Integrating Geospatial Technologies in Fifth-Grade Curriculum: Impact on Spatial Ability and Map-Analysis Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jadallah, May; Hund, Alycia M.; Thayn, Jonathan; Studebaker, Joel Garth; Roman, Zachary J.; Kirby, Elizabeth

2017-01-01

This study explores the effects of geographic information systems (GIS) curriculum on fifth-grade students' spatial ability and map-analysis skills. A total of 174 students from an urban public school district and their teachers participated in a quasi-experimental design study. Four teachers implemented a GIS curriculum in experimental classes…

Associating Animations with Concrete Models to Enhance Students' Comprehension of Different Visual Representations in Organic Chemistry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Balushi, Sulaiman M.; Al-Hajri, Sheikha H.

2014-01-01

The purpose of the current study is to explore the impact of associating animations with concrete models on eleventh-grade students' comprehension of different visual representations in organic chemistry. The study used a post-test control group quasi-experimental design. The experimental group (N = 28) used concrete models, submicroscopic…

Is anybody doing it? An experimental study of the effect of normative messages on intention to do physical activity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The study explores whether messages about the physical activity levels of the majority (i.e., normative messages) affect young adults' intention to engage in regular physical activity. An experimental survey among 16- to 24-year-olds in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania (n=1200) was conducted in March ...

Sequence Tolerance of a Highly Stable Single Domain Antibody: Comparison of Computational and Experimental Profiles

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-09

evaluating 18 mutants using either the A or B conformer is only r = ~ 0.2. Given the poor performance of approximating the observed experimental ...1    Sequence Tolerance of a Highly Stable Single Domain Antibody: Comparison of Computational and Experimental Profiles Mark A. Olson,1 Patricia...unusually high thermal stability is explored by a combined computational and experimental study. Starting with the crystallographic structure

Digital Storytelling for Enhancing Student Academic Achievement, Critical Thinking, and Learning Motivation: A Year-Long Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Ya-Ting C.; Wu, Wan-Chi I.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the impact of Digital storytelling (DST) on the academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation of senior high school students learning English as a foreign language. The one-year study adopted a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design involving 110 10th grade students in two English…

A far-field radio-frequency experimental exposure system with unrestrained mice.

PubMed

Hansen, Jared W; Asif, Sajid; Singelmann, Lauren; Khan, Muhammad Saeed; Ghosh, Sumit; Gustad, Tom; Doetkott, Curt; Braaten, Benjamin D; Ewert, Daniel L

2015-01-01

Many studies have been performed on exploring the effects of radio-frequency (RF) energy on biological function in vivo. In particular, gene expression results have been inconclusive due, in part, to a lack of a standardized experimental procedure. This research describes a new far field RF exposure system for unrestrained murine models that reduces experimental error. The experimental procedure includes the materials used, the creation of a patch antenna, the uncertainty analysis of the equipment, characterization of the test room, experimental equipment used and setup, power density and specific absorption rate experiment, and discussion. The result of this research is an experimental exposure system to be applied to future biological studies.

Learning to Listen: Does Intervention Make a Difference?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lotfi, Ghazal; Maftoon, Parviz; Birjandi, Parviz

2016-01-01

This study explored the impact of listening strategy training conducted within two strategy interventions on pre-intermediate and intermediate EFL learners' comprehension of unidirectional listening. Participants were divided into two experimental groups (n = 156) and a comparison group (n = 50). Each experimental group was trained in eight…

Atmosphere Explorer (AE) spacecraft system description

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The principal design and performance characteristics of the AE spacecraft system designed to support the Atmosphere Explorer C, D, and E missions are summarized. It has been prepared for the information of experimenters and other participants in the Atmosphere Explorer program as a general guide for design and operational planning. The description represents the spacecraft system as defined at the conclusion of the interface definition study.

Exploring the Impacts of Cognitive and Metacognitive Prompting on Students' Scientific Inquiry Practices within an E-Learning Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Wen-Xin; Hsu, Ying-Shao; Wang, Chia-Yu; Ho, Yu-Ting

2015-01-01

This study explores the effects of metacognitive and cognitive prompting on the scientific inquiry practices of students with various levels of initial metacognition. Two junior high school classes participated in this study. One class, the experimental group (n?=?26), which received an inquiry-based curriculum with a combination of cognitive and…

Fluctuations and the QCD Phase Diagram

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

Koch, Volker; Bzdak, Adam

2016-07-01

Here, we will discuss how the study of various fluctuation observables may be used to explore the phase diagram of the strong interaction. Furthermore, we will briefly summarize the present study of experimental and theoretical research in this area. We will then discuss various corrections and issues which need to be understood and applied for a meaningful comparison of experimental measurements with theoretical predictions.

Exploring the Effects of Employing Google Docs in Collaborative Concept Mapping on Achievement, Concept Representation, and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Yu-Tzu; Chang, Chia-Hu; Hou, Huei-Tse; Wu, Ke-Chou

2016-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of using Google Docs in collaborative concept mapping (CCM) by comparing it with a paper-and-pencil approach. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in a physics course. The control group drew concept maps using the paper-and-pencil method and face-to-face discussion, whereas the experimental group…

A Comparison of Traditional and Holistic Instructional Methods in Developing Positive Attitudes Toward Mathematics Instruction in Students at Malcolm X College.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Richard W.

The purpose of this study was to explore whether "holistic" instruction is an effective way to improve student attitudes toward instruction. Study participants were students in two Mathematics 111 classes at Malcolm X College (Illinois), 27 in the experimental and 27 in the control group. The experimental group received holistic…

Exploring the Development of College Students' Situational Interest in Learning Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Huann-shyang; Hong, Zuway-R; Chen, Ya-Chun

2013-01-01

This quasi-experimental study explores how student cumulative situational interest, short-term preference generated by particular conditions such as novel experiences can be developed into better individual interest, an enduring predisposition to engage in certain activity such as chemistry lessons. A continuous intervention of integrating novelty…

Virtual environment navigation with look-around mode to explore new real spaces by people who are blind.

PubMed

Lahav, Orly; Gedalevitz, Hadas; Battersby, Steven; Brown, David; Evett, Lindsay; Merritt, Patrick

2018-05-01

This paper examines the ability of people who are blind to construct a mental map and perform orientation tasks in real space by using Nintendo Wii technologies to explore virtual environments. The participant explores new spaces through haptic and auditory feedback triggered by pointing or walking in the virtual environments and later constructs a mental map, which can be used to navigate in real space. The study included 10 participants who were congenitally or adventitiously blind, divided into experimental and control groups. The research was implemented by using virtual environments exploration and orientation tasks in real spaces, using both qualitative and quantitative methods in its methodology. The results show that the mode of exploration afforded to the experimental group is radically new in orientation and mobility training; as a result 60% of the experimental participants constructed mental maps that were based on map model, compared with only 30% of the control group participants. Using technology that enabled them to explore and to collect spatial information in a way that does not exist in real space influenced the ability of the experimental group to construct a mental map based on the map model. Implications for rehabilitation The virtual cane system for the first time enables people who are blind to explore and collect spatial information via the look-around mode in addition to the walk-around mode. People who are blind prefer to use look-around mode to explore new spaces, as opposed to the walking mode. Although the look-around mode requires users to establish a complex collecting and processing procedure for the spatial data, people who are blind using this mode are able to construct a mental map as a map model. For people who are blind (as for the sighted) construction of a mental map based on map model offers more flexibility in choosing a walking path in a real space, accounting for changes that occur in the space.

A new experimental capability for the study of regolith surface physical properties to support science, space exploration, and in situ resource utilization (ISRU)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyer, Christopher B.; Abbud-Madrid, Angel; Atkinson, Jared; Lampe, Alexander; Markley, Tasha; Williams, Hunter; McDonough, Kara; Canney, Travis; Haines, Joseph

2018-06-01

Many surfaces found on the Moon, asteroids, Mars, moons, and other planetary bodies are covered in a fine granular material known as regolith. Increased knowledge of the physical properties of extraterrestrial regolith surfaces will help advance the scientific knowledge of these bodies as well as the development of exploration (e.g., instrument and robotic) and in situ resource utilization (ISRU) systems. The Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines as part of the Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust of NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute has developed a novel system, called the ISRU Experimental Probe (IEP) that can support studies of dry and icy regolith from -196 to 150 °C and pressure from laboratory ambient pressure to 10-7 Torr. The IEP system and proof-of-concept results are presented in this paper.

Effects of Critical Discussions on Middle School Students' Written Historical Arguments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wissinger, Daniel R.; De La Paz, Susan

2016-01-01

In this experimental study, 151 middle school students explored 3 historical controversies, first reading and discussing primary source documents in groups, then writing arguments on their own. Students were either randomly assigned to an experimental condition, using argumentative schemes and critical questions as guides during discussions, or to…

Experimental investigation of the physical properties of medium and heavy oils, their vaporization and use in explosion engines. Part III

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heinlein, Fritz

1926-01-01

The test equipment for studying the vaporization of heavy and medium oils is described as well as some of the experimental properties explored such as vaporization speed and diffusion coefficient. The experiemtal arrangement is also discussed.

Stretching the Traditional Notion of Experiment in Computing: Explorative Experiments.

PubMed

Schiaffonati, Viola

2016-06-01

Experimentation represents today a 'hot' topic in computing. If experiments made with the support of computers, such as computer simulations, have received increasing attention from philosophers of science and technology, questions such as "what does it mean to do experiments in computer science and engineering and what are their benefits?" emerged only recently as central in the debate over the disciplinary status of the discipline. In this work we aim at showing, also by means of paradigmatic examples, how the traditional notion of controlled experiment should be revised to take into account a part of the experimental practice in computing along the lines of experimentation as exploration. Taking inspiration from the discussion on exploratory experimentation in the philosophy of science-experimentation that is not theory-driven-we advance the idea of explorative experiments that, although not new, can contribute to enlarge the debate about the nature and role of experimental methods in computing. In order to further refine this concept we recast explorative experiments as socio-technical experiments, that test new technologies in their socio-technical contexts. We suggest that, when experiments are explorative, control should be intended in a posteriori form, in opposition to the a priori form that usually takes place in traditional experimental contexts.

Exploring science teachers' perceptions of experimentation: implications for restructuring school practical work

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Bing; Li, Xiaoxiao

2017-09-01

It is commonly recognised that practical work has a distinctive and central role in science teaching and learning. Although a large number of studies have addressed the definitions, typologies, and purposes of practical work, few have consulted practicing science teachers. This study explored science teachers' perceptions of experimentation for the purpose of restructuring school practical work in view of science practice. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 87 science teachers at the secondary school level. In the interviews, science teachers were asked to make a comparison between students' experiments and scientific experiments. Eight dimensions of experimentation were generated from the qualitative data analysis, and the distributions of these eight dimensions between the two types of experiments were compared and analysed. An ideal model of practical work was suggested for restructuring practical work at the secondary school level, and some issues related to the effective enactment of practical work were discussed.

Evaluation of Quantitative Literacy Series: Exploring Data and Exploring Probability. Program Report 87-5.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Roger P.; And Others

A quasi-experimental design with two experimental groups and one control group was used to evaluate the use of two books in the Quantitative Literacy Series, "Exploring Data" and "Exploring Probability." Group X teachers were those who had attended a workshop on the use of the materials and were using the materials during the…

Vascular plant checklist of the Chimney Spring and Limestone Flats Prescribed Burning Study Areas within ponderosa pine experimental forests in northern Arizona

Treesearch

Catherine Scudieri; James F. Fowler; Carolyn Hull Sieg; Laura Williams; Sally M. Haase

2008-01-01

This paper presents a vascular plant species list for two sites that are part of a long-term study exploring the effects of varying fire intervals on forest characteristics including the abundance and composition of understory vegetation. The Chimney Spring study area is on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest near Flagstaff, AZ, and the Limestone Flats study area is on...

BioQ: tracing experimental origins in public genomic databases using a novel data provenance model.

PubMed

Saccone, Scott F; Quan, Jiaxi; Jones, Peter L

2012-04-15

Public genomic databases, which are often used to guide genetic studies of human disease, are now being applied to genomic medicine through in silico integrative genomics. These databases, however, often lack tools for systematically determining the experimental origins of the data. We introduce a new data provenance model that we have implemented in a public web application, BioQ, for assessing the reliability of the data by systematically tracing its experimental origins to the original subjects and biologics. BioQ allows investigators to both visualize data provenance as well as explore individual elements of experimental process flow using precise tools for detailed data exploration and documentation. It includes a number of human genetic variation databases such as the HapMap and 1000 Genomes projects. BioQ is freely available to the public at http://bioq.saclab.net.

Creative foraging: An experimental paradigm for studying exploration and discovery

PubMed Central

Mayo, Avraham E.; Mayo, Ruth; Rozenkrantz, Liron; Tendler, Avichai; Alon, Uri; Noy, Lior

2017-01-01

Creative exploration is central to science, art and cognitive development. However, research on creative exploration is limited by a lack of high-resolution automated paradigms. To address this, we present such an automated paradigm, the creative foraging game, in which people search for novel and valuable solutions in a large and well-defined space made of all possible shapes made of ten connected squares. Players discovered shape categories such as digits, letters, and airplanes as well as more abstract categories. They exploited each category, then dropped it to explore once again, and so on. Aligned with a prediction of optimal foraging theory (OFT), during exploration phases, people moved along meandering paths that are about three times longer than the shortest paths between shapes; when exploiting a category of related shapes, they moved along the shortest paths. The moment of discovery of a new category was usually done at a non-prototypical and ambiguous shape, which can serve as an experimental proxy for creative leaps. People showed individual differences in their search patterns, along a continuum between two strategies: a mercurial quick-to-discover/quick-to-drop strategy and a thorough slow-to-discover/slow-to-drop strategy. Contrary to optimal foraging theory, players leave exploitation to explore again far before categories are depleted. This paradigm opens the way for automated high-resolution study of creative exploration. PMID:28767668

The Effect of Inquiry-Based Explorations in a Dynamic Geometry Environment on Sixth Grade Students' Achievements in Polygons

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erbas, Ayhan Kursat; Yenmez, Arzu Aydogan

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using a dynamic geometry environment (DGE) together with inquiry-based explorations on the sixth grade students' achievements in polygons and congruency and similarity of polygons. Two groups of sixth grade students were selected for this study: an experimental group composed of 66…

[Regulatory aspects and medicolegal considerations regarding clinical drug trials].

PubMed

Cammarano, Andrea; De Dominicis, Enrico; Marella, Gian Luca; Maurici, Massimo; Arcudi, Giovanni

2016-01-01

This article aims to explore the regulatory and medicolegal aspects of experimental drug trials. Firstly, the authors provide definitions of drug according to WHO, the European Community and our official Pharmacopoeia, and that of experimental studies. They then explain the distinction between pure or basic research and drug trials and explain the various phases of the latter. Besides providing definitions, and exploring doctrinal, theoretical but also practical aspects of drug trials, the authors also discuss and analyze legislative aspects, with particular reference to the Italian legislative framework, and medicolegal issues, including informed consent, effects on humans, and professional responsibility.

The Effects of Reading from the Screen on the Reading Motivation Levels of Elementary 5th Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydemir, Zeynep; Ozturk, Ergun

2012-01-01

This study aims to explore the effects of reading from the screen on elementary 5th grade students' reading motivation levels. It used the randomized control-group pretest-posttest model, which is a true experimental design. The study group consisted of 60 students, 30 experimental and 30 control, who were attending the 5th grade of a public…

Predictors of the Transition from Experimental to Daily Smoking in Late Adolescence and Young Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Sunhee; Weaver, Terri E.; Romer, Daniel

2010-01-01

Although smoking initiation is rare in young adulthood, the progression to a higher level of smoking still occurs at this developmental stage. Thus, this study was aimed at exploring predictors of the transition from experimental to daily smoking in late teens and young adults using the 2nd and 3rd waves from the National Longitudinal Study of…

Exploring Relationships between Students' Interaction and Learning with a Haptic Virtual Biomolecular Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schonborn, Konrad J.; Bivall, Petter; Tibell, Lena A. E.

2011-01-01

This study explores tertiary students' interaction with a haptic virtual model representing the specific binding of two biomolecules, a core concept in molecular life science education. Twenty students assigned to a "haptics" (experimental) or "no-haptics" (control) condition performed a "docking" task where users sought the most favourable…

Exploring the Associations among Nutrition, Science, and Mathematics Knowledge for an Integrative, Food-Based Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stage, Virginia C.; Kolasa, Kathryn M.; Díaz, Sebastián R.; Duffrin, Melani W.

2018-01-01

Background: Explore associations between nutrition, science, and mathematics knowledge to provide evidence that integrating food/nutrition education in the fourth-grade curriculum may support gains in academic knowledge. Methods: Secondary analysis of a quasi-experimental study. Sample included 438 students in 34 fourth-grade classrooms across…

Improvising with Material in the Higher Education Dance Technique Class: Exploration and Ownership

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rimmer, Rachel

2013-01-01

In this article the author, Rachel Rimmer, explores how improvisation can facilitate skills that are transferable to other areas of dance practice, enabling different areas of study to complement each other. The experimental forum of improvisation as an alternative method of learning technique is considered, contemplating the value of this…

Implications of optimization cost for balancing exploration and exploitation in global search and for experimental optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhuri, Anirban

Global optimization based on expensive and time consuming simulations or experiments usually cannot be carried out to convergence, but must be stopped because of time constraints, or because the cost of the additional function evaluations exceeds the benefits of improving the objective(s). This dissertation sets to explore the implications of such budget and time constraints on the balance between exploration and exploitation and the decision of when to stop. Three different aspects are considered in terms of their effects on the balance between exploration and exploitation: 1) history of optimization, 2) fixed evaluation budget, and 3) cost as a part of objective function. To this end, this research develops modifications to the surrogate-based optimization technique, Efficient Global Optimization algorithm, that controls better the balance between exploration and exploitation, and stopping criteria facilitated by these modifications. Then the focus shifts to examining experimental optimization, which shares the issues of cost and time constraints. Through a study on optimization of thrust and power for a small flapping wing for micro air vehicles, important differences and similarities between experimental and simulation-based optimization are identified. The most important difference is that reduction of noise in experiments becomes a major time and cost issue, and a second difference is that parallelism as a way to cut cost is more challenging. The experimental optimization reveals the tendency of the surrogate to display optimistic bias near the surrogate optimum, and this tendency is then verified to also occur in simulation based optimization.

Investigation of Effective Strategies for Developing Creative Science Thinking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Kuay-Keng; Lee, Ling; Hong, Zuway-R; Lin, Huann-shyang

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of the creative inquiry-based science teaching on students' creative science thinking and science inquiry performance. A quasi-experimental design consisting one experimental group (N = 20) and one comparison group (N = 24) with pretest and post-test was conducted. The framework of the…

Students' Reactions to Manual-Based Treatments for Substance Abuse: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simons, Lori; Jacobucci, Raymond; Houston, Hank

2006-01-01

A quasi-experimental research design with quantitative and qualitative methodologies was conducted to explore reactions of 21 students to treatment manuals for substance abuse. Students were randomized to experimental (n = 11) and attention-control (n = 10) groups involving exposure to one of two manual-based therapy interventions. Quantitative…

Exploring genetic diversity, physiologic expression and carbon dynamics in longleaf pine: a new study installation at the Harrison Experimental Forest

Treesearch

John R. Butnor; Kurt H. Johnsen; C. Dana Nelson

2012-01-01

In 1960, an experiment was established on the Harrison Experimental Forest in southeast Mississippi to compare productivity and wood properties of planted longleaf (Pinus palustris), loblolly (Pinus taeda), and slash (Pinus elliotii) pines under different management intensities: cultivation, cultivation plus...

Examining the Function of Problem Behavior in Fragile X Syndrome: Preliminary Experimental Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langthorne, Paul; McGill, Peter; O'Reilly, Mark F.; Lang, Russell; Machalicek, Wendy; Chan, Jeffrey Michael; Rispoli, Mandy

2011-01-01

Fragile X syndrome is the most common inherited cause of intellectual and developmental disability. The influence of environmental variables on behaviors associated with the syndrome has received only scant attention. The current study explored the function served by problem behavior in fragile X syndrome by using experimental functional analysis…

An Exploration of Students' Perceptions of Empirically Supported Treatments: The Significance of Gender and Ethnicity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simons, Lori; Giorgio, Tina; Houston, Hank; Jacobucci, Ray

2007-01-01

A secondary analysis of a quasi-experimental study was conducted to evaluate differences in students 'perceptions of empirically supported treatments (ESTS) randomized to experimental (n= 10) and attention-control (n= 10) manual-based therapy interventions. The results indicated that attitudinal changes took place for both groups. The results…

The Effects of Reflection on Student's Technology Integration Self-Efficacy in an Educational Technology Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsieh, Bi-Jen

2015-01-01

This study explored whether guided reflection using predetermined prompts can enhance preservice teachers' development of technology integration self-efficacy (TISE) beliefs. A quantitative approach and a quasi-experimental, pre- and posttest design with two experimental groups and a control group were used. Two types of guided reflection prompts…

Vascular plant checklist of the Chimney Spring and Limestone Flats prescribed burning study areas within ponderosa pine experimental forests in northern Arizona (P-53)

Treesearch

Catherine Scudieri; James Fowler; Carolyn Hull Sieg; Laura Williams; Sally Haase

2008-01-01

This paper presents a vascular plant species list for two sites that are part of a long-term study exploring the effects of varying fire intervals on forest characteristics including the abundance and composition of understory vegetation. The Chimney Spring study area is on the Fort Valley Experimental Forest near Flagstaff, AZ and the Limestone Flats study area is on...

Experimental Parameters Affecting Stripping of Rare Earth Elements from Loaded Sorptive Media in Simulated Geothermal Brines

DOE Data Explorer

Dean Stull

2016-05-24

Experimental results from several studies exploring the impact of pH and acid volume on the stripping of rare earth elements (REEs) loaded onto ligand-based media via an active column. The REEs in this experiment were loaded onto the media through exposure to a simulated geothermal brine with known mineral concentrations. The data include the experiment results, rare earth element concentrations, and the experimental parameters varied.

Exploring the Impact of Online Peer-Editing Using Google Docs on EFL Learners' Academic Writing Skills: A Mixed Methods Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ebadi, Saman; Rahimi, Masoud

2017-01-01

This article reports the results of a sequential explanatory mixed-methods approach to explore the impact of online peer-editing using Google Docs and peer-editing in a face-to-face classroom on EFL learners' academic writing skills. As the study adopted a quasi-experimental design, two intact classes, each with ten EFL learners, attending an…

Effects of Web-Based Instruction on Math Anxiety, the Sense of Mastery, and Global Self-Esteem: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Undergraduate Statistics Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Gundy, Karen; Morton, Beth A.; Liu, Hope Q.; Kline, Jennifer

2006-01-01

To explore the effects of web-based instruction (WBI) on math anxiety, the sense of mastery, and global self-esteem, we use quasi-experimental data from undergraduate statistics students in classes assigned to three study conditions, each with varied access to, and incentive for, the use of online technologies. Results suggest that when statistics…

Neurovascular Network Explorer 2.0: A Simple Tool for Exploring and Sharing a Database of Optogenetically-evoked Vasomotion in Mouse Cortex In Vivo.

PubMed

Uhlirova, Hana; Tian, Peifang; Kılıç, Kıvılcım; Thunemann, Martin; Sridhar, Vishnu B; Chmelik, Radim; Bartsch, Hauke; Dale, Anders M; Devor, Anna; Saisan, Payam A

2018-05-04

The importance of sharing experimental data in neuroscience grows with the amount and complexity of data acquired and various techniques used to obtain and process these data. However, the majority of experimental data, especially from individual studies of regular-sized laboratories never reach wider research community. A graphical user interface (GUI) engine called Neurovascular Network Explorer 2.0 (NNE 2.0) has been created as a tool for simple and low-cost sharing and exploring of vascular imaging data. NNE 2.0 interacts with a database containing optogenetically-evoked dilation/constriction time-courses of individual vessels measured in mice somatosensory cortex in vivo by 2-photon microscopy. NNE 2.0 enables selection and display of the time-courses based on different criteria (subject, branching order, cortical depth, vessel diameter, arteriolar tree) as well as simple mathematical manipulation (e.g. averaging, peak-normalization) and data export. It supports visualization of the vascular network in 3D and enables localization of the individual functional vessel diameter measurements within vascular trees. NNE 2.0, its source code, and the corresponding database are freely downloadable from UCSD Neurovascular Imaging Laboratory website 1 . The source code can be utilized by the users to explore the associated database or as a template for databasing and sharing their own experimental results provided the appropriate format.

Third Graders Explore Sound Concepts through Online Research Compared to Making Musical Instruments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borsay, Kyrie D.; Foss, Page

2016-01-01

This study is an exploration of several lessons on sound taught to third grade students using one of the Next Generation Science Standards (3-5-ETS1) and arts integration. A counterbalanced, pretest- posttest- distal posttest design experiment was conducted to compare student knowledge and attitudes between the control and experimental conditions.…

Comparing Brief Experimental Analysis and Teacher Judgment for Selecting Early Reading Interventions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, Dana L.; Coolong-Chaffin, Melissa; Deris, Aaron R.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the use of brief experimental analysis (BEA) to identify early reading interventions for students in the primary grades and to compare teachers' judgments about their students' early reading intervention needs to BEA results. In addition, the research was conducted to explore how teachers make decisions…

BioQ: tracing experimental origins in public genomic databases using a novel data provenance model

PubMed Central

Saccone, Scott F.; Quan, Jiaxi; Jones, Peter L.

2012-01-01

Motivation: Public genomic databases, which are often used to guide genetic studies of human disease, are now being applied to genomic medicine through in silico integrative genomics. These databases, however, often lack tools for systematically determining the experimental origins of the data. Results: We introduce a new data provenance model that we have implemented in a public web application, BioQ, for assessing the reliability of the data by systematically tracing its experimental origins to the original subjects and biologics. BioQ allows investigators to both visualize data provenance as well as explore individual elements of experimental process flow using precise tools for detailed data exploration and documentation. It includes a number of human genetic variation databases such as the HapMap and 1000 Genomes projects. Availability and implementation: BioQ is freely available to the public at http://bioq.saclab.net Contact: ssaccone@wustl.edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. PMID:22426342

Experimental Analysis of Steady-State Maneuvering Effects on Transmission Vibration Patterns Recorded in an AH-1 Cobra Helicopter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huff, Edward M.; Dzwonczyk, Mark; Norvig, Peter (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Flight experiment was designed primarily to determine the extent to which steady-state maneuvers influence characteristic vibration patterns measured at the input pinion and output annulus gear locations of the main transmission. If results were to indicate that maneuvers systematically influence vibration patterns, more extensive studies would be planned to explore the response surface. It was also designed to collect baseline data for comparison with experimental data to be recorded at a later date from test stands at Glenn Research Center. Finally, because this was the first vibration flight study on the Cobra aircraft, considerable energy was invested in developing an in-flight recording apparatus, as well as exploring acceleration mounting methods, and generally learning about the overall vibratory characteristics of the aircraft itself.

Case study and case-based research in emergency nursing and care: Theoretical foundations and practical application in paramedic pre-hospital clinical judgment and decision-making of patients with mental illness.

PubMed

Shaban, Ramon Z; Considine, Julie; Fry, Margaret; Curtis, Kate

2017-02-01

Generating knowledge through quality research is fundamental to the advancement of professional practice in emergency nursing and care. There are multiple paradigms, designs and methods available to researchers to respond to challenges in clinical practice. Systematic reviews, randomised control trials and other forms of experimental research are deemed the gold standard of evidence, but there are comparatively few such trials in emergency care. In some instances it is not possible or appropriate to undertake experimental research. When exploring new or emerging problems where there is limited evidence available, non-experimental methods are required and appropriate. This paper provides the theoretical foundations and an exemplar of the use of case study and case-based research to explore a new and emerging problem in the context of emergency care. It examines pre-hospital clinical judgement and decision-making of mental illness by paramedics. Using an exemplar the paper explores the theoretical foundations and conceptual frameworks of case study, it explains how cases are defined and the role researcher in this form of inquiry, it details important principles and the procedures for data gathering and analysis, and it demonstrates techniques to enhance trustworthiness and credibility of the research. Moreover, it provides theoretically and practical insights into using case study in emergency care. Copyright © 2017 College of Emergency Nursing Australasia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cultivating Critical Thinkers: Exploring Transfer of Learning from Pre-Service Teacher Training to Classroom Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Ya-Ting Carolyn

2012-01-01

This study explores the transfer of critical thinking skills and dispositions from pre-service teacher training to classroom practice and student achievement in the cases of two graduates from a course on critical thinking-integrated instruction. Two 7th and two 8th grade classes were randomly assigned as experimental (CT-integrated instruction),…

Exploring the Impact of Varying Levels of Augmented Reality to Teach Probability and Sampling with a Mobile Device

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Conley, Quincy

2013-01-01

Statistics is taught at every level of education, yet teachers often have to assume their students have no knowledge of statistics and start from scratch each time they set out to teach statistics. The motivation for this experimental study comes from interest in exploring educational applications of augmented reality (AR) delivered via mobile…

The Role of "Pathos" in the Decision-Making Process: A Study in the Rhetoric of Science Policy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waddell, Craig

1990-01-01

Explores the ways in which nonscientists inform themselves and make decisions about complex and technological controversies. Explores the prejudice against emotion in a 1976-77 case before the Cambridge Experimentation Review Board. Suggests that, in spite of some cultural bias against pathos, emotional appeals play a vital role in the shaping of…

Exploring the Effects of Active Learning on High School Students' Outcomes and Teachers' Perceptions of Biotechnology and Genetics Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mueller, Ashley L.; Knobloch, Neil A.; Orvis, Kathryn S.

2015-01-01

Active learning can engage high school students to learn science, yet there is limited understanding if active learning can help students learn challenging science concepts such as genetics and biotechnology. This quasi-experimental study explored the effects of active learning compared to passive learning regarding high school students'…

Motivating Grade 1 Children to Read: Exploring the Role of Choice, Curiosity, and Challenge in Mobile Ebooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciampa, Katia

2016-01-01

A pre-experimental case study design was used to explore the value of intrinsic motivation in mobile eBook reading among 30 Grade 1 child participants. Data collection comprised pre- and post-test motivation questionnaires and researcher field notes. Child participants' enjoyment of mobile eBooks corresponded to 3 motivational aspects of intrinsic…

How Selective Are 3-Year-Olds in Imitating Novel Linguistic Material?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bannard, Colin; Klinger, Jörn; Tomasello, Michael

2013-01-01

In 3 studies we explored when 3-year-olds would imitate novel words in utterances produced by adult speakers. Child and experimenter took turns in requesting objects from a game master. The experimenter always went first and always preceded the object's familiar name with a novel adjective (e.g., "the dilsige duck"). In the first 2…

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…

SCES2016 Summary: Experiment

DOE PAGES

Thompson, Joe David

2016-08-03

Experimental results presented during the 2016 International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems (SECS2016) not only reflect the breadth of topics being explored in the field of strongly correlated systems but also the remarkable progress in discovery and understanding that is being made from their study. Lastly, this brief summary highlights just a few of the exciting experimental developments discussed at SCES2016.

Service Learning as a Mechanism for Change in Attitudes and Perceptions of Human Services Students toward Substance-Dependent Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hogan, Sean R.; Bailey, Caroline E.

2010-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the potential effectiveness of service learning as a pedagogical technique for providing substance abuse education to human services/social work students. Using a quasi-experimental design, the authors assigned 38 human services undergraduate students to experimental and comparison groups on the basis of…

"Now You Know What You're Doing Right and Wrong!" Peer Feedback Quality in Synchronous Peer Assessment in Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rotsaert, Tijs; Panadero, Ernesto; Schellens, Tammy; Raes, Annelies

2018-01-01

This study explores the effects of peer assessment (PA) practice on peer feedback (PF) quality of 11th grade secondary education students (N = 36). The PA setting was synchronous: anonymous assessors gave immediate PF using mobile response technology during 10 feedback occasions. The design was quasi-experimental (experimental vs. control…

Effectiveness of a Fundamental Motor Skill Intervention for 4-Year-Old Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bremer, Emily; Balogh, Robert; Lloyd, Meghann

2015-01-01

A wait-list control experimental design was employed to investigate the effectiveness of a fundamental motor skill intervention at improving the motor skills, adaptive behavior, and social skills of 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (experimental n?=?5, control n?=?4); the impact of intervention intensity was also explored. The…

Leading the Herd Astray: An Experimental Study of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in an Artificial Cultural Market

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Salganik, Matthew J.; Watts, Duncan J.

2008-01-01

Individuals influence each others' decisions about cultural products such as songs, books, and movies; but to what extent can the perception of success become a "self-fulfilling prophecy"? We have explored this question experimentally by artificially inverting the true popularity of songs in an online "music market," in which 12,207 participants…

The Impact of Cross-Age Peer Tutoring on Third and Sixth Graders' Reading Strategy Awareness, Reading Strategy Use, and Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Keer, Hilde; Vanderlinde, Ruben

2010-01-01

The present study explores the impact of an experimental reading intervention focusing on explicit reading strategy instruction and cross-age peer tutoring on third and sixth graders' reading strategy awareness, cognitive and metacognitive reading strategy use, and reading comprehension achievement. A quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design was…

Willingness to Engage in Consensual Nonmonogamy Among Emerging Adults: A Structural Equation Analysis of Sexual Identity, Casual Sex Attitudes, and Gender.

PubMed

Sizemore, Kayla M; Olmstead, Spencer B

2017-01-01

Research on consensual nonmonogamy (CNM) has increased over the past decade. However, willingness to engage in CNM is an understudied phenomenon within this body of literature. Little research has examined the correlates of this aspect of CNM or focused on individuals in the developmental period of emerging adulthood. This study used multigroup structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a conceptual model of emerging adults' (ages 18 to 29; N = 890) willingness to engage in CNM. Results indicated that emerging adult experimentation/possibilities, sexual identity exploration, and permissive attitudes toward casual sex were all related to willingness to engage in CNM. Results also showed that the pathway from emerging adult experimentation/possibilities to willingness to engage in CNM was differentially mediated across gender. Specifically, for women there was an indirect (and positive) pathway from experimentation/possibilities to willingness to engage in CNM through sexual identity exploration. For men there was an indirect (and positive) pathway from experimentation/possibilities to willingness to engage in CNM through permissive attitudes toward casual sex. Implications for future studies on CNM among emerging adults are discussed.

Exploring the High-Pressure Behavior of PETN: A Combined Quantum Mechanical and Experimental Study

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

calculations to explore the hypothesized compression-induced polymorphic phase transition [Gruzdkov 2004]. The initial crystal in these Figure 4...Scuseria, G.E., and Chabalowski, C.F. 2004: An ab Initio Study of Solid Nitromethane, HMX , RDX , and CL20: Successes and Failures of DFT. J. Phys. Chem... RDX , HMX , HNIW, and PETN Crystals. J. Phys. Chem. B, 103, 6783. Trotter, J., 1963: Bond lengths and angles in Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate. Acta

Private ground infrastructures for space exploration missions simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souchier, Alain

2010-06-01

The Mars Society, a private non profit organisation devoted to promote the red planet exploration, decided to implement simulated Mars habitat in two locations on Earth: in northern Canada on the rim of a meteoritic crater (2000), in a US Utah desert, location of a past Jurassic sea (2001). These habitats have been built with large similarities to actual planned habitats for first Mars exploration missions. Participation is open to everybody either proposing experimentations or wishing only to participate as a crew member. Participants are from different organizations: Mars Society, Universities, experimenters working with NASA or ESA. The general philosophy of the work conducted is not to do an innovative scientific work on the field but to learn how the scientific work is affected or modified by the simulation conditions. Outside activities are conducted with simulated spacesuits limiting the experimenter abilities. Technology or procedures experimentations are also conducted as well as experimentations on the crew psychology and behaviour.

Exploring magnetized liner inertial fusion with a semi-analytic model

DOE PAGES

McBride, Ryan D.; Slutz, Stephen A.; Vesey, Roger A.; ...

2016-01-01

In this study, we explore magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) [S. A. Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] using a semi-analytic model [R. D. McBride and S. A. Slutz, Phys. Plasmas 22, 052708 (2015)]. Specifically, we present simulation results from this model that: (a) illustrate the parameter space, energetics, and overall system efficiencies of MagLIF; (b) demonstrate the dependence of radiative loss rates on the radial fraction of the fuel that is preheated; (c) explore some of the recent experimental results of the MagLIF program at Sandia National Laboratories [M. R. Gomez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113,more » 155003 (2014)]; (d) highlight the experimental challenges presently facing the MagLIF program; and (e) demonstrate how increases to the preheat energy, fuel density, axial magnetic field, and drive current could affect future MagLIF performance.« less

Exploring magnetized liner inertial fusion with a semi-analytic model

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

McBride, Ryan D.; Slutz, Stephen A.; Vesey, Roger A.

In this study, we explore magnetized liner inertial fusion (MagLIF) [S. A. Slutz et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 056303 (2010)] using a semi-analytic model [R. D. McBride and S. A. Slutz, Phys. Plasmas 22, 052708 (2015)]. Specifically, we present simulation results from this model that: (a) illustrate the parameter space, energetics, and overall system efficiencies of MagLIF; (b) demonstrate the dependence of radiative loss rates on the radial fraction of the fuel that is preheated; (c) explore some of the recent experimental results of the MagLIF program at Sandia National Laboratories [M. R. Gomez et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 113,more » 155003 (2014)]; (d) highlight the experimental challenges presently facing the MagLIF program; and (e) demonstrate how increases to the preheat energy, fuel density, axial magnetic field, and drive current could affect future MagLIF performance.« less

Justice- and fairness-related behaviors in nonhuman primates.

PubMed

Brosnan, Sarah F

2013-06-18

A distinctive feature across human societies is our interest in justice and fairness. People will sometimes invest in extremely costly behavior to achieve fair outcomes for themselves and others. Why do people care so much about justice? One way to address this is comparatively, exploring behaviors related to justice and fairness in other species. In this paper, I review work exploring responses to inequity, prosocial behavior, and other relevant behaviors in nonhuman primates in an effort to understand both the potential evolutionary function of these behaviors and the social and ecological reasons for the individual differences in behavior. I also consider how these behaviors relate to human behavior, particularly in the case of experimental studies using games derived from experimental economics to compare nonhuman primates' responses to those of humans in similar experimental conditions. These results emphasize the importance of a comparative approach to better understand the function and diversity of human behavior.

Justice- and fairness-related behaviors in nonhuman primates

PubMed Central

Brosnan, Sarah F.

2013-01-01

A distinctive feature across human societies is our interest in justice and fairness. People will sometimes invest in extremely costly behavior to achieve fair outcomes for themselves and others. Why do people care so much about justice? One way to address this is comparatively, exploring behaviors related to justice and fairness in other species. In this paper, I review work exploring responses to inequity, prosocial behavior, and other relevant behaviors in nonhuman primates in an effort to understand both the potential evolutionary function of these behaviors and the social and ecological reasons for the individual differences in behavior. I also consider how these behaviors relate to human behavior, particularly in the case of experimental studies using games derived from experimental economics to compare nonhuman primates’ responses to those of humans in similar experimental conditions. These results emphasize the importance of a comparative approach to better understand the function and diversity of human behavior. PMID:23754407

Ultrasonic Phased Array Simulations of Welded Components at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, D. J.; Tokars, R. P.; Martin, R. E.; Rauser, R. W.; Aldrin, J. C.

2009-01-01

Comprehensive and accurate inspections of welded components have become of increasing importance as NASA develops new hardware such as Ares rocket segments for future exploration missions. Simulation and modeling will play an increasing role in the future for nondestructive evaluation in order to better understand the physics of the inspection process, to prove or disprove the feasibility for an inspection method or inspection scenario, for inspection optimization, for better understanding of experimental results, and for assessment of probability of detection. This study presents simulation and experimental results for an ultrasonic phased array inspection of a critical welded structure important for NASA future exploration vehicles. Keywords: nondestructive evaluation, computational simulation, ultrasonics, weld, modeling, phased array

Ultrasonic Phased Array Inspection Simulations of Welded Components at NASA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roth, D. J.; Tokars, R. P.; Martin, R. E.; Rauser, R. W.; Aldrin, J. C.; Schumacher, E. J.

2009-01-01

Comprehensive and accurate inspections of welded components have become of increasing importance as NASA develops new hardware such as Ares rocket segments for future exploration missions. Simulation and modeling will play an increased role in the future for nondestructive evaluation in order to better understand the physics of the inspection process and help explain the experimental results. It will also help to prove or disprove the feasibility for an inspection method or inspection scenario, help optimize inspections, and allow to a first approximation limits of detectability. This study presents simulation and experimental results for an ultrasonic phased array inspection of a critical welded structure important for NASA future exploration vehicles.

