Assessment of analytical and experimental techniques utilized in conducting plume technology tests 575 and 593. [exhaust flow simulation (wind tunnel tests) of scale model Space Shuttle Orbiter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baker, L. R.; Sulyma, P. R.; Tevepaugh, J. A.; Penny, M. M.

1976-01-01

Since exhaust plumes affect vehicle base environment (pressure and heat loads) and the orbiter vehicle aerodynamic control surface effectiveness, an intensive program involving detailed analytical and experimental investigations of the exhaust plume/vehicle interaction was undertaken as a pertinent part of the overall space shuttle development program. The program, called the Plume Technology program, has as its objective the determination of the criteria for simulating rocket engine (in particular, space shuttle propulsion system) plume-induced aerodynamic effects in a wind tunnel environment. The comprehensive experimental program was conducted using test facilities at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Ames Research Center. A post-test examination of some of the experimental results obtained from NASA-MSFC's 14 x 14-inch trisonic wind tunnel is presented. A description is given of the test facility, simulant gas supply system, nozzle hardware, test procedure and test matrix. Analysis of exhaust plume flow fields and comparison of analytical and experimental exhaust plume data are presented.

An Experiential Career Exploration Program in Science and Technology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Burkhalter, Bettye B.; And Others

1983-01-01

Describes the Experimental Career Exploration Program whose goal was to introduce students with no experience with technology to careers in aerospace science and technology at the Alabama Space and Rocket Center. The project involved cooperation from education, industry, and government. (JOW)

Fourth National Aeronautics and Space Administration Weather and Climate Program Science Review

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kreins, E. R. (Editor)

1979-01-01

The NASA Weather and Climate Program has two major thrusts. The first involves the development of experimental and prototype operational satellite systems, sensors, and space facilities for monitoring and understanding the atmosphere. The second thrust involves basic scientific investigation aimed at studying the physical and chemical processes which control weather and climate. This fourth science review concentrated on the scientific research rather than the hardware development aspect of the program. These proceedings contain 65 papers covering the three general areas: severe storms and local weather research, global weather, and climate.

Do cooperative learning and family involvement improve variables linked to academic performance?

PubMed

Santos Rego, Miguel A; Ferraces Otero, María J; Godas Otero, Agustín; Lorenzo Moledo, María M

2018-05-01

One of the most serious problems in the Spanish education system is the high percentage of school failure in Compulsory Secondary Education. The aim of this study is to analyze the influence of a socio-educational program based on cooperative learning and family involvement on a series of variables related to academic performance, paying particular attention to the differences between retained and non-retained students. A two-group quasi-experimental design incorporating pre-testing and post-testing was used. The study involved 146 students in the experimental group and 123 in the control group, 8 teachers, and 89 parents or other family members. The program was observed to have a positive effect on self-image, study habits, satisfaction with the subject, maternal support and control, and opinions about the school. In addition, the results for non-retained students are better. Cooperative work and family involvement in education affect the variables which research links to improving school performance.

Petrotac bridge deck waterproofing membrane on Five Mile Creek Bridge : first interim report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1986-09-01

During the 1970's, the Oregon State Highway Division was involved in a Federally funded experimental program to evaluate various waterproofing membrane systems for bridge decks. Through this program, a list of approved products and/or systems was dev...

The Role of the Disabled in the Overall Picture of the Rehabilitation Process.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitten, Cecil J.

In this experimental program the client is involved directly from the initial interview. The intention of the program is to give the disabled a more autonomous role by sharing common successes, problems and failures in group discussions with other disabled persons. Budgeting, child care, and nutrition are included in the academic program which…

Ephus: Multipurpose Data Acquisition Software for Neuroscience Experiments

PubMed Central

Suter, Benjamin A.; O'Connor, Timothy; Iyer, Vijay; Petreanu, Leopoldo T.; Hooks, Bryan M.; Kiritani, Taro; Svoboda, Karel; Shepherd, Gordon M. G.

2010-01-01

Physiological measurements in neuroscience experiments often involve complex stimulus paradigms and multiple data channels. Ephus (http://www.ephus.org) is an open-source software package designed for general-purpose data acquisition and instrument control. Ephus operates as a collection of modular programs, including an ephys program for standard whole-cell recording with single or multiple electrodes in typical electrophysiological experiments, and a mapper program for synaptic circuit mapping experiments involving laser scanning photostimulation based on glutamate uncaging or channelrhodopsin-2 excitation. Custom user functions allow user-extensibility at multiple levels, including on-line analysis and closed-loop experiments, where experimental parameters can be changed based on recently acquired data, such as during in vivo behavioral experiments. Ephus is compatible with a variety of data acquisition and imaging hardware. This paper describes the main features and modules of Ephus and their use in representative experimental applications. PMID:21960959

Environmental Science. An Experimental Programme for Primary Teachers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Linke, R. D.

An experimental course covering some of the fundamental principles and terminology associated with environmental science and the application of these principles to various contemporary problems is summarized in this report. The course involved a series of lectures together with a program of specific seminar and discussion topics presented by the…

United States Air Force Summer Faculty Research Program for 1990. Program Management Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-06-05

propagation characteristics were extensively studied using pencil lead breaks in a center notch. For the fatigue studies center crack samples of 2024 - T351 ... aluminum specimens during fatigue cycling. The experimental procedure involved excitation of Rayleigh waves on the surface of each specimen and...Research Program (SFRP) provides opportunities for research in the physical sciences, engineering, and life sciences. The program has been effective

Enhancement of Educational Effect Through Extensive and Intensive Intervention--The Gulfport Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goolsby, Thomas M., Jr.; Frary, Robert B.

Two hundred first grade children participated in an experimental program involving innovative curricula and instructional techniques. A pretest-posttest method of instruction, employing sequenced and structured learning activities, enabled each child to progress at an individual rate and was supplemented by a readiness program. Evaluation of the…

Ethical Issues in Parent Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sapon-Shevin, Mara

1982-01-01

Four areas of ethical concern are voiced in the training of parents of handicapped children: (1) selection of program goals, (2) problems involved with both positive reinforcement and punishment, (3) conflicts between experimentation and therapeutic intervention, and (4) level of parent training. Consideration of ethical issues at each step of…

A randomized controlled trial of an intervention program to Brazilian mothers who use corporal punishment.

PubMed

Santini, Paolla Magioni; Williams, Lucia C A

2017-09-01

This study evaluated a positive parenting program to Brazilian mothers who used corporal punishment with their children. The intervention was conducted in four agencies serving vulnerable children, and at a home replica laboratory at the University. Mothers who admitted using corporal punishment were randomly assigned between experimental (n=20) and control group (n=20). The program consisted of 12 individual sessions using one unit from Projeto Parceria (Partnership Project), with specific guidelines and materials on positive parenting, followed by observational sessions of mother-child interaction with live coaching and a video feedback session in the lab. The study used an equivalent group experimental design with pre/post-test and follow-up, in randomized controlled trials. Measures involved: Initial Interview; Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) - parent and child versions; Beck Depression Inventory (BDI); observational sessions with a protocol; and a Program Evaluation by participants. Analysis of mixed models for repeated measures revealed significant positive effects on the BDI and SDQ total scores, as well as less Conduct problems and Hyperactivity in SDQ measures from the experimental group mothers, comparing pre with post-test. Observational data also indicated significant improvement in positive interaction from the experimental group mothers at post-test, in comparison with controls. No significant results were found, however, in children's observational measures. Limitations of the study involved using a restricted sample, among others. Implications for future research are suggested. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

OPEX: (Olympus Propagation EXperiment)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brussaard, Gert

1988-01-01

The Olympus-1 satellite carries four distinct payloads for experimental utilization and research in the field of satellite communications: (1) the Direct Broadcasting Service (DBS) payload; (2) the Specialized Services Payload; (3) the 20/30 GHz Advanced Communications Payload; and (4) the Propagation Payload. Experimental utilization of the first three payloads involves ground transmissions to the satellite and hence sharing of available satellite time among experimenters. This is coordinated through the Olympus Utilization Program.

Employee Involvement, Attitudes, and Productivity in High Technology Manufacturing: A Two-Year, Experimental Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stinnett, William D.; And Others

To investigate methods of improving both employees' productivity and the quality of their work life, workers from four businesses were surveyed before and after their organizations implemented a total employees involvement program. Survey questions covered employees' perceptions of (1) the quality of the product produced, (2) the leadership's…

The Relationship between Attending a Pennsylvania Pre-K Counts Prekindergarten Program and Future Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) in Kindergarten

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zegarski, Cassandra Marie

2017-01-01

The benefits of involvement in early childhood education have been researched from many different perspectives to show how children achieve social, emotional, and academic gains when they participate in a pre-kindergarten program. The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to assess how attending a pre-kindergarten program in a…

Parent-Child Parallel-Group Intervention for Childhood Aggression in Hong Kong

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fung, Annis L. C.; Tsang, Sandra H. K. M.

2006-01-01

This article reports the original evidence-based outcome study on parent-child parallel group-designed Anger Coping Training (ACT) program for children aged 8-10 with reactive aggression and their parents in Hong Kong. This research program involved experimental and control groups with pre- and post-comparison. Quantitative data collection…

Developing Prosocial Behaviors in Early Adolescence with Reactive Aggression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fung, Annis L. C.

2008-01-01

Despite the alarming rise of early adolescence aggression in Hong Kong, it is the pioneer evidence-based outcome study on Anger Coping Training (ACT) program for early adolescence with reactive aggression to develop their prosocial behaviors. This research program involved experimental and control groups with pre- and post-comparison using a …

MAP Markers: Research and Evaluation of the Mutual Agreement Program. Resource Document No. 5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robison, James O.

This report is an evaluation, using randomized experimental/control design, of a program involving negotiated contractual agreements (MAP) between prisoners and parole boards for specific parole dates contingent on performance in work, training and treatment activities. Contracts were generally for less than six months. Both feasibility and…

GUIDANCE FOR RESEARCH HOUSE STUDIES OF THE FLORIDA RADON RESEARCH PROGRAM, VOLUME 2: MODEL-BACKED EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCOL FOR DETERMINING RADON

EPA Science Inventory

The report provides guidance and a readily available reference to groups involved with the Florida Radon Research Program's (FRRP's) research house studies. It includes: 1): Lists of Parameters for continuous and periodic high and low resolution measurements; (2) Protocols for c...

Using Different Types of Dictionaries for Improving EFL Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alharbi, Majed A.

2016-01-01

This study investigated the effects of monolingual book dictionaries, popup dictionaries, and type-in dictionaries on improving reading comprehension and vocabulary learning in an EFL program. An experimental design involving four groups and a post-test was chosen for the experiment: (1) pop-up dictionary (experimental group 1); (2) type-in…

The city and its need for technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berkowitz, B. L.

1978-01-01

An experimental program has been undertaken to explore the process of identifying and transferring newer technology for the benefit of the city. This paper describes the nature of the problems involved in the experiment, some of the areas of supposed commonality with other cities and some of the prerequisites for any city to become involved with technological innovation.

Experimental Supersonic Combustion Research at NASA Langley

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rogers, R. Clayton; Capriotti, Diego P.; Guy, R. Wayne

1998-01-01

Experimental supersonic combustion research related to hypersonic airbreathing propulsion has been actively underway at NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) since the mid-1960's. This research involved experimental investigations of fuel injection, mixing, and combustion in supersonic flows and numerous tests of scramjet engine flowpaths in LaRC test facilities simulating flight from Mach 4 to 8. Out of this research effort has come scramjet combustor design methodologies, ground test techniques, and data analysis procedures. These technologies have progressed steadily in support of the National Aero-Space Plane (NASP) program and the current Hyper-X flight demonstration program. During NASP nearly 2500 tests of 15 scramjet engine models were conducted in LaRC facilities. In addition, research supporting the engine flowpath design investigated ways to enhance mixing, improve and apply nonintrusive diagnostics, and address facility operation. Tests of scramjet combustor operation at conditions simulating hypersonic flight at Mach numbers up to 17 also have been performed in an expansion tube pulse facility. This paper presents a review of the LaRC experimental supersonic combustion research efforts since the late 1980's, during the NASP program, and into the Hyper-X Program.

Variation in teenage mothers' experiences of child care and other components of welfare reform: selection processes and developmental consequences.

PubMed

Yoshikawa, H; Rosman, E A; Hsueh, J

2001-01-01

Developmental evaluations of the current wave of welfare reform programs present challenges with regard to (1) assessing child outcomes; (2) accounting for heterogeneity among low-income families in both baseline characteristics and involvement in self-sufficiency activities and supports, and (3) development of alternatives to experimental approaches to causal inference. This study (N = 1,079) addresses these challenges by examining effects on 4- to 6-year-old children of different patterns of child care, self-sufficiency activities, and other service utilization indicators among experimental-group mothers in a 16-site welfare reform program. Outcomes in areas of cognitive ability and behavior problems were investigated. The study identified seven subgroups of participants engaging in different patterns of service utilization and activity involvement. A two-stage simultaneous equation methodology was used to account for selection, and effects on child cognitive ability of participation in specific patterns of services and activities were found. For example, children of mothers characterized by high levels of involvement in center-based child care, education, and job training showed higher levels of cognitive ability than children of mothers in groups characterized by high involvement in center-based care and education, or center-based care and job training. In addition, children of mothers in groups with high levels of involvement in any of these activities showed higher levels of cognitive ability than those with low levels of involvement. The bulk of selection effects occurred through site-level differences, rather than family-level socio-economic status or maternal depression indicators. Implications for welfare reform program and policy concerns are discussed.

Report on INT Program INT-17-1a

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

Escher, J. E.; Blackmon, J.; Elster, C.

The purpose of the 5-week program was to bring together physicists from the low-energy nuclear structure and reaction communities to identify avenues for achieving reliable and predictive descriptions of reactions involving nuclei across the isotopic chart. The 4-day embedded workshop focused on connecting theory developments to experimental advances and data needs for astrophysics and other applications.

North Carolina State Supported Early Childhood Demonstration Centers. Second Annual Evaluation: 1970-1971.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Learning Inst. of North Carolina, Durham.

The second year of a state supported early childhood education program was evaluated, using a pre-post evaluation design involving experimental and control groups. An Early Childhood Assessment Battery was administered to 720 five-year-olds enrolled in the kindergarten program by their teachers. The control group (178) were tested locally. Results…

Involving Parents in Paired Reading with Preschoolers: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lam, Shui-fong; Chow-Yeung, Kamfung; Wong, Bernard P. H.; Lau, Kwok Kiu; Tse, Shuk In

2013-01-01

A paired reading program was implemented for 195 Hong Kong preschoolers (mean age = 4.7 years) and their parents from families with a wide range of family income. The preschoolers were randomly assigned to experimental or waitlist control groups. The parents in the experimental group received 12 sessions of school-based training on paired reading…

LifeSat - A satellite for space biological research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Halstead, Thora W.; Morey-Holton, Emily R.

1990-01-01

The LifeSat Program addresses the need for continuing access by biological scientists to space experimentation by accommodating a wide range of experiments involving animals and plants for durations up to 60 days in an unmanned satellite. The program will encourage interdisciplinary and international cooperation at both the agency and scientist levels, and will provide a recoverable, reusable facility for low-cost missions addressing key scientific issues that can only be answered by space experimentation. It will provide opportunities for research in gravitational biology and on the effects of cosmic radiation on life systems. The scientific aspects of LifeSat are addressed here.

[The Effects of a Health Mentoring Program in Community-dwelling Vulnerable Elderly Individuals with Diabetes].

PubMed

Sung, Ki Wol; Kang, Hye Seung; Nam, Ji Ran; Park, Mi Kyung; Park, Ji Hyeon

2018-04-01

This study aimed to estimate the effects of a health mentoring program on fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, triglyceride, physical activity, self care behavior and social support changes among community-dwelling vulnerable elderly individuals with diabetes. A non-equivalent control group pre-post-test design was used. Participants were 70 community-dwelling vulnerable elderly individuals with diabetes. They were assigned to the experimental (n=30) or comparative (n=30) or control group (n=28). The experimental group participated in the health mentoring program, while the comparative group participated in health education program, the control group did not participate in any program. Data analyses involved a chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, a generalized linear model, and the Bonferroni correction, using SPSS 23.0. Compared to the control group, the experimental and comparative groups showed a significant decrease in fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and triglyceride. Compared to the comparative and control groups, the experimental group showed significant improvement in self care behavior. However, there were no statistical differences in physical activity or social support among the three groups. These findings indicate that the health mentoring program is an effective intervention for community-dwelling vulnerable elderly individuals with diabetes. This program can be used as an efficient strategy for diabetes self-management within this population. © 2018 Korean Society of Nursing Science.

Sexual risk attitudes and intentions of youth aged 12-14 years: survey comparisons of parent-teen prevention and control groups.

PubMed

Lederman, Regina P; Chan, Wenyaw; Roberts-Gray, Cynthia

2004-01-01

In this study, the authors compared differences in sexual risk attitudes and intentions for three groups of youth (experimental program, n = 90; attention control, n = 80; and nonparticipant control, n = 634) aged 12-14 years. Two student groups participated with their parents in programs focused on strengthening family interaction and prevention of sexual risks, HIV, and adolescent pregnancy. Surveys assessed students' attitudes and intentions regarding early sexual and other health-risk behaviors, family interactions, and perceived parental disapproval of risk behaviors. The authors used general linear modeling to compare results. The experimental prevention program differentiated the total scores of the 3 groups (p < .05). A similar result was obtained for student intentions to avoid sex (p < .01). Pairwise comparisons showed the experimental program group scored higher than the nonparticipant group on total scores (p < .01) and on students' intention to avoid sex (p < .01). The results suggest this novel educational program involving both parents and students offers a promising approach to HIV and teen pregnancy prevention.

The Effect of a Suggested Multisensory Phonics Program on Developing Kindergarten Pre-Service Teachers' EFL Reading Accuracy and Phonemic Awareness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ghoneim, Nahed Mohammed Mahmoud; Elghotmy, Heba Elsayed Abdelsalam

2015-01-01

The current study investigates the effect of a suggested multisensory phonics program on developing kindergarten pre-service teachers' EFL reading accuracy and phonemic awareness. A total of 40 fourth year kindergarten pre-service teachers, Faculty of Education, participated in the study that involved one group experimental design. Pre-post tests…

Effects of the Wisconsin Reading Design Comprehension Program on Reading Achievement and Self-Concept of Sixth Grade Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Negley, Sandra Anne

The main purpose of this study was to determine and describe the effects of the comprehension component of the criterion-referenced reading program, Wisconsin Design for Reading Skills Development (WDRSD), on reading achievement and self-concept of sixth-grade students. Parametric techniques were employed in a quasi-experimental study involving 44…

Replicating the Effects of a Teacher-Scaffolded Voluntary Summer Reading Program: The Role of Poverty

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

White, Thomas G.; Kim, James S.; Kingston, Helen Chen; Foster, Lisa

2014-01-01

A randomized trial involving 19 elementary schools (K-5) was conducted to replicate and extend two previous experimental studies of the effects of a voluntary summer reading program that provided (a) books matched to students' reading levels and interests and (b) teacher scaffolding in the form of end-of-year comprehension lessons. Matched…

Microgravity Science and Application Program tasks, 1989 revision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The active research tasks, as of the fiscal year 1989, of the Microgravity Science and Applications Program, NASA Office of Space Science and Applications, involving several NASA Centers and other organizations are compiled. The purpose is to provide an overview of the program scope for managers and scientists in industry, university, and government communities. The scientists in industry, university, and government communities. An introductory description of the program, the strategy and overall goal, identification of the organizational structures and people involved, and a description of each task are included. Also provided is a list of recent publications. The tasks are grouped into several major categories: electronic materials, solidification of metals, alloys, and composites; fluids, interfaces, and transport; biotechnology; glasses and ceramics; combustion science; physical and chemistry experiments (PACE); and experimental technology, facilities, and instrumentation.

The effectiveness of a tobacco prevention program with adolescents living in a tobacco-producing region.

PubMed Central

Noland, M P; Kryscio, R J; Riggs, R S; Linville, L H; Ford, V Y; Tucker, T C

1998-01-01

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the efficacy of a social-influences tobacco prevention program conducted with adolescents living in a high tobacco production area. METHODS: Students in 10 experimental schools completed the tobacco prevention program and a booster intervention. Control students received health education as usual. RESULTS: After 2 years of treatment, smoking rates in the treatment group (vs the control group) were lower for 30-day, 7-day, and 24-hour smoking. The intervention had more of an impact on those who were involved in raising tobacco than it did on those not involved in raising tobacco. CONCLUSIONS: Although modest, effects were achieved with minimal intervention time in a high-risk group, indicating that social-influences prevention programs may be effective in such groups. PMID:9842390

A meta-analysis of experimental studies of diversion programs for juvenile offenders.

PubMed

Schwalbe, Craig S; Gearing, Robin E; MacKenzie, Michael J; Brewer, Kathryne B; Ibrahim, Rawan

2012-02-01

Research to establish an evidence-base for the treatment of conduct problems and delinquency in adolescence is well established; however, an evidence-base for interventions with offenders who are diverted from the juvenile justice system has yet to be synthesized. The purpose of this study was to conduct a meta-analysis of experimental studies testing juvenile diversion programs and to examine the moderating effect of program type and implementation quality. A literature search using PsycINFO, Web of Science, and the National Criminal Justice Reference Service data-bases and research institute websites yielded 28 eligible studies involving 57 experimental comparisons and 19,301 youths. Recidivism was the most common outcome reported across all studies. Overall, the effect of diversion programs on recidivism was non-significant (k=45, OR=0.83, 95%CI=0.43-1.58). Of the five program types identified, including case management (k=18, OR=0.78), individual treatment (k=11, OR=0.83), family treatment (k=4, OR=0.57), youth court (k=6, OR=0.93), and restorative justice (k=6, OR=0.87), only family treatment led to a statistically significant reduction in recidivism. Restorative justice studies that were implemented with active involvement of researchers led to statistically significant reductions in recidivism (k=3, OR=0.69). Other outcomes, including frequency of offending, truancy, and psycho-social problems were reported infrequently and were not subjected to meta-analysis. High levels of heterogeneity characterize diversion research. Results of this study recommend against implementation of programs limited to case management and highlight the promise of family interventions and restorative justice. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling of the charge-state separation at ITEP experimental facility for material science based on a Bernas ion source.

PubMed

Barminova, H Y; Saratovskyh, M S

2016-02-01

The experiment automation system is supposed to be developed for experimental facility for material science at ITEP, based on a Bernas ion source. The program CAMFT is assumed to be involved into the program of the experiment automation. CAMFT is developed to simulate the intense charged particle bunch motion in the external magnetic fields with arbitrary geometry by means of the accurate solution of the particle motion equation. Program allows the consideration of the bunch intensity up to 10(10) ppb. Preliminary calculations are performed at ITEP supercomputer. The results of the simulation of the beam pre-acceleration and following turn in magnetic field are presented for different initial conditions.

Modeling of the charge-state separation at ITEP experimental facility for material science based on a Bernas ion source

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

Barminova, H. Y., E-mail: barminova@bk.ru; Saratovskyh, M. S.

2016-02-15

The experiment automation system is supposed to be developed for experimental facility for material science at ITEP, based on a Bernas ion source. The program CAMFT is assumed to be involved into the program of the experiment automation. CAMFT is developed to simulate the intense charged particle bunch motion in the external magnetic fields with arbitrary geometry by means of the accurate solution of the particle motion equation. Program allows the consideration of the bunch intensity up to 10{sup 10} ppb. Preliminary calculations are performed at ITEP supercomputer. The results of the simulation of the beam pre-acceleration and following turnmore » in magnetic field are presented for different initial conditions.« less

Program Code Generator for Cardiac Electrophysiology Simulation with Automatic PDE Boundary Condition Handling

PubMed Central

Punzalan, Florencio Rusty; Kunieda, Yoshitoshi; Amano, Akira

2015-01-01

Clinical and experimental studies involving human hearts can have certain limitations. Methods such as computer simulations can be an important alternative or supplemental tool. Physiological simulation at the tissue or organ level typically involves the handling of partial differential equations (PDEs). Boundary conditions and distributed parameters, such as those used in pharmacokinetics simulation, add to the complexity of the PDE solution. These factors can tailor PDE solutions and their corresponding program code to specific problems. Boundary condition and parameter changes in the customized code are usually prone to errors and time-consuming. We propose a general approach for handling PDEs and boundary conditions in computational models using a replacement scheme for discretization. This study is an extension of a program generator that we introduced in a previous publication. The program generator can generate code for multi-cell simulations of cardiac electrophysiology. Improvements to the system allow it to handle simultaneous equations in the biological function model as well as implicit PDE numerical schemes. The replacement scheme involves substituting all partial differential terms with numerical solution equations. Once the model and boundary equations are discretized with the numerical solution scheme, instances of the equations are generated to undergo dependency analysis. The result of the dependency analysis is then used to generate the program code. The resulting program code are in Java or C programming language. To validate the automatic handling of boundary conditions in the program code generator, we generated simulation code using the FHN, Luo-Rudy 1, and Hund-Rudy cell models and run cell-to-cell coupling and action potential propagation simulations. One of the simulations is based on a published experiment and simulation results are compared with the experimental data. We conclude that the proposed program code generator can be used to generate code for physiological simulations and provides a tool for studying cardiac electrophysiology. PMID:26356082

Effectiveness of Cognitive-behavioral Program on Pain and Fear in School-aged Children Undergoing Intravenous Placement.

PubMed

Hsieh, Yi-Chuan; Cheng, Su-Fen; Tsay, Pei-Kwei; Su, Wen-Jen; Cho, Yen-Hua; Chen, Chi-Wen

2017-12-01

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of cognitive-behavioral program on pain and medical fear in hospitalized school-aged children receiving intravenous (IV) placement. This study used an quasi-experimental design. Thirty-five participants were assigned to the experimental group and 33 to the control group in the acute internal medicine ward of a children's hospital. The cognitive-behavioral program entailed having the patients read an educational photo book about IV placement before the procedure and having them watch their favorite music video during the procedure. The outcome measures were numeric rating scales for pain intensity and fear during the procedure. After applying the cognitive-behavioral program, the mean scores on pain and fear decreased in the experimental group. However, the difference in pain intensity between these two groups was nonsignificant. The intensity of fear in the experimental group was significantly lower than that in the control group. In this study, the cognitive-behavioral program used with school-aged hospitalized children promoted less fear during IV placement. The results of this study can serve as a reference for empirical nursing care and as care guidance for clinical IV injections involving children. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Equipment for Subpicosecond Extreme Ultraviolet Facility.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-02-05

Excitation Induced by...................... 36 Coherent Motion of Outer-Shell Electrons" E. "A Theoretical Model of Inner-Shell...efficient production of x-rays are feasible. Our work involves a program of activities, involving both experimental -nd theoretical components, to...in addition to a theoretical effort con- itrating on the character of high order multiquantum coupling in the inten- I regime above 10 1 7 W cm2 . In

A Summary of the Naval Postgraduate School Research Program.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-09-30

a Helmholtz mode involving the head section plenum. An experimental investigation was conducted to examine fuel regresion rate control methods other...Directed: Regression Rate Control in Solid Fuel Ramjets", Master’s Thesis, September, 1985. D. C. Rigterink, "An Experimental Investigation of Combustion...Space Systems Academic Group , Code 72 1 EW Academic Group , Code 73 1 Command, Control & Communications Group , Code 74 1 Curricular Officer of

Experimental results for a hypersonic nozzle/afterbody flow field

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spaid, Frank W.; Keener, Earl R.; Hui, Frank C. L.

1995-01-01

This study was conducted to experimentally characterize the flow field created by the interaction of a single-expansion ramp-nozzle (SERN) flow with a hypersonic external stream. Data were obtained from a generic nozzle/afterbody model in the 3.5 Foot Hypersonic Wind Tunnel at the NASA Ames Research Center, in a cooperative experimental program involving Ames and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace. The model design and test planning were performed in close cooperation with members of the Ames computational fluid dynamics (CFD) team for the National Aerospace Plane (NASP) program. This paper presents experimental results consisting of oil-flow and shadow graph flow-visualization photographs, afterbody surface-pressure distributions, rake boundary-layer measurements, Preston-tube skin-friction measurements, and flow field surveys with five-hole and thermocouple probes. The probe data consist of impact pressure, flow direction, and total temperature profiles in the interaction flow field.

An experimental comparative analyse between three low capacity PLCs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popa, G. N.; Diniş, C. M.; lagăr, A.; Popa, I.

2017-01-01

PLCs are used increasingly more often in industrial applications and beyond. PLCs from different companies involved different programming languages. Some of the PLCs can be programmed in all languages, while others do not. For three types of PLCs was made an application for a traffic light with priority. PLCs usually have a general and a special set of instructions that only some of these are found from a PLC to another. Programs were made with specific instruction set of respectively PLC. The programs were carried out in three languages. For a case study, it makes a comparative analysis between three programming languages.

Engineering and simulation of life science Spacelab experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bush, B.; Rummel, J.; Johnston, R. S.

1977-01-01

Approaches to the planning and realization of Spacelab life sciences experiments, which may involve as many as 16 Space Shuttle missions and 100 tests, are discussed. In particular, a Spacelab simulation program, designed to evaluate problems associated with the use of live animal specimens, the constraints imposed by zero gravity on equipment operation, training of investigators and data management, is described. The simulated facility approximates the hardware and support systems of a current European Space Agency Spacelab model. Preparations necessary for the experimental program, such as crew activity plans, payload documentation and inflight experimental procedures are developed; health problems of the crew, including human/animal microbial contamination, are also assessed.

High-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology development program. Annual progress report for period ending December 31, 1982

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

Kasten, P.R.; Rittenhouse, P.L.; Bartine, D.E.

1983-06-01

During 1982 the High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor (HTGR) Technology Program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) continued to develop experimental data required for the design and licensing of cogeneration HTGRs. The program involves fuels and materials development (including metals, graphite, ceramic, and concrete materials), HTGR chemistry studies, structural component development and testing, reactor physics and shielding studies, performance testing of the reactor core support structure, and HTGR application and evaluation studies.

Engine environmental effects on composite behavior

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, C. C.; Smith, G. T.

1980-01-01

A series of programs were conducted to investigate and develop the application of composite materials to turbojet engines. A significant part of that effort was directed to establishing the impact resistance and defect growth chracteristics of composite materials over the wide range of environmental conditions found in commercial turbojet engine operations. Both analytical and empirical efforts were involved. The experimental programs and the analytical methodology development as well as an evaluation program for the use of composite materials as fan exit guide vanes are summarized.

Materials processing in space program tasks-supplement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pentecost, E. (Compiler)

1983-01-01

An overview of the program scope for managers and scientists in industry, university, and government communities is provided. An introductory description of the program, its history, strategy, and overall goals; identification of the organizational structures and people involved; and a description of each research task, together with a list of recent publications are included. The tasks are grouped into six categories: crystal growth; solidification of metals, alloys, and composites; fluids, transports, and chemical processes; and ultrahigh vacuum and containerless processing technologies; combustion experiments; and experimental technology.

Coherent Extreme Ultraviolet Generation and Surface Studies Using Ultraviolet Excimer Lasers.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-02-10

of Outer-Shell Electrons" 7. "A Theoretical Model of Inner-Shell ......................... 30 A Excitation by Outer-Snell Electrons" E. "Anomalous...rays are feasible. Our work involves a program of activities, involving both experimental and theoretical components, to explore the physical... theoretical effort con- centrating on the character of high order multiquantum coupling in the inten- sity regime above 1017 WcM2 . In addition

Blade Surface Pressure Distributions in a Rocket Engine Turbine: Experimental Work With On-Blade Pressure Transducers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, Susan T.; Zoladz, Thomas F.; Griffin, Lisa W.; Turner, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Understanding the unsteady aspects of turbine rotor flowfields is critical to successful future turbine designs. A technology program was conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to increase the understanding of unsteady environments for rocket engine turbines. The experimental program involved instrumenting turbine rotor blades with surface-mounted high frequency response pressure transducers. The turbine model was then tested to measure the unsteady pressures on the rotor blades. The data obtained from the experimental program is unique in three respects. First, much more unsteady data was obtained (several minutes per set point) than has been possible in the past. Also, two independent unsteady data acquisition systems and fundamental signal processing approaches were used. Finally, an extensive steady performance database existed for the turbine model. This allowed an evaluation of the effect of the on-blade instrumentation on the turbine's performance. This unique data set, the lessons learned for acquiring this type of data, and the improvements made to the data analysis and prediction tools will contribute to future turbine programs such as those for reusable launch vehicles.

Get away special the low-cost route to orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Prouty, C.

1986-01-01

NASA has established the Get Away Special (GAS) program as a means for providing anyone who wishes the opportunity to place a small self-contained experimental payload aboard a Space Shuttle mission for a very low cost. The GAS program is now well established, and has a respectable history with 53 payloads flown to date. The GAS experimenters are a diverse group who have demonstrated that people from all walks of life, and from many nations, are interested in working in space. This paper traces the history of the program from its concept through the development phase to the present time, and takes a brief look at the future. It also addresses the steps involved in making a payload reservation and the programmatic and technical relationships that are established between NASA and GAS customers.

The Cost-Accounting Mechanism in Higher Educational Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lukoshkin, A. P.; Min'ko, E. V.

1990-01-01

Examines the need to increase expenditures per student at Soviet technical institutes. Proposes seeking financial assistance from enterprises employing technical specialists. Outlines an experimental program in cost accounting. Suggests stipend and wage allotments and explains some of the contractual obligations involved. (CH)

EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF CRITICAL FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES IN HAZARDOUS WASTE INCINERATION

EPA Science Inventory

The report gives results of a laboratory-scale program investigating several fundamental issues involved in hazardous waste incineration. The key experiment for each study was the measurement of waste destruction behavior in a sub-scale turbulent spray flame. (1) Atomization Qual...

NACA0012 benchmark model experimental flutter results with unsteady pressure distributions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rivera, Jose A., Jr.; Dansberry, Bryan E.; Bennett, Robert M.; Durham, Michael H.; Silva, Walter A.

1992-01-01

The Structural Dynamics Division at NASA Langley Research Center has started a wind tunnel activity referred to as the Benchmark Models Program. The primary objective of this program is to acquire measured dynamic instability and corresponding pressure data that will be useful for developing and evaluating aeroelastic type computational fluid dynamics codes currently in use or under development. The program is a multi-year activity that will involve testing of several different models to investigate various aeroelastic phenomena. This paper describes results obtained from a second wind tunnel test of the first model in the Benchmark Models Program. This first model consisted of a rigid semispan wing having a rectangular planform and a NACA 0012 airfoil shape which was mounted on a flexible two degree of freedom mount system. Experimental flutter boundaries and corresponding unsteady pressure distribution data acquired over two model chords located at the 60 and 95 percent span stations are presented.

Effects of a Peer Helping Training Program on Helping Skills and Self-Growth of Peer Helpers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aladag, Mine; Tezer, Esin

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to develop a peer helping training program for university students in Turkey and to examine its effectiveness in improving the helping skills and self-growth of peer helpers. A pre-test, post-test, follow-up-test experimental design, involving a treatment and control group, was carried out with a total sample of 31…

U.S.A.: Illiteracy--Why and How to Tackle It.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Literacy Work, 1978

1978-01-01

Reviews the adult illiteracy problem in the United States and explains a U.S. experimental adult literacy program titled the apperception interaction method (AIM). It is noted that AIM involves reading, writing, discussion, and the taking of practical action by participants. (LRA)

Microgravity Science and Applications Program tasks, 1987 revision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

A compilation is presented of the active research tasks as of the end of the FY87 of the Microgravity Science and Applications Program, NASA-Office of Space Science and Applications, involving several NASA centers and other organizations. An overview is provided of the program scope for managers and scientists in industry, university, and government communities. An introductory description is provided of the program along with the strategy and overall goal, identification of the organizational structures and people involved, and a description of each task. A list of recent publications is also provided. The tasks are grouped into six major categories: Electronic Materials; Solidification of Metals, Alloys, and Composites; Fluid Dynamics and Transport Phenomena; Biotechnology; Glasses and Ceramics; and Combustion. Other categories include Experimental Technology, General Studies and Surveys; Foreign Government Affiliations; Industrial Affiliations; and Physics and Chemistry Experiments (PACE). The tasks are divided into ground based and flight experiments.

Microgravity Science and Applications Program tasks, 1988 revision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1989-01-01

The active research tasks as of the end of the fiscal year 1988 of the Microgravity Science and Applications Program, NASA-Office of Space Science and Applications, involving several NASA centers and other organizations are compiled. The purpose is to provide an overview of the program scope for managers and scientists in industry, university, and government communities. Also included are an introductory description of the program, the strategy and overall goal, identification of the organizational structures and people involved, and a description of each task. A list of recent publications is provided. The tasks are grouped into six major categories: electronic materials; solidification of metals, alloys, and composites; fluid dynamics and transport phenomena; biotechnology; glasses and ceramics; and combustion. Other categories include experimental technology, general studies and surveys; foreign government affiliations; industrial affiliations; and Physics And Chemistry Experiments (PACE). The tasks are divided into ground-based and flight experiments.

Epstein-Barr virus latency switch in human B-cells: a physico-chemical model.

PubMed

Werner, Maria; Ernberg, Ingemar; Zou, Jiezhi; Almqvist, Jenny; Aurell, Erik

2007-08-31

The Epstein-Barr virus is widespread in all human populations and is strongly associated with human disease, ranging from infectious mononucleosis to cancer. In infected cells the virus can adopt several different latency programs, affecting the cells' behaviour. Experimental results indicate that a specific genetic switch between viral latency programs, reprograms human B-cells between proliferative and resting states. Each of these two latency programs makes use of a different viral promoter, Cp and Qp, respectively. The hypothesis tested in this study is that this genetic switch is controlled by both human and viral transcription factors; Oct-2 and EBNA-1. We build a physico-chemical model to investigate quantitatively the dynamical properties of the promoter regulation and experimentally examine protein level variations between the two latency programs. Our experimental results display significant differences in EBNA-1 and Oct-2 levels between resting and proliferating programs. With the model we identify two stable latency programs, corresponding to a resting and proliferating cell. The two programs differ in robustness and transcriptional activity. The proliferating state is markedly more stable, with a very high transcriptional activity from its viral promoter. We predict the promoter activities to be mutually exclusive in the two different programs, and our relative promoter activities correlate well with experimental data. Transitions between programs can be induced, by affecting the protein levels of our transcription factors. Simulated time scales are in line with experimental results. We show that fundamental properties of the Epstein-Barr virus involvement in latent infection, with implications for tumor biology, can be modelled and understood mathematically. We conclude that EBNA-1 and Oct-2 regulation of Cp and Qp is sufficient to establish mutually exclusive expression patterns. Moreover, the modelled genetic control predict both mono- and bistable behavior and a considerable difference in transition dynamics, based on program stability and promoter activities. Both these phenomena we hope can be further investigated experimentally, to increase the understanding of this important switch. Our results also stress the importance of the little known regulation of human transcription factor Oct-2.

Overview of the Novel Intelligent JAXA Active Rotor Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saito, Shigeru; Kobiki, Noboru; Tanabe, Yasutada; Johnson, Wayne; Yamauchi, Gloria K.; Young, Larry A.

2010-01-01

The Novel Intelligent JAXA Active Rotor (NINJA Rotor) program is a cooperative effort between JAXA and NASA, involving a test of a JAXA pressure-instrumented, active-flap rotor in the 40- by 80-Foot Wind Tunnel at Ames Research Center. The objectives of the program are to obtain an experimental database of a rotor with active flaps and blade pressure instrumentation, and to use that data to develop analyses to predict the aerodynamic and aeroacoustic performance of rotors with active flaps. An overview of the program is presented, including a description of the rotor and preliminary pretest calculations.

A summary of special coatings projects conducted in support of the Die Casting Program

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

Selle, J.E.

1988-09-12

The usefulness of various kinds of coatings to the die casting program has been studied. This work includes heat transfer and fluid flow calculations, as well as experimental work, to examine the feasibility and characteristics of various types of coatings. Calculations include the effect of surface roughness on fluid flow, conductance as a function of coating thickness, conductivity as a function of coating porosity, and solidification and possible remelting of microspheres of metal. In each case, the model is described and the results are presented. Experimental work involved evaluating the relative insulating value of various coatings and an analysis ofmore » commercial flame-sprayed coatings, low-density coatings, and release coatings. In each case, description of the experimental arrangement is given and the results are described. 5 refs., 28 figs., 6 tabs.« less

Judy Netter | NREL

Science.gov Websites

thermochemical reactions (primarily hydrogen production), and recently Solar Power Tower Receiver design. She has . Her expertise involves the design and fabrication of prototype experimental equipment along with the programs and controls. CSP-related projects include the design of experiments and test equipment for

Use of Multi-Sensory Reinforcement in Toilet Training Retardates.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Karla K.; Armenti, Simma

A behavior modification program in toilet training, utilizing reinforcing properties of music, candy, cold drinks, and television was instigated with institutionalized (nontoilet trained) males, ages 15-20 , who were profoundly, severely and moderately mentally handicapped. Eleven experimental and 11 control subjects were involved. A Toileting…

The effectiveness of a sex education program facilitating social skills for people with intellectual disability in Japan.

PubMed

Hayashi, Mayumi; Arakida, Mikako; Ohashi, Kazutomo

2011-03-01

Sex education should include social skills, such as those that allow individuals to relate, socialize, and communicate with others, to assist people with intellectual disability (ID) to live life fully in the community. We administered and investigated the effects of a program involving 8 interactive sex education sessions that were aimed at improving the social skills of people with ID. Participants were 17 people with ID and 17 control group participants in Japan. The evaluation was conducted with a questionnaire based on KiSS-18 (Kikuchi's Scale of Social Skills: 18 items; Kikuchi, 2007 ). The score of KiSS-18 in the experimental group was 55.4 ± 12.9 before the administration of the program, as compared to a mean of 61.8 ± 13.2 after the program. A significant increase was identified. There was no significant difference between the first and second average score in the control group. The sex education program involving social skills training for people with ID had significant effects.

Evidence-based intervention against bullying and cyberbullying: Evaluation of the NoTrap! program in two independent trials.

PubMed

Palladino, Benedetta E; Nocentini, Annalaura; Menesini, Ersilia

2016-01-01

The NoTrap! (Noncadiamointrappola!) program is a school-based intervention, which utilizes a peer-led approach to prevent and combat both traditional bullying and cyberbullying. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of the third Edition of the program in accordance with the recent criteria for evidence-based interventions. Towards this aim, two quasi-experimental trials involving adolescents (age M = 14.91, SD = .98) attending their first year at different high schools were conducted. In Trial 1 (control group, n = 171; experimental group, n = 451), latent growth curve models for data from pre-, middle- and post-tests showed that intervention significantly predicted change over time in all the target variables (victimization, bullying, cybervictimization, and cyberbullying). Specifically, target variables were stable for the control group but decreased significantly over time for the experimental group. Long-term effects at the follow up 6 months later were also found. In Trial 2 (control group, n = 227; experimental group, n = 234), the moderating effect of gender was examined and there was a reported decrease in bullying and cyberbullying over time (pre- and post-test) in the experimental group but not the control group, and this decrease was similar for boys and girls. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effects of sleeping position on back pain in physically active seniors: A controlled pilot study.

PubMed

Desouzart, Gustavo; Matos, Rui; Melo, Filipe; Filgueiras, Ernesto

2015-01-01

The increase in life expectancy of elderly population has aroused the interest of different knowledge areas in understanding the variables that are involved in the aging process, linking them to other concepts such as active aging, healthy aging and the bio-psycho-social changes. This paper presents the results of the first controlled, experimental pilot study that aimed to analyze the relationship between the perception of back pain and the sleeping position adopted by physically active female seniors. Twenty female seniors (mean age 62.70 ± 3.827) participated in this study. The individuals were separated in 2 groups (Experimental and Control Group). For the carrying out of this study, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used to measure the intensity of back pain in the spine before and after four consecutive weeks an Intervention program. Individuals in the Experimental Group were instructed regarding the recommended way to sleep position (Intervention program) according to the pathological problems or the amount of pain reported. The Experimental Group (N = 10) presented significantly (p = 0.009) fewer complaints of back pain after an Intervention program in comparison to individuals who did not receive this type of information (Control Group).

Gender roles, physical and sexual violence prevention in primary extend to secondary school in Samutsakorn Province, Thailand.

PubMed

Chamroonsawasdi, Kanittha; Suparp, Jarueyporn; Kittipichai, Wirin; Khajornchaikul, Piyathida

2010-03-01

To enhance positive attitude and life skills on gender roles to prevent physical and sexual violence. A whole school-based participatory learning program using a quasi-experimental study with pre and post test design was conducted among 2 schools during June-September, 2005. The experimental group, were 134 students in a primary school and 179 students in a secondary school. While the control group, were 122 students in a primary school and 95 students in a secondary school. Means score of attitude toward gender roles before implementation in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05). After implementation, the means score in the experimental group was not significantly different from the control group (p > 0.05). Means paired different score (after-before) between the two groups was significantly different (p = 0.002). A whole school-based program on gender roles and violence prevention is suitable for youths and should be merged as school curricula and expanded as a nationwide program at all level of education. Gender equity should be taught at an early childhood. Parental involvement in school-based activities should be negotiated.

Highlights of Transient Plume Impingement Model Validation and Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woronowicz, Michael

2011-01-01

This paper describes highlights of an ongoing validation effort conducted to assess the viability of applying a set of analytic point source transient free molecule equations to model behavior ranging from molecular effusion to rocket plumes. The validation effort includes encouraging comparisons to both steady and transient studies involving experimental data and direct simulation Monte Carlo results. Finally, this model is applied to describe features of two exotic transient scenarios involving NASA Goddard Space Flight Center satellite programs.

Development of Communication Technology in Japan: The Hi-OVIS Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murata, Toshihiko

1981-01-01

Describes the two-way Highly Interactive Optical Visual Information System (Hi-OVIS), involving the transmission and reception of educational, advertising, and public service programing, which has been in experimental use in Japan since 1978. Utilizing fiber optics, the system equips each house with a keyboard, television, television camera, and…

A Study of the Generalizability of Teacher Change Quasi-Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stringfield, Samuel; Schaffer, Eugene; Devlin-Scherer, Roberta

2017-01-01

Quasi-experimental teacher effectiveness studies have indicated that properly designed staff development programs can lead to changes in teacher and student behavior and to gains in student achievement. Those studies involved workshop series led by nationally known scholars. Using instructors from varied backgrounds, the current study examined the…

Social cohesion through football: a quasi-experimental mixed methods design to evaluate a complex health promotion program

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Social isolation and disengagement fragments local communities. Evidence indicates that refugee families are highly vulnerable to social isolation in their countries of resettlement. Research to identify approaches to best address this is needed. Football United is a program that aims to foster social inclusion and cohesion in areas with high refugee settlement in New South Wales, Australia, through skills and leadership development, mentoring, and the creation of links with local community and corporate leaders and organisations. The Social Cohesion through Football study's broad goal is to examine the implementation of a complex health promotion program, and to analyse the processes involved in program implementation. The study will consider program impact on individual health and wellbeing, social inclusion and cohesion, as well as analyse how the program by necessity interacts and adapts to context during implementation, a concept we refer to as plasticity. The proposed study will be the first prospective cohort impact study to our knowledge to assess the impact of a comprehensive integrated program using football as a vehicle for fostering social inclusion and cohesion in communities with high refugee settlement. Methods/design A quasi-experimental cohort study design with treatment partitioning involving four study sites. The study employs a 'dose response' model, comparing those with no involvement in the Football United program with those with lower or higher levels of participation. A range of qualitative and quantitative measures will be used in the study. Study participants' emotional well being, resilience, ethnic identity and other group orientation, feelings of social inclusion and belonging will be measured using a survey instrument complemented by relevant data drawn from in-depth interviews, self reporting measures and participant observation. The views of key informants from the program and the wider community will also be solicited. Discussion The complexity of the Football United program poses challenges for measurement, and requires the study design to be responsive to the dynamic nature of the program and context. Assessment of change is needed at multiple levels, drawing on mixed methods and multidisciplinary approaches in implementation and evaluation. Attention to these challenges has underpinned the design and methods in the Social Cohesion through Football study, which will use a unique and innovative combination of measures that have not been applied together previously in social inclusion/cohesion and sport and social inclusion/cohesion program research. PMID:20920361

Social cohesion through football: a quasi-experimental mixed methods design to evaluate a complex health promotion program.

PubMed

Nathan, Sally; Bunde-Birouste, Anne; Evers, Clifton; Kemp, Lynn; MacKenzie, Julie; Henley, Robert

2010-10-05

Social isolation and disengagement fragments local communities. Evidence indicates that refugee families are highly vulnerable to social isolation in their countries of resettlement. Research to identify approaches to best address this is needed. Football United is a program that aims to foster social inclusion and cohesion in areas with high refugee settlement in New South Wales, Australia, through skills and leadership development, mentoring, and the creation of links with local community and corporate leaders and organisations. The Social Cohesion through Football study's broad goal is to examine the implementation of a complex health promotion program, and to analyse the processes involved in program implementation. The study will consider program impact on individual health and wellbeing, social inclusion and cohesion, as well as analyse how the program by necessity interacts and adapts to context during implementation, a concept we refer to as plasticity. The proposed study will be the first prospective cohort impact study to our knowledge to assess the impact of a comprehensive integrated program using football as a vehicle for fostering social inclusion and cohesion in communities with high refugee settlement. A quasi-experimental cohort study design with treatment partitioning involving four study sites. The study employs a 'dose response' model, comparing those with no involvement in the Football United program with those with lower or higher levels of participation. A range of qualitative and quantitative measures will be used in the study. Study participants' emotional well being, resilience, ethnic identity and other group orientation, feelings of social inclusion and belonging will be measured using a survey instrument complemented by relevant data drawn from in-depth interviews, self reporting measures and participant observation. The views of key informants from the program and the wider community will also be solicited. The complexity of the Football United program poses challenges for measurement, and requires the study design to be responsive to the dynamic nature of the program and context. Assessment of change is needed at multiple levels, drawing on mixed methods and multidisciplinary approaches in implementation and evaluation. Attention to these challenges has underpinned the design and methods in the Social Cohesion through Football study, which will use a unique and innovative combination of measures that have not been applied together previously in social inclusion/cohesion and sport and social inclusion/cohesion program research.

Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor Program: Argonne facilities

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

Stephens, S. V.

1976-09-01

The objective of the document is to present in one volume an overview of the Argonne National Laboratory test facilities involved in the conduct of the national LMFBR research and development program. Existing facilities and those under construction or authorized as of September 1976 are described. Each profile presents brief descriptions of the overall facility and its test area and data relating to its experimental and testing capability. The volume is divided into two sections: Argonne-East and Argonne-West. Introductory material for each section includes site and facility maps. The profiles are arranged alphabetically by title according to their respective locationsmore » at Argonne-East or Argonne-West. A glossary of acronyms and letter designations in common usage to describe organizations, reactor and test facilities, components, etc., involved in the LMFBR program is appended.« less

Effectiveness of a role-play simulation program involving the sbar technique: A quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Yu, Mi; Kang, Kyung Ja

2017-06-01

Accurate, skilled communication in handover is of high priority in maintaining patients' safety. Nursing students have few chances to practice nurse-to-doctor handover in clinical training, and some have little knowledge of what constitutes effective handover or lack confidence in conveying information. This study aimed to develop a role-play simulation program involving the Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation technique for nurse-to-doctor handover; implement the program; and analyze its effects on situation, background, assessment, recommendation communication, communication clarity, handover confidence, and education satisfaction in nursing students. Non-equivalent control-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental. A convenience sample of 62 senior nursing students from two Korean universities. The differences in SBAR communication, communication clarity, handover confidence, and education satisfaction between the control and intervention groups were measured before and after program participation. The intervention group showed higher Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation communication scores (t=-3.05, p=0.003); communication clarity scores in doctor notification scenarios (t=-5.50, p<0.001); and Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation education satisfaction scores (t=-4.94, p<0.001) relative to those of the control group. There was no significant difference in handover confidence between groups (t=-1.97, p=0.054). The role-play simulation program developed in this study could be used to promote communication skills in nurse-to-doctor handover and cultivate communicative competence in nursing students. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Effects of a Combined Exercise Program Using an iPad for Older Adults

PubMed Central

Lee, Juhee; Byun, Jinyee; Lee, Minkyung

2016-01-01

Objectives The purpose of this study was to examine the function, health status, and efficacy effects of a combined exercise program using an iPad among older women in Korea, a tech-savvy country. Methods The study employed a pretest and posttest experimental design with a control group. The experimental group of subjects comprised 16 female older adults and the control group comprised 10 who were aged 65 years or older. The experimental group participated in a supervised group-based exercise program and an individualized home-based exercise program that involved the use of an iPad. The combined group and home-based exercise program consisted of group exercise, which took place in a senior center for 30 minutes weekly, and a home-based iPad exercise program, which the subjects followed at least 3 times a week. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS ver. 9.3 TS Level 1M0) program, which utilized a chi-square test, a Fisher exact test, a t-test, and a repeated-measures ANOVA. Results The results showed that cognitive status changed significantly over time, and there was an interaction between group and time. Further, self-efficacy for exercise and outcome expectations for exercise changed significantly over time. Conclusions Exercise programs using iPad interventions may be useful for the management of cognitive functioning and the integration of functional physical abilities in older adults. PMID:27200215

The Design of an Interface to a Programming System and MENUNIX: A Menu-Based Interface to UNIX (User Manual). Two Papers in Cognitive Engineering. Technical Report No. 8105.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perlman, Gary

This report consists of two papers on MENUNIX, an experimental interface to the approximately 300 programs and files available on the Berkeley UNIX 4.0 version of the UNIX operating system. The first paper discusses some of the psychological concerns involved in the design of MENUNIX; the second is a tutorial user manual for MENUNIX, in which the…

Chemical vapor deposition growth

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ruth, R. P.; Manasevit, H. M.; Campbell, A. G.; Johnson, R. E.; Kenty, J. L.; Moudy, L. A.; Shaw, G. L.; Simpson, W. I.; Yang, J. J.

1978-01-01

The objective was to investigate and develop chemical vapor deposition (CVD) techniques for the growth of large areas of Si sheet on inexpensive substrate materials, with resulting sheet properties suitable for fabricating solar cells that would meet the technical goals of the Low Cost Silicon Solar Array Project. The program involved six main technical tasks: (1) modification and test of an existing vertical-chamber CVD reactor system; (2) identification and/or development of suitable inexpensive substrate materials; (3) experimental investigation of CVD process parameters using various candidate substrate materials; (4) preparation of Si sheet samples for various special studies, including solar cell fabrication; (5) evaluation of the properties of the Si sheet material produced by the CVD process; and (6) fabrication and evaluation of experimental solar cell structures, using impurity diffusion and other standard and near-standard processing techniques supplemented late in the program by the in situ CVD growth of n(+)/p/p(+) sheet structures subsequently processed into experimental cells.

2011 Nanoelectronic Devices for Defense & Security (NANO-DDS) Conference Held in Brooklyn, New York on August 29-September 1, 2011. Technical Program and Abstract Digest

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-08-01

challenges in new design methodologies . Particular examples involve an in-circuit functional timing testing of systems with millions of cores. I...TECHNIQUES Chair: Dwight Woolard, U.S. Army Research Office (ARO) 8:40-9:05 EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN OF SINGLE-CRYSTAL DNA FOR THZ SPECTROSCOPY...Detection Based Techniques EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN OF SINGLE-CRYSTAL DNA FOR THZ SPECTROSCOPY E. R. Brown, M.L. Norton, M. Rahman, W. Zhang Wright

Variable conductance heat pipe technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcus, B. D.; Edwards, D. K.; Anderson, W. T.

