Voices of Resistance, Voices of Transcendence: Musicians as Models of the Poetic--Political Imagination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baxter, Marsha

2010-01-01

How might songs, like John Lennon's "Imagine" or Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the wind", offer ways to explore alternative ways of being in the world, to challenge the status quo? How might these songs become springboards for original pieces that capture students' ideas about world issues? In this article, I observe what happens…

Robust Evaluation Matrix: Towards a More Principled Offline Exploration of Instructional Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doroudi, Shayan; Aleven, Vincent; Brunskill, Emma

2017-01-01

The gold standard for identifying more effective pedagogical approaches is to perform an experiment. Unfortunately, frequently a hypothesized alternate way of teaching does not yield an improved effect. Given the expense and logistics of each experiment, and the enormous space of potential ways to improve teaching, it would be highly preferable if…

Qualitative Differences in the Exploration of Upright and Upside-Down Faces in Four-Month-Old Infants: An Eye-Movement Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gallay, Mathieu; Baudouin, Jean-Yves; Durand, Karine; Lemoine, Christelle; Lecuyer, Roger

2006-01-01

Four-month-old infants were habituated with an upright or an upside-down face. Eye-movement recordings showed that the upright and upside-down faces were not explored the same way. Infants spent more time exploring internal features, mainly in the region of the nose and mouth, when the face was upright. They also alternated as frequently between…

Haraway's "Bag Lady Story-Telling": Relocating Childhood and Learning within a "Post-Human Landscape"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Affrica; Blaise, Mindy; Giugni, Miriam

2013-01-01

In this article, we explore some alternate ways of approaching childhood and learning by taking three short forays into what Donna Haraway calls a "post-human landscape". This exploration takes us beyond the horizons of orthodox educational approaches, in which the individual child is typically seen to be developing and learning within…

"Embodied Knowing": Exploring the Founding of the Melbourne Rudolf Steiner School in 1970S Victoria, Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bak, Tao

2018-01-01

Education in Victoria, Australia not only underwent significant change in the 1970s, but was witness to a widespread educational reform project. Whilst exploration of the more widespread alternatives has been of some interest, the smaller progressive traditions that emerged in some ways "alongside" the broader reforms have rarely been…

Teacher Education and Critical Inquiry: The Use of Activity Theory in Exploring Alternative Understandings of Language and Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doecke, Brenton; Kostogriz, Alex

2005-01-01

This article explores the challenges of espousing a critical pedagogy within the managerial climate that presently shapes teacher education. Current discourses of professionalism are incommensurate with an understanding of the way that literacy practices are grounded in the social worlds in which both school and university students operate. Such…

The Spiritual Revolution and Suicidal Ideation: An Empirical Enquiry among 13- to 15-Year-Old Adolescents in England and Wales

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robbins, Mandy; Francis, Leslie J.

2009-01-01

The association between conventional religiosity and suicide inhibition has been well explored and documented since the pioneering work of Durkheim. Commentators like Heelas and Woodhead point to ways in which conventional religiosity is giving way in England and Wales to a range of alternative spiritualities, including renewed interest in…

"Landscapes of Remembrance" and Sites of Conscience: Exploring Ways of Learning beyond Militarising "Maps" of the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herborn, Peter J.; Hutchinson, Francis P.

2014-01-01

War memorials and related exhibition spaces are commonplace in Australian cities and towns. As critically reflected upon in this paper, there is much "hidden" or alternative history that tends to get ignored when it comes to official memorials and conventional places of remembrance. The particular focus of our paper is the exploration of…

Becoming a Migrant: Aspirations of Youths during Their Transition to Adulthood in Rural Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Azaola, Marta Cristina

2012-01-01

This article explores young people's transitions to adulthood in a rural community in Mexico. The focus is on participants' migration experiences and the premise is that migration can be understood as an alternative way of inclusion found by the rural youth which is strongly determined by individuals' agency. The article explores the role played…

The logic of nuclear terror

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

Kolkowicz, R.

A group of international contributors explores the ways in which technological and political changes have affected the original concepts of nuclear war and deterrence strategies, and how such changes have affected policy and doctrine. The contributors also outline realistic, alternative ways of thinking about strategy in the changing context of new military technologies and international politics, including several thought-provoking discussions of the new Strategic Defense Initiative.

El Libro de Recuerdos (Book of Memories): A Latina Student's Exploration of Self and Religion in Public School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Cynthia C.

2009-01-01

This article is an exploration of how an alternative text reflects the multiple identities of one high school Latina, focusing in particular on her religious identity. In this ethnographic case study, the author addresses three questions: 1) In what ways does literacy activity inside the school, in the form of the science scrapbook, allow for this…

Ethical School Leadership: Defining the Best Interests of Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stefkovich, Jacqueline; Begley, Paul T.

2007-01-01

This article explores the alternate ways ethical school leadership in the best interests of students is conceptualized in the educational leadership literature from several foundational perspectives including philosophy, psychology, critical theory and case law. Perspectives which are grounded solely in theory are differentiated from those…

Four Strategies for Teaching Open-Mindedness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Merryfield, Merry M.

2012-01-01

An open mind--the willingness to consider experiences, beliefs, values, perspectives, etc. that differ from one's own--allows the learner to explore how diverse people across the world think and act. Open-mindedness creates opportunities to rethink assumptions, identify misinformation, and consider alternative ways to make decisions.…

The Possibilities of Postcolonial Praxis in Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Subedi, Binaya; Daza, Stephanie Lynn

2008-01-01

This introduction to the special issue explores the possibilities of postcolonial praxis in the field of education. The local/global focus of postcolonial perspectives invites alternative ways of theorizing question of pedagogy, curriculum and research. Postcolonial praxis similarly highlights how questions of differences and identity need to be…

24 CFR 91.105 - Citizen participation plan; local governments.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... met in the case of public hearings where a significant number of non-English speaking residents can be... encourage the participation of all its citizens, including minorities and non-English speaking persons, as... jurisdiction should also explore alternative public involvement techniques and quantitative ways to measure...

Critical Ontology for an Enactive Music Pedagogy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van der Schyff, Dylan; Schiavio, Andrea; Elliott, David J.

2016-01-01

An enactive approach to music education is explored through the lens of critical ontology. Assumptions central to Western academic music culture are critically discussed; and the concept of "ontological education" is introduced as an alternative framework. We argue that this orientation embraces more primordial ways of knowing and being,…

Critical Cosmopolitan Educational Research: Grounded and Potentially Transformational

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oikonomidoy, Eleni

2016-01-01

Drawing insights from scholarship in social sciences and education and the author's reflective research accounts, this paper aims to illustrate how a critical cosmopolitan framework can provide an alternative way of looking at educational phenomena. More specifically, the goal is to explore the why, where, who, and how of Critical Cosmopolitan…

Accounts of Sexual Identity Formation in Heterosexual Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eliason, Michele J.

1995-01-01

Explores ways by which a heterosexual identity develops and how it is perceived to affect daily life. Essays from 26 multiethnic undergraduates reveal 6 common themes: had never thought about sexual identity; society made me heterosexual; gender determines sexual identity; issues of choice versus innateness of sexuality; no alternative to…

Before It's Too Late: Teaching about Endangered Animals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soltow, Willow

1984-01-01

Describes a teaching unit on endangered species that helps students understand factors that cause species to become endangered, identify how personal attitudes and values impact solutions to the problem, and explore some alternatives for positive action. A list of ways to improve the situation for endangered species is provided. (BC)

Positioning for Effectiveness: Applying Marketing Concepts to Distance Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levenburg, Nancy

1997-01-01

Demonstrates how colleges can use distance education to attract and retain a "critical mass" of learners for distance programs. Explores alternative ways to view distance education market opportunities and determine which avenues to pursue. Suggests how to be more effective in all aspects of distance education programs. (13 citations) (YKH)

Liberal Learning and the Arts of Connection for the New Academy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minnich, Elizabeth K.

This report explores the connections among diversity, democratic aspirations and goals for student learning in higher education contrasting old ways of thinking and habits with new alternatives. The introduction discusses how the "special" programs and emerging fields, such as American Indian Studies and Deaf Studies, influence…

From Symphony to Jazz: The Concept of Strategy in Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Les

1998-01-01

Considers derivation of the strategy concept and its deployment as a managerial planning technique. Examines the related growth of school development planning, exploring ways it might be considered strategic. Using strategy in organizations is no longer either possible or appropriate. Proposes an alternative planning basis derived from marginal…

Knowing the Other/Other Ways of Knowing: Indigenous Feminism, Testimonial, and Anti-Globalization Street Discourse

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dulfano, Isabel

2017-01-01

In this article, I explore the relationship between anti-globalization counter hegemonic discourse and Indigenous feminist alternative knowledge production. Although seemingly unrelated, the autoethnographic writing of some Indigenous feminists from Latin America questions the assumptions and presuppositions of Western development models and…

Common Threads: Quilt-Making and Teaching.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levine, Phoebe M.

A teacher educator and artist explores alternate ways to think of teaching as a creative endeavor. This paper brings together the voices of Appalachian craftswomen and the wisdom of educator and philosopher John Dewey to create a patchwork that celebrates the common threads of quiltmaking and teaching. Interviews with West Virginia craftswomen and…

Perspectives on evolving dental care payment and delivery models.

PubMed

Rubin, Marcie S; Edelstein, Burton L

2016-01-01

Health care reform is well under way in the United States as reflected in evolving delivery, financing, and payment approaches that are affecting medicine ahead of dentistry. The authors explored health systems changes under way, distinguished historical and organizational differences between medicine and dentistry, and developed alternative models to characterize the relationships between these professions. The authors explored a range of medical payment approaches, including those tied to objective performance metrics, and their potential application to dentistry. Advances in understanding the essential role of oral health in general health have pulled dentistry into the broader discussion of care integration and payment reform. Dentistry's fit with primary and specialty medical care may take a variety of forms. Common provider payment approaches in dentistry-fee-for-service, capitation, and salary-are tied insufficiently to performance when measured as either health processes or health outcomes. Dentistry can anticipate potential payment reforms by observing changes already under way in medicine and by understanding alternative payment approaches that are tied to performance metrics, such as those now in development by the Dental Quality Alliance and others. Novel forms of dental practice may be expected to evolve continuously as medical-dental integration and payment reforms that promote accountability evolve. Copyright © 2016 American Dental Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Critical Change for the Greater Good: Multicultural Perceptions in Educational Leadership toward Social Justice and Equity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santamaría, Lorri J.

2014-01-01

Background: Educational leadership for social justice and equity is the primary leadership response to inclusive and equitable education. This inquiry builds on multicultural education and educational leadership to explore an alternative approach to mainstream leadership practice. Purpose: To examine ways in which educational leaders of color in…

Some Transportation Alternatives for Commuter Colleges and Universities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hardwick, Mark W.; Kazlo, Martha P.

This document is written in an effort to urge commuter colleges and universities to use their technical expertise in solving the automobile problem, which adds to the congestion and pollution in college communities. It has become a necessity that colleges and universities begin to explore ways to offer a variety of less expensive transportation…

Performance Ethnography: Creating a Mechanism for Engagement by the Academy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jarmon, Leslie H.

Taking the position that performance ethnography should be a viable and valued alternative and/or supplement to print ethnography, this paper explores ways to integrate phenomena that are visual, aural, and dynamic into existing scholarly practices. The paper advances one solution: create mechanisms for reproduction and distribution that have the…

Utilizing Teacher Leadership as a Catalyst for Change in Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ankrum, Raymond J.

2016-01-01

School leaders are constantly trying to find alternative ways to leverage and explore teacher leadership potential in their school building(s). Teachers leaders that are willing to go above and beyond their general duties. Teacher leaders are the type of educators that fall under the motif of potentially taking on additive responsibilities that…

Social Relationships and Interpersonal Skills: A Guide for People with Sensory and Physical Limitations.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Institute for Information Studies, Falls Church, VA.

Intended for individuals with physical or sensory handicaps, the guide explores the social and interpersonal implication of disability and suggests alternative ways of dealing with related problems. Chapter 1 looks at the social environment that people with disabilities encounter. Potential social problems and types of situations the disabled may…

A Glimpse of Family Acceptance for Queer Hmong Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ngo, Bic; Kwon, Melissa

2015-01-01

This article draws on in-depth qualitative interviews with two queer Hmong immigrant youth to explore experiences of family care, support, and acceptance. It offers an alternative to discourses of family rejection. It illustrates the ways in which Hmong youth are constructing queer identities while maintaining close relationships to blood family.…

The Cultural Context of Infancy. Volume 1: Biology, Culture, and Infant Development.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nugent, J. Kevin, Ed.; And Others

Noting that patterns of childrearing are highly variable across the human species, this book explores the developmental processes of infancy over a wide range of cultural and social environments. By presenting multiple alternative examples of the context of infant development, the book attempts to stimulate continued discussion on the ways in…

Co-Operative Education and the State, c.1895-1935

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vernon, Keith

2013-01-01

The co-operative movement is currently exploring ways of engaging with changes in government education policy to develop schools with a distinctive co-operative ethos. While drawing on the opportunities in changing policy, these initiatives can also be seen as offering alternatives to the prevailing tenor of government thinking. This is not the…

Changing Schools: Alternative Ways to Make a World of Difference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wrigley, Terry, Ed.; Thomson, Pat, Ed.; Lingard, Robert, Ed.

2011-01-01

"Changing Schools" places educational and social aims at the centre of a discussion of educational change. It draws on 14 case studies to explore school change which is oriented towards social justice and democracy. In an age of global mobility, economic polarization and unprecedented environmental and cultural challenges, the education…

Exploration case studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Underwood, Jimmy M.

1989-04-01

NASA's Office of Exploration has undertaken four case studies for prospective expansion of manned space activities beyond earth orbit. The subjects of these studies are (1) an expedition to the Martian moon Phobos; (2) a three-mission expedition to Mars; (3) the construction of a man-tended lunar observatory; and (4) the construction of a lunar outpost to serve as the basis for construction of a Martian outpost. The fourth alternative would follow the recommendation of the National Commission on Space for the creation of a 'bridge between worlds' in which explorers would develop ways in which to 'live off the land' in a space environment.

Young Children's Psychological Explanations and Their Relationship to Perception- and Intention-Understanding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colonnesi, Cristina; Koops, Willem; Meerum Terwogt, Mark

2008-01-01

The present study examined two key aspects of young children's ability to explain human behaviour in a mentalistic way. First, we explored desires that are of a level of difficulty comparable with that of false beliefs. For this purpose, the so-called "alternative desires" were created. Second, we examined how children's psychological…

Integrating Academic Management with Business Planning Activities: The Case of University of Education, Winneba (UEW), Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Owusu-Ansah, Collins; Afful, Deborah

2015-01-01

Currently, public universities are facing chronic problem of underfunding. In a bid to explore more alternative and innovative ways of addressing such underfunding challenges, authorities of universities have sought to inject business activities into the management of the universities. They are now forced to search for additional sources of income…

Should Rey Mysterio Drink Gatorade? Cultural Competence in Afterschool STEM Programming

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ciechanowski, Kathryn; Bottoms, SueAnn; Fonseca, Ana Lucia; St. Clair, Tyler

2015-01-01

Creating a space for learning science outside the traditional classroom shifts the expectations for both educators and children. In the classroom, both groups have preconceived notions of their roles and of what classroom science looks like. In the hybrid space of afterschool, students and educators are free to explore alternative ways of teaching…

A Way to Reach All of Your Students: The Course Management System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adebonojo, Leslie G.

2011-01-01

Due to a shortage of librarians to teach classes coupled with a growing student body, librarians at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) decided to explore alternative means to deliver instruction. Their charge was to supplement traditional classroom instruction by utilizing ETSU's course management system (Desire2Learn, D2L) to inform students…

Geothermal Energy: Resource and Utilization. A Teaching Module.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nguyen, Van Thanh

The search for new energy resources as alternatives to fossil fuels have generated new interest in the heat of the earth itself. New geothermal areas with a variety of characteristics are being explored, as are new ways of extracting work from naturally heated steam and hot water. Some of this effort is discussed in this three-part module. Five…

Critical Democracy through Digital Media Production in a Third-Grade Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Sarah E.

2014-01-01

This article explores the ways that alternative digital media production by elementary students can support education for critical democracy. The article centers on a collaborative, qualitative study in which students in a 3rd-grade class at a Title One school created and disseminated podcasts about issues of historical injustice rooted in the key…

Goal Setting and Open Digital Badges in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cheng, Zui; Watson, Sunnie Lee; Newby, Timothy James

2018-01-01

While Open Digital Badges (ODBs) has gained an increasing recognition as micro-credentials, many researchers foresee the role of ODBs as an innovative learning tool to enhance learning experiences beyond that of an alternative credential. However, little research has explored this topic. The purposes of this paper are to 1) argue that one way to…

Digital Spins: The Pedagogy and Politics of Student-Centered E-Zines.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Jonathan

2002-01-01

Recounts and analyzes how e-zines were used in first-year writing courses to enhance students' rhetorical sensitivity to considerations of audience. Concludes that through the use of e-zines, students, on their own initiative, began exploring ways to use writing to provoke an audience to consider alternative views, a project which encouraged some…

Focusing on the Experience: Exploring Alternative Paths for Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stubley, Eleanor; Arho, Anneli; Jarvio, Paivi; Mali, Tuomas

2006-01-01

Writing and speaking are essential means of understanding, studying, and sharing music in the Western art music tradition. The papers presented in this symposium were the outgrowth of authors' dialogue during the summer of 2004. Each of them worked independently, yet each of them was also aware of the direction, the themes, and the ways of the…

A Feminist Case Study of Five Women Preschool Practitioners' Engagement in the Collaborative Inquiry Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Black, Felicia V.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this feminist case study was two-fold: (1) to describe the ways that Collaborative Inquiry (CI) can be proposed as a counter-discourse of professional development that acknowledges the multiple forms of personal and professional knowledge among five women preschool practitioners, and (2) to explore alternative constructs of the…

Using Summer Programs To Explore the Relationship between Time and Learning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeBlois, Robert

1997-01-01

Notes that it is not known whether more time spent in school increases children's learning. Suggests that instead of running the "assembly line" for more hours, educators might try a summer program based on enrichment and fun-time activities as an alternative way to discover whether more learning time would be a good investment. An important…

Making Sense of Alternative Assessment in a Qualitative Evaluation System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas Serrano, Javier

2017-01-01

In a Colombian private English institution, a qualitative evaluation system has been incorporated. This type of evaluation poses challenges to students who have never been evaluated through a system that eliminates exams or quizzes and, as a consequence, these students have to start making sense of it. This study explores the way students face the…

News Values and Narrative Themes: Irony, Hypocrisy and Other Enduring Values.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ettema, James S.; Glasser, Theodore L.

This paper explores an alternative way of studying journalism in the classroom by focusing on contemporary journalists' ironic treatment of morality. The paper examines the performative character of the language of news, when the words investigative journalists use are of interest not so much for what they say but for what they do. The paper…

Alternative approaches for identifying acute systemic toxicity: Moving from research to regulatory testing.

PubMed

Hamm, Jon; Sullivan, Kristie; Clippinger, Amy J; Strickland, Judy; Bell, Shannon; Bhhatarai, Barun; Blaauboer, Bas; Casey, Warren; Dorman, David; Forsby, Anna; Garcia-Reyero, Natàlia; Gehen, Sean; Graepel, Rabea; Hotchkiss, Jon; Lowit, Anna; Matheson, Joanna; Reaves, Elissa; Scarano, Louis; Sprankle, Catherine; Tunkel, Jay; Wilson, Dan; Xia, Menghang; Zhu, Hao; Allen, David

2017-06-01

Acute systemic toxicity testing provides the basis for hazard labeling and risk management of chemicals. A number of international efforts have been directed at identifying non-animal alternatives for in vivo acute systemic toxicity tests. A September 2015 workshop, Alternative Approaches for Identifying Acute Systemic Toxicity: Moving from Research to Regulatory Testing, reviewed the state-of-the-science of non-animal alternatives for this testing and explored ways to facilitate implementation of alternatives. Workshop attendees included representatives from international regulatory agencies, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and industry. Resources identified as necessary for meaningful progress in implementing alternatives included compiling and making available high-quality reference data, training on use and interpretation of in vitro and in silico approaches, and global harmonization of testing requirements. Attendees particularly noted the need to characterize variability in reference data to evaluate new approaches. They also noted the importance of understanding the mechanisms of acute toxicity, which could be facilitated by the development of adverse outcome pathways. Workshop breakout groups explored different approaches to reducing or replacing animal use for acute toxicity testing, with each group crafting a roadmap and strategy to accomplish near-term progress. The workshop steering committee has organized efforts to implement the recommendations of the workshop participants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative Approaches for Identifying Acute Systemic Toxicity: Moving from Research to Regulatory Testing

PubMed Central

Hamm, Jon; Sullivan, Kristie; Clippinger, Amy J.; Strickland, Judy; Bell, Shannon; Bhhatarai, Barun; Blaauboer, Bas; Casey, Warren; Dorman, David; Forsby, Anna; Garcia-Reyero, Natàlia; Gehen, Sean; Graepel, Rabea; Hotchkiss, Jon; Lowit, Anna; Matheson, Joanna; Reaves, Elissa; Scarano, Louis; Sprankle, Catherine; Tunkel, Jay; Wilson, Dan; Xia, Menghang; Zhu, Hao; Allen, David

2017-01-01

Acute systemic toxicity testing provides the basis for hazard labeling and risk management of chemicals. A number of international efforts have been directed at identifying non-animal alternatives for in vivo acute systemic toxicity tests. A September 2015 workshop, Alternative Approaches for Identifying Acute Systemic Toxicity: Moving from Research to Regulatory Testing, reviewed the state-of-the-science of non-animal alternatives for this testing and explored ways to facilitate implementation of alternatives. Workshop attendees included representatives from international regulatory agencies, academia, nongovernmental organizations, and industry. Resources identified as necessary for meaningful progress in implementing alternatives included compiling and making available high-quality reference data, training on use and interpretation of in vitro and in silico approaches, and global harmonization of testing requirements. Attendees particularly noted the need to characterize variability in reference data to evaluate new approaches. They also noted the importance of understanding the mechanisms of acute toxicity, which could be facilitated by the development of adverse outcome pathways. Workshop breakout groups explored different approaches to reducing or replacing animal use for acute toxicity testing, with each group crafting a roadmap and strategy to accomplish near-term progress. The workshop steering committee has organized efforts to implement the recommendations of the workshop participants. PMID:28069485

Open Touch/Sound Maps: A system to convey street data through haptic and auditory feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaklanis, Nikolaos; Votis, Konstantinos; Tzovaras, Dimitrios

2013-08-01

The use of spatial (geographic) information is becoming ever more central and pervasive in today's internet society but the most of it is currently inaccessible to visually impaired users. However, access in visual maps is severely restricted to visually impaired and people with blindness, due to their inability to interpret graphical information. Thus, alternative ways of a map's presentation have to be explored, in order to enforce the accessibility of maps. Multiple types of sensory perception like touch and hearing may work as a substitute of vision for the exploration of maps. The use of multimodal virtual environments seems to be a promising alternative for people with visual impairments. The present paper introduces a tool for automatic multimodal map generation having haptic and audio feedback using OpenStreetMap data. For a desired map area, an elevation map is being automatically generated and can be explored by touch, using a haptic device. A sonification and a text-to-speech (TTS) mechanism provide also audio navigation information during the haptic exploration of the map.

An interdisciplinary approach to mapping through scientific cartography, design and artistic expression

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardener, Joanna; Cartwright, William; Duxbury, Lesley

2018-05-01

This paper reports on the initial findings of an interdisciplinary study exploring perceptions of space and place through alternate ways of mapping. The research project aims to bring depth and meaning to places by utilising a combination of diverse influences and responses, including emotional, sensory, memory and imaginary. It investigates mapping from a designer's perspective, with further narration from both the cartographic science and fine art perspectives. It examines the role of design and artistic expression in the cartographic process, and its capacity to effect and transform the appearance, reading and meaning of the final cartographic outcome (Robinson 2010). The crossover between the cartographic sciences and the work of artists who explore space and place enables an interrogation of where these fields collide or alternatively merge, in order to challenge the definition of a map. By exploring cartography through the overlapping of the distinct fields of science and art, this study challenges and questions the tipping point of when a map ceases to be a map and becomes art.

A Reconceptualisation of Vygotsky's ZPD into ZCD in Teaching Moral Education in Secondary Schools Using Real-Life Dilemmas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balakrishnan, Vishalache; Narvaez, Darcia

2016-01-01

In an effort to contribute to contemporary debates about alternative ways of teaching moral education, this qualitative study explored moral dilemmas identified by young adolescents and how they made moral choices to resolve the dilemmas. Data were gathered for textual analysis through a modified framework of participatory action research using…

Total Participation Techniques: Making Every Student an Active Learner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Himmele, Persida; Himmele, William

2011-01-01

Yes, there are easy-to-use and incredibly effective alternatives to the "stand and deliver" approach to teaching that causes so many students to tune out--or even drop out. Here's your opportunity to explore dozens of ways to engage K-12 students in active learning and allow them to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge and understanding. The…

Thinking Like a Physicist: Design Criteria for a Physics Curriculum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Main, Peter

2014-01-01

The physics curriculum is usually defined by content but this does not provide students with an authentic experience of the subject. An alternative is that physics is defined more as a way of thinking and this idea is explored in terms of the purposes of physics education, assessment and the relationship of the subject with other disciplines. A…

Exploring Dreamspace through Video Art with At-Risk Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ehinger, Jon

2009-01-01

This thesis is an art-based research video demonstration of an alternate medium for art therapy. It postulates the value and validity of media arts as a therapeutic modality by way of adopting the major motion picture green screening technique for therapy with an at-risk youth population. Four male participants, raging from 16 to 19 years of age,…

The Development of Young Writers in an English Classroom: Opening up Dialogue with Year 8 Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bali, Reetu

2015-01-01

This essay explores what the development of writing might look like and how it might take shape in a secondary English classroom. The study problematises current definitions of progress. In direct opposition to standards-driven models, I propose an alternative way of thinking about the development of writers through a series of narrative accounts…

Online Collaboration Processes of Career Changers Seeking Alternative Teacher Certification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moraes Varjao, Jaqueline Urania

2012-01-01

In March 2011, the U.S. Department of Education released a list of Teacher Shortage Area (TSA) nationwide. In most states the need for certified teachers fall in four main areas: English as a Second Language (ESOL), Mathematics and Science (6-12), and Foreign Language. The current study explored the ways in which career changers enrolled in online…

Ways of Knowing, Sharing, and Translating Agricultural Knowledge and Perspectives: Alternative Epistemologies across Non-Formal and Informal Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mars, Matthew M.; Ball, Anna L.

2016-01-01

The mainstream agricultural literacy movement has been mostly focused on school-based learning through formal curricula and standardized non-formal models (e.g., FFA, 4-H). The purpose of the current study is to qualitatively explore through a grounded theory approach, the development, sharing, and translation of diverse forms of agricultural…

How to handle part-time, flex-time, and job-sharing employees.

PubMed

Sachs, L

2001-01-01

Offering employment structures other than traditional full-time positions in your practice can help you draw excellent job applicants and also can enable you to increase morale, job satisfaction, and productivity. However, there are many decisions you must make when offering a part-time, flex-time, or job-sharing position. This article explores the pros and cons of offering alternative job structures. It suggests ways to make part-time, flex-time, or job-sharing positions work most effectively, both for the employee and for your practice. In addition, this article suggests which positions are best suited to alternative structures.

The Kindles Are Coming: Ereaders and Tablets Are Springing up in Schools--And Librarians Are Leading the Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barack, Lauren

2011-01-01

Commonly spearheaded by librarians, Kindle pilot programs are springing up in schools around the country, bringing ereaders to K-12 students, who are cracking the spine, so to speak, on these alternative learning tools. From full adoption of the devices at Clearwater High School in Florida to tentative beta projects, educators are exploring how…

Against the Narrowing of Perspectives: How Do We See Learning, Prisons and Prisoners?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Warner, Kevin

2007-01-01

In order to offer some context for themes set for this conference, alternative answers to the three-part question are explored. Ways of seeing learning, prisons and prisoners are each looked at in turn, and in each case an argument against a narrowing of perspective is made. We can view learning in the adult education tradition as geared to…

"Accept and Utilize": Alternative Medicine, Minimality, and Ethics in an Indonesian Healing Collective.

PubMed

Long, Nicholas J

2018-04-26

Cosmopolitan forms of alternative medicine have become very popular in contemporary Indonesia. Many healers have trained in an eclectic range of techniques, predicated on ontological claims so diverse that they call each other's legitimacy into question. This article explores how a collective of alternative healers in central Java navigated the quandaries presented by such therapeutic eclecticism over a six-year period. Healers' engagement with, or indifference toward, the principles underpinning therapeutic efficacy fluctuated in ways that allowed them to surmount the dilemmas of Islamization, the changing demographic of their collective's membership, and the threat of commercialization, thereby maintaining a medical landscape in which alternative healing was widely available and accessible. Transformations in their understanding, experience, and practice of healing should thus be understood in terms of how enduring ethical commitments are refracted through ongoing engagements with a changing social world. © 2018 by the American Anthropological Association.

Time, space, and disorder in the expanding proteome universe.

PubMed

Minde, David-Paul; Dunker, A Keith; Lilley, Kathryn S

2017-04-01

Proteins are highly dynamic entities. Their myriad functions require specific structures, but proteins' dynamic nature ranges all the way from the local mobility of their amino acid constituents to mobility within and well beyond single cells. A truly comprehensive view of the dynamic structural proteome includes: (i) alternative sequences, (ii) alternative conformations, (iii) alternative interactions with a range of biomolecules, (iv) cellular localizations, (v) alternative behaviors in different cell types. While these aspects have traditionally been explored one protein at a time, we highlight recently emerging global approaches that accelerate comprehensive insights into these facets of the dynamic nature of protein structure. Computational tools that integrate and expand on multiple orthogonal data types promise to enable the transition from a disjointed list of static snapshots to a structurally explicit understanding of the dynamics of cellular mechanisms. © 2017 The Authors. Proteomics Published by Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Tucson Well on Its Way to Go Electric

Science.gov Websites

Tucson Well on Its Way to Go Electric to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center : Tucson Well on Its Way to Go Electric on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Tucson Well on Its Way to Go Electric on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: Tucson Well on Its Way

Alternative medicines for AIDS in resource-poor settings: insights from exploratory anthropological studies in Asia and Africa.

PubMed

Hardon, Anita; Desclaux, Alice; Egrot, Marc; Simon, Emmanuelle; Micollier, Evelyne; Kyakuwa, Margaret

2008-07-10

The emergence of alternative medicines for AIDS in Asia and Africa was discussed at a satellite symposium and the parallel session on alternative and traditional treatments of the AIDSImpact meeting, held in Marseille, in July 2007. These medicines are heterogeneous, both in their presentation and in their geographic and cultural origin. The sessions focused on the role of these medications in selected resource poor settings in Africa and Asia now that access to anti-retroviral therapy is increasing. The aims of the sessions were to (1) identify the actors involved in the diffusion of these alternative medicines for HIV/AIDS, (2) explore uses and forms, and the way these medicines are given legitimacy, (3) reflect on underlying processes of globalisation and cultural differentiation, and (4) define priority questions for future research in this area. This article presents the insights generated at the meeting, illustrated with some findings from the case studies (Uganda, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, China and Indonesia) that were presented. These case studies reveal the wide range of actors who are involved in the marketing and supply of alternative medicines. Regulatory mechanisms are weak. The efficacy claims of alternative medicines often reinforce a biomedical paradigm for HIV/AIDS, and fit with a healthy living ideology promoted by AIDS care programs and support groups. The AIDSImpact session concluded that more interdisciplinary research is needed on the experience of people living with HIV/AIDS with these alternative medicines, and on the ways in which these products interact (or not) with anti-retroviral therapy at pharmacological as well as psychosocial levels.

Alternative ways of using field-based estimates to calibrate ecosystem models and their implications for ecosystem carbon cycle studies

Treesearch

Y. He; Q. Zhuang; A.D. McGuire; Y. Liu; M. Chen

2013-01-01

Model-data fusion is a process in which field observations are used to constrain model parameters. How observations are used to constrain parameters has a direct impact on the carbon cycle dynamics simulated by ecosystem models. In this study, we present an evaluation of several options for the use of observations inmodeling regional carbon dynamics and explore the...

Born approximation in linear-time invariant system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gumjudpai, Burin

2017-09-01

An alternative way of finding the LTI’s solution with the Born approximation, is investigated. We use Born approximation in the LTI and in the transformed LTI in form of Helmholtz equation. General solution are considered as infinite series or Feynman graph. Slow-roll approximation are explored. Transforming the LTI system into Helmholtz equation, approximated general solution can be found for any given forms of force with its initial value.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Ten Ways You Can Implement Alternative Fuels

Science.gov Websites

and Energy-Efficient Vehicle Technologies Ten Ways You Can Implement Alternative Fuels and Energy-Efficient Vehicle Technologies to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Ten Ways You Can Implement Alternative Fuels and Energy-Efficient Vehicle Technologies on Facebook Tweet about

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Johnson Space Center Explores Alternative

Science.gov Websites

Fuel Vehicles Johnson Space Center Explores Alternative Fuel Vehicles to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: Johnson Space Center Explores Alternative Fuel Vehicles on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Johnson Space Center Explores Alternative Fuel Vehicles on

Termites: a Retinex implementation based on a colony of agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simone, Gabriele; Audino, Giuseppe; Farup, Ivar; Rizzi, Alessandro

2012-01-01

This paper describes a novel implementation of the Retinex algorithm with the exploration of the image done by an ant swarm. In this case the purpose of the ant colony is not the optimization of some constraints but is an alternative way to explore the image content as diffused as possible, with the possibility of tuning the exploration parameters to the image content trying to better approach the Human Visual System behavior. For this reason, we used "termites", instead of ants, to underline the idea of the eager exploration of the image. The paper presents the spatial characteristics of locality and discusses differences in path exploration with other Retinex implementations. Furthermore a psychophysical experiment has been carried out on eight images with 20 observers and results indicate that a termite swarm should investigate a particular region of an image to find the local reference white.

Metonymic objects, cultural practices and narrative repair: Sri Lankan responses to the Indian Ocean tsunami.

PubMed

Cassim, Shemana; Stolte, Ottilie; Hodgetts, Darrin

2015-07-01

The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami resulted in a tragic loss of life and immense suffering. This article explores the ways in which a group of people from Sri Lanka worked to address the disruption to their life narratives caused by the loss of loved ones. We go beyond a focus on 'talk' in narrative research in health psychology to explore the importance of material objects in sustaining continued bonds with the deceased. This article provides an alternative to the tendency in mainstream psychology to pathologise grief and highlights the importance of culturally patterned responses to disaster. © The Author(s) 2013.

Value added cleaning and disinfection of the root canal: laser-activated irrigation and laser-induced photoporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Moor, Roeland J. G.; Meire, Maarten A.

2016-03-01

Among present-day marketed systems ultrasonic activation appears to be the best way to activate and potentiate endodontic irrigants. An alternative for ultrasonic activation of irrigants is laser activated irrigation (LAI) or photoninitiated acoustic streaming. Based on present-day research it appears that LAI (especially with Erbium lasers) can be more efficient for debris removal out of root canals and interaction with the endodontic biofilms thanks to the induction of specific cavitation phenomena and acoustic streaming. Other wavelengths are now explored to be used for LAI. Another way to interact with biofilms is to rely on laser-induced photoporation in combination with gold nanoparticles ( AuNPs). The latter is an alternative physical method for delivering macromolecules in cells. Nanosized membrane pores can be created upon pulsed laser illumination. Depending on the laser energy, pores are created through either direct heating of the AuNPs or by vapour nanobubbles that can emerge around the AuNPs.

Surface Buildup Scenarios and Outpost Architectures for Lunar Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mazanek, Daniel D.; Troutman, Patrick A.; Culbert, Christopher J.; Leonard, Matthew J.; Spexarth, Gary R.

2009-01-01

The Constellation Program Architecture Team and the Lunar Surface Systems Project Office have developed an initial set of lunar surface buildup scenarios and associated polar outpost architectures, along with preliminary supporting element and system designs in support of NASA's Exploration Strategy. The surface scenarios are structured in such a way that outpost assembly can be suspended at any time to accommodate delivery contingencies or changes in mission emphasis. The modular nature of the architectures mitigates the impact of the loss of any one element and enhances the ability of international and commercial partners to contribute elements and systems. Additionally, the core lunar surface system technologies and outpost operations concepts are applicable to future Mars exploration. These buildup scenarios provide a point of departure for future trades and assessments of alternative architectures and surface elements.

Libraries and Cable TV: Plans, Proposal, and Study to Explore Ways of Serving the Community's Information Needs Using the Data Transmission Capabilities of the Institutional Communications Network (ICN) of Storer Cable in the 1980's and 1990's.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Arthur R.

A feasibility study was conducted to identify alternative demonstration projects which would involve multitype (academic, public, and school) libraries in using the data transmission capabilities of the Institutional Communications Network (ICN) of Storer Cable to meet the information needs of schools and communities in Boone, Campbell, and Kenton…

Design knowledge capture for a corporate memory facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Boose, John H.; Shema, David B.; Bradshaw, Jeffrey M.

1990-01-01

Currently, much of the information regarding decision alternatives and trade-offs made in the course of a major program development effort is not represented or retained in a way that permits computer-based reasoning over the life cycle of the program. The loss of this information results in problems in tracing design alternatives to requirements, in assessing the impact of change in requirements, and in configuration management. To address these problems, the problem was studied of building an intelligent, active corporate memory facility which would provide for the capture of the requirements and standards of a program, analyze the design alternatives and trade-offs made over the program's lifetime, and examine relationships between requirements and design trade-offs. Early phases of the work have concentrated on design knowledge capture for the Space Station Freedom. Tools are demonstrated and extended which helps automate and document engineering trade studies, and another tool is being developed to help designers interactively explore design alternatives and constraints.

Solar System Exploration Augmented by In-Situ Resource Utilization: Human Mercury and Saturn Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palaszewski, Bryan

2015-01-01

Human and robotic missions to Mercury and Saturn are presented and analyzed. Unique elements of the local planetary environments are discussed and included in the analyses and assessments. Using historical studies of space exploration, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and industrialization all point to the vastness of natural resources in the solar system. Advanced propulsion benefitted from these resources in many way. While advanced propulsion systems were proposed in these historical studies, further investigation of nuclear options using high power nuclear thermal and nuclear pulse propulsion as well as advanced chemical propulsion can significantly enhance these scenarios. Updated analyses based on these historical visions will be presented. Nuclear thermal propulsion and ISRU enhanced chemical propulsion landers are assessed for Mercury missions. At Saturn, nuclear pulse propulsion with alternate propellant feed systems and Titan exploration with chemical propulsion options are discussed.

Negative refraction, gain and nonlinear effects in hyperbolic metamaterials.

PubMed

Argyropoulos, Christos; Estakhri, Nasim Mohammadi; Monticone, Francesco; Alù, Andrea

2013-06-17

The negative refraction and evanescent-wave canalization effects supported by a layered metamaterial structure obtained by alternating dielectric and plasmonic layers is theoretically analyzed. By using a transmission-line analysis, we formulate a way to rapidly analyze the negative refraction operation for given available materials over a broad range of frequencies and design parameters, and we apply it to broaden the bandwidth of negative refraction. Our analytical model is also applied to explore the possibility of employing active layers for loss compensation. Nonlinear dielectrics can also be considered within this approach, and they are explored in order to add tunability to the optical response, realizing positive-to-zero-to-negative refraction at the same frequency, as a function of the input intensity. Our findings may lead to a better physical understanding and improvement of the performance of negative refraction and subwavelength imaging in layered metamaterials, paving the way towards the design of gain-assisted hyperlenses and tunable nonlinear imaging devices.

"This is my way": reimagining disability, in/dependence and interconnectedness of persons and assistive technologies.

PubMed

Gibson, Barbara E; Carnevale, Franco A; King, Gillian

2012-01-01

Postmodernism provides a radical alternative to the dominant discourses of Western societies that emphasize autonomy and independence. It suggests a reimagining of the relationship between the self and the body and the increasingly blurred boundaries between biology and machine. The purpose of this article is to explore in/dependence through a discussion of interconnectedness of persons and assistive technologies. Drawing on postmodern theories, we discuss the interconnections inherent in disability experiences through the case example of Mimi, an adolescent girl with severe physical disabilities. We consider how Mimi, her assistive technologies and her parents can be viewed as assemblages of bodies/technologies/subjectivities that together achieve a set of practices. An examination of these various couplings suggests different understandings of disability that open up possibilities for multiple connections and reimagines dependencies as connectivities. Connectivity can be embraced to explore multiple ways of being-in-the-world for all persons and problematizes the goals of independence inherent in rehabilitation practices.

The use of gaming strategies in a transcultural setting.

PubMed

Gary, R; Marrone, S; Boyles, C

1998-01-01

Saudi Arabia's vast economic resources have enabled the development of state-of-the-art hospitals. Nurses recruited from around the world staff these hospitals creating one of the most multicultural practice settings in the world. Ethnic, educational, and experiential diversity; language and communication barriers; and alternative ways of knowing and learning challenge nurse educators to be more creative and explore opportunities for greater participation and learning among various cultural groups. Gaming, as a teaching-learning strategy for multicultural participants, affords the necessary flexibility and nonthreatening atmosphere which facilitates positive interactions among different, and often competing, communication patterns and learning styles. This article explores how and why gaming is as an effective educational strategy in a transcultural setting.

The evolution of psychoanalytic thought: a brief view through the lens of Western art and history: Freud and beyond.

PubMed

Stavovy, Tania

2017-06-01

The aim of this paper is to explore the diversity and progress in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy post-Sigmund Freud from the perspective of Western art. Since 1900 the shift from one-person psychology to the more contemporary two-person psychology is reflected in the creativity of artists, particularly in their depiction of the mother-infant relationship. An alternative perspective in understanding the evolution of Man's nature can be drawn from a discourse between art, history and psychoanalytic thought. Using art as evidence that reflects concurrent changes in psychoanalytic thought is a stimulating way to engage trainee psychiatrists and psychiatrists in their exploration of human nature.

Alternating event processes during lifetimes: population dynamics and statistical inference.

PubMed

Shinohara, Russell T; Sun, Yifei; Wang, Mei-Cheng

2018-01-01

In the literature studying recurrent event data, a large amount of work has been focused on univariate recurrent event processes where the occurrence of each event is treated as a single point in time. There are many applications, however, in which univariate recurrent events are insufficient to characterize the feature of the process because patients experience nontrivial durations associated with each event. This results in an alternating event process where the disease status of a patient alternates between exacerbations and remissions. In this paper, we consider the dynamics of a chronic disease and its associated exacerbation-remission process over two time scales: calendar time and time-since-onset. In particular, over calendar time, we explore population dynamics and the relationship between incidence, prevalence and duration for such alternating event processes. We provide nonparametric estimation techniques for characteristic quantities of the process. In some settings, exacerbation processes are observed from an onset time until death; to account for the relationship between the survival and alternating event processes, nonparametric approaches are developed for estimating exacerbation process over lifetime. By understanding the population dynamics and within-process structure, the paper provide a new and general way to study alternating event processes.

Citizen's actions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The various ways in which energy may be conserved by individual citizens as consumers were explored. The following barriers against citizens implementing an effective conservation program were described: credibility gap between producers and consumers, consumptive lifestyles, inverted rate structure, low fuel costs, and initial costs compared to life cycle costs. The following indices for saving energy were identified: time to develop alternatives, scarcity of fuels, reduction of dependence on imports, and decreasing environmental pollution. The various approaches to encourage energy conservation by individuals were described, followed by specific conclusions and recommendations.

Computer games may be good for your health: shifting healthcare behavior via interactive drama videogames.

PubMed

Silverman, Barry G; Mosley, Josh; Johns, Michael; Weaver, Ransom; Green, Melanie; Holmes, John; Kimmel, Stephen; Holmes, William

2003-01-01

There is increasing evidence that interactive learning systems have an important role in reducing health risks and improving general health status. This theater style demonstration is aimed at harnessing people's passions for videogames and the movies, and a major purpose of this research is to explore alternative ways for a game generator to help authors to introduce entertainment and free play as well as learning by teaching into role playing games and interactive dramas that are behavioral interventions in disguise.

Cultures of choice: towards a sociology of choice as a cultural phenomenon.

PubMed

Schwarz, Ori

2017-09-07

The article explores different ways to conceptualize the relationship between choice and culture. These two notions are often constructed as opposites: while sociologies of modernization (such as Giddens') portray a shift from cultural traditions to culturally disembedded choice, dispositional sociologies (such as Bourdieu's) uncover cultural determination as the hidden truth behind apparent choice. However, choice may be real and cultural simultaneously. Culture moulds choice not only by inculcating dispositions or shaping repertoires of alternatives, but also by offering culturally specific choice practices, ways of choosing embedded in meaning, normativity, and materiality; and by shaping attributions of choice in everyday life. By bringing together insights from rival schools, I portray an outline for a comparative cultural sociology of choice, and demonstrate its purchase while discussing the digitalization of choice; and cultural logics that shape choice attribution in ways opposing neoliberal trends. © London School of Economics and Political Science 2017.

A European perspective on GIS-based walkability and active modes of transport.