Results of an Experimental Exploration of Advanced Automated Geospatial Tools: Agility in Complex Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-01

AUTOMATED GEOSPATIAL TOOLS : AGILITY IN COMPLEX PLANNING Primary Topic: Track 5 – Experimentation and Analysis Walter A. Powell [STUDENT] - GMU...TITLE AND SUBTITLE Results of an Experimental Exploration of Advanced Automated Geospatial Tools : Agility in Complex Planning 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER...Std Z39-18 Abstract Typically, the development of tools and systems for the military is requirement driven; systems are developed to meet

Toward a systematic exploration of nano-bio interactions

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

Bai, Xue; Liu, Fang; Liu, Yin

Many studies of nanomaterials make non-systematic alterations of nanoparticle physicochemical properties. Given the immense size of the property space for nanomaterials, such approaches are not very useful in elucidating fundamental relationships between inherent physicochemical properties of these materials and their interactions with, and effects on, biological systems. Data driven artificial intelligence methods such as machine learning algorithms have proven highly effective in generating models with good predictivity and some degree of interpretability. They can provide a viable method of reducing or eliminating animal testing. However, careful experimental design with the modelling of the results in mind is a proven andmore » efficient way of exploring large materials spaces. This approach, coupled with high speed automated experimental synthesis and characterization technologies now appearing, is the fastest route to developing models that regulatory bodies may find useful. We advocate greatly increased focus on systematic modification of physicochemical properties of nanoparticles combined with comprehensive biological evaluation and computational analysis. This is essential to obtain better mechanistic understanding of nano-bio interactions, and to derive quantitatively predictive and robust models for the properties of nanomaterials that have useful domains of applicability. - Highlights: • Nanomaterials studies make non-systematic alterations to nanoparticle properties. • Vast nanomaterials property spaces require systematic studies of nano-bio interactions. • Experimental design and modelling are efficient ways of exploring materials spaces. • We advocate systematic modification and computational analysis to probe nano-bio interactions.« less

Into the thermosphere: The atmosphere explorers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burgess, Eric; Torr, Douglass

1987-01-01

The need to study the lower thermosphere with the new instrument, data handling, and spacecraft technology available in the 1960s led to the formulation and establishment of the Atmospheric Explorer program. This book provides an overview of this program with particular emphasis on the AE3, AE4, and AE5 satellites, which represent early examples of problem-dedicated missions. Both the satellites and their instrumentation on the one hand and the experimental and scientific considerations in studying the thermosphere on the other are discussed.

Experimental appraisal of personal beliefs in science: constraints on performance in the 9 to 14 age group.

PubMed

Howe, C; Tolmie, A; Sofroniou, N

1999-06-01

Recent curricula initiatives have promoted experimentation as a means by which relatively young children can appraise their personal beliefs and thereby modify these beliefs towards received scientific ideas. However, key psychological theories signal problems, and the enterprise is not in any event securely grounded in empirical research. As a consequence, the study reported here aimed to provide comprehensive information about children's abilities to use experimentation to appraise their beliefs, while allowing full exploration of theorized constraints. The study involved 24 children at each of three age levels within the 9 to 14 range. The children were first interviewed to establish their beliefs about influences on outcome in four educationally significant topic areas: flotation, pressure, motion and shadows. Subsequently, they were asked to conduct investigations to determine whether selected beliefs were correct. The results showed that, regardless of age or topic, very few children appreciated that to explore whether some variable is influencing outcome it is necessary to manipulate that variable experimentally and that variable only. There was a strong tendency to manipulate other variables, a tendency attributed to the intrusion of everyday reasoning practices into the experimental context. Once extraneous variables had been introduced, the children experienced great difficulties with subsequent stages in the experimental process, e.g., predicting, observing and drawing conclusions. It is concluded that experimentation as a means of appraising beliefs is not straightforward in the 9 to 14 age group, and that the pattern of difficulties has psychological significance given the background theories. Nevertheless, while not straightforward, experimental appraisal remains possible given appropriate teacher support, and proposals are made as to the form which the support should take.

A laboratory study of multiple site damage in fuselage lap splices

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1993-12-01

This report details an experimental study that was conducted to explore the causes of : fuselage lap splice multiple site damage (MSD), which has been observed in several : aging aircraft. MSD was partially responsible for the 1988 Aloha Airlines acc...

Discrete event simulation of NASA's Remote Exploration and Experimentation Project (REE)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunphy, J.; Rogstad, S.

2001-01-01

The Remote Exploration and Experimentation Project (REE) is a new initiative at JPL to be able to place a supercomputer on board a spacecraft and allow large amounts of data reduction and compression to be done before science results are returned to Earth.

Integrated Solar System Exploration Education and Public Outreach: Theme, Products and Activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lowes, Leslie; Lindstrom, Marilyn; Stockman, Stephanie; Scalice, Daniela; Allen, Jaclyn; Tobola, Kay; Klug, Sheri; Harmon, Art

2004-01-01

NASA's Solar System Exploration Program is entering an unprecedented period of exploration and discovery. Its goal is to understand the origin and evolution of the solar system and life within it. SSE missions are operating or in development to study the far reaches of our solar system and beyond. These missions proceed in sequence for each body from reconnaissance flybys through orbiters and landers or rovers to sample returns. SSE research programs develop new instruments, analyze mission data or returned samples, and provide experimental or theoretical models to aid in interpretation.

Widening ERTS applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mercanti, E. P.

1974-01-01

In less than two years of operation ERTS-1 is shown to have successfully completed its experimental mission and to be delivering an ever-increasing roster of benefits. The widening ERTS applications reviewed include air quality and weather modification, aid to oil exploration, ore-deposit exploration, short-lived event observation, flood area assessment and flood-plain mapping, land and water quality assessment, soil association mapping, crop production measurements, wildlife resources, drought and desertification studies, ground-water exploration, watershed surveys, snow and ice monitoring, surface water mapping, and iceberg surveys. Future projects and developments are also briefly reviewed.

Exploring the Impact of Culture- and Language-Influenced Physics on Science Attitude Enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morales, Marie Paz E.

2016-02-01

"Culture," a set of principles that trace and familiarize human beings within their existential realities, may provide an invisible lens through which reality could be discerned. Critically explored in this study is how culture- and language-sensitive curriculum materials in physics improve Pangasinan learners' attitude toward science. Their cultural preference or profile defined their cultural dimensions, epistemological beliefs, and views on integration of culture and language in the teaching and learning processes. The culture- and language-influenced curriculum materials in physics were heavily influenced by Pangasinan learners' cultural preference or profile. Results of the experimental participants' pretest and posttest on science attitude measure, when compared, showed significant statistical difference. Assessment of science attitude enhancement favored the experimental group over the control group. Qualitative data gathered from postimplementation interviews, focus group discussions, and journal log entries indicated the same trend in favor of the experimental participants. The study yielded that culture and language integration in the teaching and learning processes of physics concepts allowed students to develop positive attitude to science, their culture, and native language.

An Ultrasonic Compactor for Oil and Gas Exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feeney, Andrew; Sikaneta, Sakalima; Harkness, Patrick; Lucas, Margaret

The Badger Explorer is a rig-less oil and gas exploration tool which drills into the subsea environment to collect geological data. Drill spoil is transported from the front end of the system to the rear, where the material is compacted. Motivated by the need to develop a highly efficient compaction system, an ultrasonic compactor for application with granular geological materials encountered in subsea environments is designed and fabricated as part of this study. The finite element method is used to design a compactor configuration suitable for subsea exploration, consisting of a vibrating ultrasonic horn called a resonant compactor head, which operates in a longitudinal mode at 20 kHz, driven by a Langevin piezoelectric transducer. A simplified version of the compactor is also designed, due to its ease of incorporating in a lab-based experimental rig, in order to demonstrate enhanced compaction using ultrasonics. Numerical analysis of this simplified compactor system is supported with experimental characterisation using laser Doppler vibrometry. Compaction testing is then conducted on granular geological material, showing that compaction can be enhanced through the use of an ultrasonic compactor.

A brain computer interface-based explorer.

PubMed

Bai, Lijuan; Yu, Tianyou; Li, Yuanqing

2015-04-15

In recent years, various applications of brain computer interfaces (BCIs) have been studied. In this paper, we present a hybrid BCI combining P300 and motor imagery to operate an explorer. Our system is mainly composed of a BCI mouse, a BCI speller and an explorer. Through this system, the user can access his computer and manipulate (open, close, copy, paste, and delete) files such as documents, pictures, music, movies and so on. The system has been tested with five subjects, and the experimental results show that the explorer can be successfully operated according to subjects' intentions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

76 FR 76978 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-12-09

... comparative visuals, and using vaguer language. This study is designed to apply the existing comparative... Effectiveness) studies designed to explore comparative effectiveness. When this large project is completed, FDA... Request; Experimental Study of Comparative Direct-to-Consumer Advertising AGENCY: Food and Drug...

Cognitive Synergy in Multimedia Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Daesang; Kim, Dong-Joong; Whang, Woo-Hyung

2013-01-01

The main focus of our study was to investigate multimedia effects that had different results from the findings of existing multimedia learning studies. First, we describe and summarize three experimental studies we conducted from 2006 to 2010. Then we analyze our findings to explore learner characteristics that may impact the cognitive processes…

Determining Studies Conducted upon Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using High-Tech Devices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eliçin, Özge; Kaya, Ali

2017-01-01

This study explores 67 experimental research articles written about children with Autism Spectrum Disorder using high-tech devices. The studies in this research were accessed through EBSCO, Academic Search Complete, ERIC, and Uludag University online search engines using keywords such as "autism and technology", "autism and…

Issues and recent advances in optimal experimental design for site investigation (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nowak, W.

2013-12-01

This presentation provides an overview over issues and recent advances in model-based experimental design for site exploration. The addressed issues and advances are (1) how to provide an adequate envelope to prior uncertainty, (2) how to define the information needs in a task-oriented manner, (3) how to measure the expected impact of a data set that it not yet available but only planned to be collected, and (4) how to perform best the optimization of the data collection plan. Among other shortcomings of the state-of-the-art, it is identified that there is a lack of demonstrator studies where exploration schemes based on expert judgment are compared to exploration schemes obtained by optimal experimental design. Such studies will be necessary do address the often voiced concern that experimental design is an academic exercise with little improvement potential over the well- trained gut feeling of field experts. When addressing this concern, a specific focus has to be given to uncertainty in model structure, parameterizations and parameter values, and to related surprises that data often bring about in field studies, but never in synthetic-data based studies. The background of this concern is that, initially, conceptual uncertainty may be so large that surprises are the rule rather than the exception. In such situations, field experts have a large body of experience in handling the surprises, and expert judgment may be good enough compared to meticulous optimization based on a model that is about to be falsified by the incoming data. In order to meet surprises accordingly and adapt to them, there needs to be a sufficient representation of conceptual uncertainty within the models used. Also, it is useless to optimize an entire design under this initial range of uncertainty. Thus, the goal setting of the optimization should include the objective to reduce conceptual uncertainty. A possible way out is to upgrade experimental design theory towards real-time interaction with the ongoing site investigation, such that surprises in the data are immediately accounted for to restrict the conceptual uncertainty and update the optimization of the plan.

76 FR 25674 - Notice of Submission for OMB Review

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-05

... for the rigorous comparative interrupted time series design including student records data collection...- experimental designs to explore the relationship between magnet programs and student achievement both for... this study. An OMB clearance request that (1) described the study design and full data collection...

Experimental and clinical usefulness of crossmodal paradigms in psychiatry: an illustration from emotional processing in alcohol-dependence

PubMed Central

Maurage, Pierre; Campanella, Salvatore

2013-01-01

Crossmodal processing (i.e., the construction of a unified representation stemming from distinct sensorial modalities inputs) constitutes a crucial ability in humans' everyday life. It has been extensively explored at cognitive and cerebral levels during the last decade among healthy controls. Paradoxically however, and while difficulties to perform this integrative process have been suggested in a large range of psychopathological states (e.g., schizophrenia and autism), these crossmodal paradigms have been very rarely used in the exploration of psychiatric populations. The main aim of the present paper is thus to underline the experimental and clinical usefulness of exploring crossmodal processes in psychiatry. We will illustrate this proposal by means of the recent data obtained in the crossmodal exploration of emotional alterations in alcohol-dependence. Indeed, emotional decoding impairments might have a role in the development and maintenance of alcohol-dependence, and have been extensively investigated by means of experiments using separated visual or auditory stimulations. Besides these unimodal explorations, we have recently conducted several studies using audio-visual crossmodal paradigms, which has allowed us to improve the ecological validity of the unimodal experimental designs and to offer new insights on the emotional alterations among alcohol-dependent individuals. We will show how these preliminary results can be extended to develop a coherent and ambitious research program using crossmodal designs in various psychiatric populations and sensory modalities. We will finally end the paper by underlining the various potential clinical applications and the fundamental implications that can be raised by this emerging project. PMID:23898250

Experimental strategies for imaging bioparticles with femtosecond hard X-ray pulses

DOE Data Explorer

Daurer, Benedikt, J.

2016-12-09

Facilitating the very short and intense pulses from an X-ray laser for the purpose of imaging small bioparticles carries the potential for structure determination at atomic resolution without the need for crystallization. In this study, we explore experimental strategies for this idea based on data collected at the Linac Coherent Light Source from 40 nm virus particles injected into a hard X-ray beam.

Newspapers in Science Education: A Study Involving Sixth Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ching-San; Wang, Yun-Fei

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the learning performance of sixth grade elementary school students using newspapers in science teaching. A quasi-experimental design with a single group was used in this study. Thirty-three sixth grade elementary school students participated in this study. The research instruments consisted of three…

Examining the effects of technology-infused issue investigations on high school students' environmental and ocean literacies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plankis, Brian J.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of technology-infused issue investigations on high school students' environmental and ocean literacies. This study explored the effects of a new educational enrichment program termed Connecting the Ocean, Reefs, Aquariums, Literacy, and Stewardship (CORALS) on high school science students. The study utilized a mixed methods approach combining a quantitative quasi-experimental pre-post test design with qualitative case studies. The CORALS program is a new educational program that combines materials based on the Investigating and Evaluating Environmental Issues and Actions (IEEIA) curriculum program with the digital storytelling process. Over an 18-week period four high school science teachers and their approximately 169 students investigated environmental issues impacting coral reefs through the IEEIA framework. An additional approximately 224 students, taught by the same teachers, were the control group exposed to standard curriculum. Students' environmental literacy was measured through the Secondary School Environmental Literacy Instrument (SSELI) and students' ocean literacy was measured through the Students' Ocean Literacy Viewpoints and Engagement (SOLVE) instrument. Two classrooms were selected as case studies and examined through classroom observations and student and teacher interviews. The results indicated the CORALS program increased the knowledge of ecological principles, knowledge of environmental problems/issues, and environmental attitudes components of environmental literacy for the experimental group students. For ocean literacy, the experimental group students' scores increased for knowledge of ocean literacy principles, ability to identify oceanic environmental problems, and attitudes concerning the ocean. The SSELI measure of Responsible Environmental Behaviors (REB) was found to be significant for the interaction of teacher and class type (experimental or control). The students for Teachers A and B reported a statistically significant increase in the self-reported REB subscales of ecomanagement and consumer/economic action. This indicates the students reported an increase in the REBs they could change within their lifestyles. This study provides baseline data in an area where few quality studies exist to date. Recommendations for practice and administration of the research study instruments are explored. Recommendations for further research include CORALS program modifications, revising the instruments utilized, and what areas of students' environmental and ocean literacies warrant further exploration.

77 FR 59211 - Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities; Proposed Incidental Harassment...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-09-26

... Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) for authorization under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.... Studies of the effects of experimentally produced noise associated with oil and gas exploration and...

76 FR 10573 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-25

... study will use quasi- experimental designs to explore the relationship between magnet programs and... that (1) described the study design and full data collection activities and (2) requested approval for... associated with the fourth and fifth year of data collection necessary for the rigorous comparative...

Origin of chemoselectivity in N-heterocyclic carbene catalyzed cross-benzoin reactions: DFT and experimental insights.

PubMed

Langdon, Steven M; Legault, Claude Y; Gravel, Michel

2015-04-03

An exploration into the origin of chemoselectivity in the NHC-catalyzed cross-benzoin reaction reveals several key factors governing the preferred pathway. In the first computational study to explore the cross-benzoin reaction, a piperidinone-derived triazolium catalyst produces kinetically controlled chemoselectivity. This is supported by (1)H NMR studies as well as a series of crossover experiments. Major contributors include the rapid and preferential formation of an NHC adduct with alkyl aldehydes, a rate-limiting carbon-carbon bond formation step benefiting from a stabilizing π-stacking/π-cation interaction, and steric penalties paid by competing pathways. The energy profile for the analogous pyrrolidinone-derived catalyst was found to be remarkably similar, despite experimental data showing that it is less chemoselective. The chemoselectivity could not be improved through kinetic control; however, equilibrating conditions show substantial preference for the same cross-benzoin product kinetically favored by the piperidinone-derived catalyst.

Determine Important Nuclear Fragmentation Processes for Space Radiation Protection in Human Space Explorations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Zi-wei

2004-01-01

Space radiation from cosmic ray particles is one of the main challenges for long-term human space explorations such as a permanent moon base or a trip to Mars. Material shielding may provide significant radiation protection to astronauts, and models have been developed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of different shielding materials and to predict radiation environment inside the spacecraft. In this study we determine the nuclear fragmentation cross sections which will most effect the radiation risk behind typical radiation shielding materials. These cross sections thus need more theoretical studies and accurate experimental measurements in order for us to more precisely predict the radiation risk in human space explorations.

Determine Important Nuclear Fragmentation Processes for Space Radiation Protection in Human Space Explorations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Zi-Wei

2004-01-01

Space radiation from cosmic ray particles is one of the main challenges for long-term human space explorations such as a permanent moon base or a trip to Mars. Material shielding may provide significant radiation protection to astronauts, and models have been developed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of different shielding materials and to predict radiation environment inside the spacecraft. In this study we determine the nuclear fragmentation cross sections which will most affect the radiation risk behind typical radiation shielding materials. These cross sections thus need more theoretical studies and accurate experimental measurements in order for us to more precisely predict the radiation risk in human space exploration.

Determine Important Nuclear Fragmentation Processes for Space Radiation Protection in Human Space Explorations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Zi-Wei

2004-01-01

Space radiation from cosmic ray particles is one of the main challenges for long-term human space explorations such as a permanent moon base or a trip to Mars. Material shielding may provide significant radiation protection to astronauts, and models have been developed in order to evaluate the effectiveness of different shielding materials and to predict radiation environment inside the spacecraft. In this study we determine the nuclear fragmentation cross sections which will most affect the radiation risk behind typical radiation shielding materials. These cross sections thus need more theoretical studies and accurate experimental measurements in order for us to more precisely predict the radiation risk in human space explorations.

Diagnostic techniques in deflagration and detonation studies.

PubMed

Proud, William G; Williamson, David M; Field, John E; Walley, Stephen M

2015-12-01

Advances in experimental, high-speed techniques can be used to explore the processes occurring within energetic materials. This review describes techniques used to study a wide range of processes: hot-spot formation, ignition thresholds, deflagration, sensitivity and finally the detonation process. As this is a wide field the focus will be on small-scale experiments and quantitative studies. It is important that such studies are linked to predictive models, which inform the experimental design process. The stimuli range includes, thermal ignition, drop-weight, Hopkinson Bar and Plate Impact studies. Studies made with inert simulants are also included as these are important in differentiating between reactive response and purely mechanical behaviour.

The effectiveness of snow cube throwing learning model based on exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sari, Nenden Mutiara

2017-08-01

This study aimed to know the effectiveness of Snow Cube Throwing (SCT) and Cooperative Model in Exploration-Based Math Learning in terms of the time required to complete the teaching materials and student engagement. This study was quasi-experimental research was conducted at SMPN 5 Cimahi, Indonesia. All student in grade VIII SMPN 5 Cimahi which consists of 382 students is used as population. The sample consists of two classes which had been chosen randomly with purposive sampling. First experiment class consists of 38 students and the second experiment class consists of 38 students. Observation sheet was used to observe the time required to complete the teaching materials and record the number of students involved in each meeting. The data obtained was analyzed by independent sample-t test and used the chart. The results of this study: SCT learning model based on exploration are more effective than cooperative learning models based on exploration in terms of the time required to complete teaching materials based on exploration and student engagement.

Experimental palaeobiomechanics: What can engineering tell us about evolution in deep time?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anderson, Philip

2016-04-01

What did Tyrannosaurus rex eat? This is the sort of question that immediately bombards any palaeontologist when interacting with the general public. Even among scientists, how extinct animals moved or fed is a major objective of the palaeobiological research agenda. The last decade has seen a sharp increase in the technology and experimental methods available for collecting biomechanical data, which has greatly improved out ability to examine the function of both live and extinct animals. With new technologies and methods come new pitfalls and opportunities. In this review, I address three aspects of experimental biomechanics that exemplify the challenges and opportunities it provides for addressing deep-time problems in palaeontology. 1) Interpretation: It has never been easier to acquire large amounts of high-quality biomechanical data on extinct animals. However, the lack of behavioural information means that interpreting this data can be problematic. We will never know precisely what a dinosaur ate, but we can explore what constraints there might have been on the mechanical function of its jaws. Palaeobiomechanics defines potential function and becomes especially effective when dealing with multiple examples. 2) Comparison: Understanding the potential function of one extinct animal is interesting; however, examining mechanical features across multiple taxa allows for a greater understanding of biomechanical variation. Comparative studies help identify common trends and underlying mechanical principles which can have long reaching influences on morphological evolution. 3) Evolution: The physical principles established through comparative biomechanical studies can be utilized in phylogenetic comparative methods in order to explore evolutionary morphology across clades. Comparative evolutionary biomechanics offers potential for exploring the evolution of functional systems in deep time utilizing experimental biomechanical data.

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

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostovar-Namaghi, Seyyed Ali; Safaee, Seyyed Esmail

2017-01-01

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

Gaming Geography: Educational Games and Literacy Development in the Grade 4 Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lotherington, Heather; Ronda, Natalia Sinitskaya

2009-01-01

This paper outlines a case study conducted in two public schools in the greater Toronto area as a complementary component of a multisite experimental study exploring educational game development as a learning activity for motivating and engaging students in curriculum-related literacy activities (Owston et al., 2007). Researchers studied children…

Effectiveness of Using Graphic Illustrations with Social Studies Textual Materials. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, O. L., Jr.

This study explores the effectiveness of using graphic illustrations with written text in promoting learning in social studies by junior high students. Two groups of experimental reading materials, one group composed of three narratives with related graphic illustrations and the other composed of three narratives alone, were prepared and…

Exploring the Interplay between Rescue Drugs, Data Imputation, and Study Outcomes: Conceptual Review and Qualitative Analysis of an Acute Pain Data Set.

PubMed

Singla, Neil K; Meske, Diana S; Desjardins, Paul J

2017-12-01

In placebo-controlled acute surgical pain studies, provisions must be made for study subjects to receive adequate analgesic therapy. As such, most protocols allow study subjects to receive a pre-specified regimen of open-label analgesic drugs (rescue drugs) as needed. The selection of an appropriate rescue regimen is a critical experimental design choice. We hypothesized that a rescue regimen that is too liberal could lead to all study arms receiving similar levels of pain relief (thereby confounding experimental results), while a regimen that is too stringent could lead to a high subject dropout rate (giving rise to a preponderance of missing data). Despite the importance of rescue regimen as a study design feature, there exist no published review articles or meta-analysis focusing on the impact of rescue therapy on experimental outcomes. Therefore, when selecting a rescue regimen, researchers must rely on clinical factors (what analgesics do patients usually receive in similar surgical scenarios) and/or anecdotal evidence. In the following article, we attempt to bridge this gap by reviewing and discussing the experimental impacts of rescue therapy on a common acute surgical pain population: first metatarsal bunionectomy. The function of this analysis is to (1) create a framework for discussion and future exploration of rescue as a methodological study design feature, (2) discuss the interplay between data imputation techniques and rescue drugs, and (3) inform the readership regarding the impact of data imputation techniques on the validity of study conclusions. Our findings indicate that liberal rescue may degrade assay sensitivity, while stringent rescue may lead to unacceptably high dropout rates.

Modeling, construction and experimental validation of actuated rolling dynamics of the cylindrical Transforming Roving-Rolling Explorer (TRREx)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edwin, L.; Mazzoleni, A.; Gemmer, T.; Ferguson, S.

2017-03-01

Planetary surface exploration technology over the past few years has seen significant advancements on multiple fronts. Robotic exploration platforms are becoming more sophisticated and capable of embarking on more challenging missions. More unconventional designs, particularly transforming architectures that have multiple modes of locomotion, are being studied. This work explores the capabilities of one such novel transforming rover called the Transforming Roving-Rolling Explorer (TRREx). Biologically inspired by the armadillo and the golden-wheel spider, the TRREx has two modes of locomotion: it can traverse on six wheels like a conventional rover on benign terrain, but can transform into a sphere when necessary to negotiate steep rugged slopes. The ability to self-propel in the spherical configuration, even in the absence of a negative gradient, increases the TRREx's versatility and its concept value. This paper describes construction and testing of a prototype cylindrical TRREx that demonstrates that "actuated rolling" can be achieved, and also presents a dynamic model of this prototype version of the TRREx that can be used to investigate the feasibility and value of such self-propelled locomotion. Finally, we present results that validate our dynamic model by comparing results from computer simulations made using the dynamic model to experimental results acquired from test runs using the prototype.

Effects of Collaborative Online Learning on EFL Learners' Writing Performance and Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tai, Hung-Cheng

2016-01-01

This study explored the effects of collaborative writing instruction on undergraduate nursing students' writing performance and self-efficacy beliefs within an online learning system. A single-group experimental study utilized two instruments, the NCEEC (National College Entrance Examination Center) writing grading criteria (the SRCT) and a…

Determining Students' Attitude towards Physics through Problem-Solving Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Erdemir, Naki

2009-01-01

In this study, the effects of teacher-directed and self-directed problem-solving strategies on students' attitudes toward physics were explored. Problem-solving strategies were used with the experimental group, while the control group was instructed using traditional teaching methods. The study was conducted with 270 students at various high…

The Sustainability of a Teacher Professional Development Programme for Beginning Urban Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gaikhorst, Lisa; Beishuizen, Jos J. J.; Zijlstra, Bonne J. H.; Volman, Monique L. L.

2017-01-01

This study investigated the long-term effects of a professional development intervention for beginning urban teachers and explored which characteristics and activities in school organisations contributed to the sustainability of these effects. A quasi-experimental study (n = 72) investigated whether the positive effects of the programme were…

Nursing Students' Perceptions of Bullying Behaviours by Classmates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cooper, Janet R. M.; Walker, Jean T.; Winters, Karen; Williams, P. Renee; Askew, Rebecca; Robinson, Jennifer C.

2009-01-01

The purpose of this non-experimental descriptive study was to explore types, sources, and frequency of bullying behaviours that nursing students experience while in nursing school. The study also evaluated resources utilised by nursing students to cope with these bullying behaviours. Six hundred thirty-six participants completed the…

Aeronautical Science Course of Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southbay Union High School District, Redondo Beach, CA.

This revision of "Aeronautical Science Course of Study for California High Schools," first issued in 1967, is designed by and for the use of teachers of high school aeronautical courses. It differs from other aeronautical instructional materials in its emphasis on inquiry, exploration, and open-ended experimentation. The eleven units may be used…

Particle in a Disk: A Spectroscopic and Computational Laboratory Exercise Studying the Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Corannulene

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Frey, E. Ramsey; Sygula, Andrzej; Hammer, Nathan I.

2014-01-01

This laboratory exercise introduces undergraduate chemistry majors to the spectroscopic and theoretical study of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), corannulene. Students explore the spectroscopic properties of corannulene using UV-vis and Raman vibrational spectroscopies. They compare their experimental results to simulated vibrational…

Simulation and the Development of Clinical Judgment: A Quantitative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holland, Susan

2015-01-01

The purpose of this quantitative pretest posttest quasi-experimental research study was to explore the effect of the NESD on clinical judgment in associate degree nursing students and compare the differences between groups when the Nursing Education Simulation Design (NESD) guided simulation in order to identify educational strategies promoting…

Reducing Plagiarism by Using Online Software: An Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kose, Ozgur; Arikan, Arda

2011-01-01

This action research attempts to explore the perceptions of Turkish university students on plagiarism while evaluating the effectiveness of an online application used to deter plagiarism. The participants were 40 first year university students studying in two different sections of an academic writing class. The findings show that the participants…

Statistical analysis and application of quasi experiments to antimicrobial resistance intervention studies.

PubMed

Shardell, Michelle; Harris, Anthony D; El-Kamary, Samer S; Furuno, Jon P; Miller, Ram R; Perencevich, Eli N

2007-10-01

Quasi-experimental study designs are frequently used to assess interventions that aim to limit the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant pathogens. However, previous studies using these designs have often used suboptimal statistical methods, which may result in researchers making spurious conclusions. Methods used to analyze quasi-experimental data include 2-group tests, regression analysis, and time-series analysis, and they all have specific assumptions, data requirements, strengths, and limitations. An example of a hospital-based intervention to reduce methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection rates and reduce overall length of stay is used to explore these methods.

Development of a Nano-Satellite Micro-Coupling Mechanism with Characterization of a Shape Memory Alloy Interference Joint

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-12-01

satellite incorporation are explored by assembly and experimentation. Research on pseudoelastic material properties , analytical predictions, and...are explored by assembly and experimentation. Research on pseudoelastic material properties , analytical predictions, and tests of coupling strengths...20  Table 2.  Material Properties Used in Micro-Coupling Predicted Strength Calculations

Opening Possibilities in Experimental Science and Its History: Critical Explorations with Pendulums and Singing Tubes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavicchi, Elizabeth

2008-01-01

A teacher and a college student explore experimental science and its history by reading historical texts, and responding with replications and experiments of their own. A curriculum of ever-widening possibilities evolves in their ongoing interactions with each other, history, and such materials as pendulums, flame, and resonant singing tubes.…

Two Studies of Complex Nonlinear Systems: Engineered Granular Crystals and Coarse-Graining Optimization Problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pozharskiy, Dmitry

In recent years a nonlinear, acoustic metamaterial, named granular crystals, has gained prominence due to its high accessibility, both experimentally and computationally. The observation of a wide range of dynamical phenomena in the system, due to its inherent nonlinearities, has suggested its importance in many engineering applications related to wave propagation. In the first part of this dissertation, we explore the nonlinear dynamics of damped-driven granular crystals. In one case, we consider a highly nonlinear setting, also known as a sonic vacuum, and derive a nonlinear analogue of a linear spectrum, corresponding to resonant periodic propagation and antiresonances. Experimental studies confirm the computational findings and the assimilation of experimental data into a numerical model is demonstrated. In the second case, global bifurcations in a precompressed granular crystal are examined, and their involvement in the appearance of chaotic dynamics is demonstrated. Both results highlight the importance of exploring the nonlinear dynamics, to gain insight into how a granular crystal responds to different external excitations. In the second part, we borrow established ideas from coarse-graining of dynamical systems, and extend them to optimization problems. We combine manifold learning algorithms, such as Diffusion Maps, with stochastic optimization methods, such as Simulated Annealing, and show that we can retrieve an ensemble, of few, important parameters that should be explored in detail. This framework can lead to acceleration of convergence when dealing with complex, high-dimensional optimization, and could potentially be applied to design engineered granular crystals.

A Systematic Review of Experimental Paradigms for Exploring Biased Interpretation of Ambiguous Information with Emotional and Neutral Associations.

PubMed

Schoth, Daniel E; Liossi, Christina

2017-01-01

Interpretation biases have been extensively explored in a range of populations, including patients with anxiety and depressive disorders where they have been argued to influence the onset and maintenance of such conditions. Other populations in which interpretation biases have been explored include patients with chronic pain, anorexia nervosa, and alcohol dependency among others, although this literature is more limited. In this research, stimuli with threatening/emotional and neutral meanings are presented, with participant responses indicative of ambiguity resolution. A large number of paradigms have been designed and implemented in the exploration of interpretation biases, some varying in minor features only. This article provides a review of experimental paradigms available for exploring interpretation biases, with the aim to stimulate and inform the design of future research exploring cognitive biases across a range of populations. A systematic search of the experimental literature was conducted in Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases. Search terms were information, stimuli , and ambiguous intersected with the terms interpretation and bias * . Forty-five paradigms were found, categorized into those using ambiguous words, ambiguous images, and ambiguous scenarios. The key features, strengths and limitations of the paradigms identified are discussed.

Experimental study of isolas in nonlinear systems featuring modal interactions

PubMed Central

Noël, Jean-Philippe; Virgin, Lawrence N.; Kerschen, Gaëtan

2018-01-01

The objective of the present paper is to provide experimental evidence of isolated resonances in the frequency response of nonlinear mechanical systems. More specifically, this work explores the presence of isolas, which are periodic solutions detached from the main frequency response, in the case of a nonlinear set-up consisting of two masses sliding on a horizontal guide. A careful experimental investigation of isolas is carried out using responses to swept-sine and stepped-sine excitations. The experimental findings are validated with advanced numerical simulations combining nonlinear modal analysis and bifurcation monitoring. In particular, the interactions between two nonlinear normal modes are shown to be responsible for the creation of the isolas. PMID:29584758

New media simulation stories in nursing education: a quasi-experimental study exploring learning outcomes.

PubMed

Webb-Corbett, Robin; Schwartz, Melissa Renee; Green, Bob; Sessoms, Andrea; Swanson, Melvin

2013-04-01

New media simulation stories are short multimedia presentations that combine simulation, digital technology, and story branching to depict a variety of healthcare-related scenarios. The purpose of this study was to explore whether learning outcomes were enhanced if students viewed the results of both correct and incorrect nursing actions demonstrated through new media simulation stories. A convenience sample of 109 undergraduate nursing students in a family-centered maternity course participated in the study. Study findings suggests that students who viewed both correct and incorrect depictions of maternity nursing actions scored better on tests than did those students who viewed only correct nursing actions.

The bead on a rotating hoop revisited: an unexpected resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raviola, Lisandro A.; Véliz, Maximiliano E.; Salomone, Horacio D.; Olivieri, Néstor A.; Rodríguez, Eduardo E.

2017-01-01

The bead on a rotating hoop is a typical problem in mechanics, frequently posed to junior science and engineering students in basic physics courses. Although this system has a rich dynamics, it is usually not analysed beyond the point particle approximation in undergraduate textbooks, nor empirically investigated. Advanced textbooks show the existence of bifurcations owing to the system's nonlinear nature, and some papers demonstrate, from a theoretical standpoint, its points of contact with phase transition phenomena. However, scarce experimental research has been conducted to better understand its behaviour. We show in this paper that a minor modification to the problem leads to appealing consequences that can be studied both theoretically and empirically with the basic conceptual tools and experimental skills available to junior students. In particular, we go beyond the point particle approximation by treating the bead as a rigid spherical body, and explore the effect of a slightly non-vertical hoop's rotation axis that gives rise to a resonant behaviour not considered in previous works. This study can be accomplished by means of digital video and open source software. The experience can motivate an engaging laboratory project by integrating standard curriculum topics, data analysis and experimental exploration.

High potential for formation and persistence of chimeras following aggregated larval settlement in the broadcast spawning coral, Acropora millepora

PubMed Central

Puill-Stephan, E.; van Oppen, M. J. H.; Pichavant-Rafini, K.; Willis, B. L.

2012-01-01

In sessile modular marine invertebrates, chimeras can originate from fusions of closely settling larvae or of colonies that come into contact through growth or movement. While it has been shown that juveniles of brooding corals fuse under experimental conditions, chimera formation in broadcast spawning corals, the most abundant group of reef corals, has not been examined. This study explores the capacity of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora to form chimeras under experimental conditions and to persist as chimeras in the field. Under experimental conditions, 1.5-fold more larvae settled in aggregations than solitarily, and analyses of nine microsatellite loci revealed that 50 per cent of juveniles tested harboured different genotypes within the same colony. Significantly, some chimeric colonies persisted for 23 months post-settlement, when the study ended. Genotypes within persisting chimeric colonies all showed a high level of relatedness, whereas rejecting colonies displayed variable levels of relatedness. The nearly threefold greater sizes of chimeras compared with solitary juveniles, from settlement through to at least three months, suggest that chimerism is likely to be an important strategy for maximizing survival of vulnerable early life-history stages of corals, although longer-term studies are required to more fully explore the potential benefits of chimerism. PMID:21752820

High potential for formation and persistence of chimeras following aggregated larval settlement in the broadcast spawning coral, Acropora millepora.

PubMed

Puill-Stephan, E; van Oppen, M J H; Pichavant-Rafini, K; Willis, B L

2012-02-22

In sessile modular marine invertebrates, chimeras can originate from fusions of closely settling larvae or of colonies that come into contact through growth or movement. While it has been shown that juveniles of brooding corals fuse under experimental conditions, chimera formation in broadcast spawning corals, the most abundant group of reef corals, has not been examined. This study explores the capacity of the broadcast spawning coral Acropora millepora to form chimeras under experimental conditions and to persist as chimeras in the field. Under experimental conditions, 1.5-fold more larvae settled in aggregations than solitarily, and analyses of nine microsatellite loci revealed that 50 per cent of juveniles tested harboured different genotypes within the same colony. Significantly, some chimeric colonies persisted for 23 months post-settlement, when the study ended. Genotypes within persisting chimeric colonies all showed a high level of relatedness, whereas rejecting colonies displayed variable levels of relatedness. The nearly threefold greater sizes of chimeras compared with solitary juveniles, from settlement through to at least three months, suggest that chimerism is likely to be an important strategy for maximizing survival of vulnerable early life-history stages of corals, although longer-term studies are required to more fully explore the potential benefits of chimerism.

Exploring the Technical Expression of Academic Knowledge: The Science-in-CTE Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pearson, Donna; Young, R. Brent; Richardson, George B.

2013-01-01

The Science-in-CTE pilot study tested a curriculum integration model that enhanced the science that oc-curs in CTE curricula. The study replicated the National Research Center for Career and Technical Ed-ucation's (NRCCTE) Math-in-CTE experimental research design (Stone, Alfeld, & Pearson, 2008) with applied science in secondary agricultural…

A Study of Fifth Graders' Environmental Learning Outcomes in Taipei

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lai, Ching-San

2018-01-01

Environmental education has recently received much more attention than before among elementary school students' science learning in Taiwan. The major purpose of this study is to explore the learning outcomes on environmental education for 5th graders in Taipei. A quasi-experimental design with a single group was used in this study. Students in the…

Enhancing Vocabulary and Writing Skills through Digital Storytelling in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tajeri, Mojtaba; Syal, Pushpinder; Marzban, Sanaz

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of using Digital Storytelling (DST) in language classes in higher education. The study also aims to explore the appropriate classroom activities which assist language teaching and learning. The thirteen-week study adopted a pretest and posttest quasi-experimental design involving a group of 20…

The Impact of WhatsApp Use on Success in Education Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cetinkaya, Levent

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of WhatsApp use for education and determine the opinions of students towards the process. The study was designed in mixed research model which combines both qualitative and quantitative data. In the quantitative aspect of the study, quasi-experimental design, with a pretest-posttest control…

The Effect of Environmental Science Projects on Students' Environmental Knowledge and Science Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Balushi, Sulaiman M.; Al-Aamri, Shamsa S.

2014-01-01

The current study explores the effectiveness of involving students in environmental science projects for their environmental knowledge and attitudes towards science. The study design is a quasi-experimental pre-post control group design. The sample was 62 11th-grade female students studying at a public school in Oman. The sample was divided into…

Task design influences prosociality in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).

PubMed

House, Bailey R; Silk, Joan B; Lambeth, Susan P; Schapiro, Steven J

2014-01-01

Chimpanzees confer benefits on group members, both in the wild and in captive populations. Experimental studies of how animals allocate resources can provide useful insights about the motivations underlying prosocial behavior, and understanding the relationship between task design and prosocial behavior provides an important foundation for future research exploring these animals' social preferences. A number of studies have been designed to assess chimpanzees' preferences for outcomes that benefit others (prosocial preferences), but these studies vary greatly in both the results obtained and the methods used, and in most cases employ procedures that reduce critical features of naturalistic social interactions, such as partner choice. The focus of the current study is on understanding the link between experimental methodology and prosocial behavior in captive chimpanzees, rather than on describing these animals' social motivations themselves. We introduce a task design that avoids isolating subjects and allows them to freely decide whether to participate in the experiment. We explore key elements of the methods utilized in previous experiments in an effort to evaluate two possibilities that have been offered to explain why different experimental designs produce different results: (a) chimpanzees are less likely to deliver food to others when they obtain food for themselves, and (b) evidence of prosociality may be obscured by more "complex" experimental apparatuses (e.g., those including more components or alternative choices). Our results suggest that the complexity of laboratory tasks may generate observed variation in prosocial behavior in laboratory experiments, and highlights the need for more naturalistic research designs while also providing one example of such a paradigm.

Task Design Influences Prosociality in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

PubMed Central

House, Bailey R.; Silk, Joan B.; Lambeth, Susan P.; Schapiro, Steven J.

