A.; Buriev, Zabardast T.; Shermatov, Shukhrat E.; Ruziboev, Haydarali S.; Shapulatov, Umid M.; Saha, Sukumar; Ulloa, Mauricio; Yu, John Z.; Percy, Richard G.; Devor, Eric J.; Sharma, Govind C.; Sripathi, Venkateswara R.; Kumpatla, Siva P.; van der Krol, Alexander; Kater, Hake D.; Khamidov, Khakimdjan; Salikhov, Shavkat I.; Jenkins, Johnie N.; Abdukarimov, Abdusattor; Pepper, Alan E.

2016-01-01

RNA interference (RNAi), is a powerful new technology in the discovery of genetic sequence functions, and has become a valuable tool for functional genomics of cotton (Gossypium sp.). The rapid adoption of RNAi has replaced previous antisense technology. RNAi has aided in the discovery of function and biological roles of many key cotton genes involved in fiber development, fertility and somatic embryogenesis, resistance to important biotic and abiotic stresses, and oil and seed quality improvements as well as the key agronomic traits including yield and maturity. Here, we have comparatively reviewed seminal research efforts in previously used antisense approaches and currently applied breakthrough RNAi studies in cotton, analyzing developed RNAi methodologies, achievements, limitations, and future needs in functional characterizations of cotton genes. We also highlighted needed efforts in the development of RNAi-based cotton cultivars, and their safety and risk assessment, small and large-scale field trials, and commercialization. PMID:26941765

RNA Interference for Functional Genomics and Improvement of Cotton (Gossypium sp.).

PubMed

Abdurakhmonov, Ibrokhim Y; Ayubov, Mirzakamol S; Ubaydullaeva, Khurshida A; Buriev, Zabardast T; Shermatov, Shukhrat E; Ruziboev, Haydarali S; Shapulatov, Umid M; Saha, Sukumar; Ulloa, Mauricio; Yu, John Z; Percy, Richard G; Devor, Eric J; Sharma, Govind C; Sripathi, Venkateswara R; Kumpatla, Siva P; van der Krol, Alexander; Kater, Hake D; Khamidov, Khakimdjan; Salikhov, Shavkat I; Jenkins, Johnie N; Abdukarimov, Abdusattor; Pepper, Alan E

2016-01-01

RNA interference (RNAi), is a powerful new technology in the discovery of genetic sequence functions, and has become a valuable tool for functional genomics of cotton (Gossypium sp.). The rapid adoption of RNAi has replaced previous antisense technology. RNAi has aided in the discovery of function and biological roles of many key cotton genes involved in fiber development, fertility and somatic embryogenesis, resistance to important biotic and abiotic stresses, and oil and seed quality improvements as well as the key agronomic traits including yield and maturity. Here, we have comparatively reviewed seminal research efforts in previously used antisense approaches and currently applied breakthrough RNAi studies in cotton, analyzing developed RNAi methodologies, achievements, limitations, and future needs in functional characterizations of cotton genes. We also highlighted needed efforts in the development of RNAi-based cotton cultivars, and their safety and risk assessment, small and large-scale field trials, and commercialization.

Image restoration for three-dimensional fluorescence microscopy using an orthonormal basis for efficient representation of depth-variant point-spread functions

PubMed Central

Patwary, Nurmohammed; Preza, Chrysanthe

2015-01-01

A depth-variant (DV) image restoration algorithm for wide field fluorescence microscopy, using an orthonormal basis decomposition of DV point-spread functions (PSFs), is investigated in this study. The efficient PSF representation is based on a previously developed principal component analysis (PCA), which is computationally intensive. We present an approach developed to reduce the number of DV PSFs required for the PCA computation, thereby making the PCA-based approach computationally tractable for thick samples. Restoration results from both synthetic and experimental images show consistency and that the proposed algorithm addresses efficiently depth-induced aberration using a small number of principal components. Comparison of the PCA-based algorithm with a previously-developed strata-based DV restoration algorithm demonstrates that the proposed method improves performance by 50% in terms of accuracy and simultaneously reduces the processing time by 64% using comparable computational resources. PMID:26504634