PubMed

Grasser, Gerlinde; van Dyck, Delfien; Titze, Sylvia; Stronegger, Willibald J

2017-02-01

The association between GIS-based walkability and walking for transport is considered to be well established in USA and in Australia. Research on the association between walkability and cycling for transport in European cities is lacking. The aim of this study was to test the predictive validity of established walkability measures and to explore alternative walkability measures associated with walking and cycling for transport in a European context. Outcome data were derived from the representative cross-sectional survey ( n  = 843) ‘Radfreundliche Stadt’ of adults in the city of Graz (Austria). GIS-based walkability was measured using both established measures (e.g. gross population density, household unit density, entropy index, three-way intersection density, IPEN walkability index) and alternative measures (e.g. proportion of mixed land use, four-way intersection density, Graz walkability index). ANCOVAs were conducted to examine the adjusted association between walkability measures and outcomes. Household unit density, proportion of mixed land use, three-way intersection density and IPEN walkability index were positively associated with walking for transport, but the other measures were not. All walkability measures were positively associated with cycling for transport. The established walkability measures were applicable to a European city such as Graz. The alternative walkability measures performed well in a European context. Due to measurement issues the association between these walkability measures and walking for transport needs to be investigated further. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

‘Men value their dignity’: securing respect and identity construction in urban informal settlements in South Africa

PubMed Central

Gibbs, Andrew; Sikweyiya, Yandisa; Jewkes, Rachel

2014-01-01

Background Urban informal settlements remain sites of high HIV incidence and prevalence, as well as violence. Increasing attention is paid on how configurations of young men's masculinities shape these practices through exploring how men build respect and identity. In this paper, we explore how young Black South Africans in two urban informal settlements construct respect and a masculine identity. Methods Data are drawn from three focus groups and 19 in-depth interviews. Results We suggest that while young men aspire to a ‘traditional’ masculinity, prioritising economic power and control over the household, we suggest that a youth masculinity emerges which, in lieu of alternative ways to display power, prioritises violence and control over men's sexual partners, men seeking multiple sexual partners and men's violence to other men. This functions as a way of demonstrating masculinity and their position within a public gender order. Discussion We suggest there are three implications of the findings for working with men on violence and HIV-risk reduction. First, there exist a number of contradictions in men's discourses about masculinity that may provide spaces and opportunities for change. Second, it is important to work on multiple issues at once given the way violence, alcohol use, and sexual risk are interlinked in youth masculinity. Finally, engaging with men's exclusion from the capitalist system may provide an important way to reduce violence. PMID:24717188

'Men value their dignity': securing respect and identity construction in urban informal settlements in South Africa.

PubMed

Gibbs, Andrew; Sikweyiya, Yandisa; Jewkes, Rachel

2014-01-01

Urban informal settlements remain sites of high HIV incidence and prevalence, as well as violence. Increasing attention is paid on how configurations of young men's masculinities shape these practices through exploring how men build respect and identity. In this paper, we explore how young Black South Africans in two urban informal settlements construct respect and a masculine identity. Data are drawn from three focus groups and 19 in-depth interviews. We suggest that while young men aspire to a 'traditional' masculinity, prioritising economic power and control over the household, we suggest that a youth masculinity emerges which, in lieu of alternative ways to display power, prioritises violence and control over men's sexual partners, men seeking multiple sexual partners and men's violence to other men. This functions as a way of demonstrating masculinity and their position within a public gender order. We suggest there are three implications of the findings for working with men on violence and HIV-risk reduction. First, there exist a number of contradictions in men's discourses about masculinity that may provide spaces and opportunities for change. Second, it is important to work on multiple issues at once given the way violence, alcohol use, and sexual risk are interlinked in youth masculinity. Finally, engaging with men's exclusion from the capitalist system may provide an important way to reduce violence.

HIV in (and out of) the clinic: biomedicine, traditional medicine and spiritual healing in Harare.

PubMed

O'Brien, Stephen; Broom, Alex

2014-01-01

Contemporary lived experiences of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are shaped by clinical and cultural encounters with illness. In sub-Saharan countries such as Zimbabwe, HIV is treated in very different ways in various therapeutic contexts including by biomedical experts, traditional medicine and faith healers. The co-existence of such expertise raises important questions around the potencies and limits of medicalisation and alternative healing practices in promoting HIV recovery. First, in this study, drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with 60 people from poor urban areas in Harare, we explore the experiences of people living with and affected by HIV. Specifically, we sought to document, interrogate and reflect on their perceptions and experiences of biomedicine in relation to traditional medicine and spiritual healing. Their accounts indicate that traditional medicine and spiritual beliefs continue to significantly influence the way in which HIV is understood, and the forms of help and care people seek. Second, we observe the dramatic and overwhelmingly beneficial impact of Antiretroviral Therapy and conclude through Zimbabwean's own stories that limitations around delivery and wider structural inequalities impede its potential. Lastly, we explore some practical implications of the biomedical clinic (and alternative healing practices) being understood as sites of ideological and expert contestation. This paper aimed to add to our knowledge of the relationships between traditional medicine and spiritual healing in connection with biomedicine and how this may influence HIV treatment and prevention.

HIV in (and out of) the clinic: Biomedicine, traditional medicine and spiritual healing in Harare

PubMed Central

O'Brien, Stephen; Broom, Alex

2014-01-01

Abstract Contemporary lived experiences of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are shaped by clinical and cultural encounters with illness. In sub-Saharan countries such as Zimbabwe, HIV is treated in very different ways in various therapeutic contexts including by biomedical experts, traditional medicine and faith healers. The co-existence of such expertise raises important questions around the potencies and limits of medicalisation and alternative healing practices in promoting HIV recovery. First, in this study, drawing on in-depth qualitative interviews with 60 people from poor urban areas in Harare, we explore the experiences of people living with and affected by HIV. Specifically, we sought to document, interrogate and reflect on their perceptions and experiences of biomedicine in relation to traditional medicine and spiritual healing. Their accounts indicate that traditional medicine and spiritual beliefs continue to significantly influence the way in which HIV is understood, and the forms of help and care people seek. Second, we observe the dramatic and overwhelmingly beneficial impact of Antiretroviral Therapy and conclude through Zimbabwean's own stories that limitations around delivery and wider structural inequalities impede its potential. Lastly, we explore some practical implications of the biomedical clinic (and alternative healing practices) being understood as sites of ideological and expert contestation. This paper aimed to add to our knowledge of the relationships between traditional medicine and spiritual healing in connection with biomedicine and how this may influence HIV treatment and prevention. PMID:25017937

Fish distribution during smolt migration in the Penobscot Estuary, ME

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkel, S. L.

2016-02-01

Estuaries are complex and dynamic ecosystems. The Penobscot Estuary is particularly important because it harbors a suite of imperiled diadromous fish species. In order to properly manage these populations, it is imperative to understand their distribution and ecology. My study focuses on May because endangered Atlantic salmon migrate seaward then. Successful emigration of these smolts is important to the population's overall fitness. One potential way to increase the likelihood of migratory success (survival) is to decrease their risk of predation. Assuming that predators in this system are generalists, overall smolt predation may be reduced by having a larger selection of alternative prey (other fish species). We hypothesize that diadromous fish abundance is increasing as a result of recent (2012-2013) dam removals. To explore this hypothesis, I used hydroacoustic methods to characterize the distribution patterns of alternative prey (TL=10-30 cm). I found that peak fish abundances occurred in the mid-estuary, especially during mid-May, and depth distribution patterns varied weekly. By understanding these seasonal, longitudinal, and vertical distribution patterns, I explored potential interactions of other fish populations as prey buffers to emigrating smolts.

Education for change in a post-modern world: redefining revolution.

PubMed

Cameron, P; Willis, K; Crack, G

1995-10-01

Social and behavioural sciences are established components in the curriculum of undergraduate nursing degrees. The purpose is to introduce future and practising nurses to the social and political influences which inform their workplaces and practices. Inevitably an awareness of the structural barriers and the powerful political interests involved in health can lead to feelings of powerlessness and despair of achieving change. Yet the skills of critical analysis and political awareness developed in study such as this are essential for health workers in the increasingly complex and politically charged domain in which they work. This paper will explore problems and barriers encountered in development of curriculum and teaching social and behavioural sciences in health. It will propose an alternative conceptual model, based on post-structuralism, as one way of addressing these barriers. This approach shifts the focus from meta-theoretical sociological concepts such as class, gender and culture, to one of examining subject positions, discourse, contestation and local action, thus enabling the exploration and development of possibilities for change. The paper will also provide a case study to illustrate this alternative approach.

Future Scenarios as a Research Tool: Investigating Climate Change Impacts, Adaptation Options and Outcomes for the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

PubMed

Evans, Louisa S; Hicks, Christina C; Fidelman, Pedro; Tobin, Renae C; Perry, Allison L

2013-01-01

Climate change is a significant future driver of change in coastal social-ecological systems. Our knowledge of impacts, adaptation options, and possible outcomes for marine environments and coastal industries is expanding, but remains limited and uncertain. Alternative scenarios are a way to explore potential futures under a range of conditions. We developed four alternative future scenarios for the Great Barrier Reef and its fishing and tourism industries positing moderate and more extreme (2-3 °C above pre-industrial temperatures) warming for 2050 and contrasting 'limited' and 'ideal' ecological and social adaptation. We presented these scenarios to representatives of key stakeholder groups to assess the perceived viability of different social adaptation options to deliver desirable outcomes under varied contexts.

Distributional Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

PubMed Central

Asaria, Miqdad; Griffin, Susan; Cookson, Richard

2015-01-01

Distributional cost-effectiveness analysis (DCEA) is a framework for incorporating health inequality concerns into the economic evaluation of health sector interventions. In this tutorial, we describe the technical details of how to conduct DCEA, using an illustrative example comparing alternative ways of implementing the National Health Service (NHS) Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP). The 2 key stages in DCEA are 1) modeling social distributions of health associated with different interventions, and 2) evaluating social distributions of health with respect to the dual objectives of improving total population health and reducing unfair health inequality. As well as describing the technical methods used, we also identify the data requirements and the social value judgments that have to be made. Finally, we demonstrate the use of sensitivity analyses to explore the impacts of alternative modeling assumptions and social value judgments. PMID:25908564

Aligning for Innovation - Alignment Strategy to Drive Innovation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, Hurel; Teltschik, David; Bussey, Horace, Jr.; Moy, James

2010-01-01

With the sudden need for innovation that will help the country achieve its long-term space exploration objectives, the question of whether NASA is aligned effectively to drive the innovation that it so desperately needs to take space exploration to the next level should be entertained. Authors such as Robert Kaplan and David North have noted that companies that use a formal system for implementing strategy consistently outperform their peers. They have outlined a six-stage management systems model for implementing strategy, which includes the aligning of the organization towards its objectives. This involves the alignment of the organization from the top down. This presentation will explore the impacts of existing U.S. industrial policy on technological innovation; assess the current NASA organizational alignment and its impacts on driving technological innovation; and finally suggest an alternative approach that may drive the innovation needed to take the world to the next level of space exploration, with NASA truly leading the way.

Threshold concepts in prosthetics.

PubMed

Hill, Sophie

2017-12-01

Curriculum documents identify key concepts within learning prosthetics. Threshold concepts provide an alternative way of viewing the curriculum, focussing on the ways of thinking and practicing within prosthetics. Threshold concepts can be described as an opening to a different way of viewing a concept. This article forms part of a larger study exploring what students and staff experience as difficult in learning about prosthetics. To explore possible threshold concepts within prosthetics. Qualitative, interpretative phenomenological analysis. Data from 18 students and 8 staff at two universities with undergraduate prosthetics and orthotics programmes were generated through interviews and questionnaires. The data were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological analysis approach. Three possible threshold concepts arose from the data: 'how we walk', 'learning to talk' and 'considering the person'. Three potential threshold concepts in prosthetics are suggested with possible implications for prosthetics education. These possible threshold concepts involve changes in both conceptual and ontological knowledge, integrating into the persona of the individual. This integration occurs through the development of memories associated with procedural concepts that combine with disciplinary concepts. Considering the prosthetics curriculum through the lens of threshold concepts enables a focus on how students learn to become prosthetists. Clinical relevance This study provides new insights into how prosthetists learn. This has implications for curriculum design in prosthetics education.

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

Lazkoz, Ruth; Escamilla-Rivera, Celia; Salzano, Vincenzo

Cosmography provides a model-independent way to map the expansion history of the Universe. In this paper we simulate a Euclid-like survey and explore cosmographic constraints from future Baryonic Acoustic Oscillations (BAO) observations. We derive general expressions for the BAO transverse and radial modes and discuss the optimal order of the cosmographic expansion that provides reliable cosmological constraints. Through constraints on the deceleration and jerk parameters, we show that future BAO data have the potential to provide a model-independent check of the cosmic acceleration as well as a discrimination between the standard ΛCDM model and alternative mechanisms of cosmic acceleration.

Nursing Home Admission: When, Why, Where?

PubMed Central

Bergman, H.; Clarfield, A. M.

1985-01-01

The decision to institutionalize older patients puts stress on both them and their families. This option should be carefully considered and alternatives explored before a final decision is made. The physician must seek and treat reversible diseases, and try to optimize the patient's functional status. Once the decision to institutionalize is made, careful preparation and follow-up of both family and patient must occur in the pre-, peri-, and post-admission periods. In this way, the physician can ease an otherwise traumatic transition, and ensure that the move is appropriate, well planned, and properly executed. PMID:20469437

Laboratory automation in a functional programming language.

PubMed

Runciman, Colin; Clare, Amanda; Harkness, Rob

2014-12-01

After some years of use in academic and research settings, functional languages are starting to enter the mainstream as an alternative to more conventional programming languages. This article explores one way to use Haskell, a functional programming language, in the development of control programs for laboratory automation systems. We give code for an example system, discuss some programming concepts that we need for this example, and demonstrate how the use of functional programming allows us to express and verify properties of the resulting code. © 2014 Society for Laboratory Automation and Screening.

Tracing Cosmic Dawn

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fialkov, Anastasia

2018-05-01

Observational effort is on the way to probe the 21-cm of neutral hydrogen from the epochs of Reionization and Cosmic Dawn. Our current poor knowledge of high redshift astrophysics results in a large uncertainty in the theoretically predicted 21-cm signal. A recent parameter study that is highlighted here explores the variety of 21-cm signals resulting from viable astrophysical scenarios. Model-independent relations between the shape of the signal and the underlying astrophysics are discussed. Finally, I briefly note on possible alternative probes of the high redshift Universe, specifically Fast Radio Bursts.

Strong monogamy inequalities for four qubits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regula, Bartosz; Osterloh, Andreas; Adesso, Gerardo

2016-05-01

We investigate possible generalizations of the Coffman-Kundu-Wootters monogamy inequality to four qubits, accounting for multipartite entanglement in addition to the bipartite terms. We show that the most natural extension of the inequality does not hold in general, and we describe the violations of this inequality in detail. We investigate alternative ways to extend the monogamy inequality to express a constraint on entanglement sharing valid for all four-qubit states, and perform an extensive numerical analysis of randomly generated four-qubit states to explore the properties of such extensions.

Beyond the racist/hooligan couplet: race, social theory and football culture.

PubMed

Back, L; Crabbe, T; Solomos, J

1999-09-01

This paper draws on recent research to explore the changing cultures of racism in English football. Starting from a critical analysis of key themes in the literature on football it seeks to show that existing analytical frameworks need to be reworked if they are going to adequately account for the complex forms through which racism is expressed in contemporary football cultures. In the course of this analysis we question some of the ways in which the issue of racism in football is collapsed into broader accounts of 'hooliganism' and other forms of violence among football fans. From this starting point the paper draws on some elements of our empirical research in order to outline an alternative way of framing the issues of racism and multicultrralism in football.

On the Search for Retrotransposons: Alternative Protocols to Obtain Sequences to Learn Profile Hidden Markov Models.

PubMed

Fischer, Carlos N; Campos, Victor De A; Barella, Victor H

2018-05-01

Profile hidden Markov models (pHMMs) have been used to search for transposable elements (TEs) in genomes. For the learning of pHMMs aimed to search for TEs of the retrotransposon class, the conventional protocol is to use the whole internal nucleotide portions of these elements as representative sequences. To further explore the potential of pHMMs in such a search, we propose five alternative ways to obtain the sets of representative sequences of TEs other than the conventional protocol. In this study, we are interested in Bel-PAO, Copia, Gypsy, and DIRS superfamilies from the retrotransposon class. We compared the pHMMs of all six protocols. The test results show that, for each TE superfamily, the pHMMs of at least two of the proposed protocols performed better than the conventional one and that the number of correct predictions provided by the latter can be improved by considering together the results of one or more of the alternative protocols.

The role of ownership in environmental performance: evidence from coalbed methane development.

PubMed

Fitzgerald, Timothy

2013-12-01

One way coalbed methane production differs from traditional oil and gas extraction is in the large quantities of produced water. This water must be disposed of for production to occur. Surface discharge has proven to be a low-cost alternative; regulations are in place to protect surface water quality. This paper investigates the effects of alternative ownership regimes on regulatory compliance. A unique dataset linking coalbed methane wells in Wyoming to water disposal permit violations is used to explore differences in environmental performance across severed and unified minerals. Empirical analysis of these data suggest that ownership does impact environmental compliance behavior. Most violations occur on split estate. Federal split estate wells have more severe violations, though not necessarily more of them. Federal unified wells performed best, with fewer and less serious violations. Wells on private land have more, though not necessarily more severe, violations. These results suggest some room for policy proposals accounting for alternative ownership regimes.

Lesbians’ Constructions of Depression

PubMed Central

Barnard, Amy

2009-01-01

Lesbians are a marginalized group of women living in a heteronormative society. This study describes lesbians’ subjective experiences of depression, and identifies the ways that dominant and alternative discourses shaped their understandings of depression and sexuality. Twelve self-identified lesbians participated in up to three in-depth interviews conducted over a nine month period. Thematic analysis led to themes that explicated their physical and emotional descriptions of depression; identified troubled interpersonal relationships as a primary source of depression; and the means implemented to cope with depression, including taking medication, engagement in therapy, developing social support networks, and discovering their own spirituality. Depression and sexuality were understood within the framework of the dominant discourses of (1) medical model (2) dysfunctional family and (3) organized religion; and the alternative discourses of (1) lesbian identity, (2) alternative families and (3) spirituality. Nurses in clinical practice can assist depressed lesbians clients by bolstering explorations of spirituality and the development of strong support networks within the lesbian and gay communities. Politically, institutionalized heteronormativity must be attacked at every level. PMID:19350435

Autonomous Circuitry for Substrate Exploration in Freely Moving Drosophila Larvae

PubMed Central

Berni, Jimena; Pulver, Stefan R.; Griffith, Leslie C.; Bate, Michael

2014-01-01

Summary Background Many organisms, from bacteria to human hunter-gatherers, use specialized random walk strategies to explore their environment. Such behaviors are an efficient stratagem for sampling the environment and usually consist of an alternation between straight runs and turns that redirect these runs. Drosophila larvae execute an exploratory routine of this kind that consists of sequences of straight crawls, pauses, turns, and redirected crawls. Central pattern generating networks underlying rhythmic movements are distributed along the anteroposterior axis of the nervous system. The way in which the operation of these networks is incorporated into extended behavioral routines such as substrate exploration has not yet been explored. In particular, the part played by the brain in dictating the sequence of movements required is unknown. Results We report the use of a genetic method to block synaptic activity acutely in the brain and subesophageal ganglia (SOG) of larvae during active exploratory behavior. We show that the brain and SOG are not required for the normal performance of an exploratory routine. Alternation between crawls and turns is an intrinsic property of the abdominal and/or thoracic networks. The brain modifies this autonomous routine during goal-directed movements such as those of chemotaxis. Nonetheless, light avoidance behavior can be mediated in the absence of brain activity solely by the sensorimotor system of the abdomen and thorax. Conclusions The sequence of movements for substrate exploration is an autonomous capacity of the thoracic and abdominal nervous system. The brain modulates this exploratory routine in response to environmental cues. PMID:22940472

Solar System Exploration Augmented by In-Situ Resource Utilization: Human Planetary Base Issues for Mercury and Saturn

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palaszewski, Bryan A.

2017-01-01

Human and robotic missions to Mercury and Saturn are presented and analyzed with a range of propulsion options. Historical studies of space exploration, planetary spacecraft, and astronomy, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and industrialization all point to the vastness of natural resources in the solar system. Advanced propulsion benefitted from these resources in many ways. While advanced propulsion systems were proposed in these historical studies, further investigation of nuclear options using high power nuclear thermal and nuclear pulse propulsion as well as advanced chemical propulsion can significantly enhance these scenarios. Updated analyses based on these historical visions are presented. Nuclear thermal propulsion and ISRU enhanced chemical propulsion landers are assessed for Mercury missions. At Saturn, nuclear pulse propulsion with alternate propellant feed systems and Saturn moon exploration with chemical propulsion and nuclear electric propulsion options are discussed. Issues with using in-situ resource utilization on Mercury missions are discussed. At Saturn, the best locations for exploration and the use of the moons Titan and Enceladus as central locations for Saturn moon exploration is assessed.

Questioning diagnoses in clinical practice: a thematic analysis of clinical psychologists' accounts of working beyond diagnosis in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Randall-James, James; Coles, Steven

2018-02-08

The British Psychological Society proposes that clinical psychologists are well placed to move beyond psychiatric diagnoses and develop alternative practices. This study sought to explore what the application of these guiding principles looks like in clinical practice, the challenges faced and possible routes forward. A purpose-designed survey was completed by 305 respondents and a thematic analysis completed. Thematic analysis was used to identify five superordinate themes relating to individuals, relational, others, structures and society, comprising of a total of 21 group themes. The presented group themes highlight an array of approaches to practicing beyond diagnosis and factors that help and hinder such action; from scaffolding change, becoming leaders, relating to the multi-disciplinary team, restructuring services and the processes of change. A key concept was "playing the diagnostic game". "Playing the diagnostic game" enables psychologists to manage an array of tensions and anxieties: conflicts between belief and practice, relationships with colleagues, and dilemmas of position and power. It also potentially limits a concerted questioning of diagnosis and consideration of alternatives. An alternative conceptual framework for non-diagnostic practice is needed to aid the collective efforts of clinical psychologists developing their practice beyond diagnosis, some of which have been highlighted in this study. Until then, ways of mitigating the perceived threats to questioning diagnosis need further exploration, theorising and backing.

The rise of alternative bread leavening technologies in the nineteenth century.

PubMed

Cobbold, Carolyn Ann

2018-01-01

This article reveals how nineteenth-century chemists and health reformers tried to eradicate the use of yeast in bread, claiming they had devised healthier and more sanitary ways to raise bread. It describes the alternative technological solutions to baking bread, investigating factors that influenced their development and adaptation in the marketplace. A lack of scientific and cultural consensus surrounding yeast, what it was and what it did, fermented during this period. The conflict over yeast helped create a heterogeneous industrialization of the baking industry, changing processes and ingredients and creating new forms of bakery products. By examining the claims of promoters of rival scientific beliefs and technologies, as well as those of users and social commentators, we can see that technology's eventual adaptation and impact on society is not predictable at its outset. Exploring the relationship between differing scientific beliefs, cultural understandings and alternative technologies also shows how science and industry cannot be isolated from their social and cultural context. The examination of the nineteenth-century technological development of commonplace commodities such as bread, baking powder and yeast, also reveals and explores a story that has not been told before in the history of science and technology. Why it has not been told is as enlightening as the story itself, revealing as it does our own privileging of what is important in science and history.

A geometric exploration of stress in deformed liquid foams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, Myfanwy E.; Schröder-Turk, Gerd E.; Kraynik, Andrew M.

2017-03-01

We explore an alternate way of looking at the rheological response of a yield stress fluid: using discrete geometry to probe the heterogeneous distribution of stress in soap froth. We present quasi-static, uniaxial, isochoric compression and extension of three-dimensional random monodisperse soap froth in periodic boundary conditions and examine the stress and geometry that result. The stress and shape anisotropy of individual cells is quantified by Q, a scalar measure derived from the interface tensor that gauges each cell’s contribution to the global stress. Cumulatively, the spatial distribution of highly deformed cells allows us to examine how stress is internally distributed. The topology of highly deformed cells, how they arrange relative to one another in space, gives insight into the heterogeneous distribution of stress.

Becoming a health promoting school: evaluating the process of effective implementation in Scotland.

PubMed

Inchley, Jo; Muldoon, Janine; Currie, Candace

2007-03-01

Increasingly, researchers are exploring alternative ways of assessing the impact of 'Health Promoting School' (HPS) initiatives, in recognition of the model's emphasis on achieving change that is both enduring and far-reaching. However, it is still assumed that initiatives will lead to immediate change at the individual level. This paper challenges that view and argues that potential markers of success associated with process need to be identified earlier as a means of supporting schools and teachers. Notwithstanding differences in the way the HPS is conceptualized and implemented, four themes are highlighted that have relevance beyond any one school or country. These were drawn from a process evaluation of a European Network of HPSs Project in Scotland. They highlight the ways in which schools were able to successfully adopt HPS principles and the conditions that need to be in place for the HPS concept to flourish. Such indicators need to be given greater recognition as HPS outcomes if schools are to progress beyond the early stages of project implementation.

A Multi-Case Study of Professional Ethics in Alternative Education: Exploring Perspectives of Alternative School Administrators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duke, Richard T. RT, IV

2017-01-01

This qualitative case study explored perspectives of alternative school leaders regarding professional ethics and standards. The study researched two components of alternative school leadership: effective alternative school characteristics based on professional standards and making decisions around the best interests of students. This study…

Ways of knowing: realism, non-realism, nominalism and a typology revisited with a counter perspective for nursing science.

PubMed

Garrett, Bernard M; Cutting, Roger L

2015-06-01

In this paper, we reconsider the context of Barbara Carper's alternative ways of knowing, a prominent discourse in modern nursing theory in North America. We explore this relative to the concepts of realism, non-realism and nominalism, and investigate the philosophical divisions behind the original typology, particularly in relationship to modern scientific enquiry. We examine forms of knowledge relative to realist and nominalist positions and make an argument ad absurdum against relativistic interpretations of knowledge using the example of Borge's Chinese Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge. We propose a contentious postpositivist practical classification for nursing knowledge that demonstrates and supports the idea that knowledge has both individual and subjective components. This classification supports the practical application of nursing knowledge within the paradigm of realist postpositivist science. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bayesian Factor Analysis as a Variable Selection Problem: Alternative Priors and Consequences

PubMed Central

Lu, Zhao-Hua; Chow, Sy-Miin; Loken, Eric

2016-01-01

Factor analysis is a popular statistical technique for multivariate data analysis. Developments in the structural equation modeling framework have enabled the use of hybrid confirmatory/exploratory approaches in which factor loading structures can be explored relatively flexibly within a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) framework. Recently, a Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM) approach (Muthén & Asparouhov, 2012) has been proposed as a way to explore the presence of cross-loadings in CFA models. We show that the issue of determining factor loading patterns may be formulated as a Bayesian variable selection problem in which Muthén and Asparouhov’s approach can be regarded as a BSEM approach with ridge regression prior (BSEM-RP). We propose another Bayesian approach, denoted herein as the Bayesian structural equation modeling with spike and slab prior (BSEM-SSP), which serves as a one-stage alternative to the BSEM-RP. We review the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of both approaches and compare their empirical performance relative to two modification indices-based approaches and exploratory factor analysis with target rotation. A teacher stress scale data set (Byrne, 2012; Pettegrew & Wolf, 1982) is used to demonstrate our approach. PMID:27314566

Psychiatry, mental health nurses, and invisible power: Exploring a perturbed relationship within contemporary mental health care.

PubMed

Cutcliffe, John; Happell, Brenda

2009-04-01

Interpersonal relationships, although considered to be the cornerstone of therapeutic engagement, are replete with issues of power; yet, the concept of 'invisible power' within such formal mental health care relationships is seldom explored and/or critiqued in the literature. This paper involves an examination of power in the interpersonal relationship between the mental health nurse and the consumer. Issues of power are emphasized by drawing on examples from clinical experiences, each of which is then deconstructed as an analytical means to uncover the different layers of power. This examination highlights the existence of both obscure and seldomly acknowledged invisible manifestations of power that are inherent in psychiatry and interpersonal mental health nursing. It also identifies that there is an orthodoxy of formal mental health care that perhaps is best described as 'biopsychiatry' (or 'traditional psychiatry'). Within this are numerous serious speech acts and these provide the power for mental health practitioners to act in particular ways, to exercise control. The authors challenge this convention as the only viable discourse: a potentially viable alternative to the current of formal mental health care does exist and, most importantly, this alternative is less tied to the use of invisible power.

Critical reflections on culture in nursing.

PubMed

Gray, Patricia; Thomas, Debera J

2006-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness of a view of culture as a sociopolitical construction, and to explore implications for incorporating this view into U.S. nursing education and practice. Current definitions of culture, cultural diversity, and cultural competence are examined to highlight ways in which a traditional, essentialist view is reflected. Examples of an alternative, constructivist view are provided through discussion and in a series of questions. These questions serve as the basis for considering new approaches in U.S. nursing education and health care based on view of culture as a dynamic and ever-changing sociopolitical construction.

Beyond Molecular Codes: Simple Rules to Wire Complex Brains

PubMed Central

Hassan, Bassem A.; Hiesinger, P. Robin

2015-01-01

Summary Molecular codes, like postal zip codes, are generally considered a robust way to ensure the specificity of neuronal target selection. However, a code capable of unambiguously generating complex neural circuits is difficult to conceive. Here, we re-examine the notion of molecular codes in the light of developmental algorithms. We explore how molecules and mechanisms that have been considered part of a code may alternatively implement simple pattern formation rules sufficient to ensure wiring specificity in neural circuits. This analysis delineates a pattern-based framework for circuit construction that may contribute to our understanding of brain wiring. PMID:26451480

The critical domain size of stochastic population models.

PubMed

Reimer, Jody R; Bonsall, Michael B; Maini, Philip K

2017-02-01

Identifying the critical domain size necessary for a population to persist is an important question in ecology. Both demographic and environmental stochasticity impact a population's ability to persist. Here we explore ways of including this variability. We study populations with distinct dispersal and sedentary stages, which have traditionally been modelled using a deterministic integrodifference equation (IDE) framework. Individual-based models (IBMs) are the most intuitive stochastic analogues to IDEs but yield few analytic insights. We explore two alternate approaches; one is a scaling up to the population level using the Central Limit Theorem, and the other a variation on both Galton-Watson branching processes and branching processes in random environments. These branching process models closely approximate the IBM and yield insight into the factors determining the critical domain size for a given population subject to stochasticity.

Revisiting the returns-volume relationship: Time variation, alternative measures and the financial crisis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cook, Steve; Watson, Duncan

2017-03-01

Following its introduction in the seminal study of Osborne (1959), a voluminous literature has emerged examining the returns-volume relationship for financial assets. The present paper revisits this relationship in an examination of the FTSE100 which extends the existing literature in two ways. First, alternative daily measures of the FTSE100 index are used to create differing returns and absolute returns series to employ in an examination of returns-volume causality. Second, rolling regression analysis is utilised to explore potential time variation in the returns-volume relationship. The findings obtained depict a hitherto unconsidered complexity in this relationship with the type of returns series considered and financial crisis found to be significant underlying factors. The implications of the newly derived results for both the understanding of the nature of the returns-volume relationship and the development of theories in connection to it are discussed.

From actors to agents in socio-ecological systems models

PubMed Central

Rounsevell, M. D. A.; Robinson, D. T.; Murray-Rust, D.

2012-01-01

The ecosystem service concept has emphasized the role of people within socio-ecological systems (SESs). In this paper, we review and discuss alternative ways of representing people, their behaviour and decision-making processes in SES models using an agent-based modelling (ABM) approach. We also explore how ABM can be empirically grounded using information from social survey. The capacity for ABM to be generalized beyond case studies represents a crucial next step in modelling SESs, although this comes with considerable intellectual challenges. We propose the notion of human functional types, as an analogy of plant functional types, to support the expansion (scaling) of ABM to larger areas. The expansion of scope also implies the need to represent institutional agents in SES models in order to account for alternative governance structures and policy feedbacks. Further development in the coupling of human-environment systems would contribute considerably to better application and use of the ecosystem service concept. PMID:22144388

"Anything from making out to having sex": men's negotiations of hooking up and friends with benefits scripts.

PubMed

Epstein, Marina; Calzo, Jerel P; Smiler, Andrew P; Ward, L Monique

2009-01-01

Popular media and academic literature often portray men as happy beneficiaries of nonrelational or casual sex--a view that is consistent with traditional notions of masculinity. This study examined the validity of this notion, using semistructured interviews to explore ways that 19 college-age men defined and enacted "hooking up" and "friends with benefits" scripts. Men's definitions reflected both standard and alternate conceptions of these scripts, and their experiences indicated variability in intentions and outcomes. Whereas a few men embraced the no-strings-attached nonrelational scripts, most rejected the script or enacted an amended version that allowed for greater relational connection. Further, their experiences were not all positive and were not all devoid of emotional connection. These alternative enactments challenge the pro-masculine, universally positive conceptualization of nonrelational sex portrayed in the media and in some empirical research.

From actors to agents in socio-ecological systems models.

PubMed

Rounsevell, M D A; Robinson, D T; Murray-Rust, D

2012-01-19

The ecosystem service concept has emphasized the role of people within socio-ecological systems (SESs). In this paper, we review and discuss alternative ways of representing people, their behaviour and decision-making processes in SES models using an agent-based modelling (ABM) approach. We also explore how ABM can be empirically grounded using information from social survey. The capacity for ABM to be generalized beyond case studies represents a crucial next step in modelling SESs, although this comes with considerable intellectual challenges. We propose the notion of human functional types, as an analogy of plant functional types, to support the expansion (scaling) of ABM to larger areas. The expansion of scope also implies the need to represent institutional agents in SES models in order to account for alternative governance structures and policy feedbacks. Further development in the coupling of human-environment systems would contribute considerably to better application and use of the ecosystem service concept.

Review of Potential Wind Tunnel Balance Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, Devin E.; Williams, Quincy L.; Phillips, Ben D.; Commo, Sean A.; Ponder, Jonathon D.

2016-01-01

This manuscript reviews design, manufacture, materials, sensors, and data acquisition technologies that may benefit wind tunnel balances for the aerospace research community. Current state-of-the-art practices are used as the benchmark to consider advancements driven by researcher and facility needs. Additive manufacturing is highlighted as a promising alternative technology to conventional fabrication and has the potential to reduce both the cost and time required to manufacture force balances. Material alternatives to maraging steels are reviewed. Sensor technologies including piezoresistive, piezoelectric, surface acoustic wave, and fiber optic are compared to traditional foil based gages to highlight unique opportunities and shared challenges for implementation in wind tunnel environments. Finally, data acquisition systems that could be integrated into force balances are highlighted as a way to simplify the user experience and improve data quality. In summary, a rank ordering is provided to support strategic investment in exploring the technologies reviewed in this manuscript.

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who in this land is fairest of all?” – Distributional sensitivity in the measurement of socioeconomic inequality of health

PubMed Central

ERREYGERS, Guido; CLARKE, Philip; VAN OURTI, Tom

2012-01-01

This paper explores four alternative indices for measuring health inequalities in a way that takes into account attitudes towards inequality. First, we revisit the extended concentration index which has been proposed to make it possible to introduce changes into the distributional value judgements implicit in the standard concentration index. Next, we suggest an alternative index based on a different weighting scheme. In contrast to the extended concentration index, this new index has the ‘symmetry’ property. We also show how these indices can be generalized so that they satisfy the ‘mirror’ property, which may be seen as a desirable property when dealing with bounded variables. We compare the different indices empirically for under-five mortality rates and the number of antenatal visits in developing countries. PMID:22204878

Complementary and alternative medicine - representations in popular magazines.

PubMed

Dunne, Alexandra; Phillips, Christine

2010-09-01

More than half the patients who use complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in Australia do not discuss it with their doctors. Many consumers use popular media, especially women's magazines, to learn about CAM. To explore representations of CAM in popular Australian women's magazines. Content analysis of three Australian magazines: Australian Women's Weekly, Dolly and New Idea published from January to June 2008. Of 220 references to CAM (4-17 references per issue), most were to biologically based practices, particularly 'functional foods', which enhance health. Most representations of CAM were positive (81.3% positive, 16.4% neutral, 2.3% negative). Explanations of modes of action of CAM tended to be biological but relatively superficial. Australian magazines cast CAM as safe therapy which enhances patient engagement in healthcare, and works in ways analogous to orthodox medical treatments. General practitioners can use discussions with their patients about CAM to encourage health promoting practices.

Edge-Preserving Image Smoothing Constraint in Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) of Hyperspectral Data.

PubMed

Hugelier, Siewert; Vitale, Raffaele; Ruckebusch, Cyril

2018-03-01

This article explores smoothing with edge-preserving properties as a spatial constraint for the resolution of hyperspectral images with multivariate curve resolution-alternating least squares (MCR-ALS). For each constrained component image (distribution map), irrelevant spatial details and noise are smoothed applying an L 1 - or L 0 -norm penalized least squares regression, highlighting in this way big changes in intensity of adjacent pixels. The feasibility of the constraint is demonstrated on three different case studies, in which the objects under investigation are spatially clearly defined, but have significant spectral overlap. This spectral overlap is detrimental for obtaining a good resolution and additional spatial information should be provided. The final results show that the spatial constraint enables better image (map) abstraction, artifact removal, and better interpretation of the results obtained, compared to a classical MCR-ALS analysis of hyperspectral images.

[Integration of mental health and chronic non-communicable diseases in Peru: challenges and opportunities for primary care settings].

PubMed

Diez-Canseco, Francisco; Ipince, Alessandra; Toyama, Mauricio; Benate-Galvez, Ysabel; Galán-Rodas, Edén; Medina-Verástegui, Julio César; Sánchez-Moreno, David; Araya, Ricardo; Miranda, J Jaime

2014-01-01

In this article, the relationship between mental health and chronic non-communicable diseases is discussed as well as the possibility to address them in a comprehensive manner in the Peruvian health system. First, the prevalence estimates and the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases and mental disorders worldwide and in Peru are reviewed. Then, the detrimental impact of depression in the early stages as well as the progress of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases is described. Additionally, the gap between access to mental health care in Peru is analyzed. Lastly, the alternatives to reduce the gap are explored. Of these alternatives, the integration of mental health into primary care services is emphasized; as a feasible way to meet the care needs of the general population, and people with chronic diseases in particular, in the Peruvian context.

Older People's Discourses About Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A Foucauldian Exploration.

PubMed

Lamers, Carolien P T; Williams, Rebecca R

2016-12-01

This study aims to contribute an alternative understanding of the position of older people in the euthanasia and assisted suicide (EU/AS) debate. Seven interviews were analyzed using Foucauldian discourse analysis, to explore concepts like knowledge, power, subjectification and surveillance. The participants presented a "confused and conflicted" discourse, expressing the view that EU/AS is a family affair, whilst also articulating a strong sense of self-determination. Although a discourse of the medicalization of dying through medical control and surveillance was endorsed, an alternative discourse of "dying outside the medical gaze" emerged. Participants, who were in favor of EU/AS, felt "voiceless," as apparent double standards were applied in the debate, and powerful others, for example, physicians and politicians, seemed reluctant to engage. Within an "aged death" discourse, the anticipated dependency on poor care from (professional) others, made participants consider EU/AS as ways of avoiding this stage of life and the associated loss of dignity. By using Foucauldian discourse analysis, alternative power relationships were revealed which might give a different interpretation to the concept of the "slippery slope." Societal discourses and related behaviors, which devalue the dependent and old, might become internalized by older people, leading them to consider EU/AS as preferable end-of-life options. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Building exploration with leeches Hirudo verbana.

PubMed

Adamatzky, Andrew; Sirakoulis, Georgios Ch

2015-08-01

Safe evacuation of people from building and outdoor environments, and search and rescue operations, always will remain actual in course of all socio-technological developments. Modern facilities offer a range of automated systems to guide residents towards emergency exists. The systems are assumed to be infallible. But what if they fail? How occupants not familiar with a building layout will be looking for exits in case of very limited visibility where tactile sensing is the only way to assess the environment? Analogous models of human behaviour, and socio-dynamics in general, are provided to be fruitful ways to explore alternative, or would-be scenarios. Crowd, or a single person, dynamics could be imitated using particle systems, reaction-diffusion chemical medium, electro-magnetic fields, or social insects. Each type of analogous model offer unique insights on behavioural patterns of natural systems in constrained geometries. In this particular paper we have chosen leeches to analyse patterns of exploration. Reasons are two-fold. First, when deprived from other stimuli leeches change their behavioural modes in an automated regime in response to mechanical stimulation. Therefore leeches can give us invaluable information on how human beings might behave under stress and limited visibility. Second, leeches are ideal blueprints of future soft-bodied rescue robots. Leeches have modular nervous circuitry with a rich behavioral spectrum. Leeches are multi-functional, fault-tolerant with autonomous inter-segment coordination and adaptive decision-making. We aim to answer the question: how efficiently a real building can be explored and whether there any dependencies on the pathways of exploration and geometrical complexity of the building. In our case studies we use templates made on the floor plan of real building. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

End-of-life ethics and disability: differing perspectives on case-based teaching.

PubMed

Kaufert, Joseph; Wiebe, Rhonda; Schwartz, Karen; Labine, Lisa; Lutfiyya, Zana Marie; Pearse, Catherine

2010-05-01

The way in which medical professionals engage in bioethical issues ultimately reflects the type of care such patients are likely to receive. It is therefore critical for doctors and other health care professionals to have a broad understanding of disability. Our purpose in this paper is to explore ways of teaching bioethical issues to first year medical students by integrating alternative approaches. Such approaches include (a) the use of the narrative format, (b) the inclusion of a disability perspective, and (c) the presentation and facilitation of classes by people with disabilities. We consider how these new kinds of presentations are evaluated by students, faculty, people with disabilities and professional ethicists. We hope new knowledge may provide health care professionals with a greater understanding of the perspectives of patients with disabilities, who are confronted by conflicting ethical values and frameworks for decision-making in their interaction with such professionals.

Quantum anharmonic oscillator plus delta-function potential: a molecular view of pairing formation and breaking in the coordinate space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sumaryada, Tony; Maha Putra, Bima; Pramudito, Sidikrubadi

2017-05-01

We propose an alternative way to describe the pairing formation and breaking via a quantum anharmonic oscillator with a delta-function potential model. Unlike BCS theory, which describes the pairing formation in the momentum space, this model works in the coordinate space and is able to give a molecular view of pairing formation and breaking in the coordinate space. By exploring the dynamical interplay between the intrinsic factor (dissociation energy) and external factor (pairing strength) of this system additional information was gained, including the critical pairing strength and critical scattering length, which might relate to the BCS-BEC crossover phenomena and halo state formation. Although only the energetic aspect of pairing is described by this model, its simplicity and pedagogical steps might help undergraduate students to understand the pairing problem in a simple way.

The Potential of the Imitation Game Method in Exploring Healthcare Professionals' Understanding of the Lived Experiences and Practical Challenges of Chronically Ill Patients.

PubMed

Wehrens, Rik

2015-09-01

This paper explores the potential and relevance of an innovative sociological research method known as the Imitation Game for research in health care. Whilst this method and its potential have until recently only been explored within sociology, there are many interesting and promising facets that may render this approach fruitful within the health care field, most notably to questions about the experiential knowledge or 'expertise' of chronically ill patients (and the extent to which different health care professionals are able to understand this experiential knowledge). The Imitation Game can be especially useful because it provides a way to map this experiential knowledge more systematically, without falling in the dual trap of either over-relying on in-depth, but highly specific phenomenological 'insider'-approaches that are hard to generalize, or, alternatively, problematically reducing the rich life-worlds of patients to a set of indicators in a questionnaire. The main focus of this paper is theoretical and conceptual: explaining the Imitation Game method, discussing its usefulness in the health care domain, and exploring the ways in which the approach can be utilized for chronic illness care. The paper presents both a conceptual and empirical exploration of how the Imitation Game method and its underlying theoretical concepts of 'contributory expertise' and 'interactional expertise' can be transferred from the sociological realm to the field of health care, what kinds of insights can be gained from the method, which methodological issues it may raise, and what potentially fruitful research routes can be explored. I argue that the Imitation Game can be thought of as a 'social learning experiment' that simultaneously enables the participants to learn from each other's perspectives, allows researchers to explore exciting new possibilities, and also offers the tools to intervene in the practice that is being studied.

An Alternative to Traditional Developmental Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tebelius, Ulla

1992-01-01

A Swedish folk high school program was focused on practicing an alternative style of living in a resource-saving and small-scale technology way. Emphasis was on examining the Western way of living from an ecological, human, and global perspective. (SK)

Evaluating the sources and functions of gradiency in phoneme categorization: An individual differences approach.

PubMed

Kapnoula, Efthymia C; Winn, Matthew B; Kong, Eun Jong; Edwards, Jan; McMurray, Bob

2017-09-01

During spoken language comprehension listeners transform continuous acoustic cues into categories (e.g., /b/ and /p/). While long-standing research suggests that phonetic categories are activated in a gradient way, there are also clear individual differences in that more gradient categorization has been linked to various communication impairments such as dyslexia and specific language impairments (Joanisse, Manis, Keating, & Seidenberg, 2000; López-Zamora, Luque, Álvarez, & Cobos, 2012; Serniclaes, Van Heghe, Mousty, Carré, & Sprenger-Charolles, 2004; Werker & Tees, 1987). Crucially, most studies have used 2-alternative forced choice (2AFC) tasks to measure the sharpness of between-category boundaries. Here we propose an alternative paradigm that allows us to measure categorization gradiency in a more direct way. Furthermore, we follow an individual differences approach to (a) link this measure of gradiency to multiple cue integration, (b) explore its relationship to a set of other cognitive processes, and (c) evaluate its role in individuals' ability to perceive speech in noise. Our results provide validation for this new method of assessing phoneme categorization gradiency and offer preliminary insights into how different aspects of speech perception may be linked to each other and to more general cognitive processes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Mars: On the Path Or In The Way?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, Brent

2012-01-01

Explore Mars may not be the highest and best use of government-? funded human space flight. However, Explore Mars is pervasively accepted as the ultimate goal for human space flight. This meme has become refractory within the human space flight community despite dramatic contextual changes since Apollo: human space flight is no longer central to commonly-?held national priorities, NASA's fraction of the federal budget has diminished 8 fold, over 60 enabling technology challenges have been identified, and the stunning achievements of robotic Mars exploration have accelerated. The Explore Mars vision has not kept pace with these changes.An unprecedented budgetary commitment would have to be sustained for an unprecedented number of decades to achieve the Explore Mars goal. Further, the goal's justification as uniquely able to definitively determine Mars habitability is brittle, and not driving current planning in any case; yet NASA owns the choice of this goal and has authority to change it. Three alternative goals for government investment in human space flight meet NASA's own expressed rationale at least as well as Explore Mars, some with far greater capacity to regain the cultural centrality of human space flight and to grow by attracting private capital. At a minimum the human space flight advocacy community should address the pragmatics of choosing such a vulnerable goal.

Attitudes toward and education about complementary and alternative medicine among adult patients with depression in Taiwan.