2014-01-01

Chimpanzees confer benefits on group members, both in the wild and in captive populations. Experimental studies of how animals allocate resources can provide useful insights about the motivations underlying prosocial behavior, and understanding the relationship between task design and prosocial behavior provides an important foundation for future research exploring these animals' social preferences. A number of studies have been designed to assess chimpanzees' preferences for outcomes that benefit others (prosocial preferences), but these studies vary greatly in both the results obtained and the methods used, and in most cases employ procedures that reduce critical features of naturalistic social interactions, such as partner choice. The focus of the current study is on understanding the link between experimental methodology and prosocial behavior in captive chimpanzees, rather than on describing these animals' social motivations themselves. We introduce a task design that avoids isolating subjects and allows them to freely decide whether to participate in the experiment. We explore key elements of the methods utilized in previous experiments in an effort to evaluate two possibilities that have been offered to explain why different experimental designs produce different results: (a) chimpanzees are less likely to deliver food to others when they obtain food for themselves, and (b) evidence of prosociality may be obscured by more “complex” experimental apparatuses (e.g., those including more components or alternative choices). Our results suggest that the complexity of laboratory tasks may generate observed variation in prosocial behavior in laboratory experiments, and highlights the need for more naturalistic research designs while also providing one example of such a paradigm. PMID:25191860

Justifying scale type for a latent variable: Formative or reflective?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hao; Bahron, Arsiah; Bagul, Awangku Hassanal Bahar Pengiran

2015-12-01

The study attempted to explore the possibilities to create a procedure at the experimental level to double confirm whether manifest variables scale type is formative or reflective. Now, the criteria of making such a decision are heavily depended on researchers' judgment at the conceptual and operational level. The study created an experimental procedure that seems could double confirm the decisions from the conceptual and operational level judgments. The experimental procedure includes the following tests, Variance Inflation Factor (VIF), Tolerance (TOL), Ridge Regression, Cronbach's alpha, Dillon-Goldstein's rho, and first and second eigenvalue. The procedure considers manifest variables' both multicollinearity and consistency. As the result, the procedure received the same judgment with the carefully established decision making at the concept and operational level.

Health-Related Effects of Creative and Expressive Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lowe, Geoff

2006-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of some health-related effects of creative and expressive writing. Design/methodology/approach: Reviews some of the main research studies exploring links between expressive writing and aspects of health, including two new experimental studies showing effects of poetry on mood and immune…

The Impact of Using Audience Response Systems in the Classroom on Knowledge Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nice, Shelly

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the use of interactive learning technology in the classroom can impact knowledge retention among students as compared to classrooms where interactive learning technology was not utilized. Through a quasi-experimental design, the study explored non-cognitive factor relationships to knowledge…

Patterns of Autobiographical Memory in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crane, Laura; Pring, Linda; Jukes, Kaylee; Goddard, Lorna

2012-01-01

Two studies are presented that explored the effects of experimental manipulations on the quality and accessibility of autobiographical memories in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), relative to a typical comparison group matched for age, gender and IQ. Both studies found that the adults with ASD generated fewer specific memories than the…

The Impact of Systematic Feedback on Student Self-Esteem.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kearns, John

A controlled study investigated the impact of systematic praise techniques on 145 sixth-grade students' self-esteem. Eighty-five students comprised the experimental group, and 60 students made up the control group. The study was initiated in order to explore the link between self-esteem and academic achievement. The attempt to increase student…

Influences of Cultural Characteristics of Minority Students on Academic Choices at a Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newton, Anthony Daron

2012-01-01

This quantitative quasi experimental study compared and analyzed African American/black, Hispanic/Latino, and Caucasian/white American students' selection to enter a certificate, technical, or transferable degree program at a community college. This study explored the relationship between students' race/ethnicity and the students'…

Effect of Writing-to-Learn Strategy on Undergraduates' Conceptual Understanding of Electrostatics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Atasoy, Sengül

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the effect of Writing-to-Learn (WTL) strategy on undergraduates' conceptual understanding of electrostatics. The sample of the study was 54 university students registered at elementary school mathematics education department. While the experimental group was asked to conduct WTL activities like explanatory…

The Impact of Immigration on the Internal Processes and Developmental Tasks of Emerging Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Sophie; Shulman, Shmuel; Feldman, Benny; Maurer, Offer

2005-01-01

This study examines the experience of emerging adult immigrants, a group simultaneously attempting to navigate the developmental period of exploration and experimentation of emerging adulthood, together with the need for re-organization of the self, following immigration. In this study, in-depth interviews were conducted, with 41 emerging adult…

Teacher-Guided Interactive Multimedia for Teaching English in an EFL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Roland; Jenks, Michael

2009-01-01

This quasi-experimental study explored the effect of a "Teacher Guided Multimedia" CD-ROM program as a supplement in teaching vocabulary acquisition to EFL students. Eighty seven juniors in the Food and Beverage Management Department at Yuanpei University in northern Taiwan participated in the study. Students from two intact classes were…

Exploring excitonic signal in optical conductivity of ZnO through first-order electron-hole vertex correction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khoirunnisa, Humaira; Aziz Majidi, Muhammad

2018-04-01

The emergence of exitonic signal in the optical response of a wide band-gap semiconductor has been a common knowledge in physics. There have been numerous experimental studies exploring the important role of excitons on influencing both the transport and optical properties of the materials. Despite the existence of much information on excitonic effects, there has not been much literature that explores detailed theoretical explanation on how the exitonic signal appears and how it evolves with temperature. Here, we propose a theoretical study on the optical conductivity of ZnO, a well-known wide band-gap semiconductor that we choose as a case study. ZnO has been known to exhibit excitonic states in its optical spectra in the energy range of ∼3.13-3.41 eV, with a high exciton binding energy of ∼60 meV. An experimental study on ZnO in 2014 revealed such a signal in its optical conductivity spectrum. We present a theoretical investigation on the appearance of excitonic signal in optical conductivity of ZnO. We model the wurtzite ZnO within an 8-band k.p approximation. We calculate the optical conductivity by incorporating the first-order vertex correction derived from the Feynman diagrams. Our calculation up to the first-order correction spectrum qualitatively confirms the existence of excitons in wurtzite ZnO.

Exploring Chaos: A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nemirovsky, Ricardo; Tinker, Robert

1993-01-01

Describes software, hardware, and devices that were designed to provide students with an environment to experiment with basic ideas of mechanics, including nonlinear dynamics. Examines the behavior of a Lorenzian water wheel by comparing experimental data with theoretical results obtained from computer-based sensors. (MDH)

Identifying the Linkages Between Microbial Activity and Gas Flux of Subaerial Volcanic Environments: A Guide to Exploring Magmatic Planets and Moons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miller, H. A.; Lopez, T. M.; Fischer, T. P.; Schrenk, M. O.

2017-11-01

Promising contemporary analogs of habitable environments are fumaroles associated with active volcanism. Experimental studies linking sediments, microbes, and volatile outgassing may lead to new bio- or geosignatures of habitability.

The Impact of Intervention Methods on Emotional Intelligence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Christopher M.

2013-01-01

This experimental study continued the exploration surrounding emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence was examined through past and present literature, instrumentation, didactic teaching methods employing EI concepts, and data analysis. The experiment involved participants from two sections of an undergraduate economics class at a…

75 FR 4053 - Notice of Proposed Information Collection Requests

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-26

... important student outcomes. The study will use quasi-experimental designs to explore the relationship... student records data, principal surveys, and project director interviews. The U.S. Department of Education... Magnet Schools Assistance Program (MSAP) supported magnet schools are associated with improved student...

Advanced Computing for Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hut, Piet; Sussman, Gerald Jay

1987-01-01

Discusses some of the contributions that high-speed computing is making to the study of science. Emphasizes the use of computers in exploring complicated systems without the simplification required in traditional methods of observation and experimentation. Provides examples of computer assisted investigations in astronomy and physics. (TW)

A Review of the Experimental and Modeling Development of a Water Phase Change Heat Exchanger for Future Exploration Support Vehicles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cognata, Thomas; Leimkuehler, Thomas; Ramaswamy, Balasubramaniam; Nayagam, Vedha; Hasan, Mohammad; Stephan, Ryan

2011-01-01

Water affords manifold benefits for human space exploration. Its properties make it useful for the storage of thermal energy as a Phase Change Material (PCM) in thermal control systems, in radiation shielding against Solar Particle Events (SPE) for the protection of crew members, and it is indisputably necessary for human life support. This paper envisions a single application for water which addresses these benefits for future exploration support vehicles and it describes recent experimental and modeling work that has been performed in order to arrive at a description of the thermal behavior of such a system. Experimental units have been developed and tested which permit the evaluation of the many parameters of design for such a system with emphasis on the latent energy content, temperature rise, mass, and interstitial material geometry. The experimental results are used to develop a robust and well correlated model which is intended to guide future design efforts toward the multi-purposed water PCM heat exchanger envisioned.

Explorations in Statistics: Permutation Methods

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Curran-Everett, Douglas

2012-01-01

Learning about statistics is a lot like learning about science: the learning is more meaningful if you can actively explore. This eighth installment of "Explorations in Statistics" explores permutation methods, empiric procedures we can use to assess an experimental result--to test a null hypothesis--when we are reluctant to trust statistical…

A Systematic Review of Experimental Paradigms for Exploring Biased Interpretation of Ambiguous Information with Emotional and Neutral Associations

PubMed Central

Schoth, Daniel E.; Liossi, Christina

2017-01-01

Interpretation biases have been extensively explored in a range of populations, including patients with anxiety and depressive disorders where they have been argued to influence the onset and maintenance of such conditions. Other populations in which interpretation biases have been explored include patients with chronic pain, anorexia nervosa, and alcohol dependency among others, although this literature is more limited. In this research, stimuli with threatening/emotional and neutral meanings are presented, with participant responses indicative of ambiguity resolution. A large number of paradigms have been designed and implemented in the exploration of interpretation biases, some varying in minor features only. This article provides a review of experimental paradigms available for exploring interpretation biases, with the aim to stimulate and inform the design of future research exploring cognitive biases across a range of populations. A systematic search of the experimental literature was conducted in Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library databases. Search terms were information, stimuli, and ambiguous intersected with the terms interpretation and bias*. Forty-five paradigms were found, categorized into those using ambiguous words, ambiguous images, and ambiguous scenarios. The key features, strengths and limitations of the paradigms identified are discussed. PMID:28232813

Two-Channel Kondo Effect in a Modified Single Electron Transistor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oreg, Yuval; Goldhaber-Gordon, David

2003-04-01

We suggest a simple system of two electron droplets which should display two-channel Kondo behavior at experimentally accessible temperatures. Stabilization of the two-channel Kondo fixed point requires fine control of the electrochemical potential in each droplet, which can be achieved by adjusting voltages on nearby gate electrodes. We study the conditions for obtaining this type of two-channel Kondo behavior, discuss the experimentally observable consequences, and explore the gener­alization to the multichannel Kondo case.

Modeling Hofmeister Effects

PubMed Central

Hribar-Lee, Barbara; Vlachy, Vojko; Dill, Ken A.

2009-01-01

A two dimensional model of water, so-called Mercedes-Benz model, was used to study effects of the size of hydrophobic solute on the insertion thermodynamics in electrolyte solutions. The model was examined by the constant pressure Monte Carlo computer simulation. The results were compared with the experimental data for noble gasses and methane in water and electrolyte solution. The influence of different ions at infinite dilution on the free energy of transfer was explored. Qualitative agreement with the experimental results was obtained. The mechanism of Hofmeister effects was proposed. PMID:20161468

Modeling Hofmeister Effects.

PubMed

Hribar-Lee, Barbara; Vlachy, Vojko; Dill, Ken A

2009-03-11

A two dimensional model of water, so-called Mercedes-Benz model, was used to study effects of the size of hydrophobic solute on the insertion thermodynamics in electrolyte solutions. The model was examined by the constant pressure Monte Carlo computer simulation. The results were compared with the experimental data for noble gasses and methane in water and electrolyte solution. The influence of different ions at infinite dilution on the free energy of transfer was explored. Qualitative agreement with the experimental results was obtained. The mechanism of Hofmeister effects was proposed.

Similarity, Self-Esteem and Reactions to Aid in a Simulated Decision Making Task.

DTIC Science & Technology

esteem - low self esteem recipients were the three experimental factors. The effect of these experimental variables on the recipients self -perceptions...The study explored the effects of the overall similarity between donor and recipient of resistance and the recipient’s level of self - esteem on his...reactions to being helped. A 2 x 2 x 2 factorial between subjects design was employed in which aid-no aid, similar donor-dissimilar donor and high self

The isobaric heat capacity of liquid water at low temperatures and high pressures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troncoso, Jacobo

2017-08-01

Isobaric heat capacity for water shows a rather strong anomalous behavior, especially at low temperature. However, almost all experimental studies supporting this statement have been carried out at low pressure; very few experimental data were reported above 100 MPa. In order to explore the behavior of this magnitude for water up to 500 MPa, a new heat flux calorimeter was developed. With the aim of testing the experimental methodology and comparing with water results, isobaric heat capacity was also measured for methanol and hexane. Good agreement with indirect heat capacity estimations from the literature was obtained for the three liquids. Experimental results show large anomalies in water heat capacity. This is especially true as regards its temperature dependence, qualitatively different from that observed for other liquids. Heat capacity versus temperature curves show minima for most studied isobars, whose location decreases with the pressure up to around 100 MPa but increases at higher pressures.

Space Radiation Shielding Studies for Astronaut and Electronic Component Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fuchs, Jordan Robert

2010-01-01

The dosimetry component of the Center for Radiation Engineering and Science for Space Exploration (CRESSE) will design, develop and characterize the response of a suite of radiation detectors and supporting instrumentation and electronics with three primary goals that will: (1) Use established space radiation detection systems to characterize the primary and secondary radiation fields existing in the experimental test-bed zones during exposures at particle accelerator facilities. (2) Characterize the responses of newly developed space radiation detection systems in the experimental test-bed zones during exposures at particle accelerator facilities, and (3) Provide CRESSE collaborators with detailed dosimetry information in experimental test-bed zones.

Between the laboratory and the museum: Claude Bernard and the problem of time.

PubMed

Schmidgen, Henning

2013-01-01

This paper explores the relation between biological and historical time with respect to Claude Bernard's Lectures on the Phenomena of Life Common to Animals and Plants (1878). These lectures mirror Bernard's turn from the experimental physiology of animal organisms to a "general physiology" of elementary organisms, or cells, and discuss the problematic interrelation of science, life, and time. The paper argues that experimental life sciences in Bernard's sense are always also "living sciences," i.e., sciences in dynamic development. The perspectives of this conception are discussed with reference to Hans-Jörg Rheinberger's historical studies concerning the materiality and semiotics of "experimental systems."

Strong fields and neutral particle magnetic moment dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Formanek, Martin; Evans, Stefan; Rafelski, Johann; Steinmetz, Andrew; Yang, Cheng-Tao

2018-07-01

Interaction of magnetic moment of point particles with external electromagnetic fields experiences unresolved theoretical and experimental discrepancies. In this work we point out several issues within relativistic quantum mechanics and QED and we describe effects related to a new covariant classical model of magnetic moment dynamics. Using this framework we explore the invariant acceleration experienced by neutral particles coupled to an external plane wave field through the magnetic moment: we study the case of ultrarelativistic Dirac neutrinos with magnetic moment in the range of 10‑11 to 10‑20 μ B; and we address the case of slowly moving neutrons. We explore how critical accelerations for neutrinos can be experimentally achieved in laser pulse interactions. The radiation of accelerated neutrinos can serve as an important test distinguishing between Majorana and Dirac nature of neutrinos.

Improving Reading Comprehension Skills with Children's Books through Metacognitive Strategy: The Turkish Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Çer, Erkan; Sahin, Ertugrul

2016-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of metacognitive strategy in improving reading comprehension skills through children's literature of literary quality. A quasi-experimental study was carried out in a private secondary school in a city located Middle Black Sea region of Turkey. Two classes were randomly chosen as the study group, and…

The Effect of Teaching Structural Discourse Markers in an EFL Classroom Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alraddadi, Budoor Muslim

2016-01-01

This study aimed to explore the effects of explicit teaching on the acquisition of spoken discourse markers (DMs) on EFL learners' presentation production. It also aimed to measure the impact of two different treatments on the acquisition of a set of DMs. This study is an experimental study and focuses on the overall production of spoken…

Word Class Distinctions in Second Language Acquisition: An Experimental Study of L2 Spanish

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zyzik, Eve; Azevedo, Clara

2009-01-01

Although the problem of word class has been explored in numerous first language studies, relatively little is known about this process in SLA. The present study measures second language (L2) learners' knowledge of word class distinctions (e.g., noun vs. adjective) in a variety of syntactic contexts. English-speaking learners of Spanish from…

Effect of Self Regulated Learning Approach on Junior Secondary School Students' Achievement in Basic Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nwafor, Chika E.; Obodo, Abigail Chikaodinaka; Okafor, Gabriel

2015-01-01

This study explored the effect of self-regulated learning approach on junior secondary school students' achievement in basic science. Quasi-experimental design was used for the study.Two co-educational schools were drawn for the study through simple random sampling technique. One school was assigned to the treatment group while the other was…

Exploring the Effects of Student-Centered Project-Based Learning with Initiation on Students' Computing Skills: A Quasi-Experimental Study of Digital Storytelling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Chia-Wen; Shen, Pei-Di; Lin, Rong-An

2015-01-01

This study investigated, via quasi-experiments, the effects of student-centered project-based learning with initiation (SPBL with Initiation) on the development of students' computing skills. In this study, 96 elementary school students were selected from four class sections taking a course titled "Digital Storytelling" and were assigned…

Monte Carlo simulations of the dose from imaging with GE eXplore 120 micro-CT using GATE

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

Bretin, Florian; Bahri, Mohamed Ali; Luxen, André

Purpose: Small animals are increasingly used as translational models in preclinical imaging studies involving microCT, during which the subjects can be exposed to large amounts of radiation. While the radiation levels are generally sublethal, studies have shown that low-level radiation can change physiological parameters in mice. In order to rule out any influence of radiation on the outcome of such experiments, or resulting deterministic effects in the subjects, the levels of radiation involved need to be addressed. The aim of this study was to investigate the radiation dose delivered by the GE eXplore 120 microCT non-invasively using Monte Carlo simulationsmore » in GATE and to compare results to previously obtained experimental values. Methods: Tungsten X-ray spectra were simulated at 70, 80, and 97 kVp using an analytical tool and their half-value layers were simulated for spectra validation against experimentally measured values of the physical X-ray tube. A Monte Carlo model of the microCT system was set up and four protocols that are regularly applied to live animal scanning were implemented. The computed tomography dose index (CTDI) inside a PMMA phantom was derived and multiple field of view acquisitions were simulated using the PMMA phantom, a representative mouse and rat. Results: Simulated half-value layers agreed with experimentally obtained results within a 7% error window. The CTDI ranged from 20 to 56 mGy and closely matched experimental values. Derived organ doses in mice reached 459 mGy in bones and up to 200 mGy in soft tissue organs using the highest energy protocol. Dose levels in rats were lower due to the increased mass of the animal compared to mice. The uncertainty of all dose simulations was below 14%. Conclusions: Monte Carlo simulations proved a valuable tool to investigate the 3D dose distribution in animals from microCT. Small animals, especially mice (due to their small volume), receive large amounts of radiation from the GE eXplore 120 microCT, which might alter physiological parameters in a longitudinal study setup.« less

Leading the Herd Astray: An Experimental Study of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in an Artificial Cultural Market.

PubMed

Salganik, Matthew J; Watts, Duncan J

2008-01-01

Individuals influence each others' decisions about cultural products such as songs, books, and movies; but to what extent can the perception of success become a "self-fulfilling prophecy"? We have explored this question experimentally by artificially inverting the true popularity of songs in an online "music market," in which 12,207 participants listened to and downloaded songs by unknown bands. We found that most songs experienced self-fulfilling prophecies, in which perceived-but initially false-popularity became real over time. We also found, however, that the inversion was not self-fulfilling for the market as a whole, in part because the very best songs recovered their popularity in the long run. Moreover, the distortion of market information reduced the correlation between appeal and popularity, and led to fewer overall downloads. These results, although partial and speculative, suggest a new approach to the study of cultural markets, and indicate the potential of web-based experiments to explore the social psychological origin of other macro-sociological phenomena.

Exploring novel objective functions for simulating muscle coactivation in the neck.

PubMed

Mortensen, J; Trkov, M; Merryweather, A

2018-04-11

Musculoskeletal modeling allows for analysis of individual muscles in various situations. However, current techniques to realistically simulate muscle response when significant amounts of intentional coactivation is required are inadequate. This would include stiffening the neck or spine through muscle coactivation in preparation for perturbations or impacts. Muscle coactivation has been modeled previously in the neck and spine using optimization techniques that seek to maximize the joint stiffness by maximizing total muscle activation or muscle force. These approaches have not sought to replicate human response, but rather to explore the possible effects of active muscle. Coactivation remains a challenging feature to include in musculoskeletal models, and may be improved by extracting optimization objective functions from experimental data. However, the components of such an objective function must be known before fitting to experimental data. This study explores the effect of components in several objective functions, in order to recommend components to be used for fitting to experimental data. Four novel approaches to modeling coactivation through optimization techniques are presented, two of which produce greater levels of stiffness than previous techniques. Simulations were performed using OpenSim and MATLAB cooperatively. Results show that maximizing the moment generated by a particular muscle appears analogous to maximizing joint stiffness. The approach of optimizing for maximum moment generated by individual muscles may be a good candidate for developing objective functions that accurately simulate muscle coactivation in complex joints. This new approach will be the focus of future studies with human subjects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of experimental approach to examine U occurrence continuity over the extended area reconnoitory boreholes: Lostoin Block, West Khasi Hills district, Meghalaya (India).

PubMed

Kukreti, B M; Kumar, Pramod; Sharma, G K

2015-10-01

Exploratory drilling was undertaken in the Lostoin block, West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya based on the geological extension to the major uranium deposit in the basin. Gamma ray logging of drilled boreholes shows considerable subsurface mineralization in the block. However, environmental and exploration related challenges such as climatic, logistic, limited core drilling and poor core recovery etc. in the block severely restricted the study of uranium exploration related index parameters for the block with a high degree confidence. The present study examines these exploration related challenges and develops an integrated approach using representative sampling of reconnoitory boreholes in the block. Experimental findings validate a similar geochemically coherent nature of radio elements (K, Ra and Th) in the Lostoin block uranium hosting environment with respect to the known block of Mahadek basin and uranium enrichment is confirmed by the lower U to Th correlation index (0.268) of hosting environment. A mineralized zone investigation in the block shows parent (refers to the actual parent uranium concentration at a location and not a secondary concentration such as the daughter elements which produce the signal from a total gamma ray measurement) favoring uranium mineralization. The confidence parameters generated under the present study have implications for the assessment of the inferred category of uranium ore in the block and setting up a road map for the systematic exploration of large uranium potential occurring over extended areas in the basin amid prevailing environmental and exploratory impediments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disability assessment: the efficacy of multimedia interactive nurse education.

PubMed

Chiang, Hui-Chaun; Lin, Feng-Yu; Hwu, Yueh-Juen

2013-06-01

Nearly 3% of the population in Taiwan is classified as disabled. Disability assessment directly relates to long-term care quality and resource allocation. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of a multimedia interactive DVD on enhancing nurse knowledgeand disability assessment skills. The study was a quasi-experimental design. The experimental group received multimedia interactive DVD, and the control group received conventional classroom education. The study gathered data using scales assessing knowledge related to disability assessment and case studies. Scales were implemented before and after multimedia interactive DVD interventions at weeks 2 and 4. In-depth interviews with voice recording were used to collect qualitative data to elicit differences in perception between the experimental and control groups. This study found significant improvements in the experimental group in terms of disability assessment knowledge and case study assessment skills. These improvements lasted through at least 1-month posttest. Analysis of interview data for the experimental group showed that the multimedia interactive DVD provided a more flexible approach to learning than classroom education and improved participant self-confidence to conduct disability assessments. The study showed the effectiveness of the developed multimedia interactive DVD in significantly improving the disability assessment confidences of nurses. Study findings can be used as a reference guide for continuing educational efforts in long-term care settings.

Pathophysiology, treatment, and animal and cellular models of human ischemic stroke

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Stroke is the world's second leading cause of mortality, with a high incidence of severe morbidity in surviving victims. There are currently relatively few treatment options available to minimize tissue death following a stroke. As such, there is a pressing need to explore, at a molecular, cellular, tissue, and whole body level, the mechanisms leading to damage and death of CNS tissue following an ischemic brain event. This review explores the etiology and pathogenesis of ischemic stroke, and provides a general model of such. The pathophysiology of cerebral ischemic injury is explained, and experimental animal models of global and focal ischemic stroke, and in vitro cellular stroke models, are described in detail along with experimental strategies to analyze the injuries. In particular, the technical aspects of these stroke models are assessed and critically evaluated, along with detailed descriptions of the current best-practice murine models of ischemic stroke. Finally, we review preclinical studies using different strategies in experimental models, followed by an evaluation of results of recent, and failed attempts of neuroprotection in human clinical trials. We also explore new and emerging approaches for the prevention and treatment of stroke. In this regard, we note that single-target drug therapies for stroke therapy, have thus far universally failed in clinical trials. The need to investigate new targets for stroke treatments, which have pleiotropic therapeutic effects in the brain, is explored as an alternate strategy, and some such possible targets are elaborated. Developing therapeutic treatments for ischemic stroke is an intrinsically difficult endeavour. The heterogeneity of the causes, the anatomical complexity of the brain, and the practicalities of the victim receiving both timely and effective treatment, conspire against developing effective drug therapies. This should in no way be a disincentive to research, but instead, a clarion call to intensify efforts to ameliorate suffering and death from this common health catastrophe. This review aims to summarize both the present experimental and clinical state-of-the art, and to guide future research directions. PMID:21266064

Adult Education and the Health Literacy of Hispanic Immigrants in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soto Mas, Francisco; Jacobson, Holly E.; Olivárez, Arturo

2017-01-01

Discussion on the advantages of integrating health literacy into adult education has primarily been theoretical and conceptual. There is a need for studies that assess the impact of adult education on health literacy. This study implemented a quasi-experimental design to explore whether basic adult instruction may constitute a venue for improving…

Individual Differences and Intervention Flaws: A Sequential Explanatory Study of College Students' Copy-and-Paste Note Taking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Igo, L. Brent; Kiewra, Kenneth A.; Bruning, Roger

2008-01-01

In this study, qualitative themes and quantitative findings from previous research were used to justify the exploration of four experimental, note-taking conditions and the impact of those conditions on student learning from Web-based text. However, puzzling results obtained from dependent measures of student learning were quite inconsistent with…

The Effects of Captions in Teenagers' Multimedia L2 Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lwo, Laurence; Lin, Michelle Chia-Tzu

2012-01-01

This study aims to explore the impact of different captions on second language (L2) learning in a computer-assisted multimedia context. A quasi-experimental design was adopted, and a total of thirty-two eighth graders selected from a junior high school joined the study. They were systematically assigned into four groups based on their proficiency…

Pictorial, Textual, and Picto-Textual Glosses in E-Reading: A Comparative Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shalmani, Hamed Babaie; Sabet, Masoud Khalili

2010-01-01

This research explored the effects of three types of multimedia glosses on the reading comprehension of learners in an EFL context. From among the three experimental groups under study, one received treatment on five academic reading passages through picto-textual glosses where both textual definitions and relevant images of words popped up, thus…

Does Instructional Alignment Matter?: Effects on Struggling Second Graders' Reading Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wonder-McDowell, Carla; Reutzel, D. Ray; Smith, John A.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of aligning classroom core reading instruction with the supplementary reading instruction provided to 133 struggling grade 2 readers. A 2-group, pre-posttest true experimental design was employed in this study. In 11 elementary schools, 12 teachers taught both the aligned and unaligned core and…

Results from recent NASA tire thermal studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccarty, J. L.

1983-01-01

The testing technique and some results from an experimental study to determine tire temperature profiles to aid in defining the strength and fatigue limitations of the tire carcass structure are described. This effort is part of a program to explore analytically and through experiment the temperature distribution in an aircraft tire during free roll and braked and yawed rolling conditions.

Professional Socialization in Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs: Attitudes and Beliefs of Faculty Members and Recent Graduates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buettner, Kevin Charles

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to better understand professional socialization in nurse anesthesia educational programs through an exploration of the attitudes and beliefs of faculty members and recent graduates. Participants for this cross-sectional, quasi-experimental online study included a convenience sample of 178 nurse anesthesia faculty…

The Role of Classroom Quality in Explaining Head Start Impacts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connors, Maia C.; Friedman-Krauss, Allison H.; Morris, Pamela A.; Page, Lindsay C.; Feller, Avi

2014-01-01

This study seeks to answer the following question: Are impacts on Head Start classroom quality associated with impacts of Head Start on children's learning and development? This study employs a variety of descriptive and quasi-experimental methods to explore the role of classroom quality as a mediator or mechanism of Head Start impacts. This…

Space Science Education: An Experimental Study. Report of the Study Commission on Space Science Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vick, Raymond

The implications of space science terminology and concepts for elementary science teaching are explored. Twenty-two concepts were identified which elementary and junior high school teachers were invited to introduce in their teaching. Booklets explaining the concepts were distributed together with report forms for teacher feedback. The numbers of…

Learning Biology through Innovative Curricula: A Comparison of Game- and Nongame-Based Approaches

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sadler, Troy D.; Romine, William L.; Menon, Deepika; Ferdig, Richard E.; Annetta, Leonard

2015-01-01

This study explored student learning in the context of innovative biotechnology curricula and the effects of gaming as a central element of the learning experience. The quasi-experimentally designed study compared learning outcomes between two curricular approaches: One built around a computer-based game, and the other built around a narrative…

A Study of Creativity in CaC[subscript 2] Steamship-Derived STEM Project-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lou, Shi-Jer; Chou, Yung-Chieh; Shih, Ru-Chu; Chung, Chih-Chao

2017-01-01

This study mainly aimed to explore the effects of project-based learning (PBL) integrated into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) activities and to analyze the creativity displayed by junior high school students while performing these activities. With a quasi-experimental design, 60 ninth-grade students from a junior high…

Learning Arithmetic Outdoors in Junior High School--Influence on Performance and Self-Regulating Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fägerstam, Emilia; Samuelsson, Joakim

2014-01-01

This study aims to explore the influence of outdoor teaching among students, aged 13, on arithmetic performance and self-regulation skills as previous research concerning outdoor mathematics learning is limited. This study had a quasi-experimental design. An outdoor and a traditional group answered a test and a self-regulation skills questionnaire…

Successfully Promoting 21st Century Online Research Skills: Interventions in 5th-Grade Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kingsley, Tara L.; Cassady, Jerrell C.; Tancock, Susan M.

2015-01-01

This quantitative study was developed to explore the ability to impact elementary student 21st Century online research skills with a planned classroom intervention curriculum. The repeated measures quasi-experimental study randomly assigned all 5th grade classes in a Midwestern, suburban school (n = 418) to a 12-week intervention or control…

Problem-Based Learning in K-8 Mathematics and Science Education: A Literature Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merritt, Joi; Lee, Mi Yeon; Rillero, Peter; Kinach, Barbara M.

2017-01-01

This systematic literature review was conducted to explore the effectiveness of problem-based and project-based learning (PBL) implemented with students in early elementary to grade 8 (ages 3-14) in mathematics and science classrooms. Nine studies met the following inclusion criteria: (a) focus on PBL, (b) experimental study, (c) kindergarten to…

Study of SHE at SHIP

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

Hofmanna, Sigurd; Institut fuer Kernphysik, Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Max von Laue-Strasse 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main

2010-06-01

The nuclear shell model predicts that the next doubly magic shell-closure beyond {sup 208}Pb is at a proton number Z = 114, 120, or 126 and at a neutron number N = 184. The outstanding aim of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical 'SuperHeavy Elements'(SHEs). Experimental methods are described, which allowed for the identification of elements produced on a cross-section level of about 1 pb. Reactions used at SHIP are based on targets of lead and uranium. The decay data reveal that for the heaviest elements, the dominant decay mode is alpha emission, not fission. Decaymore » properties as well as reaction cross-sections are compared with results obtained at other laboratories and with results of theoretical investigations. Finally, plans are presented for the further development of the experimental set-up and the application of new techniques, as for instance the precise mass measurement of the produced nuclei using ion traps. At increased sensitivity, detailed exploration of the region of spherical SHEs will start, after first steps on the island of SHEs were made in recent years.« less

Studies of SHE at SHIP

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

Hofmann, Sigurd; Institut fuer Kernphysik, Goethe-Universitaet Frankfurt, Max von Laue-Strasse 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main

2010-04-30

The nuclear shell model predicts that the next doubly magic shell-closure beyond {sup 208}Pb is at a proton number Z = 114, 120, or 126 and at a neutron number N = 184. The outstanding aim of experimental investigations is the exploration of this region of spherical 'Super-Heavy Elements'(SHEs). Experimental methods are described, which allowed for the identification of elements produced on a cross-section level of about 1 pb. Reactions used at SHIP are based on targets of lead and uranium. The decay data reveal that for the heaviest elements, the dominant decay mode is alpha emission, not fission. Decaymore » properties as well as reaction cross-sections are compared with results obtained at other laboratories and with results of theoretical investigations. Finally, plans are presented for the further development of the experimental setup and the application of new techniques, as for instance the precise mass measurement of the produced nuclei using ion traps. At increased sensitivity, detailed exploration of the region of spherical SHEs will start, after first steps on the island of SHEs were made in recent years.« less

Impact of a critical care postgraduate certificate course on nurses' self-reported competence and confidence: A quasi-experimental study.

PubMed

Baxter, Rebecca; Edvardsson, David

2018-06-01

Postgraduate education is said to support the development of nurses' professional competence and confidence, essential to the delivery of safe and effective care. However, there is a shortness of empirical evidence to demonstrate an increase to nurses' self-reported confidence and competence on completion of critical care postgraduate certificate-level education. To explore the impact of a critical care postgraduate certificate course on nurses' self-reported competence and confidence. To explore the psychometric properties and performance of the Critical Care Competence and Confidence Questionnaire. A quasi-experimental pre/post-test design. A total population sample of nurses completing a critical care postgraduate certificate course at an Australian University. The Critical Care Competence and Confidence Questionnaire was developed for this study to measure nurses' self-reported competence and confidence at baseline and follow up. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to explore sample characteristics and changes between baseline and follow-up. Reliability of the questionnaire was explored using Cronbach's Alpha and item-total correlations. There was a statistically significant increase in competence and confidence between baseline and follow-up across all questionnaire domains. Satisfactory reliability estimates were found for the questionnaire. Completion of a critical care postgraduate certificate course significantly increased nurses' perceived competence and confidence. The Critical Care Competence and Confidence Questionnaire was found to be psychometrically sound for measuring nurses' self-reported competence and confidence. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimenter Effects on Cardiovascular Reactivity and Task Performance during Mental Stress Testing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siegwarth, Nicole; Larkin, Kevin T.; Kemmner, Christine

2012-01-01

Experimenter effects have long been hypothesized to influence participants' responses to mental stress testing. To explore the influence of experimenter warmth on responses to two mental stress tasks (mental arithmetic, mirror tracing), 32 young women participated in a single 45-min experimental session. Participants were randomized into warm…

Exploration of factors that affect the comparative effectiveness of physical and virtual manipulatives in an undergraduate laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chini, Jacquelyn J.; Madsen, Adrian; Gire, Elizabeth; Rebello, N. Sanjay; Puntambekar, Sadhana

2012-06-01

Recent research results have failed to support the conventionally held belief that students learn physics best from hands-on experiences with physical equipment. Rather, studies have found that students who perform similar experiments with computer simulations perform as well or better on measures of conceptual understanding than their peers who used physical equipment. In this study, we explored how university-level nonscience majors’ understanding of the physics concepts related to pulleys was supported by experimentation with real pulleys and a computer simulation of pulleys. We report that when students use one type of manipulative (physical or virtual), the comparison is influenced both by the concept studied and the timing of the post-test. Students performed similarly on questions related to force and mechanical advantage regardless of the type of equipment used. On the other hand, students who used the computer simulation performed better on questions related to work immediately after completing the activities; however, the two groups performed similarly on the work questions on a test given one week later. Additionally, both sequences of experimentation (physical-virtual and virtual-physical) equally supported students’ understanding of all of the concepts. These results suggest that both the concept learned and the stability of learning gains should continue to be explored to improve educators’ ability to select the best learning experience for a given topic.

State Higher Education Performance Funding: Data, Outcomes, and Policy Implications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tandberg, David A.; Hillman, Nicholas W.

2014-01-01

As states explore strategies for increasing educational attainment levels, attention is being paid to performance funding. This study asks, "Does the introduction of performance funding programs affect degree completion among participating states?" Utilizing a quasi-experimental research design we find limited evidence that performance…

Relationships between Emotional Intelligence, Leadership Style, and School Culture

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Segredo, Mirta R.; Cistone, Peter J.; Reio, Thomas G.

2017-01-01

Research regarding the association between emotional intelligence, leadership style and organizational culture has been inconclusive. The purpose of this study was to explore these relationships in elementary school settings. A non-experimental ex post facto research design was utilized to investigate four research hypotheses. Fifty-seven…

Experimental Study of an Assembly with Extreme Particulate, Molecular, and Biological Requirements in Different Environmental Scenarios from Quality Point of View

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Müller, A.; Urich, D.; Kreck, G.; Metzmacher, M.; Lindner, R.

2018-04-01

The presentation will cover results from an ESA supported investigation to collect lessons learned for mechanism assembly with the focus on quality and contamination requirements verification in exploration projects such as ExoMars.

Quantitative comparisons of the actute neurotoxicity of toulene in rats and humans.

EPA Science Inventory

The behavioral and neurophysiological effects of acute exposure to toluene are the most thoroughly explored of all the hydrocarbon solvents. Behavioral effects have been experimentally studied in humans and other species, for example, rats. The existence of both rat and human dos...

Reinforcement of Infant Vocalizations through Contingent Vocal Imitation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pelaez, Martha; Virues-Ortega, Javier; Gewirtz, Jacob L.

2011-01-01

Maternal vocal imitation of infant vocalizations is highly prevalent during face-to-face interactions of infants and their caregivers. Although maternal vocal imitation has been associated with later verbal development, its potentially reinforcing effect on infant vocalizations has not been explored experimentally. This study examined the…

Gender, Stereotype Threat, and Anxiety: Psychophysiological and Cognitive Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Osborne, Jason W.

2006-01-01

Introduction: Claude Steele's stereotype threat hypothesis proposed that negative group stereotypes increase individual anxiety levels, hurting performance. However, the role of anxiety in stereotype threat has not been fully explored. This study examined the hypothesis that experimental manipulation of stereotype threat would influence real-time…

Digital English: Me, Online, Writing & Academia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rolinska, Ania

2015-01-01

This case study reports on the Digital English project, an experimental course in academic writing piloted with international students on a year-long pre-sessional programme. Inspired by Ulmer's (2003) "Mystory" project and Gauntlett's (2007) "Lego" research, the course concerns itself with the students' exploration of self at…

Surgical simulation training in orthopedics: current insights.

PubMed

Kalun, Portia; Wagner, Natalie; Yan, James; Nousiainen, Markku T; Sonnadara, Ranil R

2018-01-01

While the knowledge required of residents training in orthopedic surgery continues to increase, various factors, including reductions in work hours, have resulted in decreased clinical learning opportunities. Recent work suggests residents graduate from their training programs without sufficient exposure to key procedures. In response, simulation is increasingly being incorporated into training programs to supplement clinical learning. This paper reviews the literature to explore whether skills learned in simulation-based settings results in improved clinical performance in orthopedic surgery trainees. A scoping review of the literature was conducted to identify papers discussing simulation training in orthopedic surgery. We focused on exploring whether skills learned in simulation transferred effectively to a clinical setting. Experimental studies, systematic reviews, and narrative reviews were included. A total of 15 studies were included, with 11 review papers and four experimental studies. The review articles reported little evidence regarding the transfer of skills from simulation to the clinical setting, strong evidence that simulator models discriminate among different levels of experience, varied outcome measures among studies, and a need to define competent performance in both simulated and clinical settings. Furthermore, while three out of the four experimental studies demonstrated transfer between the simulated and clinical environments, methodological study design issues were identified. Our review identifies weak evidence as to whether skills learned in simulation transfer effectively to clinical practice for orthopedic surgery trainees. Given the increased reliance on simulation, there is an immediate need for comprehensive studies that focus on skill transfer, which will allow simulation to be incorporated effectively into orthopedic surgery training programs.

First-Principles Modeling of Hydrogen Storage in Metal Hydride Systems

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

J. Karl Johnson

The objective of this project is to complement experimental efforts of MHoCE partners by using state-of-the-art theory and modeling to study the structure, thermodynamics, and kinetics of hydrogen storage materials. Specific goals include prediction of the heats of formation and other thermodynamic properties of alloys from first principles methods, identification of new alloys that can be tested experimentally, calculation of surface and energetic properties of nanoparticles, and calculation of kinetics involved with hydrogenation and dehydrogenation processes. Discovery of new metal hydrides with enhanced properties compared with existing materials is a critical need for the Metal Hydride Center of Excellence. Newmore » materials discovery can be aided by the use of first principles (ab initio) computational modeling in two ways: (1) The properties, including mechanisms, of existing materials can be better elucidated through a combined modeling/experimental approach. (2) The thermodynamic properties of novel materials that have not been made can, in many cases, be quickly screened with ab initio methods. We have used state-of-the-art computational techniques to explore millions of possible reaction conditions consisting of different element spaces, compositions, and temperatures. We have identified potentially promising single- and multi-step reactions that can be explored experimentally.« less

Experimental Characterization of Cryogenic Helium Pulsating Heat Pipes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fonseca Flores, Luis Diego

This study was inspired to investigate an alternative cooling system using a helium-based pulsating heat pipes (PHP), for low temperature superconducting magnets in MRI systems. In addition, the same approach can be used for exploring other low temperature applications such as cooling space instrumentation. The advantages of PHP for transferring heat and smoothing temperature profiles in various room temperature applications have been explored for the past 20 years. An experimental apparatus has been designed, fabricated and operated and is primarily composed of an evaporator and a condenser; in which both are thermally connected by a closed loop capillary tubing. The main goal is to measure the heat transfer properties of this device using helium as the working fluid. The evaporator end of the PHP is comprised of a copper winding in which heat loads up to 10 watts are generated, while the condenser is isothermal and can reach 4.2 K at 1 W via a two stage Sumitomo RDK408A2 GM cryocooler. Various experimental design features are highlighted. Additionally, the thermal performance for the presented design remained unchanged when increasing the adiabatic length from 300 mm to 1000 mm. Finally a spring mass damper model has been developed and proven to predict well the experimental data, such models should be used as tool to design and manufacturer PHP prototypes.