1973-01-01

Research and development programs in variable conductance heat pipe technology were conducted. The treatment has been comprehensive, involving theoretical and/or experimental studies in hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, heat transfer into and out of the pipe, fluid selection, and materials compatibility, in addition to the principal subject of variable conductance control techniques. Efforts were not limited to analytical work and laboratory experimentation, but extended to the development, fabrication and test of spacecraft hardware, culminating in the successful flight of the Ames Heat Pipe Experiment on the OAO-C spacecraft.

Hypersonic nozzle/afterbody CFD code validation. I - Experimental measurements

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spaid, Frank W.; Keener, Earl R.

1993-01-01

This study was conducted to obtain a detailed experimental description of the flow field created by the interaction of a single-expansion-ramp-nozzle flow with a hypersonic external stream. Data were obtained from a generic nozzle/afterbody model in the 3.5-Foot Hypersonic Wind Tunnel of the NASA Ames Research Center in a cooperative experimental program involving Ames and the McDonnell Douglas Research Laboratories. This paper presents experimental results consisting primarily of surveys obtained with a five-hole total-pressure/flow-direction probe and a total-temperature probe. These surveys were obtained in the flow field created by the interaction between the underexpanded jet plume and the external flow.

[Effects of a Patient Educational Video Program on Bowel Preparation Prior to Colonoscopy].

PubMed

Cho, You Young; Kim, Hyeon Ok

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of an educational video program on bowel preparation for a colonoscopy. The study used a non-equivalent control group and non-synchronized design as a quasi-experimental research involving 101 participants undergoing bowel preparation for a colonoscopy (experimental group 51, control group 50 subjects) at W. university hospital, from Aug. 7 to Oct. 31, 2013. The control group received verbal education with an explanatory note while the experimental group received education using a video program. To measure knowledge of diet restrictions and compliance with ingesting bowel preparation solutions, a questionnaire, based on The Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy's Guide (2003), developed by Sam-Sook You, was used after revisions and supplementation was done. To measure bowel cleanness, the 'Aronchick Bowel Preparation Scale' was adopted. Data were analyzed using the SPSS WIN 12.0 program. A higher proportion of the experimental group showed a positive change in knowledge level on diet restrictions (U=1011.50, p=.035) and ingestion of bowel preparation solutions (U=980.50, p=.019), a higher level of compliance with diet restrictions (U=638.50, p<.001), ingesting bowel preparation solutions (U=668.00, p<.001) and the level of bowel cleanness (χ²=17.00, p<.001) than the control group. The results of this study indicate that a video educational program for patients having a colonoscopy can improve knowledge, level of compliance with diet restrictions, ingestion of bowel preparation solutions, and bowel cleanness. Therefore video educational program should be used with this patient group.

Search for the critical point of the nuclear matter phase diagram. first results from the beam energy SCAN program at RHIC

DOE PAGES

Odyniec, Grazyna

2012-01-01

In 2010, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) launched a multi-step experimental program to investigate the QCD Phase Diagram in general, and to search for the QCD Critical Point (CP) and/or 1st order phase transition in particular. The BES (Beam Energy Scan) program involves an “energy scan” of Au+Au collisions from the top RHIC energy (√s = 200 GeV) down to energies as low as 5 GeV in NN center of mass. During the first BES run (2010), data were collected at 7.7, 11.5 and 39 GeV. It was complemented in 2011 by two other data sets at 27 andmore » 19.6 GeV. The preparations for the remaining data taking at √s = 5 GeV are in progress. The overview of the BES program and the first experimental results are presented and discussed.« less

Search for the critical point of the nuclear matter phase diagram. first results from the beam energy SCAN program at RHIC

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

Odyniec, Grazyna

In 2010, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) launched a multi-step experimental program to investigate the QCD Phase Diagram in general, and to search for the QCD Critical Point (CP) and/or 1st order phase transition in particular. The BES (Beam Energy Scan) program involves an “energy scan” of Au+Au collisions from the top RHIC energy (√s = 200 GeV) down to energies as low as 5 GeV in NN center of mass. During the first BES run (2010), data were collected at 7.7, 11.5 and 39 GeV. It was complemented in 2011 by two other data sets at 27 andmore » 19.6 GeV. The preparations for the remaining data taking at √s = 5 GeV are in progress. The overview of the BES program and the first experimental results are presented and discussed.« less

Microgravity sciences application visiting scientist program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

Contract NAS8-38785, Microgravity Experimental and Theoretical Research, is a project involving a large number of individual research programs related to: determination of the structure of human serum albumin and other biomedically important proteins; analysis of thermodynamic properties of various proteins and models of protein nucleation; development of experimental techniques for the growth of protein crystals in space; study of the physics of electrical double layers in the mechanics of liquid interfaces; computational analysis of vapor crystal growth processes in microgravity; analysis of the influence of magnetic fields in damping residual flows in directional solidification processes; crystal growth and characterization of II-VI semiconductor alloys; and production of thin films for nonlinear optics. It is not intended that the programs will be necessarily limited to this set at any one time. The visiting scientists accomplishing these programs shall serve on-site at MSFC to take advantage of existing laboratory facilities and the daily opportunities for technical communications with various senior scientists.

Experimental Models of Maternal Obesity and Neuroendocrine Programming of Metabolic Disorders in Offspring.

PubMed

Reynolds, Clare M; Segovia, Stephanie A; Vickers, Mark H

2017-01-01

Evidence from epidemiological, clinical, and experimental studies have clearly shown that disease risk in later life is increased following a poor early life environment, a process preferentially termed developmental programming. In particular, this work clearly highlights the importance of the nutritional environment during early development with alterations in maternal nutrition, including both under- and overnutrition, increasing the risk for a range of cardiometabolic and neurobehavioral disorders in adult offspring characterized by both adipokine resistance and obesity. Although the mechanistic basis for such developmental programming is not yet fully defined, a common feature derived from experimental animal models is that of alterations in the wiring of the neuroendocrine pathways that control energy balance and appetite regulation during early stages of developmental plasticity. The adipokine leptin has also received significant attention with clear experimental evidence that normal regulation of leptin levels during the early life period is critical for the normal development of tissues and related signaling pathways that are involved in metabolic and cardiovascular homeostasis. There is also increasing evidence that alterations in the epigenome and other underlying mechanisms including an altered gut-brain axis may contribute to lasting cardiometabolic dysfunction in offspring. Ongoing studies that further define the mechanisms between these associations will allow for identification of early risk markers and implementation of strategies around interventions that will have obvious beneficial implications in breaking a programmed transgenerational cycle of metabolic disorders.

Computations of soot and and NO sub x emissions from gas turbine combustors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Srivatsa, S. K.

1982-01-01

An analytical program was conducted to compute the soot and NOx emissions from a combustor and the radiation heat transfer to the combustor walls. The program involved the formulation of an emission and radiation model and the incorporation of this model into the Garrett 3-D Combustor Perfomance Computer Program. Computations were performed for the idle, cruise, and take-off conditions of a JT8D can combustor. The predicted soot and NOx emissions and the radiation heat transfer to the combustor walls agree reasonably well with the limited experimental data available.

Gaming via Computer Simulation Techniques for Junior College Economics Education. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Fred A.

A study designed to answer the need for more attractive and effective economics education involved the teaching of one junior college economics class by the conventional (lecture) method and an experimental class by computer simulation techniques. Econometric models approximating the "real world" were computer programed to enable the experimental…

Enhancing Eight Grade Students' Scientific Conceptual Change and Scientific Reasoning through a Web-Based Learning Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liao, Ya-Wen; She, Hsiao-Ching

2009-01-01

This study reports the impacts of the Scientific Concept Construction and Reconstruction (SCCR) digital learning system on eighth grade students' concept construction, conceptual change, and scientific reasoning involving the topic of "atoms". A two-factorial experimental design was carried out to investigate the effects of the approach…

Young People and Caregivers' Perceptions of an Intervention Program for Children Who Deliberately Light Fires

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambie, Ian; Seymour, Fred; Popaduk, Tanya

2012-01-01

A significant number of children and adolescents engage in deliberate fire setting, beyond the scope of curiosity and experimentation. Interventions developed to respond to the needs of such fire setters generally involve educational and/or psychosocial approaches. Research evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions is dominated by…

Tapping Recent Alumni for the Development of Cutting-Edge, Investigative Teaching Laboratory Experiments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brodl, Mark R.

2005-01-01

This project presents a model for the development of an innovative, highly-experimental teaching laboratory course that centers upon collaborative efforts between recent alumni currently enrolled in Ph. D. programs (consultants) and current faculty. Because these consultants are involved in cutting-edge research, their combined talents represent a…

Follow Through Classroom Process Measurement and Pupil Growth (1970-71). Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soar, Robert S.

This study presents results from the last year of a three-year adjunctive evaluation of classroom process measurement and pupil growth. A total of 289 classrooms involving eight experimental programs, ranging from open classrooms to contingency management classes, along with a comparison sample, were observed. Four observation instruments were…

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009: Final Report on Customer Acceptance, Retention, and Response to Time-Based Rates from Consumer Behavior Studies

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

Cappers, Peter; Scheer, Rich

Time-based rate programs, enabled by utility investments in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), are increasingly being considered by utilities as tools to reduce peak demand and enable customers to better manage consumption and costs. Under the Smart Grid Investment Grant Program (SGIG), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnered with several electric utilities to conduct consumer behavior studies (CBS). The goals involved applying randomized and controlled experimental designs for estimating customer responses more precisely and credibly to advance understanding of time-based rates and customer systems, and provide new information for improving program designs, implementation strategies, and evaluations. The intent was tomore » produce more robust and credible analysis of impacts, costs, benefits, and lessons learned and assist utility and regulatory decision makers in evaluating investment opportunities involving time-based rates.« less

The Cognitive and Motivation Intervention Program in Youth Female Volleyball Players.

PubMed

Claver, Fernando; Jiménez, Ruth; Gil-Arias, Alexander; Moreno, Alberto; Moreno, M Perla

2017-10-01

This study, grounded in Self-Determination Theory (Deci and Ryan, 1985, 2002) was aimed to determine the influence of a cognitive-motivational intervention program, to improve the basic psychological need satisfaction of autonomy and competence, autonomous motivation, procedural knowledge, perceived performance and sport commitment, in youth volleyball players. Participants included 34 Under-19 female volleyball players. A quasi-experimental design was carried out with an experimental group (n = 16; M = 17.45; SD = .45) and a control group (n = 18; M = 16.64; SD = .70). The experimental group followed a multidimensional intervention program comprised of 24 sessions held over three months (two training sessions per week). It was based on two strategies: giving athletes the possibility of choice in specific training tasks (proposing training situations with several action alternatives) and questioning (cognitively involving players through tactical questions). A repeated-measures MANOVA 2 (group: experimental and control) x 2 (time: pre-test and post-test) was used to analyse the effect of Group x Time interaction. The results of the inter-group analysis showed significant differences in the post-test measurement between the experimental group and the control group (in favour of the experimental group) in the variables: basic psychological need satisfaction of autonomy and competence, autonomous motivation, procedural knowledge, perceived performance and sport commitment. Given the relevance of the cognitive-motivational processes, not only for performance but also for sport commitment, this intervention has important implications for sport coaching.

Motor programming in apraxia of speech.

PubMed

Maas, Edwin; Robin, Donald A; Wright, David L; Ballard, Kirrie J

2008-08-01

Apraxia of Speech (AOS) is an impairment of motor programming. However, the exact nature of this deficit remains unclear. The present study examined motor programming in AOS in the context of a recent two-stage model [Klapp, S. T. (1995). Motor response programming during simple and choice reaction time: The role of practice. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 21, 1015-1027; Klapp, S. T. (2003). Reaction time analysis of two types of motor preparation for speech articulation: Action as a sequence of chunks. Journal of Motor Behavior, 35, 135-150] that proposes a preprogramming stage (INT) and a process that assigns serial order to multiple programs in a sequence (SEQ). The main hypothesis was that AOS involves a process-specific deficit in the INT (preprogramming) stage of processing, rather than in the on-line serial ordering (SEQ) and initiation of movement. In addition, we tested the hypothesis that AOS involves a central (i.e., modality-general) motor programming deficit. We used a reaction time paradigm that provides two dependent measures: study time (the amount of time for participants to ready a motor response; INT), and reaction time (time to initiate movement; SEQ). Two experiments were conducted to examine INT and SEQ in AOS: Experiment 1 involved finger movements, Experiment 2 involved speech movements analogous to the finger movements. Results showed longer preprogramming time for patients with AOS but normal sequencing and initiation times, relative to controls. Together, the findings are consistent with the hypothesis of a process-specific, but central (modality-independent) deficit in AOS; alternative explanations are also discussed.

Toward Predictive Theories of Nuclear Reactions Across the Isotopic Chart: Web Report

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

Escher, J. E.; Blackmon, J.; Elster, C.

Recent years have seen exciting new developments and progress in nuclear structure theory, reaction theory, and experimental techniques, that allow us to move towards a description of exotic systems and environments, setting the stage for new discoveries. The purpose of the 5-week program was to bring together physicists from the low-energy nuclear structure and reaction communities to identify avenues for achieving reliable and predictive descriptions of reactions involving nuclei across the isotopic chart. The 4-day embedded workshop focused on connecting theory developments to experimental advances and data needs for astrophysics and other applications. Nuclear theory must address phenomena from laboratorymore » experiments to stellar environments, from stable nuclei to weakly-bound and exotic isotopes. Expanding the reach of theory to these regimes requires a comprehensive understanding of the reaction mechanisms involved as well as detailed knowledge of nuclear structure. A recurring theme throughout the program was the desire to produce reliable predictions rooted in either ab initio or microscopic approaches. At the same time it was recognized that some applications involving heavy nuclei away from stability, e.g. those involving fi ssion fragments, may need to rely on simple parameterizations of incomplete data for the foreseeable future. The goal here, however, is to subsequently improve and refine the descriptions, moving to phenomenological, then microscopic approaches. There was overarching consensus that future work should also focus on reliable estimates of errors in theoretical descriptions.« less

Pilot study of a training program to enhance transformational leadership in Spinal Cord Injury Peer Mentors.

PubMed

Martin Ginis, Kathleen A; Shaw, Robert B; Stork, Matthew J; Battalova, Alfiya; McBride, Christopher B

2018-01-01

Experimental, pragmatic design. (1) To determine the effects of a transformational leadership (TFL) training program on spinal cord injury (SCI) peer mentors and their mentees; (2) To document characteristics of mentorship within a community-based SCI peer mentor program. In total 23 SCI peer mentors (70% male; M age = 47.4 ± 12.1) were randomly allocated to an Experimental or Control condition. Experimental condition mentors received a half-day TFL workshop and bi-weekly emailed information on using TFL in SCI peer mentorship. Sixteen SCI mentees (50% male; M age = 49.1 ± 12.9) enrolled in the study and 9 completed measures of self-efficacy and their mentors' use of TFL and supportiveness at 3 and 6-months. Mentors completed monthly reports of mentorship activities. Community-based peer mentorship program in British Columbia, Canada. There were no between-groups differences in mentee self-efficacy, mentor use of TFL or mentor supportiveness. In the Experimental condition only, total mentorship time and sessions were positively correlated with mentors' use of TFL and supportiveness. Mentorship occurred in-person, by phone, text, and email and mentors discussed an average of 11 topics. The intervention did not increase SCI peer mentors' use of TFL relative to a Control condition. Nevertheless, there may be merit in coaching SCI peer mentors to use TFL given the positive correlations between mentorship time and sessions, TFL use, and perceived supportiveness of the mentor. Although inherently challenging, research involving community-based SCI peer mentorship programs provides opportunities for scientists and community organizations to extend knowledge of peer mentorship beyond the context of hospital-based programs. Research supported by a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant.

[Effects of an educational program for the reduction of physical restraint use by caregivers in geriatric hospitals].

PubMed

Choi, Keumbong; Kim, Jinsun

2009-12-01

The purposes of this study were to develop an educational program to reduce the use of physical restraints for caregivers in geriatric hospitals and to evaluate the effects of the program on caregivers' knowledge, attitude and nursing practice related to the use of physical restraints. A quasi experimental study with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants were recruited from two geriatric hospitals. Eighteen caregivers were assigned to the experimental group and 20 to the control group. The data were collected prior to the intervention and at 6 weeks after the intervention through the use of self-administered questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, X(2) test, Fisher's exact probability test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. After the intervention, knowledge about physical restraints increased significantly in experimental group compared to the control group. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the groups for attitude and nursing practice involving physical restraints. Findings indicate that it is necessary to apply knowledge acquired through educational programs to nursing practice to reduce the use of physical restraints. User friendly guidelines for physical restraints, administrative support of institutions, and multidisciplinary approaches are required to achieve this goal.

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

Scaglione, John M; Montgomery, Rose; Bevard, Bruce Balkcom

This test plan describes the experimental work to be implemented by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) to characterize high burnup (HBU) spent nuclear fuel (SNF) in conjunction with the High Burnup Dry Storage Cask Research and Development Project and serves to coordinate and integrate the multi-year experimental program to collect and develop data regarding the continued storage and eventual transport of HBU (i.e., >45 GWd/MTU) SNF. The work scope involves the development, performance, technical integration, and oversight of measurements and collection of relevant data, guided by analyses and demonstration of need.

Buoyancy-Driven Instabilities in Single-Bubble Sonoluminescence

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matula, Thomas J.

2003-01-01

The principal objectives of this study are to determine how gravity affects the emission of light from single-bubble sonoluminescence (SBSL), and whether or not the bubble extinction is directly related to gravity. Our experimental task involves designing glass or quartz spherical levitation cells that generate very stable SL bubbles. The cells must have minimized vibration, and some temperature control. The experimental system will reside in a light-tight enclosure. Aside from acceleration, the frequency, pressure amplitude, and light intensity must be measured. A computer program will be constructed to perform all aspects of the experiment.

Planning an integrated agriculture and health program and designing its evaluation: Experience from Western Kenya.

PubMed

Cole, Donald C; Levin, Carol; Loechl, Cornelia; Thiele, Graham; Grant, Frederick; Girard, Aimee Webb; Sindi, Kirimi; Low, Jan

2016-06-01

Multi-sectoral programs that involve stakeholders in agriculture, nutrition and health care are essential for responding to nutrition problems such as vitamin A deficiency among pregnant and lactating women and their infants in many poor areas of lower income countries. Yet planning such multi-sectoral programs and designing appropriate evaluations, to respond to different disciplinary cultures of evidence, remain a challenge. We describe the context, program development process, and evaluation design of the Mama SASHA project (Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa) which promoted production and consumption of a bio-fortified, orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). In planning the program we drew upon information from needs assessments, stakeholder consultations, and a first round of the implementation evaluation of a pilot project. The multi-disciplinary team worked with partner organizations to develop a program theory of change and an impact pathway which identified aspects of the program that would be monitored and established evaluation methods. Responding to the growing demand for greater rigour in impact evaluations, we carried out quasi-experimental allocation by health facility catchment area, repeat village surveys for assessment of change in intervention and control areas, and longitudinal tracking of individual mother-child pairs. Mid-course corrections in program implementation were informed by program monitoring, regular feedback from implementers and partners' meetings. To assess economic efficiency and provide evidence for scaling we collected data on resources used and project expenses. Managing the multi-sectoral program and the mixed methods evaluation involved bargaining and trade-offs that were deemed essential to respond to the array of stakeholders, program funders and disciplines involved. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Planning an integrated agriculture and health program and designing its evaluation: Experience from Western Kenya

PubMed Central

Cole, Donald C.; Levin, Carol; Loechl, Cornelia; Thiele, Graham; Grant, Frederick; Girard, Aimee Webb; Sindi, Kirimi; Low, Jan

2016-01-01

Multi-sectoral programs that involve stakeholders in agriculture, nutrition and health care are essential for responding to nutrition problems such as vitamin A deficiency among pregnant and lactating women and their infants in many poor areas of lower income countries. Yet planning such multi-sectoral programs and designing appropriate evaluations, to respond to different disciplinary cultures of evidence, remain a challenge. We describe the context, program development process, and evaluation design of the Mama SASHA project (Sweetpotato Action for Security and Health in Africa) which promoted production and consumption of a bio-fortified, orange-fleshed sweetpotato (OFSP). In planning the program we drew upon information from needs assessments, stakeholder consultations, and a first round of the implementation evaluation of a pilot project. The multi-disciplinary team worked with partner organizations to develop a program theory of change and an impact pathway which identified aspects of the program that would be monitored and established evaluation methods. Responding to the growing demand for greater rigour in impact evaluations, we carried out quasi-experimental allocation by health facility catchment area, repeat village surveys for assessment of change in intervention and control areas, and longitudinal tracking of individual mother-child pairs. Mid-course corrections in program implementation were informed by program monitoring, regular feedback from implementers and partners’ meetings. To assess economic efficiency and provide evidence for scaling we collected data on resources used and project expenses. Managing the multi-sectoral program and the mixed methods evaluation involved bargaining and trade-offs that were deemed essential to respond to the array of stakeholders, program funders and disciplines involved. PMID:27003730

Can encouraging substance abuse patients to participate in self-help groups reduce demand for health care? A quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Humphreys , K; Moos, R

2001-05-01

Twelve-step-oriented inpatient treatment programs emphasize 12-step treatment approaches and the importance of ongoing attendance at 12-step self-help groups more than do cognitive-behavioral (CB) inpatient treatment programs. This study evaluated whether this difference in therapeutic approach leads patients who are treated in 12-step programs to rely less on professionally provided services and more on self-help groups after discharge, thereby reducing long-term health care costs. A prospective, quasi-experimental comparison of 12-step-based (N = 5) and cognitive-behavioral (n = 5) inpatient treatment programs was conducted. These treatments were compared on the degree to which their patients participated in self-help groups, used outpatient and inpatient mental health services, and experienced positive outcomes (e.g., abstinence) in the year following discharge. Using a larger sample from an ongoing research project, 887 male substance-dependent patients from each type of treatment program were matched on pre-intake health care costs (N = 1774). At baseline and 1-year follow-up, patients' involvement in self-help groups (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous), utilization and costs of mental health services, and clinical outcomes were assessed. Compared with patients treated in CB programs, patients treated in 12-step programs had significantly greater involvement in self-help groups at follow-up. In contrast, patients treated in CB programs averaged almost twice as many outpatient continuing care visits after discharge (22.5 visits) as patients treated in 12-step treatment programs (13.1 visits), and also received significantly more days of inpatient care (17.0 days in CB versus 10.5 in 12-step), resulting in 64% higher annual costs in CB programs ($4729/patient, p < 0.001). Psychiatric and substance abuse outcomes were comparable across treatments, except that 12-step patients had higher rates of abstinence at follow-up (45.7% versus 36.2% for patients from CB programs, p < 0.001). Professional treatment programs that emphasize self-help approaches increase their patients' reliance on cost-free self-help groups and thereby lower subsequent health care costs. Such programs therefore represent a cost-effective approach to promoting recovery from substance abuse.

Contributions to systemic analysis for worm screw production using thread whirling devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cretu, G.

2017-08-01

The paper aims to achieve a systemic analysis of worms processing using whirling threaded devices with highlighting all the factors involved in this system. It will also carry out an analysis of these factors depending on specific conditions such machining. Are also presented the stages of experimentation program and ways of processing for data obtained.

The Effects of an Audio-Visual Training Program in Dyslexic Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Magnan, Annie; Ecalle, Jean; Veuillet, Evelyne; Collet, Lionel

2004-01-01

A research project was conducted in order to investigate the usefulness of intensive audio-visual training administered to children with dyslexia involving daily voicing exercises. In this study, the children received such voicing training (experimental group) for 30 min a day, 4 days a week, over 5 weeks. They were assessed on a reading task…

Persistence of Learning Gains from Computer Assisted Learning: Experimental Evidence from China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mo, D.; Zhang, L.; Wang, J.; Huang, W.; Shi, Y.; Boswell, M.; Rozelle, S.

2015-01-01

Computer assisted learning (CAL) programs have been shown to be effective in improving educational outcomes. However, the existing studies on CAL have almost all been conducted over a short period of time. There is very little evidence on how the impact evolves over time. In response, we conducted a clustered randomized experiment involving 2741…

Project EX: A Program of Empirical Research on Adolescent Tobacco Use Cessation

PubMed Central

Sussman, Steve; McCuller, William J; Zheng, Hong; Pfingston, Yvonne M; Miyano, James; Dent, Clyde W

2004-01-01

This paper presents the Project EX research program. The historical background for Project EX is presented, including a brief summary of reasons youth fail to quit tobacco use, the disappointing status of previous cessation research, and the teen cessation trial that provided the template for the current project (Project TNT). Next, program development studies for Project EX are described. Through use of focus groups, a theme study (concept evaluation of written activity descriptions), a component study, and pilot studies, an eight-session program was developed. This program involves novel activities (e.g., "talk show enactments," games, and alternative medicine-type activities such as yoga and meditation) in combination with motivation enhancement and cognitive-behavioral strategies to motivate and instruct in cessation initiation and maintenance efforts. The outcomes of the first experimental trial of Project EX, a school-based clinic program, are described, followed by a posthoc analysis of its effects mediation. A second EX study, a multiple baseline single group pilot study design in Wuhan, China, is described next. Description of a second experimental trial follows, which tested EX with nicotine gum versus a natural herb. A third experimental trial that tests a classroom prevention/cessation version of EX is then introduced. Finally, the implications of this work are discussed. The intent-to-treat quit rate for Project EX is approximately 15% across studies, double that of a standard care comparison. Effects last up to a six-month post-program at regular and alternative high schools. Through a systematic protocol of empirical program development and field trials, an effective and replicable model teen tobacco use cessation program is established. Future cessation work might expand on this work.

Project EX: A Program of Empirical Research on Adolescent Tobacco Use Cessation

PubMed Central

Sussman, Steve; McCuller, William J; Zheng, Hong; Pfingston, Yvonne M; Miyano, James; Dent, Clyde W

2004-01-01

This paper presents the Project EX research program. The historical background for Project EX is presented, including a brief summary of reasons youth fail to quit tobacco use, the disappointing status of previous cessation research, and the teen cessation trial that provided the template for the current project (Project TNT). Next, program development studies for Project EX are described. Through use of focus groups, a theme study (concept evaluation of written activity descriptions), a component study, and pilot studies, an eight-session program was developed. This program involves novel activities (e.g., "talk show enactments," games, and alternative medicine-type activities such as yoga and meditation) in combination with motivation enhancement and cognitive-behavioral strategies to motivate and instruct in cessation initiation and maintenance efforts. The outcomes of the first experimental trial of Project EX, a school-based clinic program, are described, followed by a posthoc analysis of its effects mediation. A second EX study, a multiple baseline single group pilot study design in Wuhan, China, is described next. Description of a second experimental trial follows, which tested EX with nicotine gum versus a natural herb. A third experimental trial that tests a classroom prevention/cessation version of EX is then introduced. Finally, the implications of this work are discussed. The intent-to-treat quit rate for Project EX is approximately 15% across studies, double that of a standard care comparison. Effects last up to a six-month post-program at regular and alternative high schools. Through a systematic protocol of empirical program development and field trials, an effective and replicable model teen tobacco use cessation program is established. Future cessation work might expand on this work. PMID:19570278

Compliance of nursing students with infection prevention precautions: effectiveness of a teaching program.

PubMed

Al-Hussami, Mahmoud; Darawad, Muhammad

2013-04-01

In Jordan's nursing schools, infection prevention precautions are not taught in special courses. Instead, most nursing schools include the topic as a 1-hour lecture within the clinical courses, which is believed to be insufficient. This study aimed to test the effectiveness of a nursing infection prevention educational program presented to nursing students before graduation, to promote their knowledge of infection prevention precautions. A true experimental design was used to examine the effects of the infection prevention educational program on students' educational knowledge. This study involved a random assignment of subjects to experimental and control groups, and administration of the pretest and the posttest to all subjects in both groups separately. Participants in the experimental group demonstrated significantly better knowledge (t = 19.15; df = 95; P = .000) and attitude scores (t = 2.29; df = 46; P = .04) than participants in the control group after particpating in the infection prevention educational program. However, compliance scores were not significantly differernt between the 2 groups (t = 1.92; df = 95; P = .067); indeed, compliance was found to be significant within the experimental group (t = 10.65; df = 46; P = .000). It is important that nursing students be competent in infection prevention precautions; however, there may be deficits in their education in this area. The nursing curriculum should include additional emphasis on practice as a means to help translate theory into clinical behavior. Copyright © 2013 Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Student experimenter stands near middeck lockers in JSC Bldg 9A mockup

NASA Image and Video Library

1991-09-18

S91-47323 (18 Sept 1991) --- Constantine Costes, left, a student experimenter sponsored by United Space Boosters Inc, in Huntsville, Alabama, discusses his student experiment, "Zero-G Rise of Liquid Through Porous Media" with astronauts Ronald J. Grabe (right), STS 42 mission commander; and William Readdy, mission specialist. The student experimenter and crew members are in the Full Fuselage Trainer (FFT) in the Shuttle Mockup and Integration Laboratory. While attending Randolph School, a high school in Huntsville, Alabama, Costes was chosen in the national competition to participate in the Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP). The experiment, contained in a middeck locker, involves the investigation of the effects of gravity on the flow characteristics of a fluid. Both pure capillary and forced flow behavior will be investigated. A ground based experiment was conducted so that gravity influenced data can be compared to that gathered in weightlessness. Costes is now a candidate for a Ph.D in mathematics at Harvard University.

Technological Resources to Prevent Cyberbullying During Adolescence: The Cyberprogram 2.0 Program and the Cooperative Cybereduca 2.0 Videogame

PubMed Central

Garaigordobil, Maite; Martínez-Valderrey, Vanesa

2018-01-01

Bullying and cyberbullying have serious consequences for all those involved, especially the victims, and its prevalence is high throughout all the years of schooling, which emphasizes the importance of prevention. This article describes an intervention proposal, made up of a program (Cyberprogram 2.0 Garaigordobil and Martínez-Valderrey, 2014a) and a videogame (Cooperative Cybereduca 2.0 Garaigordobil and Martínez-Valderrey, 2016b) which aims to prevent and reduce cyberbullying during adolescence and which has been validated experimentally. The proposal has four objectives: (1) To know what bullying and cyberbullying are, to reflect on the people involved in these situations; (2) to become aware of the harm caused by such behaviors and the severe consequences for all involved; (3) to learn guidelines to prevent and deal with these situations: know what to do when one suffers this kind of violence or when observing that someone else is suffering it; and (4) to foster the development of social and emotional factors that inhibit violent behavior (e.g., communication, ethical-moral values, empathy, cooperation…). The proposal is structured around 25 activities to fulfill these goals and it ends with the videogame. The activities are carried out in the classroom, and the online video is the last activity, which represents the end of the intervention program. The videogame (www.cybereduca.com) is a trivial pursuit game with questions and answers related to bullying/cyberbullying. This cybernetic trivial pursuit is organized around a fantasy story, a comic that guides the game. The videogame contains 120 questions about 5 topics: cyberphenomena, computer technology and safety, cybersexuality, consequences of bullying/cyberbullying, and coping with bullying/cyberbullying. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, a quasi-experimental design, with repeated pretest-posttest measures and control groups, was used. During the pretest and posttest stages, 8 assessment instruments were administered. The experimental group randomly received the intervention proposal, which consisted of one weekly 1-h session during the entire school year. The results obtained with the analyses of variance of the data collected before and after the intervention in the experimental and control groups showed that the proposal significantly promoted the following aspects in the experimental group: (1) a decrease in face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying behaviors, in different types of school violence, premeditated and impulsive aggressiveness, and in the use of aggressive conflict-resolution strategies; and (2) an increase of positive social behaviors, self-esteem, cooperative conflict-resolution strategies, and the capacity for empathy. The results provide empirical evidence for the proposal. The importance of implementing programs to prevent bullying in all its forms, from the beginning of schooling and throughout formal education, is discussed. PMID:29867695

Technological Resources to Prevent Cyberbullying During Adolescence: The Cyberprogram 2.0 Program and the Cooperative Cybereduca 2.0 Videogame.

PubMed

Garaigordobil, Maite; Martínez-Valderrey, Vanesa

2018-01-01

Bullying and cyberbullying have serious consequences for all those involved, especially the victims, and its prevalence is high throughout all the years of schooling, which emphasizes the importance of prevention. This article describes an intervention proposal, made up of a program (Cyberprogram 2.0 Garaigordobil and Martínez-Valderrey, 2014a) and a videogame (Cooperative Cybereduca 2.0 Garaigordobil and Martínez-Valderrey, 2016b) which aims to prevent and reduce cyberbullying during adolescence and which has been validated experimentally. The proposal has four objectives: (1) To know what bullying and cyberbullying are, to reflect on the people involved in these situations; (2) to become aware of the harm caused by such behaviors and the severe consequences for all involved; (3) to learn guidelines to prevent and deal with these situations: know what to do when one suffers this kind of violence or when observing that someone else is suffering it; and (4) to foster the development of social and emotional factors that inhibit violent behavior (e.g., communication, ethical-moral values, empathy, cooperation…). The proposal is structured around 25 activities to fulfill these goals and it ends with the videogame. The activities are carried out in the classroom, and the online video is the last activity, which represents the end of the intervention program. The videogame (www.cybereduca.com) is a trivial pursuit game with questions and answers related to bullying/cyberbullying. This cybernetic trivial pursuit is organized around a fantasy story, a comic that guides the game. The videogame contains 120 questions about 5 topics: cyberphenomena, computer technology and safety, cybersexuality, consequences of bullying/cyberbullying, and coping with bullying/cyberbullying. To evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention, a quasi-experimental design, with repeated pretest-posttest measures and control groups, was used. During the pretest and posttest stages, 8 assessment instruments were administered. The experimental group randomly received the intervention proposal, which consisted of one weekly 1-h session during the entire school year. The results obtained with the analyses of variance of the data collected before and after the intervention in the experimental and control groups showed that the proposal significantly promoted the following aspects in the experimental group: (1) a decrease in face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying behaviors, in different types of school violence, premeditated and impulsive aggressiveness, and in the use of aggressive conflict-resolution strategies; and (2) an increase of positive social behaviors, self-esteem, cooperative conflict-resolution strategies, and the capacity for empathy. The results provide empirical evidence for the proposal. The importance of implementing programs to prevent bullying in all its forms, from the beginning of schooling and throughout formal education, is discussed.

The VERRUN and VERNAL software systems for steady-state visual evoked response experimentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levison, W. H.; Zacharias, G. L.

1984-01-01

Two digital computer programs were developed for use in experiments involving steady-state visual evoked response (VER): VERRUN, whose primary functions are to generate a sum-of-sines (SOS) stimulus and to digitize and store electro-cortical response; and VERNAL, which provides both time- and frequency-domain metrics of the evoked response. These programs were coded in FORTRAN for operation on the PDP-11/34, using the RSX-11 Operating System, and the PDP-11/23, using the RT-11 Operating System. Users' and programmers' guides to these programs are provided, and guidelines for model analysis of VER data are suggested.

The design and application of a Transportable Inference Engine (TIE1)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mclean, David R.

1986-01-01

A Transportable Inference Engine (TIE1) system has been developed by the author as part of the Interactive Experimenter Planning System (IEPS) task which is involved with developing expert systems in support of the Spacecraft Control Programs Branch at Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Unlike traditional inference engines, TIE1 is written in the C programming language. In the TIE1 system, knowledge is represented by a hierarchical network of objects which have rule frames. The TIE1 search algorithm uses a set of strategies, including backward chaining, to obtain the values of goals. The application of TIE1 to a spacecraft scheduling problem is described. This application involves the development of a strategies interpreter which uses TIE1 to do constraint checking.

Department of Physics' Involvement of the Impact Testing Project of the High Speed Civil Transport Program (HSCT)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

VonMeerwall, Ernst D.

1994-01-01

The project involved the impact testing of a kevlar-like woven polymer material, PBO. The purpose was to determine whether this material showed any promise as a lightweight replacement material for jet engine fan containment. The currently used metal fan containment designs carry a high drag penalty due to their weight. Projectiles were fired at samples of PBO by means of a 0.5 inch diameter Helium powered gun. The Initial plan was to encase the samples inside a purpose-built steel "hot box" for heating and ricochet containment. The research associate's responsibility was to develop the data acquisition programs and techniques necessary to determine accurately the impacting projectile's velocity. Beyond this, the Research Associate's duties include any physical computations, experimental design, and data analysis necessary.

GenomeGraphs: integrated genomic data visualization with R.

PubMed

Durinck, Steffen; Bullard, James; Spellman, Paul T; Dudoit, Sandrine

2009-01-06

Biological studies involve a growing number of distinct high-throughput experiments to characterize samples of interest. There is a lack of methods to visualize these different genomic datasets in a versatile manner. In addition, genomic data analysis requires integrated visualization of experimental data along with constantly changing genomic annotation and statistical analyses. We developed GenomeGraphs, as an add-on software package for the statistical programming environment R, to facilitate integrated visualization of genomic datasets. GenomeGraphs uses the biomaRt package to perform on-line annotation queries to Ensembl and translates these to gene/transcript structures in viewports of the grid graphics package. This allows genomic annotation to be plotted together with experimental data. GenomeGraphs can also be used to plot custom annotation tracks in combination with different experimental data types together in one plot using the same genomic coordinate system. GenomeGraphs is a flexible and extensible software package which can be used to visualize a multitude of genomic datasets within the statistical programming environment R.

A reconfigurable visual-programming library for real-time closed-loop cellular electrophysiology

PubMed Central

Biró, István; Giugliano, Michele

2015-01-01

Most of the software platforms for cellular electrophysiology are limited in terms of flexibility, hardware support, ease of use, or re-configuration and adaptation for non-expert users. Moreover, advanced experimental protocols requiring real-time closed-loop operation to investigate excitability, plasticity, dynamics, are largely inaccessible to users without moderate to substantial computer proficiency. Here we present an approach based on MATLAB/Simulink, exploiting the benefits of LEGO-like visual programming and configuration, combined to a small, but easily extendible library of functional software components. We provide and validate several examples, implementing conventional and more sophisticated experimental protocols such as dynamic-clamp or the combined use of intracellular and extracellular methods, involving closed-loop real-time control. The functionality of each of these examples is demonstrated with relevant experiments. These can be used as a starting point to create and support a larger variety of electrophysiological tools and methods, hopefully extending the range of default techniques and protocols currently employed in experimental labs across the world. PMID:26157385

NASA Aeronautics: Research and Technology Program Highlights

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

This report contains numerous color illustrations to describe the NASA programs in aeronautics. The basic ideas involved are explained in brief paragraphs. The seven chapters deal with Subsonic aircraft, High-speed transport, High-performance military aircraft, Hypersonic/Transatmospheric vehicles, Critical disciplines, National facilities and Organizations & installations. Some individual aircraft discussed are : the SR-71 aircraft, aerospace planes, the high-speed civil transport (HSCT), the X-29 forward-swept wing research aircraft, and the X-31 aircraft. Critical disciplines discussed are numerical aerodynamic simulation, computational fluid dynamics, computational structural dynamics and new experimental testing techniques.

Effects of Childhood Gymnastics Program on Spatial Working Memory.

PubMed

Hsieh, Shu-Shih; Lin, Chih-Chien; Chang, Yu-Kai; Huang, Chung-Ju; Hung, Tsung-Min

2017-12-01

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated the positive effects of physical exercise on cognition in children, and recent studies have specifically investigated the cognitive benefits of exercises involving cognitive-motor interactions, such as gymnastics. This study examined the effect of 8 wk of gymnastics training on behavioral and neurophysiological measures of spatial working memory in children. Forty-four children age 7 to 10 yr were recruited. The experimental group (n = 24; age, 8.7 ± 1.1 yr) was recruited from Yilan County in Taiwan, while the control group (n = 20; age, 8.6 ± 1.1 yr) resided in Taipei City. The experimental group undertook 8 wk of after-school gymnastics training (2 sessions per week, 90 min per session), whereas the control group received no intervention and were instructed to maintain their routine daily activities. Working memory was assessed by performance on a modified delayed match-to-sample test and by event-related potential including the P3 component. Data were collected before and after treatment for the experimental group and at the same time interval for the control group. Response accuracy improved after the experimental intervention regardless of working memory demands. Likewise, the P3 amplitude was larger at the parietal site after gymnastics training regardless of the task difficulty. Our results suggest that a short period of gymnastics training had a general facilitative effect on spatial working memory at both behavioral and neurophysiological levels in children. These finding highlight the potential importance of exercise programs involving cognitive-motor interactions in stimulating development of spatial cognition during childhood.

Pygmalion effects among outreach supervisors and tutors: extending sex generalizability.

PubMed

Natanovich, Gloria; Eden, Dov

2008-11-01

Students who supervised other students who tutored grade-school pupils in a university-based outreach program were randomly assigned to Pygmalion and control conditions. Experimental supervisors were told that their tutors were ideally qualified for their tutoring role; control supervisors were told nothing about their tutors' qualifications. A manipulation check revealed that the experimental supervisors expected more of their tutors. Analysis of variance of tutorial success measures confirmed the Pygmalion effect among supervisors of both sexes. No main effect or interaction involving either supervisor sex or tutor sex was significant. As predicted, the experimental supervisors also provided better leadership and the experimental tutors increased their self-efficacy. This was the first demonstration of the Pygmalion effect among women leading men. Pygmalion effects may be produced without regard for sex.

Experimental Results for Titan Aerobot Thermo-Mechanical Subsystem Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Jeffrey L.; Jones, J. A.; Kerzhanovich, V. V.; Lachenmeier, T.; Mahr, P.; Pauken, M.; Plett, G. A.; Smith, L.; VanLuvender, M. L.; Yavrouian, A. H.

2006-01-01

This paper describes experimental results from a development program focused in maturing Titan aerobot technology in the areas of mechanical and thermal subsystems. Results from four key activities are described: first, a cryogenic balloon materials development program involving coupon and cylinder tests and culminating in the fabrication and testing of an inflated 4.6 m long prototype blimp at 93 K; second, a combined lab experiment and numerical simulation effort to assess potential problems resulting from radioisotope thermal generator waste heat generation near an inflated blimp; third, an aerial deployment and inflation development program consisting of laboratory and helicopter drop tests on a near full scale (11 m long) prototype blimp; and fourth, a proof of concept experiment demonstrating the viability of using a mechanically steerable high gain antenna on a floating blimp to perform direct to Earth telecommunications from Titan. The paper provides details on all of these successful activities and discusses their impact on the overall effort to produce mature systems technology for future Titan aerobot missions.

Immediate and Six-month Effects of Project EX Russia: A Smoking Cessation Intervention Pilot Program

PubMed Central

Sun, Ping; Akhmadeeva, Leila; Arpawong, Thalida Em; Kukhareva, Polina

2013-01-01

This study evaluates the performance of the Project EX tobacco use cessation program in Russian summer recreational camps. An eight-session clinic-based tobacco use cessation program for adolescents was tested during the summer of 2011 in an experimental pilot trial that involved different youth that rotated through camps. Conditions were nested within camps. Two rotations of unique subject groups of smokers (program and standard care control) through each of five camps provided the means of controlling for campsite by condition. Assignment of condition by rotation was random (by a flip of a coin), achieving reasonable baseline comparability (total n=164 smokers at baseline, 76 program group, 88 standard care control group). Evaluation involved an immediate pretest and posttest and a six-month telephone follow-up. At immediate posttest, Project EX was moderately well-received, significantly reduced future smoking expectation (46% reduction in EX Program Condition versus 8% in Control, p<.0001), decreased intention to not quit smoking (−5.2% in EX versus +1.4% in Control, p<.05), and increased motivation to quit smoking (0.72 versus −0.04, p<.0001). At the six-month follow-up, program subjects reported a higher intent-to-treat quit rate during the last 30 days (7.5% versus 0.1%, p<.05). For the subjects who remained monthly smokers at the six-month follow-up, Project EX reduced subjects’ level of nicotine dependence (−0.53 versus +0.15, p<.001). The results were quite promising for this program, which included motivation enhancement, coping skill, and alternative medicine material. However, further research on teen tobacco use cessation programming in Russia with larger sample sizes, involving other locations of the country, and with stronger research designs is needed. PMID:23639851

Microgravity science and applications program tasks, 1991 revision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1992-01-01

Presented here is a compilation of the active research tasks for FY 1991 sponsored by the Microgravity Science and Applications Division of the NASA Office of Space Science and Applications. The purpose is to provide an overview of the program scope for managers and scientists in industry, university, and government communities. Included is an introductory description of the program, the strategy and overall goal, identification of the organizational structures and the people involved, and a description of each. The tasks are grouped into several categories: electronic materials; solidification of metals, alloys, and composites; fluids, interfaces, and transport; biotechnology; combustion science; glasses and ceramics; experimental technology, instrumentation, and facilities; and Physical and Chemistry Experiments (PACE). The tasks cover both the ground based and flight programs.

What Works for Civic Engagement: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Programs and Interventions. Fact Sheet. Publication #2008-22

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivers, Andrew; Moore, Kristin A.

2008-01-01

Civic engagement and participation are central to the functioning of a democratic society. In addition, young people who are involved in civic activities are more engaged in academics, are less likely to participate in risky behaviors, and more than likely continue on to adulthood as contributing members of their communities. Rates of young…

What Works for Parent Involvement Programs for Children: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Interventions. Fact Sheet. Publication #2009-47

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mbwana, Kassim; Terzian, Mary; Moore, Kristin A.

2009-01-01

Child health and well-being are intrinsically important and also contribute to a healthy, productive adolescence and adulthood. Parents can play an important role in helping their children acquire or strengthen the behaviors, skills, attitudes, and motivation that promote physical and mental health and overall well-being in childhood, adolescence…

Alka-Seltzer Fizzing--Determination of Percent by Mass of NaHCO3 in Alka-Seltzer Tablets: An Undergraduate General Chemistry Experiment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yueh-Huey; Yaung, Jing-Fun

2002-01-01

Presents a general chemistry stoichiometry experiment using materials involved in everyday life. From this activity, students learn that a chemical reaction occurs when an Alka-Seltzer tablet is dropped into water. Students also practice plotting experimental data through the use of a graphing program. Interpretation of the graph helps them…

The Effects of Face Expertise Training on the Behavioral Performance and Brain Activity of Adults with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faja, Susan; Webb, Sara Jane; Jones, Emily; Merkle, Kristen; Kamara, Dana; Bavaro, Joshua; Aylward, Elizabeth; Dawson, Geraldine

2012-01-01

The effect of expertise training with faces was studied in adults with ASD who showed initial impairment in face recognition. Participants were randomly assigned to a computerized training program involving either faces or houses. Pre- and post-testing included standardized and experimental measures of behavior and event-related brain potentials…

What Works for Parent Involvement Programs for Adolescents: Lessons from Experimental Evaluations of Social Interventions. Fact Sheet. Publication #2009-48

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Terzian, Mary; Mbwana, Kassim

2009-01-01

Adopting healthy and positive behaviors and avoiding risky ones are key developmental tasks of adolescence. Parents can play an important role in helping their adolescent children acquire or strengthen the behaviors, skills, attitudes, and motivation that promote physical and mental health and overall well-being. Recognizing this, a variety of…

Oxidation of Ethidium Using TAML Activators: A Model for High School Research Performed in Partnership with University Scientists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pueyo, Natalie C.; Raub, Andrew G.; Jackson, Sean; Metz, Madalyn M.; Mount, Allegra C.; Naughton, Kyle L.; Eaton, Ashley L.; Thomas, Nicole M.; Hastings, Peter; Greaves, John; Blumberg, Bruce; Collins, Terrence J.; Sogo, Steven G.

2013-01-01

A chemical research program at a public high school has been developed. The full-year Advanced Chemical Research class (ACR) in the high school enrolls 20-30 seniors each year, engaging them in long-term experimental projects. Through partnerships involving university scientists, ACR high school students have had the opportunity to explore a…

Oxidation of Ethidium using TAML Activators: A Model for High School Research Performed in Partnership with University Scientists

PubMed Central

Pueyo, Natalie C.; Raub, Andrew G.; Jackson, Sean; Metz, Madalyn M.; Mount, Allegra C.; Naughton, Kyle L.; Eaton, Ashley L.; Thomas, Nicole M.; Hastings, Peter; Greaves, John; Blumberg, Bruce; Collins, Terrence J.; Sogo, Steven G.

2013-01-01

A chemical research program at a public high school has been developed. The full-year Advanced Chemical Research class (ACR) in the high school enrolls 20 to 30 seniors each year, engaging them in long-term experimental projects. Through partnerships involving university scientists, ACR high school students have had the opportunity to explore a number of highly sophisticated original research projects. As an example of the quality of experimental work made possible through these high school–university partnerships, this article describes the development of a novel method for the oxidation of ethidium bromide, a mutagen commonly used in molecular biology. Data collected from ACR alumni show that the ACR program is instrumental in encouraging students to pursue careers in scientific fields and in creating life-long problem-solvers. PMID:23585695

Oxidation of Ethidium using TAML Activators: A Model for High School Research Performed in Partnership with University Scientists.

PubMed

Pueyo, Natalie C; Raub, Andrew G; Jackson, Sean; Metz, Madalyn M; Mount, Allegra C; Naughton, Kyle L; Eaton, Ashley L; Thomas, Nicole M; Hastings, Peter; Greaves, John; Blumberg, Bruce; Collins, Terrence J; Sogo, Steven G

2013-03-12

A chemical research program at a public high school has been developed. The full-year Advanced Chemical Research class (ACR) in the high school enrolls 20 to 30 seniors each year, engaging them in long-term experimental projects. Through partnerships involving university scientists, ACR high school students have had the opportunity to explore a number of highly sophisticated original research projects. As an example of the quality of experimental work made possible through these high school-university partnerships, this article describes the development of a novel method for the oxidation of ethidium bromide, a mutagen commonly used in molecular biology. Data collected from ACR alumni show that the ACR program is instrumental in encouraging students to pursue careers in scientific fields and in creating life-long problem-solvers.

Experimental Measurements at the MASURCA Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assal, W.; Bosq, J. C.; Mellier, F.

2012-12-01

Dedicated to the neutronics studies of fast and semi-fast reactor lattices, MASURCA (meaning “mock-up facility for fast breeder reactor studies at CADARACHE”) is an airflow cooled fast reactor operating at a maximum power of 5 kW playing an important role in the CEA research activities. At this facility, a lot of neutron integral experimental programs were undertaken. The purpose of this poster is to show a panorama of the facility from this experimental measurement point of view. A hint at the forthcoming refurbishment will be included. These programs include various experimental measurements (reactivity, distributions of fluxes, reaction rates), performed essentially with fission chambers, in accordance with different methods (noise methods, radial or axial traverses, rod drops) and involving several devices systems (monitors, fission chambers, amplifiers, power supplies, data acquisition systems ...). For this purpose are implemented electronics modules to shape the signals sent from the detectors in various mode (fluctuation, pulse, current). All the electric and electronic devices needed for these measurements and the relating wiring will be fully explained through comprehensive layouts. Data acquired during counting performed at the time of startup phase or rod drops are analyzed by the mean of a Neutronic Measurement Treatment (TMN in French) programmed on the basis of the MATLAB software. This toolbox gives the opportunity of data files management, reactivity valuation from neutronics measurements and transient or divergence simulation at zero power. Particular TMN using at MASURCA will be presented.

The telecommunications programme of the European Space Agency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Collette, R. C. L.; Ashford, E. W.

An overview of the long-term telecommunications program of the ESA approved in November 1992 is presented. The project involves the Data Relay and Technology Mission (DRTM) program, and the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) program. The DRTM program contains both ARTEMIS and the operational DRS satellites, together with their corresponding earth segment elements required for satellite checkout, control and operation. ARTES is designed to group together all ongoing and future ESA telecommunications programs, with the exception of DRTM, into one large legal and financial framework. It will incorporate all running and planned activities in the present Payload and Spacecraft Development and Experimentation program, together with activities that would otherwise have been carried out as part of the Advanced Systems and Technology program. ARTES goals are: promotion of new and improved satellite communications services, cooperation with operating entities, improvements in the competitiveness of industry, and international cooperation.

Electronic materials high-T(sub c) superconductivity polymers and composites structural materials surface science and catalysts industry participation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

The fifth year of the Center for Advanced Materials was marked primarily by the significant scientific accomplishments of the research programs. The Electronics Materials program continued its work on the growth and characterization of gallium arsenide crystals, and the development of theories to understand the nature and distribution of defects in the crystals. The High Tc Superconductivity Program continued to make significant contributions to the field in theoretical and experimental work on both bulk materials and thin films and devices. The Ceramic Processing group developed a new technique for cladding YBCO superconductors for high current applications in work with the Electric Power Research Institute. The Polymers and Composites program published a number of important studies involving atomistic simulations of polymer surfaces with excellent correlations to experimental results. The new Enzymatic Synthesis of Materials project produced its first fluorinated polymers and successfully began engineering enzymes designed for materials synthesis. The structural Materials Program continued work on novel alloys, development of processing methods for advanced ceramics, and characterization of mechanical properties of these materials, including the newly documented characterization of cyclic fatigue crack propagation behavior in toughened ceramics. Finally, the Surface Science and Catalysis program made significant contributions to the understanding of microporous catalysts and the nature of surface structures and interface compounds.

School-based obesity prevention programs: an evidence-based review.

PubMed

Kropski, Jonathan A; Keckley, Paul H; Jensen, Gordon L

2008-05-01

This review seeks to examine the effectiveness of school-based programs for reducing childhood overweight or obesity. A systematic review of the research literature published since 1990 was conducted to identify experimental or quasi-experimental school-based curricular or environmental preventive interventions, with evaluation>or=6 months after baseline, which reported outcomes in terms of a measure of overweight. Fourteen studies were identified, including one involving a nutrition-only program, two physical activity promotion interventions and eleven studies combining nutrition and physical activity components. Most studies (n=10) offered weak (grade 2) quality evidence. One study offered strong (grade 4) evidence reducing the odds ratio for overweight in girls only, while four grade 2 studies reported significant improvements in BMI or at-risk-for overweight or overweight prevalence in boys, girls, or both. Twelve studies reported significant improvement in at least one measure of dietary intake, physical activity, and/or sedentary behavior. Our ability to draw strong conclusions as to the efficacy of school-based obesity prevention programs is limited by the small number of published studies and by methodological concerns. Qualitative analysis suggests programs grounded in social learning may be more appropriate for girls, while structural and environmental interventions enabling physical activity may be more effective for boys. High-quality evaluation protocols should be considered essential components of future programs.

Crew operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1971-01-01

The requirements for the activities involved, and the procedures used by the crew in the operations of the modular space station are presented. All crew-related characteristics of the station and its operations are indicated. The interior configuration and arrangement of each of the space station modules, the facilities and equipment in the module and their operation are described as related to crew habitability. The crew activities and procedures involved in the operation of the station in the accomplishment of its primary mission are defined. The operations involved in initial station buildup, and the on-orbit operation and maintenance of the station and its subsystems to support the experimental program are included. A general description of experiment operations is also given.

Kentucky DOE EPSCoR Program

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

Grulke, Eric; Stencel, John

2011-09-13

The KY DOE EPSCoR Program supports two research clusters. The Materials Cluster uses unique equipment and computational methods that involve research expertise at the University of Kentucky and University of Louisville. This team determines the physical, chemical and mechanical properties of nanostructured materials and examines the dominant mechanisms involved in the formation of new self-assembled nanostructures. State-of-the-art parallel computational methods and algorithms are used to overcome current limitations of processing that otherwise are restricted to small system sizes and short times. The team also focuses on developing and applying advanced microtechnology fabrication techniques and the application of microelectrornechanical systems (MEMS)more » for creating new materials, novel microdevices, and integrated microsensors. The second research cluster concentrates on High Energy and Nuclear Physics. lt connects research and educational activities at the University of Kentucky, Eastern Kentucky University and national DOE research laboratories. Its vision is to establish world-class research status dedicated to experimental and theoretical investigations in strong interaction physics. The research provides a forum, facilities, and support for scientists to interact and collaborate in subatomic physics research. The program enables increased student involvement in fundamental physics research through the establishment of graduate fellowships and collaborative work.« less

Fetal programming and early identification of newborns at high risk of free radical-mediated diseases.