PubMed

Hsu, Mei-Chi; Moyle, Wendy; Creedy, Debra; Venturato, Lorraine; Ouyang, Wen-Chen; Sun, Gwo-Ching

2010-04-01

To investigate patients' attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine, the education nurses provided about complementary and alternative medicine for treating depression and to test whether such education mediates the effect of complementary and alternative medicine use and attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Although we know that attitudes influence behaviour, very few studies simultaneously explore the relationship between attitudes, education and complementary and alternative medicine use. Survey. This study was conducted as part of a larger survey, using face-to-face survey interviews with 206 adult patients aged 50 years or over and hospitalised in conventional hospitals in Taiwan for treatment of depression. The attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine and patient education about complementary and alternative medicine instruments were specially developed for the study. Participants expressed slightly favourable attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Many participants (50%) expressed that they were willing to try any potential treatment for depression. They believed that complementary and alternative medicine helped them to feel better and to live a happier life. However, 66.5% of participants reported that they had inadequate knowledge of complementary and alternative medicine. Participants with a higher monthly income, longer depression duration and religious beliefs hold more positive attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Most participants were not satisfied with the education they received about complementary and alternative medicine. Patient education about complementary and alternative medicine was found to be a mediator for the use of complementary and alternative medicine. Patient education from nurses may predict patients' attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine. Continuing nursing education is needed to enable nurses to respond knowledgeably to concerns patients may have about complementary and alternative medicine and treatment options. This study highlights the potential role of patient education about complementary and alternative medicine as an effective way of adjusting patients' attitudes toward complementary and alternative medicine and to link both patients' preferences for complementary and alternative medicine and health professionals' concerns about the proper use of complementary and alternative medicine for depression management and adverse drug interactions.

``What if we were in a test tube?'' Students' gendered meaning making during a biology lesson about the basic facts of the human genitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orlander, Auli Arvola

2014-06-01

This paper explores what happens in the encounters between presentations of "basic facts" about the human genitals and 15-year-old students during a biology lesson in a Swedish secondary school. In this paper, meaning making was approached as relational, context-dependent and continually transacted. For this reason the analysis was conducted through a series of close readings of situations where students interacted with each other and the teacher in opening up gaps about alternative ways of discussing gender. Drawing on Foucault's theories about the inclusion and exclusion of knowledge and the subsequent work of Butler and other feminist researchers, the paper illuminates what gendered relations remain tacit in the conversation. It then illustrates possible ways in which these tacit gendered meanings could be made overt and discussed with the students when making meaning about the human genitals. The paper also shows how the ways in which human genitals are transacted in the science classroom have importance for what kind of learning is made available to the students.

Architecture Synthesis and Reduced-Cost Architectures for Human Exploration Missions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woodcock, Gordon

2004-01-01

Development of architectures for human exploration missions has been pursued in the international aerospace community for a long time. This paper attempts a different approach and way of looking at architectures. Most of the emphasis is on lunar architectures with a brief look at Mars. The first step is to set forth overarching gods in order to understand origins of requirements. Then, principles and guidelines are developed for architecture formulation. It is argued that safety and cost are the primary factors. Alternative mission profiles are examined for adherence to the principles, and specific architectures formulated according to the guidelines. The guidelines themselves indicate preferred evolution paths from lunar to Mars architectures. Results of example calculations are given to illustrate the process, and an evolution path is recommended. Safety and cost criteria tend to conflict, but it is shown that cost-efficient architectures can be enhanced for good safety ratings at modest cost.

Inventatorium: A journey of "satori" and creativity in Latino and African American adolescents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harvey, La Nelle

This study explores the experiences of African American and Latino students within the context of the Inventatorium, an alternative educational after-school program for culturally diverse students that nurtures creativity in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The Inventatorium builds on students' natural curiosity and their enjoyment in creating things that appeal to them by providing the materials and other resources for them to bring their ideas to life. The things students create encompass mathematical and scientific concepts that emerge to explored as part of their creative processes. Mixed methods were used to look at growth in creativity over the course of a year. Qualitative data derived three themes: boundaries, environment, and change. Quantitative findings indicate that students showed growth in fluency and originality of drawings, but not with elaboration. This study has implications for the ways teachers construct learning experiences in STEM.

Exploring Important Influences on the Healthfulness of Prostate Cancer Survivors’ Diets

PubMed Central

Coa, Kisha I.; Smith, Katherine Clegg; Klassen, Ann C.; Thorpe, Roland J.; Caulfield, Laura E.

2015-01-01

A cancer diagnosis is often conceptualized as a teachable moment when individuals might be motivated to make lifestyle changes. Many prostate cancer survivors, however, do not adhere to dietary guidelines. In this article, we explore how cancer impacted prostate cancer survivors’ diets and identify important influences on diet. Twenty prostate cancer survivors completed three 24-hour dietary recalls and an in-depth dietary interview. We analyzed interviews using a constant comparison approach, and dietary recall data quantitatively to assess quality and qualitatively to identify food choices patterns. Most men reported not making dietary changes following their cancer diagnosis, but did express an interest in healthy eating, primarily to facilitate weight loss. Men portrayed barriers to healthy eating that often outweighed their motivation to eat healthy. Public health programs should consider alternative ways of framing healthy eating programs for prostate cancer survivors that might be more effective than a cancer-specific focus. PMID:25857653

Design of combinatorial libraries for the exploration of virtual hits from fragment space searches with LoFT.

PubMed

Lessel, Uta; Wellenzohn, Bernd; Fischer, J Robert; Rarey, Matthias

2012-02-27

A case study is presented illustrating the design of a focused CDK2 library. The scaffold of the library was detected by a feature trees search in a fragment space based on reactions from combinatorial chemistry. For the design the software LoFT (Library optimizer using Feature Trees) was used. The special feature called FTMatch was applied to restrict the parts of the queries where the reagents are permitted to match. This way a 3D scoring function could be simulated. Results were compared with alternative designs by GOLD docking and ROCS 3D alignments.

Korean immigrant discipline and children's social competence and behavior problems.

PubMed

Kim, Eunjung; Guo, Yuqing; Koh, Chinkang; Cain, Kevin C

2010-12-01

The goal of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between Korean immigrant discipline (e.g., positive, appropriate, and harsh discipline) and children's social competence and behavior problems. Self-report data were collected from 58 mothers and 20 fathers of children aged from 3 to 8 years. Only paternal harsh discipline was positively correlated with children's behavior problems. Among specific discipline strategies, maternal physical affection, correcting misbehaviors, and reasoning were positively correlated with children's social competence. Paternal physical punishment (e.g., spanking, hitting, and raising arms) was positively correlated with children's behavior problems. Immigrant fathers need to learn alternative ways of managing children's misbehaviors. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Understanding the Formidable Nail Barrier: A Review of the Nail Microstructure, Composition and Diseases

PubMed Central

Baswan, Sudhir; Kasting, Gerald B.; Li, S. Kevin; Wickett, Randy; Adams, Brian; Eurich, Sean; Schamper, Ryan

2016-01-01

The topical treatment of nail fungal infections has been a focal point of nail research in the past few decades as it offers a much safer and focused alternative to conventional oral therapy. Although the current focus remains on exploring the ways of enhancing permeation through the formidable nail barrier, the understanding of the nail microstructure and composition is far from complete. This article reviews our current understanding of the nail microstructure, composition and diseases. A few of the parameters affecting the nail permeability and potential causes of the recurrence of fungal nail infection are also discussed. PMID:28098391

Understanding the formidable nail barrier: A review of the nail microstructure, composition and diseases.

PubMed

Baswan, Sudhir; Kasting, Gerald B; Li, S Kevin; Wickett, Randy; Adams, Brian; Eurich, Sean; Schamper, Ryan

2017-05-01

The topical treatment of nail fungal infections has been a focal point of nail research in the past few decades as it offers a much safer and focused alternative to conventional oral therapy. Although the current focus remains on exploring the ways of enhancing permeation through the formidable nail barrier, the understanding of the nail microstructure and composition is far from complete. This article reviews our current understanding of the nail microstructure, composition and diseases. A few of the parameters affecting the nail permeability and potential causes of the recurrence of fungal nail infection are also discussed. © 2017 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Cosmology and the Sinusoidal Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, David F.

2006-06-01

The nature of dark matter (and dark energy) remains a mystery. An alternative is being explored by several scientists: changing Newton's (and Einstein's) field equations. The sinusoidal potential is the latest attempt[1]. Here the gravitational law is alternately attractive and repulsive:φ = -GM cos(kor)/r, where λo=2π/ko = 1/20 of the distance from the sun to the center of the Milky Way. The proposal accommodates several structural features of the Milky Way including, paradoxically, its spiral shape and flat rotation curve. The sinusoidal potential's unique feature is strong galactic tidal forces (dg/dr). These may explain why the new planetoid Sedna is securely between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud and why distant comets are more influenced by galactic tides that are in the r, rather than the z-direction.At this meeting I discuss the consequences of the sinusoidal potential for cosmology. Here the alternation of attraction and repulsion gives (i) an open universe, and (ii) gravitational lensing which is usually weak, but occasionally very strong. An open universe is one that, asymptotically, has a size R which varies directly as time t. The open universe conflicts both with the old Einstein-deSitter model (R α t2/3} and the new accelerating one. The evidence for an accelerating universe decisively rejects the Einstein-deSitter model. The rejection of an open (or empty) universe is less secure. This rejection is influenced by the different ways the groups studying the brightness of supernovae use the HST. Surprising additional inputs include neutrino masses, the equivalence principle, LSB galaxies, and "over-luminous" Sn1a. I thank Mostafa Jon Dadras and Patrick Motl for early help and John Cumalat for continual support. [1] D.F. Bartlett, "Analogies between electricity and gravity", Metrologia 41, S115-S124 (2004).

Alternative approaches to providing passenger transportation in low density cities : the case of Council Bluffs, Iowa

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

This study explores transportation alternatives for Council Bluffs. The intention is to explore alternatives that may potentially prove viable for other small cities faced with scattered development patterns and limited population density. The study ...

Storage for greater-than-Class C low-level radioactive waste

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

Beitel, G.A.

1991-12-31

EG and G Idaho, Inc., at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) is actively pursuing technical storage alternatives for greater-than-Class C low-level radioactive waste (GTCC LLW) until a suitable licensed disposal facility is operating. A recently completed study projects that between 2200 and 6000 m{sup 3} of GTCC LLW will be generated by the year 2035; the base case estimate is 3250 m{sup 3}. The current plan envisions a disposal facility available as early as the year 2010. A long-term dedicated storage facility could be available in 1997. In the meantime, it is anticipated that a limited number of sealedmore » sources that are no longer useful and have GTCC concentrations of radionuclides will require storage. Arrangements are being made to provide this interim storage at an existing DOE waste management facility. All interim stored waste will subsequently be moved to the dedicated storage facility once it is operating. Negotiations are under way to establish a host site for interim storage, which may be operational, at the earliest, by the second quarter of 1993. Two major activities toward developing a long-term dedicated storage facility are ongoing. (a) An engineering study, which explores costs for alternatives to provide environmentally safe storage and satisfy all regulations, is being prepared. Details of some of the findings of that study will be presented. (b) There is also an effort under way to seek the assistance of one or more private companies in providing dedicated storage. Alternatives and options will be discussed.« less

The major synthetic evolutionary transitions.

PubMed

Solé, Ricard

2016-08-19

Evolution is marked by well-defined events involving profound innovations that are known as 'major evolutionary transitions'. They involve the integration of autonomous elements into a new, higher-level organization whereby the former isolated units interact in novel ways, losing their original autonomy. All major transitions, which include the origin of life, cells, multicellular systems, societies or language (among other examples), took place millions of years ago. Are these transitions unique, rare events? Have they instead universal traits that make them almost inevitable when the right pieces are in place? Are there general laws of evolutionary innovation? In order to approach this problem under a novel perspective, we argue that a parallel class of evolutionary transitions can be explored involving the use of artificial evolutionary experiments where alternative paths to innovation can be explored. These 'synthetic' transitions include, for example, the artificial evolution of multicellular systems or the emergence of language in evolved communicating robots. These alternative scenarios could help us to understand the underlying laws that predate the rise of major innovations and the possibility for general laws of evolved complexity. Several key examples and theoretical approaches are summarized and future challenges are outlined.This article is part of the themed issue 'The major synthetic evolutionary transitions'. © 2016 The Author(s).

The major synthetic evolutionary transitions

PubMed Central

Solé, Ricard

2016-01-01

Evolution is marked by well-defined events involving profound innovations that are known as ‘major evolutionary transitions'. They involve the integration of autonomous elements into a new, higher-level organization whereby the former isolated units interact in novel ways, losing their original autonomy. All major transitions, which include the origin of life, cells, multicellular systems, societies or language (among other examples), took place millions of years ago. Are these transitions unique, rare events? Have they instead universal traits that make them almost inevitable when the right pieces are in place? Are there general laws of evolutionary innovation? In order to approach this problem under a novel perspective, we argue that a parallel class of evolutionary transitions can be explored involving the use of artificial evolutionary experiments where alternative paths to innovation can be explored. These ‘synthetic’ transitions include, for example, the artificial evolution of multicellular systems or the emergence of language in evolved communicating robots. These alternative scenarios could help us to understand the underlying laws that predate the rise of major innovations and the possibility for general laws of evolved complexity. Several key examples and theoretical approaches are summarized and future challenges are outlined. This article is part of the themed issue ‘The major synthetic evolutionary transitions’. PMID:27431528

Alternative Strategies for Exploring Mars and the Moons of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, Bret G.; Baker, John D.; Hoffman, Stephen J.; Landau, Damon; Voels, Stephen A.

2012-01-01

The possible human exploration of Mars represents one of civilization s next major challenges and is an enterprise that would confirm the potential of humans to leave our home planet system and make our way outward into the cosmos. As exploration endeavors begin to set sights beyond low Earth orbit, potential exploration of the surface of Mars continues to serve as the horizon destination to help focus technology development and research efforts. Recent thoughts on exploration follow a flexible path approach beginning with missions that do not extend down into planetary gravity wells including surface exploration. Consistent with that flexible path strategy is the notion of exploring the moons of Mars, namely Phobos and Deimos, prior to exploring the surface. The premise behind this thought is that exploring Mars moons would be less costly and risky since these missions would avoid the difficulties associated with landing on the surface and subsequent ascent back to orbit. A complete assessment of this strategy has not been performed in the context of the flexible path approach and is needed to clearly understand all of the advantages and disadvantages. This paper examines the strategic implications of possible human exploration of the moons of Mars as a potential prelude to surface exploration. Various operational concepts for Phobos and Deimos exploration that include the infusion of different propulsion technologies are assessed in terms of mission duration, technologies required, overall risk and difficulty, and operational construct. Finally, the strategic implications of each concept are assessed to determine the overall key challenges and strategic links to other key flexible path destinations.

Alternative Strategies for Exploring Mars and the Moons of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, Bret G.; Baker, John D.; Hoffman, Stephen J.; Landau, Damon; Voels, Stephen A.

2012-01-01

The human exploration of Mars represents one of civilizations next major challenges and is an enterprise that would confirm the potential of humans to leave our home planet system and make our way outward into the cosmos. As exploration endeavors begin to set sights beyond low-Earth orbit, exploration of the surface of Mars continues to serve as the horizon destination to help focus technology development and research efforts. Recent thoughts on exploration follow a flexible path approach beginning with missions which do not extend down into planetary gravity wells including surface exploration. Consistent with that flexible path strategy is the notion of exploring the moons of Mars, namely Phobos and Deimos, prior to exploring the surface. The premise behind this thought is that exploring Mars moons would be less costly and risky since these missions would avoid the difficulties associated with landing on the surface and subsequent ascent back to orbit. A complete assessment of this strategy has not been performed in the context of the flexible path approach and is needed to clearly understand all of the advantages and disadvantages. This paper examines the strategic implications of human exploration of the moons of Mars as a potential prelude to surface exploration. Various operational concepts for Phobos and Deimos exploration that include the infusion of different propulsion technologies are assessed in terms of mission duration, technologies required, overall risk and difficulty, and operational construct. Finally, the strategic implications of each concept are assessed to determine the overall key challenges and strategic links to other key flexible path destinations.

Comparison of three-way and four-way calibration for the real-time quantitative analysis of drug hydrolysis in complex dynamic samples by excitation-emission matrix fluorescence.

PubMed

Yin, Xiao-Li; Gu, Hui-Wen; Liu, Xiao-Lu; Zhang, Shan-Hui; Wu, Hai-Long

2018-03-05

Multiway calibration in combination with spectroscopic technique is an attractive tool for online or real-time monitoring of target analyte(s) in complex samples. However, how to choose a suitable multiway calibration method for the resolution of spectroscopic-kinetic data is a troubling problem in practical application. In this work, for the first time, three-way and four-way fluorescence-kinetic data arrays were generated during the real-time monitoring of the hydrolysis of irinotecan (CPT-11) in human plasma by excitation-emission matrix fluorescence. Alternating normalization-weighted error (ANWE) and alternating penalty trilinear decomposition (APTLD) were used as three-way calibration for the decomposition of the three-way kinetic data array, whereas alternating weighted residual constraint quadrilinear decomposition (AWRCQLD) and alternating penalty quadrilinear decomposition (APQLD) were applied as four-way calibration to the four-way kinetic data array. The quantitative results of the two kinds of calibration models were fully compared from the perspective of predicted real-time concentrations, spiked recoveries of initial concentration, and analytical figures of merit. The comparison study demonstrated that both three-way and four-way calibration models could achieve real-time quantitative analysis of the hydrolysis of CPT-11 in human plasma under certain conditions. However, it was also found that both of them possess some critical advantages and shortcomings during the process of dynamic analysis. The conclusions obtained in this paper can provide some helpful guidance for the reasonable selection of multiway calibration models to achieve the real-time quantitative analysis of target analyte(s) in complex dynamic systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An exploration of tutors' experiences of facilitating problem-based learning. Part 1--an educational research methodology combining innovation and philosophical tradition.

PubMed

Haith-Cooper, Melanie

2003-01-01

The use of problem-based learning (PBL) in Health Professional curricula is becoming more wide spread. Although the way in which the tutor facilitates PBL can have a major impact on students' learning (Andrews and Jones 1996), the literature provides little consistency as to how the tutor can effectively facilitate PBL (Haith-Cooper 2000). It is therefore important to examine the facilitation role to promote effective learning through the use of PBL. This article is the first of two parts exploring a study that was undertaken to investigate tutors' experiences of facilitating PBL. This part focuses on the methodology and the combining of innovative processes with traditional philosophical traditions to develop a systematic educational research methodology. The study was undertaken respecting the philosophy of hermeneutic phenomenology but utilised alternative data collection and analysis technique. Video conferencing and e-mail were used in conjunction with more traditional processes to access a worldwide sample. This paper explores some of the issues that arose when undertaking such a study. The second article then focuses on exploring the findings of the study and their implications for the facilitation of PBL.

Gender, Authoritarianism, and Attitudes toward Feminism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarup, Gian

1976-01-01

Alternative ways of categorizing persons are investigated by a pretest-posttest control group design with ten subjects. Inconsistency in trait combinations during treatment produces more discrimination of others but the effect is limited to constructs directly involved in inconsistency. Alternative ways of categorizing others are also produced by…

Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Clinical Health Psychology Practice: Case Studies of Comorbid Psychological Distress and Life-Limiting Illness.

PubMed

Kacel, Elizabeth L; Ennis, Nicole; Pereira, Deidre B

2017-01-01

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of grandiosity, fantasies of unlimited power or importance, and the need for admiration or special treatment. Individuals with NPD may experience significant psychological distress related to interpersonal conflict and functional impairment. Research suggests core features of the disorder are associated with poor prognosis in therapy, including slow progress to behavioral change, premature patient-initiated termination, and negative therapeutic alliance. The current manuscript will explore challenges of working with NPD within the context of life-limiting illness for two psychotherapy patients seen in a behavioral health clinic at a large academic health science center. The ways in which their personality disorder affected their illness-experience shared significant overlap characterized by resistance to psychotherapeutic change, inconsistent adherence to medical recommendations, and volatile relationships with providers. In this manuscript we will (1) explore the ways in which aspects of narcissistic personality disorder impacted the patients' physical health, emotional well-being, and healthcare utilization; (2) describe psychotherapeutic methods that may be useful for optimizing psychosocial, behavioral, and physical well-being in individuals with co-morbid NPD and life-limiting disease; and (3) review conceptualizations of NPD from the DSM-5 alternative model for assessing personality function via trait domains.

Emotion talk in the context of young people self‐harming: facing the feelings in family therapy

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Petra

2016-01-01

This article describes the use of emotion talk in the context of using a manualised approach to family therapy where the presenting problem is self‐harm. Whilst we understand that there is an internal aspect to emotion, we also consider emotions to be socially purposeful, culturally constructed and interactional. We found that within the presenting families, negative emotions were often talked about as located within the young person. Through using ‘emotion talk’ (Fredman, 2004) in deconstructing and tracking emotions and exploring how emotions connected to family‐of‐origin and cultural contexts, we developed an interactional understanding of these emotions. This led to better emotional regulation within the family and offered alternative ways of relating. The article discusses the use of relational reflexivity, and using the therapist and team's emotions to enable the therapeutic process, encouraging reflexivity on the self of the therapist in relation to work with emotions. Practitioner points Emotions can be seen as both a reflection of feelings experienced by the individual and as a communication.An interactional understanding of emotions can be used therapeutically.Therapists should explore emotional displays and track the interactional patterns within the therapeutic system.Therapists should self‐reflexive about ways of doing emotions and use this awareness in practice. PMID:27667879

Emotion talk in the context of young people self-harming: facing the feelings in family therapy.

PubMed

Rogers, Alice; Schmidt, Petra

2016-04-01

This article describes the use of emotion talk in the context of using a manualised approach to family therapy where the presenting problem is self-harm. Whilst we understand that there is an internal aspect to emotion, we also consider emotions to be socially purposeful, culturally constructed and interactional. We found that within the presenting families, negative emotions were often talked about as located within the young person. Through using 'emotion talk' (Fredman, 2004) in deconstructing and tracking emotions and exploring how emotions connected to family-of-origin and cultural contexts, we developed an interactional understanding of these emotions. This led to better emotional regulation within the family and offered alternative ways of relating. The article discusses the use of relational reflexivity, and using the therapist and team's emotions to enable the therapeutic process, encouraging reflexivity on the self of the therapist in relation to work with emotions. Emotions can be seen as both a reflection of feelings experienced by the individual and as a communication.An interactional understanding of emotions can be used therapeutically.Therapists should explore emotional displays and track the interactional patterns within the therapeutic system.Therapists should self-reflexive about ways of doing emotions and use this awareness in practice.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder in Clinical Health Psychology Practice: Case Studies of Comorbid Psychological Distress and Life-Limiting Illness

PubMed Central

Kacel, Elizabeth L.; Ennis, Nicole; Pereira, Deidre B.

2018-01-01

Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) is characterized by a persistent pattern of grandiosity, fantasies of unlimited power or importance, and the need for admiration or special treatment. Individuals with NPD may experience significant psychological distress related to interpersonal conflict and functional impairment. Research suggests core features of the disorder are associated with poor prognosis in therapy, including slow progress to behavioral change, premature patient-initiated termination, and negative therapeutic alliance. The current manuscript will explore challenges of working with NPD within the context of life-limiting illness for two psychotherapy patients seen in a behavioral health clinic at a large academic health science center. The ways in which their personality disorder affected their illness-experience shared significant overlap characterized by resistance to psychotherapeutic change, inconsistent adherence to medical recommendations, and volatile relationships with providers. In this manuscript we will (1) explore the ways in which aspects of narcissistic personality disorder impacted the patients’ physical health, emotional well-being, and healthcare utilization; (2) describe psychotherapeutic methods that may be useful for optimizing psychosocial, behavioral, and physical well-being in individuals with comorbid NPD and life-limiting disease; and (3) review conceptualizations of NPD from the DSM-5 alternative model for assessing personality function via trait domains. PMID:28767013

Alternative Perspectives in Assessing Children's Language and Literacy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holland, Kathleen, Ed.; And Others

Suggesting many ways (not just one way) to understand what children are doing with language and literacy, this book presents essays that address the need for alternative perspectives as well as anthropological, socio-psycholinguistic, and reader response perspectives in assessing children's language and literacy. After "Introducation: What Is an…

Apprenticeship: Which Way Forward?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches sur les Qualifications, Marseilles (France).

This volume presents the results of a seminar on apprenticeship in Europe entitled "Apprenticeship, Alternance and Dual Systems: Dead-Ends or Highways to the Future" (Marseilles, France, April 1994). It deals with ways in which alternating learning at school and work can provide young people with relevant work skills and facilitate their…

Alternative Careers in Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Charlotte

Several alternate definitions of "physical education" can be presented to illustrate the fact that changes in name or definition open the way to new opportunities and new ways of thinking of career options. Traditional definitions of physical education have limited it to a profession of teaching in the traditional school system normal…

Topical oxygenation therapy in wound care: are patients getting enough?

PubMed

Hunt, Sharon

2017-08-10

Wound management is a major burden on today's healthcare provider, both clinically with regard to available resources and financially. Most importantly, it has a significant impact on the patient's quality of life and experience. Within the field of wound care these pressures, alongside an ageing population, multiple comorbidities, disease processes and negative lifestyle choices, increase incidences of reduced skin integrity and challenging wounds. In an attempt to meet these challenges alternative, innovative therapies are being explored to support the wound healing process. Wound care experts are now exploring the scientific, biological aspects of wound healing at a cellular level. They are taking wound care back to basics with the identification of elements that, if introduced as an 'adjunct' or as a stand-alone device alongside gold-standard regimens, can positively impact the static or problematic wounds that pose the most challenges to clinicians on a daily basis. This article explores the phenomenon of oxygen, its place in tissue formation and the effect of depletion on the wound healing process and highlights ways in which patients may receive benefit from non-invasive intervention to improve wound care outcomes.

Solar System Exploration Augmented by In-Situ Resource Utilization: Mercury and Saturn Propulsion Investigations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palaszewski, Bryan

2016-01-01

Human and robotic missions to Mercury and Saturn are presented and analyzed with a range of propulsion options. Historical studies of space exploration, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), and industrialization all point to the vastness of natural resources in the solar system. Advanced propulsion benefitted from these resources in many ways. While advanced propulsion systems were proposed in these historical studies, further investigation of nuclear options using high power nuclear thermal and nuclear pulse propulsion as well as advanced chemical propulsion can significantly enhance these scenarios. Updated analyses based on these historical visions will be presented. Nuclear thermal propulsion and ISRU enhanced chemical propulsion landers are assessed for Mercury missions. At Saturn, nuclear pulse propulsion with alternate propellant feed systems and Titan exploration with chemical propulsion options are discussed. In-situ resource utilization was found to be critical in making Mercury missions more amenable for human visits. At Saturn, refueling using local atmospheric mining was found to be difficult to impractical, while refueling the Saturn missions from Uranus was more practical and less complex.

Health inequality and non-monotonicity of the health related social welfare function.

PubMed

Dutta, Indranil

2007-03-01

In a recent paper in this journal Abasolo and Tsuchiya [Abasolo, I., Tsuchiya, A., 2004. Exploring social welfare functions and violation of monotonicity: an example from inequalities in health. Journal of Health Economics 23, 313-329] have strongly argued for the use of a non-monotonic health related social welfare function. This note discusses both the limitations of the measure proposed by Abasolo and Tsuchiya [Abasolo, I., Tsuchiya, A., 2004. Exploring social welfare functions and violation of monotonicity: an example from inequalities in health. Journal of Health Economics 23, 313-329] and the problems associated with their empirics. We are able to show how non-monotonicity may lead to paradoxical results and policies. Further we examine the empirics of Abasolo and Tsuchiya [Abasolo, I., Tsuchiya, A., 2004. Exploring social welfare functions and violation of monotonicity: an example from inequalities in health. Journal of Health Economics 23, 313-329] and provide an alternative explanation to the observed patterns in the data that do not violate monotonicity. Finally we briefly mention why the Atkinson-Sen framework may be more appropriate as a way forward.

Exploring team working and shared leadership in multi-disciplinary cancer care.

PubMed

Willcocks, Stephen George

2018-02-05

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the relevance of shared leadership to multi-disciplinary cancer care. It examines the policy background and applies concepts from shared leadership to this context. It includes discussion of the implications and recommendations. Design/methodology/approach This is a conceptual paper examining policy documents and secondary literature on the topic. While it focuses on the UK National Health Services, it is also relevant to other countries given they follow a broadly similar path with regard to multi-disciplinary working. Findings The paper suggests that shared leadership is a possible way forward for multi-disciplinary cancer care, particularly as policy developments are supportive of this. It shows that a shared perspective is likely to be beneficial to the further development of multi-disciplinary working. Research limitations/implications Adopting shared leadership needs to be explored further using appropriate empirical research. Practical implications The paper offers comments on the implications of introducing shared leadership and makes recommendations including being aware of the barriers to its implementation. Originality/value The paper offers an alternative view on leadership in the health-care context.

Evaluation of Generation Alternation Models in Evolutionary Robotics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oiso, Masashi; Matsumura, Yoshiyuki; Yasuda, Toshiyuki; Ohkura, Kazuhiro

For efficient implementation of Evolutionary Algorithms (EA) to a desktop grid computing environment, we propose a new generation alternation model called Grid-Oriented-Deletion (GOD) based on comparison with the conventional techniques. In previous research, generation alternation models are generally evaluated by using test functions. However, their exploration performance on the real problems such as Evolutionary Robotics (ER) has not been made very clear yet. Therefore we investigate the relationship between the exploration performance of EA on an ER problem and its generation alternation model. We applied four generation alternation models to the Evolutionary Multi-Robotics (EMR), which is the package-pushing problem to investigate their exploration performance. The results show that GOD is more effective than the other conventional models.

42 CFR 456.371 - Exploration of alternative services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Exploration of alternative services. 456.371 Section 456.371 Public Health CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN... Facilities Medical, Psychological, and Social Evaluations and Admission Review § 456.371 Exploration of...

Studies into the nature of cosmic acceleration: Dark energy or a modification to gravity on cosmological scales

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dossett, Jason Nicholas

Since its discovery more than a decade ago, the problem of cosmic acceleration has become one of the largest in cosmology and physics as a whole. An unknown dark energy component of the universe is often invoked to explain this observation. Mathematically, this works because inserting a cosmic fluid with a negative equation of state into Einstein's equations provides an accelerated expansion. There are, however, alternative explanations for the observed cosmic acceleration. Perhaps the most promising of the alternatives is that, on the very largest cosmological scales, general relativity needs to be extended or a new, modified gravity theory must be used. Indeed, many modified gravity models are not only able to replicate the observed accelerated expansion without dark energy, but are also more compatible with a unified theory of physics. Thus it is the goal of this dissertation to develop and study robust tests that will be able to distinguish between these alternative theories of gravity and the need for a dark energy component of the universe. We will study multiple approaches using the growth history of large-scale structure in the universe as a way to accomplish this task. These approaches include studying what is known as the growth index parameter, a parameter that describes the logarithmic growth rate of structure in the universe, which describes the rate of formation of clusters and superclusters of galaxies over the entire age of the universe. We will explore the effectiveness of this parameter to distinguish between general relativity and modifications to gravity physics given realistic expectations of results from future experiments. Next, we will explore the modified growth formalism wherein deviations from the growth expected in general relativity are parameterized via changes to the growth equations, i.e. the perturbed Einstein's equations. We will also explore the impact of spatial curvature on these tests. Finally, we will study how dark energy with some unusual properties will affect the conclusiveness of these tests.

Complementary and alternative medicine. Integrative medicine: business risks and opportunities.

PubMed

Berndtson, K

1998-01-01

Much of the buzz over integrative medicine is well deserved. The opportunities seem to outweigh the risks, but superior management skills are needed to guide these programs through adolescence into clinical and business maturity. By carefully considering the staffing, team building, compensation methods, marketing, and program evaluation and development issues explored in this article, health care and physician executives should be able to steer between the rocks on their way to integrative medicine decisions that are right for their organizations. Many claim that integrative medicine has the potential to reshape health care delivery in a more patient-centered direction. While this may be true, such programs must prove themselves from financial and clinical operational perspectives in order to achieve this potential. Luminary clinical skills are not enough to guarantee the survival of such programs--a strong clinical base of expertise in alternative therapies is a key success factor. As with any health care venture, there are no substitutes for clinical excellence or sound management.

What Is the Difference between a Calorie and a Carbohydrate?--Exploring Nutrition Education Opportunities in Alternative School Settings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Norquest, Michele; Phelps, Josh; Hermann, Janice; Kennedy, Tay

2015-01-01

Extension-based nutrition educators have indicated current curricula do not engage alternative school students' interests. The study reported here explored nutrition education opportunities at alternative schools in Oklahoma. Data collection involved focus groups gathering student perspectives regarding preferred teaching and learning styles, and…

Exploring Dimensions of Social Inclusion among Alternative Learning Centres in the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henderson, Dawn X.; Barnes, Rachelle Redmond

2016-01-01

Increasing disparities in out-of-school suspension and dropout rates have led a number of school districts to develop alternative models of education to include alternative learning centres (ALCs). Using an exploratory mixed methods design, this study explores dimensions of social inclusion among ALCs, located in the southeastern region of the…

Human Exploration of Mars: The Reference Mission of the NASA Mars Exploration Study Team

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connolly, John

1998-01-01

The Reference Mission was developed over a period of several years and was published in NASA Special Publication 6107 in July 1997. The purpose of the Reference Mission was to provide a workable model for the human exploration of Mars, which is described in enough detail that alternative strategies and implementations can be compared and evaluated. NASA is continuing to develop the Reference Mission and expects to update this report in the near future. It was the purpose of the Reference Mission to develop scenarios based on the needs of scientists and explorers who want to conduct research on Mars; however, more work on the surface-mission aspects of the Reference Mission is required and is getting under way. Some aspects of the Reference Mission that are important for the consideration of the surface mission definition include: (1) a split mission strategy, which arrives at the surface two years before the arrival of the first crew; (2) three missions to the outpost site over a 6-year period; (3) a plant capable of producing rocket propellant for lifting off Mars and caches of water, O, and inert gases for the life-support system; (4) a hybrid physico-chemical/bioregenerative life-support system, which emphasizes the bioregenerative system more in later parts of the scenario; (5) a nuclear reactor power supply, which provides enough power for all operations, including the operation of a bioregenerative life-support system as well as the propellant and consumable plant; (6) capability for at least two people to be outside the habitat each day of the surface stay; (7) telerobotic and human-operated transportation vehicles, including a pressurized rover capable of supporting trips of several days' duration from the habitat; (7) crew stay times of 500 days on the surface, with six-person crews; and (8) multiple functional redundancies to reduce risks to the crews on the surface. New concepts are being sought that would reduce the overall cost for this exploration program and reducing the risks that are indigenous to Mars exploration. Among those areas being explored are alternative space propulsion approaches, solar vs. nuclear power, and reductions in the size of crews.

CBA and Precaution: Policy-Making about Emerging Technologies.

PubMed

Kaebnick, Gregory E; Gusmano, Michael K

2018-01-01

In the technology assessment literature, the leading alternative to CBA-like methods is usually held to be precaution, which is understood in various ways but is always about making decisions under conditions of uncertainty. Under such conditions, proponents of precaution commonly hold, a straightforward tallying of potential outcomes does not seem possible. Since CBA aims to tally up outcomes to determine which outcome would produce the greatest public benefit, precaution begins to look like, not just an alternative to CBA, but an incompatible alternative. Nonetheless, some of the better-known formulations of a precautionary principle expressly call for combining precaution with assessment of costs and benefits. This essay examines the possible intersection of precaution and CBA. It argues that a moderate kind of CBA is a necessary part of a moderate kind of precaution. The existing proposals for integrating CBA and precaution start with an assumption that the integrative task consists in combining decision tools that generate (contrasting) substantive guidance. An alternative approach, explored here, starts with the idea that precaution is not a decision-generating tool. Rather, it is a way of organizing the thinking that leads eventually to substantive conclusions. The appropriate policy response is reached not by applying a principle but by studying the situation-the proposed action and the problem it is meant to address-and developing recommendations tailored to it. What makes the thinking precautionary is that it emphasizes certain questions-about risk, uncertainty, and values-that CBA tends to suppress. So understood, precaution may well slow the science but is not intrinsically opposed to science or innovation. It can be understood, in fact, as continuous with the science because the contextual understanding of the science and the problems it is meant to address would emerge-in part-from a close engagement with the science. © 2018 The Hastings Center.

Development of Teachers' Alternative Certification in the USA

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pazyura, Natalia

2015-01-01

The article reveals the prerequisites of appearance of alternative ways to train teachers in the USA at the end of the XX century as main mechanisms to increase qualitative and quantitative characteristics of teaching staff. The author concentrates the attention on the advantages and disadvantages of non-traditional ways to acquire teaching…

Is case-based learning an effective teaching strategy to challenge students' alternative conceptions regarding chemical kinetics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yalçınkaya, Eylem; Taştan-Kırık, Özgecan; Boz, Yezdan; Yıldıran, Demet

2012-07-01

Background: Case-based learning (CBL) is simply teaching the concept to the students based on the cases. CBL involves a case, which is a scenario based on daily life, and study questions related to the case, which allows students to discuss their ideas. Chemical kinetics is one of the most difficult concepts for students in chemistry. Students have generally low levels of conceptual understanding and many alternative conceptions regarding it. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the effect of CBL on dealing with students' alternative conceptions about chemical kinetics. Sample: The sample consists of 53 high school students from one public high school in Turkey. Design and methods : Nonequivalent pre-test and post-test control group design was used. Reaction Rate Concept Test and semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Convenience sampling technique was followed. For data analysis, the independent samples t-test and ANOVA was performed. Results : Both concept test and interview results showed that students instructed with cases had better understanding of core concepts of chemical kinetics and had less alternative conceptions related to the subject matter compared to the control group students, despite the fact that it was impossible to challenge all the alternative conceptions in the experimental group. Conclusions: CBL is an effective teaching method for challenging students' alternative conceptions in the context of chemical kinetics. Since using cases in small groups and whole class discussions has been found to be an effective way to cope with the alternative conceptions, it can be applied to other subjects and grade levels in high schools with a higher sample size. Furthermore, the effect of this method on academic achievement, motivation and critical thinking skills are other variables that can be investigated for future studies in the subject area of chemistry.

Korean Immigrant Discipline and Children’s Social Competence and Behavior Problems

PubMed Central

Kim, Eunjung; Guo, Yuqing; Koh, Chinkang; Cain, Kevin C.

2009-01-01

The goal of this correlational study was to explore the relationship between Korean immigrant discipline (e.g., positive, appropriate, harsh discipline) and children’s social competence and behavior problems. Self-report data were collected from 58 mothers and 20 fathers of children aged from three and eight. Only paternal harsh discipline was positively correlated with children’s behavior problems. Among specific discipline strategies, maternal physical affection, correcting misbehaviors, and reasoning were positively correlated with children’s social competence. Paternal physical punishment (e.g., spanking, hitting, raising arms) was positively correlated with children’s behavior problems. Immigrant fathers need to learn alternative ways of managing children’s misbehaviors. PMID:21035016

The Virtual Orchestra: Technical and Creative Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

BIANCHI, F. W.; CAMPBELL, R. H.

2000-04-01

The interactive multi-channel computer music system known as the Virtual Orchestra has been used several times in professional opera and theater as an alternative to a live pit orchestra. The technical issues associated with this emerging technology, and the logistical problems of implementing it are discussed. In addition, this paper describes the equally important issues regarding the creative impact this will have on the industry. In particular, this paper explores the role of the musician/technologist and suggests that many of the fundamental premises of opera production will change as the industry begins to retool. This would include the way opera is rehearsed and performed, how it is created and disseminated, and how it will adjust to changing demographics.

How Mean is the Mean?

PubMed Central

Speelman, Craig P.; McGann, Marek

2013-01-01

In this paper we voice concerns about the uncritical manner in which the mean is often used as a summary statistic in psychological research. We identify a number of implicit assumptions underlying the use of the mean and argue that the fragility of these assumptions should be more carefully considered. We examine some of the ways in which the potential violation of these assumptions can lead us into significant theoretical and methodological error. Illustrations of alternative models of research already extant within Psychology are used to explore methods of research less mean-dependent and suggest that a critical assessment of the assumptions underlying its use in research play a more explicit role in the process of study design and review. PMID:23888147

Quantum orbital angular momentum of elliptically symmetric light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plick, William N.; Krenn, Mario; Fickler, Robert; Ramelow, Sven; Zeilinger, Anton

2013-03-01

We present a quantum-mechanical analysis of the orbital angular momentum of a class of recently discovered elliptically symmetric stable light fields—the so-called Ince-Gauss modes. We study, in a fully quantum formalism, how the orbital angular momentum of these beams varies with their ellipticity, and we discover several compelling features, including nonmonotonic behavior, stable beams with real continuous (noninteger) orbital angular momenta, and orthogonal modes with the same orbital angular momenta. We explore, and explain in detail, the reasons for this behavior. These features may have applications in quantum key distribution, atom trapping, and quantum informatics in general—as the ellipticity opens up an alternative way of navigating the spatial photonic Hilbert space.

Climate change: time to Do Something Different

PubMed Central

Page, Nadine; Page, Mike

2014-01-01

There is now very little, if any, doubt that the global climate is changing and that this is in some way related to human behavior through unsustainable preferences in lifestyle and organizational practices. Despite the near conclusive evidence of the positive relationship between greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, a small proportion of people remain unconvinced. More importantly, even among the much larger number of people who accept a link between human behavior and climate change, many are inactive, or insufficiently active, in attempting to remedy the situation. We suggest this is partly because people are unaware both of how their day-to-day behaviors connect with energy consumption and carbon emissions, and of the behavioral alternatives that are available to them. This, we believe, is a key reason why individual lifestyles and organizational practices continue in an unsustainable way. We also suggest that the psychologists and behavioral researchers who seek to develop a better understanding of people’s relationship with, and reaction to, environmental issues, might also be on track to suffer a similar blindness. They risk becoming fixed on investigating a limited range of established variables, perhaps to the detriment of alternative approaches that are more practically oriented though, so far, less well explored empirically. In this article, we present the Framework for Internal Transformation as an alternative perspective on the variables that might underpin pro-environmental activity and behavior change. After briefly reviewing the related literature, we outline that framework. Then we present some early empirical data to show its relationship to a range of pro-environmental indices. We follow with a discussion of the framework’s relevance in relation to pro-environmental behavior change and make proposals for future research. PMID:25477831

An Exploration of Inter-District Sharing Alternatives for Belle Plaine and HLV. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Olsen, Scott A.

In an effort to address the costs incurred by declining enrollments while still maintaining quality education, 2 small Iowa school districts explored 84 sharing alternatives. The utility (fitness/usefullness) of each alternative was rated by the school board, school staff, and a community sample from each district via a specially constructed…

Developing the plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The basic sequence in the planning development process is discussed. Alternative ways of satisfying estimated needs, and the selection of an alternative are described along with the development of a plan to implement the selected alternative.

Bridging the gap between regulatory acceptance and industry use of non-animal methods.

PubMed

Clippinger, Amy J; Hill, Erin; Curren, Rodger; Bishop, Patricia

2016-01-01

Collaboration between industry and regulators resulted in the development of a decision tree approach using in vitro or ex vivo assays to replace animal tests when determining the eye irritation potential of antimicrobial cleaning products (AMCPs) under the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pesticide Programs' hazard classification and labeling system. A policy document issued by the EPA in 2013 and updated in 2015 describes the alternate testing framework that industry could apply to new registrations of AMCPs and, on a case-by-case basis, to conventional pesticide products. Despite the collaborative effort, the availability of relevant non-animal methods, and the EPA's change in policy, only a limited number of AMCPs have been registered using the framework. Companies continue to conduct animal tests when registering AMCPs due to various challenges surrounding adoption of the new testing framework; however, recent discussions between industry, regulators, and other interested parties have identified ways these challenges may be overcome. In this article we explore how use of the alternate framework could be expanded through efforts such as increasing international harmonization, more proactively publicizing the framework, and enhancing the training of regulatory reviewers. Not only can these strategies help to increase use of the EPA alternate eye irritation framework, they can also be applied to facilitate the uptake of other alternative approaches to animal testing in the future.

Is Efficiency Enough? Towards a New Framework for Carbon Savingsin the California Residential Sector

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

Moezzi, Mithra; Diamond, Rick

2005-10-01

The overall implementation of energy efficiency in the United States is not adequately aligned with the environmental benefits claimed for efficiency, because it does not consider absolute levels of energy use, pollutant emissions, or consumption. In some ways, promoting energy efficiency may even encourage consumption. A more effective basis for environmental policy could be achieved by recognizing the degree and nature of the synchronization between environmental objectives and efficiency. This research seeks to motivate and initiate exploration of alternative ways of defining efficiency or otherwise moderating energy use toward reaching environmental objectives, as applicable to residential electricity use in California.more » The report offers three main recommendations: (1) produce definitions of efficiency that better integrate absolute consumption, (2) attend to the deeper social messages of energy efficiency communications, and (3) develop a more critical perspective on benefits and limitations of energy efficiency for delivering environmental benefits. In keeping with the exploratory nature of this project, the report also identifies ten questions for further investigation.« less

The market for precedent: shifting visions of the role of clinical negligence claims and trials.

PubMed

Mulcahy, Linda

2014-01-01

This article considers the interface between the standard setting activity of the NHS Litigation Authority, and the courts and uses the clinical negligence action as a prism through which to examine it. It is suggested that despite its many disadvantages, the clinical negligence action remains an important safety valve when internal regulatory systems fail or are insufficiently transparent to gain full legitimacy. More specifically, it explores the ways in which attitudes about the usefulness of the data contained in claims against the NHS have changed in the aftermath of a number of high profile inquiries which have focused on issues of poor performance. The article concludes that while much greater use is now been made of the data contained in claims when setting standards, strategies for prompting judicial precedent as an alternative way of mobilising standard setting behaviour remain under developed. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press; all rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hope Amidst Horror: Documenting the Effects of the "War On Drugs" Among Female Sex Workers and Their Intimate Partners in Tijuana, Mexico.