Students' views about the nature of experimental physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, Bethany R.; Lewandowski, H. J.

2017-12-01

The physics community explores and explains the physical world through a blend of theoretical and experimental studies. The future of physics as a discipline depends on training of students in both the theoretical and experimental aspects of the field. However, while student learning within lecture courses has been the subject of extensive research, lab courses remain relatively under-studied. In particular, there is little, if any, data available that address the effectiveness of physics lab courses at encouraging students to recognize the nature and importance of experimental physics within the discipline as a whole. To address this gap, we present the first large-scale, national study (Ninstitutions=75 and Nstudents=7167 ) of undergraduate physics lab courses through analysis of students' responses to a research-validated assessment designed to investigate students' beliefs about the nature of experimental physics. We find that students often enter and leave physics lab courses with ideas about experimental physics as practiced in their courses that are inconsistent with the views of practicing experimental physicists, and this trend holds at both the introductory and upper-division levels. Despite this inconsistency, we find that both introductory and upper-division students are able to accurately predict the expertlike response even in cases where their views about experimentation in their lab courses disagree. These finding have implications for the recruitment, retention, and adequate preparation of students in physics.

Computational Studies on the Anharmonic Dynamics of Molecular Clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mancini, John S.

Molecular nanoclusters present ideal systems to probe the physical forces and dynamics that drive the behavior of larger bulk systems. At the nanocluster limit the first instances of several phenomena can be observed including the breaking of hydrogen and molecular bonds. Advancements in experimental and theoretical techniques have made it possible to explore these phenomena in great detail. The most fruitful of these studies have involved the use of both experimental and theoretical techniques to leverage to strengths of the two approaches. This dissertation seeks to explore several important phenomena of molecular clusters using new and existing theoretical methodologies. Three specific systems are considered, hydrogen chloride clusters, mixed water and hydrogen chloride clusters and the first cluster where hydrogen chloride autoionization occurs. The focus of these studies remain as close as possible to experimentally observable phenomena with the intention of validating, simulating and expanding on experimental work. Specifically, the properties of interested are those related to the vibrational ground and excited state dynamics of these systems. Studies are performed using full and reduced dimensional potential energy surface alongside advanced quantum mechanical methods including diffusion Monte Carlo, vibrational configuration interaction theory and quasi-classical molecular dynamics. The insight gained from these studies are great and varied. A new on-they-fly ab initio method for studying molecular clusters is validated for (HCl)1--6. A landmark study of the dissociation energy and predissociation mechanism of (HCl)3 is reported. The ground states of mixed (HCl)n(H2O)m are found to be highly delocalized across multiple stationary point configurations. Furthermore, it is identified that the consideration of this delocalization is required in vibrational excited state calculations to achieve agreement with experimental measurements. Finally, the theoretical infrared spectra for the first case of HCl ionization in (H 2O)m is reported, H+(H2O) 3Cl--. The calculation indicates that the ionized cluster's spectra is much more complex than any pervious harmonic predictions, with a large number of the system's infrared active peaks resulting from overtones of lower frequency molecular motions.

Pilot study of bipolar radiofrequency-induced anastomotic thermofusion-exploration of therapy parameters ex vivo.

PubMed

Winter, Hanno; Holmer, Christoph; Buhr, Heinz-Johannes; Lindner, Gerd; Lauster, Roland; Kraft, Marc; Ritz, Jörg-Peter

2010-01-01

Vessel sealing has been well-established in surgical practice in recent years. Bipolar radiofrequency-induced thermofusion (BIRTH) of intestinal tissue might replace traditionally used staples or sutures in the near future. In this experimental study, the influence of compressive pressure, fusion temperature, and duration of heating on the quality of intestinal anastomosis was investigated to obtain the relevant major parameters for the in vivo use of this system. An experimental setup for a closed-loop temperature-controlled bipolar radiofrequency-induced thermofusion of porcine intestinal tissue was developed. Twenty-four colon samples were harvested from nine different Saalower-Kräuter pigs and then anastomosed altering compressive pressure on five different levels to explore its influence on anastomotic bursting pressure. The anastomotic bursting strength depends on the compressive pressure applied to the colonic fusion site. An optimal interval of compressive pressure (CP = 1.125 N/mm(2)) in respect of a high amount of burst pressure was detected. A correlation (r = 0.54, p = 0.015) of burst pressure to delta compression indicated that increasing colonic wall thickness probably strengthens the anastomotic fusion. This study is a first step to enlighten the major parameters of tissue fusion, though effects and interactions of various main parameters of bipolar radiofrequency-induced thermofusion of colonic tissue remain unclear. Further studies exploring the main effects and interactions of tissue and process parameters to the quality of the fusion site have to follow.

A computational study of the Diels-Alder reactions between 2,3-dibromo-1,3-butadiene and maleic anhydride

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rivero, Uxía; Meuwly, Markus; Willitsch, Stefan

2017-09-01

The neutral and cationic Diels-Alder-type reactions between 2,3-dibromo-1,3-butadiene and maleic anhydride have been computationally explored as the first step of a combined experimental and theoretical study. Density functional theory calculations show that the neutral reaction is concerted while the cationic reaction can be either concerted or stepwise. Further isomerizations of the Diels-Alder products have been studied in order to predict possible fragmentation pathways in gas-phase experiments. Rice-Ramsperger-Kassel-Marcus (RRKM) calculations suggest that under single-collision experimental conditions the neutral product may reform the reactants and the cationic product will most likely eliminate CO2.

Researching the Use of Communication Technologies in Teacher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Deryn; Blakeley, Barry; Abbott, Chris

1998-01-01

The King's College London component of a five nation European experimental study (FETICHE Project) of the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) is exploring the reality of communications between teacher trainers in the university and their cotutor partners in schools. Preliminary results indicate that identifying and getting…

Elevated blood lead and cadmium levels associated with chronic infections among non-smokers in a cross-sectional analysis of NHANES data

EPA Science Inventory

BACKGROUND: Experimental animal studies, in vitro experiments, and clinical assessments have shown that metal toxicity can impair immune responses. We analyzed data from a United States representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to explore associatio...

Non-Cognitive Factor Relationships to Hybrid Doctoral Course Satisfaction and Self-Efficacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Egbert, Jessica Dalby

2013-01-01

Through a quantitative, non-experimental design, the studied explored non-cognitive factor relationships to hybrid doctoral course satisfaction and self-efficacy, including the differences between the online and on-campus components of the student-selected hybrid courses. Descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate statistical analyses were used to…

A QUANTITATIVE COMPARISON OF THE EFFECTS OF ACUTE INHALED TOLUENE IN HUMAN RATS

EPA Science Inventory

The effects of acute exposure to toluene have been explored more thoroughly than other hydrocarbon solvents. These effects have been experimentally studied in humans and other species, e.g., rats, as well as in a number of in vitro preparations. The existence ofdosimetric and eff...

Making Interpretation Visible with an Affect-Based Strategy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Sarah

2014-01-01

Experienced readers of literature are more likely than novices to identify aspects of text that are salient to literary interpretation and to construct figurative meanings and thematic inferences from literary texts. This quasi-experimental study explores the hypothesis that novice readers can be supported in constructing literary interpretations…

Enhancing Digital Literacy and Learning among Adults with Blogs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sharp, Laurie A.

2017-01-01

Digital literacy and learning among adults has been identified as an area requiring research. The purpose of the present study was to explore technology acceptance and digital collaborative learning experiences with blogs among adult learners. This analysis employed a quasi-experimental mixed-methods approach guided by a sociocultural theoretical…

The Effect of Hierarchical Task Representations on Task Selection in Voluntary Task Switching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weaver, Starla M.; Arrington, Catherine M.

2013-01-01

The current study explored the potential for hierarchical representations to influence action selection during voluntary task switching. Participants switched between 4 individual task elements. In Experiment 1, participants were encouraged to represent the task elements as grouped within a hierarchy based on experimental manipulations of varying…

Modifying Attitudes of Arab School Teachers toward Stuttering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abdalla, Fauzia; St. Louis, Kenneth O.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The authors of this quasi-experimental design study explored the effect of an educational documentary video that presented factual and emotional aspects of stuttering on changing attitudes toward stuttering of preservice trainees and in-service public school teachers in Kuwait. Method: Participants were 99 preservice trainees (48 control,…

Conversation Breakdowns in the Audiology Clinic: The Importance of Mutual Gaze

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ekberg, Katie; Hickson, Louise; Grenness, Caitlin

2017-01-01

Background: Conversational breakdowns are a persistent concern for older adults with hearing impairment (HI). Previous studies in experimental settings have investigated potential causes of breakdowns in conversations with a person with HI, and effective strategies for repairing these breakdowns. However, little research has explored the causes of…

Classroom Management and Students' Perceptions of Classroom Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ratzburg, Susan A.

2010-01-01

The impact of classroom management and the impact of classroom climate on student academic achievement has been independently documented by scholars. Less is currently know regarding the relationship linking classroom management and climate. Therefore, the purpose of this quasi experimental study was to explore the influence of classroom…

Impact of Information Technology Governance Structures on Strategic Alignment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gordon, Fitzroy R.

2013-01-01

This dissertation is a study of the relationship between Information Technology (IT) strategic alignment and IT governance structure within the organization. This dissertation replicates Asante (2010) among a different population where the prior results continue to hold, the non-experimental approach explored two research questions but include two…

Large Group Narrative Intervention in Head Start Preschools: Implications for Response to Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Trina D.; Petersen, Douglas B.; Slocum, Timothy A.; Allen, Melissa M.

2015-01-01

This study investigated the effect of a large group narrative intervention on diverse preschoolers' narrative language skills with aims to explore questions of treatment efficacy and differential response to intervention. A quasi-experimental, pretest/posttest comparison group research design was employed with 71 preschool children. Classrooms…

Sex Parties: Female Teen Sexual Experimentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toscano, Sharyl Eve

2006-01-01

Adolescent participants in a study aimed at exploring the nature and characteristics of girls' dating relationships revealed the phenomenon of sex parties. These teens defined a "sex party" as an opportunity to engage in sexual contact outside of typical dating relationships. Sexual activity could involve actual intercourse, but usually involved…

The neurobiology of the stress-resistant brain

PubMed Central

FLESHNER, MONIKA; MAIER, STEVEN F.; LYONS, DAVID M.; RASKIND, MURRAY A.

2012-01-01

The 2010 Neurobiology of Stress Workshop brought together scientists from all over the world to share and discuss their results from studies examining the consequences of acute, repeated, and chronic stressor exposure on health and disease. Session IV entitled “The neurobiology of the stress-resistant brain” explored how we can intervene to promote stress resistance and stress resilience. Four scientists, who explore this topic from unique and convergent perspectives, presented their experimental results derived from studies in rat (Fleshner and Maier), non-human primates (Lyons), and human (Raskind). Summaries of each presentation, supporting publications, and overall take-home messages from the session are presented. PMID:21790482

Reciprocity-based experimental determination of dynamic forces and moments: A feasibility study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ver, Istvan L.; Howe, Michael S.

1994-01-01

BBN Systems and Technologies has been tasked by the Georgia Tech Research Center to carry Task Assignment No. 7 for the NASA Langley Research Center to explore the feasibility of 'In-Situ Experimental Evaluation of the Source Strength of Complex Vibration Sources Utilizing Reciprocity.' The task was carried out under NASA Contract No. NAS1-19061. In flight it is not feasible to connect the vibration sources to their mounting points on the fuselage through force gauges to measure dynamic forces and moments directly. However, it is possible to measure the interior sound field or vibration response caused by these structureborne sound sources at many locations and invoke principle of reciprocity to predict the dynamic forces and moments. The work carried out in the framework of Task 7 was directed to explore the feasibility of reciprocity-based measurements of vibration forces and moments.

Experimental exploration of the Mulliken-Hush relationship for intramolecular electron transfer reactions.

PubMed

Mukherjee, Tamal; Ito, Naoki; Gould, Ian R

2011-03-17

The Mulliken-Hush (M-H) relationship provides the critical link between optical and thermal electron transfer processes, and yet very little direct experimental support for its applicability has been provided. Dicyanovinylazaadamantane (DCVA) represents a simple two-state (neutral/charge-transfer) intramolecular electron transfer system that exhibits charge-transfer absorption and emission spectra that are readily measurable in solvents with a wide range of polarities. In this regard it represents an ideal model system for studying the factors that control both optical charge separation (absorption) and recombination (emission) processes in solution. Here we explore the applicability of the M-H relation to quantitative descriptions of the optical charge-transfer processes in DCVA. For DCVA, the measured radiative rate constants exhibit a linear dependence on transition energy, and transition dipole moments exhibit an inverse dependence on transition energy, consistent with the M-H relationship.

Local determination of thin liquid film profiles using colour interferometry.

PubMed

Butler, Calum S; Seeger, Zoe L E; Bell, Toby D M; Bishop, Alexis I; Tabor, Rico F

2016-02-01

We explore theoretically the interference of white light between two interfaces as a function of the optical conditions, using separately: a) idealised conditions where the light is composed of three discrete wavelengths; b) a more typically experimentally realisable case where light comprises a sum of three Gaussian wavelength distributions; and c) unfiltered white light from a broadband source comprising a broad distribution of wavelengths. It is demonstrated that the latter case is not only optically simple to arrange, but also provides unambiguous absolute separation information over the range 0-1μm --a useful range in studies of cell adhesion, thin liquid films and lubrication-- when coupled to detection using a typical colour camera. The utility of this technique is verified experimentally by exploring the air film between a cylinder and surface, as well as arbitrary liquid films beneath air bubbles that are interacting with solid surfaces.

A Simple Experiment to Explore Standing Waves in a Flexible Corrugated Sound Tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amorim, Maria Eva; Sousa, Teresa Delmira; Carvalho, P. Simeão; Sousa, Adriano Sampaioe

2011-09-01

Sound tubes, pipes, and singing rods are used as musical instruments and as toys to perform amusing experiments. In particular, corrugated tubes present unique characteristics with respect to the sounds they can produce; that is why they have been studied so intensively, both at theoretical and experimental levels.1-4 Experimental studies usually involve expensive and sophisticated equipment that is out of reach of school laboratory facilities.3-6 In this paper we show how to investigate quantitatively the sounds produced by a flexible sound tube corrugated on the inside by using educational equipment readily available in school laboratories, such as the oscilloscope, the microphone, the anemometer, and the air pump. We show that it is possible for students to study the discontinuous spectrum of sounds produced by a flexible corrugated tube and go even further, computing the speed of sound in air with a simple experimental procedure.

A three-level advanced static VAr compensator

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

Ekanayake, J.B.; Jenkins, N.

1996-01-01

An Advanced Static VAr Compensator (ASVC) employing a three level inverter has been investigated for three phase applications. The paper describes the operating principles of the ASVC using an elementary single phase ASVC circuit. The construction of a hardware model of the three phase, three level ASVC is then presented. The performance of the ASVC is obtained from an experimental study carried out on this laboratory model. The use of the selective harmonic elimination modulation (SHEM) technique to minimize harmonics is explored. Experimental studies have been carried out to determine the speed of response of the scheme by controlling itmore » in a closed loop.« less

Static and dynamic characteristics of a piezoceramic strut

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pokines, Brett J.; Belvin, W. Keith; Inman, Daniel J.

1993-01-01

The experimental study of a piezoceramic active truss is presented. This active strut is unique in that the piezoceramic configurations allow the stroke length of the strut not to be dependent on the piezoceramic material's expansion range but on the deflection range of the piezoceramic bender segment. A finite element model of a piezoceramic strut segment was constructed. Piezoceramic actuation was simulated using thermally induced strains. This model yielded information on the stiffness and force range of a bender element. The static and dynamic properties of the strut were identified experimentally. Feedback control was used to vary the stiffness of the strut. The experimentally verified model was used to explore implementation possibilities of the strut.

Experimentally-induced dissociation impairs visual memory.

PubMed

Brewin, Chris R; Mersaditabari, Niloufar

2013-12-01

Dissociation is a phenomenon common in a number of psychological disorders and has been frequently suggested to impair memory for traumatic events. In this study we explored the effects of dissociation on visual memory. A dissociative state was induced experimentally using a mirror-gazing task and its short-term effects on memory performance were investigated. Sixty healthy individuals took part in the experiment. Induced dissociation impaired visual memory performance relative to a control condition; however, the degree of dissociation was not associated with lower memory scores in the experimental group. The results have theoretical and practical implications for individuals who experience frequent dissociative states such as patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transonic Blunt Body Aerodynamic Coefficients Computation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sancho, Jorge; Vargas, M.; Gonzalez, Ezequiel; Rodriguez, Manuel

2011-05-01

In the framework of EXPERT (European Experimental Re-entry Test-bed) accurate transonic aerodynamic coefficients are of paramount importance for the correct trajectory assessment and parachute deployment. A combined CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) modelling and experimental campaign strategy was selected to obtain accurate coefficients. A preliminary set of coefficients were obtained by CFD Euler inviscid computation. Then experimental campaign was performed at DNW facilities at NLR. A profound review of the CFD modelling was done lighten up by WTT results, aimed to obtain reliable values of the coefficients in the future (specially the pitching moment). Study includes different turbulence modelling and mesh sensitivity analysis. Comparison with the WTT results is explored, and lessons learnt are collected.

The Impact of Farmer Field Schools on Human and Social Capital: A Case Study from Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David, Soniia; Asamoah, Christopher

2011-01-01

Based on a case study of Ghanaian cocoa farmers who attended farmer field schools (FFS), this paper explores the impact of the FFS methodology on farmers' technical knowledge, experimentation, knowledge diffusion, group formation and social skills as a way of assessing whether the relatively high costs associated with the method is justified. We…

Evaluation of Static vs. Dynamic Visualizations for Engineering Technology Students and Implications on Spatial Visualization Ability: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Katsioloudis, Petros; Dickerson, Daniel; Jovanovic, Vukica; Jones, Mildred

2015-01-01

The benefit of using static versus dynamic visualizations is a controversial one. Few studies have explored the effectiveness of static visualizations to those of dynamic visualizations, and the current state of the literature remains somewhat unclear. During the last decade there has been a lengthy debate about the opportunities for using…

Interlocked Problem Posing and Children's Problem Posing Performance in Free Structured Situations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cankoy, Osman

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to explore the mathematical problem posing performance of students in free structured situations. Two classes of fifth grade students (N = 30) were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The categories of the problems posed in free structured situations by the 2 groups of students were studied through…

Teaching Common Errors in Applying a Procedure. IDD&E Working Paper No. 18.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garduno, Alberto O.; And Others

The purpose of this study was to replicate the Bentti, Golden, and Reigeluth study (1983), which explored the use of nonexamples to teach common errors as an effective strategy in teaching a procedure. A total of 24 undergraduate students enrolled in the Syracuse University Symphonic Band were randomly assigned to an experimental group and a…

Self-Evaluated Effects of Web-Based Portfolio Assessment System for Various Student Motivation Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chang, Chi-Cheng

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-evaluated effects of a web-based portfolio assessment system on various categories of students of motivation. The subjects for this study were the students of two computer classes in a Junior High School. The experimental group used the web-based portfolio assessment system whereas the control…

Using Experimental Design and Data Analysis to Study the Enlisted Specialty Model for the U.S. Army G1

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-06-01

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STUDY ..................43 APPENDIX. OBJECTIVE FUNTION COEFFICIENTS ...................47 LIST OF REFERENCES...experiments are designed so an analyst can conduct simultaneous examination of multiple factors and explore these factors and their relationship to output...or more components. 46 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 47 APPENDIX. OBJECTIVE FUNTION COEFFICIENTS

Addiction and "Generation Me:" Narcissistic and Prosocial Behaviors of Adolescents with Substance Dependency Disorder in Comparison to Normative Adolescents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carter, Rebecca R.; Johnson, Shannon M.; Exline, Julie J.; Post, Stephen G.; Pagano, Maria E.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore narcissistic and prosocial behaviors as reported by adolescents with and without substance dependency disorder (SDD). This study employs a quasi-experimental design using SDD adolescents compared with two normative samples of adolescents. In comparison to normative adolescents, adolescents with SDD were…

Effect of the Four-Step Learning Cycle Model on Students' Understanding of Concepts Related to Simple Harmonic Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Madu, B. C.

2012-01-01

The study explored the efficacy of four-step (4-E) learning cycle approach on students understanding of concepts related to Simple Harmonic Motion (SHM). 124 students (63 for experimental group and 61 for control group) participated in the study. The students' views and ideas in simple Harmonic Achievement test were analyzed qualitatively. The…

What Is Mathematical Modelling? Exploring Prospective Teachers' Use of Experiments to Connect Mathematics to the Study of Motion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrejo, David J.; Marshall, Jill

2007-01-01

This paper focuses on the construction, development, and use of mathematical models by prospective science and mathematics teachers enrolled in a university physics course. By studying their involvement in an inquiry-based, experimental approach to learning kinematics, we address a fundamental question about the meaning and role of abstraction in…

A Study on Learning Effect among Different Learning Styles in a Web-Based Lab of Science for Elementary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sun, Koun-tem; Lin, Yuan-cheng; Yu, Chia-jui

2008-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the learning effect related to different learning styles in a Web-based virtual science laboratory for elementary school students. The online virtual lab allows teachers to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) into science lessons. The results of this experimental teaching method…

Graphics, Playability and Social Interaction, the Greatest Motivations for Playing Call of Duty. Educational Reflections

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marcano Lárez, Beatriz Elena

2014-01-01

War videogames raise a lot of controversy in the educational field and are by far the most played videogames worldwide. This study explores the factors that encouraged gamers to choose war videogames with a sample of 387 Call of Duty players. The motivational factors were pinpointed using a non-experimental descriptive exploratory study through an…

English as a Second Language on a Virtual Platform--Tradition and Innovation in a New Medium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansson, Thomas

2005-01-01

A pilot study at a local school explores a virtual world during English lessons. The objective of applying a Vygotskian experimental design to the study is to investigate the potential of software, interaction and integration related to problem-solving defined as text composition in a foreign language. Focus of research and practices is on the…

A Quasi-Experimental Study of Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy and Offspring Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Onofrio, Brian M.; Singh, Amber L.; Iliadou, Anastasia; Lambe, Mats; Hultman, Christina M.; Neiderhiser, Jenae M.; Langstrom, Niklas; Lichtenstein, Paul

2010-01-01

The current study, based on all births in Sweden from 1983 to 1991 (N = 654,707), explored the processes underlying the association between smoking during pregnancy (SDP) and offspring school grades and mathematic proficiency at age 15. The analyses compared relatives who varied in their exposure to SDP and who varied in their genetic relatedness.…

Hydrodynamics of a Digitized Adult Humpback Whale Flipper

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fassmann, Wesley N.; McDonald, Samuel J.; Thomson, Scott L.; Fish, Frank E.

2013-11-01

During feeding, humpback whales turn with a turn radius of up to 1 /6th of their length towards schools of fish enclosed by bubble nets. This high maneuverability requirement is facilitated by high aspect ratio flippers with leading edge tubercles that delay stall. Previous experimental and computational studies have used idealized models, such as airfoils with scalloped leading edges, to explore the influence of leading edge tubercles on boundary layer separation, vortex generation, and airfoil lift and drag characteristics. Owing to the substantial size of the flipper, no studies have been performed on a digitized adult humpback flipper with real geometry. In this study the hydrodynamics of a realistic humpback flipper model were explored. The model was developed by digitizing a sequence of 18 images circumscribing the suspended flipper of a beached humpback whale. A physical prototype was constructed based on the resulting 3D model, along with a complementary model with the tubercles removed. Experimentally-obtained measurements of lift and drag were used to study the influence of the tubercles. In the presentation, digitization and flow measurement methods are described, and the flow data and results are presented and discussed.

Psychiatric disorders as vulnerability factors for nicotine addiction: what have we learned from animal models?

PubMed

Le Foll, Bernard; Ng, Enoch; Di Ciano, Patricia; Trigo, José M

2015-01-01

Epidemiological studies indicate a high prevalence of tobacco smoking in subjects with psychiatric disorders. Notably, there is a high prevalence of smoking among those with dependence to other substances, schizophrenia, mood, or anxiety disorders. It has been difficult to understand how these phenomena interact with clinical populations as it is unclear what preceded what in most of the studies. These comorbidities may be best understood by using experimental approaches in well-controlled conditions. Notably, animal models represent advantageous approaches as the parameters under study can be controlled perfectly. This review will focus on evidence collected so far exploring how behavioral effects of nicotine are modified in animal models of psychiatric conditions. Notably, we will focus on behavioral responses induced by nicotine that are relevant for its addictive potential. Despite the clinical relevance and frequency of the comorbidity between psychiatric issues and tobacco smoking, very few studies have been done to explore this issue in animals. The available data suggest that the behavioral and reinforcing effects of nicotine are enhanced in animal models of these comorbidities, although much more experimental work would be required to provide certainty in this domain.

Interactive Sonification Exploring Emergent Behavior Applying Models for Biological Information and Listening

PubMed Central

Choi, Insook

2018-01-01

Sonification is an open-ended design task to construct sound informing a listener of data. Understanding application context is critical for shaping design requirements for data translation into sound. Sonification requires methodology to maintain reproducibility when data sources exhibit non-linear properties of self-organization and emergent behavior. This research formalizes interactive sonification in an extensible model to support reproducibility when data exhibits emergent behavior. In the absence of sonification theory, extensibility demonstrates relevant methods across case studies. The interactive sonification framework foregrounds three factors: reproducible system implementation for generating sonification; interactive mechanisms enhancing a listener's multisensory observations; and reproducible data from models that characterize emergent behavior. Supramodal attention research suggests interactive exploration with auditory feedback can generate context for recognizing irregular patterns and transient dynamics. The sonification framework provides circular causality as a signal pathway for modeling a listener interacting with emergent behavior. The extensible sonification model adopts a data acquisition pathway to formalize functional symmetry across three subsystems: Experimental Data Source, Sound Generation, and Guided Exploration. To differentiate time criticality and dimensionality of emerging dynamics, tuning functions are applied between subsystems to maintain scale and symmetry of concurrent processes and temporal dynamics. Tuning functions accommodate sonification design strategies that yield order parameter values to render emerging patterns discoverable as well as rehearsable, to reproduce desired instances for clinical listeners. Case studies are implemented with two computational models, Chua's circuit and Swarm Chemistry social agent simulation, generating data in real-time that exhibits emergent behavior. Heuristic Listening is introduced as an informal model of a listener's clinical attention to data sonification through multisensory interaction in a context of structured inquiry. Three methods are introduced to assess the proposed sonification framework: Listening Scenario classification, data flow Attunement, and Sonification Design Patterns to classify sound control. Case study implementations are assessed against these methods comparing levels of abstraction between experimental data and sound generation. Outcomes demonstrate the framework performance as a reference model for representing experimental implementations, also for identifying common sonification structures having different experimental implementations, identifying common functions implemented in different subsystems, and comparing impact of affordances across multiple implementations of listening scenarios. PMID:29755311

Evaluating the Effects of Medical Explorers a Case Study Curriculum on Critical Thinking, Attitude Toward Life Science, and Motivational Learning Strategies in Rural High School Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brand, Lance G.

2011-12-01

The purpose of this study was three-fold: to measure the ability of the Medical Explorers case-based curriculum to improve higher order thinking skills; to evaluate the impact of the Medical Explorers case-based curriculum to help students be self directed learners; and to investigate the impact of the Medical Explorers case-based curriculum to improve student attitudes of the life sciences. The target population for this study was secondary students enrolled in advanced life science programs. The resulting sample (n = 71) consisted of 36 students in the case-based experimental group and 35 students in the control group. Furthermore, this study employed an experimental, pretest-posttest control group research design. The treatment consisted of two instructional strategies: case-based learning and teacher-guided learning. Analysis of covariance indicated no treatment effect on critical thinking ability or Motivation and Self-regulation of Learning. However, the Medical Explorers case-based curriculum did show a treatment effect on student attitudes toward the life sciences. These results seem to indicate that case-based curriculum has a positive impact on students' perspectives and attitudes about the study of life science as well as their interest in life science based careers. Such outcomes are also a good indicator that students enjoy and perceive the value to use of case studies in science, and because they see value in the work that they do they open up their minds to true learning and integration. Of additional interest was the observationthat on average eleventh graders showed consistently stronger gains in critical thinking, motivation and self-regulation of learning strategies, and attitudes toward the life sciences as compared to twelfth grade students. In fact, twelfth grade students showed a pre to post loss on the Watson-Glaser and the MSLQ scores while eleventh grade students showed positive gains on each of these instruments. This decline in twelfth grade performance is an endemic indicator of underlying problems that exists in this transitional year of education and supports the need to strengthen the transitional connections between high schools and institutions of higher learning.

A Comparison of Math Cover, Copy, Compare Intervention Procedures for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Morton, Reeva C; Gadke, Daniel L

2018-03-01

Cover, Copy, Compare (CCC) and Copy, Cover, Compare (MCCC) procedures are effective interventions for improving math fluency. However, there is a gap in literature exploring the use of these interventions for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The purpose of the current study was to compare the use of CCC and MCCC for children with ASD using a multi-component single-case experimental design. The results showed no notable difference between the interventions. Implications and limitations, particularly surrounding experimental control, are discussed in detail.

Democracy at Work in and through Experimental Schooling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyask, Ruth; McPhail, Jean C.; Kaur, Baljit; O'Connell, Kane

2008-01-01

Through an exploration of two experimental schools, Oruaiti (1950s) and Discovery 1 (2000s), we aim to understand the socio-political contexts that create spaces for experimentation and examine their impact on mainstream schooling. Caught between competing, often contradictory, discourses such experiments struggle between the…

Effect of a fall prevention program on balance maintenance using a quasi-experimental design in real-world settings.

PubMed

Robitaille, Yvonne; Fournier, Michel; Laforest, Sophie; Gauvin, Lise; Filiatrault, Johanne; Corriveau, Hélène

2012-08-01

To examine the effect of a fall prevention program offered under real-world conditions on balance maintenance several months after the program. To explore the program's impact on falls. A quasi-experimental study was conducted among community-dwelling seniors, with pre- and postintervention measures of balance performance and self-reported falls. Ten community-based organizations offered the intervention (98 participants) and 7 recruited participants to the study's control arm (102 participants). An earlier study examined balance immediately after the 12-week program. The present study focuses on the 12-month effect. Linear regression (balance) and negative binomial regression (falls) procedures were performed.falls. During the 12-month study period, experimental participants improved and maintained their balance as reflected by their scores on three performance tests. There was no evidence of an effect on falls.falls. Structured group exercise programs offered in community-based settings can maintain selected components of balance for several months after the program's end.

Are symptoms of spirit possessed patients covered by the DSM-IV or DSM-5 criteria for possession trance disorder? A mixed-method explorative study in Uganda.

PubMed

van Duijl, Marjolein; Kleijn, Wim; de Jong, Joop

2013-09-01

As in many cultures, spirit possession is a common idiom of distress in Uganda. The DSM-IV contains experimental research criteria for dissociative and possession trance disorder (DTD and PTD), which are under review for the DSM-5. In the current proposed categories of the DSM-5, PTD is subsumed under dissociative identity disorder (DID) and DTD under dissociative disorders not elsewhere classified. Evaluation of these criteria is currently urgently required. This study explores the match between local symptoms of spirit possession in Uganda and experimental research criteria for PTD in the DSM-IV and proposed criteria for DID in the DSM-5. A mixed-method approach was used combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. Local symptoms were explored of 119 spirit possessed patients, using illness narratives and a cultural dissociative symptoms' checklist. Possible meaningful clusters of symptoms were inventoried through multiple correspondence analysis. Finally, local symptoms were compared with experimental criteria for PTD in the DSM-IV and proposed criteria for DID in the DSM-5. Illness narratives revealed different phases of spirit possession, with passive-influence experiences preceding the actual possession states. Multiple correspondence analysis of symptoms revealed two dimensions: 'passive' and 'active' symptoms. Local symptoms, such as changes in consciousness, shaking movements, and talking in a voice attributed to spirits, match with DSM-IV-PTD and DSM-5-DID criteria. Passive-influence experiences, such as feeling influenced or held by powers from outside, strange dreams, and hearing voices, deserve to be more explicitly described in the proposed criteria for DID in the DSM-5. The suggested incorporation of PTD in DID in the DSM-5 and the envisioned separation of DTD and PTD in two distinctive categories have disputable aspects.

Investigating true and false confessions within a novel experimental paradigm.

PubMed

Russano, Melissa B; Meissner, Christian A; Narchet, Fadia M; Kassin, Saul M

2005-06-01

The primary goal of the current study was to develop a novel experimental paradigm with which to study the influence of psychologically based interrogation techniques on the likelihood of true and false confessions. The paradigm involves guilty and innocent participants being accused of intentionally breaking an experimental rule, or "cheating." In the first demonstration of this paradigm, we explored the influence of two common police interrogation tactics: minimization and an explicit offer of leniency, or a "deal." Results indicated that guilty persons were more likely to confess than innocent persons, and that the use of minimization and the offer of a deal increased the rate of both true and false confessions. Police investigators are encouraged to avoid interrogation techniques that imply or directly promise leniency, as they appear to reduce the diagnostic value of any confession that is elicited.

Cornell University Libraries. A Final Report from the Public Services Research Projects. Appropriate Public Services for Agricultural Research Faculty. One of a Series of Self-Studies and Research Projects.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Jan Kennedy; And Others

This paper reports a self-study undertaken at Cornell University's Albert R. Mann Library to explore appropriate public services for an agricultural research faculty. The study took place over a 22-month period and involved a literature review, development of a questionnaire, administration of the questionnaire, an experimental period of…

Experimental Mathematics and Computational Statistics

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

Bailey, David H.; Borwein, Jonathan M.

2009-04-30

The field of statistics has long been noted for techniques to detect patterns and regularities in numerical data. In this article we explore connections between statistics and the emerging field of 'experimental mathematics'. These includes both applications of experimental mathematics in statistics, as well as statistical methods applied to computational mathematics.

In-silico experiments of zebrafish behaviour: modeling swimming in three dimensions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mwaffo, Violet; Butail, Sachit; Porfiri, Maurizio

2017-01-01

Zebrafish is fast becoming a species of choice in biomedical research for the investigation of functional and dysfunctional processes coupled with their genetic and pharmacological modulation. As with mammals, experimentation with zebrafish constitutes a complicated ethical issue that calls for the exploration of alternative testing methods to reduce the number of subjects, refine experimental designs, and replace live animals. Inspired by the demonstrated advantages of computational studies in other life science domains, we establish an authentic data-driven modelling framework to simulate zebrafish swimming in three dimensions. The model encapsulates burst-and-coast swimming style, speed modulation, and wall interaction, laying the foundations for in-silico experiments of zebrafish behaviour. Through computational studies, we demonstrate the ability of the model to replicate common ethological observables such as speed and spatial preference, and anticipate experimental observations on the correlation between tank dimensions on zebrafish behaviour. Reaching to other experimental paradigms, our framework is expected to contribute to a reduction in animal use and suffering.

In-silico experiments of zebrafish behaviour: modeling swimming in three dimensions

PubMed Central

Mwaffo, Violet; Butail, Sachit; Porfiri, Maurizio

2017-01-01

Zebrafish is fast becoming a species of choice in biomedical research for the investigation of functional and dysfunctional processes coupled with their genetic and pharmacological modulation. As with mammals, experimentation with zebrafish constitutes a complicated ethical issue that calls for the exploration of alternative testing methods to reduce the number of subjects, refine experimental designs, and replace live animals. Inspired by the demonstrated advantages of computational studies in other life science domains, we establish an authentic data-driven modelling framework to simulate zebrafish swimming in three dimensions. The model encapsulates burst-and-coast swimming style, speed modulation, and wall interaction, laying the foundations for in-silico experiments of zebrafish behaviour. Through computational studies, we demonstrate the ability of the model to replicate common ethological observables such as speed and spatial preference, and anticipate experimental observations on the correlation between tank dimensions on zebrafish behaviour. Reaching to other experimental paradigms, our framework is expected to contribute to a reduction in animal use and suffering. PMID:28071731

Students' views about the nature of experimental physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilcox, Bethany

2017-04-01

The physics community explores and explains the physical world through a blend of theoretical and experimental studies. The future of physics as a discipline depends on training of students in both the theoretical and experimental aspects of the field. However, while student learning within lecture courses has been the subject of extensive research, lab courses remain relatively under-studied. In particular, there is little, if any, data available that addresses the effectiveness of physics lab courses at encouraging students to recognize the nature and importance of experimental physics within the discipline as a whole. To address this gap, we present the first large-scale, national study (Ninstitutions = 71 and Nstudents = 7167) of undergraduate physics lab courses through analysis of students' responses to a research-validated assessment designed to investigate students' beliefs about the nature of experimental physics. We find that students often enter and leave physics lab courses with ideas about experimental physics that are inconsistent with the views of practicing experimental physicists, and this trend holds at both the introductory and upper-division levels. Despite this inconsistency, we find that both introductory and upper-division students are able to accurately predict the expert-like response even in cases where their personal views disagree. These finding have implications for the recruitment, retention, and adequate preparation of students in physics. This work was funded by the NSF-IUSE Grant No. DUE-1432204 and NSF Grant No. PHY-1125844.

The use of a science experiment curriculum with mothers and their preschool children in an Even Start literacy setting: A case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cadou, Judith Ann

The purpose of this study was to explore systematically the use of a science experiment curriculum in an Even Start program setting through an in-depth description of the verbal and nonverbal interaction of preschool children and their mothers engaged in constructing knowledge through active science experiment exploration, representative notation, and related informational text experiences. It also sought to document the mothers' perceptions of science exploration as a facilitator for their children's literacy and their awareness of ways to support such growth. Two in-depth studies were presented to profile, in detail, the process of mother and child meaning making within the structure of a science explorations context. An additional eight mother-child dyads participated for purposes of adding breadth to the study. Behaviors were documented through (a) videotape transcriptions of the mother-child interaction in this science inquiry context, (b) observation, (c) field notes, and (d) open-ended interviews with the mothers. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method. The findings of this naturalistic study suggest the use of a linked mother-child dyad learning and literacy development process using prediction, experimentation, observation, and reflection, combined with related meaning-making verbal interaction, documentation, and reading, facilitated the child's knowledge acquisition, learning interests, and learning methodologies. Specifically, (a) the initiating setup for prediction placed the child at the center of her or his own inquiry and initiated verbal communication; (b) mother and child used the scientific thinking routine of predict, act on objects and observe, discover, evaluate, and make decisions, to be documented in second-level notation, as a mental organizer and scaffolding for inquiry and communication between them; (c) the children showed development in conceptual understanding within the context of active science exploration and across science units; (d) the children used the representative drawing and labeling of the experiment experience for extended experimentation and meaning making, thus using second-level notation for functional purposes; (e) the children showed increased initiative with expository text related to the experiment experiences; and (f) the mothers voiced perception of their children's and their own learning and a sense of efficacy in facilitating their children's learning.

Are fast explorers slow reactors? Linking personality type and anti-predator behaviour

PubMed Central

Jones, Katherine A.; Godin, Jean-Guy J.

2010-01-01

Response delays to predator attack may be adaptive, suggesting that latency to respond does not always reflect predator detection time, but can be a decision based on starvation–predation risk trade-offs. In birds, some anti-predator behaviours have been shown to be correlated with personality traits such as activity level and exploration. Here, we tested for a correlation between exploration behaviour and response latency time to a simulated fish predator attack in a fish species, juvenile convict cichlids (Amatitlania nigrofasciata). Individual focal fish were subjected to a standardized attack by a robotic fish predator while foraging, and separately given two repeated trials of exploration of a novel environment. We found a strong positive correlation between exploration and time taken to respond to the predator model. Fish that were fast to explore the novel environment were slower to respond to the predator. Our study therefore provides some of the first experimental evidence for a link between exploration behaviour and predator-escape behaviour. We suggest that different behavioural types may differ in how they partition their attention between foraging and anti-predator vigilance. PMID:19864291

Learned helplessness and learned prevalence: exploring the causal relations among perceived controllability, reward prevalence, and exploration.