PubMed

Perrone, Serafina; Santacroce, Antonino; Picardi, Anna; Buonocore, Giuseppe

2016-05-08

Nowadays metabolic syndrome represents a real outbreak affecting society. Paradoxically, pediatricians must feel involved in fighting this condition because of the latest evidences of developmental origins of adult diseases. Fetal programming occurs when the normal fetal development is disrupted by an abnormal insult applied to a critical point in intrauterine life. Placenta assumes a pivotal role in programming the fetal experience in utero due to the adaptive changes in structure and function. Pregnancy complications such as diabetes, intrauterine growth restriction, pre-eclampsia, and hypoxia are associated with placental dysfunction and programming. Many experimental studies have been conducted to explain the phenotypic consequences of fetal-placental perturbations that predispose to the genesis of metabolic syndrome, obesity, diabetes, hyperinsulinemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease in adulthood. In recent years, elucidating the mechanisms involved in such kind of process has become the challenge of scientific research. Oxidative stress may be the general underlying mechanism that links altered placental function to fetal programming. Maternal diabetes, prenatal hypoxic/ischaemic events, inflammatory/infective insults are specific triggers for an acute increase in free radicals generation. Early identification of fetuses and newborns at high risk of oxidative damage may be crucial to decrease infant and adult morbidity.

Bounding the Set of Classical Correlations of a Many-Body System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fadel, Matteo; Tura, Jordi

2017-12-01

We present a method to certify the presence of Bell correlations in experimentally observed statistics, and to obtain new Bell inequalities. Our approach is based on relaxing the conditions defining the set of correlations obeying a local hidden variable model, yielding a convergent hierarchy of semidefinite programs (SDP's). Because the size of these SDP's is independent of the number of parties involved, this technique allows us to characterize correlations in many-body systems. As an example, we illustrate our method with the experimental data presented in Science 352, 441 (2016), 10.1126/science.aad8665.

Preliminary design for Arctic atmospheric radiative transfer experiments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zak, B. D.; Church, H. W.; Stamnes, K.; Shaw, G.; Filyushkin, V.; Jin, Z.; Ellingson, R. G.; Tsay, S. C.

1995-01-01

If current plans are realized, within the next few years, an extraordinary set of coordinated research efforts focusing on energy flows in the Arctic will be implemented. All are motivated by the prospect of global climate change. SHEBA (Surface Energy Budget of the Arctic Ocean), led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR), involves instrumenting an ice camp in the perennial Arctic ice pack, and taking data for 12-18 months. The ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) North Slope of Alaska and Adjacent Arctic Ocean (NSA/AAO) Cloud and Radiation Testbed (CART) focuses on atmospheric radiative transport, especially in the presence of clouds. The NSA/AAO CART involves instrumenting a sizeable area on the North Slope of Alaska and adjacent waters in the vicinity of Barrow, and acquiring data over a period of about 10 years. FIRE (First ISCCP (International Satellite Cloud Climatology Program) Regional Experiment) Phase 3 is a program led by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) which focuses on Arctic clouds, and which is coordinated with SHEBA and ARM. FIRE has historically emphasized data from airborne and satellite platforms. All three program anticipate initiating Arctic data acquisition during spring, 1997. In light of his historic opportunity, the authors discuss a strawman atmospheric radiative transfer experimental plan that identifies which features of the radiative transport models they think should be tested, what experimental data are required for each type of test, the platforms and instrumentation necessary to acquire those data, and in general terms, how the experiments could be conducted. Aspects of the plan are applicable to all three programs.

Programmed temperature gasification study. Final report, October 1, 1979-November 30, 1980

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

Spoon, M.J.; Gardner, M.P.; Starkovich, J.A.

An experimental, modeling and conceptual engineering analysis study has been performed to assess the feasibility of TRW's Programmed Temperature Gasification (PTG) concept for carbonizing caking coals without severe agglomeration. The concept involves control of carbonizing heating rate to maintain metaplast concentration at a level equal to or slightly below that which causes agglomeration. The experimental studies required the contruction of a novel programmed temperature, elevated pressure, hot stage video microscope for observation of coal particle changes during heating. This system was used to develop a minimum-time heating schedule capable of carbonizing the coal at elevated pressures in the presence ofmore » hydrogen without severe agglomeration. Isothermal fixed heating rate data for a series of coals were subsequently used to calibrate and verify the mathematical model for the PTG process. These results showed good correlation between experimental data and mathematical predictions. Commercial application of the PTG concept to batch, moving bed and fluid bed processing schemes was then evaluated. Based on the calibrated model programmed temperature gasification of the coal without severe agglomeration could be carried out on a commercial batch reaction in 4 to 12 minutes. The next step in development of the PTG concept for commercial application would require testing on a bench scale (3-inch diameter) gasifier coupled with a full commercial assessment to determine size and cost of various gasification units.« less

[RATE OF PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT IN BOYS AGED 10-11 YEARS AND THE EFFECTS OF TRAINING LOADS DURING A 12-MONTH SOCCER PROGRAM].

PubMed

Boraczyński, Michał; Sozański, Henryk

2015-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the rate of physical development in prepubertal boys in response to training at different loads. The study involved two groups of soccer players, experimental groups E1 (n = 26, age 10.4 ± 0.6 years) and E2 (n = 27, age 10.3 ± 0.8 years) who were involved in a 12-month soccer training program, and a control group (C) of age-matched untrained boys (n = 22). The training protocol of E1 involved a greater share of coordination-based exercises, in E2 more focus was placed on conditioning fitness and strength. Body height, mass, fat percentage, and body mass index were measured pre-, peri-, and post-training. Chronological and developmental age were used to calculate a Biological State Maturity Index (BSMI). Between-group differences were observed in body fat percentage, which was higher in the control group by 6.8% at post-training compared with E1 (p < 0.05). E1 showed the most congruence between chronological and developmental age. Developmental age was most retarded in E2 by an average of 4.3 months. Greatest between-group differences were observed in E1 and the control group for the BSMI of body height (49.9%) at pre-training. BSMI of height and mass in the control group were different (p < 0.01) from both experimental groups at pre-, peri-, and post-training. 1. The experimental soccer training programs were conducive to the physical development of boys aged 10-11 years as evidenced by the absence of disturbances in the range of observed variables characterizing the body built and biological development. 2. Body mass index did not accurately reflect changes in body composition. A more detailed analysis of body composition is required in the recruitment and selection of young soccer players in order to better control the effects of training and diet. 3. The adopted BSMI measure indicated a delay in growth according to developmental age norms in the entire sample. However, the accelerated physical development in E1 during the study duration may be indicative of the stimulative effect of this group's training program and the adopted training load on physical development.

From the Experience of Interactivity and Entertainment to Lower Intention to Smoke: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Path Analysis of a Web-Based Smoking Prevention Program for Adolescents

PubMed Central

Wang, Hua; Calabro, Karen Sue; Mitra, Natasha; Shegog, Ross

2017-01-01

Background Web-based programs for smoking prevention are being increasingly used with some success among adolescents. However, little is known about the mechanisms that link the experience of such programs to intended nicotine or tobacco control outcomes. Objective Based on the experiential learning theory and extended elaboration likelihood model, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of a Web-based intervention, A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE), on adolescents’ intention to smoke, while considering the experience of interactivity and entertainment as predictors of reduced intention to smoke, under a transitional user experience model. Methods A total of 101 adolescents were recruited from after-school programs, provided consent, screened, and randomized in a single-blinded format to 1 of 2 conditions: the full ASPIRE program as the experimental condition (n=50) or an online , text-based version of ASPIRE as the control condition (n=51). Data were collected at baseline and immediate follow-up. Repeated-measures mixed-effects models and path analyses were conducted. Results A total of 82 participants completed the study and were included in the analysis. Participants in the experimental condition were more likely to show a decrease in their intention to smoke than those in the control condition (beta=−0.18, P=.008). Perceived interactivity (beta=−0.27, P=.004) and entertainment (beta=−0.20, P=.04) were each associated with a decrease in intention to smoke independently. Results of path analyses indicated that perceived interactivity and perceived entertainment mediated the relationship between ASPIRE use and emotional involvement. Furthermore, perceived presence mediated the relationship between perceived interactivity and emotional involvement. There was a direct relationship between perceived entertainment and emotional involvement. Emotional involvement predicted a decrease in intention to smoke (beta=−0.16, P=.04). Conclusions Adolescents’ experience of interactivity and entertainment contributed to the expected outcome of lower intention to smoke. Also, emphasis needs to be placed on the emotional experience during Web-based interventions in order to maximize reductions in smoking intentions. Going beyond mere evaluation of the effectiveness of a Web-based smoking prevention program, this study contributes to the understanding of adolescents’ psychological experience and its effect on their intention to smoke. With the results of this study, researchers can work to (1) enhance the experience of interactivity and entertainment and (2) amplify concepts of media effects (eg, presence and emotional involvement) in order to better reach health behavior outcomes. Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02469779; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02469779 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6nxyZVOf0) PMID:28209560

Program in environmental sustainability uses interdisciplinary approach to cross-train students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arvidson, Raymond E.; Johnson, Sarah S.

The Hewlett Program in Environmental Sustainability, an experimental educational pathway for undergraduate students interested in the study of the environment (http://wundow.wustl.edu/hewlett), is now in its third year at Washington University. About 90% of incoming students have stayed with the program through the first year and about 80% through the second year.The program's objectives and implementation closely follow the recommendations presented in a 1998 Boyer Commission Report on emphasizing and improving undergraduate education at research universities (http://notes.cc.sunysb.edu/Pres/boyer/nsf). A clustered, interdisciplinary approach is used for coursework, with key environmental problems viewed from scientific, political, cultural, and ethical perspectives. Courses are taught by instructors who conduct research in environmental areas. The program's multidisciplinary nature is considered a strong draw for faculty involvement, though retaining faculty is still an issue.

Evaluating a Multidimensional Reading Comprehension Program and Reconsidering the Lowly Reputation of Tests of Near Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Douglas; Hendricks, Emma; Walsh, Meagan E.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Gilbert, Jennifer K.; Zhang Tracy, Wen; Patton, Samuel, III.; Davis, Nicole; Kim, Wooliya; Elleman, Amy M.; Peng, Peng

2018-01-01

We conducted a 14-week experimental study of 2 versions of a relatively comprehensive RC intervention that involved 50 classroom teachers, 15 tutors, and 120 children drawn in equal proportions from grades 3 and 5 in 13 schools in a large urban school district. Students were randomly assigned in equal numbers to the 2 tutoring conditions and a…

Evaluating a Multidimensional Reading Comprehension Program and Reconsidering the Lowly Reputation of Tests of Near-Transfer

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuchs, Douglas; Hendricks, Emma; Walsh, Meagan E.; Fuchs, Lynn S.; Gilbert, Jennifer K.; Zhang Tracy, Wen; Patton, Samuel, III; Davis-Perkins, Nicole; Kim, Wooliya; Elleman, Amy M.; Peng, Peng

2018-01-01

We conducted a 14-week experimental study of 2 versions of a relatively comprehensive RC intervention that involved 50 classroom teachers, 15 tutors, and 116 children drawn in equal proportions from grades 3 and 5 in 13 schools in a large urban school district. Students were randomly assigned in equal numbers to the two tutoring conditions and a…

Planetary atmospheric physics and solar physics research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1973-01-01

An overview is presented on current and planned research activities in the major areas of solar physics, planetary atmospheres, and space astronomy. The approach to these unsolved problems involves experimental techniques, theoretical analysis, and the use of computers to analyze the data from space experiments. The point is made that the research program is characterized by each activity interacting with the other activities in the laboratory.

An Experimental Evaluation of Stress-Management Training for the Airborne Soldier

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-06-01

skill takes considerable time and involves the learning of respiration control techniques and exercises to relax both the skeletal and smooth muscle...NUMBER 7. AUTHORia) 8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBER(.) William P. Burke 9. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT, PROJECT, TASK US Army...block number) Jumpmaster training Performance under stress Stress-management training Stress reaction Respiration -control Heart rate response Deep

Vestibular-visual interactions in flight simulators

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clark, B.

1977-01-01

All 139 research papers published under this ten-year program are listed. Experimental work was carried out at the Ames Research Center involving man's sensitivity to rotational acceleration, and psychophysical functioning of the semicircular canals; vestibular-visual interactions and effects of other sensory systems were studied in flight simulator environments. Experiments also dealt with the neurophysiological vestibular functions of animals, and flight management investigations of man-vehicle interactions.

Educare for the Elderly: Hawaii's Post 60 Students Respond to a Trial Humanities Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, Clarice Robinson

In April and May 1974, the Center of Continuing Education and Community Service of the University of Hawaii at Hilo sponsored a course for 41 members of the Hui Aloha senior citizens club. Between 39 and 44 students, ranging in age from 60 to 93, participated in an experimental workshop program which involved four 8-hour tours of colleges and…

An Integrated Constraint Programming Approach to Scheduling Sports Leagues with Divisional and Round-robin Tournaments

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

Carlsson, Mats; Johansson, Mikael; Larson, Jeffrey

Previous approaches for scheduling a league with round-robin and divisional tournaments involved decomposing the problem into easier subproblems. This approach, used to schedule the top Swedish handball league Elitserien, reduces the problem complexity but can result in suboptimal schedules. This paper presents an integrated constraint programming model that allows to perform the scheduling in a single step. Particular attention is given to identifying implied and symmetry-breaking constraints that reduce the computational complexity significantly. The experimental evaluation of the integrated approach takes considerably less computational effort than the previous approach.

Meeting the complex needs of urban youth and their families through the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program: The “real world” meets evidence-informed care

PubMed Central

Small, Latoya; Jackson, Jerrold; Gopalan, Geetha; McKay, Mary McKernan

2014-01-01

Youth living in poverty face compounding familial and environmental challenges in utilizing effective community mental health services. They have ongoing stressors that increase their dropout rate in mental health service use. Difficulties also exist in staying engaged in services when they are involved with the child welfare system. This study examines the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program, developed across four broad conceptual categories related to parenting skills and family processes that form a multiple family group service delivery approach. A total of 321 families were enrolled in this randomized intervention study, assigned to either the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program or standard care services. Caregivers and their children randomly assigned to the experimental condition received a 16 week multiple family group intervention through their respective outpatient community mental health clinic. Data was collected at baseline, midtest (8 weeks), posttest (16 weeks), and 6 month follow-up. Major findings include high engagement in the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program, compared to standard services. Although child welfare status is not related to attendance, family stress and parental depression are also related to participant engagement in this multiple family group intervention. Involvement in the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program resulted in improved effects for child behaviors. Lastly, no evidence of moderation effects on family stress, child welfare involvement, or parental needs were found. The 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program appeared able to engage families with more complex “real world” needs. PMID:26523115

Meeting the complex needs of urban youth and their families through the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program: The "real world" meets evidence-informed care.

PubMed

Small, Latoya; Jackson, Jerrold; Gopalan, Geetha; McKay, Mary McKernan

2015-07-01

Youth living in poverty face compounding familial and environmental challenges in utilizing effective community mental health services. They have ongoing stressors that increase their dropout rate in mental health service use. Difficulties also exist in staying engaged in services when they are involved with the child welfare system. This study examines the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program, developed across four broad conceptual categories related to parenting skills and family processes that form a multiple family group service delivery approach. A total of 321 families were enrolled in this randomized intervention study, assigned to either the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program or standard care services. Caregivers and their children randomly assigned to the experimental condition received a 16 week multiple family group intervention through their respective outpatient community mental health clinic. Data was collected at baseline, midtest (8 weeks), posttest (16 weeks), and 6 month follow-up. Major findings include high engagement in the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program, compared to standard services. Although child welfare status is not related to attendance, family stress and parental depression are also related to participant engagement in this multiple family group intervention. Involvement in the 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program resulted in improved effects for child behaviors. Lastly, no evidence of moderation effects on family stress, child welfare involvement, or parental needs were found. The 4Rs 2Ss Family Strengthening Program appeared able to engage families with more complex "real world" needs.

Employee suggestion programs: the rewards of involvement.

PubMed

Mishra, J M; McKendall, M

1993-09-01

Successful ESPs are the products of a great deal of effort by managers, administrators, teams, individuals, and reviewers, who are all striving to achieve the goals of increased profitability and enhanced employee involvement. A review of the literature indicates that there are several prescriptions that will increase the likelihood of a successful ESP (see the box). Today's American business prophets sound ceaseless calls to arms in the name of "world class performance," "global competitiveness," "total quality management," and a variety of other buzz terms. A burgeoning industry has evolved that promises, through speeches, teleconferences, seminars, and consulting contracts, to teach American organizations how to achieve excellence. In the face of a sputtering economy and unrelenting competitive pressure, today's managers must translate these laudatory ideals into hands-on reality without sacrificing the firm's profit margin to experimentation. If any idea can help an organization achieve improvement through a workable program, then that idea and that program deserve real consideration. An ESP represents an opportunity to tap the intelligence and resourcefulness of an organization's employees, and by doing so, reap significant cost savings. Those companies and managers that have an ESP program uniformly list economic advantages first when describing the benefits of their employee suggestion programs. But there is another deeper and longer term benefit inherent in an ESP. These programs allow employees to become involved in their organization; they drive deaccession to lower levels, they give employees more responsibility, they foster creative approaches to work, and they encourage creativity in pursuit of company goals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

General aviation crash safety program at Langley Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomson, R. G.

1976-01-01

The purpose of the crash safety program is to support development of the technology to define and demonstrate new structural concepts for improved crash safety and occupant survivability in general aviation aircraft. The program involves three basic areas of research: full-scale crash simulation testing, nonlinear structural analyses necessary to predict failure modes and collapse mechanisms of the vehicle, and evaluation of energy absorption concepts for specific component design. Both analytical and experimental methods are being used to develop expertise in these areas. Analyses include both simplified procedures for estimating energy absorption capabilities and more complex computer programs for analysis of general airframe response. Full-scale tests of typical structures as well as tests on structural components are being used to verify the analyses and to demonstrate improved design concepts.

Rocket Engine Turbine Blade Surface Pressure Distributions Experiment and Computations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hudson, Susan T.; Zoladz, Thomas F.; Dorney, Daniel J.; Turner, James (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Understanding the unsteady aspects of turbine rotor flow fields is critical to successful future turbine designs. A technology program was conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center to increase the understanding of unsteady environments for rocket engine turbines. The experimental program involved instrumenting turbine rotor blades with miniature surface mounted high frequency response pressure transducers. The turbine model was then tested to measure the unsteady pressures on the rotor blades. The data obtained from the experimental program is unique in two respects. First, much more unsteady data was obtained (several minutes per set point) than has been possible in the past. Also, an extensive steady performance database existed for the turbine model. This allowed an evaluation of the effect of the on-blade instrumentation on the turbine's performance. A three-dimensional unsteady Navier-Stokes analysis was also used to blindly predict the unsteady flow field in the turbine at the design operating conditions and at +15 degrees relative incidence to the first-stage rotor. The predicted time-averaged and unsteady pressure distributions show good agreement with the experimental data. This unique data set, the lessons learned for acquiring this type of data, and the improvements made to the data analysis and prediction tools are contributing significantly to current Space Launch Initiative turbine airflow test and blade surface pressure prediction efforts.

The Roland Maze Project — Cosmic Ray Registration at Schools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feder, J.; JȨDRZEJCZAK, K.; Karczmarczyk, J.; Lewandowski, R.; Swarzyński, J.; Szabelska, B.; Szabelski, J.; Tokarski, P.; Wibig, T.

Experimental studies of cosmic rays at the highest energies (above 1018 eV) are the main scientific goal of the projected large area network of extensive air shower detectors. Placing the detectors on the roofs of high school buildings will lower the cost by using the existing urban infrastructure (INTERNET, power supply, etc.), and can be a very efficient way of science popularisation by engaging high school students in the research program. 30 high schools in Łódź are already involved in the project. The project has recently obtained some financial support from the City Council of Łódź. The donation enabled us to start experimental work on detector construction details. A cycle of lectures and seminars devoted to different aspects of project realization (detector construction, on-line data acquisition system, C++ programming) has been organized for students at our Institute and at schools.

Fluids and Materials Science Studies Utilizing the Microgravity-vibration Isolation Mount (MIM)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herring, Rodney; Tryggvason, Bjarni; Duval, Walter

1998-01-01

Canada's Microgravity Sciences Program (MSP) is the smallest program of the ISS partners and so can participate in only a few, highly focused projects in order to make a scientific and technological impact. One focused project involves determining the effect of accelerations (g-jitter) on scientific measurements in a microgravity environment utilizing the Microgravity-vibration Isolation Mount (MIM). Many experiments share the common characteristic of having a fluid stage in their process. The quality of the experimental measurements have been expected to be affected by g-jitters which has lead the ISS program to include specifications to limit the level of acceleration allowed on a subset of experimental racks. From finite element analysis (FEM), the ISS structure will not be able to meet the acceleration specifications. Therefore, isolation systems are necessary. Fluid science results and materials science results show significant sensitivity to g-jitter. The work done to date should be viewed only as a first look at the issue of g-jitter sensitivity. The work should continue with high priority such that the international science community and the ISS program can address the requirement and settle on an agreed to overall approach as soon as possible.

Experimental Estimation Of Energy Damping During Free Rocking Of Unreinforced Masonry Walls. First Results

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

Sorrentino, Luigi; Masiani, Renato; Benedetti, Stefano

2008-07-08

This paper presents an ongoing experimental program on unreinforced masonry walls undergoing free rocking. Aim of the laboratory campaign is the estimation of kinetic energy damping exhibited by walls released with non-zero initial conditions of motion. Such energy damping is necessary for dynamic modelling of unreinforced masonry local mechanisms. After a brief review of the literature on this topic, the main features of the laboratory tests are presented. The program involves the experimental investigation of several parameters: 1) unit material (brick or tuff), 2) wall aspect ratio (ranging between 14.5 and 7.1), 3) restraint condition (two-sided or one-sided rocking), andmore » 4) depth of the contact surface between facade and transverse walls (one-sided rocking only). All walls are single wythe and the mortar is pozzuolanic. The campaign is still in progress. However, it is possible to present the results on most of the mechanical properties of mortar and bricks. Moreover, a few time histories are reported, already indicating the need to correct some of the assumptions frequent in the literature.« less

"I am active": effects of a program to promote active aging.

PubMed

Mendoza-Ruvalcaba, Neyda Ma; Arias-Merino, Elva Dolores

2015-01-01

Active aging involves a general lifestyle strategy that allows preservation of both physical and mental health during the aging process. "I am Active" is a program designed to promote active aging by increased physical activity, healthy nutritional habits, and cognitive functioning. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of this program. Sixty-four healthy adults aged 60 years or older were recruited from senior centers and randomly allocated to an experimental group (n=31) or a control group (n=33). Baseline, post-test, and 6-month follow-up assessments were performed after the theoretical-practical intervention. Effect sizes were calculated. At the conclusion of the program, the experimental group showed significant improvement compared with the control group in the following domains: physical activity (falls risk, balance, flexibility, self-efficacy), nutrition (self-efficacy and nutritional status), cognitive performance (processing speed and self-efficacy), and quality of life (general, health and functionality, social and economic status). Although some declines were reported, improvements at follow-up remained in self-efficacy for physical activity, self-efficacy for nutrition, and processing speed, and participants had better nutritional status and quality of life overall. Our findings show that this program promotes improvements in domains of active aging, mainly in self-efficacy beliefs as well as in quality of life in healthy elders.

The effectiveness of parent participation in occupational therapy for children with developmental delay

PubMed Central

Lin, Chien-Lin; Lin, Chin-Kai; Yu, Jia-Jhen

2018-01-01

Introduction This study aims to explore the impact of Parent Participation Program on the development of developmental delay children. Methods Pretest-posttest equivalent-group experimental design study was used in this paper. A total of 30 pairs of developmental delay children aged 0–72 months and their parents participated into this study. They were divided into two groups, namely control group and experimental group, according to parents’ wishes. The objects of study in control group received 16 courses of direct rehabilitation therapy; those in experimental group received 8 courses of direct rehabilitation therapy and 8 courses of instruction and tracking of Parent Participation Program. The duration of the intervention was 8 weeks. All cases should be evaluated before and after the intervention, to analyze the difference before and after intervention and among groups. The statistical methods in this paper included descriptive analysis, Chi-square test, independent sample t-test, pair-sample t-test. Results and conclusion The intervention of Parent Participation Occupational Program has positive impact on the development of developmental delay children in various fields. Among all the intervention results, the progress of the experimental group is 1.895 times more than that of the control group. With parent involvement, Parent Participation Occupational Therapy can promote the cognitive ability, language ability, action ability (gross and fine movement), social competence and self-care ability of children with developmental delay. Finally, the researcher presents suggestions and directions for future research in accordance with the results. PMID:29503546

Computational/experimental studies of isolated, single component droplet combustion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dryer, Frederick L.

1993-01-01

Isolated droplet combustion processes have been the subject of extensive experimental and theoretical investigations for nearly 40 years. The gross features of droplet burning are qualitatively embodied by simple theories and are relatively well understood. However, there remain significant aspects of droplet burning, particularly its dynamics, for which additional basic knowledge is needed for thorough interpretations and quantitative explanations of transient phenomena. Spherically-symmetric droplet combustion, which can only be approximated under conditions of both low Reynolds and Grashof numbers, represents the simplest geometrical configuration in which to study the coupled chemical/transport processes inherent within non-premixed flames. The research summarized here, concerns recent results on isolated, single component, droplet combustion under microgravity conditions, a program pursued jointly with F.A. Williams of the University of California, San Diego. The overall program involves developing and applying experimental methods to study the burning of isolated, single component droplets, in various atmospheres, primarily at atmospheric pressure and below, in both drop towers and aboard space-based platforms such as the Space Shuttle or Space Station. Both computational methods and asymptotic methods, the latter pursued mainly at UCSD, are used in developing the experimental test matrix, in analyzing results, and for extending theoretical understanding. Methanol, and the normal alkanes, n-heptane, and n-decane, have been selected as test fuels to study time-dependent droplet burning phenomena. The following sections summarizes the Princeton efforts on this program, describe work in progress, and briefly delineate future research directions.

A Data Analysis Center for Electromagnetic and Hadronic Interaction. Products of the DAC members

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

Briscoe, William John; Strakovsky, Igor I.; Workman, Ronald L.

The Data Analysis Center (DAC) of the Center for Nuclear Studies (CNS) at the George Washington University (GW) has made significant progress in its program to enhance and expand the partial-wave (and multipole) analyses of fundamental two- and three-body reactions (such as pion-nucleon, photon-nucleon, and nucleon-nucleon scattering) by maintaining and augmenting the analysis codes and databases associated with these reactions. These efforts provide guidance to experimental groups at the international level, forming an important link between theory and experiment. A renaissance in light hadron spectroscopy is underway as a continuous stream of polarization data issues from existing precision electromagnetic facilitiesmore » and the coming Jefferson Lab 12 GeV Upgrade. Our principal goals have been focused on supporting the national N* resonance physics program. We have also continued to study topics more generally related to the problems associated with partial-wave analysis. On the Experimental side of the CNS DAC. Its primary goal is the enhancement of the body of data necessary for our analyses of fundamental γ - N reactions. We perform experiments that study the dynamics responsible for the internal structure of the nucleon and its excitations. Our principal focus is on the N* programs at JLab and MAMI. At JLab we study spin-polarization observables using polarized photons, protons and neutrons and yielding charged final states. Similarly at MAMI we study neutral meson photoproduction off polarized protons and neutrons. We use the Crystal Ball and TAPS spectrometers (CBT) to detect photons and neutrons to measure the photoproduction of π0, η, 2π0, π0η, and K0 off the neutron. The CBT program complements our program at JLab, which studies reactions resulting in charged final states. We are also involved in a renewed effort to make neutral pion photoproduction measurements close to threshold at Mainz. In addition to the programs underway, we are contributing to the future by participation in preparations for the coming JLab 12 GeV Upgrade. GW students are involved in tests of the detectors proposed to be used with CLAS12, i.e., for the CentralTime-of-Flight Barrel (CTOF). WJB is heavily involved in the MUSE quest at PSI to solve the Proton Radius Puzzle.« less

Static strain and vibration characteristics of a metal semimonocoque helicopter tail cone of moderate size

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bielawa, Richard L.; Hefner, Rachel E.; Castagna, Andre

1991-01-01

The results are presented of an analytic and experimental research program involving a Sikorsky S-55 helicopter tail cone directed ultimately to the improved structural analysis of airframe substructures typical of moderate sized helicopters of metal semimonocoque construction. Experimental static strain and dynamic shake-testing measurements are presented. Correlation studies of each of these tests with a PC-based finite element analysis (COSMOS/M) are described. The tests included static loadings at the end of the tail cone supported in the cantilever configuration as well as vibrational shake-testing in both the cantilever and free-free configurations.

Recent studies of float and stall curves in controlled-clearance deadweight testers with a simple piston.

PubMed

Newhall, D H; Ogawa, I; Zilberstein, V

1979-08-01

The effect of piston rotation speed and fluid viscosity on the performance of free-piston gauges with a controlled clearance was studied as part of an experimental program aiming at the better evaluation of pressure by these primary pressure standards. Calculated effective area is shown to be greatly influenced by both speed of rotation and choice of a fluid. An optimum rpm resulting in the smallest possible uncertainty in effective area should be determined experimentally for each fluid and pressure range involved. When all the pertinent parameters are properly selected an appreciable improvement in accuracy can be achieved.

Progress on Variable Cycle Engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westmoreland, J. S.; Howlett, R. A.; Lohmann, R. P.

1979-01-01

Progress in the development and future requirements of the Variable Stream Control Engine (VSCE) are presented. The two most critical components of this advanced system for future supersonic transports, the high performance duct burner for thrust augmentation, and the low jet coannular nozzle were studied. Nozzle model tests substantiated the jet noise benefit associated with the unique velocity profile possible with a coannular nozzle system on a VSCE. Additional nozzle model performance tests have established high thrust efficiency levels only at takeoff and supersonic cruise for this nozzle system. An experimental program involving both isolated component and complete engine tests has been conducted for the high performance, low emissions duct burner with good results and large scale testing of these two components is being conducted using a F100 engine as the testbed for simulating the VSCE. Future work includes application of computer programs for supersonic flow fields to coannular nozzle geometries, further experimental testing with the duct burner segment rig, and the use of the Variable Cycle Engine (VCE) Testbed Program for evaluating the VSCE duct burner and coannular nozzle technologies.

A Computer Program to Evaluate Experimental Therapies for Treating Burned Patients

PubMed Central

Flora, Jairus D.; Flora, Sharyl Ann

1980-01-01

Determining the worth of new therapies for burn patients has been difficult because of the rarity of the burn injury and the disparate survival chances associated with different sizes of burns. Recently a burn survival model has been developed that estimates the risk of death from a burn as a function of the patient's age, sex, area of full thickness (third degree) burn, area of partial thickness burn, involvement of the perineum, and time from burn to admission. An alternative risk model uses the total area burned in place of the areas of partial thickness burn and full thickness burn, and is appropriate if the amount of full thickness burn is not determined accurately. This paper describes a program that uses these risk models to correct or standardize for demographic and severity factors, then, after that adjustment, tests whether a group of burn patients who received a new or experimental therapy shows a significantly better survival rate than that predicted by a baseline model. The program is a simple one written in Fortran for easy adaptation to other computer systems.

Doppler-free spectroscopy of the atomic rubidium fine structure using ultrafast spatial coherent control method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Minhyuk; Kim, Kyungtae; Lee, Woojun; Kim, Hyosub; Ahn, Jaewook

2017-04-01

Spectral programming solutions for the ultrafast spatial coherent control (USCC) method to resolve the fine-structure energy levels of atomic rubidium are reported. In USCC, a pair of counter-propagating ultrashort laser pulses are programmed to make a two-photon excitation pattern specific to particular transition pathways and atom species, thus allowing the involved transitions resolvable in space simultaneously. With a proper spectral phase and amplitude modulation, USCC has been also demonstrated for the systems with many intermediate energy levels. Pushing the limit of system complexity even further, we show here an experimental demonstration of the rubidium fine-structure excitation pattern resolvable by USCC. The spectral programming solution for the given USCC is achieved by combining a double-V-shape spectral phase function and a set of phase steps, where the former distinguishes the fine structure and the latter prevents resonant transitions. The experimental results will be presented along with its application in conjunction with the Doppler-free frequency-comb spectroscopy for rubidium hyperfine structure measurements. Samsung Science and Technology Foundation [SSTFBA1301-12].

Training Manpower Development Work Supervisors in the Use of Behavior Modification Techniques to Teach Job-Required Skills. Special Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neiswender, Lenore

The paper describes a current research project now being conducted by the Experimental Manpower Laboratory at Mobilization for Youth (MFY-EML) in New York City. The overall objective of the MFY-EML is to develop and test new methods of teaching vocational skills to hard-to-employ youth. The MFY-EML is involved in developing a program to teach…

Final Evaluation Report of the 1970-1971 Group C-Kindergarten Education Programs, Districts Number 4, 5, 9, 27. ESEA Title I.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bertoldi, Arthur; Duphiney, Lorna

A differentiated staffing model involving the use of adult educational assistants to work with the kindergarten teacher and children within the classroom was utilized as the experimental concept for an Early Childhood project funded under Title I of the 1965 Elementary Secondary Education Act in the 1970-71 school year. The primary purpose of the…

Environmental and High-Strain Rate effects on composites for engine applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chamis, C. C.; Smith, G. T.

1982-01-01

The Lewis Research Center is conducting a series of programs intended to investigate and develop the application of composite materials to structural components for turbojet engines. A significant part of that effort is directed to establishing resistance, defect growth, and strain rate characteristics of composite materials over the wide range of environmental and load conditions found in commercial turbojet engine operations. Both analytical and experimental efforts are involved.

Krypton-85 Powered Lights for Airfield Application.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-11-01

Department of Energy.(DOE), and eight lights were fabricated for testing by actual observation under airfield conditions. Light is produced in the units...concepts of radionuclide-powered lights, the R&D program carried out, and fabrication constraints involved in the production of the experimental...visible light has been known for many years. Early use of radium mixed with zinc sulfide phosphors provided self-illuminated clock dials. The military has

Long-term Impact of Prevention Programs to Promote Effective Parenting: Lasting Effects but Uncertain Processes

PubMed Central

Sandler, Irwin; Schoenfelder, Erin; Wolchik, Sharlene; MacKinnon, David

2010-01-01

This chapter reviews findings from 46 randomized experimental trials of preventive parenting interventions. The findings of these trials provide evidence of effects to prevent a wide range of problem outcomes and to promote competencies from one to twenty years later. However, there is a paucity of evidence concerning the processes that account for program effects. Three alternative pathways are proposed as a framework for future research on the long-term effects of preventive parenting programs; 1) through program effects on parenting skills, perceptions of parental efficacy and reduction in barriers to effective parenting; 2) through program-induced reductions in short-term problems of youth that persist over time, improvements in youth adaptation to stress, and improvements in youth belief systems concerning the self and their relationships with others; and 3) through effects on contexts in which youth become involved and on youth-environment transactions. PMID:20822438

Recent Progress on the VASIMR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

ChangDiaz, Franklin R.; Squire, J. P.; Ilin, A. V.; Jacobson, V. T.; Glover, T. W.; Baity, F. W.; Carter, M. D.; Goulding, R. H.; Breizman, B. N.

1999-01-01

Experimental and theoretical studies on the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) have continued through a NASA led collaborative program involving several research groups. In the experimental area, performance characterization of the VASIMR helicon plasma source has been obtained over a portion of the parameter space, with helium and hydrogen propellant. Density (10(exp 18) - 10(exp 19)/ cubic meter) and temperature (5 eV) were measured at moderate degree of ionization in two separate experimental devices. Helicon design improvement and optimization will be discussed. Experiments with the ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) subsection have begun and preliminary results will be discussed. Theoretical picture and integrated numerical simulation continue to be refined to account for the main physics elements of the VASIMR, including RF absorption and particle acceleration with subsequent detachment in the magnetic nozzle.

Accelerated Learning: Undergraduate Research Experiences at the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yennello, S. J.

The Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute (TAMU CI) has had an NSF funded Research Experiences for Undergraduates program since 2004. Each summer about a dozen students from across the country join us for the 10-week program. They are each imbedded in one of the research groups of the TAMU CI and given their own research project. While the main focus of their effort is their individual research project, we also have other activities to broaden their experience. For instance, one of those activities has been involvement in a dedicated group experiment. Because not every experimental group will run during those 10 weeks and the fact that some of the students are in theory research groups, a group research experience allows everyone to actually be involved in an experiment using the accelerator. In stark contrast to the REU students' very focused experience during the summer, Texas A&M undergraduates can be involved in research projects at the Cyclotron throughout the year, often for multiple years. This extended exposure enables Texas A&M students to have a learning experience that cannot be duplicated without a local accelerator. The motivation for the REU program was to share this accelerator experience with students who do not have that opportunity at their home institution.

Retrieval, automaticity, vocabulary elaboration, orthography (RAVE-O): a comprehensive, fluency-based reading intervention program.

PubMed

Wolf, M; Miller, L; Donnelly, K

2000-01-01

The most important implication of the double-deficit hypothesis (Wolf & Bowers, in this issue) concerns a new emphasis on fluency and automaticity in intervention for children with developmental reading disabilities. The RAVE-O (Retrieval, Automaticity, Vocabulary Elaboration, Orthography) program is an experimental, fluency-based approach to reading intervention that is designed to accompany a phonological analysis program. In an effort to address multiple possible sources of dysfluency in readers with disabilities, the program involves comprehensive emphases both on fluency in word attack, word identification, and comprehension and on automaticity in underlying componential processes (e.g., phonological, orthographic, semantic, and lexical retrieval skills). The goals, theoretical principles, and applied activities of the RAVE-O curriculum are described with particular stress on facilitating the development of rapid orthographic pattern recognition and on changing children's attitudes toward language.

Application of the generalized reduced gradient method to conceptual aircraft design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gabriele, G. A.

1984-01-01

The complete aircraft design process can be broken into three phases of increasing depth: conceptual design, preliminary design, and detail design. Conceptual design consists primarily of developing general arrangements and selecting the configuration that optimally satisfies all mission requirements. The result of the conceptual phase is a conceptual baseline configuration that serves as the starting point for the preliminary design phase. The conceptual design of an aircraft involves a complex trade-off of many independent variables that must be investigated before deciding upon the basic configuration. Some of these variables are discrete (number of engines), some represent different configurations (canard vs conventional tail) and some may represent incorporation of new technologies (aluminum vs composite materials). At Lockheed-Georgia, the sizing program is known as GASP (Generalized Aircraft Sizing Program). GASP is a large program containing analysis modules covering the many different disciplines involved fin defining the aricraft, such as aerodynamics, structures, stability and control, mission performance, and cost. These analysis modules provide first-level estimates the aircraft properties that are derived from handbook, experimental, and historical sources.

Methods for nuclear air-cleaning-system accident-consequence assessment

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

Andrae, R.W.; Bolstad, J.W.; Gregory, W.S.

1982-01-01

This paper describes a multilaboratory research program that is directed toward addressing many questions that analysts face when performing air cleaning accident consequence assessments. The program involves developing analytical tools and supportive experimental data that will be useful in making more realistic assessments of accident source terms within and up to the atmospheric boundaries of nuclear fuel cycle facilities. The types of accidents considered in this study includes fires, explosions, spills, tornadoes, criticalities, and equipment failures. The main focus of the program is developing an accident analysis handbook (AAH). We will describe the contents of the AAH, which include descriptionsmore » of selected nuclear fuel cycle facilities, process unit operations, source-term development, and accident consequence analyses. Three computer codes designed to predict gas and material propagation through facility air cleaning systems are described. These computer codes address accidents involving fires (FIRAC), explosions (EXPAC), and tornadoes (TORAC). The handbook relies on many illustrative examples to show the analyst how to approach accident consequence assessments. We will use the FIRAC code and a hypothetical fire scenario to illustrate the accident analysis capability.« less

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

None

The past year has been an exciting and productive one for particle physics research at Abilene Christian University. The thrust of our experimental investigations is the study of the nucleon and its excited states. Laboratories where these investigations are presently being conducted are the AGS at Brookhaven, Fermilab and LAMPF. Some analysis of the data for experiments at the Petersburg Nuclear Physics Institute (Gatchina, Russia) is still in progress. Scheduling of activities at different laboratories inevitably leads to occasional conflicts. This likelihood is increased by the present budget uncertainties at the laboratories that make long-term scheduling difficult. For the mostmore » part, the investigators have been able to avoid such conflicts. Only one experiment received beam time in 1994 (E890 at the AGS). The situation for 1995-1996 also appears manageable at this point. E890 and another AGS experiment (E909) will run through May, 1995. El 178 at LAMPF is presently scheduled for August/September 1995. E866 at Fermilab is scheduled to start in Spring/Summer 1996. Undergraduate student involvement has been a key element in this research contract since its inception. Summer students participated at all of the above laboratories in 1994 and the same is planned in 1995. A transition to greater involvement by graduate students will provide cohesiveness to ACU involvement at a given laboratory and full-time on-site involvement in the longer running experiments at FNAL and BNL. Funds to support a full-time graduate student are requested this year. Finally, collaboration by Russian, Croatian and Bosnian scientists has proven to be mutually beneficial to these experimental programs and to the overall programs at the institutions involved. Past support has been augmented by other grants from government agencies and from the Research Council at Abilene Christian University. Additional funds are requested in this renewal to enable more programmatic support for these efforts, so that long-range plans can be made to carry out the experiments and to perform the analysis.« less

From the Experience of Interactivity and Entertainment to Lower Intention to Smoke: A Randomized Controlled Trial and Path Analysis of a Web-Based Smoking Prevention Program for Adolescents.

PubMed

Khalil, Georges Elias; Wang, Hua; Calabro, Karen Sue; Mitra, Natasha; Shegog, Ross; Prokhorov, Alexander V

2017-02-16

Web-based programs for smoking prevention are being increasingly used with some success among adolescents. However, little is known about the mechanisms that link the experience of such programs to intended nicotine or tobacco control outcomes. Based on the experiential learning theory and extended elaboration likelihood model, this study aimed to evaluate the impact of a Web-based intervention, A Smoking Prevention Interactive Experience (ASPIRE), on adolescents' intention to smoke, while considering the experience of interactivity and entertainment as predictors of reduced intention to smoke, under a transitional user experience model. A total of 101 adolescents were recruited from after-school programs, provided consent, screened, and randomized in a single-blinded format to 1 of 2 conditions: the full ASPIRE program as the experimental condition (n=50) or an online , text-based version of ASPIRE as the control condition (n=51). Data were collected at baseline and immediate follow-up. Repeated-measures mixed-effects models and path analyses were conducted. A total of 82 participants completed the study and were included in the analysis. Participants in the experimental condition were more likely to show a decrease in their intention to smoke than those in the control condition (beta=-0.18, P=.008). Perceived interactivity (beta=-0.27, P=.004) and entertainment (beta=-0.20, P=.04) were each associated with a decrease in intention to smoke independently. Results of path analyses indicated that perceived interactivity and perceived entertainment mediated the relationship between ASPIRE use and emotional involvement. Furthermore, perceived presence mediated the relationship between perceived interactivity and emotional involvement. There was a direct relationship between perceived entertainment and emotional involvement. Emotional involvement predicted a decrease in intention to smoke (beta=-0.16, P=.04). Adolescents' experience of interactivity and entertainment contributed to the expected outcome of lower intention to smoke. Also, emphasis needs to be placed on the emotional experience during Web-based interventions in order to maximize reductions in smoking intentions. Going beyond mere evaluation of the effectiveness of a Web-based smoking prevention program, this study contributes to the understanding of adolescents' psychological experience and its effect on their intention to smoke. With the results of this study, researchers can work to (1) enhance the experience of interactivity and entertainment and (2) amplify concepts of media effects (eg, presence and emotional involvement) in order to better reach health behavior outcomes. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02469779; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02469779 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6nxyZVOf0). ©Georges Elias Khalil, Hua Wang, Karen Sue Calabro, Natasha Mitra, Ross Shegog, Alexander V Prokhorov. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 16.02.2017.

Data acquisition and experiment control system of the project Maus (materials science experiments under weightlessness)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lensch, D.

In the context of Spacelab and Shuttle utilization, it is possible to conduct experiments in 'Small Self Contained Packages' (SSCP). This possibility exists primarily for experiments related to materials research/industrial processing engineering. The program involved is called 'get away special' (GAS). The project Maus was established in West Germany with the aim to participate in the program GAS. The autonomous design of the considered experiments made it necessary to develop an electronic unit for the control and the automatic conduction of the experiment. In addition, the process of the acquisition and the recording of the experimental data is also controlled.

Ongoing Fixed Wing Research within the NASA Langley Aeroelasticity Branch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bartels, Robert; Chwalowski, Pawel; Funk, Christie; Heeg, Jennifer; Hur, Jiyoung; Sanetrik, Mark; Scott, Robert; Silva, Walter; Stanford, Bret; Wiseman, Carol

2015-01-01

The NASA Langley Aeroelasticity Branch is involved in a number of research programs related to fixed wing aeroelasticity and aeroservoelasticity. These ongoing efforts are summarized here, and include aeroelastic tailoring of subsonic transport wing structures, experimental and numerical assessment of truss-braced wing flutter and limit cycle oscillations, and numerical modeling of high speed civil transport configurations. Efforts devoted to verification, validation, and uncertainty quantification of aeroelastic physics in a workshop setting are also discussed. The feasibility of certain future civil transport configurations will depend on the ability to understand and control complex aeroelastic phenomena, a goal that the Aeroelasticity Branch is well-positioned to contribute through these programs.

Wind turbine generator interaction with conventional diesel generators on Block Island, Rhode Island. Volume 1: Executive summary

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilreker, V. F.; Stiller, P. H.; Scott, G. W.; Kruse, V. J.; Smith, R. F.

1984-01-01

Primary results are summarized for a three-part study involving the effects of connecting a MOD-OA wind turbine generator to an isolated diesel power system. The MOD-OA installation considered was the third of four experimental nominal 200 kW wind turbines connected to various utilities under the Federal Wind Energy Program and was characterized by the highest wind energy penetration levels of four sites. The study analyses address: fuel displacement, dynamic interaction, and three modes of reactive power control. These analyses all have as their basis the results of the data acquisition program conducted on Block Island, Rhode Island.

Space Research Program on Planarian Schmidtea Mediterranea's Establishment of the Anterior-Posterior Axis in Altered Gravity Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Auletta, G.; Adell, T.; Colagè, I.; D'Ambrosio, P.; Salò, E.

2012-12-01

Planarians of the species Schmidtea mediterranea are a well-established model for regeneration studies. In this paper, we first recall the morphological characters and the molecular mechanisms involved in the regeneration process, especially focussing on the Wnt pathway and the establishment of the antero-posterior axial polarity. Then, after an assessment of a space-experiment (run in 2006 on the Russian Segment of the International Space Station) on planarians of the species Girardia tigrina, we present our experimental program to ascertain the effects that altered-gravity conditions may have on regeneration processes in S. mediterrnea at the molecular and genetic level.

An intelligent subtitle detection model for locating television commercials.

PubMed

Huang, Yo-Ping; Hsu, Liang-Wei; Sandnes, Frode-Eika

2007-04-01

A strategy for locating television (TV) commercials in TV programs is proposed. Based on the observation that most TV commercials do not have subtitles, the first stage exploits six subtitle constraints and an adaptive neurofuzzy inference system model to determine whether a frame contains a subtitle or not. The second stage involves locating the mark-in/mark-out points using a genetic algorithm. An interactive user interface allows users to efficiently identify and fine-tune the exact boundaries separating the commercials from the program content. Furthermore, erroneous boundaries are manually corrected. Experimental results show that the precision rate and recall rates exceed 90%.

Dynamic analysis for shuttle design verification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fralich, R. W.; Green, C. E.; Rheinfurth, M. H.

1972-01-01

Two approaches that are used for determining the modes and frequencies of space shuttle structures are discussed. The first method, direct numerical analysis, involves finite element mathematical modeling of the space shuttle structure in order to use computer programs for dynamic structural analysis. The second method utilizes modal-coupling techniques of experimental verification made by vibrating only spacecraft components and by deducing modes and frequencies of the complete vehicle from results obtained in the component tests.

Comparison of SAND-II and FERRET

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

Wootan, D.W.; Schmittroth, F.

1981-01-01

A comparison was made of the advantages and disadvantages of two codes, SAND-II and FERRET, for determining the neutron flux spectrum and uncertainty from experimental dosimeter measurements as anticipated in the FFTF Reactor Characterization Program. This comparison involved an examination of the methodology and the operational performance of each code. The merits of each code were identified with respect to theoretical basis, directness of method, solution uniqueness, subjective influences, and sensitivity to various input parameters.

Composition of web services using Markov decision processes and dynamic programming.

PubMed

Uc-Cetina, Víctor; Moo-Mena, Francisco; Hernandez-Ucan, Rafael

2015-01-01

We propose a Markov decision process model for solving the Web service composition (WSC) problem. Iterative policy evaluation, value iteration, and policy iteration algorithms are used to experimentally validate our approach, with artificial and real data. The experimental results show the reliability of the model and the methods employed, with policy iteration being the best one in terms of the minimum number of iterations needed to estimate an optimal policy, with the highest Quality of Service attributes. Our experimental work shows how the solution of a WSC problem involving a set of 100,000 individual Web services and where a valid composition requiring the selection of 1,000 services from the available set can be computed in the worst case in less than 200 seconds, using an Intel Core i5 computer with 6 GB RAM. Moreover, a real WSC problem involving only 7 individual Web services requires less than 0.08 seconds, using the same computational power. Finally, a comparison with two popular reinforcement learning algorithms, sarsa and Q-learning, shows that these algorithms require one or two orders of magnitude and more time than policy iteration, iterative policy evaluation, and value iteration to handle WSC problems of the same complexity.

Utilization of the Building-Block Approach in Structural Mechanics Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rouse, Marshall; Jegley, Dawn C.; McGowan, David M.; Bush, Harold G.; Waters, W. Allen

2005-01-01

In the last 20 years NASA has worked in collaboration with industry to develop enabling technologies needed to make aircraft safer and more affordable, extend their lifetime, improve their reliability, better understand their behavior, and reduce their weight. To support these efforts, research programs starting with ideas and culminating in full-scale structural testing were conducted at the NASA Langley Research Center. Each program contained development efforts that (a) started with selecting the material system and manufacturing approach; (b) moved on to experimentation and analysis of small samples to characterize the system and quantify behavior in the presence of defects like damage and imperfections; (c) progressed on to examining larger structures to examine buckling behavior, combined loadings, and built-up structures; and (d) finally moved to complicated subcomponents and full-scale components. Each step along the way was supported by detailed analysis, including tool development, to prove that the behavior of these structures was well-understood and predictable. This approach for developing technology became known as the "building-block" approach. In the Advanced Composites Technology Program and the High Speed Research Program the building-block approach was used to develop a true understanding of the response of the structures involved through experimentation and analysis. The philosophy that if the structural response couldn't be accurately predicted, it wasn't really understood, was critical to the progression of these programs. To this end, analytical techniques including closed-form and finite elements were employed and experimentation used to verify assumptions at each step along the way. This paper presents a discussion of the utilization of the building-block approach described previously in structural mechanics research and development programs at NASA Langley Research Center. Specific examples that illustrate the use of this approach are included from recent research and development programs for both subsonic and supersonic transports.

The effects of Internet or interactive computer-based patient education in the field of breast cancer: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Ryhänen, Anne M; Siekkinen, Mervi; Rankinen, Sirkku; Korvenranta, Heikki; Leino-Kilpi, Helena

2010-04-01

The aim of this systematic review was to analyze what kind of Internet or interactive computer-based patient education programs have been developed and to analyze the effectiveness of these programs in the field of breast cancer patient education. Patient education for breast cancer patients is an important intervention to empower the patient. However, we know very little about the effects and potential of Internet-based patient education in the empowerment of breast cancer patients. Complete databases were searched covering the period from the beginning of each database to November 2008. Studies were included if they concerned patient education for breast cancer patients with Internet or interactive computer programs and were based on randomized controlled, on clinical trials or quasi-experimental studies. We identified 14 articles involving 2374 participants. The design was randomized controlled trial in nine papers, in two papers clinical trial and in three quasi-experimental. Seven of the studies were randomized to experimental and control groups, in two papers participants were grouped by ethnic and racial differences and by mode of Internet use and three studies measured the same group pre- and post-tests after using a computer program. The interventions used were described as interactive computer or multimedia programs and use of the Internet. The methodological solutions of the studies varied. The effects of the studies were diverse except for knowledge-related issues. Internet or interactive computer-based patient education programs in the care of breast cancer patients may have positive effect increasing breast cancer knowledge. The results suggest a positive relationship between the Internet or computer-based patient education program use and the knowledge level of patients with breast cancer but a diverse relationship between patient's participation and other outcome measures. There is need to develop and research more Internet-based patient education. 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving teacher perceptions of parent involvement patterns: Findings from a group randomized trial.

PubMed

Herman, Keith C; Reinke, Wendy M

2017-03-01

For children with the most serious and persistent academic and behavior problems, parent involvement in education, particularly teacher perceptions of involvement, is essential to avert their expected long-term negative outcomes. Despite the widespread interest in and perceived importance of parent involvement in education, however, few experimental studies have evaluated programs and practices to promote it. In this group randomized trial, we examined the effects of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management program (IY TCM) on teacher perceptions of contact and comfort with parents. One hundred five classrooms with 1818 students were randomly assigned to an IY TCM or to a control, business as usual condition. Measures of key constructs included teacher ratings of parent and student behaviors, direct observations in the classroom, and a standardized academic achievement test. Latent transition analysis (LTA) was used to identify patterns of involvement over time and to determine if intervention condition predicted postintervention patterns and transitions. Four patterns of involvement were identified at baseline and at follow-up; parents of students with academic and behavior problems were most likely to be in classes with the least adaptive involvement patterns. Intervention status predicted group membership at follow-up. Specifically, intervention classroom parents were significantly more likely to transition to more adaptive teacher-rated parenting profiles at follow-up compared to control classroom parents. This is the first randomized trial we are aware of that has found that teacher training can alter teacher perceptions of parent involvement patterns. Clinical implications for students with behavior and academic problems are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Broad Specification Fuels Combustion Technology Program, Phase 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lohmann, R. P.; Jeroszko, R. A.; Kennedy, J. B.

1990-01-01

An experimental evaluation of two advanced technology combustor concepts was conducted to evolve and assess their capability for operation on broadened properties fuels. The concepts were based on the results of Phase 1 of the Broad Specification Fuel Combustor Technology Program which indicated that combustors with variable geometry or staged combustion zones had a flexibility of operation that could facilitate operation on these fuels. Emphasis in defining these concepts included the use of single pipe as opposed to duplex or staged fuels systems to avoid the risk of coking associated with the reduction in thermal stability expected in broadened properties fuels. The first concept was a variable geometry combustor in which the airflow into the primary zone could be altered through valves on the front while the second was an outgrowth of the staged Vorbix combustor, evolved under the NASA/P&W ECCP and EEE programs incorporating simplified fuel and air introduction. The results of the investigation, which involved the use of Experimental Referee Broad Specification (ERBS) fuel, indicated that in the form initially conceived, both of these combustor concepts were deficient in performance relative to many of the program goals for performance emissions. However, variations of both combustors were evaluated that incorporated features to simulate conceptual enhancement to demonstrate the long range potential of the combustor. In both cases, significant improvements relative to the program goals were observed.