Development of multiplex microsatellite PCR panels for the seagrass Thalassia hemprichii (Hydrocharitaceae)1

PubMed Central

van Dijk, Kor-jent; Mellors, Jane; Waycott, Michelle

2014-01-01

• Premise of the study: New microsatellites were developed for the seagrass Thalassia hemprichii (Hydrocharitaceae), a long-lived seagrass species that is found throughout the shallow waters of tropical and subtropical Indo-West Pacific. Three multiplex PCR panels were designed utilizing new and previously developed markers, resulting in a toolkit for generating a 16-locus genotype. • Methods and Results: Through the use of microsatellite enrichment and next-generation sequencing, 16 new, validated, polymorphic microsatellite markers were isolated. Diversity was between two and four alleles per locus totaling 36 alleles. These markers, plus previously developed microsatellite markers for T. hemprichii and T. testudinum, were tested for suitability in multiplex PCR panels. • Conclusions: The generation of an easily replicated suite of multiplex panels of codominant molecular markers will allow for high-resolution and detailed genetic structure analysis and clonality assessment with minimal genotyping costs. We suggest the establishment of a T. hemprichii primer convention for the unification of future data sets. PMID:25383269

Investigation to Study the Aerodynamic Ship Wake Turbulence Generated by a DD963 Destroyer.

DTIC Science & Technology

1979-10-01

development of aircraft control systems and aerodynamics and ship interfacing hardware. The DD 963 had previously been designated as the smallest non...P AD-AOA3 663 BOEING VERTOL CO PHILADELPHIA PA F/6 20/4 INVESTI6ATION To STUDY THE AERODYNAMIC SHIP WAKE TURBULENCE GEN-ETCIU) OCT 79 T S GARNETT...16s9o * PHILADELPHIA. PENNSYLVANIA 10142 4 April 1980 8-1162-6192 Naval Air Development Center Warminster, Pennsylvania 18974 Attention: Code 6053

Development and assessment of the validity and reliability of a scale for measuring the mentoring competencies of Japanese clinical midwives: An exploratory quantitative research study.

PubMed

Hishinuma, Yuri; Horiuchi, Shigeko; Yanai, Haruo

2016-06-01

Midwives are always involved in educational activities whenever novice midwives are present. Although various scales for measuring the educational competencies of nurses have already been developed in previous studies, a scale for the educational competencies particular to midwives has yet to be developed, or even no previous studies have revealed their functions as clinical educators. The purpose of this study was to develop a scale to measure the mentoring competencies of clinical midwives (MCCM Scale) and to confirm its validity and reliability. An exploratory quantitative research study. Questionnaires were distributed to 1,645 midwives at 148 facilities who had previously instructed novice midwives. 1,004 midwives (61.0%) voluntarily returned valid responses and 296 (18.0%) voluntarily agreed to participate in the survey for test-retest reliability. Exploratory factor analyses were performed over 41 items and the following seven factors were extracted with a reliability coefficient (Cronbach's α) of 0.953: (i) supporting experimental study, (ii) personal characteristics particularly in clinical educators, (iii) thoughtfulness and empathy for new midwives, (iv) self-awareness and self-reflection for finding confidence, (v) making effective use of the new midwives' own experience, (vi) commitment to educational activities, and (vii) sharing their midwifery practice. Test-retest reliability was measured based on a convenience sample of 246 (83.1%). Pearson's test-retest correlation coefficient for the entire scale was r=0.863. The factor loadings of each item on its respective factor were 0.313-0.925. The total score of the MCCM Scale was positively correlated with that of the Quality of Nurses' Occupational Experience Scale (r=0.641, p=0.000) and was negatively correlated with the total score of the Japanese Burnout Scale (r=-0.480, p=0.000). The MCCM Scale is composed of 41 items and three subscales measured from a total of seven factors. The validity and reliability of the MCCM Scale was supported by the statistical analyses. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of the Previous Typhoon on the Track of the Following Typhoon: Bolaven (1215) and Tembin (1214)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, M.; Choi, Y.; Ha, K. J.