PubMed

Syvertsen, Jennifer L; Bazzi, Angela Robertson; Mittal, María Luisa

2017-01-01

Sensationalistic media coverage has fueled stereotypes of the Mexican border city of Tijuana as a violent battleground of the global drug war. While the drug war shapes health and social harms in profoundly public ways, less visible are the experiences and practices of hope that forge communities of care and represent more private responses to this crisis. In this article, we draw on ethnographic fieldwork and photo elicitation with female sex workers who inject drugs and their intimate, non-commercial partners in Tijuana to examine the personal effects of the drug war. Drawing on a critical phenomenology framework, which links political economy with phenomenological concern for subjective experience, we explore the ways in which couples try to find hope amidst the horrors of the drug war. Critical visual scholarship may provide a powerful alternative to dominant media depictions of violence, and ultimately clarify why this drug war must end.

Chitosan-Assisted Crystallization and Film Forming of Perovskite Crystals through Biomineralization.

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Sun, Chen; Yip, Hin-Lap; Sun, Runcang; Wang, Xiaohui

2016-03-18

Biomimetic mineralization is a powerful approach for the synthesis of advanced composite materials with hierarchical organization and controlled structure. Herein, chitosan was introduced into a perovskite precursor solution as a biopolymer additive to control the crystallization and to improve the morphology and film-forming properties of a perovskite film by way of biomineralization. The biopolymer additive was able to control the size and morphology of the perovskite crystals and helped to form smooth films. The mechanism of chitosan-mediated nucleation and growth of the perovskite crystals was explored. As a possible application, the chitosan-perovskite composite film was introduced into a planar heterojunction solar cell and increased power conversion efficiency relative to that observed for the pristine perovskite film was achieved. The biomimetic mineralization method proposed in this study provides an alternative way of preparing perovskite crystals with well-controlled morphology and properties and extends the applications of perovskite crystals in photoelectronic fields, including planar-heterojunction solar cells. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System: An Alternative Way to Calculate the ECTS Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grosges, Thomas; Barchiesi, Dominique

2007-01-01

The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) has been developed and instituted to facilitate student mobility and academic recognition. This paper presents, discusses, and illustrates the pertinence and the limitation of the current statistical distribution of the ECTS grades, and we propose an alternative way to calculate the ECTS…

ALTERNATE VIEW OF SIDEWALK AND WALL OF INDIGENOUS VOLCANIC RYOLITE ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

ALTERNATE VIEW OF SIDEWALK AND WALL OF INDIGENOUS VOLCANIC RYOLITE EASTSIDE OF PIEDMONT AVENUE ADJACENT TO OAK GROVE AND CALIFORNIA MEMORIAL STADIUM. LOOKING NORTH. Photograph by Fredrica Drotos and Michael Kelly, June 29, 2006 - Piedmont Way & the Berkeley Property Tract, East of College Avenue between Dwight Way & U.C. Memorial Stadium, Berkeley, Alameda County, CA

A sensorimotor account of vision and visual consciousness.

PubMed

O'Regan, J K; Noë, A

2001-10-01

Many current neurophysiological, psychophysical, and psychological approaches to vision rest on the idea that when we see, the brain produces an internal representation of the world. The activation of this internal representation is assumed to give rise to the experience of seeing. The problem with this kind of approach is that it leaves unexplained how the existence of such a detailed internal representation might produce visual consciousness. An alternative proposal is made here. We propose that seeing is a way of acting. It is a particular way of exploring the environment. Activity in internal representations does not generate the experience of seeing. The outside world serves as its own, external, representation. The experience of seeing occurs when the organism masters what we call the governing laws of sensorimotor contingency. The advantage of this approach is that it provides a natural and principled way of accounting for visual consciousness, and for the differences in the perceived quality of sensory experience in the different sensory modalities. Several lines of empirical evidence are brought forward in support of the theory, in particular: evidence from experiments in sensorimotor adaptation, visual "filling in," visual stability despite eye movements, change blindness, sensory substitution, and color perception.

An Exploration of Alternative Scoring Methods Using Curriculum-Based Measurement in Early Writing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Abigail A.; Poch, Apryl L.; Lembke, Erica S.

2018-01-01

This manuscript describes two empirical studies of alternative scoring procedures used with curriculum-based measurement in writing (CBM-W). Study 1 explored the technical adequacy of a trait-based rubric in first grade. Study 2 explored the technical adequacy of a trait-based rubric, production-dependent, and production-independent scores in…

Environmental assessment of spatial plan policies through land use scenarios

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

Geneletti, Davide, E-mail: davide.geneletti@ing.unitn.it

2012-01-15

This paper presents a method based on scenario analysis to compare the environmental effects of different spatial plan policies in a range of possible futures. The study aimed at contributing to overcome two limitations encountered in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for spatial planning: poor exploration of how the future might unfold, and poor consideration of alternative plan policies. Scenarios were developed through what-if functions and spatial modeling in a Geographical Information System (GIS), and consisted in maps that represent future land uses under different assumptions on key driving forces. The use of land use scenarios provided a representation of howmore » the different policies will look like on the ground. This allowed gaining a better understanding of the policies' implications on the environment, which could be measured through a set of indicators. The research undertook a case-study approach by developing and assessing land use scenarios for the future growth of Caia, a strategically-located and fast-developing town in rural Mozambique. The effects of alternative spatial plan policies were assessed against a set of environmental performance indicators, including deforestation, loss of agricultural land, encroachment of flood-prone areas and wetlands and access to water sources. In this way, critical environmental effects related to the implementation of each policy were identified and discussed, suggesting possible strategies to address them. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted Research Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The method contributes to two critical issues in SEA: exploration of the future and consideration of alternatives. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Future scenarios are used to test the environmental performance of different spatial plan policies in uncertainty conditions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Spatially-explicit land use scenarios provide a representation of how different policies will look like on the ground.« less

Bonneville Power Administration Transmission System Vegetation Management Program Draft Environmental Impact Statement

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

N /A

Bonneville is responsible for maintaining a network of 24,000 kilometers (km) or 15,000 miles (mi.) of electric transmission lines and 350 substations in a region of diverse vegetation. This vegetation can interfere with electric power flow, pose safety problems for us and the public, and interfere with our ability to maintain these facilities. We need to (1) keep vegetation away from the electric facilities; (2) increase the program efficiency and consistency; (3) review herbicide use (under increased public scrutiny); and (4) maximize the range of tools we can use while minimizing environmental impact (Integrated Vegetation Management). This DEIS establishes Planningmore » Steps for managing vegetation for specific projects (to be tiered to this EIS). In addition to No Action (current practice), alternatives are presented for Rights-of-way, Electric Yards, and Non-electric Facilities (landscaping, work yards). Four vegetation control methods are analyzed: manual, mechanical, herbicide, and biological. Also evaluated are 24 herbicide active ingredients and 4 herbicide application techniques (spot, localized, broadcast, and aerial). For rights-of-way, they consider three sets of alternatives: alternative management approaches (time-driven or establishing low-growing plant communities); alternative method packages; and, if herbicides are in a methods package, alternative vegetation selections (noxious weeds, deciduous, or any vegetation). For electric yards, one herbicide-use alternative is considered. For non-electric facilities, two method package alternatives are considered. For rights-of-way, the environmentally preferred alternative(s) would use manual, mechanical, and biological control methods, as well as spot and localized herbicide applications for noxious and deciduous plant species; the BPA-preferred alternative(s) would add broadcast and aerial herbicide applications, and would use herbicides on any vegetation. Both would factor a management approach that fosters low-growing plant communities.« less

Mars Aeronomy Explorer (MAX): Study Employing Distributed Micro-Spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shotwell, Robert F.; Gray, Andrew A.; Illsley, Peter M.; Johnson, M.; Sherwood, Robert L.; Vozoff, M.; Ziemer, John K.

2005-01-01

An overview of a Mars Aeronomy Explorer (MAX) mission design study performed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is presented herein. The mission design consists of ten micro-spacecraft orbiters launched on a Delta IV to Mars polar orbit to determine the spatial, diurnal and seasonal variation of the constituents of the Martian upper atmosphere and ionosphere over the course of one Martian year. The spacecraft are designed to allow penetration of the upper atmosphere to at least 90 km. This property coupled with orbit precession will yield knowledge of the nature of the solar wind interaction with Mars, the influence of the Mars crustal magnetic field on ionospheric processes, and the measurement of present thermal and nonthermal escape rates of atmospheric constituents. The mission design incorporates alternative design paradigms that are more appropriate for-and in some cases motivate-distributed micro-spacecraft. These design paradigms are not defined by a simple set of rules, but rather a way of thinking about the function of instruments, mission reliability/risk, and cost in a systemic framework.

Exploration of malingering indices in the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition Digit Span subtest.

PubMed

Reese, Caitlin S; Suhr, Julie A; Riddle, Tara L

2012-03-01

Prior research shows that Digit Span is a useful embedded measure of malingering. However, the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (Wechsler, 2008) altered Digit Span in meaningful ways, necessitating another look at Digit Span as an embedded measure of malingering. Using a simulated malingerer design, we examined the predictive accuracy of existing Digit Span validity indices and explored whether patterns of performance utilizing the new version would provide additional evidence for malingering. Undergraduates with a history of mild head injury performed with best effort or simulated impaired cognition and were also compared with a large sample of non-head-injured controls. Previously established cutoffs for the age-corrected scaled score and Reliable Digit Span (RDS) performed similarly in the present samples. Patterns of RDS length using all three subscales of the new scale were different in malingerers when compared with both head-injured and non-head-injured controls. Two potential alternative RDS scores were introduced, which showed better sensitivity than the traditional RDS, while retaining specificity to malingering.

Web-based hybrid-dimensional Visualization and Exploration of Cytological Localization Scenarios.

PubMed

Kovanci, Gökhan; Ghaffar, Mehmood; Sommer, Björn

2016-12-21

The CELLmicrocosmos 4.2 PathwayIntegration (CmPI) is a tool which provides hybrid-dimensional visualization and analysis of intracellular protein and gene localizations in the context of a virtual 3D environment. This tool is developed based on Java/Java3D/JOGL and provides a standalone application compatible to all relevant operating systems. However, it requires Java and the local installation of the software. Here we present the prototype of an alternative web-based visualization approach, using Three.js and D3.js. In this way it is possible to visualize and explore CmPI-generated localization scenarios including networks mapped to 3D cell components by just providing a URL to a collaboration partner. This publication describes the integration of the different technologies – Three.js, D3.js and PHP – as well as an application case: a localization scenario of the citrate cycle. The CmPI web viewer is available at: http://CmPIweb.CELLmicrocosmos.org.

Web-based hybrid-dimensional Visualization and Exploration of Cytological Localization Scenarios.

PubMed

Kovanci, Gökhan; Ghaffar, Mehmood; Sommer, Björn

2016-10-01

The CELLmicrocosmos 4.2 PathwayIntegration (CmPI) is a tool which provides hybriddimensional visualization and analysis of intracellular protein and gene localizations in the context of a virtual 3D environment. This tool is developed based on Java/Java3D/JOGL and provides a standalone application compatible to all relevant operating systems. However, it requires Java and the local installation of the software. Here we present the prototype of an alternative web-based visualization approach, using Three.js and D3.js. In this way it is possible to visualize and explore CmPI-generated localization scenarios including networks mapped to 3D cell components by just providing a URL to a collaboration partner. This publication describes the integration of the different technologies - Three.js, D3.js and PHP - as well as an application case: a localization scenario of the citrate cycle. The CmPI web viewer is available at: http://CmPIweb.CELLmicrocosmos.org.

The Construct Validity of Scores on the Ways of Coping Questionnaire: Confirmatory Analysis of Alternative Factor Structures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edwards, Jeffrey R.; O'Neill, Regina M.

1998-01-01

Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate alternative factor structures, based on previous exploratory factor analyses and coping dimensions derived from the theory of R. Lazarus, for the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (S. Folkman and R. Lazarus, 1988). Results from responses of 654 college graduates provide little support for the factor…

Consequences of Assumption Violations Revisited: A Quantitative Review of Alternatives to the One-Way Analysis of Variance "F" Test.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lix, Lisa M.; And Others

1996-01-01

Meta-analytic techniques were used to summarize the statistical robustness literature on Type I error properties of alternatives to the one-way analysis of variance "F" test. The James (1951) and Welch (1951) tests performed best under violations of the variance homogeneity assumption, although their use is not always appropriate. (SLD)

Key Issues for Navigation and Time Dissemination in NASA's Space Exploration Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nelson, R. A.; Brodsky, B.; Oria, A. J.; Connolly, J. W.; Sands, O. S.; Welch, B. W.; Ely T.; Orr, R.; Schuchman, L.

2006-01-01

The renewed emphasis on robotic and human missions within NASA's space exploration program warrants a detailed consideration of how the positions of objects in space will be determined and tracked, whether they be spacecraft, human explorers, robots, surface vehicles, or science instrumentation. The Navigation Team within the NASA Space Communications Architecture Working Group (SCAWG) has addressed several key technical issues in this area and the principle findings are reported here. For navigation in the vicinity of the Moon, a variety of satellite constellations have been investigated that provide global or regional surface position determination and timely services analogous to those offered by GPS at Earth. In the vicinity of Mars, there are options for satellite constellations not available at the Moon due to the gravitational perturbations from Earth, such as two satellites in an aerostationary orbit. Alternate methods of radiometric navigation as considered, including one- and two-way signals, as well as autonomous navigation. The use of a software radio capable of receiving all available signal sources, such as GPS, pseudolites, and communication channels, is discussed. Methods of time transfer and dissemination are also considered in this paper.

Social networks and smoking: exploring the effects of peer influence and smoker popularity through simulations.

PubMed

Schaefer, David R; Adams, Jimi; Haas, Steven A

2013-10-01

Adolescent smoking and friendship networks are related in many ways that can amplify smoking prevalence. Understanding and developing interventions within such a complex system requires new analytic approaches. We draw on recent advances in dynamic network modeling to develop a technique that explores the implications of various intervention strategies targeted toward micro-level processes. Our approach begins by estimating a stochastic actor-based model using data from one school in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The model provides estimates of several factors predicting friendship ties and smoking behavior. We then use estimated model parameters to simulate the coevolution of friendship and smoking behavior under potential intervention scenarios. Namely, we manipulate the strength of peer influence on smoking and the popularity of smokers relative to nonsmokers. We measure how these manipulations affect smoking prevalence, smoking initiation, and smoking cessation. Results indicate that both peer influence and smoking-based popularity affect smoking behavior and that their joint effects are nonlinear. This study demonstrates how a simulation-based approach can be used to explore alternative scenarios that may be achievable through intervention efforts and offers new hypotheses about the association between friendship and smoking.

Social Networks and Smoking: Exploring the Effects of Influence and Smoker Popularity through Simulations

PubMed Central

Schaefer, David R.; adams, jimi; Haas, Steven A.

2015-01-01

Adolescent smoking and friendship networks are related in many ways that can amplify smoking prevalence. Understanding and developing interventions within such a complex system requires new analytic approaches. We draw upon recent advances in dynamic network modeling to develop a technique that explores the implications of various intervention strategies targeted toward micro-level processes. Our approach begins by estimating a stochastic actor-based model using data from one school in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. The model provides estimates of several factors predicting friendship ties and smoking behavior. We then use estimated model parameters to simulate the co-evolution of friendship and smoking behavior under potential intervention scenarios. Namely, we manipulate the strength of peer influence on smoking and the popularity of smokers relative to nonsmokers. We measure how these manipulations affect smoking prevalence, smoking initiation, and smoking cessation. Results indicate that both peer influence and smoking-based popularity affect smoking behavior, and that their joint effects are nonlinear. This study demonstrates how a simulation-based approach can be used to explore alternative scenarios that may be achievable through intervention efforts and offers new hypotheses about the association between friendship and smoking. PMID:24084397

A school peer mediation program as a context for exploring therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ): Can a peer mediation program inform the law?

PubMed

McWilliam, Nicky

2010-01-01

This paper reports an exploratory study of a school peer mediation program implemented as an alternative way to manage bullying and other destructive conflict. The study explores the effects of the program on the well-being of members of the school community by examining perceptions of students, staff and a sample of parents and former students. Drawing on therapeutic jurisprudence (TJ) the study explores whether the component parts of the program, separately or together, promote intended or unintended therapeutic effects. The preliminary findings of the study emphasise the importance of peer mediation training and suggest that existing scholarship in the area of school conflict resolution and peer mediation, when viewed through a TJ lens, may provide valuable insights into how to optimally configure programs for development and adoption in schools and other community settings. The study highlights the lack of attention paid by the legal system to valuable scholarship in the area of school conflict resolution and peer mediation, which may have implications for the understanding and development of legal processes and the law in general. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DNA nanotechnology: new adventures for an old warhorse.

PubMed

Zakeri, Bijan; Lu, Timothy K

2015-10-01

As the blueprint of life, the natural exploits of DNA are admirable. However, DNA should not only be viewed within a biological context. It is an elegantly simple yet functionally complex chemical polymer with properties that make it an ideal platform for engineering new nanotechnologies. Rapidly advancing synthesis and sequencing technologies are enabling novel unnatural applications for DNA beyond the realm of genetics. Here we explore the chemical biology of DNA nanotechnology for emerging applications in communication and digital data storage. Early studies of DNA as an alternative to magnetic and optical storage mediums have not only been promising, but have demonstrated the potential of DNA to revolutionize the way we interact with digital data in the future. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Gentlest ascent dynamics for calculating first excited state and exploring energy landscape of Kohn-Sham density functionals.

PubMed

Li, Chen; Lu, Jianfeng; Yang, Weitao

2015-12-14

We develop the gentlest ascent dynamics for Kohn-Sham density functional theory to search for the index-1 saddle points on the energy landscape of the Kohn-Sham density functionals. These stationary solutions correspond to excited states in the ground state functionals. As shown by various examples, the first excited states of many chemical systems are given by these index-1 saddle points. Our novel approach provides an alternative, more robust way to obtain these excited states, compared with the widely used ΔSCF approach. The method can be easily generalized to target higher index saddle points. Our results also reveal the physical interest and relevance of studying the Kohn-Sham energy landscape.

First record of entomopathogenic fungi on autumn leaf Caterpillar (Doleschallia bisaltide)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dayanti, A. K.; Sholahuddin; Yunus, A.; Subositi, D.

2018-03-01

Caricature plant is one of the medicinal plants in Indonesia to cure hemorrhoids, menstruation, and others. The cultivation constraints of caricature plant is autumn leaf caterpillars (Doleschallia bisaltide). Utilization of synthetic insecticides is not allowed to avoid bioaccumulation of chemical residues. Entomopathogenic fungi is an alternative way to control D. bisaltide. The objective of the research was to obtain isolates of entomopathogenic fungi of D. bisaltide. The research conducted by two steps, which were exsploration of infecfted D. bisaltide. The second step was identification of the fungi. Exploration results of 16 pupae of D. Bisaltide were infected by fungi. Identification done by classify the mcroscopic and microscopic fungi isolate characteristic. One from five fungal isolates were entomopathogenic fungi from Verticillium genera.

A virtual reality environment for telescope operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martínez, Luis A.; Villarreal, José L.; Ángeles, Fernando; Bernal, Abel

2010-07-01

Astronomical observatories and telescopes are becoming increasingly large and complex systems, demanding to any potential user the acquirement of great amount of information previous to access them. At present, the most common way to overcome that information is through the implementation of larger graphical user interfaces and computer monitors to increase the display area. Tonantzintla Observatory has a 1-m telescope with a remote observing system. As a step forward in the improvement of the telescope software, we have designed a Virtual Reality (VR) environment that works as an extension of the remote system and allows us to operate the telescope. In this work we explore this alternative technology that is being suggested here as a software platform for the operation of the 1-m telescope.

Spintronic signatures of Klein tunneling in topological insulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Yunkun; Tan, Yaohua; Ghosh, Avik W.

2017-11-01

Klein tunneling, the perfect transmission of normally incident Dirac electrons across a potential barrier, has been widely studied in graphene and explored to design switches, albeit indirectly. We show an alternative way to directly measure Klein tunneling for spin-momentum locked electrons crossing a PN junction along a three-dimensional topological insulator surface. In these topological insulator PN junctions (TIPNJs), the spin texture and momentum distribution of transmitted electrons can be measured electrically using a ferromagnetic probe for varying gate voltages and angles of current injection. Based on transport models across a TIPNJ, we show that the asymmetry in the potentiometric signal between PP and PN junctions and its overall angular dependence serve as a direct signature of Klein tunneling.

DNA nanotechnology: new adventures for an old warhorse

PubMed Central

Zakeri, Bijan; Lu, Timothy K.

2016-01-01

As the blueprint of life, the natural exploits of DNA are admirable. However, DNA should not only be viewed within a biological context. It is an elegantly simple yet functionally complex chemical polymer with properties that make it an ideal platform for engineering new nanotechnologies. Rapidly advancing synthesis and sequencing technologies are enabling novel unnatural applications for DNA beyond the realm of genetics. Here we explore the chemical biology of DNA nanotechnology for emerging applications in communication and digital data storage. Early studies of DNA as an alternative to magnetic and optical storage mediums have not only been promising, but have demonstrated the potential of DNA to revolutionize the way we interact with digital data in the future. PMID:26056949

Exploring Residents’ Communication Learning Process in the Workplace: A Five-Phase Model

PubMed Central

Scherpbier, Albert; van Dulmen, Sandra

2015-01-01

Context Competency-based education is a resurgent paradigm in professional medical education. However, more specific knowledge is needed about the learning process of such competencies, since they consist of complex skills. We chose to focus on the competency of skilled communication and want to further explore its learning process, since it is regarded as a main competency in medical education. Objective This study aims to explore in more detail the learning process that residents in general practice go through during workplace-based learning in order to become skilled communicators. Methods A qualitative study was conducted in which twelve GP residents were observed during their regular consultations, and were interviewed in-depth afterwards. Results Analysis of the data resulted in the construction of five phases and two overall conditions to describe the development towards becoming a skilled communicator: Confrontation with (un)desired behaviour or clinical outcomes was the first phase. Becoming conscious of one’s own behaviour and changing the underlying frame of reference formed the second phase. The third phase consisted of the search for alternative behaviour. In the fourth phase, personalization of the alternative behaviour had to occur, this was perceived as difficult and required much time. Finally, the fifth phase concerned full internalization of the new behaviour, which by then had become an integrated part of the residents’ clinical repertoire. Safety and cognitive & emotional space were labelled as overall conditions influencing this learning process. Conclusions Knowledge and awareness of these five phases can be used to adjust medical working and learning environments in such a way that development of skilled medical communication can come to full fruition and its benefits are more fully reaped. PMID:26000767

Alternative Student Growth Measures for Teacher Evaluation: Implementation Experiences of Early-Adopting Districts. REL 2015-093

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCullough, Moira; English, Brittany; Angus, Megan Hague; Gill, Brian

2015-01-01

Alternative student growth measures for teacher evaluation: Implementation experiences of early-adopting districts: State requirements to include student achievement growth in teacher evaluations are prompting the development of alternative ways to measure growth in grades and subjects not covered by state assessments. These alternative growth…

Nonnative Speakers Do Not Take Competing Alternative Expressions into Account the Way Native Speakers Do

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robenalt, Clarice; Goldberg, Adele E.

2016-01-01

When native speakers judge the acceptability of novel sentences, they appear to implicitly take competing formulations into account, judging novel sentences with a readily available alternative formulation to be less acceptable than novel sentences with no competing alternative. Moreover, novel sentences with a competing alternative are more…

As the EBacc Education Beds Down, Pressures Grow for Vocational Alternatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Martin

2016-01-01

Though upper secondary education is increasingly dominated by the EBacc, there are growing calls for vocational alternatives and for schools to be more than "exam factories". This short contribution examines whether vocational education provides an alternative way forward.

Neural activity associated with repetitive simulation of episodic counterfactual thoughts.

PubMed

De Brigard, Felipe; Parikh, Natasha; Stewart, Gregory W; Szpunar, Karl K; Schacter, Daniel L

2017-11-01

When people revisit past autobiographical events they often imagine alternative ways in which such events could have occurred. Often these episodic counterfactual thoughts (eCFT) are momentary and fleeting, but sometimes they are simulated frequently and repeatedly. However, little is known about the neural differences between frequently versus infrequently repeated eCFT. The current study explores this issue. In a three-session study, participants were asked to simulate alternative ways positive, negative, and neutral autobiographical memories could have occurred. Half of these eCFT were repeatedly re-simulated while the other half were not. Immediately after, participants were asked to simulate all these eCFT again while undergoing fMRI. A partial least squares analysis on the resultant fMRI data revealed that eCFT that were not frequently repeated preferentially engaged brain regions including middle (BA 21) and superior temporal gyri (BA 38/39), middle (BA 11) and superior frontal gyri (BA 9), and hippocampus. By contrast, frequently repeated eCFT preferentially engaged regions including medial frontal gyri (BA 10), anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and inferior parietal lobule (BA 40). Direct contrasts for each type of eCFT were also conducted. The results of these analyses suggest differential contributions of regions traditionally associated with eCFT, such as BA 10, anterior cingulate cortex, and hippocampus, as a function of kind of eCFT and frequency of repetition. Consequences for future research on eCFT and rumination are considered. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Alternative financial institutions? Sustainability, development, social reproduction, and gender analysis.

PubMed

Kidder, T

1999-08-01

This paper proposes a conceptual framework for alternative financial institutions in Nicaragua. The article includes a discussion on innovative services and policies, which differentiate CARUNA (National Savings and Credit Cooperative ¿Caja Rural¿), and other financial institutions from conventional banks. It further examines theories that have altered the way development practitioners think about the economy, poverty reduction, and the positions of men and women in the society. These theories are the feminist economic theory and alternative development theories. Specific ways to incorporate the concepts of alternative and feminist economic theories in the design of financial institutions include open credit, savings, and remittance mechanisms, and coordinating councils. The gender analysis approach was used to evaluate the design of financial institutions.

Goethe's phenomenology of nature: a juvenilization of science.

PubMed

Skaftnesmo, Trond

2009-01-01

Empirical science is not a mere collection of facts. It builds theories and frames hypotheses within those theories. Empirical theories are stated as plausible answers to questions we pose to nature. According to the Galilean-Baconian tradition within science, these questions should basically explore the causes of observed phenomena, and further be restricted to the measurable and quantitative realm. Thus, the answers are generally expected to explain the effective causes behind the actual phenomena. By framing falsifiable hypotheses, the theories are tested against the empirical foundation on which they rest. In this way we try to relieve science from false theories. Thus, we have two epistemological levels: First, the theoretical level; the scientific theory explaining the phenomena, and second, the empirical level; the phenomena or facts verifying or falsifying those theories. According to the poet and multi-scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832), there is however another way of science, namely an approach where these two levels fuse and become one. Goethe intended this approach to be a complementation of the Galilean-Baconian method, more than an alternative. He considered his "hypothesis-free method" to be a more comprehensive and secure way to understand nature. Whereas the Galilean-Baconian method aimed at explaining the effective causes of natural phenomena, in order to control and exploit nature for technical and industrial purposes, Goethe aimed at an exposition of the inherent meaning of the phenomena.We will explore, exemplify and discuss this approach with reference to the inherently Goethean phenomenology of evolution credited to the Dutch anatomist Louis Bolk (1866-1930), later commented and complemented by Stephen Jay Gould (1941-2002) and Jos Verhulst (1949 ). In the course of this presentation we will outline the Goethean approach as a method representing a juvenilization or in Bolk's terms, a fetalization of science.

"Tangled wires in the head": older migrant Chinese's perception of mental illness in Britain.

PubMed

Li, Sarah; Hatzidimitriadou, Eleni; Psoinos, Maria

2014-08-01

In this article, the authors explored Cantonese-speaking older Chinese migrants knowledge, attitudes and expectations regarding mental illness. They obtained verbatim data from semi-structured interviews with eight participants recruited from London-based Chinese and church communities in Britain. They analyzed the data using the principles of Grounded Theory and in-depth content analysis. They examined cultural idioms in participants' accounts. Findings suggested that Western diagnostic categories of mental illness were alien to participants. They had a culturally constructed way of defining and characterizing mental illness. Participants used idioms of 'nerve', 'mood', 'behavior', 'personality', 'normal life', 'compassion' and the idiom of 'others' to construct an alternative world for stigma management. They erected an invisible but permeable barrier to limit access to their normal world. The role of traditional Chinese culture of Confucianism was significant in shaping perceptions and conceptions of mental illness. This article offered another perspective on the alternative world of Chinese migrants' cultural understandings of mental illness, an area with limited understanding at present. The authors discussed important implications for future research and social policy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Web quality control for lectures: Supercourse and Amazon.com.

PubMed

Linkov, Faina; LaPorte, Ronald; Lovalekar, Mita; Dodani, Sunita

2005-12-01

Peer review has been at the corner stone of quality control of the biomedical journals in the past 300 years. With the emergency of the Internet, new models of quality control and peer review are emerging. However, such models are poorly investigated. We would argue that the popular system of quality control used in Amazon.com offers a way to ensure continuous quality improvement in the area of research communications on the Internet. Such system is providing an interesting alternative to the traditional peer review approaches used in the biomedical journals and challenges the traditional paradigms of scientific publishing. This idea is being explored in the context of Supercourse, a library of 2,350 prevention lectures, shared for free by faculty members from over 150 countries. Supercourse is successfully utilizing quality control approaches that are similar to Amazon.com model. Clearly, the existing approaches and emerging alternatives for quality control in scientific communications needs to be assessed scientifically. Rapid explosion of internet technologies could be leveraged to produce better, more cost effective systems for quality control in the biomedical publications and across all sciences.

Sustainable Transportation: Accelerating Widespread Adoption of Energy Efficient Vehicles & Fuels (Brochure)

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

Not Available

2014-12-01

While energy efficient transportation strategies have the potential to simultaneously slash oil consumption and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, a truly sustainable solution will require more than just putting drivers behind the wheels of new fuel-efficient cars. As the only national laboratory dedicated 100% to renewable energy and energy efficiency, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) accelerates widespread adoption of high-performance, low-emission, energy-efficient passenger and freight vehicles, as well as alternative fuels and related infrastructure. Researchers collaborate closely with industry, government, and research partners, using a whole-systems approach to design better batteries, drivetrains, and engines, as well as thermal management,more » energy storage, power electronic, climate control, alternative fuel, combustion, and emission systems. NREL's sustainable transportation research, development, and deployment (RD&D) efforts are not limited to vehicles, roads, and fueling stations. The lab also explores ways to save energy and reduce GHGs by integrating transportation technology advancements with renewable energy generation, power grids and building systems, urban planning and policy, and fleet operations.« less

Recruitment and selection in violent extremist organizations: Exploring what industrial and organizational psychology might contribute.

PubMed

Hunter, Samuel T; Shortland, Neil D; Crayne, Matthew P; Ligon, Gina S

2017-04-01

For many terrorist organizations, also known as violent extremist organizations (VEOs), their ability to perpetuate violence is often contingent upon successful recruitment and selection of organizational members. Although academic work on terrorist recruitment and selection has improved in recent years, researchers have generally focused more heavily on aspects of radicalization rather than organization attraction and entry. Moreover, a number of terrorism scholars have lamented the lack of conceptual frameworks with which to interpret and extend findings linked to recruitment and selection, specifically. In light of these difficulties, we propose that considering literature bases outside of terrorism may be useful in extending lines of inquiry and offering alternative ways of thinking about how terrorist organizations operate. Specifically, we draw on Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Human Resource Management, and Organizational Behavior literature bases to offer alternative and extended modes of thought on terrorist recruitment and selection. In doing so, we believe both terrorism and more traditional organizational scholars can make substantive and novel contributions to future investigations of increasingly pressing issues surrounding violent extremism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

78 FR 36298 - Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Federal Way Transit...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-17

..., and an alternatives analysis study. Early scoping notification for the alternatives analysis phase was... alternatives analysis findings, and other background technical reports are available on the project Web site... about the proposed [[Page 36299

Energy Alternatives. Volume 2, No. 8

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

Mielke, G.

1984-08-01

Some new ways of financing energy-efficient homes are briefly discussed. A vertical axis wind turbine operating at an Illinois residence is described. The failure of the 40% federal renewable energy tax credit to be extended beyond December 31, 1985, and legislation concerning the manufacture, importation, and use of alcohol fuels are reported. An alternative way of constructing exterior corners using only two studs with drywall clips is described. (LEW)

Alternative Programs for At-Risk Students: Wolves in Sheep's Clothing?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sagor, Richard

1997-01-01

Provides a critique of alternative education and details the disadvantages of segregated schooling. Discusses the problems associated with labeling children as "problem students" and outlines ways in which equitable alternative programs can be devised. Gives a case study as an example. (RJM)

Bonneville Power Administration Transmission System Vegetation Management Program - Final Environmental Impact Statement

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

N /A

Bonneville is responsible for maintaining a network of 24,000 kilometers (km) or 15,000 miles (mi.) of electric transmission lines and 350 substations in a region of diverse vegetation. This vegetation can interfere with electric power flow, pose safety problems for us and the public, and interfere with our ability to maintain these facilities. We need to (1) keep vegetation away from our electric facilities; (2) increase our program efficiency and consistency; (3) review herbicide use (under increased public scrutiny); and (4) maximize the range of tools we can use while minimizing environmental impact (Integrated Vegetation Management). This Final Environmental Impactmore » Statement (FEIS) establishes Planning Steps for managing vegetation for specific projects (to be tiered to this Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)). In addition to No Action (current practice), alternatives are presented for Rights-of-way, Electric Yards, and Non-electric Facilities (landscaping, work yards). Four vegetation control methods are analyzed manual, mechanical, herbicide, and biological. Also evaluated are 23 herbicide active ingredients and 4 herbicide application techniques (spot, localized, broadcast, and aerial). For rights-of-way, we consider three sets of alternatives: alternative management approaches (time-driven or establishing low-growing plant communities); alternative method packages; and, if herbicides are in a methods package, alternative vegetation selections (noxious weeds, deciduous, or any vegetation). For electric yards, one herbicide-use alternative is considered. For non-electric facilities, two method package alternatives are considered. For rights-of-way, the environmentally preferred alternative(s) would use manual, mechanical, and biological control methods, as well as spot and localized herbicide applications for noxious and deciduous plant species; the BPA-preferred alternative(s) would add broadcast and aerial herbicide applications, and would use herbicides on any vegetation. Both would favor a management approach that fosters low-growing plant communities.« less

76 FR 27850 - Irish Potatoes Grown in Washington; Modification of the Rules and Regulations

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-13

... continue exploring alternative marketing strategies. DATES: Effective July 1, 2011; comments received by... opportunity to continue exploring alternative marketing strategies. The authority for regulation is provided... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Agricultural Marketing Service 7 CFR Part 946 [Doc. No. AMS-FV-11-0024...

What Next? Promoting Alternatives to Ability Grouping.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wheelock, Anne; Hawley, Willis D.

With new knowledge and tools at their disposal, educators at all levels are exploring alternatives to ability grouping in order to improve schooling for all students. Bringing about positive results requires the development and utilization of knowledge about how ability grouping affects schools, exploration of beliefs that support grouping, and…

Considerations for a business model for the effective integration of novel biomarkers into drug development.

PubMed

Frueh, Felix W

2008-11-01

It is 10 years since the introduction of trastuzumab into the US market, and we are still waiting for a validation of the business case for biomarker-driven drug development. While many reasons for the lack of duplication of this model may exist, the need for accelerated innovation in drug development paired with the opportunity of integrating biomarker-driven research into drug development programs may lead to new and creative ways of fostering the cooperation between drug developers and test manufacturers. The rapid increase in knowledge about biomarkers and our understanding of disease and disease mechanisms open unprecedented prospects to make not only better, more informed decisions regarding patient care, but also strategic decisions during drug development. This requires that a biomarker strategy becomes an integral part of (early) drug development and that new, innovative paths are tried towards a model that combines the scientific approach with an economically feasible implementation strategy. Collaborative research, the use of new communication tools, the exploration of alternative ways to position a product in the market, and other considerations are part of such a strategy. This perspective article illustrates the current landscape and takes a look at some of these new ways for more effectively integrating biomarkers into drug development.

Depression and embodiment: phenomenological reflections on motility, affectivity, and transcendence.

PubMed

Aho, Kevin A

2013-11-01

This paper integrates personal narratives with the methods of phenomenology in order to draw some general conclusions about 'what it means' and 'what it feels like' to be depressed. The analysis has three parts. First, it explores the ways in which depression disrupts everyday experiences of spatial orientation and motility. This disruption makes it difficult for the person to move and perform basic functional tasks, resulting in a collapse or contraction of the life-world. Second, it illustrates how depression creates a situational atmosphere of emotional indifference that reduces the person's ability to qualitatively distinguish what matters in his or her life because nothing stands out as significant or important anymore. In this regard, depression is distinct from other feelings because it is not directed towards particular objects or situations but to the world as a whole. Finally, the paper examines how depression diminishes the possibility for 'self-creation' or 'self-making'. Restricted by the illness, depression becomes something of a destiny, preventing the person from being open and free to access a range of alternative self-interpretations, identities, and possible ways of being-in-the-world.

The affective (re)production of refugee representations through educational policies and practices: Reconceptualising the role of emotion for peace education in a divided country

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zembylas, Michalinos

2012-08-01

Drawing into a discussion of the politicisation of emotion, this paper develops a framework to analyse some of the processes and strategies by which educational policies and pedagogical practices "emotionalise" the representation of refugees in conflict-ridden societies such as Cyprus and explores the implications for peace education. In particular, this paper aims to refine our understanding of how emotions affect the ways in which educational policies and practices reproduce self-other dichotomies through certain representations of the refugee experience. It is argued that these dichotomies are relevant to the emotional reactions against peace education initiatives. Second, this paper examines alternative possibilities of promoting peaceful coexistence, while taking into consideration the affective (re)production of refugee representations yet without undermining the refugee experience. Better understanding of how emotion is involved will help educational policymakers and teachers in divided societies to take into account the hitherto poorly developed aspects of the ways in which emotions, the refugee experience and peace education are inextricably intertwined.

Narrative, memory and social representations: a conversation between history and social psychology.

PubMed

Jovchelovitch, Sandra

2012-12-01

This paper explores relations between narrative, memory and social representations by examining how social representations express the ways in which communities deal with the historical past. Drawing on a case study of social representations of the Brazilian public sphere, it shows how a specific narrative of origins re-invents history as a useful mythological resource for defending identity, building inter-group solidarity and maintaining social cohesion. Produced by a time-travelling dialogue between multiple sources, this historical narrative is functional both to transform, to stabilise and give resilience to specific social representations of public life. The Brazilian case shows that historical narratives, which tend to be considered as part of the stable core of representational fields, are neither homogenous nor consensual but open polyphasic platforms for the construction of alternative, often contradictory, representations. These representations do not go away because they are ever changing and situated, recruit multiple ways of thinking and fulfil functions of identity, inter-group solidarity and social cohesion. In the disjunction between historiography and the past as social representation are the challenges and opportunities for the dialogue between historians and social psychologists.

Exploring emotional climate in preservice science teacher education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellocchi, Alberto; Ritchie, Stephen M.; Tobin, Kenneth; Sandhu, Maryam; Sandhu, Satwant

2013-09-01

Classroom emotional climates (ECs) are interrelated with students' engagement with university courses. Despite growing interest in emotions and EC research, little is known about the ways in which social interactions and different subject matter mediate ECs in preservice science teacher education classes. In this study we investigated the EC and associated classroom interactions in a preservice science teacher education class. We were interested in the ways in which salient classroom interactions were related to the EC during lessons centered on debates about science-based issues (e.g., nuclear energy alternatives). Participants used audience response technology to indicate their perceptions of the EC. Analysis of conversation for salient video clips and analysis of non-verbal conduct (acoustic parameters, body movements, and facial expressions) supplemented EC data. One key contribution that this study makes to preservice science teacher education is to identify the micro-processes of successful and unsuccessful class interactions that were associated with positive and neutral EC. The structure of these interactions can inform the practice of other science educators who wish to produce positive ECs in their classes. The study also extends and explicates the construct of intensity of EC.

Travel-related behaviors, opinions, and concerns of U.S. adult drivers by race/ethnicity, 2010.

PubMed

Bhat, Geeta; Naumann, Rebecca B

2013-12-01

The U.S. population is shifting to become both older and more racially and ethnically diverse. Our current understanding of U.S. drivers' travel-related needs and concerns by race/ethnicity is limited. Data from the 2010 HealthStyles survey, an annual, cross-sectional, national mail-panel survey of persons ages 18 years or older living in the United States, were used to calculate weighted percentages of travel-related behaviors, opinions, and concerns by race/ethnicity. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between race/ethnicity and specific travel-related concerns, while adjusting for other demographic characteristics. Adequate transportation alternatives to driving were reported by a greater percentage of persons in certain minority groups compared to whites (Hispanic: 34.7%; white: 23.4%). Concern for the availability of alternatives to driving in the future was greater among minority groups (black: 57.7%; Hispanic: 47.3%; other: 50.9%) compared to whites (37.5%). Additionally, among persons with a household income of $25,000+, minorities were generally more likely than whites to report concern about having alternative transportation options to driving, whereas concern was consistently high among all racial/ethnic groups for those earning less than $25,000 annually. In each racial/ethnic group, more than 10% of persons reported not knowing how they would get around if they could no longer drive. Important variations by race/ethnicity in both travel behaviors and concerns for adequate alternatives to driving were found, revealing the need for further research to better understand reasons for these differences and to identify ways to meet the transportation needs of the changing U.S. population demographics. Further research on adequate alternatives to driving and transportation needs is needed. © 2013.

Promising Practices for Providing Alternative Media to Postsecondary Students with Print Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolfe, Gerri L.; Lee, Christopher

2007-01-01

For postsecondary students with disabilities influencing reading performance, printed class materials pose a substantial barrier and have a negative impact on academic achievement. Digital technologies offer alternative ways of accessing print materials for students with print-related disabilities. Alternative media is a broad term that…

Opening the Solar System: An Advanced Nuclear Spacecraft for Human Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Werka, R. O.; Percy, T. K.

2014-01-01

Human exploration of the solar system is limited by our technology, not our imagination. We dream of a time when we can freely travel among the planets and truly become a spacefaring people. However, the current state of our technology limits our options for architecting missions to other planets. Instead of sailing the seas of space in the way that we cruise the seas of Earth, our limited propulsion technology requires us to depart Earth on a giant cluster of gas tanks and return in a lifeboat. This inefficient approach to exploration is evident in many of today's leading mission plans for human flights to Mars, asteroids, and other destinations. The cost and complexity of this approach to mission architecting makes it extremely difficult to realize our dreams of exploration beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO). This does not need to be the case. Researchers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) have been investigating the feasibility of a new take on nuclear propulsion with the performance to enable a paradigm shift in human space exploration. During the fall of 2013, engineers at MSFC's Advanced Concepts Office developed a spacecraft concept (pictured below) around this new propulsion technology and redefined the human Mars mission to show its full potential. This spacecraft, which can be launched with a fleet of soon-to-be available SLS launch vehicles, is fueled primarily with hydrogen, and is fully reusable with no staging required. The reusable nature of this design enables a host of alternative mission architectures that more closely resemble an ocean voyage than our current piecemeal approach to exploration.

A technology assessment of alternative communications systems for the space exploration initiative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ponchak, Denise S.; Zuzek, John E.; Whyte, Wayne A., Jr.; Spence, Rodney L.; Sohn, Philip Y.

1990-01-01

Telecommunications, Navigation, and Information Management (TNIM) services are vital to accomplish the ambitious goals of the Space Exploration Initiative (SEI). A technology assessment is provided for four alternative lunar and Mars operational TNIM systems based on detailed communications link analyses. The four alternative systems range from a minimum to a fully enhanced capability and use frequencies from S-band, through Ka-band, and up to optical wavelengths. Included are technology development schedules as they relate to present SEI mission architecture time frames.

Understanding Conic Sections Using Alternate Graph Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Elizabeth M.; Jones, Elizabeth

2006-01-01

This article describes two alternative coordinate systems and their use in graphing conic sections. This alternative graph paper helps students explore the idea of eccentricity using the definitions of the conic sections.

Using Alternate Energy Sources. The Illinois Plan for Industrial Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois State Univ., Normal.

This guide, which is one in the "Exploration" series of curriculum guides intended to assist junior high and middle school industrial educators in helping their students explore diverse industrial situations and technologies used in industry, deals with using alternate energy sources. The following topics are covered in the individual lessons:…

Plant trait detection with multi-scale spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gamon, J. A.; Wang, R.

2017-12-01

Proximal and remote sensing using imaging spectrometry offers new opportunities for detecting plant traits, with benefits for phenotyping, productivity estimation, stress detection, and biodiversity studies. Using proximal and airborne spectrometry, we evaluated variation in plant optical properties at various spatial and spectral scales with the goal of identifying optimal scales for distinguishing plant traits related to photosynthetic function. Using directed approaches based on physiological vegetation indices, and statistical approaches based on spectral information content, we explored alternate ways of distinguishing plant traits with imaging spectrometry. With both leaf traits and canopy structure contributing to the signals, results exhibit a strong scale dependence. Our results demonstrate the benefits of multi-scale experimental approaches within a clear conceptual framework when applying remote sensing methods to plant trait detection for phenotyping, productivity, and biodiversity studies.

Rational choice(s)? Rethinking decision-making on breast cancer risk and screening mammography.

PubMed

Vahabi, Mandana; Gastaldo, Denise

2003-12-01

Women who refrain from undergoing breast cancer screening are believed to be uninformed about risks and usually labeled as irrational. Our purpose in writing this paper is to challenge the traditional notion of rational behaviour, illustrating with qualitative data that people's rationality is influenced by their socio-cultural and political identities. We explore three major themes: (1) cultural explanations regarding intention to use screening mammography (2) (dis)trust in science and expert opinion, and (3) self-responsibility and self-surveillance in caring for one's body. Understanding that women rely on different risk discourses to make decisions about their health should aide researchers, health professionals, and the community in better understanding alternative ways of conceptualizing people's health-related behaviours when they do not coincide with health authorities recommendations.

After the strike: using facilitation in a residency training program.