Commerce Lab - A program of commercial flight opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, J.; Atkins, H. L.; Williams, J. R.

1985-01-01

Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab program provides mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program, in general, and the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

Effectiveness of an intergenerational approach for enhancing knowledge and improving attitudes toward the environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Shih-Tsen

One area in which many environmental education programs are deficient is in reaching and involving the adult population. For senior adults in particular, the disconnect from environmental centers and other settings represents a missed opportunity for strengthening relationships, utilizing community resources and promoting civic engagement. In this sense, "intergenerational programming" could serve as an effective strategy for broadening the public's awareness and participation in environmental activities. Although the concept of involving older adults and young people in joint environmental education experiences is compelling on several fronts, there is no body of evidence to draw upon; nor is there a blueprint to guide efforts to translate this general goal into practice. This research was therefore designed to: (1) assess the effectiveness of an intergeneration outdoor education program in enhancing participants' environmental knowledge and positive attitudes, (2) explore other program impacts on the participants and the environmental centers, and (3) learn about environmental educators' experiences and opinions in regard to utilizing senior adults in their programs. This study was conducted in two phases in order to address the research purposes: (1) a nonequivalent-control-group quasi-experimental research incorporated with the Outdoor School program at the Shaver's Creek Environmental Center, and (2) a statewide mail-in survey with environmental educators in Pennsylvania. According to the quantitative data, both intergenerational groups obtained higher mean scores for environmental attitudes than the monogenerational groups, although the difference in scores was not statistically significant than one of the two monogenerational groups. The qualitative data showed that senior adults have certain characteristics that allowed them to make a substantial contribution toward enriching children's awareness and appreciation of the natural environment. Although the environmental knowledge level held by students in the intergenerational groups was not tested to be significantly higher than that of the monogenerational groups, this may due to the test itself. Qualitative data suggested that senior adults did indeed make a contribution. Both the quantitative and qualitative data of the experimental research indicated that the inclusion of senior volunteers in an environmental education program has positive impacts on children's attitudes toward older adults. The results also showed many positive program impacts on participating senior adults. The survey of Pennsylvania environmental educators revealed the educators' affirmation of the need to utilize senior volunteers in environmental centers. The recommendations for further research are to (1) assess the correlations between program effectiveness and facilitation styles, (2) assess the correlations between program effectiveness and roles of senior volunteers, (3) determine whether actively involving adult volunteers in environmental centers or classrooms will facilitate greater learning about the environment and other generations than using students to educate adults at home, and (4) to evaluate the impacts of an intergenerational environmental education program on multiple levels, including impact on the participating organizations, and the surrounding community. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Developments in new aircraft tire tread materials. [fatigue life of elastomeric materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yager, T. J.; Mccarty, J. L.; Riccitiello, S. R.; Golub, M. A.

1976-01-01

Comparative laboratory and field tests were conducted on experimental and state-of-the-art aircraft tire tread materials in a program aimed at seeking new elastomeric materials which would provide improved aircraft tire tread wear, traction, and blowout resistance in the interests of operational safety and economy. The experimental stock was formulated of natural rubber and amorphous vinyl polybutadiene to provide high thermal-oxidative resistance, a characteristic pursued on the premise that thermal oxidation is involved both in the normal abrasion or wear of tire treads and probably in the chain of events leading to blowout failures. Results from the tests demonstrate that the experimental stock provided better heat buildup (hysteresis) and fatigue properties, at least equal wet and dry traction, and greater wear resistance than the state-of-the-art stock.

Terminal configured vehicle program: Test facilities guide

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

The terminal configured vehicle (TCV) program was established to conduct research and to develop and evaluate aircraft and flight management system technology concepts that will benefit conventional take off and landing operations in the terminal area. Emphasis is placed on the development of operating methods for the highly automated environment anticipated in the future. The program involves analyses, simulation, and flight experiments. Flight experiments are conducted using a modified Boeing 737 airplane equipped with highly flexible display and control equipment and an aft flight deck for research purposes. The experimental systems of the Boeing 737 are described including the flight control computer systems, the navigation/guidance system, the control and command panel, and the electronic display system. The ground based facilities used in the program are described including the visual motion simulator, the fixed base simulator, the verification and validation laboratory, and the radio frequency anechoic facility.

A community-based health education analysis of an infectous disease control program in Nigeria.

PubMed

Adeyanju, O M

1987-01-01

This descriptive study utilized the strategy of primary health care in program development-especially a community-based health education intervention approach-in the control of guinea-worm in rural communities of Nigeria. Two closely related rural communities in two states served as target groups. Committee system approach, nominal group process, interview methods, audio-visual aids, and health care volunteer trainingship were the educational strategies employed in a control and experimental set up. The PRECEDE model was applied in the analysis. Results show a significant control action on guinea-worm infestation in the experimental community and a tremendous achievement in preventive health education interventions through organized community participation/involvement and ultimate self-reliance and individual responsibility. A positive increase in health knowledge and attitude examined through interview method, and observable changes in health behavior were noticed. Wells were provided, drinking water treated, while personal and community health promotion strategies were encouraged by all. The study has shown the effectiveness/efficacy of a community-based effort facilitated by a health educator.

[Development and Effects of an Instructional Coaching Program Regarding Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for Elementary School Teachers].

PubMed

Park, Shin Jeong; Park, Wan Ju

2017-06-01

The aim of this study was to identify the effects of a newly developed instructional coaching program regarding Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for teachers. Seventy teachers participated in this study involving a nonequivalent control group and a pretest-posttest design. The instructional coaching program consisted of eight 60-minute sessions. The program was developed through a theoretical development program involving six steps. To evaluate the effects of the program, data were collected through self-report questionnaires including the Knowledge Scale of Attention Deficit Disorder, Attitude Scale of Primary School Teachers Experiencing Students with ADHD, Practice Scale of Educational Intervention Activity, and the Korean ADHD Rating Scale. Data were analyzed with an independent t test, a chi-square test, and an ANCOVA using SPSS WIN version 20. The intervention program consisted of 3 sectors, 8 subjects, and 24 content items. The experimental group showed a significant improvement in attitudes toward ADHD (F=22.83, p<.001). In addition, teacher's knowledge regarding ADHD (F=7.16, p=.010) and the implementation of instructional interventions (F=4.29, p=.043) improved. Further, teachers reported a reduction in children's ADHD-related behavior (F=4.34, p=.041). Results showed that the coaching program made a positive contribution to teaching skills and understanding of school-age children with ADHD. The instructional coaching program was well structured and significantly improved not only teachers'attitudes, knowledge, and teaching skills but also the behavior of children with ADHD in class. Therefore, the program is recommended as a means of facilitating teaching and managing children with ADHD in class. © 2017 Korean Society of Nursing Science

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

INSTRUMENTATION DIVISION STAFF

To develop state-of-the-art instrumentation required for experimental research programs at BNL, and to maintain the expertise and facilities in specialized high technology areas essential for this work. Development of facilities is motivated by present BNL research programs and anticipated future directions of BNL research. The Division's research efforts also have a significant impact on programs throughout the world that rely on state-of-the-art radiation detectors and readout electronics. Our staff scientists are encouraged to: Become involved in challenging problems in collaborations with other scientists; Offer unique expertise in solving problems; and Develop new devices and instruments when not commercially available. Scientistsmore » from other BNL Departments are encouraged to bring problems and ideas directly to the Division staff members with the appropriate expertise. Division staff is encouraged to become involved with research problems in other Departments to advance the application of new ideas in instrumentation. The Division Head integrates these efforts when they evolve into larger projects, within available staff and budget resources, and defines the priorities and direction with concurrence of appropriate Laboratory program leaders. The Division Head also ensures that these efforts are accompanied by strict adherence to all ES and H regulatory mandates and policies of the Laboratory. The responsibility for safety and environmental protection is integrated with supervision of particular facilities and conduct of operations.« less

CVT/GPL phase 3 integrated testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shurney, R. E.; Cantrell, E.; Maybee, G.; Schmitt, S.

1975-01-01

The hardware for 20 candidate shuttle program life sciences experiments was installed in the GPL and experiments were conducted during a 5-day simulated mission. The experiments involved humans, primates, rats, chickens, and marigold plants. All experiments were completed to the satisfaction of the experimenters. In addition to the scientific data gathered for each experiment, information was obtained concerning experiment hardware design and integration, experiment procedures, GPL support systems, and test operations. The results of the integrated tests are presented.

Relevance of advanced nuclear fusion research: Breakthroughs and obstructions

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

Coppi, Bruno, E-mail: coppi@mit.edu

2016-03-25

An in depth understanding of the collective modes that can be excited in a wide range of high-energy plasmas is necessary to advance nuclear fusion research in parallel with other fields that include space and astrophysics in particular. Important achievements are shown to have resulted from implementing programs based on this reality, maintaining a tight connection with different areas of investigations. This involves the undertaking of a plurality of experimental approaches aimed at understanding the physics of fusion burning plasmas. At present, the most advanced among these is the Ignitor experiment involving international cooperation, that is designed to investigate burningmore » plasma regimes near ignition for the first time.« less

Analyzing the effectiveness of teaching and factors in clinical decision-making.

PubMed

Hsieh, Ming-Chen; Lee, Ming-Shinn; Chen, Tsung-Ying; Tsai, Tsuen-Chiuan; Pai, Yi-Fong; Sheu, Min-Muh

2017-01-01

The aim of this study is to prepare junior physicians, clinical education should focus on the teaching of clinical decision-making. This research is designed to explore teaching of clinical decision-making and to analyze the benefits of an "Analogy guide clinical decision-making" as a learning intervention for junior doctors. This study had a "quasi-experimental design" and was conducted in a medical center in eastern Taiwan. Participants and Program Description: Thirty junior doctors and three clinical teachers were involved in the study. The experimental group (15) received 1 h of instruction from the "Analogy guide for teaching clinical decision-making" every day for 3 months. Program Evaluation: A "Clinical decision-making self-evaluation form" was used as the assessment tool to evaluate participant learning efficiency before and after the teaching program. Semi-structured qualitative research interviews were also conducted. We found using the analogy guide for teaching clinical decision-making could help enhance junior doctors' self-confidence. Important factors influencing clinical decision-making included workload, decision-making, and past experience. Clinical teaching using the analogy guide for clinical decision-making may be a helpful tool for training and can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of decision-making.

Generation 1.5 High Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) Exhaust Nozzle Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thayer, E. B.; Gamble, E. J.; Guthrie, A. R.; Kehret, D. F.; Barber, T. J.; Hendricks, G. J.; Nagaraja, K. S.; Minardi, J. E.

2004-01-01

The objective of this program was to conduct an experimental and analytical evaluation of low noise exhaust nozzles suitable for future High-Speed Civil Transport (HSCT) aircraft. The experimental portion of the program involved parametric subscale performance model tests of mixer/ejector nozzles in the takeoff mode, and high-speed tests of mixer/ejectors converted to two-dimensional convergent-divergent (2-D/C-D), plug, and single expansion ramp nozzles (SERN) in the cruise mode. Mixer/ejector results show measured static thrust coefficients at secondary flow entrainment levels of 70 percent of primary flow. Results of the high-speed performance tests showed that relatively long, straight-wall, C-D nozzles could meet supersonic cruise thrust coefficient goal of 0.982; but the plug, ramp, and shorter C-D nozzles required isentropic contours to reach the same level of performance. The computational fluid dynamic (CFD) study accurately predicted mixer/ejector pressure distributions and shock locations. Heat transfer studies showed that a combination of insulation and convective cooling was more effective than film cooling for nonafterburning, low-noise nozzles. The thrust augmentation study indicated potential benefits for use of ejector nozzles in the subsonic cruise mode if the ejector inlet contains a sonic throat plane.

Overview of clinical research design.

PubMed

Hartung, Daniel M; Touchette, Daniel

2009-02-15

Basic concepts and terminology of clinical research design are presented for new clinical investigators. Clinical research, research involving human subjects, can be described as either observational or experimental. The findings of all clinical research can be threatened by issues of bias and confounding. Biases are systematic errors in how study subjects are selected or measured, which result in false inferences. Confounding is a distortion in findings that is attributable to mixing variable effects. Uncontrolled observation research is generally more prone to bias and confounding than experimental research. Observational research includes designs such as the cohort study, case-control study, and cross-sectional study, while experimental research typically involves a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The cohort study, which includes the RCT, defines subject allocation on the basis of exposure interest (e.g., drug, disease-management program) and follows the patients to assess the outcomes. The case-control study uses the primary outcome of interest (e.g., adverse event) to define subject allocation, and different exposures are assessed in a retrospective manner. Cross-sectional research evaluates both exposure and outcome concurrently. Each of these design methods possesses different strengths and weaknesses in answering research questions, as well as underlying many study subtypes. While experimental research is the strongest method for establishing causality, it can be difficult to accomplish under many scenarios. Observational clinical research offers many design alternatives that may be appropriate if planned and executed carefully.

Commercial opportunities in bioseparations and physiological testing aboard Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hymer, W. C.

1992-01-01

The Center for Cell Research (CCR) is a NASA Center for the Commercial Development of Space which has as its main goal encouraging industry-driven biomedical/biotechnology space projects. Space Station Freedom (SSF) will provide long duration, crew-tended microgravity environments which will enhance the opportunities for commercial biomedical/biotechnology projects in bioseparations and physiological testing. The CCR bioseparations program, known as USCEPS (for United States Commercial Electrophoresis Program in Space), is developing access for American industry to continuous-flow electrophoresis aboard SSF. In space, considerable scale-up of continuous free-flow electrophoresis is possible for cells, sub cellular particles, proteins, growth factors, and other biological products. The lack of sedemination and buoyancy-driven convection flow enhances purity of separations and the amount of material processed/time. Through the CCR's physiological testing program, commercial organizations will have access aboard SSF to physiological systems experiments (PSE's); the Penn State Biomodule; and telemicroscopy. Physiological systems experiments involve the use of live animals for pharmaceutical product testing and discovery research. The Penn State Biomodule is a computer-controlled mini lab useful for projects involving live cells or tissues and macro molecular assembly studies, including protein crystallization. Telemicroscopy will enable staff on Earth to manipulate and monitor microscopic specimens on SSF for product development and discovery research or for medical diagnosis of astronaut health problems. Space-based product processing, testing, development, and discovery research using USCEPS and CCR's physiological testing program offer new routes to improved health on Earth. Direct crew involvement-in biomedical/biotechnology projects aboard SSF will enable better experimental outcomes. The current data base shows that there is reason for considerable optimism regarding what the CCDS program and the biomedical/biotechnology industry can expect to gain from a permanent manned presence in space.

CTS United States experiments - A progress report. [Communications Technology Satellite for high power broadcasting

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robbins, W. H.; Donoughe, P. L.

1976-01-01

The Communications Technology Satellite (CTS) is a high-power broadcast satellite launched by NASA on January 17, 1976. CTS is the first satellite to operate at a frequency of 12 gigahertz and incorporates technology making possible new satellite telecommunications services. CTS is a cooperative program of the United States and Canada. This paper presents the results of the United States experimental activity to date. Wide segments of the population are involved in the Experiments Program, including the scientific community, other government agencies, industry, and the education and health entities. The experiments are associated with both technological objectives and the demonstration of new community and social services via satellite.

LDRD Final Report 15-ERD-037 Matthews

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

Matthews, Manyalibo J.

2017-10-26

The physics and materials science involved in laser materials processing of metals was studied experimentally using custom-built test beds and in situ diagnostics. Special attention was given to laser-based powder bed fusion additive manufacturing processes, a technology critically important to the stockpile stewardship program in NNSA. New light has been shed on several phenomena such as laser-driven spatter, material displacement and morphology changes. The results presented here and in publications generated by this work have proven impactful and useful to both internal and external communities. New directions in additive manufacturing research at LLNL have been enabled, along with new scientificmore » capabilities that can serve future program needs.« less

Development of an integrated control and measurement system

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

Manges, W.W.

1984-03-01

This thesis presents a tutorial on the issues involved in the development of a minicomputer-based, distributed intelligence data acquisition and process control system to support complex experimental facilities. The particular system discussed in this thesis is under development for the Atomic Vapor Laser Isotope Separation (AVLIS) Program at the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant (ORGDP). In the AVLIS program, we were careful to integrate the computer sections of the implementation into the instrumentation system rather than adding them as an appendage. We then addressed the reliability and availability of the system as a separate concern. Thus, our concept of anmore » integrated control and measurement (ICAM) system forms the basis for this thesis. This thesis details the logic and philosophy that went into the development of this system and explains why the commercially available turn-key systems generally are not suitable. Also, the issues involved in the specification of the components for such an integrated system are emphasized.« less

34 CFR 387.1 - What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program...) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPERIMENTAL AND INNOVATIVE TRAINING General § 387.1 What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program? This program is...

34 CFR 387.1 - What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program...) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPERIMENTAL AND INNOVATIVE TRAINING General § 387.1 What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program? This program is...

Changes in sexual behavior following a sex education program in Brazilian public schools.

PubMed

Andrade, Heloísa Helena Siqueira Monteiro; Mello, Maeve Brito de; Sousa, Maria Helena; Makuch, Maria Yolanda; Bertoni, Neilane; Faúndes, Anibal

2009-05-01

This paper describes an evaluation of possible changes in sexual behavior in adolescents who participated in a school-based sex education program in selected public schools in four municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The program is inserted within the context of reproductive rights, deals with risks involved in unsafe sexual practices and focuses on the positive aspects of sexuality. A quasi-experimental design with pre and post-tests and a non-equivalent control group was used to evaluate the intervention. A total of 4,795 questionnaires were included in this analysis. The program succeeded in more than doubling consistent condom use with casual partners and in increasing the use of modern contraceptives during last intercourse by 68%. The intervention had no effect on age at first intercourse or on adolescents' engagement in sexual activities. The sex education program was effective in generating positive changes in the sexual behavior of adolescents, while not stimulating participation in sexual activities.

Experimental feasibility of investigating acoustic waves in Couette flow with entropy and pressure gradients

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parrott, Tony L.; Zorumski, William E.; Rawls, John W., Jr.

1990-01-01

The feasibility is discussed for an experimental program for studying the behavior of acoustic wave propagation in the presence of strong gradients of pressure, temperature, and flow. Theory suggests that gradients effects can be experimentally observed as resonant frequency shifts and mode shape changes in a waveguide. A convenient experimental geometry for such experiments is the annular region between two co-rotating cylinders. Radial temperature gradients in a spinning annulus can be generated by differentially heating the two cylinders via electromagnetic induction. Radial pressure gradients can be controlled by varying the cylinder spin rates. Present technology appears adequate to construct an apparatus to allow independent control of temperature and pressure gradients. A complicating feature of a more advanced experiment, involving flow gradients, is the requirement for independently controlled cylinder spin rates. Also, the boundary condition at annulus terminations must be such that flow gradients are minimally disturbed. The design and construction of an advanced apparatus to include flow gradients will require additional technology development.

Final Report of DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-04ER41306

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

Nandi, Satyanarayan; Babu, Kaladi S; Rizatdinova, Flera

2013-12-10

Project: Theoretical and Experimental Research in Weak, Electromagnetic and Strong Interactions: Investigators: S. Nandi, K.S. Babu, F. Rizatdinova Institution: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078 This completed project focused on the cutting edge research in theoretical and experimental high energy physics. In theoretical high energy physics, the two investigators (Nandi and Babu) worked on a variety of topics in model-building and phenomenological aspects of elementary particle physics. This includes unification of particles and forces, neutrino physics, Higgs boson physics, proton decay, supersymmetry, and collider physics. Novel physics ideas beyond the Standard Model with testable consequences at the LHC have beenmore » proposed. These ideas have stimulated the experimental community to look for new signals. The contributions of the experimental high energy physics group has been at the D0 experiment at the Fermilab Tevatraon and the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider. At the D0 experiment, the main focus was search for the Higgs boson in the WH channel, where improved limits were obtained. At the LHC, the OSU group has made significant contributions to the top quark physics, and the calibration of the b-tagging algorithms. The group is also involved in the pixel detector upgrade. This DOE supported grant has resulted in 5 PhD degrees during the past three years. Three postdoctoral fellows were supported as well. In theoretical research over 40 refereed publications have resulted in the past three years, with several involving graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. It also resulted in over 30 conference presentations in the same time period. We are also involved in outreach activities through the Quarknet program, where we engage Oklahoma school teachers and students in our research.« less

Assessment of an intervention to train teaching hospital care providers in quality management

PubMed Central

Francois, P; Vinck, D; Labarere, J; Reverdy, T; Peyrin, J

2005-01-01

Background: Successful implementation of continuous quality improvement (CQI) programs in hospitals remains rare in all countries, making it necessary to experiment with implementation methods while considering the cultural factors of resistance to change. Objective: To assess the impact of an educational intervention on involvement of clinical department staff in the quality process. Setting: Twelve voluntary clinical departments (six experimental and six controls) in a French 2000-bed university hospital comprising 40 clinical departments. Intervention: Three day training seminar to a group of 12–20 staff members from each department. Design: Quasi-experimental post-test only design study with control group conducted 12 months after the intervention with a questionnaire completed in a face-to-face interview. Subjects: 98 trained staff and 100 untrained staff from the six experimental departments and 100 staff from the six control departments. Principal measurements: Declared knowledge of the CQI methods and participation in quality management activities. Results: 286 people (96%) were involved in the study. More of the trained staff knew the CQI methods (62.4%) than staff in the control departments (16.5%) (adjusted odds ratio (ORa) = 10.6 (95% CI 4.97 to 22.62)). More trained staff also participated in quality improvement work groups than control department staff (76.3% v 14.0%; ORa = 27.4 (95% CI 11.6 to 64.4)). In the experimental departments the untrained staff's knowledge of CQI methods and their participation in work groups did not differ from that of control department staff. Conclusions: A continuing education intervention can involve care providers in CQI. Dissemination of knowledge from trained personnel to other staff members remains limited. PMID:16076785

The spatial evolution of energetic electrons and plasma waves during the steady state beam plasma discharge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Llobet, X.; Bernstein, W.; Kondradi, A.

1985-01-01

Experiments, involving the injection of energetic (keV) electron beams into the ionosphere-upper atmosphere system from rocket-borne electron guns, have provided evidence for the occurrence of strong beam-plasma interactions (BPI) both near to and remote from the injection point. However, the flight experiments have not provided clear and unambiguous evidence for the basic physical processes which produce the variety of confusing signatures. A laboratory experimental program was initiated to clarify some of a number of ambiguities regarding the obtained results. The present investigation is concerned with some experimental studies of the evolution of both the beam energy spectrum and the local wave amplitude-frequency spectrum at increasing axial distances from the electron gun for a variety of experimental conditions. The results of the studies show that the high frequency beam-plasma interaction represents the most important process.

Experimental and Theoretical Study of Propeller Spinner/Shank Interference. M.S. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cornell, C. C.

1986-01-01

A fundamental experimental and theoretical investigation into the aerodynamic interference associated with propeller spinner and shank regions was conducted. The research program involved a theoretical assessment of solutions previously proposed, followed by a systematic experimental study to supplement the existing data base. As a result, a refined computational procedure was established for prediction of interference effects in terms of interference drag and resolved into propeller thrust and torque components. These quantities were examined with attention to engineering parameters such as two spinner finess ratios, three blade shank forms, and two/three/four/six/eight blades. Consideration of the physics of the phenomena aided in the logical deduction of two individual interference quantities (cascade effects and spinner/shank juncture interference). These interference effects were semi-empirically modeled using existing theories and placed into a compatible form with an existing propeller performance scheme which provided the basis for examples of application.

LBE water interaction in sub-critical reactors: First experimental and modelling results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciampichetti, A.; Agostini, P.; Benamati, G.; Bandini, G.; Pellini, D.; Forgione, N.; Oriolo, F.; Ambrosini, W.

2008-06-01

This paper concerns the study of the phenomena involved in the interaction between LBE and pressurised water which could occur in some hypothetical accidents in accelerator driven system type reactors. The LIFUS 5 facility was designed and built at ENEA-Brasimone to reproduce this kind of interaction in a wide range of conditions. The first test of the experimental program was carried out injecting water at 70 bar and 235 °C in a reaction vessel containing LBE at 1 bar and 350 °C. A pressurisation up to 80 bar was observed in the test section during the considered transient. The SIMMER III code was used to simulate the performed test. The calculated data agree in a satisfactory way with the experimental results giving confidence in the possibility to use this code for safety analyses of heavy liquid metal cooled reactors.

Laboratory Measurements of Optical Properties of Micron Size Individual Dust Grains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abbas, M. M.; Craven, P. D.; Spann, J. F.; Tankosic, D.; LeClair, A.; Witherow, W. K.; Camata, R.; Gerakines, P.

2003-01-01

A laboratory program is being developed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for experimental determination of the optical and physical properties individual dust grains in simulated astrophysical environments. The experimental setup is based on an electrodynamic balance that permits levitation of single 0.1 - 10 micron radii dust grains in a cavity evacuated to pressures of approx. 10(exp -6) torr. The experimental apparatus is equipped with observational ports for measurements in the UV, visible, and infrared spectral regions. A cryogenic facility for cooling the particles to temperature of approx. 10-50K is being installed. The current and the planned measurements include: dust charging processes, photoelectric emissions and yields with UV irradiation, radiation pressure measurements, infrared absorption and scattering properties, and condensation processes, involving the analogs of cosmic dust grains. Selected results based on photoemissions, radiation pressure, and other laboratory measurements will be presented.

Inter-Institutional Partnerships Propel A Successful Collaborative Undergraduate Degree Program In Chemistry

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiquan

2013-01-01

Small private liberal arts colleges are increasingly tuition-dependent and mainly attract students by creating student-centered learning communities. On the other hand, larger universities tend to be trendsetters where its faculty tend to seek intellectual independence and are involved in career focused cutting-edge research. The Institutional Development Awards (IDeA) and Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) are federal-state-university partnerships that builds basic research infrastructure and coax the state-wide higher education institutions to collaborate with each other in order to enhance their competitiveness. As a result in Delaware, Wesley College instituted curricular and operational changes to launch an undergraduate program in biological chemistry where its students take three upper division chemistry courses and can choose to participate in annual summer undergraduate internships at nearby Delaware State University. PMID:24273464

An internally consistent set of thermodynamic data for twentyone CaO-Al2O3-SiO2- H2O phases by linear parametric programming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halbach, Heiner; Chatterjee, Niranjan D.

1984-11-01

The technique of linear parametric programming has been applied to derive sets of internally consistent thermodynamic data for 21 condensed phases of the quaternary system CaO-Al2O3-SiO2-H2O (CASH) (Table 4). This was achieved by simultaneously processing: a) calorimetric data for 16 of these phases (Table 1), and b) experimental phase equilibria reversal brackets for 27 reactions (Table 3) involving these phases. Calculation of equilibrium P-T curves of several arbitrarily picked reactions employing the preferred set of internally consistent thermodynamic data from Table 4 shows that the input brackets are invariably satisfied by the calculations (Fig. 2a). By contrast, the same equilibria calculated on the basis of a set of thermodynamic data derived by applying statistical methods to a large body of comparable input data (Haas et al. 1981; Hemingway et al. 1982) do not necessarily agree with the experimental reversal brackets. Prediction of some experimentally investigated phase relations not included into the linear programming input database also appears to be remarkably successful. Indications are, therefore, that the thermodynamic data listed in Table 4 may be used with confidence to predict geologic phase relations in the CASH system with considerable accuracy. For such calculated phase diagrams and their petrological implications, the reader's attention is drawn to the paper by Chatterjee et al. (1984).

Experimental investigation of defect criticality in FRP laminate composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joyce, Peter James

1999-11-01

This work examines the defect criticality of fiber reinforced polymer Composites. The objective is to determine the sensitivity of the finished composite to various process-induced defects. This work focuses on two different classes of process-induced defects; (1) fiber waviness in high performance carbon-fiber reinforced unidirectional composites and (2) void volume in low cost glass-fabric reinforced composites. The role of fiber waviness in the compressive response of unidirectional composites has been studied by a number of other investigators. Because of difficulties associated with producing real composites with varying levels of fiber waviness, most experimental studies of fiber waviness have evaluated composites with artificially induced fiber waviness. Furthermore, most experimental studies have been concentrated on the effects of out-of-plane fiber waviness. The objective of this work is to evaluate the effects of in-plane fiber waviness naturally occurring in autoclave consolidated thermoplastic laminates. The first phase of this project involved the development of a simple technique for measuring the resulting fiber waviness levels. An experimental investigation of the compression strength reduction in composites with in-plane fiber waviness followed. The experimental program included carbon-fiber reinforced thermoplastic composites manufactured from prepreg tape by hand layup, and carbon-fiber and glass-fiber reinforced composites manufactured from an experimental powder towpreg by filament winding and autoclave consolidation. The compression specimens exhibited kink band failure in the prepreg composite and varying amounts of longitudinal splitting and kink banding in the towpreg composites. The compression test results demonstrated the same trend as predicted by microbudding theory but the overall quantitative correlation was poor. The second thrust of this research evaluated void effects in resin transfer molded composites. Much of the existing literature in this area has focused on composites with unidirectional fiber reinforcement. In this program, the influence of void volume on the mechanical behavior of RTM composites with plain weave reinforcement was investigated. The experimental program demonstrated that the effects of void volume are negligible in terms of the fiber dominated properties. Interlaminar shear strength tests on the other hand demonstrated a linear dependence on void volume in the range tested.

Conference Proceedings on Guidance and Control Techniques for Advanced Space Vehicles (37th) Held at Florence, Italy on 27-30 September 1983.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-01-01

P AD-A14l 969 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS ON GUIDANCE AND CONTROL 1 TECHNIQUES FOR ADVANCED SP-.(U,) ADVISORY GROUP FOR AEROSPACE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT...findings of these various planning groups relativie to the ’e for advanced controls technology, and the perceived status of the technology t. me-,t... control of large flexible spacecraft. The program has also involved experimental activities to guide Ind validate the theoretical work. The

The Development of an Experimental Structured Interview Protocol for Armed Forces Health Professions Scholarship Program Selection

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-01

applicants who have been admitted to civilian medical schools or schools of osteopathy in return for a 3- to 4-year service obligation. Although physicians...followers Physical fitness/Life style Involvement in physical activities, absence of substance abuse Adaptability/Maturity Ability to handle stress and...improve? How do you generally react to stress ? Give an example. B-2 Describe one area in which you fell short of your expected goal, and why? Describe some

Visual monitoring of autonomous life sciences experimentation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blank, G. E.; Martin, W. N.

1987-01-01

The design and implementation of a computerized visual monitoring system to aid in the monitoring and control of life sciences experiments on board a space station was investigated. A likely multiprocessor design was chosen, a plausible life science experiment with which to work was defined, the theoretical issues involved in the programming of a visual monitoring system for the experiment was considered on the multiprocessor, a system for monitoring the experiment was designed, and simulations of such a system was implemented on a network of Apollo workstations.

Development and experimental qualification of a calculation scheme for the evaluation of gamma heating in experimental reactors. Application to MARIA and Jules Horowitz (JHR) MTR Reactors

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

Tarchalski, M.; Pytel, K.; Wroblewska, M.

2015-07-01

Precise computational determination of nuclear heating which consists predominantly of gamma heating (more than 80 %) is one of the challenges in material testing reactor exploitation. Due to sophisticated construction and conditions of experimental programs planned in JHR it became essential to use most accurate and precise gamma heating model. Before the JHR starts to operate, gamma heating evaluation methods need to be developed and qualified in other experimental reactor facilities. This is done inter alia using OSIRIS, MINERVE or EOLE research reactors in France. Furthermore, MARIA - Polish material testing reactor - has been chosen to contribute to themore » qualification of gamma heating calculation schemes/tools. This reactor has some characteristics close to those of JHR (beryllium usage, fuel element geometry). To evaluate gamma heating in JHR and MARIA reactors, both simulation tools and experimental program have been developed and performed. For gamma heating simulation, new calculation scheme and gamma heating model of MARIA have been carried out using TRIPOLI4 and APOLLO2 codes. Calculation outcome has been verified by comparison to experimental measurements in MARIA reactor. To have more precise calculation results, model of MARIA in TRIPOLI4 has been made using the whole geometry of the core. This has been done for the first time in the history of MARIA reactor and was complex due to cut cone shape of all its elements. Material composition of burnt fuel elements has been implemented from APOLLO2 calculations. An experiment for nuclear heating measurements and calculation verification has been done in September 2014. This involved neutron, photon and nuclear heating measurements at selected locations in MARIA reactor using in particular Rh SPND, Ag SPND, Ionization Chamber (all three from CEA), KAROLINA calorimeter (NCBJ) and Gamma Thermometer (CEA/SCK CEN). Measurements were done in forty points using four channels. Maximal nuclear heating evaluated from measurements is of the order of 2.5 W/g at half of the possible MARIA power - 15 MW. The approach and the detailed program for experimental verification of calculations will be presented. The following points will be discussed: - Development of a gamma heating model of MARIA reactor with TRIPOLI 4 (coupled neutron-photon mode) and APOLLO2 model taking into account the key parameters like: configuration of the core, experimental loading, control rod location, reactor power, fuel depletion); - Design of specific measurement tools for MARIA experiments including for instance a new single-cell calorimeter called KAROLINA calorimeter; - MARIA experimental program description and a preliminary analysis of results; - Comparison of calculations for JHR and MARIA cores with experimental verification analysis, calculation behavior and n-γ 'environments'. (authors)« less

Chronic effects of strength training vs. Hydro aerobics on functional and cardiorespiratory ability in postmenopausal women.

PubMed

Novaes, Giovanni S; Novaes, Jefferson S; Vilaça-Alves, José; Silva, Gabriel Costa E; Garrido, Nuno D; Furtado, Hélio; Reis, Victor M

2014-09-29

The current study aimed to compare the effects of two exercise programs (Strength Training and Hydro Gymnastics) on the functional and cardiorespiratory abilities of Portuguese postmenopausal women. The study population consisted of 38 volunteers (age: 66.9 ± 6.1 years, body mass: 73.70 ± 10.38 kg, and body height: 1.55 ± 0.10 m). Subjects were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group: one group performed 24 weeks of strength training (GST; n = 14), another performed 24 weeks of hydro gymnastics (GH; n = 17) and a control group (CG; n = 7), where the subjects continued with their regular daily activities without involvement in any physical exercise program. Three assessments were performed: before the beginning of the program, 12 weeks after the start of the training program and 24 weeks after the start of the program. To assess the functional ability of the participants, several tests proposed by Jones and Rikli (2002) were performed. To evaluate the cardiorespiratory ability of the participants, a modified treadmill Bruce test was applied. Significant differences (p<0.05) were found between the two training methods in the tests, which primarily demanded muscular strength. Body mass and the body mass index showed significant differences during the three stages of assessment in the GST group (p<0.05). With respect to the values that represent the variables of cardiorespiratory ability, positive and significant changes were observed in the two experimental groups. It was concluded that both exercise programs promoted improvements in some indicators of the functional and cardiorespiratory abilities of Portuguese postmenopausal women.

Intensive exercise program after spinal cord injury ("Full-On"): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Galea, Mary P; Dunlop, Sarah A; Davis, Glen M; Nunn, Andrew; Geraghty, Timothy; Hsueh, Ya-seng Arthur; Churilov, Leonid

2013-09-11

Rehabilitation after spinal cord injury (SCI) has traditionally involved teaching compensatory strategies for identified impairments and deficits in order to improve functional independence. There is some evidence that regular and intensive activity-based therapies, directed at activation of the paralyzed extremities, promotes neurological improvement. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of a 12-week intensive activity-based therapy program for the whole body with a program of upper body exercise. A multicenter, parallel group, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial will be conducted. One hundred eighty-eight participants with spinal cord injury, who have completed their primary rehabilitation at least 6 months prior, will be recruited from five SCI units in Australia and New Zealand. Participants will be randomized to an experimental or control group. Experimental participants will receive a 12-week program of intensive exercise for the whole body, including locomotor training, trunk exercises and functional electrical stimulation-assisted cycling. Control participants will receive a 12-week intensive upper body exercise program. The primary outcome is the American Spinal Injuries Association (ASIA) Motor Score. Secondary outcomes include measurements of sensation, function, pain, psychological measures, quality of life and cost effectiveness. All outcomes will be measured at baseline, 12 weeks, 6 months and 12 months by blinded assessors. Recruitment commenced in January 2011. The results of this trial will determine the effectiveness of a 12-week program of intensive exercise for the whole body in improving neurological recovery after spinal cord injury. NCT01236976 (10 November 2010), ACTRN12610000498099 (17 June 2010).

Knee joint stabilization therapy in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, controlled trial.

PubMed

Knoop, J; Dekker, J; van der Leeden, M; van der Esch, M; Thorstensson, C A; Gerritsen, M; Voorneman, R E; Peter, W F; de Rooij, M; Romviel, S; Lems, W F; Roorda, L D; Steultjens, M P M

2013-08-01

To investigate whether an exercise program, initially focusing on knee stabilization and subsequently on muscle strength and performance of daily activities is more effective than an exercise program focusing on muscle strength and performance of daily activities only, in reducing activity limitations in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and instability of the knee joint. A single-blind, randomized, controlled trial involving 159 knee OA patients with self-reported and/or biomechanically assessed knee instability, randomly assigned to two treatment groups. Both groups received a supervised exercise program for 12 weeks, consisting of muscle strengthening exercises and training of daily activities, but only in the experimental group specific knee joint stabilization training was provided. Outcome measures included activity limitations (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index - WOMAC physical function, primary outcome), pain, global perceived effect and knee stability. Both treatment groups demonstrated large (∼20-40%) and clinically relevant reductions in activity limitations, pain and knee instability, which were sustained 6 months post-treatment. No differences in effectiveness between experimental and control treatment were found on WOMAC physical function (B (95% confidence interval - CI) = -0.01 (-2.58 to 2.57)) or secondary outcome measures, except for a higher global perceived effect in the experimental group (P = 0.04). Both exercise programs were highly effective in reducing activity limitations and pain and restoring knee stability in knee OA patients with instability of the knee. In knee OA patients suffering from knee instability, specific knee joint stabilization training, in addition to muscle strengthening and functional exercises, does not seem to have any additional value. Dutch Trial Register (NTR) registration number: NTR1475. Copyright © 2013 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Composition of Web Services Using Markov Decision Processes and Dynamic Programming

PubMed Central

Uc-Cetina, Víctor; Moo-Mena, Francisco; Hernandez-Ucan, Rafael

2015-01-01

We propose a Markov decision process model for solving the Web service composition (WSC) problem. Iterative policy evaluation, value iteration, and policy iteration algorithms are used to experimentally validate our approach, with artificial and real data. The experimental results show the reliability of the model and the methods employed, with policy iteration being the best one in terms of the minimum number of iterations needed to estimate an optimal policy, with the highest Quality of Service attributes. Our experimental work shows how the solution of a WSC problem involving a set of 100,000 individual Web services and where a valid composition requiring the selection of 1,000 services from the available set can be computed in the worst case in less than 200 seconds, using an Intel Core i5 computer with 6 GB RAM. Moreover, a real WSC problem involving only 7 individual Web services requires less than 0.08 seconds, using the same computational power. Finally, a comparison with two popular reinforcement learning algorithms, sarsa and Q-learning, shows that these algorithms require one or two orders of magnitude and more time than policy iteration, iterative policy evaluation, and value iteration to handle WSC problems of the same complexity. PMID:25874247

Vortex-Body Interactions: A Critical Assessment. Coupled Gap-Wake Instabilities/Turbulence: A Source of Noise

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rockwell, Donald

1999-01-01

This program has involved, first of all, a critical state-of-the-art assessment of vortex-body interactions. Then, efforts were focused on experimental investigation on coupled-wake instabilities and turbulence occurring in a two-cylinder system. An extensive review was undertaken on the effect of incident vortices on various types of bodies. These incident vortices have a length scale of the same order of magnitude as the scale of the body. The body can take on various forms, including, for example, a circular cylinder, a blade or a wing. The classes of vortex-body interaction that were critically assessed include: (1) Periodic distortion of the incident (primary) vortex and shedding of secondary vorticity from the surface of the body. (2) Modulated vortex distortion and shedding at a leading-edge or surface due to incidence of a complex system of vortices. (3) Vortex distortion and shedding in presence of body oscillation. (4) Three-dimensional vortex interaction and shedding. For all of these classes of vortex-body interaction, quantitative topologies of the vorticity distributions and streamline patterns were found to be central to a unified description of mechanisms of vortex distortion and shedding. In most cases, it was possible to define relationships between vortex interactions and unsteady loading at the body surface. This phase of the program was an experimental investigation of a two-cylinder system, which simulated a central aspect of a four-wheel bogie on a large-scale commercial aircraft. The overall aim of this experimental research program was to determine the crucial elements of the unsteadiness in the gap and near-wake regions as a function of time using cinema-based techniques. During the research program, various image evaluation techniques were employed. They involved assessment of instantaneous velocity fields, streamline topology and patterns of vorticity. Experiments were performed in a large-scale water channel using a high-resolution version of digital particle image velocimetry. The program has focused on acquisition of images of velocity and vorticity for varying gap widths between the two-cylinder system. As a result of analysis of a relatively large number of images, it is demonstrated that low frequency instabilities can occur in the gap region between the cylinder. These low frequency instabilities are hypothesized to influence the near-wake structure of the entire two-cylinder system. The nature of the unstable shear layers in the gap region involves generation of small-scale Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities. These unsteady shear layers then impinge upon the upper and lower surfaces of the cylinders, thereby influencing both the unsteady structure and the time-averaged patterns of the near-wake. Initial efforts have focused on characterization of the patterns of instantaneous and averaged streamlines using topological concepts. The end result of this investigation is a series of documented instantaneous images. They will serve as a basis for various types of post-processing, which will lead to a fuller understanding of the instantaneous and time-averaged unstable-turbulent fields in the gap region and downstream of the two-cylinder system. This further assessment is the focus of a subsequent program.

Applications of the second virial coefficient: protein crystallization and solubility

PubMed Central

Wilson, William W.; DeLucas, Lawrence J.

2014-01-01

This article begins by highlighting some of the ground-based studies emanating from NASA’s Microgravity Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) program. This is followed by a more detailed discussion of the history of and the progress made in one of the NASA-funded PCG investigations involving the use of measured second virial coefficients (B values) as a diagnostic indicator of solution conditions conducive to protein crystallization. A second application of measured B values involves the determination of solution conditions that improve or maximize the solubility of aqueous and membrane proteins. These two important applications have led to several technological improvements that simplify the experimental expertise required, enable the measurement of membrane proteins and improve the diagnostic capability and measurement throughput. PMID:24817708

Aeroservoelastic and Flight Dynamics Analysis Using Computational Fluid Dynamics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arena, Andrew S., Jr.

1999-01-01

This document in large part is based on the Masters Thesis of Cole Stephens. The document encompasses a variety of technical and practical issues involved when using the STARS codes for Aeroservoelastic analysis of vehicles. The document covers in great detail a number of technical issues and step-by-step details involved in the simulation of a system where aerodynamics, structures and controls are tightly coupled. Comparisons are made to a benchmark experimental program conducted at NASA Langley. One of the significant advantages of the methodology detailed is that as a result of the technique used to accelerate the CFD-based simulation, a systems model is produced which is very useful for developing the control law strategy, and subsequent high-speed simulations.

Artificial intelligence support for scientific model-building

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keller, Richard M.

1992-01-01

Scientific model-building can be a time-intensive and painstaking process, often involving the development of large and complex computer programs. Despite the effort involved, scientific models cannot easily be distributed and shared with other scientists. In general, implemented scientific models are complex, idiosyncratic, and difficult for anyone but the original scientific development team to understand. We believe that artificial intelligence techniques can facilitate both the model-building and model-sharing process. In this paper, we overview our effort to build a scientific modeling software tool that aids the scientist in developing and using models. This tool includes an interactive intelligent graphical interface, a high-level domain specific modeling language, a library of physics equations and experimental datasets, and a suite of data display facilities.

Determining the mechanical constitutive properties of metals as a function of strain rate and temperature: A combined experimental and modeling approach

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

I. M. Robertson; A. Beaudoin; J. Lambros

2004-01-05

OAK-135 Development and validation of constitutive models for polycrystalline materials subjected to high strain rate loading over a range of temperatures are needed to predict the response of engineering materials to in-service type conditions (foreign object damage, high-strain rate forging, high-speed sheet forming, deformation behavior during forming, response to extreme conditions, etc.). To account accurately for the complex effects that can occur during extreme and variable loading conditions, requires significant and detailed computational and modeling efforts. These efforts must be closely coupled with precise and targeted experimental measurements that not only verify the predictions of the models, but also providemore » input about the fundamental processes responsible for the macroscopic response. Achieving this coupling between modeling and experimentation is the guiding principle of this program. Specifically, this program seeks to bridge the length scale between discrete dislocation interactions with grain boundaries and continuum models for polycrystalline plasticity. Achieving this goal requires incorporating these complex dislocation-interface interactions into the well-defined behavior of single crystals. Despite the widespread study of metal plasticity, this aspect is not well understood for simple loading conditions, let alone extreme ones. Our experimental approach includes determining the high-strain rate response as a function of strain and temperature with post-mortem characterization of the microstructure, quasi-static testing of pre-deformed material, and direct observation of the dislocation behavior during reloading by using the in situ transmission electron microscope deformation technique. These experiments will provide the basis for development and validation of physically-based constitutive models, which will include dislocation-grain boundary interactions for polycrystalline systems. One aspect of the program will involve the dire ct observation of specific mechanisms of micro-plasticity, as these will indicate the boundary value problem that should be addressed. This focus on the pre-yield region in the quasi-static effort (the elasto-plastic transition) is also a tractable one from an experimental and modeling viewpoint. In addition, our approach will minimize the need to fit model parameters to experimental data to obtain convergence. These are critical steps to reach the primary objective of simulating and modeling material performance under extreme loading conditions. In this annual report, we describe the progress made in the first year of this program.« less

Phoretic Force Measurement for Microparticles Under Microgravity Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, E. J.; Zheng, R.

1999-01-01

This theoretical and experimental investigation of the collisional interactions between gas molecules and solid and liquid surfaces of microparticles involves fundamental studies of the transfer of energy, mass and momentum between gas molecules and surfaces. The numerous applications include particle deposition on semiconductor surfaces and on surfaces in combustion processes, containerless processing, the production of nanophase materials, pigments and ceramic precursors, and pollution abatement technologies such as desulfurization of gaseous effluents from combustion processes. Of particular emphasis are the forces exerted on microparticles present in a nonuniform gas, that is, in gaseous surroundings involving temperature and concentration gradients. These so-called phoretic forces become the dominant forces when the gravitational force is diminished, and they are strongly dependent on the momentum transfer between gas molecules and the surface. The momentum transfer, in turn, depends on the gas and particle properties and the mean free path and kinetic energy of the gas molecules. The experimental program involves the particle levitation system shown. A micrometer size particle is held between two heat exchangers enclosed in a vacuum chamber by means of ac and dc electric fields. The ac field keeps the particle centered on the vertical axis of the chamber, and the dc field balances the gravitational force and the thermophoretic force. Some measurements of the thermophoretic force are presented in this paper.

CryoTran user's manual, version 1.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowgill, Glenn R.; Chato, David J.; Saad, Ehab

1989-01-01

The development of cryogenic fluid management systems for space operation is a major portion of the efforts of the Cryogenic Fluids Technology Office (CFTO) at the NASA Lewis Research Center. Analytical models are a necessary part of experimental programs which are used to verify the results of experiments and are also used as a predictor for parametric studies. The CryoTran computer program is a bridge to obtain analytical results. The object of CryoTran is to coordinate these separate analyses into an integrated framework with a user-friendly interface and a common cryogenic property database. CryoTran is an integrated software system designed to help solve a diverse set of problems involving cryogenic fluid storage and transfer in both ground and low-g environments.

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Interim Report on Customer Acceptance, Retention, and Response to Time-Based Rates from the Consumer Behavior Studies

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

Cappers, Peter; Hans, Liesel; Scheer, Richard

Time-based rate programs1, enabled by utility investments in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), are increasingly being considered by utilities as tools to reduce peak demand and enable customers to better manage consumption and costs. There are several customer systems that are relatively new to the marketplace and have the potential for improving the effectiveness of these programs, including in-home displays (IHDs), programmable communicating thermostats (PCTs), and web portals. Policy and decision makers are interested in more information about customer acceptance, retention, and response before moving forward with expanded deployments of AMI-enabled new rates and technologies. Under the Smart Grid Investment Grantmore » Program (SGIG), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) partnered with several utilities to conduct consumer behavior studies (CBS). The goals involved applying randomized and controlled experimental designs for estimating customer responses more precisely and credibly to advance understanding of time-based rates and customer systems, and provide new information for improving program designs, implementation strategies, and evaluations. The intent was to produce more robust and credible analysis of impacts, costs, benefits, and lessons learned and assist utility and regulatory decision makers in evaluating investment opportunities involving time-based rates. To help achieve these goals, DOE developed technical guidelines to help the CBS utilities estimate customer acceptance, retention, and response more precisely.« less

An evaluation of the strategic approach to the rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients

PubMed Central

Tomaszewski, Wiesław; Mańko, Grzegorz

2011-01-01

Summary Background The objective of our study was to evaluate a goal-driven strategic plan for the step-by-step rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, with effectiveness measured in terms of quality of life, as compared to patients treated according to a standard, progressive rehabilitation program. Material/Methods We studied 40 patients after TBI awakened from a long-term coma. The patients were divided into two equal groups: a control group (n=20) involving patients treated before the introduction of the strategic approach, and an experimental group (n=20) involving patients rehabilitated under the strategic approach. In evaluating the effectiveness of rehabilitation we used a structured interview with clinical observation and a scale for assessing the quality of life of patients after TBI. Results The deterioration in the quality of life of TBI patients is mainly related to difficulties in satisfying physiological needs, self-care, reduced mobility and disorders of cognitive, regulatory, and social functions. In both groups, the feature most susceptible to rehabilitation related change was movement, while the least susceptible functions were associated with the use of different means of transport. This change is significantly greater in persons in the experimental group, as compared to controls. Conclusions We found that a rehabilitation program controlled by a strategic plan, with the cooperation of the patient, is more effective in improving the quality of life, as the patient is more self-motivated to individually designed objectives. PMID:21873948

The impact of banners on digital television: the role of program interactivity and product involvement.

PubMed

Cauberghe, Verolien; De Pelsmacker, Patrick

2008-02-01

In a sample of 281 respondents, the effect of a noninteractive and a medium-interactive television program on recall and brand attitudes for low- and high-involvement products advertised in banners during these programs was investigated. Medium-interactive programs resulted in less product and brand recall and recognition of brands in embedded banner advertisements, but generated more positive brand attitudes than noninteractive programs. These effects were more outspoken for a high-involvement product than for a low-involvement product. The impact of perceived program interactivity on brand attitude is fully mediated program valence and involvement for low-involvement products, but not for high-involvement products, for which perceived program interactivity had a direct impact on brand attitude.

34 CFR 387.1 - What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the Experimental and Innovative Training... (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPERIMENTAL AND INNOVATIVE TRAINING General § 387.1 What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program? This program is...

34 CFR 387.1 - What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false What is the Experimental and Innovative Training... (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPERIMENTAL AND INNOVATIVE TRAINING General § 387.1 What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program? This program is...

34 CFR 387.1 - What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false What is the Experimental and Innovative Training... (Continued) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPERIMENTAL AND INNOVATIVE TRAINING General § 387.1 What is the Experimental and Innovative Training Program? This program is...

Orion Crew Module Aerodynamic Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, Kelly J.; Bibb, Karen L.; Brauckmann, Gregory J.; Rhode, Matthew N.; Owens, Bruce; Chan, David T.; Walker, Eric L.; Bell, James H.; Wilson, Thomas M.

2011-01-01

The Apollo-derived Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV), part of NASA s now-cancelled Constellation Program, has become the reference design for the new Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV). The MPCV will serve as the exploration vehicle for all near-term human space missions. A strategic wind-tunnel test program has been executed at numerous facilities throughout the country to support several phases of aerodynamic database development for the Orion spacecraft. This paper presents a summary of the experimental static aerodynamic data collected to-date for the Orion Crew Module (CM) capsule. The test program described herein involved personnel and resources from NASA Langley Research Center, NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Johnson Space Flight Center, Arnold Engineering and Development Center, Lockheed Martin Space Sciences, and Orbital Sciences. Data has been compiled from eight different wind tunnel tests in the CEV Aerosciences Program. Comparisons are made as appropriate to highlight effects of angle of attack, Mach number, Reynolds number, and model support system effects.

Doctoral training in behavior analysis: Training generalized problem-solving skills

PubMed Central

Chase, Philip N.; Wylie, Ruth G.

1985-01-01

This essay provides guidelines for designing a doctoral program in behavior analysis. First, we propose a general accomplishment for all behavior analytic doctoral students: that they be able to solve problems concerning individual behavior within a range of environments. Second, in order to achieve this goal, we propose that students be trained in conceptual and experimental analysis of behavior, the application of behavioral principles and the administration of behavioral programs. This training should include class work, but it should emphasize the immersion of students in a variety of environments in which they are required to use behavior analytic strategies. Third, we provide an example of a hypothetical graduate program that involves the proposed training. Finally, an evaluation plan is suggested for determining whether a training program is in fact producing students who are generalized problem-solvers. At each step, we justify our point of view from a perspective that combines principles from behavior analysis and educational systems design. PMID:22478633

Fostering Career Awareness in Elementary Schools: Evaluation of an Intervention Proposal.

PubMed

Carvalho, Renato Gomes; Pocinho, Margarida; Fernandes, Débora

2018-05-17

Research literature has been increasingly focusing on children's career development, especially when school contexts are considered. In the present study, we evaluate the efficacy of a short-term intervention program designed to foster career awareness in elementary school. The sample consisted of 155 Portuguese fifth- and sixth-grade students, aged nine to fifteen years old (M = 11, SD = 1). With a quasi-experimental design, the sample was divided into two groups, namely, the participants in the program and the controls. We used the Career Awareness Scale for Children and a sociodemographic survey. Analyses of covariance indicated a moderate effect of the participation in the program in students' career awareness (ηp2 = .06, p = .003). The results are discussed considering the school as a key context for career education aiming at promoting students' adaptability and involvement in the construction of their life pathways.

A Multiobjective Interval Programming Model for Wind-Hydrothermal Power System Dispatching Using 2-Step Optimization Algorithm

PubMed Central

Jihong, Qu

2014-01-01

Wind-hydrothermal power system dispatching has received intensive attention in recent years because it can help develop various reasonable plans to schedule the power generation efficiency. But future data such as wind power output and power load would not be accurately predicted and the nonlinear nature involved in the complex multiobjective scheduling model; therefore, to achieve accurate solution to such complex problem is a very difficult task. This paper presents an interval programming model with 2-step optimization algorithm to solve multiobjective dispatching. Initially, we represented the future data into interval numbers and simplified the object function to a linear programming problem to search the feasible and preliminary solutions to construct the Pareto set. Then the simulated annealing method was used to search the optimal solution of initial model. Thorough experimental results suggest that the proposed method performed reasonably well in terms of both operating efficiency and precision. PMID:24895663

A multiobjective interval programming model for wind-hydrothermal power system dispatching using 2-step optimization algorithm.

PubMed

Ren, Kun; Jihong, Qu

2014-01-01

Wind-hydrothermal power system dispatching has received intensive attention in recent years because it can help develop various reasonable plans to schedule the power generation efficiency. But future data such as wind power output and power load would not be accurately predicted and the nonlinear nature involved in the complex multiobjective scheduling model; therefore, to achieve accurate solution to such complex problem is a very difficult task. This paper presents an interval programming model with 2-step optimization algorithm to solve multiobjective dispatching. Initially, we represented the future data into interval numbers and simplified the object function to a linear programming problem to search the feasible and preliminary solutions to construct the Pareto set. Then the simulated annealing method was used to search the optimal solution of initial model. Thorough experimental results suggest that the proposed method performed reasonably well in terms of both operating efficiency and precision.