2017-12-01

The effects of sea surface temperature (SST) gradient induced by the previous typhoon and intensity of the previous typhoon on the following typhoon motion over East Asia have been investigated using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model for the previous Typhoon Bolaven (1215) and following Typhoon Tembin (1214). Using the WRF experiments for the imposed cold wake over Yellow Sea (YS) and over East China Sea (ECS), this study demonstrates that the effects of eastward SST gradient including cold wake over YS is much significant rather than that over ECS in relation to unexpected Tembin's deflection and the effect of the strong previous typhoon is faster than weaker previous typhoon in relation to Tembin. This difference between two experiments is attributed to the fact that cold wake over YS increases the magnitude of SST gradient under the eastward SST gradient around East Asia and the resultant asymmetric flow deflects Typhoon Tembin eastward, which is mainly due to the different atmospheric response to the SST forcing between ECS and YS. the effect of the previous typhoon intensity developed mid-latitude trough and makes the following typhoon favorable to move fast.

Student-to-Student Confirmation in the College Classroom: The Development and Validation of the Student-to-Student Confirmation Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaBelle, Sara; Johnson, Zac D.

2018-01-01

Three studies were conducted to generate a valid and reliable instrument to measure student-to-student confirmation. Study One (N = 396) sought to establish a factor structure based on previous research. Study Two (N = 396) sought to confirm this factor structure and assess criterion-related validity. Study Three (N = 283) sought to assess…

Associations of Marital Conflict with Emotional and Physiological Stress: Evidence for Different Patterns of Dysregulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lucas-Thompson, Rachel G.

2012-01-01

The goal of this study was to explore theoretically suggested but untested links between interparental conflict and stress physiology in late adolescence. A multi-method study was conducted involving families (n = 42) who previously participated in the University California, Irvine site of the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development;…

Seven Principles of Instructional Content Design for a Remote Laboratory: A Case Study on ERRL

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cagiltay, N. E.; Aydin, E.; Aydin, C. C.; Kara, A.; Alexandru, M.

2011-01-01

This paper discusses the results of a study of the requirements for developing a remote radio frequency (RF) laboratory for electrical engineering students. It investigates students' preferred usage of the technical content of a state-of-the-art RF laboratory. The results of this study are compared to previous findings, which dealt with other user…

Communities of Practice for the Development of Adolescent Civic Engagement: An Empirical Study of Their Correlates in Australia and the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Homana, Gary A.

2009-01-01

The relationships between a multidimensional model of school community and civic engagement were examined using survey data collected for the 1999 IEA Civic Education Study from large, nationally representative samples of adolescents in Australia and the United States. This study extends previous research by considering the extent to which…

Classification of forest-based ecotourism areas in Pocahontas County of West Virginia using GIS and pairwise comparison method

Treesearch

Ishwar Dhami; Jinyang. Deng

2012-01-01

Many previous studies have examined ecotourism primarily from the perspective of tourists while largely ignoring ecotourism destinations. This study used geographical information system (GIS) and pairwise comparison to identify forest-based ecotourism areas in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The study adopted the criteria and scores developed by Boyd and Butler (1994...

"There's No Physical Activity in Physical Education": The Challenges of Studying Senior PDHPE in NSW, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardzejewska, Kathie; Piscioneri, Antonio; Goode, Kim

2014-01-01

Using the theoretical frameworks of change and student voice this study examined whether the enactment of the senior Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) syllabus was received positively by students in light of their previous experience with the junior PDHPE syllabus. In addition, the study sought to examine whether there…

Frequency and clinical predictors of coronary artery disease in chronic renal failure renal transplant candidates.