PubMed

Andres, D; Hamoline, D; Sanders, M; Anderson, J

1998-03-10

Methods of alternative dispute resolution, including facilitation, can be used to identify and resolve areas of conflict. Facilitation was used by the University of Saskatchewan's Department of Family Medicine (Saskatoon division) after the strike by residents in July and August 1995 so as to allow optimal use of the remaining educational time. Through facilitation, experiences of the strike and areas of potential conflict were explored. Participants had a broad range of responses to the strike. Specific coping strategies were developed to deal with identified concerns. Although outcomes were not measured formally, levels of trust improved and collegial relationships were restored. Because so many changes occur in health care and medical education, conflict inevitably arises. Facilitation offers one way of dealing with change constructively, thereby making possible the optimal use of educational time.

Appreciative inquiry: a research tool for mental health services.

PubMed

Hennessy, Julia L; Hughes, Frances

2014-06-01

Appreciative inquiry (AI) provides an alternative approach to the inquisitional style of uncovering "what went wrong and who is at fault" to instead "what can be done to make things better," thus creating an environment that enables one to discover (investigate), dream (what could have been done instead), design (what needs to be done to bring about change), and deliver/ destiny (working with a whole of health and community approach to obtain the positive outcomes for mental health consumers). AI is transformational in nature and provides a way of viewing organizations from an enabling perspective. This article discusses the concept of AI, highlights opportunities and challenges that may be encountered, and explores the possibility of applying the AI concept to mental health research/inquiry. Copyright 2014, SLACK Incorporated.

Crisis or self-correction: Rethinking media narratives about the well-being of science

PubMed Central

Jamieson, Kathleen Hall

2018-01-01

After documenting the existence and exploring some implications of three alternative news narratives about science and its challenges, this essay outlines ways in which those who communicate science can more accurately convey its investigatory process, self-correcting norms, and remedial actions, without in the process legitimizing an unwarranted “science is broken/in crisis” narrative. The three storylines are: (i) quest discovery, which features scientists producing knowledge through an honorable journey; (ii) counterfeit quest discovery, which centers on an individual or group of scientists producing a spurious finding through a dishonorable one; and (iii) a systemic problem structure, which suggests that some of the practices that protect science are broken, or worse, that science is no longer self-correcting or in crisis. PMID:29531076

Performance of Adsorption - Based CO2 Acquisition Hardware for Mars ISRU

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Finn, John E.; Mulloth, Lila M.; Borchers, Bruce A.; Luna, Bernadette (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

Chemical processing of the dusty, low-pressure Martian atmosphere typically requires conditioning and compression of the gases as first steps. A temperature-swing adsorption process can perform these tasks using nearly solid-state hardware and with relatively low power consumption compared to alternative processes. In addition, the process can separate the atmospheric constituents, producing both pressurized CO2 and a buffer gas mixture of nitrogen and argon. To date we have developed and tested adsorption compressors at scales appropriate for the near-term robotic missions that will lead the way to ISRU-based human exploration missions. In this talk we describe the characteristics, testing, and performance of these devices. We also discuss scale-up issues associated with meeting the processing demands of sample return and human missions.

Solar augmentation for process heat with central receiver technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kotzé, Johannes P.; du Toit, Philip; Bode, Sebastian J.; Larmuth, James N.; Landman, Willem A.; Gauché, Paul

2016-05-01

Coal fired boilers are currently one of the most widespread ways to deliver process heat to industry. John Thompson Boilers (JTB) offer industrial steam supply solutions for industry and utility scale applications in Southern Africa. Transport cost add significant cost to the coal price in locations far from the coal fields in Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Limpopo. The Helio100 project developed a low cost, self-learning, wireless heliostat technology that requires no ground preparation. This is attractive as an augmentation alternative, as it can easily be installed on any open land that a client may have available. This paper explores the techno economic feasibility of solar augmentation for JTB coal fired steam boilers by comparing the fuel savings of a generic 2MW heliostat field at various locations throughout South Africa.

From competencies to human interests: ways of knowing and understanding in medical education.

PubMed

Kumagai, Arno K

2014-07-01

When considering the teaching and learning of topics of social relevance in medicine, such as professionalism, medical ethics, the doctor-patient relationship, and issues of diversity and social justice, one is tempted to ask, are the ways of knowing in these fields different from that in the biomedical and clinical sciences? Furthermore, given that the competency approach is dominant in medical education, one might also ask, is the competency model truly appropriate for all of the types of knowledge necessary to become a good physician? These questions are not merely academic, for they are at the core of how these subjects are taught, learned, and assessed.The goal of this article is threefold: first, to explore the nature of knowing and the educational goals in different areas of medicine and, in particular, those areas that have social relevance; second, to critically review the concept of competencies when applied to education in these areas; and third, to explore alternative strategies for teaching, learning, and assessment. This discussion reflects a view that the goal of education in areas of social relevance in medicine should be the enhancement of an understanding of-a deep and abiding connection with-the social responsibilities of the physician. Moving beyond competencies, this approach aspires toward the development of practical wisdom (phronesis) which, when embodied in the physician, links the knowledge and skills of the biomedical and clinical sciences with a moral orientation and call to action that addresses human interests in the practice of medicine.

Tracing Scientific Facilities through the Research Literature Using Persistent Identifiers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayernik, M. S.; Maull, K. E.

2016-12-01

Tracing persistent identifiers to their source publications is an easy task when authors use them, since it is a simple matter of matching the persistent identifier to the specific text string of the identifier. However, trying to understand if a publication uses the resource behind an identifier when such identifier is not referenced explicitly is a harder task. In this research, we explore the effectiveness of alternative strategies of associating publications with uses of the resource referenced by an identifier when it may not be explicit. This project is explored within the context of the NCAR supercomputer, where we are broadly interesting in the science that can be traced to the usage of the NCAR supercomputing facility, by way of the peer-reviewed research publications that utilize and reference it. In this project we explore several ways of drawing linkages between publications and the NCAR supercomputing resources. Identifying and compiling peer-reviewed publications related to NCAR supercomputer usage are explored via three sources: 1) User-supplied publications gathered through a community survey, 2) publications that were identified via manual searching of the Google scholar search index, and 3) publications associated with National Science Foundation (NSF) grants extracted from a public NSF database. These three sources represent three styles of collecting information about publications that likely imply usage of the NCAR supercomputing facilities. Each source has strengths and weaknesses, thus our discussion will explore how our publication identification and analysis methods vary in terms of accuracy, reliability, and effort. We will also discuss strategies for enabling more efficient tracing of research impacts of supercomputing facilities going forward through the assignment of a persistent web identifier to the NCAR supercomputer. While this solution has potential to greatly enhance our ability to trace the use of the facility through publications, authors must cite the facility consistently. It is therefore necessary to provide recommendations for citation and attribution behavior, and we will conclude our discussion with how such recommendations have improved tracing the supercomputer facility allowing for more consistent and widespread measurement of its impact.

Speaking of home truth: (re)productions of dyadic-containment in non-monogamous relationships.

PubMed

Finn, Mark; Malson, Helen

2008-09-01

This paper is a critical exploration of the discursive and socio-historical practice of 'dyadic-containment' as a principle index for how we know, experience, and authenticate romantic relationships. Making intelligible an 'authentic' relationship as something which is fixed, enclosed and exclusive, the pervasive principle of dyadic-containment has considerable implications for what it means to live out 'authentic' but ostensibly liberated relationships. Using post-structuralist discourse analysis to explore ways in which people can account for their consensual non-monogamous relationships (same and cross-sex, dyadic and non-dyadic), we critique the liberal-humanist framework from which such relationships can be played out. In that dyadic-containment as an aspect of an ontology of interiorized and contained 'realness' can be viewed as serving to characterize and authorize monogamous relationships (as we illustrate), practices of consensual non-monogamy that reproduce dyadic-containment as an organizing and authenticating principle are problematized. Limits to understandings and practices of some 'alternative' romantic relationships are therefore expounded and consideration is given to how relational difference might be otherwise premised.

Orbit Determination Issues for Libration Point Orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beckman, Mark; Bauer, Frank (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Libration point mission designers require knowledge of orbital accuracy for a variety of analyses including station keeping control strategies, transfer trajectory design, and formation and constellation control. Past publications have detailed orbit determination (OD) results from individual libration point missions. This paper collects both published and unpublished results from four previous libration point missions (ISEE (International Sun-Earth Explorer) -3, SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory), ACE (Advanced Composition Explorer) and MAP (Microwave Anisotropy Probe)) supported by Goddard Space Flight Center's Guidance, Navigation & Control Center. The results of those missions are presented along with OD issues specific to each mission. All past missions have been limited to ground based tracking through NASA ground sites using standard range and Doppler measurement types. Advanced technology is enabling other OD options including onboard navigation using seaboard attitude sensors and the use of the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) measurement Delta Differenced One-Way Range (DDOR). Both options potentially enable missions to reduce coherent dedicated tracking passes while maintaining orbital accuracy. With the increased projected loading of the DSN (Deep Space Network), missions must find alternatives to the standard OD scenario.

Beyond decision making: class, community organizations, and the healthwork of people living with HIV/AIDS. Contributions from institutional ethnographic research.

PubMed

Mykhalovskiy, Eric

2008-01-01

The consolidation of antiretroviral therapy as the primary biomedical response to HIV infection in the global North has occasioned a growing interest in the health decision making of people living with HIV (PHAs). This interest is burdened by the weight of a behaviorist theoretical orientation that limits decision making to individual acts of rational choice. This article offers an alternative way to understand how PHAs come to take (or not take) biomedical treatments. Drawing on institutional ethnographic research conducted in Toronto, Canada, it explores how the "healthwork" of coming to take (or not take) treatments is organized by extended relations of biomedical knowledge. The article focuses on two aspects of the knowledge relations of coming to take pharmaceutical medications that transcend the conceptual and relational terrain of rational decision-making perspectives. First, it explores disjunctures between the everyday healthwork of poor, socially marginalized PHAs and the terms of biomedical decision making. Second, it investigates the knowledge-mediating activities of community-based organizations that help mitigate those disjunctures.

Why Do Health Economists Promote Technology Adoption Rather Than the Search for Efficiency? A Proposal for a Change in Our Approach to Economic Evaluation in Health Care.

PubMed

Scotland, Graham; Bryan, Stirling

2017-02-01

At a time of intense pressure on health care budgets, the technology management challenge is for disinvestment in low-value technologies and reinvestment in higher value alternatives. The aim of this article is to explore ways in which health economists might begin to redress the observed imbalance between the evaluation of new and existing in-use technologies. The argument is not against evaluating new technologies but in favor of the "search for efficiency," where the ultimate objective is to identify reallocations that improve population health in the face of resource scarcity. We explore why in-use technologies may be of low value and consider how economic evaluation analysts might embrace a broader efficiency lens, first through "technology management" (a process of analysis and evidence-informed decision making throughout a technology's life cycle) and progressing through "pathway management" (the search for efficiency gains across entire clinical care pathways). A number of model-based examples are used to illustrate the approaches.

Teach and Reach: An Alternative Guide to Resources for the Classroom.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barnes, Ellen; And Others

This guide to alternative teaching resources suggests ideas to change the system and self, and it presents new ways of thinking about teaching and learning. A section on programming includes ideas for alternative curricula that are activity based, affective, community based, issue centered, interest centered, and mixed media. A section on…

A Primer on Alternative Investments: Free Lunches, Magic, and the Four Ps.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoder, Jay A.

1998-01-01

A discussion of alternative investments for colleges and universities looks at the kinds of investments that comprise this group, rationales for making such investments, the advantages of diversification, risk issues, and ways to reduce risk, including careful selection of managers. Several strategies for getting started in alternative investments…

PAVING THE WAY TO A “GREENER” CAMPUS: ALTERNATIVE PAVING MATERIALS FOR POLLUTION CONTROL AND AESTHETIC APPEAL

EPA Science Inventory

There were two major areas of focus in this project: a) determination of potential water quality improvements using sustainable paving alternatives and b) determination of potential aesthetic improvement by the use of the sustainable alternatives. In order to address both obje...

Funding an Alternative School.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alternate Learning Project, Providence, RI.

Several types of funding for alternative schools such as list books on Federal grants, foundations, and other sources of money are described in this paper, along with explanations about some of the ways in which an alternative school budget differs from that of a traditional school. Probably the best option from the point of view of stability is…

Teaching physiotherapy students to "be content with a body that refuses to hold still".

PubMed

Macdonald, Helen; Nicholls, David A

2017-04-01

In recent decades, physiotherapists have become concerned with cultural, economic, philosophical, political, and social questions and have been exploring more flexible ways of speaking about and practicing physiotherapy. While recognizing the need to embrace a broader range of perspectives, physiotherapy educators and other medical educators have been at a loss as to how to best achieve this. Drawing on two examples from South Africa and New Zealand, we seek to illustrate possibilities and barriers to teaching social sciences to physiotherapy students, specifically theories of embodiment as an alternative to the biopsychosocial model. We review each educator's choice of embodiment theory in curriculum design and the role of the educator's disciplinary background on teaching, learning, and assessing that learning. Against this background, we explore physiotherapy students' experiences with theories of embodiment and possible transformative implications for their self-worth and/or professional practices. We suggest that students were able to explore physiotherapy's relation to the body and the profession's historical inattention toward the body as a philosophical/theoretical construct. From the lessons learned, some can perhaps be usefully passed onto others thinking of introducing a more diverse and inclusive approach of the body; one that we argue will be needed in the future.

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

Wright, F.M. Jr.; Best, D.A.; Clarke, R.T.

The need for even more efficient reservoir characterization and management has forced a change in the way Mobil Oil provides technical support to its production operations. We`ve learned that to be successful, a good understanding of the reservoir is essential. This includes an understanding of the technical and business significance of reservoir heterogeneities at different stages of field development. A multi-disciplinary understanding of the business of integrated reservoir characterization is essential and to facilitate this understanding, Mobil has developed a highly successful {open_quotes}Reservoir Characterization Field Seminar{close_quotes}. Through specific team based case studies that incorporate outcrop examples and data the programmore » provides participants the opportunity to explore historic and alternative approaches to reservoir description, characterization and management. We explore appropriate levels and timing of data gathering, technology applications, risk assessment and management practices at different stages of field development. The case studies presented throughout the course are a unique element of the program which combine real life and hypothetical problem sets that explore how different technical disciplines interact, the approaches to a problem solving they use, the assumptions and uncertainties contained in their contributions and the impact those conclusions may have on other disciplines involved in the overall reservoir management process. The team building aspect of the course was an added bonus.« less

Conflicting discourses of church youths on masculinity and sexuality in the context of HIV in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Lusey, Hendrew; San Sebastian, Miguel; Christianson, Monica; Dahlgren, Lars; Edin, Kerstin E

2014-01-01

Masculinity studies are fairly new and young churchgoers are an under-researched group in the current Congolese church context. In response to this knowledge gap, this paper attempts to explore discourses of young churchgoers from deprived areas of Kinshasa regarding masculinity and sexuality in the era of HIV. A series of 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with unmarried young churchgoers from the Salvation Army, Protestant and Revival churches. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using discourse analysis. Five main discourses emerged: 'we are aware of the church message on sex', 'young men need sex', 'young women need money', 'to use or not to use condoms' and 'we trust in the church message'. Although all informants knew and heard church messages against premarital sex, many of them were sexually active. The perception was that young men were engaged in sexual activities with multiple partners as a result of sexual motivations surrounding masculinity and sexual potency, while young women sought multiple partners through transactional and intergenerational sex for economic reasons. These sexual practices of young people conflicted with church messages on sexual abstinence and faithfulness. However, a small number of participants challenged current gender norms and suggested alternative ways of being a man or a woman. To elucidate these alternatives, we suggest that church youths and church leaders might take concrete actions to deconstruct misconceptions about being men. In this way, they can possibly enhance a frank and fruitful dialogue on sex, sexuality and gender to promote positive masculinities and constructive partnerships to prevent HIV.

The potential of complementary and alternative medicine in promoting well-being and critical health literacy: a prospective, observational study of shiatsu.

PubMed

Long, Andrew F

2009-06-18

The potential contribution of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities to promote and support critical health literacy has not received substantial attention within either the health promotion or the CAM literature. This paper explores the potential of one CAM modality, shiatsu, in promoting well-being and critical health literacy. Data are drawn from a longitudinal, 6 months observational, pragmatic study of the effects and experience of shiatsu within three European countries (Austria, Spain and the UK). Client postal questionnaires included: advice received, changes made 6 months later, clients 'hopes' from having shiatsu and features of the client-practitioner relationship. At baseline, three-quarters of clients (n = 633) received advice, on exercise, diet, posture, points to work on at home or other ways of self-care. At 6 months follow-up, about four-fifths reported making changes to their lifestyle 'as a result of having shiatsu treatment', including taking more rest and relaxation or exercise, changing their diet, reducing time at work and other changes such as increased body/mind awareness and levels of confidence and resolve. Building on the findings, an explanatory model of possible ways that a CAM therapy could contribute to health promotion is presented to guide future research, both within and beyond CAM. Supporting individuals to take control of their self-care requires advice-giving within a supportive treatment context and practitioner relationship, with clients who are open to change and committed to maintaining their health. CAM modalities may have an important role to play in this endeavour.

Development of enhancing agglutination reaction using gold nanoparticle for pre-transfusion testing.

PubMed

Choktaweesak, N; Krasathong, P; Ammaranond, P

2016-10-01

To explore an alternative way for antibody detection testing, the examination of gold nanoparticle solution for enhancing unexpected antibodies for pre-transfusion testing was investigated. Exposure of foreign antigens on red blood cells from transfusion can trigger the immune system to produce unexpected antibodies. This immunological response may cause the complication to future transfusion. For detection of unexpected antibodies, the antibody screening test is performed approximately 30-60 min. To reduce turnaround time, enhancing reagent, low-ionic strength solution (LISS), is widely used. However, cost of enhancing reagent is an issue which has concerned in resource limited countries. Gold nanoparticle solution can increase red blood cells agglutination reaction. To solve this issue, study of gold nanoparticle solution was investigated. Samples were performed comparing between LISS and gold nanoparticle solution at antiglobulin phase. After reading the agglutination reaction, supernatants were collected and measured at the optical density at 760 nm by spectrophotometer. The optical density in the tube of gold nanoparticle solution was higher than in the tube of 2-5% cell suspension and monoclonal antibody. It has been observed that gold nanoparticle solution enhanced the reaction of agglutination 98% while LISS enhanced the agglutination only 60·8%. Employing a commercially available enhancing reagent, parallel samples confirmed results providing validation of the assay. It approximately costs $1 US dollars compared to $30 for a commercially available reagent. The low cost and yet effective time-consuming test for antibody screening is a practical and viable solution alternative way for performing in antibody screening test in resource limited countries. © 2016 British Blood Transfusion Society.

75 FR 19979 - National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Workshop on the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-16

... Complementary and Alternative Medicine Announcement of Workshop on the Deconstruction of Back Pain ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) invites the... Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) was established in 1999 with the mission of exploring complementary and...

Seven Measures of the Ways That Deciders Frame Their Career Decisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cochran, Larry

1983-01-01

Illustrates seven different measures of the ways people structure a career decision. Given sets of occupational alternatives and considerations, the career grid is a decisional balance sheet that indicates the way each occupation is judged on each consideration. It can be used to correct faulty decision schemes. (JAC)

GLOBAL ALTERNATIVE FUTURE SCENARIOS

EPA Science Inventory

One way to examine possible future outcomes for environmental protection is through the development and analysis of alternative future scenarios. This type of assessment postulates two or more different paths that social and environmental development might take, using correspond...

Exploring alternative methods for vegetation control and maintenance along roadsides.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-02-01

The search for alternative methods for controlling : and maintaining vegetation along roadsides has : just begun. This work was initiated to find : alternatives to the traditional methods for roadside : vegetation maintenance that includes the use of...

Telemedicine and other care models in pediatric rheumatology: an exploratory study of parents' perceptions of barriers to care and care preferences.

PubMed

Bullock, Danielle R; Vehe, Richard K; Zhang, Lei; Correll, Colleen K

2017-07-11

The United States pediatric rheumatology workforce is committed to a mission of providing children access to pediatric rheumatology care. With a limited number and distribution of pediatric rheumatologists, telemedicine has been proposed as one way to meet this mission, yet the adoption of this modality has been slower than expected. The purpose of this study was to explore the parent perspective on barriers to accessing pediatric rheumatology care and to explore the acceptability of telemedicine and other alternative care models. Over a period of six weeks, all new and return English-speaking parents/guardians of patients visiting a single center were offered an opportunity to complete a survey which assessed barriers to care and interest in alternative models of care. Responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Survey response rate was 72% (159/221). Twenty-eight percent (45/159) traveled more than three hours to the pediatric rheumatology clinic, and 43% (65/152) reported travel as inconvenient. An overwhelming majority of respondents (95%, 144/152) reported a preference for in-person visits over the option of telemedicine. This preference was similar regardless of whether respondents reported travel to the clinic as inconvenient vs convenient (inconvenient 92%, 60/65; convenient 97%, 84/87; p = 0.2881) and despite those reporting travel as inconvenient also reporting greater difficulty with several barriers to care. Those familiar with telemedicine were more likely to report a preference for telemedicine over in-person visits (27%, 3/11 vs 3%, 4/140; p = 0.0087). The option of an outreach clinic was acceptable to a majority (63%, 97/154); however, adult rheumatology and shared-care options were less acceptable (22%, 35/156 and 34%, 53/156 respectively). Among survey respondents, in-person visits were preferred over the option of telemedicine, even when travel was noted to be inconvenient. Telemedicine familiarity increased its acceptability. Outreach clinics were acceptable to a majority. Ultimately, the parent perspective can shape acceptable ways to address barriers and provide accessible care.

Bidirectional Active Learning: A Two-Way Exploration Into Unlabeled and Labeled Data Set.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiao-Yu; Wang, Shupeng; Yun, Xiaochun

2015-12-01

In practical machine learning applications, human instruction is indispensable for model construction. To utilize the precious labeling effort effectively, active learning queries the user with selective sampling in an interactive way. Traditional active learning techniques merely focus on the unlabeled data set under a unidirectional exploration framework and suffer from model deterioration in the presence of noise. To address this problem, this paper proposes a novel bidirectional active learning algorithm that explores into both unlabeled and labeled data sets simultaneously in a two-way process. For the acquisition of new knowledge, forward learning queries the most informative instances from unlabeled data set. For the introspection of learned knowledge, backward learning detects the most suspiciously unreliable instances within the labeled data set. Under the two-way exploration framework, the generalization ability of the learning model can be greatly improved, which is demonstrated by the encouraging experimental results.

Roll splitting as an alternative intermediate process for wood fuel

Treesearch

Paul E. Barnett; Donald L. Sirois

1985-01-01

In an effort to develop mobile equipment for harvesting and processing woody biomass from power line rights-of-way and precommerial thinnings, numerous alternative concepts were evaluated by Tennessee Valley Authority's Timber Harvesting Project.

Management Development: A Need or a Luxury?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasca, Anthony J.

1975-01-01

Focusing on management development, the article suggest alternative ways for training and development professionals to adapt to economic cycle-related periods of feast or famine. Diagnosis, personnel management strategy, measurement, and alternative strategies are topics considered. (MW)

Nurse entrepreneurship: an alternative career choice worth considering.

PubMed

Sanoshy, J

1998-07-01

With consistent downsizing in today's healthcare arena, many nurses are considering alternative careers. Several ONS members have found creative ways to parlay their nursing education and experience into successful careers that are both fulfilling and profitable.

Seeking Educational Excellence Everywhere: An Exploration into the Impact of Academisation on Alternative Education Provision in England

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dean, Charlotte

2016-01-01

This article presents a policy analysis of the UK Government's Academies programme and explores the impact that this might have on young people who have become disengaged from the mainstream education system and are thus educated in "alternative provision" (AP) settings. It argues that the academisation proposals curtail some of the…

Exploring the persistence of stream-dwelling trout populations under alternative real-world turbidity regimes with an individual-based model

Treesearch

Bret C. Harvey; Steven F. Railsback

2009-01-01

We explored the effects of elevated turbidity on stream-resident populations of coastal cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii clarkii using a spatially explicit individual-based model. Turbidity regimes were contrasted by means of 15-year simulations in a third-order stream in northwestern California. The alternative regimes were based on multiple-year, continuous...

A Subjective Assessment of Alternative Mission Architecture Operations Concepts for the Human Exploration of Mars at NASA Using a Three-Dimensional Multi-Criteria Decision Making Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tavana, Madjid

2003-01-01

The primary driver for developing missions to send humans to other planets is to generate significant scientific return. NASA plans human planetary explorations with an acceptable level of risk consistent with other manned operations. Space exploration risks can not be completely eliminated. Therefore, an acceptable level of cost, technical, safety, schedule, and political risks and benefits must be established for exploratory missions. This study uses a three-dimensional multi-criteria decision making model to identify the risks and benefits associated with three alternative mission architecture operations concepts for the human exploration of Mars identified by the Mission Operations Directorate at Johnson Space Center. The three alternatives considered in this study include split, combo lander, and dual scenarios. The model considers the seven phases of the mission including: 1) Earth Vicinity/Departure; 2) Mars Transfer; 3) Mars Arrival; 4) Planetary Surface; 5) Mars Vicinity/Departure; 6) Earth Transfer; and 7) Earth Arrival. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and subjective probability estimation are used to captures the experts belief concerning the risks and benefits of the three alternative scenarios through a series of sequential, rational, and analytical processes.

New biofuel alternatives: integrating waste management and single cell oil production.

PubMed

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-04-24

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO₂ emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H₂) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process.

New Biofuel Alternatives: Integrating Waste Management and Single Cell Oil Production

PubMed Central

Martínez, Elia Judith; Raghavan, Vijaya; González-Andrés, Fernando; Gómez, Xiomar

2015-01-01

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have increased research efforts into alternatives in bio-based processes. With regard to transport fuel, bioethanol and biodiesel are still the main biofuels used. It is expected that future production of these biofuels will be based on processes using either non-food competing biomasses, or characterised by low CO2 emissions. Many microorganisms, such as microalgae, yeast, bacteria and fungi, have the ability to accumulate oils under special culture conditions. Microbial oils might become one of the potential feed-stocks for biodiesel production in the near future. The use of these oils is currently under extensive research in order to reduce production costs associated with the fermentation process, which is a crucial factor to increase economic feasibility. An important way to reduce processing costs is the use of wastes as carbon sources. The aim of the present review is to describe the main aspects related to the use of different oleaginous microorganisms for lipid production and their performance when using bio-wastes. The possibilities for combining hydrogen (H2) and lipid production are also explored in an attempt for improving the economic feasibility of the process. PMID:25918941

Energy at the Frontier: Low Carbon Energy System Transitions and Innovation in Four Prime Mover Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Araujo, Kathleen M.

All too often, discussion about the imperative to change national energy pathways revolves around long timescales and least cost economics of near-term energy alternatives. While both elements certainly matter, they don't fully reflect what can drive such development trajectories. This study explores national energy transitions by examining ways in which four prime mover countries of low carbon energy technology shifted away from fossil fuels, following the first global oil crisis of 1973. The research analyzes the role of readiness, sectoral contributions and adaptive policy in the scale-up and innovations of advanced, alternative energy technologies. Cases of Brazilian biofuels, Danish wind power, French nuclear power and Icelandic geothermal energy are analyzed for a period of four decades. Fundamentally, the research finds that significant change can occur in under 15 years; that technology complexity need not necessarily impede change; and that countries of different governance approaches and consumption levels can effectuate such transitions. This research also underscores that low carbon energy technologies may be adopted before they are competitive and then become competitive in the process. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, libraries.mit.edu/docs - docs mit.edu)

Assessing the antibiotic potential of essential oils against Haemophilus ducreyi.

PubMed

Lindeman, Zachary; Waggoner, Molly; Batdorff, Audra; Humphreys, Tricia L

2014-05-27

Haemophilus ducreyi is the bacterium responsible for the genital ulcer disease chancroid, a cofactor for the transmission of HIV, and it is resistant to many antibiotics. With the goal of exploring possible alternative treatments, we tested essential oils (EOs) for their efficacy as antimicrobial agents against H. ducreyi. We determine the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon), Eugenia caryophyllus (clove) and Thymus satureioides (thyme) oil against 9 strains of H. ducreyi using the agar dilution method. We also determined the minimum lethal concentration for each oil by subculturing from the MIC plates onto fresh agar without essential oil. For both tests, we used a 2-way ANOVA to evaluate whether antibiotic-resistant strains had a different sensitivity to the oils relative to non-resistant strains. All 3 oils demonstrated excellent activity against H. ducreyi, with MICs of 0.05 to 0.52 mg/mL and MLCs of 0.1-0.5 mg/mL. Antibiotic-resistant strains of H. ducreyi were equally susceptible to these 3 essential oils relative to non-resistant strains (p=0.409). E. caryophyllus, C. verum and T. satureioides oils are promising alternatives to antibiotic treatment for chancroid.

Application of Temperature-Controlled Thermal Atomization for Printing Electronics in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wu, Chih-Hao; Thompson, Furman V.

2017-01-01

Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a technology that builds three dimensional objects by adding material layer-upon-layer throughout the fabrication process. The Electrical, Electronic and Electromechanical (EEE) parts packaging group at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) is investigating how various AM and 3D printing processes can be adapted to the microgravity environment of space to enable on demand manufacturing of electronics. The current state-of-the art processes for accomplishing the task of printing electronics through non-contact, direct-write means rely heavily on the process of atomization of liquid inks into fine aerosols to be delivered ultimately to a machine's print head and through its nozzle. As a result of cumulative International Space Station (ISS) research into the behaviors of fluids in zero-gravity, our experience leads us to conclude that the direct adaptation of conventional atomization processes will likely fall short and alternative approaches will need to be explored. In this report, we investigate the development of an alternative approach to atomizing electronic materials by way of thermal atomization, to be used in place of conventional aerosol generation and delivery processes for printing electronics in space.

'This is ordinary behaviour': categorization and culpability in Hamas leaders' accounts of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict.

PubMed

McKinlay, Andy; McVittie, Chris; Sambaraju, Rahul

2012-12-01

The present paper examines the talk of three senior figures from the Palestinian Hamas political movement. Data are drawn from a series of journalistic interviews that were conducted in the months leading up to the invasion of Gaza by Israel in December 2007. Using membership categorization analysis, we explore the membership categories and category-bound attributes that interviewers use in questions about responsibility for potentially culpable actions and the ways that these are taken up, challenged, or reworked by interviewees in presenting their own versions. The analytic findings show that interviewers deploy categories bound up with terrorism while interviewees develop alternative categorizations of resistance. Interviewers construct Palestinians as victims of Hamas' actions while interviewees construct them as victims of Israeli aggression and international indifference. In warranting these alternative constructions, the interviewees contrast current behaviours of the international community with those of the past and align current Palestinian actions with those previously taken by Western nations in resisting illegitimate occupations. Through these descriptions of categories and actions, the interviewees attribute to the wider international community responsibility for addressing the events of the ongoing conflict. ©2011 The British Psychological Society.

Exploring innovative ways to conduct coverage surveys for neglected tropical diseases in Malawi, Mali, and Uganda.

PubMed

Woodhall, Dana M; Mkwanda, Square; Dembele, Massitan; Lwanga, Harriet; Drexler, Naomi; Dubray, Christine; Harris, Jennifer; Worrell, Caitlin; Mathieu, Els

2014-04-01

Currently, a 30-cluster survey to monitor drug coverage after mass drug administration for neglected tropical diseases is the most common methodology used by control programs. We investigated alternative survey methodologies that could potentially provide an estimation of drug coverage. Three alternative survey methods (market, village chief, and religious leader) were conducted and compared to the 30-cluster method in Malawi, Mali, and Uganda. In Malawi, drug coverage for the 30-cluster, market, village chief, and religious leader methods were 66.8% (95% CI 60.3-73.4), 74.3%, 76.3%, and 77.8%, respectively. In Mali, results for round 1 were 62.6% (95% CI 54.4-70.7), 56.1%, 74.8%, and 83.2%, and 57.2% (95% CI 49.0-65.4), 54.5%, 72.2%, and 73.3%, respectively, for round 2. Uganda survey results were 65.7% (59.4-72.0), 43.7%, 67.2%, and 77.6% respectively. Further research is needed to test different coverage survey methodologies to determine which survey methods are the most scientifically rigorous and resource efficient. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Physical health, mental health, and utilization of complementary and alternative medicine services among Gulf War veterans.

PubMed

Holliday, Stephanie Brooks; Hull, Amanda; Lockwood, Courtney; Eickhoff, Christine; Sullivan, Patrick; Reinhard, Matthew

2014-12-01

Gulf War veterans represent a unique subset of the veteran population. It has been challenging to identify interventions that result in improvements in physical and mental health for this population. Recently, there has been recognition of a potential role for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) interventions. This paper examines the characteristics of Gulf War and non-Gulf War veterans referred to a CAM clinic, and explores the utilization of services by this population. Participants included 226 veterans enrolled in a CAM clinic at a Veterans Affairs medical center, 42 of whom were Gulf War veterans. Self-report measures of physical/mental health were administered, and service utilization was obtained from participants' medical records for a 6-month period. Gulf War veterans enrolled in the program reported more severe physical and mental health symptoms than non-Gulf War veterans. However, examining only veterans who participated in services in the 6 months following enrollment, the 2 groups reported similar symptom severity. Both groups were similar in their attendance of individual acupuncture and iRest yoga nidra, although Gulf War veterans attended fewer sessions of group acupuncture. Although Gulf War veterans who enroll in a CAM program may have more severe symptoms than non-Gulf War veterans, those who actually participate in services are similar to non-Gulf War veterans on these measures. These groups also differ in their pattern of service utilization. Future research should explore the reasons for these differences, and to identify ways to promote treatment engagement with this population.

Continuity of care through medical records--an explorative study on GPs' management considerations.

PubMed

Schers, Henk; van den Hoogen, Henk; Grol, Richard; van den Bosch, Wil

2006-06-01

The growing complexity of care with more professionals involved is a threat to the delivery of coherent and consistent care. Excellent exchange of information between professionals may be a way to maintain continuity of care. Relevant information to be passed over includes thoughts about future management for individual patients. To explore the nature of GPs' thoughts about future management, and to determine the extent to which such thoughts are actually recorded in medical records. Cross-sectional study of 5741 consultations. Thirty GPs from 17 practices in a region in the eastern part of The Netherlands. The GPs responded to an electronic questionnaire, directly after 200 successive consultations. The questionnaire included items on management considerations, consultation characteristics and personal continuity. We compared the data from the questionnaire to the actual recording of management considerations in the patient records. The GPs had management considerations in 66.4% of the consultations, involving mainly considerations about additional testing (15.5%), adjustment of medication (22.5%), alternative treatment plans (18.6%), possible referral (11.8%) and coping behaviour (18.0%). These considerations were seldom recorded in the electronic patient record; additional testing (3.0%) adjustment of medication (2.9%) and alternative treatment plans (4.1%). Surprisingly however, GPs rarely found that management considerations from earlier consultations were lacking in the medical record. GPs often have thoughts on how to deal with this patient, but hardly ever record such considerations. We recommend the development of tools that facilitate the recording of management considerations in electronic patient records.

Making environmental health interesting for medical students-internet assisted facilitated collaborative learning approach.

PubMed

Sudharsanam, Manni Balasubramaniam

2014-01-01

Topics on environmental health are usually neglected by students and it is necessary for them to learn this area with a public health perspective as environment plays a vital role in multi-factorial causation of diseases. Hence there is a need for alternative teaching/learning methods to facilitate students in acquiring the required knowledge. To increase the student interest and enhance their participation in acquiring knowledge in public health perspective of environmental health. Teaching Objectives/Learning Were: At the end of the session students should know the importance of air as an environmental factor in disease causation in special reference to public health hazards, the major sources of air pollution, major pollutants causing the health hazards, the way to measure pollutants and control them. The whole class of students was divided into two batches and one session was planned for each batch. Each batch was divided into six small groups. The groups were given task of exploring the internet on the different topics mentioned in the learning objectives. All the students were asked to explore, compile information and collectively prepare a presentation and present their findings based on their reviews. Students' feedback was collected at the end of each session. Eighty five percent of them were clear about the learning objectives and interested about internet learning. Most of them gave a positive opinion about the newer teaching learning method. Internet assisted group study served as a valuable alternative, innovative, and interesting tool to teach and learn the environmental health as revealed by students' feedback.

Growth Modeling with Non-Ignorable Dropout: Alternative Analyses of the STAR*D Antidepressant Trial

PubMed Central

Muthén, Bengt; Asparouhov, Tihomir; Hunter, Aimee; Leuchter, Andrew

2011-01-01

This paper uses a general latent variable framework to study a series of models for non-ignorable missingness due to dropout. Non-ignorable missing data modeling acknowledges that missingness may depend on not only covariates and observed outcomes at previous time points as with the standard missing at random (MAR) assumption, but also on latent variables such as values that would have been observed (missing outcomes), developmental trends (growth factors), and qualitatively different types of development (latent trajectory classes). These alternative predictors of missing data can be explored in a general latent variable framework using the Mplus program. A flexible new model uses an extended pattern-mixture approach where missingness is a function of latent dropout classes in combination with growth mixture modeling using latent trajectory classes. A new selection model allows not only an influence of the outcomes on missingness, but allows this influence to vary across latent trajectory classes. Recommendations are given for choosing models. The missing data models are applied to longitudinal data from STAR*D, the largest antidepressant clinical trial in the U.S. to date. Despite the importance of this trial, STAR*D growth model analyses using non-ignorable missing data techniques have not been explored until now. The STAR*D data are shown to feature distinct trajectory classes, including a low class corresponding to substantial improvement in depression, a minority class with a U-shaped curve corresponding to transient improvement, and a high class corresponding to no improvement. The analyses provide a new way to assess drug efficiency in the presence of dropout. PMID:21381817

What Fleets Need to Know About Alternative Fuel Vehicle Conversions, Retrofits, and Repowers

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

Kelly, Kay L.; Gonzales, John

2017-10-17

Many fleet managers have opted to incorporate alternative fuels and advanced vehicles into their lineup. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) offer a variety of choices, and there are additional options offered by aftermarket companies. There are also a myriad of ways that existing vehicles can be modified to utilize alternative fuels and other advanced technologies. Vehicle conversions and retrofit packages, along with engine repower options, can offer an ideal way to lower vehicle operating costs. This can result in long term return on investment, in addition to helping fleet managers achieve emissions and environmental goals. This report summarizes the various factorsmore » to consider when pursuing a conversion, retrofit, or repower option.« less

Journal Writing as a Way to Know Culture: Insights from a Travel Study Abroad Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craig, Cheryl J.; Zou, Yali; Poimbeauf, Rita

2015-01-01

In this work, we explore journal writing as a way to come to know culture, particularly cultural phenomenon, vastly different from one's own firmly held and enacted beliefs. In this research, we accept the premise that writing is a way of knowing and adopt journal writing as a tool through which students can explore the knowledge they have…

Mind-Body Medicine Practices in Complementary and Alternative Medicine

MedlinePlus

... interactions among the brain, the rest of the body, the mind, and behavior The ways in which emotional, mental, ... alternative medicine (CAM). Within CAM, some examples of mind-body medicine practices are meditation, hypnosis, tai chi, and ...

Turning the focus from `Other' to science education: exploring the invisibility of Whiteness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sammel, Ali

2009-09-01

This paper provides another way to gaze upon Brad's story as presented by van Eijck and Roth (2010). It raises questions about infrastructural racism in contemporary science education by exploring its association with Whiteness and White privilege. To explore the racial positioning inherent in Western science education specific attention is given to the positions of power that accompany Western ways of knowing the world (i.e., science education) in comparison to Other ways of knowing the world (i.e., First Nations Ways of Knowing). The paper suggests the power relationships inherent within this dualism are asymmetrical due to the implications of Whiteness within colonial societies. Even though power relations were not discussed in Brad's story, the paper suggests the implications were visible. The paper concludes by advocating for a re-imagining in science education where the traditional ontological and epistemological foundations are deconstructed and spaces are created for enacting practical ways of resisting oppression.

Empowerment or Impairment? Involving Traditional Communities in School Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mfum-Mensah, Obed

2004-03-01

Community involvement in education has been viewed as a - by no means uncontroversial - means for enabling local members to deepen their participation in the decision-making relevant to their schools by playing a constructive role in the process. On the basis of a study carried out in Ghana, the present contribution to this discussion examines various matters involved in delegating the management of an Alternative Primary Education program to two traditional communities in the north of that country. It also explores how community members, school authorities, the sponsoring non-governmental organization and members of the local management committee themselves perceive such an approach to school management. Issues raised include whether inexperienced and even illiterate local citizens should be allowed to manage their schools, the conflicts which such management often entails and, finally, in what ways it might be beneficially promoted.

A socio-technical critique of tiered services: implications for interprofessional care.

PubMed

Hood, Rick

2015-01-01

In the health and social care sector, tiered services have become an increasingly influential way of organising professional expertise to address the needs of vulnerable people. Drawing on its application to UK child welfare services, this paper discusses the merits of the tiered model from a socio-technical perspective - an approach that has emerged from the fields of accident analysis and systems design. The main elements of a socio-technical critique are outlined and used to explore how tiered services provide support to families and prevent harm to children. Attention is drawn to the distribution of expertise and resources in a tiered system, and to the role of referral and gate-keeping procedures in dispersing accountability for outcomes. An argument is made for designing systems "against demand", and the paper concludes by discussing some alternative models of multi-agency provision.

After the strike: using facilitation in a residency training program

PubMed Central

Andres, D; Hamoline, D; Sanders, M; Anderson, J

1998-01-01

Methods of alternative dispute resolution, including facilitation, can be used to identify and resolve areas of conflict. Facilitation was used by the University of Saskatchewan's Department of Family Medicine (Saskatoon division) after the strike by residents in July and August 1995 so as to allow optimal use of the remaining educational time. Through facilitation, experiences of the strike and areas of potential conflict were explored. Participants had a broad range of responses to the strike. Specific coping strategies were developed to deal with identified concerns. Although outcomes were not measured formally, levels of trust improved and collegial relationships were restored. Because so many changes occur in health care and medical education, conflict inevitably arises. Facilitation offers one way of dealing with change constructively, thereby making possible the optimal use of educational time. PMID:9526479

Star Mapping with Slime Mold Physarum Polycephalum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mihklepp, M.; Domnitch, E.; Gelfand, D.; Foing, B. H.; van der Heide, E.

2014-04-01

Human curiosity and exploration towards outer space has led to many fantastic inventions and given way to alternative scenarios about the origins of life. In the Space Science in the Arts course together with ESTEC with support from ILEWG. I got interested about unicellular slime mold Physarum polycephalum. There has been and still is a lot of research on Physarum polycephalum. This brainless eucaryotic microbe has its smartness and external memory strategies. Physarum can navigate through a maze made of agar using the shortest route possible when two pieces of food are placed at two separate exits of the maze. It can build efficient networks - Physarum created network similar to the existing Tokyo train system. It is being used to control a robot, in USB-sensor and in sound synthesis. Right now there is a lot of research about using Physarum in bio-computing.

A Rogerian view of drug abuse: implications for nursing.

PubMed

Compton, M A

1989-01-01

Drug abuse and the concept of addiction are explored utilizing Martha E. Rogers' conceptual system of unitary human beings, resulting in a novel and thought-provoking view of this health behavior. Following an overview of Rogers' concepts, principles, and theories, the example of the heroin addict is reviewed, conceptualizing the addict as a high-frequency, diverse human energy field integral with a low-frequency, impoverished environmental field. Drug use provides an alternative way to participate in the mutual process. The drug "high" is conceptualized as providing a means to increase one's awareness of the four-dimensional nature of reality. The integral nature of human and environment is illustrated with examples of increasing diversity in each due to human drug use. Addiction is discussed as are other aspects of the environmental field. Finally, nursing interventions at the individual and environmental levels are presented.

49 CFR 1105.8 - Historic Reports.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... historic information: (1) A U.S.G.S. topographic map (or an alternate map drawn to scale and sufficiently... seen from the railroad right-of-way (or other public rights-of-way adjacent to the property) and a...

Acquisition of Nominal Morphophonological Alternations in Russian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tomas, Ekaterina; van de Vijver, Ruben; Demuth, Katherine; Petocz, Peter

2017-01-01

Morphophonological alternations can make target-like production of grammatical morphemes challenging due to changes in form depending on the phonological environment. This article explores the acquisition of morphophonological alternations involving the interacting patterns of vowel deletion and stress shift in Russian-speaking children (aged…

Thermoelectric converters for alternating current standards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anatychuk, L. I.; Taschuk, D. D.

2012-06-01

Thermoelectric converters of alternating current remain priority instruments when creating standard equipment. This work presents the results of design and manufacture of alternating current converter for a military standard of alternating current in Ukraine. Results of simulation of temperature distribution in converter elements, ways of optimization to improve the accuracy of alternating current signal reproduction are presented. Results of metrological trials are given. The quality of thermoelectric material specially created for alternating current metrology is verified. The converter was used in alternating current standard for the frequency range from 10 Hz to 30 MHz. The efficiency of using thermoelectric signal converters in measuring instruments is confirmed.

Child-Headed Households: A Feasible Way Forward, or an Infringement of Children's Right to Alternative Care?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phillips, Charlotte

2011-01-01

In the face of growing international support for recognition of child-headed households, the author poses the following questions: What does the internationally recognised right to alternative care for children entail? Is the recognition of child-headed households as a form of alternative care in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child…

The U.S. employment effects of military and domestic spending priorities.

PubMed

Pollin, Robert; Garrett-Peltier, Heidi

2009-01-01

This study focuses on the employment effects of military spending versus alternative domestic spending priorities. The authors begin by introducing the basic input-output modeling technique for considering issues such as these in a systematic way. They then present some simple alternative spending scenarios-namely, devoting $1 billion to the military versus the same amount of money spent for five alternatives: tax cuts that produce increased levels of personal consumption; health care; education; mass transit; and construction targeted at home weatherization and infrastructure repair. The first conclusion in assessing such relative employment effects is straightforward: $1 billion spent on personal consumption, health care, education, mass transit, and construction for home weatherization/infrastructure will all create more jobs in the U.S. economy than would the same $1 billion spent on the military. The authors then examine the pay level of jobs created through these alternative spending priorities and assess the overall welfare effects of the alternative employment outcomes. Combining these alternative domestic spending categories in an effective way can also generate a higher level of compensation for working people in the United States and a better average quality ofjobs.