Overview of the United States Department of Energy's ARM (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement) Program

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

Stokes, G.M.; Tichler, J.L.

The Department of Energy (DOE) is initiating a major atmospheric research effort, the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Program (ARM). The program is a key component of DOE's research strategy to address global climate change and is a direct continuation of DOE's decade-long effort to improve the ability of General Circulation Models (GCMs) to provide reliable simulations of regional, and long-term climate change in response to increasing greenhouse gases. The effort is multi-disciplinary and multi-agency, involving universities, private research organizations and more than a dozen government laboratories. The objective of the ARM Research is to provide an experimental testbed for the studymore » of important atmospheric effects, particularly cloud and radiative processes, and to test parameterizations of these processes for use in atmospheric models. This effort will support the continued and rapid improvement of GCM predictive capability. 2 refs.« less

Adolescents' knowledge and beliefs about pregnancy: the impact of "ENABL".

PubMed

Arnold, E M; Smith, T E; Harrison, D F; Springer, D W

2000-01-01

Finding effective ways to prevent adolescent pregnancy is a concern of public health officials, educators, social workers, parents, and legislators. Numerous programs exist, but there is debate as to whether it is the specific program itself or other factors that are responsible for participants' successful outcomes. Using a quasi-experimental design, this study sought to determine which factors predicted changes in knowledge and beliefs among middle school students (N = 1,450) after exposure to Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI), the curricular component of Education Now and Babies Later (ENABL), a pregnancy prevention program. It was found that the single most important predictor of improvement in knowledge and beliefs about pregnancy prevention was PSI itself, not background variables. The findings contradict some of the previous studies on factors impacting teenage pregnancy and lend support for the continued examination of ENABL as a promising component of pregnancy prevention efforts.

A caregiver educational program improves quality of life and burden for cancer patients and their caregivers: a randomised clinical trial.

PubMed

Belgacem, Bénédicte; Auclair, Candy; Fedor, Marie-Christine; Brugnon, David; Blanquet, Marie; Tournilhac, Olivier; Gerbaud, Laurent

2013-12-01

The French setting, including laws and guidelines, advocates greater involvement of informal caregivers in the care of cancer patients to protect the caregivers from depression, distress, and a decrease in their quality of life. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of a caregiver educational programme by measuring two outcomes: patients' and caregivers' quality of life and caregivers' burden. A multicentre randomised controlled trial was performed in six oncology wards in French hospitals. Eligible patients had a cancer, a main caregiver, allowed their caregivers' involvement, and received an inclusion agreement by a doctor/psychologist dyad. The experimental group participated in an educational programme performed by nurses to improve their skills in meal support, nursing care, welfare care, or symptom management. The SF36 and the Zarit burden scales were used to measure quality of life and caregivers' burden at the beginning and at the end of the study. 67 patients were randomised and 33 were included in the experimental group. Evolution scores, which measured the difference between baseline and final scores, showed an improvement in patients' and caregivers' quality of life and an alleviated burden for experimental group caregivers. An educational programme for caregivers encourages the involvement of patients, informal caregivers and health-care providers in a triangular relationship which enhances the quality of life of patients and caregivers alike and decreases caregivers' burden. Care organisation should therefore be rethought as a triangular relationship between patients, caregivers and health-care providers, with nurses as the mainstay. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hands-on Space Exploration through High Altitude Ballooning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammergren, Mark; Gyuk, G.

2010-01-01

The Adler Planetarium's "Far Horizons" high-altitude ballooning effort serves as the focus for a diverse set of educational activities, including middle school summer camps, a high school summer program (the Astro-Science Workshop), school-year internships for high school students, summer internships for undergraduates, a NSF-funded graduate fellowship, and a thriving public volunteer program. The relatively low costs of both the reusable hardware (less than $1000) and expendable supplies (around $150 per launch) allow us to mount frequent missions throughout the year - and make such a program ideal for replication at institutions of any size. The rapid development schedule for each individual mission permits the cradle-to-grave involvement of short-term participants, making it easy to draw in a wide audience. Students are involved literally in a hands-on manner in all aspects of the construction, launch, tracking, and recovery of simple experimental payloads, which typically include sensors for temperature, pressure, light intensity, and radiation. Stunning imagery provided by onboard cameras can attract significant media interest, which can bring outreach efforts to a very broad audience. Future plans include the design and construction of CubeSats - decimeter-sized picosatellites carried to orbit as secondary payloads. Our first satellite will be a relatively simple Earth-imager, built from commercial, off-the-shelf components. As in the ballooning program, students and volunteers will be involved in all stages of this effort. Once operational, imagery and other data from the satellite will be incorporated into a museum exhibit that will allow visitors to submit target requests. This material is based in part upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 0525995.

Identification and comparative analyses of myocardial miRNAs involved in the fetal response to maternal obesity.

PubMed

Maloyan, Alina; Muralimanoharan, Sribalasubashini; Huffman, Steven; Cox, Laura A; Nathanielsz, Peter W; Myatt, Leslie; Nijland, Mark J

2013-10-01

Human and animal studies show that suboptimal intrauterine environments lead to fetal programming, predisposing offspring to disease in later life. Maternal obesity has been shown to program offspring for cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and obesity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNA molecules that act as key regulators of numerous cellular processes. Compelling evidence links miRNAs to the control of cardiac development and etiology of cardiac pathology; however, little is known about their role in the fetal cardiac response to maternal obesity. Our aim was to sequence and profile the cardiac miRNAs that are dysregulated in the hearts of baboon fetuses born to high fat/high fructose-diet (HFD) fed mothers for comparison with fetal hearts from mothers eating a regular diet. Eighty miRNAs were differentially expressed. Of those, 55 miRNAs were upregulated and 25 downregulated with HFD. Twenty-two miRNAs were mapped to human; 14 of these miRNAs were previously reported to be dysregulated in experimental or human CVD. We used an Ingenuity Pathway Analysis to integrate miRNA profiling and bioinformatics predictions to determine miRNA-regulated processes and genes potentially involved in fetal programming. We found a correlation between miRNA expression and putative gene targets involved in developmental disorders and CVD. Cellular death, growth, and proliferation were the most affected cellular functions in response to maternal obesity. Thus, the current study reveals significant alterations in cardiac miRNA expression in the fetus of obese baboons. The epigenetic modifications caused by adverse prenatal environment may represent one of the mechanisms underlying fetal programming of CVD.

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

16 CFR 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. 1702.10 Section 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION... PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data involving...

The impact of an environmental education program on children's and parents' knowledge, attitudes, motivation and behaviors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legault, Louise M. R.

1999-11-01

Developments in the Quebec educational system enabled us to evaluate the impact of a new educational environmental program (EEP) on a group of children enrolled in this program for the first time (i.e., the experimental group). This EEP comprised a formal curriculum and environmental activities. A control group of children was enrolled in schools where environmental issues were confined to the natural sciences subject. The goals of this study were threefold. The first goal was to evaluate the impact of an EEP on children's and parents' ecological knowledge, attitudes, motivation, and behaviors. The second goal was to investigate if a motivational model of ecological behaviors observed in adult populations could be replicated with children. Part of this goal also included the comparison of path analyses results across experimental conditions, independently for children and parents. The third goal was to identify more clearly what specific children's characteristics influenced parents' ecological attitudes and motivation. Included in this goal was the investigation of possible differences in the strength of associations between constructs in paths analyses conducted in the experimental and control groups of parents. Results suggested that children in the experimental group were more likely to ask teachers and parents for ecological information and presented a more self-determined motivational profile. Additional analyses revealed that children enrolled in an EEP performed ecological behaviors less for extrinsic motives. Level of knowledge, other attitudes and behavioral measures did not differ significantly between the two groups. Parents of children in the experimental group reported lower levels of satisfaction towards the environment and were more likely to get information on ecological issues and strategies from children. No other significant differences between groups of parents were found. Path analyses results suggested that parents' perceptions of children's provision of autonomy support and of ecological information, as well as, joint child/parent involvement in ecological activities favored parents' ecological attitudes and motivation. These results were consistent across the experimental and the control groups. Future studies are necessary to identify optimal intervention strategies devised to foster in people a sense of personal responsibility and self-determination that may propel them into action.

Evaluation of a family-oriented antenatal group educational program in rural Tanzania: a pre-test/post-test study.

PubMed

Shimpuku, Yoko; Madeni, Frida E; Horiuchi, Shigeko; Kubota, Kazumi; Leshabari, Sebalda C

2018-06-28

To increase births attended by skilled birth attendants in Tanzania, studies have identified the need for involvement of the whole family in pregnancy and childbirth education. This study aimed to develop, implement, and evaluate a family-oriented antenatal group educational program to promote healthy pregnancy and family involvement in rural Tanzania. This was a quasi-experimental 1 group pre-test/post-test study with antenatal education provided to pregnant women and their families in rural Tanzania. Before and after the educational program, the pre-test/post-test study was conducted using a 34-item Birth Preparedness Questionnaire. Acceptability of the educational program was qualitatively assessed. One-hundred and thirty-eight participants (42 pregnant women, 96 family members) attended the educational program, answered the questionnaire, and participated in the feasibility inquiry. The mean knowledge scores significantly increased between the pre-test and the post-test, 7.92 and 8.33, respectively (p = 0.001). For both pregnant women and family members, the educational program improved Family Support (p = 0.001 and p = 0.000) and Preparation of Money and Food (p = 0.000 and p = 0.000). For family members, the scores for Birth Preparedness (p = 0.006) and Avoidance of Medical Intervention (reversed item) (p = 0.002) significantly increased. Despite the educational program, the score for Home-based Value (reversed item) (p = 0.022) and References of SBA (p = 0.049) decreased in pregnant women. Through group discussions, favorable comments about the program and materials were received. The comments of the husbands reflected their better understanding and appreciation of their role in supporting their wives during the antenatal period. The family-oriented antenatal group educational program has potential to increase knowledge, birth preparedness, and awareness of the need for family support among pregnant women and their families in rural Tanzania. As the contents of the program can be taught easily by reading the picture drama, lay personnel, such as community health workers or traditional birth attendants, can use it in villages. Further development of the Birth Preparedness Questionnaire is necessary to strengthen the involved factors. A larger scale study with a more robust Birth Preparedness Questionnaire and documentation of skilled care use is needed for the next step. No.2013-273-NA-2013-101 . Registered 12 August 2013.

HPA axis programming by maternal undernutrition in the male rat offspring.

PubMed

Vieau, Didier; Sebaai, Naima; Léonhardt, Marion; Dutriez-Casteloot, Isabelle; Molendi-Coste, Olivier; Laborie, Christine; Breton, Christophe; Deloof, Sylvie; Lesage, Jean

2007-08-01

Epidemiological and experimental studies have demonstrated that perinatal alterations such as maternal undernutrition are frequently associated with the onset of several chronic adult diseases. Although the physiological mechanisms involved in this "fetal programming" remain largely unknown, it has been shown that early exposure to undernutrition programs hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis throughout lifespan. However, the wide spectrum of experimental paradigms used (species, sex, age of the animals, and duration and severity of undernutrition exposure) has given rise to variable results that are difficult to interpret. To circumvent this problem, we used the same experimental protocol of maternal food restriction to study the effects of a severe maternal undernutrition on the HPA axis activity in the male rat offspring throughout the life, namely from fetal stage to adulthood. Mothers exposed to food restriction received 50% (FR50) of the daily intake of pregnant dams during the last week of gestation and lactation. In FR50 fetuses, HPA axis function was reduced and associated with a decreased placental 11beta-HSD2 activity and a greater transplacental transfer of glucocorticoids. At weaning, maternal food restriction reduced HPA axis activity in response to an ether inhalation stress. In young adults (4-month-old), only fine HPA axis alterations were observed, whereas in older ones (8-month-old), maternal undernutrition was associated with chronic hyperactivity of this neuroendocrine axis. Interestingly, excessive glucocorticoids production is observed in a growing number of pathologies such as metabolic, cognitive, immune and inflammatory diseases, suggesting that they could, at least in part, result from fetal undernutrition and thus have a neurodevelopmental origin.

Developing students’ learning achievement and experimental skills on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law through experimental sets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chokchai, Jaewijarn; Khanti, Toedtanya; Sura, Wuttiprom

2017-09-01

The purposes of this research were: to construct packages of operations on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law, to enhance achievement score of students on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law, to enhance experimental skills on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law and to evaluate students’ attitude towards the packages of operations on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law using inquiry method. The samples were 42 grade 11 students in academic year 2016 at Hatyaiwittayalai School, Hatyai, Songkhla. The research method was one group pretest-posttest design. The research tools consisted of experimental set on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law, the learning achievement test on buoyancy and the involvement of Newton’s third law and the students’ attitude questionnaires. The experimental skills of most students was in a good level . The satisfaction of most students was in a good level. The research showed the learning achievement after instruction higher than that before instruction using experimental set at the significant level of 0.05 and the class average normalized gain is in the medium gain

Remodelling of lace plant leaves: antioxidants and ROS are key regulators of programmed cell death.

PubMed

Dauphinee, Adrian N; Fletcher, Jacob I; Denbigh, Georgia L; Lacroix, Christian R; Gunawardena, Arunika H L A N

2017-07-01

Antioxidants and reactive oxygen species are integral for programmed cell death signaling during perforation formation in the lace plant ( Aponogeton madagascariensis ). The lace plant is an excellent model system for studying developmentally regulated programmed cell death (PCD). During early lace plant leaf development, PCD systematically deletes cells resulting in a perforated leaf morphology that is unique in planta. A distinct feature in young lace plant leaves is an abundance of anthocyanins, which have antioxidant properties. The first sign of PCD induction is the loss of anthocyanin pigmentation in cells that are targeted for destruction, which results in a visible gradient of cell death. The cellular dynamics and time course of lace plant PCD are well documented; however, the signals involved in the pathway remain elusive. This study investigates the roles of antioxidants and ROS in developmental PCD signaling during lace plant perforation formation. The involvement of antioxidants and ROS in the pathway was determined using a variety of techniques including pharmacological whole plant experimentation, long-term live cell imaging, the 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid anti-radical activity assay, and western blot analysis. Results indicate that antioxidants and ROS are key regulators of PCD during the remodelling of lace plant leaves.

A Meta-analysis of universal mental health prevention programs for higher education students.

PubMed

Conley, Colleen S; Durlak, Joseph A; Kirsch, Alexandra C

2015-05-01

This meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of universal mental health prevention programs for higher education students on a range of adjustment outcomes. A systematic literature search identified 103 controlled published and unpublished interventions involving college, graduate, or professional students. As hypothesized, skill-training programs that included a supervised practice component were significantly more effective overall (mean effect size = 0.45, confidence interval (CI) = 0.39 to 0.52) compared to skill-training programs without supervised practice (0.11, CI = -0.01 to 0.22) and psychoeducational (information-only) programs (0.13, CI = 0.06 to 0.21). When comparisons on specific outcomes were possible, skill-training programs including supervised practice were significantly more effective than the other two groups of programs in reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and general psychological distress, and in improving social-emotional skills, self-perceptions, and academic behaviors and performance. The magnitude of effects achieved in several outcome areas is comparable to or higher than that reported in other reviews of universal programs, suggesting that skill-training programs for higher education students that incorporate supervised practice now join the ranks of other effective preventive mental health interventions. This review offers several recommendations to improve the experimental rigor of future research.

Intensive exercise program after spinal cord injury (“Full-On”): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Rehabilitation after spinal cord injury (SCI) has traditionally involved teaching compensatory strategies for identified impairments and deficits in order to improve functional independence. There is some evidence that regular and intensive activity-based therapies, directed at activation of the paralyzed extremities, promotes neurological improvement. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of a 12-week intensive activity-based therapy program for the whole body with a program of upper body exercise. Methods/Design A multicenter, parallel group, assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial will be conducted. One hundred eighty-eight participants with spinal cord injury, who have completed their primary rehabilitation at least 6 months prior, will be recruited from five SCI units in Australia and New Zealand. Participants will be randomized to an experimental or control group. Experimental participants will receive a 12-week program of intensive exercise for the whole body, including locomotor training, trunk exercises and functional electrical stimulation-assisted cycling. Control participants will receive a 12-week intensive upper body exercise program. The primary outcome is the American Spinal Injuries Association (ASIA) Motor Score. Secondary outcomes include measurements of sensation, function, pain, psychological measures, quality of life and cost effectiveness. All outcomes will be measured at baseline, 12 weeks, 6 months and 12 months by blinded assessors. Recruitment commenced in January 2011. Discussion The results of this trial will determine the effectiveness of a 12-week program of intensive exercise for the whole body in improving neurological recovery after spinal cord injury. Trial registration NCT01236976 (10 November 2010), ACTRN12610000498099 (17 June 2010). PMID:24025260

A Numerical Simulation of a Normal Sonic Jet into a Hypersonic Cross-Flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeffries, Damon K.; Krishnamurthy, Ramesh; Chandra, Suresh

1997-01-01

This study involves numerical modeling of a normal sonic jet injection into a hypersonic cross-flow. The numerical code used for simulation is GASP (General Aerodynamic Simulation Program.) First the numerical predictions are compared with well established solutions for compressible laminar flow. Then comparisons are made with non-injection test case measurements of surface pressure distributions. Good agreement with the measurements is observed. Currently comparisons are underway with the injection case. All the experimental data were generated at the Southampton University Light Piston Isentropic Compression Tube.

Cumulative reports and publications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

A complete list of Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE) reports are listed. Since ICASE reports are intended to be preprints of articles that will appear in journals or conference proceedings, the published reference is included when it is available. The major categories of the current ICASE research program are: applied and numerical mathematics, including numerical analysis and algorithm development; theoretical and computational research in fluid mechanics in selected areas of interest to LaRC, including acoustics and combustion; experimental research in transition and turbulence and aerodynamics involving LaRC facilities and scientists; and computer science.

Experimental Performance of the NRL 8-Beam, 4-Cavity Multiple-Beam Klystron

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abe, D. K.; Pershing, D. E.; Nguyen, K. T.; Wood, F. N.; Myers, R. E.; Eisen, E. L.; Cusick, M.; Levush, B.

2006-01-01

Multiple-beam amplifiers (MBAs) represent a device technology with the potential to produce high-power, efficient amplifiers with relatively wide bandwidths that are compact, low-weight, low-noise, and operate at reduced voltages relative to comparable single-beam devices. To better understand the device physics and technical issues involved in the design, fabrication, and operation of these devices, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has an on-going program to develop high peak power (> 600 kW) multiple-beam klystrons (MBKs) operating in S-band (˜3.3 GHz).

Orbital storage and supply of subcritical liquid nitrogen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aydelott, John C.

1990-01-01

Subcritical cryogenic fluid management has long been recognized as an enabling technology for key propulsion applications, such as space transfer vehicles (STV) and the on-orbit cryogenic fuel depots which will provide STV servicing capability. The LeRC Cryogenic Fluids Technology Office (CFTO), under the sponsorship of OAST, has the responsibility of developing the required technology via a balanced program involving analytical modeling, ground based testing, and in-space experimentation. Topics covered in viewgraph form include: cryogenic management technologies; nitrogen storage and supply; cryogenic nitrogen cooling capability; and LN2 system demonstration technical objectives.

Future prospects of nuclear reactions induced by gamma-ray beams at ELI-NP

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filipescu, D.; Balabanski, D. L.; Camera, F.; Gheorghe, I.; Ghita, D.; Glodariu, T.; Kaur, J.; Ur, C. A.; Utsunomiya, H.; Varlamov, V. V.

2017-01-01

The future prospects of photonuclear reactions studies at the new Extreme Light Infrastructure—Nuclear Physics (ELI-NP) facility are discussed in view of the pursuit of investigating the electromagnetic response of nuclei using γ-ray beams of unprecedented energy resolution and intensity characteristics. We present here the features of the γ-ray beam source, the emerging ELI-NP experimental program involving photonuclear reactions cross section measurements and spectroscopy and angular measurements of γ-rays and neutrons along with the detection arrays currently under implementation.

A Formative-Summative Evaluation Design for a State-Sponsored Program of Educational Experimentation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kniefel, Tanya M.

An evaluation design created to provide information for a multiple-project program of educational experimentation is presented. Project SEED (State Experimentation in Educational Development) became an official education effort in North Carolina on July 1, 1971. Model for the program was that of the State's ESEA Title III program with certain…

A Review of Out-of-School Time Program Quasi-Experimental and Experimental Evaluation Results. Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshot.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Little, Priscilla M. D.; Harris, Erin

As the amount of resources allocated to out-of-school (OST) programming and policymakers' demands for research-based results increase, there is increasing interest in rigorous research designs to examine OST program outcomes. This issue of "Out-of-School Time Evaluation Snapshots" reviews 27 quasi-experimental and experimental OST…

Photoproduction of Mesons on Quasi-Free Nucleons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keshelashvili, I.

2014-11-01

The investigation of excited baryon states is important to understand the underling nature/symmetries of hadronic matter. Historically, the first nucleon excitation experiments have been done using charged pion and kaon secondary beams. Later the antiproton-proton scattering has also been involved. However, since the beginning of the 90's meson photoproduction reactions have been considered as a powerful tool in baryon spectroscopy. In this contribution, we overview our experimental programs conducted at the bremsstrahlung photon beams of the MAMI accelerator in Mainz and the ELSA accelerator in Bonn. The results are differential and total cross sections for photoproduction of light neutral mesons and of meson pairs off quasi-free nucleons bound in the deuteron (and sometimes other light nuclei). The scientific programs of this experiments also include single and double polarization measurements as well.

Experimental study of transient liquid motion in orbiting spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berry, R. L.; Tegart, J. R.

1975-01-01

The results are presented of a twofold study of transient liquid motion such as that which will be experienced during orbital maneuvers by space tug. A test program was conducted in a low-g test facility involving twenty-two drops. Biaxial, low-g accelerations were applied to an instrumented, model propellant tank during free-fall testing, and forces exerted during liquid reorientation were measured and recorded. Photographic records of the liquid reorientation were also made. The test data were used to verify a mechanical analog which portrays the liquid as a point mass moving on an ellipsoidal constraint surface. The mechanical analog was coded into a FORTRAN IV digital computer program: LAMPS, Large AMPlitude Slosh. Test/analytical correlation indicates that the mechanical analog is capable of predicting the overall force trends measured during testing.

Experimental evaluation of a breadboard heat and product-water removal system for a space-power fuel cell designed with static water removal and evaporative cooling

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hagedorn, N. H.; Prokipius, P. R.

1977-01-01

A test program was conducted to evaluate the design of a heat and product-water removal system to be used with fuel cell having static water removal and evaporative cooling. The program, which was conducted on a breadboard version of the system, provided a general assessment of the design in terms of operational integrity and transient stability. This assessment showed that, on the whole, the concept appears to be inherently sound but that in refining this design, several facets will require additional study. These involve interactions between pressure regulators in the pumping loop that occur when they are not correctly matched and the question of whether an ejector is necessary in the system.

Experimental studies of graphite-epoxy and boron-epoxy angle ply laminates in compression

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weller, T.

1977-01-01

A test program aimed at studying the nonlinear/inelastic response under axial compression across a wide range of angle ply was graphite-epoxy and boron-epoxy laminates was presented and described. The strength allowables corresponding to the various laminate configurations were defined and the failure mechanisms which dictate their mode of failure were detected. The program involved two types of specimens for each laminate configuration: compression sandwich coupons and compression tubes. The test results indicate that the coupons perform better than the tubes displaying considerably high stress-strain allowables and mechanical properties relative to the tubes. Also, it is observed that depending on their dimensions the coupons are susceptible to very pronounced edge effects. This sensitivity results in assigning to the laminate conservative mechanical properties rather than the actual ones.

Effectiveness of a Nutrition Education Program to Improve Children's Chewing Habits.

PubMed

Sato, Nanae; Hayashi, Fumi; Yoshiike, Nobuo

2016-01-01

This quasi-experimental study determined whether the nutrition education program we developed to promote chewing food properly influenced children's chewing habits successfully. Four kindergarten classes in Japan (150 children, aged 5-6 years) were studied; one class received the educational program in the classroom and at home (Group A) and three classes received the program in the classroom only (Group B). The educational program was integrated into the classes' daily curriculum for five weeks. It included storytelling with large picture books, chewing consciously while eating lunch, singing a song with gestures, and greetings before and after meals (both groups). Group A also used a paper textbook and was provided information by the leaflet to encourage guardians to implement the program at home. Chewing habits before and after intervention were evaluated: (1) guardians completed seven questionnaire items related to chewing habits and chewing movement and (2) the number of chews and time spent eating the test meal were measured by a portable chewing sensor. Both approaches improved the children's chewing habits; however, no difference was found between the two groups. We concluded that this intervention could be used to improve chewing habits in young children even without active involvement of their guardians.

Effectiveness of a Nutrition Education Program to Improve Children's Chewing Habits

PubMed Central

Hayashi, Fumi; Yoshiike, Nobuo

2016-01-01

This quasi-experimental study determined whether the nutrition education program we developed to promote chewing food properly influenced children's chewing habits successfully. Four kindergarten classes in Japan (150 children, aged 5-6 years) were studied; one class received the educational program in the classroom and at home (Group A) and three classes received the program in the classroom only (Group B). The educational program was integrated into the classes' daily curriculum for five weeks. It included storytelling with large picture books, chewing consciously while eating lunch, singing a song with gestures, and greetings before and after meals (both groups). Group A also used a paper textbook and was provided information by the leaflet to encourage guardians to implement the program at home. Chewing habits before and after intervention were evaluated: (1) guardians completed seven questionnaire items related to chewing habits and chewing movement and (2) the number of chews and time spent eating the test meal were measured by a portable chewing sensor. Both approaches improved the children's chewing habits; however, no difference was found between the two groups. We concluded that this intervention could be used to improve chewing habits in young children even without active involvement of their guardians. PMID:27382638

Methodological convergence of program evaluation designs.

PubMed

Chacón-Moscoso, Salvador; Anguera, M Teresa; Sanduvete-Chaves, Susana; Sánchez-Martín, Milagrosa

2014-01-01

Nowadays, the confronting dichotomous view between experimental/quasi-experimental and non-experimental/ethnographic studies still exists but, despite the extensive use of non-experimental/ethnographic studies, the most systematic work on methodological quality has been developed based on experimental and quasi-experimental studies. This hinders evaluators and planners' practice of empirical program evaluation, a sphere in which the distinction between types of study is changing continually and is less clear. Based on the classical validity framework of experimental/quasi-experimental studies, we carry out a review of the literature in order to analyze the convergence of design elements in methodological quality in primary studies in systematic reviews and ethnographic research. We specify the relevant design elements that should be taken into account in order to improve validity and generalization in program evaluation practice in different methodologies from a practical methodological and complementary view. We recommend ways to improve design elements so as to enhance validity and generalization in program evaluation practice.

Reanalysis of the gas-cooled fast reactor experiments at the zero power facility proteus - Spectral indices

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

Perret, G.; Pattupara, R. M.; Girardin, G.

2012-07-01

The gas-cooled fast reactor (GCFR) concept was investigated experimentally in the PROTEUS zero power facility at the Paul Scherrer Inst. during the 1970's. The experimental program was aimed at neutronics studies specific to the GCFR and at the validation of nuclear data in fast spectra. A significant part of the program used thorium oxide and thorium metal fuel either distributed quasi-homogeneously in the reference PuO{sub 2}/UO{sub 2} lattice or introduced in the form of radial and axial blanket zones. Experimental results obtained at the time are still of high relevance in view of the current consideration of the Gas-cooled Fastmore » Reactor (GFR) as a Generation-IV nuclear system, as also of the renewed interest in the thorium cycle. In this context, some of the experiments have been modeled with modern Monte Carlo codes to better account for the complex PROTEUS whole-reactor geometry and to allow validating recent continuous neutron cross-section libraries. As a first step, the MCNPX model was used to test the JEFF-3.1, JEFF-3.1.1, ENDF/B-VII.0 and JENDL-3.3 libraries against spectral indices, notably involving fission and capture of {sup 232}Th and {sup 237}Np, measured in GFR-like lattices. (authors)« less

Limbic control of aggression in the cat.

PubMed

Adamec, R E; Stark-Adamec, C I

1983-01-01

Over a decade of work by Flynn and colleagues has delineated a network of limbic circuits which function to modulate the expression of predatory aggression and defence in the cat, and aspects of this work are reviewed. In particular, Flynn's work revealed a circuit involving the basomedial amygdala which functions to suppress attack, and at the same time facilitates defence. A second circuit, involving the ventral hippocampus, is involved in attack facilitation. Studies relating stable differences in excitability in these two circuits to developmentally determined behavioural dispositions toward aggression or defence are summarized. Finally, the impact of experimentally induced limbic seizures on interictally maintained expression of aggression and defence behaviourally, and on limbic excitability are reviewed. Taken together, the data indicate that the behavioural balance of attack and defence is under the tonic control of opponent limbic circuits, which are themselves biased in a measureable manner. Developmental studies indicate that adult defensiveness is determined early in life, so early as to suggest some pre-programmed neuro-developmental process. Experimentally induced seizures alter behaviour lastingly, producing an increase in defensive disposition. At the same time there is an equally lasting potentiation of interictal transmission of neural activity from the amygdala to the hypothalamus. Moreover, seizures may reduce interictal transmission of activity through the ventral hippocampus by potentiating recurrent inhibition. These effects of seizures are of interest since seizures reproduce naturally occurring differences in limbic excitability seen in naturally defensive cats.

Brainlab: A Python Toolkit to Aid in the Design, Simulation, and Analysis of Spiking Neural Networks with the NeoCortical Simulator.

PubMed

Drewes, Rich; Zou, Quan; Goodman, Philip H

2009-01-01

Neuroscience modeling experiments often involve multiple complex neural network and cell model variants, complex input stimuli and input protocols, followed by complex data analysis. Coordinating all this complexity becomes a central difficulty for the experimenter. The Python programming language, along with its extensive library packages, has emerged as a leading "glue" tool for managing all sorts of complex programmatic tasks. This paper describes a toolkit called Brainlab, written in Python, that leverages Python's strengths for the task of managing the general complexity of neuroscience modeling experiments. Brainlab was also designed to overcome the major difficulties of working with the NCS (NeoCortical Simulator) environment in particular. Brainlab is an integrated model-building, experimentation, and data analysis environment for the powerful parallel spiking neural network simulator system NCS.

Brainlab: A Python Toolkit to Aid in the Design, Simulation, and Analysis of Spiking Neural Networks with the NeoCortical Simulator

PubMed Central

Drewes, Rich; Zou, Quan; Goodman, Philip H.

2008-01-01

Neuroscience modeling experiments often involve multiple complex neural network and cell model variants, complex input stimuli and input protocols, followed by complex data analysis. Coordinating all this complexity becomes a central difficulty for the experimenter. The Python programming language, along with its extensive library packages, has emerged as a leading “glue” tool for managing all sorts of complex programmatic tasks. This paper describes a toolkit called Brainlab, written in Python, that leverages Python's strengths for the task of managing the general complexity of neuroscience modeling experiments. Brainlab was also designed to overcome the major difficulties of working with the NCS (NeoCortical Simulator) environment in particular. Brainlab is an integrated model-building, experimentation, and data analysis environment for the powerful parallel spiking neural network simulator system NCS. PMID:19506707

Attitudes of College Freshmen in an Experimental Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, M. Daniel

This report describes the results of 2 questionnaires designed to measure students' perceptions of and satisfaction with aspects of their small liberal arts college environment. The test was administered to samples of students enrolled in the experimental program, alternates (students who had volunteered for the experimental program but were not…

Life prediction and constitutive models for engine hot section anisotropic materials program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nissley, D. M.; Meyer, T. G.

1992-01-01

This report presents the results from a 35 month period of a program designed to develop generic constitutive and life prediction approaches and models for nickel-based single crystal gas turbine airfoils. The program is composed of a base program and an optional program. The base program addresses the high temperature coated single crystal regime above the airfoil root platform. The optional program investigates the low temperature uncoated single crystal regime below the airfoil root platform including the notched conditions of the airfoil attachment. Both base and option programs involve experimental and analytical efforts. Results from uniaxial constitutive and fatigue life experiments of coated and uncoated PWA 1480 single crystal material form the basis for the analytical modeling effort. Four single crystal primary orientations were used in the experiments: (001), (011), (111), and (213). Specific secondary orientations were also selected for the notched experiments in the optional program. Constitutive models for an overlay coating and PWA 1480 single crystal material were developed based on isothermal hysteresis loop data and verified using thermomechanical (TMF) hysteresis loop data. A fatigue life approach and life models were selected for TMF crack initiation of coated PWA 1480. An initial life model used to correlate smooth and notched fatigue data obtained in the option program shows promise. Computer software incorporating the overlay coating and PWA 1480 constitutive models was developed.

Autonomous mobile robot research using the HERMIES-III robot

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

Pin, F.G.; Beckerman, M.; Spelt, P.F.

1989-01-01

This paper reports on the status and future directions in the research, development and experimental validation of intelligent control techniques for autonomous mobile robots using the HERMIES-III robot at the Center for Engineering Systems Advanced research (CESAR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). HERMIES-III is the fourth robot in a series of increasingly more sophisticated and capable experimental test beds developed at CESAR. HERMIES-III is comprised of a battery powered, onmi-directional wheeled platform with a seven degree-of-freedom manipulator arm, video cameras, sonar range sensors, laser imaging scanner and a dual computer system containing up to 128 NCUBE nodes in hypercubemore » configuration. All electronics, sensors, computers, and communication equipment required for autonomous operation of HERMIES-III are located on board along with sufficient battery power for three to four hours of operation. The paper first provides a more detailed description of the HERMIES-III characteristics, focussing on the new areas of research and demonstration now possible at CESAR with this new test-bed. The initial experimental program is then described with emphasis placed on autonomous performance of human-scale tasks (e.g., valve manipulation, use of tools), integration of a dexterous manipulator and platform motion in geometrically complex environments, and effective use of multiple cooperating robots (HERMIES-IIB and HERMIES- III). The paper concludes with a discussion of the integration problems and safety considerations necessarily arising from the set-up of an experimental program involving human-scale, multi-autonomous mobile robots performance. 10 refs., 3 figs.« less

Project Parents: Awareness, Education, Involvement Program. O.E.E. Evaluation Report, 1981-1982.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lehman, Sheila; Frischholz, Edward J.

The Project Parents: Awareness, Education, Involvement Program is an educational program which is conducted by the New York City Schools and involves 144 parents with children in elementary level bilingual education programs or eligible for such programs. While the focus of the program is on parents, its goal is the enhanced educational…

75 FR 12003 - Investing in Innovation Fund

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-12

..., Proposed Practice, Strategy, or implemented experimental implemented strategy, or program, Program. study or well-designed experimental or quasi- or one similar to it, and well-implemented experimental study, has been attempted quasi-experimental with small sample sizes previously, albeit on a study; or (2...

Effects of instability versus traditional resistance training on strength, power and velocity in untrained men.

PubMed

Maté-Muñoz, José Luis; Monroy, Antonio J Antón; Jodra Jiménez, Pablo; Garnacho-Castaño, Manuel V

2014-09-01

The purpose of this study was compare the effects of a traditional and an instability resistance circuit training program on upper and lower limb strength, power, movement velocity and jumping ability. Thirty-six healthy untrained men were assigned to two experimental groups and a control group. Subjects in the experimental groups performed a resistance circuit training program consisting of traditional exercises (TRT, n = 10) or exercises executed in conditions of instability (using BOSU® and TRX®) (IRT, n = 12). Both programs involved three days per week of training for a total of seven weeks. The following variables were determined before and after training: maximal strength (1RM), average (AV) and peak velocity (PV), average (AP) and peak power (PP), all during bench press (BP) and back squat (BS) exercises, along with squat jump (SJ) height and counter movement jump (CMJ) height. All variables were found to significantly improve (p <0.05) in response to both training programs. Major improvements were observed in SJ height (IRT = 22.1%, TRT = 20.1%), CMJ height (IRT = 17.7%, TRT = 15.2%), 1RM in BS (IRT = 13.03%, TRT = 12.6%), 1RM in BP (IRT = 4.7%, TRT = 4.4%), AP in BS (IRT = 10.5%, TRT = 9.3%), AP in BP (IRT = 2.4%, TRT = 8.1%), PP in BS (IRT=19.42%, TRT = 22.3%), PP in BP (IRT = 7.6%, TRT = 11.5%), AV in BS (IRT = 10.5%, TRT = 9.4%), and PV in BS (IRT = 8.6%, TRT = 4.5%). Despite such improvements no significant differences were detected in the posttraining variables recorded for the two experimental groups. These data indicate that a circuit training program using two instability training devices is as effective in untrained men as a program executed under stable conditions for improving strength (1RM), power, movement velocity and jumping ability. Key PointsSimilar adaptations in terms of gains in strength, power, movement velocity and jumping ability were produced in response to both training programs.Both the stability and instability approaches seem suitable for healthy, physically-active individuals with or with limited experience in resistance training.RPE emerged as a useful tool to monitor exercise intensity during instability strength training.

Effects of Instability Versus Traditional Resistance Training on Strength, Power and Velocity in Untrained Men

PubMed Central

Maté-Muñoz, José Luis; Monroy, Antonio J. Antón; Jodra Jiménez, Pablo; Garnacho-Castaño, Manuel V.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was compare the effects of a traditional and an instability resistance circuit training program on upper and lower limb strength, power, movement velocity and jumping ability. Thirty-six healthy untrained men were assigned to two experimental groups and a control group. Subjects in the experimental groups performed a resistance circuit training program consisting of traditional exercises (TRT, n = 10) or exercises executed in conditions of instability (using BOSU® and TRX®) (IRT, n = 12). Both programs involved three days per week of training for a total of seven weeks. The following variables were determined before and after training: maximal strength (1RM), average (AV) and peak velocity (PV), average (AP) and peak power (PP), all during bench press (BP) and back squat (BS) exercises, along with squat jump (SJ) height and counter movement jump (CMJ) height. All variables were found to significantly improve (p <0.05) in response to both training programs. Major improvements were observed in SJ height (IRT = 22.1%, TRT = 20.1%), CMJ height (IRT = 17.7%, TRT = 15.2%), 1RM in BS (IRT = 13.03%, TRT = 12.6%), 1RM in BP (IRT = 4.7%, TRT = 4.4%), AP in BS (IRT = 10.5%, TRT = 9.3%), AP in BP (IRT = 2.4%, TRT = 8.1%), PP in BS (IRT=19.42%, TRT = 22.3%), PP in BP (IRT = 7.6%, TRT = 11.5%), AV in BS (IRT = 10.5%, TRT = 9.4%), and PV in BS (IRT = 8.6%, TRT = 4.5%). Despite such improvements no significant differences were detected in the posttraining variables recorded for the two experimental groups. These data indicate that a circuit training program using two instability training devices is as effective in untrained men as a program executed under stable conditions for improving strength (1RM), power, movement velocity and jumping ability. Key Points Similar adaptations in terms of gains in strength, power, movement velocity and jumping ability were produced in response to both training programs. Both the stability and instability approaches seem suitable for healthy, physically-active individuals with or with limited experience in resistance training. RPE emerged as a useful tool to monitor exercise intensity during instability strength training. PMID:25177170

Effects of two different programs of modern sports dancing on motor coordination, strength, and speed.

PubMed

Uzunovic, Slavoljub; Kostic, Radmila; Zivkovic, Dobrica

2010-09-01

This study aimed to determine the effects of two different programs of modern sports dancing on coordination, strength, and speed in 60 beginner-level female dancers, aged 13 and 14 yrs. The subjects were divided into two experimental groups (E1 and E2), each numbering 30 subjects, drawn from local dance clubs. In order to determine motor coordination, strength, and speed, we used 15 measurements. The groups were tested before and after the experimental programs. Both experimental programs lasted for 18 wks, with training sessions twice a week for 60 minutes. The subjects from the E1 group trained according to a new experimental program of disco dance (DD) modern sports dance, and the E2 group trained according to the classic DD program of the same kind for beginner selections. The obtained results were assessed by statistical analysis: a paired-samples t-test and MANCOVA/ANCOVA. The results indicated that following the experimental programs, both groups showed a statistically significant improvement in the evaluated skills, but the changes among the E1 group subjects were more pronounced. The basic assumption of this research was confirmed, that the new experimental DD program has a significant influence on coordination, strength, and speed. In relation to these changes, the application of the new DD program was recommended for beginner dancers.

Substance Use, Education, Employment, and Criminal Activity Outcomes of Adolescents in Outpatient Chemical Dependency Programs

PubMed Central

Balsa, Ana I.; Homer, Jenny F.; French, Michael T.; Weisner, Constance M.

2010-01-01

Although the primary outcome of interest in clinical evaluations of addiction treatment programs is usually abstinence, participation in these programs can have a wide range of consequences. This study evaluated the effects of treatment initiation on substance use, school attendance, employment, and involvement in criminal activity at 12 months post-admission for 419 adolescents (aged 12 to 18) enrolled in chemical dependency recovery programs in a large managed care health plan. Instrumental variables estimation methods were used to account for unobserved selection into treatment by jointly modeling the likelihood of participation in treatment and the odds of attaining a certain outcome or level of an outcome. Treatment initiation significantly increased the likelihood of attending school, promoted abstinence, and decreased the probability of adolescent employment, but it did not significantly affect participation in criminal activity at the 12-month follow-up. These findings highlight the need to address selection in a non-experimental study and demonstrate the importance of considering multiple outcomes when assessing the effectiveness of adolescent treatment. PMID:18064572

The parent-adolescent relationship education (PARE) program: a curriculum for prevention of STDs and pregnancy in middle school youth.

PubMed

Lederman, Regina P; Mian, Tahir S

2003-01-01

The Parent-Adolescent Relationship Education (PARE) Program, designed for parents and middle school students, focuses on strengthening family communication about sexual issues and behaviors to help prevent teen pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The program includes content about reproduction, STDs and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), contraception, sex risks, and safe-sex behaviors. The course uses social learning and cognitive behavioral concepts to enhance decision-making, refusal, and resistance skills. A randomized treatment or control group design is used to assign parent-child dyads to an experimental education group (social learning) or an attention-control group (traditional didactic teaching). Three post-program maintenance or booster sessions are held at 6-month intervals and at times prior to peak teen conception periods to reinforce the knowledge and skills learned. Pre- and posttests for parents and students assess group differences in parental involvement and communication, contraception, sex attitudes and intentions, sex behaviors (initiation of sexual intercourse, frequency, number of partners, contraceptive practices, refusal skills), and the incidence of pregnancy.

Transcriptional Basis of Drought-Induced Susceptibility to the Rice Blast Fungus Magnaporthe oryzae

PubMed Central

Bidzinski, Przemyslaw; Ballini, Elsa; Ducasse, Aurélie; Michel, Corinne; Zuluaga, Paola; Genga, Annamaria; Chiozzotto, Remo; Morel, Jean-Benoit

2016-01-01

Plants are often facing several stresses simultaneously. Understanding how they react and the way pathogens adapt to such combinational stresses is poorly documented. Here, we developed an experimental system mimicking field intermittent drought on rice followed by inoculation by the pathogenic fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. This experimental system triggers an enhancement of susceptibility that could be correlated with the dampening of several aspects of plant immunity, namely the oxidative burst and the transcription of several pathogenesis-related genes. Quite strikingly, the analysis of fungal transcription by RNASeq analysis under drought reveals that the fungus is greatly modifying its virulence program: genes coding for small secreted proteins were massively repressed in droughted plants compared to unstressed ones whereas genes coding for enzymes involved in degradation of cell-wall were induced. We also show that drought can lead to the partial breakdown of several major resistance genes by affecting R plant gene and/or pathogen effector expression. We propose a model where a yet unknown plant signal can trigger a change in the virulence program of the pathogen to adapt to a plant host that was affected by drought prior to infection. PMID:27833621

Precison Muon Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hertzog, David

2013-04-01

The worldwide, vibrant experimental program involving precision measurements with muons will be presented. Recent achievements in this field have greatly improved our knowledge of fundamental parameters: Fermi constant (lifetime), weak-nucleon pseudoscalar coupling (μp capture), Michel decay parameters, and the proton charged radius (Lamb shift). The charged-lepton-violating decay μ->eγ sets new physics limits. Updated Standard Model theory evaluations of the muon anomalous magnetic moment has increased the significance beyond 3 σ for the deviation with respect to experiment. Next-generation experiments are mounting, with ambitious sensitivity goals for the muon-to-electron search approaching 10-17 sensitivity and for a 0.14 ppm determination of g-2. The broad physics reach of these efforts involves atomic, nuclear and particle physics communities. I will select from recent work and outline the most important efforts that are in preparation.

Human radiation studies: Remembering the early years. Oral history of Oncologist Helen Vodopick, M.D., December 28, 1994

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

NONE

1995-08-01

This report is a transcript of an interview with Dr. Helen Vodopick by representatives of the US DOE Office of Human Radiation Experiments. Dr. Vodopick was chosen for this interview because of her involvement with the Oak Ridge Institute of Nuclear Studies (ORINS) and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) experimental cancer-therapy program involving total-body irradiation. After a short biographical sketch Dr. Vodopick relates her remembrances of the Medium-Exposure-Rate Total Body Irradiator (METBI), ORINS radioisotope tracer studies, treatment of cancer patients with the METBI, radiation treatment for leukemia patients, bone marrow treatment of leukemia, the Low-Exposure-Rate Total Body Irradiation (LETBI), treatmentmore » of radiation accident victims at ORAU, research with radioactive phosphorus and sulfur, and public opinion issues.« less

Practical application of computer programs for supersonic combustion

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Groves, F. R., Jr.

1972-01-01

Experimental data were interpreted using two supersonic combustion computer programs. The P1 program is based on a conventional boundary layer treatment of the mixing of concentric gas streams and complete combustion chemistry. The H1 program is based on a modified boundary layer approach which accounts for radial pressure gradients in the flow and also incorporates a finite rate chemistry calculation. The objective of the investigation was to compare the experimental data with theoretical predictions of the two programs with special emphasis on the prediction of radial pressure gradients by the H1 program. A test of the H1 program was also desired through comparison with the experimental data and with the P1 program.

Evaluating Evaluations: The Case of Parent Involvement Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattingly, Doreen J.; Prislin, Radmila; McKenzie, Thomas L.; Rodriguez, James L.; Kayzar, Brenda

2002-01-01

This article analyzes 41 studies that evaluated K-12 parent involvement programs in order to assess claims that such programs are an effective means of improving student learning. It examines the characteristics of the parent involvement programs, as well as the research design, data, and analytical techniques used in program evaluation. Our…

Characteristics and effectiveness of diabetes self-management educational programs targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

PubMed

Ricci-Cabello, Ignacio; Ruiz-Pérez, Isabel; Rojas-García, Antonio; Pastor, Guadalupe; Rodríguez-Barranco, Miguel; Gonçalves, Daniela C

2014-07-19

It is not clear to what extent educational programs aimed at promoting diabetes self-management in ethnic minority groups are effective. The aim of this work was to systematically review the effectiveness of educational programs to promote the self-management of racial/ethnic minority groups with type 2 diabetes, and to identify programs' characteristics associated with greater success. We undertook a systematic literature review. Specific searches were designed and implemented for Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, ISI Web of Knowledge, Scirus, Current Contents and nine additional sources (from inception to October 2012). We included experimental and quasi-experimental studies assessing the impact of educational programs targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups with type 2 diabetes. We only included interventions conducted in countries members of the OECD. Two reviewers independently screened citations. Structured forms were used to extract information on intervention characteristics, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness. When possible, we conducted random-effects meta-analyses using standardized mean differences to obtain aggregate estimates of effect size with 95% confidence intervals. Two reviewers independently extracted all the information and critically appraised the studies. We identified thirty-seven studies reporting on thirty-nine educational programs. Most of them were conducted in the US, with African American or Latino participants. Most programs obtained some benefits over standard care in improving diabetes knowledge, self-management behaviors and clinical outcomes. A meta-analysis of 20 randomized controlled trials (3,094 patients) indicated that the programs produced a reduction in glycated hemoglobin of -0.31% (95% CI -0.48% to -0.14%). Diabetes knowledge and self-management measures were too heterogeneous to pool. Meta-regressions showed larger reduction in glycated hemoglobin in individual and face to face delivered interventions, as well as in those involving peer educators, including cognitive reframing techniques, and a lower number of teaching methods. The long-term effects remain unknown and cost-effectiveness was rarely estimated. Diabetes self-management educational programs targeted to racial/ethnic minority groups can produce a positive effect on diabetes knowledge and on self-management behavior, ultimately improving glycemic control. Future programs should take into account the key characteristics identified in this review.

STS-29 Pilot Blaha with SE83-9 "Chix in Space" incubator on OV-103's middeck

NASA Image and Video Library

1989-03-16

STS029-01-001 (16 Marach 1989) --- Astronaut John E. Blaha, STS-29 pilot, checks an incubator on the mid deck of Earth-orbiting Discovery during Flight Day 4 activity. The incubator is part of a student involvement program experiment titled, "Chicken Embryo Development in Space." The student experimenter is John C. Vellinger. The experiment's sponsor is Kentucky Fried Chicken. This photographic frame was among NASA's third STS-29 photo release. Monday, March 20, 1989. Crewmembers were Astronauts Michael L. Coats, John E. Blaha, James F. Buchli, Robert C. Springer and James P. Bagian.

The Bgo-Od Experiment at Elsa

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bantes, B.; Bayadilov, D.; Beck, R.; Becker, M.; Bella, A.; Bieling, J.; Böse, S.; Braglieri, A.; Brinkmann, K.; Burdeynyi, D.; Curciarello, F.; de Leo, V.; di Salvo, R.; Dutz, H.; Elsner, D.; Fantini, A.; Frese, T.; Friedrick, S.; Frommberger, F.; Ganenko, V.; Gervino, G.; Ghio, F.; Giardina, G.; Girolami, B.; Glazier, D.; Goertz, S.; Gridnev, A.; Gutz, E.; Hammann, D.; Hannappel, J.; Hillert, W.; Ignatov, A.; Jahn, O.; Jahn, R.; Joosten, R.; Jude, T. C.; Klein, F.; Koop, K.; Krusche, B.; Lapik, A.; Levi Sandri, P.; Lopatin, I.; Mandaglio, G.; Messi, F.; Messi, R.; Metag, V.; Moricciani, D.; Nanova, M.; Nedorezov, V.; Noviskiy, D.; Pedroni, P.; Romaniuk, M.; Rostomyan, T.; Schaerf, C.; Schmieden, H.; Sumachev, V.; Tarakonov, V.; Vegna, V.; Vlasov, P.; Walther, D.; Watts, D.; Zaunick, H.-G.; Zimmermann, T.

2014-01-01

Meson photoproduction is a key tool for the experimental investigation of the nucleon excitation spectrum. To disentangle the specific couplings of resonances, in addition to the rather well measured pion and eta photoproduction channels it is mandatory to obtain information on channels involving strange and vector mesons and higher mass pseudoscalar mesons, and the associated multi-particle final states with both charged and neutral particles. In this respect, the new BGO-OD experiment at the ELSA accelerator of the University of Bonn's Physikalisches Institut provides unique instrumentation. We describe the experiment, present its status and the initial program of measurements.

The finite element method in the deformation and consolidation of porous media

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

Lewis, R.W.; Schrefler, B.A.

1987-01-01

The authors start with an introduction to the concepts involved in physics giving the equations of flow through porous media and the deformation characteristics of soils and rocks. Succeeding chapters deal with the practical implications of these phenomena and explain the application of theory in both experimental and field work. Details are given of actual incidents, such as the subsidence experienced in Venice and Ravenna. The authors have also formulated a consolidation code, which is detailed at the end of the book, and provide instructions on how to modify the given program.

Research in progress and other activities of the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1993-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics and computer science during the period April 1, 1993 through September 30, 1993. The major categories of the current ICASE research program are: (1) applied and numerical mathematics, including numerical analysis and algorithm development; (2) theoretical and computational research in fluid mechanics in selected areas of interest to LaRC, including acoustic and combustion; (3) experimental research in transition and turbulence and aerodynamics involving LaRC facilities and scientists; and (4) computer science.

Thermal barrier coating life prediction model development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demasi, J. T.; Sheffler, K. D.

1986-01-01

The objective of this program is to establish a methodology to predict Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) life on gas turbine engine components. The approach involves experimental life measurement coupled with analytical modeling of relevant degradation modes. The coating being studied is a flight qualified two layer system, designated PWA 264, consisting of a nominal ten mil layer of seven percent yttria partially stabilized zirconia plasma deposited over a nominal five mil layer of low pressure plasma deposited NiCoCrAlY. Thermal barrier coating degradation modes being investigated include: thermomechanical fatigue, oxidation, erosion, hot corrosion, and foreign object damage.

[Biotechnological functional systems].

PubMed

Bokser, O Ia

1999-01-01

Based on the theory of functional systems and a concept of the quantum system of behavior, studies of the quantumsystems were conducted. Their structure, the interaction of biological and technical sections were analyzed. Mathematical, biophysical, and experimental models were designed. The paper shows that biotechnical quantumsystems are involved in the formation of biological feedback. A system with imperative feedback from the programmed and introduced current results of efforts has been developed and put into practice for the self-regulation of muscle tension. Training by using this biological feedback system causes a stable increase in the perception rate of proprioceptive stimulus in examinees (operates, sportsmen, neurological patients).

NASA programs in advanced sensors and measurement technology for aeronautical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conway, Bruce A.

NASA involvement in the development, implementation, and experimental use of advanced aeronautical sensors and measurement technologies is presently discussed within the framework of specific NASA research centers' activities. The technology thrusts are in the fields of high temperature strain gages and microphones, laser light-sheet flow visualization, LTA, LDV, and LDA, tunable laser-based aviation meteorology, and fiber-optic CARS measurements. IR thermography and close-range photogrammetry are undergoing substantial updating and application. It is expected that 'smart' sensors will be increasingly widely used, especially in conjunction with smart structures in aircraft and spacecraft.

Programming and reprogramming neural cells by (endo-) cannabinoids: from physiological rules to emerging therapies

PubMed Central

Maccarrone, Mauro; Guzman, Manuel; Mackie, Ken; Doherty, Patrick; Harkany, Tibor

2016-01-01

Of the many signaling lipids, endocannabinoids are being increasingly recognized as having an important involvement in neuronal and glial development. Recent experimental evidence suggests that during neuronal differentiation, endocannabinoid signaling undergoes dynamic reorganization that results in a fundamental role-switch from the prenatal determination of cell fate to the homeostatic regulation of synaptic neurotransmission and bioenergetics in the mature nervous system. These studies also offer novel insights into neuropsychiatric disease mechanisms, and contribute to the public debate about the benefits and risks of cannabis use during pregnancy and in adolescence. PMID:25409697

Textural evolution of partially-molten planetary materials in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, E. B.

1987-01-01

Recent Earth-based experiments examining the textural evolution of partially-molten rocks have revealed two important ways in which surface energy considerations affect magma. An initial experimental program addressing surface-energy effects on partially-molten materials in microgravity would involve simple, isothermal treatment of natural samples (meteorites, perioditic komatiite) at preselected temperatures in the melting range. Textural evolution would be assessed by time studies in which the only experiment variable would be run duration. Textural characterization of each sample would be done by quenching, recover, and sectioning for generally later, computer-aided interpretation of features.