PubMed

de Albuquerque Seixas, Emerson; Carmello, Beatriz Leone; Kojima, Christiane Akemi; Contti, Mariana Moraes; Modeli de Andrade, Luiz Gustavo; Maiello, José Roberto; Almeida, Fernando Antonio; Martin, Luis Cuadrado

2015-05-01

Cardiovascular diseases are major causes of mortality in chronic renal failure patients before and after renal transplantation. Among them, coronary disease presents a particular risk; however, risk predictors have been used to diagnose coronary heart disease. This study evaluated the frequency and importance of clinical predictors of coronary artery disease in chronic renal failure patients undergoing dialysis who were renal transplant candidates, and assessed a previously developed scoring system. Coronary angiographies conducted between March 2008 and April 2013 from 99 candidates for renal transplantation from two transplant centers in São Paulo state were analyzed for associations between significant coronary artery diseases (≥70% stenosis in one or more epicardial coronary arteries or ≥50% in the left main coronary artery) and clinical parameters. Univariate logistic regression analysis identified diabetes, angina, and/or previous infarction, clinical peripheral arterial disease and dyslipidemia as predictors of coronary artery disease. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified only diabetes and angina and/or previous infarction as independent predictors. The results corroborate previous studies demonstrating the importance of these factors when selecting patients for coronary angiography in clinical pretransplant evaluation.

The Sex Determination Gene Shows No Founder Effect in the Giant Honey Bee, Apis dorsata

PubMed Central

Yan, Wei Yu; Wu, Xiao Bo; Zeng, Zhi Jiang; Huang, Zachary Y.

2012-01-01

Background All honey bee species (Apis spp) share the same sex determination mechanism using the complementary sex determination (csd) gene. Only individuals heterogeneous at the csd allele develop into females, and the homozygous develop into diploid males, which do not survive. The honeybees are therefore under selection pressure to generate new csd alleles. Previous studies have shown that the csd gene is under balancing selection. We hypothesize that due to the long separation from the mainland of Hainan Island, China, that the giant honey bees (Apis dorsata) should show a founder effect for the csd gene, with many different alleles clustered together, and these would be absent on the mainland. Methodology/Principal Findings We sampled A. dorsata workers from both Hainan and Guangxi Provinces and then cloned and sequenced region 3 of the csd gene and constructed phylogenetic trees. We failed to find any clustering of the csd alleles according to their geographical origin, i.e. the Hainan and Guangxi samples did not form separate clades. Further analysis by including previously published csd sequences also failed to show any clade-forming in both the Philippines and Malaysia. Conclusions/Significance Results from this study and those from previous studies did not support the expectations of a founder effect. We conclude that because of the extremely high mating frequency of A. dorsata queens, a founder effect does not apply in this species. PMID:22511940

The sex determination gene shows no founder effect in the giant honey bee, Apis dorsata.

PubMed

Liu, Zhi Yong; Wang, Zi Long; Yan, Wei Yu; Wu, Xiao Bo; Zeng, Zhi Jiang; Huang, Zachary Y

2012-01-01

All honey bee species (Apis spp) share the same sex determination mechanism using the complementary sex determination (csd) gene. Only individuals heterogeneous at the csd allele develop into females, and the homozygous develop into diploid males, which do not survive. The honeybees are therefore under selection pressure to generate new csd alleles. Previous studies have shown that the csd gene is under balancing selection. We hypothesize that due to the long separation from the mainland of Hainan Island, China, that the giant honey bees (Apis dorsata) should show a founder effect for the csd gene, with many different alleles clustered together, and these would be absent on the mainland. We sampled A. dorsata workers from both Hainan and Guangxi Provinces and then cloned and sequenced region 3 of the csd gene and constructed phylogenetic trees. We failed to find any clustering of the csd alleles according to their geographical origin, i.e. the Hainan and Guangxi samples did not form separate clades. Further analysis by including previously published csd sequences also failed to show any clade-forming in both the Philippines and Malaysia. Results from this study and those from previous studies did not support the expectations of a founder effect. We conclude that because of the extremely high mating frequency of A. dorsata queens, a founder effect does not apply in this species.

Characterization of Sensory Differences in Mixing and Premium Rums Through the Use of Descriptive Sensory Analysis.