Short Lesson Plan Associated with Increased Acceptance of Evolutionary Theory and Potential Change in Three Alternate Conceptions of Macroevolution in Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abraham, Joel K.; Perez, Kathryn E.; Downey, Nicholas; Herron, Jon C.; Meir, Eli

2012-01-01

Undergraduates commonly harbor alternate conceptions about evolutionary biology; these alternate conceptions often persist, even after intensive instruction, and may influence acceptance of evolution. We interviewed undergraduates to explore their alternate conceptions about macroevolutionary patterns and designed a 2-h lesson plan to present…

Alternative Agricultural Enterprises. Production, Management & Marketing.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Linda Kirk; And Others

These nine cooperative extension bulletins provide basic information on various alternative agricultural enterprises. Discussed in the first eight bulletins are the following topics: business ownership (sole proprietorship, partnership, incorporation, cooperatives); business and the family (goals, qualifications, ways of ensuring family support,…

Alternatives to traditional incarceration for serious traffic offenders.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1994-01-01

This study evaluated the possible use of alternatives to traditional incarceration for serious traffic offenders. Traffic offenders pose less of a risk to the public than the rest of the incarcerated population and, if ways can be found to keep them ...

A weed resistance management game: a teaching tool.

PubMed

Frisvold, George B

2018-04-15

This article provides instructions and materials to moderate an interactive resistance management game. The game is designed to generate discussion about the challenges and possibilities of coordinating resistance management activities among groups of farmers. The game has been successfully applied in classroom settings, extension workshops, and at professional weed science meetings. Research has found farmers often perceive the success of their own resistance management may be thwarted if their neighbors are not adequately managing resistance as well. This can lead to negative 'tragedy of the commons' outcomes. In past applications of the game exercise, participants have often responded in ways consistent with similar studies in experimental and behavioral economics. This includes dividing benefits evenly (even though this is not a requirement of the game) or treating one-time transactions as potentially repeated exchanges. Player behavior may also be greatly influenced by their attitudes toward monetary risks. The game allows participants to explore ways to overcome the tragedy of the commons and illustrates the roles of information sharing and economic incentives in finding solutions. It also allows participants to experiment with bottom-up voluntary approaches toward resistance management as an alternative to top-down regulatory approaches. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry.

A theoretical approach to medication adherence for children and youth with psychiatric disorders.

PubMed

Charach, Alice; Volpe, Tiziana; Boydell, Katherine M; Gearing, Robin E

2008-01-01

This article provides a theoretical review of treatment adherence for children and youth with psychiatric disorders where pharmacological agents are first-line interventions. Four empirically based models of health behavior are reviewed and applied to the sparse literature about medication adherence for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and young people with first-episode psychosis. Three qualitative studies of medication use are summarized, and details from the first-person narratives are used to illustrate the theoretical models. These studies indicate, when taken together, that the clinical approach to addressing poor medication adherence in children and youth with psychiatric disorders should be guided by more than one theoretical model. Mental health experts should clarify beliefs, address misconceptions, and support exploration of alternative treatment options unless contraindicated. Recognizing the larger context of the family, allowing time for parents and children to change their attitudes, and offering opportunities for easy access to medication in the future are important ways of respecting patient preferences, while steering them toward best-evidence interventions. Future research using qualitative methods of inquiry to investigate parent, child, and youth experiences of mental health interventions should identify effective ways to improve treatment adherence.

Poultry Industry Energy Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

The poultry industry, a multi-billion dollar business in the United States, uses great amounts of energy in such operations as broiler growing, feed manufacturing, poultry processing and packing. Higher costs and limited supply of fuels common to the industry are predicted, so poultry producers are seeking ways to reduce energy expenditure. NASA is providing assistance to Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc., an association of some 4,000 growers and suppliers in one of the nation's largest poultry production areas. Delmarva is the East Coast peninsula that includes Delaware and parts of Maryland and Virginia. The upper right photo shows a weather station in the Delmarva area (wind indicator on the pole, other instruments in the elevated box). The station is located at the University of Maryland's Broiler Sub-station, Salisbury; Maryland, where the university conducts research on poultry production and processing. The sub-station is investigating ways of conserving energy in broiler production and also exploring the potential of solar collectors as an alternative energy source. For these studies, it is essential that researchers have continuous data on temperature, pressure, wind speed and direction, solar intensity and cloud cover. Equipment to acquire such data was loaned and installed by NASA's Wallops Flight Center, Wallops Island, Virginia.

Marine Origin Collagens and Its Potential Applications

PubMed Central

Silva, Tiago H.; Moreira-Silva, Joana; Marques, Ana L. P.; Domingues, Alberta; Bayon, Yves; Reis, Rui L.

2014-01-01

Collagens are the most abundant high molecular weight proteins in both invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, including mammals, and possess mainly a structural role, existing different types according with their specific organization in distinct tissues. From this, they have been elected as one of the key biological materials in tissue regeneration approaches. Also, industry is constantly searching for new natural sources of collagen and upgraded methodologies for their production. The most common sources are from bovine and porcine origin, but other ways are making their route, such as recombinant production, but also extraction from marine organisms like fish. Different organisms have been proposed and explored for collagen extraction, allowing the sustainable production of different types of collagens, with properties depending on the kind of organism (and their natural environment) and extraction methodology. Such variety of collagen properties has been further investigated in different ways to render a wide range of applications. The present review aims to shed some light on the contribution of marine collagens for the scientific and technological development of this sector, stressing the opportunities and challenges that they are and most probably will be facing to assume a role as an alternative source for industrial exploitation. PMID:25490254

Least-cost input mixtures of water and nitrogen for photosynthesis.

PubMed

Wright, Ian J; Reich, Peter B; Westoby, Mark

2003-01-01

In microeconomics, a standard framework is used for determining the optimal input mix for a two-input production process. Here we adapt this framework for understanding the way plants use water and nitrogen (N) in photosynthesis. The least-cost input mixture for generating a given output depends on the relative cost of procuring and using nitrogen versus water. This way of considering the issue integrates concepts such as water-use efficiency and photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency into the more inclusive objective of optimizing the input mix for a given situation. We explore the implications of deploying alternative combinations of leaf nitrogen concentration and stomatal conductance to water, focusing on comparing hypothetical species occurring in low- versus high-humidity habitats. We then present data from sites in both the United States and Australia and show that low-rainfall species operate with substantially higher leaf N concentration per unit leaf area. The extra protein reflected in higher leaf N concentration is associated with a greater drawdown of internal CO2, such that low-rainfall species achieve higher photosynthetic rates at a given stomatal conductance. This restraint of transpirational water use apparently counterbalances the multiple costs of deploying high-nitrogen leaves.

Shifting the Balance: Relationship as Power in Organizational Life.

PubMed

Davidson, Sandra J

2015-01-01

Power has traditionally been studied and experienced within organizations from a hierarchical and positivist perspective. However, organizational complexity has never been greater, and in our attempts to find new ways to live amid this complexity we seek alternative theoretical perspectives that may better represent and inform our experiences of organizational life. This article summarizes the positivist view of power within organizations and the limitations of attempting to study power from this perspective. Power is then reconceptualized and explored using the complex responsive process (CRP) analysis. This is an exemplar of how narrative inquiry guided by CRP may be used as a frame for reflexivity and reflection amid organizational power dynamics. The narrative description used in this paper was based on the author's experience and reflection upon a nursing faculty meeting in a large public university. By becoming aware of the power relations in which we engage, and by reflecting upon them using CRP, we may come to understand power relations in a different way. In the act of examining and reflecting on our habitual roles in power relations, we may open up the potential for personal and organizational transformation. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Problem-Framing: A perspective on environmental problem-solving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bardwell, Lisa V.

1991-09-01

The specter of environmental calamity calls for the best efforts of an involved public. Ironically, the way people understand the issues all too often serves to discourage and frustrate rather than motivate them to action. This article draws from problem-solving perspectives offered by cognitive psychology and conflict management to examine a framework for thinking about environmental problems that promises to help rather than hinder efforts to address them. Problem-framing emphasizes focusing on the problem definition. Since how one defines a problem determines one's understanding of and approach to that problem, being able to redefine or reframe a problem and to explore the “problem space” can help broaden the range of alternatives and solutions examined. Problem-framing incorporates a cognitive perspective on how people respond to information. It explains why an emphasis on problem definition is not part of people's typical approach to problems. It recognizes the importance of structure and of having ways to organize that information on one's problem-solving effort. Finally, problem-framing draws on both cognitive psychology and conflict management for strategies to manage information and to create a problem-solving environment that not only encourages participation but can yield better approaches to our environmental problems.

Alternative alignments development and evaluation for the US 220 project in Maryland.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

This project aims to find the preferred alternative alignments for the Maryland section of existing US 220, using the highway : alignment optimization (HAO) model. The model was used to explore alternative alignments within a 4,000 foot-wide buffer o...

Cultural factors in the origin and remediation of alternative conceptions in physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thijs, Gerard D.; van den Berg, Ed

1995-10-01

Over a wide range of subject areas students exhibit persistent conceptions contrary to the prevailing scientific concepts. The same alternative conceptions in physics are reported to exist across many countries, within a variety of cultural and environmental contexts. Also, many alternative conceptions show striking similarities with difficulties encountered in the historical development of physics. What is the reason for these similarities? Is intuitive science learned or triggered? And, if similar brain structures are responsible for common-sense theories, in what way then are cultural factors still important in the teaching-learning process? The influence of cultural factors will be discussed on the basis of literature available on this topic. Data collected by the authors in the Netherlands, Indonesia and countries in Africa are also taken into consideration. A distinction is proposed between alternative conceptions some of which may be universal and some dependent on culture. The same distinction is made regarding ways of reasoning and epistemology. It is suggested that the effectiveness of methods for the remediation of alternative conceptions is strongly influenced by cultural aspects of the teaching-learning process.

Clergy's Views of the Relationship between Science and Religious Faith and the Implications for Science Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickerson, Daniel L.; Dawkins, Karen R.; Penick, John E.

2008-01-01

Since many teachers and students recognize other kinds of knowledge (faith) based on other ways of knowing, consideration of these realities is appropriate for the science education community. Understanding the multitude of ways that clergy view relationships between science and faith (i.e. alternative ways of knowing) would assist in…

This corrosion: A systematic review of the association between alternative subcultures and the risk of self-harm and suicide.

PubMed

Hughes, Mairead Ann; Knowles, Susan Frances; Dhingra, Katie; Nicholson, Hannah Louise; Taylor, Peter James

2018-03-25

Rates of self-harm and suicide are increasing in young people. The literature suggests that individuals who identify with alternative subcultures (e.g., Goth) may be at a greater risk. To explore the prevalence of self-harm and suicide in alternative subcultures and the factors that might contribute to this increased risk. Using a systematic strategy, the databases PsycINFO, Scopus, MEDLINE and Web of Science, and the E-Thesis online service (ETHOS) were searched for English language only papers, with no restrictions in terms of date of publication. Papers were selected that included data on the relationship between either alternative subculture identity (e.g., Goth) or preference for alternative music (e.g., Heavy Metal) and self-harm or suicide. Ten quantitative papers were included: seven cross-sectional, two longitudinal and one cross-sectional state-level comparison study. Two qualitative papers were also included. Studies were assessed by two reviewers for risk of bias. The findings indicated that individuals who associated with alternative subcultures were at a greater risk of self-harm and suicide. Whilst qualitative papers identified potential mechanisms (e.g., exposure to self-harm and the way self-harm is presented or normalized), there remains limited support for these mechanisms. More research is required to understand the association between self-harm, suicide and alternative subculture affiliation, and the factors underlying it. Longitudinal studies and studies focusing on mechanism are particularly important. The review supports the suggestion that those who identify as belonging to an alternative subculture may be at a higher risk of self-harm and suicidal behaviour. It also presents preliminary evidence that alternative affiliation predicts self-harm over time, and that this effect holds whilst adjusting for a number of likely confounders. The findings highlight the importance of increasing the awareness of the victimization and potential risk that these groups hold and suggests areas for intervention in health, educational, and social services. The review does not, however, indicate specifically what it is about alternative subculture affiliation (or alternative music preference) that could contribute to the risk of self-harm. Consequently, studies with a greater focus on mechanisms are needed. Methodological limitations (e.g., cross-sectional studies, small sample of 'alternative' participants, westernized samples) restricted the reliability and validity of the results which impacted on the extent to which the findings could be generalized more widely. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

From expert generalists to ambiguity masters: using ambiguity tolerance theory to redefine the practice of rural nurses.

PubMed

Knight, Kaye; Kenny, Amanda; Endacott, Ruth

2016-06-01

To redefine the practice of rural nurses and describe a model that conceptualises the capabilities and characteristics required in the rural environment. The way in which the practice of rural nurses has been conceptualised is problematic. Definitions of rural nursing have been identified primarily through the functional context of rural health service delivery. The expert generalist term has provided a foundation theory for rural nurses with understandings informed by the scope of practice needed to meet service delivery requirements. However, authors exploring intrinsic characteristics of rural nurses have challenged this definition, as it does not adequately address the deeper, intangible complexities of practice required in the rural context. Despite this discourse, an alternative way to articulate the distinctive nature of rural nursing practice has eluded authors in Australia and internationally. A theoretical paper based on primary research. The development of the model was informed by the findings of a study that explored the nursing practice of managing telephone presentations in rural health services in Victoria, Australia. The study involved policy review from State and Federal governments, nursing and medical professional bodies, and five rural health services; semi-structured interviews with eight Directors of Nursing, seven registered nurses and focus group interviews with eight registered nurses. An ambiguity tolerance model drawn from corporate global entrepreneurship theory was adapted to explain the findings of the study. The adapted model presents capabilities and characteristics used by nurses to successfully manage the ambiguity of providing care in the rural context. Redefining the practice of rural nurses, through an adapted theory of ambiguity tolerance, highlights nursing characteristics and capabilities required in the rural context. This perspective offers new ways of thinking about the work of rural nurses, rural nurse policy, education, recruitment, retention and clinical governance. A greater understanding of rural nurse practice will assist in achieving positive care outcomes in an environment with competing stakeholder needs, and limited resources and options for care. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Meeting the health and social needs of pregnant asylum seekers, midwifery students' perspectives: part 1; dominant discourses and midwifery students.

PubMed

Haith-Cooper, Melanie; Bradshaw, Gwendolen

2013-09-01

Current literature has indicated a concern about standards of maternity care experienced by pregnant women who are seeking asylum. As the next generation of midwives, it is important that students are educated in a way that prepares them to effectively care for these women. To understand how this can be achieved, it is important to explore what asylum seeking means to midwifery students. This article is the first of three parts and reports on one objective from a wider doctorate study. It identifies dominant discourses that influenced the perceptions of a group of midwifery students' about the pregnant asylum seeking woman. The study was designed from a social constructivist perspective, with contextual knowledge being constructed by groups of people, influenced by underpinning dominant discourses, depending on their social, cultural and historical positions in the world. In a United Kingdom University setting, during year two of a pre-registration midwifery programme, eleven midwifery students participated in the study. Two focus group interviews using a problem based learning scenario as a trigger for discussion were conducted. In addition, three students were individually interviewed to explore issues in more depth and two students' written reflections on practice were used to generate data. Following a critical discourse analysis, dominant discourses were identified which appeared to influence the way in which asylum seekers were perceived. The findings suggested an underpinning ideology around the asylum seeker being different and of a criminal persuasion. Although the pregnant woman seeking asylum was considered as deserving of care, the same discourses appeared to influence the way in which she was constructed. However, as the study progressed, through reading alternative sources of literature, some students appeared to question these discourses. These findings have implications for midwifery education in encouraging students to challenge negative discourses and construct positive perceptions of asylum seeking. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring one aspect of pedagogical content knowledge of teaching assistants using the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karim, Nafis I.; Maries, Alexandru; Singh, Chandralekha

2018-06-01

The Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM) has been used to assess student understanding of introductory concepts of electricity and magnetism because many of the items on the CSEM have strong distractor choices which correspond to students' alternate conceptions. Instruction is unlikely to be effective if instructors do not know the common alternate conceptions of introductory physics students and explicitly take into account common student difficulties in their instructional design. Here, we discuss research involving the CSEM to evaluate one aspect of the pedagogical content knowledge of teaching assistants (TAs): knowledge of introductory students' alternate conceptions in electricity and magnetism as revealed by the CSEM. For each item on the CSEM, the TAs were asked to identify the most common incorrect answer choice selected by introductory physics students if they did not know the correct answer after traditional instruction. Then, we used introductory student CSEM post-test data to assess the extent to which TAs were able to identify the most common alternate conception of introductory students in each question on the CSEM. We find that the TAs were thoughtful when attempting to identify common student difficulties and they enjoyed learning about student difficulties this way. However, they struggled to identify many common difficulties of introductory students that persist after traditional instruction. We discuss specific alternate conceptions that persist after traditional instruction, the extent to which TAs were able to identify them, and results from think-aloud interviews with TAs which provided valuable information regarding why the TAs sometimes selected certain alternate conceptions as the most common but were instead very rare among introductory students. We also discuss how tasks such as the one used in this study can be used in professional development programs to engender productive discussions about the importance of being knowledgeable about student alternate conceptions in order to help students learn. Interviews with TAs engaged in this task as well as our experience with such tasks in our professional development programs suggest that they are beneficial.

Dogma Clouds the Facts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballard, Thomas H.

1985-01-01

Examines arguments now being presented in support of public library networking and resource sharing and suggests ways to obtain harder evidence that might serve to legitimize these beliefs: estimate benefits, build in evaluation, support estimates of benefits, seek cheaper alternatives for accomplishing same goal, consider alternatives to…

Spreading the Word about Pesticide Hazards and Alternatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grier, Norma

1993-01-01

Presents a pamphlet and four brochures about pesticide hazards, pesticide use and alternatives, special impacts on children, lawn and garden pest management, and pesticides in food. Discusses the whys and ways of using these materials to inform people about pesticide issues. (MDH)

Supporting new science teachers in pursuing socially just science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruggirello, Rachel; Flohr, Linda

2017-10-01

This forum explores contradictions that arose within the partnership between Teach for America (TFA) and a university teacher education program. TFA is an alternate route teacher preparation program that places individuals into K-12 classrooms in low-income school districts after participating in an intense summer training program and provides them with ongoing support. This forum is a conversation about the challenges we faced as new science teachers in the TFA program and in the Peace Corps program. We both entered the teaching field with science degrees and very little formal education in science education. In these programs we worked in a community very different from the one we had experienced as students. These experiences allow us to address many of the issues that were discussed in the original paper, namely teaching in an unfamiliar community amid challenges that many teachers face in the first few years of teaching. We consider how these challenges may be amplified for teachers who come to teaching through an alternate route and may not have as much pedagogical training as a more traditional teacher education program provides. The forum expands on the ideas presented in the original paper to consider the importance of perspectives on socially just science education. There is often a disconnect between what is taught in teacher education programs and what teachers actually experience in urban classrooms and this can be amplified when the training received through alternate route provides a different framework as well. This forum urges universities and alternate route programs to continue to find ways to authentically partner using practical strategies that bring together the philosophies and goals of all stakeholders in order to better prepare teachers to partner with their students to achieve their science learning goals.

Cluster Analysis Identifies Distinct Pathogenetic Patterns in C3 Glomerulopathies/Immune Complex-Mediated Membranoproliferative GN.

PubMed

Iatropoulos, Paraskevas; Daina, Erica; Curreri, Manuela; Piras, Rossella; Valoti, Elisabetta; Mele, Caterina; Bresin, Elena; Gamba, Sara; Alberti, Marta; Breno, Matteo; Perna, Annalisa; Bettoni, Serena; Sabadini, Ettore; Murer, Luisa; Vivarelli, Marina; Noris, Marina; Remuzzi, Giuseppe

2018-01-01

Membranoproliferative GN (MPGN) was recently reclassified as alternative pathway complement-mediated C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) and immune complex-mediated membranoproliferative GN (IC-MPGN). However, genetic and acquired alternative pathway abnormalities are also observed in IC-MPGN. Here, we explored the presence of distinct disease entities characterized by specific pathophysiologic mechanisms. We performed unsupervised hierarchical clustering, a data-driven statistical approach, on histologic, genetic, and clinical data and data regarding serum/plasma complement parameters from 173 patients with C3G/IC-MPGN. This approach divided patients into four clusters, indicating the existence of four different pathogenetic patterns. Specifically, this analysis separated patients with fluid-phase complement activation (clusters 1-3) who had low serum C3 levels and a high prevalence of genetic and acquired alternative pathway abnormalities from patients with solid-phase complement activation (cluster 4) who had normal or mildly altered serum C3, late disease onset, and poor renal survival. In patients with fluid-phase complement activation, those in clusters 1 and 2 had massive activation of the alternative pathway, including activation of the terminal pathway, and the highest prevalence of subendothelial deposits, but those in cluster 2 had additional activation of the classic pathway and the highest prevalence of nephrotic syndrome at disease onset. Patients in cluster 3 had prevalent activation of C3 convertase and highly electron-dense intramembranous deposits. In addition, we provide a simple algorithm to assign patients with C3G/IC-MPGN to specific clusters. These distinct clusters may facilitate clarification of disease etiology, improve risk assessment for ESRD, and pave the way for personalized treatment. Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Alternatives to Suspension: A Government Initiative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryan, Thomas G.; Zoldy, Scott

2011-01-01

Student discipline and the ineffectiveness of out-of-school suspension is examined in light of the Ontario (Canada) legislative reform that supported a greater emphasis on progressive discipline alternatives to out-of-school suspension. Alternative discipline herein is explored via the behavior education plan, the school survival group, and…

Alternative Education Completers: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Becky L.; Holt, Carleton R.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the elements of the alternative education experience significant to successful completion of the program. This phenomenological paradigm provided the framework for all aspects of the qualitative study. Students, parents, administrators, and staff members of two alternative programs in the southeast Kansas…

Marital Alternatives and Marital Disruption.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Udry, J. Richard

1981-01-01

Explores the usefulness of "marital alternatives" as a dimension in explaining marital stability, using longitudinal data from a panel of married, White, urban couples from 16 urban areas. Results indicated the dimension of marital alternatives appeared to be a better predictor of marital disruption than marital satisfaction. (Author/RC)

Conflicting discourses of church youths on masculinity and sexuality in the context of HIV in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

PubMed Central

Lusey, Hendrew; San Sebastian, Miguel; Christianson, Monica; Dahlgren, Lars; Edin, Kerstin E.

2014-01-01

Abstract Masculinity studies are fairly new and young churchgoers are an under-researched group in the current Congolese church context. In response to this knowledge gap, this paper attempts to explore discourses of young churchgoers from deprived areas of Kinshasa regarding masculinity and sexuality in the era of HIV. A series of 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted with unmarried young churchgoers from the Salvation Army, Protestant and Revival churches. The interviews were tape-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using discourse analysis. Five main discourses emerged: ‘we are aware of the church message on sex’, ‘young men need sex’, ‘young women need money’, ‘to use or not to use condoms’ and ‘we trust in the church message’. Although all informants knew and heard church messages against premarital sex, many of them were sexually active. The perception was that young men were engaged in sexual activities with multiple partners as a result of sexual motivations surrounding masculinity and sexual potency, while young women sought multiple partners through transactional and intergenerational sex for economic reasons. These sexual practices of young people conflicted with church messages on sexual abstinence and faithfulness. However, a small number of participants challenged current gender norms and suggested alternative ways of being a man or a woman. To elucidate these alternatives, we suggest that church youths and church leaders might take concrete actions to deconstruct misconceptions about being men. In this way, they can possibly enhance a frank and fruitful dialogue on sex, sexuality and gender to promote positive masculinities and constructive partnerships to prevent HIV. PMID:25000272

The role of risk perception in making flood risk management more effective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buchecker, M.; Salvini, G.; Di Baldassarre, G.; Semenzin, E.; Maidl, E.; Marcomini, A.

2013-11-01

Over the last few decades, Europe has suffered from a number of severe flood events and, as a result, there has been a growing interest in probing alternative approaches to managing flood risk via prevention measures. A literature review reveals that, although in the last decades risk evaluation has been recognized as key element of risk management, and risk assessment methodologies (including risk analysis and evaluation) have been improved by including social, economic, cultural, historical and political conditions, the theoretical schemes are not yet applied in practice. One main reason for this shortcoming is that risk perception literature is mainly of universal and theoretical nature and cannot provide the necessary details to implement a comprehensive risk evaluation. This paper therefore aims to explore a procedure that allows the inclusion of stakeholders' perceptions of prevention measures in risk assessment. It proposes to adopt methods of risk communication (both one-way and two-way communication) in risk assessment with the final aim of making flood risk management more effective. The proposed procedure not only focuses on the effect of discursive risk communication on risk perception, and on achieving a shared assessment of the prevention alternatives, but also considers the effects of the communication process on perceived uncertainties, accepted risk levels, and trust in the managing institutions. The effectiveness of this combined procedure has been studied and illustrated using the example of the participatory flood prevention assessment process on the Sihl River in Zurich, Switzerland. The main findings of the case study suggest that the proposed procedure performed well, but that it needs some adaptations for it to be applicable in different contexts and to allow a (semi-) quantitative estimation of risk perception to be used as an indicator of adaptive capacity.

Oral traditions: a contextual framework for complex science concepts—laying the foundation for a paradigm of promise in rural science education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avery, Leanne M.; Hains, Bryan J.

2017-03-01

The overarching goal of this paper is to bring a diverse educational context—rural sayings and oral traditions situated in ecological habitats—to light and emphasize that they need to be taken into consideration regarding twenty-first century science education. The rural sayings or tenets presented here are also considered alternative ways of learning and knowing that rural people (elders and children) acquire outside of school in rural places of home and habitat. Throughout this paper we explore the complex nature of rural sayings or tenets that have been shared by community elders and examine their historic scientific roots. In so doing, we uncover a wealth of information regarding the diverse rural sociocultural and ecological connections and the situated macro and micro-contexts from which these tenets arise. We argue for a preservation and educational revitalization of these tenets for current and future generations. We show how this knowledge both augments and differs from traditional western science and science curricula by illuminating the ways in which oral traditions are embedded in place, people, memory and culture. We close by presenting an alternative paradigm for science education that incorporates pluralism as a means to enrich current place-based pedagogies and practices. We suggest that in order to tackle the complex problems in this new age of the Anthropocene, revitalizing elders' wisdom as well as valuing rural children's diverse knowledge and the inherent connectivity to their habitats needs be cultivated and not expunged by the current trends that standardize learning. As stated in the call for this special issue, "rurality has a real positionality" and much can be learned from individual and unique rural contexts.

From Genomes to Protein Models and Back

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tramontano, Anna; Giorgetti, Alejandro; Orsini, Massimiliano; Raimondo, Domenico

2007-12-01

The alternative splicing mechanism allows genes to generate more than one product. When the splicing events occur within protein coding regions they can modify the biological function of the protein. Alternative splicing has been suggested as one way for explaining the discrepancy between the number of human genes and functional complexity. We analysed the putative structure of the alternatively spliced gene products annotated in the ENCODE pilot project and discovered that many of the potential alternative gene products will be unlikely to produce stable functional proteins.

One-way quantum computing in superconducting circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albarrán-Arriagada, F.; Alvarado Barrios, G.; Sanz, M.; Romero, G.; Lamata, L.; Retamal, J. C.; Solano, E.

2018-03-01

We propose a method for the implementation of one-way quantum computing in superconducting circuits. Measurement-based quantum computing is a universal quantum computation paradigm in which an initial cluster state provides the quantum resource, while the iteration of sequential measurements and local rotations encodes the quantum algorithm. Up to now, technical constraints have limited a scalable approach to this quantum computing alternative. The initial cluster state can be generated with available controlled-phase gates, while the quantum algorithm makes use of high-fidelity readout and coherent feedforward. With current technology, we estimate that quantum algorithms with above 20 qubits may be implemented in the path toward quantum supremacy. Moreover, we propose an alternative initial state with properties of maximal persistence and maximal connectedness, reducing the required resources of one-way quantum computing protocols.

Alternative Uses of Highway Right-of-Way : Accommodating Renewable Energy Technologies and Alternative Fuel Facilities

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-31

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) has sought to better understand global climate change and the transportation sectors effects on the issue, and vice versa. The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation ...

Analysis of Alternative Extensions of the Existing Production Tax Credit for Wind Generators

EIA Publications

2007-01-01

Requestor: Ms. Janice Mays, Chief Counsel, Committee on Ways & Means, U.S. House of Representatives This is a letter response requesting analysis of alternative extensions of the existing production tax credit (PTC) that would apply to wind generators only.

Greek Children's Alternative Conceptions on Weather and Climate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spiropoulou, D.; Kostopoulos, D.; Jacovides, C. P.

1999-01-01

Describes a survey of Greek schoolchildren's alternative conceptions about weather and climate. Finds that misconceptions exist, including confusion between the meanings of the terms "weather" and "climate", inflated estimates of temperature, and a belief that yearly weather data define climate. Suggests ways to help students…

Methyl Bromide alternatives for vegetable production in Georgia: On-farm trials

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Three fumigant alternatives, methyl iodide plus chloropicirn (MIDAS), dimethyl disulfide plus chloropicrin (DMDS), and Telone II plus chloropicrin plus Vapam (3-Way) have exhibited promising results in small plot trials for the control of pests (weeds, pathogens, nematodes) in plasticulture producti...

Independent Thinking: HBCUs Explore Ways to Liberate Themselves from Tuition Dependence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hernandez, Arelis

2010-01-01

Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are heavily tuition-dependent. When enrollment goes down, the schools are vulnerable. This article discusses how HBCUs explore ways to liberate themselves from tuition dependence. It describes how historically Black college and university leaders are moving their institutions from a model of…

"Miss, Miss, I've Got a Story!": Exploring Identity through a Micro-Ethnographic Analysis of Lunchtime Interactions with Four Somali Third Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kosha, Jean

2013-01-01

This study is an exploration of the ways in which four Somali students use language to express their identity and assert their views. The study explores the ways in which the Somali students' home culture and the school culture influence the development of their identity. Students participated in a lunchtime focus group on a regular basis over a…

Learning from the past, looking to the future: Exploring our place with Indigenous Australians.

PubMed

Nelson, Alison

2009-04-01

This paper aims to explore ways in which we as occupational therapists in Australia can participate in enabling a different and better future for all Australians. In doing so, it is necessary to explore our history and our cultures, both individually and collectively as a profession, and to understand the ways in which these shape who we are and what we do. As occupational therapists, we have valuable knowledge and skills that have the potential to contribute in a positive way to the health and educational outcomes of Indigenous Australians. As a profession operating in Australia, we also have a responsibility to reach this potential. This paper aims to present some of these contributions and to provide examples of practical and culturally safe ways in which we can take action.

Correlational selection does not explain the evolution of a behavioural syndrome.

PubMed

Han, C S; Brooks, R C

2013-10-01

Correlated suites of behaviours, or behavioural syndromes, appear to be widespread, and yet few studies have explored how they arise and are maintained. One possibility holds that correlational selection can generate and maintain behavioural syndrome if certain behavioural combinations enjoy greater fitness than other combinations. Here we test this correlational selection hypothesis by comparing behavioural syndrome structure with a multivariate fitness surface based on reproductive success of male water striders. We measured the structure of a behavioural syndrome including dispersal ability, exploration behaviour, latency to remount and sex recognition sensitivity in males. We then measured the relationship between these behaviours and mating success in a range of sex ratio environments. Despite the presence of some significant correlational selection, behavioural syndrome structure was not associated with correlational selection on behaviours. Although we cannot conclusively reject the correlational selection hypothesis, our evidence suggests that correlational selection and resulting linkage disequilibrium might not be responsible for maintaining the strong correlations between behaviours. Instead, we suggest alternative ways in which this behavioural syndrome may have arisen and outline the need for physiological and quantitative genetic tests of these suggestions. © 2013 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2013 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

FlavorDB: a database of flavor molecules

PubMed Central

Garg, Neelansh; Sethupathy, Apuroop; Tuwani, Rudraksh; NK, Rakhi; Dokania, Shubham; Iyer, Arvind; Gupta, Ayushi; Agrawal, Shubhra; Singh, Navjot; Shukla, Shubham; Kathuria, Kriti; Badhwar, Rahul; Kanji, Rakesh; Jain, Anupam; Kaur, Avneet; Nagpal, Rashmi

2018-01-01

Abstract Flavor is an expression of olfactory and gustatory sensations experienced through a multitude of chemical processes triggered by molecules. Beyond their key role in defining taste and smell, flavor molecules also regulate metabolic processes with consequences to health. Such molecules present in natural sources have been an integral part of human history with limited success in attempts to create synthetic alternatives. Given their utility in various spheres of life such as food and fragrances, it is valuable to have a repository of flavor molecules, their natural sources, physicochemical properties, and sensory responses. FlavorDB (http://cosylab.iiitd.edu.in/flavordb) comprises of 25,595 flavor molecules representing an array of tastes and odors. Among these 2254 molecules are associated with 936 natural ingredients belonging to 34 categories. The dynamic, user-friendly interface of the resource facilitates exploration of flavor molecules for divergent applications: finding molecules matching a desired flavor or structure; exploring molecules of an ingredient; discovering novel food pairings; finding the molecular essence of food ingredients; associating chemical features with a flavor and more. Data-driven studies based on FlavorDB can pave the way for an improved understanding of flavor mechanisms. PMID:29059383

ctsGE-clustering subgroups of expression data.

PubMed

Sharabi-Schwager, Michal; Or, Etti; Ophir, Ron

2017-07-01

A pre-requisite to clustering noisy data, such as gene-expression data, is the filtering step. As an alternative to this step, the ctsGE R-package applies a sorting step in which all of the data are divided into small groups. The groups are divided according to how the time points are related to the time-series median. Then clustering is performed separately on each group. Thus, the clustering is done in two steps. First, an expression index (i.e. a sequence of 1, -1 and 0) is defined and genes with the same index are grouped together, and then each group of genes is clustered by k-means to create subgroups. The ctsGE package also provides an interactive tool to visualize and explore the gene-expression patterns and their subclusters. ctsGE proposes a way of organizing and exploring expression data without eliminating valuable information. Freely available as part of the Bioconductor project at https://bioconductor.org/packages/ctsGE/ . ron@agri.gov.il. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

NITARP: An Example of Effective Data-Based Research in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orr, Laura; Rowe, Jamie L.; Lineberger, Howard; Duranko, Gary; Gorjian, Varoujan

2018-01-01

The use of data in the classroom is a core component of both project based learning and STEM based education. Authentic student driven research using real-world data is a primary focus of both teaching strategies. To make the educational outcome effective and long lasting, the type and quality of data used in the lessons is important. The NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Project (NITARP) program encapsulates this in very meaningful ways by providing both teachers and students the opportunity to ask deep meaningful questions, collaborate with peers, and arrive at meaningful conclusions. Teachers trained in the use of scientific archives and the application of those archives for authentic research is critical for this type of learning to be successful.In this study we use the NITARP program as an example of effective STEM project based learning using archived scientific data. We explore the components of the program that are most effective, the effects on teacher competency and ease of use with students, and use in the classroom. For each area we also explore alternate sources of teacher support, data archives, and techniques for implementation in classrooms for various topics and skill levels.

An Exploration of Software-Based GNSS Signal Processing at Multiple Frequencies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasqual Paul, Manuel; Elosegui, Pedro; Lind, Frank; Vazquez, Antonio; Pankratius, Victor

2017-01-01

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS; i.e., GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and other constellations) has recently grown into numerous areas that go far beyond the traditional scope in navigation. In the geosciences, for example, high-precision GPS has become a powerful tool for a myriad of geophysical applications such as in geodynamics, seismology, paleoclimate, cryosphere, and remote sensing of the atmosphere. Positioning with millimeter-level accuracy can be achieved through carrier-phase-based, multi-frequency signal processing, which mitigates various biases and error sources such as those arising from ionospheric effects. Today, however, most receivers with multi-frequency capabilities are highly specialized hardware receiving systems with proprietary and closed designs, limited interfaces, and significant acquisition costs. This work explores alternatives that are entirely software-based, using Software-Defined Radio (SDR) receivers as a way to digitize the entire spectrum of interest. It presents an overview of existing open-source frameworks and outlines the next steps towards converting GPS software receivers from single-frequency to dual-frequency, geodetic-quality systems. In the future, this development will lead to a more flexible multi-constellation GNSS processing architecture that can be easily reused in different contexts, as well as to further miniaturization of receivers.

Ethically-based clinical decision-making in physical therapy: process and issues.

PubMed

Finch, Elspeth; Geddes, E Lynne; Larin, Hélène

2005-01-01

The identification and consideration of relevant ethical issues in clinical decision-making, and the education of health care professionals (HCPs) in these skills are key factors in providing quality health care. This qualitative study explores the way in which physical therapists (PTs) integrate ethical issues into clinical practice decisions and identifies ethical themes used by PTs. A purposive sample of eight PTs was asked to describe a recent ethically-based clinical decision. Transcribed interviews were coded and themes identified related to the following categories: 1) the integration of ethical issues in the clinical decision-making process, 2) patient welfare, 3) professional ethos of the PT, and 4) health care economics and business practices. Participants readily described clinical situations involving ethical issues but rarely identified specific conflicting ethical issues in their description. Ethical dilemmas were more frequently resolved when there were fewer emotional sequelae associated with the dilemma, and the PT had a clear understanding of professional ethos, valued patient autonomy, and explored a variety of alternative actions before implementing one. HCP students need to develop a clear professional ethos and an increased understanding of the economic factors that will present ethical issues in practice.

Low-Latency Science Exploration of Planetary Bodies: How ISS Might Be Used as Part of a Low-Latency Analog Campaign for Human Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, Harley; Valinia, Azita; Bleacher, Jacob; Eigenbrode, Jennifer; Garvin, Jim; Petro, Noah

2014-01-01

We suggest that the International Space Station be used to examine the application and validation of low-latency telepresence for surface exploration from space as an alternative, precursor, or potentially as an adjunct to astronaut "boots on the ground." To this end, controlled experiments that build upon and complement ground-based analog field studies will be critical for assessing the effects of different latencies (0 to 500 milliseconds), task complexity, and alternate forms of feedback to the operator. These experiments serve as an example of a pathfinder for NASA's roadmap of missions to Mars with low-latency telerobotic exploration as a precursor to astronaut's landing on the surface to conduct geological tasks.

Low-latency Science Exploration of Planetary Bodies: a Demonstration Using ISS in Support of Mars Human Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thronson, Harley A.; Valinia, Azita; Bleacher, Jacob; Eigenbrode, Jennifer; Garvin, Jim; Petro, Noah

2014-01-01

We summarize a proposed experiment to use the International Space Station to formally examine the application and validation of low-latency telepresence for surface exploration from space as an alternative, precursor, or potentially as an adjunct to astronaut "boots on the ground." The approach is to develop and propose controlled experiments, which build upon previous field studies and which will assess the effects of different latencies (0 to 500 msec), task complexity, and alternate forms of feedback to the operator. These experiments serve as an example of a pathfinder for NASA's roadmap of missions to Mars with low-latency telerobotic exploration as a precursor to astronaut's landing on the surface to conduct geological tasks.

An Alternate Configuration of the Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Howard, Robert L., Jr.

2014-01-01

The NASA Multi-Mission Space Exploration Vehicle (MMSEV) Team has developed an alternate configuration of the vehicle that can be used as a lunar lander. The MMSEV was originally conceived of during the Constellation program as the successor to the Apollo lunar rover as a pressurized rover for two-person, multiday excursions on the lunar surface. Following the cancellation of the Constellation program, the MMSEV has been reconfigured to serve as a free-flying scout vehicle for exploration of a Near Earth Asteroid and is also being assessed for use as a Habitable Airlock in a Cislunar microgravity spacecraft. The Alternate MMSEV (AMMSEV) variant of the MMSEV would serve as the transport vehicle for a four-person lunar crew, providing descent from an orbiting spacecraft or space station and ascent back to the spaceborne asset. This paper will provide a high level overview of the MMSEV and preliminary results from human-in-the-loop testing.

23 CFR 710.511 - Transportation enhancements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Transportation enhancements. 710.511 Section 710.511 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.511 Transportation enhancements. (a...

23 CFR 710.511 - Transportation enhancements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Transportation enhancements. 710.511 Section 710.511 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.511 Transportation enhancements. (a...

23 CFR 710.511 - Transportation enhancements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Transportation enhancements. 710.511 Section 710.511 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.511 Transportation enhancements. (a...

23 CFR 710.511 - Transportation enhancements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Transportation enhancements. 710.511 Section 710.511 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.511 Transportation enhancements. (a...

An alternative way to track the hot money in turbulent times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sensoy, Ahmet

2015-02-01

During recent years, networks have proven to be an efficient way to characterize and investigate a wide range of complex financial systems. In this study, we first obtain the dynamic conditional correlations between filtered exchange rates (against US dollar) of several countries and introduce a time-varying threshold correlation level to define dynamic strong correlations between these exchange rates. Then, using evolving networks obtained from strong correlations, we propose an alternative approach to track the hot money in turbulent times. The approach is demonstrated for the time period including the financial turmoil of 2008. Other applications are also discussed.

Children as scientists: Adding, connecting and elaborating ideas on the way to conceptual development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osmundson, Ellen

In this study, I explored how children develop and construct their ideas and alternative frameworks in science. Prior work in this area suggested that changes from alternative conceptions to understandings that more closely resemble scientists' models do not occur in a sequential, linear fashion, nor are they easily accomplished. By employing a constructivist framework grounded in dynamic systems to look at learning, alternative conceptions were viewed not as ideas that need to be "confronted and replaced" but rather as pieces of an intricate puzzle of understanding that when combined create a more complete, functional, continuous understanding of science. Specifically, the study examined students' understandings and conceptualizations of light as they studied it formally for eight weeks. Understandings were measured through interviews, student-generated concept maps, classroom interactions and by examining student work samples. The central questions guiding the investigation were: What were children's (ages 9 and 10) conceptions of light? Did children's ideas about light develop during their eight week study of it? If so, what was the nature of these changes? Results from the study indicated that children had numerous ideas about light before their formal study of it based on their experiences with the world. As children studied light, they learned about it in the dynamic, synergistic and interactive processes of adding new ideas, connecting ideas to one another and elaborating understandings to arrive at progressively more complex and scientific understandings of light. Alternative conceptions, served as both productive and non-productive resources for learning. Further, alternative conceptions and prior understandings did not disappear as children developed their ideas about light. Rather "old" ideas were used and reused to provide support the gradual process of cognitive development of children's ideas about light. Findings from this study can be used to provide science instruction that is both rich in content and rich in opportunities to experience the recursive and dynamic nature of science learning.

Summary Report for National Aeronautics Space Administration (NASA) and Centro Para Prevencao da Poluicao (C3P) 2011 International Workshop on Environment and Alternative Energy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Greene, Brian

2011-01-01

The C3P &. NASA International Workshop on Environment and Alternative Energy was held on November 15-18, 2011 at the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. The theme of the workshop was "Global Collaboration in Environmental and Alternative Energy Strategies". The workshop was held at ESTEC's conference center. More than 110 individuals from eleven countries attended the workshop. For the first time since the inception of NASA-C3P workshops, a full day was dedicated to a student session. Fifteen students from around the globe gave oral presentations along with poster displays relating to the latest technologies in environmental and alternative energy strategies. Judges from NASA, C3P and ESA awarded plaques to the top three students. In addition to the students, thirty eight U.S. and international subject matter experts presented on the following general environmental-related topics: (1) Hazardous materials management and substitution in support of space operations (2) Emerging renewable and alternative energy technologies (3) Sustainable development and redevelopment (4) Remediation technologies and strategies The workshop also included a panel discussion on the topic of the challenges of operating installations across borders. Throughout the workshop, attendees heard about the scope of environmental and energy challenges that industry and governments face. They heard about technologies for increasing energy efficiency and increasing use of renewable energy. They learned about ways companies and government agencies are using materials, processes, goods and services in a manner more respectful with the environment and in compliance with health and safety rules. The concept of partnerships and their inherent benefits was evidenced throughout the workshop. Partnering is a key aspect of sustainability because sustainable development is complicated. Through formal presentations and side discussions, attendees commented on the need for continued exploration of joint projects of mutual interest.

Alternatives for jet engine control

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sain, M. K.

1984-01-01

The technical progress of researches on alternatives for jet engine control is reported. Extensive numerical testing is included. It is indicated that optimal inputs contribute significantly to the process of calculating tensor approximations for nonlinear systems, and that the resulting approximations may be order-reduced in a systematic way.

Implementing the "Ways of Knowing Through the Realms of Meaning" to Assist Leaders in Retaining Alternatively Certified Teachers: Six National Recommendations for Improving Education in the United States of America

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butcher, Jennifer; Kritsonis, William Allan

2008-01-01

With both high retirement and high attrition rates among educators and a nationwide increasing student population, more teachers are needed. With the impact of a teacher shortage, educational systems began to examine the alternative certification methods. Alternative routes to teacher education profoundly impact the teaching force. The "Ways…

Overview of Small and Large-Scale Space Solar Power Concepts

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, Seth; Henley, Mark; Howell, Joe; Carrington, Connie; Fikes, John

2006-01-01

An overview of space solar power studies performed at the Boeing Company under contract with NASA will be presented. The major concepts to be presented are: 1. Power Plug in Orbit: this is a spacecraft that collects solar energy and distributes it to users in space using directed radio frequency or optical energy. Our concept uses solar arrays having the same dimensions as ISS arrays, but are assumed to be more efficient. If radiofrequency wavelengths are used, it will necessitate that the receiving satellite be equipped with a rectifying antenna (rectenna). For optical wavelengths, the solar arrays on the receiving satellite will collect the power. 2. Mars Clipper I Power Explorer: this is a solar electric Mars transfer vehicle to support human missions. A near-term precursor could be a high-power radar mapping spacecraft with self-transport capability. Advanced solar electric power systems and electric propulsion technology constitute viable elements for conducting human Mars missions that are roughly comparable in performance to similar missions utilizing alternative high thrust systems, with the one exception being their inability to achieve short Earth-Mars trip times. 3. Alternative Architectures: this task involves investigating alternatives to the traditional solar power satellite (SPS) to supply commercial power from space for use on Earth. Four concepts were studied: two using photovoltaic power generation, and two using solar dynamic power generation, with microwave and laser power transmission alternatives considered for each. All four architectures use geostationary orbit. 4. Cryogenic Propellant Depot in Earth Orbit: this concept uses large solar arrays (producing perhaps 600 kW) to electrolyze water launched from Earth, liquefy the resulting hydrogen and oxygen gases, and store them until needed by spacecraft. 5. Beam-Powered Lunar Polar Rover: a lunar rover powered by a microwave or laser beam can explore permanently shadowed craters near the lunar poles to search for water ice and other frozen volatiles. Near such craters are mountain peaks and highlands that are in near permanent sunlight. Power can be beamed from a collector on a sunlit mountain or crater rim to a rover inside a crater. Near-term applications of space solar power technology can therefore pave the way toward large-scale commercial power from space.