Progressive damage, fracture predictions and post mortem correlations for fiber composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1985-01-01

Lewis Research Center is involved in the development of computational mechanics methods for predicting the structural behavior and response of composite structures. In conjunction with the analytical methods development, experimental programs including post failure examination are conducted to study various factors affecting composite fracture such as laminate thickness effects, ply configuration, and notch sensitivity. Results indicate that the analytical capabilities incorporated in the CODSTRAN computer code are effective in predicting the progressive damage and fracture of composite structures. In addition, the results being generated are establishing a data base which will aid in the characterization of composite fracture.

The Effect of Visual Information on the Manual Approach and Landing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wewerinke, P. H.

1982-01-01

The effect of visual information in combination with basic display information on the approach performance. A pre-experimental model analysis was performed in terms of the optimal control model. The resulting aircraft approach performance predictions were compared with the results of a moving base simulator program. The results illustrate that the model provides a meaningful description of the visual (scene) perception process involved in the complex (multi-variable, time varying) manual approach task with a useful predictive capability. The theoretical framework was shown to allow a straight-forward investigation of the complex interaction of a variety of task variables.

Experimental Demonstration of Technologies for Autonomous On-Orbit Robotic Assembly

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeMaster, Edward A.; Schaechter, David B.; Carrington, Connie K.

2006-01-01

The Modular Reconfigurable High Energy (MRHE) program aimed to develop technologies for the automated assembly and deployment of large-scale space structures and aggregate spacecraft. Part of the project involved creation of a terrestrial robotic testbed for validation and demonstration of these technologies and for the support of future development activities. This testbed was completed in 2005, and was thereafter used to demonstrate automated rendezvous, docking, and self-assembly tasks between a group of three modular robotic spacecraft emulators. This paper discusses the rationale for the MRHE project, describes the testbed capabilities, and presents the MRHE assembly demonstration sequence.

Research in progress in applied mathematics, numerical analysis, fluid mechanics, and computer science

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This report summarizes research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, fluid mechanics, and computer science during the period October 1, 1993 through March 31, 1994. The major categories of the current ICASE research program are: (1) applied and numerical mathematics, including numerical analysis and algorithm development; (2) theoretical and computational research in fluid mechanics in selected areas of interest to LaRC, including acoustics and combustion; (3) experimental research in transition and turbulence and aerodynamics involving LaRC facilities and scientists; and (4) computer science.

Laboratory study of sonic booms and their scaling laws. [ballistic range simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Toong, T. Y.

1974-01-01

This program undertook to seek a basic understanding of non-linear effects associated with caustics, through laboratory simulation experiments of sonic booms in a ballistic range and a coordinated theoretical study of scaling laws. Two cases of superbooms or enhanced sonic booms at caustics have been studied. The first case, referred to as acceleration superbooms, is related to the enhanced sonic booms generated during the acceleration maneuvers of supersonic aircrafts. The second case, referred to as refraction superbooms, involves the superbooms that are generated as a result of atmospheric refraction. Important theoretical and experimental results are briefly reported.

Effectiveness of a behavior modification program for older people with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Ounnapiruk, Liwan; Wirojratana, Virapun; Meehatchai, Nitaya; Turale, Sue

2014-06-01

This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of a behavior modification program for diabetic control in Thai elders with uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes. Purposive sampling was used to select 30 elders from one community as an intervention group, and 30 from a neighboring community as a control group. The intervention group participated in a program of 12 weeks' duration involving activities related to group counseling, group discussion, and an empowerment process that enhanced appropriate consumption of healthy diet, medication taking, and exercise. Data were collected by interviews using a questionnaire to assess knowledge of diabetes, perceived self-efficacy, and diabetes control behavior, including fasting blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, were examined at the baseline and three months thereafter. At program completion, the intervention group had significantly higher scores of knowledge, self-efficacy, and health behaviors than those in the control group, but blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin were not significantly different. Although nurses can use aspects of this program to benefit elders with diabetes who require support and education, further research is required to provide improved health outcomes such as better glycemic control. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Classroom drama therapy program for immigrant and refugee adolescents: a pilot study.

PubMed

Rousseau, Cécile; Benoit, Maryse; Gauthier, Marie-France; Lacroix, Louise; Alain, Néomée; Rojas, Musuk Viger; Moran, Alejandro; Bourassa, Dominique

2007-07-01

This evaluative study assesses the effects of a school drama therapy program for immigrant and refugee adolescents designed to prevent emotional and behavioral problems and to enhance school performance. The 9-week program involved 136 newcomers, aged 12 to 18, attending integration classes in a multiethnic school. Pretest and posttest data were collected from the students and their teachers. The self-report and teacher's forms of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were used to assess emotional and behavioral symptoms. At the end of the program, although there were no reported improvement in self-esteem or emotional and behavioral symptoms, the adolescents in the experimental group reported lower mean levels of impairment by symptoms than those in the control group, when baseline data were controlled for. Their performance in mathematics also increased significantly compared to that of their control peers. The findings suggest that the workshops may have an impact on social adjustment of recently arrived immigrants and refugees. This drama therapy program appears to be a promising way of working preventively and in a nonstigmatizing manner with adolescents who have been exposed to diverse forms of adversity, among which are war and violence.

NASA/FAA general aviation crash dynamics program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomson, R. G.; Hayduk, R. J.; Carden, H. D.

1981-01-01

The program involves controlled full scale crash testing, nonlinear structural analyses to predict large deflection elastoplastic response, and load attenuating concepts for use in improved seat and subfloor structure. Both analytical and experimental methods are used to develop expertise in these areas. Analyses include simplified procedures for estimating energy dissipating capabilities and comprehensive computerized procedures for predicting airframe response. These analyses are developed to provide designers with methods for predicting accelerations, loads, and displacements on collapsing structure. Tests on typical full scale aircraft and on full and subscale structural components are performed to verify the analyses and to demonstrate load attenuating concepts. A special apparatus was built to test emergency locator transmitters when attached to representative aircraft structure. The apparatus is shown to provide a good simulation of the longitudinal crash pulse observed in full scale aircraft crash tests.

Microfluidic System Simulation Including the Electro-Viscous Effect

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rojas, Eileen; Chen, C. P.; Majumdar, Alok

2007-01-01

This paper describes a practical approach using a general purpose lumped-parameter computer program, GFSSP (Generalized Fluid System Simulation Program) for calculating flow distribution in a network of micro-channels including electro-viscous effects due to the existence of electrical double layer (EDL). In this study, an empirical formulation for calculating an effective viscosity of ionic solutions based on dimensional analysis is described to account for surface charge and bulk fluid conductivity, which give rise to electro-viscous effect in microfluidics network. Two dimensional slit micro flow data was used to determine the model coefficients. Geometry effect is then included through a Poiseuille number correlation in GFSSP. The bi-power model was used to calculate flow distribution of isotropically etched straight channel and T-junction microflows involving ionic solutions. Performance of the proposed model is assessed against experimental test data.

Silicon material task - Low cost solar array project /JPL/DOE/

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lutwack, R.

1979-01-01

The paper describes the silicon material task of the low-cost solar array project, which has the objective of establishing a silicon production capability equivalent to 500 mW per year at a price less than 10 dollars/kg (1975 dollars) in 1986. The task program is divided into four phases: technical feasibility, scale-up studies (the present phase), experimental process system development units, and implementation of large-scale production plants, and it involves the development of processes for two groups of materials, that is, semiconductor grade and solar cell grade. In addition, the effects of impurities on solar cell performance are being investigated. Attention is given to problem areas of the task program, such as environmental protection, material compatibility between the reacting chemicals and materials of construction of the equipment, and waste disposal.

Cryogenic fluid management (base R/T): Cryogenic fluid systems, Cryogenic Orbital Nitrogen Experiment (CONE), Cryogenic Orbital Hydrogen Experiment (COHE). (Transportation focused technology)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Symons, Pat

1991-01-01

The topics presented are covered in viewgraph form. The concluded remarks are: (1) advanced cryogenic fluid systems technology is enhancing or enabling to all known transportation scenarios for space exploration; (2) an integrated/coordinated program involving LeRC/MSFC has been formulated to address all known CFM needs - new needs should they develop, can be accommodated within available skills/facilities; (3) all required/experienced personnel and facilities are finally in place - data from initial ground-based experiments is being collected and analyzed - small scale STS experiments are nearing flight - program is beginning to yield significant results; (4) future proposed funding to primarily come from two sources; and (5) cryogenic fluid experimentation is essential to provide required technology and assure implementation in future NASA missions.

Prison Meditation Movements and Mass Incarceration.

PubMed

Lyons, Thomas; Cantrell, W Dustin

2016-09-01

By some estimates, more than half of inmates held in jails and prisons in the United States have a substance use disorder. Treatments involving the teaching of meditation and other contemplative practices have been developed for a variety of physical and mental disorders, including drug and alcohol addiction. At the same time, an expanding volunteer movement across the country has been bringing meditation and yoga into jails and prisons. This review first examines the experimental research on one such approach-mindfulness meditation as a treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, as well as the research on mindfulness in incarcerated settings. We argue that to make a substantial impact on recidivism, such programs must mirror volunteer programs which emphasize interdependency and non-duality between the "helper" and the "helped," and the building of meditation communities both inside and outside of prison. © The Author(s) 2015.

Interpretation of F106B and CV580 in-flight lightning data and form factor determination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudolph, T.; Horembala, J.; Eriksen, F. J.; Weigel, H. S.; Elliott, J. R.; Parker, S. L.; Perala, R. A.

1989-01-01

Two topics of in-flight aircraft/lightning interaction are addressed. The first is the analysis of measured data from the NASA F106B Thunderstorm Research Aircraft and the CV580 research program run by the FAA and Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. The CV580 data was investigated in a mostly qualitative sense, while the F106B data was subjected to both statistical and quantitative analysis using linear triggered lightning finite difference models. The second main topic is the analysis of field mill data and the calibration of the field mill systems. The calibration of the F106B field mill system was investigated using an improved finite difference model of the aircraft having a spatial resolution of one-quarter meter. The calibration was applied to measured field mill data acquired during the 1985 thunderstorm season. The experimental determination of form factors useful for field mill calibration was also investigated both experimentally and analytically. The experimental effort involved the use of conducting scale models and an electrolytic tank. An analytic technique was developed to aid in the understanding of the experimental results.

Taking local optics outreach abroad for IYL 2015: administrative and logistical challenges and strategies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Nicholas H. L.; Posner, Matthew T.; Mittal, Vinita; Gray, David R.; John, Pearl V.

2016-09-01

The Lightwave Roadshow is an outreach program run by research students at the University of Southampton, UK, that seeks to educate and inspire young students with optics, through conducting workshops in local schools and exhibiting at local and regional educational fairs. Adopting a hands-on philosophy enabled by an extensive collection of experimental optical demonstrations, Lightwave aims to promote scientific interest and indirectly address the global STEM skills shortage. While Lightwave has become a well-established program in local schools since its inception in 1998, 2015 included an unprecedented number of overseas activities. Inspired by the In- ternational Year of Light and Light-based Technologies (IYL 2015), Lightwave organized a school workshop in a foreign country (Singapore) as well as exhibited at major events, including the IYL 2015 opening ceremony in France, which marked the first time that the roadshow used UK school students to deliver outreach activities beyond the UK. These recent successful overseas projects have encouraged the outreach team to continue expand- ing the reach of the roadshow internationally. Of particular note is the involvement of Lightwave at academic conferences, where experiences and best practices can be shared among outreach ambassadors from different programs, student chapters, universities, and organizations. This paper provides a review of these activities, and identifies the administrative and practical challenges of bringing a local outreach program abroad and some strategies to overcome them. We also outline our travel suite of experimental demonstration kit, a portable selection from our main equipment inventory. This won the recent OSA `IYL-To-Go' student competition.

The effect of interprofessional team-based learning among nursing students: A quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Wong, Arkers Kwan Ching; Wong, Frances Kam Yuet; Chan, Lap Ki; Chan, Namkiu; Ganotice, Fraide A; Ho, Jacqueline

2017-06-01

Although interprofessional education has received attention in recent years as a means of providing opportunities for health-care professionals to learn with, from and about other disciplines and enhance the quality of patient care, evidence of its effectiveness is limited. Interprofessional team-based learning was introduced to make it possible for students in different healthcare disciplines to interact with each other, and to prepare them to function effectively within a team in their future career. To examine the effects of interprofessional team-based learning for undergraduate nursing students in terms of knowledge level, readiness for interprofessional learning, attitude towards various aspects of team learning, and perceived collective efficacy. The study employed a one-group pretest-posttest quasi-experimental design. An interprofessional education program was given to students from two universities in Hong Kong who were in different healthcare disciplines including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, biomedical science, and Chinese medicine programs. The program was based on four phases of student learning- individual readiness assessment test, ice breaking session, team readiness assessment test, and application exercise. Nursing students involved in the program were invited to complete anonymous questionnaires to evaluate their interprofessional team experience. A total of 40 nursing students (9 male, 31 female) participated in the study. A statistically significant improvement was identified in their knowledge level (p<0.001), attitude towards readiness for interprofessional learning, team learning, and perceived collective efficacy (p<0.001). This study suggests that interprofessional team-based learning can enhance cross-disciplinary learning and outcomes resulting from team efforts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of 3basic life support training programs in future primary school teachers. A quasi-experimental design.

PubMed

Navarro-Patón, R; Freire-Tellado, M; Basanta-Camiño, S; Barcala-Furelos, R; Arufe-Giraldez, V; Rodriguez-Fernández, J E

2018-05-01

To evaluate the learning of basic life support (BLS) measures on the part of laypersons after 3different teaching programs. A quasi-experimental before-after study involving a non-probabilistic sample without a control group was carried out. Primary school teacher students from the University of Santiago (Spain). A total of 124 students (68.8% women and 31.2% men) aged 20-39 years (M=22.23; SD=3.79), with no previous knowledge of BLS, were studied. Three teaching programs were used: a traditional course, an audio-visual approach and feedback devices. Chest compressions as sole cardiopulmonary resuscitation skill evaluation: average compression depth, compression rate, chest recoil percentage and percentage of correct compressions. Automated external defibrillator: time needed to apply a shock before and after the course. There were significant differences in the results obtained after 2minutes of chest compressions, depending on the training program received, with feedback devices having a clear advantage referred to average compression depth (p<0.001), compression rate (p<0.001), chest recoil percentage (p<0.001) and percentage of correct compressions (p<0.001). Regarding automated external defibrillator, statistically significant differences were found in T after (p=0.025). The teaching course using feedback devices obtained the best results in terms of the quality of chest compressions, followed by the traditional course and audio-visual approach. These favorable results were present in both men and women. All 3teaching methods reached the goal of reducing defibrillation time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.

Nuclear Test-Experimental Science: Annual report, fiscal year 1988

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

Struble, G.L.; Donohue, M.L.; Bucciarelli, G.

1988-01-01

Fiscal year 1988 has been a significant, rewarding, and exciting period for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's nuclear testing program. It was significant in that the Laboratory's new director chose to focus strongly on the program's activities and to commit to a revitalized emphasis on testing and the experimental science that underlies it. It was rewarding in that revolutionary new measurement techniques were fielded on recent important and highly complicated underground nuclear tests with truly incredible results. And it was exciting in that the sophisticated and fundamental problems of weapons science that are now being addressed experimentally are yielding new challengesmore » and understanding in ways that stimulate and reward the brightest and best of scientists. During FY88 the program was reorganized to emphasize our commitment to experimental science. The name of the program was changed to reflect this commitment, becoming the Nuclear Test-Experimental Science (NTES) Program.« less

The Use of Wiki in Teaching Programming: Effects upon Achievement, Attitudes, and Collaborative Programming Behaviors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Yu-Tzu; Wu, Cheng-Chih; Chiu, Chiung-Fang

2018-01-01

This article explores the feasibility of employing cooperative program editing tools in teaching programming. A quasi-experimental study was conducted, in which the experimental group co-edited the programs with peers using the wiki. The control group co-edited the programs with peers using only the face-to-face approach. The findings show that…

Does gamification increase engagement with online programs? A systematic review.

PubMed

Looyestyn, Jemma; Kernot, Jocelyn; Boshoff, Kobie; Ryan, Jillian; Edney, Sarah; Maher, Carol

2017-01-01

Engagement in online programs is difficult to maintain. Gamification is the recent trend that offers to increase engagement through the inclusion of game-like features like points and badges, in non-game contexts. This review will answer the following question, 'Are gamification strategies effective in increasing engagement in online programs?' Eight databases (Web of Science, PsycINFO, Medline, INSPEC, ERIC, Cochrane Library, Business Source Complete and ACM Digital Library) were searched from 2010 to the 28th of October 2015 using a comprehensive search strategy. Eligibility criteria was based on the PICOS format, where "population" included adults, "intervention" involved an online program or smart phone application that included at least one gamification feature. "Comparator" was a control group, "outcomes" included engagement and "downstream" outcomes which occurred as a result of engagement; and "study design" included experimental studies from peer-reviewed sources. Effect sizes (Cohens d and 95% confidence intervals) were also calculated. 1017 studies were identified from database searches following the removal of duplicates, of which 15 met the inclusion criteria. The studies involved a total of 10,499 participants, and were commonly undertaken in tertiary education contexts. Engagement metrics included time spent (n = 5), volume of contributions (n = 11) and occasions visited to the software (n = 4); as well as downstream behaviours such as performance (n = 4) and healthy behaviours (n = 1). Effect sizes typically ranged from medium to large in direct engagement and downstream behaviours, with 12 out of 15 studies finding positive significant effects in favour of gamification. Gamification is effective in increasing engagement in online programs. Key recommendations for future research into gamification are provided. In particular, rigorous study designs are required to fully examine gamification's effects and determine how to best achieve sustained engagement.

Biological relevance of CNV calling methods using familial relatedness including monozygotic twins.

PubMed

Castellani, Christina A; Melka, Melkaye G; Wishart, Andrea E; Locke, M Elizabeth O; Awamleh, Zain; O'Reilly, Richard L; Singh, Shiva M

2014-04-21

Studies involving the analysis of structural variation including Copy Number Variation (CNV) have recently exploded in the literature. Furthermore, CNVs have been associated with a number of complex diseases and neurodevelopmental disorders. Common methods for CNV detection use SNP, CNV, or CGH arrays, where the signal intensities of consecutive probes are used to define the number of copies associated with a given genomic region. These practices pose a number of challenges that interfere with the ability of available methods to accurately call CNVs. It has, therefore, become necessary to develop experimental protocols to test the reliability of CNV calling methods from microarray data so that researchers can properly discriminate biologically relevant data from noise. We have developed a workflow for the integration of data from multiple CNV calling algorithms using the same array results. It uses four CNV calling programs: PennCNV (PC), Affymetrix® Genotyping Console™ (AGC), Partek® Genomics Suite™ (PGS) and Golden Helix SVS™ (GH) to analyze CEL files from the Affymetrix® Human SNP 6.0 Array™. To assess the relative suitability of each program, we used individuals of known genetic relationships. We found significant differences in CNV calls obtained by different CNV calling programs. Although the programs showed variable patterns of CNVs in the same individuals, their distribution in individuals of different degrees of genetic relatedness has allowed us to offer two suggestions. The first involves the use of multiple algorithms for the detection of the largest possible number of CNVs, and the second suggests the use of PennCNV over all other methods when the use of only one software program is desirable.

Systematic review of the information and communication technology features of web- and mobile-based psychoeducational interventions for depression.

PubMed

Zhao, Danyang; Lustria, Mia Liza A; Hendrickse, Joshua

2017-06-01

To examine the information and communication technology (ICT) features of psychoeducational interventions for depression delivered via the Internet or via mobile technology. Web- and mobile-based psychoeducational intervention studies published from 2004 to 2014 were selected and reviewed by two independent coders. A total of 55 unique studies satisfied the selection criteria. The review revealed a diverse range of ICTs used to support the psychoeducational programs. Most interventions used websites as their main mode of delivery and reported greater use of communication tools compared to effective approaches like tailoring or interactive technologies games, videos, and self-monitoring tools. Many of the studies relied on medium levels of clinician involvement and only a few were entirely self-guided. Programs that reported higher levels of clinician involvement also reported using more communication tools, and reported greater compliance to treatment. Future experimental studies may help unpack the effects of technology features and reveal new ways to automate aspects of clinician input. There is a need to further examine ways ICTs can be optimized to reduce the burden on clinicians whilst enhancing the delivery of proven effective therapeutic approaches. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comprehensive testing to measure the response of butyl rubber to Hanford tank waste simulant

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

NIGREY,PAUL J.

This report presents the findings of the Chemical Compatibility Program developed to evaluate plastic packaging components that may be incorporated in packaging mixed-waste forms for transportation. Consistent with the methodology outlined in this report, the authors performed the second phase of this experimental program to determine the effects of simulant Hanford tank mixed wastes on packaging seal materials. That effort involved the comprehensive testing of five plastic liner materials in an aqueous mixed-waste simulant. The testing protocol involved exposing the materials to {approximately}143, 286, 571, and 3,670 krad of gamma radiation and was followed by 7-, 14-, 28-, 180-day exposuresmore » to the waste simulant at 18, 50, and 60 C. Butyl rubber samples subjected to the same protocol were then evaluated by measuring seven material properties: specific gravity, dimensional changes, mass changes, hardness, compression set, vapor transport rates, and tensile properties. From the analyses, they determined that butyl rubber has relatively good resistance to radiation, this simulant, and a combination of these factors. These results suggest that butyl rubber is a relatively good seal material to withstand aqueous mixed wastes having similar composition to the one used in this study.« less

Response of ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM) to simulant Hanford tank waste

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

NIGREY,PAUL J.

2000-02-01

This report presents the findings of the Chemical Compatibility Program developed to evaluate plastic packaging components that may be incorporated in packaging mixed-waste forms for transportation. Consistent with the methodology outlined in this report, the author performed the second phase of this experimental program to determine the effects of simulant Hanford tank mixed wastes on packaging seal materials. That effort involved the comprehensive testing of five plastic liner materials in an aqueous mixed-waste simulant. The testing protocol involved exposing the materials to {approximately}143, 286, 571, and 3,670 krad of gamma radiation and was followed by 7-, 14-, 28-, 180-day exposuresmore » to the waste simulant at 18, 50, and 60 C. Ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) rubber samples subjected to the same protocol were then evaluated by measuring seven material properties: specific gravity, dimensional changes, mass changes, hardness, compression set, vapor transport rates, and tensile properties. The author has determined that EPDM rubber has excellent resistance to radiation, this simulant, and a combination of these factors. These results suggest that EPDM is an excellent seal material to withstand aqueous mixed wastes having similar composition to the one used in this study.« less

47 CFR 5.305 - Program license not permitted.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Program license not permitted. 5.305 Section 5.305 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL EXPERIMENTAL RADIO SERVICE Program Experimental Radio Licenses § 5.305 Program license not permitted. Experiments are not permitted under this...

47 CFR 5.305 - Program license not permitted.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Program license not permitted. 5.305 Section 5.305 Telecommunication FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION GENERAL EXPERIMENTAL RADIO SERVICE Program Experimental Radio Licenses § 5.305 Program license not permitted. Experiments are not permitted under this...

The Scientific and Technological area of the Programs of Curricular Diversification. Critical analysis of the available materials and a case study in Segovia province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leal Insua, Maria Pilar

This thesis is focused on the Scientific area of the Programs of Curricular Diversification, one of the Government actions for the attention to diversity in compulsory Secondary Education, established in the General Education Law (LOGSE: Ley de Ordenacion General del Sistema Educativo) of 1990. It has been carried out in Spain. In the thesis two different lines of work can be distinguished: (A) The analysis of material elaborated specifically for the mentioned area. We intent to know what materials have been elaborated and to analyze them; to this purpose we study the material spread in Congresses or Conferences, and also the articles published in magazines or specifically designed to be used in the Scientific area of the Programs of Curricular Diversification until year 2003. The analysis is made after classifying the material according to the format in which it appears (books, CDs, "Didactic Units"). (B) Two case studies, of evaluative character, carried out in two Secondary Schools in the province of Segovia (Spain), one of them in the city and another one in a rural population. The case studies are centered in the Scientific Area of the Programs of Curricular Diversification that last for two years. In the first of these Centers eight students took part in the Program; in the second, a total of seven. Throughout the investigation we observed that students who took part in the Programs obtained good academic results. Programs are proved to be effective in generating processes of academic success in pupils who were previously in situation of school failure and at risk of social exclusion. The success of these programs is fundamentally due to the following reasons: the low number of students involved, the fact that they are focused on basic knowledge, the reduced number of subjects studied. Besides, to offer the students the chance of a closer relationship with a few teachers increases their motivation and involvement in the programs. Key words: Attention to Diversity, Didactics of Experimental Sciences, Programs of curricular diversification, Scientific Technological Area

Exploring Extension Involvement in Farm to School Program Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benson, Matthew C.

2014-01-01

The study reported here examined Extension professionals' involvement in farm-to-school program activities. Results of an online survey distributed to eight state Extension systems indicate that on average, Extension professionals are involved with one farm to school program activity, with most supporting school or community garden programs.…

Measuring the impact of enhanced kinship navigator services for informal kinship caregivers using an experimental design.

PubMed

Feldman, Leonard H; Fertig, Amanda

2013-01-01

While relative care may offer significant benefits to kin children as compared to non-relative foster care, informal kinship caregivers often experience various hardships and needs without the resources of the child welfare system to aid them. They may benefit from services provided by an expanded kinship navigator program. This study, using an experimental design, adds to knowledge about the characteristics and needs of kinship caregivers and the impact of enhanced navigator services. The relative effect of this more intensive intervention was mixed. Caregivers had many of their expressed needs met. Yet, the enhanced services group did not demonstrate: an increase in perceived social support; reduction in caregiver stress; or improvement in child behavior compared to the families receiving brief, traditional navigator services. Little difference was found in post intervention involvement in the child welfare system. Further enhancements to the model are suggested.

Hot Tearing in Aluminium — Copper Alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Viano, David; StJohn, David; Grandfield, John; Cáceres, Carlos

For many aluminium alloys, hot tearing susceptibility follows a lambda curve relationship when hot tearing severity is plotted as a function of solute content. In the past, there has been some difficulty quantifying hot tearing. Traditional methods rely upon measuring electrical resistivity or the number and/or length of cracks in tests such as the ring test. In this experimental program, a hot tear test rig was used to investigate a series of binary Al-Cu alloys. This device measures the load imposed on the mushy zone during solidification. Hot tearing susceptibility was quantified in two ways. The first method involved measuring the load at the solidus temperature (548°C). The second method was to radiograph the hot spot and measure the image density of the cracks. Both methods had advantages and disadvantages. It was found that the results from the hot tear rig correlates with other published data using different experimental methods.

Coadsorbed species explain the mechanism of methanol temperature-desorption on CeO 2(111)

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

Sutton, Jonathan E.; Steven H. Overbury; Beste, Ariana

2016-03-24

Here, we have used density functional theory calculations to investigate the temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) of methanol from CeO 2(111). For the first time, low-temperature water formation and high-temperature methanol desorption are explained by our calculations. High coverages of methanol, which correspond to experimental conditions, are required to properly describe these features of the TPD spectrum. We identify a mechanism for the low-temperature formation of water involving the dissociation of two methanol molecules on the same surface O atom and filling of the resulting surface vacancy with one of the methoxy products. After water desorption, methoxy groups are stabilized on themore » surface and react at higher temperatures to form methanol and formaldehyde by a disproportionation mechanism. Alternatively, the stabilized methoxy groups undergo sequential C–H scission reactions to produce formaldehyde. Calculated energy requirements and methanol/formaldehyde selectivity agree with the experimental data.« less

The materials processing research base of the Materials Processing Center. Report for FY 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flemings, M. C.

1983-01-01

The work described, while involving research in the broad field of materials processing, has two common features: the problems are closed related to space precessing of materials and have both practical and fundamental significance. An interesting and important feature of many of the projects is that the interdisciplinary nature of the problem mandates complementary analytical modeling/experimental approaches. An other important aspect of many of the projects is the increasing use of mathematical modeling techniques as one of the research tools. The predictive capability of these models, when tested against measurements, plays a very important role in both the planning of experimental programs and in the rational interpretation of the results. Many of the projects described have a space experiment as their ultimate objective. Mathematical models are proving to be extremely valuable in projecting the findings of ground - based experiments to microgravity conditions.

V/STOL and STOL ground effects and testing techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kuhn, R. E.

1987-01-01

The ground effects associated with V/STOL operation were examined and an effort was made to develop the equipment and testing techniques needed for that understanding. Primary emphasis was on future experimental programs in the 40 x 80 and the 80 x 120 foot test sections and in the outdoor static test stand associated with these facilities. The commonly used experimental techniques are reviewed and data obtained by various techniques are compared with each other and with available estimating methods. These reviews and comparisons provide insight into the limitations of past studies and the testing techniques used and identify areas where additional work is needed. The understanding of the flow mechanics involved in hovering and in transition in and out of ground effect is discussed. The basic flow fields associated with hovering, transition and STOL operation of jet powered V/STOL aircraft are depicted.

Stress-corrosion crack-growth study of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V exposed to freon PCA and nitrogen tetroxide MON-1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bjorklund, R. A.

1983-01-01

An experimental fracture mechanics program was performed to determine the stress corrosion crack growth sensitivity of the propellant tank material, titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V, for aerospace satellite applications involving long term exposure to Freon PCA and nitrogen tetroxide MON-1. Sustained load tests were made at a 49 C (120 F) constant temperature using thin gauge tensile test specimens containing semielliptical surface flaws. Test specimen types included parent metal, center of weld, and weld heat affected zone. It was concluded that Ti-6Al-4V alloy is not adversely affected in a stress environment when exposed to Freon PCA for 1000 hours followed by exposure to nitrogen tetroxide MON-1 for 2000 hours at stress levels up to 80% of the experimental critical plane strain stress intensity factor.

Development of an Improved Crack Propagation Model for Corrosion-Induced Cover Cracking in RC Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hilyati, S.; Nizam, Z. M.; Zurisman, M. A. A.; Azhar, A. T. S.

2017-06-01

During the last two decades, reinforced concrete (RC) has been extensively used in most of the world as one of the common construction material due to its advantages and durability. However, RC structures exposed to marine environments are subjected to chloride attack. Chlorides from seawater penetrate into RC structures are not only causing severe corrosion problems but also affect the durability and serviceability of such structures. This paper investigates the influence of transverse reinforcement and spacing of reinforcing bars on concrete cover cracking of two-way RC slab specimens using accelerated corrosion tests. The experimental program involved the testing of four RC slab specimens and was generally designed to observe the crack width and the time of crack to propagate. An improved model for predicting the timing of crack propagation based on the experimental data was then developed.

Chapter 17: Residential Behavior Evaluation Protocol. The Uniform Methods Project: Methods for Determining Energy Efficiency Savings for Specific Measures

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

Kurnik, Charles W.; Stewart, James; Todd, Annika

Residential behavior-based (BB) programs use strategies grounded in the behavioral and social sciences to influence household energy use. These may include providing households with real-time or delayed feedback about their energy use; supplying energy efficiency education and tips; rewarding households for reducing their energy use; comparing households to their peers; and establishing games, tournaments, and competitions. BB programs often target multiple energy end uses and encourage energy savings, demand savings, or both. Savings from BB programs are usually a small percentage of energy use, typically less than 5 percent. Utilities will continue to implement residential BB programs as large-scale, randomizedmore » control trials (RCTs); however, some are now experimenting with alternative program designs that are smaller scale; involve new communication channels such as the web, social media, and text messaging; or that employ novel strategies for encouraging behavior change (for example, Facebook competitions). These programs will create new evaluation challenges and may require different evaluation methods than those currently employed to verify any savings they generate. Quasi-experimental methods, however, require stronger assumptions to yield valid savings estimates and may not measure savings with the same degree of validity and accuracy as randomized experiments.« less

Acute Effect of Static Stretching on Lower Limb Movement Performance by Using STABL Virtual Reality System.

PubMed

Ameer, Mariam A; Muaidi, Qassim I

2017-07-17

The effect of acute static stretch (ASS) on the lower limb RT has been recently questioned to decrease the risk of falling and injuries in situations requiring a rapid reaction, as in the cases of balance disturbance. The main purpose of this study was to detect the effect of ASS on the lower limb RT by using virtual reality device. Two Group Control Group design. Research laboratory. The control and experimental groups were formed randomly from sixty female university students. Each participant in the experimental group was tested before and after ASS for the quadriceps, hamstrings and planter flexor muscles, and compared with the control group with warming-up exercise only. The stretching program involved warming-up in the form of circular running inside the lab for 5 minutes followed by stretching of each muscle group thrice, to the limit of discomfort of 45 s, with resting period of 15s between stretches. The measurements included the RT of the dominant lower extremity by using the dynamic stability program, STABL Virtual Reality System (Model No. DIZ 2709, Motek Medical and Force Link Merged Co., Amsterdam). There was statistically significant reduction (F = 162, P= .00) in post-test RT between the two groups, and significant decrease in RT after stretching, in the experimental group (7.5%) (P= .00). ASS of the lower limb muscles tends to decrease the lower limb RT and improve movement performance.

Assessing the Accuracy of Generalized Inferences From Comparison Group Studies Using a Within-Study Comparison Approach: The Methodology.

PubMed

Jaciw, Andrew P

2016-06-01

Various studies have examined bias in impact estimates from comparison group studies (CGSs) of job training programs, and in education, where results are benchmarked against experimental results. Such within-study comparison (WSC) approaches investigate levels of bias in CGS-based impact estimates, as well as the success of various design and analytic strategies for reducing bias. This article reviews past literature and summarizes conditions under which CGSs replicate experimental benchmark results. It extends the framework to, and develops the methodology for, situations where results from CGSs are generalized to untreated inference populations. Past research is summarized; methods are developed to examine bias in program impact estimates based on cross-site comparisons in a multisite trial that are evaluated against site-specific experimental benchmarks. Students in Grades K-3 in 79 schools in Tennessee; students in Grades 4-8 in 82 schools in Alabama. Grades K-3 Stanford Achievement Test (SAT) in reading and math scores; Grades 4-8 SAT10 reading scores. Past studies show that bias in CGS-based estimates can be limited through strong design, with local matching, and appropriate analysis involving pretest covariates and variables that represent selection processes. Extension of the methodology to investigate accuracy of generalized estimates from CGSs shows bias from confounders and effect moderators. CGS results, when extrapolated to untreated inference populations, may be biased due to variation in outcomes and impact. Accounting for effects of confounders or moderators may reduce bias. © The Author(s) 2016.

Life prediction and constitutive models for engine hot section anisotropic materials program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nissley, D. M.; Meyer, T. G.; Walker, K. P.

1992-01-01

This report presents a summary of results from a 7 year program designed to develop generic constitutive and life prediction approaches and models for nickel-based single crystal gas turbine airfoils. The program was composed of a base program and an optional program. The base program addressed the high temperature coated single crystal regime above the airfoil root platform. The optional program investigated the low temperature uncoated single crystal regime below the airfoil root platform including the notched conditions of the airfoil attachment. Both base and option programs involved experimental and analytical efforts. Results from uniaxial constitutive and fatigue life experiments of coated and uncoated PWA 1480 single crystal material formed the basis for the analytical modeling effort. Four single crystal primary orientations were used in the experiments: group of zone axes (001), group of zone axes (011), group of zone axes (111), and group of zone axes (213). Specific secondary orientations were also selected for the notched experiments in the optional program. Constitutive models for an overlay coating and PWA 1480 single crystal materials were developed based on isothermal hysteresis loop data and verified using thermomechanical (TMF) hysteresis loop data. A fatigue life approach and life models were developed for TMF crack initiation of coated PWA 1480. A life model was developed for smooth and notched fatigue in the option program. Finally, computer software incorporating the overlay coating and PWA 1480 constitutive and life models was developed.

EVALUATION OF EXPERIMENTAL PRESCHOOL PROGRAM FOR EDUCATIONALLY DEPRIVED CHILDREN (1964).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

STEWART, LUCILLE M.

THE AIM OF AN EXPERIMENTAL PRESCHOOL PROGRAM FOR EDUCATIONALLY DEPRIVED CHILDREN WAS TO PREPARE THEM FOR REGULAR KINDERGARTEN CLASSES. ACTIVITIES AND EXPERIENCES WERE PROVIDED WHICH HELPED THE CHILDREN EXPRESS THEMSELVES VERBALLY AND BECOME AWARE OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT. THE BUDGET FOR A 6-WEEK PROGRAM, INCLUDING STAFF, PROGRAM SUPPLIES, AND…

Method Improving Reading Comprehension In Primary Education Program Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rohana

2018-01-01

This study aims to determine the influence of reading comprehension skills of English for PGSD students through the application of SQ3R learning method. The type of this research is Pre-Experimental research because it is not yet a real experiment, there are external variables that influence the formation of a dependent variable, this is because there is no control variable and the sample is not chosen randomly. The research design is used is one-group pretest-post-test design involving one group that is an experimental group. In this design, the observation is done twice before and after the experiment. Observations made before the experiment (O1) are called pretests and the post-experimental observation (O2) is called posttest. The difference between O1 and O2 ie O2 - O1 is the effect of the treatment. The results showed that there was an improvement in reading comprehension skills of PGSD students in Class M.4.3 using SQ3R method, and better SQ3R enabling SQ3R to improve English comprehension skills.

The effect of peculiar complex core balance training on isokinetic muscle functions of the knee and lumbus.

PubMed

Lee, Myungsun; Han, Gunsoo

2016-04-01

[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the effect of peculiar complex core balance training on the isokinetic muscle function of the knee joint and lumbus to provide fundamental data for establishing a training program that focuses on improving the performance and prevention of injury by developing the core and low extremity muscles. [Subjects and Methods] The participants in this study included a total of ten high school athletes involved in a throwing event for over five years. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: The experimental group (N=5) and the control group (N=5). The experimental group underwent peculiar complex core balance training. [Results] According to the analysis of covariance, there was a significant effect of peculiar complex core balance training. Therefore, the isokinetic muscle function of the knee joint and lumbus in the experimental group participating in peculiar complex core balance training was significantly increased compared to the control group. [Conclusion] It is concluded that peculiar complex core balance training had a positive effect on the isokinetic muscle function of the knee and lumbus in throwing event athletes.

Thermal barrier coating life prediction model development, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Demasi, Jeanine T.; Ortiz, Milton

1989-01-01

The objective of this program was to establish a methodology to predict thermal barrier coating (TBC) life on gas turbine engine components. The approach involved experimental life measurement coupled with analytical modeling of relevant degradation modes. Evaluation of experimental and flight service components indicate the predominant failure mode to be thermomechanical spallation of the ceramic coating layer resulting from propagation of a dominant near interface crack. Examination of fractionally exposed specimens indicated that dominant crack formation results from progressive structural damage in the form of subcritical microcrack link-up. Tests conducted to isolate important life drivers have shown MCrAlY oxidation to significantly affect the rate of damage accumulation. Mechanical property testing has shown the plasma deposited ceramic to exhibit a non-linear stress-strain response, creep and fatigue. The fatigue based life prediction model developed accounts for the unusual ceramic behavior and also incorporates an experimentally determined oxide rate model. The model predicts the growth of this oxide scale to influence the intensity of the mechanic driving force, resulting from cyclic strains and stresses caused by thermally induced and externally imposed mechanical loads.

An experimental investigation of rubbing interaction in labyrinth seals at cryogenic temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dolan, F. X.; Kennedy, F. E.; Schulson, E. M.

1985-01-01

An experimental program was carried out to address issues related to the observed cracking of the titanium knife edges on the labyrinth seals of the high pressure fuel pump (HPFP) in the Space Shuttle main engine (SSME). Thermal shock experiments were carried out using a jet specimen with geometry similar to the knife edge geometry. These tests demonstrate that cracking of the titanium alloy is possible in a situation involving repeated thermal cycles over a wide temperature range, as might be realized during a rub in the liquid hydrogen fuel pump. High speed rub interaction tests were conducted using a representative knife edge and seal geometry over a broad range of interaction rates. Alternative materials were also experimentally evaluated. These tests provide information which can be used to design improved labyrinth seals for the HPFP of the SSME. In particular, plasma-sprayed aluminum-graphite was found to be significantly better than aluminum alloy seals used at present from the standpoint of rub performance. Ion nitriding of the titanium alloy knife edges was also found to improve rub performance compared with the untreated baseline knife edge material.

The Effects of Psychoeducation on the Expressed Emotion and Family Functioning of the Family Members in First-Episode Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Öksüz, Emine; Karaca, Semra; Özaltın, Gülten; Ateş, Mehmet Alpay

2017-05-01

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the psychoeducation received by the family members of the patients with first-episode schizophrenia on the expressed emotion (EE) and the family functioning of the family members. This study has a quasi-experimental design with a control group. The sample of the study was 60 family members (30 experimental -30 control) of the patients with first-episode schizophrenia. The experimental group received 9 weeks of psychoeducation as a group. EE and family functioning were assessed at the beginning and at the end of the psychoeducation program. EE criticism/hostility and over involvement-protecting-intervention levels of the family members have decreased at the end of the psychoeducation (p < 0.05). Family functioning has changed too at the end of the psychoeducation (p < 0.05), and assessed as more healthy. Consequently, early psychoeducational groups may be effective in decreasing EE level and improving the family functioning for a family member of patient with first-episode schizophrenia.

In vivo language intervention: unanticipated general effects.

PubMed

Hart, B; Risley, T R

1980-01-01

After observing the lack of generalization of language trained in highly structured training sessions using established behavior modification techniques, "incidental teaching" procedures were developed to change the use of specified language behaviors in the natural environment. This paper reports an analysis of the general changes in the language, other than that specifically targeted by the incidental teaching procedures, used by disadvantaged preschool children. The daily language samples of disadvantaged children involved in a previously reported experiment to increase compound sentence usage were reexamined and compared to comparable records of other disadvantaged children and of middle-class children of college parents in order to assess possible general effects of the intervention program. Whereas the language that both groups of comparison children used changed little across the preschool year, the amount of talking by the children in the experimental program increased markedly. Their use of more elaborate vocabulary and more elaborate sentences also increased in direct proportion to the increases in overall language use, such that both language use and language elaboration in the experimental group of children changed from a pattern simlar to the comparison group of disadvantaged children to a pattern similar to the comparison group of middleclass children. It is argued that some general features of the incidental teaching procedure--differentially attending to child overtures and responding relative to the child's selected topic (reinforcer)--contributed to the increase in overall language use beyond the specific language behavior targeted, and that this increase in the probability of children's talking itself resulted in the substantial increases in elaboration seen in the children's spontaneous language. Because, at least in children with fairly well-developed language repertoires, language use is contextually controlled, talking more involves talking in more varied and complex contexts, which inevitably produces the use of more elaborate language.

In vivo language intervention: unanticipated general effects.

PubMed Central

Hart, B; Risley, T R

1980-01-01

After observing the lack of generalization of language trained in highly structured training sessions using established behavior modification techniques, "incidental teaching" procedures were developed to change the use of specified language behaviors in the natural environment. This paper reports an analysis of the general changes in the language, other than that specifically targeted by the incidental teaching procedures, used by disadvantaged preschool children. The daily language samples of disadvantaged children involved in a previously reported experiment to increase compound sentence usage were reexamined and compared to comparable records of other disadvantaged children and of middle-class children of college parents in order to assess possible general effects of the intervention program. Whereas the language that both groups of comparison children used changed little across the preschool year, the amount of talking by the children in the experimental program increased markedly. Their use of more elaborate vocabulary and more elaborate sentences also increased in direct proportion to the increases in overall language use, such that both language use and language elaboration in the experimental group of children changed from a pattern simlar to the comparison group of disadvantaged children to a pattern similar to the comparison group of middleclass children. It is argued that some general features of the incidental teaching procedure--differentially attending to child overtures and responding relative to the child's selected topic (reinforcer)--contributed to the increase in overall language use beyond the specific language behavior targeted, and that this increase in the probability of children's talking itself resulted in the substantial increases in elaboration seen in the children's spontaneous language. Because, at least in children with fairly well-developed language repertoires, language use is contextually controlled, talking more involves talking in more varied and complex contexts, which inevitably produces the use of more elaborate language. PMID:7430003

Computational toxicology using the OpenTox application programming interface and Bioclipse

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Toxicity is a complex phenomenon involving the potential adverse effect on a range of biological functions. Predicting toxicity involves using a combination of experimental data (endpoints) and computational methods to generate a set of predictive models. Such models rely strongly on being able to integrate information from many sources. The required integration of biological and chemical information sources requires, however, a common language to express our knowledge ontologically, and interoperating services to build reliable predictive toxicology applications. Findings This article describes progress in extending the integrative bio- and cheminformatics platform Bioclipse to interoperate with OpenTox, a semantic web framework which supports open data exchange and toxicology model building. The Bioclipse workbench environment enables functionality from OpenTox web services and easy access to OpenTox resources for evaluating toxicity properties of query molecules. Relevant cases and interfaces based on ten neurotoxins are described to demonstrate the capabilities provided to the user. The integration takes advantage of semantic web technologies, thereby providing an open and simplifying communication standard. Additionally, the use of ontologies ensures proper interoperation and reliable integration of toxicity information from both experimental and computational sources. Conclusions A novel computational toxicity assessment platform was generated from integration of two open science platforms related to toxicology: Bioclipse, that combines a rich scriptable and graphical workbench environment for integration of diverse sets of information sources, and OpenTox, a platform for interoperable toxicology data and computational services. The combination provides improved reliability and operability for handling large data sets by the use of the Open Standards from the OpenTox Application Programming Interface. This enables simultaneous access to a variety of distributed predictive toxicology databases, and algorithm and model resources, taking advantage of the Bioclipse workbench handling the technical layers. PMID:22075173

Strategies for Involving the Private Sector in Job Training Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenwood, Katy; And Others

This two-part report describes various strategies for involving the private sector in job training programs and summarizes a study conducted with prime sponsors of Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) programs in Texas. Included in a discussion of involving the private sector in job training programs are the following topics: the new…

A classification of components of workplace disability management programs: results from a systematic review.

PubMed

Gensby, U; Labriola, M; Irvin, E; Amick, B C; Lund, T

2014-06-01

This paper presents results from a Campbell systematic review on the nature and effectiveness of workplace disability management programs (WPDM) promoting return to work (RTW), as implemented and practiced by employers. A classification of WPDM program components, based on the review results, is proposed. Twelve databases were searched between 1948 to July 2010 for peer-reviewed studies of WPDM programs provided by employers to re-entering workers with occupational or non-occupational illnesses or injuries. Screening of articles, risk of bias assessment and data extraction were conducted in pairs of reviewers. Studies were clustered around various dimensions of the design and context of programs. 16,932 records were identified by the initial search. 599 papers were assessed for relevance. Thirteen studies met inclusion criteria. Twelve peer reviewed articles (two non-randomized studies, and ten single group experimental before and after studies), including ten different WPDM programs informed the synthesis of results. Narrative descriptions of the included program characteristics provided insight on program scope, components, procedures and human resources involved. However, there were insufficient data on the characteristics of the sample and the effect sizes were uncertain. A taxonomy classifying policies and practices around WPDM programs is proposed. There is insufficient evidence to draw conclusions on the effectiveness of employer provided WPDM programs promoting RTW. It was not possible to determine if specific program components or specific sets of components are driving effectiveness. The proposed taxonomy may guide future WPDM program evaluation and clarify the setup of programs offered to identify gaps in existing company strategies.

[Evaluation of an education program for patients with asthma who use inhalers].

PubMed

Lee, Jong Kyung; Yang, Young Hee

2010-04-01

This study was done to evaluate the effectiveness of an education program for patients with asthma who use inhalers. The research design for this study was a non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental study. Participants in this study were 36 patients for the control group, and 43 patients for the experimental group. The experimental group participated in the education program. The control group received the usual care. Data were collected before and 1 month and 2 months after the program finished and were analyzed using the SPSS 12.0 program. The experimental group had significantly higher scores of knowledge of inhalers, and inhalation technique compared to the control group. However, no significant differences were found between two groups for PEFR, asthma instability, and satisfaction with inhalers. According to the results, the education program was effective in improving knowledge of inhalers, and inhalation technique. Therefore, it is recommended that this education program be used in clinical practice as an effective nursing intervention for patients with asthma on inhalers.

What is "good reasoning" about global warming? A comparison of high school students and specialists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adams, Stephen Thomas

This study compares the knowledge and reasoning about global warming of 10 twelfth grade students and 6 specialists, including scientists and policy analysts. The study uses global warming as a context for addressing the broad objective of formulating goals for scientific literacy. Subjects evaluated a set of articles about global warming and evaluated policies proposed to ameliorate global warming, including a gasoline tax and a "feebate" system of fees and rebates on automobiles. All students and one scientist participated in a full treatment involving interviews and activities with a computer program (discussed below), averaging about 3.75 hours. In addition, five specialists participated in interviews only, averaging one hour. One line of analysis focuses on knowledge content, examining how subjects applied perspectives from both natural and social sciences. This analysis is positioned as an empirical component to the movement to develop content standards for science education, as exemplified by the recommendations of Science for All Americans (SFAA). Some aspects of competent performance in the present study hinged upon knowledge and skills advocated by SFAA (e.g., fluency with themes of science such as scale). Other aspects involved such skills as evaluating economic interests behind a scientific argument in the media or considering hidden costs in a policy area. By characterizing a range of approaches to how students and specialists performed the experimental tasks, the present study affords a view of scientific literacy not possible without this type of information. Another line of analysis investigates a measure of coherent argumentation from a computer program, Convince Me, in relation to policy reasoning. The program is based on a connectionist model, ECHO. Subjects used the program to create arguments about the aforementioned policies. The study compares Convince Me's Model's Fit argumentation measure to other measures, including ratings of 6 human judges about the quality of the arguments, a measure of the stability of subjects' views, and the number of statements in subjects' arguments. The pattern of significant correlations among several of these measures, plus interview findings, help to clarify cognitive and educational issues involved with using Convince Me (or related programs) in this area.

Beneficial uses of space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bloom, H. L.

1977-01-01

The study elicited over 100 ideas for Space Processing. Of the elicited ideas, more than 20% involved processing of biologicals, or related medical and life sciences applications. Among these were High Purity Separation of Isoenzymes, and Development of Biorhythms applications data. Program planning for four products is outlined. Experimentation and testing resulted in definition of nearly 70 series of tests in ground-based laboratories, sounding rockets, etc., and space shuttle. Development schedules established timing and interrelationships of decisions involved in carrying these products to the point of production. The potential profitability of the four products is determined. Resources needed to achieve full scale production included use of shuttle for transportation, for which cost apportionment model was developed. R and D resources for the four products totalled $46,000,000 with Isoenzymes requiring the smallest expenditure, $4,000,000. A computerized profitability model (INVEST) was used to determine the measures of profitability of each product. Results build confidence that there will be a payoff.

Effects of a Stretching Development and Maintenance Program on Hamstring Extensibility in Schoolchildren: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Mayorga-Vega, Daniel; Merino-Marban, Rafael; Manzano-Lagunas, Jorge; Blanco, Humberto; Viciana, Jesús

2016-01-01

The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a physical education-based stretching development and maintenance program on hamstring extensibility in schoolchildren. A sample of 150 schoolchildren aged 7-10 years old from a primary school participated in the present study (140 participants were finally included). The six classes balanced by grade were cluster randomly assigned to the experimental group 1 (n = 51), experimental group 2 (n = 51) or control group (n = 49) (i.e., a cluster randomized controlled trial design was used). During the physical education classes, the students from the experimental groups 1 and 2 performed a four-minute stretching program twice a week for nine weeks (first semester). Then, after a five-week period of detraining coinciding with the Christmas holidays, the students from the experimental groups 1 and 2 completed another stretching program twice a week for eleven weeks (second semester). The students from the experimental group 1 continued performing the stretching program for four minutes while those from the experimental group 2 completed a flexibility maintenance program for only one minute. The results of the two-way analysis of variance showed that the physical education-based stretching development program significantly improved the students’ hamstring extensibility (p < 0.001), as well as that these gains obtained remained after the stretching maintenance program (p < 0.001). Additionally, statistically significant differences between the two experimental groups were not found (p > 0.05). After a short-term stretching development program, a physical education-based stretching maintenance program of only one-minute sessions twice a week is effective in maintaining hamstring extensibility among schoolchildren. This knowledge could help and guide teachers to design programs that allow a feasible and effective development and maintenance of students’ flexibility in the physical education setting. Key points A physical education-based stretching maintenance program of only one-minute sessions twice a week is effective in maintaining hamstring extensibility among schoolchildren. A four-minute maintenance program shows similar effects that the one-minute maintenance program on hamstring extensibility among schoolchildren. Physical education teachers and other practitioners could carry out one-minute programs for a feasible and effective maintenance of students’ flexibility. PMID:26957928

Overview of NASA tire experimental programs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tanner, J. A.

1983-01-01

Ongoing aircraft tire experimental programs are reported. These programs are designed to measure profile growth due to inflation pressure and vertical loading, contact pressures in the tire footprint, and a number of tire mechanical properties including spring, damping, and relaxation characteristics.

UIUC concrete tie and fastener field testing at TTC.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-07-01

In July 2012, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) began an extensive : experimental program at the Transportation : Technology Center (TTC) in Pueblo, CO. The : field experimentation program was part of a : larger research program f...

16 CFR § 1702.10 - Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 16 Commercial Practices 2 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Human experimental data involving the testing of human subjects. § 1702.10 Section § 1702.10 Commercial Practices CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY... PREVENTION PACKAGING ACT REQUIREMENTS; PETITION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS § 1702.10 Human experimental data...

From Programs to Systems: Deploying Implementation Science and Practice for Sustained Real World Effectiveness in Services for Children and Families.

PubMed

Ghate, Deborah

2016-01-01

The transfer of knowledge of effective practice, especially into "usual care" settings, remains challenging. This article argues that to close this gap we need to recognize the particular challenges of whole-system improvement. We need to move beyond a limited focus on individual programs and experimental research on their effectiveness. The rapidly developing field of implementation science and practice (ISP) provides a particular lens and a set of important constructs that can helpfully accelerate progress. A review of selected key constructs and distinctive features of ISP, including recognizing invisible system infrastructure, co-construction involving active collaboration between stakeholders, and attention to active implementation, supports for providers beyond education and training. Key aspects of an implementation lens likely to be most helpful in sustaining effectiveness include assisting innovators to identify and accommodate the architecture of existing systems, understand the implementation process as a series of distinct but nonlinear stages, identify implementation outcomes as prerequisites for treatment outcomes, and analyse implementation challenges using frameworks of implementation drivers. In complex adaptive systems, how services are implemented may matter more than their specific content, and how services align and adapt to local context may determine their sustained usefulness. To improve implementation-relevant research, we need better process evaluation and cannot rely on experimental methods that do not capture complex systemic contexts. Deployment of an implementation lens may perhaps help to avoid future "rigor mortis," enabling more productively flexible and integrative approaches to both program design and evaluation.

Nuclear Science Division annual report, October 1, 1984-September 30, 1985

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

Mahoney, J.

1986-09-01

This report summarizes the activities of the Nuclear Science Division during the period October 1, 1984 to September 30, 1985. As in previous years, experimental research has for the most part been carried out using three local accelerators, the Bevalac, the SuperHILAC and the 88-Inch Cyclotron. However, during this time, preparations began for a new generation of relativistic heavy-ion experiments at CERN. The Nuclear Science Division is involved in three major experiments at CERN and several smaller ones. The report is divided into 5 sections. Part I describes the research programs and operations, and Part II contains condensations of experimentalmore » papers arranged roughly according to program and in order of increasing energy, without any further subdivisions. Part III contains condensations of theoretical papers, again ordered according to program but in order of decreasing energy. Improvements and innovations in instrumentation and in experimental or analytical techniques are presented in Part IV. Part V consists of appendices, the first listing publications by author for this period, in which the LBL report number only is given for papers that have not yet appeared in journals; the second contains abstracts of PhD theses awarded during this period; and the third gives the titles and speakers of the NSD Monday seminars, the Bevatron Research Meetings and the theory seminars that were given during the report period. The last appendix is an author index for this report.« less

Radiation Transmission Properties of In-Situ Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heilbronn, L.; Townsend, L. W.; Cucinotta, F.; Kim, M. Y.; Miller, J.; Singleterry, R.; Thibeault, S.; Wilson, J.; Zeitlin, C. J.