PubMed

Ickes, Chelsea M; Cadwallader, Keith R

2017-11-01

This study identified and quantitated perceived sensory differences between 7 premium rums and 2 mixing rums using a hybrid of the Quantitative Descriptive Analysis and Spectrum methods. In addition, the results of this study validated the previously developed rum flavor wheel created from web-based materials. Results showed that the use of the rum flavor wheel aided in sensory term generation, as 17 additional terms were generated after the wheel was provided to panelists. Thirty-eight sensory terms encompassing aroma, aroma-by-mouth, mouthfeel, taste and aftertaste modalities, were generated and evaluated by the panel. Of the finalized terms, only 5 did not exist previously on the rum flavor wheel. Twenty attributes were found to be significantly different among rums. The majority of rums showed similar aroma profiles with the exception of 2 rums, which were characterized by higher perceived intensities of brown sugar, caramel, vanilla, and chocolate aroma, caramel, maple, and vanilla aroma-by-mouth and caramel aftertaste. These results demonstrate the previously developed rum flavor wheel can be used to adequately describe the flavor profile of rum. Additionally, results of this study document the sensory differences among premium rums and may be used to correlate with analytical data to better understand how changes in chemical composition of the product affect sensory perception. © 2017 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Back Pain Prevalence and Its Associated Factors in Brazilian Athletes from Public High Schools: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Noll, Matias; de Avelar, Ivan Silveira; Lehnen, Georgia Cristina; Vieira, Marcus Fraga

2016-01-01

Most studies on the prevalence of back pain have evaluated it in developed countries (Human Development Index—HDI > 0.808), and their conclusions may not hold for developing countries. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of back pain in representative Brazilian athletes from public high schools. This cross-sectional study was performed during the state phase of the 2015 Jogos dos Institutos Federais (JIF), or Federal Institutes Games, in Brazil (HDI = 0.744), and it enrolled 251 athletes, 173 males and 78 females (14–20 years old). The dependent variable was back pain, and the independent variables were demographic, socioeconomic, psychosocial, hereditary, exercise-level, anthropometric, strength, behavioral, and postural factors. The prevalence ratio (PR) was calculated using multivariable analysis according to the Poisson regression model (α = 0.05). The prevalence of back pain in the three months prior to the study was 43.7% (n = 104), and 26% of the athletes reported feeling back pain only once. Multivariable analysis showed that back pain was associated with demographic (sex), psychosocial (loneliness and loss of sleep in the previous year), hereditary (ethnicity, parental back pain), strength (lumbar and hand forces), anthropometric (body mass index), behavioral (sleeping time per night, reading and studying in bed, smoking habits in the previous month), and postural (sitting posture while writing, while on a bench, and while using a computer) variables. Participants who recorded higher levels of lumbar and manual forces reported a lower prevalence of back pain (PR < 0.79), whereas feeling lonely in the previous year, obesity, and ethnicity exhibited the highest prevalence ratio (PR > 1.30). In conclusion, there is no association between exercise levels and back pain but there is an association between back pain and non-exercise related variables. PMID:26938456

The impact of preclinical irreproducibility on drug development.

PubMed

Freedman, L P; Gibson, M C

2015-01-01

The development of novel therapeutics depends and builds upon the validity and reproducibility of previously published data and findings. Yet irreproducibility is pervasive in preclinical life science research and can be traced to cumulative errors or flaws in several areas, including reference materials, study design, laboratory protocols, and data collection and analysis. The expanded development and use of consensus-based standards and well-documented best practices is needed to both enhance reproducibility and drive therapeutic innovations. © 2014 ASCPT.

The Development of a Canadian Instrument for Measuring Student Views of Their Inclusive School Environment in a Rural Context: The Student Perceptions of Inclusion in Rural Canada (SPIRC) Scale

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Loreman, Tim; Lupart, Judy; McGhie-Richmond, Donna; Barber, Jennifer

2008-01-01

This paper, the first in a series on inclusive education in a rural Canadian school district, reports an attempt to develop a succinct, common cross-age scale to measure student views on important school-related aspects of inclusive education. A lengthy scale, previously developed for use in a different study, was administered to 855 children in…

Assessing Stream Channel Stability at Bridges in Physiographic Regions

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-07-01

The objective of this study was to expand and improve a rapid channel stability assessment method developed previously by Johnson et al. to include additional factors, such as major physiographic units across the United States, a greater range of ban...