PubMed

Teodorescu, Kinneret; Erev, Ido

2014-10-01

Exposure to uncontrollable outcomes has been found to trigger learned helplessness, a state in which the agent, because of lack of exploration, fails to take advantage of regained control. Although the implications of this phenomenon have been widely studied, its underlying cause remains undetermined. One can learn not to explore because the environment is uncontrollable, because the average reinforcement for exploring is low, or because rewards for exploring are rare. In the current research, we tested a simple experimental paradigm that contrasts the predictions of these three contributors and offers a unified psychological mechanism that underlies the observed phenomena. Our results demonstrate that learned helplessness is not correlated with either the perceived controllability of one's environment or the average reward, which suggests that reward prevalence is a better predictor of exploratory behavior than the other two factors. A simple computational model in which exploration decisions were based on small samples of past experiences captured the empirical phenomena while also providing a cognitive basis for feelings of uncontrollability. © The Author(s) 2014.

Cyber bullying prevention: intervention in Taiwan.

PubMed

Lee, Ming-Shinn; Zi-Pei, Wu; Svanström, Leif; Dalal, Koustuv

2013-01-01

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the cyber bullying prevention WebQuest course implementation. The study adopted the quasi-experimental design with two classes made up of a total of 61 junior high school students of seventh grade. The study subjects comprised of 30 students from the experimental group and 31 students from the control group. The experimental group received eight sessions (total 360 minutes) of the teaching intervention for four consecutive weeks, while the control group did not engage in any related courses. The self-compiled questionnaire for the student's knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward cyber bullying prevention was adopted. Data were analysed through generalized estimating equations to understand the immediate results on the student's knowledge, attitudes, and intentions after the intervention. The results show that the WebQuest course immediately and effectively enhanced the knowledge of cyber bullying, reduced the intentions, and retained the effects after the learning. But it produced no significant impact on the attitude toward cyber bullying. The intervention through this pilot study was effective and positive for cyber bulling prevention. It was with small number of students. Therefore, studies with large number of students and long experimental times, in different areas and countries are warranted.

Age-Related Changes in Spreading Activation during Infancy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barr, Rachel; Walker, Joanne; Gross, Julien; Hayne, Harlene

2014-01-01

The concept of spreading activation describes how retrieval of one memory cues retrieval of other memories that are associated with it. This study explored spreading activation in 6-, 12-, and 18-month-old infants. Infants (n = 144) learned two tasks within the same experimental session; one task, deferred imitation (DI), is typically remembered…

An Exploration of Desktop Virtual Reality and Visual Processing Skills in a Technical Training Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ausburn, Lynna J.; Ausburn, Floyd B.; Kroutter, Paul

2010-01-01

Virtual reality (VR) technology has demonstrated effectiveness in a variety of technical learning situations, yet little is known about its differential effects on learners with different levels of visual processing skill. This small-scale exploratory study tested VR through quasi-experimental methodology and a theoretical/conceptual framework…

When Control Groups Do Not Exist: Program Evaluation without a Net.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clark, Sheldon B.; And Others

Suggestions, based on the experience of researchers at Oak Ridge (Tennessee) Associated Universities (ORAU), are offered on how evaluations in which true experimental designs are not possible can be designed for meaningful comparison. The ORAU conducts evaluation and assessment studies of educational programs intended to explore some aspect of the…

Botanical therapies in chronic fatigue.

PubMed

Tharakan, Binu; Manyam, Bala V

2006-02-01

Chronic fatigue often occurs in aging and in various neurological, psychiatric and systemic diseases. The available therapies in modern medicine are limited. The exploration of potential alternative therapies from traditional medicine is reviewed, as there are several botanicals with experimental evidence of efficacy based on animal models and clinical studies. Copyright 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Affective and Behavioral Features of Jealousy Protest: Associations with Child Temperament, Maternal Interaction Style, and Attachment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hart, Sybil L.; Behrens, Kazuko Y.

2013-01-01

This study explored variation in affective and behavioral components of infants' jealousy protests during an eliciting condition in which mother and an experimenter directed differential attention exclusively toward a rival. Variation was examined in relation to child temperamental emotionality, maternal interaction style, and attachment security.…

The Impact of Self-Assessment on Language Learners' Writing Skill

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazloomi, Siamak; Khabiri, Mona

2018-01-01

The present study investigates the impact of self-assessment (SA) training applied as a writing task and a dynamic assessment on English language learners' writing ability and explores the changes in their language proficiency level. This quasi-experimental research on two homogenised essay writing classes of 60 Iranian university students at…

Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Elementary Science Teaching with Professional Learning Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mintzes, Joel J.; Marcum, Bev; Messerschmidt-Yates, Christl; Mark, Andrew

2013-01-01

Emerging from Bandura's Social Learning Theory, this study of in-service elementary school teachers examined the effects of sustained Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on self-efficacy in science teaching. Based on mixed research methods, and a non-equivalent control group experimental design, the investigation explored changes in…

An Investigation of School Violence and Pre-Service Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCaleb, Karen Nykorchuk; Andersen, Amy; Hueston, Harry

2008-01-01

All educators need to be aware of issues regarding school violence. Recent years have shown that violence can happen in a variety of school settings. This study conducted a one-group, pretest-posttest, pre-experimental design to explore pre-service teachers' perceptions regarding school violence. First, pre-service educators were asked to complete…

Supporting Foreign Language Vocabulary Learning through Kinect-Based Gaming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Urun, Mehmet Faith; Aksoy, Hasan; Comez, Rasim

2017-01-01

This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of a Kinect-based game called Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Future Soldier to investigate possible contributions of game-based learning in a virtual language classroom at a state university in Ankara, Turkey. A quasi-experimental design where the treatment group (N= 26) was subjected to kinect-based…

Reflective Learning and Prospective Teachers' Conceptual Understanding, Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Mathematical Communication Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Junsay, Merle L.

2016-01-01

This is a quasi-experimental study that explored the effects of reflective learning on prospective teachers' conceptual understanding, critical thinking, problem solving, and mathematical communication skills and the relationship of these variables. It involved 60 prospective teachers from two basic mathematics classes of an institution of higher…

How Deaf and Hearing Adolescents Comprehend a Televised Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cambra, Cristina; Leal, Aurora; Silvestre, Nuria

2010-01-01

This study explores the diversity of interpretations that can arise in cases where people with hearing loss perceive the information deriving from sound and language differently to how it is perceived by those without hearing impairment. Three experimental situations were designed in which 20 deaf adolescents and 20 hearing classmates view a film…

Looking Back To Find a Vision: Exploring the Emancipatory Potential of Teacher Research. Review of Research.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Patricia A.; Cornett, Jeffrey

2000-01-01

Discusses the limitations of experimental studies of learning and the emergence of alternative paradigms such as constructivism. Examines the growth of teacher research and its historical influences, including Montessori, Dewey's Progressive Movement, and Lucy Sprague Mitchell. Discusses current trends in teacher research, asserting that it is…

A Summer Bridge Program for Underprepared First-Year Students: Confidence, Community, and Re-Enrollment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suzuki, Anne; Amrein-Beardsley, Audrey; Perry, Nancy J.

2012-01-01

This quasi-experimental, action-research study explored a five-week pre-enrollment initiative called the Pathways Summer Bridge (PSB) Program in the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU). Theoretically framed and developed using the six components of Tinto's (1993) longitudinal model of institutional…

A Pilot Study Using an Online, Experimental, Two-Asset Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lypny, Gregory

2003-01-01

Describes an online, securities market, research tool, called Borsa, to engage students in the exploration of asset pricing in microeconomics courses. Defines Borsa as related database files served on the Internet using a dedicated IP address. Discusses practical considerations in running the market. Offers questions that arise from using the…

GMR-based PhC biosensor: FOM analysis and experimental studies

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

Syamprasad, Jagadeesh; Narayanan, Roshni; Joseph, Joby

2014-02-20

Guided Mode Resonance based Photonic crystal biosensor has a lot of potential applications. In our work, we are trying to improve their figure of merit values in order to achieve an optimum level through design and fabrication techniques. A robust and low-cost alternative for current biosensors is also explored through this research.

The Use of Interpreters by Speech-Language Pathologists Conducting Bilingual Speech-Language Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palfrey, Carol Lynn

2013-01-01

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative study was to explore the practices of speech-language pathologists in conducting bilingual assessments with interpreters. Data were obtained regarding the assessment tools and practices used by speech-language pathologists, the frequency with which they work with interpreters, and the procedures…

Emancipatory Sexuality Education and Sexual Assault Resistance: Does the Former Enhance the Latter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Senn, Charlene Y.; Gee, Stephanie S.; Thake, Jennifer

2011-01-01

The current study examined whether adding emancipatory sexuality education, which encourages the exploration of women's own sexual values and desires, to a sexual assault resistance program would improve women's resistance to sexual assault by known men. The participants were 214 first-year university students. A randomized experimental design…

A Comparison of Two Methods of Teaching Molecular Architecture to High School Chemistry Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halsted, Douglas Alan

This investigation explored the question of how high school chemistry students best learn three-dimensional molecular, ionic, and metallic structures in CHEM Study (Freeman, 1963). The experimenter compared the achievement, attitude, and instructional preferences of 110 randomly selected students taught by two different methods: (1) student…

The Impact of Authentic Learning Exercises on Pre-Service Teachers' Motivational Beliefs towards Technology Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Banas, Jennifer R.; York, Cindy S.

2014-01-01

A quasi-experimental study explored the impact of authentic learning exercises on preservice teachers' motivational beliefs and intentions to integrate technology, as well as the ability of those beliefs to predict intentions. A questionnaire was used to assess 104 preservice teachers' expectancy-value related motivational beliefs, namely…

The Teaching Brain

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Battro, Antonio M.

2010-01-01

Animals cannot teach as humans do. Therefore, we lack the experimental support of animal studies that are so important to understand the evolution of our basic learning skills but are useless to explore the development of the teaching skills, unique to humans. And most important: children teach! We have at least two new challenges in our Mind,…

Using Online Games to Teach Personal Finance Concepts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Chin-Wen; Hsu, Chun-Pin

2011-01-01

This case study explores the use of online games to teach personal finance concepts at the college level. A number of free online games targeting such topics as budgeting and saving, risk and return, consumer credit, financial services, and investments were introduced to the experimental group as homework assignments. Statistical results indicate…

Exploring the Argumentation Pattern in Modeling-Based Learning about Apparent Motion of Mars

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Su-Kyeong

2016-01-01

This study proposed an analytic framework for coding students' dialogic argumentation and investigated the characteristics of the small-group argumentation pattern observed in modeling-based learning. The participants were 122 second grade high school students in South Korea divided into an experimental and a comparison group. Modeling-based…

The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Pupils' Emotional Literacy Competencies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Hara, Donna

2011-01-01

Research suggests that peer mentoring can positively impact on emotional literacy competencies. This study explored the effects of peer mentoring on the emotional literacy competencies of Year 7 peer mentees using a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test control group design. Results supported the hypothesis that peer mentoring has a positive…

School Openness, Parent Participation and Satisfaction: An Exploration of Causal Models.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spivak, Harriet

This case study in policy research was prompted by: (1) concern about a methodological issue: how useful are cross-sectional, non-experimental data for answering policy questions?--and, (2) interest in some policy issues raised by the school decentralization/community control controversies and participatory reforms of the 1960s--are participatory…

How to Setup a Continuous Experimental Teaching System: Case Study on the Tourism Management Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hu, Jun; Zhang, Mu; Huang, Xiang

2014-01-01

Chinese higher tourism education witnesses 32-year continuous innovation and exploration since the reform and opening policies. And it has gained many successful experiences in the aspects of talents cultivation mentality, nurture target, subject construction, curriculum arrangement and training module. However, it suffers the shortage of tourism…

Online Action Monitoring and Memory for Self-Performed Actions in Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grainger, Catherine; Williams, David M.; Lind, Sophie E.

2014-01-01

This study explored whether individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience difficulties with action monitoring. Two experimental tasks examined whether adults with ASD are able to monitor their own actions online, and whether they also show a typical enactment effects in memory (enhanced memory for actions they have performed compared…

Does the Anticipation of a Merit Grade Motivate Vocational Test-Takers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Martin

2007-01-01

This study explores whether the anticipation of a graded (merit, pass, fail) test outcome rather than a binary (pass, fail) form of feedback influenced the motivation of learners taking a vocationally related test. Ninety-four students currently taking a vocationally related qualification were divided into control and experimental groups. Each…

Is Having More Prerequisite Knowledge Better for Learning from Productive Failure?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Toh, Pee Li Leslie; Kapur, Manu

2017-01-01

A critical assumption made in Kapur's ("Instr Sci" 40:651-672, 2012) productive failure design is that students have the necessary prerequisite knowledge resources to generate and explore solutions to problems before learning the targeted concept. Through two quasi-experimental studies, we interrogated this assumption in the context of…

Using Energy Psychology in Classrooms to Decrease Tension in College Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Jillian

2012-01-01

This research explores the impact of student use of energy psychology techniques in the classroom setting. The descriptive design quasi-experimental study also examines how energy psychology techniques used in the classroom are related to age and gender by use of the survey method. Questionnaire packets were administered to seventy-five college…

The Development of Gamified Learning Activities to Increase Student Engagement in Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Poondej, Chanut; Lerdpornkulrat, Thanita

2016-01-01

In the literature, the potential efficacy of the gamification of education has been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to explore the influence of applying gamification techniques to increase student engagement in learning. The quasi-experimental nonequivalent-control group design was used with 577 undergraduate students from six classes. The…

An Experimental Investigation of Peer Influences on Adolescent Hostile Attributions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Kim; Hadwin, Julie A.; Halligan, Sarah L.

2011-01-01

Aggression in young people has been associated with a bias toward attributing hostile intent to others. However, little is known about the origin of biased social information processing. The current study explored the potential role of peer contagion in the emergence of hostile attribution in adolescents. One hundred thirty-four adolescents (M age…

Casual Games and Casual Learning about Human Biological Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, C. Aaron; Gean, Katherine; Christensen, Claire G.; Beheshti, Elham; Pernot, Bryn; Segovia, Gloria; Person, Halcyon; Beasley, Steven; Ward, Patricia

2016-01-01

Casual games are everywhere. People play them throughout life to pass the time, to engage in social interactions, and to learn. However, their simplicity and use in distraction-heavy environments can attenuate their potential for learning. This experimental study explored the effects playing an online, casual game has on awareness of human…

The Proteus Effect: The Effect of Transformed Self-Representation on Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yee, Nick; Bailenson, Jeremy

2007-01-01

Virtual environments, such as online games and web-based chat rooms, increasingly allow us to alter our digital self-representations dramatically and easily. But as we change our self-representations, do our self-representations change our behavior in turn? In 2 experimental studies, we explore the hypothesis that an individual's behavior conforms…

Impact of Case-Based Instruction on Student Teachers' Reflection on Facilitating Children's Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, Dina

2008-01-01

The purpose of this original quasi-experimental research was to investigate the potential for using case-based instruction during the student teaching seminar as a means for promoting practicum student teachers' critical reflection about facilitating children's learning. In addition, the study explored the impact of varied modes for delivering…

Linking Implementation Fidelity to Impacts in an RCT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Unlu, Fatih; Bozzi, Laurie; Layzer, Carolyn; Smith, Arthur; Price, Cristofer; Hurtig, Richard

2013-01-01

In experimental studies, researchers are often interested in secondary research questions that explore important aspects of main findings, such as whether or not program effects vary according to the level of fidelity in which the program has been implemented; or according to the dosage received by individuals participated in the program. In this…

The Effects of Preventive Intervention for Betel Nut Chewing in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Su-Chen; Tsai, Chi-Cheng; Huang, Shun-Te; Hong, Yu-Jue

2007-01-01

Purpose: This study was to explore the effect of preventive health education intervention in the knowledge, attitude, practice of betel nut chewing, and self-efficacy of anti-betel nut chewing for adolescent students. Methods: One hundred eighty-six indigenous samples were recruited, and divided into experimental and control groups. The…

Exploring the Impact of Applicants' Gender and Religion on Principals' Screening Decisions for Assistant Principal Applicants

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bon, Susan C.

2009-01-01

In this experimental study, a national random sample of high school principals (stratified by gender) were asked to evaluate hypothetical applicants whose resumes varied by religion (Jewish, Catholic, nondenominational) and gender (male, female) for employment as assistant principals. Results reveal that male principals rate all applicants higher…

The Effects of Project Success on Student Academic Performance: A Quasi-Experimental Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shamblen, Stephen R.; Ringwalt, Chris

2008-01-01

Project SUCCESS (PS) is a substance use prevention program that targets indicated high school students. We used archival data to explore the program's effects on students' academic achievement and disciplinary problems. It is essential to demonstrate such effects, if prevention curricula are to survive in schools that face multiple competing…

Enhancing a Computer-Based Testing Environment with Optimum Item Response Time

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delen, Erhan

2015-01-01

As technology has become more advanced and accessible in instructional settings, there has been an upward trend in computer-based testing in the last decades. The present experimental study examines students' behaviors during computer-based testing in two different conditions and explores how these conditions affect the test results. Results…

The Effect of Conceptual Diagrams on Aviation Mechanics' Technical Systems Understanding.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satchwell, Richard E.; Johnson, Scott D.

A quasi-experimental study explored the effect of functional flow diagrams on technical system understanding. An individualized field training package which contained schematic diagrams that illustrated an aircraft's electrical system was complimented with functional flow diagrams. In a 4-week treatment, a control group of 10 students enrolled in…

Blending for Student Engagement: Lessons Learned for MOOCs and Beyond

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Amanda P.; Hayward, Denyse V.; Dunn, William; Carbonaro, Mike; Amrhein, Carl G.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this ongoing, three-year action research study is to explore the digital challenges of student engagement in higher education within the experimental platform of blended learning. Research questions examine the role of digital innovation in supporting diverse learners, as well as building meaningful connections with technology for…

Speed Isn't Everything: A Study of Examination Marking

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadas, Rita; Suto, Irenka

2010-01-01

The question of whether marking speed is related to marking accuracy is important for training examiners and planning realistic marking schedules. We explored marking speed in the context of a past examination for an international biology qualification for 14- to 16-year-olds. Forty-two markers with differing backgrounds experimentally marked 23…

Statistics Student Performance and Anxiety: Comparisons in Course Delivery and Student Characteristics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hedges, Sarai

2017-01-01

The statistics education community continues to explore the differences in performance outcomes and in student attitudes between online and face-to-face delivery methods of statistics courses. In this quasi-experimental study student persistence, exam, quiz, and homework scores were compared between delivery methods, class status, and programs of…

Science Teachers' Conceptions of Nature of Science: The Case of Bangladesh

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarkar, Md. Mahbub Alam; Gomes, Jui Judith

2010-01-01

This study explored Bangladeshi science teachers' conceptions of nature of science (NOS) with a particular focus on the nature of (a) scientific knowledge, (b) scientific inquiry and (c) scientific enterprise. The tentative, inferential, subjective and creative NOS, in addition to the myths of the scientific method and experimentation, the nature…

Correlation of experimentally measured atomic scale properties of EUV photoresist to modeling performance: an exploration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandel, Yudhishthir; Chandonait, Jonathan; Melvin, Lawrence S.; Marokkey, Sajan; Yan, Qiliang; Grzeskowiak, Steven; Painter, Benjamin; Denbeaux, Gregory

2017-03-01

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography at 13.5 nm stands at the crossroads of next generation patterning technology for high volume manufacturing of integrated circuits. Photo resist models that form the part of overall pattern transform model for lithography play a vital role in supporting this effort. The physics and chemistry of these resists must be understood to enable the construction of accurate models for EUV Optical Proximity Correction (OPC). In this study, we explore the possibility of improving EUV photo-resist models by directly correlating the parameters obtained from experimentally measured atomic scale physical properties; namely, the effect of interaction of EUV photons with photo acid generators in standard chemically amplified EUV photoresist, and associated electron energy loss events. Atomic scale physical properties will be inferred from the measurements carried out in Electron Resist Interaction Chamber (ERIC). This study will use measured physical parameters to establish a relationship with lithographically important properties, such as line edge roughness and CD variation. The data gathered from these measurements is used to construct OPC models of the resist.

Leading the Herd Astray: An Experimental Study of Self-Fulfilling Prophecies in an Artificial Cultural Market*

PubMed Central

Salganik, Matthew J.; Watts, Duncan J.

2013-01-01

Individuals influence each others’ decisions about cultural products such as songs, books, and movies; but to what extent can the perception of success become a “self-fulfilling prophecy”? We have explored this question experimentally by artificially inverting the true popularity of songs in an online “music market,” in which 12,207 participants listened to and downloaded songs by unknown bands. We found that most songs experienced self-fulfilling prophecies, in which perceived—but initially false—popularity became real over time. We also found, however, that the inversion was not self-fulfilling for the market as a whole, in part because the very best songs recovered their popularity in the long run. Moreover, the distortion of market information reduced the correlation between appeal and popularity, and led to fewer overall downloads. These results, although partial and speculative, suggest a new approach to the study of cultural markets, and indicate the potential of web-based experiments to explore the social psychological origin of other macro-sociological phenomena. PMID:24078078

Crashworthiness analysis using advanced material models in DYNA3D

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

Logan, R.W.; Burger, M.J.; McMichael, L.D.

1993-10-22

As part of an electric vehicle consortium, LLNL and Kaiser Aluminum are conducting experimental and numerical studies on crashworthy aluminum spaceframe designs. They have jointly explored the effect of heat treat on crush behavior and duplicated the experimental behavior with finite-element simulations. The major technical contributions to the state of the art in numerical simulation arise from the development and use of advanced material model descriptions for LLNL`s DYNA3D code. Constitutive model enhancements in both flow and failure have been employed for conventional materials such as low-carbon steels, and also for lighter weight materials such as aluminum and fiber compositesmore » being considered for future vehicles. The constitutive model enhancements are developed as extensions from LLNL`s work in anisotropic flow and multiaxial failure modeling. Analysis quality as a function of level of simplification of material behavior and mesh is explored, as well as the penalty in computation cost that must be paid for using more complex models and meshes. The lightweight material modeling technology is being used at the vehicle component level to explore the safety implications of small neighborhood electric vehicles manufactured almost exclusively from these materials.« less

An integrative top-down and bottom-up qualitative model construction framework for exploration of biochemical systems.

PubMed

Wu, Zujian; Pang, Wei; Coghill, George M

Computational modelling of biochemical systems based on top-down and bottom-up approaches has been well studied over the last decade. In this research, after illustrating how to generate atomic components by a set of given reactants and two user pre-defined component patterns, we propose an integrative top-down and bottom-up modelling approach for stepwise qualitative exploration of interactions among reactants in biochemical systems. Evolution strategy is applied to the top-down modelling approach to compose models, and simulated annealing is employed in the bottom-up modelling approach to explore potential interactions based on models constructed from the top-down modelling process. Both the top-down and bottom-up approaches support stepwise modular addition or subtraction for the model evolution. Experimental results indicate that our modelling approach is feasible to learn the relationships among biochemical reactants qualitatively. In addition, hidden reactants of the target biochemical system can be obtained by generating complex reactants in corresponding composed models. Moreover, qualitatively learned models with inferred reactants and alternative topologies can be used for further web-lab experimental investigations by biologists of interest, which may result in a better understanding of the system.

The strengths and limitations of effective centroid force models explored by studying isotopic effects in liquid water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Ying; Li, Jicun; Li, Xin-Zheng; Wang, Feng

2018-05-01

The development of effective centroid potentials (ECPs) is explored with both the constrained-centroid and quasi-adiabatic force matching using liquid water as a test system. A trajectory integrated with the ECP is free of statistical noises that would be introduced when the centroid potential is approximated on the fly with a finite number of beads. With the reduced cost of ECP, challenging experimental properties can be studied in the spirit of centroid molecular dynamics. The experimental number density of H2O is 0.38% higher than that of D2O. With the ECP, the H2O number density is predicted to be 0.42% higher, when the dispersion term is not refit. After correction of finite size effects, the diffusion constant of H2O is found to be 21% higher than that of D2O, which is in good agreement with the 29.9% higher diffusivity for H2O observed experimentally. Although the ECP is also able to capture the redshifts of both the OH and OD stretching modes in liquid water, there are a number of properties that a classical simulation with the ECP will not be able to recover. For example, the heat capacities of H2O and D2O are predicted to be almost identical and higher than the experimental values. Such a failure is simply a result of not properly treating quantized vibrational energy levels when the trajectory is propagated with classical mechanics. Several limitations of the ECP based approach without bead population reconstruction are discussed.

Examining clinical supervision as a mechanism for changes in practice: a research protocol.

PubMed

Dilworth, Sophie; Higgins, Isabel; Parker, Vicki; Kelly, Brian; Turner, Jane

2014-02-01

This paper describes the research protocol for a study exploring if and how clinical supervision facilitates change in practice relating to psychosocial aspects of care for Health Professionals, who have been trained to deliver a psychosocial intervention to adults with cancer. There is a recognized need to implement care that is in line with clinical practice guidelines for the psychosocial care of adults with cancer. Clinical supervision is recommended as a means to support Health Professionals in providing the recommended psychosocial care. A qualitative design embedded within an experimental, stepped wedge randomized control trial. The study will use discourse analysis to analyse audio-recorded data collected in clinical supervision sessions that are being delivered as one element of a large randomized control trial. The sessions will be attended primarily by nurses, but including physiotherapists, radiation therapists, occupational therapists. The Health Professionals are participants in a randomized control trial designed to reduce anxiety and depression of distressed adults with cancer. The sessions will be facilitated by psychiatrists experienced in psycho-oncology and the provision of clinical supervision. The proposed research is designed specifically to facilitate exploration of the mechanisms by which clinical supervision enables Health Professionals to deliver a brief, tailored psychosocial intervention in the context of their everyday practice. This is the first study to use discourse analysis embedded within an experimental randomized control trial to explore the mechanisms of change generated within clinical supervision by analysing the discourse within the clinical supervision sessions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Teaching the Inquiry Process through Experimental Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pudwell, Lara

2017-01-01

In this paper, we discuss the Experimental Mathematics course taught at Valparaiso University since 2009. We focus on aspects of the course that facilitate students' abilities to ask and explore their own research questions.

A Comparison of Inferencing and Meaning-Guessing of New Lexicon in Context versus Non-Context Vocabulary Presentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zaid, Mohammed A.

2009-01-01

In a quasi-experimental study, the researcher used two approaches to vocabulary instruction with 34 Level III College of Languages and Translation students, enrolled in King Khalid University, KSA. The purpose of the study was to explore the effects of each approach. One strategy emphasized direct teaching of the individual meanings for a set of…

The Effectiveness of a Participatory Program on Fall Prevention in Oncology Patients

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Li-Chi; Ma, Wei-Fen; Li, Tsai-Chung; Liang, Yia-Wun; Tsai, Li-Yun; Chang, Fy-Uan

2015-01-01

Falls are known to be one of the most common in patient adverse events. A high incidence of falls was reported on patients with cancer. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of a participatory program on patient's knowledge and self-efficacy of fall prevention and fall incidence in an oncology ward. In this quasi-experimental study,…

Longitudinal Study of a Cooperation-Driven, Socio-Scientific Issue Intervention on Promoting Students' Critical Thinking and Self-Regulation in Learning Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Hsin-Hui; Chen, Hsiang-Ting; Lin, Huann-shyang; Huang, Yu-Ning; Hong, Zuway-R

2017-01-01

This longitudinal study explored the effects of a Cooperation-driven Socioscientific Issue (CDSSI) intervention on junior high school students' perceptions of critical thinking (CT) and self-regulation (SR) in Taiwan. Forty-nine grade 7 students were randomly selected as an experimental group (EG) to attend a 3-semester 72-hour intervention; while…

Does a Transformation Approach Improve Students' Ability in Constructing Auxiliary Lines for Solving Geometric Problems? An Intervention-Based Study with Two Chinese Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fan, Lianghuo; Qi, Chunxia; Liu, Xiaomei; Wang, Yi; Lin, Mengwei

2017-01-01

We conducted an intervention-based study in secondary classrooms to explore whether the use of geometric transformations can help improve students' ability in constructing auxiliary lines to solve geometric proof problems, especially high-level cognitive problems. A pre- and post-test quasi-experimental design was employed. The participants were…

Applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to Explore the Effects of a Course Management System (CMS)-Assisted EFL Writing Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tsai, Yea-Ru

2015-01-01

This study illustrates a teaching model that utilizes a Blackboard (Bb) course management system (CMS) to support English writing instruction. It was implemented in a blended English research paper (RP) writing course, with specific learning resources and activities offered inside and outside the Bb CMS. A quasi-experimental study in which the…

Exploring the Impact of Argumentation on Pre-Service Science Teachers' Conceptual Understanding of Chemical Equilibrium

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydeniz, Mehmet; Dogan, Alev

2016-01-01

This study examines the impact of argumentation on pre-service science teachers' (PST) conceptual understanding of chemical equilibrium. The sample consisted of 57 first-year PSTs enrolled in a teacher education program in Turkey. Thirty two of the 57 PSTs who participated in this study were in the experimental group and 25 in the control group.…

Using a Modified Argument-Driven Inquiry to Promote Elementary School Students' Engagement in Learning Science and Argumentation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hsiang-Ting; Wang, Hsin-Hui; Lu, Ying-Yan; Lin, Huann-shyang; Hong, Zuway-R

2016-01-01

This study explored the effects of a modified argument-driven inquiry approach on Grade 4 students' engagement in learning science and argumentation in Taiwan. The students were recruited as an experimental group (EG, n?=?36) to join a 12-week study, while another 36 Grade 4 students from the same schools were randomly selected to be the…

An Experimental Exploration of the Impact of Network-Level Packet Loss on Network Intrusion Detection

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-01

Experimental environment 5 Table 1 Hardware specifications Name Manufacture Model CPU Memory Hard Drive IP Address Bilbo Dell PowerEdge R610 Intel...10 we replayed the same hour of network traffic from the CDX 20093 that we used in our theoretical2 exploration to show the impact of our packet... replay the traffic at arbitrary speeds. Table 3 lists the speed multiplier that we used and the packet loss we observed. Table 3 Network packet loss

Impulsivity in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Gamers: Preliminary Results on Experimental and Self-Report Measures.

PubMed

Nuyens, Filip; Deleuze, Jory; Maurage, Pierre; Griffiths, Mark D; Kuss, Daria J; Billieux, Joël

2016-06-01

Background and aims Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games have become the most popular type of video games played worldwide, superseding the playing of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games and First-Person Shooter games. However, empirical studies focusing on the use and abuse of MOBA games are still very limited, particularly regarding impulsivity, which is an indicator of addictive states but has not yet been explored in MOBA games. In this context, the objective of the present study is to explore the associations between impulsivity and symptoms of addictive use of MOBA games in a sample of highly involved League of Legends (LoL, currently the most popular MOBA game) gamers. Methods Thirty-six LoL gamers were recruited and completed both experimental (Single Key Impulsivity Paradigm) and self-reported impulsivity assessments (s-UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), in addition to an assessment of problematic video game use (Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire). Results Results showed links between impulsivity-related constructs and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Findings indicated that impaired ability to postpone rewards in an experimental laboratory task was strongly related to problematic patterns of MOBA game involvement. Although less consistent, several associations were also found between self-reported impulsivity traits and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Conclusions Despite these results are preliminary and based upon a small (self-selected) sample, the present study highlights potential psychological factors related to the addictive use of MOBA games.

Impulsivity in Multiplayer Online Battle Arena Gamers: Preliminary Results on Experimental and Self-Report Measures

PubMed Central

Nuyens, Filip; Deleuze, Jory; Maurage, Pierre; Griffiths, Mark D.; Kuss, Daria J.; Billieux, Joël

2016-01-01

Background and aims Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA) games have become the most popular type of video games played worldwide, superseding the playing of Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games and First-Person Shooter games. However, empirical studies focusing on the use and abuse of MOBA games are still very limited, particularly regarding impulsivity, which is an indicator of addictive states but has not yet been explored in MOBA games. In this context, the objective of the present study is to explore the associations between impulsivity and symptoms of addictive use of MOBA games in a sample of highly involved League of Legends (LoL, currently the most popular MOBA game) gamers. Methods Thirty-six LoL gamers were recruited and completed both experimental (Single Key Impulsivity Paradigm) and self-reported impulsivity assessments (s-UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Scale, Barratt Impulsiveness Scale), in addition to an assessment of problematic video game use (Problematic Online Gaming Questionnaire). Results Results showed links between impulsivity-related constructs and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Findings indicated that impaired ability to postpone rewards in an experimental laboratory task was strongly related to problematic patterns of MOBA game involvement. Although less consistent, several associations were also found between self-reported impulsivity traits and signs of excessive MOBA game involvement. Conclusions Despite these results are preliminary and based upon a small (self-selected) sample, the present study highlights potential psychological factors related to the addictive use of MOBA games. PMID:27156376

The garden as a laboratory: the role of domestic gardens as places of scientific exploration in the long 18th century

PubMed Central

HICKMAN, CLARE

2014-01-01

Eighteenth-century gardens have traditionally been viewed as spaces designed for leisure, and as representations of political status, power and taste. In contrast, this paper will explore the concept that gardens in this period could be seen as dynamic spaces where scientific experiment and medical practice could occur. Two examples have been explored in the pilot study which has led to this paper — the designed landscapes associated with John Hunter’s Earl’s Court residence, in London, and the garden at Edward Jenner’s house in Berkeley, Gloucestershire. Garden history methodologies have been implemented in order to consider the extent to which these domestic gardens can be viewed as experimental spaces. PMID:26052165

The garden as a laboratory: the role of domestic gardens as places of scientific exploration in the long 18th century.

PubMed

Hickman, Clare

2014-06-01

Eighteenth-century gardens have traditionally been viewed as spaces designed for leisure, and as representations of political status, power and taste. In contrast, this paper will explore the concept that gardens in this period could be seen as dynamic spaces where scientific experiment and medical practice could occur. Two examples have been explored in the pilot study which has led to this paper - the designed landscapes associated with John Hunter's Earl's Court residence, in London, and the garden at Edward Jenner's house in Berkeley, Gloucestershire. Garden history methodologies have been implemented in order to consider the extent to which these domestic gardens can be viewed as experimental spaces.

Numerical and experimental simulation of linear shear piezoelectric phased arrays for structural health monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wentao; Zhang, Hui; Lynch, Jerome P.; Cesnik, Carlos E. S.; Li, Hui

2017-04-01

A novel d36-type piezoelectric wafer fabricated from lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT) is explored for the generation of in-plane horizontal shear waves in plate structures. The study focuses on the development of a linear phased array (PA) of PMN-PT wafers to improve the damage detection capabilities of a structural health monitoring (SHM) system. An attractive property of in-plane horizontal shear waves is that they are nondispersive yet sensitive to damage. This study characterizes the directionality of body waves (Lamb and horizontal shear) created by a single PMN-PT wafer bonded to the surface of a metallic plate structure. Second, a linear PA is designed from PMN-PT wafers to steer and focus Lamb and horizontal shear waves in a plate structure. Numerical studies are conducted to explore the capabilities of a PMN-PT-based PA to detect damage in aluminum plates. Numerical simulations are conducted using the Local Interaction Simulation Approach (LISA) implemented on a parallelized graphical processing unit (GPU) for high-speed execution. Numerical studies are further validated using experimental tests conducted with a linear PA. The study confirms the ability of an PMN-PT phased array to accurately detect and localize damage in aluminum plates.

Machine learning–enabled identification of material phase transitions based on experimental data: Exploring collective dynamics in ferroelectric relaxors

DOE PAGES

Li, Linglong; Yang, Yaodong; Zhang, Dawei; ...

2018-03-30

Exploration of phase transitions and construction of associated phase diagrams are of fundamental importance for condensed matter physics and materials science alike, and remain the focus of extensive research for both theoretical and experimental studies. For the latter, comprehensive studies involving scattering, thermodynamics, and modeling are typically required. We present a new approach to data mining multiple realizations of collective dynamics, measured through piezoelectric relaxation studies, to identify the onset of a structural phase transition in nanometer-scale volumes, that is, the probed volume of an atomic force microscope tip. Machine learning is used to analyze the multidimensional data sets describingmore » relaxation to voltage and thermal stimuli, producing the temperature-bias phase diagram for a relaxor crystal without the need to measure (or know) the order parameter. The suitability of the approach to determine the phase diagram is shown with simulations based on a two-dimensional Ising model. Finally, these results indicate that machine learning approaches can be used to determine phase transitions in ferroelectrics, providing a general, statistically significant, and robust approach toward determining the presence of critical regimes and phase boundaries.« less

Machine learning–enabled identification of material phase transitions based on experimental data: Exploring collective dynamics in ferroelectric relaxors

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

Li, Linglong; Yang, Yaodong; Zhang, Dawei

Exploration of phase transitions and construction of associated phase diagrams are of fundamental importance for condensed matter physics and materials science alike, and remain the focus of extensive research for both theoretical and experimental studies. For the latter, comprehensive studies involving scattering, thermodynamics, and modeling are typically required. We present a new approach to data mining multiple realizations of collective dynamics, measured through piezoelectric relaxation studies, to identify the onset of a structural phase transition in nanometer-scale volumes, that is, the probed volume of an atomic force microscope tip. Machine learning is used to analyze the multidimensional data sets describingmore » relaxation to voltage and thermal stimuli, producing the temperature-bias phase diagram for a relaxor crystal without the need to measure (or know) the order parameter. The suitability of the approach to determine the phase diagram is shown with simulations based on a two-dimensional Ising model. Finally, these results indicate that machine learning approaches can be used to determine phase transitions in ferroelectrics, providing a general, statistically significant, and robust approach toward determining the presence of critical regimes and phase boundaries.« less

Ultrafast magnetodynamics with free-electron lasers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malvestuto, Marco; Ciprian, Roberta; Caretta, Antonio; Casarin, Barbara; Parmigiani, Fulvio

2018-02-01

The study of ultrafast magnetodynamics has entered a new era thanks to the groundbreaking technological advances in free-electron laser (FEL) light sources. The advent of these light sources has made possible unprecedented experimental schemes for time-resolved x-ray magneto-optic spectroscopies, which are now paving the road for exploring the ultimate limits of out-of-equilibrium magnetic phenomena. In particular, these studies will provide insights into elementary mechanisms governing spin and orbital dynamics, therefore contributing to the development of ultrafast devices for relevant magnetic technologies. This topical review focuses on recent advancement in the study of non-equilibrium magnetic phenomena from the perspective of time-resolved extreme ultra violet (EUV) and soft x-ray spectroscopies at FELs with highlights of some important experimental results.

Fit to Forgive: Effect of Mode of Exercise on Capacity to Override Grudges and Forgiveness

PubMed Central

Struthers, C. Ward; van Monsjou, Elizabeth; Ayoub, Mariam; Guilfoyle, Joshua R.

2017-01-01

Forgiveness is important for repairing relationships that have been damaged by transgressions. In this research we explored the notion that the mode of physical exercise that victims of transgressions engage in and their capacity to override grudges are important in the process of forgiveness. Two exploratory studies that varied in samples (community non-student adults, undergraduate students) and research methods (non-experimental, experimental) were used to test these predictions. Findings showed that, compared to anaerobic or no exercise, aerobic and flexibility exercise facilitated self-control over grudges and forgiveness (Studies 1 and 2), and self-control over grudges explained the relation between exercise and forgiveness (Study 2). Possible mechanisms for future research are discussed. PMID:28533758

HIFIRE Flight 2 Overview and Status Update 2011

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jackson, Kevin R.; Gruber, Mark R.; Buccellato, Salvatore

2011-01-01

A collaborative international effort, the Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HIFiRE) Program aims to study basic hypersonic phenomena through flight experimentation. HIFiRE Flight 2 teams the United States Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), NASA, and the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO). Flight 2 will develop an alternative test technique for acquiring high enthalpy scramjet flight test data, allowing exploration of accelerating hydrocarbon-fueled scramjet performance and dual-to-scram mode transition up to and beyond Mach 8 flight. The generic scramjet flowpath is research quality and the test fuel is a simple surrogate for an endothermically cracked liquid hydrocarbon fuel. HIFiRE Flight 2 will be a first of its kind in contribution to scramjets. The HIFiRE program builds upon the HyShot and HYCAUSE programs and aims to leverage the low-cost flight test technique developed in those programs. It will explore suppressed trajectories of a sounding rocket propelled test article and their utility in studying ramjet-scramjet mode transition and flame extinction limits research. This paper describes the overall scramjet flight test experiment mission goals and objectives, flight test approach and strategy, ground test and analysis summary, development status and project schedule. A successful launch and operation will present to the scramjet community valuable flight test data in addition to a new tool, and vehicle, with which to explore high enthalpy scramjet technologies.