2001-01-01

The development of a permanent human presence in space is a key element of NASA's strategic plan for the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS). The habitation of the International Space Station (ISS) is one near-term HEDS objective; the exploration and settlement of the moon and Mars are long-term goals of that plan. Achieving these goals requires maintaining the health and safety of personnel involved in such space operations at a high level, while at the same time reducing the cost of those operations to a reasonable level. Among the limiting factors to prolonged human space operations are the health risks from exposure to the space ionizing radiation environment. In order to keep the risk of radiation induced cancer at acceptable levels, it is necessary to provide adequate shielding from the ionizing radiation environment. The research presented here is theoretical and ground-based experimental study of the neutron production from interactions of GCR-like particles in various shielding components. An emphasis is placed here on research that will aid in the development of in-situ resource utilization. The primary goal of the program is to develop an accurate neutron-production model that is relevant to the NASA HEDS program of designing technologies that will be used in the development of effective shielding countermeasures. A secondary goal of the program is the development of an experimental data base of neutron production cross sections and thick-target yields which will aid model development.

ThermoData Engine (TDE): software implementation of the dynamic data evaluation concept. 9. Extensible thermodynamic constraints for pure compounds and new model developments.

PubMed

Diky, Vladimir; Chirico, Robert D; Muzny, Chris D; Kazakov, Andrei F; Kroenlein, Kenneth; Magee, Joseph W; Abdulagatov, Ilmutdin; Frenkel, Michael

2013-12-23

ThermoData Engine (TDE) is the first full-scale software implementation of the dynamic data evaluation concept, as reported in this journal. The present article describes the background and implementation for new additions in latest release of TDE. Advances are in the areas of program architecture and quality improvement for automatic property evaluations, particularly for pure compounds. It is shown that selection of appropriate program architecture supports improvement of the quality of the on-demand property evaluations through application of a readily extensible collection of constraints. The basis and implementation for other enhancements to TDE are described briefly. Other enhancements include the following: (1) implementation of model-validity enforcement for specific equations that can provide unphysical results if unconstrained, (2) newly refined group-contribution parameters for estimation of enthalpies of formation for pure compounds containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, (3) implementation of an enhanced group-contribution method (NIST-Modified UNIFAC) in TDE for improved estimation of phase-equilibrium properties for binary mixtures, (4) tools for mutual validation of ideal-gas properties derived through statistical calculations and those derived independently through combination of experimental thermodynamic results, (5) improvements in program reliability and function that stem directly from the recent redesign of the TRC-SOURCE Data Archival System for experimental property values, and (6) implementation of the Peng-Robinson equation of state for binary mixtures, which allows for critical evaluation of mixtures involving supercritical components. Planned future developments are summarized.

John B. McKay after X-15 flight #3-27-44

NASA Image and Video Library

1964-03-13

John B. McKay was one of the first pilots assigned to the X-15 flight research program at NASA's Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. As a civilian research pilot and aeronautical engineer, he made 30 flights in X-15s from October 28, 1960, until September 8, 1966. His peak altitude was 295,600 feet, and his highest speed was 3863 mph (Mach 5.64). McKay was with the NACA and NASA from February 8,1951 until October 5, 1971 and specialized in high-speed flight research programs. He began as an NACA intern, but assumed pilot status on July 11, 1952. In addition to the X-l5, he flew such experimental aircraft as the D-558-1, D-558-2, X-lB, and the X-lE. He has also served as a research pilot on flight programs involving the F-100, F-102, F-104, and the F-107. Born on December 8, 1922, in Portsmouth, Va., McKay graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 195O with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. During World War II he served as a Navy pilot in the Pacific Theater, earning the Air Medal and Two Clusters, and a Presidential Unit Citation. McKay wrote several technical papers, and was a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. He passed away on April 27, 1975.

Implementing Intervention Movement Programs for Kindergarten Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deli, Eleni; Bakle, Iliana; Zachopoulou, Evridiki

2006-01-01

The reported study aimed to identify the effects of two 10-week intervention programs on fundamental locomotor skill performance in kindergarten children. Seventy-five children with mean age 5.4 plus or minus 0.5 years participated. Experimental Group A followed a movement program, experimental Group B followed a music and movement program, and…

Experimental Programs and Programmatic Experiments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kent, Robert

When assembling or evaluating experimental programs in college English, the crucial fact to be remembered is that the success of the undertaking depends more on the teachers than on the program itself, for it is men, not programs, who fail in the constant experiment with books. Teachers need to be adventurous, constantly rereading, rethinking, and…

The Development and Experimental Analysis of a Self-Instructional Program in Graphical Kinematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nee, John G.

A project to help vocational-technical teachers in the development and experimental analysis of self-instructional programs is presented. The emphasis in developing the program was on maximizing effectiveness and efficiency of program-learner interaction as measured by criterion items. These items emphasized cognitive content dealing with the…

Effect of an empowerment-based nutrition promotion program on food consumption and serum lipid levels in hyperlipidemic Thai elderly.

PubMed

Boonyasopun, Umaporn; Aree, Patcharaporn; Avant, Kay C

2008-06-01

This quasi-experimental study examined the effects of an empowerment-based nutrition promotion program on food consumption and serum lipid levels among hyperlipidemic Thai elderly. Fifty-six experimental subjects received the program; 48 control subjects maintained their habitual lifestyle. The statistical methods used were the t-test, Z-test, and chi2/Fisher's exact test. After the program, the consumption of high saturated fat, cholesterol, and simple sugar diets was significantly lower for the experimental group than for the control group. The percentage change of the serum total cholesterol of the experimental subjects was significantly higher than that of the control subjects. The number of experimental subjects that changed from hyperlipidemia to normolipidemia significantly increased compared to that for the control subjects. The implementation of this program was related to an improvement in food consumption and serum lipid levels among hyperlipidemic Thai elderly and, therefore, has implications for practice.

Mediators of weight loss in a family-based intervention presented over the internet.

PubMed

White, Marney A; Martin, Pamela D; Newton, Robert L; Walden, Heather M; York-Crowe, Emily E; Gordon, Stewart T; Ryan, Donna H; Williamson, Donald A

2004-07-01

To assess the process variables involved in a weight loss program for African-American adolescent girls. Several process variables have been identified as affecting success in in vivo weight loss programs for adults and children, including program adherence, self-efficacy, and social support. The current study sought to broaden the understanding of these process variables as they pertain to an intervention program that is presented using the Internet. It was hypothesized that variables such as program adherence, dietary self-efficacy, psychological factors, and family environment factors would mediate the effect of the experimental condition on weight loss. Participants were 57 adolescent African-American girls who joined the program with one obese parent; family pairs were randomized to either a behavioral or control condition in an Internet-based weight loss program. Outcome data (weight loss) are reported for the first 6 months of the intervention. Results partially supported the hypotheses. For weight loss among adolescents, parent variables pertaining to life and family satisfaction were the strongest mediating variables. For parental weight loss, changes in dietary practices over the course of 6 months were the strongest mediators. The identification of factors that enhance or impede weight loss for adolescents is an important step in improving weight loss programs for this group. The current findings suggest that family/parental variables exert a strong influence on weight loss efforts for adolescents and should be considered in developing future programs. Copyright 2004 NAASO

SICONID: a FORTRAN-77 program for conditional simulation in one dimension

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pardo-Igúzquiza, E.; Chica-Olmo, M.; Delgado-García, J.

1992-07-01

The SICONID program, written in FORTRAN 77 for the conditional simulation of geological variables in one dimension, is presented. The program permits all the necessary steps to obtain a simulated series of the experimental data to be carried out. These states are: acquisition of the experimental values, modelization of the anamorphosis function, variogram of the normal scores, conditional simulation, and restoration of the experimental histogram. A practical case of simulation of the evolution of the groundwater level in a survey to show the operation of the program is given.

Forming, changing, and acting on attitude toward affirmative action programs in employment: a theory-driven approach.

PubMed

Bell, M P; Harrison, D A; McLaughlin, M E

2000-10-01

A model of attitude toward affirmative action programs (AAPs) was applied in 4 studies involving 1,622 participants. In Study 1, attributes people tacitly associate with AAPs were identified by open-ended elicitation. Using those attributes, an instrument was developed and administered in Studies 2, 3, and 4. In those studies, a multiplicative composite of beliefs and evaluations about the AAP attributes predicted AAP attitude, consistent with M. Fishbein and I. Ajzen's (1975) theory of reasoned action. Demographic effects on AAP attitude were partially mediated by this composite. In Studies 3 and 4, an experimental manipulation of AAP information was successful in changing AAP attitude, but in a way that polarized existing demographic differences. Study 4 also showed that AAP attitude and subjective norm jointly and uniquely predicted intentions to perform AAP-related behaviors. Intentions predicted the actual behavior of mailing postcards to political representatives reflecting participants' support for AAPs.

Adavanced RTG and thermoelectric materials study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Eggers, P. E.

1971-01-01

A comprehensive, generalized two-dimensional RTG analysis computer program was developed. This program is capable of analyzing any specified RTG design under a wide range of transient as well as steady-state operating conditions. The feasibility of a new concept for the design of segmented (or single-phase) thermoelectric couples was demonstrated. A SiGe-PbTe segmented couple involving pressure contacted junctions at the intermediate- and hot-junction temperatures was successfully encapsulated in a hermetically sealed bellows enclosure. This bellows-encapsulated couple was operated between a hot- and cold-junction temperature of 1200 K and 450 K, respectively, with a measured energy conversion efficiency of 7.6 + or - .5 per cent. An experimental study of selected sublimation barrier schemes revealed that a significant reduction in the sublimation rate of p-type PbTe could be achieved by using multiple layers of SiO2 fibers. A comparison of the barrier effectiveness is given for three different barrier designs.

Central Dog-ma Disease Detectives: A Molecular Biology Inquiry Activity for Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quan, T. K.; Yuh, P.; Black, F.

2010-12-01

The Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) and Minority Biomedical Research Support (MBRS) are programs at the University of California at Santa Cruz designed to support minority undergraduate students majoring in the sciences. Each summer MARC/MBRS sponsors a Summer Institute that involves week long "rotations" with different faculty mentors. In 2008, the Center for Adaptive Optics (CfAO) Professional Development Program (PDP) was responsible for overseeing one week of the Summer Institute, and designed it to be a Biomedical Short Course. As part of this short course, we designed a four-hour activity in which students collected their own data and explored relationships between the basic biomolecules DNA, RNA, and protein. The goal was to have the students use experimental data to support their explanation of the "Central Dogma" of molecular biology. Here we describe details of our activity and provide a post-teaching reflection on its success.

Impact of Supported Housing on Social Relationships Among Homeless Veterans.

PubMed

O'Connell, Maria J; Kasprow, Wesley J; Rosenheck, Robert A

2017-02-01

This study examined social network structure and function among a sample of 460 homeless veterans who participated in an experimental trial of the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supported Housing (HUD-VASH) program. Participants were randomly assigned to HUD-VASH (housing subsidies and case management), case management only, or standard care. Mixed-model longitudinal analysis was used to compare treatment groups on social network outcomes over 18 months. Veterans in HUD-VASH reported significantly greater increases in social support than veterans in the two other groups, as well as greater frequency of contacts, availability of tangible and emotional support, and satisfaction with nonkin relationships over time. These gains largely involved relationships with providers and other veterans encountered in treatment. Supported housing may play a pivotal role in fostering constructive new relationships with persons associated with service programs but may have a more limited impact on natural support networks.

Commerce Lab - An enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Jack; Atkins, Harry L.; Williams, John R.

1986-01-01

Commerce Lab is conceived as an adjunct to the National Space Transportation System (NSTS) by providing a focal point for commercial missions which could utilize existing NSTS carrier and resource capabilities for on-orbit experimentation in the microgravity sciences. In this context, the Commerce Lab provides an enabling facility and test bed for commercial flight opportunities. Commerce Lab program activities to date have focused on mission planning for private sector involvement in the space program to facilitate the commercial exploitation of the microgravity environment for materials processing research and development. It is expected that Commerce Lab will provide a logical transition between currently planned NSTS missions and future microgravity science and commercial R&D missions centered around the Space Station. The present study identifies candidate Commerce Lab flight experiments and their development status and projects a mission traffic model that can be used in commercial mission planning.

Gear noise, vibration, and diagnostic studies at NASA Lewis Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zakrajsek, James J.; Oswald, Fred B.; Townsend, Dennis P.; Coy, John J.

1990-01-01

The NASA Lewis Research Center and the U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command are involved in a joint research program to advance the technology of rotorcraft transmissions. This program consists of analytical as well as experimental efforts to achieve the overall goals of reducing weight, noise, and vibration, while increasing life and reliability. Recent analytical activities are highlighted in the areas of gear noise, vibration, and diagnostics performed in-house and through NASA and U.S. Army sponsored grants and contracts. These activities include studies of gear tooth profiles to reduce transmission error and vibration as well as gear housing and rotordynamic modeling to reduce structural vibration transmission and noise radiation, and basic research into current gear failure diagnostic methodologies. Results of these activities are presented along with an overview of near term research plans in the gear noise, vibration, and diagnostics area.

Prison Meditation Movements and Mass Incarceration1

PubMed Central

Lyons, Thomas; Cantrell, Wm. Dustin

2015-01-01

By some estimates more than half of inmates held in jails and prisons in the United States have a substance use disorder. Treatments involving the teaching of meditation and other contemplative practices have been developed for a variety of physical and mental disorders including drug and alcohol addiction. At the same time, an expanding volunteer movement across the country has been bringing meditation and yoga into jails and prisons. This review first examines the experimental research on one such approach - mindfulness meditation as a treatment for drug and alcohol addiction, as well as the research on mindfulness in incarcerated settings. We argue that in order to make a substantial impact on recidivism, such programs must mirror volunteer programs which emphasize interdependency and non-duality between the “helper” and the “helped,” and the building of meditation communities both inside and outside of prison. PMID:25941214

Development of Methods to Predict the Effects of Test Media in Ground-Based Propulsion Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, J. Philip; Danehy, Paul M.; Gaffney, Richard L., Jr.; Parker, Peter A.; Tedder, Sarah A.; Chelliah, Harsha K.; Cutler, Andrew D.; Bivolaru, Daniel; Givi, Peyman; Hassan, Hassan A.

2009-01-01

This report discusses work that began in mid-2004 sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Test & Evaluation/Science & Technology (T&E/S&T) Program. The work was undertaken to improve the state of the art of CFD capabilities for predicting the effects of the test media on the flameholding characteristics in scramjet engines. The program had several components including the development of advanced algorithms and models for simulating engine flowpaths as well as a fundamental experimental and diagnostic development effort to support the formulation and validation of the mathematical models. This report provides details of the completed work, involving the development of phenomenological models for Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes codes, large-eddy simulation techniques and reduced-kinetics models. Experiments that provided data for the modeling efforts are also described, along with with the associated nonintrusive diagnostics used to collect the data.

Determining the Localization of Carbohydrate Active Enzymes Within Gram-Negative Bacteria.

PubMed

McLean, Richard; Inglis, G Douglas; Mosimann, Steven C; Uwiera, Richard R E; Abbott, D Wade

2017-01-01

Investigating the subcellular location of secreted proteins is valuable for illuminating their biological function. Although several bioinformatics programs currently exist to predict the destination of a trafficked protein using its signal peptide sequence, these programs have limited accuracy and often require experimental validation. Here, we present a systematic method to fractionate gram-negative cells and characterize the subcellular localization of secreted carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes). This method involves four parallel approaches that reveal the relative abundance of protein within the cytoplasm, periplasm, outer membrane, and extracellular environment. Cytoplasmic and periplasmic proteins are fractionated by lysis and osmotic shock, respectively. Outer membrane bound proteins are determined by comparing cells before and after exoproteolytic digestion. Extracellularly secreted proteins are collected from the media and concentrated. These four different fractionations can then be probed for the presence and quantity of target proteins using immunochemical methods such as Western blots and ELISAs, or enzyme activity assays.

A FEniCS-based programming framework for modeling turbulent flow by the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mortensen, Mikael; Langtangen, Hans Petter; Wells, Garth N.

2011-09-01

Finding an appropriate turbulence model for a given flow case usually calls for extensive experimentation with both models and numerical solution methods. This work presents the design and implementation of a flexible, programmable software framework for assisting with numerical experiments in computational turbulence. The framework targets Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes models, discretized by finite element methods. The novel implementation makes use of Python and the FEniCS package, the combination of which leads to compact and reusable code, where model- and solver-specific code resemble closely the mathematical formulation of equations and algorithms. The presented ideas and programming techniques are also applicable to other fields that involve systems of nonlinear partial differential equations. We demonstrate the framework in two applications and investigate the impact of various linearizations on the convergence properties of nonlinear solvers for a Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes model.

Predicting the Effects of Test Media in Ground-Based Propulsion Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drummond, J. Philip; Danehy, Paul M.; Bivolaru, Daniel; Gaffney, Richard L.; Parker, Peter A.; Chelliah, Harsha K.; Cutler, Andrew D.; Givi, Peyman; Hassan, Hassan, A.

2006-01-01

This paper discusses the progress of work which began in mid-2004 sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Test & Evaluation/Science & Technology (T&E/S&T) Program. The purpose of the work is to improve the state of the art of CFD capabilities for predicting the effects of the test media on the flameholding characteristics in scramjet engines. The program has several components including the development of advance algorithms and models for simulating engine flowpaths as well as a fundamental experimental and diagnostic development effort to support the formulation and validation of the mathematical models. The paper will provide details of current work involving the development of phenomenological models for Reynolds averaged Navier-Stokes codes, large-eddy simulation techniques and reduced-kinetics models. Experiments that will provide data for the modeling efforts will also be described, along with with the associated nonintrusive diagnostics used to collect the data.

A new method for determining acoustic-liner admittance in a rectangular duct with grazing flow from experimental data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Watson, W. R.

1984-01-01

A method is developed for determining acoustic liner admittance in a rectangular duct with grazing flow. The axial propagation constant, cross mode order, and mean flow profile is measured. These measured data are then input into an analytical program which determines the unknown admittance value. The analytical program is based upon a finite element discretization of the acoustic field and a reposing of the unknown admittance value as a linear eigenvalue problem on the admittance value. Gaussian elimination is employed to solve this eigenvalue problem. The method used is extendable to grazing flows with boundary layers in both transverse directions of an impedance tube (or duct). Predicted admittance values are compared both with exact values that can be obtained for uniform mean flow profiles and with those from a Runge Kutta integration technique for cases involving a one dimensional boundary layer.

HERMIES-3: A step toward autonomous mobility, manipulation, and perception

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisbin, C. R.; Burks, B. L.; Einstein, J. R.; Feezell, R. R.; Manges, W. W.; Thompson, D. H.

1989-01-01

HERMIES-III is an autonomous robot comprised of a seven degree-of-freedom (DOF) manipulator designed for human scale tasks, a laser range finder, a sonar array, an omni-directional wheel-driven chassis, multiple cameras, and a dual computer system containing a 16-node hypercube expandable to 128 nodes. The current experimental program involves performance of human-scale tasks (e.g., valve manipulation, use of tools), integration of a dexterous manipulator and platform motion in geometrically complex environments, and effective use of multiple cooperating robots (HERMIES-IIB and HERMIES-III). The environment in which the robots operate has been designed to include multiple valves, pipes, meters, obstacles on the floor, valves occluded from view, and multiple paths of differing navigation complexity. The ongoing research program supports the development of autonomous capability for HERMIES-IIB and III to perform complex navigation and manipulation under time constraints, while dealing with imprecise sensory information.

Structural and electron diffraction scaling of twisted graphene bilayers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Kuan; Tadmor, Ellad B.

2018-03-01

Multiscale simulations are used to study the structural relaxation in twisted graphene bilayers and the associated electron diffraction patterns. The initial twist forms an incommensurate moiré pattern that relaxes to a commensurate microstructure comprised of a repeating pattern of alternating low-energy AB and BA domains surrounding a high-energy AA domain. The simulations show that the relaxation mechanism involves a localized rotation and shrinking of the AA domains that scales in two regimes with the imposed twist. For small twisting angles, the localized rotation tends to a constant; for large twist, the rotation scales linearly with it. This behavior is tied to the inverse scaling of the moiré pattern size with twist angle and is explained theoretically using a linear elasticity model. The results are validated experimentally through a simulated electron diffraction analysis of the relaxed structures. A complex electron diffraction pattern involving the appearance of weak satellite peaks is predicted for the small twist regime. This new diffraction pattern is explained using an analytical model in which the relaxation kinematics are described as an exponentially-decaying (Gaussian) rotation field centered on the AA domains. Both the angle-dependent scaling and diffraction patterns are in quantitative agreement with experimental observations. A Matlab program for extracting the Gaussian model parameters accompanies this paper.

5 CFR 451.103 - Agency award program(s).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... for employees covered by this subpart. (b) Agencies are encouraged to involve employees in developing such programs. When agencies involve employees, the method of involvement shall be in accordance with... agency financial management controls and delegations of authority; and (2) Documenting justification for...

OpenKnowledge for peer-to-peer experimentation in protein identification by MS/MS

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Traditional scientific workflow platforms usually run individual experiments with little evaluation and analysis of performance as required by automated experimentation in which scientists are being allowed to access numerous applicable workflows rather than being committed to a single one. Experimental protocols and data under a peer-to-peer environment could potentially be shared freely without any single point of authority to dictate how experiments should be run. In such environment it is necessary to have mechanisms by which each individual scientist (peer) can assess, locally, how he or she wants to be involved with others in experiments. This study aims to implement and demonstrate simple peer ranking under the OpenKnowledge peer-to-peer infrastructure by both simulated and real-world bioinformatics experiments involving multi-agent interactions. Methods A simulated experiment environment with a peer ranking capability was specified by the Lightweight Coordination Calculus (LCC) and automatically executed under the OpenKnowledge infrastructure. The peers such as MS/MS protein identification services (including web-enabled and independent programs) were made accessible as OpenKnowledge Components (OKCs) for automated execution as peers in the experiments. The performance of the peers in these automated experiments was monitored and evaluated by simple peer ranking algorithms. Results Peer ranking experiments with simulated peers exhibited characteristic behaviours, e.g., power law effect (a few dominant peers dominate), similar to that observed in the traditional Web. Real-world experiments were run using an interaction model in LCC involving two different types of MS/MS protein identification peers, viz., peptide fragment fingerprinting (PFF) and de novo sequencing with another peer ranking algorithm simply based on counting the successful and failed runs. This study demonstrated a novel integration and useful evaluation of specific proteomic peers and found MASCOT to be a dominant peer as judged by peer ranking. Conclusion The simulated and real-world experiments in the present study demonstrated that the OpenKnowledge infrastructure with peer ranking capability can serve as an evaluative environment for automated experimentation. PMID:22192521

47 CFR 73.1510 - Experimental authorizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Experimental authorizations. 73.1510 Section 73... conducted at any time the station is authorized to operate, but the minimum required schedule of programming... regularly scheduled programming concurrently with the experimental transmission if there is no significant...

47 CFR 73.1510 - Experimental authorizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 47 Telecommunication 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Experimental authorizations. 73.1510 Section 73... conducted at any time the station is authorized to operate, but the minimum required schedule of programming... regularly scheduled programming concurrently with the experimental transmission if there is no significant...

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

Yokosawa, Akihiko

Experimental results are reviewed on polarization phenomena in nucleon-nucleon scattering at intermediate energies. The present status of S = 0 dibaryon resonances is presented. The status of the Fermilab polarized beam program is presented, including the construction of polarized beam, two polarimeters being installed in the experimental hall, and the experimental program. (LEW)

Transition from Research to Operations: Assessing Value of Experimental Forecast Products within the NWSFO Environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lapenta, William M.; Wohlman, Richard; Bradshaw, Tom; Burks, Jason; Jedlovec, Gary; Goodman, Steve; Darden, Chris; Meyer, Paul

2003-01-01

The NASA Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center seeks to accelerate the infusion of NASA Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) observations, data assimilation and modeling research into NWS forecast operations and decision-making. To meet long-term program expectations, it is not sufficient simply to give forecasters sophisticated workstations or new forecast products without fully assessing the ways in which they will be utilized. Close communication must be established between the research and operational communities so that developers have a complete understanding of user needs. In turn, forecasters must obtain a more comprehensive knowledge of the modeling and sensing tools available to them. A major goal of the SPoRT Program is to develop metrics and conduct assessment studies with NWS forecasters to evaluate the impacts and benefits of ESE experimental products on forecast skill. At a glance the task seems relatively straightforward. However, performing assessment of experimental products in an operational environment is demanding. Given the tremendous time constraints placed on NWS forecasters, it is imperative that forecaster input be obtained in a concise unobtrusive manor. Great care must also be taken to ensure that forecasters understand their participation will eventually benefit them and WFO operations in general. Two requirements of the assessment plan developed under the SPoRT activity are that it 1) Can be implemented within the WFO environment; and 2) Provide tangible results for BOTH the research and operational communities. Supplemental numerical quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) were chosen as the first experimental SPoRT product to be evaluated during a Pilot Assessment Program conducted 1 May 2003 within the Huntsville AL National Weather Service Forecast Office. Forecast time periods were broken up into six- hour bins ranging from zero to twenty-four hours. Data were made available for display in AWIPS on an operational basis so they could be efficiently incorporated into the forecast process. The methodology used to assess the value of experimental QPFs compared to available operational products is best described as a three-tier approach involving both forecasters and research scientists. Tier-one is a web-based survey completed by duty forecasters on the aviation and public desks. The survey compiles information on how the experimental product was used in the forecast decision making process. Up to 6 responses per twenty-four hours can be compiled during a precipitation event. Tier-two consists of an event post mortem and experimental product assessment performed daily by the NASA/NWS Liaison. Tier-three is a detailed breakdown/analysis of specific events targeted by either the NWS SO0 or SPoRT team members. The task is performed by both NWS and NASA research scientists and may be conducted once every couple of months. The findings from the Pilot Assessment Program will be reported at the meeting.

Commitments: A Guide to Community Involvement Programs at The George Washington University.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

George Washington Univ., Washington, DC.

This guide to community involvement programs sponsored by the George Washington University provides a synopsis and a contact person for 33 general university programs, 38 medical school and hospital programs, eight National Law Center programs, eight School of Engineering and Applied Science programs, and two programs of the Division of…

Motivators and Barriers to Participation of Ethnic Minority Families in a Family-Based HIV Prevention Program

PubMed Central

Pinto, Rogério M.; McKay, Mary M.; Baptiste, Donna; Bell, Carl C.; Madison-Boyd, Sybil; Paikoff, Roberta; Wilson, Marla; Phillips, Daisy

2010-01-01

SUMMARY Involving low-income, ethnic minority families in lengthy HIV prevention programs can be challenging. Understanding the motivators and barriers to involvement may help researchers and practitioners design programs that can be used by populations most at risk for HIV exposure. The present study discusses motivators and barriers to involvement in the Collaborative HIV Prevention and Adolescent Mental Health Project (CHAMP), using data from a sample of 118 families that participated at varying levels in the twelve sessions of the program. Most participants chose motivators that reflect their perceptions of individual and/or family needs (“CHAMP might help me, mine, and other families”), and of characteristics of the program, such as CHAMP staff were friendly, CHAMP was fun. Among barriers to involvement, respondents expressed concerns about confidentiality, and about being judged by program staff. Respondents also reported experiencing many stressful events in their families (e.g., death and violence in the family) that may have been barriers to their involvement. Knowing these motivators and barriers, researchers and practitioners can enhance involvement in HIV prevention programs. PMID:20686648

Motivators and Barriers to Participation of Ethnic Minority Families in a Family-Based HIV Prevention Program.

PubMed

Pinto, Rogério M; McKay, Mary M; Baptiste, Donna; Bell, Carl C; Madison-Boyd, Sybil; Paikoff, Roberta; Wilson, Marla; Phillips, Daisy

2007-05-01

Involving low-income, ethnic minority families in lengthy HIV prevention programs can be challenging. Understanding the motivators and barriers to involvement may help researchers and practitioners design programs that can be used by populations most at risk for HIV exposure. The present study discusses motivators and barriers to involvement in the Collaborative HIV Prevention and Adolescent Mental Health Project (CHAMP), using data from a sample of 118 families that participated at varying levels in the twelve sessions of the program. Most participants chose motivators that reflect their perceptions of individual and/or family needs ("CHAMP might help me, mine, and other families"), and of characteristics of the program, such as CHAMP staff were friendly, CHAMP was fun. Among barriers to involvement, respondents expressed concerns about confidentiality, and about being judged by program staff. Respondents also reported experiencing many stressful events in their families (e.g., death and violence in the family) that may have been barriers to their involvement. Knowing these motivators and barriers, researchers and practitioners can enhance involvement in HIV prevention programs.

Creating Programs to Help Latino Youth Thrive at School: The Influence of Latino Parent Involvement Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behnke, Andrew O.; Kelly, Christine

2011-01-01

Parent involvement programs can play an essential role in the academic success of Latino youth. This article reports the effectiveness and evaluation of two new Extension programs that help Latino parents become more involved in their youths' academics. The Latino Parent and Family Advocacy and Support Training (LPFAST) targets parents of K- 8th…

Appraisal of potential for injection-well recharge of the Hueco bolson with treated sewage effluent : preliminary study at the northeast El Paso area, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garza, Sergio; Weeks, Edwin P.; White, Donald E.

1980-01-01

The proposed injection water will require strict water-quality controls, which may involve chlorination and the removal of suspended solids. Mixing of the proposed injection water with the native ground water probably will not clog the aquifer by mineral precipitation. The relatively large concentrations of sodium in the injection water may reduce the hydraulic conductivity of the clay layers in the aquifer, but the permeable sands should not be seriously affected. Plans for an artificial-recharge program need to include an experimental installation to evaluate the system under field conditions.

Dry deposition models for radionuclides dispersed in air: a new approach for deposition velocity evaluation schema

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giardina, M.; Buffa, P.; Cervone, A.; De Rosa, F.; Lombardo, C.; Casamirra, M.

2017-11-01

In the framework of a National Research Program funded by the Italian Minister of Economic Development, the Department of Energy, Information Engineering and Mathematical Models (DEIM) of Palermo University and ENEA Research Centre of Bologna, Italy are performing several research activities to study physical models and mathematical approaches aimed at investigating dry deposition mechanisms of radioactive pollutants. On the basis of such studies, a new approach to evaluate the dry deposition velocity for particles is proposed. Comparisons with some literature experimental data show that the proposed dry deposition scheme can capture the main phenomena involved in the dry deposition process successfully.

A method for modeling discontinuities in a microwave coaxial transmission line

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otoshi, T. Y.

1992-01-01

A method for modeling discontinuities in a coaxial transmission line is presented. The methodology involves the use of a nonlinear least-squares fit program to optimize the fit between theoretical data (from the model) and experimental data. When this method was applied to modeling discontinuities in a slightly damaged Galileo spacecraft S-band (2.295-GHz) antenna cable, excellent agreement between theory and experiment was obtained over a frequency range of 1.70-2.85 GHz. The same technique can be applied for diagnostics and locating unknown discontinuities in other types of microwave transmission lines, such as rectangular, circular, and beam waveguides.

A method for modeling discontinuities in a microwave coaxial transmission line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Otoshi, T. Y.

1992-08-01

A method for modeling discontinuities in a coaxial transmission line is presented. The methodology involves the use of a nonlinear least-squares fit program to optimize the fit between theoretical data (from the model) and experimental data. When this method was applied to modeling discontinuities in a slightly damaged Galileo spacecraft S-band (2.295-GHz) antenna cable, excellent agreement between theory and experiment was obtained over a frequency range of 1.70-2.85 GHz. The same technique can be applied for diagnostics and locating unknown discontinuities in other types of microwave transmission lines, such as rectangular, circular, and beam waveguides.

Grandparents and learning.

PubMed

Strom, R; Strom, S

1989-01-01

The educational needs of grandparents have been overlooked. They deserve access to a curriculum that can help them adjust to their changing role and illustrate how to build satisfying family relationships. In order to identify appropriate topics and instructional procedures for grandparent education, weekly meetings were held for a semester with 400 grandmothers and grandfathers. The resulting program includes experiences in sharing feelings and ideas with peers; listening to the views of younger people; studying lifespan growth and adjustment; acquiring intergenerational communication skills; and focusing self-evaluation. A fieldtest involving several hundred participants, equally divided into experimental and control groups, is underway to determine the worthwhileness of this approach to family development.

On the predictions of the 11B solid state NMR parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Czernek, Jiří; Brus, Jiří

2016-07-01

The set of boron containing compounds has been subject to the prediction of the 11B solid state NMR spectral parameters using DFT-GIPAW methods properly treating the solid phase effects. The quantification of the differences between measured and theoretical values has been presented, which is directly applicable in structural studies involving 11B nuclei. In particular, a simple scheme has been proposed, which is expected to provide for an estimate of the 11B chemical shift within ±2.0 ppm from the experimental value. The computer program, INFOR, enabling the visualization of concomitant Euler rotations related to the tensorial transformations has been presented.

The challenge to unify treatment of high-temperature fatigue - A partisan proposal based on strainrange partitioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manson, S. S.

1972-01-01

The strainrange partitioning concept divides the imposed strain into four basic ranges involving time-dependent and time-independent components. It is shown that some of the results presented at the symposium can be better correlated on the basis of this concept than by alternative methods. It is also suggested that methods of data generation and analysis can be helpfully guided by this approach. Potential applicability of the concept to the treatment of frequency and hold-time effects, environmental influence, crack initiation and growth, thermal fatigue, and code specifications are briefly considered. A required experimental program is outlined.

Remote access to medical specialists: home care interactive patient management system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, Peter J.; Draghic, Nicole; Wiesmann, William P.

1999-07-01

Diabetes management involves constant care and rigorous compliance. Glucose control is often difficult to maintain and onset of complications further compound health care needs. Status can be further hampered by geographic isolation from immediate medical infrastructures. The Home Care Interactive Patient Management System is an experimental telemedicine program that could improve chronic illness management through Internet-based applications. The goal of the system is to provide a customized, integrated approach to diabetes management to supplement and coordinate physician protocol while supporting routine patient activity, by supplying a set of customized automated services including health data collection, transmission, analysis and decision support.

NASA and the U.S. climate program - A problem in data management

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Quann, J. J.

1978-01-01

NASA's contribution to the total data base for the National Climate Plan will be to produce climate data sets from its experimental space observing systems and to maximize the value of these data for climate analysis and prediction. Validated data sets will be provided to NOAA for inclusion into their overall diagnostic data base. NASA data management for the Climate Plan will involve: (1) cataloging and retrieval of large integrated and distributed data sets upon user demand, and (2) the storage equivalent of 100,000 digital data tapes. It will be the largest, most complex data system ever developed by NASA

Engineered circuit QED with dense resonant modes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilhelm, Frank; Egger, Daniel

2013-03-01

In circuit quantum electrodynamics even in the ultrastrong coupling regime, strong quasi-resonant interaction typically involves only one mode of the resonator as the mode spacing is comparable to the frequency of the mode. We are going to present an engineered hybrid transmission line consisting of a left-handed and a right-handed portion that has a low-frequency van-Hove singularity hence showing a dense mode spectrum at an experimentally accessible point. This gives rise to strong multi-mode coupling and can be utilized in multiple ways to create strongly correlated microwave photons. Supported by DARPA through the QuEST program and by NSERC Discovery grants

Evaluating an Experimental Audio-Visual Module Programmed to Teach a Basic Anatomical and Physiological System.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federico, Pat-Anthony

The learning efficiency and effectiveness of teaching an anatomical and physiological system to Air Force enlisted trainees utilizing an experimental audiovisual programed module was compared to that of a commercial linear programed text. It was demonstrated that the audiovisual programed approach to training was more efficient than and equally as…

Impact of the Siena College Tech Valley Scholars Program on Student Outcomes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medsker, Larry; Allard, Lee; Tucker, Lucas J.; O'Donnell, Jodi L.; Sterne-Marr, Rachel; Bannon, Jon; Finn, Rose; Weatherwax, Allan

2016-01-01

The Tech Valley Scholars (TVS) program included 38 students who joined this program over the course of three academic years, from 2009 to 2012. These students comprise the experimental group for this study to determine if participating in the NSF-funded Tech Valley Scholars program improved academic outcomes. The experimental group was compared to…

Community development in a Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program: Teacher growth and translation of the experience back to the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnston, Carol Suzanne Chism

This qualitative study explores how a scientific research experience helped seven secondary science teachers to grow professionally. The design of this Research Experience for Teachers (RET) program emphasized having teachers become members of university scientific research communities---participating in experimental design, data collection, analysis, and presenting of findings---in order to have a better understanding of research science. I conducted individual interviews with teacher and scientist participants, visited the teachers in their laboratories, videotaped classroom visits, and videotaped group meetings during the summers to learn what teachers brought back to their classrooms about the processes of science. I examined the teachers' views of research science, views shaped by their exposure to research science under the mentorship of a scientist participant. The teachers observed the collaborative efforts of research scientists and experienced doing scientific research, using technology and various experimental methods. Throughout their two-year experience, the teachers continually refined their images of scientists. I also examined how teachers in this program built a professional community as they developed curricula. Further, I investigated what the teachers brought from their experiences back to the classroom, deciding on a theme of "Communicating Science" as a way to convey aspects of scientific inquiry to students. Teacher growth as a result of this two-year program included developing more empathy for student learning and renewing their enthusiasm for both learning and teaching science. Teacher growth also included developing curricula to involve students in behaving as scientists. The teachers identified a few discrete communication practices of scientists that they deemed appropriate for students to adopt to increase their communication skills. Increased community building in classes to model scientific communities was seen as a way to motivate students and to help them to understand scientific concepts.

Effects of the Skills4Genius sports-based training program in creative behavior

PubMed Central

Santos, Sara; Jiménez, Sergio; Sampaio, Jaime; Leite, Nuno

2017-01-01

Team Sports has been suggested as a suitable environment to investigate creative behavior. This study’s purpose was two-fold: first, it intended to identify the effects of the Skills4Genius sports-bases training program in thinking, motor, and in-game creative behavior in team sports. Second, it aimed to investigate the relationship between creative thinking and in-game creativity. Forty children from primary school were allocated into control (n = 18, age: 9.2±0.4) and experimental (n = 22, age: 9.5±0.7) groups. The experimental group participated in a five-month training program involving either creative thinking, diversification, physical literacy, and nonlinear pedagogy approaches (Skills4Genius). Variables in the study included: a) creative thinking; b) motor performance (vertical jump, speed, and agility); c) in-game individual creative behavior (attempts, fluency, and versatility); and d) in-game collective behavior (positional regularity). The results suggested that the Skills4Genius program fostered creative thinking, agility, and speed performance. Moreover, it stretched the in-game individual creative behavior mainly through the improvement of the attempts and versatility of the player’s actions. Lastly, it nurtured a better learning of the tactical principles, whereas the children were more coordinated with their teammates’ and opponents’ positioning. Additionally, this study presents a positive correlation linking creative thinking and in-game creative performance. These findings highlighted that creativity is facilitated while players become more thinking and game-skilled. Coaches and educators may apply this functional environment to inspire children’s disposition to move outside the box and trigger a creative spark in team sports players. Notwithstanding, the sports environment is ideally suited for fostering creative behavior, a higher-order disposition that will go on to differentiate the everyday life of a child. PMID:28231260

Effects of the Skills4Genius sports-based training program in creative behavior.

PubMed

Santos, Sara; Jiménez, Sergio; Sampaio, Jaime; Leite, Nuno

2017-01-01

Team Sports has been suggested as a suitable environment to investigate creative behavior. This study's purpose was two-fold: first, it intended to identify the effects of the Skills4Genius sports-bases training program in thinking, motor, and in-game creative behavior in team sports. Second, it aimed to investigate the relationship between creative thinking and in-game creativity. Forty children from primary school were allocated into control (n = 18, age: 9.2±0.4) and experimental (n = 22, age: 9.5±0.7) groups. The experimental group participated in a five-month training program involving either creative thinking, diversification, physical literacy, and nonlinear pedagogy approaches (Skills4Genius). Variables in the study included: a) creative thinking; b) motor performance (vertical jump, speed, and agility); c) in-game individual creative behavior (attempts, fluency, and versatility); and d) in-game collective behavior (positional regularity). The results suggested that the Skills4Genius program fostered creative thinking, agility, and speed performance. Moreover, it stretched the in-game individual creative behavior mainly through the improvement of the attempts and versatility of the player's actions. Lastly, it nurtured a better learning of the tactical principles, whereas the children were more coordinated with their teammates' and opponents' positioning. Additionally, this study presents a positive correlation linking creative thinking and in-game creative performance. These findings highlighted that creativity is facilitated while players become more thinking and game-skilled. Coaches and educators may apply this functional environment to inspire children's disposition to move outside the box and trigger a creative spark in team sports players. Notwithstanding, the sports environment is ideally suited for fostering creative behavior, a higher-order disposition that will go on to differentiate the everyday life of a child.

Survey of engineering computational methods and experimental programs for estimating supersonic missile aerodynamic characteristics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sawyer, W. C.; Allen, J. M.; Hernandez, G.; Dillenius, M. F. E.; Hemsch, M. J.

1982-01-01

This paper presents a survey of engineering computational methods and experimental programs used for estimating the aerodynamic characteristics of missile configurations. Emphasis is placed on those methods which are suitable for preliminary design of conventional and advanced concepts. An analysis of the technical approaches of the various methods is made in order to assess their suitability to estimate longitudinal and/or lateral-directional characteristics for different classes of missile configurations. Some comparisons between the predicted characteristics and experimental data are presented. These comparisons are made for a large variation in flow conditions and model attitude parameters. The paper also presents known experimental research programs developed for the specific purpose of validating analytical methods and extending the capability of data-base programs.

The Effectiveness of Suicide Prevention Education Programs for Nurses.

PubMed

Ferguson, Monika S; Reis, Julie A; Rabbetts, Lyn; Ashby, Heather-Jean; Bayes, Miriam; McCracken, Tara; Ross, Christine; Procter, Nicholas G

2018-03-01

Education to improve health professionals' responses to suicide is considered an important suicide prevention strategy. However, the effectiveness of this approach for nurses is unclear. To systematically review the peer-reviewed literature regarding the effectiveness of suicide prevention education programs for nurses. Nine academic databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Reviews & Trials, Embase, Informit Health Collection, Joanna Briggs Institute, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched in November 2016, utilizing search terms related to suicide, education, and nurses, with no limits placed on publication date or study design. The search yielded 5,456 identified articles, 11 of which met the inclusion criteria. Studies were primarily quantitative (RCTs n = 3; quasi-experimental n = 6; qualitative n = 2), and involved nurses (range = 16-561) working in a diversity of settings, particularly hospitals (n = 9). Studies revealed positive changes in nurses' competence, knowledge, and attitudes associated with training over the short term. The heterogeneity of education programs and methodological weaknesses of included studies limit the conclusions drawn. There is a moderate body of evidence to support the effectiveness of suicide prevention education programs for nurses. Future research should examine longer-term changes in clinical practice and strategies for continuing education, with more rigorous study designs.

Delta clipper lessons learned for increased operability in reusable space vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charette, Ray O.; Steinmeyer, Don A.; Smiljanic, Ray R.

1998-01-01

Important lessons were learned from the design, development, and test (DD&T), and operation of the Delta Clipper Experimental (DC-X/XA) Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) which apply to increased operability for the operational Reusable Space Vehicles (RSVs). Boeing maintains a continuous process improvement program that provides the opportunity to ``institutionalize'' the results from projects such as Delta Clipper for application to product improvement in future programs. During the design phase, operations and supportability (O&S) were emphasized to ensure aircraft-like operations, traceable to an operational RSV. The operations personnel, flight, and ground crew and crew chief were actively involved in the design, manufacture, and checkout of the systems. Changes and additions to capability were implemented as they evolved from knowledge gained in each phase of development. This paper presents key lessons learned with respect to design and implementation of flight systems, propulsion, airframe, hydraulics, avionics, and ground operations. Information was obtained from discussions with personnel associated with this program concerning their experience and lessons learned. Additionally, field process records and operations timelines were evaluated for applicability to RSVs. The DC-X program pursued reusability in all aspects of the design, a unique approach in rocket system development.

Effectiveness of a first-aid intervention program applied by undergraduate nursing students to preparatory school children.

PubMed

Wafik, Wagida; Tork, Hanan

2014-03-01

Childhood injuries constitute a major public health problem worldwide. First aid is an effective life-preservation tool at work, school, home, and in public locations. In this study, the effectiveness of a first-aid program delivered by undergraduate nursing students to preparatory school children was examined. This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 100 school children in governmental preparatory schools in Egypt. The researchers designed a program for first-aid training, and this was implemented by trained nursing students. The evaluation involved immediate post-test and follow-up assessment after two months. The results showed generally low levels of satisfactory knowledge and inadequate situational practice among the school students before the intervention. Statistically-significant improvements were shown at the post- and follow-up tests. Multivariate regression analysis identified the intervention and the type of school as the independent predictors of the change in students' knowledge score, while the intervention and the knowledge score were the predictors of the practice score. The study concluded that a first-aid training program delivered by nursing students to preparatory school children is effective in improving their knowledge and practice. © 2013 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

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

Meadows, J.; Smith, D.; Greenwood, L.

Four sample packets containing elemental Ti, Fe, Ni, Cu, Nb, Ag, Eu, Tb and Hf have been irradiated in three distinct accelerator neutron fields, at Argonne National Laboratory and Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA, and Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute, Tokai, Japan. The acquired experimental data include differential cross sections and integral cross sections for the continuum neutron spectrum produced by 7-MeV deuterons incident on thick Be-metal target. The U-238(n,f) cross section was also measured at 10.3 MeV as a consistency check on the experimental technique. This the third progress report on a project which has been carried out undermore » the auspices of an IAEA Coordinated Research Program entitled ``Activation Cross Sections for the Generation Of Long-lived Radionuclides of Importance in Fusion Reactor Technology``. The present report provides the latest results from this work. Comparison is made between the 14.7-MeV cross-section values obtained from the separate investigations at Argonne and JAERI. Generally, good agreement observed within the experimental errors when consistent sample parameters, radioactivity decay data and reference cross values are employed. A comparison is also made between the experimental results and those derived from calculations using a nuclear model. Experimental neutron information on the Be(d,n) neutron spectrum was incorporated in the comparisons for the integral results. The agreement is satisfactory considering the various uncertainties that are involved.« less

[Effects of a Facial Muscle Exercise Program including Facial Massage for Patients with Facial Palsy].

PubMed

Choi, Hyoung Ju; Shin, Sung Hee

2016-08-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a facial muscle exercise program including facial massage on the facial muscle function, subjective symptoms related to paralysis and depression in patients with facial palsy. This study was a quasi-experimental research with a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Participants were 70 patients with facial palsy (experimental group 35, control group 35). For the experimental group, the facial muscular exercise program including facial massage was performed 20 minutes a day, 3 times a week for two weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ²-test, Fisher's exact test and independent sample t-test with the SPSS 18.0 program. Facial muscular function of the experimental group improved significantly compared to the control group. There was no significant difference in symptoms related to paralysis between the experimental group and control group. The level of depression in the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group. Results suggest that a facial muscle exercise program including facial massage is an effective nursing intervention to improve facial muscle function and decrease depression in patients with facial palsy.

Soldering Tested in Reduced Gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Struk, Peter M.; Pettegrew, Richard D.; Watson, J. Kevin; Down, Robert S.; Haylett, Daniel R.

2005-01-01

Whether used occasionally for contingency repair or routinely in nominal repair operations, soldering will become increasingly important to the success of future long-duration human space missions. As a result, it will be critical to have a thorough understanding of the service characteristics of solder joints produced in reduced-gravity environments. The National Center for Space Exploration Research (via the Research for Design program), the NASA Glenn Research Center, and the NASA Johnson Space Center are conducting an experimental program to explore the influence of reduced gravity environments on the soldering process. Solder joint characteristics that are being considered include solder fillet geometry, porosity, and microstructural features. Both through-hole (see the drawing and image on the preceding figure) and surface-mounted devices are being investigated. This effort (the low-gravity portion being conducted on NASA s KC-135 research aircraft) uses the soldering hardware currently available on the International Space Station. The experiment involves manual soldering by a contingent of test operators, including both highly skilled technicians and less skilled individuals to provide a skill mix that might be encountered in space mission crews. The experiment uses both flux-cored solder and solid-core solder with an externally applied flux. Other experimental parameters include the type of flux, gravitational level (nominally zero,

Flexible software platform for fast-scan cyclic voltammetry data acquisition and analysis.

PubMed

Bucher, Elizabeth S; Brooks, Kenneth; Verber, Matthew D; Keithley, Richard B; Owesson-White, Catarina; Carroll, Susan; Takmakov, Pavel; McKinney, Collin J; Wightman, R Mark

2013-11-05

Over the last several decades, fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) has proved to be a valuable analytical tool for the real-time measurement of neurotransmitter dynamics in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, FSCV has found application in a wide variety of disciplines including electrochemistry, neurobiology, and behavioral psychology. The maturation of FSCV as an in vivo technique led users to pose increasingly complex questions that require a more sophisticated experimental design. To accommodate recent and future advances in FSCV application, our lab has developed High Definition Cyclic Voltammetry (HDCV). HDCV is an electrochemical software suite that includes data acquisition and analysis programs. The data collection program delivers greater experimental flexibility and better user feedback through live displays. It supports experiments involving multiple electrodes with customized waveforms. It is compatible with transistor-transistor logic-based systems that are used for monitoring animal behavior, and it enables simultaneous recording of electrochemical and electrophysiological data. HDCV analysis streamlines data processing with superior filtering options, seamlessly manages behavioral events, and integrates chemometric processing. Furthermore, analysis is capable of handling single files collected over extended periods of time, allowing the user to consider biological events on both subsecond and multiminute time scales. Here we describe and demonstrate the utility of HDCV for in vivo experiments.

A Cosmetic Content-Based Nutrition Education Program Improves Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Among Grade 11 Thai Students.

PubMed

Somsri, Pattraporn; Satheannoppakao, Warapone; Tipayamongkholgul, Mathuros; Vatanasomboon, Paranee; Kasemsup, Rachada

2016-03-01

To examine and compare the effectiveness of a cosmetic content-based nutrition education (CCBNEd) program and a health content-based nutrition education (HCBNEd) program on the promotion of fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption. Quasi-experimental. Three secondary schools in Nonthaburi, Thailand. Three classes of students were randomly assigned to 3 study groups: experimental group 1 (n = 41) participated in the CCBNEd program, experimental group 2 (n = 35) experienced the HCBNEd program, and a comparison group (n = 37) did not participate in a program. All groups received F&V information. Data were collected between July and September, 2013. Knowledge about F&V, attitude toward F&V consumption, and the amount and variety of F&V consumed were measured at baseline, posttest, and follow-up. Nonparametric statistics were used to compare the programs' effectiveness. After the test, experimental group 1 had significantly increased knowledge scores, attitude scores, and the amount and variety of F&V consumed compared with those at baseline (P < .001). These positive changes were maintained until follow-up. In experimental group 2, knowledge and attitude scores increased (P < .001) at posttest and then decreased at follow-up whereas the comparison group positively changed only in knowledge. The CCBNEd program was most effective at increasing F&V consumption. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Effect of school-based peer leader centered smoking prevention program].

PubMed

Shin, Sung Rae; Oh, Pok Ja; Youn, Hye Kyung; Shin, Sun Hwa

2014-12-01

The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a school-based peer leader centered smoking prevention program. Non-equivalent control group with a pre/post-test design was used. Students (n=174) in two boys' junior high schools located in D city, Korea participated with 85 being selected for the experimental group and 89 for the control group. Five sessions were given to the experimental group and a 50 minute lecture to the control group. Knowledge, attitude, non-smoking intention, and non-smoking efficacy were measured for the both experimental and control group at two weeks before the program and one month after the program was completed. Data were analyzed using χ²-test, Fisher's exact test, independent t-test and paired t-test with the SPSS 21.0 program. The experimental group showed higher overall knowledge, negative attitude toward smoking, and higher non-smoking intention and efficacy. After receiving the school based peer leader centered smoking prevention program scores for attitude toward smoking and non-smoking efficacy increased in the experimental group were higher than in the control group. The school-based peer leader centered smoking prevention program needs longitudinal evaluation, but from this study, there is an indication that this program can be used with junior high school students and effectively change students' attitude toward smoking and promote non-smoking efficacy.

75 FR 15767 - Livability Initiative under Special Experimental Project No. 14

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-30

...] Livability Initiative under Special Experimental Project No. 14 AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA... initiative to harmonize and coordinate the Federal-aid Highway Program with grant-in- aid programs... (EPA). Under this initiative, the FHWA intends to utilize Special Experimental Project No. 14 (SEP-14...

Computational modeling of RNA 3D structures, with the aid of experimental restraints

PubMed Central

Magnus, Marcin; Matelska, Dorota; Łach, Grzegorz; Chojnowski, Grzegorz; Boniecki, Michal J; Purta, Elzbieta; Dawson, Wayne; Dunin-Horkawicz, Stanislaw; Bujnicki, Janusz M

2014-01-01

In addition to mRNAs whose primary function is transmission of genetic information from DNA to proteins, numerous other classes of RNA molecules exist, which are involved in a variety of functions, such as catalyzing biochemical reactions or performing regulatory roles. In analogy to proteins, the function of RNAs depends on their structure and dynamics, which are largely determined by the ribonucleotide sequence. Experimental determination of high-resolution RNA structures is both laborious and difficult, and therefore, the majority of known RNAs remain structurally uncharacterized. To address this problem, computational structure prediction methods were developed that simulate either the physical process of RNA structure formation (“Greek science” approach) or utilize information derived from known structures of other RNA molecules (“Babylonian science” approach). All computational methods suffer from various limitations that make them generally unreliable for structure prediction of long RNA sequences. However, in many cases, the limitations of computational and experimental methods can be overcome by combining these two complementary approaches with each other. In this work, we review computational approaches for RNA structure prediction, with emphasis on implementations (particular programs) that can utilize restraints derived from experimental analyses. We also list experimental approaches, whose results can be relatively easily used by computational methods. Finally, we describe case studies where computational and experimental analyses were successfully combined to determine RNA structures that would remain out of reach for each of these approaches applied separately. PMID:24785264

Evaluation of a social marketing campaign targeting preschool children.

PubMed

Johnson, Susan L; Bellows, Laura; Beckstrom, Leslie; Anderson, Jennifer

2007-01-01

To determine the effectiveness of a pilot social marketing program to increase preschoolers' willingness to try new foods. Four Head Start centers participated (2 experimental, 2 control) in a study using a quasi-experimental design. Experimental sites received a 12-week intervention developed using social marketing techniques. The program was evaluated via preference assessments, classroom observations, and teacher surveys. Increased preference for and willingness to try new foods were observed in children from the experimental sites (P<0.05). The program was positively received by Head Start staff. A social marketing campaign is an effective method to reduce children's neophobia.

Research Laboratory for Engineering and Tehnology (ReLEnT)-Summer Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Okhio, Cyril B.