Development of an interactive GIS based work zone traffic control tool.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-08-01

The purpose of this study was to include consideration for intersections into the previously created GIS traffic control planning tool. Available data for making intersection control calculations were collected and integrated into the design of the t...

Teacher efficacy and pupil behaviour: the structure of teachers' individual and collective beliefs and their relationship with numbers of pupils excluded from school.

PubMed

Gibbs, Simon; Powell, Ben

2012-12-01

Previous work has yielded knowledge of teachers' attributions for children's behaviour. Other studies have helped to develop understanding of teachers' efficacy beliefs. Little work has been undertaken to examine teachers' efficacy beliefs with regard to classroom behaviour. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between teachers' individual and collective beliefs about their efficacy with children's behaviour and whether these beliefs were associated with the use of exclusion as a sanction. A total of 197 teachers from 31 primary and nursery schools in the North East of England participated. Participants responded to questionnaires to assess their individual and collective efficacy beliefs. Demographic and school level data were also collected. Factor analysis indicated that teachers' individual efficacy beliefs were best represented by three factors: 'Classroom Management', 'Children's Engagement', 'Instructional Strategies' that corresponded well to previous findings. Analysis of collective efficacy beliefs showed a similar structure that differed from previous findings. Individual efficacy was not associated with numbers of children excluded. One factor 'Addressing External Influences' in the collective beliefs was negatively correlated with numbers of children excluded and appeared to mitigate the deleterious effects associated with socio-economic deprivation. This study adds weight to the importance of understanding and supporting teachers' beliefs in their collective efficacy. In particular, this study underlines the need for strategies that will endorse and develop teachers' beliefs in their ability to manage children's behaviour successfully. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Investigating Time Lags and Attribution in the Translation of Cancer Research: A Case Study Approach.

PubMed

Guthrie, Susan; Pollitt, Alexandra; Hanney, Stephen; Grant, Jonathan

2014-01-01

In 2012, RAND Europe and the Health Economics Research Group (Brunel University) were commissioned by the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK, the National Institute for Health Research and the Academy of Medical Science to conduct a study of the returns to the public/charitable investment in cancer-related research. This study built on previous work published in the 2008 "What's it worth?" report that estimated the economic returns to medical research in terms of spillover benefits and health gain. The 2008 study was extensively quoted and cited as a clear justification for the economic importance of medical research and appears to have played a role in achieving the protection of the medical science budget in the recent public expenditure cuts. This cancer study used a similar approach to that used in the previous study, but with some methodological developments. One of the methodological developments was the inclusion of case studies to examine the validity and variability of the estimates on elapsed time between funding and health gains, and the amount of health gains that can be attributed to UK research. This study provides the full text of the five case studies conducted as well as some discussion of observations emerging across the case study set.

Propulsion Technology Development for Sample Return Missions Under NASA's ISPT Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Pencil, Eric J.; Vento, Daniel; Dankanich, John W.; Munk, Michelle M.; Hahne, David

2011-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) Program was tasked in 2009 to start development of propulsion technologies that would enable future sample return missions. Sample return missions could be quite varied, from collecting and bringing back samples of comets or asteroids, to soil, rocks, or atmosphere from planets or moons. The paper will describe the ISPT Program s propulsion technology development activities relevant to future sample return missions. The sample return propulsion technology development areas for ISPT are: 1) Sample Return Propulsion (SRP), 2) Planetary Ascent Vehicles (PAV), 3) Entry Vehicle Technologies (EVT), and 4) Systems/mission analysis and tools that focuses on sample return propulsion. The Sample Return Propulsion area is subdivided into: a) Electric propulsion for sample return and low cost Discovery-class missions, b) Propulsion systems for Earth Return Vehicles (ERV) including transfer stages to the destination, and c) Low TRL advanced propulsion technologies. The SRP effort will continue work on HIVHAC thruster development in FY2011 and then transitions into developing a HIVHAC system under future Electric Propulsion for sample return (ERV and transfer stages) and low-cost missions. Previous work on the lightweight propellant-tanks will continue under advanced propulsion technologies for sample return with direct applicability to a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission and with general applicability to all future planetary spacecraft. A major effort under the EVT area is multi-mission technologies for Earth Entry Vehicles (MMEEV), which will leverage and build upon previous work related to Earth Entry Vehicles (EEV). The major effort under the PAV area is the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). The MAV is a new development area to ISPT, and builds upon and leverages the past MAV analysis and technology developments from the Mars Technology Program (MTP) and previous MSR studies.