The pharmacology of neuroplasticity induced by non-invasive brain stimulation: building models for the clinical use of CNS active drugs

PubMed Central

Nitsche, Michael A; Müller-Dahlhaus, Florian; Paulus, Walter; Ziemann, Ulf

2012-01-01

The term neuroplasticity encompasses structural and functional modifications of neuronal connectivity. Abnormal neuroplasticity is involved in various neuropsychiatric diseases, such as dystonia, epilepsy, migraine, Alzheimer's disease, fronto-temporal degeneration, schizophrenia, and post cerebral stroke. Drugs affecting neuroplasticity are increasingly used as therapeutics in these conditions. Neuroplasticity was first discovered and explored in animal experimentation. However, non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has enabled researchers recently to induce and study similar processes in the intact human brain. Plasticity induced by NIBS can be modulated by pharmacological interventions, targeting ion channels, or neurotransmitters. Importantly, abnormalities of plasticity as studied by NIBS are directly related to clinical symptoms in neuropsychiatric diseases. Therefore, a core theme of this review is the hypothesis that NIBS-induced plasticity can explore and potentially predict the therapeutic efficacy of CNS-acting drugs in neuropsychiatric diseases. We will (a) review the basics of neuroplasticity, as explored in animal experimentation, and relate these to our knowledge about neuroplasticity induced in humans by NIBS techniques. We will then (b) discuss pharmacological modulation of plasticity in animals and humans. Finally, we will (c) review abnormalities of plasticity in neuropsychiatric diseases, and discuss how the combination of NIBS with pharmacological intervention may improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of abnormal plasticity in these diseases and their purposeful pharmacological treatment. PMID:22869014

Nuclear fission: a review of experimental advances and phenomenology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andreyev, A. N.; Nishio, K.; Schmidt, K.-H.

2018-01-01

In the last two decades, through technological, experimental and theoretical advances, the situation in experimental fission studies has changed dramatically. With the use of advanced production and detection techniques both much more detailed and precise information can now be obtained for the traditional regions of fission research and, crucially, new regions of nuclei have become routinely accessible for fission studies. This work first of all reviews the recent developments in experimental fission techniques, in particular the resurgence of transfer-induced fission reactions with light and heavy ions, the emerging use of inverse-kinematic approaches, both at Coulomb and relativistic energies, and of fission studies with radioactive beams. The emphasis on the fission-fragment mass and charge distributions will be made in this work, though some of the other fission observables, such as prompt neutron and γ-ray emission will also be reviewed. A particular attention will be given to the low-energy fission in the so far scarcely explored nuclei in the very neutron-deficient lead region. They recently became the focus for several complementary experimental studies, such as β-delayed fission with radioactive beams at ISOLDE(CERN), Coulex-induced fission of relativistic secondary beams at FRS(GSI), and several prompt fusion–fission studies. The synergy of these approaches allows a unique insight in the new region of asymmetric fission around {\\hspace{0pt}}180 Hg, recently discovered at ISOLDE. Recent extensive theoretical efforts in this region will also be outlined. The unprecedented high-quality data for fission fragments, completely identified in Z and A, by means of reactions in inverse kinematics at FRS(GSI) and VAMOS(GANIL) will be also reviewed. These experiments explored an extended range of mercury-to-californium elements, spanning from the neutron-deficient to neutron-rich nuclides, and covering both asymmetric, symmetric and transitional fission regions. Some aspects of heavy-ion induced fusion–fission and quasifission reactions will be also discussed, which reveal their dynamical features, such as the fission time scale. The crucial role of the multi-chance fission, probed by means of multinucleon-transfer induced fission reactions, will be highlighted. The review will conclude with the discussion of the new experimental fission facilities which are presently being brought into operation, along with promising ‘next-generation’ fission approaches, which might become available within the next decade.

Quasisubharmonic vibrations in metal plates excited by high-power ultrasonic pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhao-jiang; Zhang, Shu-yi; Zheng, Kai; Kuo, Pao-kuang

2009-07-01

Strongly nonlinear vibration phenomena in metal plates excited by high-power ultrasonic pulses in different conditions are studied experimentally and theoretically. The experimental conditions for generating quasisubharmonics and subharmonics are found and discussed. The plate vibrations are characterized by waveforms, frequency spectra, pseudostate portraits, and Poincaré maps. Then, a three-degree-of-freedom vibroimpact-dynamic model is presented to explore the generation mechanisms of the quasisubharmonic and subharmonic vibrations in the plates. According to the model, the intermittent contact-impact forces caused by the interactions between the transducer horn tip and the plate are considered as the main source for generating the complex nonlinear vibration in the plate. The numerical calculation results can explain reasonably the observed experimental phenomena.

Experimental study on synchronization of three coupled mechanical metronomes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Qiang; Liu, Weiqing; Yang, Hujiang; Xiao, Jinghua; Qian, Xiaolan

2013-03-01

In this paper, a CCD acquisition system is set up to explore the dynamics of three coupled mechanical metronomes in order to compensate for the defects of visual observation. The facility is efficient to observe rich dynamics in an experiment, such as phase synchronization, partial phase synchronization and quasi-periodical oscillation, by accurately recording the trajectory of three coupled metronomes. The parameters, e.g., pendulum length and rolling friction are deemed to significantly influence the dynamics of three coupled mechanical metronomes judging from the experimental phenomena. The experimental results are confirmed by the numerical simulation based on the model with different intrinsic frequencies between three metronomes. The metronome and CCD acquisition systems are excellent demonstration apparatuses for a class and an undergraduate physics laboratory.

Enhancing Self-Efficacy in Elementary Science Teaching With Professional Learning Communities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mintzes, Joel J.; Marcum, Bev; Messerschmidt-Yates, Christl; Mark, Andrew

2013-11-01

Emerging from Bandura's Social Learning Theory, this study of in-service elementary school teachers examined the effects of sustained Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) on self-efficacy in science teaching. Based on mixed research methods, and a non-equivalent control group experimental design, the investigation explored changes in personal self-efficacy and outcome expectancy among teachers engaged in PLCs that featured Demonstration Laboratories, Lesson Study, and annual Summer Institutes. Significant changes favoring the experimental group were found on all quantitative measures of self-efficacy. Structured clinical interviews revealed that observed changes were largely attributable to a wide range of direct (mastery) and vicarious experiences, as well as emotional reinforcement and social persuasion.

Evaluation of Sub Query Performance in SQL Server

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oktavia, Tanty; Sujarwo, Surya

2014-03-01

The paper explores several sub query methods used in a query and their impact on the query performance. The study uses experimental approach to evaluate the performance of each sub query methods combined with indexing strategy. The sub query methods consist of in, exists, relational operator and relational operator combined with top operator. The experimental shows that using relational operator combined with indexing strategy in sub query has greater performance compared with using same method without indexing strategy and also other methods. In summary, for application that emphasized on the performance of retrieving data from database, it better to use relational operator combined with indexing strategy. This study is done on Microsoft SQL Server 2012.

Radiation Beamline Testbeds for the Simulation of Planetary and Spacecraft Environments for Human and Robotic Mission Risk Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wilkins, Richard

2010-01-01

The Center for Radiation Engineering and Science for Space Exploration (CRESSE) at Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, USA, is establishing an integrated, multi-disciplinary research program on the scientific and engineering challenges faced by NASA and the international space community caused by space radiation. CRESSE focuses on space radiation research directly applicable to astronaut health and safety during future long term, deep space missions, including Martian, lunar, and other planetary body missions beyond low earth orbit. The research approach will consist of experimental and theoretical radiation modeling studies utilizing particle accelerator facilities including: 1. NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory; 2. Proton Synchrotron at Loma Linda University Medical Center; and 3. Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Specifically, CRESSE investigators are designing, developing, and building experimental test beds that simulate the lunar and Martian radiation environments for experiments focused on risk assessment for astronauts and instrumentation. The testbeds have been designated the Bioastronautics Experimental Research Testbeds for Environmental Radiation Nostrum Investigations and Education (BERT and ERNIE). The designs of BERT and ERNIE will allow for a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to modify experimental configurations to simulate planetary surface environments, planetary habitats, and spacecraft interiors. In the nominal configuration, BERT and ERIE will consist of a set of experimental zones that will simulate the planetary atmosphere (Solid CO2 in the case of the Martian surface.), the planetary surface, and sub-surface regions. These experimental zones can be used for dosimetry, shielding, biological, and electronic effects radiation studies in support of space exploration missions. BERT and ERNIE are designed to be compatible with the experimental areas associated with the above facilities. CRESSE has broad expertise in space radiation in the areas of space radiation environment modeling, Monte-Carlo radiation transport modeling, space radiation instrumentation and dosimetry, radiation effects on electronics, and multi-functional composite shielding materials. The BERT and ERNIE testbeds will be utilized in individual and collaborative research incorporating this expertise. The research goal is to maximize the technical readiness level (TRL) of radiation instrumentation for human and robotic missions, optimizing the return value of CRESSE for NASA exploration and international co-operative missions. Outcomes and knowledge from research utilizing BERT and ERNIE will be applied to a variety of scientific and engineering disciplines vital for safe and reliable execution of future space exploration missions, which can be negatively impacted by the space radiation environment. The testbeds will be central to a variety of university educational activities and educational goals of NASA. Specifically, BERT and ERNIE will enhance educational opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines for engineering and science students at PVAMU, a historically black college/university. Preliminary data on prototype testbed configurations, including simulated lunar regolith (JSC-1A stimulant based on Apollo 11 samples), regolith/polyethylene composites, and dry ice, will be presented to demonstrate the usefulness of BERT and ERNIE in radiation beam line experiments.

Radiation beamline testbeds for the simulation of planetary and spacecraft environments for human and robotic mission risk assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilkins, Richard

The Center for Radiation Engineering and Science for Space Exploration (CRESSE) at Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas, USA, is establishing an integrated, multi-disciplinary research program on the scientific and engineering challenges faced by NASA and the inter-national space community caused by space radiation. CRESSE focuses on space radiation research directly applicable to astronaut health and safety during future long term, deep space missions, including Martian, lunar, and other planetary body missions beyond low earth orbit. The research approach will consist of experimental and theoretical radiation modeling studies utilizing particle accelerator facilities including: 1. NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory; 2. Proton Synchrotron at Loma Linda University Med-ical Center; and 3. Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Specifically, CRESSE investigators are designing, developing, and building experimental test beds that simulate the lunar and Martian radiation environments for experiments focused on risk assessment for astronauts and instrumentation. The testbeds have been designated the Bioastronautics Experimental Research Testbeds for Environmental Radiation Nostrum Investigations and Education (BERT and ERNIE). The designs of BERT and ERNIE will allow for a high degree of flexibility and adaptability to modify experimental configurations to simulate planetary surface environments, planetary habitats, and spacecraft interiors. In the nominal configuration, BERT and ERIE will consist of a set of experimental zones that will simulate the planetary atmosphere (Solid CO2 in the case of the Martian surface.), the planetary surface, and sub-surface regions. These experimental zones can be used for dosimetry, shielding, biological, and electronic effects radiation studies in support of space exploration missions. BERT and ERNIE are designed to be compatible with the experimental areas associated with the above facilities. CRESSE has broad expertise in space radiation in the areas of space radiation environment modeling, Monte-Carlo radiation transport modeling, space radiation instrumentation and dosimetry, radiation effects on electronics, and multi-functional composite shielding materi-als. The BERT and ERNIE testbeds will be utilized in individual and collaborative research incorporating this expertise. The research goal is to maximize the technical readiness level (TRL) of radiation instrumentation for human and robotic missions, optimizing the return value of CRESSE for NASA exploration and international co-operative missions. Outcomes and knowledge from research utilizing BERT and ERNIE will be applied to a variety of scien-tific and engineering disciplines vital for safe and reliable execution of future space exploration missions, which can be negatively impacted by the space radiation environment. The testbeds will be central to a variety of university educational activities and educational goals of NASA. Specifically, BERT and ERNIE will enhance educational opportunities in science, technol-ogy, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines for engineering and science students at PVAMU, a historically black college/university. Preliminary data on prototype testbed configurations, including simulated lunar regolith (JSC-1A stimulant based on Apollo 11 samples), regolith/polyethylene composites, and dry ice, will be presented to demonstrate the usefulness of BERT and ERNIE in radiation beam line experiments.

The Effects of General System Justification on Corruption Perception and Intent

PubMed Central

Tan, Xuyun; Liu, Li; Huang, Zhenwei; Zheng, Wenwen; Liang, Yuan

2016-01-01

Previous research stresses that system justifying belief can weaken corruption perception, by this possibly fostering unjust behaviors. However, general results of the effect of general system justification on corruption are ambiguous, indicating also a lessening impact. We conducted a line of studies trying to elucidate these circumstances by testing the effect of general system justification on corruption perception and intention. In addition, we explored institutional trust as a possible mediator in this process. For this purpose, we conducted three studies. The first two studies examined the association between general system justification and corruption. In Study 1, a correlational design was run using questionnaires to assess the relation between general system justification and corruption perception as well as corruption intention. In Study 2, an experimental design was conducted manipulating general system justification via exposure to high or low system threat condition, then measuring its effect on corruption perception and corrupt intention. In Study 3, two sub-studies using correlational and experimental designs were run to explore the mediating role of institutional trust, respectively. Results replicated former studies showing that general system justification is negatively associated with corruption perception. However, they also showed a negative correlation with corrupt intention. Furthermore, they showed that institutional trust mediated the relation between general system justification and corruption. We suggest to consider these findings to further elucidate the psychological basis underlying different effects of general system justification on human behaviors. PMID:27507954

The Effects of General System Justification on Corruption Perception and Intent.

PubMed

Tan, Xuyun; Liu, Li; Huang, Zhenwei; Zheng, Wenwen; Liang, Yuan

2016-01-01

Previous research stresses that system justifying belief can weaken corruption perception, by this possibly fostering unjust behaviors. However, general results of the effect of general system justification on corruption are ambiguous, indicating also a lessening impact. We conducted a line of studies trying to elucidate these circumstances by testing the effect of general system justification on corruption perception and intention. In addition, we explored institutional trust as a possible mediator in this process. For this purpose, we conducted three studies. The first two studies examined the association between general system justification and corruption. In Study 1, a correlational design was run using questionnaires to assess the relation between general system justification and corruption perception as well as corruption intention. In Study 2, an experimental design was conducted manipulating general system justification via exposure to high or low system threat condition, then measuring its effect on corruption perception and corrupt intention. In Study 3, two sub-studies using correlational and experimental designs were run to explore the mediating role of institutional trust, respectively. Results replicated former studies showing that general system justification is negatively associated with corruption perception. However, they also showed a negative correlation with corrupt intention. Furthermore, they showed that institutional trust mediated the relation between general system justification and corruption. We suggest to consider these findings to further elucidate the psychological basis underlying different effects of general system justification on human behaviors.

Remembrance of Things Future: Prospective Memory in Laboratory, Workplace, and Everyday Settings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dismukes, R. Key

2010-01-01

In this review, oriented to the human factors community, I will summarize and provide a perspective on recent research and theory on prospective memory. This will not be an exhaustive review of literature, which is already available in two excellent recent books that provide a wealth of detail on the current state of experimental research (Kliegel, McCaniel, & Einstein, 2008; McDaniel & Einstein, 2007; also see Brandimonte, Einstein, & McDaniel, 1996, for a still relevant overview of the field as it was emerging). Rather, I will explore the limits of existing experimental paradigms and theory, Vvilich, in my opinion, fail to capture some critical aspects of performance outside the laboratory. I will also review the relatively few studies in workplace and everyday settings and will discuss several studies that attempt to bridge between the bulk of experimental studies and these few naturalistic studies. Finally, I will describe countermeasures that can reduce vulnerability to forgetting to perform intended tasks, and I will propose a research agenda that would extend existing experimental and theoretical approaches and would support human factors practitioners by generating information on a wide range of issues relevant to prospective memory performance in natural settings.

Music and Autonomic Nervous System (Dys)function

PubMed Central

Ellis, Robert J.; Thayer, Julian F.

2010-01-01

Despite a wealth of evidence for the involvement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in health and disease and the ability of music to affect ANS activity, few studies have systematically explored the therapeutic effects of music on ANS dysfunction. Furthermore, when ANS activity is quantified and analyzed, it is usually from a point of convenience rather than from an understanding of its physiological basis. After a review of the experimental and therapeutic literatures exploring music and the ANS, a “Neurovisceral Integration” perspective on the interplay between the central and autonomic nervous systems is introduced, and the associated implications for physiological, emotional, and cognitive health are explored. The construct of heart rate variability is discussed both as an example of this complex interplay and as a useful metric for exploring the sometimes subtle effect of music on autonomic response. Suggestions for future investigations using musical interventions are offered based on this integrative account. PMID:21197136

Experimental study of the electrolysis of silicate melts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keller, R.; Larimer, K. T.

1991-01-01

To produce oxygen from lunar resources, it may be feasible to melt and electrolyze local silicate ores. This possibility was explored experimentally with synthesized melts of appropriate compositions. Platinum electrodes were employed at a melt temperature of 1425 C. When silicon components of the melt were reduced, the platinum cathode degraded rapidly, which prompted the substitution of a graphite cathode substrate. Discrete particles containing iron or titanium were found in the solidified electrolyte after three hours of electrolysis. Electrolyte conductivities did not decrease substantially, but the escape of gas bubbles, in some cases, appeared to be hindered by high viscosity of the melt.

Oxidative induction time -- A review of DSC experimental effects

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

Blaine, R.L.; Lundgren, C.J.; Harris, M.B.

1997-12-31

Over the past several years, a number of ASTM committees have explored a wide variety of experimental parameters affecting the oxidative induction time (OIT) test method in an attempt to improve its intra- and inter-laboratory precision. These studies have identified test temperature precision as a key parameter affecting OIT precision. Other parameters of importance are oxygen flow rate, specimen size, specimen pan type, oxygen pressure and catalyst effects. The work of Kuck, Bowmer, Riga, Tikuisis and Thomas are reviewed as well as the collective work of ASTM Committees E37, D2, D9 and D35.

Nuclear clustering and the electron screening puzzle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bertulani, C. A.; Spitaleri, C.

2018-01-01

Electron screening changes appreciably the magnitude of astrophysical nuclear reactions within stars. This effect is also observed in laboratory experiments on Earth, where atomic electrons are present in the nuclear targets. Theoretical models were developed over the past 30 years and experimental measurements have been carried out to study electron screening in thermonuclear reactions. None of the theoretical models were able to explain the high values of the experimentally determined screening potentials. We explore the possibility that the "electron screening puzzle" is due to nuclear clusterization and polarization e_ects in the fusion reactions. We will discuss the supporting arguments for this scenario.

A roadmap to computational social neuroscience.

PubMed

Tognoli, Emmanuelle; Dumas, Guillaume; Kelso, J A Scott

2018-02-01

To complement experimental efforts toward understanding human social interactions at both neural and behavioral levels, two computational approaches are presented: (1) a fully parameterizable mathematical model of a social partner, the Human Dynamic Clamp which, by virtue of experimentally controlled interactions between Virtual Partners and real people, allows for emergent behaviors to be studied; and (2) a multiscale neurocomputational model of social coordination that enables exploration of social self-organization at all levels-from neuronal patterns to people interacting with each other. These complementary frameworks and the cross product of their analysis aim at understanding the fundamental principles governing social behavior.

Meta-analyses of animal studies: an introduction of a valuable instrument to further improve healthcare.

PubMed

Hooijmans, Carlijn R; IntHout, Joanna; Ritskes-Hoitinga, Merel; Rovers, Maroeska M

2014-01-01

In research aimed at improving human health care, animal studies still play a crucial role, despite political and scientific efforts to reduce preclinical experimentation in laboratory animals. In animal studies, the results and their interpretation are not always straightforward, as no single study is executed perfectly in all steps. There are several possible sources of bias, and many animal studies are replicates of studies conducted previously. Use of meta-analysis to combine the results of studies may lead to more reliable conclusions and a reduction of unnecessary duplication of animal studies. In addition, due to the more exploratory nature of animal studies as compared to clinical trials, meta-analyses of animal studies have greater potential in exploring possible sources of heterogeneity. There is an abundance of literature on how to perform meta-analyses on clinical data. Animal studies, however, differ from clinical studies in some aspects, such as the diversity of animal species studied, experimental design, and study characteristics. In this paper, we will discuss the main principles and practices for meta-analyses of experimental animal studies. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press.

Experimental Investigations in Nonlinear Viscous Behavior of Subgrade Soils Under Traffic-Induced Loading

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-08-01

This paper concerns experimental investigations of nonlinear viscosity of : subgrade soils under vehicle-induced loading. Subgrade soil samples--collected : from the Soil/Aggregate Laboratory at the Geotechnical Exploration Division at : the Maryland...

Social power and recognition of emotional prosody: High power is associated with lower recognition accuracy than low power.

PubMed

Uskul, Ayse K; Paulmann, Silke; Weick, Mario

2016-02-01

Listeners have to pay close attention to a speaker's tone of voice (prosody) during daily conversations. This is particularly important when trying to infer the emotional state of the speaker. Although a growing body of research has explored how emotions are processed from speech in general, little is known about how psychosocial factors such as social power can shape the perception of vocal emotional attributes. Thus, the present studies explored how social power affects emotional prosody recognition. In a correlational study (Study 1) and an experimental study (Study 2), we show that high power is associated with lower accuracy in emotional prosody recognition than low power. These results, for the first time, suggest that individuals experiencing high or low power perceive emotional tone of voice differently. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Understanding the Relationship between Latino Students' Preferred Learning Styles and Their Language Spoken at Home

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maldonado Torres, Sonia Enid

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between Latino students' learning styles and their language spoken at home. Results of the study indicated that students who spoke Spanish at home had higher means in the Active Experimentation modality of learning (M = 31.38, SD = 5.70) than students who spoke English (M = 28.08,…

The Effect of Fermi Questions in the Development of Science Processes Skills in Physics among Jordanian Ninth Graders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barahmeh, Haytham Mousa; Hamad, Adwan Mohammad Bani; Barahmeh, Nabeel Mousa

2017-01-01

This study aimed at exploring the effect of Fermi question on the development of science process skills in the physics subject at ninth Grade students. The sample of the study consisted of (2) classes for males and (2) classes for females, which were randomly divided into (2) groups: An experimental group of (41) students divided into a class of…

Evaluating the role of cutting treatments, fire and soil seed banks in an experimental framework in ponderosa pine forests of the Black Hills, South Dakota

Treesearch

Cody L. Wienk; Carolyn Hull Sieg; Guy R. McPherson

2004-01-01

Pinus ponderosa Laws. (ponderosa pine) forests have changed considerably during the past century, partly because recurrent fires have been absent for a century or more. A number of studies have explored the influence of timber harvest or burning on understory production in ponderosa pine forests, but study designs incorporating cutting and prescribed...

The Empirical Assessment of English for Specific Business Purpose (ESBP) among Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI) Staff

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moazzen, Ahmad; Hashemi, Akram

2015-01-01

The present study has been conducted with the purpose of exploring the relationship between EDBI staff's General English proficiency and their technical English Writing as well as the way each ESBP and GE courses affect their writing skill. The kind of the study is quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test, being conducted among EDBI staff in…

Role of thought-related beliefs and coping strategies in the escalation of intrusive thoughts: an analog to obsessive-compulsive disorder.

PubMed

Marcks, Brook A; Woods, Douglas W

2007-11-01

Cognitive-behavioral models of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) assume that obsessions have their origin in normal intrusive thoughts. These models propose that certain beliefs, such as thought-action fusion (TAF) beliefs, combined with the use of ineffective coping strategies, such as thought suppression, lead to the development of OCD. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between these variables in a non-clinical sample in addition to exploring the effects of an alternative, acceptance-based coping strategy. This study explored the relationship between TAF beliefs, thought suppression, and OC-consistent symptoms via mediational analyses. Results showed that thought suppression mediated the relationship between TAF beliefs and OC-consistent symptoms. This study also experimentally examined the effects of various coping strategies (suppression, acceptance, or monitor-only) on the frequency of a distressing intrusion and appraisal ratings (e.g., anxiety, guilt, responsibility) after a TAF induction. Spontaneous suppression in the monitor-only group made comparisons of the experimental data difficult. However, analyses provided preliminary evidence suggesting that thought suppression is related to more intrusions, higher levels of anxiety, and negative appraisals, whereas an acceptance-based approach may be a useful alternative. Additional findings, limitations of the current study, and directions for future research are discussed.

Teacher Pay for Performance: Experimental Evidence from the Project on Incentives in Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Springer, Matthew G.; Hamilton, Laura; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Ballou, Dale; Le, Vi-Nhuan; Pepper, Matthew; Lockwood, J. R.; Stecher, Brian M.

2010-01-01

In an effort to explore the impact of performance incentives in education, the National Center on Performance Incentives (NCPI) partnered with the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) to conduct the Project on Incentives in Teaching, or POINT. The study examines the effects on student outcomes of paying eligible teachers bonuses of up to…

Environmental Support Hypothesis in Designing Multimedia Training for Older Adults: Is Less Always More?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pachman, Mariya; Ke, Fengfeng

2012-01-01

This study explores younger and older adults learning of MS Publisher functionalities from a multimedia tutorial. Twenty younger and twenty three older adults assigned to a redundant (experimental) or non-redundant (control) condition were taught how to create a greeting card, while the results of their learning were assessed with immediate and…

Supporting 3rd-Grade Students Model-Based Explanations about Groundwater: A Quasi-Experimental Study of a Curricular Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zangori, Laura; Vo, Tina; Forbes, Cory T.; Schwarz, Christina V.

2017-01-01

Scientific modelling is a key practice in which K-12 students should engage to begin developing robust conceptual understanding of natural systems, including water. However, little past research has explored primary students' learning about groundwater, engagement in scientific modelling, and/or the ways in which teachers conceptualise and…

Empirical Evaluation of Different Classroom Spaces on Students' Perceptions of the Use and Effectiveness of 1-to-1 Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Byers, Terry; Hartnell-Young, Elizabeth; Imms, Wesley

2018-01-01

This study explored the effect of different classroom spatial layouts on student perceptions of digital technology in a secondary schooling environment. A quasi-experimental approach facilitated by a Single Subject research design (SSRD) isolated the impact of two learning spaces--"traditional classrooms," and "new generation…

Effects of Context and Facial Expression on Imitation Tasks in Preschool Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markodimitraki, Maria; Kypriotaki, Maria; Ampartzaki, Maria; Manolitsis, George

2013-01-01

The present study explored the effect of the context in which an imitation act occurs (elicited/spontaneous) and the experimenter's facial expression (neutral or smiling) during the imitation task with young children with autism and typically developing children. The participants were 10 typically developing children and 10 children with autism…

Reducing Test Anxiety and Improving Academic Performance in Fourth Grade Students: Exploring an Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Donato, Jeanne M.

2009-01-01

This quantitative study investigated the effectiveness of a teacher-implemented intervention of eight sessions integrated into an existing curriculum to reduce test anxiety and improve academic performance in fourth grade students. The experimental group, n=23 was drawn from a sample of 64 students in a southwestern Rhode Island public school…

Teaching Genetics with Multimedia Results in Better Acquisition of Knowledge and Improvement in Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starbek, P.; Erjavec, M. Starcic; Peklaj, C.

2010-01-01

The main goal of this study was to explore whether the use of multimedia in genetics instruction contributes more to students' knowledge and comprehension than other instructional modes. We were also concerned with the influence of different instructional modes on the retention of knowledge and comprehension. In a quasi-experimental design, four…

Young Children's Learning of Water Physics by Constructing Working Systems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levy, Sharona T.

2013-01-01

The present study explored young 5-6-year old children's design-based learning of science through building working physical systems and examined their evolving conceptions of water flow. Fifteen children in an experimental group individually built water-pipe systems during four sessions that included end-of-session interviews. In addition,…

Pointing Gestures as a Cognitive Tool in Young Children: Experimental Evidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Delgado, Begona; Gomez, Juan Carlos; Sarria, Encarnacion

2011-01-01

This article explores the possible cognitive function associated with pointing gestures from a Vygotskian perspective. In Study 1, 39 children who were 2-4 years of age were observed in a solitary condition while solving a mnemonic task with or without an explicit memory demand. A discriminant analysis showed that children used noncommunicative…

The Effect of a Graph-Oriented Computer-Assisted Project-Based Learning Environment on Argumentation Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsu, P. -S.; Van Dyke, M.; Chen, Y.; Smith, T. J.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this quasi-experimental study was to explore how seventh graders in a suburban school in the United States developed argumentation skills and science knowledge in a project-based learning environment that incorporated a graph-oriented, computer-assisted application. A total of 54 students (three classes) comprised this treatment…

Impact of Adult Day Services on Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Femia, Elia E.; Zarit, Steven H.; Stephens, Mary Ann Parris; Greene, Rick

2007-01-01

Purpose: This study explored whether adult day service (ADS) use was associated with reductions in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) in individuals with dementia. Design and Methods: We used a quasi-experimental design to compare a group of 133 persons with dementia (PWDs) who initially enrolled in an ADS program to a…

Effect of Cooperative Learning on Achievement of Students in General Science at Secondary Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parveen, Qaisara; Batool, Sadia

2012-01-01

The aim of the study was to explore the effects of cooperative learning on General Science achievement among 9th class students. Based upon previous research literature it was hypothesized that significant difference existed between the mean posttest scores of General Science achievement of experimental group and control group. The pretest…

Fourth-Grade Emergent Bilingual Learners' Scientific Reasoning Complexity, Controlled Experiment Practices, and Content Knowledge When Discussing School, Home, and Play Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buxton, Cory A.; Salinas, Ale; Mahotiere, Margarette; Lee, Okhee; Secada, Walter G.

2015-01-01

Background: In exploring how emergent bilingual learners' prior knowledge from home and play contexts might influence their scientific reasoning, this study drew upon two distinct research traditions: (a) experimental research from the developmental and cognitive psychology tradition, and (b) research on culturally and linguistically diverse…

The Impact of Design-Based STEM Integration Curricula on Student Achievement in Engineering, Science, and Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Selcen Guzey, S.; Harwell, Michael; Moreno, Mario; Peralta, Yadira; Moore, Tamara J.

2017-01-01

The new science education reform documents call for integration of engineering into K-12 science classes. Engineering design and practices are new to most science teachers, meaning that implementing effective engineering instruction is likely to be challenging. This quasi-experimental study explored the influence of teacher-developed, engineering…

Exploring the Factors that Influence Continuance Intention to Attend One-to-Some Online Courses via Videoconferencing Software

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hsiao, Kuo-Lun

2012-01-01

Although videoconferencing software and equipment have been widely used in enterprises and education in recent year, few past studies experimentally examined the factors influencing users' continuous intention to attend one-to-some online courses via videoconferencing software in distance learning. In order to provide researchers with a better…

Youth and the Ethics of Identity Play in Virtual Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siyahhan, Sinem; Barab, Sasha; James, Carrie

2011-01-01

In this study, we explored a new experimental methodology for investigating children's (ages 10 to 14) stances with respect to the ethics of online identity play. We used a scenario about peer identity misrepresentation embedded in a 3D virtual game environment and randomly assigned 265 elementary students (162 female, 103 male) to three…

The Influence of Relational Complexity and Strategy Selection on Children's Reasoning in the Latin Square Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perret, Patrick; Bailleux, Christine; Dauvier, Bruno

2011-01-01

The present study focused on children's deductive reasoning when performing the Latin Square Task, an experimental task designed to explore the influence of relational complexity. Building on Birney, Halford, and Andrew's (2006) research, we created a version of the task that minimized nonrelational factors and introduced new categories of items.…

Effects of Computer Skill on Mouse Move and Click Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panagiotakopoulos, Chris; Sarris, Menelaos

2008-01-01

This study focuses on the use of computers in the field of education. It reports a series of experimental mouse move and click tasks on constant and moving stimuli. These experiments attempt to explore the efficiency with which individuals of different skill level and age group perform using a mouse. Differences in performance between high-skill…

Spanish Rhotics: More Evidence of Gradience in the System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shelton, Michael

2013-01-01

The present study examines the nature of the Spanish rhotics experimentally, investigating the possibilities that the trill is best understood as deriving from an underlying geminate or that the tap and trill may be separate phonemes. In order to explore these two theories, a behavioral task was designed exploiting the absence of native words in…

Writing Experiment Manuals in Science Education: The Impact of Writing, Genre, and Audience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rijlaarsdam, Gert; Couzijn, Michel; Janssen, Tanja; Braaksma, Martine; Kieft, Marleen

2006-01-01

In this study, Grade 9 students wrote experiment manuals for their peers describing a simple physics investigation to explore whether air takes space. Peers executed these manuals and their processes were videotaped. In several experimental conditions, these videotapes were played back for authors. Then they had to rewrite the experiment manual.…

The Effect of Fine Motor Skill Activities on Kindergarten Student Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stewart, Roger A.; Rule, Audrey C.; Giordano, Debra A.

2007-01-01

This study explored the effect of fine motor skill activities on the development of attention in kindergarteners (n = 68) in five classes at a suburban public school in the Intermountain West through a pretest/posttest experimental group (n = 36) control group (n = 32) design. All children received the regular curriculum which included typical…

Exploring the Impact of Undergraduate Intramural Sports on Undergraduate Students' Perceived Sense of Community: A Multiple Regression Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Penland, Nathan Paul

2017-01-01

Research has shown benefits to the student experience for college students when they participate in intramural sports on university campuses. These benefits include improved physical and social health as well as academic performance. This non-experimental, predictive correlational study sought to understand if a relationship exists between the…

Evaluation of Follow-Up Effects of the International Child Development Programme on Caregivers in Mozambique

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Skar, Ane-Marthe Solheim; Sherr, Lorraine; Clucas, Claudine; von Tetzchner, Stephen

2014-01-01

Parenting programs have been used to good effect in many settings, yet few are systematically introduced and evaluated in developing countries. This study explores the relative long-term effect of participation in the International Child Development Programme (ICDP) in a group of caregivers in Mozambique. A quasi-experimental design was used to…

The Nature of Pre-Service Science Teachers' Argumentation in Inquiry-Oriented Laboratory Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ozdem, Yasemin; Ertepinar, Hamide; Cakiroglu, Jale; Erduran, Sibel

2013-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the kinds of argumentation schemes generated by pre-service elementary science teachers (PSTs) as they perform inquiry-oriented laboratory tasks, and to explore how argumentation schemes vary by task as well as by experimentation and discussion sessions. The model of argumentative and scientific inquiry was…

Exploring 3-D Virtual Reality Technology for Spatial Ability and Chemistry Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merchant, Z.; Goetz, E. T.; Keeney-Kennicutt, W.; Cifuentes, L.; Kwok, O.; Davis, T. J.

2013-01-01

We investigated the potential of Second Life® (SL), a three-dimensional (3-D) virtual world, to enhance undergraduate students' learning of a vital chemistry concept. A quasi-experimental pre-posttest control group design was used to conduct the study. A total of 387 participants completed three assignment activities either in SL or using…

Inference in Right Hemisphere Damaged Individuals' Comprehension: The Role of Sustained Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Saldert, Charlotta; Ahlsen, Elisabeth

2007-01-01

The ability to make inferences for the purposes of comprehension is considered an important factor in pragmatic ability. In this experimental group study with stroke patients, the ability to make inferences and its associations with sustained attention and verbal working memory were explored. A group of 14 left-hemisphere-damaged individuals had…

Exploring Application, Attitudes and Integration of Video Games: MinecraftEdu in Middle School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sáez-López, José-Manuel; Miller, John; Vázquez-Cano, Esteban; Domínguez-Garrido, María-Concepción

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to assess the use of MinecraftEdu in classroom practice analyzing the outcomes and attitudes of all members of the educational community through a quasi-experimental approach. The research presents three dimensions oriented to assessing the use of this application in a didactic unit "History and Architecture"…

Development of Fourth-Grade Students' Understanding of Experimental and Theoretical Probability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

English, Lyn; Watson, Jane

2014-01-01

Students explored variation and expectation in a probability activity at the end of the first year of a 3-year longitudinal study across grades 4-6. The activity involved experiments in tossing coins both manually and with simulation using the graphing software, "TinkerPlots." Initial responses indicated that the students were aware of…

Male Learners' Vocabulary Achievement through Concept Mapping and Mind Mapping: Differences and Similarities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarkashvand, Zahra

2015-01-01

While learning English plays an essential role in today's life, vocabulary achievement is helpful to overcome the difficulties of commanding the language. Drawing on data from three months experimental work, this article explores how two mapping strategies affect the learning vocabularies in EFL male learners. While females were studied before,…

Edmodo Use to Develop Saudi EFL Students' Self-Directed Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khodary, Manal Mohamed

2017-01-01

This study aimed at exploring the effect of Edmodo use on developing Saudi English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students' Self-Directed Learning (SDL). It employed a quasi-experimental design that included a one group design. The participants (n = 45) were all fifth level students at Languages and Translation Department, Arar Faculty of Education…

Personal, interpersonal, and situational influences on behavioral self-handicapping.

PubMed

Brown, Christina M; Kimble, Charles E

2009-12-01

This study explored the combined effects of personal factors (participant sex), interpersonal factors (experimenter sex), and situational factors (performance feedback) on two forms of behavioral self-handicapping. Participants received non-contingent success or failure feedback concerning their performance on a novel ability and were given the opportunity to self-handicap before performing again. Behavioral self-handicapping took the form of (a) exerting less practice effort (practice) or (b) choosing a performance-debilitating tape (choice). Men practiced least after failure feedback and chose a debilitating tape if they were interacting with a female experimenter. Generally, across all participants in both choice and practice conditions, high performance concern and the presence of a male experimenter led to the most self-handicapping. Results are interpreted in terms of self-presentational concerns that emphasize a desire to impress or an awareness of the female or male experimenter's acceptance of self-handicappers.

A combined computational-experimental analyses of selected metabolic enzymes in Pseudomonas species.

PubMed

Perumal, Deepak; Lim, Chu Sing; Chow, Vincent T K; Sakharkar, Kishore R; Sakharkar, Meena K

2008-09-10

Comparative genomic analysis has revolutionized our ability to predict the metabolic subsystems that occur in newly sequenced genomes, and to explore the functional roles of the set of genes within each subsystem. These computational predictions can considerably reduce the volume of experimental studies required to assess basic metabolic properties of multiple bacterial species. However, experimental validations are still required to resolve the apparent inconsistencies in the predictions by multiple resources. Here, we present combined computational-experimental analyses on eight completely sequenced Pseudomonas species. Comparative pathway analyses reveal that several pathways within the Pseudomonas species show high plasticity and versatility. Potential bypasses in 11 metabolic pathways were identified. We further confirmed the presence of the enzyme O-acetyl homoserine (thiol) lyase (EC: 2.5.1.49) in P. syringae pv. tomato that revealed inconsistent annotations in KEGG and in the recently published SYSTOMONAS database. These analyses connect and integrate systematic data generation, computational data interpretation, and experimental validation and represent a synergistic and powerful means for conducting biological research.

Ab initio random structure searching of organic molecular solids: assessment and validation against experimental data.

PubMed

Zilka, Miri; Dudenko, Dmytro V; Hughes, Colan E; Williams, P Andrew; Sturniolo, Simone; Franks, W Trent; Pickard, Chris J; Yates, Jonathan R; Harris, Kenneth D M; Brown, Steven P

2017-10-04

This paper explores the capability of using the DFT-D ab initio random structure searching (AIRSS) method to generate crystal structures of organic molecular materials, focusing on a system (m-aminobenzoic acid; m-ABA) that is known from experimental studies to exhibit abundant polymorphism. Within the structural constraints selected for the AIRSS calculations (specifically, centrosymmetric structures with Z = 4 for zwitterionic m-ABA molecules), the method is shown to successfully generate the two known polymorphs of m-ABA (form III and form IV) that have these structural features. We highlight various issues that are encountered in comparing crystal structures generated by AIRSS to experimental powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) data and solid-state magic-angle spinning (MAS) NMR data, demonstrating successful fitting for some of the lowest energy structures from the AIRSS calculations against experimental low-temperature powder XRD data for known polymorphs of m-ABA, and showing that comparison of computed and experimental solid-state NMR parameters allows different hydrogen-bonding motifs to be discriminated.

Commentary: How can family-based quasi-experimental designs and national registers be used to address confounding in risk factor studies of psychopathology? A reflection on Obel et al. (2016).

PubMed

Larsson, Henrik

2016-04-01

Standard observational studies have reported a robust correlation between maternal smoking during pregnancy and risk of ADHD in offspring. In the accompanying article, Obel et al. used sibling-comparisons to explore the extent to which unmeasured familial confounding explains this association. This commentary highlights three important implications of the study. At a general level, Obel et al. illustrates how (1) family-based quasi-experimental designs and (2) national registers can be used to address confounding in risk factor studies of psychopathology. At a more specific level, the study suggests that maternal smoking during pregnancy is probably not a causal risk factor for ADHD. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

Complementary experimental-simulational study of surfactant micellar phase in the extraction process of metallic ions: Effects of temperature and salt concentration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soto-Ángeles, Alan Gustavo; Rodríguez-Hidalgo, María del Rosario; Soto-Figueroa, César; Vicente, Luis

2018-02-01

The thermoresponsive micellar phase behaviour that exhibits the Triton-X-100 micelles by temperature effect and addition of salt in the extraction process of metallic ions was explored from mesoscopic and experimental points. In the theoretical study, we analyse the formation of Triton-X-100 micelles, load and stabilization of dithizone molecules and metallic ions extraction inside the micellar core at room temperature; finally, a thermal analysis is presented. In the experimental study, the spectrophotometric outcomes confirm the solubility of the copper-dithizone complex in the micellar core, as well as the extraction of metallic ions of aqueous environment via a cloud-point at 332.2 K. The micellar solutions with salt present a low absorbance value compared with the micellar solutions without salt. The decrease in the absorbance value is attributed to a change in the size of hydrophobic region of colloidal micelles. All transitory stages of extraction process are discussed and analysed in this document.