Alternate charging profiles for the onboard nickel cadmium batteries of the Explorer Platform/Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rao, Gopalakrishna M.; Prettyman-Lukoschek, Jill S.

1995-01-01

The Explorer Platform/Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EP/EUVE) spacecraft power is provided by the Modular Power Subsystems (MPS) which contains three 50 ampere-hour Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries. The batteries were fabricated by McDonnell Douglas Electronics Systems Company, with the cells fabricated by Gates Aerospace Batteries (GAB), Gainesville, Florida. Shortly following launch, the battery performance characteristics showed similar signatures as the anomalous performance observed on both the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) and the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO). This prompted the development and implementation of alternate charging profiles to optimize the spacecraft battery performance. The Flight Operations Team (FOT), under the direction of Goddard Space Flight Center's (GSFC) EP/EUVE Project and Space Power Applications Branch have monitored and managed battery performance through control of the battery Charge to Discharge (C/D) ratio and implementation of a Solar Array (SA) offset. This paper provides a brief overview of the EP/EUVE mission, the MPS, the FOT's battery management for achieving the alternate charging profile, and the observed spacecraft battery performance.

Taiwanese Students' Alternative Conceptions of Animal Biodiversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yen, Chiung-Fen; Yao, Tsung-Wei; Mintzes, Joel J.

2007-01-01

This study explored and documented Taiwanese students' alternative conceptions of animal classification. We examined the understanding of the "animal", "vertebrate" and "invertebrate", "fish", "amphibian", "reptile", "bird", and "mammal" concepts among elementary,…

Modeling of autocatalytic hydrolysis of adefovir dipivoxil in solid formulations.

PubMed

Dong, Ying; Zhang, Yan; Xiang, Bingren; Deng, Haishan; Wu, Jingfang

2011-04-01

The stability and hydrolysis kinetics of a phosphate prodrug, adefovir dipivoxil, in solid formulations were studied. The stability relationship between five solid formulations was explored. An autocatalytic mechanism for hydrolysis could be proposed according to the kinetic behavior which fits the Prout-Tompkins model well. For the classical kinetic models could hardly describe and predict the hydrolysis kinetics of adefovir dipivoxil in solid formulations accurately when the temperature is high, a feedforward multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network was constructed to model the hydrolysis kinetics. The build-in approaches in Weka, such as lazy classifiers and rule-based learners (IBk, KStar, DecisionTable and M5Rules), were used to verify the performance of MLP. The predictability of the models was evaluated by 10-fold cross-validation and an external test set. It reveals that MLP should be of general applicability proposing an alternative efficient way to model and predict autocatalytic hydrolysis kinetics for phosphate prodrugs.

Data Mining and Knowledge Discover - IBM Cognitive Alternatives for NASA KSC

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Velez, Victor Hugo

2016-01-01

Skillful tools in cognitive computing to transform industries have been found favorable and profitable for different Directorates at NASA KSC. In this study is shown how cognitive computing systems can be useful for NASA when computers are trained in the same way as humans are to gain knowledge over time. Increasing knowledge through senses, learning and a summation of events is how the applications created by the firm IBM empower the artificial intelligence in a cognitive computing system. NASA has explored and applied for the last decades the artificial intelligence approach specifically with cognitive computing in few projects adopting similar models proposed by IBM Watson. However, the usage of semantic technologies by the dedicated business unit developed by IBM leads these cognitive computing applications to outperform the functionality of the inner tools and present outstanding analysis to facilitate the decision making for managers and leads in a management information system.

Epidemics and the politics of knowledge: contested narratives in Egypt's H1N1 response.

PubMed

Leach, Melissa; Tadros, Mariz

2014-01-01

This article explores the politics of knowledge involved in understanding and responding to epidemics in an era of global health governance and biosecurity. It develops and applies an approach focused on how multiple, competing narratives about epidemics are constructed, mobilized and interact, and selectively justify pathways of intervention and response. A detailed ethnographic case study of national and local responses to H1N1 influenza, so-called swine flu, in Egypt reveals how global narratives were reworked by powerful actors in a particular political context, suppressing and delegitimizing the alternative narratives of the Zabaleen (Coptic Christian) people whose lives and livelihoods centered on raising pigs and working with them to control urban waste. The case study illustrates important ways in which geographies and politics of blame around epidemics emerge and are justified, their political contexts and consequences, and how they may feed back to shape the dynamics of disease itself.

The hand that rocks the cradle rocks the boat: the empowerment of women.

PubMed

Turkel, Ann Ruth

2004-01-01

The obstacles to equality for women have changed from external to intrapsychic. The relational characteristics of women, such as nurturing and connecting with others, are now regarded as desirable attributes for the workplace. Adult growth and achievement models are based on the so-called masculine characteristics of separation, individuation, and independence. Relational theory supplies an alternative model called growth-in-connection, which stems from the feminine characteristics of connection, collectivity, and interdependence. Women's fears of exercising power, men's resistance to sharing power, the traditional ways in which women attain power are all concerns that are examined. Real power lies in exercising leadership, which implies risk-taking. Exploring the gender disequilibrium in issues of power--both the female advantage and the female disadvantage-as exemplified by the glass ceiling and its origins--helps to clarify the issues involved in empowerment.

Neural networks for vertical microcode compaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chu, Pong P.

1992-09-01

Neural networks provide an alternative way to solve complex optimization problems. Instead of performing a program of instructions sequentially as in a traditional computer, neural network model explores many competing hypotheses simultaneously using its massively parallel net. The paper shows how to use the neural network approach to perform vertical micro-code compaction for a micro-programmed control unit. The compaction procedure includes two basic steps. The first step determines the compatibility classes and the second step selects a minimal subset to cover the control signals. Since the selection process is an NP- complete problem, to find an optimal solution is impractical. In this study, we employ a customized neural network to obtain the minimal subset. We first formalize this problem, and then define an `energy function' and map it to a two-layer fully connected neural network. The modified network has two types of neurons and can always obtain a valid solution.

The Human Figure and Urban Ground: Cyborgs and the City.

PubMed

Parkhurst, Aaron

2016-07-01

Recent years have seen developments in cyborgian movements in which people play and experiment with the boundaries of human flesh and aesthetic realities. Some individuals develop novel intimate relationships with devices that, each in their own way, interfere with human subjectivity. Public dissemination of these movements often proposes notions of transcendence, therapy, post-humanism and trans-humanism, but often fails to outline the lived-experience of those who explore cyborgian identity as an alternative mode of being in the world. This paper briefly follows self-described cyborgs who delimit the body through sensory 'enhancement' in an effort to disrupt common relationships between the human figure and the urban ground. Borrowing from Lewis Mumford's concepts of biotechnics, I propose cyborgian engagement as a type of psychodynamic living. Rather than focus on post-human discourses, these cyborgs turn to the natural world for inspiration in shaping the terms of engagement between their bodies and the city.

A haptic interface for virtual simulation of endoscopic surgery.

PubMed

Rosenberg, L B; Stredney, D

1996-01-01

Virtual reality can be described as a convincingly realistic and naturally interactive simulation in which the user is given a first person illusion of being immersed within a computer generated environment While virtual reality systems offer great potential to reduce the cost and increase the quality of medical training, many technical challenges must be overcome before such simulation platforms offer effective alternatives to more traditional training means. A primary challenge in developing effective virtual reality systems is designing the human interface hardware which allows rich sensory information to be presented to users in natural ways. When simulating a given manual procedure, task specific human interface requirements dictate task specific human interface hardware. The following paper explores the design of human interface hardware that satisfies the task specific requirements of virtual reality simulation of Endoscopic surgical procedures. Design parameters were derived through direct cadaver studies and interviews with surgeons. Final hardware design is presented.

The sanctuary of empathy and the invitation of engagement: psychic retreat, Kafka's "A Hunger Artist," and the psychoanalytic process.

PubMed

Karbelnig, Alan Michael

2014-12-01

As part of a broader scholarly and political effort to unify clinical psychoanalysis, the author argues that psychoanalysts' presence, engagement, and framing constitute the three overarching features of their work. Additionally, patients' propensity to turn inward, alternatively known as psychic retreat or narcissistic withdrawal, provides a similarly unifying way to view psychoanalytic patients. Narrowing the investigation to a phenomenological one, the author tapers the exploration further by studying the psychoanalytic process as it unfolds in real time. After addressing the problems of diffusion in professional identity and psychoanalytic theory that have plagued psychoanalysis from the start, the author presents three case examples into which he integrates Kafka's short story "A Hunger Artist." These vehicles are utilized to demonstrate how such nomenclature provides the basis for a more cohesive understanding of how psychoanalysts work.

A Study of Gaugeon Formalism for QED in Lorentz Violating Background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shah, Mushtaq B.; Ganai, Prince A.

2018-02-01

At the energy regimes close to Planck scales, the usual structure of Lorentz symmetry fails to address certain fundamental issues and eventually breaks down, thus paving the way for an alternative road map. It is thus argued that some subgroup of proper Lorentz group could stand consistent and might possibly help us to circumvent this problem. It is this subgroup that goes by the name of Very Special Relativity (VSR). Apart from violating rotational symmetry, VSR is believed to preserve the very tenets of special relativity. The gaugeon formalism due to type-I Yokoyama and type-II Izawa are found to be invariant under BRST symmetry. In this paper, we analyze the scope of this invariance in the scheme of VSR. Furthermore, we will obtain VSR modified Lagrangian density using path integral derivation. We will explore the consistency of VSR with regard to these theories.

Wide-angle planar microtracking for quasi-static microcell concentrating photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Jared S.; Sheng, Xing; Meulblok, Bram M.; Rogers, John A.; Giebink, Noel C.

2015-02-01

Concentrating photovoltaics offer a way to lower the cost of solar power. However, the existing paradigm based on precise orientation of large-area concentrator modules towards the Sun limits their deployment to large, open land areas. Here, we explore an alternate approach using high-efficiency microcell photovoltaics embedded between a pair of plastic lenslet arrays to demonstrate quasi-static concentrating photovoltaic panels <1 cm thick that accomplish full-day tracking with >200x flux concentration ratio through small (<1 cm) lateral translation at fixed latitude tilt. Per unit of installed land area, cosine projection loss for fixed microtracking concentrating photovoltaic panels is ultimately offset by improved ground coverage relative to their conventional dual-axis counterparts, enabling a ~1.9x increase in daily energy output that may open up a new opportunity for compact, high-efficiency concentrating photovoltaics to be installed on rooftops and other limited-space urban environments.

Wide-angle planar microtracking for quasi-static microcell concentrating photovoltaics.

PubMed

Price, Jared S; Sheng, Xing; Meulblok, Bram M; Rogers, John A; Giebink, Noel C

2015-02-05

Concentrating photovoltaics offer a way to lower the cost of solar power. However, the existing paradigm based on precise orientation of large-area concentrator modules towards the Sun limits their deployment to large, open land areas. Here, we explore an alternate approach using high-efficiency microcell photovoltaics embedded between a pair of plastic lenslet arrays to demonstrate quasi-static concentrating photovoltaic panels <1 cm thick that accomplish full-day tracking with >200x flux concentration ratio through small (<1 cm) lateral translation at fixed latitude tilt. Per unit of installed land area, cosine projection loss for fixed microtracking concentrating photovoltaic panels is ultimately offset by improved ground coverage relative to their conventional dual-axis counterparts, enabling a ~1.9x increase in daily energy output that may open up a new opportunity for compact, high-efficiency concentrating photovoltaics to be installed on rooftops and other limited-space urban environments.

Urban soil exploration through multi-receiver electromagnetic induction and stepped-frequency ground penetrating radar.

PubMed

Van De Vijver, Ellen; Van Meirvenne, Marc; Vandenhaute, Laura; Delefortrie, Samuël; De Smedt, Philippe; Saey, Timothy; Seuntjens, Piet

2015-07-01

In environmental assessments, the characterization of urban soils relies heavily on invasive investigation, which is often insufficient to capture their full spatial heterogeneity. Non-invasive geophysical techniques enable rapid collection of high-resolution data and provide a cost-effective alternative to investigate soil in a spatially comprehensive way. This paper presents the results of combining multi-receiver electromagnetic induction and stepped-frequency ground penetrating radar to characterize a former garage site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. The sensor combination showed the ability to identify and accurately locate building remains and a high-density soil layer, thus demonstrating the high potential to investigate anthropogenic disturbances of physical nature. In addition, a correspondence was found between an area of lower electrical conductivity and elevated concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons, suggesting the potential to detect specific chemical disturbances. We conclude that the sensor combination provides valuable information for preliminary assessment of urban soils.

Dynamical compensation and structural identifiability of biological models: Analysis, implications, and reconciliation.

PubMed

Villaverde, Alejandro F; Banga, Julio R

2017-11-01

The concept of dynamical compensation has been recently introduced to describe the ability of a biological system to keep its output dynamics unchanged in the face of varying parameters. However, the original definition of dynamical compensation amounts to lack of structural identifiability. This is relevant if model parameters need to be estimated, as is often the case in biological modelling. Care should we taken when using an unidentifiable model to extract biological insight: the estimated values of structurally unidentifiable parameters are meaningless, and model predictions about unmeasured state variables can be wrong. Taking this into account, we explore alternative definitions of dynamical compensation that do not necessarily imply structural unidentifiability. Accordingly, we show different ways in which a model can be made identifiable while exhibiting dynamical compensation. Our analyses enable the use of the new concept of dynamical compensation in the context of parameter identification, and reconcile it with the desirable property of structural identifiability.

Mars Relay Spacecraft: A Low-Cost Approach

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

SvitekT, .; King, J.; Fulton, R.; McOmber, R.; Hastrup, R.; Miller, A.

1995-01-01

The next phase of Mars exploration will utilize numerous globally distributed small low-cost devices including landers penetrators microrovers and balloons. Direct-to-Earth communications links if required for these landers will drive the lander design for two reasons: a) mass and complexity needed for a steerable high-gain antenna and b) power requirements for a high-power amplifier (i.e. solar panel and battery mass). Total mass of the direct link hardware for several recent small-lander designs exceeded the mass of the scientific payload. Alternatively if communications are via a Mars-orbiting relay spacecraft resource requirements for the local UHF communication link are comparatively trivial: a simple whip antenna and less than 1 watt power. Clearly using a Mars relay spacecraft (MRS) is the preferred option if the MRS mission can be accomplished in an affordable and robust way. Our paper describes a point design for such a mission launched in the s001 or 2003 opportunity.

The human rights responsibilities of multinational tobacco companies

PubMed Central

Crow, M

2005-01-01

This article explores various strategies which could be used to hold the tobacco industry accountable for human rights violations precipitated by its conduct. First, a brief overview of the international human rights regime and the tobacco related jurisprudence issued by human rights treaty bodies is provided. The article then explains how tobacco control advocates could promote more systematic consideration of governments' tobacco related human rights violations by reconceptualising the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in the language of rights. The feasibility of using the existing human rights framework to target the tobacco industry directly is analysed with the conclusion that this approach has serious limitations. Emerging human rights norms, which have greater potential to affect the industry's conduct, are presented. Finally, given the questionable authoritativeness of these norms, alternative ways that they could be employed to hold tobacco companies accountable for the rights related consequences of their activities are proposed. PMID:16046696

Foucault on targets.

PubMed

Lynch, John

2004-01-01

This paper seeks to gain an insight into the behavior of a large NHS trust, in its attempt to meet a 90 percent patient access target, in a week long national audit in March 2003. Why did individuals act in dramatically different ways to their norm over this period. The work of Michel Foucault is used to explore these issues. The discourses of power, knowledge, discipline and governmentality are identified as key foucaudian themes that offer an alternative interpretation of how individuals behave in their place of work. The importance of the historical context of discourse within the NHS cannot be underestimated in shaping the behavior of individuals and groups today. Power and knowledge permeate NHS organizations through disciplinary practices and dressage. Governmentality seeks to maintain the status quo through disciplinary processes such as national healthcare targets. The natural response of NHS organizations is therefore, to seek order and conformity rather than disorder and conflict.

Periodically modulated dark states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Yingying; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Wenxian

2018-04-01

Phenomena of electromagnetically induced transparency (PEIT) may be interpreted by the Autler-Townes Splitting (ATS), where the coupled states are split by the coupling laser field, or by the quantum destructive interference (QDI), where the atomic phases caused by the coupling laser and the probe laser field cancel. We propose modulated experiments to explore the PEIT in an alternative way by periodically modulating the coupling and the probe fields in a Λ-type three-level system initially in a dark state. Our analytical and numerical results rule out the ATS interpretation and show that the QDI interpretation is more appropriate for the modulated experiments. Interestingly, dark state persists in the double-modulation situation where control and probe fields never occur simultaneously, which is significant difference from the traditional dark state condition. The proposed experiments are readily implemented in atomic gases, artificial atoms in superconducting quantum devices, or three-level meta-atoms in meta-materials.

Positive and negative affect mediate the bidirectional relationship between emotional processing and symptom severity and impact in irritable bowel syndrome.

PubMed

Sibelli, Alice; Chalder, Trudie; Everitt, Hazel; Chilcot, Joseph; Moss-Morris, Rona

2018-02-01

Individuals with IBS report higher levels of psychological distress compared to healthy controls. Distress has been associated with emotional processing difficulties but studies have not explored how the relationship between distress and emotional processing affects IBS. There is little research on the role of positive affect (PA) in IBS. (a) If difficulties in self-reported emotional processing are associated with affect and IBS measures (i.e., symptom severity, interference in life roles) (b1) If affect mediates the relationship between emotional processing and IBS measures (b2) Alternative model: if affect mediates the relationship between IBS and emotional processing (c) If PA moderates the relationship between distress and IBS. Participants with a confirmed diagnosis of IBS (n=558) completed a questionnaire including measures of emotional processing (i.e., unhelpful beliefs about negative emotions, impoverished emotional experience), distress, PA, and IBS symptoms/interference. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted with Maximum Likelihood Estimation. Distress and PA mediated or partly mediated the relationship between unhelpful beliefs about negative emotions/impoverished emotional experience and both IBS measures. The alternative models were also valid, suggesting a two-way relationship between emotional processing and IBS through affect. PA did not moderate the relationship between distress and IBS. Future interventions in IBS may benefit from not only targeting the management of physical symptoms and their daily impact but also aspects related to the experience of both negative and positive affect, and the acceptance and expression of negative emotions. Longitudinal studies are needed to confirm causal relationships within the explored models. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exploring matrix effects and quantifying organic additives in hydraulic fracturing associated fluids using liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Nell, Marika; Helbling, Damian E

2018-05-23

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) operations utilize millions of gallons of water amended with chemical additives including biocides, corrosion inhibitors, and surfactants. Fluids injected into the subsurface return to the surface as wastewaters, which contain a complex mixture of additives, transformation products, and geogenic chemical constituents. Quantitative analytical methods are needed to evaluate wastewater disposal alternatives or to conduct adequate exposure assessments. However, our narrow understanding of how matrix effects change the ionization efficiency of target analytes limits the quantitative analysis of polar to semi-polar HF additives by means of liquid chromatography electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS). To address this limitation, we explored the ways in which matrix chemistry influences the ionization of seventeen priority HF additives with a modified standard addition approach. We then used the data to quantify HF additives in HF-associated fluids. Our results demonstrate that HF additives generally exhibit suppressed ionization in HF-associated fluids, though HF additives that predominantly form sodiated adducts exhibit significantly enhanced ionization in produced water samples, which is largely the result of adduct shifting. In a preliminary screening, we identified glutaraldehyde and 2-butoxyethanol along with homologues of benzalkonium chloride (ADBAC), polyethylene glycol (PEG), and polypropylene glycol (PPG) in HF-associated fluids. We then used matrix recovery factors to provide the first quantitative measurements of individual homologues of ADBAC, PEG, and PPG in HF-associated fluids ranging from mg L-1 levels in hydraulic fracturing fluid to low μg L-1 levels in PW samples. Our approach is generalizable across sample types and shale formations and yields important data to evaluate wastewater disposal alternatives or implement exposure assessments.

The perspectives and experiences of African American students in an informal science program

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulls, Domonique L.

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields are the fastest growing sectors of the economy, nationally and globally. In order for the United States (U.S.) to maintain its competitiveness, it is important to address STEM experiences at the precollege level. In early years, science education serves as a foundation and pipeline for students to pursue STEM in college and beyond. Alternative approaches to instruction in formal classrooms have been introduced to engage more students in science. One alternative is informal science education. Informal science education is an avenue used to promote science education literacy. Because it is less regulated than science teaching in formal classroom settings, it allows for the incorporation of culture into science instruction. Culturally relevant science teaching is one way to relate science to African American students, a population that continually underperforms in K-12 science education. This study explores the science perspectives and experiences of African American middle school students participating in an informal science program. The research is framed by the tenets of culturally relevant pedagogy and shaped by the following questions: (1) What specific aspects of the Carver Program make it unique to African American students? (2) How is culturally relevant pedagogy incorporated into the informal science program? (3) How does the incorporation of culturally relevant pedagogy into the informal science program influence African American students' perceptions about science? The findings to the previously stated questions add to the limited research on African American students in informal science learning environments and contribute to the growing research on culturally relevant science. This study is unique in that it explores the cultural components of an informal science program.

Eliciting critical care nurses' beliefs regarding physical restraint use.

PubMed

Via-Clavero, Gemma; Sanjuán-Naváis, Marta; Romero-García, Marta; de la Cueva-Ariza, Laura; Martínez-Estalella, Gemma; Plata-Menchaca, Erika; Delgado-Hito, Pilar

2018-01-01

Despite the reported harms and ethical concerns about physical restraint use in the critical care settings, nurses' intention to apply them is unequal across countries. According to the theory of planned behaviour, eliciting nurses' beliefs regarding the use of physical restraints would provide additional social information about nurses' intention to perform this practice. To explore the salient behavioural, normative and control beliefs underlying the intention of critical care nurses to use physical restraints from the theory of planned behaviour. A belief elicitation study was conducted. Participants and research context: Twenty-six critical care nurses were purposively sampled across gender, work-shift patterns and professional experience in five intensive care units of three hospitals in Spain. Data were obtained from a nine-item open-ended questionnaire and a focus group. Deductive content analysis was performed. Ethical considerations: Ethical approval was obtained from the hospital ethics committee. Participants were assured their participation was voluntary. Nurses framed the use of restraints as a way of prioritising patients' physical safety. They referred to contextual factors as the main reasons to justify their application. Nurses perceived that their decision is approved by other colleagues and the patients' relatives. Some nurses started advocating against their use, but felt powerless to change this unsafe practice within an unfavourable climate. Control beliefs were linked to patients' medical condition, availability of alternative solutions, analgo-sedation policies and work organisation. Safety arguments based on the surrounding work environment were discussed. Nurses' behavioural and control beliefs were related. Nurses should be trained in alternatives to physical restraint use. The impact of analgo-sedation protocols, relatives' involvement, leadership support and intensive care unit restraint policies on physical restraint practices need to be revised. Further research is required to explore why nurses do not act with moral courage to change this harmful practice.

Researching Children's Understanding of Safety: An Auto-Driven Visual Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agbenyega, Joseph S.

2011-01-01

Safe learning spaces allow children to explore their environment in an open and inquiring way, whereas unsafe spaces constrain, frustrate and disengage children from experiencing the fullness of their learning spaces. This study explores how children make sense of safe and unsafe learning spaces, and how this understanding affects the ways they…

Exploring Concepts from Abstract Algebra Using Variations of Generalized Woven Figure Eights

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taylor, Tara; Knoll, Eva; Landry, Wendy

2016-01-01

Students often struggle with concepts from abstract algebra. Typical classes incorporate few ways to make the concepts concrete. Using a set of woven paper artifacts, this paper proposes a way to visualize and explore concepts (symmetries, groups, permutations, subgroups, etc.). The set of artifacts used to illustrate these concepts is derived…

Achieving universal health care coverage: Current debates in Ghana on covering those outside the formal sector

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Globally, extending financial protection and equitable access to health services to those outside the formal sector employment is a major challenge for achieving universal coverage. While some favour contributory schemes, others have embraced tax-funded health service cover for those outside the formal sector. This paper critically examines the issue of how to cover those outside the formal sector through the lens of stakeholder views on the proposed one-time premium payment (OTPP) policy in Ghana. Discussion Ghana in 2004 implemented a National Health Insurance Scheme, based on a contributory model where service benefits are restricted to those who contribute (with some groups exempted from contributing), as the policy direction for moving towards universal coverage. In 2008, the OTPP system was proposed as an alternative way of ensuring coverage for those outside formal sector employment. There are divergent stakeholder views with regard to the meaning of the one-time premium and how it will be financed and sustained. Our stakeholder interviews indicate that the underlying issue being debated is whether the current contributory NHIS model for those outside the formal employment sector should be maintained or whether services for this group should be tax funded. However, the advantages and disadvantages of these alternatives are not being explored in an explicit or systematic way and are obscured by the considerable confusion about the likely design of the OTPP policy. We attempt to contribute to the broader debate about how best to fund coverage for those outside the formal sector by unpacking some of these issues and pointing to the empirical evidence needed to shed even further light on appropriate funding mechanisms for universal health systems. Summary The Ghanaian debate on OTPP is related to one of the most important challenges facing low- and middle-income countries seeking to achieve a universal health care system. It is critical that there is more extensive debate on the advantages and disadvantages of alternative funding mechanisms, supported by a solid evidence base, and with the policy objective of universal coverage providing the guiding light. PMID:23102454

Zero-Tolerance Discipline Approaches: Perspectives from Exemplary Alternative Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kruse, Timothy L.

2012-01-01

Scope and Method of Study: The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore alternative school administrator, teacher, and student perceptions of the factors that surround zero-tolerance discipline policies and practices, and to identify discipline alternatives that do not remove or exclude students from the school setting. A case study was…

"I Should Have Big Dreams": A Qualitative Case Study on Alternatives to Guardianship

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacLeod, Kate

2017-01-01

This qualitative single case study explored (a) the underlying beliefs of the connected individuals involved in determining guardianship or alternatives to guardianship for a young adult with intellectual disability; (b) the attitudes, resources and skills needed for educators and families to develop transition plans that address alternatives to…

Serving a Higher Power: The Influence of Alternative Break Programs on Students' Religiousness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niehaus, Elizabeth; Rivera, Mark

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between students' religiousness and participation in alternative breaks (ABs) using both survey and interview data from the National Survey of Alternative Breaks. Findings from this mixed methods study demonstrate the potential for ABs to facilitate religiousness and help students connect…

A novel training approach to activate alternative behaviors for smoking in depressed smokers.

PubMed

Kopetz, Catalina; MacPherson, Laura; Mitchell, Avery D; Houston-Ludlam, Alexandra N; Wiers, Reinout W

2017-02-01

The current research developed and tested a novel training strategy to alter the implicit associations between alternative behaviors to smoking and negative affect, and explored its effects on depressive symptoms and on smoking behavior as part of a quit attempt. Using a joystick, participants identified as smokers with depressive symptoms were trained to approach alternative behaviors to smoking in the context of negative affect. Specifically, in the experimental condition, participants were trained to avoid smoking-related targets and to approach alternative activities. In the control condition, participants pushed and pulled an equal amount of smoking and alternative activity-related targets. Compared with the participants in the control condition, those in the experimental condition showed an increase in the accessibility of the alternative activity relative to smoking and a decrease in depressive symptoms. Smoking outcomes did not differ significantly across the 2 conditions. Taken together these results indicate that the value of alternative behaviors to smoking can be modified in the lab without participants' conscious intentions with implications for depressive symptomatology. Future research is required to explore the impact of such training on smoking outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Separations by supported liquid membrane cascades

DOEpatents

Danesi, Pier R.

1986-01-01

The invention describes a new separation technique which leads to multi-stage operations by the use of a series (a cascade) of alternated carrier-containing supported-liquid membranes. The membranes contain alternatively a liquid cation exchanger extractant and a liquid anion exchanger extractant (or a neutral extractant) as carrier. The membranes are spaced between alternated aqueous electrolytic solutions of different composition which alternatively provide positively charged extractable species and negatively charged (or zero charged) extractable species, of the chemical species to be separated. The alternated aqueous electrolytic solutions in addition to providing the driving force to the process, simultaneously function as a stripping solution from one type of membrane and as an extraction-promoting solution for the other type of membrane. The aqueous electrolytic solutions and the supported liquid membranes are arranged in such a way to provide a continuous process which leads to the continuous enrichment of the species which show the highest permeability coefficients. By virtue of the very high number of stages which can be arranged, even chemical species having very similar chemical behavior (and consequently very similar permeability coefficients) can be completely separated. The invention also provide a way to concentrate the separated species.

4 CFR 22.24 - Alternative Dispute Resolution [Rule 24].

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

...) Docketed appeals. The Board considers Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to be an efficient way to timely resolve many contract disputes, and therefore encourages the parties to use ADR as an effective means to resolve their contract dispute. ADR with Board participation is available at the initiative of the Board...

4 CFR 22.24 - Alternative Dispute Resolution [Rule 24].

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

...) Docketed appeals. The Board considers Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to be an efficient way to timely resolve many contract disputes, and therefore encourages the parties to use ADR as an effective means to resolve their contract dispute. ADR with Board participation is available at the initiative of the Board...

Redesigning Supervision: Alternative Models for Student Teaching and Field Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodgers, Adrian; Jenkins, Deborah Bainer

2010-01-01

In "Redesigning Supervision", active professionals in teacher education and professional development share research-based, alternative models for restructuring the way pre-service teachers are supervised. The authors examine the methods currently used and discuss how teacher educators have striven to change or renew these procedures. They then…

Students: Customers, Clients or Pawns?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tight, Malcolm

2013-01-01

The metaphor of the student as a consumer or customer is widely used within contemporary higher education, and impacts on the ways in which students, academics and institutions behave. These, and a number of alternative metaphors for the student, are critically reviewed. The alternatives considered include both contemporary (student as client or…

Creation of Reusable Open Textbooks: Insights from the Connexions Repository

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez-Solano, Carlos; Sánchez-Alonso, Salvador; Sicilia, Miguel-Angel

2015-01-01

Open textbook initiatives have appeared as an alternative to traditional publishing. These initiatives for the production of alternatively copyrighted educational resources provide a way of sharing materials through the Web. While the open model of peer-produced materials enables the global reuse of textbooks, the combination of fragments to…

Technically Speaking: On the Structure and Experience of Interaction Involving Augmentative Alternative Communications

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Engelke, Christopher Robert

2013-01-01

Technically Speaking: On the Structure and Experience of Interaction Involving Augmentative Alternative Communications examines the ways that communication is structured and experienced by looking at interactions involving augmented communicators--people with severe speech disabilities who use forms of assistive technology in order to communicate…

Dynamic Approaches to Language Processing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srinivasan, Narayanan

2007-01-01

Symbolic rule-based approaches have been a preferred way to study language and cognition. Dissatisfaction with rule-based approaches in the 1980s lead to alternative approaches to study language, the most notable being the dynamic approaches to language processing. Dynamic approaches provide a significant alternative by not being rule-based and…

New Ways of Working and Organization: Alternative Agrifood Movements and Agrifood Researchers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Friedland, William H.

2010-01-01

The remarkable growth of alternative agrifood movements--organics, fair trade, localism, Slow Food, farmers' markets, community-supported agriculture, food security, food safety, food sovereignty, anti-genetically modified organisms, animal welfare, and others--and their attraction to younger academic scholars offer a unique opportunity to explore…

Trustworthiness and Authenticity: Alternate Ways To Judge Authentic Assessments.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hipps, Jerome A.

New methods are needed to judge the quality of alternative student assessment, methods which complement the philosophy underlying authentic assessments. This paper examines assumptions underlying validity, reliability, and objectivity, and why they are not matched to authentic assessment, concentrating on the constructivist paradigm of E. Guba and…

Systematic heterogenization for better reproducibility in animal experimentation.

PubMed

Richter, S Helene

2017-08-31

The scientific literature is full of articles discussing poor reproducibility of findings from animal experiments as well as failures to translate results from preclinical animal studies to clinical trials in humans. Critics even go so far as to talk about a "reproducibility crisis" in the life sciences, a novel headword that increasingly finds its way into numerous high-impact journals. Viewed from a cynical perspective, Fett's law of the lab "Never replicate a successful experiment" has thus taken on a completely new meaning. So far, poor reproducibility and translational failures in animal experimentation have mostly been attributed to biased animal data, methodological pitfalls, current publication ethics and animal welfare constraints. More recently, the concept of standardization has also been identified as a potential source of these problems. By reducing within-experiment variation, rigorous standardization regimes limit the inference to the specific experimental conditions. In this way, however, individual phenotypic plasticity is largely neglected, resulting in statistically significant but possibly irrelevant findings that are not reproducible under slightly different conditions. By contrast, systematic heterogenization has been proposed as a concept to improve representativeness of study populations, contributing to improved external validity and hence improved reproducibility. While some first heterogenization studies are indeed very promising, it is still not clear how this approach can be transferred into practice in a logistically feasible and effective way. Thus, further research is needed to explore different heterogenization strategies as well as alternative routes toward better reproducibility in animal experimentation.

Male combat veterans' narratives of PTSD, masculinity, and health.

PubMed

Caddick, Nick; Smith, Brett; Phoenix, Cassandra

2015-01-01

This article uniquely examines the ways a group of male combat veterans talk about masculinity and how, following post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), they performed masculinities in the context of a surfing group, and what effects this had upon their health and wellbeing. Participant observations and life history interviews were conducted with a group of combat veterans who belonged to a surfing charity for veterans experiencing PTSD. Data were rigorously explored via narrative analysis. Our findings revealed the ways in which veterans enacted masculinities in accordance with the values that were cultivated during military service. These masculine performances in the surfing group had important effects both on and for the veterans' wellbeing. Significantly, the study highlights how masculine performances can be seen alternately as a danger and as a resource for health and wellbeing in relation to PTSD. The article advances knowledge on combat veterans and mental health with critical implications for the promotion of male veterans' mental health. These include the original suggestion that health-promoting masculine performances might be recognised and supported in PTSD treatment settings. Rather than automatically viewing masculinity as problematic, this article moves the field forward by highlighting how hegemonic masculinities can be reconstructed in positive ways which might improve veterans' health and wellbeing. A video abstract of this article can be found at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaYzaOP1kAY. © 2015 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Advancing alternate tools: why science education needs CRP and CRT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dodo Seriki, Vanessa

2018-03-01

Ridgeway and Yerrick's paper, Whose banner are we waving?: exploring STEM partnerships for marginalized urban youth, unearthed the tensions that existed between a local community "expert" and a group of students and their facilitator in an afterschool program. Those of us who work with youth who are traditionally marginalized, understand the importance of teaching in culturally relevant ways, but far too often—as Ridgeway and Yerrick shared—community partners have beliefs, motives, and ideologies that are incompatible to the program's mission and goals. Nevertheless, we often enter partnerships assuming that the other party understands the needs of the students or community; understands how in U.S. society White is normative while all others are deficient; and understands how to engage with students in culturally relevant ways. This forum addresses the underlying assumption, described in the Ridgeway and Yerrick article, that educators—despite their background and experiences—are able to teach in culturally relevant ways. Additionally, I assert based on the finding in the article that just as Ladson-Billings and Tate (Teach Coll Rec 97(1):47-68, 1995) asserted, race in the U.S. society, as a scholarly pursuit, was under theorized. The same is true of science education; race in science education is under theorized and the use of culturally relevant pedagogy and critical race theory as a pedagogical model and analytical tool, respectively, in science education is minimal. The increased use of both would impact our understanding of who does science, and how to broaden participation among people of color.

Undoing gender? The case of complementary and alternative medicine.

PubMed

Brenton, Joslyn; Elliott, Sinikka

2014-01-01

Despite a rich body of sociological research that examines the relationship between gender and health, scholars have paid little attention to the case of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). One recent study (Sointu 2011) posits that men and women who use CAM challenge traditional ascriptions of femininity and masculinity through the exploration of self-care and emotions, respectively. Drawing on 25 in-depth interviews with middle-class Americans who use CAM, this article instead finds that men and women interpret their CAM use in ways that reproduce traditional gendered identities. Men frame their CAM use in terms of science and rationality, while simultaneously distancing themselves from feminine-coded components of CAM, such as emotions. Women seek CAM for problems such as abusive relationships, low self-esteem, and body image concerns, and frame their CAM use as a quest for self-reinvention that largely reflects and reproduces conventional femininity. Further, the reproduction of gendered identities is shaped by the participants' embrace of neoliberal tenets, such as the cultivation of personal control. This article contributes to ongoing theoretical debates about the doing, redoing and undoing of gender, as well as the literature on health and gender. © 2013 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness © 2013 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

The toxicological effect of Ruta graveolens extract in Siamese fighting fish: a behavioral and histopathological approach.

PubMed

Forsatkar, Mohammad Navid; Nematollahi, Mohammad Ali; Brown, Culum

2016-05-01

The effects of pharmacological waste on aquatic ecosystems are increasingly highlighted in ecotoxicology research. Many of these products are designed for human physiology but owing to the conservative nature of vertebrate evolution they also tend to have effects on aquatic organisms and fishes in particular when they find their way into aquatic systems via wastewater effluent. One area of research has focused on reproductive control and the associated hormone treatments. Many of these hormones affect the reproductive physiology of fishes and may cause feminization of male reproductive traits. Alternative medicines have also been widely used particularly in traditional cultures but few of these alternative treatments have been assessed with respect to their potential impact on aquatic ecosystems. Rue (Ruta graveolens) has been used as a male contraceptive in traditional medicines but its effects on fish behavior and reproductive anatomy have yet to be established. Here we show that treating Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens, with extract of rue has a significant effect on key aggressive/reproductive behaviors and the propensity to explore novel objects (boldness). In all cases the respective behaviors were reduced relative to controls and sham injected fish. Histological analysis of the testes revealed that rue exposure reduced the number of spermatozoa but increased the number of spermatocytes relative to controls.

Implications of "Too Good to Be True" for Replication, Theoretical Claims, and Experimental Design: An Example Using Prominent Studies of Racial Bias.

PubMed

Francis, Gregory

2016-01-01

In response to concerns about the validity of empirical findings in psychology, some scientists use replication studies as a way to validate good science and to identify poor science. Such efforts are resource intensive and are sometimes controversial (with accusations of researcher incompetence) when a replication fails to show a previous result. An alternative approach is to examine the statistical properties of the reported literature to identify some cases of poor science. This review discusses some details of this process for prominent findings about racial bias, where a set of studies seems "too good to be true." This kind of analysis is based on the original studies, so it avoids criticism from the original authors about the validity of replication studies. The analysis is also much easier to perform than a new empirical study. A variation of the analysis can also be used to explore whether it makes sense to run a replication study. As demonstrated here, there are situations where the existing data suggest that a direct replication of a set of studies is not worth the effort. Such a conclusion should motivate scientists to generate alternative experimental designs that better test theoretical ideas.

Implications of “Too Good to Be True” for Replication, Theoretical Claims, and Experimental Design: An Example Using Prominent Studies of Racial Bias

PubMed Central

Francis, Gregory

2016-01-01

In response to concerns about the validity of empirical findings in psychology, some scientists use replication studies as a way to validate good science and to identify poor science. Such efforts are resource intensive and are sometimes controversial (with accusations of researcher incompetence) when a replication fails to show a previous result. An alternative approach is to examine the statistical properties of the reported literature to identify some cases of poor science. This review discusses some details of this process for prominent findings about racial bias, where a set of studies seems “too good to be true.” This kind of analysis is based on the original studies, so it avoids criticism from the original authors about the validity of replication studies. The analysis is also much easier to perform than a new empirical study. A variation of the analysis can also be used to explore whether it makes sense to run a replication study. As demonstrated here, there are situations where the existing data suggest that a direct replication of a set of studies is not worth the effort. Such a conclusion should motivate scientists to generate alternative experimental designs that better test theoretical ideas. PMID:27713708

Group marking and peer assessment during a group poster presentation: the experiences and views of midwifery students.

PubMed

Ohaja, Magdalena; Dunlea, Margaret; Muldoon, Kathryn

2013-09-01

Traditionally, written examination and clinical practice assessments are the main ways of deeming midwifery students fit and competent for practice. Contemporary academics in an effort to engage the students in the learning process have employed alternative teaching and assessment strategies. Among the alternative strategies are group projects after which members of the group are awarded the same grade, and peer assessment. With the purpose of informing the midwifery curricular, we utilised a qualitative descriptive approach to explore midwifery students' experiences and views on the use of group poster presentation for learning and assessment. The participants consisted of a purposive sample of 14 higher diploma midwifery students who were registered in a third level institution in Ireland. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted following the completion of the poster presentation assessment. Permission to undertake the study was obtained from the college ethics committee. In this paper, we focus on the participants' views of group marking and peer assessment which are among the key elements that emerged in this study. While awarding a group mark was overall accepted, peer assessment proved a more contentious issue. Most of the participants found it challenging marking their friends. Reactions to group marks were very much influenced by the group dynamics. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A morphospace for synthetic organs and organoids: the possible and the actual.

PubMed

Ollé-Vila, Aina; Duran-Nebreda, Salva; Conde-Pueyo, Núria; Montañez, Raúl; Solé, Ricard

2016-04-18

Efforts in evolutionary developmental biology have shed light on how organs are developed and why evolution has selected some structures instead of others. These advances in the understanding of organogenesis along with the most recent techniques of organotypic cultures, tissue bioprinting and synthetic biology provide the tools to hack the physical and genetic constraints in organ development, thus opening new avenues for research in the form of completely designed or merely altered settings. Here we propose a unifying framework that connects the concept of morphospace (i.e. the space of possible structures) with synthetic biology and tissue engineering. We aim for a synthesis that incorporates our understanding of both evolutionary and architectural constraints and can be used as a guide for exploring alternative design principles to build artificial organs and organoids. We present a three-dimensional morphospace incorporating three key features associated to organ and organoid complexity. The axes of this space include the degree of complexity introduced by developmental mechanisms required to build the structure, its potential to store and react to information and the underlying physical state. We suggest that a large fraction of this space is empty, and that the void might offer clues for alternative ways of designing and even inventing new organs.

Opportunities and strategies to further reduce animal use for Leptospira vaccine potency testing.

PubMed

Walker, A; Srinivas, G B

2013-09-01

Hamsters are routinely infected with virulent Leptospira for two purposes in the regulation of biologics: the performance of Codified potency tests and maintenance of challenge culture for the Codified potency tests. Options for reducing animal use in these processes were explored in a plenary lecture at the "International Workshop on Alternative Methods for Leptospira Vaccine Potency Testing: State of the Science and the Way Forward" held at the Center for Veterinary Biologics in September 2012. The use of validated in vitro potency assays such as those developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Leptospira (L.) canicola, Leptospira grippotyphosa, Leptospira pomona, and Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae rather than the Codified hamster vaccination-challenge assay was encouraged. Alternatives such as reduced animal numbers in the hamster vaccination-challenge testing were considered for problematic situations. Specifically, the merits of sharing challenge controls, reducing group sizes, and eliminating animals for concurrent challenge dose titration were assessed. Options for maintaining virulent, stable cultures without serial passage through hamsters or with decreased hamster use were also discussed. The maintenance of virulent Leptospira without the use of live animals is especially difficult since a reliable means to maintain virulence after multiple in vitro passages has not yet been identified. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

"Now he walks and walks, as if he didn't have a home where he could eat": food, healing, and hunger in Quechua narratives of madness.

PubMed

Orr, David M R

2013-12-01

In the Quechua-speaking peasant communities of southern Peru, mental disorder is understood less as individualized pathology and more as a disturbance in family and social relationships. For many Andeans, food and feeding are ontologically fundamental to such relationships. This paper uses data from interviews and participant observation in a rural province of Cuzco to explore the significance of food and hunger in local discussions of madness. Carers' narratives, explanatory models, and theories of healing all draw heavily from idioms of food sharing and consumption in making sense of affliction, and these concepts structure understandings of madness that differ significantly from those assumed by formal mental health services. Greater awareness of the salience of these themes could strengthen the input of psychiatric and psychological care with this population and enhance knowledge of the alternative treatments that they use. Moreover, this case provides lessons for the global mental health movement on the importance of openness to the ways in which indigenous cultures may construct health, madness, and sociality. Such local meanings should be considered by mental health workers delivering services in order to provide care that can adjust to the alternative ontologies of sufferers and carers.

Race, embodiment and later life: Re-animating aging bodies of color.

PubMed

Rajan-Rankin, Sweta

2018-06-01

This theoretical essay examines the intersections between race, ethnicity and old age from an inter-disciplinary lens. Drawing on cultural gerontology (especially embodied aging studies) and post-colonial perspectives on aging, it explores how an emphasis on the body and embodiment can serve as a conceptual lens for understanding racialized aging bodies. A tentative framework for analysis is proposed. The concept of exile explores how bodies of color and older bodies are denigrated through the hegemonic (white, youth-centered, masculinist) gaze. Re-animation can take place by transcending double-consciousness: 'seeing beyond' the dominant gaze. Othering and otherness are explored in relation to both raced and aging bodies. The limits of ethnic aging are scrutinized at an epistemic level, simultaneously informing, and obscuring the understanding of lived experiences of racialized ethnic minorities in old age. Visible and invisible difference provide a way of unpacking the simultaneous hypervisibility of older (female) bodies of color, and their invisibility in institutional and policy discourses. De-coloniality is considered, by exploring ways to resist hegemonic power through embodied ways of knowing. This article concludes by exploring how recent methodological innovations - especially the visual and sensory turn - can offer new ways of understanding the lived experiences of aging bodies of color. Copyright © 2018 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Alternative Strategy in English Classrooms.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, M. Robert, Ed.