Status of Sample Return Propulsion Technology Development Under NASA's ISPT Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, David J.; Glaab, Louis J.; Munk, Michelle M.; Pencil, Eric; Dankanich, John; Peterson, Todd T.

2012-01-01

The In-Space Propulsion Technology (ISPT) program was tasked in 2009 to start development of propulsion technologies that would enable future sample return missions. ISPT s sample return technology development areas are diverse. Sample Return Propulsion (SRP) addresses electric propulsion for sample return and low cost Discovery-class missions, propulsion systems for Earth Return Vehicles (ERV) including transfer stages to the destination, and low technology readiness level (TRL) advanced propulsion technologies. The SRP effort continues work on HIVHAC thruster development to transition into developing a Hall-effect propulsion system for sample return (ERV and transfer stages) and low-cost missions. Previous work on the lightweight propellant-tanks continues for sample return with direct applicability to a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission with general applicability to all future planetary spacecraft. The Earth Entry Vehicle (EEV) work focuses on building a fundamental base of multi-mission technologies for Earth Entry Vehicles (MMEEV). The main focus of the Planetary Ascent Vehicles (PAV) area is technology development for the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which builds upon and leverages the past MAV analysis and technology developments from the Mars Technology Program (MTP) and previous MSR studies

Lipidomics reveals dramatic lipid compositional changes in the maturing postnatal lung

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

Dautel, Sydney E.; Kyle, Jennifer E.; Clair, Geremy

Lung immaturity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Understanding the molecular mechanisms driving normal lung development could provide insights on how to ameliorate disrupted development. While transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of normal lung development have been previously reported, characterization of changes in the lipidome is lacking. Lipids play significant roles in the lung, such as dipalmitoylcholine in pulmonary surfactant; however, many of the roles of specific lipid species in normal lung development, as well as in disease states, are not well defined. In this study, we used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the murinemore » lipidome during normal postnatal lung development. Lipidomics analysis of lungs from post-natal day 7, day 14 and 6-8 week mice (adult) identified 928 unique lipids across 21 lipid subclasses, with dramatic alterations in the lipidome across developmental stages. Our data confirmed previously recognized aspects of post-natal lung development and revealed several insights, including in sphingolipid-mediated apoptosis, inflammation and energy storage/usage. Complementary proteomics, metabolomics and chemical imaging corroborated these observations. Finally, this multi-omic view provides a unique resource and deeper insight into normal pulmonary development.« less

Lipidomics reveals dramatic lipid compositional changes in the maturing postnatal lung

DOE PAGES

Dautel, Sydney E.; Kyle, Jennifer E.; Clair, Geremy; ...

2017-02-01

Lung immaturity is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in premature infants. Understanding the molecular mechanisms driving normal lung development could provide insights on how to ameliorate disrupted development. While transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of normal lung development have been previously reported, characterization of changes in the lipidome is lacking. Lipids play significant roles in the lung, such as dipalmitoylcholine in pulmonary surfactant; however, many of the roles of specific lipid species in normal lung development, as well as in disease states, are not well defined. In this study, we used liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the murinemore » lipidome during normal postnatal lung development. Lipidomics analysis of lungs from post-natal day 7, day 14 and 6-8 week mice (adult) identified 928 unique lipids across 21 lipid subclasses, with dramatic alterations in the lipidome across developmental stages. Our data confirmed previously recognized aspects of post-natal lung development and revealed several insights, including in sphingolipid-mediated apoptosis, inflammation and energy storage/usage. Complementary proteomics, metabolomics and chemical imaging corroborated these observations. Finally, this multi-omic view provides a unique resource and deeper insight into normal pulmonary development.« less