Experimental Study on Damage Detection in Timber Specimens Based on an Electromechanical Impedance Technique and RMSD-Based Mahalanobis Distance

PubMed Central

Wang, Dansheng; Wang, Qinghua; Wang, Hao; Zhu, Hongping

2016-01-01

In the electromechanical impedance (EMI) method, the PZT patch performs the functions of both sensor and exciter. Due to the high frequency actuation and non-model based characteristics, the EMI method can be utilized to detect incipient structural damage. In recent years EMI techniques have been widely applied to monitor the health status of concrete and steel materials, however, studies on application to timber are limited. This paper will explore the feasibility of using the EMI technique for damage detection in timber specimens. In addition, the conventional damage index, namely root mean square deviation (RMSD) is employed to evaluate the level of damage. On that basis, a new damage index, Mahalanobis distance based on RMSD, is proposed to evaluate the damage severity of timber specimens. Experimental studies are implemented to detect notch and hole damage in the timber specimens. Experimental results verify the availability and robustness of the proposed damage index and its superiority over the RMSD indexes. PMID:27782088

Experimental Study on Damage Detection in Timber Specimens Based on an Electromechanical Impedance Technique and RMSD-Based Mahalanobis Distance.

PubMed

Wang, Dansheng; Wang, Qinghua; Wang, Hao; Zhu, Hongping

2016-10-22

In the electromechanical impedance (EMI) method, the PZT patch performs the functions of both sensor and exciter. Due to the high frequency actuation and non-model based characteristics, the EMI method can be utilized to detect incipient structural damage. In recent years EMI techniques have been widely applied to monitor the health status of concrete and steel materials, however, studies on application to timber are limited. This paper will explore the feasibility of using the EMI technique for damage detection in timber specimens. In addition, the conventional damage index, namely root mean square deviation (RMSD) is employed to evaluate the level of damage. On that basis, a new damage index, Mahalanobis distance based on RMSD, is proposed to evaluate the damage severity of timber specimens. Experimental studies are implemented to detect notch and hole damage in the timber specimens. Experimental results verify the availability and robustness of the proposed damage index and its superiority over the RMSD indexes.

Exploring Experimental Design: An Excel-Based Simulation Using Steller Sea Lion Behavior

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Wendy L.; St. Iago-McRae, Ezry

2016-01-01

Experimentation is the foundation of science and an important process for students to understand and experience. However, it can be difficult to teach some aspects of experimentation within the time and resource constraints of an academic semester. Interactive models can be a useful tool in bridging this gap. This freely accessible simulation…

Learning and exploration in action-perception loops.

PubMed

Little, Daniel Y; Sommer, Friedrich T

2013-01-01

Discovering the structure underlying observed data is a recurring problem in machine learning with important applications in neuroscience. It is also a primary function of the brain. When data can be actively collected in the context of a closed action-perception loop, behavior becomes a critical determinant of learning efficiency. Psychologists studying exploration and curiosity in humans and animals have long argued that learning itself is a primary motivator of behavior. However, the theoretical basis of learning-driven behavior is not well understood. Previous computational studies of behavior have largely focused on the control problem of maximizing acquisition of rewards and have treated learning the structure of data as a secondary objective. Here, we study exploration in the absence of external reward feedback. Instead, we take the quality of an agent's learned internal model to be the primary objective. In a simple probabilistic framework, we derive a Bayesian estimate for the amount of information about the environment an agent can expect to receive by taking an action, a measure we term the predicted information gain (PIG). We develop exploration strategies that approximately maximize PIG. One strategy based on value-iteration consistently learns faster than previously developed reward-free exploration strategies across a diverse range of environments. Psychologists believe the evolutionary advantage of learning-driven exploration lies in the generalized utility of an accurate internal model. Consistent with this hypothesis, we demonstrate that agents which learn more efficiently during exploration are later better able to accomplish a range of goal-directed tasks. We will conclude by discussing how our work elucidates the explorative behaviors of animals and humans, its relationship to other computational models of behavior, and its potential application to experimental design, such as in closed-loop neurophysiology studies.

Deformation of the Durom Acetabular Component and Its Impact on Tribology in a Cadaveric Model—A Simulator Study

PubMed Central

Gu, Yanqing; Wang, Qing; Cui, Weiding; Fan, Weimin

2012-01-01

Background Recent studies have shown that the acetabular component frequently becomes deformed during press-fit insertion. The aim of this study was to explore the deformation of the Durom cup after implantation and to clarify the impact of deformation on wear and ion release of the Durom large head metal-on-metal (MOM) total hips in simulators. Methods Six Durom cups impacted into reamed acetabula of fresh cadavers were used as the experimental group and another 6 size-paired intact Durom cups constituted the control group. All 12 Durom MOM total hips were put through a 3 million cycle (MC) wear test in simulators. Results The 6 cups in the experimental group were all deformed, with a mean deformation of 41.78±8.86 µm. The average volumetric wear rate in the experimental group and in the control group in the first million cycle was 6.65±0.29 mm3/MC and 0.89±0.04 mm3/MC (t = 48.43, p = 0.000). The ion levels of Cr and Co in the experimental group were also higher than those in the control group before 2.0 MC. However there was no difference in the ion levels between 2.0 and 3.0 MC. Conclusions This finding implies that the non-modular acetabular component of Durom total hip prosthesis is likely to become deformed during press-fit insertion, and that the deformation will result in increased volumetric wear and increased ion release. Clinical Relevance This study was determined to explore the deformation of the Durom cup after implantation and to clarify the impact of deformation on wear and ion release of the prosthesis. Deformation of the cup after implantation increases the wear of MOM bearings and the resulting ion levels. The clinical use of the Durom large head prosthesis should be with great care. PMID:23144694

Deformation of the Durom acetabular component and its impact on tribology in a cadaveric model--a simulator study.

PubMed

Liu, Feng; Chen, Zhefeng; Gu, Yanqing; Wang, Qing; Cui, Weiding; Fan, Weimin

2012-01-01

Recent studies have shown that the acetabular component frequently becomes deformed during press-fit insertion. The aim of this study was to explore the deformation of the Durom cup after implantation and to clarify the impact of deformation on wear and ion release of the Durom large head metal-on-metal (MOM) total hips in simulators. Six Durom cups impacted into reamed acetabula of fresh cadavers were used as the experimental group and another 6 size-paired intact Durom cups constituted the control group. All 12 Durom MOM total hips were put through a 3 million cycle (MC) wear test in simulators. The 6 cups in the experimental group were all deformed, with a mean deformation of 41.78 ± 8.86 µm. The average volumetric wear rate in the experimental group and in the control group in the first million cycle was 6.65 ± 0.29 mm(3)/MC and 0.89 ± 0.04 mm(3)/MC (t = 48.43, p = 0.000). The ion levels of Cr and Co in the experimental group were also higher than those in the control group before 2.0 MC. However there was no difference in the ion levels between 2.0 and 3.0 MC. This finding implies that the non-modular acetabular component of Durom total hip prosthesis is likely to become deformed during press-fit insertion, and that the deformation will result in increased volumetric wear and increased ion release. This study was determined to explore the deformation of the Durom cup after implantation and to clarify the impact of deformation on wear and ion release of the prosthesis. Deformation of the cup after implantation increases the wear of MOM bearings and the resulting ion levels. The clinical use of the Durom large head prosthesis should be with great care.

An experimental study on the manufacture and characterization of in-plane fibre-waviness defects in composites.

PubMed

Christian, W J R; DiazDelaO, F A; Atherton, K; Patterson, E A

2018-05-01

A new method has been developed for creating localized in-plane fibre waviness in composite coupons and used to create a large batch of specimens. This method could be used by manufacturers to experimentally explore the effect of fibre waviness on composite structures both directly and indirectly to develop and validate computational models. The specimens were assessed using ultrasound, digital image correlation and a novel inspection technique capable of measuring residual strain fields. To explore how the defect affects the performance of composite structures, the specimens were then loaded to failure. Predictions of remnant strength were made using a simple ultrasound damage metric and a new residual strain-based damage metric. The predictions made using residual strain measurements were found to be substantially more effective at characterizing ultimate strength than ultrasound measurements. This suggests that residual strains have a significant effect on the failure of laminates containing fibre waviness and that these strains could be incorporated into computational models to improve their ability to simulate the defect.

Lifestyle Vaccines and Public Health: Exploring Policy Options for a Vaccine to Stop Smoking.

PubMed

Wolters, Anna; de Wert, Guido; van Schayck, Onno C P; Horstman, Klasien

2016-07-01

Experimental vaccines are being developed for the treatment of 'unhealthy lifestyles' and associated chronic illnesses. Policymakers and other stakeholders will have to deal with the ethical issues that this innovation path raises: are there morally justified reasons to integrate these innovative biotechnologies in future health policies? Should public money be invested in further research? Focusing on the case of an experimental nicotine vaccine, this article explores the ethical aspects of 'lifestyle vaccines' for public health. Based on findings from a qualitative study into a vaccine for smoking cessation, the article articulates possible value conflicts related to nicotine vaccination as an intervention in tobacco control. The 'vaccinization' of lifestyle disease piggybacks on the achievements of classic vaccines. Contrary to expectations of simplicity and success, quitting smoking with a vaccine requires a complex supportive network. Social justice and public trust may become important ethical challenges when deciding whether to use further public funds for research or whether to implement these innovative vaccines in the future.

Developing a new experimental system for an undergraduate laboratory exercise to teach theories of visuomotor learning.

PubMed

Kasuga, Shoko; Ushiba, Junichi

2014-01-01

Humans have a flexible motor ability to adapt their movements to changes in the internal/external environment. For example, using arm-reaching tasks, a number of studies experimentally showed that participants adapt to a novel visuomotor environment. These results helped develop computational models of motor learning implemented in the central nervous system. Despite the importance of such experimental paradigms for exploring the mechanisms of motor learning, because of the cost and preparation time, most students are unable to participate in such experiments. Therefore, in the current study, to help students better understand motor learning theories, we developed a simple finger-reaching experimental system using commonly used laptop PC components with an open-source programming language (Processing Motor Learning Toolkit: PMLT). We found that compared to a commercially available robotic arm-reaching device, our PMLT accomplished similar learning goals (difference in the error reduction between the devices, P = 0.10). In addition, consistent with previous reports from visuomotor learning studies, the participants showed after-effects indicating an adaptation of the motor learning system. The results suggest that PMLT can serve as a new experimental system for an undergraduate laboratory exercise of motor learning theories with minimal time and cost for instructors.

Exploring the relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students - a case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Swart, Arthur James; Lombard, Kobus; de Jager, Henk

2010-03-01

Poor academic success by African engineering students is currently experienced in many higher educational institutions, contributing to lower financial subsidies by local governments. One of the contributing factors to this low academic success may be the poor time management skills of these students. This article endeavours to explore this relationship by means of a theoretical literature review and an empirical study. Numerous studies have been conducted in this regard, but with mixed results. The case study of this article involves a design module termed Design Projects III, where the empirical study incorporated an ex post facto study involving a pre-experimental/exploratory design using descriptive statistics. The results of this study were applied to various tests, which indicated no statistically significant relationship between time management skills and the academic achievement of African engineering students.

Dynamic simulations of many-body electrostatic self-assembly

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindgren, Eric B.; Stamm, Benjamin; Maday, Yvon; Besley, Elena; Stace, A. J.

2018-03-01

Two experimental studies relating to electrostatic self-assembly have been the subject of dynamic computer simulations, where the consequences of changing the charge and the dielectric constant of the materials concerned have been explored. One series of calculations relates to experiments on the assembly of polymer particles that have been subjected to tribocharging and the simulations successfully reproduce many of the observed patterns of behaviour. A second study explores events observed following collisions between single particles and small clusters composed of charged particles derived from a metal oxide composite. As before, observations recorded during the course of the experiments are reproduced by the calculations. One study in particular reveals how particle polarizability can influence the assembly process. This article is part of the theme issue `Modern theoretical chemistry'.

Ultrastructural Mapping of the Zebrafish Gastrointestinal System as a Basis for Experimental Drug Studies

PubMed Central

Shami, Gerald J.; Morsch, Marco; Chung, Roger S.; Braet, Filip

2016-01-01

Research in the field of gastroenterology is increasingly focused on the use of alternative nonrodent model organisms to provide new experimental tools to study chronic diseases. The zebrafish is a particularly valuable experimental platform to explore organ and cell structure-function relationships under relevant biological and pathobiological settings. This is due to its optical transparency and its close-to-human genetic makeup. To-date, the structure-function properties of the GIS of the zebrafish are relatively unexplored and limited to histology and fluorescent microscopy. Occasionally those studies include EM of a given subcellular process but lack the required full histological picture. In this work, we employed a novel combined biomolecular imaging approach in order to cross-correlate 3D ultrastructure over different length scales (optical-, X-ray micro-CT, and high-resolution EM). Our correlated imaging studies and subsequent data modelling provide to our knowledge the first detailed 3D picture of the zebrafish larvae GIS. Our results provide unequivocally a limit of confidence for studying various digestive disorders and drug delivery pathways in the zebrafish. PMID:27340669

Ultrastructural Mapping of the Zebrafish Gastrointestinal System as a Basis for Experimental Drug Studies.

PubMed

Cheng, Delfine; Shami, Gerald J; Morsch, Marco; Chung, Roger S; Braet, Filip

2016-01-01

Research in the field of gastroenterology is increasingly focused on the use of alternative nonrodent model organisms to provide new experimental tools to study chronic diseases. The zebrafish is a particularly valuable experimental platform to explore organ and cell structure-function relationships under relevant biological and pathobiological settings. This is due to its optical transparency and its close-to-human genetic makeup. To-date, the structure-function properties of the GIS of the zebrafish are relatively unexplored and limited to histology and fluorescent microscopy. Occasionally those studies include EM of a given subcellular process but lack the required full histological picture. In this work, we employed a novel combined biomolecular imaging approach in order to cross-correlate 3D ultrastructure over different length scales (optical-, X-ray micro-CT, and high-resolution EM). Our correlated imaging studies and subsequent data modelling provide to our knowledge the first detailed 3D picture of the zebrafish larvae GIS. Our results provide unequivocally a limit of confidence for studying various digestive disorders and drug delivery pathways in the zebrafish.

Should the Curricular Time Allocated to School Physical Education Be Increased? Insights from Participants in a Follow-up of the Trois-Rivières Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larouche, Richard; Laurencelle, Louis; Shephard, Roy J.; Trudeau, François

2015-01-01

In this study, we explored the effects of exposure to an experimental program of daily physical education (PE) during primary school on adult attitudes toward school PE. In 2008, 86 original participants in the Trois-Rivières study (44 women and 42 men aged 44.0 ± 1.2 years) underwent a semistructured interview in which their attitudes toward PE,…

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

Perl, M.L.

This paper is based upon lectures in which I have described and explored the ways in which experimenters can try to find answers, or at least clues toward answers, to some of the fundamental questions of elementary particle physics. All of these experimental techniques and directions have been discussed fully in other papers, for example: searches for heavy charged leptons, tests of quantum chromodynamics, searches for Higgs particles, searches for particles predicted by supersymmetric theories, searches for particles predicted by technicolor theories, searches for proton decay, searches for neutrino oscillations, monopole searches, studies of low transfer momentum hadron physics atmore » very high energies, and elementary particle studies using cosmic rays. Each of these subjects requires several lectures by itself to do justice to the large amount of experimental work and theoretical thought which has been devoted to these subjects. My approach in these tutorial lectures is to describe general ways to experiment beyond the standard model. I will use some of the topics listed to illustrate these general ways. Also, in these lectures I present some dreams and challenges about new techniques in experimental particle physics and accelerator technology, I call these Experimental Needs. 92 references.« less

Exploiting magnetic properties of Fe doping in zirconia. From first-principles simulations to the experimental growth and characterization of thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sangalli, Davide; Cianci, Elena; Lamperti, Alessio; Ciprian, Roberta; Albertini, Franca; Casoli, Francesca; Lupo, Pierpaolo; Nasi, Lucia; Campanini, Marco; Debernardi, Alberto

2013-05-01

In this study we explore, both from theoretical and experimental side, the effect of Fe doping in ZrO2 (ZrO2:Fe). By means of first principles simulation, we study the magnetization density and the magnetic interaction between Fe atoms. We also consider how this is affected by the presence of oxygen vacancies and compare our findings with models based on impurity band [J.M.D. Coey, M. Venkatesan, C.B. Fitzgerald, Nat. Mater. 4, 173 (2005)] and carrier mediated magnetic interaction [T. Dietl, H. Ohno, F. Matsukura, J. Cibert, D. Ferrand, Science 287, 1019 (2000)]. Experimentally, thin films (≈20 nm) of ZrO2:Fe at high doping concentration are grown by atomic layer deposition. We provide experimental evidence that Fe is uniformly distributed in the ZrO2 by transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray mapping, while X-ray diffraction evidences the presence of the fluorite crystal structure. Alternating gradient force magnetometer measurements show magnetic signal at room temperature, however, with low magnetic moment per atom. Results from experimental measures and theoretical simulations are compared.

ORGAN EXTRACTS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PSYCHIATRY: HORMONAL TREATMENTS AT THE MAUDSLEY HOSPITAL 1923–1938

PubMed Central

Evans, Bonnie; Jones, Edgar

2012-01-01

The use of organ extracts to treat psychiatric disorder in the interwar period is an episode in the history of psychiatry which has largely been forgotten. An analysis of case-notes from The Maudsley Hospital from the period 1923–1938 shows that the prescription of extracts taken from animal testes, ovaries, thyroids, and other organs was widespread within this London Hospital. This article explores the way in which Maudsley doctors justified these treatments by tying together psychological theories of the unconscious with experimental data drawn from laboratory studies of human organs. It explores the logic behind these treatments and examines beliefs about their efficacy. The connection between this historical episode and current research in endocrinology and psychology is explored. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:22644956

Challenges of implementing intervention research in persons with dementia: example of a glider swing intervention.

PubMed

Snyder, M; Tseng, Y H; Brandt, C; Croghan, C; Hanson, S; Constantine, R; Kirby, L

2001-01-01

Intervention studies for persons with dementia present many challenges. This article describes challenges encountered in conducting a glider swing intervention study for persons with dementia and the strategies used to manage the problems encountered. The overall purpose of a quasi-experimental study was to explore the effects of a glider swing intervention on emotions, relaxation, and aggressive behaviors in nursing home residents with dementia. Suggestions for investigators conducting intervention studies for persons with dementia are provided.

Maternal and fetal effects of chocolate consumption during pregnancy: a systematic review.

PubMed

Latif, Rabia

2018-03-13

The purpose of this review is to explore the effects of chocolate consumption during pregnancy on fetus and mother herself. Randomized controlled trials/quasi-experimental/observational/controlled before and after studies involving chocolate/cocoa/cacao consumption (irrespective of type or dose, composition, exposure period, and method of administration) among pregnant women/animals; and measuring any outcome (beneficial or harmful) related to fetus or mother after chocolate exposure were included. Databases searched were PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus; between April and May 2017. Risk of bias within each human randomized controlled trial (RCT) and animals' experimental studies was evaluated by "The Cochrane Collaboration's tool" and SYRCLE's tool respectively. Fourteen human studies including a total of 6639 participants and nine animal studies were selected. Outcome variables investigated in human studies were maternal blood pressure, fetal heart rate, and striae gravidarum. Animal studies explored chocolate-induced teratogenicity and fetal metabolic derangements. Ten out of these 23 studies reported chocolate to be "beneficial"; five studies reported adverse effects, whereas eight studies declared chocolate as "neutral". Maternal chocolate intake has acute stimulatory effects on fetal reactivity and chronic blood pressure reducing effect in mothers. Chocolate is nonteratogenic and does not affect reproductive indices. Metabolic derangements in offsprings born to chocolate fed dams have been reported. Pregnant females must be careful about consumption of cocoa and chocolate. Future studies should be planned, keeping in view heterogeneities identified across the selected studies in this review.

A realist review of one-to-one breastfeeding peer support experiments conducted in developed country settings.

PubMed

Trickey, Heather; Thomson, Gill; Grant, Aimee; Sanders, Julia; Mann, Mala; Murphy, Simon; Paranjothy, Shantini

2018-01-01

The World Health Organisation guidance recommends breastfeeding peer support (BFPS) as part of a strategy to improve breastfeeding rates. In the UK, BFPS is supported by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and a variety of models are in use. The experimental evidence for BFPS in developed countries is mixed and traditional methods of systematic review are ill-equipped to explore heterogeneity, complexity, and context influences on effectiveness. This review aimed to enhance learning from the experimental evidence base for one-to-one BFPS intervention. Principles of realist review were applied to intervention case studies associated with published experimental studies. The review aimed (a) to explore heterogeneity in theoretical underpinnings and intervention design for one-to-one BFPS intervention; (b) inform design decisions by identifying transferable lessons developed from cross-case comparison of context-mechanism-outcome relationships; and (c) inform evaluation design by identifying context-mechanism-outcome relationships associated with experimental conditions. Findings highlighted poor attention to intervention theory and considerable heterogeneity in BFPS intervention design. Transferable mid-range theories to inform design emerged, which could be grouped into seven categories: (a) congruence with local infant feeding norms, (b) integration with the existing system of health care, (c) overcoming practical and emotional barriers to access, (d) ensuring friendly, competent, and proactive peers, (e) facilitating authentic peer-mother interactions, (f) motivating peers to ensure positive within-intervention amplification, and (g) ensuring positive legacy and maintenance of gains. There is a need to integrate realist principles into evaluation design to improve our understanding of what forms of BFPS work, for whom and under what circumstances. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Active Motor Training Has Long-term Effects on Infants’ Object Exploration

PubMed Central

Wiesen, Sarah E.; Watkins, Rachel M.; Needham, Amy Work

2016-01-01

Long-term changes in infants’ behavior as a result of active motor training were studied. Thirty-two infants completed three visits to the laboratory. At the first visit, infants were 3 months old and completed an object exploration assessment. Then the experimenter demonstrated the motor training procedures appropriate for the infant’s experimental condition, and parents took home custom infant mittens (either sticky or non-sticky) and a bag of lightweight toys to practice with their infants. Over the course of the following 2 weeks, infants participated in 10 sessions of either active (sticky) or passive (non-sticky) mittens training at home with their parents. Infants who participated in active mittens training wore mittens with the palms covered in Velcro, allowing them to pick up and move around small toys. Infants who participated in passive mittens training wore non-sticky mittens, and their parents moved the toys through their visual fields on their behalf. After completing the training, infants returned to the lab for the second visit. At visit two, infants participated in another object exploration assessment as well as a reaching assessment. Parents returned the training materials to the lab at the second visit, and were told not to continue any specific training regimen from this point forward. Two months later, when infants were about 5.5 months of age, they returned to the lab for a third visit. At the third visit, infants completed the same two assessments as during the second visit. The results of this study indicate that infants who participated in active motor training engaged in more sophisticated object exploration when compared to infants who received passive training. These findings are consistent with others in the literature showing that active motor training at 3 months of age facilitates the processes of object exploration and engagement. The current results and others reveal that the effects of early experience can last long after training ceases. PMID:27199833

The Ca(2+)-EDTA chelation as standard reaction to validate Isothermal Titration Calorimeter measurements (ITC).

PubMed

Ràfols, Clara; Bosch, Elisabeth; Barbas, Rafael; Prohens, Rafel

2016-07-01

A study about the suitability of the chelation reaction of Ca(2+)with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a validation standard for Isothermal Titration Calorimeter measurements has been performed exploring the common experimental variables (buffer, pH, ionic strength and temperature). Results obtained in a variety of experimental conditions have been amended according to the side reactions involved in the main process and to the experimental ionic strength and, finally, validated by contrast with the potentiometric reference values. It is demonstrated that the chelation reaction performed in acetate buffer 0.1M and 25°C shows accurate and precise results and it is robust enough to be adopted as a standard calibration process. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Stimulated Brillouin scattering materials, experimental design and applications: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bai, Zhenxu; Yuan, Hang; Liu, Zhaohong; Xu, Pengbai; Gao, Qilin; Williams, Robert J.; Kitzler, Ondrej; Mildren, Richard P.; Wang, Yulei; Lu, Zhiwei

2018-01-01

Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS), as one type of third-order nonlinear optics effect, is extensively exploited and rapidly developed in the field of lasers and optoelectronics. A large number of theoretical and experimental studies on SBS have been carried out in the past decades. Especially, the exploration of new SBS materials and new types of SBS modulation methods have been engaged simultaneously, as the properties of different materials have great influence on the SBS performance such as generation threshold, Brillouin amplification efficiency, frequency shift, breakdown threshold, etc. This article provides a comprehensive review of the characteristics of different types of SBS materials, SBS applications, experimental design methods, as well as the parameter optimization method, which is expected to provide reference and guidance to SBS related experiments.

Spectroscopic characterization of III-V semiconductor nanomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crankshaw, Shanna Marie

III-V semiconductor materials form a broad basis for optoelectronic applications, including the broad basis of the telecom industry as well as smaller markets for high-mobility transistors. In a somewhat analogous manner as the traditional silicon logic industry has so heavily depended upon process manufacturing development, optoelectronics often relies instead on materials innovations. This thesis focuses particularly on III-V semiconductor nanomaterials, detailed characterization of which is invaluable for translating the exhibited behavior into useful applications. Specifically, the original research described in these thesis chapters is an investigation of semiconductors at a fundamental materials level, because the nanostructures in which they appear crystallize in quite atypical forms for the given semiconductors. Rather than restricting the experimental approaches to any one particular technique, many different types of optical spectroscopies are developed and applied where relevant to elucidate the connection between the crystalline structure and exhibited properties. In the first chapters, for example, a wurtzite crystalline form of the prototypical zincblende III-V binary semiconductor, GaAs, is explored through polarization-dependent Raman spectroscopy and temperature-dependent photoluminescence, as well as second-harmonic generation (SHG). The altered symmetry properties of the wurtzite crystalline structure are particularly evident in the Raman and SHG polarization dependences, all within a bulk material realm. A rather different but deeply elegant aspect of crystalline symmetry in GaAs is explored in a separate study on zincblende GaAs samples quantum-confined in one direction, i.e. quantum well structures, whose quantization direction corresponds to the (110) direction. The (110) orientation modifies the low-temperature electron spin relaxation mechanisms available compared to the usual (001) samples, leading to altered spin coherence times explored through a novel spectroscopic technique first formulated for the rather different purpose of dispersion engineering for slow-light schemes. The frequency-resolved technique combined with the unusual (110) quantum wells in a furthermore atypical waveguide experimental geometry has revealed fascinating behavior of electron spin splitting which points to the possibility of optically orienting electron spins with linearly polarized light---an experimental result supporting a theoretical description of the phenomenon itself only a few years old. Lastly, to explore a space of further-restricted dimensionality, the final chapters describe InP semiconductor nanowires with dimensions small enough to be considered truly one-dimensional. Like the bulk GaAs of the first few chapters, the InP nanowires here crystallize in a wurtzite structure. In the InP nanowire case, though, the experimental techniques explored for characterization are temperature-dependent time-integrated photoluminescence at the single-wire level (including samples with InAsP insertions) and time-resolved photoluminescence at the ensemble level. The carrier dynamics revealed through these time-resolved studies are the first of their kind for wurtzite InP nanowires. The chapters are thus ordered as a progression from three (bulk), to two (quantum well), to one (nanowire), to zero dimensions (axially-structured nanowire), with the uniting theme the emphasis on connecting the semiconductor nanomaterials' crystallinity to its exhibited properties by relevant experimental spectroscopic techniques, whether these are standard methods or effectively invented for the case at hand.

Cyber Bullying Prevention: Intervention in Taiwan

PubMed Central

Lee, Ming-Shinn; Zi-Pei, Wu; Svanström, Leif; Dalal, Koustuv

2013-01-01

Background This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the cyber bullying prevention WebQuest course implementation. Methodology/Findings The study adopted the quasi-experimental design with two classes made up of a total of 61 junior high school students of seventh grade. The study subjects comprised of 30 students from the experimental group and 31 students from the control group. The experimental group received eight sessions (total 360 minutes) of the teaching intervention for four consecutive weeks, while the control group did not engage in any related courses. The self-compiled questionnaire for the student’s knowledge, attitudes, and intentions toward cyber bullying prevention was adopted. Data were analysed through generalized estimating equations to understand the immediate results on the student’s knowledge, attitudes, and intentions after the intervention. The results show that the WebQuest course immediately and effectively enhanced the knowledge of cyber bullying, reduced the intentions, and retained the effects after the learning. But it produced no significant impact on the attitude toward cyber bullying. Conclusions/Significance The intervention through this pilot study was effective and positive for cyber bulling prevention. It was with small number of students. Therefore, studies with large number of students and long experimental times, in different areas and countries are warranted. PMID:23724018

Robust parameter design for automatically controlled systems and nanostructure synthesis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dasgupta, Tirthankar

2007-12-01

This research focuses on developing comprehensive frameworks for developing robust parameter design methodology for dynamic systems with automatic control and for synthesis of nanostructures. In many automatically controlled dynamic processes, the optimal feedback control law depends on the parameter design solution and vice versa and therefore an integrated approach is necessary. A parameter design methodology in the presence of feedback control is developed for processes of long duration under the assumption that experimental noise factors are uncorrelated over time. Systems that follow a pure-gain dynamic model are considered and the best proportional-integral and minimum mean squared error control strategies are developed by using robust parameter design. The proposed method is illustrated using a simulated example and a case study in a urea packing plant. This idea is also extended to cases with on-line noise factors. The possibility of integrating feedforward control with a minimum mean squared error feedback control scheme is explored. To meet the needs of large scale synthesis of nanostructures, it is critical to systematically find experimental conditions under which the desired nanostructures are synthesized reproducibly, at large quantity and with controlled morphology. The first part of the research in this area focuses on modeling and optimization of existing experimental data. Through a rigorous statistical analysis of experimental data, models linking the probabilities of obtaining specific morphologies to the process variables are developed. A new iterative algorithm for fitting a Multinomial GLM is proposed and used. The optimum process conditions, which maximize the above probabilities and make the synthesis process less sensitive to variations of process variables around set values, are derived from the fitted models using Monte-Carlo simulations. The second part of the research deals with development of an experimental design methodology, tailor-made to address the unique phenomena associated with nanostructure synthesis. A sequential space filling design called Sequential Minimum Energy Design (SMED) for exploring best process conditions for synthesis of nanowires. The SMED is a novel approach to generate sequential designs that are model independent, can quickly "carve out" regions with no observable nanostructure morphology, and allow for the exploration of complex response surfaces.

Handwriting Without Tears(®): General Education Effectiveness Through a Consultative Approach.

PubMed

Donica, Denise K

2015-01-01

This study explores the effectiveness of the Handwriting Without Tears(®) (HWT) kindergarten printing curriculum in general education through a consultative approach with occupational therapy. One cohort of students was the control (n = 19), whereas two other cohorts were experimental groups learning printing through the HWT curriculum (n = 20 each). The Test of Handwriting Skills-Revised (THS-R) was used to collect end-of-year legibility scores for all cohorts. Both experimental groups individually and both experimental groups combined into one group outperformed the control group on all 10 of the THS-R subtests-scoring significantly higher (p < .05 using analysis of covariance controlling for age and gender) on 6 of the subtests for the former and 7 for the latter-and on overall score. Large treatment effects were found for the standard score for each experimental group (d = 0.81, 1.03, and 1.00). This study supports the consultative role of occupational therapy with teachers in general education for handwriting curriculum implementation and the success of HWT for printing instruction. Copyright © 2015 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Whole Device Modeling of Compact Tori: Stability and Transport Modeling of C-2W

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dettrick, Sean; Fulton, Daniel; Lau, Calvin; Lin, Zhihong; Ceccherini, Francesco; Galeotti, Laura; Gupta, Sangeeta; Onofri, Marco; Tajima, Toshiki; TAE Team

2017-10-01

Recent experimental evidence from the C-2U FRC experiment shows that the confinement of energy improves with inverse collisionality, similar to other high beta toroidal devices, NSTX and MAST. This motivated the construction of a new FRC experiment, C-2W, to study the energy confinement scaling at higher electron temperature. Tri Alpha Energy is working towards catalysing a community-wide collaboration to develop a Whole Device Model (WDM) of Compact Tori. One application of the WDM is the study of stability and transport properties of C-2W using two particle-in-cell codes, ANC and FPIC. These codes can be used to find new stable operating points, and to make predictions of the turbulent transport at those points. They will be used in collaboration with the C-2W experimental program to validate the codes against C-2W, mitigate experimental risk inherent in the exploration of new parameter regimes, accelerate the optimization of experimental operating scenarios, and to find operating points for future FRC reactor designs.

Connecting Neurons to a Mobile Robot: An In Vitro Bidirectional Neural Interface

PubMed Central

Novellino, A.; D'Angelo, P.; Cozzi, L.; Chiappalone, M.; Sanguineti, V.; Martinoia, S.

2007-01-01

One of the key properties of intelligent behaviors is the capability to learn and adapt to changing environmental conditions. These features are the result of the continuous and intense interaction of the brain with the external world, mediated by the body. For this reason “embodiment” represents an innovative and very suitable experimental paradigm when studying the neural processes underlying learning new behaviors and adapting to unpredicted situations. To this purpose, we developed a novel bidirectional neural interface. We interconnected in vitro neurons, extracted from rat embryos and plated on a microelectrode array (MEA), to external devices, thus allowing real-time closed-loop interaction. The novelty of this experimental approach entails the necessity to explore different computational schemes and experimental hypotheses. In this paper, we present an open, scalable architecture, which allows fast prototyping of different modules and where coding and decoding schemes and different experimental configurations can be tested. This hybrid system can be used for studying the computational properties and information coding in biological neuronal networks with far-reaching implications for the future development of advanced neuroprostheses. PMID:18350128

[Achieving an educative strategy in undergraduate medical interns with respect to patients with diabetes].

PubMed

Medina-Figueroa, Alda María; Espinosa-Alarcón, Patricia Atzimba

2007-01-01

To estimate the achievement of an educative strategy that promoted participation of the development of the clinical aptitude of undergraduate medical students with regard to patients with diabetes. We conducted a quasi-experimental study with two groups of undergraduate medical students. We validated an instrument to explore clinical attitude concerning diabetes mellitus (ACDIME) with 30 items for each of six indicators. The instrument was applied at two general hospitals, before and after carrying out the educative strategies. In the experimental group, we conducted an educative strategy that promotes participation in developing clinical aptitude, while the customary strategy was developed in the control group. ACDIME consistency was 0.80. Both study groups were similar before the educative strategies (p = 0.165). Statistically significant differences existed after the strategies in all indicators were evaluated, in favor of the experimental group. The tendency to change, with a criterion of 50% or more, was only statistically significant in the experimental group (p < 0.0001). The ACDIME instrument is valid and reliable. The educative strategy that promoted participation is clearly superior to the customary strategy with regard to achievement.

Exploration of the Infrared Sensitivity for a ZnSe Electrode of an IR Image Converter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurt, H. Hilal

2018-05-01

Significant improvement has been carried out in the field of the II-VI group semiconductor device technology. Semiconductors based on the II-VI group are attractive due to their alternative uses for thermal imaging systems and photonic applications. This study focuses on experimental work on the optical, electrical and structural characterization of an infrared (IR) photodetector zinc selenide (ZnSe). In addition, the IR sensitivity of the ZnSe has primarily been investigated by exploiting the IR responses of the material for various gas pressures, p, and interelectrode distances, d, in the IR converter. The experimental findings include the results of plasma current and plasma discharge emission under various illumination conditions in the IR region. The electron density distributions inside the gas discharge gap have also been simulated in two-dimensional media. Experimentally, the current-voltage, current-time, and discharge light emission plots are produced for a wide experimental parameter range. Consequently, the structural and optical properties have been studied through atomic force microscopy and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy techniques to obtain a comprehensive knowledge of the material.

The Effect of Integrating Aesthetic Understanding in Reflective Inquiry Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Huann-shyang; Hong, Zuway-R.; Chen, Chung-Chih; Chou, Chien-Ho

2011-06-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the effectiveness of integrating aesthetic understanding in reflective inquiry activities. Three typical classes of Taiwanese eighth graders (n = 106) and nine additional low-achieving students in the same school participated in the study. The treatment for experimental students emphasized scaffolding aesthetic understanding and reflections on inquiry strategies. It was found that the experimental group students consistently outperformed their counterparts on the post-test and the delayed post-test in conceptual understanding and application of science knowledge. In addition, the low-achieving students were motivated by the treatment and made significant progress on the two tests. The results of interview and classroom observation also revealed that the intervention made a difference in students' affective perceptions.

Proteome Dynamics: Revisiting Turnover with a Global Perspective*

PubMed Central

Claydon, Amy J.; Beynon, Robert

2012-01-01

Although bulk protein turnover has been measured with the use of stable isotope labeled tracers for over half a century, it is only recently that the same approach has become applicable to the level of the proteome, permitting analysis of the turnover of many proteins instead of single proteins or an aggregated protein pool. The optimal experimental design for turnover studies is dependent on the nature of the biological system under study, which dictates the choice of precursor label, protein pool sampling strategy, and treatment of data. In this review we discuss different approaches and, in particular, explore how complexity in experimental design and data processing increases as we shift from unicellular to multicellular systems, in particular animals. PMID:23125033

Exploring bacterial infections: theoretical and experimental studies of the bacterial population dynamics and antibiotic treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shao, Xinxian

Bacterial infections are very common in human society. Thus extensive research has been conducted to reveal the molecular mechanisms of the pathogenesis and to evaluate the antibiotics' efficacy against bacteria. Little is known, however, about the population dynamics of bacterial populations and their interactions with the host's immune system. In this dissertation, a stochatic model is developed featuring stochastic phenotypic switching of bacterial individuals to explain the single-variant bottleneck discovered in multi strain bacterial infections. I explored early events in a bacterial infection establishment using classical experiments of Moxon and Murphy on neonatal rats. I showed that the minimal model and its simple variants do not work. I proposed modifications to the model that could explain the data quantitatively. The bacterial infections are also commonly established in physical structures, as biofilms or 3-d colonies. In contrast, most research on antibiotic treatment of bacterial infections has been conducted in well-mixed liquid cultures. I explored the efficacy of antibiotics to treat such bacterial colonies, a broadly applicable method is designed and evaluated where discrete bacterial colonies on 2-d surfaces were exposed to antibiotics. I discuss possible explanations and hypotheses for the experimental results. To verify these hypotheses, we investigated the dynamics of bacterial population as 3-d colonies. We showed that a minimal mathematical model of bacterial colony growth in 3-d was able to account for the experimentally observed presence of a diffusion-limited regime. The model further revealed highly loose packing of the cells in 3-d colonies and smaller cell sizes in colonies than plancktonic cells in corresponding liquid culture. Further experimental tests of the model predictions have revealed that the ratio of the cell size in liquid culture to that in colony cultures was consistent with the model prediction, that the dead cells emerged randomly in a colony, and that the cells packed heterogeneously in the outer part of a colony, possibly explaining the loose packing.

The effect of personality traits and psychosocial training on burnout syndrome among healthcare students.

PubMed

Skodova, Zuzana; Lajciakova, Petra

2013-11-01

The aims of this paper were to explore the influence of personality factors on student burnout syndrome and to explore the effect of psychosocial training on burnout and personality predictors among university students in health care professions. A quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was used to evaluate the effect of psychosocial training. A sample of 111 university students were divided into experimental and control groups (average age 20.7 years, SD=2.8 years; 86.1% females). The School Burnout Inventory (SBI), Sense of Coherence (SOC) questionnaire, and Rosenberg's Self-esteem scale were employed. Linear regression and analysis of variance were applied for statistical analysis. The results show that socio-psychological training had a positive impact on the level of burnout and on personality factors that are related to burnout. After completing the training, the level of burnout in the experimental group significantly decreased (95% confidence interval: 0.93, 9.25), and no significant change was observed in the control group. Furthermore, respondents' sense of coherence increased in the experimental group (95% confidence interval: -9.11, 2.64), but there were no significant changes in respondents' self-esteem levels in either group. Psychosocial training positively influenced burnout among students in health care professions. Because the coping strategies that were used during the study are similar to effective work coping strategies, psychosocial training can be considered to be an effective tool to prevent burnout in the helping professions. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

On heart rate variability and autonomic activity in homeostasis and in systemic inflammation.

PubMed

Scheff, Jeremy D; Griffel, Benjamin; Corbett, Siobhan A; Calvano, Steve E; Androulakis, Ioannis P

2014-06-01

Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a promising diagnostic technique due to the noninvasive nature of the measurements involved and established correlations with disease severity, particularly in inflammation-linked disorders. However, the complexities underlying the interpretation of HRV complicate understanding the mechanisms that cause variability. Despite this, such interpretations are often found in literature. In this paper we explored mathematical modeling of the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and the heart, incorporating basic mechanisms such as perturbing mean values of oscillating autonomic activities and saturating signal transduction pathways to explore their impacts on HRV. We focused our analysis on human endotoxemia, a well-established, controlled experimental model of systemic inflammation that provokes changes in HRV representative of acute stress. By contrasting modeling results with published experimental data and analyses, we found that even a simple model linking the autonomic nervous system and the heart confound the interpretation of HRV changes in human endotoxemia. Multiple plausible alternative hypotheses, encoded in a model-based framework, equally reconciled experimental results. In total, our work illustrates how conventional assumptions about the relationships between autonomic activity and frequency-domain HRV metrics break down, even in a simple model. This underscores the need for further experimental work towards unraveling the underlying mechanisms of autonomic dysfunction and HRV changes in systemic inflammation. Understanding the extent of information encoded in HRV signals is critical in appropriately analyzing prior and future studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On heart rate variability and autonomic activity in homeostasis and in systemic inflammation

PubMed Central

Scheff, Jeremy D.; Griffel, Benjamin; Corbett, Siobhan A.; Calvano, Steve E.; Androulakis, Ioannis P.