This collection of articles discusses various ways of teaching English to college, high school, and elementary students. The contents include: -Values in Today's Society: A Non-Lecture Composition Course," which discusses ways that college students are encouraged to participate in and direct class discussions; "Gambits: A Teacher Centered Language…

Roadway alignments as assets: evaluating alternatives for valuing major highway corridor rights of way.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2010-12-01

In most highway asset management exercises, real estate used in alignments is considered to be an asset class that does not depreciate. Although the treatment of right of way assets as non-depreciable real property may be appropriate as an accounting...

Green Acquisition Gap Analysis of the United States Air Force Operational Contracting Organizations

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-12-01

alternative sources, and changing the culture,” and that “for the last several years … the Air Force has led the way in this area.” Furthermore...less-toxic alternatives . Abstract Metrics • Increase renewable energy and renewable energy generation on agency property; • Pursue opportunities...agencies to purchase energy- efficient (Energy Star) products and requires increased use of alternative fuels. In addition, this regulation requires

Alternative Thinking.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herman, Dan

1999-01-01

Explains how advances in diesel and alternative fuels has caused schools to reconsider their use for their bus fleets. Reductions in air pollution emissions, cost-savings developments, and the economies experienced from less downtime and maintenance requirements are explored. (GR)

Implications of alternate revenue sources for transportation planning.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-01

This report focuses on selected issues associated with alternative sources of : transportation funding. In particular, this report: presents a list of funding options, : discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each option, explores public attit...

Integrated Surface Power Strategy for Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rucker, Michelle

2015-01-01

A National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) study team evaluated surface power needs for a conceptual crewed 500-day Mars mission. This study had four goals: 1. Determine estimated surface power needed to support the reference mission; 2. Explore alternatives to minimize landed power system mass; 3. Explore alternatives to minimize Mars Lander power self-sufficiency burden; and 4. Explore alternatives to minimize power system handling and surface transportation mass. The study team concluded that Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV) oxygen propellant production drives the overall surface power needed for the reference mission. Switching to multiple, small Kilopower fission systems can potentially save four to eight metric tons of landed mass, as compared to a single, large Fission Surface Power (FSP) concept. Breaking the power system up into modular packages creates new operational opportunities, with benefits ranging from reduced lander self-sufficiency for power, to extending the exploration distance from a single landing site. Although a large FSP trades well for operational complexity, a modular approach potentially allows Program Managers more flexibility to absorb late mission changes with less schedule or mass risk, better supports small precursor missions, and allows a program to slowly build up mission capability over time. A number of Kilopower disadvantages-and mitigation strategies-were also explored.

Americans Create Hybrid Spaces in Costa Rica: A Framework for Exploring Cultural and Linguistic Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spencer, Anthony

2011-01-01

This study explores the ways in which English-speaking immigrants negotiate new linguistic and cultural landscapes. I examine immigration and intercultural communication in a more complex and nuanced manner by researching the ways in which expatriates or "high-end" immigrants relocate and interact with host cultures. I conducted 11…

Promoting patient engagement with self-management support information: a qualitative meta-synthesis of processes influencing uptake.

PubMed

Protheroe, Joanne; Rogers, Anne; Kennedy, Anne P; Macdonald, Wendy; Lee, Victoria

2008-10-13

Patient information has been viewed as a key component of self-management. However, little attention has been given to methods of dissemination or implementation of effective information strategies. Previous problems identified with the use and implementation of patient information point to the need to explore the way in which patients engage with and use information to support self-management for chronic conditions. Four published qualitative studies from a programme of research about self-management were analysed as a group; these included studies of the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); self-help in anxiety and depression (SHADE); menorrhagia, treatment, information, and preference (MENTIP) study; and self-help for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). For the analysis, we used an adapted meta-ethnographic approach to the synthesis of qualitative data in order to develop an evidence base. The ontological status and experience of the condition in everyday life was the most dominant theme to emerge from this synthesis. This, coupled with access to and experience of traditional health services responses, shaped the engagement with and use of information to support self-management. Five key elements were found which were likely to influence this: the perception and awareness of alternative self-management possibilities; the prior extent and nature of engagement with information; the extent of and ability to self-manage; opportunities for use of the information and the stage of the illness career; and congruence and synergy with the professional role. People with chronic conditions need support from providers in both supply and engagement with information, in a way which gives legitimacy to the person's own self-management strategies and possible alternatives. Thus, a link could usefully be made between information offered, as well as patients' past experiences of self-management and engagement with services for their condition. The timeliness of the information should be considered, both in terms of the illness career and the type of condition (i.e., before depression gets too bad or time to reflect on existing knowledge about a condition and how it is to be managed) and in terms of the pre-existing relationship with services (i.e., options explored and tried). More considered use of information (how it is provided, by whom, and at what point it should be introduced) is key to facilitating patients' engagement with and therefore use of information to support self-management.

A poststructural rethinking of the ethics of technology in relation to the provision of palliative home care by district nurses

PubMed Central

Walshe, Catherine; Luker, Karen A.

2015-01-01

Abstract Technology and its interfaces with nursing care, patients and carers, and the home are many and varied. To date, healthcare services research has generally focussed on pragmatic issues such access to and the optimization of technology, while philosophical inquiry has tended to focus on the ethics of how technology makes the home more hospital like. However, the ethical implications of the ways in which technology shapes the subjectivities of patients and carers have not been explored. In order to explore this, poststructural theory, in particular the work of Butler, Foucault, and Deleuze, is used to theorize the relationship between subjectivity and materiality as ethically mandated on producing rather than precluding the development of subjectivities in novel ways. This theoretical understanding is then utilized through a process of ‘plugged in’ as described by Jackson and Massie that aims to link empirical data, research, and philosophical inquiry. Through this process, it is suggested that power, which the empirical data demonstrate, is frequently exercised through medical discourses and restricts patients' and carers' ability to shape the material environment of the home as a place to live and be cared for in palliative stages of illness. Alternative discourses are suggested both from the empirical data as well as other research, which may offer patients and carers the possibility of reclaiming power over the home and their subjectivities. Finally, the dichotomy between the home and hospital, mediated via technology, is posited as being problematic. It is argued the dichotomy is false and should be moved away from in order to allow an ethical embrace of technology in palliative care. PMID:26333295

A poststructural rethinking of the ethics of technology in relation to the provision of palliative home care by district nurses.

PubMed

Nagington, Maurice; Walshe, Catherine; Luker, Karen A

2016-01-01

Technology and its interfaces with nursing care, patients and carers, and the home are many and varied. To date, healthcare services research has generally focussed on pragmatic issues such access to and the optimization of technology, while philosophical inquiry has tended to focus on the ethics of how technology makes the home more hospital like. However, the ethical implications of the ways in which technology shapes the subjectivities of patients and carers have not been explored. In order to explore this, poststructural theory, in particular the work of Butler, Foucault, and Deleuze, is used to theorize the relationship between subjectivity and materiality as ethically mandated on producing rather than precluding the development of subjectivities in novel ways. This theoretical understanding is then utilized through a process of 'plugged in' as described by Jackson and Massie that aims to link empirical data, research, and philosophical inquiry. Through this process, it is suggested that power, which the empirical data demonstrate, is frequently exercised through medical discourses and restricts patients' and carers' ability to shape the material environment of the home as a place to live and be cared for in palliative stages of illness. Alternative discourses are suggested both from the empirical data as well as other research, which may offer patients and carers the possibility of reclaiming power over the home and their subjectivities. Finally, the dichotomy between the home and hospital, mediated via technology, is posited as being problematic. It is argued the dichotomy is false and should be moved away from in order to allow an ethical embrace of technology in palliative care. © 2015 The Authors. Nursing Philosophy Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Alternative large-scale conservation visions for northern Maine: interviews with decision leaders in Maine

Treesearch

Elizabeth Dennis Baldwin; Laura S. Kenefic; Will F. LaPage

2007-01-01

Based on confidential interviews with 21 decision leaders in Maine, Elizabeth Baldwin, Laura Kenefic, and Will LaPage examine the complexity of the conflicts over alternate visions for large-scale conservation in Maine. Exploring models that may be useful for policymakers grappling with competing values for Maine's forests, they present four alternatives: national...

A Critical Constructionist View of "At-Risk" Youth in Alternative Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Touzard, Rachelle Silverstein

2010-01-01

Family therapists and school counselors are increasingly called upon to provide services for youth in alternative education (Carver, Lewis, & Tice, 2010). Alternative education systems are programs for youth who have been defined as at risk. This study explored the at-risk discourse and asked the questions (a) how do youth and staff define the…

76 FR 24925 - Solicitation for Public Comment on Potential Alternatives To Resolve Generic Safety Issue 191...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-03

... comment on potential alternatives for risk informing the path forward to resolve Generic Safety Issue (GSI... Notation Vote Paper (SECY-10-0113) which presented to the Commission the regulatory path forward options... the staff, in part, to explore alternative paths forward for resolving GSI-191. Discussion While GSI...

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

Kelly, K.; Gonzales, J.

Many fleet managers have opted to incorporate alternative fuels and advanced vehicles into their lineup. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) offer a variety of choices, and there are additional options offered by aftermarket companies. There are also a myriad of ways that existing vehicles can be modified to utilize alternative fuels and other advanced technologies. Vehicle conversions and retrofit packages, along with engine repower options, can offer an ideal way to lower vehicle operating costs. This can result in long term return on investment, in addition to helping fleet managers achieve emissions and environmental goals. This report summarizes the various factorsmore » to consider when pursuing a conversion, retrofit, or repower option.« less

Advantages of soft versus hard constraints in self-modeling curve resolution problems. Penalty alternating least squares (P-ALS) extension to multi-way problems.

PubMed

Richards, Selena; Miller, Robert; Gemperline, Paul

2008-02-01

An extension to the penalty alternating least squares (P-ALS) method, called multi-way penalty alternating least squares (NWAY P-ALS), is presented. Optionally, hard constraints (no deviation from predefined constraints) or soft constraints (small deviations from predefined constraints) were applied through the application of a row-wise penalty least squares function. NWAY P-ALS was applied to the multi-batch near-infrared (NIR) data acquired from the base catalyzed esterification reaction of acetic anhydride in order to resolve the concentration and spectral profiles of l-butanol with the reaction constituents. Application of the NWAY P-ALS approach resulted in the reduction of the number of active constraints at the solution point, while the batch column-wise augmentation allowed hard constraints in the spectral profiles and resolved rank deficiency problems of the measurement matrix. The results were compared with the multi-way multivariate curve resolution (MCR)-ALS results using hard and soft constraints to determine whether any advantages had been gained through using the weighted least squares function of NWAY P-ALS over the MCR-ALS resolution.

Chemical Alias: An Engaging Way to Examine Nomenclature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurushkin, Mikhail; Mikhaylenko, Maria

2015-01-01

An educational card game, "Chemical Alias," has been developed as an alternative method of reviewing students' knowledge of nomenclature. In contrast to conventional tests, this highly competitive activity is a fun and effective way to examine and reinforce nomenclature. The students play in pairs, using Clark's famous spiral arrangement…

23 CFR 710.509 - Functional replacement of real property in public ownership.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 23 Highways 1 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Functional replacement of real property in public ownership. 710.509 Section 710.509 Highways FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RIGHT-OF-WAY AND ENVIRONMENT RIGHT-OF-WAY AND REAL ESTATE Property Acquisition Alternatives § 710.509...

Articulation: A Working Paper on Rhetoric and "Taxis"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stormer, Nathan

2004-01-01

This essay suggests a way to historicize different rhetorical practices--in effect, alternative ways to write genealogies of diverse rhetorics. A certain distinction between culture and nature is a fundamental organizing concept in humanistic rhetoric that has circumscribed scholars' ability to appreciate rhetoric that does not emanate from the…

Listening Natively across Perceptual Domains?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Langus, Alan; Seyed-Allaei, Shima; Uysal, Ertugrul; Pirmoradian, Sahar; Marino, Caterina; Asaadi, Sina; Eren, Ömer; Toro, Juan M.; Peña, Marcela; Bion, Ricardo A. H.; Nespor, Marina

2016-01-01

Our native tongue influences the way we perceive other languages. But does it also determine the way we perceive nonlinguistic sounds? The authors investigated how speakers of Italian, Turkish, and Persian group sequences of syllables, tones, or visual shapes alternating in either frequency or duration. We found strong native listening effects…

Thai Ways and My Ways.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Dick L.

Differences in Thai and American world views that point to cultural differences where misunderstandings can occur are considered. These differences reflect an alternative view of reality, not just language or verbal differences. Thailand has never been under foreign rule; most of the people are Buddhists; and 80 percent of Thai people are involved…

Digital Storytelling: An Alternative Way of Expressing Oneself

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hartsell, Taralynn

2017-01-01

Digital storytelling has many implications in teaching and learning. As a way to communicate ideas, experiences, beliefs, and topics to an audience through the use of technology and multimedia, digital stories help storytellers acquire many different skills and literacies. The most important aspect is that the storyteller learns to create stories…

Shared Interests: Public Funding Challenges Increase Appeal of For-Profit Partners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Nancy Mann

2013-01-01

The current financial crisis in higher education is driving more public institutions to look at alternative ways to generate support. Many are leveraging longstanding relationships with private corporations, seeking ways to expand their involvement. Supporters who once simply made philanthropic contributions are becoming strategically involved…

Alternative communication systems for people with severe motor disabilities: a survey

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

We have now sufficient evidence that using electrical biosignals in the field of Alternative and Augmented Communication is feasible. Additionally, they are particularly suitable in the case of people with severe motor impairment, e.g. people with high-level spinal cord injury or with locked-up syndrome. Developing solutions for them implies that we find ways to use sensors that fit the user's needs and limitations, which in turn impacts the specifications of the system translating the user's intentions into commands. After devising solutions for a given user or profile, the system should be evaluated with an appropriate method, allowing a comparison with other solutions. This paper submits a review of the way three bioelectrical signals - electromyographic, electrooculographic and electroencephalographic - have been utilised in alternative communication with patients suffering severe motor restrictions. It also offers a comparative study of the various methods applied to measure the performance of AAC systems. PMID:21507236

Reference Mission Version 3.0 Addendum to the Human Exploration of Mars: The Reference Mission of the NASA Mars Exploration Study Team. Addendum; 3.0

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Drake, Bret G. (Editor)

1998-01-01

This Addendum to the Mars Reference Mission was developed as a companion document to the NASA Special Publication 6107, "Human Exploration of Mars: The Reference Mission of the NASA Mars Exploration Study Team." It summarizes changes and updates to the Mars Reference Missions that were developed by the Exploration Office since the final draft of SP 6107 was printed in early 1999. The Reference Mission is a tool used by the exploration community to compare and evaluate approaches to mission and system concepts that could be used for human missions to Mars. It is intended to identify and clarify system drivers, significant sources of cost, performance, risk, and schedule variation. Several alternative scenarios, employing different technical approaches to solving mission and technology challenges, are discussed in this Addendum. Comparing alternative approaches provides the basis for continual improvement to technology investment plan and a general understanding of future human missions to Mars. The Addendum represents a snapshot of work in progress in support of planning for future human exploration missions through May 1998.

Alternatives to Multilevel Modeling for the Analysis of Clustered Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Francis L.

2016-01-01

Multilevel modeling has grown in use over the years as a way to deal with the nonindependent nature of observations found in clustered data. However, other alternatives to multilevel modeling are available that can account for observations nested within clusters, including the use of Taylor series linearization for variance estimation, the design…

Alternatives for At-Risk and Out-of-School Youth. ERIC Digest.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerka, Sandra

Educators are considering ways to help youth identified as "at-risk" succeed in school and beyond. Alternative programs (AP) can be effective environments for students who may not fit the mainstream mold and need additional support. Effective AP use a holistic approach that encompasses social, academic, psychological and career-related…

Educating Moral People: A Caring Alternative to Character Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noddings, Nel

An alternative to character education is care ethics. The ethics of care can be seen as fundamentally relational, not individual-agent-based in the way of virtue ethics, and the ethics of care is more indirect than character education. After an introductory chapter that outlines the similarities and differences between character education and care…

Developing Educational Alternatives: Some New Ways for Education in Rural Areas.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, A. W.

The evolution and diversification of alternative educational programmes for rural communities are traced from the "shock-absorber" approach, aimed at a sector of society which presented a visible need, toward community education and some of the working principles behind it. The starting point for examining educational evolution is traditional…

Grapevine downy mildew control in organic farming.

PubMed

La Torre, A; Spera, G; Lolletti, D

2005-01-01

Cupric products at low dose and alternative compounds have been tested to control the downy mildew in an organic vineyard. It has found that copper compounds control downy mildew in a satisfactory way, reducing, at the same time, the dose of copper metal. The alternative products were not satisfactory to control Plasmopara viticola.

Leadership Preparation Program's Effects on Principals' Preparedness: Traditional University-Based vs. Alternative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gagliardi, Karen M.

2012-01-01

In this mixed-method causal comparative and interview-based study, I developed an understanding of the way in which school principals perceived their level of preparedness. The effectiveness of two types of leadership preparation programs, traditional-university based and alternative, were considered on principal preparedness. One hundred and…

Rethinking Student Discipline: Alternatives That Work. Principals Taking Action Series.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Short, Paula M.; And Others

This book presents an alternative way of thinking about school discipline policy. It advocates the establishment of a school environment that supports good student behavior and provides an organizational look at how to build good school discipline, based on actual experiences. Punitive approaches, whether based on rewards or punishment, simply…

Alternate Perspectives on Concept Internalization: Learning Top Down Vs. Learning Bottom Up.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pines, A. Leon

This paper outlines two alternate ways in which concepts are acquired, known as "top down" and "bottom up". "Bottom up" refers to learning the members of a category and then extracting their similarities or differences, the rule or criterial attributes used to make the categorization. In the "top down"…

The Alternative Certification of Teachers. Teacher Education Monograph No. 14.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawley, Willis D., Ed.

Criticisms of teacher education, the low economic and political costs of trying to reform schools by reforming teacher education, along with the difficulty of filling some teaching positions with persons certified in traditional ways, have fueled a movement to create alternative routes to teacher certification in the vast majority of states. This…

New ways of believing or belonging: is religion giving way to spirituality?

PubMed

Glendinning, Tony; Bruce, Steve

2006-09-01

In this article, the presence of alternative spirituality and practices within the general culture and their relationship to institutional religion are examined using national survey data collected as part of the 2001 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. Alternative practices are found to divide into two groups of interests: concerns with personal well-being and interest in divination. Better-educated women are much more likely to engage with holistic practices associated with well-being; a minority of younger, less well-educated women are more likely to have found horoscopes, astrology, fortune-telling and tarot 'important in their lives'. Churchgoers find divination antithetical to religion while the use and salience of a range of holistic practices is as acceptable among churchgoers as it is among non-attenders and the secular (once allowance has been made for the connections between putatively alternative practices, gender, age and education). This underscores a focus on personal well-being rather than alternative spirituality in the consumption of holistic products and practices within the general culture. The study findings are used to assess claims for a spiritual revolution in modern Britain.

Pricing strategies in inelastic energy markets: can we use less if we can't extract more?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voinov, Alexey; Filatova, Tatiana

2014-03-01

Limited supply of nonrenewable energy resources under growing energy demand creates a situation when a marginal change in the quantity supplied or demanded causes non-marginal swings in price levels. The situation is worsened by the fact that we are currently running out of cheap energy resources at the global scale while adaptation to climate change requires extra energy costs. It is often argued that technology and alternative energy will be a solution. However, alternative energy infrastructure also requires additional energy investments, which can further increase the gap between energy demand and supply. This paper presents an explorative model that demonstrates that a smooth transition from an oil-based economy to alternative energy sources is possible only if it is started well in advance while fossil resources are still abundant. Later the transition looks much more dramatic and it becomes risky to rely entirely on technological solutions. It becomes increasingly likely that in addition to technological solutions that can increase supply we will need to find ways to decrease demand and consumption. We further argue that market mechanisms can be just as powerful tools to curb demand as they have traditionally been for stimulating consumption. We observe that individuals who consume more energy resources benefit at the expense of those who consume less, effectively imposing price externalities on the latters. We suggest two transparent and flexible methods of pricing that attempt to eliminate price externalities on energy resources. Such pricing schemes stimulate less consumption and can smooth the transition to renewable energy.

Representation of Ecological Systems within the Protected Areas Network of the Continental United States

PubMed Central

Aycrigg, Jocelyn L.; Davidson, Anne; Svancara, Leona K.; Gergely, Kevin J.; McKerrow, Alexa; Scott, J. Michael

2013-01-01

If conservation of biodiversity is the goal, then the protected areas network of the continental US may be one of our best conservation tools for safeguarding ecological systems (i.e., vegetation communities). We evaluated representation of ecological systems in the current protected areas network and found insufficient representation at three vegetation community levels within lower elevations and moderate to high productivity soils. We used national-level data for ecological systems and a protected areas database to explore alternative ways we might be able to increase representation of ecological systems within the continental US. By following one or more of these alternatives it may be possible to increase the representation of ecological systems in the protected areas network both quantitatively (from 10% up to 39%) and geographically and come closer to meeting the suggested Convention on Biological Diversity target of 17% for terrestrial areas. We used the Landscape Conservation Cooperative framework for regional analysis and found that increased conservation on some private and public lands may be important to the conservation of ecological systems in Western US, while increased public-private partnerships may be important in the conservation of ecological systems in Eastern US. We have not assessed the pros and cons of following the national or regional alternatives, but rather present them as possibilities that may be considered and evaluated as decisions are made to increase the representation of ecological systems in the protected areas network across their range of ecological, geographical, and geophysical occurrence in the continental US into the future. PMID:23372754

Representation of ecological systems within the protected areas network of the continental United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Aycrigg, Jocelyn L.; Davidson, Anne; Svancara, Leona K.; Gergely, Kevin J.; McKerrow, Alexa; Scott, J. Michael

2013-01-01

If conservation of biodiversity is the goal, then the protected areas network of the continental US may be one of our best conservation tools for safeguarding ecological systems (i.e., vegetation communities). We evaluated representation of ecological systems in the current protected areas network and found insufficient representation at three vegetation community levels within lower elevations and moderate to high productivity soils. We used national-level data for ecological systems and a protected areas database to explore alternative ways we might be able to increase representation of ecological systems within the continental US. By following one or more of these alternatives it may be possible to increase the representation of ecological systems in the protected areas network both quantitatively (from 10% up to 39%) and geographically and come closer to meeting the suggested Convention on Biological Diversity target of 17% for terrestrial areas. We used the Landscape Conservation Cooperative framework for regional analysis and found that increased conservation on some private and public lands may be important to the conservation of ecological systems in Western US, while increased public-private partnerships may be important in the conservation of ecological systems in Eastern US. We have not assessed the pros and cons of following the national or regional alternatives, but rather present them as possibilities that may be considered and evaluated as decisions are made to increase the representation of ecological systems in the protected areas network across their range of ecological, geographical, and geophysical occurrence in the continental US into the future.

Narrative inquiry: Locating Aboriginal epistemology in a relational methodology.

PubMed

Barton, Sylvia S

2004-03-01

This methodology utilizes narrative analysis and the elicitation of life stories as understood through dimensions of interaction, continuity, and situation. It is congruent with Aboriginal epistemology formulated by oral narratives through representation, connection, storytelling and art. Needed for culturally competent scholarship is an experience of research whereby inquiry into epiphanies, ritual, routines, metaphors and everyday experience creates a process of reflexive thinking for multiple ways of knowing. Based on the sharing of perspectives, narrative inquiry allows for experimentation into creating new forms of knowledge by contextualizing diabetes from the experience of a researcher overlapped with experiences of participants--a reflective practice in itself. The aim of this paper is to present narrative inquiry as a relational methodology and to analyse critically its appropriateness as an innovative research approach for exploring Aboriginal people's experience living with diabetes. Narrative inquiry represents an alternative culture of research for nursing science to generate understanding and explanation of Aboriginal people's 'diabetic self' stories, and to coax open a window for co-constructing a narrative about diabetes as a chronic illness. The ability to adapt a methodology for use in a cultural context, preserve the perspectives of Aboriginal peoples, maintain the holistic nature of social problems, and value co-participation in respectful ways are strengths of an inquiry partial to a responsive and embodied scholarship.

Sequence-specific bias correction for RNA-seq data using recurrent neural networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Yao-Zhong; Yamaguchi, Rui; Imoto, Seiya; Miyano, Satoru

2017-01-25

The recent success of deep learning techniques in machine learning and artificial intelligence has stimulated a great deal of interest among bioinformaticians, who now wish to bring the power of deep learning to bare on a host of bioinformatical problems. Deep learning is ideally suited for biological problems that require automatic or hierarchical feature representation for biological data when prior knowledge is limited. In this work, we address the sequence-specific bias correction problem for RNA-seq data redusing Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to model nucleotide sequences without pre-determining sequence structures. The sequence-specific bias of a read is then calculated based on the sequence probabilities estimated by RNNs, and used in the estimation of gene abundance. We explore the application of two popular RNN recurrent units for this task and demonstrate that RNN-based approaches provide a flexible way to model nucleotide sequences without knowledge of predetermined sequence structures. Our experiments show that training a RNN-based nucleotide sequence model is efficient and RNN-based bias correction methods compare well with the-state-of-the-art sequence-specific bias correction method on the commonly used MAQC-III data set. RNNs provides an alternative and flexible way to calculate sequence-specific bias without explicitly pre-determining sequence structures.

Rethinking autism: implications of sensory and movement differences for understanding and support

PubMed Central

Donnellan, Anne M.; Hill, David A.; Leary, Martha R.

2012-01-01

For decades autism has been defined as a triad of deficits in social interaction, communication, and imaginative play. Though there is now broad acknowledgment of the neurological basis of autism, there is little attention paid to the contribution of such neurological differences to a person's development and functioning. Communication, relationship, and participation require neurological systems to coordinate and synchronize the organization and regulation of sensory information and movement. Developmental differences in these abilities are likely to result in differences in the way a person behaves and expresses intention and meaning. The present paper shares our emerging awareness that people may struggle with difficulties that are not immediately evident to an outsider. This paper explores the symptoms of sensory and movement differences and the possible implications for autistic people. It provides a review of the history and literature that describes the neurological basis for many of the socalled behavioral differences that people experience. The paper emphasizes the importance of our acknowledgment that a social interpretation of differences in behavior, relationship, and communication can lead us far away from the lived experience of individuals with the autism label and those who support them. We suggest alternative ways to address the challenges faced by people with autism. PMID:23372546

A RECIPE TO PROBE ALTERNATIVE THEORIES OF GRAVITATION VIA N-BODY NUMERICAL SIMULATIONS. I. SPIRAL GALAXIES

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

Brandao, C. S. S.; De Araujo, J. C. N., E-mail: claudiosoriano.uesc@gmail.com, E-mail: jcarlos.dearaujo@inpe.br

2012-05-01

A way to probe alternative theories of gravitation is to study if they could account for the structures of the universe. We therefore modified the well-known Gadget-2 code to probe alternative theories of gravitation through galactic dynamics. As an application, we simulate the evolution of spiral galaxies to probe alternative theories of gravitation whose weak field limits have a Yukawa-like gravitational potential. These simulations show that galactic dynamics can be used to constrain the parameters associated with alternative theories of gravitation. It is worth stressing that the recipe given in this study can be applied to any other alternative theorymore » of gravitation in which the superposition principle is valid.« less

Variations in lay health theories: implications for consumer health care decision making.

PubMed

Shaw Hughner, Renée; Schultz Kleine, Susan

2008-12-01

Wide variations in how contemporary consumers think about health and make health care decisions often go unrecognized by health care marketers and public policy decision makers. In the current global environment, prevailing Western viewpoints on health and conventional biomedicine are being challenged by a countervailing belief system forming the basis for alternative health care practices. The ways American consumers once thought about health have changed and multiplied in this new era of competing health paradigms. Our study provides empirical evidence for this assertion in two ways. First, it demonstrates that in the current environment consumers think about health and health care in a multiplicity of very different ways, leading to the conclusion that we should not classify health care consumers as either conventional or alternative. Second, the results provide clues as to how individuals holding diverse health theories make health care decisions that impact health behaviors, treatment efficacy, and satisfaction judgments.

Resilience and Loss in Work Identities: A Narrative Analysis of Some Retired Teachers' Work-Life Histories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kirk, John; Wall, Christine

2010-01-01

The article examines the importance of "emotional labour" in the constitution of the "teacherly-self". Deriving from a research project on work and social identity, the article explores the ways teachers have negotiated the radical changes in the profession in recent years, and uses the notion of "teacher resilience" to explore the ways teachers…

Overcoming Methods Anxiety: Qualitative First, Quantitative Next, Frequent Feedback along the Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, Jeffrey L.; Allen, Brooke Thomas

2013-01-01

Political Science research methods courses face two problems. First is what to cover, as there are too many techniques to explore in any one course. Second is dealing with student anxiety around quantitative material. We explore a novel way to approach these issues. Our students began by writing a qualitative paper. They followed with a term…

Exploring Associations among Writing Self-Perceptions, Writing Abilities, and Native Language of English-Spanish Two-Way Immersion Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neugebauer, Sabina R.; Howard, Elizabeth R.

2015-01-01

The current study, with 409 fourth graders in two-way immersion programs, explored the writing self-perceptions of native English and native Spanish speakers and the relationship between self-perceptions and writing performance. An adapted version of the Writer Self-Perception Scale (WSPS) was administered along with a writing task. Native English…

Pokémon Battles as a Context for Mathematical Modeling

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuffey, William

2017-01-01

In this article I explore some of the underlying mathematics of Poke´mon battles and describe ways that teachers at the secondary level could explore concepts of mathematical game theory in this context. I discuss various ways of representing and analyzing a Poke´mon battle using game theory and conclude with an example of applying concepts of…

The Secondary-Tertiary Transition Viewed as a Change in Mathematical Cultures: An Exploration Concerning Symbolism and Its Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corriveau, Claudia; Bednarz, Nadine

2017-01-01

Secondary-tertiary transition issues are explored from the perspective of ways of doing mathematics that are constituted in the implicit aspects of teachers' action. Theories of culture (Hall, 1959) and ethnomethodology (Garfinkel, 1967) provide us with a basis for describing and explicating the ways of doing mathematics specific to each teaching…

Where Do We Go from Here?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacLeish, William H.

1990-01-01

Explores environmental problem management alternatives cited as demonstrating the human potential for renewal and change. These alternatives include (1) management of wolf/rancher confrontations; (2) energy conservation; (3) agribusiness products and practices; (4) solar technology; and (5) air pollution control. (MCO)

IDENTIFICATION OF NEW DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS IN DRINKING WATER

EPA Science Inventory

Due to concern over the potential adverse health effects of trihalomethanes (THMs) and other chlorinated by-products in chlorinated drinking water, alternative disinfectants are being explored. Ozone, chlorine dioxide, and chloramine are popular alternatives, as they produce low...

ASSESSING ALTERNATIVE FUTURES FOR AGRICULTURE IN IOWA, U.S.A.

EPA Science Inventory

The contributions of current industrial agricultural practices to environmental degradation and the social problems facing agricultural regions are well known. However, landscape-scale alternatives to current conditions have not been fully explored nor their potential impacts qua...

Alternatives to neonicotinoid insecticides for pest control: case studies in agriculture and forestry.

PubMed

Furlan, Lorenzo; Kreutzweiser, David

2015-01-01

Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used for control of insect pests around the world and are especially pervasive in agricultural pest management. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that the broad-scale and prophylactic uses of neonicotinoids pose serious risks of harm to beneficial organisms and their ecological function. This provides the impetus for exploring alternatives to neonicotinoid insecticides for controlling insect pests. We draw from examples of alternative pest control options in Italian maize production and Canadian forestry to illustrate the principles of applying alternatives to neonicotinoids under an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy. An IPM approach considers all relevant and available information to make informed management decisions, providing pest control options based on actual need. We explore the benefits and challenges of several options for management of three insect pests in maize crops and an invasive insect pest in forests, including diversifying crop rotations, altering the timing of planting, tillage and irrigation, using less sensitive crops in infested areas, applying biological control agents, and turning to alternative reduced risk insecticides. Continued research into alternatives is warranted, but equally pressing is the need for information transfer and training for farmers and pest managers and the need for policies and regulations to encourage the adoption of IPM strategies and their alternative pest control options.

No School Is an Island: Negotiation between Alternative Education Ideals and Mainstream Education--The Case of Violin School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadar, Linor L.; Hotam, Yotam; Kizel, Arie

2018-01-01

This paper provides insights into the pedagogy in practice of non-mainstream education through a qualitative case study of an alternative school in the context of the Israeli school system. The school's alternative agenda is based on being isolated from mainstream education. We explore the negotiations between the school's pedagogy and mainstream…

Alternative Work Patterns: Implications for Worklife Education and Training. Worker Education and Training Policies Project.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shore, Jane

This monograph explores the major categories of alternative work patterns, e.g., flexitime, permanent part-time employment, job sharing, the compressed work week, and reduced work time. Advantages and disadvantages of each type are discussed, and new insight is offered into an unexplored dimension of the major types of alternative work patterns:…

Alternatives to evacuation during wildland fire: Exploring adaptive capacity in one Idaho community

Treesearch

Travis B. Paveglio; Matthew S. Caroll; Pamela J. Jakes

2010-01-01

The use of alternatives to evacuation during wildfire events continues to be an intensely debated strategy in the professional and policy circles of numerous fire-prone countries. The most recent chapter comes in response to the Black Saturday Fires in Australia, which has led to policy changes concerning alternatives to evacuation in both Australia and USA. This study...

An Alternative Model of Music Learning and "Last Night's Fun": Participatory Music Making In/As Participatory Culture in Irish Traditional Music

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waldron, Janice

2016-01-01

Exploring emergent music learning and teaching models facilitated by global Web access can reveal alternative music education practices and delivery systems not seen in "traditional" conservatories and schools. One example of an alternative music learning model comes from the Online Academy of Irish Music (OAIM), a community music…

Moral injury: A new challenge for complementary and alternative medicine.

PubMed

Kopacz, Marek S; Connery, April L; Bishop, Todd M; Bryan, Craig J; Drescher, Kent D; Currier, Joseph M; Pigeon, Wilfred R

2016-02-01

Moral injury represents an emerging clinical construct recognized as a source of morbidity in current and former military personnel. Finding effective ways to support those affected by moral injury remains a challenge for both biomedical and complementary and alternative medicine. This paper introduces the concept of moral injury and suggests two complementary and alternative medicine, pastoral care and mindfulness, which may prove useful in supporting military personnel thought to be dealing with moral injury. Research strategies for developing an evidence-base for applying these, and other, complementary and alternative medicine modalities to moral injury are discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Knowing how we know: an epistemological rationale for the medical humanities.

PubMed

Chiavaroli, Neville

2017-01-01

Although their inclusion in medical curricula internationally is increasing, the medical humanities still face challenges to their role and place in the curriculum. Justifications supporting the inclusion of humanities content, methods and perspectives in medical curricula have generally been proposed along instrumental, intrinsic and critical lines. However, recent literature in the field has turned to 'ways of knowing' as representing an alternative, essentially epistemological, perspective on the matter. This involves the claim that the medical humanities align with and promote characteristic ways of understanding and practising medicine, which are not adequately represented in traditional disciplinary frameworks. Such epistemological arguments aim to move beyond generic claims of medicine as both an 'art' and a 'science' to explore the way in which the humanities support the ultimate objectives of a medical education, particularly in relation to claims about requisite knowledge and typical reasoning. Not only can this help focus attempts to identify and document relevant learning or clinical outcomes, but it can potentially uncover evidence from education outcomes research which may not have been the focus of previous inquiry in the medical humanities and which may in fact be associated, at least in part, with curricular activities formally associated with humanities disciplines. An epistemological view of the humanities in medical education offers a significant new way of conceptualising and communicating the potential role of the humanities in medical training. If clinical practice can be characterised as rational but interpretive, partly predictable yet fundamentally uncertain, and logical but also intuitive, it follows that educational training should facilitate such ways of knowing and thinking. An epistemological perspective enables the argument that the medical humanities are valuable not because they are more 'humane', but because they help constitute what it means to think like a doctor. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd and The Association for the Study of Medical Education.

Utilizing TEMPO surface estimates to determine changes in emissions, community exposure and environmental impacts from cement kilns across North America using alternative fuels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pegg, M. J.; Gibson, M. D.; Asamany, E.

2015-12-01

A major problem faced by all North American (NA) Governments is managing solid waste from residential and non-residential sources. One way to mitigate the need to expand landfill sites across NA is waste diversion for use as alternative fuel in industries such as cement manufacture. Currently, waste plastic, tires, waste shingles and other high carbon content waste destined for landfill are being explored, or currently used, as an alternative supplemental fuels for use in cement kilns across NA. While this is an attractive, environmentally sustainable solution, significant knowledge gaps remain in our fundamental understanding of whether these alternative fuels may lead to increased air pollution emissions from cement kilns across NA. The long-term objective of using TEMPO is to advance fundamental understanding of uncharacterized air pollution emissions and to assess the actual or potential environmental and health impacts of these emissions from cement kilns across NA. TEMPO measurements will be made in concert with in-situ observations augmented by air dispersion, land-use regression and receptor modelling. This application of TEMPO follows on from current research on a series of bench scale and pilot studies for Lafarge Canada Inc., that investigated the change in combustion emissions from various mixtures of coal (C), petroleum coke (PC) and non-recyclable alternative fuels. From our work we demonstrated that using an alternative fuel mixture in a cement kiln has potential to reduce emissions of CO2 by 34%; reduce NOx by 80%, and reduce fuel SO2 emissions by 98%. We also provided evidence that there would be a significant reduction in the formation of secondary ground-level ozone (O3) and secondary PM2.5 in downwind stack plumes if alternative waste derived fuels are used. The application of air dispersion, source apportionment, land use regression; together with remote sensing offers a powerful set of tools with the potential to improve air pollution community exposure research in NA. The application of the new NASA TEMPO satellite to track the dispersion of SO2, PM2.5 and NO2 in plumes and secondary O3 and aerosol formation downwind of cement kilns opens up an exciting new avenue of air pollution research in NA.

Solar geoengineering economics: From incredible to inevitable and half-way back

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, Anthony; Moreno-Cruz, Juan B.

2016-12-01

Solar geoengineering technologies are unique in many ways, and the economic incentives they could unleash are just as interesting. Since their introduction as a potential alternative, economists have been intrigued by the potential of these technologies to dramatically alter the way we think about climate policy. As our scientific understanding of the technologies evolve, so does the way economists think about them. In this paper, we document the evolution of economic thinking around these technologies since before Crutzen (2006) until today and provide some fruitful areas for further research.

The emergence of trust in clinics of alternative medicine.

PubMed

Pedersen, Inge Kryger; Hansen, Vibeke Holm; Grünenberg, Kristina

2016-01-01

Demands for alternative medicine have increased since the 1970s in nations in which western scientific evidence has become the basis for health care. This paradox has been the impetus to examine how trust emerges in clinics of alternative medicine. Alternative practitioners are self-regulated and the clients pay out of their own pockets to attend non-authorised treatments with very limited scientific evidence of their effects. Trust is a key issue in this context. However, only a few studies have dealt with the ways in which alternative practitioners win their clients' trust. Drawing on three qualitative studies and informing the empirical findings with a sociological concept of trust, this article provides new empirical insights on how trust emerges in Danish clinics of acupuncture, reflexology and homeopathy. The analysis demonstrates how trust is situational and emerges through both clients' susceptibility and practitioners' individual skill development and strategies, as well as from objects, place and space. Trust is developed on relational and bodily as well as material grounds. It is argued that the dynamics and elements of trust identified do not only minimalise uncertainties but sometimes convert these uncertainties into productive new ways for clients to address their ailments, life circumstances and perspectives. © 2015 Foundation for the Sociology of Health & Illness.

Mechanisms and consequences of alternative polyadenylation

PubMed Central

Di Giammartino, Dafne Campigli; Nishida, Kensei; Manley, James L.

2011-01-01

Summary Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is emerging as a widespread mechanism used to control gene expression. Like alternative splicing, usage of alternative poly(A) sites allows a single gene to encode multiple mRNA transcripts. In some cases, this changes the mRNA coding potential; in other cases, the code remains unchanged but the 3’UTR length is altered, influencing the fate of mRNAs in several ways, for example, by altering the availability of RNA binding protein sites and microRNA binding sites. The mechansims governing both global and gene-specific APA are only starting to be deciphered. Here we review what is known about these mechanisms and the functional consequences of alternative polyadenlyation. PMID:21925375

"Why Fly That Way?" Linking Community and Academic Achievement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greely, Kathy

This book tells the story of a year in one middle school teacher's class full of lively young adolescents, highlighting exemplary ways of learning and types of schooling. This alternative model of education shows how a strong, supportive community is essential in helping students reach their highest potential. The book includes: specific projects…

A Practice of Mobile Learning Based on Cloud Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Heng, Wu; Zhong, Dong

2016-01-01

Information and communication technology are well known rapid growing industry in this decade. That is nearly the same as fast as growth in costs in education. Therefore, many people have been forced to find alternative ways to meet their education needs. Innovations of distance education create a new way to provide learning content, unlimited…

Undoing the Knots: Identity Transformations in a Study Abroad Programme

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellwood, Constance

2011-01-01

In times of globalised flows of students, this paper offers an alternative way of conceptualising identity change in the experiences of students on study abroad or student exchange programmes. Despite the "identity turn" of recent years, modernist notions of identity continue to impact on the ways in which study abroad experiences are…

Shoving Our Way into Young People's Lives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGraw, Amanda

2011-01-01

This paper uses Sizer and Sizer's concept of "shoving" to examine the school experiences of a group of young people who left mainstream school early and some time later enrolled in an alternative educational setting designed to reengage early school leavers in formal learning. "Shoving" is a way to explain why so many young…

Less Pain, More Gain: Rapid Skill Development Using "Old Way New Way"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baxter, Paul; Lyndon, Harry; Dole, Shelley; Battistutta, Diana

2004-01-01

This study addresses an issue of global concern in skills training, namely, the rapid and permanent eradication of persistent habit errors, and bad or unsafe working practices. This article offers an alternative human factors explanation for the profound difficulties and low transfer of training experienced during error pattern retraining, and the…

Secondary Principals' Perceptions of Grading and Grade Reporting Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akins, Jeremie

2016-01-01

Effective grading practices in the classroom as well as reporting practices such as standards-based grading (SBG) is one way to report learning (Marzano, 2010). The focus of this particular study was to address alternative ways to tackle the issue of grading and grade reporting in comparison to the traditional grading methods. Specifically, this…

Models of Transparency and Accountability in the Biotech Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andersson, Kjell; Drottz-Sjoberg, Britt-Marie; Espejo, Raul; Fleming, Patricia Ann; Wene, Clas-Otto

2006-01-01

Today, societal decisions in areas of complexity are often dominated by one of three alternative ways: (a) by scientists, nowadays often in combination with commercial interest; (b) by politicians alone; and (c) by simply "laissez-faire," or "the tyranny of small steps." None of these three ways of decision making is fully…

Canadian Pacific Railway Investigation of Safety-Related Occurrences Protocol considered helpful by both labor and management.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-09-01

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Human Factors Research and Development (R&D) Program sponsored an Alternative Safety Measures Program designed to explore alternative methods for evaluating whether safety programs improve safety outcomes and...

Canadian Pacific Railway mechanical services' 5-Alive safety program shows promise in reducing injuries.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-09-01

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Human Factors Research and Development (R&D) Program is sponsoring an Alternative Safety Measures Program to explore alternative methods for evaluating whether safety programs improve safety outcomes and the ...

IDENTIFICATION OF TI02/UV DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS IN DRINKING WATER

EPA Science Inventory

Due to concern over the presence of trihalomethanes (THMs) and other chlorinated byproducts in chlorinated drinking water, alternative disinfection methods are being explored. One of the alternative treatment methods currently being evaluated for potential use with small systems ...

IDENTIFICATION OF CHLORINE DIOXIDE AND CHLORAMINE DRINKING WATER DISINFECTION BY-PRODUCTS

EPA Science Inventory

Due to concern over the potential adverse health effects of trihalomethanes (THMs) and other chlorinated by-products in chlorinated drinking water, alternative disinfection methods are being explored. Chlorine dioxide and chloramine are two popular alternative disinfectants, with...

Alternative Fuel and Advanced Technology Commercial Lawn Equipment (Spanish version); Clean Cities, Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy (EERE) (in Spanish)

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

Nelson, Erik

Powering commercial lawn equipment with alternative fuels or advanced engine technology is an effective way to reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum, reduce harmful emissions, and lessen the environmental impacts of commercial lawn mowing. Numerous alternative fuel and fuel-efficient advanced technology mowers are available. Owners turn to these mowers because they may save on fuel and maintenance costs, extend mower life, reduce fuel spillage and fuel theft, and demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.

Removing 3,5-Dichlorophenol from Wastewater by Alternative Adsorbents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kobetičová, Hana; Galbičková, Blanka; Ševčíková, Janka; Soldán, Maroš

2014-12-01

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate an efficiency of 3,5 - dichlorophenol removal from wastewater by using alternative adsorbents. Chlorophenols are organic compounds consisting of a benzene ring, OH groups and also atoms of chlorine. Chlorophenols may have a huge isomere variety that means there are differences in their chemical and physical properties. Due to their toxicity it is necessary to remove them from waste water and in this paper an alternative way of such process is described.

Dropping the Other U: An Alternative Approach to U-Shaped Developmental Functions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brainerd, C. J.

2004-01-01

The aim of this article is to introduce readers to an alternative way of applying U-shaped functions to understand development, especially cognitive development. In classical developmental applications, age is the abscissa; that is, in the fundamental equation B = f(A), some behavioral variable (B) plots as a U-shaped or inverted U-shaped function…

Ecological Embeddedness: An Interrogation and Refinement of the Concept within the Context of Alternative Food Networks in the UK

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morris, Carol; Kirwan, James

2011-01-01

Among their many "alternative" characteristics, food networks that seek to reconfigure the relationship between producers and consumers are understood as having the potential to be beneficial for the rural environment and landscape. One of the ways in which this characteristic has been conceptualised is through the notion of…

The Force of Habit: Channelling Young Bodies at Alternative Education Spaces

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kraftl, Peter

2016-01-01

This article develops a novel conceptual framework for examining the (re)formulation of habits in education spaces. It is based on the premise that education spaces are key sites for channelling and intervening in children's habits, to various ends. The article focuses on the ways educators at alternative education spaces in the United Kingdom…