1996-01-01

During the fiscal years 1994-1995 students at Central State University (CSU) have worked diligently under the supervision of the PI and associates to plan, design and conduct a four-week hands on summer program for high school students in grades 9 to 12. These workshops consists of experiments and computer aided design and manufacturing, designed to constructively stimulate interests in engineering and technology, and promote enrollment at CSU after they matriculate from high school. The experience gained in two years will be utilized to realize one of the deliverables for CSU engineering program during 1996. In FY-96 a new total of 30 students are now being interviewed for the 1996 program. This grant also provides resource for students enrolled in CSU's engineering program to work as undergraduate research assistants and ReLEnT tuition scholarship awards. These students are involved in the development of research, design projects, workshop procedures, laboratory exercises and seminars. Undergraduate students receiving tuition scholarships are required to maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Finally, the ReLEnT award has made it possible for CSU to acquire some experimental and CFD capability which now provides us with the opportunity to compete and respond to RFP's on a competitive basis and a timely manner.

The FRIENDS emotional health program for minority groups at risk.

PubMed

Iizuka, Cristina A; Barrett, Paula M; Gillies, Robyn; Cook, Clayton R; Miller, Debbie

2014-02-01

Despite the existence of evidence-based interventions for promoting mental health in children, the number of children at risk remains high. One of the reasons is that such interventions are not reaching specific groups at risk such as low socioeconomic status and ethnic minority groups. This study evaluated an adaptation of a school-based psychosocial program for nonreferred students aged 11 to 12 years attending a multicultural school from a low socioeconomic status area. The FRIENDS Program was adapted for a multicultural population. A quasi-experimental design was used, involving a pre/post-test, to evaluate the impact of the intervention on participants' outcomes on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Participants were divided into 2 categories ("at risk"/"not at risk") based on their scores in the SDQ at pre-test. Post-test data were collected to evaluate the overall effectiveness and acceptability of the program. Analyses showed significant improvement for the group initially identified as "at risk," with 30% of the students being no longer at risk after the intervention. Most students rated the intervention as being highly acceptable and useful. Adaptations to existing evidence-based programs for implementation with specific minority groups at risk represents a promising approach to promote emotional health in children. © 2014, American School Health Association.

Microgravity Research: A Retrospective of Accomplishments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voorhees, Peter

2005-03-01

During the early days of human spaceflight U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) began giving researchers the ability to perform experiments under extremely low gravity conditions (microgravity). Early microgravity experiments were rudimentary and discovery driven. The limitations of such an approach were clear and in the early 1990s, NASA broadened its program significantly beyond those experiments that were destined to be flown to include a ground- based program that contained both experimental and theoretical investigations. The ground-based program provided a source of carefully designed microgravity experiments. This led to the program in the Physical Sciences Division that involved research in, for example, fluids, materials and low temperature physics. The impact of the microgravity research program has been the focus of a recent National Research Council report titled “Assessment of Directions in Microgravity and Physical Sciences Research at NASA.” We found that there have been numerous high impact ground-based and flight investigations. For example, NASA funding has been instrumental in elucidating the nature of surface-tension-driven fluid flows, dendritic crystal growth and the thermodynamics of phase transitions near critical points. Using this report as a basis, a discussion of the impact of microgravity research on the fields in which it is a part will be given.

AAALAC International Standards and Accreditation Process

PubMed Central

Gettayacamin, Montip; Retnam, Leslie

2017-01-01

AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that promotes humane treatment of animals in science through a voluntary international accreditation program. AAALAC International accreditation is recognized around the world as a symbol of high quality animal care and use for research, teaching and testing, as well as promoting animal welfare. Animals owned by the institution that are used for research, teaching and testing are included as part of an accredited program. More than 990 animal care and use institutions in 42 countries around the world (more than 170 programs in 13 countries in the Pacific Rim region) have earned AAALAC International accreditation. The AAALAC International Council on Accreditation evaluates overall performance and all aspects of an animal care and use program, involving an in-depth, multilayered, confidential peer-review process. The evaluators (site visitors) consider compliance with applicable local animal legislation of the host country, institutional policies, and employ a customized approach for evaluating overall program performance using a series of primary standards that include the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, the Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching, or the European Convention for the Protection of Vertebrate Animals Used for Experimental and Other Purposes, Council of Europe (ETS 123), and supplemental Reference Resources, as applicable. PMID:28744349

Investigation of the Crystal Growth of Dielectric Materials by the Bridgman Technique Using Vibrational Control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Feigelson, Robert S.; Zharikov, Evgenii

2002-01-01

The principal goal of this ground-based program, which started on February 1, 1998 and concluded on April 30, 2002, was to investigate the influence of low frequency vibrations on the fluid flow and quality of dielectric oxide crystals grown by the vertical Bridgman method. This experimental program was a collaborative effort between Stanford University and the General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, and included a strong emphasis on both physical modeling and the growth of some technologically important materials. Additionally it was carried out initially in collaboration with the theoretical and numerical investigations of A.Fedoseyev and I.Alexander (ongoing in another NASA sponsored program). This latter program involved a study of vibro-convective buoyancy-driven flows in cylindrical configurations with the expectation of being able to use vibrational flows to control buoyancy driven fluid transport to off-set the effect of "g-jitter" during microgravity Bridgman crystal growth. These two programs taken together, were designed to lead to a new parametric control variable which can be used to either suppress or control convection, and thereby heat and mass transport during Bridgman crystal growth. It was expected to be effective in either a terrestrial or space environment.

Experimental evaluation of sensorimotor patterning used with mentally retarded children.

PubMed

Neman, R; Roos, P; McCann, R M; Menolascino, F J; Heal, L W

1975-01-01

In the present study, a sensorimotor "patterning" program used with 66 institutionalized, mentally retarded children and adolescents was evaluated. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of three groups: (a) Experimental 1 group, which received a program of mobility exercises including patterning, creeping, and crawling; visual-motor training; and sensory stimulation exercises; (b) Experimental 2 group, which received a program of physical activity, personal attention, and the same sensory stimulation program given to the first group; or (c) Passive Control group, which provided baseline measures but which received no additional programming as part of the study. Experimental 1 group subjects improved more than subjects in the other groups in visual perception, program-related measures of mobility, and language ability. Intellectual functioning did not appear to be enhanced by the procedures, at least during the active phase of the project. The results were discussed with reference to other researchers who have failed to support the patterning approach, and some reasons were suggested for the differences between the present and past investigations.

Parent Involvement Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caplan, Arna

This handbook on parent involvement, designed to be used with preschool programs, was developed by the Jefferson County Public Schools in Lakewood, Colorado. Included are: (1) a general statement about parent involvement in an early childhood program, (2) a description of the Jefferson County Early Childhood Program, (3) a description of the…

Program Fair Evaluation--Summative Appraisal of Instructional Sequences with Dissimilar Objectives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Popham, W. James

A comparative evaluation involving two instructional programs is given, although the approach can easily serve to compare more than two programs. The steps involved in conducting a program fair evaluation of two instructional programs are: (1) Identify objectives (a) common to both programs, (b) unique to one program, and (c) unique to the other…

Family-Centered Care in Juvenile Justice Institutions: A Mixed Methods Study Protocol.

PubMed

Simons, Inge; Mulder, Eva; Rigter, Henk; Breuk, René; van der Vaart, Wander; Vermeiren, Robert

2016-09-12

Treatment and rehabilitation interventions in juvenile justice institutions aim to prevent criminal reoffending by adolescents and to enhance their prospects of successful social reintegration. There is evidence that these goals are best achieved when the institution adopts a family-centered approach, involving the parents of the adolescents. The Academic Workplace Forensic Care for Youth has developed two programs for family-centered care for youth detained in groups for short-term and long-term stay, respectively. The overall aim of our study is to evaluate the family-centered care program in the first two years after the first steps of its implementation in short-term stay groups of two juvenile justice institutions in the Netherlands. The current paper discusses our study design. Based on a quantitative pilot study, we opted for a study with an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. This pilot is considered the first stage of our study. The second stage of our study includes concurrent quantitative and qualitative approaches. The quantitative part of our study is a pre-post quasi-experimental comparison of family-centered care with usual care in short-term stay groups. The qualitative part of our study involves in-depth interviews with adolescents, parents, and group workers to elaborate on the preceding quantitative pilot study and to help interpret the outcomes of the quasi-experimental quantitative part of the study. We believe that our study will result in the following findings. In the quantitative comparison of usual care with family-centered care, we assume that in the latter group, parents will be more involved with their child and with the institution, and that parents and adolescents will be more motivated to take part in therapy. In addition, we expect family-centered care to improve family interactions, to decrease parenting stress, and to reduce problem behavior among the adolescents. Finally, we assume that adolescents, parents, and the staff of the institutions will be more satisfied with family-centered care than with usual care. In the qualitative part of our study, we will identify the needs and expectations in family-centered care as well as factors influencing parental participation. Insight in these factors will help to further improve our program of family-centered care and its implementation in practice. Our study results will be published over the coming years. A juvenile justice institution is a difficult setting to evaluate care programs. A combination of practice-based research methods is needed to address all major implementation issues. The study described here takes on the challenge by means of practice-based research. We expect the results of our study to contribute to the improvement of care for adolescents detained in juvenile justice institutions, and for their families.

Effect of an office worksite-based yoga program on heart rate variability: outcomes of a randomized controlled trial

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Chronic work-related stress is an independent risk factor for cardiometabolic diseases and associated mortality, particularly when compounded by a sedentary work environment. The purpose of this study was to determine if an office worksite-based hatha yoga program could improve physiological stress, evaluated via heart rate variability (HRV), and associated health-related outcomes in a cohort of office workers. Methods Thirty-seven adults employed in university-based office positions were randomized upon the completion of baseline testing to an experimental or control group. The experimental group completed a 10-week yoga program prescribed three sessions per week during lunch hour (50 min per session). An experienced instructor led the sessions, which emphasized asanas (postures) and vinyasa (exercises). The primary outcome was the high frequency (HF) power component of HRV. Secondary outcomes included additional HRV parameters, musculoskeletal fitness (i.e. push-up, side-bridge, and sit & reach tests) and psychological indices (i.e. state and trait anxiety, quality of life and job satisfaction). Results All measures of HRV failed to change in the experimental group versus the control group, except that the experimental group significantly increased LF:HF (p = 0.04) and reduced pNN50 (p = 0.04) versus control, contrary to our hypotheses. Flexibility, evaluated via sit & reach test increased in the experimental group versus the control group (p < 0.001). No other adaptations were noted. Post hoc analysis comparing participants who completed ≥70% of yoga sessions (n = 11) to control (n = 19) yielded the same findings, except that the high adherers also reduced state anxiety (p = 0.02) and RMSSD (p = 0.05), and tended to improve the push-up test (p = 0.07) versus control. Conclusions A 10-week hatha yoga intervention delivered at the office worksite during lunch hour did not improve HF power or other HRV parameters. However, improvements in flexibility, state anxiety and musculoskeletal fitness were noted with high adherence. Future investigations should incorporate strategies to promote adherence, involve more frequent and longer durations of yoga training, and enrol cohorts who suffer from higher levels of work-related stress. Trial registration ACTRN12611000536965 PMID:23574691

Compelled Body Weight Shift Technique to Facilitate Rehabilitation of Individuals with Acute Stroke.

PubMed

Mohapatra, Sambit; Eviota, Aileen C; Ringquist, Keir L; Muthukrishnan, Sri Ranjini; Aruin, Alexander S

2012-05-01

The study evaluates the effectiveness of Compelled Body Weight Shift (CBWS) approach in the rehabilitation of individuals with stroke. CBWS involves a forced shift of body weight towards a person's affected side by means of a shoe insert that establishes a lift of the nonaffected lower extremity. Eleven patients with acute stroke were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received a two-week conventional physical therapy combined with CBWS and the control group received only a two-week conventional therapy. Weight bearing, Gait velocity, Berg's Balance, and Fugl-Meyer's Scores were recorded before and after the intervention. Weight bearing on the affected side increased in the experimental group and decreased in the control group. The increase in gait velocity with treatment was significant in both the groups ( P < 0.05). However, experimental group ( P = 0.01) demonstrated larger improvements in gait velocity compared to the control group ( P = 0.002). Berg Balance and Fugl-Meyer scores increased for both the groups. The implementation of a two-week intervention with CBWS resulted in the improvement in weight bearing and gait velocity of individuals with acute stroke. The present preliminary study suggests that CBWS technique could be implemented as an adjunct to conventional rehabilitation program for individuals with acute stroke.

SHEEP AS AN EXPERIMENTAL MODEL FOR BIOMATERIAL IMPLANT EVALUATION

PubMed Central

SARTORETTO, SUELEN CRISTINA; UZEDA, MARCELO JOSÉ; MIGUEL, FÚLVIO BORGES; NASCIMENTO, JHONATHAN RAPHAELL; ASCOLI, FABIO; CALASANS-MAIA, MÔNICA DIUANA

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Objective: Based on a literature review and on our own experience, this study proposes sheep as an experimental model to evaluate the bioactive capacity of bone substitute biomaterials, dental implant systems and orthopedics devices. The literature review covered relevant databases available on the Internet from 1990 until to date, and was supplemented by our own experience. Methods: For its resemblance in size and weight to humans, sheep are quite suitable for use as an experimental model. However, information about their utility as an experimental model is limited. The different stages involving sheep experiments were discussed, including the care during breeding and maintenance of the animals obtaining specimens for laboratory processing, and highlighting the unnecessary euthanasia of animals at the end of study, in accordance to the guidelines of the 3Rs Program. Results: All experiments have been completed without any complications regarding the animals and allowed us to evaluate hypotheses and explain their mechanisms. Conclusion: The sheep is an excellent animal model for evaluation of biomaterial for bone regeneration and dental implant osseointegration. From an ethical point of view, one sheep allows for up to 12 implants per animal, permitting to keep them alive at the end of the experiments. Level of Evidence II, Retrospective Study. PMID:28149193

Problem-based learning versus lecture-based learning in postgraduate medical education.

PubMed

Smits, Paul B; de Buisonjé, Cathelijn D; Verbeek, Jos H; van Dijk, Frank J; Metz, Jaap C; ten Cate, Olle J

2003-08-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of problem-based learning in comparison with lecture-based learning in a postgraduate medical training program concerning the management of mental health problems for occupational health physicians. A randomized controlled trial in 1999, with a mean follow-up of 14 months after the educational intervention, was used involving postgraduate medical education and training for occupational health physicians in The Netherlands, with 118 physicians in training as occupational health physicians. The experimental program was based on the principles of problem-based learning; the control program used the traditional lecture-based approach. Both programs were aimed at improving knowledge of and performance in the occupational management of work-related mental health problems. As the main outcome measures, knowledge tests consisting of true-or-false and open-answer questions and performance in practice based on self-reports and performance indicators were used. Satisfaction with the course was rated by the participants. In both groups, knowledge had increased equally directly after the programs and decreased equally after the follow-up. The gain in knowledge remained positive. The performance indicator scores also increased in both groups, but significantly more so in the problem-based group. The problem-based group was less satisfied with the course. Both forms of postgraduate medical training are effective. In spite of less favorable evaluations, the problem-based program appeared to be more effective than the lecture-based program in improving performance. Both programs, however, were equally effective in improving knowledge levels.

The Project P.A.T.H.S. in Hong Kong: Work Done and Lessons Learned in a Decade.

PubMed

Shek, Daniel T L; Wu, Florence K Y

2016-02-01

The Project Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs is a positive youth development program initiated and financially supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Since 2005, the project has gone through several phases, including the initial phase (2005-2012), school-based extension phase (2009-2016), and community-based extension phase (2013-2017). In the initial phase, with the involvement of academics from 5 universities in Hong Kong, the research team developed youth enhancement programs for junior secondary school students (20 hours per grade), trained the program implementers (20 hours per grade), assisted in the implementation in more than 250 schools, and evaluated the program using multiple evaluation strategies, including a 5-year longitudinal experimental study. In the school-based extension phase, the project was implemented for another cycle (2009-2010 and 2011-2012 school years) and a 6-year longitudinal study was conducted to understand the psychosocial development of Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. In the community-based extension phase, the programs were administered by social workers in the community settings. Generally speaking, different evaluation findings showed that the programs in Project Positive Adolescent Training through Holistic Social Programs promoted positive development and reduced risk behavior in Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Positive youth development attributes and family functioning also have positive contributions to adolescent developmental outcomes over time. Copyright © 2016 North American Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fusion Energy Division progress report, 1 January 1990--31 December 1991

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

Sheffield, J.; Baker, C.C.; Saltmarsh, M.J.

1994-03-01

The Fusion Program of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a major part of the national fusion program, encompasses nearly all areas of magnetic fusion research. The program is directed toward the development of fusion as an economical and environmentally attractive energy source for the future. The program involves staff from ORNL, Martin Marietta Energy systems, Inc., private industry, the academic community, and other fusion laboratories, in the US and abroad. Achievements resulting from this collaboration are documented in this report, which is issued as the progress report of the ORNL Fusion Energy Division; it also contains information from componentsmore » for the Fusion Program that are external to the division (about 15% of the program effort). The areas addressed by the Fusion Program include the following: experimental and theoretical research on magnetic confinement concepts; engineering and physics of existing and planned devices, including remote handling; development and testing of diagnostic tools and techniques in support of experiments; assembly and distribution to the fusion community of databases on atomic physics and radiation effects; development and testing of technologies for heating and fueling fusion plasmas; development and testing of superconducting magnets for containing fusion plasmas; development and testing of materials for fusion devices; and exploration of opportunities to apply the unique skills, technology, and techniques developed in the course of this work to other areas (about 15% of the Division`s activities). Highlights from program activities during 1990 and 1991 are presented.« less

Where is the F in MCH? Father involvement in African American families.

PubMed

Lu, Michael C; Jones, Loretta; Bond, Melton J; Wright, Kynna; Pumpuang, Maiteeny; Maidenberg, Molly; Jones, Drew; Garfield, Craig; Rowley, Diane L

2010-01-01

To: 1) review the historical contexts and current profiles of father involvement in African American families; 2) identify barriers to, and supports of, involvement; 3) evaluate the effectiveness of father involvement programs; and 4) recommend directions for future research, programs, and public policies. Review of observational and interventional studies on father involvement. Several historical developments (slavery, declining employment for Black men and increasing workforce participation for Black women, and welfare policies that favored single mothers) led to father absence from African American families. Today, more than two thirds of Black infants are born to unmarried mothers. Even if unmarried fathers are actively involved initially, their involvement over time declines. We identified multiple barriers to, and supports of, father involvement at multiple levels. These levels include intrapersonal (eg, human capital, attitudes and beliefs about parenting), interpersonal (eg, the father's relationships with the mother and maternal grandmother), neighborhoods and communities (eg, high unemployment and incarceration rates), cultural or societal (eg, popular cultural perceptions of Black fathers as expendable and irresponsible, racial stratification and institutionalized racism), policy (eg, Earned Income Tax Credit, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, child support enforcement), and life-course factors (eg, father involvement by the father's father). We found strong evidence of success for several intervention programs (eg, Reducing the Risk, Teen Outreach Program, and Children's Aid Society - Carrera Program) designed to prevent formation of father-absent families, but less is known about the effectiveness of programs to encourage greater father involvement because of a lack of rigorous research design and evaluation for most programs. A multi-level, life-course approach is needed to strengthen the capacity of African American men to promote greater involvement in pregnancy and parenting as they become fathers.

75 FR 43172 - Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-23

... the evaluation results have been published in a peer-reviewed journal; or (bb) quasi-experimental... design (i.e. randomized controlled trial [RCT] or quasi-experimental design [QED]), level of attrition... a quasi-experimental design as a study design in which sample members are selected for the program...

Access to Experimental Cancer Drugs

Cancer.gov

An experimental drug has been tested in the lab and with animals and approved for testing in people by the FDA, but can’t yet be advertised, sold, or prescribed. Experimental drugs may be available through clinical trials or expanded access programs - learn more about these programs and how to talk to your doctor.

Interactive program for analysis and design problems in advanced composites technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruse, T. A.; Swedlow, J. L.

1971-01-01

During the past year an experimental program in the fracture of advanced fiber composites has been completed. The experimental program has given direction to additional experimental and theoretical work. A synthesis program for designing low weight multifastener joints in composites is proposed, based on extensive analytical background. A number of failed joints have been thoroughly analyzed to evaluate the failure hypothesis used in the synthesis procedure. Finally, a new solution is reported for isotropic and anisotropic laminates using the boundary-integral method. The solution method offers significant savings of computer core and time for important problems.

Experimental Investigation of Gas/Slag/Matte/Tridymite Equilibria in the Cu-Fe-O-S-Si System in Controlled Atmospheres: Development of Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallah-Mehrjardi, Ata; Hidayat, Taufiq; Hayes, Peter C.; Jak, Evgueni

2017-12-01

The majority of primary pyrometallurgical copper making processes involve the formation of two immiscible liquid phases, i.e., matte product and the slag phase. There are significant gaps and discrepancies in the phase equilibria data of the slag and the matte systems due to issues and difficulties in performing the experiments and phase analysis. The present study aims to develop an improved experimental methodology for accurate characterisation of gas/slag/matte/tridymite equilibria in the Cu-Fe-O-S-Si system under controlled atmospheres. The experiments involve high-temperature equilibration of synthetic mixtures on silica substrates in CO/CO2/SO2/Ar atmospheres, rapid quenching of samples into water, and direct composition measurement of the equilibrium phases using Electron Probe X-ray Microanalysis (EPMA). A four-point-test procedure was applied to ensure the achievement of equilibrium, which included the following: (i) investigation of equilibration as a function of time, (ii) assessment of phase homogeneity, (iii) confirmation of equilibrium by approaching from different starting conditions, and (iv) systematic analysis of the reactions specific to the system. An iterative improved experimental methodology was developed using this four-point-test approach to characterize the complex multi-component, multi-phase equilibria with high accuracy and precision. The present study is a part of a broader overall research program on the characterisation of the multi-component (Cu-Fe-O-S-Si-Al-Ca-Mg), multi-phase (gas/slag/matte/metal/solids) systems with minor elements (Pb, Zn, As, Bi, Sn, Sb, Ag, and Au).

Work Program. Fiscal Year 1972 for The Department of the Army. Research and Development in Training, Motivation, and Leadership

DTIC Science & Technology

1971-07-01

itself. IlumRRO assistance was requested by the Infantry School both for design of experimental tests and for analysis and interpretation of the data from...of Research. To develop an experimental Army literacy training program designed to provide a level of functional literacy appropriate to present...assigned under the provisions of a long- range program (up to two years in duration) designed by tlumRRO. Specially designed experimental

Prediction of sonic boom from experimental near-field overpressure data. Volume 1: Method and results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glatt, C. R.; Hague, D. S.; Reiners, S. J.

1975-01-01

A computerized procedure for predicting sonic boom from experimental near-field overpressure data has been developed. The procedure extrapolates near-field pressure signatures for a specified flight condition to the ground by the Thomas method. Near-field pressure signatures are interpolated from a data base of experimental pressure signatures. The program is an independently operated ODIN (Optimal Design Integration) program which obtains flight path information from other ODIN programs or from input.

[The effects of a diabetic educational program for coping with problem situation on self-efficacy, self care behaviors, coping and glycemic control in type 2 diabetic patients].

PubMed

Ko, Choun Hee; Gu, Mee Ock

2004-12-01

This study was conducted to develop and to test the effects of an educational program for coping with problem situations as a nursing intervention in the diabetic patient. A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used in this study. Data were collected from January to March, 2002. The subjects of the study consisted of 31 diabetic patients(experimental group: 17 patients, control group: 14 patients). The intervention of an educational program for coping with problem situations was applied to the experimental group for 4 weeks (total 8 hours). Data were collected before the educational program, immediately after and 1 months later and were analyzed with repeated measures ANOVA, t-test, and paired t-test. 1. There was a significant difference in self efficacy between the experimental and control groups (F=13.793, p=0.001). 2. There was a significant difference in self care behavior between the experimental and control groups (F=4.583, p=0.041). 3. There was a significant difference in coping behavior of the problem situation between the experimental and control groups (F=62.018, p=0.000). There was a significant difference according to experimental stages (F=4.546, p=0.015) and interaction between education and experimental stages (F=12.039, p=0.000). 4. There was a significant difference in glycemic control between the experimental and control groups (t=-3.112, p=0.004). These results support that a diabetic educational program for coping with problem situations is effective in promoting and maintaining self efficacy, self care behavior, problem coping behaviors and in improving glycemic control. Thus this program can be recommended as an effective nursing intervention of in-depth education for diabetic patient.

Male adolescents' reactions to TV beer advertisements: the effects of sports content and programming context.

PubMed

Slater, M D; Rouner, D; Murphy, K; Beauvais, F; Van Leuven, J; Rodríguez, M D

1996-07-01

This study examines white male adolescent responses to TV beer advertisements with and without sports content and to nonbeer ads when embedded in sports and entertainment programming. A total of 72 advertisements and 24 television program excerpts were randomly sampled from national television programming. White male adolescents (N = 157) recruited in a public school system each viewed six ads (one of each of three types of ad embedded in each of two types of programming) comprising the 2 x 2 x 3 factorial, within-subjects, mixed-model (random and fixed effects) experimental design along with an age-level blocking factor and random factors for commercial and program stimuli. Cognitive responses to each ad were content-analyzed. Individual difference variables including alcohol use behavior, sensation-seeking, masculinity and sports involvement were also measured. Subjects showed a consistent preference for beer ads with sports content. A significant three-way interaction between ad type, programming type and junior versus senior high-school age level also indicated that sports programming had an inconsistent effect on responses to beer ads but that nonbeer ads were responded to more positively during sports than during entertainment programming. Other analyses showed that subjects were more cognitively resistant to beer ads than to nonbeer ads. These results support public and official concerns that sports content in beer ads increase the ads appeal to underage youth. They do not support hypothesized concerns that sports programming might prime adolescents to be more receptive to beer ads. Implications for alcohol education efforts are discussed.

Effect of Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs on Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Cai, Li; Wu, Yang; Wilson, Renee F.; Segal, Jodi B.; Kim, Miyong T.; Wang, Youfa

2015-01-01

Background Childhood overweight and obesity are associated with elevated blood pressure (BP). However, little is known about how childhood obesity lifestyle prevention programs affect BP. We assessed the effects of childhood obesity prevention programs on BP in children in developed countries. Methods and Results We searched databases up to April 22, 2013 for relevant randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and natural experiments. Studies were included if they applied a diet and/or physical activity intervention(s) and were followed for ≥1 year (or ≥ 6 months for school-based intervention studies); they were excluded if they targeted only overweight/obese subjects or those with a medical condition. In our meta-analysis, intervention effects were calculated for systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) using weighted random effects models. Of the 23 included intervention studies (involving 18,925 participants), 21 involved a school setting. Our meta-analysis included 19 studies reporting on SBP and 18 on DBP. The pooled intervention effect was −1.64 mmHg (95% CI: -2.56, −0.71; P=0.001) for SBP and -1.44 mmHg (95% CI: −2.28, −0.60; P=0.001) for DBP. The combined diet and physical activity interventions led to a significantly greater reduction in both SBP and DBP than the diet-only or physical activity-only intervention. Thirteen interventions (46%) had a similar effect on both adiposity-related outcomes and BP; while 11 interventions (39%) showed a significant desirable effect on BP, but not on adiposity-related outcomes. Conclusions Obesity prevention programs have a moderate effect on reducing BP and those targeting at both diet and physical activity seem to be more effective. PMID:24552832

Effect of childhood obesity prevention programs on blood pressure: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Cai, Li; Wu, Yang; Wilson, Renee F; Segal, Jodi B; Kim, Miyong T; Wang, Youfa

2014-05-06

Childhood overweight and obesity are associated with elevated blood pressure (BP). However, little is known about how childhood obesity lifestyle prevention programs affect BP. We assessed the effects of childhood obesity prevention programs on BP in children in developed countries. We searched databases up to April 22, 2013, for relevant randomized, controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, and natural experiments. Studies were included if they applied a diet or physical activity intervention(s) and were followed for ≥ 1 year (or ≥ 6 months for school-based intervention studies); they were excluded if they targeted only overweight/obese subjects or those with a medical condition. In our meta-analysis, intervention effects were calculated for systolic BP and diastolic BP with the use of weighted random-effects models. Of the 23 included intervention studies (involving 18 925 participants), 21 involved a school setting. Our meta-analysis included 19 studies reporting on systolic BP and 18 on diastolic BP. The pooled intervention effect was -1.64 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -2.56 to -0.71; P=0.001) for systolic BP and -1.44 mm Hg (95% confidence interval, -2.28 to -0.60; P=0.001) for diastolic BP. The combined diet and physical activity interventions led to a significantly greater reduction in both systolic BP and diastolic BP than the diet-only or physical activity-only intervention. Thirteen interventions (46%) had a similar effect on both adiposity-related outcomes and BP, whereas 11 interventions (39%) showed a significant desirable effect on BP but not on adiposity-related outcomes. Obesity prevention programs have a moderate effect on reducing BP, and those targeting both diet and physical activity seem to be more effective.

Advanced Simulation and Computing Fiscal Year 2016 Implementation Plan, Version 0

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

McCoy, M.; Archer, B.; Hendrickson, B.

2015-08-27

The Stockpile Stewardship Program (SSP) is an integrated technical program for maintaining the safety, surety, and reliability of the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The SSP uses nuclear test data, computational modeling and simulation, and experimental facilities to advance understanding of nuclear weapons. It includes stockpile surveillance, experimental research, development and engineering programs, and an appropriately scaled production capability to support stockpile requirements. This integrated national program requires the continued use of experimental facilities and programs, and the computational capabilities to support these programs. The purpose of this IP is to outline key work requirements to be performed and to control individualmore » work activities within the scope of work. Contractors may not deviate from this plan without a revised WA or subsequent IP.« less

First NASA/Industry High Speed Research Program Nozzle Symposium

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Long-Davis, Mary Jo

1999-01-01

The First High Speed Research (HSR) Nozzle Symposium was hosted by NASA Lewis Research Center on November 17-19, 1992 in Cleveland, Ohio, and was sponsored by the HSR Source Noise Working Group. The purpose of this symposium was to provide a national forum for the government, industry, and university participants in the program to present and discuss important low noise nozzle research results and technology issues related to the development of appropriate nozzles for a commercially viable, environmentally compatible, U.S. High-Speed Civil Transport. The HSR Phase I research program was initiated in FY90 and is approaching the first major milestone (end of FY92) relative to an initial FAR 36 Stage 3 nozzle noise assessment. Significant research results relative to that milestone were presented. The opening session provided a brief overview of the Program and status of the Phase H plan. The next five sessions were technically oriented and highlighted recent significant analytical and experimental accomplishments. The last Session included a panel discussion by the Session Chairs, summarizing the progress seen to date and discussing issues relative to further advances in technology necessary to achieve the Program Goals. Attendance at the Symposium was by invitation only and included only industry, academic, and government participants who are actively involved in the High-Speed Research Program. The technology presented in this meeting is considered commercially sensitive.

Towards Implementation of a Generalized Architecture for High-Level Quantum Programming Language

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ameen, El-Mahdy M.; Ali, Hesham A.; Salem, Mofreh M.; Badawy, Mahmoud

2017-08-01

This paper investigates a novel architecture to the problem of quantum computer programming. A generalized architecture for a high-level quantum programming language has been proposed. Therefore, the programming evolution from the complicated quantum-based programming to the high-level quantum independent programming will be achieved. The proposed architecture receives the high-level source code and, automatically transforms it into the equivalent quantum representation. This architecture involves two layers which are the programmer layer and the compilation layer. These layers have been implemented in the state of the art of three main stages; pre-classification, classification, and post-classification stages respectively. The basic building block of each stage has been divided into subsequent phases. Each phase has been implemented to perform the required transformations from one representation to another. A verification process was exposed using a case study to investigate the ability of the compiler to perform all transformation processes. Experimental results showed that the efficacy of the proposed compiler achieves a correspondence correlation coefficient about R ≈ 1 between outputs and the targets. Also, an obvious achievement has been utilized with respect to the consumed time in the optimization process compared to other techniques. In the online optimization process, the consumed time has increased exponentially against the amount of accuracy needed. However, in the proposed offline optimization process has increased gradually.

Do Sexual Assault Bystander Interventions Change Men's Intentions? Applying the Theory of Normative Social Behavior to Predicting Bystander Outcomes.

PubMed

Mabry, Amanda; Turner, Monique Mitchell

2016-01-01

The high prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses has led to the implementation of health communication programs to prevent sexual assault. A few novel programs focus on primary prevention by targeting social norms related to gender and masculinity among men through bystander intervention. Guided by the theory of normative social behavior, this study sought to examine the relative effect of campaigns communicating positive versus negative injunctive norms and the interaction between exposure to such campaign messages and perceived descriptive norms and relevant cognitive moderators (e.g., outcome expectations, injunctive norms, group identity, ego involvement) among men. A 2 (high/low descriptive norms) × 2 (high/low moderator) × 3 (public service announcement) independent groups quasi-experimental design (N = 332) was used. Results indicated that messages communicating positive injunctive norms were most effective among men who were least likely to engage in bystander intervention. Furthermore, descriptive norms played a significant role in behavioral intentions, such that those with stronger norms were more likely to report intentions to engage in bystander behaviors in the future. Similarly, the moderators of aspiration, injunctive norms, social approval, and ego involvement had a significant positive effect on behavioral intentions. These findings have important implications for future message design strategy and audience segmentation.

Teacher's Guide to SERAPHIM Software I. Chemistry: Experimental Foundations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bogner, Donna J.

Designed to assist chemistry teachers in selecting appropriate software programs, this publication is the first in a series of six teacher's guides from Project SERAPHIM, a program sponsored by the National Science Foundation. This guide is keyed to the chapters of the text "Chemistry: Experimental Foundations." Program suggestions are…

76 FR 78927 - Proposed Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-20

... estimates of the effectiveness of the programs. This component will use an experimental design. Program... inform decisions related to future investments in this kind of programming as well as the design and operation of such services. To meet the objective of the study, experimental impact studies with...

34 CFR 387.10 - What types of projects are authorized under this program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2011-07-01 2010-07-01 true What types of projects are authorized under this program...) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPERIMENTAL AND....10 What types of projects are authorized under this program? The Experimental and Innovative Training...

34 CFR 387.10 - What types of projects are authorized under this program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 34 Education 2 2014-07-01 2013-07-01 true What types of projects are authorized under this program...) OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION EXPERIMENTAL AND....10 What types of projects are authorized under this program? The Experimental and Innovative Training...

Remote experimental site concept development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Casper, Thomas A.; Meyer, William; Butner, David

1995-01-01

Scientific research is now often conducted on large and expensive experiments that utilize collaborative efforts on a national or international scale to explore physics and engineering issues. This is particularly true for the current US magnetic fusion energy program where collaboration on existing facilities has increased in importance and will form the basis for future efforts. As fusion energy research approaches reactor conditions, the trend is towards fewer large and expensive experimental facilities, leaving many major institutions without local experiments. Since the expertise of various groups is a valuable resource, it is important to integrate these teams into an overall scientific program. To sustain continued involvement in experiments, scientists are now often required to travel frequently, or to move their families, to the new large facilities. This problem is common to many other different fields of scientific research. The next-generation tokamaks, such as the Tokamak Physics Experiment (TPX) or the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), will operate in steady-state or long pulse mode and produce fluxes of fusion reaction products sufficient to activate the surrounding structures. As a direct consequence, remote operation requiring robotics and video monitoring will become necessary, with only brief and limited access to the vessel area allowed. Even the on-site control room, data acquisition facilities, and work areas will be remotely located from the experiment, isolated by large biological barriers, and connected with fiber-optics. Current planning for the ITER experiment includes a network of control room facilities to be located in the countries of the four major international partners; USA, Russian Federation, Japan, and the European Community.

Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes. Part 1; Program Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Dean; Bond, Thomas; Sheldon, David; Wright, William; Langhals, Tammy; Al-Khalil, Kamel; Broughton, Howard

1996-01-01

The Icing Technology Branch at NASA Lewis has been involved in an effort to validate two thermal ice protection codes developed at the NASA Lewis Research Center. LEWICE/Thermal (electrothermal deicing & anti-icing), and ANTICE (hot-gas & electrothermal anti-icing). The Thermal Code Validation effort was designated as a priority during a 1994 'peer review' of the NASA Lewis Icing program, and was implemented as a cooperative effort with industry. During April 1996, the first of a series of experimental validation tests was conducted in the NASA Lewis Icing Research Tunnel(IRT). The purpose of the April 96 test was to validate the electrothermal predictive capabilities of both LEWICE/Thermal, and ANTICE. A heavily instrumented test article was designed and fabricated for this test, with the capability of simulating electrothermal de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Thermal measurements were then obtained over a range of test conditions, for comparison with analytical predictions. This paper will present an overview of the test, including a detailed description of: (1) the validation process; (2) test article design; (3) test matrix development; and (4) test procedures. Selected experimental results will be presented for de-icing and anti-icing modes of operation. Finally, the status of the validation effort at this point will be summarized. Detailed comparisons between analytical predictions and experimental results are contained in the following two papers: 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 2- The Validation of LEWICE/Thermal' and 'Validation of NASA Thermal Ice Protection Computer Codes: Part 3-The Validation of ANTICE'

Guidelines for Parent Involvement in Chapter 1 Programs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weckstein, Paul

Chapter 1 is the largest federal education program in existence. It provides extra services to help low-achieving students and is targeted primarily at areas where low-income families reside. Parent involvement in designing and implementing the program is an essential part of Chapter 1. However, the parent involvement component is often not as…

Learning Effects of an Experimental EFL Program in Second Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Charles Xiaoxue; Calandra, Brendan; Hibbard, Susan T.; McDowell Lefaiver, Mary L.

2012-01-01

This paper reports on the effects an experimental English as a Foreign Language (EFL) program in Second Life (SL) had on Chinese student EFL learning. The study took an evaluative approach using quasi-experimental design with participants from one Chinese university and one American university in the southeastern United States. Results indicated…

20 CFR 416.250 - Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... you are placed in a control group which is not subject to the alternative requirements, limitations... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Experimental, pilot, and demonstration... Because of Essential Persons § 416.250 Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program...

20 CFR 416.250 - Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... you are placed in a control group which is not subject to the alternative requirements, limitations... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Experimental, pilot, and demonstration... Because of Essential Persons § 416.250 Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program...

20 CFR 416.250 - Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... you are placed in a control group which is not subject to the alternative requirements, limitations... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Experimental, pilot, and demonstration... Because of Essential Persons § 416.250 Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program...

20 CFR 416.250 - Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... you are placed in a control group which is not subject to the alternative requirements, limitations... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Experimental, pilot, and demonstration... Because of Essential Persons § 416.250 Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program...

20 CFR 416.250 - Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... you are placed in a control group which is not subject to the alternative requirements, limitations... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Experimental, pilot, and demonstration... Because of Essential Persons § 416.250 Experimental, pilot, and demonstration projects in the SSI program...

Understanding Complexity and Self-Organization in a Defense Program Management Organization (Experimental Design)

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-03-18

SPONSORED REPORT SERIES Understanding Complexity and Self - Organization in a Defense Program Management Organization (Experimental Design...experiment will examine the decision-making process within the program office and the self - organization of key program office personnel based upon formal...and informal communications links. Additionally, we are interested in the effects of this self - organizing process on the organization’s shared

The Cementitious Barriers Partnership Experimental Programs and Software Advancing DOE’s Waste Disposal/Tank Closure Efforts – 15436

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

Burns, Heather; Flach, Greg; Smith, Frank

2015-01-27

The U.S. Department of Energy Environmental Management (DOE-EM) Office of Tank Waste Management-sponsored Cementitious Barriers Partnership (CBP) is chartered with providing the technical basis for implementing cement-based waste forms and radioactive waste containment structures for long-term disposal. DOE needs in this area include the following to support progress in final treatment and disposal of legacy waste and closure of High-Level Waste (HLW) tanks in the DOE complex: long-term performance predictions, flow sheet development and flow sheet enhancements, and conceptual designs for new disposal facilities. The DOE-EM Cementitious Barriers Partnership is producing software and experimental programs resulting in new methods andmore » data needed for end-users involved with environmental cleanup and waste disposal. Both the modeling tools and the experimental data have already benefited the DOE sites in the areas of performance assessments by increasing confidence backed up with modeling support, leaching methods, and transport properties developed for actual DOE materials. In 2014, the CBP Partnership released the CBP Software Toolbox –“Version 2.0” which provides concrete degradation models for 1) sulfate attack, 2) carbonation, and 3) chloride initiated rebar corrosion, and includes constituent leaching. These models are applicable and can be used by both DOE and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for service life and long-term performance evaluations and predictions of nuclear and radioactive waste containment structures across the DOE complex, including future SRS Saltstone and HLW tank performance assessments and special analyses, Hanford site HLW tank closure projects and other projects in which cementitious barriers are required, the Advanced Simulation Capability for Environmental Management (ASCEM) project which requires source terms from cementitious containment structures as input to their flow simulations, regulatory reviews of DOE performance assessments, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission reviews of commercial nuclear power plant (NPP) structures which are part of the overall US Energy Security program to extend the service life of NPPs. In addition, the CBP experimental programs have had a significant impact on the DOE complex by providing specific data unique to DOE sodium salt wastes at Hanford and SRS which are not readily available in the literature. Two recent experimental programs on cementitious phase characterization and on technetium (Tc) mobility have provided significant conclusions as follows: recent mineralogy characterization discussed in this paper illustrates that sodium salt waste form matrices are somewhat similar to but not the same as those found in blended cement matrices which to date have been used in long-term thermodynamic modeling and contaminant sequestration as a first approximation. Utilizing the CBP generated data in long-term performance predictions provides for a more defensible technical basis in performance evaluations. In addition, recent experimental studies related to technetium mobility indicate that conventional leaching protocols may not be conservative for direct disposal of Tc-containing waste forms in vadose zone environments. These results have the potential to influence the current Hanford supplemental waste treatment flow sheet and disposal conceptual design.« less

Program to Promote Personal and Social Responsibility in the Secondary Classroom.

PubMed

Carbonero, Miguel A; Martín-Antón, Luis J; Otero, Lourdes; Monsalvo, Eugenio

2017-01-01

The performance of school children has been studied by considering partial relationships between several personal variables such as the link between cognition and motivation. However, contextual variables, such as a child's willingness to accept social responsibility, also influence students' social and academic performance. Thus, students with greater responsibility have a better attitude toward their studies, resulting in higher academic achievement. This 2-year study aims to reveal to what extent an intervention program affects student performance and is based on the Theory of Positive Action among young people proposed by Don Hellison and the Theory of Reasoned Action by Fishbein and Ajzen. The program focuses on positive influences on social and personal responsibility, taking into consideration parental styles, gender, and academic performance. The program was a part of the educational curricula in participating schools and it targeted four main areas: (a) teaching units using academic texts about social responsibility, (b) student training in mediation processes, (c) teacher training, and (d) family training and involvement. A total of 271 students took part from first and second year of Secondary Education (12-14 years old). The experimental group was made up of 132 students while the remaining 139 formed the control group. All participants completed the Assessment Scale of Social Responsibility Attitudes in Secondary Education and the Parent-Adolescent Communication Scale. Results show that students in the experimental group performed significantly better than those in the control group. Additionally, the issue of social responsibility seems to be related to commitment, self-discipline and perseverance. Regarding gender, males appear to score higher in the factor for well-mannered, friendly and tidy. Finally, a positive relationship has been identified between social responsibility attitudes and parenting with an open communicational style. This paper discusses the results so that schools can include programs aimed at improving social and personal responsibility.

Program to Promote Personal and Social Responsibility in the Secondary Classroom

PubMed Central

Carbonero, Miguel A.; Martín-Antón, Luis J.; Otero, Lourdes; Monsalvo, Eugenio

2017-01-01

The performance of school children has been studied by considering partial relationships between several personal variables such as the link between cognition and motivation. However, contextual variables, such as a child’s willingness to accept social responsibility, also influence students’ social and academic performance. Thus, students with greater responsibility have a better attitude toward their studies, resulting in higher academic achievement. This 2-year study aims to reveal to what extent an intervention program affects student performance and is based on the Theory of Positive Action among young people proposed by Don Hellison and the Theory of Reasoned Action by Fishbein and Ajzen. The program focuses on positive influences on social and personal responsibility, taking into consideration parental styles, gender, and academic performance. The program was a part of the educational curricula in participating schools and it targeted four main areas: (a) teaching units using academic texts about social responsibility, (b) student training in mediation processes, (c) teacher training, and (d) family training and involvement. A total of 271 students took part from first and second year of Secondary Education (12–14 years old). The experimental group was made up of 132 students while the remaining 139 formed the control group. All participants completed the Assessment Scale of Social Responsibility Attitudes in Secondary Education and the Parent–Adolescent Communication Scale. Results show that students in the experimental group performed significantly better than those in the control group. Additionally, the issue of social responsibility seems to be related to commitment, self-discipline and perseverance. Regarding gender, males appear to score higher in the factor for well-mannered, friendly and tidy. Finally, a positive relationship has been identified between social responsibility attitudes and parenting with an open communicational style. This paper discusses the results so that schools can include programs aimed at improving social and personal responsibility. PMID:28588529

Designing a Citizen Involvement Program: A Guidebook for Involving Citizens in the Resolution of Environmental Issues.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Robert E.; And Others

A model and supportive materials are presented for design and implementation of a program for involving citizens in decision-making concerning significant environmental issues. Chapter topics include: why citizen involvement? (potential benefits of the process); theoretical basis for citizen involvement (three fundamental perspectives underlying…

Employee Involvement. Issues for Agencies To Consider in Designing and Implementing Programs. Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on Federal Services, Post Office, and Civil Service, Committee on Governmental Affairs, U.S. Senate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. General Government Div.

An investigation identified issues that are important for federal agencies to consider in designing and implementing employee involvement programs. Employee involvement programs in the private sector and in the federal government were studied. The use of seven involvement practices was examined: suggestion systems, survey feedback, quality…

Use of fictional medical television in health sciences education: a systematic review.

PubMed

Hoffman, Beth L; Hoffman, Robert; Wessel, Charles B; Shensa, Ariel; Woods, Michelle S; Primack, Brian A

2018-03-01

While medical television programs are popular among health profession trainees, it is not clear to what extent these programs affect their knowledge, perceptions, and/or behaviors. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review of research evaluating associations between program exposure and outcomes. We conducted systematic literature searches in Pubmed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. Selected studies were required to be scholarly research, involve exposure to fictionalized medical television programming by health professional students, and assess associations between exposure and outcomes. Studies were classified according to quality and factors related to population, exposure, and outcomes. Of 3541 studies identified, 13 met selection criteria. Six studies involved undergraduate medical students, one involved nursing students, two involved both medical and nursing students, two involved medical residents, one involved medical students, residents and attending physicians, and one involved graduate epidemiology students. Mean study quality according to the MERSQI was 8.27. The most commonly assessed television programs were ER and Grey's Anatomy (six each). Five studies assessed regular viewing habits, and found that fictional medical programs are popular among students and that students recall health topics from episodes. The eight studies that assessed the association with outcomes when using clips as educational tools reported high satisfaction and increased knowledge of the presented health topics. While relatively few published studies have explored influences of fictional medical television on health professional students, those conducted suggest that students often view these television programs independently and that integration of this programming into medical education is feasible and acceptable.

Parent Couples' Coping Resources and Involvement in their Children's Intervention Program.

PubMed

Brand, Devora; Zaidman-Zait, Anat; Most, Tova

2018-07-01

Parental involvement is vital to the implementation of intervention programs for deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children. The current study examined the dyadic relationships between mothers' and fathers' coping resources and their involvement in their child's intervention program. In addition, the moderating roles of parent's gender and family religiosity on the associations between coping resources and involvement were examined. Seventy Jewish couples of parents of DHH children, representing various levels of religiosity, completed questionnaires regarding involvement in their child's intervention program, child acceptance, parental self-efficacy, and perceived social support. Multilevel modeling analyses were used to test actor-partner interdependence. The findings indicated significant actor effects for child acceptance, parental self-efficacy, and social support. All were positively associated with parental involvement. Gender was found to moderate the actor effect of child acceptance. Partner effects were found only for mothers, for child acceptance, and social support. Fathers' child acceptance and social support were negatively associated with mothers' involvement. Religiosity did not moderate neither actor nor partner effects. These results have important implications for planning intervention programs that are sensitive to each of the parent's needs.

A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Interactive Middle School Cannabis Prevention Programs

PubMed Central

Lize, Steven E.; Iachini, Aidyn L.; Tang, Weizhou; Tucker, Joshua; Seay, Kristen D.; Clone, Stephanie; DeHart, Dana; Browne, Teri

2017-01-01

This meta-analysis examines the effectiveness of interactive middle school-based drug prevention programs on adolescent cannabis use in North America, as well as program characteristics that could moderate these effects. Interactive programs, compared to more didactic, lecture style programs, involve participants in skill-building activities and focus on interaction among participants. A systematic literature search was conducted for English-language studies from January 1998 to March 2014. Studies included evaluations using random assignment or a quasi-experimental design of interactive school-based substance use prevention programs delivered to adolescents (aged 12–14) in North American middle schools (grades 6–8). Data were extracted using a coding protocol. The outcomes of interest were post-treatment cannabis use, intent to use, and refusal skills compared across intervention and control groups. Effect sizes (Cohen’s d) were calculated from continuous measures, and dichotomous measures were converted to the d index. A total of 30 studies yielding 23 independent samples were included. The random effects pooled effect size for cannabis use (k=21) was small (d̄=−0.07, p<0.01) and favorable for the prevention programs. The pooled effect sizes for intention to use (k=3) and refusal skills (k=3) were not significant. Moderator analyses indicated significant differences in program effectiveness between instructor types, with teachers found to be most effective (d̄ =−0.08, p=0.02). The findings provide further support for the use of interactive school-based programs to prevent cannabis use among middle school students in North America. PMID:27785662

A Meta-analysis of the Effectiveness of Interactive Middle School Cannabis Prevention Programs.

PubMed

Lize, Steven E; Iachini, Aidyn L; Tang, Weizhou; Tucker, Joshua; Seay, Kristen D; Clone, Stephanie; DeHart, Dana; Browne, Teri

2017-01-01

This meta-analysis examines the effectiveness of interactive middle school-based drug prevention programs on adolescent cannabis use in North America, as well as program characteristics that could moderate these effects. Interactive programs, compared to more didactic, lecture style programs, involve participants in skill-building activities and focus on interaction among participants. A systematic literature search was conducted for English-language studies from January 1998 to March 2014. Studies included evaluations using random assignment or a quasi-experimental design of interactive school-based substance use prevention programs delivered to adolescents (aged 12-14) in North American middle schools (grades 6-8). Data were extracted using a coding protocol. The outcomes of interest were post-treatment cannabis use, intent to use, and refusal skills compared across intervention and control groups. Effect sizes (Cohen's d) were calculated from continuous measures, and dichotomous measures were converted to the d index. A total of 30 studies yielding 23 independent samples were included. The random effects pooled effect size for cannabis use (k = 21) was small ([Formula: see text]= -0.07, p < 0.01) and favorable for the prevention programs. The pooled effect sizes for intention to use (k = 3) and refusal skills (k = 3) were not significant. Moderator analyses indicated significant differences in program effectiveness between instructor types, with teachers found to be most effective ([Formula: see text]= -0.08, p = 0.02). The findings provide further support for the use of interactive school-based programs to prevent cannabis use among middle school students in North America.

Breaking the addictive cycle of the system: improving US criminal justice practices to address substance use disorders.

PubMed

Kopak, Albert M

2015-01-01

Recent political commentary in the USA has suggested that there is great potential for current criminal justice practices designed for drug-involved offenders to be significantly overhauled in the near future. It is imperative to plan for these changes by assessing how well current programs serve drug-involved criminal justice populations. The paper aims to discuss these issues. This critical assessment begins with an overview of the most recent research on the prevalence and impact that substance use disorders have within the criminal justice system. Although the evidence demonstrates that relying on incarceration as a crime control method for drug-involved offenders has many shortcomings, there are innovative new programs being adopted across the country. Two of these promising programs are discussed, as well as the potential results that could be realized from integrating medication assisted treatment into appropriate criminal justice programs designed for drug-involved offenders. Incarceration is a failed practice for attending to the underlying reasons why many drug-involved offenders become involved in criminal activities. There are encouraging new programs emerging in different parts of the USA, but the inclusion of supplemental treatment options could further promote positive outcomes. The impending expansion of criminal justice programs for drug-involved offenders must consider how innovative new programs can be fused with supplemental treatment options to achieve the best results.

The QuarkNet Collaboration: How "Doing Science" is Changing Science Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Whelan, K.

2004-12-01

QuarkNet is a national initiative to involve high-school teachers and their students in real scientific research. Students and teachers assist in seeking to resolve some of the mysteries about the structure of matter and the fundamental forces of nature It is supported by the Department and Energy and the National Science Foundation. This long-term project, beginning its sixth year of implementation, has provided a successful framework that might be adapted to similar endeavors. It is an international collaboration of universities, high schools and research centers including CERN in Switzerland, and Fermilab, LBNL, and SLAC in the United States. The goals of this program include the involvement of students and teachers in authentic scientific research projects. By actually "doing science", they gain first hand knowledge of the research procedure and the inquiry method of learning. Teachers increase their content knowledge and enhance their teaching skills by solving scientific research problems through the inquiry method of learning. Students involved in this program learn fundamental physics and research-based skills through the analysis of real data. Particle physicists also benefit by being exposed to some of the current issues in science education. Through an understanding of National Science Education Standards, physicist-mentors are made aware of the needs of local science education and gain a better grasp of age appropriate content. The QuarkNet program was developed while consulting with research physicists throughout the United States. There are three main program areas that have been established-teacher research experiences, teacher development programs, and an online resource that makes available numerous inquiry-based activities. Select teachers are given eight-week appointments allowing them to gain first hand experience as a part of a scientific research team. Those teachers become lead teachers during the following summer and, along with physicist mentors, work with other teachers on a short research scenario or activity over a period of several weeks. The scenarios can then be adapted for classroom use at virtually any level. The QuarkNet website provides a wide variety of resources for teacher and student use including- samples of experimental data for use in inquiry based activities, venues for communication and collaboration between students, teachers and physicists, student publication areas where ideas can be exchanged, and numerous other resources, activities, and simulations. Currently, the QuarkNet program involves over 50 research institutions and hundreds of teachers. This year, we have also added a student research component at several of the centers. This component will be expanded in the coming years so that many more students will have the opportunity to become an active part and contributing member of a scientific research team.

Direct effects of food cues seen during TV viewing on energy intake in young women.

PubMed

van Nee, Roselinde L; Larsen, Junilla K; Fisher, Jennifer O

2016-06-01

Few studies have examined direct effects of food cues presented within television (TV) programs on eating behavior in adults. This research experimentally determined whether exposure to food cues in TV programs affects energy intake during TV viewing among young women, independently from food cues presented in TV advertisements. The experiment involved a 2 (TV program with or without food cues) by 2 (TV advertisements with or without food cues) between-participants design. While watching TV, participants could freely eat peanut chocolate candies and crisps (potato chips). Participants were 121 young women (mean age = 19.6 years; mean BMI = 22.5). Participants who watched a TV program with food cues tended to have a lower total energy intake and ate significantly less peanut chocolate candies than participants who watched the same TV program without food cues. This effect was particularly pronounced among participants with a higher BMI. Food advertisements did not affect energy intake. Findings may indicate that subtle continuous food cues during TV programs could make young females more aware of their own eating and/or weight, leading to reduced intake of particularly sweet snack foods during TV viewing. Considering the non-significant trend for the effect of the TV program with food cues on total energy intake, findings should be replicated to provide possible tools for prevention campaigns using food cue reminders to watch one's intake. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Structured Career Intervention Program for Academically Challenged Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salleh, Amla; Abdullah, Syed Mohamad; Mahmud, Zuria; Ghavifekr, Simin; Ishak, Noriah

2013-01-01

A study was carried out to test the effects of a 2-week structured intervention program on academically challenged students' career development. A quasi-experimental study was designed using pre-tests, post-tests, and a control group approach to examine the effects of the intervention program. Data were collected from both the experimental and…