2014-01-01

Analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) is a promising diagnostic technique due to the noninvasive nature of the measurements involved and established correlations with disease severity, particularly in inflammation-linked disorders. However, the complexities underlying the interpretation of HRV complicate understanding the mechanisms that cause variability. Despite this, such interpretations are often found in literature. In this paper we explored mathematical modeling of the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and the heart, incorporating basic mechanisms such as perturbing mean values of oscillating autonomic activities and saturating signal transduction pathways to explore their impacts on HRV. We focused our analysis on human endotoxemia, a well-established, controlled experimental model of systemic inflammation that provokes changes in HRV representative of acute stress. By contrasting modeling results with published experimental data and analyses, we found that even a simple model linking the autonomic nervous system and the heart confound the interpretation of HRV changes in human endotoxemia. Multiple plausible alternative hypotheses, encoded in a model-based framework, equally reconciled experimental results. In total, our work illustrates how conventional assumptions about the relationships between autonomic activity and frequency-domain HRV metrics break down, even in a simple model. This underscores the need for further experimental work towards unraveling the underlying mechanisms of autonomic dysfunction and HRV changes in systemic inflammation. Understanding the extent of information encoded in HRV signals is critical in appropriately analyzing prior and future studies. PMID:24680646

The Art and Science of Teaching Literacy: Empowering the Literacy Leaders of Tomorrow a Study of Pre-Service Teachers' Beliefs, Self-Efficacy, and Knowledge of Literacy Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Densmore-James, Susan

2011-01-01

The purpose of this experimental study was two-fold. The first purpose was to explore the levels of self-efficacy of pre-service teachers regarding their own reading and writing processes and their abilities to be effective literacy leaders. The second purpose was to implement two different interventions in literacy instruction for pre-service…

AN EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF SEQUENCING, PRETESTING, AND ACTIVE STUDENT RESPONSE TO THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PROGRAMMED TV INSTRUCTION. STUDIES IN TELEVISED INSTRUCTION, REPORT 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

GROPPER, GEORGE L.; LUMSDAINE, ARTHUR A.

A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS WAS CONDUCTED TO TEST THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TELEVISED INSTRUCTION. THIS STUDY, THE THIRD IN A SERIES, EXPLORED THE ROLE IN FIXED-PACE TELEVISION INSTRUCTION OF SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES AND PRACTICES EMPLOYED IN TEACHING-MACHINE INSTRUCTION. THREE SEPARATE EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED--(1) A JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LESSON ON NEWTON'S…

Spin Transport Measurements in Hydrogenated Graphene Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koon, Gavin; Balakrishnan, Jayakumar; Oezyilmaz, Barbaros

2013-03-01

Graphene with all its extraordinary properties still fall short when it comes to manipulation of electron spins. Chemically modified Graphene has been explored by many to further enhance Graphene properties, tailoring it to suit desired application purposes. Here we study the effects of hydrogenation rate on graphene spin transport, spin relaxation time and length in this defected system. These findings are important for future theoretical and experimental studies on other adatoms modified Graphene.

Pilot Study to Explore the Use of an Audio-Visual Tutorial Laboratory in the Secretarial Skills Area as a Means of Updating and Improving Curriculum Offerings at the Community College Level in Michigan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Ronald K., And Others

This study dealt with two skill courses, business machines, and beginning typewriting. The control groups received instruction in the traditional method. The experimental groups attended open laboratory at any time convenient to them to receive their instruction. The groups were compared on the basis of identical performance tests. Materials to…

Experimental evidence for adaptive personalities in a wild passerine bird

PubMed Central

Nicolaus, Marion; Tinbergen, Joost M.; Bouwman, Karen M.; Michler, Stephanie P. M.; Ubels, Richard; Both, Christiaan; Kempenaers, Bart; Dingemanse, Niels J.

2012-01-01

Individuals of the same species differ consistently in risky actions. Such ‘animal personality’ variation is intriguing because behavioural flexibility is often assumed to be the norm. Recent theory predicts that between-individual differences in propensity to take risks should evolve if individuals differ in future fitness expectations: individuals with high long-term fitness expectations (i.e. that have much to lose) should behave consistently more cautious than individuals with lower expectations. Consequently, any manipulation of future fitness expectations should result in within-individual changes in risky behaviour in the direction predicted by this adaptive theory. We tested this prediction and confirmed experimentally that individuals indeed adjust their ‘exploration behaviour’, a proxy for risk-taking behaviour, to their future fitness expectations. We show for wild great tits (Parus major) that individuals with experimentally decreased survival probability become faster explorers (i.e. increase risk-taking behaviour) compared to individuals with increased survival probability. We also show, using quantitative genetics approaches, that non-genetic effects (i.e. permanent environment effects) underpin adaptive personality variation in this species. This study thereby confirms a key prediction of adaptive personality theory based on life-history trade-offs, and implies that selection may indeed favour the evolution of personalities in situations where individuals differ in future fitness expectations. PMID:23097506

Exploring the Development of Fifth Graders' Practical Epistemologies and Explanation Skills in Inquiry-Based Learning Classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Hsin-Kai; Wu, Chia-Lien

2011-05-01

The purposes of this study are to explore fifth graders' epistemological views regarding their own experiences of constructing scientific knowledge through inquiry activities (i.e., practical epistemologies) and to investigate possible interactions between students' practical epistemologies and their inquiry skills to construct scientific explanations (i.e., explanation skills). Quantitative and qualitative data including interview transcripts, classroom video recordings, and pre- and post-tests of explanation skills were collected from 68 fifth graders in two science classes. Analyses of data show that after engaging in 5-week inquiry activities, students developed better inquiry skills to construct scientific explanations. More students realized the existence of experimental errors, viewed experimental data as evidence to support their claims, and had richer understanding about the nature of scientific questions. However, most students' epistemological beliefs were still naïve (the beginning level); they could not differentiate between experimental results and scientific knowledge and believed that the purpose of science is doing experiments or research. The results also show that students who held a more sophisticated epistemology (the intermediate level) tended to develop better inquiry skills than those with naïve beliefs. Analyses of classroom observations suggest possible explanations for how students reflected their epistemological views in their inquiry practices.

Determination of Important Nuclear Fragmentation Processes for Human Space Radiation Protection

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lin, Zi-Wei

2007-01-01

We present a semi-analytical method to determine which partial cross sections of nuclear fragmentations most affect the shielded dose equivalent due to exposure to galactic cosmic rays. The cross sections thus determined will require more theoretical and/or experimental studies in order for us to better predict, reduce and mitigate the radiation exposure in human space explorations.

Investigating the Washback Effects of Task-Based Instruction on the Iranian EFL Learners' Vocabulary Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamzeh, Alireza

2016-01-01

The current research was an attempt to explore the washback impact of task-based instruction (TBI) on EFL Iranian learners' vocabulary development. To this end, conducting an Oxford Placement Test (OPT), 30 out of 72 EFL Iranian learners studying in an English language institute, were randomly selected. Then, they were assigned to experimental (N…

The Effect of Cooperative Learning on Grade 12 Learners' Performance in Projectile Motions, South Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kibirige, Israel; Lehong, Moyahabo Jeridah

2016-01-01

The study explored the effect of cooperative learning on Grade 12 learners' performance in projectile motions. A quasi-experimental research design with non-equivalent control group was used. Two schools were purposively selected from Maleboho Central circuit in South Africa based on their performance in Physical Sciences Grade 12 results of 2011.…

The Challenge of Promoting Self-Regulated Learning among Primary School Children with a Low Socioeconomic and Immigrant Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vandevelde, Sabrina; Van Keer, Hilde; Merchie, Emmelien

2017-01-01

The authors explore the effects of student tutoring as an approach to provide support on self-regulated learning (SRL) to fifth- and sixth-grade students with a low socioeconomic or immigrant background. In total, 401 Flemish (Belgium) students participated. A quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest, and retention test control group design…

Effects of Multiple Intelligences Activities on Writing Skill Development in an EFL Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gündüz, Zennure Elgün; Ünal, Ismail Dogan

2016-01-01

This study aims at exploring the effects of multiple intelligences activities versus traditional method on English writing development of the sixth grade students in Turkey. A quasi-experimental research method with a pre-test post-test design was applied. The participants were 50 sixth grade students at a state school in Ardahan in Turkey. The…

The Effects of Cartoon Characters as Motivators of Preschool Disadvantaged Children. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gill, Robert; And Others

A study designed to test effects of cartoon characters on the behavior of preschool disadvantaged children in an educational setting explored the use of cartoons as complementary additions to work materials. Because the 83 Head Start subjects had not been introduced to the alphabet an experimental set of worksheets was made which used the 26…

Exploring the Role of Gender and Risk Perceptions in People's Decisions to Register as a Bone Marrow Donor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mclaren, Patrick J.; Hyde, Melissa K.; White, Katherine M.

2012-01-01

Increasing the number of bone marrow (BM) donors is important to ensure sufficient diversity on BM registries to meet the needs of patients. This study used an experimental approach to test the hypothesis that providing information about the risks of BM donation to allay unsubstantiated fears would reduce male and female participants' perceptions…

Hip Hop HEALS: Pilot Study of a Culturally Targeted Calorie Label Intervention to Improve Food Purchases of Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Olajide; DeSorbo, Alexandra; Sawyer, Vanessa; Apakama, Donald; Shaffer, Michele; Gerin, William; Noble, James

2016-01-01

Objectives: We explored the effect of a culturally targeted calorie label intervention on food purchasing behavior of elementary school students. Method: We used a quasi-experimental design with two intervention schools and one control school to assess food purchases of third through fifth graders at standardized school food sales before and after…

The Impact of an Educational Intervention to Protect Women against the Influence of Media Images

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogden, Jane; Smith, Lauren; Nolan, Helen; Moroney, Rachel; Lynch, Hannah

2011-01-01

Purpose: Media images of unrealistic beauty have been identified as a determinant of women's body dissatisfaction. This experimental study aims to explore whether the negative impact of such images could be reduced by a one-time educational intervention consisting of a presentation and discussion, teaching women to be critical of media images.…

Helping Young Children to See What Is Relevant and Why: Supporting Cognitive Change in Earth Science Using Analogy. Research Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blake, Anthony

2004-01-01

This experimental study explores how 60 primary-age children's (9-11 years old) understanding of rocks was effected by instruction that used the conceptual structure of the rock cycle together with the analogy of aluminium can recycling. Using a combination of probes into children's understanding, including concept maps and semi-structured…

Effects of Cooperative Learning on Learning Achievement and Group Working Behavior of Junior Students in Modern French Literature Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orprayoon, Soudaya

2014-01-01

This study reported on the results of a quasi-experimental research to explore the effectiveness of using a cooperative learning method on students' academic achievement, their group working behavior and their perception and opinions towards cooperative learning in a Modern French Literature course. The sample included twelve junior students…

A Comparison of Students' Conceptual Understanding of Electric Circuits in Simulation Only and Simulation-Laboratory Contexts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jaakkola, Tomi; Nurmi, Sami; Veermans, Koen

2011-01-01

The aim of this experimental study was to compare learning outcomes of students using a simulation alone (simulation environment) with outcomes of those using a simulation in parallel with real circuits (combination environment) in the domain of electricity, and to explore how learning outcomes in these environments are mediated by implicit (only…

Sexual transmission of Lyme disease: challenging the tickborne disease paradigm.

PubMed

Stricker, Raphael B; Middelveen, Marianne J

2015-01-01

Lyme disease caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi has become a major worldwide epidemic. In this article, we explore the clinical, epidemiological and experimental evidence for sexual transmission of Lyme disease in animal models and humans. Although the likelihood of sexual transmission of the Lyme spirochete remains speculative, the possibility of Lyme disease transmission via intimate human contact merits further study.

A Multilevel Analysis of a Guided Inquiry Curriculum Unit on Motion and Force for a Diverse Student Population in "Ability-Grouped" Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rethinam, Vasuki; Lynch, Sharon J.

2011-01-01

This study is an evaluation of "Exploring Motion and Forces: Speed, Acceleration, and Friction" ("M&F") developed by ARIES of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (2001). Although "M&F" has been used in many schools and field-tested, it has never been evaluated in rigorous experimental or…

Saving Cognitive Resources When Possible: The Role of Judgment Consequences and the Judgment Tendency of Other Teachers in Teachers' Assessment of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marksteiner, Tamara; Ask, Karl; Reinhard, Marc-André; Dickhäuser, Oliver

2015-01-01

The present experimental study explores whether teachers are "clever" thinkers when assessing students' credibility, i.e., saving cognitive resources when possible and making accurate judgments. Participants were asked to decide whether student statements about using unfair means during a test were true or deceptive. First, participants'…

Building Commitment: An Examination of Learning Climate Congruence and the Affective Commitment of Academics in an Australian University

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Southcombe, Amie; Fulop, Liz; Carter, Geoff; Cavanagh, Jillian

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between learning climate congruence and the affective commitment of university academics. The strategy of inquiry for this research is quantitative, involving a non-experimental design for the survey research. A non-probability sample of 900 academics from a large Australian university was…

Ionizing laser propagation and spectral phase determination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mittelberger, D. E.; Nakamura, K.; Lehe, R.; Gonsalves, A. J.; Benedetti, C.; Mao, H.-S.; Daniels, J.; Dale, N.; Swanson, K. K.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.

2017-03-01

Ionization-induced blueshifting is investigated through INF&RNO simulations and experimental studies at the Berkeley Laboratory Laser Accelerator (BELLA) Center. The effects of spectral phase and optical compression are explored. An in-situ method for verifying the spectral phase of an intense laser pulse at focus is presented, based on the effects of optical compression on the morphology of the blueshifted laser spectra.

Grounding Vision through Experimental Manipulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

Speculatrix" by their creator to emphasise their exploratory behaviour , described as: "it explores its environment actively, persistently, systematically...as most animals do" (Walter, 1950). These robots had very simple control circuitry, and their behaviour depended greatly on the morphology and...a long developing process. More studies are needed though to ascertain how the dorsal pathway (action) influences the ventral (perception) both in

The Effects of Different On-Line Searching Activities on High School Students' Cognitive Structures and Informal Reasoning regarding a Socio-Scientific Issue

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Ying-Tien; Tsai, Chin-Chung

2011-01-01

Learners' ability in dealing with socio-scientific issues has been highlighted in contemporary science education. This study explored the effects of different on-line searching activities on high school students' cognitive structure outcomes and informal reasoning outcomes. By using a quasi-experimental research approach, thirty-three students…

Examining the Relationship between Course Length and Academic Performance in College-Level Psychology with an Investigation into Reading Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenti, Elizabeth C.

2013-01-01

College dropout is a complex problem resulting in an array of negative repercussions for students, universities, and society. The study explored the impact of reading proficiency on academic success in a college-level introductory psychology course offered in both traditional and accelerated formats. A quantitative, quasi-experimental design was…

Does Repeated Reading Improve Reading Fluency and Comprehension for Struggling Adolescent Readers?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Still, Kristine Lynn; Flynt, Christine A.

2012-01-01

This was a 12-week study that explored the effects of repeated peer readings on struggling adolescent readers. It was a quasi-experimental design with one treatment group and one control group. There were two small group English classes that were consistently using the repeated reading strategy (the treatment group) and students in the co-teach…

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

Dolen, James; Harris, Philip; Marzani, Simone

Here, we explore the scale-dependence and correlations of jet substructure observables to improve upon existing techniques in the identification of highly Lorentz-boosted objects. Modified observables are designed to remove correlations from existing theoretically well-understood observables, providing practical advantages for experimental measurements and searches for new phenomena. We study such observables in W jet tagging and provide recommendations for observables based on considerations beyond signal and background efficiencies.

Towards a Whole-School Approach to the Pastoral Care Module in a Postgraduate Certificate of Education Programme: A South African Experience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schoeman, Sonja

2015-01-01

This study explores the potential of adopting a whole-school approach to the pastoral care module in a Postgraduate Certificate of Education Programme to ensure that all newly qualified teachers practice effective pastoral care in their classrooms and promote the learners' academic engagement and performance. A non-experimental survey research…

More Technology, Better Learning Resources, Better Learning? Lessons from Adopting Virtual Microscopy in Undergraduate Medical Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helle, Laura; Nivala, Markus; Kronqvist, Pauliina

2013-01-01

The adoption of virtual microscopy at the University of Turku, Finland, created a unique real-world laboratory for exploring ways of reforming the learning environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the students' reactions and the impact of a set of measures designed to boost an experimental group's understanding of abnormal histology…

The Impact of the Webcam on an Online L2 Interaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guichon, Nicolas; Cohen, Cathy

2014-01-01

It is intuitively felt that visual cues should enhance online communication, and this experimental study aims to test this prediction by exploring the value provided by a webcam in an online L2 pedagogical teacher-to-learner interaction. A total of 40 French undergraduate students with a B2 level in English were asked to describe in English four…

Metaphorical Salience in Artistic Text Processing: Evidence From Eye Movement.

PubMed

Novikova, Eleonora G; Janyan, Armina; Tsaregorodtseva, Oksana V

2015-01-01

The study aimed to explore processing difference between a literal phrase and a metaphoric one. Unlike artificially created stimuli in most experimental research, an artistic text with an ambiguous binary metaphoric phrase was used. Eye tracking methodology was applied. Results suggested difference between the two types of phrases in both early and late processing measures. © The Author(s) 2015.

A Game-Based Learning Approach to Improving Students' Learning Achievements in a Nutrition Course

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yien, Jui-Mei; Hung, Chun-Ming; Hwang, Gwo-Jen; Lin, Yueh-Chiao

2011-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore the influence of applying a game-based learning approach to nutrition education. The quasi-experimental nonequivalent-control group design was adopted in a four-week learning activity. The participants included sixty-six third graders in two classes of an elementary school. One of the classes was assigned to be…

Aerothermal Testing for Project Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Berry, Scott A.; Horvath, Thomas J.; Lillard, Randolph P.; Kirk, Benjamin S.; Fischer-Cassady, Amy

2009-01-01

The Project Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle aerothermodynamic experimentation strategy, as it relates to flight database development, is reviewed. Experimental data has been obtained to both validate the computational predictions utilized as part of the database and support the development of engineering models for issues not adequately addressed with computations. An outline is provided of the working groups formed to address the key deficiencies in data and knowledge for blunt reentry vehicles. The facilities utilized to address these deficiencies are reviewed, along with some of the important results obtained thus far. For smooth wall comparisons of computational convective heating predictions against experimental data from several facilities, confidence was gained with the use of algebraic turbulence model solutions as part of the database. For cavities and protuberances, experimental data is being used for screening various designs, plus providing support to the development of engineering models. With the reaction-control system testing, experimental data were acquired on the surface in combination with off-body flow visualization of the jet plumes and interactions. These results are being compared against predictions for improved understanding of aftbody thermal environments and uncertainties.

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)

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic promoter databases as valuable tools in exploring the regulation of gene transcription: a comprehensive overview.

PubMed

Majewska, Małgorzata; Wysokińska, Halina; Kuźma, Łukasz; Szymczyk, Piotr

2018-02-20

The complete exploration of the regulation of gene expression remains one of the top-priority goals for researchers. As the regulation is mainly controlled at the level of transcription by promoters, study on promoters and findings are of great importance. This review summarizes forty selected databases that centralize experimental and theoretical knowledge regarding the organization of promoters, interacting transcription factors (TFs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) in many eukaryotic and prokaryotic species. The presented databases offer researchers valuable support in elucidating the regulation of gene transcription. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Instilling exploitable INHIBIT logic gate response for F-/H+ in 'end-off' anthracene-diamine hybrid by simple functional group manipulation: Experimental study aided by DFT calculations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhattacharyya, Arghyadeep; Makhal, Subhash Chandra; Ganguly, Aniruddha; Guchhait, Nikhil

2018-03-01

Two anthracene based receptors ADAMN and ANOPD were synthesized and characterized. The response of both towards F- ion has been monitored by UV-Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy as well as naked eye color change. Interestingly, change in acceptor unit endows ADAMN to behave as a INHIBIT logic gate with F- and H+ as inputs whereas ANOPD remains totally silent towards F-. The reason for this differential behavior has been explored by DFT calculations. The practical utility of the logic gate response of ADAMN was explored by successful paper strip experiment.

Pulsed quantum optomechanics

PubMed Central

Vanner, M. R.; Pikovski, I.; Cole, G. D.; Kim, M. S.; Brukner, Č.; Hammerer, K.; Milburn, G. J.; Aspelmeyer, M.

2011-01-01

Studying mechanical resonators via radiation pressure offers a rich avenue for the exploration of quantum mechanical behavior in a macroscopic regime. However, quantum state preparation and especially quantum state reconstruction of mechanical oscillators remains a significant challenge. Here we propose a scheme to realize quantum state tomography, squeezing, and state purification of a mechanical resonator using short optical pulses. The scheme presented allows observation of mechanical quantum features despite preparation from a thermal state and is shown to be experimentally feasible using optical microcavities. Our framework thus provides a promising means to explore the quantum nature of massive mechanical oscillators and can be applied to other systems such as trapped ions. PMID:21900608

The leadership characteristics of the preceptor in selected clinical practice settings in Botswana.

PubMed

Dube, A; Jooste, K

2006-08-01

A non-experimental, explorative, descriptive, quantitative study was undertaken. The purpose was to explore and describe the views of preceptors and preceptees regarding the fulfilment of the role of the preceptor in selected clinical nursing practice settings in the Botswana context. The study included 72 preceptors and 200 nursing students/preceptees who voluntary agreed voluntarily to participate in the study. A questionnaire was used to collect data, which was analyzed by using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings of this study indicated that the preceptor lacked leadership characteristics in the accompaniment of the preceptee. These constraints included the lack of desirable characteristics such as intellectual, emotional, physical and other traits that are common to all good leaders. Recommendations were stated for improvements in selecting preceptors with certain leadership skills for the clinical practice settings. The limitations of this study were highlighted.

A Computational Model of Reasoning from the Clinical Literature

PubMed Central

Rennels, Glenn D.

1986-01-01

This paper explores the premise that a formalized representation of empirical studies can play a central role in computer-based decision support. The specific motivations underlying this research include the following propositions: 1. Reasoning from experimental evidence contained in the clinical literature is central to the decisions physicians make in patient care. 2. A computational model, based upon a declarative representation for published reports of clinical studies, can drive a computer program that selectively tailors knowledge of the clinical literature as it is applied to a particular case. 3. The development of such a computational model is an important first step toward filling a void in computer-based decision support systems. Furthermore, the model may help us better understand the general principles of reasoning from experimental evidence both in medicine and other domains. Roundsman is a developmental computer system which draws upon structured representations of the clinical literature in order to critique plans for the management of primary breast cancer. Roundsman is able to produce patient-specific analyses of breast cancer management options based on the 24 clinical studies currently encoded in its knowledge base. The Roundsman system is a first step in exploring how the computer can help to bring a critical analysis of the relevant literature to the physician, structured around a particular patient and treatment decision.

Students as Virtual Scientists: An exploration of students' and teachers' perceived realness of a remote electron microscopy investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Childers, Gina; Jones, M. Gail

2015-10-01

Remote access technologies enable students to investigate science by utilizing scientific tools and communicating in real-time with scientists and researchers with only a computer and an Internet connection. Very little is known about student perceptions of how real remote investigations are and how immersed the students are in the experience. This study, conducted with high school students and their teachers, explored the impact of students' perception of ownership and virtual presence during a remote investigation using a scanning electron microscope. Students were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: students able to select their own insect to use during the remote investigation, and students that did not select their own insects to view during the remote investigation. The results of this study showed that students in the experimental group who had choice and ownership of their insect reported being more present (less distracted) during the remote investigation than students in the control group, whereas students in the control group reported controlling the technology was easier than the experimental group. Students indicated the remote investigation was very real; however, the teachers of these students were less likely to describe the investigation as being real. The results of this study have practical implications for designing remote learning environments.

Sensitizing Effects of Pretreatment Measures on Cancer Chemotherapy Nausea and Vomiting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gard, Diane; And Others

1988-01-01

Explored sensitizing effects of pretreatment assessment on posttreatment chemotherapy nausea and vomiting and interactive effects of personal dispositions for information seeking. Oncology patients rated side effects experienced previously (experimental condition), or parking conditions (control). Posttreatment, nausea of experimentals was…

34 CFR 98.3 - Access to instructional material used in a research or experimentation program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... RIGHTS IN RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND TESTING § 98.3 Access to instructional material used in a... designed to explore or develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques. (c) For the purpose of the...

34 CFR 98.3 - Access to instructional material used in a research or experimentation program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... RIGHTS IN RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND TESTING § 98.3 Access to instructional material used in a... designed to explore or develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques. (c) For the purpose of the...

34 CFR 98.3 - Access to instructional material used in a research or experimentation program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... RIGHTS IN RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND TESTING § 98.3 Access to instructional material used in a... designed to explore or develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques. (c) For the purpose of the...

34 CFR 98.3 - Access to instructional material used in a research or experimentation program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... RIGHTS IN RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND TESTING § 98.3 Access to instructional material used in a... designed to explore or develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques. (c) For the purpose of the...

34 CFR 98.3 - Access to instructional material used in a research or experimentation program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... RIGHTS IN RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAMS, AND TESTING § 98.3 Access to instructional material used in a... designed to explore or develop new or unproven teaching methods or techniques. (c) For the purpose of the...

30 CFR 785.13 - Experimental practices mining.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 3 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Experimental practices mining. 785.13 Section 785.13 Mineral Resources OFFICE OF SURFACE MINING RECLAMATION AND ENFORCEMENT, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR SURFACE COAL MINING AND RECLAMATION OPERATIONS PERMITS AND COAL EXPLORATION SYSTEMS UNDER...

Study methods for disinfection water for injection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grishkanich, Alexander; Zhevlakov, Alexander; Kascheev, Sergey; Polyakov, Vladimir; Sidorov, Igor; Ruzankina, Julia; Yakovlev, Alexey; Mak, Andrey

2016-04-01

Experimental results presented in this study tends to explore viruses in the water for their further decontamination under the influence of laser radiation (λ=220-390 nm). Conducted a series of experiments to study the dependence of water quality from the effects of laser radiation. Correlation between degree of survival of viruses and power density. The results showed that all the analyzed samples of water is clearing from bacteria to 98%. Preliminary tests of the prototype laboratory system UFOVI has opened up new opportunities for water sterilizing.

Exploring Biomolecular Recognition by Modeling and Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wade, Rebecca

2007-12-01

Biomolecular recognition is complex. The balance between the different molecular properties that contribute to molecular recognition, such as shape, electrostatics, dynamics and entropy, varies from case to case. This, along with the extent of experimental characterization, influences the choice of appropriate computational approaches to study biomolecular interactions. I will present computational studies in which we aim to make concerted use of bioinformatics, biochemical network modeling and molecular simulation techniques to study protein-protein and protein-small molecule interactions and to facilitate computer-aided drug design.

Attrition in trials evaluating complex interventions for schizophrenia: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Szymczynska, P; Walsh, S; Greenberg, L; Priebe, S

2017-07-01

Essential criteria for the methodological quality and validity of randomized controlled trials are the drop-out rates from both the experimental intervention and the study as a whole. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed these drop-out rates in non-pharmacological schizophrenia trials. A systematic literature search was used to identify relevant trials with ≥100 sample size and to extract the drop-out data. The rates of drop-out from the experimental intervention and study were calculated with meta-analysis of proportions. Meta-regression was applied to explore the association between the study and sample characteristics and the drop-out rates. 43 RCTs were found, with drop-out from intervention ranging from 0% to 63% and study drop-out ranging from 4% to 71%. Meta-analyses of proportions showed an overall drop-out rate of 14% (95% CI: 13-15%) at the experimental intervention level and 20% (95% CI: 17-24%) at the study level. Meta-regression showed that the active intervention drop-out rates were predicted by the number of intervention sessions. In non-pharmacological schizophrenia trials, drop-out rates of less than 20% can be achieved for both the study and the experimental intervention. A high heterogeneity of drop-out rates across studies shows that even lower rates are achievable. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Video-induced yawning in stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides)

PubMed Central

Paukner, Annika; Anderson, James R

2005-01-01

This study reports the first experimental exploration of possible contagious yawning in monkeys. Twenty-two stumptail macaques (Macaca arctoides) were presented with video clips of either yawns or control mouth movements by conspecifics. At a group level, monkeys yawned significantly more often during and just after the yawn tape than the control tape. Supplementary analysis revealed that the yawn tape also elicited significantly more self-directed scratching responses than the control tape, which suggests that yawning might have been caused by tension arising from viewing the yawn tape. Understanding to what extent the observed effect resembles contagious yawning as found in humans and chimpanzees requires more detailed experimentation. PMID:17148320

Carrier statistics and quantum capacitance effects on mobility extraction in two-dimensional crystal semiconductor field-effect transistors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Nan; Jena, Debdeep

2015-03-01

In this work, the consequence of the high band-edge density of states on the carrier statistics and quantum capacitance in transition metal dichalcogenide two-dimensional semiconductor devices is explored. The study questions the validity of commonly used expressions for extracting carrier densities and field-effect mobilities from the transfer characteristics of transistors with such channel materials. By comparison to experimental data, a new method for the accurate extraction of carrier densities and mobilities is outlined. The work thus highlights a fundamental difference between these materials and traditional semiconductors that must be considered in future experimental measurements.

Are there reliable constitutive laws for dynamic friction?

PubMed

Woodhouse, Jim; Putelat, Thibaut; McKay, Andrew

2015-09-28

Structural vibration controlled by interfacial friction is widespread, ranging from friction dampers in gas turbines to the motion of violin strings. To predict, control or prevent such vibration, a constitutive description of frictional interactions is inevitably required. A variety of friction models are discussed to assess their scope and validity, in the light of constraints provided by different experimental observations. Three contrasting case studies are used to illustrate how predicted behaviour can be extremely sensitive to the choice of frictional constitutive model, and to explore possible experimental paths to discriminate between and calibrate dynamic friction models over the full parameter range needed for real applications. © 2015 The Author(s).

Application of Microfluidics in Experimental Ecology: The Importance of Being Spatial.

PubMed

Nagy, Krisztina; Ábrahám, Ágnes; Keymer, Juan E; Galajda, Péter

2018-01-01

Microfluidics is an emerging technology that is used more and more in biology experiments. Its capabilities of creating precisely controlled conditions in cellular dimensions make it ideal to explore cell-cell and cell-environment interactions. Thus, a wide spectrum of problems in microbial ecology can be studied using engineered microbial habitats. Moreover, artificial microfluidic ecosystems can serve as model systems to test ecology theories and principles that apply on a higher level in the hierarchy of biological organization. In this mini review we aim to demonstrate the versatility of microfluidics and the diversity of its applications that help the advance of microbiology, and in more general, experimental ecology.

Rethinking differentiation: Stem cells, regeneration, and plasticity

PubMed Central

Alvarado, Alejandro Sánchez; Yamanaka, Shinya

2014-01-01

Cell differentiation is an essential process for the development, growth, reproduction and longevity of all multicellular organisms, and its regulation has been the focus of intense investigation for the past 4 decades. The study of natural and induced stem cells has ushered an age of re-examination of what it means to be a stem or a differentiated cell. Past and recent discoveries in plants and animals, as well as novel experimental manipulations are beginning to erode many of these established concepts, and are forcing a re-evaluation of the experimental systems and paradigms presently being used to explore these and other biological process. PMID:24679530

[Research advances in the relationships between biodiversity and invasiveness within plant communities].

PubMed

Zheng, Jingming; Ma, Keping

2006-07-01

This paper reviewed the theoretical, observational, and experimental studies on the relationships between biodiversity and invasiveness within plant communities. The contradictory conclusions made from these studies were summarized and analyzed, and suggestions were put forward to improve future researches. In theoretical studies, models were highly simplified and depended on unrealistic assumptions, e. g., single mechanism of biodiversity formation, balance between communities status, and similar characters of alien and native species, which limited the credibility of research conclusions. Most of the observational studies were not directly exploring the relationships between biodiversity and invasiveness, but inferring from invasion patterns occurred in nature. Different research scales always resulted in contradictory conclusions. In small-scale research where some biotic factors dominated species interaction, the relationships between biodiversity and invasiveness might be negative, while in larger-scale research, other co-varying extrinsic factors might override those biotic factors in small-scale research, and the relationships between biodiversity and invasiveness might be positive. Although most experimental studies were conducted in small scale and extrinsic influences were ruled out, some mistakes might still happen when constructing biodiversity gradients in the experimental communities. Among these mistakes, sampling effect was the most common one, and the others included building communities with same species abundance but varying richness and density. Some suggestions were put forward on improving the study of the relationships between biodiversity and invasiveness in plant communities. In future researches, we should integrate observational study with experimental study, pay more attention to research scale, avoid sampling effect, and couple model with experimental design.

Inter-annual variability of NDVI in response to long-term warming and fertilization in wet sedge and tussock tundra.

PubMed

Boelman, Natalie T; Stieglitz, Marc; Griffin, Kevin L; Shaver, Gaius R

2005-05-01

This study explores the relationship between the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and aboveground plant biomass for tussock tundra vegetation and compares it to a previously established NDVI-biomass relationship for wet sedge tundra vegetation. In addition, we explore inter-annual variation in NDVI in both these contrasting vegetation communities. All measurements were taken across long-term experimental treatments in wet sedge and tussock tundra communities at the Toolik Lake Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) site, in northern Alaska. Over 15 years (for wet sedge tundra) and 14 years (for tussock tundra), N and P were applied in factorial experiments (N, P and N+P), air temperature was increased using greenhouses with and without N+P fertilizer, and light intensity was reduced by 50% using shade cloth. during the peak growing seasons of 2001, 2002, and 2003, NDVI measurements were made in both the wet sedge and tussock tundra experimental treatment plots, creating a 3-year time series of inter-annual variation in NDVI. We found that: (1) across all tussock experimental tundra treatments, NDVI is correlated with aboveground plant biomass (r2 = 0.59); (2) NDVI-biomass relationships for tussock and wet sedge tundra communities are community specific, and; (3) NDVI values for tussock tundra communities are typically, but not always, greater than for wet sedge tundra communities across all experimental treatments. We suggest that differences between the response of wet sedge and tussock tundra communities in the same experimental treatments result from the contrasting degree of heterogeneity in species and functional types that characterize each of these Arctic tundra vegetation communities.

Seed dispersal and establishment of endangered plants on Oceanic Islands: the Janzen-Connell model, and the use of ecological analogues.

PubMed

Hansen, Dennis M; Kaiser, Christopher N; Müller, Christine B

2008-05-07

The Janzen-Connell model states that plant-specific natural enemies may have a disproportionately large negative effect on progeny close to maternal trees. The majority of experimental and theoretical studies addressing the Janzen-Connell model have explored how it can explain existing patterns of species diversity in tropical mainland areas. Very few studies have investigated how the model's predictions apply to isolated oceanic islands, or to the conservation management of endangered plants. Here, we provide the first experimental investigation of the predictions of the Janzen-Connell model on an oceanic island, in a conservation context. In addition, we experimentally evaluate the use of ecological analogue animals to resurrect the functional component of extinct frugivores that could have dispersed seeds away from maternal trees. In Mauritius, we investigated seed germination and seedling survival patterns of the critically endangered endemic plant Syzygium mamillatum (Myrtaceae) in relation to proximity to maternal trees. We found strong negative effects of proximity to maternal trees on growth and survival of seedlings. We successfully used giant Aldabran tortoises as ecological analogues for extinct Mauritian frugivores. Effects of gut-passage were negative at the seed germination stage, but seedlings from gut-passed seeds grew taller, had more leaves, and suffered less damage from natural enemies than any of the other seedlings. We provide the first experimental evidence of a distance-dependent Janzen-Connell effect on an oceanic island. Our results potentially have serious implications for the conservation management of rare plant species on oceanic islands, which harbour a disproportionately large fraction of the world's endemic and endangered plants. Furthermore, in contrast to recent controversy about the use of non-indigenous extant megafauna for re-wilding projects in North America and elsewhere, we argue that Mauritius and other oceanic islands are ideal study systems in which to empirically explore the use of ecological analogue species in restoration ecology.

Study of magnetization switching in coupled magnetic nanostructured systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radu, Cosmin

A study of magnetization dynamics experiments in nanostructured materials using the rf susceptibility tunnel diode oscillator (TDO) method is presented along with a extensive theoretical analysis. An original, computer controlled experimental setup that measures the change in susceptibility with the variation in external magnetic field and sample temperature was constructed. The TDO-based experiment design and construction is explained in detail, showing all the elements of originality. This experimental technique has proven reliable for characterizing samples with uncoupled magnetic structure and various magnetic anisotropies like: CrO2, FeCo/IrMn and Co/SiO2 thin films. The TDO was subsequently used to explore the magnetization switching in coupled magnetic systems, like synthetic antiferromagnet (SAF) structures. Magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM) is an important example of devices where the use of SAF structure is essential. To support the understanding of the SAF magnetic behavior, its configuration and application are reviewed and more details are provided in an appendix. Current problems in increasing the scalability and decreasing the error rate of MRAM devices are closely connected to the switching properties of the SAF structures. Several theoretical studies that were devoted to the understanding of the concepts of SAF critical curve are reviewed. As one can notice, there was no experimental determination of SAF critical curve, due to the difficulties in characterizing a magnetic coupled structure. Depending of the coupling strength between the two ferromagnetic layers, on the SAF critical curve one distinguishes several new features, inexistent in the case of uncoupled systems. Knowing the configuration of the SAF critical curve is of great importance in order to control its switching characteristics. For the first time a method of experimentally recording the critical curve for SAF is proposed in this work. In order to overcome technological limitations, a new way of recording the critical curve by using an additional magnetic bias field was explored. Keywords: magnetization dynamics, magnetic susceptibility, tunnel diode oscillator, critical curve, synthetic antiferromagnet, coupled magnetic structures, MRAM.

An Interactive Multimedia Software Program for Exploring Electrochemical Cells.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greenbowe, Thomas J.

1994-01-01

Describes computer-animated sequences and interactive multimedia instructional programs for use in introductory chemistry which allow students to explore electrochemical cells. The workbench section enables students to manipulate the experimental apparatus, chemicals, and instruments in order to design and build an experiment. The interactive…

Mars integrated transportation system multistage Mars mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1991-01-01

In accordance with the objective of the Mars Integrated Transport System (MITS) program, the Multistage Mars Mission (MSMM) design team developed a profile for a manned mission to Mars. The purpose of the multistage mission is to send a crew of five astronauts to the martian surface by the year 2019. The mission continues man's eternal quest for exploration of new frontiers. This mission has a scheduled duration of 426 days that includes experimentation en route as well as surface exploration and experimentation. The MSMM is also designed as a foundation for a continuing program leading to the colonization of the planet Mars.

Linking water age and solute dynamics in streamflow at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH, USA

Treesearch

Paolo Benettin; Scott W. Bailey; John L. Campbell; Mark B. Green; Andrea Rinaldo; Gene E. Likens; Kevin J. McGuire; Gianluca Botter

2015-01-01

We combine experimental and modeling results from a headwater catchment at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest (HBEF), New Hampshire, USA, to explore the link between stream solute dynamics and water age. A theoretical framework based on water age dynamics, which represents a general basis for characterizing solute transport at the catchment scale, is here applied to...

Effects of food processing on polyphenol contents: a systematic analysis using Phenol-Explorer data.

PubMed

Rothwell, Joseph A; Medina-Remón, Alexander; Pérez-Jiménez, Jara; Neveu, Vanessa; Knaze, Viktoria; Slimani, Nadia; Scalbert, Augustin

2015-01-01

The Phenol-Explorer web database (http://www.phenol-explorer.eu) was recently updated with new data on polyphenol retention due to food processing. Here, we analyze these data to investigate the effect of different variables on polyphenol content and make recommendations aimed at refining estimation of intake in epidemiological studies. Data on the effects of processing upon 161 polyphenols compiled for the Phenol-Explorer database were analyzed to investigate the effects of polyphenol structure, food, and process upon polyphenol loss. These were expressed as retention factors (RFs), fold changes in polyphenol content due to processing. Domestic cooking of common plant foods caused considerable losses (median RF = 0.45-0.70), although variability was high. Food storage caused fewer losses, regardless of food or polyphenol (median RF = 0.88, 0.95, 0.92 for ambient, refrigerated, and frozen storage, respectively). The food under study was often a more important determinant of retention than the process applied. Phenol-Explorer data enable polyphenol losses due to processing from many different foods to be rapidly compared. Where experimentally determined polyphenol contents of a processed food are not available, only published RFs matching at least the food and polyphenol of interest should be used when building food composition tables for epidemiological studies. © 2014 The Authors Molecular Nutrition & Food Research Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.